I. There are many famous journals, from Quaker founder, George Fox’s to Quaker anti-slavery pioneer, John Woolman’s, which talks about his walking to every Quaker slave-owner in the 13 colonies and asking them to free their slaves. And they did…100 years before the Emancipation Proclamation, largely due to his walk. You should be proud of your Quaker heritage, including key cogs in the Underground railroad, prison reform, humane treatment of the mentally ill, peaceful relationships and fair treaties with Native Americans. I could go on and on.
There is Methodist founder, John Wesley’s Journal. There is Anne Frank’s diary [the terms could be synonymous]. There is classic author John Steinbeck’s journal, which became a book called Travel’s With Charley. There is A Walk Across America, an early journal by two authors who walked across our entire country to connect with people’s stories of life and love. There is David’s, Solomon’s, Jeremiah’s, Isaiah’s & other lesser prophets’ famous journals recorded for all time by God’s Himself in His Word, the Bible (Ps 139:7-8; Ecc 1:2-3; Hab 1:2; 2:1).
II. What are some of the reasons, rewards and roadblocks for journaling?
A. Guys have to get over the idea it’s a girl thing? Diaries were only kept by women and teenage girls. I should known better from watching my father keep a diary painstakingly for over 40 years. Every day he wrote something in it, even if it was just a report on the weather. Going through his stuff and the agonizing decisions of what to keep and not, I came across his entry for May 6, 1953, I recall, but can’t recall where I put it. That was the day I was born. It was fun to read his entries for the 3 days he helped me, with some guys from the church, shingle my roof. That was only nine years ago. My how things change. How fast time flies. How God was faithful during that week. Those are some great reasons to journal.
B. Journals are NOT a girl thing. Most of the people I’ve named who kept journals were men; David being a special man after God’s own heart, a warrior and songwriter.
III. There are all sorts of issues about keeping a written journal: how to do it, just doing it (having the discipline), why, what if I’m honest (the best kind) and it’s discovered (security), should I write for posterity, discipline issues (I’m not doing the more classic disciplines). You can get legalistic about it; just doing it to do it, just to check off another item on your spiritual “to do” list. (We all have too many “shoulds.”) That’s never good. It should be from the heart.
A. Some object that journal keeping is too navel-gazing and self-centered, like staring at yourself in a mirror. It really doesn’t accomplish anything.
B. But looking at yourself in a mirror isn’t all bad says James if you look and see something that needs changed and change it (1:23-25).
C. Like a mirror and God’s Word, journaling helps us see ourselves clearly, honestly, humbly if we let it. Anything that helps us do that blows away the self-deception that plagues us all and keeps us stuck in sin and self-defeating behaviors. Otherwise why would the Bible warn us 15x + about self-deception, including (Jas. 1:16, 22, 26; Jer. 17:9).
IV. But it’s like any other spiritual discipline (SD): it’s NOT a way to earn points with God, or His love or favor. It’s not a magic spiritual bullet that’s going to launch you to spiritual maturity. It’s a tool that can be used well or otherwise.
A. You can lie to your journal just like you can lie in accountability groups and Bible studies where the Word is held up as a mirror. You can also use a .22 for sport, for ridding yourself of a nuisance groundhog, or you can shoot yourself intentionally in the foot. The .22 is the neutral tool. My point? Accountability groups, Bible Stds, journals and most other SDs are tools that can be used well and not used well to help us become all God wants us to be. The tool is in your hands. What will you do with it?
B. But I will tell you from experience, the moment you decide to be honest before God, to fight the evil spirit of self-deception, your journal has a way of blowing away the smoke quicker than any friend except the friend that sticks closer than a brother, Jesus (Pr 18:24).
1. It has a way of sharpening our spiritual sight better than most other lenses except worship and the Word.
2. Journal-keeping is not easy. It’s work, but it’s worth it.
3. It doesn’t have to be a long entry. It doesn’t have to be daily. It should be regular. It is work. It can be painful. God deals in truth. And when we are honest before Him, when we let His truth in His Word speak to us, the truth sets us free, but it will usually roughs us up first.
4. I told you of that painful weekend filled with dangers, toils and snares a few weekends ago. I journaled more that weekend than I have for a long time. It was painful, but beneficial. No pain, no gain. Truth, pain and gain.
5. If we are open, God can meet with us and speak to us through our journals esp when linked with prayer and the Word.
C. Journaling is like all the other classic SDs, like Bible reading, prayer, worship, regular fellowship: they help you know God better, AND yourself better. They can help you become more like Jesus, more of who God created you to be. Heard enough rewards yet?
D. As we read back through the pages of our journal we see our promise-keeping God is faithful as so many times when the way seemed dark HE WAS THERE, fulfilling (Heb. 13:5b P)
E. “Light at the end of the Tunnel” poem by M Schuller who knows pain AND God’s faithfulness of the past.
F. As we re-read our journal entries we see the times we felt helpless to change, BUT GOD [don’t you love those two words?] somehow miraculously came and helped us grow and change toward holiness and Christlikeness over TIME, and through pain and process, fulfilling (Phil. 1:6 P ).
G. Wasn’t the psalmist journaling when he wrote (Ps. 139:7-8, 23-24) about change?
H. Which brings us to an event in the church, which reminds us of pain, of God’s work IN us and FOR us (“if God be FOR us, who can be against us?” (Rom 8:). Jesus said we are to remember Him communion. We are to remember what He did to have a close and clean relationship of love with us through His sacrifice, resurrection and sending His Holy Spirit to LIVE/COMMUNE inside us. He will lead, empower and change us from within through communion with His Spirit. The event that reminds us of all this is communion w/ cup and bread. COMMUNION HERE, QUIET SONG(S) PLAYED. ALTAR CALL |
