God's Purpose for Intimacy

http://www.intouch.org/site/c.cnKBIPNuEoG/b.5710053/k.4ECA/God8217s_Purpose_for_Intimacy.htm

God’s Purpose for Intimacy
By Dr. Charles F. Stanley


For most of my life, I believed that the heavenly Father and I shared a relationship for my benefit. However, His primary purpose for creating intimacy with believers is to reveal Himself. The greatest tragedy for anyone, but especially for a churchgoer, is to die without knowing the Lord personally. But like any friendship, intimacy with God requires effort.

In a genuinely loving relationship, each person wants to know more about the other. As believers, we’re sometimes guilty of taking a more self-interested approach and forget that God is the rightful center of attention. Instead, we head to church or into quiet time looking for something to inspire us, motivate us, or help us.


Part of the problem is that we would like to practice our faith in the safest way possible. Bible study, prayer, and church are relatively easy, compared to stepping out in faith or enduring persecution. But to know God intimately is not a purely intellectual pursuit. A truth about the Lord is not truly ours until He works it into our daily life.


First, we must spend time with Him. Bible studies and church are good, but they don't count toward this requirement. We need to be alone with God, away from distractions and anything that might interfere with our communion. Susanna Wesley was mother to 18th-century evangelist John, hymn-writer Charles, and seven other children who survived to adulthood. She had her quiet time on a kitchen stool with her apron pulled over her head. When was the last time you got alone with the Lord and asked Him to speak to your heart?

Second, intimacy with God depends on our ability to listen. Most of the time, He will speak through Scripture. That's why we need to give reading and meditation high priority.


Third, we must speak to God transparently and hold nothing back. A loving relationship is built upon honesty. Each person should feel comfortable expressing both positive and negative emotions while still trusting the other's love. Of course, God already knows what is in our heart. But we must learn to trust Him with our deepest secrets.

Our Father wants His children to understand how He operates. The only way to gain that knowledge is by allowing God to unveil Himself in our life experiences. That means we must be willing to go through difficulty and pain as well as happiness and peace. A man can read that the Holy Spirit is the believer’s Comforter, but he does not know this truth until he has need of solace.


None of us would dare say that the God who saved us is not worthy of our attention. Yet many Christians act as if this were true. Intimacy with the Lord is a privilege. Do not waste the opportunity to be close to Him.


The Christian life is not about feeling good and deriving the greatest personal benefit from our connection to God. Rather, the Lord builds an intimate relationship with each of His followers. In that way, He can reveal more about Himself—truth by truth—as a believer needs that knowledge. What a privilege!

The God To Whom We Pray Part 2

http://www.intouch.org/site/c.cnKBIPNuEoG/b.4943225/k.9234/Audio_Archives.htm
Click the link above and go to the December 31st, 2009 message. Then click start.


This is one of the best messages I have heard lately because it is about prayer and Dr. Stanley really understands prayer. In the message Dr. Stanley says that our view of God affects our prayers. Do you see God primarily as a giver. Is he just a bell hop sitting in Heaven waiting on you to call on Him for something else? Do you ever say Lord I want to know you better. Dr. Stanley asked God in prayer, "What is is about You that You want me to know in my life above anything else?" God answered right away, "How much I love you." The best thing about prayer is not always the answer to prayer.  Are you interested in the giver Himself or just the gift?


Sermon Outline
The Power of a Personal Relationship
http://www.intouch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=cnKBIPNuEoG&b=4943677&ct=6698883


excerpt:
 When you begin to pursue a personal relationship with God:


A. He protects you from wasting your life, wrecking your body, following false ideologies, and wasting your finances.
B. You will feel that the Lord is near. You will begin to call him “my Father” and consider Jesus Christ to be your best friend.
C. You won’t feel alone. You may have times of loneliness, but you will be able to sense His presence with you. He promised to never leave you nor forsake you.
D. Sin will begin to lose its appeal.
E. The Holy Spirit will speak through you.
F. You will have a desire for God to be exalted through your life, through your walk, your words, and your work.
Conclusion
Ask yourself the question: Do I have a personal relationship with God, or do I just know about Him? He desires to have an intimate relationship with you that will lead non-believers to Christ.

A New Year's Prayer

http://www.allaboutprayer.org/a-new-years-prayer-faq.htm

Lord, my precious Savior and God, help me turn to You through this New Year’s prayer. May I be grateful for every breath. Dear Lord, as circumstances and issues came against me last year and have followed me into this New Year, I cry out to You. Empower me with Your Holy Spirit to overcome these obstacles with a good perspective, realizing You allow trials in my life to mold me into the image of Your marvelous Son.


