Day
2
Loving
the Lord With All My Heart -- Attachment
Last week we
talked about spiritual disciplines.
These are simply the “exercises” that grow our relationship with the
Lord, how we train ourselves toward godliness and grow in our all-out love for
the Lord. There are certain practices
that will help us love the Lord with all our heart, disciplines of
attachment. These are positive actions
that orient and connect us to the love of God, taking His love deeper into our
hearts and resulting in our loving Him more deeply and fully. Some disciplines of attachment are:
Worship – Worship – personal and
corporate—brings us near to God, Who comes near as we draw near to him. Our English word worship comes from a word
meaning “worth-ship.” It is used to translate
words meaning to bow down. Worship is
ascribing worthiness to the Lord and surrendering to Him, , because He alone is
worthy. Worship is both a mind-set and a
practice, and can be celebratory or reflective,
loud or quiet, joyous or somber.
The following quote brings the importance of worship as attachment front
and center:
Most middle-class Americans
tend to worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are
distorted. Their relationships
disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair, and their lifestyles
resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot. [i][1]
Below are four
other disciplines of attachment. You may
observe that each of them are in reality an expression of worship.
Prayer – There are different types
of prayer, but essentially prayer is communication with the Lord. A life of prayer is essential to loving God
with all our hearts.
Confession of Truth – Confession is often thought
of as relating only to sin, but confession starts with confessing God’s truth
as a means of attachment to Him. This is
why many church traditions include confessions of faith in their corporate
worship.
Surrender – John Ortberg calls surrender
the “one decision that always helps.” [2] Well said. God is God, and we attach ourselves to Him as
we recognize that He is God and we are not, and He is in charge.
Thanksgiving—Thanksgiving as a daily
discipline overwhelms us with the goodness of God.
Which of the
above disciplines do you practice and how?
Which have you practiced in the past?
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Did you grow more attached to the Lord
through these practices?
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Which one would you like to start practicing
with greater intentionality?
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Prayer: Reflecting specifically on this
devotional, write out a prayer to God.
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