"Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies ? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Luke 12: 6-7
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." --Matt 6:25-34
So, I was really stressing out today. You know, that panicky feeling in your chest/throat that kind of feels like a heart palpitation meets asthma meets headache meets stomach ache? And it just kept on getting worse and worse and I was driving to work and suddenly I was just like, "Jesus, you know me. You care. You are going to take care of me and I refuse to doubt your love. You care about the smallest sparrow, so how much more do you care for me? You provide, you will always be there." And then a few verses popped into my head. I am so valuable to God, how can I doubt that He holds a precious place for me in His heart? How can I doubt that He will take care of me? I am worrying so much. I am literally sick with worry, with stress. I don't know how I am going to support myself, because my family can no longer afford to. I don't know, and I am so stressed and so worried. But it has to end. And the moment I had that epiphany, the feeling kind of stopped. It just disappeared the moment I said His name. The panicky feeling was gone, but I'm still worrying. So I got to work and I forced myself to sit in the car in silence for a moment and then declare His love and grace over myself. And it was tough. I'm a worrier. I'm a planner. Not knowing things stresses me out. My life, right now, is stressing me out majorly. But today God just popped his head into my life and kind of said, "Hey, hey, remember me? I'm over here. Um, stop worrying. I'm holding you up. You can't hold yourself up, so stop trying to. Remember how I led Karen to call you out of the blue and offer you a job when, yeah, you needed one, but it wasn't ABSOLUTELY necessary? And now it is? You don't think I've been planning ahead for weeks? For years? For an eternity? Why are you worrying when I've got it all handled?"
And I went, "Well, gee. I don't know." lol. He took away the panicky feeling, but I'm still fighting the worry and the stress and I know it's not just going to fly away in an instant. This is a serious battle I'm going through. The enemy is trying to tell me I'm not good enough, smart enough, will never be able to earn enough to pay the bills. But I know it's a lie. God sees the sparrow. He saw me. He saw this moment before it even happened and he provided something out of the blue that turned from an "Oh yeah!" blessing to an incredible unforseen blessing of an even deeper nature.
And then Matthew 6 just slapped me in the face. "Do not worry. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them....Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?.....O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'.... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
Oh me of little faith. How can I doubt that He will provide? Has He not done so so far? Is not life more important? Yes, it is. And I have been worrying, I have been stressing, I have been creating problems that might not even happen in the future. I need to take each day as it comes. That doesn't mean throw plans away and say,"God will lead me. I don't have to do anything. He'll do it all for me if I just believe hard enough." Because that's not true. We meet God half way. Tomorrow has its own issues, and I can deal with them then. But the here, the now, it is so precious. And He is taking care of me, whether I realize it or not.
On the way home, a song by Hillsong came on. "Rest in You."
Your faithfullness endures always
Where mountains fall and reason fails
And You calm the raging seas
And You calm the storms in me, again
All I know is I find rest in You
All I know is I find rest in You
My heart will praise throughout the night
Where singing seems a sacrifice
Your grace is all I need
Your grace is all I need
He is faithful, even when my life is crashing down around me. I will find rest in Him. My soul finds rest in Him alone. His grace is all I need. So my goal is to stop worrying, to rest in His grace, to give all that I am, all of my hopes and fears and worries and stress to Him. He is faithful. And His grace is abundant. I will rest in Him.
Amen
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The Love of Money and Temptation
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."
-- 1 John 2:15-29
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "Money is the root of all evil," sort of thing? Well, to that I say a few things. First of all, the Bible never says that money itself is evil. The verse that people so often misquote is "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
--1 Timothy 6:6-10
This passage from Timothy ties perfectly into the passage from 1 John. I don't believe for a moment that we are not supposed to love people, to place great value upon them. That's not what the author meant when he said we should "not love the world or anything in the world." We are, in fact, instructed to love each other, cherish each other, treat each other in a Christ-like way. Timothy states it pretty plainly though. We were born with nothing, and that's the way we leave the earth. Things don't matter. Wealth ceases to matter. So why do we become so attached to things like wealth and prestige to the point where it becomes the center of our universe, our "god?" It's not money that's the issue, it is "the LOVE of money." When we take our eyes off of God's will for our lives, and allow ourselves to lust over something, we are really digging our own grave. How often have you seen a life destroyed because of greed? I'm not necessarily talking about a riches to rags sort of deal. At least not monetarily. I'm talking about how many times have you seen a father neglect his family because he wants to make more, be promoted more often, get that next big pitch? Where does that leave the family? Poor, that's where. But poor in a very different sense of the word. It's what leads to being "pierced with many griefs."
I admit, I do it in my own life sometimes. How long have I been neglecting my devos because my work "exhausts" me? How often now do I get tired and frustrated because I am losing sight of the prize that awaits me? How often do I fall into that trap of "loving" the things of this world? I know better, I do, but that doesn't mean it's automatically easy to avoid.
It's not that you have to be poor to be righteous, to be a "good Christian." I point out the tons of people in the Bible who were blessed with riches, all of them extremely godly people. But they kept their eyes on the prize, they kept focused on where God wanted to lead their lives. Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Job, the list goes on and on. Wealth isn't a bad thing, but I do think that it's once you begin to be discontent with wherever you are in life that things begin to go astray.
Also, I love how it states that the lustful cravings are "not from the Father." I think that is an important distinction to make. I hear, a lot of the time, "God is tempting me. He's testing me to see if I can handle it." But that simply isn't true.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
--James 1:13-15
Also, the other verse I love regarding temptation:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
--1 Corinthians 10:13
Item number one: No temptation, or sin, or worldly "love" you will ever face will be exceptional, something no one has encountered before. It is "common to man."
Item number two: God is awesome. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. So when you think, "This is too much, God is giving me too much to handle," just think of this verse. God has your back, He will never let you take on more than you can handle. And not only that, but he gives you a way out when you are tempted. Also, God cannot tempt you with evil because that is outside His very nature.
I used to give this analogy to my campers when I was a camp counselor:
Your mom makes a batch of cookies, and it's before dinner and the cookies are for a charity event. She tells you not to eat any of the cookies and then exits the kitchen to attend to other duties. You're standing there, smelling the amazing fresh cookie smell, and you think to yourself, "she won't notice if just one is gone. They smell so flippin good! How can I resist? She made them right now just to tempt me! She knew I'd want one! It's her own fault if I have one. It's only one, after all, right?" And so, you take one, even though you just ate an hour ago.
Now stop. Let's think this over. Your mom didn't make the cookies to tempt you. That's probably the furthest thing on her mind. And you didn't have to eat the cookie. There were a million other things you could have walked away to do. You have homework. Your best friend wants to hang out. The yard needs mowed. Sponge-bob is on. Whatever. There are a million ways out for you to escape the situation. But what did you do instead? You ate the cookie. Were there other things you could have done instead? Yes. Is being tempted by the wonderful fresh cookie smell something no one else in the history of man has ever had to go through? No. It's not. It's so normal, so "common to man" it's practically laughable.
Temptation. It isn't easy, but we have confidence in the Lord's support. And He's the one guy I definitely want on my side.
Last but not least (I got super off topic here with 1 John), the last line which talks about righteousness. Pay close attention. Read it through again. His righteousness is our righteousness. And I wish I had about two more hours to go over this, but I think I'm out of time. Until tomorrow. =)
Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist—he denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us—even eternal life.
I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him."
-- 1 John 2:15-29
"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
Sounds familiar, doesn't it? "Money is the root of all evil," sort of thing? Well, to that I say a few things. First of all, the Bible never says that money itself is evil. The verse that people so often misquote is "For the LOVE of money is the root of all evil."
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."
--1 Timothy 6:6-10
This passage from Timothy ties perfectly into the passage from 1 John. I don't believe for a moment that we are not supposed to love people, to place great value upon them. That's not what the author meant when he said we should "not love the world or anything in the world." We are, in fact, instructed to love each other, cherish each other, treat each other in a Christ-like way. Timothy states it pretty plainly though. We were born with nothing, and that's the way we leave the earth. Things don't matter. Wealth ceases to matter. So why do we become so attached to things like wealth and prestige to the point where it becomes the center of our universe, our "god?" It's not money that's the issue, it is "the LOVE of money." When we take our eyes off of God's will for our lives, and allow ourselves to lust over something, we are really digging our own grave. How often have you seen a life destroyed because of greed? I'm not necessarily talking about a riches to rags sort of deal. At least not monetarily. I'm talking about how many times have you seen a father neglect his family because he wants to make more, be promoted more often, get that next big pitch? Where does that leave the family? Poor, that's where. But poor in a very different sense of the word. It's what leads to being "pierced with many griefs."
I admit, I do it in my own life sometimes. How long have I been neglecting my devos because my work "exhausts" me? How often now do I get tired and frustrated because I am losing sight of the prize that awaits me? How often do I fall into that trap of "loving" the things of this world? I know better, I do, but that doesn't mean it's automatically easy to avoid.
It's not that you have to be poor to be righteous, to be a "good Christian." I point out the tons of people in the Bible who were blessed with riches, all of them extremely godly people. But they kept their eyes on the prize, they kept focused on where God wanted to lead their lives. Abraham, Joseph, David, Solomon, Job, the list goes on and on. Wealth isn't a bad thing, but I do think that it's once you begin to be discontent with wherever you are in life that things begin to go astray.
Also, I love how it states that the lustful cravings are "not from the Father." I think that is an important distinction to make. I hear, a lot of the time, "God is tempting me. He's testing me to see if I can handle it." But that simply isn't true.
"When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death."
--James 1:13-15
Also, the other verse I love regarding temptation:
"No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
--1 Corinthians 10:13
Item number one: No temptation, or sin, or worldly "love" you will ever face will be exceptional, something no one has encountered before. It is "common to man."
Item number two: God is awesome. He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can handle. So when you think, "This is too much, God is giving me too much to handle," just think of this verse. God has your back, He will never let you take on more than you can handle. And not only that, but he gives you a way out when you are tempted. Also, God cannot tempt you with evil because that is outside His very nature.
I used to give this analogy to my campers when I was a camp counselor:
Your mom makes a batch of cookies, and it's before dinner and the cookies are for a charity event. She tells you not to eat any of the cookies and then exits the kitchen to attend to other duties. You're standing there, smelling the amazing fresh cookie smell, and you think to yourself, "she won't notice if just one is gone. They smell so flippin good! How can I resist? She made them right now just to tempt me! She knew I'd want one! It's her own fault if I have one. It's only one, after all, right?" And so, you take one, even though you just ate an hour ago.
Now stop. Let's think this over. Your mom didn't make the cookies to tempt you. That's probably the furthest thing on her mind. And you didn't have to eat the cookie. There were a million other things you could have walked away to do. You have homework. Your best friend wants to hang out. The yard needs mowed. Sponge-bob is on. Whatever. There are a million ways out for you to escape the situation. But what did you do instead? You ate the cookie. Were there other things you could have done instead? Yes. Is being tempted by the wonderful fresh cookie smell something no one else in the history of man has ever had to go through? No. It's not. It's so normal, so "common to man" it's practically laughable.
Temptation. It isn't easy, but we have confidence in the Lord's support. And He's the one guy I definitely want on my side.
Last but not least (I got super off topic here with 1 John), the last line which talks about righteousness. Pay close attention. Read it through again. His righteousness is our righteousness. And I wish I had about two more hours to go over this, but I think I'm out of time. Until tomorrow. =)
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Action
I am going to split up the second chapter of 1 John since it is so long and there is so much to say. It's awesome, pretty much. =)
"1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
12I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one."
--1 John 2:1-14
The Great Intercessor. Fancy name, right? I'm sure you've heard it before, in some context, referring to Jesus. We already knew that we were sinners, sinners with no chance at all. 1 John 1 spends some times discussing that. But the very beginning of the second chapter lets that thought flow into it, working towards completion. Sin is inevitable. But, when it happens, we have someone who intercedes for us, who speaks on our behalf. And then the most real, most intense part of that intercession....that he was the "atoning sacrifice," that he took our place, "for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." That is real love right there. That is real compassion. How could you not enter into a relationship with someone who is so selfless? How could you not want to give some of that back in return?
The second thing that stood out to me from this segment: Christianity is about action, not only about theology. It is about living in real time what you claim to believe. 1 John 2:4 says straight out that, "the man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Or, if you want a better example, "anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." That's pretty heavy stuff. This isn't only an action fix we have to do, it's an entire attitude and thought overhaul. And I find it important to mention once again, that no, it wont be easy, but his "commands" also aren't a burden. How many people do you know say, "I would never be a Christian. Christians are boring. They can't do anything. They have too many rules." How many times have you thought something like that yourself? These aren't commands to hold us back, to tear us down, to make our lives harder and more challenging just because. These are commands out of love, out of our best interests at heart. But it is how we react to those commands out of love that make the difference. Do you fight it? Whine? Push away? Then of course it will seem to be a burden, it will seem to hold you back. I think that is often the root of why it seems so hard to begin with. There's always that part of your mind that wants to rebel, to throw caution to the wind and just live life your own way.
I'll tell you though, it won't turn out well at all for you. God has an incredible love, a selfless love that gave Himself up as an atoning sacrifice, just so we wouldn't have to suffer. No gain, all pain for Him. And the light is here, and "the truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
And the last part...
Have you ever heard of declaring? It's when you speak a truth over someone, to encourage them, to build them up. I may be off on this, when I read the last part of this passage, that's what I am hearing. I have been forgiven, I have overcome the evil one, I know the Father. I am strong. The word of God lives in me. Satan and death have been vanquished. We are able to have these things, and these things can be declared over us when we have Christ. It gives such joy. And what an encouragement! God's love is amazing.
Truly. It is.
"1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
7Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard. 8Yet I am writing you a new command; its truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining.
9Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. 10Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. 11But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.
12I write to you, dear children,
because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name.
13I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, dear children,
because you have known the Father.
14I write to you, fathers,
because you have known him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God lives in you,
and you have overcome the evil one."
--1 John 2:1-14
The Great Intercessor. Fancy name, right? I'm sure you've heard it before, in some context, referring to Jesus. We already knew that we were sinners, sinners with no chance at all. 1 John 1 spends some times discussing that. But the very beginning of the second chapter lets that thought flow into it, working towards completion. Sin is inevitable. But, when it happens, we have someone who intercedes for us, who speaks on our behalf. And then the most real, most intense part of that intercession....that he was the "atoning sacrifice," that he took our place, "for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." That is real love right there. That is real compassion. How could you not enter into a relationship with someone who is so selfless? How could you not want to give some of that back in return?
