Expanding Our Children's Capacity for God

This is the first lesson I created. It is more for the parents, than it is for the children. I recommend reading this lesson first, since it is the basis for all other lessons.

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I have heard it said that it is impractical for Christians to live in God's presence, all day, every day. I have heard sayings such as "Don't be so heavenly-minded that you are no earthly good." I find these directions disturbing. They are not what I want my children to learn.

A. W. Tozer talks about how Satan wants us to separate our lives into two parts: Religious Duties and The Rest of Our Life. This separation ensures that we live in a constant state of disappointment and a feeling that we are not doing the noble things God has called us to do.

I believe it is immanently practical to live in God's presence, regardless of what we are doing - eating or sleeping, playing or working. (I Cor. 10:31) Here is my counter to the above fallacies:

1. We must consider our purpose. What is our purpose? The Bible says we were created to worship (glorify) Him. So, I ask these questions: Is this worship experience supposed to be something we conjure out of our own selves? Does it originate in us and is it maintained by our own power?
   
   The answer to each question above is "No!" First, the Bible teaches us that we do not have the power to originate or maintain worship, in and of ourselves. Everything we attempt on our own is filthy and could never be elevated to something as glorious as worship!
   
   Therefore, it must originate and be maintained by Someone outside of ourselves.
   
   
2. What, then, is God's purpose? (To understand the Created One's purpose, we must understand the Creator's reason for creating us.)
   
   God's purpose, if you will, is to be continually, eternally pouring out Himself - His character, His essence, and His nature.
   
   Since His purpose is to give, He made a vessel to receive. We are made to receive God as He imparts Himself. In turn - and in gratefulness - we return to Him worship. We enjoy His display, we revel in His presence, and we GLORIFY Him.
   
   Note: If you have trouble with visualizing the above, just look at your children's display of enjoyment in the things or time you give them. If you have trouble with the concept that God wants you to enjoy Him, contact me and I will direct you to more scriptures on this subject.
   
   “I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth-everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." - Isaiah 43:6-7
   
   So, then, our purpose is to spend the rest of our lives passionately glorifying God by enjoying and displaying His excellent in all spheres of our life.
   
   “The purpose of Creation is that God may communicate happiness to the creature; for if God created the world that He may be glorified in the creature, he created it that they might rejoice in his glory; for we have shown that they are the same.” -Jonathan Edwards

Summary:

Each time we allow ourselves to be filled with His presence, we expand our capacity to contain His presence. We, as vessels made to receive, expand in our capacity to receive.

Understand that the things we do – the actions or inaction we take – directly affect the size of our hearts and our capacity to receive Him. Like Mr. Grinch in the Dr. Seuss story, our hearts can shrink and our capacity to care diminishes. The more time we spend with God, the more our hearts expand and our capacity to share Him expands with it.

I believe the reason we cannot stay long in His presence is precisely because we have not been in His presence long! Perhaps the reason for people feeling it is impractical to stay in God’s presence is that we are like distracted children who have not been taught the discipline of staying.

I believe the spiritual malaise found in American Christians today would be cured with more time in His presence, all day, every day.

Then, like Mr. Grinch, our hearts might “grow two sizes” that day.