3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,
Romans 5:3-4 ESV
Not being a particularly romantic guy, I cannot recall the time and place when Kristi and I first exchanged "I love yous". But I do know that whatever feelings of love I had for her then have deepened and matured over these past 17 years. We have cried, laughed, and worshipped together, spent many hours around campfires, discussed, agreed and disagreed, traveled, and watched movies. Our years have been shared with the living of life. It is through these experiences that my love for, my trust in, and my joy with Kristi has increased.
The same holds true for our relationship with God. When we first accept God as our Lord and Savior, there is a level of love, hope, and trust. But it is only through sharing life with our Heavenly Father will those feelings deepen. Our trust strengthens when He proves himself faithful time and time again. Love deepens when year after year God provides for and shelters us. Our hope in Him is multiplied when we are able to see his hand of guidance and protection in the struggles of the life.
Paul reminds us that it is through suffering that our hope in God is realized. God can only prove himself faithful when we are faced with situations that require His intervention, His strength, His peace. The deeper the suffering the greater the hope.
Friday, September 23, 2016
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
God Allowed What!? September 20, 2016
Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife.
2 Kings 5:1,2 ESV
Okay, let me get this straight. Naaman was a commander for the Syrian army, a godless, idol worshiping country that was an enemy of God's chosen nation of Israel. But in verse 1 we learn that the LORD had given Naaman victory in battle over Israel. Doesn't seem to make sense. Godless victorious. Chosen defeated.
If the story stopped there, it might seem that God dropped the ball on this one. But the story continues. Here is the abbreviated version:
1. Little Israelite girl who was taken captive tells Naaman's wife about a prophet in Israel who can cure leprosy.
2. Naaman tells the king of this prophet.
3. The king sends Naaman to Israel to get cured.
4. God uses Elisha, the prophet mentioned by the Israelite girl, to cure Naaman's leprosy.
5. Naaman sees that the God of Israel is the one true god.
6. Naaman vows, "from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord."
God now has an insider, a powerful insider, placed in the upper echelons of the Syrian government. Scripture does not record if Naaman converted any others to Judiasm, but considering his position of power and influence is stands to reason that there were many who came to follow Yahweh because of Naaman's experience.
Yes God allowed Syria to defeat Israel. Yes God allowed this little girl to be carried off by the Syrians. But the story didn't end there. It was through this chain of events that God was able place one of his children into the Syrian government.
We see events. God sees history.
2 Kings 5:1-19
2 Kings 5:1,2 ESV
Okay, let me get this straight. Naaman was a commander for the Syrian army, a godless, idol worshiping country that was an enemy of God's chosen nation of Israel. But in verse 1 we learn that the LORD had given Naaman victory in battle over Israel. Doesn't seem to make sense. Godless victorious. Chosen defeated.
If the story stopped there, it might seem that God dropped the ball on this one. But the story continues. Here is the abbreviated version:
1. Little Israelite girl who was taken captive tells Naaman's wife about a prophet in Israel who can cure leprosy.
2. Naaman tells the king of this prophet.
3. The king sends Naaman to Israel to get cured.
4. God uses Elisha, the prophet mentioned by the Israelite girl, to cure Naaman's leprosy.
5. Naaman sees that the God of Israel is the one true god.
6. Naaman vows, "from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord."
God now has an insider, a powerful insider, placed in the upper echelons of the Syrian government. Scripture does not record if Naaman converted any others to Judiasm, but considering his position of power and influence is stands to reason that there were many who came to follow Yahweh because of Naaman's experience.
Yes God allowed Syria to defeat Israel. Yes God allowed this little girl to be carried off by the Syrians. But the story didn't end there. It was through this chain of events that God was able place one of his children into the Syrian government.
We see events. God sees history.
2 Kings 5:1-19
Monday, September 19, 2016
Employee Handbook Page 4, Section 29 September 19, 2016
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Most workplaces have rules about when to arrive, length of lunch break, how to dress, and a myriad of other do's and don'ts. I wonder how different offices, factories, and schools would be if Ephesians 4:29 was also an expectation.