The second thing that stood out to me from this segment: Christianity is about action, not only about theology. It is about living in real time what you claim to believe. 1 John 2:4 says straight out that, "the man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Or, if you want a better example, "anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him." That's pretty heavy stuff. This isn't only an action fix we have to do, it's an entire attitude and thought overhaul. And I find it important to mention once again, that no, it wont be easy, but his "commands" also aren't a burden. How many people do you know say, "I would never be a Christian. Christians are boring. They can't do anything. They have too many rules." How many times have you thought something like that yourself? These aren't commands to hold us back, to tear us down, to make our lives harder and more challenging just because. These are commands out of love, out of our best interests at heart. But it is how we react to those commands out of love that make the difference. Do you fight it? Whine? Push away? Then of course it will seem to be a burden, it will seem to hold you back. I think that is often the root of why it seems so hard to begin with. There's always that part of your mind that wants to rebel, to throw caution to the wind and just live life your own way.
I'll tell you though, it won't turn out well at all for you. God has an incredible love, a selfless love that gave Himself up as an atoning sacrifice, just so we wouldn't have to suffer. No gain, all pain for Him. And the light is here, and "the truth is seen in him and you, because the darkness is passing and the true light is already shining."
And the last part...
Have you ever heard of declaring? It's when you speak a truth over someone, to encourage them, to build them up. I may be off on this, when I read the last part of this passage, that's what I am hearing. I have been forgiven, I have overcome the evil one, I know the Father. I am strong. The word of God lives in me. Satan and death have been vanquished. We are able to have these things, and these things can be declared over us when we have Christ. It gives such joy. And what an encouragement! God's love is amazing.
Truly. It is.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Walking in the Light
I am reading 1 John. It is so powerful. Seriously, every time I delve into its pages I am just filled with so much thought, so many ideas. It doesn't matter how many times I've read it before, there is so much more to learn.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
-- 1 John 1
I don't really know where to begin. So I guess I'll do the usual and jot down points. And then proceed to go off on wild tangents. Bear with me.
1) This is meant to be real. This isn't some high holy lofty theology which was never meant to touch our hearts and souls. The author of 1 John has several points under this. Our faith is real, it can be testified to, and we share it in order to have fellowship. Now, I know someone is saying, "But faith is trust in something that can't be proven, something you can never be truly sure of." I disagree. No, I cannot quantify God, I cannot quantify our faith. I cannot go out to the "field" and find some way to measure numerically faith. But regardless, I still know that my faith is true, that it is spot on. I went through a period of my life where I really doubted it. I was at the point where I was debating the truth of my own existence (philosophy wise--not crazy insane person wise). But now....now I have seen and experienced too much to ever doubt the reality of what lies before me. I have an incredible God, with an incredible truth to offer.
2) I know I say this all the time. But the following passage is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I have a really hard time with favorites because a) the Bible is just awesome, b) every time you read a passage it says even more to you and c) there is just so much to get out of everything.
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
--1 John 5-10
That's pretty heavy stuff right there. And, there are some extremely important points in there.
A) God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
It's a comforting thought, especially in a world where there always seems to be a flip-side to everything. There is no "flip-side" to God. He is light. He is good. He has your sincerest interest at heart. He is love. There is no darkness in God, for he is the pure embodiment of good. Dark cannot mix with light. It simply won't work, which is why in order to walk with Him, we have to choose to walk in the light.
Seems easy. Seems like a simple concept. A "duh" moment. But it really isn't. It's probably one of the tougher things we will ever have to do in life. Making that choice...going against the world to live in the light when it is shrouded in darkness...you become the anomaly in the world that must be struck down and made to conform.
There is more to being a Christian than saying the sinner's prayer. It is more than just words. It is a deeply complex CHOICE. It is only by choosing to "walk in the light" that we can have fellowship with one another, that we can truly be purified from sin. How often have you seen a "Christian" that is into some truly bad habits, heavy drinking, drugs, promiscuity, whatever, and their excuse for it all is that they'll just be forgiven when they need to be, that all they need to do is ask for it? I'm not a theologian, but it looks like Biblically, that statement doesn't fly. Being a Christian, walking in the light is a choice, and a ridiculously difficult one at that. But it isn't impossible. I'm also not saying that we don't make mistakes, that Christians are perfect. That's a complete lie right there. We all make mistakes. It happens. We're human. But making them consciously and just expecting to be forgiven is the wrong way to treat an incredible gift, and a way that probably doesn't work in the end. After all, sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemy.
B) I kind of mentioned it above, under the "Christians aren't perfect," but I thought I should say that again. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. And, more importantly, we all sin. Have you ever met a Christian who says they're perfect, blameless, without any past, present or future sin? It seems crazy, but I have. But the next verse really proves my next point in a more perfect way than I ever could. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the word is not in us...If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
If we are perfect, than why do we need Jesus? If we can be perfect than what place does he have in our lives? The answer: If we are perfect, he doesn't belong. And there would have been no point to his life, no point to sacrificing himself for us, laying down His life for us. But we have sinned, and He did how His incredible love for us by laying down his life. We have sinned, all of us, and we "all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." It was incredible love that created a bridge for us to be able to join in fellowship with God. When we admit our sins, when we choose to walk in the light, "he is faithful and just." He purifies, He gives us our crown of righteousness, he forgives. But it is a choice, to walk in the light. It is a choice to freely come forward and commit your life to something more challenging than anything you have ever faced before. It isn't easy. But the return is so worth it.
"We write this to make our joy complete."
My joy is not found here, it is found in the eternal, and it pours out here on earth. In Him my joy is complete. In Him, my joy is found.
"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
-- 1 John 1
I don't really know where to begin. So I guess I'll do the usual and jot down points. And then proceed to go off on wild tangents. Bear with me.
1) This is meant to be real. This isn't some high holy lofty theology which was never meant to touch our hearts and souls. The author of 1 John has several points under this. Our faith is real, it can be testified to, and we share it in order to have fellowship. Now, I know someone is saying, "But faith is trust in something that can't be proven, something you can never be truly sure of." I disagree. No, I cannot quantify God, I cannot quantify our faith. I cannot go out to the "field" and find some way to measure numerically faith. But regardless, I still know that my faith is true, that it is spot on. I went through a period of my life where I really doubted it. I was at the point where I was debating the truth of my own existence (philosophy wise--not crazy insane person wise). But now....now I have seen and experienced too much to ever doubt the reality of what lies before me. I have an incredible God, with an incredible truth to offer.
2) I know I say this all the time. But the following passage is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. I have a really hard time with favorites because a) the Bible is just awesome, b) every time you read a passage it says even more to you and c) there is just so much to get out of everything.
"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
--1 John 5-10
That's pretty heavy stuff right there. And, there are some extremely important points in there.
A) God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.
It's a comforting thought, especially in a world where there always seems to be a flip-side to everything. There is no "flip-side" to God. He is light. He is good. He has your sincerest interest at heart. He is love. There is no darkness in God, for he is the pure embodiment of good. Dark cannot mix with light. It simply won't work, which is why in order to walk with Him, we have to choose to walk in the light.
Seems easy. Seems like a simple concept. A "duh" moment. But it really isn't. It's probably one of the tougher things we will ever have to do in life. Making that choice...going against the world to live in the light when it is shrouded in darkness...you become the anomaly in the world that must be struck down and made to conform.
There is more to being a Christian than saying the sinner's prayer. It is more than just words. It is a deeply complex CHOICE. It is only by choosing to "walk in the light" that we can have fellowship with one another, that we can truly be purified from sin. How often have you seen a "Christian" that is into some truly bad habits, heavy drinking, drugs, promiscuity, whatever, and their excuse for it all is that they'll just be forgiven when they need to be, that all they need to do is ask for it? I'm not a theologian, but it looks like Biblically, that statement doesn't fly. Being a Christian, walking in the light is a choice, and a ridiculously difficult one at that. But it isn't impossible. I'm also not saying that we don't make mistakes, that Christians are perfect. That's a complete lie right there. We all make mistakes. It happens. We're human. But making them consciously and just expecting to be forgiven is the wrong way to treat an incredible gift, and a way that probably doesn't work in the end. After all, sometimes I think we can be our own worst enemy.
B) I kind of mentioned it above, under the "Christians aren't perfect," but I thought I should say that again. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. And, more importantly, we all sin. Have you ever met a Christian who says they're perfect, blameless, without any past, present or future sin? It seems crazy, but I have. But the next verse really proves my next point in a more perfect way than I ever could. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves, and the word is not in us...If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives."
If we are perfect, than why do we need Jesus? If we can be perfect than what place does he have in our lives? The answer: If we are perfect, he doesn't belong. And there would have been no point to his life, no point to sacrificing himself for us, laying down His life for us. But we have sinned, and He did how His incredible love for us by laying down his life. We have sinned, all of us, and we "all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)." It was incredible love that created a bridge for us to be able to join in fellowship with God. When we admit our sins, when we choose to walk in the light, "he is faithful and just." He purifies, He gives us our crown of righteousness, he forgives. But it is a choice, to walk in the light. It is a choice to freely come forward and commit your life to something more challenging than anything you have ever faced before. It isn't easy. But the return is so worth it.
"We write this to make our joy complete."
My joy is not found here, it is found in the eternal, and it pours out here on earth. In Him my joy is complete. In Him, my joy is found.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Love Pt. Two
Before we get on the subject of tonight's devo... I was thinking...
I've had a lot of people tell me that they don't know how to read the Bible on their own, that they don't know how to do a devo. I think this is a shame. Because your own personal faith can't be built up unless you are spending time in the word. Going to church isn't enough, just going to Bible study isn't enough, just hanging out with "other Christians" isn't enough. Sure those things are important, but we are told to hold the word in our hearts, to let it be inscribed as though on stone. But what of those who don't know how to begin?
My mini "How To" ideas:
My devo format has morphed over the years but one format I stuck with a long time was this:
I would read a chapter a day from a book then write down a quick summary of what I had read to recap it. After the summary I would pick a verse or two or more and write them down. Sometimes I would write why I had chosen them. You'd be surprised how many different ways you can view the same verse. Finally I would write down "Questions" (Ex. from 2 Corinthians 3; "Am I an example of Christ's 'letter' to the world, or is there something that I need to asses and change in my life? How can I further show that I am a letter from Christ?") Questions can be theological, they can be practical, they can be anything you want to be as long as they challenge you. On the back of the paper I would write down my prayer. It's been interesting to go back and read my Questions and Prayers especially. I wish now that I had been better with writing down why I had chosen the verses.
But anyways...
Don't know where all of that came from.
Onto the real purpose of tonight.
LOVE
Did you think about it? I did. I always do, really.
And just to clarify, we're not talking about Romantic Love tonight. We are talking about something so much deeper than that it's difficult to even comprehend. Romantic love is a very human emotion, and, since it is a very human emotion, it is able to become trapped in human pitfalls. I'm not talking about that feel good love, although I'm not dissing romantic love. It can be wonderful. But why do you think so many couples fail in their relationships? Is it because they have a lack of romantic love? Certainly, it's a proven fact that the "honeymoon stage" will end within 3-5 years, and often even sooner, but what is left after that? What kind of love do you exhibit to your loved ones, your friends, your family, or even to strangers? Why is this concept called "Love" so important?
Maybe we should begin with the basics...
Exhibit A) What is love???
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Bear with me. I know you've heard this verse a million times. Remember...empty cup.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Read it again. I mean really read it. Does this sound like the type of love you show everyone each day?
"It is not self seeking." I think that pretty much sums it up. But how much of our so called love is actually self seeking upon better analysis?
Exhibit B) There is a type of love that encompasses 1 Corinthians 13. This type of love is called AGAPE.
Agape is a powerful love, a selfless love, the deepest type of love, the love that God has for us and that we are expected to show to each other as well. Agape love is a love that loves without expecting anything in return, a love without preconditions or post conditions, a love that loves for the sake of loving and bestowing value upon a person. Agape was exemplified by Christ dying for us. Check out 1 John 4:7-12. By the way, I think that's going to be my next book I go through.
Heads up.
Am I an example of Agape love in my day to day life, or is my love something a little more conditional, a little more selfish? How do I show that the Love I am giving is in fact a part of this complex concept of Agape love and not something that is selfish, self serving? I want to love like God says I should. I want to see the world through His eyes. I don't want to see it through my own. I want to love like He loves us. I want to treat each person as though they are a precious gift, worthy of all love.
So often I fall short of that. But that doesn't mean I have to stop trying.
Whoever you are, wherever you are. I love you. And I am keeping you in my prayers.
Goodnight.
I've had a lot of people tell me that they don't know how to read the Bible on their own, that they don't know how to do a devo. I think this is a shame. Because your own personal faith can't be built up unless you are spending time in the word. Going to church isn't enough, just going to Bible study isn't enough, just hanging out with "other Christians" isn't enough. Sure those things are important, but we are told to hold the word in our hearts, to let it be inscribed as though on stone. But what of those who don't know how to begin?
My mini "How To" ideas:
My devo format has morphed over the years but one format I stuck with a long time was this:
I would read a chapter a day from a book then write down a quick summary of what I had read to recap it. After the summary I would pick a verse or two or more and write them down. Sometimes I would write why I had chosen them. You'd be surprised how many different ways you can view the same verse. Finally I would write down "Questions" (Ex. from 2 Corinthians 3; "Am I an example of Christ's 'letter' to the world, or is there something that I need to asses and change in my life? How can I further show that I am a letter from Christ?") Questions can be theological, they can be practical, they can be anything you want to be as long as they challenge you. On the back of the paper I would write down my prayer. It's been interesting to go back and read my Questions and Prayers especially. I wish now that I had been better with writing down why I had chosen the verses.
But anyways...
Don't know where all of that came from.
Onto the real purpose of tonight.
LOVE
Did you think about it? I did. I always do, really.
And just to clarify, we're not talking about Romantic Love tonight. We are talking about something so much deeper than that it's difficult to even comprehend. Romantic love is a very human emotion, and, since it is a very human emotion, it is able to become trapped in human pitfalls. I'm not talking about that feel good love, although I'm not dissing romantic love. It can be wonderful. But why do you think so many couples fail in their relationships? Is it because they have a lack of romantic love? Certainly, it's a proven fact that the "honeymoon stage" will end within 3-5 years, and often even sooner, but what is left after that? What kind of love do you exhibit to your loved ones, your friends, your family, or even to strangers? Why is this concept called "Love" so important?
Maybe we should begin with the basics...
Exhibit A) What is love???
