Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Reflection and Meditation
1. Think of a situation you have encountered in your life that you only survived because of your faith in Christ. Praise God for delivering you! If you can't think of a particular situation, praise God that he will deliver you when the time comes!
2. Has God ever called you to face the unknown? To step out of the boat? Meditate for a few minutes on this experience and praise God for delivering you! If you can't think of a particular situation, ask God to give you faith when facing the unknown.
3. Has God ever called you to face the unthinkable? Something that you might still not understand? Meditate for a few minutes on this experience and praise God for delivering you! If you can't think of a particular situation, ask God to give you faith when facing the unthinkable.
4. Look back on the three questions you wrote down last week. Has God given you any answers? If so, stop and praise him and thank him! If you're still waiting, continue to take your questions to him in prayer every day!
5. This is a simple question but also one that must be answered: Have you completely placed your faith in Christ or are you still trying to handle life on your own? Spend some time thinking about this before you answer it.
2. Has God ever called you to face the unknown? To step out of the boat? Meditate for a few minutes on this experience and praise God for delivering you! If you can't think of a particular situation, ask God to give you faith when facing the unknown.
3. Has God ever called you to face the unthinkable? Something that you might still not understand? Meditate for a few minutes on this experience and praise God for delivering you! If you can't think of a particular situation, ask God to give you faith when facing the unthinkable.
4. Look back on the three questions you wrote down last week. Has God given you any answers? If so, stop and praise him and thank him! If you're still waiting, continue to take your questions to him in prayer every day!
5. This is a simple question but also one that must be answered: Have you completely placed your faith in Christ or are you still trying to handle life on your own? Spend some time thinking about this before you answer it.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
A Tested Faith #5 (When Questions Come)
Job 42:1-6 (NLT)
Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do anything and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
The story of Job is a beautiful portrait of the human condition and God’s love for us. I urge you to read the entire book but offer you this summary for now:
Job is a man who is wise, rich, and good. Blameless. He was also very blessed. In fact, Satan tells God that Job is only serving him because of how God has blessed him. So God allows Satan to test Job. Suddenly terrible things happen to him. His ten children are killed, he loses all his wealth, and he becomes ill with a painful skin disease. Three of his friends come to visit him and they try to explain to Job why these bad things have happened. They tell Job that sin caused his suffering and God was punishing him. Job insists it is not true but no one believes him. Job becomes very discouraged and angry but he still believes God cares about him although he doesn't understand why he must suffer so. In the end, God answers Job in a whirlwind, reminding him that humans can never understand how great God is. After Job hears God speak, he repents (in the verses above) and realizes that his trust in God should not depend on what happens to him. Finally, God restores Job's health, makes him twice as rich as he had been before, and gives him ten more children.
What I can’t show you in this summary is the barrage of questions that Job asks God. While he never lost faith in God, he asked some very tough questions. Over the past few days, we’ve talked about the challenges that come with simply keeping the faith. Noah was faced with uncertainty. Abraham was faced with the most unthinkable situation he could have imagined. Here we find Job wrestling with all of the above.
While doubt and selfishness can certainly destroy our faith, we can learn from Job that questions don’t. God shows us time and time again that he is big enough to answer our questions. So the next time you feel like your faith is being tested, go to God and be real with him. Scream, yell, sing, or whisper your toughest questions to him. He can handle it. Just be ready for some answers.
May our faith grow when questions come.
Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that you can do anything and no one can stop you. You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you and you must answer them.’ I had only heard about you before but now I have seen you with my own eyes. I take back everything I said and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”
The story of Job is a beautiful portrait of the human condition and God’s love for us. I urge you to read the entire book but offer you this summary for now:
Job is a man who is wise, rich, and good. Blameless. He was also very blessed. In fact, Satan tells God that Job is only serving him because of how God has blessed him. So God allows Satan to test Job. Suddenly terrible things happen to him. His ten children are killed, he loses all his wealth, and he becomes ill with a painful skin disease. Three of his friends come to visit him and they try to explain to Job why these bad things have happened. They tell Job that sin caused his suffering and God was punishing him. Job insists it is not true but no one believes him. Job becomes very discouraged and angry but he still believes God cares about him although he doesn't understand why he must suffer so. In the end, God answers Job in a whirlwind, reminding him that humans can never understand how great God is. After Job hears God speak, he repents (in the verses above) and realizes that his trust in God should not depend on what happens to him. Finally, God restores Job's health, makes him twice as rich as he had been before, and gives him ten more children.
What I can’t show you in this summary is the barrage of questions that Job asks God. While he never lost faith in God, he asked some very tough questions. Over the past few days, we’ve talked about the challenges that come with simply keeping the faith. Noah was faced with uncertainty. Abraham was faced with the most unthinkable situation he could have imagined. Here we find Job wrestling with all of the above.
While doubt and selfishness can certainly destroy our faith, we can learn from Job that questions don’t. God shows us time and time again that he is big enough to answer our questions. So the next time you feel like your faith is being tested, go to God and be real with him. Scream, yell, sing, or whisper your toughest questions to him. He can handle it. Just be ready for some answers.
May our faith grow when questions come.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
A Tested Faith #4 (Facing the Unthinkable #2)
Genesis 22:6-14
So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Yesterday, we talked about the excruciating pain that Abraham must have felt as he was on his way to sacrifice his son to God. We saw that even though the situation was as painful as it could have been, Abraham trusted God. He placed his faith in God.
I think we all understand that it would be naïve of us, after studying God’s word, to think that serving God is easy. God promises us a great reward in Heaven but readily admits that the path to get there is hard and narrow and few ever find it. Furthermore, as we see time and time again, placing our faith in God ensures that it will be tested. Faced with these kinds of trials, many may find this life of faith less than compelling. Multitudes of people loved Jesus when he fed them and healed them but ultimately rejected the call He placed on their lives. They checked out when it got uncomfortable. They went back home when it got painful. Here in 2012, we have a tendency to do the same thing. Understand this:
The more we live for ourselves, the less capable we are of living for God.
If Abraham had let his own selfish desires sabotage his faith in this situation, God would not have used him as he did. As we’ve discussed before, he would have been trading his eternal reward for the temporary pleasures of life on earth.
It comes down to this: Abraham chose to obey God no matter the cost. Because of that, God used him to change the world. He can do the same with our lives if we can learn to trust Him and Him alone in our most painful moments.
May our faith grow as we face the unthinkable.
So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together. When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Yesterday, we talked about the excruciating pain that Abraham must have felt as he was on his way to sacrifice his son to God. We saw that even though the situation was as painful as it could have been, Abraham trusted God. He placed his faith in God.
