Psalm 127 - Foundations of Spiritual Discipline

I was reading Psalm 127 this last weekend. It talks about the fact that if God doing what you're doing, it isn't worth your time. Be where God is. Do what God is doing.

So how do we discover where God is and what God is up to? The church has worked on that problem for quite some time. Our spiritual antennae are developed through discipline. Practicing certain things; making a habit of listening for God in a variety of ways. Richard Foster's Celebration of Discipline is an excellent resource for adults. It's not just about lectio divina and fasting and walking the labyrinth. It calls upon practices that can be used throughout a "normal" day.

I think that often youth workers forget that working for the church doesn't guarantee a person a broadband connection to the Lord. Everyone has to work on it. I have caught myself trying to use my preparation for a youth message as my personal devotion/study time. It's never as good as time set apart for just God and me.

And as we get connected to God, we find ourselves being led toward new things; things that maybe we wouldn't have come up with on our own. When we learn to listen to God, we listen better to those around us, too. And God often puts people around us for a reason.

All the silly games or intense Bible study in the world will not get us to where we need to be if it's not where God is. We need to open ourselves to God's leading. The Lord will gladly escort us to the jobsite of His choosing. Only then will we be laboring fruitfully. The jobsite could be anywhere and the labor could be anything, but we must be sure God is in it.

I don't know anyone who works with youth who doesn't want their work to matter. Let's all take more time to tune in to God in whatever way works for us (and God!), and then we'll know our labor is not in vain.