We're Curved In On Ourselves

Ever found your "worship" experience to be really more about you and your feelings about God than about God Himself? I know I have- It's a frequent and common issue.  Learning a little Latin phrase (Incurvatus in se) has helped me to understand the problem better, and reminds me to turn my heart upward and outward in worship away from my own feelings and problems.

Good piece here from Zac Hicks (Worship Pastor at Coral Rdige Presbyterian Church):

A Latin Phrase Worth Knowing

I’m a sucker for cool Latin phrases. Incurvatus in se, or “curved in on itself,” is one such phrase, possibly coined by Augustine and definitely expounded upon by Martin Luther.  The Reformer wrote:

"Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin, so deeply curved in on itself that it not only bends the best gifts of God towards itself and enjoys them (as is plain in the works-righteous and hypocrites), or rather even uses God himself in order to attain these gifts, but it also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things, even God, for its own sake."

Me, Me, Me

It’s such a vivid picture. Incurvatus in se is that self-obsessed tendency in all of us to naval gaze.  Every human being is bent inward, even taking the good things of God and making them “all about me.” For Christians, incurvatus in semanifests itself in unhealthy levels of attention on our own Christian growth and spiritual formation. (Yes, this really is possible, and it may very well be at fever pitch in American evangelicalism.) We become expert self-analysts, tracking every notch of progress and regress, victory and loss, growth and atrophy. We engage in formal and informal scorekeeping of the hopefully upward mobility of our spiritual maturity. Did I spend time in the Word today? How many lustful thoughts did I have? Was my tongue controlled? Was my temper checked? Did I practice the presence of God? Did I exhibit the fruit of the Spirit? Was my prayer intentional and purposeful? Diagnostic questions like these aren’t bad in and of themselves, but they become destructive and antithetical to the Gospel when they are our dominant pattern. If “Christian living,” for you, is defined by your constant asking and answering of such questions, you are probably suffering from a severe case of incurvatus in se, because Christian living at its core has nothing to do with these things.

I-Can-Do-It Worship

Unfortunately, because this incurvature is such a fundamental reality for all of us, it has crept into our worship, preeminently in the songs that we sing and in the way that we sing them. Elsewhere, I and others have called such songs, phrases, and lyrics elements of “triumphalism”—that obsession with how we’re living for God, loving God, giving it all for God, etc. It’s in the “surrender” language we often employ, and it’s in the “I’m doing it all for you” and “I’m giving it all away” lines that we gush. It’s painfully ironic that as we sing such lines, though we’re singing to God, we may be actually reveling in ourselves.... 

Much more at the link.

"Why I Need Jesus"

I saw this post at  SBC Voices - Why I Need Jesus  - and was deeply moved.  Almost all of what Dan Barnes says here (other than the part about being a pastor) also applies to and is true about me.

I have been guilty of telling many other people why they need Jesus, instead of sharing why I need Jesus. I know sometimes it makes me come across as a “holier than, better than and more righteous than” sort of individual. I don’t want that. I want to share with you, my friends, brothers and sister why I need Jesus.

I am a sinner. You all knew that. I have some sins that I struggle with more than others. I have the sin of pride, I try to study and learn and go, and as a result I often have a pride issue. I am not quick to admit when I am wrong, I don’t react well to criticism, even when it’s justified. I don’t like to be dismissed or marginalized, and I get very upset when I feel like someone is dismissing me with an argument/statement that is not valid. I hate proof texting, makes me crazy. It’s a result of my pride and ego, and to save me, I need Jesus.

I am an introverted, task oriented person. That means that I am not as patient and loving with people as I should be. If I am interrupted, I can become short . Being a pastor, my job is to be an under-shepherd of people, not do tasks. I need Jesus.

I sin in my actions, my lack of actions, in my words and deeds. I sin in my thought life, in my home life, in my work and in my play. I need Jesus.

Bent Upon Myself

I was feeling selfish today. Surprise - I'm a SINNER! Then I read this:

"The biggest difference between the practical effect of sin and the practical effect of the gospel is that sin turns us inward and the gospel turns us upward and outward. Martin Luther picked up this imagery in the Reformation, arguing that sin actually bends or curves us upon ourselves (homo incurvatus in se). We were designed to embrace God and others, but instead we are now consumed with ourselves. The gospel causes us to look up to Christ and what he did, out to our neighbor and what they need, not in to ourselves and how we’re doing. There’s nothing about the gospel that fixes my eyes on me. Any version of Christianity, therefore, that encourages you to think mostly about you is detrimental to the faith–whether it’s your failures or your successes; your good works or your bad works; your strengths or your weaknesses; your obedience or your disobedience."

Forgive me, Lord, for focusing solely on myself today. That last sentence hits hard.  May Christ be Glorified!

Quote from:  Up And Out, Not In – Tullian Tchividjian

The Tragedy of a Self-Centered Life

This post by Joe Thorn on The Tragedy of a Self-Centered Life is worth quoting in full. Think on it and let its message burn in your soul, for it will bring you freedom.

A self-centered life is not just one in which we simply put ourselves first, but one in which God is eclipsed by our own stardom. When we see ourselves as the main character in our story, the great protagonist in our decades-long drama, we are at best relegating God to a supporting role whose influence is minimal. We have taught, and been taught, that everyone is special and unique. After all, there is only one me, and this is my life.

The reality is that our lives aren’t even about us. God is both the author and the central character of our story, for our stories are but a part of his. As Christians we do not live or work for ourselves, or for any other person in this world. We have been created, and put where we are, for the glory of the One who made us in his image, redeemed us from sin through his Son, united us as one family in his church, and through the church sends us into the world to make disciples of all people. Yes, there is only one me, but I exist for Another. I am the supporting cast member in the divine drama. I am an individual, but I am not only an individual. As a human being I am a part of the world, and bear God’s image as well as the mark of sin with everyone else. As a Christian I am a part of the body of Christ, and have been adopted with everyone else who has been born of God. I am one, but I am not alone.

The tragedy of a self-centered life is that in centering on ourselves we ultimately wind up alone; isolated from others and God. Even if we have many possession, friends, and prestige, by exalting ourselves to the highest point possible we have no one else to look to for help, because we allow for no peers. No one is beside us for genuine fellowship. Even worse, there is no God above us in whom we find our redemption, purpose, and identity.

Your life, my life, is not about us. We are written and told into His story, Only there is true redemption, purpose and identity.