I think we all understand that it would be naïve of us, after studying God’s word, to think that serving God is easy. God promises us a great reward in Heaven but readily admits that the path to get there is hard and narrow and few ever find it. Furthermore, as we see time and time again, placing our faith in God ensures that it will be tested. Faced with these kinds of trials, many may find this life of faith less than compelling. Multitudes of people loved Jesus when he fed them and healed them but ultimately rejected the call He placed on their lives. They checked out when it got uncomfortable. They went back home when it got painful. Here in 2012, we have a tendency to do the same thing. Understand this:
The more we live for ourselves, the less capable we are of living for God.
If Abraham had let his own selfish desires sabotage his faith in this situation, God would not have used him as he did. As we’ve discussed before, he would have been trading his eternal reward for the temporary pleasures of life on earth.
It comes down to this: Abraham chose to obey God no matter the cost. Because of that, God used him to change the world. He can do the same with our lives if we can learn to trust Him and Him alone in our most painful moments.
May our faith grow as we face the unthinkable.
A Tested Faith #3 (Facing the Unthinkable #1)
Genesis 22:1-5
Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
There is joy to be found in serving God. There is peace and there is comfort. But sometimes God will call us to do hard things. He will call us to step outside of the things we find comfort in. These times are harder than we ever imagine they will be. They are trying. Most of all, they can be painful.
Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes and imagine, for a moment, your reaction to God commanding this of you: Take your only son, whom you love, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Would you cry out in anger? Would you curse God? Would you be done with God? I know you’re thinking times have changed and this is a different world and in some ways you’re right but the tremendous pain of losing a child has been the same throughout history. Couple that with having to kill the child yourself and we’re talking about a pain that (I hope) none of us here in 2012 have ever encountered.
Now notice Abraham’s reaction when God asked him to carry out the seemingly unthinkable. Like with Noah, there’s a common theme here:
God spoke. Abraham listened.
Imagine for a moment how excruciatingly painful this trip must have been for Abraham. Enjoying the company of his one and only child Isaac knowing what he was to do. Even still, Abraham knew God and trusted God as he faced the most painful situation he would ever have to face.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
There is joy to be found in serving God. There is peace and there is comfort. But sometimes God will call us to do hard things. He will call us to step outside of the things we find comfort in. These times are harder than we ever imagine they will be. They are trying. Most of all, they can be painful.
Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes and imagine, for a moment, your reaction to God commanding this of you: Take your only son, whom you love, and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Would you cry out in anger? Would you curse God? Would you be done with God? I know you’re thinking times have changed and this is a different world and in some ways you’re right but the tremendous pain of losing a child has been the same throughout history. Couple that with having to kill the child yourself and we’re talking about a pain that (I hope) none of us here in 2012 have ever encountered.
Now notice Abraham’s reaction when God asked him to carry out the seemingly unthinkable. Like with Noah, there’s a common theme here:
God spoke. Abraham listened.
Imagine for a moment how excruciatingly painful this trip must have been for Abraham. Enjoying the company of his one and only child Isaac knowing what he was to do. Even still, Abraham knew God and trusted God as he faced the most painful situation he would ever have to face.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Monday, March 26, 2012
A Tested Faith #2 (Facing the Unknown)
Genesis 6:22 (NLT)
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Genesis 7:5 (NLT)
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
Noah’s ark. The age-old story. You can find it in its entirety in the sixth, seventh, and eighth chapters of Genesis. There are many directions we could go with this story but I want to focus on one thing:
Noah’s faith when faced with the unknown.
Let’s get this straight: God told Noah he was going to destroy the world and everyone in it except for him and his family. God commanded Noah to build a large boat. I’m not talking about spending two hours building a raft. Noah spent decades building this boat. Then God commanded Noah to gather up pairs of every kind of animal and put them in the boat. Big or small. Friendly or mean. Flying or crawling. Every single species living on the earth. Then sit in the boat with those same (most likely very stinky) animals for most of a year waiting for the floodwaters to recede.
Then there’s us… Many of us won’t even get up out of our easy chair without a good explanation or a happy ending already in sight.
Noah was faithful to carry out God’s commands exactly as he was commanded to. He didn’t ask questions. He made no suggestions. He didn’t present God with an alternative point of view. Only two things happened:
God spoke. Noah listened.
May our faith grow as we face the unknown.
Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Genesis 7:5 (NLT)
And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him.
Noah’s ark. The age-old story. You can find it in its entirety in the sixth, seventh, and eighth chapters of Genesis. There are many directions we could go with this story but I want to focus on one thing:
Noah’s faith when faced with the unknown.
Let’s get this straight: God told Noah he was going to destroy the world and everyone in it except for him and his family. God commanded Noah to build a large boat. I’m not talking about spending two hours building a raft. Noah spent decades building this boat. Then God commanded Noah to gather up pairs of every kind of animal and put them in the boat. Big or small. Friendly or mean. Flying or crawling. Every single species living on the earth. Then sit in the boat with those same (most likely very stinky) animals for most of a year waiting for the floodwaters to recede.
Then there’s us… Many of us won’t even get up out of our easy chair without a good explanation or a happy ending already in sight.
Noah was faithful to carry out God’s commands exactly as he was commanded to. He didn’t ask questions. He made no suggestions. He didn’t present God with an alternative point of view. Only two things happened:
God spoke. Noah listened.
May our faith grow as we face the unknown.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
A Tested Faith #1 (Introduction)
James 1:3 (NLT)
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
As Christians, we have a ton of things on our mind every day. We try to be kind. We try to be giving. We are continually weighing our words. We try to make the best of the many situations that life throws our way. We just don’t want to let anyone down. We don’t want to let God down! Amidst all of these things, I believe a Christian’s main priority, whether it’s realized or not, is simply keeping the faith. Choosing to believe even when it makes absolutely no sense.
Over the next few days, we’ll dive into the lives of some people who, through gut-wrenching pain and disappointment, had every logical reason to give up on God but refused to. We like to use the analogy (and rightly so) that measures the amount of our faith by how many mountains we’ve moved. Most of us would view a faith capable of moving mountains as the absolute pinnacle of faithfulness. While we should certainly aspire to have this kind of faith, Jesus taught us that not very much faith is actually required to move a mountain. Only that of a mustard seed (the smallest seed known to man).
Furthermore, I believe that spending dozens of years building a boat when you’ve never seen rain requires more faith than that. Trusting God when your child’s life is taken requires more faith than that. I believe that trusting God when you lose your entire family and livelihood for no good reason requires more faith than that.
The truth is this: Moving mountains is only the beginning. To give up our entire lives to serve Christ will take as much faith as we can muster.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
As Christians, we have a ton of things on our mind every day. We try to be kind. We try to be giving. We are continually weighing our words. We try to make the best of the many situations that life throws our way. We just don’t want to let anyone down. We don’t want to let God down! Amidst all of these things, I believe a Christian’s main priority, whether it’s realized or not, is simply keeping the faith. Choosing to believe even when it makes absolutely no sense.
