The Inner Life Series

By Garrett Edwards

Review series/Ask people for what stood out to them...

Well today we come to the theme of Discipleship and the ‘Inner Life.’ What do we think that that means? Can anyone give me their thoughts on what the ‘Inner life’ could mean when we look at a topic like discipleship, keeping in mind the passages that were just read out to us?

Over the last few weeks we have looked at discipleship in

Walking with Jesus

Being Students of Christ,

being a People on a Mission, our responsibility of building the Kingdom

and now we come to the Inner life

On reflecting on prayer and the ‘inner life’ an unknown author wrote this quote

‘It is strange that, while praying, we seldom ask for change of character, but always a change in circumstance.’

I think that this sums up what I want to talk about on the subject of the ‘Inner life.’ What is the ‘inner life?’

The Inner life is our character, all that stuff inside us that no one else can see, all that stuff inside us that is private and hidden. Discipleship - The Inner Life, when I hear that I think of whether or not our character is a disciple of Jesus.

And just as we’ve learned over the last few weeks our need to take action in becoming a disciple,

we need to take action in changing our character to become more and more like Jesus.

We see in Psalm 1, which, I think you’ll agree, is a very, ‘take no prisoners’ kind of passage, what God wants from his disciples.

If you still have your Bibles open, pleas read with me. (v1-2)

I see this passage as critical, but also a great challenge for those of us who want to be disciples of Jesus - ‘Love God’s teachings and think about them day and night.’

How many of us can claim that we do this? How many of us can read that verse without saying, ‘O-my-goodness! What the heck!? I can’t do that!’ Love God’s teachings and think about them day and night?

Some of us might be able to say, ‘Yes, I love God’s teachings.’ But how about thinking about them day and night?

How many of us even have the practice of daily devotions? How many of us here today have opened our Bible this past week, read and reflected on it, setting apart a portion of our day just to spend with God?

Let alone spending every waking moment thinking about God and what he has taught us?

But this idea is critical to disciple our inner life. If we want to change, if we want to be more like Jesus,

then we need to spend time with Him! We need to know what he was like, how he lived and what he taught us about how he wants us to live!!

It’s plain and simple, its foolishness to think that we can be a disciple of Jesus and live the way he wants you to and not spend time with him!

How much time are we spending with our God each week? How much time are we giving him?

In the midst of meetings and weekly agendas, in the midst of school work and friends

and reading books and watching movies...

Is God important enough to us?

It’s so hard for me! I constantly hear the Holy Spirit saying, ‘Garrett it’s time to talk to me.’

Not now Lord I’ve got work to do for Youth Group on Friday night.

‘Garrett, its time to read the Bible’

Not now, friends are coming over soon and I need to get ready.

‘Garrett, do you have 10 minutes for me today.’

Not today Lord, I really want to get through this book and then Im going out for the afternoon.’

No God, I’m too tired right now, I’ve been out all day, I’ve just come back from Youth Group or this or that, I need sleep now God, and I’m preaching tomorrow...’

We have so many things going on that we shut out the voice of God, and every time we choose something else over God, those things become bigger and bigger, growing in importance in our lives as God shrinks!

I wonder what the change would be like if we chose God over those things?

Would His importance in our lives Grow as the world shrinks behind us?

Would the test seem less important when we know that God is God?

Would those feelings of lust or anger or rejection...Would they seem less important if God was number 1 in our life?

I’d dare to think so, will you dare to as well?

Listen to me, listen to me! We need to spend time with God every day! And we will know the changes in our lives!