by Pastor Patrick Cho

I know it has been a long time since my last entry to the Pastor’s Corner and I apologize for that. I went back and reread what I wrote back in December and can confidently say that putting those principles into practice definitely works! I say this because at the time of writing in December, I wasn’t doing too well spiritually. Things were a bit dry and it was hard to squeeze any devotional “juice” out of my times with God. I knew I needed to get back to the basics and reestablish my love for the Lord.

I want to be careful, though, not to make it seem like putting some simple practices in your life will cure that devotional dryness. The problem is not singled out as a lack of discipline, ultimately. Added discipline can definitely aid someone who is struggling spiritually, but ultimately the problem is in the heart. You need to come to acknowledge that you are not close to God because of your sinful heart. You do not find sweet times in God’s Word because your life is full of worldly pleasures. You struggle to pray because you lack a sense of dependence on the Lord and struggle with self-sufficiency. Sin is the problem and repentance is what is necessary.

Another word of caution is to remember that this is not a battle of self-will. If I grow in the grace of our Lord and Savior, that is entirely because God is drawing me near. This is why I must always depend on the Lord. My heart is innately rebellious against God. There is no good in me, and given all the years of eternity, I would never seek Him. I want to know God because of His grace to me. I love only because He first loved me. This understanding stops me in my tracks! I haven’t done anything to deserve His grace. Had He left me to myself, I would not want to know Him. I would hate Him. This leads me to profound thankfulness. I praise my God and Savior for causing me to want to grow in grace, and I pursue Him because I joyfully desire to know the God of my salvation.

So on the one hand, it is getting back to basics and having the right disciplines in place. On the other hand, there is an underlying dependence on God to grow me and draw me nearer to Him. I am forever needy. If He were ever to release His grip and allow me to walk on my own, I would immediately fall. But with my hand securely in His, He can surely accomplish great things through me.