Over the next few days, we’ll dive into the lives of some people who, through gut-wrenching pain and disappointment, had every logical reason to give up on God but refused to. We like to use the analogy (and rightly so) that measures the amount of our faith by how many mountains we’ve moved. Most of us would view a faith capable of moving mountains as the absolute pinnacle of faithfulness. While we should certainly aspire to have this kind of faith, Jesus taught us that not very much faith is actually required to move a mountain. Only that of a mustard seed (the smallest seed known to man).
Furthermore, I believe that spending dozens of years building a boat when you’ve never seen rain requires more faith than that. Trusting God when your child’s life is taken requires more faith than that. I believe that trusting God when you lose your entire family and livelihood for no good reason requires more faith than that.
The truth is this: Moving mountains is only the beginning. To give up our entire lives to serve Christ will take as much faith as we can muster.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, March 23, 2012
Reflection and Meditation
1. Have you ever tried to live for God without spending time in prayer and in his Word? How did it turn out for you? What can you do to make sure this doesn't happen to you in the future?
2. What are some things you can do to be a "constant encouragement" to those around you? What are some things you can do to "build unity?"
3. Is there something in your past that you just haven't been able to let go of? Spend a few minutes right now and every morning for the next week asking God to release you from this burden. Be specific.
4. What is the first thing you do when trouble comes? Ask God to always draw you to himself in every situation.
5. Write down 3 questions you want to ask God. Now ask him. Expect an answer!
2. What are some things you can do to be a "constant encouragement" to those around you? What are some things you can do to "build unity?"
3. Is there something in your past that you just haven't been able to let go of? Spend a few minutes right now and every morning for the next week asking God to release you from this burden. Be specific.
4. What is the first thing you do when trouble comes? Ask God to always draw you to himself in every situation.
5. Write down 3 questions you want to ask God. Now ask him. Expect an answer!
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Why Do You Ask?
Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline
We think we have it all figured out… So many of us claim so many truths and make so many arrogant statements. How quickly we forget that only in humbleness can we approach the throne of God. I have been tremendously guilty of this many times.
Asking questions is a very important aspect of our personal walk with Christ. But just like with anything else, asking questions of and about God with misguided motives usually does more harm than good.
In my experience, I have discovered, off the top of my head, three of these misguided motives, which are actually child-like needs, and I’d like to share them with you so maybe you won’t make the same mistakes I have:
The need to be right – I have had in-depth conversations about God that had nothing to do with God. While I seemed, on the surface, to really care deeply about what I was discussing, my main objective was to simply be right. Or at least get the last word in. This is a dangerous place to be because you completely sacrifice the humility and love that deep conversations about God can bring and instead turn it into a competition.
The need to justify your lifestyle – While being a little bit messier, this goes hand-in-hand with the need to be right. The difference is that there’s much more at stake here. Instead of just being right about a theological belief, you have to prove to not only yourself but to everyone else in the conversation that you’re actually right in a behavioral way. You end up with questions like this: “If Jesus was called a drunkard (Luke 7:34), he must have enjoyed a drink every now-and-then. How can drinking be a sin if Jesus did it?” – While this may, on the surface, seem like a good question, I want you to think about the motives behind it. What is really being asked? Like I said, this can be pretty messy. Which leads us to:
The need to make God understandable - This is a big one. God is not something we can grasp. He is much larger and much more complex than we could ever imagine. While we all know this, we aren’t all satisfied with it. So we ask the same questions of God that we might ask of ourselves. Or our pastor. Or our spouse. We put God into a box. We expect him to act and react as we would. The truth is this: If I could understand God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, then they would be on the same level as my dog. He sits when I tell him to sit. He eats when I put his bowl down. He stays when I tell him to stay. He comes when I tell him to come. I have him figured out. God is, however, not this simple and it’s ignorant of us to think we can figure him out in such a way… Questions asked with this motive will never have life-changing answers.
So keep asking questions. Just try to understand your motive in asking them. Throw the bad ones out. Take the good ones to Jesus.
He can handle them.
Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline
We think we have it all figured out… So many of us claim so many truths and make so many arrogant statements. How quickly we forget that only in humbleness can we approach the throne of God. I have been tremendously guilty of this many times.
Asking questions is a very important aspect of our personal walk with Christ. But just like with anything else, asking questions of and about God with misguided motives usually does more harm than good.
In my experience, I have discovered, off the top of my head, three of these misguided motives, which are actually child-like needs, and I’d like to share them with you so maybe you won’t make the same mistakes I have:
The need to be right – I have had in-depth conversations about God that had nothing to do with God. While I seemed, on the surface, to really care deeply about what I was discussing, my main objective was to simply be right. Or at least get the last word in. This is a dangerous place to be because you completely sacrifice the humility and love that deep conversations about God can bring and instead turn it into a competition.
The need to justify your lifestyle – While being a little bit messier, this goes hand-in-hand with the need to be right. The difference is that there’s much more at stake here. Instead of just being right about a theological belief, you have to prove to not only yourself but to everyone else in the conversation that you’re actually right in a behavioral way. You end up with questions like this: “If Jesus was called a drunkard (Luke 7:34), he must have enjoyed a drink every now-and-then. How can drinking be a sin if Jesus did it?” – While this may, on the surface, seem like a good question, I want you to think about the motives behind it. What is really being asked? Like I said, this can be pretty messy. Which leads us to:
The need to make God understandable - This is a big one. God is not something we can grasp. He is much larger and much more complex than we could ever imagine. While we all know this, we aren’t all satisfied with it. So we ask the same questions of God that we might ask of ourselves. Or our pastor. Or our spouse. We put God into a box. We expect him to act and react as we would. The truth is this: If I could understand God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, then they would be on the same level as my dog. He sits when I tell him to sit. He eats when I put his bowl down. He stays when I tell him to stay. He comes when I tell him to come. I have him figured out. God is, however, not this simple and it’s ignorant of us to think we can figure him out in such a way… Questions asked with this motive will never have life-changing answers.
So keep asking questions. Just try to understand your motive in asking them. Throw the bad ones out. Take the good ones to Jesus.
He can handle them.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Unlearn
Isaiah 30:1-3 (NLT)
"What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced."
“It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every [trial] he brings our way, he wants us to unlearn something. His purpose is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with him is exactly like that of a child.” – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, July 29
The world conditions us to think a certain way, act a certain way, and to pick up the pieces in a certain way when trials come. Common sense tells us some of these things as well. Our own human nature. So when a crisis comes, we go with our gut feeling in resolving it.
God (like he always does) has a different plan though. The phrase “faith like a child” is fun to say and to preach about but in the midst of heart-wrenching pain, it is anything but a natural reaction.