1 Corinthians 13:4-8a Bear with me. I know you've heard this verse a million times. Remember...empty cup.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
Read it again. I mean really read it. Does this sound like the type of love you show everyone each day?
"It is not self seeking." I think that pretty much sums it up. But how much of our so called love is actually self seeking upon better analysis?
Exhibit B) There is a type of love that encompasses 1 Corinthians 13. This type of love is called AGAPE.
Agape is a powerful love, a selfless love, the deepest type of love, the love that God has for us and that we are expected to show to each other as well. Agape love is a love that loves without expecting anything in return, a love without preconditions or post conditions, a love that loves for the sake of loving and bestowing value upon a person. Agape was exemplified by Christ dying for us. Check out 1 John 4:7-12. By the way, I think that's going to be my next book I go through.
Heads up.
Am I an example of Agape love in my day to day life, or is my love something a little more conditional, a little more selfish? How do I show that the Love I am giving is in fact a part of this complex concept of Agape love and not something that is selfish, self serving? I want to love like God says I should. I want to see the world through His eyes. I don't want to see it through my own. I want to love like He loves us. I want to treat each person as though they are a precious gift, worthy of all love.
So often I fall short of that. But that doesn't mean I have to stop trying.
Whoever you are, wherever you are. I love you. And I am keeping you in my prayers.
Goodnight.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Love Pt. One
There is a lot I want to say. There is a lot I want to do. But here is what I am starting with tonight, what I am asking you to do.
I am asking you to ask yourself what you think LOVE is. I want you to analyze it, define it, break it down in every way you think possible. There is a concept that my teacher taught us in our humanities class. He told us, in everything we read, to view it with "an empty cup," to come to it with no preconditions or preconceived notions. It was so we could view the work we were reading as unbiased, so we could take everything we could from it. We even read the book of John, and getting rid of "preconceived notions" was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do in the context of reading. But I learned so much from it. My biases, my previous thoughts had actually blocked me from getting everything I could from it.
So tonight, I want to break down LOVE, that elusive term, I want to see how I define it, and then I want to come and exam that principle biblically, with an "empty cup." So many people say, "Christians are so narrow minded, they don't love anyone who doesn't believe just what they believe." And even some Christians become confused, "If they don't follow what I do, I must not have to love them." But what does the Bible say? What are we supposed to follow? What does LOVE mean?
And in the words of Pilate,
"What is truth?"
Goodnight all. You are in my prayers.
I am asking you to ask yourself what you think LOVE is. I want you to analyze it, define it, break it down in every way you think possible. There is a concept that my teacher taught us in our humanities class. He told us, in everything we read, to view it with "an empty cup," to come to it with no preconditions or preconceived notions. It was so we could view the work we were reading as unbiased, so we could take everything we could from it. We even read the book of John, and getting rid of "preconceived notions" was perhaps the hardest thing I have ever had to do in the context of reading. But I learned so much from it. My biases, my previous thoughts had actually blocked me from getting everything I could from it.
So tonight, I want to break down LOVE, that elusive term, I want to see how I define it, and then I want to come and exam that principle biblically, with an "empty cup." So many people say, "Christians are so narrow minded, they don't love anyone who doesn't believe just what they believe." And even some Christians become confused, "If they don't follow what I do, I must not have to love them." But what does the Bible say? What are we supposed to follow? What does LOVE mean?
And in the words of Pilate,
"What is truth?"
Goodnight all. You are in my prayers.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Poverty Mentality
First of all I want to apologize. I haven't been quite as good with these as I should have been. Sometimes I get home late after work, and I do my devo but have no more energy left to post something. But that isn't fair.
Secondly, God is good. I'm not chanting that in a churchy, holier than thou art way. I mean it. God is so good. He has blessed me with so much in life, and over the past few days, he's just been showing me how much he has given me, how much I am blessed with, and also how much he cares for everyone on this earth. God is always there, and He will always be there for you, He is reaching out to you, but often He is just waiting for you to reach back out to him.
Lately, Trevor's church has been speaking on the topic of Living as Royalty. That concept could take years to expand on. It's already taking a pastor weeks. And I'm not a pastor. But every week there is the same words that are repeated over and over. And those are the words that we often live with a "poverty" mentality, and not with a mentality for big kingdom living, and not one where we are already blessed and already have what we need. We focus so much on the so called "lack" in our lives that it leaves us unsatisfied and actually unable to claim the things that could be ours. I'm not saying you can speak over the lottery, "In the name of God, I speak over you that you shall be mine!" This goes way deeper than that. This blows that selfish concept away.
But after I began to hear it week after week, this assertion that a "poverty" mentality hinders our relationships with others, and with God, I began to actually notice it for the first time. I began to see it in my own life, and I began to see it in the lives of people I love. Perhaps it was almost easier to see with them, because of the very things they talked about and the lack of hope they exhibited. Perhaps it would be even stronger if I could videotape myself for a day, and see how I really talk and act. But, the thing is, I have realized that I don't have to live in a state of lack, in a state of "poverty," because I am blessed with so much more than that. It's up to me to take up that mantle of "royalty" and live like a child of God. And, to once again clarify, this doesn't mean that life will be peachy, that nothing will ever go wrong, that you will never be uncomfortable, that you will suddenly possess wealth beyond all imagining. This is an attitude adjustment, and one that I so often need. How often do I fall into the trap of the "poverty mentality?" Way too often.
I'm not sure where all of that came from. I came here tonight to discuss the verse from Jeremiah. I guess I can do that as well. =)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
I think that is such a powerful verse. It is a verse full of hope, one that sustains us in times of good grace and in times of hardship. Have you ever felt like God was specifically trying to harm you, that He somehow had it in for you? I know I have. But this verse paints a very different picture. God knows the plans for our lives, and His plans are to prosper and NOT to harm us. God is just as concerned with the sparrow as He is with us, He loves us all, and we are all beautiful to Him. His plans would never be to harm us, to bring us down. He has the greatest desire to see us strive and succeed. We are loved. We will succeed. We will prosper. And that is living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality which tells us we must always struggle in life. We already have the ability to succeed. We are already loved.
And I guess this ties in after all. God says when we call, He listens. When we seek with our whole heart, He will be found by us. This isn't a God who gets "too busy" to deal with us. This isn't a God who falls asleep and forgets to make Himself available. This is a God who will give Himself to us wholly, lovingly. All we have to do is seek Him out as He reaches to us and take His hand as we look for Him with our whole heart.
Tonight, I am thinking of living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality. And I am thinking of the blessings in my life, the beautiful things and people in my life, the fresh air, the house I live in, my dear friends and family. I am thinking of seeking the Lord, and meditating on what exactly that means. I am seeking Him.
And in seeking Him, I will suddenly find that He too has been seeking me all along.
God is good.
Secondly, God is good. I'm not chanting that in a churchy, holier than thou art way. I mean it. God is so good. He has blessed me with so much in life, and over the past few days, he's just been showing me how much he has given me, how much I am blessed with, and also how much he cares for everyone on this earth. God is always there, and He will always be there for you, He is reaching out to you, but often He is just waiting for you to reach back out to him.
Lately, Trevor's church has been speaking on the topic of Living as Royalty. That concept could take years to expand on. It's already taking a pastor weeks. And I'm not a pastor. But every week there is the same words that are repeated over and over. And those are the words that we often live with a "poverty" mentality, and not with a mentality for big kingdom living, and not one where we are already blessed and already have what we need. We focus so much on the so called "lack" in our lives that it leaves us unsatisfied and actually unable to claim the things that could be ours. I'm not saying you can speak over the lottery, "In the name of God, I speak over you that you shall be mine!" This goes way deeper than that. This blows that selfish concept away.
But after I began to hear it week after week, this assertion that a "poverty" mentality hinders our relationships with others, and with God, I began to actually notice it for the first time. I began to see it in my own life, and I began to see it in the lives of people I love. Perhaps it was almost easier to see with them, because of the very things they talked about and the lack of hope they exhibited. Perhaps it would be even stronger if I could videotape myself for a day, and see how I really talk and act. But, the thing is, I have realized that I don't have to live in a state of lack, in a state of "poverty," because I am blessed with so much more than that. It's up to me to take up that mantle of "royalty" and live like a child of God. And, to once again clarify, this doesn't mean that life will be peachy, that nothing will ever go wrong, that you will never be uncomfortable, that you will suddenly possess wealth beyond all imagining. This is an attitude adjustment, and one that I so often need. How often do I fall into the trap of the "poverty mentality?" Way too often.
I'm not sure where all of that came from. I came here tonight to discuss the verse from Jeremiah. I guess I can do that as well. =)
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
I think that is such a powerful verse. It is a verse full of hope, one that sustains us in times of good grace and in times of hardship. Have you ever felt like God was specifically trying to harm you, that He somehow had it in for you? I know I have. But this verse paints a very different picture. God knows the plans for our lives, and His plans are to prosper and NOT to harm us. God is just as concerned with the sparrow as He is with us, He loves us all, and we are all beautiful to Him. His plans would never be to harm us, to bring us down. He has the greatest desire to see us strive and succeed. We are loved. We will succeed. We will prosper. And that is living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality which tells us we must always struggle in life. We already have the ability to succeed. We are already loved.
And I guess this ties in after all. God says when we call, He listens. When we seek with our whole heart, He will be found by us. This isn't a God who gets "too busy" to deal with us. This isn't a God who falls asleep and forgets to make Himself available. This is a God who will give Himself to us wholly, lovingly. All we have to do is seek Him out as He reaches to us and take His hand as we look for Him with our whole heart.
Tonight, I am thinking of living with a royalty mentality, and not a poverty mentality. And I am thinking of the blessings in my life, the beautiful things and people in my life, the fresh air, the house I live in, my dear friends and family. I am thinking of seeking the Lord, and meditating on what exactly that means. I am seeking Him.
And in seeking Him, I will suddenly find that He too has been seeking me all along.
God is good.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Meditating
"Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. 'The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
--Lamentations 3:22-26
Tonight I am meditating on this verse. I'm going to talk about it tomorrow. But tonight, I don't want to fill my head with my own words, my own thoughts. I want to sit, I want to meditate on His word, I want to open my heart and mind to what God has to say.
You should try it. Even if it is only for five or ten minutes, try it.
Tonight, I am meditating on His great love. Tonight, I am seeking His heart and not my own. Tonight, I am letting go my grudges, my petty thoughts, my complaints that keep me from meeting with Him.
Tonight, I am "waiting quietly."
For in the silence, He waits for me to come to Him.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
Oh yes, tomorrow is going to be fun.
Meditating tonight.
Amen
They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him. 'The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."
--Lamentations 3:22-26
Tonight I am meditating on this verse. I'm going to talk about it tomorrow. But tonight, I don't want to fill my head with my own words, my own thoughts. I want to sit, I want to meditate on His word, I want to open my heart and mind to what God has to say.
You should try it. Even if it is only for five or ten minutes, try it.
Tonight, I am meditating on His great love. Tonight, I am seeking His heart and not my own. Tonight, I am letting go my grudges, my petty thoughts, my complaints that keep me from meeting with Him.
Tonight, I am "waiting quietly."
For in the silence, He waits for me to come to Him.
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,'"
--Jeremiah 29:11-14a
Oh yes, tomorrow is going to be fun.
Meditating tonight.
Amen
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Burden
"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!"
--Psalm 105:4
I'm stubborn. It's true. I don't like to rely on other people and I like things done my way, quickly, efficiently, thoroughly. These aren't necessarily bad traits, but they do get me into trouble sometimes. As I get older, I realize the danger signs easier, but it wasn't always that way. I would run myself into the ground--pretty much literally, actually, before I would admit weakness and cry uncle. Sometimes I ignore that annoying inner voice that is telling me things I don't want to hear, but then, inevitably, it turns out to be right. I've watched cycle after cycle of it happen in my own life, and cycle after cycle of this same predicament happen with close friends of mine. But what am I talking about?
I'm talking about doing things on your own strength. I'm talking about setting your eyes and heart on the things you want, instead of focusing on what God's heart is leading you. I'm talking about being "too busy" with work, with school, with friends, with family, to spend even a minute or two in prayer everyday, in meditation.
I'm guilty of forever trying to do things "all by myself." It's like I have some horrible "I'm a big girl now!" complex from the pull-ups commercials. I don't want to place trust in someone else to help me, because to do that shows incredible weakness on my part. Of course that isn't true, there is nothing wrong with asking for help, but to me it feels a horrible and shameful crime. Teaching yourself to think a different way, the complete opposite way, really, to constantly seek the Lord and rely on his strength, seems at first completely contradictory to what our own instincts tell us.
And yet, once you change your perspective, a huge weight is lifted off of your shoulders.
There is a beautiful verse in Proverbs:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
--Proverbs 3:5-6
That's a promise. As is the following verse.
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
--Psalm 5:22
So...what you're telling me is that not only do I no longer have to struggle with everything in my life on my own, but that I will be strengthened and encouraged as well? Yup. =)
And, I think it is important to note that we are told to do this, not once a week, not every once in a while, but constantly, continually, and in all ways, not just some.
I'm stubborn, and this concept is a struggle every day to live out, but I know that by trusting in the Lord, and by casting my cares on him, I won't have to inevitably stumble because I am the one stubbornly calling the shots, and not God. Of course that doesn't mean I never slip up and try to control and micromanage everything on my own strength, but the second I am willing to let it all go and let God make the call, it's like I can finally breathe, like a crushing weight has been taken off of me. There is a burden in following Christ, but it isn't an earthly one, and it doesn't crush your soul like earthly troubles do. In reality, it's freeing, it's a new way to view things, it's all of the hope that the world lacks.
I'll end with this verse:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
--Matthew 11:28-30
--Psalm 105:4
I'm stubborn. It's true. I don't like to rely on other people and I like things done my way, quickly, efficiently, thoroughly. These aren't necessarily bad traits, but they do get me into trouble sometimes. As I get older, I realize the danger signs easier, but it wasn't always that way. I would run myself into the ground--pretty much literally, actually, before I would admit weakness and cry uncle. Sometimes I ignore that annoying inner voice that is telling me things I don't want to hear, but then, inevitably, it turns out to be right. I've watched cycle after cycle of it happen in my own life, and cycle after cycle of this same predicament happen with close friends of mine. But what am I talking about?
I'm talking about doing things on your own strength. I'm talking about setting your eyes and heart on the things you want, instead of focusing on what God's heart is leading you. I'm talking about being "too busy" with work, with school, with friends, with family, to spend even a minute or two in prayer everyday, in meditation.
