Never Alone - Part 1

I am currently reading Never Alone: Practicing the Presence of God. It is a modern adaption by Tim Green of Brother Lawrence's classic The Practice of the Presence of God. I started reading this a while ago, but I have returned and started over. All the quotes are from Green's adaptation, so if you have read the original they may sound a little strange to you.

Today, I read the "Second Conversation." There are a couple salient quotes for us to reflect in our religious climate. The first is, "His [Bro. Lawrence] primary focus is not on whether he will end up going to heaven or hell when he dies." Rick Warren wrote in The Purpose-Driven Life, "Some Christians are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." We can get so wrapped up in making it to heaven that we lose sight of what God wants us to do on earth.

Another paragraph talks about how Brother Lawrence was consumed with fear that he would wind up in hell. He became religious simply to avoid hell. I recall that as a kid and teenager, that was my primary motivation for following God. I didn't want to burn for all eternity in hell. "Since then he has quit worrying about heaven or hell. ...Now his life really is filled with love for God." When we stop focusing on where we will spend eternity, we can focus on loving God.

I want what Brother Lawrence had, a deep running relationship with God. I don't want Sunday morning Christianity. I want a 24/7 relationship with God. I want to be consumed by God here and now, not consumed with whether I will make it to heaven.