Excitement Made Complete

Nitish, I really appreciate your honesty. Not everyone has the guts to be that blunt, it's admirable. You are not alone though, I have been there before, for sure. In fact, I'm not doing too much better myself at the moment (but more to come on that later).

First things first.

God did not create us to be creatures with our noses in a book 24/7.

The beauty of nature - a Texas sunset, the luscious Columbia gorge, the snowy slopes of Mt. Hood, gazing up at the universe on a clear night - are all meant to be experienced and enjoyed. The awe inspiring examples of God's supreme creativity sparks a rush of creativity within me, being created in His image. The beauty of his creation fills me with joy and peace knowing it is a hazy reflection, or merely a shadow of a reflection, of God's country and our true home.

Our relationships in community - the quickening of our heartbeat in the presence of someone we adore, the joys of trust and camaraderie in friendships, the adrenaline rush of teamwork - are meant to be ceased and treasured. The trust and companionship that I seek is a sign post pointing to the one relationship which fills the hole within me that years to be filled.

The experience of everything around me is made complete in light of my relationship with Him. God continues to reveal this to me as I continue to seek Him in and through the living of my life. However, God ceases to speak to me if I am not listening. Trying to experience God in my life, apart from his Word, is living a life in vain.

I find the timing of your post extremely interesting. I have been living the last 6 months with a lack of passion. I become frustrated and confused with my relationship with God and what His plans were for me. I realized last Wednesday afternoon that the biggest correlation between this dissatisfaction in my life was not being in God's word on a regular basis.

Until about 6 months ago, I had been consistently in the Word for over a year straight. Honestly, there were nights during that time when reading the Bible was a 10 on the ol' excitement meter. I would lay in bed at night for hours thirsting for more, mediating on Gods Word, desiring to know Him better. But this doesn't come without putting in effort on our side, and it starts with being disciplined. The second night after renewing my commitment to be in the word on a daily basis, I was reading through 1 Timothy (I decided to start with 1 & 2 Timothy because God always seems to speak to me powerfully specifically through those two letters from Paul). A cross reference sent me to Hebrews 12:11.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (I highly suggest reading the whole section; verses 4-17)

This provides such encouragement to us when we are convicted of an area in which we need to discipline our flesh. I can testify to the fruits of being disciplined in studying God's word. It resulted in my mind being centered on Him, my actions were more closely aligned with Christ, and I was filled with a passion despite the menial aspect of daily life.

While I have been speaking directly to the discipline of studying God's word, I found a list of other essential disciplines for personal reflection:

Disciplines of Abstinence: solitude, silence, fasting, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice (doing good deeds without letting others know you have done them).

Disciplines of Engagement: study, worship, celebration, service, prayer, fellowship, confession, submission.

My prayer is that somehow through the discussion of my struggle, it could be an encouragement to others in the midst of the same.

How does/doesn't your relationship with God complete your excitement in life?
What has been your experience in the discipline of studying God's word?
What are other areas of life made complete in light of our relationship with God?