Spiritual To Do List

Proverbs 18:17

The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him.

The most present voice is always the loudest.

I am not as spiritually minded as I want to be; my devotional life is more often a monologue than a dialogue. It hasn’t always been this way and I want to grow but good grief, every time I start to connect I remember that I am late to work, or need to buy more dog food, or some other thing. I don’t think I am alone in wanting a to-do list for connecting with my Heavenly Father, and I think I found one. It starts with a story.

In the early 90’s I subscribed to Climbing Magazine. When it arrived I would read every word, study how climbers lived and begin planning our next day on the rock. Finally, after each day climbing I would lay in bed and relive the best parts of the latest adventure before waking up the next morning ready to go again. Then I let my subscription lapse, and with it went my passion for big days on big routes. Some time later I decided to renew my subscription because the most present voice is always the loudest.

When it comes to being spiritually minded I believe the Holy Spirit activates our subscription. He’s the one who makes the things of Jesus spiritually present, front of mind, for us (John 14:16-19). That happens for me when I am with thoughtful believers, in public worship and when I read my Bible very, very slowly. Being in those rooms, where God is at work, is the coin of the realm, the currency to renew the subscription.