Thursday, November 24, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Passing Along A Great Blog Post
I can count on one hand how many blogs I follow, but Pete Wilson is definitely one I check religiously! This is what he posted today and it was so so GOOD and EXACTLY what I needed!
http://withoutwax.tv/2011/11/21/the-death-of-gratitude/
http://withoutwax.tv/2011/11/21/the-death-of-gratitude/
Friday, November 18, 2011
Psalm 32
"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty! When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, "I will confess my rebellion to the Lord." And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time, that they may not drown in the floodwaters of judgment. For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control." Many sorrows come to the wicked, but unfailing love surrounds those who trust the Lord. So rejoice in the Lord and be glad, all you who obey him! Shout for joy, all you whose hearts are pure!"
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Finding Peace and Comfort From My Friend Job
So today I sat in Starbucks to do my quiet time and I started the book of Job. I was only planning on reading 7 chapters, but I just kept reading and reading and ended up reading 42 chapters----which is the entire book. Now, I've read Job probably 5 or 6 times before, but this time I was reading it like it was the first time. I just kept underlining and highlighting, and underlining some more and writing notes ALL over the place! I think I might've even said a couple of times out loud, "This is good stuff!!!!" I literally couldn't sit still because I was getting SO MUCH out of my reading for the day. I ended up having a 2 hour quiet time, but it was much needed. I left Starbucks with so much on my mind that after class I tried to write down a couple of big thoughts that I had while reading Job. This is just one theme/idea that I took away from today---and that's we HAVE to trust God with His discipline and timing for our lives. It seems so cliche, but it's the truth! Job was stripped of everything in his life. He lost ALL of his children, he lost his livestock and he was covered from head to toe with a skin disease. When Job was complaining about everything that was stripped away from him, his friend Eliphaz told him the following,
"But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal." -Job 5:17-18
It's a privilege to be disciplined by God. Eliphaz says that it's a JOY! It's hard see God's discipline as a privilege, but how awesome is it to think that God loves us so much that He takes the time to correct us so that we can become better--so that we can become more like Him.
Sometimes when we're going through these times of discipline--when God has taken EVERYTHING away from us, it even feels like God Himself has left us as well. I've heard over and over again that God sometimes strips us of everything in our lives to the point where He's the only thing we have left. This was the case for Job--but even in his circumstance he didn't feel like God was there; he didn't feel like God was listening to him. I've felt that way several times. Elihu, a friend of Job's, was so frustrated at hearing Job complain about God not being there for him that he finally spoke up and told Job how it was. He said,
"But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen, to say the Almighty isn't concerned. You say you can't see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait." -Job 35:13-14
God does care. He does listen. Just because we don't think so doesn't mean it's true.
Elihu continued to speak to Job and he kept telling him, "Just wait! Just wait and see! God knows what He's doing!!!!" Elihu told him,
"God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food." -Job 36:16
I just picture Elihu shaking Job telling him to snap out of it and just be patient because God is going to do great things for him before he knows it! He just needs to trust Him!
The book continues with God Himself speaking to Job and challenging him, etc. God put Job in his place and basically told him, "Look...I'm God and you aren't! You just have to deal with it." And although the book of Job seems to be quite depressing, it has a happy ending,
"When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before...So the Lord blessed Job the second half of his life even more than the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen and 1,000 females donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters."-Job 42:10, 12-13
God knew what He was doing the whole time even though Job felt like he was in the dark. We need to appreciate God's discipline and trust in His timing, because in the end it's all going to work out according to His plan.
"But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you sin. For though he wounds, he also bandages. He strikes, but his hands also heal." -Job 5:17-18
It's a privilege to be disciplined by God. Eliphaz says that it's a JOY! It's hard see God's discipline as a privilege, but how awesome is it to think that God loves us so much that He takes the time to correct us so that we can become better--so that we can become more like Him.
Sometimes when we're going through these times of discipline--when God has taken EVERYTHING away from us, it even feels like God Himself has left us as well. I've heard over and over again that God sometimes strips us of everything in our lives to the point where He's the only thing we have left. This was the case for Job--but even in his circumstance he didn't feel like God was there; he didn't feel like God was listening to him. I've felt that way several times. Elihu, a friend of Job's, was so frustrated at hearing Job complain about God not being there for him that he finally spoke up and told Job how it was. He said,
"But it is wrong to say God doesn't listen, to say the Almighty isn't concerned. You say you can't see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait." -Job 35:13-14
God does care. He does listen. Just because we don't think so doesn't mean it's true.
Elihu continued to speak to Job and he kept telling him, "Just wait! Just wait and see! God knows what He's doing!!!!" Elihu told him,
"God is leading you away from danger, Job, to a place free from distress. He is setting your table with the best food." -Job 36:16
I just picture Elihu shaking Job telling him to snap out of it and just be patient because God is going to do great things for him before he knows it! He just needs to trust Him!