My adult chain-reaction when pain hits me goes something like this: My first impulse is to shut down momentarily. My second impulse is to try to fix it. My third impulse is to tell someone else about it. By someone else I mean another person. My first impulse is never to pray or dig into my Bible.
My child-like chain-reaction when pain hits me goes something like this: Run to Mom or Dad. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. There is only one step. Run to Mom or Dad. As we read in the passage above, Israel had the same reaction to pain. They ran to something tangible. Something they could see and feel. While God was waiting with open arms to rescue his people, they chose the Pharaoh and suffered much for it.
I believe this is what God means when he constantly says throughout his word to take refuge in him and to trust in him and to not lean on our own understanding.
God MUST be our first line-of-defense when pain comes. Doing everything humanly possible and then praying about it not only shows our lack of faith in an omnipotent Father but it also just makes no sense.
"What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,” says the LORD. "You make plans that are contrary to mine. You make alliances not directed by my Spirit, thus piling up your sins. For without consulting me, you have gone down to Egypt for help. You have put your trust in Pharaoh’s protection. You have tried to hide in his shade. But by trusting Pharaoh, you will be humiliated, and by depending on him, you will be disgraced."
“It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials. Through every [trial] he brings our way, he wants us to unlearn something. His purpose is to simplify our beliefs until our relationship with him is exactly like that of a child.” – Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest, July 29
The world conditions us to think a certain way, act a certain way, and to pick up the pieces in a certain way when trials come. Common sense tells us some of these things as well. Our own human nature. So when a crisis comes, we go with our gut feeling in resolving it.
God (like he always does) has a different plan though. The phrase “faith like a child” is fun to say and to preach about but in the midst of heart-wrenching pain, it is anything but a natural reaction.
My adult chain-reaction when pain hits me goes something like this: My first impulse is to shut down momentarily. My second impulse is to try to fix it. My third impulse is to tell someone else about it. By someone else I mean another person. My first impulse is never to pray or dig into my Bible.
My child-like chain-reaction when pain hits me goes something like this: Run to Mom or Dad. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. There is only one step. Run to Mom or Dad. As we read in the passage above, Israel had the same reaction to pain. They ran to something tangible. Something they could see and feel. While God was waiting with open arms to rescue his people, they chose the Pharaoh and suffered much for it.
I believe this is what God means when he constantly says throughout his word to take refuge in him and to trust in him and to not lean on our own understanding.
God MUST be our first line-of-defense when pain comes. Doing everything humanly possible and then praying about it not only shows our lack of faith in an omnipotent Father but it also just makes no sense.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Forget and Not Slow Down
Philippians 3:12-14 (NLT)
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
God is always giving us a choice. Some of these choices aren’t so serious. Things like: Do I wake up or do I go back to sleep? Do I talk to her or do I hide from her? Do I watch the basketball game or a rerun of Chopped? Do I buy low-fat yogurt or do I go all out and buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? Paper or plastic? Like I said, some of these choices aren’t so serious. However, some choices are very serious. The one facing Paul in the passage above is particularly challenging because it’s a choice we have to make every single day:
Do we forget our past and look forward to what lies ahead or do we live in a world of regret and what-ifs?
Sure, you know the "right" answer to this question... Of course we should forget our past and move forward... But does your life reflect it? Are you actively pursuing Christ’s will for the REST of your life or are you still hung up on what could have been?
In a world of saving face and going through the motions, Paul’s humble plea in this passage is refreshing. His candidness and his honesty is energizing. His choice to move forward is exactly what we need to hear in our most difficult moments. I’m reminded of the words in a song by the band Relient K titled “Forget and Not Slow Down”:
I'd rather forget and not slow down than gather regret for the things I can't change now
If I become what I can't accept, resurrect the saint from within the wretch - Pour over me and wash my hands of it
It’s only through God’s grace and mercy that we can shake off our past and give our future to him. You should never try to do this on your own. Plug yourself into a genuine body of believers (a LifeGroup!) and ask God every morning to help you move forward.
I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.
God is always giving us a choice. Some of these choices aren’t so serious. Things like: Do I wake up or do I go back to sleep? Do I talk to her or do I hide from her? Do I watch the basketball game or a rerun of Chopped? Do I buy low-fat yogurt or do I go all out and buy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? Paper or plastic? Like I said, some of these choices aren’t so serious. However, some choices are very serious. The one facing Paul in the passage above is particularly challenging because it’s a choice we have to make every single day:
Do we forget our past and look forward to what lies ahead or do we live in a world of regret and what-ifs?
Sure, you know the "right" answer to this question... Of course we should forget our past and move forward... But does your life reflect it? Are you actively pursuing Christ’s will for the REST of your life or are you still hung up on what could have been?
In a world of saving face and going through the motions, Paul’s humble plea in this passage is refreshing. His candidness and his honesty is energizing. His choice to move forward is exactly what we need to hear in our most difficult moments. I’m reminded of the words in a song by the band Relient K titled “Forget and Not Slow Down”:
I'd rather forget and not slow down than gather regret for the things I can't change now
If I become what I can't accept, resurrect the saint from within the wretch - Pour over me and wash my hands of it
It’s only through God’s grace and mercy that we can shake off our past and give our future to him. You should never try to do this on your own. Plug yourself into a genuine body of believers (a LifeGroup!) and ask God every morning to help you move forward.
Monday, March 19, 2012
Harmony and Encouragement
Romans 14:19 (NLT)
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
This verse in Romans is short but carries much weight. These deliberate acts of encouragement and maintaining harmony are absolutely pivotal to us fulfilling our purpose here at Refuge Church, which is to make disciples.
Think about a time when you’ve needed encouragement. Those moments when you feel like the entire world is either falling down around you or resting on your shoulders. In an ideal world, it would be at these moments that we should be able to call on one another as not only friends, but as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Alas, it doesn’t always work this way.
I don’t believe it is any coincidence that Paul mentions aiming for harmony and encouraging each other in the same sentence. It would be hard to have one without the other. Think about a harmonious relationship between a husband and a wife. You can bet that there is plenty of encouragement coming from both sides. He supports her in any way he can. She supports him in any way she can. There is harmony because both sides feel loved and respected. Now think about a not-so-harmonious relationship between a husband and a wife. He likes to make her feel stupid. She likes to make him feel stupid. They carry with them a constant tension. There is disharmony because neither side feels loved or respected. The same thing that will keep this couple from having a harmonious relationship is the same thing that will keep us from having harmony at Refuge Church:
Selfishness. That quiet (usually…) inner-voice that reminds us that we should have it our way and everyone else should just have to deal with it. We leave the womb with this mindset guiding us.