Employees must arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. each morning, and no unwholesome talk is allowed.
Employees may take a 30 minute lunch break and only say what is helpful for encouraging others.
Except on Fridays, professional dress is expected. Fridays are professional casual day, but saying only those things which will benefit those who listen is a requirement every day.
No more backbiting. Gossip is a thing of the past. Hurt feelings would decrease dramatically.
There are countless books, television shows, and movies that create a dystopian society after a man-made or natural disaster. Zombies, vigilantes, and monsters abound. I wonder what an Ephesians 4:29 world would look like?
Ephesians 4:29 ESV
Most workplaces have rules about when to arrive, length of lunch break, how to dress, and a myriad of other do's and don'ts. I wonder how different offices, factories, and schools would be if Ephesians 4:29 was also an expectation.
Employees must arrive no later than 8:30 a.m. each morning, and no unwholesome talk is allowed.
Employees may take a 30 minute lunch break and only say what is helpful for encouraging others.
Except on Fridays, professional dress is expected. Fridays are professional casual day, but saying only those things which will benefit those who listen is a requirement every day.
No more backbiting. Gossip is a thing of the past. Hurt feelings would decrease dramatically.
There are countless books, television shows, and movies that create a dystopian society after a man-made or natural disaster. Zombies, vigilantes, and monsters abound. I wonder what an Ephesians 4:29 world would look like?
Tuesday, September 6, 2016
Nothing New Under the Sun September 6, 2016
28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
1 Kings 18:28,29 ESV
In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, "What has been is, what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." How wise he was!
In 1 Kings we see the prophets of Baal crying out to a dead, false god to accept their sacrifice. To vindicate their worship. To validate their existence. Their intensity increased. Their frantic exhortations multiplied. Still no response. No fulfillment. Nothing.
The world is no different today. Faster and faster we are running toward false gods. More and more we cast about looking for meaning. Desperately searching for validation, contentment, acceptance.
In 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It sold more than 50,000 copies. The first issue was undated because Hefner wasn't sure there would be another issue. He needn't have worried. At its height, Playboy sold 6,000,000 copies a month.
Now pornography is an addiction for over thousands of men and women around the world. In just the United States alone, pornography, by some estimates, is a $13 billion dollar year industry. (That's right "billion"!) Twelve percent of websites, 24,644,172, are related to pornography. 2.5 billion emails a day are pornographic.
Just like the prophets of Baal, we keep upping the ante. Pornography increases in quantity and vulgarity. Marijuana and alcohol are replaced by meth and heroine. In an effort to find meaning and justify existence, we cry out, slash ourselves, and destroy our lives.
No matter how loud we cry, how fast we run, how desperate we become, if we continue to pray to false gods, we will receive the same response as did the Baal prophets of old- silence. Only entreaties to the one True God will be answered. Our cries to Yahweh will be heard. He will respond. Jehovah Jireh is uniquely able to send fire from heaven. Only He can hear and respond to our entreaties.
Today's alters are not of stone and blood but of money, power and self, but if we pray to these dead gods the construction of the alter makes no difference. At the end of the day, silence will be the only response.
1 Kings 18:28,29 ESV
In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, "What has been is, what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." How wise he was!
In 1 Kings we see the prophets of Baal crying out to a dead, false god to accept their sacrifice. To vindicate their worship. To validate their existence. Their intensity increased. Their frantic exhortations multiplied. Still no response. No fulfillment. Nothing.
The world is no different today. Faster and faster we are running toward false gods. More and more we cast about looking for meaning. Desperately searching for validation, contentment, acceptance.
In 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It sold more than 50,000 copies. The first issue was undated because Hefner wasn't sure there would be another issue. He needn't have worried. At its height, Playboy sold 6,000,000 copies a month.
Now pornography is an addiction for over thousands of men and women around the world. In just the United States alone, pornography, by some estimates, is a $13 billion dollar year industry. (That's right "billion"!) Twelve percent of websites, 24,644,172, are related to pornography. 2.5 billion emails a day are pornographic.
