Aaron Hernandez! For diehard football fans, they know exactly who he is. For the rest of the population, his name may or may not ring a bell. Aaron was a 1st team All-American tight end for the 2008 National Championship Florida Gators (sorry UT fans). He was drafted by the best team in the NFL at that time, the New England Patriots, and became an All-Pro for them. He had long had off the field problems while in college. In response to a reporter’s question about these off the field incidents, he replied with the following: “When I came here, I might have acted the way I wanted to act, but you get changed by the Patriot way”.
Only three years after this announcement, he was charged with murder, and a few days after his arrest, he committed suicide in his prison cell. The tragic ending of his life and the life he took from another is a more than tragic example of where we as humans can put our trust in the changes we need to make in our lives.
He put his trust in “the Patriot way”, whatever that is or means, and it failed him miserably.
I’m not trying to be overly dramatic here. I’m simply making the point…the things of this world will never bring genuine life change. No amount of worldly wisdom, fame, environment (even though they are important), money, success, power, control, work, relationships, etc., can bring about the Christ followers’ pursuit of becoming more like Christ. Matter of fact, they often get in the way because these things are at the heart of what drives us. They are what give us dignity, purpose, and meaning. They are the “ultimate” thing in our lives. Biblically, they are called idols, and they disappoint EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Recently, you may remember as we taught through the book of James the following from 4:8: ‘Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.’
It is a verse that a 4th grader could understand, but is profound if applied. It is a command: ‘Draw near to God’. It is a promise: ‘And He will draw near to you.’ Do you believe this? I’m betting that 99% of you do, and I’m also betting that if you are like me, you can believe something with your mind but not live it out in the day-to-day. The reality is that the living God wants to meet with us. He desires that we run to him every day like a 5-year-old child crying out for his help. Why? Because the Bible is clear…we desperately need help. Jesus put it boldly in John 15: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides (Draws Near) in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” The ‘nothing’ in vs. 5 is saying, you can do nothing of spiritual significance. You cannot produce Christlike fruit in your life, what the scriptures call the fruit of the spirit, listed in Galatians 5 (love, patience, peace, joy, kindness, goodness, and self-control).
The spiritual discipline of meeting with God through his word and prayer is what I like to call ‘A Kingdom routine’. It comes from the Lord’s prayer: “ Thy Kingdom come, on earth as in heaven”. The Kingdom routines of prayer and Bible intake are not disciplines we perform FOR God, they are instead ways that God wants to be with us and how we learn to be with Him. This difference is everything when it comes to life change. Spiritual disciplines often feel like duty, burden, and performance for God. Kingdom routines flow from a delight in who God is and who you and I are in Him. They are relational encounters, not religious requirements. You and I get to meet with the living God, anytime, anywhere, 24/7. That’s what the death and resurrection of Jesus has provided for His people through the Holy Spirit that now indwells us.
Here are a few ways to distinguish ‘Kingdom routines’ from dutiful times with God.
- Prayer becomes a conversation with someone who delights in you (John 17: God the Father loves you the same as He loves Jesus)
- Bible reading becomes receiving God’s love language of promises made and kept
- Worship becomes responding to His heart for you as his adopted son or daughter in Christ
- Rest in your soul becomes the norm because you KNOW he is in control
Kingdom routines make supernatural living (life change) the new normal. Delight in God (seeing His beauty) leads to the discipline of meeting with and hearing from Him. It becomes the most exciting part of our day and extends the entire day as you continue to practice His presence throughout the day. You start to enjoy God as you learn how much God enjoys being with you. You do none of this because you must, but because you may. Oh, the privilege we abandon when we fail to do this!
As we ask God to help us live “The Connected Life” this ministry year, let us remember that it starts with connecting upward with God. He is the one who produces every other connection. He is the one who creates in us the desire to love what He loves and hate what He hates. He is the one who gives us a glad heart to obey with joy.