I'm guilty of forever trying to do things "all by myself." It's like I have some horrible "I'm a big girl now!" complex from the pull-ups commercials. I don't want to place trust in someone else to help me, because to do that shows incredible weakness on my part. Of course that isn't true, there is nothing wrong with asking for help, but to me it feels a horrible and shameful crime. Teaching yourself to think a different way, the complete opposite way, really, to constantly seek the Lord and rely on his strength, seems at first completely contradictory to what our own instincts tell us.
And yet, once you change your perspective, a huge weight is lifted off of your shoulders.
There is a beautiful verse in Proverbs:
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."
--Proverbs 3:5-6
That's a promise. As is the following verse.
"Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall."
--Psalm 5:22
So...what you're telling me is that not only do I no longer have to struggle with everything in my life on my own, but that I will be strengthened and encouraged as well? Yup. =)
And, I think it is important to note that we are told to do this, not once a week, not every once in a while, but constantly, continually, and in all ways, not just some.
I'm stubborn, and this concept is a struggle every day to live out, but I know that by trusting in the Lord, and by casting my cares on him, I won't have to inevitably stumble because I am the one stubbornly calling the shots, and not God. Of course that doesn't mean I never slip up and try to control and micromanage everything on my own strength, but the second I am willing to let it all go and let God make the call, it's like I can finally breathe, like a crushing weight has been taken off of me. There is a burden in following Christ, but it isn't an earthly one, and it doesn't crush your soul like earthly troubles do. In reality, it's freeing, it's a new way to view things, it's all of the hope that the world lacks.
I'll end with this verse:
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
--Matthew 11:28-30
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Thirsting
"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
--Psalm 63:1b
We need water to survive. I'm sure that's a newsflash for you. We need water to function as human beings, and we cannot physically take more than a few days without it before we perish. The consumption of water is more than a desire, it is a fundamental need. When you thirst, it's more than a silly impulse. It is your body telling you that the very foundation of life has run low. We need water. Without it, we will die.
This verse compares that thirst to the way we should seek God. Our soul should thirst for God, as a desert thirsts for water, always desperate for more. Seeking God is more than a passive activity and thought. It is an act of desperation. In a land where nothing truly satisfies, we earnestly seek out the Lord, we thirst for him as a dry land thirsts for water, for we know that His is the only water that will quench our thirst, and we know that once the process begins, it won't stop.
So, in my day to day living, do I act and think as though my soul is thirsting for God, never satisfied with the ordinary things of this world, or am I lukewarm about it all? Lukewarm isn't good. I am reminded of the verse in Revelations:
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
--Revelation 3:15-16
Woah, doesn't sound like beating around the bush with following the Lord is really going to work for me. And, I suppose, that once you begin that process of truly thirsting for the Lord--craving Him, desiring wholly His word and plans, you are unable to stop. Because a certain peace comes with that as well. I never want to return to the life I used to live, I never want to be forever unsatisfied with everything. I am thirsting for God as a dry land thirsts for water but I am not left unhappy and unsatisfied.
Jesus is referred to as the "living water." Check out this chapter in John which talks about it.
"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"
--John 4:13-14
I could spend another day just on that passage alone. It is so true. When we partake of the "living water" that Christ provides, we no longer have to be satisfied. We no longer have to seek something that seems unattainable. Our thirst is quenched and satisfied even as a new thirst is renewed and intensified, the thirst to know God. But a sweeter more satisfying thirst there could not be.
I am going to partake of the Living Water, and I am going to continue to thirst to know God, as a dry land thirsts for water. For if I do those things, I will never have to be "thirsty" again.
--Psalm 63:1b
We need water to survive. I'm sure that's a newsflash for you. We need water to function as human beings, and we cannot physically take more than a few days without it before we perish. The consumption of water is more than a desire, it is a fundamental need. When you thirst, it's more than a silly impulse. It is your body telling you that the very foundation of life has run low. We need water. Without it, we will die.
This verse compares that thirst to the way we should seek God. Our soul should thirst for God, as a desert thirsts for water, always desperate for more. Seeking God is more than a passive activity and thought. It is an act of desperation. In a land where nothing truly satisfies, we earnestly seek out the Lord, we thirst for him as a dry land thirsts for water, for we know that His is the only water that will quench our thirst, and we know that once the process begins, it won't stop.
So, in my day to day living, do I act and think as though my soul is thirsting for God, never satisfied with the ordinary things of this world, or am I lukewarm about it all? Lukewarm isn't good. I am reminded of the verse in Revelations:
"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth."
--Revelation 3:15-16
Woah, doesn't sound like beating around the bush with following the Lord is really going to work for me. And, I suppose, that once you begin that process of truly thirsting for the Lord--craving Him, desiring wholly His word and plans, you are unable to stop. Because a certain peace comes with that as well. I never want to return to the life I used to live, I never want to be forever unsatisfied with everything. I am thirsting for God as a dry land thirsts for water but I am not left unhappy and unsatisfied.
Jesus is referred to as the "living water." Check out this chapter in John which talks about it.
"Jesus answered, 'Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"
--John 4:13-14
I could spend another day just on that passage alone. It is so true. When we partake of the "living water" that Christ provides, we no longer have to be satisfied. We no longer have to seek something that seems unattainable. Our thirst is quenched and satisfied even as a new thirst is renewed and intensified, the thirst to know God. But a sweeter more satisfying thirst there could not be.
I am going to partake of the Living Water, and I am going to continue to thirst to know God, as a dry land thirsts for water. For if I do those things, I will never have to be "thirsty" again.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Seeking: Take Two
I know I did a previous post about this, and you can read it here,
but I thought that I would go through it a little more thoroughly.
I chose the name of this blog because I want to seek out God's will in my life. I don't always do such a great job, but I want that strive, that focus and determination to define my life.
A few days ago I began to go through the Bible, researching and looking up verses that I thought defined this blog. For some reason I feel like that's important. These are just the verses that applied which specifically used the word "seek." You'll notice that it's not only an instruction, and admonition, but it is also a promise from God to us as well.
"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord , do I seek.'"
--Psalm 27:8
"One thing have I asked of the Lord , that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."
--Psalm 27: 4
"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
--Psalm 63:1b
"May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, 'God is great!'"
--Psalm 70:4
"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!"
--Psalm 105:4
"Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart"
--Psalm 119:2
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
--Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For thus says the Lord God : 'Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."
--Ezekiel 34:11-12
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
--Matthew 6:33
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
--Matthew 7:7
There are the verses. Read them over. Read them over again. Meditate on them for awhile. We'll be spending more time with them very very soon. =)
I'm going to end this with a verse that I probably could spend years on, and will spend an entire post on, but one that has been drifting through my mind all day.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
--2 Corinthians 19:2
That verse defines my life. It's amazing. Read it over. =) Until tomorrow...
but I thought that I would go through it a little more thoroughly.
I chose the name of this blog because I want to seek out God's will in my life. I don't always do such a great job, but I want that strive, that focus and determination to define my life.
A few days ago I began to go through the Bible, researching and looking up verses that I thought defined this blog. For some reason I feel like that's important. These are just the verses that applied which specifically used the word "seek." You'll notice that it's not only an instruction, and admonition, but it is also a promise from God to us as well.
"You have said, 'Seek my face.' My heart says to you, 'Your face, Lord , do I seek.'"
--Psalm 27:8
"One thing have I asked of the Lord , that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."
--Psalm 27: 4
"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water."
--Psalm 63:1b
"May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, 'God is great!'"
--Psalm 70:4
"Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!"
--Psalm 105:4
"Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart"
--Psalm 119:2
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
--Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For thus says the Lord God : 'Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness."
--Ezekiel 34:11-12
"But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
--Matthew 6:33
"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."
--Matthew 7:7
There are the verses. Read them over. Read them over again. Meditate on them for awhile. We'll be spending more time with them very very soon. =)
I'm going to end this with a verse that I probably could spend years on, and will spend an entire post on, but one that has been drifting through my mind all day.
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"
--2 Corinthians 19:2
That verse defines my life. It's amazing. Read it over. =) Until tomorrow...
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tonight We Pray
"Do not hide your mercy from me, O Lord;
may your love and your truth always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me,
and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs on my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, come quickly to help me.
May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, 'Aha! Aha!'
be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
'The Lord be exalted!'
Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay."
--Psalm 4010-17
I feel like this is part of a prayer. The first two lines are my favorite: Do not hide your mercy from me...may your love and your truth always protect me.
We pray for physical protection, it is true, but this verse goes beyond that. This verse speaks of what happens when you attempt to control your own life, when your sins begin to outnumber "the hairs on your head." And it also deals with some very real problems such as abuse from others, to those who do everything in their power to tear you down. That is a painful fact of life, one that we will inevitably encounter, but we don't have to give in to it. We are able to rest in the Lord's mercy, in his compassion, in his love and truth. These things are presented to us over and over again. Sometimes we fall into the trap of repeating these "truths" of God, but they are in fact, very real, very present in our lives. It's not always easy to see, and sometimes it's even a real struggle, but it's there. I am protected by His great love, His great mercy, His great truth.
I'm sorry this was so short tonight. I'm reading Psalm 42 tonight too, but I want to do a devo completely on that one alone. I don't want to squash it in here. And, tonight, for some reason, I feel scatterbrained, off kilter. I'm not sure why, or maybe it is because there are so many things to discuss that it all becomes lost in translation.
I think, tonight, we should challenge ourselves to pray. Sometimes I feel like my life is one unspoken prayer to God, but how often do I sit and actually pray? And, more importantly, how often do I just sit and let be, and listen to what the Lord has to say? How often am I too busy whining about my own life that I miss out on great opportunities He has for me? His great love? Tonight, I am going to pray, I am going to make that effort, and I am going to concentrate. I am going to sit in silence, and listen, and make it known that it is not my time, but God's and I am open to hear anything He throws my way.
"May those who love your salvation always say, 'The Lord be exalted!""
Amen.
may your love and your truth always protect me.
For troubles without number surround me;
my sins have overtaken me,
and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs on my head,
and my heart fails within me.
Be pleased, O Lord, to save me;
O Lord, come quickly to help me.
May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
May those who say to me, 'Aha! Aha!'
be appalled at their own shame.
But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
'The Lord be exalted!'
Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay."
--Psalm 4010-17
I feel like this is part of a prayer. The first two lines are my favorite: Do not hide your mercy from me...may your love and your truth always protect me.
We pray for physical protection, it is true, but this verse goes beyond that. This verse speaks of what happens when you attempt to control your own life, when your sins begin to outnumber "the hairs on your head." And it also deals with some very real problems such as abuse from others, to those who do everything in their power to tear you down. That is a painful fact of life, one that we will inevitably encounter, but we don't have to give in to it. We are able to rest in the Lord's mercy, in his compassion, in his love and truth. These things are presented to us over and over again. Sometimes we fall into the trap of repeating these "truths" of God, but they are in fact, very real, very present in our lives. It's not always easy to see, and sometimes it's even a real struggle, but it's there. I am protected by His great love, His great mercy, His great truth.
I'm sorry this was so short tonight. I'm reading Psalm 42 tonight too, but I want to do a devo completely on that one alone. I don't want to squash it in here. And, tonight, for some reason, I feel scatterbrained, off kilter. I'm not sure why, or maybe it is because there are so many things to discuss that it all becomes lost in translation.
I think, tonight, we should challenge ourselves to pray. Sometimes I feel like my life is one unspoken prayer to God, but how often do I sit and actually pray? And, more importantly, how often do I just sit and let be, and listen to what the Lord has to say? How often am I too busy whining about my own life that I miss out on great opportunities He has for me? His great love? Tonight, I am going to pray, I am going to make that effort, and I am going to concentrate. I am going to sit in silence, and listen, and make it known that it is not my time, but God's and I am open to hear anything He throws my way.
"May those who love your salvation always say, 'The Lord be exalted!""
Amen.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Not Ashamed
"Then I said,'Here I am, I have come--
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is written on my heart.
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly.
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O Lord
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly."
--Psalm 40:7-10
The first part of the verse reminds me of another verse in Corinthians:
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
--2 Corinthians 3:2-3
We all struggle with certain things. I think one of the biggest struggles as a Christian is living as though God's law were, "written on" your heart. It isn't easy. How easy is it to live and portray yourself as the rest of the world does in order to be accepted. No one wants to stand out in a way that others often perceive as negative. And, sadly, that's the way people see Christians. We're hypocritical, we're goody-too-shoes, we're no fun, we're sticks in the mud, unwilling to do anything. And so, a lot of us cave under that pressure and forgo the way we know we should act in favor of a fleeting moment. We've all done it, somewhere, some time. I'll admit it. I have. It's just too easy to do. The struggle, the hard part comes when I choose to act differently. I know I should be living with God's law written on my heart. It's how I should feel, a very core part of my being. So why don't I always live that way? And then comes the verse from Corinthians. "You yourselves are our letter....known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ..." Uh oh. I'm supposed to be the example of Christ to others. How well am I doing with that? Am I living like I have Christ's words inscribed upon my heart, or do I live like I am working for my own goals and benefits? I am told, quite clearly, that I am a light to others who are in the darkness. So why would I hide that light to become another one of the lost?
And then, the next portion of the passage speaks of being bold before others. I do not seal my lips, it says, I do not hide your righteousness. I think I'm being told something here. Here's a couple of verses that came to me when I thought of this:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."
--Romans 1:16a
"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."
---2 Timothy 1:16
Hm, see the verse references. Coincidence? I like when that happens.
The first verse tells me why I should not be ashamed. The second verse acknowledges that it won't be easy, but that there is a purpose to the trials that come with proclaiming and living a Christ-like life. We cannot be ashamed. We cannot hide this word written on our hearts, not on tablets of stone, we cannot deny this great love and the righteousness that is here. How can I conceal such amazing love, such truth and righteousness? How can I refuse to share that with others? This is what I should be thinking next time I want to hide behind anonymity. I want people to go, "there's something different about her, something I can't tell, but that is definitely not like the rest of the crowd. What is it? I know she's a Christian, but that couldn't be it, could it? Maybe I should ask her about it." I want my life to be a testament, as I am instructed to be an open letter to the population. I don't want my life to be recognized as just another hypocritical Christian. I am not ashamed of my God, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it holds such hope, and our broken world needs to hear that. There is more to life than empty promises. There is more to life than heartbreak and pain. There is more to life than a meaningless pursuit of pleasure. I am seeking His face, and I am not ashamed. I am not ashamed to live for Him.
So tomorrow, when I am faced with others who see the world differently than I do, how will I react? Will I stay strong, or will I be swayed? I am God's letter, His love letter, written to everyone. So what am I going to do to show the world that?
