By Rob Des Cotes

[Other articles by Rob Des Cotes]

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.
John 17:19

What the world needs from Christians, more than anything else, is first-hand wisdom concerning the nature of our experience in God. In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells us that the world actually groans for such sons and daughters to be revealed (Romans 8:19). Our personal spiritual growth then, is something that creation both needs and longs for, and we will serve it best by our becoming what most reveals the Lord's work within us. The desert hermit Carlo Carretto reminds us of this that as we seek God personally, we do so not only for our own benefit, but also for the sake of others.

For the sake of those we love, we press on in our pursuit of God.

"Do not be in a hurry to leave your place of prayer. Do not become obsessed with time. Enjoy that peace as much as you can. It will begin to shine like a light in your face. And that will be the light your friends will be needing when you return to them. Evangelism consists in passing on that light, not the hollow sound of your own words. For the sake of those we love, we press on in our pursuit of God."

For the sake of those we love, we press on in our pursuit of God. And, from the wellspring of our daily re-acquaintance with the Living Water, we invite and encourage those around us to seek the same. The people who are able to most effectively extend this invitation are those who are most faithful in responding to this invitation themselves. They carry, within their very countenance, the attractive news of God's living "presence."

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But, like God's gift of manna, the spiritual life is something that must be sought afresh each day if it is to truly feed souls -- our own and those of others -- in an immediate way. Carretto speaks of the winsomeness of such fresh experiences of God.

"Only the person who truly contemplates the face of God can effectively say to his brother or sister: come and see, and understand for yourself how sublime He is. To lead others to contemplation:this is the soul of evangelism. Come and see, come and try for yourself, come and experience, come with me to the holy mountain."

Ensuring that the light of Jesus is a living reality within us is the one indispensable condition on which our ability to shed light on someone else depends. Like Jesus, for the sake of those we love, we sanctify ourselves. And, in faith, we trust the mysterious and attractive operations of God's light to do the rest.

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Rob Des Cotes is a spiritual director and pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He teaches Contemplative Traditions at Trinity Western University, as well as courses on spirituality and the arts at Carey Theological College and Columbia Bible College. Rob also directs Imago Dei (www.imagodeicommunity.ca) a network of faith communities that encourages the practice of prayer and a transforming relationship with God. Rob is a regular contributor to canadianchristianity.com
To obtain his latest book: 'Higher than I' go to: www.clementspublishing.com

January 8/2009