To sum all of this up, let us not forget that in order to build each other up, we must elevate the feelings of others above the feelings of ourselves. Since this is not a natural tendency of ours, we need help. We can find our help in the form of Jesus Christ, who has given us power over sin through his death on the cross.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you with a phrase that John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) shared a few weeks ago:
If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.
Pray that God will help you be a constant encouragement to everyone you encounter today. Also pray that God will use you to build harmony, not only at home, but as a part of the body of Refuge Church as well.
So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.
This verse in Romans is short but carries much weight. These deliberate acts of encouragement and maintaining harmony are absolutely pivotal to us fulfilling our purpose here at Refuge Church, which is to make disciples.
Think about a time when you’ve needed encouragement. Those moments when you feel like the entire world is either falling down around you or resting on your shoulders. In an ideal world, it would be at these moments that we should be able to call on one another as not only friends, but as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Alas, it doesn’t always work this way.
I don’t believe it is any coincidence that Paul mentions aiming for harmony and encouraging each other in the same sentence. It would be hard to have one without the other. Think about a harmonious relationship between a husband and a wife. You can bet that there is plenty of encouragement coming from both sides. He supports her in any way he can. She supports him in any way she can. There is harmony because both sides feel loved and respected. Now think about a not-so-harmonious relationship between a husband and a wife. He likes to make her feel stupid. She likes to make him feel stupid. They carry with them a constant tension. There is disharmony because neither side feels loved or respected. The same thing that will keep this couple from having a harmonious relationship is the same thing that will keep us from having harmony at Refuge Church:
Selfishness. That quiet (usually…) inner-voice that reminds us that we should have it our way and everyone else should just have to deal with it. We leave the womb with this mindset guiding us.
To sum all of this up, let us not forget that in order to build each other up, we must elevate the feelings of others above the feelings of ourselves. Since this is not a natural tendency of ours, we need help. We can find our help in the form of Jesus Christ, who has given us power over sin through his death on the cross.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you with a phrase that John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) shared a few weeks ago:
If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re a part of the problem.
Pray that God will help you be a constant encouragement to everyone you encounter today. Also pray that God will use you to build harmony, not only at home, but as a part of the body of Refuge Church as well.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
We Need Help
Psalm 36:9 (NLT)
For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
Reading this passage of scripture reminded me of a quote by the great author and thinker C.S. Lewis:
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
This made me ask myself some very tough questions: Does my faith in Christ reside in only a very specific part of my life or does my faith in Christ define my life? Does my faith affect every situation I encounter or does it only show its face when I’m at church or when I’m around my church friends?
These tough questions sometimes come with tough answers.
As we’ve discussed before, we must hold every thought captive and examine it. Is it pleasing to God? Is it pointing the people around me to Christ or is it pulling them in the other direction?
If you think that asking these questions about every aspect of our lives sounds incredibly challenging, you are right. It is. It’s actually impossible without God’s help. If we try to live for Christ without spending time with him, we will always end up burnt-out, exhausted, and worst of all, defeated.
So as you begin your day, ask God for help. Ask him to help you see each situation as he sees it. Ask him to help you see every person as he sees them. If you ask these things with a genuine heart, you’ll begin to see that the impossible will become not only possible, but routine!
For you are the fountain of life, the light by which we see.
Reading this passage of scripture reminded me of a quote by the great author and thinker C.S. Lewis:
I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
This made me ask myself some very tough questions: Does my faith in Christ reside in only a very specific part of my life or does my faith in Christ define my life? Does my faith affect every situation I encounter or does it only show its face when I’m at church or when I’m around my church friends?
These tough questions sometimes come with tough answers.
As we’ve discussed before, we must hold every thought captive and examine it. Is it pleasing to God? Is it pointing the people around me to Christ or is it pulling them in the other direction?
If you think that asking these questions about every aspect of our lives sounds incredibly challenging, you are right. It is. It’s actually impossible without God’s help. If we try to live for Christ without spending time with him, we will always end up burnt-out, exhausted, and worst of all, defeated.
So as you begin your day, ask God for help. Ask him to help you see each situation as he sees it. Ask him to help you see every person as he sees them. If you ask these things with a genuine heart, you’ll begin to see that the impossible will become not only possible, but routine!
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, March 16, 2012
Reflection and Meditation
1. Think about some fresh new ways that you can worship God at home, at work, and in between.
2. Think about some things in your life that could possibly cause another Christian brother or sister to stumble. Ask God to give you the self-control and gentleness to be able to love and show grace to people that you don't neccessarily agree with on this matter.
3. Have you ever been or are you currently guilty of "living a lie?" If you have, how were you able to come this realization and what did you do to make it right? If you know that you are currently guilty of this, ask God to open your eyes and show you areas of your life that need a change.
4. Is your conscience clear? What are some ways to make sure it stays clear?
5. Spend a few minutes praising and worshiping God for his grace. Thank him for his mercy and his goodness. Commit to leave the lies behind and live in truth this week.
2. Think about some things in your life that could possibly cause another Christian brother or sister to stumble. Ask God to give you the self-control and gentleness to be able to love and show grace to people that you don't neccessarily agree with on this matter.
3. Have you ever been or are you currently guilty of "living a lie?" If you have, how were you able to come this realization and what did you do to make it right? If you know that you are currently guilty of this, ask God to open your eyes and show you areas of your life that need a change.
4. Is your conscience clear? What are some ways to make sure it stays clear?
5. Spend a few minutes praising and worshiping God for his grace. Thank him for his mercy and his goodness. Commit to leave the lies behind and live in truth this week.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Don’t Live a Lie #2
1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT)
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
How do we keep our conscience clear?
I believe Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest, May 13) explains this better than I’m able to:
God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed, His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.
Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
God always instructs us down to the last detail. Is my ear sensitive enough to hear even the softest whisper of the Spirit, so that I know what I should do? Ephesians 4:30 tells us “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” He does not speak with a voice like thunder - His voice is so gentle that it is easy for us to ignore. And the only thing that keeps our conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When you begin to debate, stop immediately. Don’t ask, “Why can’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debating possible once your conscience speaks. Whatever it is - drop it, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
How do we keep our conscience clear?
I believe Oswald Chambers (My Utmost For His Highest, May 13) explains this better than I’m able to:
God’s commands to us are actually given to the life of His Son in us. Consequently, to our human nature in which God’s Son has been formed, His commands are difficult. But they become divinely easy once we obey.