I am not ashamed.
it is written about me in the scroll.
I desire to do your will, O my God;
your law is written on my heart.
I proclaim righteousness in the great assembly.
I do not seal my lips,
as you know, O Lord
I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
I speak of your faithfulness and salvation.
I do not conceal your love and your truth
from the great assembly."
--Psalm 40:7-10
The first part of the verse reminds me of another verse in Corinthians:
"You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts."
--2 Corinthians 3:2-3
We all struggle with certain things. I think one of the biggest struggles as a Christian is living as though God's law were, "written on" your heart. It isn't easy. How easy is it to live and portray yourself as the rest of the world does in order to be accepted. No one wants to stand out in a way that others often perceive as negative. And, sadly, that's the way people see Christians. We're hypocritical, we're goody-too-shoes, we're no fun, we're sticks in the mud, unwilling to do anything. And so, a lot of us cave under that pressure and forgo the way we know we should act in favor of a fleeting moment. We've all done it, somewhere, some time. I'll admit it. I have. It's just too easy to do. The struggle, the hard part comes when I choose to act differently. I know I should be living with God's law written on my heart. It's how I should feel, a very core part of my being. So why don't I always live that way? And then comes the verse from Corinthians. "You yourselves are our letter....known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ..." Uh oh. I'm supposed to be the example of Christ to others. How well am I doing with that? Am I living like I have Christ's words inscribed upon my heart, or do I live like I am working for my own goals and benefits? I am told, quite clearly, that I am a light to others who are in the darkness. So why would I hide that light to become another one of the lost?
And then, the next portion of the passage speaks of being bold before others. I do not seal my lips, it says, I do not hide your righteousness. I think I'm being told something here. Here's a couple of verses that came to me when I thought of this:
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes."
--Romans 1:16a
"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day."
---2 Timothy 1:16
Hm, see the verse references. Coincidence? I like when that happens.
The first verse tells me why I should not be ashamed. The second verse acknowledges that it won't be easy, but that there is a purpose to the trials that come with proclaiming and living a Christ-like life. We cannot be ashamed. We cannot hide this word written on our hearts, not on tablets of stone, we cannot deny this great love and the righteousness that is here. How can I conceal such amazing love, such truth and righteousness? How can I refuse to share that with others? This is what I should be thinking next time I want to hide behind anonymity. I want people to go, "there's something different about her, something I can't tell, but that is definitely not like the rest of the crowd. What is it? I know she's a Christian, but that couldn't be it, could it? Maybe I should ask her about it." I want my life to be a testament, as I am instructed to be an open letter to the population. I don't want my life to be recognized as just another hypocritical Christian. I am not ashamed of my God, I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it holds such hope, and our broken world needs to hear that. There is more to life than empty promises. There is more to life than heartbreak and pain. There is more to life than a meaningless pursuit of pleasure. I am seeking His face, and I am not ashamed. I am not ashamed to live for Him.
So tomorrow, when I am faced with others who see the world differently than I do, how will I react? Will I stay strong, or will I be swayed? I am God's letter, His love letter, written to everyone. So what am I going to do to show the world that?
I am not ashamed.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Sacrifices and Burnt Offerings
"Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require."
--Psalm 40:6
It's a really short section of the chapter. But I think it is a very important one to consider.
In the Old Testament, there were very specific steps you had to take to absolve yourself from sin. This continued on for thousands of years, until Christ came. When he placed himself on the cross, he became, at that moment, every sacrifice and offering we would ever have to make with the hope of trying to hold a relationship with God. I love this verse because to me it portrays God's intense desire to have a relationship with us, and not merely subservient beings made to flatter and obey. There is more to knowing God than most people think. Truly, it is a great flaw in the way we have portrayed Christianity that people think it is all about the rules, and not about the deep relationship. With the relationship comes desire to follow, not "rules" but a better way of living. It is a big picture way of living, and it separates us from the path previously traveled, the one that lives for empty meaningless self serving pleasure. I'm not saying it's wrong to feel good, or to enjoy yourself, but if that is all you live for, you will find yourself very alone, and very very empty, without purpose. And what do you require to feel those things? Is it sex, drugs, looking good, partying constantly? I heard something on Sunday that really struck me. The pastor was talking about drugs, and today's youth. Can't you see they're controlling you? He said. Can't you see? We deny it, we are in denial because we know it's true and we don't want to believe it. But when it comes down to it, who is in control? If I think I'm controlling a situation, I'm about to get another thing coming to me. When I try to control something, it will always go wrong eventually.
But what of those who say that following "rules" is a complete drag? It's the mindset that makes a difference. There are certain things that make absolutely no sense to me, and I am sure the same applies to you. It's how we think. When I made the choice to have a "kingdom" mindset, certain things just no longer made sense. Now, a lot of it didn't happen overnight, and there were different choices that I had to make, but once I made that decision to change, life became a lot different. The most noticeable difference immediately was the fact that I finally felt like I had purpose, that life wasn't in fact empty and meaningless. In another translation, it says that "my ears you have opened." My ears have been pierced, they have been opened to greater truths than I can conclude on my own. I have a God who does not require meaningless tradition and burnt offerings. I have a God who desires a relationship with me, who wants to me to know Him and love Him as much as He loves and knows me. He doesn't have a "quick fix" for a sin. He gave us his own immeasurably costly sacrifice so that we would no longer have to worry about sin offerings. He never had to do that. He never had to care. And yet, He did. I cannot compute this amazing love God has for us. But I sure do appreciate it.
but my ears you have pierced;
burnt offerings and sin offerings
you did not require."
--Psalm 40:6
It's a really short section of the chapter. But I think it is a very important one to consider.
In the Old Testament, there were very specific steps you had to take to absolve yourself from sin. This continued on for thousands of years, until Christ came. When he placed himself on the cross, he became, at that moment, every sacrifice and offering we would ever have to make with the hope of trying to hold a relationship with God. I love this verse because to me it portrays God's intense desire to have a relationship with us, and not merely subservient beings made to flatter and obey. There is more to knowing God than most people think. Truly, it is a great flaw in the way we have portrayed Christianity that people think it is all about the rules, and not about the deep relationship. With the relationship comes desire to follow, not "rules" but a better way of living. It is a big picture way of living, and it separates us from the path previously traveled, the one that lives for empty meaningless self serving pleasure. I'm not saying it's wrong to feel good, or to enjoy yourself, but if that is all you live for, you will find yourself very alone, and very very empty, without purpose. And what do you require to feel those things? Is it sex, drugs, looking good, partying constantly? I heard something on Sunday that really struck me. The pastor was talking about drugs, and today's youth. Can't you see they're controlling you? He said. Can't you see? We deny it, we are in denial because we know it's true and we don't want to believe it. But when it comes down to it, who is in control? If I think I'm controlling a situation, I'm about to get another thing coming to me. When I try to control something, it will always go wrong eventually.
But what of those who say that following "rules" is a complete drag? It's the mindset that makes a difference. There are certain things that make absolutely no sense to me, and I am sure the same applies to you. It's how we think. When I made the choice to have a "kingdom" mindset, certain things just no longer made sense. Now, a lot of it didn't happen overnight, and there were different choices that I had to make, but once I made that decision to change, life became a lot different. The most noticeable difference immediately was the fact that I finally felt like I had purpose, that life wasn't in fact empty and meaningless. In another translation, it says that "my ears you have opened." My ears have been pierced, they have been opened to greater truths than I can conclude on my own. I have a God who does not require meaningless tradition and burnt offerings. I have a God who desires a relationship with me, who wants to me to know Him and love Him as much as He loves and knows me. He doesn't have a "quick fix" for a sin. He gave us his own immeasurably costly sacrifice so that we would no longer have to worry about sin offerings. He never had to do that. He never had to care. And yet, He did. I cannot compute this amazing love God has for us. But I sure do appreciate it.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Glory to God
"Blessed is the man
who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare."
--Psalm 40:4-5
I feel like this passage is pretty much short and too the point, self explanatory. I like it. I like it a lot. It is concise and it states some truths exactly how they are, but without a lot of wordiness. Don't get me wrong, I love poetic speech, but sometimes I really like the "tell it how it is" approach. Let's break it down now.
"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."
I think I am a really trustworthy person. Which, I guess makes me proud. But I do make mistakes, I do slip up. I'm human. It happens. Even I wouldn't want to put all of my trust in me. I'm really glad I don't have to, because I make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that matter. And why does it matter that we trust God so much, more than anyone else? Because, not only does God truly love you, care for you, have an amazing plan for you, but He is after your best interests. You can't say that about anyone else on this earth. In nearly everything we do, there is a grain that is self interest. I have to repeatedly tear down idols and false gods in my own flawed life. I have to worry about my choices, my thoughts, even my own motives at times. But with God, none of that exists. There is nothing above Him. Even the next verse attests to that.
"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
God has awesome, mysterious things planned, and we have no way of knowing what those things are. He has done so many wonders that we cannot even fathom. I cannot imagine how He holds the utmost concern for each and every creature of his creation, that He knows the hairs on my head, the very sparrow that flies above me. There is so much to tell, that you can't tell it all. You have to give up after a while and just go, "Glory to God. Glory for the mighty works and wonders of His hands." Glory to God.
I place my trust in the Lord, for He knows all things, and He truly holds my best interests in His heart. I marvel at the wonders of His hands, and I thank Him for how incredible they are. Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest.
who makes the Lord his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O Lord my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare."
--Psalm 40:4-5
I feel like this passage is pretty much short and too the point, self explanatory. I like it. I like it a lot. It is concise and it states some truths exactly how they are, but without a lot of wordiness. Don't get me wrong, I love poetic speech, but sometimes I really like the "tell it how it is" approach. Let's break it down now.
"Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods."
I think I am a really trustworthy person. Which, I guess makes me proud. But I do make mistakes, I do slip up. I'm human. It happens. Even I wouldn't want to put all of my trust in me. I'm really glad I don't have to, because I make a lot of mistakes. Mistakes that matter. And why does it matter that we trust God so much, more than anyone else? Because, not only does God truly love you, care for you, have an amazing plan for you, but He is after your best interests. You can't say that about anyone else on this earth. In nearly everything we do, there is a grain that is self interest. I have to repeatedly tear down idols and false gods in my own flawed life. I have to worry about my choices, my thoughts, even my own motives at times. But with God, none of that exists. There is nothing above Him. Even the next verse attests to that.
"Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare."
God has awesome, mysterious things planned, and we have no way of knowing what those things are. He has done so many wonders that we cannot even fathom. I cannot imagine how He holds the utmost concern for each and every creature of his creation, that He knows the hairs on my head, the very sparrow that flies above me. There is so much to tell, that you can't tell it all. You have to give up after a while and just go, "Glory to God. Glory for the mighty works and wonders of His hands." Glory to God.
I place my trust in the Lord, for He knows all things, and He truly holds my best interests in His heart. I marvel at the wonders of His hands, and I thank Him for how incredible they are. Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Broken
"I waited patiently for the Lord;
he lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet upon a rock,
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord."
--Psalm 40:1-3
I am going to address this Psalm in pieces. This may be all I get to tonight, this very small piece of the psalm, but I think it might be better that way. I'd rather spend a lot of quality time on one area than push through an entire chapter and barely skim it, begin to grasp it.
Tonight, like many other nights, and days as well, my heart is breaking. My heart is breaking for a broken and fallen world, for the humanity that suffers, that cries out for relief. It is killing me, this ache, this brokenness that burrows inside me, powerless to change anything, to take away the pain from others. If I could, I would take the pain of the world. But I can't. It's actually already been done for me. It's why we have Jesus. But then there is the question that inevitably will always come up.
If Christ is there to take the pain onto himself, then why is it still here? Why do we still hurt? Why do such horrible things keep happening? Where is the greater meaning in this painful, agony stricken broken world? Why do we hurt if He is supposedly here to take it away?
We live in a broken world, and that is a fact. And we are separated from God's world because of the sin that has entered this world. It separates us from God. The bridge that He provided through Christ is the only way to truly connect with Him, so that we can "cast our burden" on Christ, depend on Him when our own strength fails and falls completely short. We are all burdened. It's up to us if we want to carry that alone, or give it away to someone who has the greatest heart and love for us that we will ever know.
This passage just reminds me of some dear friends I have who lived through the Haiti earthquake, whose five story apartment building collapsed completely on them (they were on the bottom floor),living out the psalm literally, and not figuratively. Buried in rubble, in mud, mire, sewage, unable to trust in anything of this world, unable to trust the very ground they were forced to lie upon as the world crashed to a screaming wrenching pile around them, but placing their trust, their hope in the Lord. And then later while they clung to a tree for shelter, singing praises, singing hymns as the ground trembled beneath them. Trusting God to be their firm rock to stand upon, a grounding that would not let them be shaken or moved. Later, as the response in Haiti was so completely the opposite of something that could have been expected in such a situation, that instead of cursing God, crying and lamenting, people turned to Him, they saw His power in all of the mess, they saw His love and they placed their trust in Him. Watching as millions of people, already starving, fasted for Haiti, for God, sang with deafening power, raw intense feeling, faith more real than anything our "Sunday Christians" have ever had here.
I don't even know if tonight's devo even had a purpose. Maybe tonight I am just observing. I am two halves of a whole. One side is just so happy, even when I am sad, I have joy, and I smile because I have this incredible HOPE, this incredible LOVE. But the other side, the raw, cut, deep side is broken. I asked for it. I sang for it. "Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for your kingdom's cause." Was I really expecting this in return? Was I really as ready for it as I thought I was? Maybe. Maybe not. I am observing this new brokenness in my life, this new perspective that has come with a new chapter. And it hurts. It hurts a lot. But at least this pain doesn't leave me hopeless. And in the end, I think that is the most important point of all.
Despite this brokenness, we can have hope. We can stand firm in His word, in His love.
I am broken. But I have hope.
he lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet upon a rock,
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear
and put their trust in the Lord."
--Psalm 40:1-3
I am going to address this Psalm in pieces. This may be all I get to tonight, this very small piece of the psalm, but I think it might be better that way. I'd rather spend a lot of quality time on one area than push through an entire chapter and barely skim it, begin to grasp it.
Tonight, like many other nights, and days as well, my heart is breaking. My heart is breaking for a broken and fallen world, for the humanity that suffers, that cries out for relief. It is killing me, this ache, this brokenness that burrows inside me, powerless to change anything, to take away the pain from others. If I could, I would take the pain of the world. But I can't. It's actually already been done for me. It's why we have Jesus. But then there is the question that inevitably will always come up.
