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If your heart is set on God, then cherish his teachings. Bread is as precious to a starving man as the Word of God is to those who crave abundant life. Follow his teachings and live with joy and hope. Ignore his teachings and minimize your existence. The choice is yours.

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Spiritual Transformation

John Ortberg, The Life You've Always Wanted, Zondervan Publishing House, 1997, pp. 46, 47.
SoAmazing.com

Category: Christian Living
Keywords: spiritual, transformation, growth, God, truth, Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, Jesus, trying hard, patient, training wisely, train, church, Corinth, crown, forever, Zondervan Publishing House, Ortberg, John Ortberg

"I devote this chapter to the single most helpful principle I know regarding spiritual transformation. It is by no means original with me. People who are wise in the ways of spiritual growth have understood it for centuries. I came across it at a time when I felt frustrated and stagnant in my own life with God, and through it I gained a firm hope that I really could grow. Through it--in a way I didn't recognize at the time--God was speaking to me. Here is the principle: There is an immense difference between training to do something and trying to do something.

I wish I could describe the hope I felt when I first came to understand this truth. I found it in Dallas Willard's book The Spirit of the Disciplines, and most of this chapter flows from the spirit of understanding that underlies his work. For much of my life, when I heard messages about following Jesus, I thought in terms of trying hard to be like him. So after hearing (or preaching, for that matter) a sermon on patience on Sunday, I would wake up Monday morning determined to be a more patient person. Have you ever tried hard to be patient with a three-year-old? I have--and it generally didn't work any better than would my trying hard to run a marathon for which I had not trained. I would end up exhausted and defeated. Given the way we are prone to describe 'following Jesus,' it's a wonder anyone wants to do it at all.

Spiritual transformation is not a matter of trying harder, but of training wisely. This is what the apostle Paul means when he encourages his young protege Timothy to 'train yourself in godliness.' This thought also lies behind his advice to the church at Corinth: 'Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.' "

SoAmazing Review: Between John Ortberg's humor, delightful storytelling and pointed prose his message comes through clearly. You can have the life you've always wanted!".

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Undivided Attention

Henri J.M. Nouwen, Making All Things New, Harper San Francisco, 1981, p. 69. SoAmazing.com

Category: Christian Living
Keywords: solitude, impossible, spiritual life, time, place, God, exists, present, healing, teaching, guiding, Jesus, Father, Matthew 6:6, Harper San Francisco, Nouwen, Henri J. M. Nouwen

"Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and him alone. If we really believe not only that God exists but also that he is actively present in our lives--healing, teaching, and guiding--we need to set aside a time and space to give him our undivided attention. Jesus says, 'Go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place' (Matthew 6:6)."

SoAmazing Review: In Making All Things New Nouwen wants us to give God our full attention. God will come close to us as we draw close to him in a quiet place.

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