“Our souls were made to walk with God. . . . The ‘with God’ life is not a life of more religious activities or devotions or trying to be good. It is a life of inner peace and contentment for your soul with the maker and manager of the universe. The ‘without God’ life is the opposite. It is death. It will kill your soul.”- John Ortberg, Soul Keeping (2014)
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”- Micah 6:8 (NIV)
On February 6, 1999, my parents, William and Elinor, celebrated fifty years of faithfulness to each other. They added another five years before my mom’s death in June of 2004. But their marriage commitment flowed from and reflected their lifelong trust in the faithfulness of God. They knew that they were made to walk with God. Even in sub-zero weather!
Church and Bible Study formed an integral part of each Sunday. Most significantly, this extended to all vacations. Prior to leaving, mom and dad consulted the Lutheran Annual to find a local church. Even when we took in Expo 67 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In addition, my parents sacrificed so that I could attend Lutheran schools from fourth grade through college. And mom also saved the bulletin from the first church service I played at the age of sixteen.
Writing in Soul Keeping: Caring for the Most Important Part of You, John Ortberg underscores that for the soul to be well, it needs to be with God. Certainly, we desire to bear fruit, to do wonderful things in our lives for God and His kingdom. But, Pastor Ortberg stresses, we don’t have to work that hard. Instead, we must make sure that we are with God.
So, when we accept that we were made to walk with God, status no longer matters. Because, John states, our souls thrive through simply being with God. Not through what we accomplish. Therefore, Pastor Ortberg suggests what he calls ‘The Soul Experiment.’ It’s a simple way for you to focus your soul on God throughout the day. To fill your moments with conscious awareness of and surrender to God’s presence.
Consequently, John encourages us to put three assumptions to the test:
1. God wants to make every moment of my life glorious with His presence. As a result, God wants to fill our souls with beauty, splendor, wonder, and magnificence. Thus, God wants you to focus on – and abide in — Him. However, you need to take an active role in determining where your soul rests.
2. The best place to start doing life with God is in the small moments. Because, John observes, not every day can be an Easter day. Hence, we must, with intention, look for God in the small moments of everyday life. Each day when you wake up, invite God to be with you that day. Learn to listen to that still small voice.
3. People will look different when I see them with God. Since we live and interact with people, they form a large part of the ‘with God’ life. Yet, it changes how you respond to another person when you’re aware of God’s presence. That God’s looking at the other person at the same moment He’s looking at you.
In conclusion, John exhorts:
“Your soul will never rest unless it finds home. We find it in the simple daily discipline of asking ourselves, ‘Is God here in this moment?’ If he is not, he can be.”
Wow Dave. This may be the best one yet. Yes! Our souls thrive with God no matter ones accomplishments or lack of. This is so the page my life is on right now! Love the music 🎶
Thank you