Conscience is that ability within me that attaches itself to the highest standard I know, and then continually reminds me of what that standard demands that I do. It is the eye of the soul which looks out either toward God or toward what we regard as the highest standard. This explains why conscience is different in different people. If I am in the habit of continually holding God’s standard in front of me, my conscience will always direct me to God’s perfect law and indicate what I should do. The question is, will I obey? I have to make an effort to keep my conscience so sensitive that I can live without any offense toward anyone. I should be living in such perfect harmony with God’s Son that the spirit of my mind is being renewed through every circumstance of life, and that I may be able to quickly “prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
God always instructs us down to the last detail. Is my ear sensitive enough to hear even the softest whisper of the Spirit, so that I know what I should do? Ephesians 4:30 tells us “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God.” He does not speak with a voice like thunder - His voice is so gentle that it is easy for us to ignore. And the only thing that keeps our conscience sensitive to Him is the habit of being open to God on the inside. When you begin to debate, stop immediately. Don’t ask, “Why can’t I do this?” You are on the wrong track. There is no debating possible once your conscience speaks. Whatever it is - drop it, and see that you keep your inner vision clear.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Don’t Live a Lie #1
1 Timothy 1:19 (NLT)
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
There’s a popular phrase that we attribute to people who are content talking the talk with no regard to walking the walk. We say that they are “living a lie.” In the midst of a life completely devoted to this world, they are actually able to convince themselves that they are living the way that they should. These people are more often than not consumed by their own selfish desires.
That being said, I want you to stop thinking about the person that you’re thinking about right now and think about you. Do your life and the decisions you make on a daily basis reflect a living and active faith in Jesus Christ? Do they give testimony to the life-changing power of the Gospel? Do they tell a story about you becoming a new creation in Jesus Christ? Maybe they do. But maybe your life and the decisions you make on a daily basis tell a different story… A story of a faith that has been “shipwrecked.”
As the passage above states, we must cling to our faith in Christ. We must replace our doubts with the knowledge that while we were once lost, Jesus found us. We must replace our despair with the eternal hope that we’ve found in Jesus made evident in the way he turned our life around when we first accepted him. Most of all, we must replace this life of lies with a life of authenticity made visible by a clear conscience.
How do we keep our conscience clear?
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.
There’s a popular phrase that we attribute to people who are content talking the talk with no regard to walking the walk. We say that they are “living a lie.” In the midst of a life completely devoted to this world, they are actually able to convince themselves that they are living the way that they should. These people are more often than not consumed by their own selfish desires.
That being said, I want you to stop thinking about the person that you’re thinking about right now and think about you. Do your life and the decisions you make on a daily basis reflect a living and active faith in Jesus Christ? Do they give testimony to the life-changing power of the Gospel? Do they tell a story about you becoming a new creation in Jesus Christ? Maybe they do. But maybe your life and the decisions you make on a daily basis tell a different story… A story of a faith that has been “shipwrecked.”
As the passage above states, we must cling to our faith in Christ. We must replace our doubts with the knowledge that while we were once lost, Jesus found us. We must replace our despair with the eternal hope that we’ve found in Jesus made evident in the way he turned our life around when we first accepted him. Most of all, we must replace this life of lies with a life of authenticity made visible by a clear conscience.
How do we keep our conscience clear?
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Don’t Ruin It #2
Romans 14:15 (NLT)
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Yesterday we talked about the fact that we are selfish creatures. We talked about how we can get really bent out of shape when someone confronts us about something we don’t think is wrong. As examples, we looked at smoking, drinking, and gorging ourselves at the Chinese buffet.
There are some things in this life that the bible does not mention specifically. While the Bible says that you shouldn’t be a drunkard, it doesn’t mention having one or two drinks after work. While the Bible says that gluttony is a deadly sin, it doesn’t mention working hard and eating right for 6 days and rewarding one’s self with the Chinese buffet on Saturdays. You won’t, to my knowledge, find any mention of cigarettes in the Bible.
So you’re in the clear, right? Maybe not…
Even though you don’t feel like smoking is wrong, remember that someone sees it as a deadly habit and is trying to quit. Even though you don’t feel like drinking a beer in your easy chair after work is wrong, remember that someone is struggling with alcoholism. Even though you don’t feel like gorging yourself at the Chinese buffet every Saturday afternoon is wrong, remember that someone is struggling with their weight and the consequences it has on their health.
These things may seem meaningless and even a little bit silly to you but like we’ve discussed before, every decision we make has eternal ramifications. Every single decision.
That being said, we can see that Paul isn’t really talking about food in this passage. Paul is talking about the call we find ingrained into every aspect of the Gospel story of Jesus Christ. A call to leave self out of every equation and love others more than we love ourselves.
In the words of Paul, let us not let our selfishness ruin someone for whom Christ died.
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Yesterday we talked about the fact that we are selfish creatures. We talked about how we can get really bent out of shape when someone confronts us about something we don’t think is wrong. As examples, we looked at smoking, drinking, and gorging ourselves at the Chinese buffet.
There are some things in this life that the bible does not mention specifically. While the Bible says that you shouldn’t be a drunkard, it doesn’t mention having one or two drinks after work. While the Bible says that gluttony is a deadly sin, it doesn’t mention working hard and eating right for 6 days and rewarding one’s self with the Chinese buffet on Saturdays. You won’t, to my knowledge, find any mention of cigarettes in the Bible.
So you’re in the clear, right? Maybe not…
Even though you don’t feel like smoking is wrong, remember that someone sees it as a deadly habit and is trying to quit. Even though you don’t feel like drinking a beer in your easy chair after work is wrong, remember that someone is struggling with alcoholism. Even though you don’t feel like gorging yourself at the Chinese buffet every Saturday afternoon is wrong, remember that someone is struggling with their weight and the consequences it has on their health.
These things may seem meaningless and even a little bit silly to you but like we’ve discussed before, every decision we make has eternal ramifications. Every single decision.
That being said, we can see that Paul isn’t really talking about food in this passage. Paul is talking about the call we find ingrained into every aspect of the Gospel story of Jesus Christ. A call to leave self out of every equation and love others more than we love ourselves.
In the words of Paul, let us not let our selfishness ruin someone for whom Christ died.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Don’t Ruin It #1
Romans 14:15 (NLT)
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
If we’re honest, we are well aware that we are selfish creatures. Rarely do we really put our own comforts on the backburner when making a decision. We also get really bent out of shape when someone confronts us about something we don’t think is wrong. Maybe you smoke cigarettes. Maybe you enjoy drinking a beer in your easy chair after work. Maybe you like to work out and eat right six days out of the week and gorge yourself at the Chinese buffet every Saturday afternoon. I don’t know what your thing is but I’m sure you have one.
In this instance, Paul is talking specifically about food. In his day, many people hadn’t yet embraced the new covenant that Jesus’ death on the cross signified and were still trying to earn salvation by obeying the law God gave to Israel through Moses in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Among other things, there were many rules about food. There were many specific laws regarding the preparation of food and there were even some foods that could not be eaten at all.
