Intro to Devotional Classics
Excerpts from C.S. Lewis, Dallas Willard, Johnathan Edwards, Francis De Sales, John of the Cross, Bernard of Clairvaux, Francois Fenelon, and St. Augustine
Over the last week, I have been reading the lives and excerpts from influential people over centuries in the book Devotional Classics, each person has contributed to theological endeavors. Many were great thinkers of their times with hearts pointed to God. They give clear guidance and wisdom to those of us who continue to read their works.
There are three overarching themes that I noticed. First, in the context of our lives, is it easy or hard to be a Christian? Second, in our hearts, we are called to love God and others. Lastly, our apostolic calling or, how we make disciples. How do these themes play a part in preparing for Spiritual life?
Our lives
C.S. Lewis comments on the Christian life as both hard and easy[1]. Jesus says to take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow him (Luke 9:23 NIV). Jesus also exclaims “my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV). In this same light, John of the Cross speaks of stages that we will go through. At some point in our lives, we move to a stage where God calls us to journey toward a harder spiritual growth. In this stage, we are to deny our fleshy desires and enter a time of “The Dark Night of the Soul.”[2] This time purifies our souls and we become more Christ-like.
Franscois Fenelon explains that whenever we discover new insight into our faith, our lives are transformed by joy. additionally, when we already have given all earthly things to Christ all that is left is to change our heart’s depth of love.[3] Christians are called to be loving people; it is part of our lives. Our lives are transformed by loving God, others, and ourselves: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 NIV).
Our Hearts
“Dear Children, let us not love with words or speech by with actions and in truth. This is how we know that we belong to the truth and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence: If our hearts condemn us, we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.”
1 John 3: 18-20 NIV
If we do all that we are asked to do by God, we hear the word of God, we understand His wisdom, power, and holiness. We know about Christ and his miracles and what he has brought to us, but if we have not accepted him in our hearts, then our hearts condemn us. Our hearts should change once we accept Jesus. At this point, we begin a journey that allows us to mature and become Christ-like during our lives. Johnathan Edwards explains that there are nine affections that Scripture inspires us to have: holy fear, hope, love, holy desire, joy, religious sorrow, gratitude, compassion, and zeal (1 Cor. 13:13, Ps. 146:5, 1 Thess. 5:8, Prov. 8:13, Ps. 42:1-2, Matt. 5:6, Ps. 37:4, Gal. 5:22, Matt. 5:4, Ps. 51:17, Psalms, Ps. 37:21, Prov. 14:31, Titus 2:14, Rev. 3:15-16 NIV).[4]
“Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confindence before God and recieve from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to lvoe one another as he commanded us. The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit, he gave us.”
1 John 3: 21-24 NIV
To this end, Bernard of Clairvaux states that true love does not seek its own interest.[5] Jesus is our example of true love. He did everything in this world for us so we may live in the kingdom of heaven. Bernard talks about different stages of love. Passing through each of them cuts through our ego and other things that we elevate in our hearts.[6] Likewise, St. Augustine reminds us that our will is in constant conflict: what the flesh wants versus what the heart wants. The two suffer at great lengths because biblical truth teaches one course of action, but habit prevents it from surrendering the other.[7] As we grow in our spiritual walk, we start to make room in our hearts for more important matters. Finally, as 1 John 3:23-24 states, as we keep God’s commands, the love we have for ourselves, for others, and for God, we will know that the Holy Spirit is with us
Disciple Making
In today’s age, we have become more accustomed to baptizing for church membership instead of disciple-making. Dallas Willard states that we have moved away from Christ’s initial plan of making disciples which has created a group of Christians who have not decided to follow Christ but instead the traditions of a particular church congregation or even denomination.[8] Discipleship looks much different from when Jesus was on earth. He was able to teach and lead in person and disciples left their lives to follow Christ (Mark 1:20, 10:28 Luke 14:25-27 NIV). Whereas now it is all through what has been left behind, through Scriptures, theologians, philosophers, and other great minds over the centuries.
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountains where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20 NIV
The great commissions are laid out before us in this passage: go and make disciples of all nations and baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As an affirmation of this commission, Francis de Sales states that true devotion to God is discipleship and it is charity: the ability to do good to all people.[9] Francis poses the question: “Do you seriously wish to travel the road to devotion? If so, look for a good person to guide and lead you.”[10] In other words look for a disciple, someone who is humble and sincere in spiritual growth.
To follow Christ and to make disciples, we must pick up the cross and follow with all our hearts. The price of not doing this, not creating disciples, is everything that Jesus brought to us (John 10:10 NIV).[11] It is central to who we are called to be as Christians.
A Mosaic of Christian Life from the book of Matthew
When looking at the book of Matthew, we see pieces of Jesus’s ministry that are instructions for our lives. Combining all of the different commandments gives us a mosaic of how our Christian life should reflect. In Matthew, we see Jesus call us to repent, follow him, rejoice, and be glad. Let our light shine before others, forgive, to be perfect, and live a life that reflects Christ. Be watchful, go after the lost sheep, and to be wise and innocent. I find it interesting that these commands are weaved throughout parables so that we have examples to follow. Jesus did not leave us to our own devices. The list of commands are too long to list here, but having read Matthew, I have the pieces to live a Christian Life, for others to see God through me.
“He told us to be not only ‘as harmless as doves,’ but also ‘as wise as serpents.’ He wants a child’s heart, but a grown-up’s head. He wants us to be simple, single-minded, affectionate, and teachable, as good children are; but He also wants every bit of intelligence we have to be alert at its job, and in first–class fighting trim.” [12]
~Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis
Why am I afraid to be happy?
“Those who are wholly God’s are always happy. They know by experience that the yoke of the Lord is “easy and light,” that we find in him “rest for the soul,” and that he comforts those who are weary and overburdened, as he himself has said.”[13] As I read this passage from Francois Fenelon, I wondered what keeps me from being happy. Why am I afraid to be happy? I do not think it is a question of happiness but one of which the world says contentment is unacceptable. I do my best to live a life of contentment and am relatively happy with how my life is currently. I trust God to show the way and know he goes before. All I have to do is follow him. The issue I face is that I feel society does not want someone to be happy or content. We live in a broken world that is all about who I am as a person and not my identity in Christ. I must ask myself, do I truly love God, because if I did then happiness would not be something to fear. My happiness comes from the Lord just like everything that I have in my life, comes from the Lord. As Francois so eloquently puts it, “There is only one way to love God: to take not a single step without him, and to follow with brave heart wherever he leads.”[14]
[13] Foster and Smith, Devotional Classics, 50
[14] Ibid, Devotional Classics, 51