The book continues with God Himself speaking to Job and challenging him, etc. God put Job in his place and basically told him, "Look...I'm God and you aren't! You just have to deal with it." And although the book of Job seems to be quite depressing, it has a happy ending,
"When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as he had before...So the Lord blessed Job the second half of his life even more than the beginning. For now he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 teams of oxen and 1,000 females donkeys. He also gave Job seven more sons and three more daughters."-Job 42:10, 12-13
God knew what He was doing the whole time even though Job felt like he was in the dark. We need to appreciate God's discipline and trust in His timing, because in the end it's all going to work out according to His plan.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
David's Song in my Own Words
This is part of a song David wrote for the Lord in 2 Samuel 22:22-24:
"For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin."
If I had to rewrite this for myself it would go something like this:
"For I have NOT kept the ways of the Lord; I HAVE turned from my God to follow evil. I have NOT followed all his regulations; I have, at times, abandoned his decrees. I am GUILTY before God; for I have sinned." But then I would insert 1 John 1:9 and put it in my own words, "BUT I have confessed my sins before Him and He has been faithful and just to forgive me for my sins and cleanse me of all my wickedness."
"For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not turned from my God to follow evil. I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees. I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin."
If I had to rewrite this for myself it would go something like this:
"For I have NOT kept the ways of the Lord; I HAVE turned from my God to follow evil. I have NOT followed all his regulations; I have, at times, abandoned his decrees. I am GUILTY before God; for I have sinned." But then I would insert 1 John 1:9 and put it in my own words, "BUT I have confessed my sins before Him and He has been faithful and just to forgive me for my sins and cleanse me of all my wickedness."
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Come Unto Me and Abide In Me
For discipleship I've started reading, "Abide in Christ" by Andrew Murray. Today I started the preface and Chapter 1 and it's crazy how God provides us exactly what we need at exactly the right time. Chapter 1 talks about how Jesus calls His followers to come unto Him in Matthew 11:28, but then in John 15:4 He says, "abide in me."
Murray says that he fears that many people have come to Jesus, but that many have not abided in Him. "You did well to come; you do better to abide. Who would, after seeking the King's palace, be content to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King's presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life?"
He puts it well. I know that I've come to Jesus, but I've done a terrible job of abiding in Him. Murray says the reason for not abiding is a simple one---we have wandered.
Murray says that he fears that many people have come to Jesus, but that many have not abided in Him. "You did well to come; you do better to abide. Who would, after seeking the King's palace, be content to stand in the door, when he is invited in to dwell in the King's presence, and share with Him in all the glory of His royal life?"
He puts it well. I know that I've come to Jesus, but I've done a terrible job of abiding in Him. Murray says the reason for not abiding is a simple one---we have wandered.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Knock Yourself Off Rhythm
Today I was told to check out a blog at stevenfurtick.com. His blog post was really short and sweet, but it had me thinking the rest of the day. I had a HUGE mid-term this afternoon and instead of taking full advantage of the two hour break I had before class to study, I was processing what this guy's post meant. Here's a little of what it said:
"Athletic trainers will often tell you that you need to shock your body by varying up your training regimen. Otherwise your body will get stuck in a rut and your gains will be minimized, even though you’re still working hard.
To be quite honest, this is exactly what my spiritual system needs. I was processing all this and trying to figure out what all this looks like for me and I thought to myself, "You are lukewarm. You don't care. You are numb." I don't know how I got HERE. How I let myself get to the place where I am. I know God loves me. And I know that I love Him. There are days that I feel so close to Him and then there days when I intentionally push Him away for no reason at all. I feel spiritually dead in a lot of ways and I know that I need to shock my spiritual system so this dead heart can start beating again. So after reading the blog post above the idea of reading the Bible in 90 days really got my attention. I've read the Bible all the way thru before, but it definitely wasn't in 90 days! That seems insane! I don't feel like I have the time to do that, but I feel like it would knock me off rhythm. Right before class today I calculated that I would have to read about 12 pages of my Bible a day to finish in 90 days. So when I got home tonight I grabbed some paper clips and marked my Bible in 12 page sections and then I started Day 1.
"Athletic trainers will often tell you that you need to shock your body by varying up your training regimen. Otherwise your body will get stuck in a rut and your gains will be minimized, even though you’re still working hard.
In the same way, I think it’s good to occasionally shock your spiritual system by doing something outside your rhythm. Engaging in a spiritual practice that’s unfamiliar to you or simply varies up the routine you’re accustomed to.
If you’ve been in the New Testament for a while, spend some time going through the prophets. If you love free-form prayer, try praying according to a pre-set structure, or maybe even write out your prayers.
Fast.
Spend 24 hours in silence.
Read the Bible in 90 days.
Study one word of a verse per day.
You get the idea.
Spend 24 hours in silence.
Read the Bible in 90 days.
Study one word of a verse per day.
You get the idea.
Find the God-given rhythm that works for you.
But don’t let that rhythm become a dull drumbeat of predictability"
But don’t let that rhythm become a dull drumbeat of predictability"
Reading 12 pages a night doesn't seem so bad, but for me, I HAVE to take notes. So as I read the first 14 chapters of Genesis, I wrote a summary of each chapter. It took almost an hour to do, but I noticed so many things in those 14 chapters that I had never noticed before. I was engaged and focused on the text in ways I never have been before.
Do I think I'm going to be successful in this 90 day challenge? I'm not so sure. I don't want to fail at it. I think it's what I need, but I'm not sure if I can discipline myself. I think this challenge will lead to great things and I think I will grow more in love in God in the process.
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