I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have given me life.
Psalm 119:93 (ESV)
“I want a life that sizzles and pops and makes me laugh out loud. And I
don't want to get to the end, or to tomorrow, even, and realize that my
life is a collection of meetings and pop cans and errands and receipts
and dirty dishes. I want to eat cold tangerines and sing out loud in the
car with the windows open and wear pink shoes and stay up all night
laughing and paint my walls the exact color of the sky right now. I want
to sleep hard on clean white sheets and throw parties and eat ripe
tomatoes and read books so good they make me jump up and down, and I
want my everyday to make God belly laugh, glad that he gave life to
someone who loves the gift.”
--Shauna Niequist, Cold Tangerines: Celebrating the Extraordinary Nature of Everyday Life
The life that God's precepts give us should be full of joy, laughter, and contentment. Perhaps the quote from Shauna is a bit over the top, it is a good reminder to me that God's plan for His children is not just existence.
8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10b (ESV)
Christians should be the smilinest, laughinest, joyfullist people on earth. The Creator of the Universe has promised He will meet our every need, forgive all our sins, guide us through any situation, and has prepared a place for us in a perfect eternity. What's to moan about?
A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Hey buddy, why the long face?" As Christians, we should never be like that horse.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Friday, July 25, 2014
Urgent Obedience July 25, 2014
I hasten and do not delay
to keep your commandments.
Psalm 119:60 (ESV)
Unless it is raining or the mercury drops below 0F, Roxie starts my day off with a walk. Although I may complain at times about losing the extra half hour of sleep, it is really a good way to start the day. But before we can get started, the harness and leash have to go on Roxie.
Each morning Roxie is so ready to hit the road just the act of sitting long enough to get strapped in is almost more than she can handle. She will sit, but not patiently or all that willingly. Some mornings a stern voice is required. Even though she knows the walk depends on the harness and leash, she still resists the obedience required.
How often I am like that with my obedience to God? Even though I know obedience will bring the best for my life, I am in a hurry or distracted by other things or just plain stubborn. Most often the obedience comes, but I do not hasten, and I delay in keeping His commandments.
I wonder how much lost sleep, wasted money, and missed opportunities have resulted from my lack of eager, immediate obedience. Sure I get around to obeying, but in the interim I miss out on blessings.
While obedience is a good first goal, perhaps as a Christian matures, the goal should become immediate obedience. No delays. No "when I feel like it". Hasten, do not delay to keep God's commandments.
Roxie can't go on the walk she loves until she is obedient. If blessings are dependent on obedience, then the sooner we obey, the sooner the blessings will manifest themselves in our lives.
to keep your commandments.
Psalm 119:60 (ESV)
Unless it is raining or the mercury drops below 0F, Roxie starts my day off with a walk. Although I may complain at times about losing the extra half hour of sleep, it is really a good way to start the day. But before we can get started, the harness and leash have to go on Roxie.
Each morning Roxie is so ready to hit the road just the act of sitting long enough to get strapped in is almost more than she can handle. She will sit, but not patiently or all that willingly. Some mornings a stern voice is required. Even though she knows the walk depends on the harness and leash, she still resists the obedience required.
How often I am like that with my obedience to God? Even though I know obedience will bring the best for my life, I am in a hurry or distracted by other things or just plain stubborn. Most often the obedience comes, but I do not hasten, and I delay in keeping His commandments.
I wonder how much lost sleep, wasted money, and missed opportunities have resulted from my lack of eager, immediate obedience. Sure I get around to obeying, but in the interim I miss out on blessings.
While obedience is a good first goal, perhaps as a Christian matures, the goal should become immediate obedience. No delays. No "when I feel like it". Hasten, do not delay to keep God's commandments.
Roxie can't go on the walk she loves until she is obedient. If blessings are dependent on obedience, then the sooner we obey, the sooner the blessings will manifest themselves in our lives.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Forewarned July 21, 2014
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)
In my attempts to promote the comfort of my family, the quiet of my spirit
has been disturbed. Some of this is doubtless owing to physical weakness;
but, with every temptation, there is a way of escape; there is never any
need to sin. Another thing I have suffered loss from,—entering into the
business of the day without seeking to have my spirit quieted and directed.