If Christ is there to take the pain onto himself, then why is it still here? Why do we still hurt? Why do such horrible things keep happening? Where is the greater meaning in this painful, agony stricken broken world? Why do we hurt if He is supposedly here to take it away?
We live in a broken world, and that is a fact. And we are separated from God's world because of the sin that has entered this world. It separates us from God. The bridge that He provided through Christ is the only way to truly connect with Him, so that we can "cast our burden" on Christ, depend on Him when our own strength fails and falls completely short. We are all burdened. It's up to us if we want to carry that alone, or give it away to someone who has the greatest heart and love for us that we will ever know.
This passage just reminds me of some dear friends I have who lived through the Haiti earthquake, whose five story apartment building collapsed completely on them (they were on the bottom floor),living out the psalm literally, and not figuratively. Buried in rubble, in mud, mire, sewage, unable to trust in anything of this world, unable to trust the very ground they were forced to lie upon as the world crashed to a screaming wrenching pile around them, but placing their trust, their hope in the Lord. And then later while they clung to a tree for shelter, singing praises, singing hymns as the ground trembled beneath them. Trusting God to be their firm rock to stand upon, a grounding that would not let them be shaken or moved. Later, as the response in Haiti was so completely the opposite of something that could have been expected in such a situation, that instead of cursing God, crying and lamenting, people turned to Him, they saw His power in all of the mess, they saw His love and they placed their trust in Him. Watching as millions of people, already starving, fasted for Haiti, for God, sang with deafening power, raw intense feeling, faith more real than anything our "Sunday Christians" have ever had here.
I don't even know if tonight's devo even had a purpose. Maybe tonight I am just observing. I am two halves of a whole. One side is just so happy, even when I am sad, I have joy, and I smile because I have this incredible HOPE, this incredible LOVE. But the other side, the raw, cut, deep side is broken. I asked for it. I sang for it. "Break my heart for what breaks Yours. Everything I am for your kingdom's cause." Was I really expecting this in return? Was I really as ready for it as I thought I was? Maybe. Maybe not. I am observing this new brokenness in my life, this new perspective that has come with a new chapter. And it hurts. It hurts a lot. But at least this pain doesn't leave me hopeless. And in the end, I think that is the most important point of all.
Despite this brokenness, we can have hope. We can stand firm in His word, in His love.
I am broken. But I have hope.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Wealth
I was reading my Bible today, tonight really, and I was just kind of roaming through the Psalms, and it felt like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. I've been a little behind on my devos, and that isn't fair to God or to myself. I wouldn't ignore my best friend for days on end, so why is it okay if I do it to God? It isn't. But anyways, I was just roaming through, and I realized how happy it made me to just spend time in the Word. I kept reading and re-reading Psalms 39-42. And my initial thought after reading them was "Oh snap!" I didn't know what to do with all of the thoughts running through my head. I just wanted to run around and show someone. But being as I was in my car at eleven pm, that wasn't really an option. But I have the wonderful web at home, where I can post these things, and where they are available for the approximate .0000000001 percent of the population who might stumble across this blog. So yes, I think I am going to start at Psalm 39 and work my way through to Psalm 42 in the next few days. Come join me as I read through them and share thoughts.
"For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
I said, 'I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence.'
But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.
My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
'Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere
handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before
you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing
who will get it.
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth--
each man is but a breath.
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.
Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more.'"
--Psalm 39
I'm not sure where to begin on this one. I think I will spend some time on the broad topic first, and then maybe touch on the smaller more intricate points.
The overarching theme of this passage seems to be the sheer temporary reality of life. David is in anguish over this. He seems to realize that a life with wealth, with all the pleasures that money can buy is meaningless. "He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it." I think a lot of people discredit passages like this in the Bible, because often they forget where the words are coming from. "They were never wealthy. They were supposed to be poor as Christians so how can they know anything about my life, my wealth, my situation?" To this I say several things. One, look at who this Psalm is coming from. It is coming from David, one of the wealthiest men alive at this point in time (predecessor to Solomon, one of the wealthiest men in history). Two, David was wealthy because he was blessed by God, because (for the most part), he was a man after God's own heart. I'm not saying that people who struggle with their finances are not blessed, or are cursed by God, I'm just pointing out that when God anointed David as king, that was kind of part of the whole deal. So I believe that David has a very valid point as he looks around as his wealth that he has amassed, and wonders at the sheer meaninglessness of it after death.
David is focused on how short our lives are. Truly, he is right, our lives are a mere flicker in time, a blink of an eye in the span of things. So where do you find self meaning in this, in the sheer temporary meaninglessness of life? I love how poetic David is with these words. "Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro." Seriously, it's like a good book you just can't stop thinking about. The imagery behind those words is so potent. "A mere phantom." Wow.
And so David asks, in a manner of speaking, where to go from this point. "But now Lord, what do I look for?" What are you supposed to do when you are suddenly slammed with the temporariness of life? What are you supposed to do when you realize that everything you have, your wealth, is meaningless, that in the end it means absolutely nothing? Truly, in a material world, once you make that realization, you are slammed with depression. I really believe that that is a huge source of our American depression today. Sooner or later, people realize that material things are worthless. Yes, they have monetary value, and to some extent they can bring satisfaction, but it is a very temporary satisfaction, and one that leaves you hungry for more. But the more you buy, the more you want, and it leaves you forever unsatisfied, and you can't understand why it isn't getting better. And so you spiral in that consumer-materialistic hole that we the market and media has become so adept at exploiting. "Buy this, it will make you beautiful, you'll be happy, you'll be satisfied, you'll look good, affluent." But once the initial brightness of it wears off, you're left with nothing at all, and you're back at square one. Actually, you're behind square one, because now you have to deal with failed expectations. So if that obviously doesn't work, than what are we supposed to look for?
"My hope is in you." Simple, short, to the point. This reminds me of one of my favorite verses:
"I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
--Psalm 143:5-8
My soul thirsts for you.
I'm not going to deny it; I like the finer things in life. If I had the money, I would probably be one of those people who buys top of the line without a second thought, who always choses QUALITY over QUANTITY. Show me two nearly identical things, and ask me which one I like better, I will pick the more expensive item every time, without knowing the price, but on instinct alone knowing it is the better quality. But, I don't have that kind of money, so I am forced to live like the pauper college student I am. In the American sense. I know I have it good compared to the rest of the world. But stay with me.
I love expensive things, and if I could, I would totally buy nice expensive things, but my happiness doesn't rely on that. I totally desire really nice clothes, a nice car, a new phone, but those things don't define me, because when it comes to it, my soul doesn't thirst for clothes, money and cars, my soul thirsts for something that nothing on this earth can satisfy. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to be hopeless because nothing here will ever truly make me happy. I don't ever want to struggle from meaning, flit from religion to religion trying to find one that makes sense, that fits into my view of self but without truly explaining what I am feeling. I don't want to be left with that ragged empty hole inside that tells me I am never good enough, that there is nothing to make me feel whole.
This world is temporary. I am temporary. But I have hope. I have purpose. I have meaning. I don't live my life in vain, and I don't have to bustle around, "heaping up wealth, not knowing who will get it." If I amass wealth, awesome, that's super convenient, but it's not a deal breaker for my life. Either way, I am going to live a life filled with joy, and filled with purpose, filled with hope. And that is worth more to me than wealth any day of the week.
I realize that there is so much more to touch on in that passage, but this is just what popped out at me. The temporariness of life, and how the weight of it should crush us, but the redeeming hope that we have in the Lord.
But now, Lord, what do I look for???
My HOPE is in YOU.
Amen.
"For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
I said, 'I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin;
I will put a muzzle on my mouth
as long as the wicked are in my presence.'
But when I was silent and still,
not even saying anything good,
my anguish increased.
My heart grew hot within me,
and as I meditated, the fire burned;
then I spoke with my tongue:
'Show me, O Lord, my life's end
and the number of my days;
let me know how fleeting is my life.
You have made my days a mere
handbreadth;
the span of my years is as nothing before
you.
Each man's life is but a breath.
Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro:
He bustles about, but only in vain;
he heaps up wealth, not knowing
who will get it.
But now, Lord, what do I look for?
My hope is in you.
Save me from all my transgressions;
do not make me the scorn of fools.
I was silent; I would not open my mouth,
for you are the one who has done this.
Remove your scourge from me;
I am overcome by the blow of your hand.
You rebuke and discipline men for their sin;
you consume their wealth like a moth--
each man is but a breath.
Hear my prayer, O Lord,
listen to my cry for help;
be not deaf to my weeping.
For I dwell with you as an alien,
a stranger, as all my fathers were.
Look away from me, that I may rejoice again
before I depart and am no more.'"
--Psalm 39
I'm not sure where to begin on this one. I think I will spend some time on the broad topic first, and then maybe touch on the smaller more intricate points.
The overarching theme of this passage seems to be the sheer temporary reality of life. David is in anguish over this. He seems to realize that a life with wealth, with all the pleasures that money can buy is meaningless. "He bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it." I think a lot of people discredit passages like this in the Bible, because often they forget where the words are coming from. "They were never wealthy. They were supposed to be poor as Christians so how can they know anything about my life, my wealth, my situation?" To this I say several things. One, look at who this Psalm is coming from. It is coming from David, one of the wealthiest men alive at this point in time (predecessor to Solomon, one of the wealthiest men in history). Two, David was wealthy because he was blessed by God, because (for the most part), he was a man after God's own heart. I'm not saying that people who struggle with their finances are not blessed, or are cursed by God, I'm just pointing out that when God anointed David as king, that was kind of part of the whole deal. So I believe that David has a very valid point as he looks around as his wealth that he has amassed, and wonders at the sheer meaninglessness of it after death.
David is focused on how short our lives are. Truly, he is right, our lives are a mere flicker in time, a blink of an eye in the span of things. So where do you find self meaning in this, in the sheer temporary meaninglessness of life? I love how poetic David is with these words. "Each man's life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro." Seriously, it's like a good book you just can't stop thinking about. The imagery behind those words is so potent. "A mere phantom." Wow.
And so David asks, in a manner of speaking, where to go from this point. "But now Lord, what do I look for?" What are you supposed to do when you are suddenly slammed with the temporariness of life? What are you supposed to do when you realize that everything you have, your wealth, is meaningless, that in the end it means absolutely nothing? Truly, in a material world, once you make that realization, you are slammed with depression. I really believe that that is a huge source of our American depression today. Sooner or later, people realize that material things are worthless. Yes, they have monetary value, and to some extent they can bring satisfaction, but it is a very temporary satisfaction, and one that leaves you hungry for more. But the more you buy, the more you want, and it leaves you forever unsatisfied, and you can't understand why it isn't getting better. And so you spiral in that consumer-materialistic hole that we the market and media has become so adept at exploiting. "Buy this, it will make you beautiful, you'll be happy, you'll be satisfied, you'll look good, affluent." But once the initial brightness of it wears off, you're left with nothing at all, and you're back at square one. Actually, you're behind square one, because now you have to deal with failed expectations. So if that obviously doesn't work, than what are we supposed to look for?
"My hope is in you." Simple, short, to the point. This reminds me of one of my favorite verses:
"I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, O Lord;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
--Psalm 143:5-8
My soul thirsts for you.
I'm not going to deny it; I like the finer things in life. If I had the money, I would probably be one of those people who buys top of the line without a second thought, who always choses QUALITY over QUANTITY. Show me two nearly identical things, and ask me which one I like better, I will pick the more expensive item every time, without knowing the price, but on instinct alone knowing it is the better quality. But, I don't have that kind of money, so I am forced to live like the pauper college student I am. In the American sense. I know I have it good compared to the rest of the world. But stay with me.
I love expensive things, and if I could, I would totally buy nice expensive things, but my happiness doesn't rely on that. I totally desire really nice clothes, a nice car, a new phone, but those things don't define me, because when it comes to it, my soul doesn't thirst for clothes, money and cars, my soul thirsts for something that nothing on this earth can satisfy. And you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't want to be hopeless because nothing here will ever truly make me happy. I don't ever want to struggle from meaning, flit from religion to religion trying to find one that makes sense, that fits into my view of self but without truly explaining what I am feeling. I don't want to be left with that ragged empty hole inside that tells me I am never good enough, that there is nothing to make me feel whole.
This world is temporary. I am temporary. But I have hope. I have purpose. I have meaning. I don't live my life in vain, and I don't have to bustle around, "heaping up wealth, not knowing who will get it." If I amass wealth, awesome, that's super convenient, but it's not a deal breaker for my life. Either way, I am going to live a life filled with joy, and filled with purpose, filled with hope. And that is worth more to me than wealth any day of the week.
I realize that there is so much more to touch on in that passage, but this is just what popped out at me. The temporariness of life, and how the weight of it should crush us, but the redeeming hope that we have in the Lord.
But now, Lord, what do I look for???
My HOPE is in YOU.
Amen.
Sunday, April 4, 2010
He Loves Us, Oh How He Loves Us
"On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood before them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, 'Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man just be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.' Then they remembered his words.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mar the mother of James and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
--Luke 24:1-11
I'm going (regrettably) to try and make this quick because I am dead on my feet. But I don't want to short change this either.
Something is bothering me today. I was talking to a dear friend, and I mentioned how my heart hurt for the fact that Jesus went through everything He did and she responded, "So? People die everyday for people they love. I would die for someone I love in a heartbeat if I had to. He knew what He was getting himself in to. I don't feel bad for Him." And I felt like she completely missed the point. And, once again, discounted the feelings that Jesus assuredly had. Have you ever seen the Passion (yeah, I know, Mel Gibson made it, and we all know where that story goes, but it's a really good movie). It was horrible. During the filming, James Caviezel (who played Jesus), said that the cat-o-nine tails they had missed the board on his back and actually ripped into his flesh. This happened twice. He said it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced, and he couldn't even fathom how Jesus must have felt, how much pain he would have been in to have it tear and rip into his flesh over and over again. In case you don't know what a cat-o-nine tails is (actually, what Jesus endured was actually a Roman flagrum), you should research it more. The Romans embedded the whip with bits of broken glass and nails and sharpened sheep bone. Oh, and don't forget the lead balls. This is what a Roman historian says about the device: EUSABIOUS OF CEASARE, “their bodies were frightfully lacerated. Christian martyrs in Smyrna were so torn by the scourges that their veins were laid bare, and the inner muscles, sinews, even entrails, were exposed”. (Westminster Dictionary of the Bible page 538) . Wow. Just. Wow. I was researching it. Even two lashes could make someone faint from the pain and loss of blood. Jesus most likely endured AT LEAST thirty-nine (thirty-nine was the limit for the Jewish punishment). If the Romans cared at all about the Jewish laws. Which most likely they didn't. And Jesus suffered all of this, not for just one person, or even twelve. This was for all of humanity, past, present and future. This was the sin and all of the anguish, all of the pain, the agony, the angst that Jesus took upon himself single handedly, along with His own, potent human feelings. Take the worst feeling you have ever had and multiply it by infinity, and that's probably how Jesus was feeling.