What we find here is that even though Paul understood that doing his best to obey the law was no longer required to make himself right with God, being a jerk about it was not going to help the cause of Christ. He decided that instead of offending others by eating whatever he wanted (and expecting them to understand, accept, and conform), he would better minister to them by meeting them where they were.
We will continue this conversation tomorrow.
And if another believer is distressed by what you eat, you are not acting in love if you eat it. Don’t let your eating ruin someone for whom Christ died.
If we’re honest, we are well aware that we are selfish creatures. Rarely do we really put our own comforts on the backburner when making a decision. We also get really bent out of shape when someone confronts us about something we don’t think is wrong. Maybe you smoke cigarettes. Maybe you enjoy drinking a beer in your easy chair after work. Maybe you like to work out and eat right six days out of the week and gorge yourself at the Chinese buffet every Saturday afternoon. I don’t know what your thing is but I’m sure you have one.
In this instance, Paul is talking specifically about food. In his day, many people hadn’t yet embraced the new covenant that Jesus’ death on the cross signified and were still trying to earn salvation by obeying the law God gave to Israel through Moses in the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Among other things, there were many rules about food. There were many specific laws regarding the preparation of food and there were even some foods that could not be eaten at all.
What we find here is that even though Paul understood that doing his best to obey the law was no longer required to make himself right with God, being a jerk about it was not going to help the cause of Christ. He decided that instead of offending others by eating whatever he wanted (and expecting them to understand, accept, and conform), he would better minister to them by meeting them where they were.
We will continue this conversation tomorrow.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
What Is Worship?
Psalms 108:1-5 (NLT)
My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my soul! Wake up, O harp and lyre! I will waken the dawn with my song. I will thank you, LORD, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.
Mark 12:30 (NLT)
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is not a style of music. It’s not a particular song. Worship is a way of living that a person gets to when everything that they do, they do to glorify Jesus Christ.
I heard a person say that singing is only worship when you don’t feel up to it and even when you don’t feel like singing, you do it anyway because you love and want to bring glory to Jesus. This is a remarkable statement considered the recent modern worship movement, in which worship has been used most often to describe a genre of music.
Worship in its most basic form is nothing more than glorifying and adoring something. Your world revolves around that thing. In the same way, when we worship Jesus, we are adoring Him and glorifying Him. When we are truly worshipping Him, our entire world is revolving around him!
I believe worship is simply giving up one’s self totally to God. Having said that, I don’t believe a person can go out and live any way they want to and then come to church on Sunday, sing some songs, and say that they had a worship experience. I believe it’s impossible to worship God in church if you haven’t been worshipping God in your daily life.
Worship is making yourself a living sacrifice unto God, unhindered by the things of this world and madly in love with Jesus Christ, your Savior. This love for Jesus will bring about a total change in the way you think, the way you talk, and will it will change your entire life.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you one phrase:
To love God is to live for God… Then you worship God!
My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my soul! Wake up, O harp and lyre! I will waken the dawn with my song. I will thank you, LORD, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.
Mark 12:30 (NLT)
And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.
Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is not a style of music. It’s not a particular song. Worship is a way of living that a person gets to when everything that they do, they do to glorify Jesus Christ.
I heard a person say that singing is only worship when you don’t feel up to it and even when you don’t feel like singing, you do it anyway because you love and want to bring glory to Jesus. This is a remarkable statement considered the recent modern worship movement, in which worship has been used most often to describe a genre of music.
Worship in its most basic form is nothing more than glorifying and adoring something. Your world revolves around that thing. In the same way, when we worship Jesus, we are adoring Him and glorifying Him. When we are truly worshipping Him, our entire world is revolving around him!
I believe worship is simply giving up one’s self totally to God. Having said that, I don’t believe a person can go out and live any way they want to and then come to church on Sunday, sing some songs, and say that they had a worship experience. I believe it’s impossible to worship God in church if you haven’t been worshipping God in your daily life.
Worship is making yourself a living sacrifice unto God, unhindered by the things of this world and madly in love with Jesus Christ, your Savior. This love for Jesus will bring about a total change in the way you think, the way you talk, and will it will change your entire life.
In conclusion, I’ll leave you one phrase:
To love God is to live for God… Then you worship God!
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, March 9, 2012
Reflection and Meditation
1. Do you honestly believe that God loves you? How would your life change if you knew that, in spite of your many imperfections, you are one of God's masterpieces? Ask God to help you believe it.
2. Think about two or more "battles" that you have faced this week. Did you turn to God for strength or did you try to fight them yourself? How did they turn out? Ask God to always remind you to lay down your sword and follow him.
3. Think about some things in your life that God has helped you overcome. Spend a few minutes praising and thanking him for what he has done in your life!
4. What are some practical ways that you can "live to please the Spirit?"
5. For the next week, commit to ask yourself this question every morning and throughout the day: Will I live for myself or will I live for Christ?
2. Think about two or more "battles" that you have faced this week. Did you turn to God for strength or did you try to fight them yourself? How did they turn out? Ask God to always remind you to lay down your sword and follow him.
3. Think about some things in your life that God has helped you overcome. Spend a few minutes praising and thanking him for what he has done in your life!
4. What are some practical ways that you can "live to please the Spirit?"
5. For the next week, commit to ask yourself this question every morning and throughout the day: Will I live for myself or will I live for Christ?
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Let’s Not Get Tired #3
Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Over the past couple of days, we’ve talked about the scars we carry with us on a daily basis. We’ve also talked about how God has made a way for us to overcome these things. The choice he gives us to live for ourselves or to live to please the Spirit. We’ve talked briefly about some of the tough things Jesus said and the cost of giving our lives wholly to him. We concluded yesterday’s devotion with this statement:
Paul knew that though the cost in this life would be great, the reward in the life to come would be greater.
Throughout his ministry on earth, Paul was a great encouragement to the many people he discipled and to the many church bodies that he planted. He knew what these young believers would be up against and took every opportunity to urge them to press on no matter what. What God knew as he inspired Paul to write these words is that we would need the same encouragement that they did.
This is one of the many reasons the Bible has been on the best-seller list for thousands of years. It is timeless and alive and it speaks to us now just as it did to believers hundreds of years ago. Following Christ has always been a challenge. The road has always been and will always be very narrow. God calls us to be radically different. Not so we can be popular, comfortable, or healthy but that our lives would always glorify and point people to him.
So as we are faced with the many smaller choices that are a part of our daily lives, let us remember that they are all part of a greater choice that we must make when we get out of bed in the morning:
On this day, will I live for myself or will I live for Christ?
Let’s not get tired of living for Christ.
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Over the past couple of days, we’ve talked about the scars we carry with us on a daily basis. We’ve also talked about how God has made a way for us to overcome these things. The choice he gives us to live for ourselves or to live to please the Spirit. We’ve talked briefly about some of the tough things Jesus said and the cost of giving our lives wholly to him. We concluded yesterday’s devotion with this statement:
Paul knew that though the cost in this life would be great, the reward in the life to come would be greater.
