Taking Care of the Interior Life

We are constantly bombarded with advertisements attempting to sell potions and lotions to care for our skin, our hair, our eyes, and bodies. It is obvious that today’s society focuses on the outside appearance. Sometimes we even obsess over what to wear to church, conference, Christmas banquet and other social events in order be in style and solicit approval from others. Even Samuel looked at Eliab, David’s oldest brother, and was certain he was the chosen to be the next king of Israel. God said to Samuel: “The Lord looks on the heart” 1 Samuel 16:7(ESV). Our hearts, motives, desires and interior life are much more important to our Heavenly Father than anything we can apply or wear outwardly.

What can fix what man sees. We can dress a certain way to accent our good features and diminish those we consider flawed. Applying a little makeup can hide things we believe to be imperfections, but our hearts are not hidden from God. He has total access to everything on the outside AND the inside of our bodies. God knows our intentions. He is aware of our true feelings and knows our deepest desires. The only way to achieve a pure and holy interior life is to intentionally work on it. When we come to know Jesus as our Savior, His desire is to dwell in our hearts. He wants us to actively pursue building an intimate relationship with Him.  Spiritual disciplines are an important element in building a close relationship with God.

The true meaning and purpose of spiritual disciplines is to develop intimacy with our God and Savior. Jeff Harrington stated that “Create regular opportunities to KNOW God better. As we KNOW God better we begin to LOVE HIM MORE. As we LOVE HIM MORE we better understand HIS LOVE for us and others. As we understand HIS LOVE for us we appreciate what HE IS DOING in our lives. As we appreciate what HE IS DOING in our lives we begin to SEE HIS WORK IN OTHERS. As we SEE HIS WORK IN OTHERS  we seek to PARTICIPATE WITH HIM. As we seek to PARTICIPATE WITH HIM we KNOW HIM BETTER” (Harrington, 2021). It is no secret that getting to know someone on a personal level can open greater opportunities to genuinely love them. This is the key for interior life. We need to know more of God in order to love Him more.

Jesus gave us an example of what our relationship with the Father should look like. Jesus needed to be with God, the Father, so He practiced spiritual discipline to maintain His relationship with the Father. He had times of solitude, meditation, fasting, praying, and He knew the Scripture by heart. He had God as a priority in his life. There was nothing else more important than to be with God. He preached, taught, and healed people, but he needed time to come back to the Branch, God the Father.

He is the Branch–the source of everything. In order to keep a relationship with Him, we need to hold onto the Branch. He has never abandoned us, however, sometimes we choose to walk away from His presence. If we were to ask Him, what we can do to come back to His presence, I think He would answer: “You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart” (English Standard Version, 2016, Jeremiah 29:13). I remember a song that I like to listen in my times of devotion. It is like Jesus is telling: “You will find me when you look for me if you look for me with all your heart without condition. If you see that the road never seems to end, I am there. If you feel too far away from your heavenly home, you are not alone. I will never leave you. Look for me with all your heart.” (MARCO BARRIENTOS: “Búscame,” 2017). We must look for Him in every aspect of our life, make Him the priority, and He will be there. In fact, He never left. While it is true that He loves to bless His children, but His presence is the greatest blessing of all.

Bearing fruit is not a commandment but a promise. I loved the secret of the parable of Bearing Fruit: “Don’t focus on bearing fruit; focus on abiding. Fruit will follow” (Kropf, M., & Hall, E. 1994, p. 114). If we abide in Him, our contemplative living process will integrate our experiences with God and our neighbors. Our authentic love of God and our neighbors will be the fruit people see in us. Consistently growing in our spiritual disciplines to reflect the person of Jesus in all areas of our lives is our highest calling. I want to love God deeper, and to see myself and my neighbors with the eyes of Jesus. 

I love this song, and I believe it reflects how an interior life in relationship with God should be: “I have not come to ask you as I always come, Lord. As before I cry out to you, you know my request. I just want to hear you: set the topic, Lord. Let’s walk in the park and let me dedicate a song to you. I have only come to be with you, to be your friend, to share with my God, to adore you and give you thanks, for what you've done in me” (TAN SOLO HE VENIDO - Juan Luis Guerra, 2015).

Monica Munguia-Monroy is the wife of Administrative Bishop Imer Jehu Monroy. They have been married for 14 years, and have four daughters: Xaris, Jael, Sharon and Gracie. Imer and Monica are both Pk’s and have been in the Church of God all of their lives. They have served as Y&D Directors and now as Bishops in the Northwestern Hispanic Region (Northern California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada). She loves to cook, watch movies, travel, sing and talk with friends. One of her favorite Bible verses is: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” Philippians 4:4

Reference

English Standard Version Bible (2016). ESV online. https://www.biblegateway.com

Harrington, J. (2021, August 31). The Spiritual Journey: Taking Care of the Interior Life [Class presentation]. The Spiritual Journey: Taking Care of the Interior Life, Fresno, CA, USA.

Kropf, M., & Hall, E. (1994). Praying With the Anabaptists: The Secret of Bearing Fruit. Herald Press.

MARCOS BARRIENTOS: “Búscame.” (2025, June 15). [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/snM_YnQIfp8?si=6AtMA8XlHPzPDxfjs

TAN SOLO HE VENIDO - Juan Luis Guerra (Letra). (2025, June 15). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCn9k-qEX-0