So many things press upon me, this is sometimes neglected; shame to me that
it should be so.
This is of great importance, to watch carefully,—now I am so weak—not to
over-fatigue myself, because then I cannot contribute to the pleasure of
others; and a placid face and a gentle tone will make my family more happy
than anything else I can do for them. Our own will gets sadly into the
performance of our duties sometimes.
ELIZABETH T. KING.
I was unable to ascertain which Elizabeth King was quoted in today's reading from Mary Tilton's Daily Strength for Daily Needs, but since Tilton wrote her book in 1884, it is doubtful Elizabeth is any of the Elizabeth King's that show up readily on a Google search. However, her words are relevant in 2014 for the start of a new school year.
As life ramps up in anticipation of August 12, it will once again be easy to enter "into the business of the day without seeking to have my spirit quieted and directed." The "placid face and gentle tone" will be in jeopardy as a result of deadlines, pressures, and requirements, and as a result, the happiness of the home suffers.
It is only through a renewed commitment to practice the spiritual disciplines can this be averted. Morning meditation, prayer, and Bible reading become of the utmost importance. The old saying reminds us, "Forewarned is forearmed." Today's reading is an important reminder to all school administrators, teachers, and others returning to work from a long summer break.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Pronoun Problem July 19, 2014
fear not, for I am with you;
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
I looking back over my life, I realize that my mistakes, miscues, and missteps have been a result of pronoun misuse.
"I" will do such and so. "I" will quit this or that. "I" will start to A or B. The writer of Isaiah points out that it is God who does all things.
"He" is with me. "He" is my God. "He" will strengthen. "He" will help me. "He" will uphold me.
My failures come as a result of my trying to control or direct the situation. It is my arrogance, my hubris that results in failure.
How utterly laughable to think that I have within me the power to make any effectual, long-term changes. Sure I might be able to self-correct small things or make limited changes, but foundational, life-altering modifications are only possible with God's intervention.
A Google search of "important words to know" came up with this list (among others):
Let's get our pronouns straight.
be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)
I looking back over my life, I realize that my mistakes, miscues, and missteps have been a result of pronoun misuse.
"I" will do such and so. "I" will quit this or that. "I" will start to A or B. The writer of Isaiah points out that it is God who does all things.
"He" is with me. "He" is my God. "He" will strengthen. "He" will help me. "He" will uphold me.
My failures come as a result of my trying to control or direct the situation. It is my arrogance, my hubris that results in failure.
How utterly laughable to think that I have within me the power to make any effectual, long-term changes. Sure I might be able to self-correct small things or make limited changes, but foundational, life-altering modifications are only possible with God's intervention.
A Google search of "important words to know" came up with this list (among others):
- 20 Words You Should Learn if You Play Scrabble
- 100 Spanish Words You Need to Know
- The 10 Most Powerful Words in Advertising
- The Three Most Important Words in Energy
- 10 Most Important Words in Any Loving Relationship
- The Three Most Important Words in a Relationship
Let's get our pronouns straight.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Monday, July 14, 2014
Father v. Son? 7/14/2014
If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.
John 15:10 (ESV)
It would appear that Christ is setting up a different set of commandments than were in place at his first coming, ie his 33-year life in Israel. He is instructing his followers to follow "his" commandments and contrasts these with his Father's commandments which he followed.
So, that begs the question, what are Jesus commandments? Further reading in John 10 sheds some light on that. Two verses later, , Jesus tells his listeners, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 10:12 He again tells his disciples in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." One additional commandment is added in the 22nd chapter of Matthew. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)
Did God not want His chosen people to love those outside of the Jewish faith in the O.T.? Was His emphasis more on creating a nation than inclusion of Gentiles? If this were the case, which I believe can also be supported with passages and examples from the O.T., this would have been even one more Jesus was seen as such a radical. Inclusion? Acceptance? Loving those not like us? You gotta' be nuts!! But that was the very foundation of his teaching.