I need a Father to truly love and care for me. You are that Father, though at times I don’t feel Your presence. Remind me that You will never leave or forsake me. Teach me to find rest for my troubled heart. Lord, let Your Word renew my mind day after day in this New Year. Protect me from the enemy who is on the prowl to devour me.


This New Year, help me trust in You rather than be clothed with discouragement. My desire is to follow You wholeheartedly this New Year. Let my mind be renewed, refreshed, and returned to the joy of Your salvation.


Heavenly Father, let me be not only a hearer of Your Word, but also a doer, practicing Your teachings, no longer quenching the Holy Spirit. Cause me to act on opportunities instead of apathetically overlooking them. This readiness involves praising and worshipping You with a pure heart.


This New Year, I trust Your closeness and care. I have no need for fear because You lavish Your love on me. My Father, I purpose to know more and more of You, seeking Your Kingdom and reign over my life. May my actions prove I treasure the Holy Spirit indwelling inside me.


Let this New Year and the following years consist of You reigning in me. Let me take the time daily to lift Your name on high. Let me realize all the marvelous gifts that come from above: rain, sunshine, blessings. Then, I will bless You with all my soul.


May my mind focus on heavenly priorities: loving You and my neighbor. Lord, this New Year let me walk in humility, serving You, loving You, giving You glory and honor every day. Each day of this New Year may I acknowledge You in everything and for everything. I thank You for the work You do inside me by Your love, power, and might.


Thank You for this New Year. Let me do according to Your good pleasure and purpose, pleasing You in every area of this life. Thank You for Your mercy which makes all things new each morning -- even after a day of failure.


Father, thank You for adopting me as Your child. In this New Year, I cry Abba Father, thanking you for restoring a right relationship with me through the cross. Conform and transform me unto all godliness through the burdens and blessings You allow to cross my path.


Lord, thank You for hearing my prayer. You care intimately for me. May this New Year be truly about You – May I be all about God in my actions and attitudes. From this New Year’s prayer, let me not forget to listen carefully to You. Give me eyes to see and a heart to do Your will this New Year and each and every New Year to come.
Amen!

Christmas Prayer

“Heavenly Father, Thank you for sending Your Son Jesus to earth. We not only celebrate His birth in the manger, but also the reason for His coming -- His death on the cross. We thank You for providing eternal life for each person who will accept His free gift of salvation.


“Father, I thank you for my family. Life is not always easy for us, but we know that You are always with us. As Your Word says, You will never leave us nor forsake us. Thank you for the love that holds us together and for always meeting our needs. Draw us closer together through this coming year. We love You and want our time of celebration to be memorable today. In Jesus’ name, amen.”

http://www.allaboutprayer.org/christmas-dinner-prayer.htm

In the Bleak Midwinter Christina Rossetti (1872)

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim
Worship night and day,
A breastful of milk
And a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels
Fall down before,
The ox and ass and camel
Which adore.

Angels and archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air,
But only His mother
In her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb,
If I were a wise man
I would do my part,
Yet what I can I give Him,
Give my heart.

John 14: 12

12 "The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

While You Were Sleeping ~Casting Crowns

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping...
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King...

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King...

United States of America...
What will we miss while we are sleeping
 Will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King...
Will we be sleeping...
Looks like another silent night.

The Marriage Builder by Dr. Larry Crab: Desires vs. Goals

Excerpt from The Marriage Builder by Dr. Larry Crabb


When by simple faith I accept Christ's shed blood as full payment for my sins, I am brought into a relationship with an infinite Being of love and purpose who fully satisfies my deepest needs for security and significance. Therefore I am freed from self-centered preoccupation with my own needs; they are met. It is now possible for me to give to others out of my fullness rather than needing to receive from others because of my emptiness. For the first time, I have the option of living selflessly. (page 60)


The goal and purpose of marriage is to minister to our spouse. Our desire is for them to minister to us.
Our highest purpose as husbands or wives is to be an instrument for promoting our partner's spiritual and personal welfare.(page 66) It requires mountain-moving faith to believe that Christ is sufficient for me and that I am capable of giving to my spouse regardless of what I receive in return. It takes a commitment to the goal of ministry; and a strategy for handling negative emotions that neither violates the goal of ministry nor creates distance between the partners. (page 68)


No matter how resolutely we commit ourselves to the goal of ministering to our spouses, we will experience an unquenchable desire for our partners to minitster to us. In order to make the commitment to minister to my spouse I must agree with God that manipulation to meet my own needs is sinful. I must turn from my sin, believing that a good God leads me along good paths (repent). Then I must choose to walk along the path of ministry (obey). (page 60)


A goal is an objective that is under my control. When reaching an objective depends solely on my willingness to do certain things, it may properly be called a goal. Therefore I am responsible to act in ways that will realize my purpose. I may not feel like doing what is required to reach the goal, but I can do it if I choose.


