Who do you depend on?
Posted on 06. May, 2006 by Josh Agerton in Other Stuff
This week I had to give another speech for my Communication as Christian Rhetoric Class (fancy seminary name for speech class). I decided to go with the topic of self-reliance vs. dependence upon God. I discussed how self-reliance was the normal and accepted cultural value…sounds like “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and “I’m a self-made man”. And then I explained how in looking at the Biblical narrative we see something much different, the value of utter dependence upon God. In doing research for this I found an interesting quote in Ronnie Floyd’s book, How To Pray. It was short but powerful: “Prayer occurs when you depend on God. Prayerlessness occurs when you depend on yourself.” I have not been able to get this one out of my head since earlier this week. It has become sort of the “litmus test” of my own dependence upon God.
Amie Lou
06. May, 2006
this sounds like a good thing to have stuck in your head, and your heart
A big surprise for me when I work with the “converted later on” crowd is the move away from prayer. It’s like at first people can see the need for Christ – the hopeless state of their lives. Yet, something happens – a spiritual pride? That causes people to shrug off on prayer. I have heard this comment many times “you know, when I use to pray a lot…” isn’t that wierd? And frankly, I can’t be satisfied with the “enemy” answer. Practicing the spiritual disciplines is one of those things completely under our control.
…I will nonchalantly put my soapbox back under my bed
Smiles,
ames
JohnDeere
18. May, 2006
great post josh– prayer is a demonstration of voluntary poverty– without which nothing really significant ever really happens.
Mother Theresa said something like this— “If you do not pray your deeds will have no power; your words will have no power. Prayer enlarges the heart until it can contain the gift of God himself.