Just like the prophets of Baal, we keep upping the ante. Pornography increases in quantity and vulgarity. Marijuana and alcohol are replaced by meth and heroine. In an effort to find meaning and justify existence, we cry out, slash ourselves, and destroy our lives.
No matter how loud we cry, how fast we run, how desperate we become, if we continue to pray to false gods, we will receive the same response as did the Baal prophets of old- silence. Only entreaties to the one True God will be answered. Our cries to Yahweh will be heard. He will respond. Jehovah Jireh is uniquely able to send fire from heaven. Only He can hear and respond to our entreaties.
Today's alters are not of stone and blood but of money, power and self, but if we pray to these dead gods the construction of the alter makes no difference. At the end of the day, silence will be the only response.
Nothing New Under the Sun
28 And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. 29 And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
1 Kings 18:28,29 ESV
In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, "What has been is, what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." How wise he was!
In 1 Kings we see the prophets of Baal crying out to a dead, false god to accept their sacrifice. To vindicate their worship. To validate their existence. Their intensity increased. Their frantic exhortations multiplied. Still no response. No fulfilment. Nothing.
The world is no different today. Faster and faster we are running toward false gods. More and more we cast about looking for meaning. Desperately searching for validation, contentment, acceptance.
In 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It sold more than 50,000 copies. The first issue was undated because Hefner wasn't sure there would be another issue. He needn't have worried. At its height, Playboy sold 6,000,000 copies a month.
Now pornography is an addiction for over thousands of men and women around the world. In just the United States alone, pornography, by some estimates, is a $13 billion dollar year industry. (That's right "billion"!) Twelve percent of websites, 24,644,172, are related to pornography. 2.5 billion emails a day are pornographic.
Just like the prophets of Baal, we keep upping the ante. Pornography increases in quantity and vulgarity. Marijuana and alcohol are replaced by meth and heroine. In an effort to find meaning and justify existence, we cry out, slash ourselves, and destroy our lives.
No matter how loud we cry, how fast we run, how desperate we become, if we continue to pray to false gods, we will receive the same response as did the Baal prophets of old- silence. Only entreaties to the one True God will be answered. Our cries to Yahweh will be heard. He will respond. Jehovah Jireh is uniquely able to send fire from heaven. Only He can hear and respond to our entreaties.
Today's alters are not of stone and blood but of money, power and self, but if we pray to these dead gods the construction of the alter makes no difference. At the end of the day, silence will be the only response.
1 Kings 18:28,29 ESV
In Ecclesiastes 1:9, the wisest man who ever lived, Solomon, wrote, "What has been is, what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." How wise he was!
In 1 Kings we see the prophets of Baal crying out to a dead, false god to accept their sacrifice. To vindicate their worship. To validate their existence. Their intensity increased. Their frantic exhortations multiplied. Still no response. No fulfilment. Nothing.
The world is no different today. Faster and faster we are running toward false gods. More and more we cast about looking for meaning. Desperately searching for validation, contentment, acceptance.
In 1953, Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. It sold more than 50,000 copies. The first issue was undated because Hefner wasn't sure there would be another issue. He needn't have worried. At its height, Playboy sold 6,000,000 copies a month.
Now pornography is an addiction for over thousands of men and women around the world. In just the United States alone, pornography, by some estimates, is a $13 billion dollar year industry. (That's right "billion"!) Twelve percent of websites, 24,644,172, are related to pornography. 2.5 billion emails a day are pornographic.
Just like the prophets of Baal, we keep upping the ante. Pornography increases in quantity and vulgarity. Marijuana and alcohol are replaced by meth and heroine. In an effort to find meaning and justify existence, we cry out, slash ourselves, and destroy our lives.
No matter how loud we cry, how fast we run, how desperate we become, if we continue to pray to false gods, we will receive the same response as did the Baal prophets of old- silence. Only entreaties to the one True God will be answered. Our cries to Yahweh will be heard. He will respond. Jehovah Jireh is uniquely able to send fire from heaven. Only He can hear and respond to our entreaties.
Today's alters are not of stone and blood but of money, power and self, but if we pray to these dead gods the construction of the alter makes no difference. At the end of the day, silence will be the only response.
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