Last night at Ridgecrest, Jose presided over his last Lord's Supper as pastor of Ridgecrest. He gave a clear explanation of the bread and juice and what they represented. At one point I was considering asking P.K. if there would be some way to host a Lord's Supper at The Gathering Tree some Sunday morning. Then right before the bread was passed around, Jose reminded those in attendance that Ridgecrest's practice/policy/belief was that only those who had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, were to partake of the bread and juice.
I had assumed that was the practice at Ridgecrest since it was what I had been raised to believe in other Southern Baptist churches, but it dampened my enthusiasm about the possibility of a Gathering Tree communion. So many of the guest at The Tree already feel secluded, set a apart, isolated, so to offer a ceremony, then tell them, "only some of you can participate" would not send the right message.
More research is required on this for me to be comfortable with Baptists' exclusion of nonbelievers from the Lord's supper. What verses support this exclusive view of the Lord's Supper?
John 15:10 (ESV)
It would appear that Christ is setting up a different set of commandments than were in place at his first coming, ie his 33-year life in Israel. He is instructing his followers to follow "his" commandments and contrasts these with his Father's commandments which he followed.
So, that begs the question, what are Jesus commandments? Further reading in John 10 sheds some light on that. Two verses later, , Jesus tells his listeners, "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 10:12 He again tells his disciples in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." One additional commandment is added in the 22nd chapter of Matthew. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. Matthew 22:36-38 (ESV)
Did God not want His chosen people to love those outside of the Jewish faith in the O.T.? Was His emphasis more on creating a nation than inclusion of Gentiles? If this were the case, which I believe can also be supported with passages and examples from the O.T., this would have been even one more Jesus was seen as such a radical. Inclusion? Acceptance? Loving those not like us? You gotta' be nuts!! But that was the very foundation of his teaching.
Last night at Ridgecrest, Jose presided over his last Lord's Supper as pastor of Ridgecrest. He gave a clear explanation of the bread and juice and what they represented. At one point I was considering asking P.K. if there would be some way to host a Lord's Supper at The Gathering Tree some Sunday morning. Then right before the bread was passed around, Jose reminded those in attendance that Ridgecrest's practice/policy/belief was that only those who had accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, were to partake of the bread and juice.
I had assumed that was the practice at Ridgecrest since it was what I had been raised to believe in other Southern Baptist churches, but it dampened my enthusiasm about the possibility of a Gathering Tree communion. So many of the guest at The Tree already feel secluded, set a apart, isolated, so to offer a ceremony, then tell them, "only some of you can participate" would not send the right message.
More research is required on this for me to be comfortable with Baptists' exclusion of nonbelievers from the Lord's supper. What verses support this exclusive view of the Lord's Supper?
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Good Can Be Bad 7/10/2014
12 “All
things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things
are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (ESV)
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV)
I find my biggest challenges to spiritual growth are not necessarily "bad" things. It has been many years since I have woken up with a hangover. Stepping out on Kristi, not an option. I don't kick puppies. I don't steal apples from Mrs. Simpson's orchard. Why then aren't I spending time in the Word on a more frequent basis?
Well, there is that new book I just downloaded on my Kindle. There are all those interesting articles on the Yahoo news feed I can read. An extra hour at work will let me get one more report finished. Just a couple more episodes of "Pawn Stars" before lights out.
Nothing illegal. Nothing immoral. Nothing "wrong". But when these seemingly innocuous things replace time with God, they cross the line into sin. If that last t.v. show at night causes me to hit the snooze button too often, it has become an idol. The extra time at work in the morning that replaces my quiet time sets up work as more important God.
"Good" and "okay" are the biggest barriers to spiritual discipline and growth in my life. T.V. not adultery. Work not nightclubs.
If it is easy. if it is comfortable, if it is habit, chances are there is no growth occurring. Lawful, yes. Helpful, maybe not.
23 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. 1 Corinthians 10:23 (ESV)
I find my biggest challenges to spiritual growth are not necessarily "bad" things. It has been many years since I have woken up with a hangover. Stepping out on Kristi, not an option. I don't kick puppies. I don't steal apples from Mrs. Simpson's orchard. Why then aren't I spending time in the Word on a more frequent basis?
Well, there is that new book I just downloaded on my Kindle. There are all those interesting articles on the Yahoo news feed I can read. An extra hour at work will let me get one more report finished. Just a couple more episodes of "Pawn Stars" before lights out.