A desire is an objective that I may legitimately and fervently want but cannot reach through my efforts alone. To fulfill a desire requires the uncertain cooperation of another. To make it a goal to try to change your spouse, you presume a power you do not have. Choosing a goal to pursue must be in terms of your response to your spouse not their response to you.


The proper response to a desire, then, is prayer. To a goal, the appropriate response is a set of responsible actions. If we confuse our goals and desires, our responses will be wrong. Too many peope pray for their goals, "Lord, make me treat my wife more kindly" and assume responsibility for their desires "Honey, will you get off my back!"


Examples of Desires:

1. I want my husband to understand how I feel.
2. I wish I could get through to my wife that I do love her. She is so insecure.
3. I'd come back to my husband if he were more loving.

Examples of Goals:

1. I will write my husband a letter telling him how I feel. I hope he understands (desire), but my objective is to express myself as clearly as I can (goal).
2. My wife is so insecure. Although I can't be sure that she will feel loved (desire), I will list five things I can do this week that I believe would reflect my love for her, and then I will do them (goal).
3. I'm scared to death to come back to my husband. If he doesn't change, I'm not sure I could take it (desire). But because I believe God commands me to be willing to live as his wife, I will choose to return and to be the best wife I can be (goal).

There is nothing wrong with diligently working on your goals in the hope that your desires will come true, but your heart must never be set on reaching desires. The Bible instructs us to seek first God's kingdom, to lay up treasures in heaven- in other words, to set our hearts on reaching the goal of worshiping God, serving Him, and becoming more and more conformed to the image of Christ. By God's Enabling grace, this goal is reachable no matter in what circumstances we find ourselves.

James 1:2 John MacArthur

This describes my feelings over the past 6 months perfectly. It has been a privilege to pray and study God's word. I would not have been this close to God without the suffering. God wanted me closer to Him and that is truly all joy.

Excerpt from John MacArthur's New Testament Commentary on James 1:2:
"Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness." James 1:2-3

"The more we rejoice in our testings, the more we realize that they are not liabilities but privileges, ultimately beneficial and not harmful, no matter how destructive and painful the immediate experience of them might appear. When we face trials with the attitude that James admonishes, we discover that the greatest part of the joy is drawing closer to the Lord-the Source of all joy- by becoming more sensitive to His presence, His goodness, His love, and His grace. Our prayer life increases, as does our interest in and study of the Word, and in each of those ways our joy increases all the more." (page 21-22)

God at the Center

Photo from Pikes Peak

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On earth we tend to think of ourselves. But in Heaven things will be different. We will experience the truth of the catechism, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." In Heaven God, not man, will be at the center of everything. And His glory will be dominant.


Have you ever watched young couples in love communicate without words? Have you been in love yourself? People deeply in love find absolute bliss in each other's presence and wish their moments together would go on forever. If those moments could be frozen, with no sense of passing time, would that be "Heaven" for them? Have you ever said, "I wish this moment could last forever?"


I suspect those feelings are a small indication of what it would be like, frozen in time and loving God, enjoying Him, forever. We will never come down from that "mountaintop" experience.


Billy Graham

Heavenly Sunshine

Heavenly sunshine,
Heavenly sunshine!
Flooding my soul,
with glory divine!
Heavenly sunshine,
Heavenly sunshine!
Hallelujah,
Jesus is mine!

Five Minutes... Published in the Moody Monthly 1952

It may be a moment, or after months of waiting, but soon I shall stand before my Lord. Then in an instant all things will appear in new perspective.


Suddenly the things I thought important- tomorrow's tasks, the plans for the dinner at my church, my success or failure in pleasing those around me- these will matter not at all. And the things to which I gave but little thought- the word about Christ to the man next door, the moment (how short it was) of earnest prayer for the Lord's work in far-off lands, the confessing and forsaking of that secret sin- will stand as real and enduring.


Five minutes after I'm in Heaven I'll be overwhelmed by the truths I've known but somehow never grasped. I'll realize then that it's what I am in Christ that comes first with God, and that when I am right with Him, I do the things which please Him. I'll sense that it was not just how much I gave that mattered, but how I gave - and how much I withheld.