And yet He endured it, all of it, for us. Wow. Our God is so amazing. There is a song we sing at Trevor's church, and the chorus goes, "He loves us, oh how He loves us."
Stop and think about how true that is. All of this. Endured. For us. For love.
None of this has anything to do with the passage I chose. haha.
I guess I will touch on a brief point then, before bed.
Nobody believed the women. And not just "nobody." The very disciples of Jesus did not believe the women. Talk about doubt. And these were supposedly His strongest followers? I think this is important for a few reasons. One, it kind of disproves any conspiracy theory of the disciples hiding the body. They thought the women were on something. A verse later it mentions that Peter goes back and wonders what has happened once he sees the linen.
Two: It shouldn't, but it makes me feel a little better those times that I doubt God. It happens, and I'm not proud of it, but sometimes it happens. And then I read passages like this, of the strongest godliest men in the Bible doubting, and it assures me a little bit. And, this kind of leads me to......
Three: More evidence that God uses those who are seen by society as the "weakest" to get his point across and to connect personally with, to use them to accomplish great things. Did Jesus appear instantly to Caesar? Or Pilate? Or Herod? Or even his own twelve [men] disciples? No, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-18), who, for the record, was not a prostitute. That was a story circulated by one of the earlier popes who was misogynistic to discredit women. Unfortunately it has stayed for nearly 1000 years since. But He appeared to a women, in a society where women were not valued, where women were seen as dumb property. He appeared for the very first time after the crucifixion to a woman. *cough* I think God is trying to tell us something. *cough* God uses those who are the weakest to do great things. I am not a great speaker. I am not an amazing evangelist, or even a great worship leader, but I can be used in ways beyond my wildest dreams. I will be used to make a difference, some way, some how. I am weak, but He is strong. And, since I'm relying on His strength, that means it is fully available to me, and I will be able to accomplish things I would never be able to do on my own.
I really don't want to sound hokey right now. And I really don't want people to discredit me for what I say next, but I just want to say it. I am filled with joy when I think about the love God has for me, and for everything that He is. My life is filled with joy, and I get happy randomly just thinking about how awesome God is. I might be having a good day (that's when it's easiest of course) or it might be a bad day for me. But if I'm having a crappy day ,and you tell me to stop and think about it, or I stop to consider it, I realize that it's a surface discontentment. I may be in a bad mood on the surface, but underneath there is joy, and that's my buffer against depression. It seems contradictory, I know, but it isn't. At least not for me.
I am consumed by His love, and tonight I fall asleep meditating on the words from the song.
He loves us. Oh, how He loves us. Oh how He loves us. How He loves us so.
Who else would have done all of this for us?
Happy Easter.
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mar the mother of James and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense."
--Luke 24:1-11
I'm going (regrettably) to try and make this quick because I am dead on my feet. But I don't want to short change this either.
Something is bothering me today. I was talking to a dear friend, and I mentioned how my heart hurt for the fact that Jesus went through everything He did and she responded, "So? People die everyday for people they love. I would die for someone I love in a heartbeat if I had to. He knew what He was getting himself in to. I don't feel bad for Him." And I felt like she completely missed the point. And, once again, discounted the feelings that Jesus assuredly had. Have you ever seen the Passion (yeah, I know, Mel Gibson made it, and we all know where that story goes, but it's a really good movie). It was horrible. During the filming, James Caviezel (who played Jesus), said that the cat-o-nine tails they had missed the board on his back and actually ripped into his flesh. This happened twice. He said it was the most painful thing he had ever experienced, and he couldn't even fathom how Jesus must have felt, how much pain he would have been in to have it tear and rip into his flesh over and over again. In case you don't know what a cat-o-nine tails is (actually, what Jesus endured was actually a Roman flagrum), you should research it more. The Romans embedded the whip with bits of broken glass and nails and sharpened sheep bone. Oh, and don't forget the lead balls. This is what a Roman historian says about the device: EUSABIOUS OF CEASARE, “their bodies were frightfully lacerated. Christian martyrs in Smyrna were so torn by the scourges that their veins were laid bare, and the inner muscles, sinews, even entrails, were exposed”. (Westminster Dictionary of the Bible page 538) . Wow. Just. Wow. I was researching it. Even two lashes could make someone faint from the pain and loss of blood. Jesus most likely endured AT LEAST thirty-nine (thirty-nine was the limit for the Jewish punishment). If the Romans cared at all about the Jewish laws. Which most likely they didn't. And Jesus suffered all of this, not for just one person, or even twelve. This was for all of humanity, past, present and future. This was the sin and all of the anguish, all of the pain, the agony, the angst that Jesus took upon himself single handedly, along with His own, potent human feelings. Take the worst feeling you have ever had and multiply it by infinity, and that's probably how Jesus was feeling.
And yet He endured it, all of it, for us. Wow. Our God is so amazing. There is a song we sing at Trevor's church, and the chorus goes, "He loves us, oh how He loves us."
Stop and think about how true that is. All of this. Endured. For us. For love.
None of this has anything to do with the passage I chose. haha.
I guess I will touch on a brief point then, before bed.
Nobody believed the women. And not just "nobody." The very disciples of Jesus did not believe the women. Talk about doubt. And these were supposedly His strongest followers? I think this is important for a few reasons. One, it kind of disproves any conspiracy theory of the disciples hiding the body. They thought the women were on something. A verse later it mentions that Peter goes back and wonders what has happened once he sees the linen.
Two: It shouldn't, but it makes me feel a little better those times that I doubt God. It happens, and I'm not proud of it, but sometimes it happens. And then I read passages like this, of the strongest godliest men in the Bible doubting, and it assures me a little bit. And, this kind of leads me to......
Three: More evidence that God uses those who are seen by society as the "weakest" to get his point across and to connect personally with, to use them to accomplish great things. Did Jesus appear instantly to Caesar? Or Pilate? Or Herod? Or even his own twelve [men] disciples? No, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene (John 20:10-18), who, for the record, was not a prostitute. That was a story circulated by one of the earlier popes who was misogynistic to discredit women. Unfortunately it has stayed for nearly 1000 years since. But He appeared to a women, in a society where women were not valued, where women were seen as dumb property. He appeared for the very first time after the crucifixion to a woman. *cough* I think God is trying to tell us something. *cough* God uses those who are the weakest to do great things. I am not a great speaker. I am not an amazing evangelist, or even a great worship leader, but I can be used in ways beyond my wildest dreams. I will be used to make a difference, some way, some how. I am weak, but He is strong. And, since I'm relying on His strength, that means it is fully available to me, and I will be able to accomplish things I would never be able to do on my own.
I really don't want to sound hokey right now. And I really don't want people to discredit me for what I say next, but I just want to say it. I am filled with joy when I think about the love God has for me, and for everything that He is. My life is filled with joy, and I get happy randomly just thinking about how awesome God is. I might be having a good day (that's when it's easiest of course) or it might be a bad day for me. But if I'm having a crappy day ,and you tell me to stop and think about it, or I stop to consider it, I realize that it's a surface discontentment. I may be in a bad mood on the surface, but underneath there is joy, and that's my buffer against depression. It seems contradictory, I know, but it isn't. At least not for me.
I am consumed by His love, and tonight I fall asleep meditating on the words from the song.
He loves us. Oh, how He loves us. Oh how He loves us. How He loves us so.
Who else would have done all of this for us?
Happy Easter.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Truth
So, I was planning on doing something different tonight, but this passage totally jumped out at me so I'm doing it instead.
"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion."
--John 18:28-40
There is some heavy stuff going on in this passage.
Item number one: Prophecy fulfilled. One of the main arguments against Christianity is the argument that there have been dozens of other prophets who claim to be the Messiah. I will not deny that statement. It is fully the truth. There have been hundreds of men through the ages who have claimed to be the Savior, the Messiah. But this is what places Jesus apart from all of them: He fulfilled the prophecies. Not one of them, not two of them of even most of them. He fulfilled ALL of them. You can only take coincidence so far. And this passage states, straight up, how important that fact is. "This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled." And to those who would argue that Jesus manipulated the situation so that His words would become true, I would ask them to indicate his involvement in making the Sanhedrin take Him to Pilate. The whole point of the presence in front of Pilate is that the Jews were no longer allowed to execute under their own law since Cesar was running things. At least, they weren't going to take that chance with Jesus, a high profile celebrity figure. Jesus was famous. They wanted all their bases covered, so, instead of stoning him in the street and risking Cesar retribution (which wouldn't have been lovely by any stretch of the imagination), they take him to Pilate, and innocently claim that they were handing over a hardened criminal for execution.
I'm going to give you a little history lesson now. Not really sure why, except I love surrounding history that helps me explain passages and I think it's important to know. I'll try to make it quick and save you from being too bored.
One thing about the Jewish population is that they are fierce. You can only push them so far before they snap and somehow rise up and destroy your civilization. This pattern is repeated over and over in history. So by the time Cesar brought Israel under his control, one thing was clear: You DO NOT want to piss off the Jews. So he gave them the right to their king (Herod at this time), and he told them that as long as they didn't rebel and paid their taxes to Rome they could pretty much continue as they had been doing. As far as Roman standards go, that was pretty lenient. And Cesar placed Pilate down in Israel to watch over everything. That's where this passage finds us.
End of history lesson. See, it wasn't that bad, was it?
Item number two: When Pilate asks Jesus what he has done exactly to tick off the Sanhedrin, Jesus replies with this: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." I think if the Sanhedrin has just listened to Jesus a little more, everything could have been prevented. But that would have left us in a very sad place now. My kingdom is not of this world. Wow. Those are powerful words. We are no longer of this world. The instant we bind ourselves to Christ, we are not enslaved to a world that only follows the pleasures of the here and now. The Sanhedrin couldn't accept the truth. They were expecting the Messiah to be a warrior king, someone who would rescue them from Rome's oppression and reclaim Israel's glory. They had their hearts and minds focused on a truth of this world, and so they missed out on an incredible truth of the next. How often do I, captured by the grind of day to day living become so focused on the small minded things that I miss out on a major truth that is available to me? How often do I miss hearing from God because I am "too busy?" My kingdom is not of this world. I am free to live without being chained to a world, to a self that only cares about the pleasures in life. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being comfortable, with being well fed, clothed and sheltered, but when we focus on that more than we focus on God, we miss crucial lessons and truths available to us. You would never ignore your best friend if they repeatedly called to talk to you, to care for you, so why do we insist on shoving God back to times that we find more convenient for us? I am no longer of this world. So why do I continue to live that way?
Item number three: "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
Oh hey Pilate, thanks for coming up here, posing a deep three word question and then bailing. Was that even a serious question? Were you entangled in some heavy philosophical debate when you said that, or was in passing? What is truth? Yeah, let me just spend the rest of my life trying to adequately answer that question.
Right now my parents are doing: The Truth Project for their Bible study. And they came home and asked me, "What is truth?" And I thought about it, and (somewhat proud of myself, I admit) I answered, "Truth is the absolute basis for all of creation." I think that ties into a lot of things. I think that ultimately it ties into the the truth that GOD IS TRUTH, which is how everything is created. Man, I can't do this here. I need decades to answer this. But what is truth? God is truth. There is nothing false about God, nothing he cannot answer, nothing He cannot do that isn't within His nature (by the way, the whole, "If God is all powerful than can He create a rock bigger than He can lift? The answer is no, because there is something God cannot do, and that is something that is not in His nature. God cannot sin. He cannot lie. He cannot be unjust. Just some examples. So no, He cannot make a rock bigger than He can life because He is all powerful, and to do that would be against the essence of His nature.) God is truth. Ah, I have to spend more time on this later. I can't do it tonight. My brain needs more awake cells to contemplate this question. I wonder what Pilate was thinking as he asked that. What was he feeling as he questioned Jesus and knew in his heart that the man before him was innocent?
Item four: Even though Pilate found nothing wrong with Jesus, except that he probably thought Jesus was a bit loony, he offered to let Him go, but was told to release a true prisoner instead. That is hardcore. What hatred, that you demand a common prisoner to be free to walk among you just to have someone killed who doesn't agree with your views. How alone must Jesus have been feeling? I think we discount his feelings sometimes. Just because he was God didn't mean he didn't also have the feelings of a man as well. That's what made him who he was. Part God, part man. And the man part of him probably was at the peak of a very rapid downhill slide into the worst he would ever feel in his life. Betrayed by his best friend. Brought before the Sanhedrin and questioned all night. Denied by his other best friend. Beaten and abused, ridiculed, mocked. How would you feel? How would you feel if you were essentially abandoned by all who supposedly love and follow you, then put on trial for a made up crime? How would you feel? Are you pressed with sorrow and sympathy for this poor man, this wonderful Savior we have? I am. I am two thousand years away from it and my heart hurts for Jesus, and for the despair that must have been weighing down on him. Even though he knew that this is how it would end, that didn't make it any less painful. It probably didn't keep him from hoping there was another way. You can do both. I knew I was late for work today, but I was desperately hoping that it had been a mistake. Nope. I knew I was late, I knew there was no going back, but that doesn't stop us from hoping, or entertaining alternatives to situations in our heads. And I don't doubt that as Jesus was going through everything, even as he was steeling himself for what was to come, he was going in his head, "Please, let there be another way. It can't end like this. There has to be something else." Oh, he knew it was happening, but it probably didn't stop him from hoping. Can you begin to connect to how he was feeling? Can you begin to empathize a fraction of what he went through? If my heart is breaking for him, his must have been shattered.
So tonight, I fall asleep with three thoughts:
What is truth?
How often am I "too busy" for God that I miss truths he sends my way every day?
Instead of WWJD? (What would Jesus do) tonight I focus on WDJF?. What did Jesus feel?
I feel much closer to the Easter story now than I ever have before.
Good Friday draws to a close. And now I sleep.
"Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and asked, "What charges are you bringing against this man?"
"If he were not a criminal," they replied, "we would not have handed him over to you."
Pilate said, "Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law."
"But we have no right to execute anyone," the Jews objected. This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled. Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?"
"Is that your own idea," Jesus asked, "or did others talk to you about me?"
