58 - 12 Movements of a Man's Life #8: A Man Trust an "RE" God
Episode Highlights:
What is an “RE-“ God?
“RE-“ is a prefix that means to do again or make anew. Our God is an “RE-“ God because He offers Himself to us again and again through refreshment, renewal, restoration, repair, recreation, redemption, etc.
A man trusts an “RE-” God:
A man who fully participates in life with his whole heart will pour himself out into life daily.
Because all of us are limited in our strength and resources, we need to be re-stored, re-plenished, re-deemed, re-created, re-enlivened, re-freshed, and more.
We have a God who attends to us is in daily life; therefore, we must face and participate in the rhythms of daily life for our daily sustenance.
A man needs to know how to attend to his limits and needs so that he is ready to step into the next day with renewed strength and resources.
A man needs to develop a rhythm of renewal so that he can give his heart, head, and hands to whatever he is “called” or assigned to do.
To live consistently in Movement #8, a man must begin by remembering his proper place.
In Episode #51, “The Order of Love,” explains the importance of a man submitting to God as the greatest resource of strength, courage, and wisdom that he can possibly have. “The Order of Love,” defines the foundation for all the other Movements of a man’s life.
A Mistaken Belief:
Many men are taught to believe that they are permitted to “rest” or “replenish” only when they are finished with their mission. They drive themselves very hard and live on “when/then” thinking:
“When I get all this done, then I will be able to finally stop, and relax, eat, drink and be merry.”
This thinking is based on the idea that I can finally get away from stress, worry, and pain if I just work hard enough.
However, a man cannot escape the realities of life because there is no such place as “away.” We have to contend with feelings and needs our whole lives.
WE need to experience “RE-” from God daily.
In Luke 12:16-21, Jesus shares a parable about a man trying to “get enough” so that I will no longer have to live with concerns, cares, stresses, or worries. Sadly, there is no such place that we can “get to” where we will no longer have to struggle.
In this parable, “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:16-21, NIV).
My spouse has told me many times that I cannot take a year’s worth of vitamins in a day. They are called “daily vitamins” for a reason!
We are going to have to face the concerns of life and in that, there really is no escape.
Facing Pathos and Its Benefits:
We must face what we feel. The word feeling is based in the Greek word pathos.
If we face our feelings, we develop two gifts, which actually derive from the word pathos.
The words patience and passion have their roots in the ability to deal with pain (pathos)
Patience literally means to be able to carry the burden of hope in spite of pain.
Passion literally means to be willing to be in pain for something that matters more than pain.
Men must be willing to face their pathos, and develop passion and patience, so that they have the strength to fulfill the missions of caring for their families and their “callings.” Both territories of love require the capacity for pathos, and the development of passion and patience.
Episode #18 “Living Fully in The River of Euphoria” explains the benefits of being able to live with pathos.
Since there is “no such place as away,” a man must learn to live an “RE” life.
“RE” Living and Its Practices:
If a man gives his heart, head, and hands to his “work” daily, he will need to be able to be in need of others and God.
He will need to be able to practice the truths of a very short prayer, The Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr:
God, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The Courage to change the things I can,
And the Wisdom to know the difference.
This prayer requires that a person face their feelings, needs, desire, longings, and hope, and be willing to need others and God to be able to live it in reality.
We have to be willing to face, feel, and deal with life on its terms.
We have to draw strength from sources outside ourselves to be patient, passionate, and experienced enough to persevere.
We also have to be willing to be in daily need of God for our “daily bread.”
Jesus taught the disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13 (NIV):
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
The disciples were taught that the One and Only God, Creator of the universe, was interested in and would supply the needs of those who need Him and ask Him. The first request in the prayer is for the “Great Bread-Maker” to meet daily needs:
replenishment
redemption
restoration
recreation
and more, all the way to the simplest need—daily bread.
Jesus taught them how they would need to live daily-life in a long mission on earth, until they were finished with their “missions.”
There is no “getting away from life.”
The same reality is true for us today.
We live one day at a time, and we need daily strength to live fully, whatever it is we are “called” to do.
We need to become aware of our limitations in order to also know our needs. This awareness on our part is where we see the brilliance of God.
We go to God and others for help. God and others will strengthen us.
We can “RE-” daily, because we have an “RE-” God who meets our needs in a multitude of ways. And He does so daily.
Many Expressions and Needs of the “RE” lifestyle
Restore means that the storehouse is empty and needs to be stocked again with supplies.
Recreated means to be made new again after being worn down.
Redeemed means to lose one’s sense of worth and value, and become awakened again to seeing the value of one’s purpose and worth.
Relieved literally means to “live again,” when all seems to be exhaustion and empty.
Resurrected is where we get the word surgery. Our spirits and “emotional hearts” often need to be brought back from the “dead” that grief and loss can give us. We need “heart surgery” to come to life again.
Replenish means to become inspired or nourished again so that we can pour out again.
Retreat means to stop, and “move back” to get away from confusion to make assessments and get wisdom for decision making.
Retire means to draw back, or move into solitude, so that we can be strengthened to return. It does not mean to quit!
There are many, many more “RE-” experiences that our generous God has for us if we will be aware of our needs.
Needing is the Key to Strength:
There is so much more for us to receive from God and others if we will face, feel, and deal with life on life’s terms.
If a man or woman pours out, they will need to be re-filled. Need is the key word:
Will we be in need?
Will we be aware enough to know our needs?
Will we face our limitations and respond to them with wisdom?
Will we surrender our efforts of trying to be God and actually be in need of God (and others)?
We cannot underestimate the power of a human being’s unwillingness to be in need.
So much disruption, chaos, and addiction come from our unwillingness.
If we are going to be willing to be in need, then we cannot overestimate the power of developing an “RE-”.
The Discipline of Restoring:
Morning is the best time to prepare for living—one day at a time.
Please check out this free resource on my website, The Discipline of Restoring.
It details recommendations for action steps to begin the day, prepared to meet its challenges
Dr. Chip Dodd
Voice of the Heart Center