In Heaven I'll wish with all my heart that I could reclaim a thousandth part of the time I've let slip through my fingers, that I could call back those countless conversations which could have glorified my Lord- but didn't.


Five minutes after I'm in Heaven, I believe I'll wish with all my heart that I had risen more faithfully to read the Word of God and wait on Him in prayer- that I might have known Him while still on earth as He wanted me to know Him.


A thousand thoughts will press upon me, and though overwhelmed by the grace which admits me to my heavenly home, I'll wonder at my aimless earthly life. I'll wish...if one may wish in Heaven- but it will be too late.


Heaven is real and hell is real, and eternity is but a breath away. Soon we shall be in the presence of the Lord we claim to serve. Why should we live as though salvation were a dream- as though we did not know?


"To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."


There may yet be a little time. A new year dawns before us. God help us to live now in the light of a real tomorrow!


Moody Monthly
January 1952

You Must Suffer, John Piper

John Piper - You Must Suffer from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.

You will not get leave to steal quietly to heaven, in Christ's company, without a conflict and a cross. Samuel Rutherford

Psalm 63

Psalm 63 from I'll Be Honest on Vimeo.
Psalm 63

My Soul Thirsts for You
A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
1 'O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory.
3Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you.
4So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands.
5My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
6when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
7for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
8My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
9But those who seek to destroy my life
 shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10they shall be given over to the power of the sword;
they shall be a portion for jackals.
11But the king shall rejoice in God;
all who swear by him shall exult,
for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

The Scandal of Grace, John McArthur

Link to entire sermon:
http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/41-9

     So it is today, this church, the church of Jesus Christ is not made up of good people, it’s made up of bad people. It’s not made up of people who think they’re righteous, it’s made up of people who know they’re not. It’s not made up of the people who have attained to a certain acceptable degree with God, it’s made up of people who know they could never attain to an acceptable place before God.

     It’s not made up of people who think they’re good, it’s made up of people who know they’re wicked. It’s not made up of people who have achieved righteousness on their own, it’s made up of people who have received righteousness from God as a gift. This is the gospel.
     Yes, He has the authority to forgive sin, but the only sin He can forgive is the sin of those who know their wretchedness, acknowledge it, put their trust in Him.
     Father, we are so blessed, this morning, to hear this glorious message of the gospel again. At the heart of all that we do is this wondrous scandal of grace that where sin abounds, grace does much abound. We thank You that however sinful sin is, grace triumphs. As James 4:6 says, “He gives a greater grace.” God is opposed to the proud, His grace to the humble. O Lord, we thank You that You have brought us to the place of being convicted about our sin and our inability to save ourselves and You’ve revealed Your glorious gospel of grace to us. I pray for sinners here today who are willing to recognize their sinfulness. May they be like Matthew, just sitting, waiting for the offer, waiting for the call. May that call come to their heart today. May You call them away from sin to the glory of salvation, call them away from guilt to the fullness of forgiveness, not because they earned it but because they asked. Lord, we thank You for this gift, we thank You for our salvation in Christ’s name. Amen.

The Refiner's Fire

http://www.reflectingjesus.org/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.mnbxtkkccslhzorn&pageId=131016


"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. 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. (Hebrews 12:7-11)"...


“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48)...


When I look at Satan, and Adam and Eve, the question I want to ask is, “What would keep me from falling?” My answer would be what Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) (Indeed, because of this very point, I am currently spending my ministry developing discipleship material to encourage others how to maintain a constant and practical connection to Jesus.)


Therefore, the issues I need to be concerned are are twofold. Firstly, how shall I remember the fact that I am nothing without Jesus? And secondly, how, in my weakness, can I remain in an intimate connection with Jesus so that his nature is able to flow automatically into me, and as a consequence, I will reflect the very good fruit of his character?


Jan Johnson perhaps sums this all up in a quotation I found recently, “As we do the connecting with God, God does the perfecting in us."

Acceptance Vs. Resignation

Author Creath Davis points out that:
"Resignation is surrender to fate. Acceptance is surrender to God. Resignation lies down quietly in an empty universe. Acceptance rises up to meet the God who fills that universe with purpose and destiny. Resignation says, 'I can't.' Acceptance says, 'God can.' Resignation paralyses the life process. Acceptance releases the process for its greatest creativity. Resignation says, 'It's all over for me.' Acceptance says, 'Now that I'm here, what's next, Lord?' Resignation says, 'What a waste.' Acceptance says, 'In what redemptive way will you use this mess, Lord?' Resignation says, 'I'm alone.' Acceptance says, 'I belong to you, Lord.'"