Nothing illegal. Nothing immoral. Nothing "wrong". But when these seemingly innocuous things replace time with God, they cross the line into sin. If that last t.v. show at night causes me to hit the snooze button too often, it has become an idol. The extra time at work in the morning that replaces my quiet time sets up work as more important God.
"Good" and "okay" are the biggest barriers to spiritual discipline and growth in my life. T.V. not adultery. Work not nightclubs.
If it is easy. if it is comfortable, if it is habit, chances are there is no growth occurring. Lawful, yes. Helpful, maybe not.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Individually Abundantly 7/9/2014
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask
or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in
the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and
ever. Amen.
Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
"Able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" So often verses of this type are taught/preached in regards to missions, church projects/purchases, healing, etc. Big stuff. Awe-inspiring action. But it is just as true for individual, personal needs.
For the past month and a half, my quiet time has been almost nonexistent. Summer is here. Things are going smoothly. I am out of my regular routine. Bedtime has been pushed back. There are no real crisis looming on the horizon. Excuses. Reasons. Justifications. None of which are legitimate.
The "far more abundantly" I need right now is a reawakening in my desire to spend time alone with my God. A prayer for self-discipline in the arena of spiritual disciplines is my abundance prayer.
No one else will know. There will not be any fund-raising thermometers showing the progress. Hands won't be raised or exhortations offered. But the working of God will be just as miraculous, just as necessary, and just as exceeding as any mission project or vacation Bible school attendance record.
Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV
"Able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think" So often verses of this type are taught/preached in regards to missions, church projects/purchases, healing, etc. Big stuff. Awe-inspiring action. But it is just as true for individual, personal needs.
For the past month and a half, my quiet time has been almost nonexistent. Summer is here. Things are going smoothly. I am out of my regular routine. Bedtime has been pushed back. There are no real crisis looming on the horizon. Excuses. Reasons. Justifications. None of which are legitimate.
The "far more abundantly" I need right now is a reawakening in my desire to spend time alone with my God. A prayer for self-discipline in the arena of spiritual disciplines is my abundance prayer.
No one else will know. There will not be any fund-raising thermometers showing the progress. Hands won't be raised or exhortations offered. But the working of God will be just as miraculous, just as necessary, and just as exceeding as any mission project or vacation Bible school attendance record.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Calling Your Boss 7/2/2014
16 So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. Acts 24:16 (ESV)
Yesterday near the end of the day, the phone rang at school. The caller asked for the number of the school board or superintendent. I gave her the main phone number for the district, she thanked me, we said our goodbyes, and hung up.
I admit I was curious as to who she was and why she needed the number of the superintendent, but there was no worry. A quick reflection of my last several days of school-related interactions assured my mind that any call "downtown" was not related to any mistakes, missteps, or miscalculations on my part.
There have been times in the past I would not have always had that reassurance. Perhaps I mishandled a parent situation. Or I failed to follow a district procedure to the letter. Or I allowed my frustration to become evident to a parent or teacher. But those times are become less and less frequent.
I have learned that "taking pains to have a clear conscience" is worth the extra time, effort, and accuracy. While the actions of others are outside our control, if we make wise, moral, policy-backed decisions, those anonymous requests for the boss' phone number will not cause more than a minute's reflection.
Yesterday near the end of the day, the phone rang at school. The caller asked for the number of the school board or superintendent. I gave her the main phone number for the district, she thanked me, we said our goodbyes, and hung up.
I admit I was curious as to who she was and why she needed the number of the superintendent, but there was no worry. A quick reflection of my last several days of school-related interactions assured my mind that any call "downtown" was not related to any mistakes, missteps, or miscalculations on my part.
There have been times in the past I would not have always had that reassurance. Perhaps I mishandled a parent situation. Or I failed to follow a district procedure to the letter. Or I allowed my frustration to become evident to a parent or teacher. But those times are become less and less frequent.
I have learned that "taking pains to have a clear conscience" is worth the extra time, effort, and accuracy. While the actions of others are outside our control, if we make wise, moral, policy-backed decisions, those anonymous requests for the boss' phone number will not cause more than a minute's reflection.
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