"Am I a Jew?" Pilate replied. "It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?"
Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."
"You are a king, then!" said Pilate.
Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
"What is truth?" Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, "I find no basis for a charge against him. But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release 'the king of the Jews'?"
They shouted back, "No, not him! Give us Barabbas!" Now Barabbas had taken part in a rebellion."
--John 18:28-40
There is some heavy stuff going on in this passage.
Item number one: Prophecy fulfilled. One of the main arguments against Christianity is the argument that there have been dozens of other prophets who claim to be the Messiah. I will not deny that statement. It is fully the truth. There have been hundreds of men through the ages who have claimed to be the Savior, the Messiah. But this is what places Jesus apart from all of them: He fulfilled the prophecies. Not one of them, not two of them of even most of them. He fulfilled ALL of them. You can only take coincidence so far. And this passage states, straight up, how important that fact is. "This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled." And to those who would argue that Jesus manipulated the situation so that His words would become true, I would ask them to indicate his involvement in making the Sanhedrin take Him to Pilate. The whole point of the presence in front of Pilate is that the Jews were no longer allowed to execute under their own law since Cesar was running things. At least, they weren't going to take that chance with Jesus, a high profile celebrity figure. Jesus was famous. They wanted all their bases covered, so, instead of stoning him in the street and risking Cesar retribution (which wouldn't have been lovely by any stretch of the imagination), they take him to Pilate, and innocently claim that they were handing over a hardened criminal for execution.
I'm going to give you a little history lesson now. Not really sure why, except I love surrounding history that helps me explain passages and I think it's important to know. I'll try to make it quick and save you from being too bored.
One thing about the Jewish population is that they are fierce. You can only push them so far before they snap and somehow rise up and destroy your civilization. This pattern is repeated over and over in history. So by the time Cesar brought Israel under his control, one thing was clear: You DO NOT want to piss off the Jews. So he gave them the right to their king (Herod at this time), and he told them that as long as they didn't rebel and paid their taxes to Rome they could pretty much continue as they had been doing. As far as Roman standards go, that was pretty lenient. And Cesar placed Pilate down in Israel to watch over everything. That's where this passage finds us.
End of history lesson. See, it wasn't that bad, was it?
Item number two: When Pilate asks Jesus what he has done exactly to tick off the Sanhedrin, Jesus replies with this: "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." I think if the Sanhedrin has just listened to Jesus a little more, everything could have been prevented. But that would have left us in a very sad place now. My kingdom is not of this world. Wow. Those are powerful words. We are no longer of this world. The instant we bind ourselves to Christ, we are not enslaved to a world that only follows the pleasures of the here and now. The Sanhedrin couldn't accept the truth. They were expecting the Messiah to be a warrior king, someone who would rescue them from Rome's oppression and reclaim Israel's glory. They had their hearts and minds focused on a truth of this world, and so they missed out on an incredible truth of the next. How often do I, captured by the grind of day to day living become so focused on the small minded things that I miss out on a major truth that is available to me? How often do I miss hearing from God because I am "too busy?" My kingdom is not of this world. I am free to live without being chained to a world, to a self that only cares about the pleasures in life. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with being comfortable, with being well fed, clothed and sheltered, but when we focus on that more than we focus on God, we miss crucial lessons and truths available to us. You would never ignore your best friend if they repeatedly called to talk to you, to care for you, so why do we insist on shoving God back to times that we find more convenient for us? I am no longer of this world. So why do I continue to live that way?
Item number three: "What is truth?" Pilate asked.
Oh hey Pilate, thanks for coming up here, posing a deep three word question and then bailing. Was that even a serious question? Were you entangled in some heavy philosophical debate when you said that, or was in passing? What is truth? Yeah, let me just spend the rest of my life trying to adequately answer that question.
Right now my parents are doing: The Truth Project for their Bible study. And they came home and asked me, "What is truth?" And I thought about it, and (somewhat proud of myself, I admit) I answered, "Truth is the absolute basis for all of creation." I think that ties into a lot of things. I think that ultimately it ties into the the truth that GOD IS TRUTH, which is how everything is created. Man, I can't do this here. I need decades to answer this. But what is truth? God is truth. There is nothing false about God, nothing he cannot answer, nothing He cannot do that isn't within His nature (by the way, the whole, "If God is all powerful than can He create a rock bigger than He can lift? The answer is no, because there is something God cannot do, and that is something that is not in His nature. God cannot sin. He cannot lie. He cannot be unjust. Just some examples. So no, He cannot make a rock bigger than He can life because He is all powerful, and to do that would be against the essence of His nature.) God is truth. Ah, I have to spend more time on this later. I can't do it tonight. My brain needs more awake cells to contemplate this question. I wonder what Pilate was thinking as he asked that. What was he feeling as he questioned Jesus and knew in his heart that the man before him was innocent?
Item four: Even though Pilate found nothing wrong with Jesus, except that he probably thought Jesus was a bit loony, he offered to let Him go, but was told to release a true prisoner instead. That is hardcore. What hatred, that you demand a common prisoner to be free to walk among you just to have someone killed who doesn't agree with your views. How alone must Jesus have been feeling? I think we discount his feelings sometimes. Just because he was God didn't mean he didn't also have the feelings of a man as well. That's what made him who he was. Part God, part man. And the man part of him probably was at the peak of a very rapid downhill slide into the worst he would ever feel in his life. Betrayed by his best friend. Brought before the Sanhedrin and questioned all night. Denied by his other best friend. Beaten and abused, ridiculed, mocked. How would you feel? How would you feel if you were essentially abandoned by all who supposedly love and follow you, then put on trial for a made up crime? How would you feel? Are you pressed with sorrow and sympathy for this poor man, this wonderful Savior we have? I am. I am two thousand years away from it and my heart hurts for Jesus, and for the despair that must have been weighing down on him. Even though he knew that this is how it would end, that didn't make it any less painful. It probably didn't keep him from hoping there was another way. You can do both. I knew I was late for work today, but I was desperately hoping that it had been a mistake. Nope. I knew I was late, I knew there was no going back, but that doesn't stop us from hoping, or entertaining alternatives to situations in our heads. And I don't doubt that as Jesus was going through everything, even as he was steeling himself for what was to come, he was going in his head, "Please, let there be another way. It can't end like this. There has to be something else." Oh, he knew it was happening, but it probably didn't stop him from hoping. Can you begin to connect to how he was feeling? Can you begin to empathize a fraction of what he went through? If my heart is breaking for him, his must have been shattered.
So tonight, I fall asleep with three thoughts:
What is truth?
How often am I "too busy" for God that I miss truths he sends my way every day?
Instead of WWJD? (What would Jesus do) tonight I focus on WDJF?. What did Jesus feel?
I feel much closer to the Easter story now than I ever have before.
Good Friday draws to a close. And now I sleep.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Psalm 146
"Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing."
--Psalm 146:3-4
I feel like this verse just reminds of that the things o this world are temporary that they will fall away. To me, it also reminds me not to idolize the things of this world, even the people in this world. I highly respect some people but the passage is reminding me that I must always look to the Lord for guidance, I must always trust in His laws, ,His words, and not the words of others who will soon pass away into dust. The Lord's statutes are timeless they are eternal, and there is something so beautiful in that. Perhaps David was reminding his people to look always to the Lord, not just to Him. I would like to research that more.
"the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them--
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."
--Psalm 146:6-9
How amazing that we have a God who promises all of these things to us. We face a life full of hardships as Christians. We know that. Being a Christian does not make life any easier, and yet, we know the very God who created the heavens and the earth, who placed each animal in the sea and sculpted the current, this is the God who watches over us, who upholds us even while we are oppressed. God is a champion of those who are trampled upon, not those who do the trampling, Even when life seems hopeless, even when we begin to despair, there God is, our Savior and our one true champion. He loves us as no one else could. He raises us up so that despite the suffering we experience, we may be able to work past it, that we will show the world His glory. He watches over us. Our lives, even in incredibly trying times, are never hopeless, are never in vain. What an incredible God we have!
in mortal men, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing."
--Psalm 146:3-4
I feel like this verse just reminds of that the things o this world are temporary that they will fall away. To me, it also reminds me not to idolize the things of this world, even the people in this world. I highly respect some people but the passage is reminding me that I must always look to the Lord for guidance, I must always trust in His laws, ,His words, and not the words of others who will soon pass away into dust. The Lord's statutes are timeless they are eternal, and there is something so beautiful in that. Perhaps David was reminding his people to look always to the Lord, not just to Him. I would like to research that more.
"the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them--
the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets prisoners free,
the Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked."
--Psalm 146:6-9
How amazing that we have a God who promises all of these things to us. We face a life full of hardships as Christians. We know that. Being a Christian does not make life any easier, and yet, we know the very God who created the heavens and the earth, who placed each animal in the sea and sculpted the current, this is the God who watches over us, who upholds us even while we are oppressed. God is a champion of those who are trampled upon, not those who do the trampling, Even when life seems hopeless, even when we begin to despair, there God is, our Savior and our one true champion. He loves us as no one else could. He raises us up so that despite the suffering we experience, we may be able to work past it, that we will show the world His glory. He watches over us. Our lives, even in incredibly trying times, are never hopeless, are never in vain. What an incredible God we have!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Speak No Evil
"They sharpen their tongues like swords
and aim their words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they shoot at him without fear.
...But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly they will be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn."
--Psalm 64:3-4; 7-8
A few things stood out to me in this passage. Number one: the element of ambush. The whole point of an ambush is that it is unexpected, that others have been preparing for a period of time while you have been completely in the dark. We are like that. The enemy lies in wait to ambush us. He prepares, he schemes, and during that time we are unaware. But hopefully we are not unprepared. We are given the tools to withstand the attack, even though it is painful, and unexpected.
Number two: They shoot without fear. Since we are unprepared, we should fall quickly. There is no reason why we should be able to withstand their ambush.
Number Three: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." I know that's a lie. You know that's a lie. We all know how much of a lie that adage is. Words can hurt more than sticks and stones combined, and those are the wounds that last the longest. "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows." That sounds like aggravated assault if ever I heard it. These words, they are aimed to kill. They are aimed to tear us away from our wonderful Creator, they are aimed to make us doubt, to hurt us deeply in ways they hope will never heal.
The conclusion: Yes, there are ambushes lying in wait for us. Yes, they have been preparing, and yes ,those ambushes will hurt. If they didn't we'd brush them off and there would be no problem, rendering this passage pretty pointless. But the truth is they do hurt and they do catch us by surprise. But the awesome thing is that we have a God who is our source of strength, who will cover us and aid us beyond anything we can do. God is a source of amazing healing for those times when we are ambushed, when we are cut down and left reeling from the sudden attack. And when you focus on God, when you place your heart on his desires, on his words, there can be no room for the enemy to tear you from his wonderful love. Later in the passage it mentions that they pretty much get a taste of their own medicine. It gets a little intense...or a little old testament I guess you could say.
But there is also a flip side to it...our flip side. "The tongue" is mentioned so much in scripture. James spends an entire chapter on it. It's mentioned consistently in the new testament an a lot in the old as well. I think that probably is saying to us that it's a problem we should be really aware of, and constantly vigilant of. Ever had a time where your tongue seems to run away with you? Ever reaped the "benefits" of that action? It usually isn't very pretty at all. Lives can be made or destroyed with the movement of one of the smallest muscles in our body. And yet...for how small it is, did you know it is one of the strongest? That in itself is a statement. So yes, we are covered by God's grace, he is a source of strength when "they" tear us down with their sword like tongues, but we have to be conscious about our words and statements as well. Because, if we say negative things, not only will it destroy the lives of others, but it ultimately brings self destruction as well.
See no evil, SPEAK no evil, hear no evil.
Words are so powerful. They can utterly destroy, or they can build and encourage. So which one will you choose to do today?
and aim their words like deadly arrows.
They shoot from ambush at the innocent man;
they shoot at him without fear.
...But God will shoot them with arrows;
suddenly they will be struck down.
He will turn their own tongues against them
and bring them to ruin;
all who see them will shake their heads in scorn."
--Psalm 64:3-4; 7-8
A few things stood out to me in this passage. Number one: the element of ambush. The whole point of an ambush is that it is unexpected, that others have been preparing for a period of time while you have been completely in the dark. We are like that. The enemy lies in wait to ambush us. He prepares, he schemes, and during that time we are unaware. But hopefully we are not unprepared. We are given the tools to withstand the attack, even though it is painful, and unexpected.
Number two: They shoot without fear. Since we are unprepared, we should fall quickly. There is no reason why we should be able to withstand their ambush.
Number Three: "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me." I know that's a lie. You know that's a lie. We all know how much of a lie that adage is. Words can hurt more than sticks and stones combined, and those are the wounds that last the longest. "They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their words like deadly arrows." That sounds like aggravated assault if ever I heard it. These words, they are aimed to kill. They are aimed to tear us away from our wonderful Creator, they are aimed to make us doubt, to hurt us deeply in ways they hope will never heal.
The conclusion: Yes, there are ambushes lying in wait for us. Yes, they have been preparing, and yes ,those ambushes will hurt. If they didn't we'd brush them off and there would be no problem, rendering this passage pretty pointless. But the truth is they do hurt and they do catch us by surprise. But the awesome thing is that we have a God who is our source of strength, who will cover us and aid us beyond anything we can do. God is a source of amazing healing for those times when we are ambushed, when we are cut down and left reeling from the sudden attack. And when you focus on God, when you place your heart on his desires, on his words, there can be no room for the enemy to tear you from his wonderful love. Later in the passage it mentions that they pretty much get a taste of their own medicine. It gets a little intense...or a little old testament I guess you could say.
But there is also a flip side to it...our flip side. "The tongue" is mentioned so much in scripture. James spends an entire chapter on it. It's mentioned consistently in the new testament an a lot in the old as well. I think that probably is saying to us that it's a problem we should be really aware of, and constantly vigilant of. Ever had a time where your tongue seems to run away with you? Ever reaped the "benefits" of that action? It usually isn't very pretty at all. Lives can be made or destroyed with the movement of one of the smallest muscles in our body. And yet...for how small it is, did you know it is one of the strongest? That in itself is a statement. So yes, we are covered by God's grace, he is a source of strength when "they" tear us down with their sword like tongues, but we have to be conscious about our words and statements as well. Because, if we say negative things, not only will it destroy the lives of others, but it ultimately brings self destruction as well.
See no evil, SPEAK no evil, hear no evil.
Words are so powerful. They can utterly destroy, or they can build and encourage. So which one will you choose to do today?
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