Psalm 63

God is not plan B

The Cross

http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/lenten_series_father_forgive_them.htm

Jesus’ choice of the word, Father, reveals his closeness to God. As in all of Jesus’ prayers, he never addressed God as Lord, King of the Universe, Omnipotent Ruler of the Heavens. The distinctiveness of Jesus’ prayer life was to call God intimately by name, by the word, Father. One Biblical scholar says that Jesus’ whole life can be summarized by that one intimate word, Father.


Our prayer life is to be the same. We too are to pray intimately to God in all circumstances, especially when we are in pain. When the pain is the worst, that is when we often pray the most. Jesus did the same. When we are in our worst pain, we call out to God to help us handle this situation we are in.


The second word from the cross is the word, “forgive.” Rather than calling on God to damn and punish those people below who were crucifying and killing him, Jesus’ heart was full of compassion for them, rather than rage. The normal thing was to swear, curse, use foul language at his tormenters but Jesus’ heart was just the opposite. Jesus called out for God to forgive his tormenters rather then to punish them.


But it is not easy to forgive your enemies and those people who kill you. That was not easy for Jesus. But that is what Jesus did from the cross. Jesus loved those who were hurting him and killing him. That is what is amazing.


A translation of the word, forgiveness, is to “let go.” Jesus forgives our sins; Jesus lets go of our sins. There is a story about how to trap monkeys. A trapper of monkeys sets coconuts at the bottom of the coconut tree, but those coconuts have holes drilled in them, holes about the size of a monkey’s fist. In other to get the white meat in the coconut, the monkey squeezes his hands down into a fist and slips his squeezed fist into the hole in the coconut and when his fist is inside the coconut, the monkey’s hand expands and grabs the white coconut inside. The hand is now full of coconut meat. The only way a monkey becomes free is to let go of the coconut. The only way we as human beings ever become free in life is to let go… to let go of the way our parents have hurt us in childhood, let go of the pain of our marriage, to let go of all the mistakes we have made. The only, and there are no exceptions, the only way to freedom is to let go of all the hatred and anger inside about wrongs I have done in the past or wrongs others have done to me. From the cross, God lets go of our sins.


Jesus’ forgiveness and love from the cross was pure grace, was freely given, as a gift to people who did not deserve the gift. And so it is with us.

The first word of the cross is pure grace for you and me and the world: Father, forgives us, for we know not what we do.”

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, `I repent,' forgive him." Luke 17:3-4

The Potter's Hand

The Potter’s Hands

http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/content.aspx?id=3036

One day the village parson took a different route to work. Nudged by a strange impression, he followed his nose to a different part of town where craftsmen plied their various trades. Arriving at a particular shop, he peered through the window then entered the studio. It was a pottery-making enterprise, and the first thing the parson noticed was the blast of heat that hit him as he walked through the door. It was from the large kiln attached to the external wall of the shop. Workers were carefully arranging clay objects in the oven, firing them, seasoning them for use.

The parson also noticed display shelves on the opposite wall filled with assorted pottery wares for sale. A couple of women were contemplating a set of clay jars. The pastor also noticed clay lamps, bowls, vases, and pots.


His attention, however, was quickly drawn to an old man sitting at the potter’s wheel, spinning it skillfully by foot pedals, and forming a piece of pottery with his experienced fingers. The man was imaginative, and he was making a drinking vessel with strange lines and ridges and indentations. Pausing, the man slowed the wheel and looked at his creation. It was marred and unsatisfactory. Suddenly the potter smashed the clay into a ball, dipped his hand into a water jar, applied a new coat of moisture, and started working again.


The preacher turned and left, exiting into the street and, looking up and down, saw everywhere signs of violence, immorality, filth, poverty, and moral failure. Then this thought came to the Reverend Jeremiah from God himself: “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!” (Jeremiah 18:6). The prophet Jeremiah gained a new perspective on God’s work among His people and a new sense of hope in the Master Potter who can form and re-form our lives.

The Seven Storey Mountain

...The months have gone by, and You have not lessened any of those desires, but you have given me peace, and I am beginning to see what it is all about. I am beginning to understand.
Because You have called me here not to wear a label by which I can recognize myself and place myself in some kind of category. You do not want me to be thinking about what I am, but about what You are. Or rather, You do not want me to be thinking about anything much: for You would raise me above the level of thought. And if I am always trying to figure out what I am and where I am and why I am, how will that work be done.
~Merton, Thomas, The Seven Storey Mountain