Throughout his ministry on earth, Paul was a great encouragement to the many people he discipled and to the many church bodies that he planted. He knew what these young believers would be up against and took every opportunity to urge them to press on no matter what. What God knew as he inspired Paul to write these words is that we would need the same encouragement that they did.
This is one of the many reasons the Bible has been on the best-seller list for thousands of years. It is timeless and alive and it speaks to us now just as it did to believers hundreds of years ago. Following Christ has always been a challenge. The road has always been and will always be very narrow. God calls us to be radically different. Not so we can be popular, comfortable, or healthy but that our lives would always glorify and point people to him.
So as we are faced with the many smaller choices that are a part of our daily lives, let us remember that they are all part of a greater choice that we must make when we get out of bed in the morning:
On this day, will I live for myself or will I live for Christ?
Let’s not get tired of living for Christ.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Let’s Not Get Tired #2
Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Yesterday, we talked about the scars we carry with us on a daily basis. We also talked about how God has made a way for us to overcome these things. He gives us a choice: We can either live only to satisfy our sinful nature or we can live to please the spirit.
Now, even though we would all agree that the outcome of living to please the Spirit far surpasses the outcome of living to satisfy ourselves, we still struggle with putting this choice into action.
Jesus spoke numerous times of laying down our lives for others and carrying our cross. Sacrificing our own desires for the good of those around us. Loving him so much that our love for anything else looks like hate in comparison. He even spoke of us eating his flesh and drinking his blood. These are tough things to hear. Jesus would teach multitudes of people about the cost of following him and would turn a 5,000 person event into a dozen men sitting on a hill wondering what just happened.
Because of this, Paul knew that we would struggle (as I’m sure he had). He knew that our first impulse would be to run away. He knew that because his first impulse must have been to run away as well. But he also saw the entire picture and not just part. He knew that though the cost in this life would be great, the reward in the life to come would be greater.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Yesterday, we talked about the scars we carry with us on a daily basis. We also talked about how God has made a way for us to overcome these things. He gives us a choice: We can either live only to satisfy our sinful nature or we can live to please the spirit.
Now, even though we would all agree that the outcome of living to please the Spirit far surpasses the outcome of living to satisfy ourselves, we still struggle with putting this choice into action.
Jesus spoke numerous times of laying down our lives for others and carrying our cross. Sacrificing our own desires for the good of those around us. Loving him so much that our love for anything else looks like hate in comparison. He even spoke of us eating his flesh and drinking his blood. These are tough things to hear. Jesus would teach multitudes of people about the cost of following him and would turn a 5,000 person event into a dozen men sitting on a hill wondering what just happened.
Because of this, Paul knew that we would struggle (as I’m sure he had). He knew that our first impulse would be to run away. He knew that because his first impulse must have been to run away as well. But he also saw the entire picture and not just part. He knew that though the cost in this life would be great, the reward in the life to come would be greater.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Let’s Not Get Tired #1
Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
We’d like to believe that doing the right thing is always easy. We’d like to think that in any situation we would be able to take a look at the big picture and make the right decision. Alas, we fail daily and are constantly reminded of how evil we can be when left to our own devices. On top of the fact that we were born sinners, there are the scars, the hurts, and the hang-ups that we carry around with us. For most of us, these things have changed the course of our lives and have an impact on every decision that we make, small or large.
God knew of these struggles when he created us. He knew the many roads we would walk down and the pain that life would throw our way. Praise God that the story doesn’t end there! In his great love, he made a way for us to overcome these things.
As the above scripture states, he also gives us a choice: We can either live only to satisfy our sinful nature or we can live to please the spirit. Then we find that not only does he give us a choice, he tells us how each option is going to play out.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
We’d like to believe that doing the right thing is always easy. We’d like to think that in any situation we would be able to take a look at the big picture and make the right decision. Alas, we fail daily and are constantly reminded of how evil we can be when left to our own devices. On top of the fact that we were born sinners, there are the scars, the hurts, and the hang-ups that we carry around with us. For most of us, these things have changed the course of our lives and have an impact on every decision that we make, small or large.
God knew of these struggles when he created us. He knew the many roads we would walk down and the pain that life would throw our way. Praise God that the story doesn’t end there! In his great love, he made a way for us to overcome these things.
As the above scripture states, he also gives us a choice: We can either live only to satisfy our sinful nature or we can live to please the spirit. Then we find that not only does he give us a choice, he tells us how each option is going to play out.
We’ll continue this conversation tomorrow.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Battles
Exodus 13:17-18 (NLT)
When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.
Admit it: Most of us don’t like fighting battles. Who does? Just like the Israelites that God had just delivered from slavery, we tend to change our minds when faced with a battle. I’m not just talking about the sword-and-spear kind of battles that the Israelites would have tried to avoid at all cost. I’m talking about those battles that hit a little closer to home. Things like loving the unlovable. Reaching out past our comfort zone to welcome in the very people that scare us the most. Exchanging our comfort and security for irritation and uncertainty. We’d rather walk for days in the wilderness “getting ours” than face those fears.
Make no mistake: Declaring as a church to reach out to the least, the lost, and the broken was not the easiest path that Refuge Church could have taken. We could have decided to just reach out with our own selfish comforts in mind. You know, find us a good, clean building in the nicest part of town. Show up. Take our shoes off before we walk in so we don’t scuff up the floor. Visit about nothing in particular. Eat breakfast. Sing some catchy songs. Sit and listen to the preacher. Go home. While lives can certainly be changed through fellowship and the worship service, God never called us to leave our faith in a building or pick and choose who we’re comfortable having in our midst.
As we begin our day knowing that we’re going to face battles and encounter situations and people that make us uncomfortable, we should always be mindful that nowhere in God’s word will you find a call to live as comfortable a lifestyle as you can manage while giving the least, the lost, and the broken your scraps and leftovers.
We are called to love, serve, and battle for God with everything that we’ve got. If we can choose to do that, maybe we can stop wasting so much time in the self-centered wilderness we sometimes find ourselves in.
When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land. God said, “If the people are faced with a battle, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.
Admit it: Most of us don’t like fighting battles. Who does? Just like the Israelites that God had just delivered from slavery, we tend to change our minds when faced with a battle. I’m not just talking about the sword-and-spear kind of battles that the Israelites would have tried to avoid at all cost. I’m talking about those battles that hit a little closer to home. Things like loving the unlovable. Reaching out past our comfort zone to welcome in the very people that scare us the most. Exchanging our comfort and security for irritation and uncertainty. We’d rather walk for days in the wilderness “getting ours” than face those fears.
Make no mistake: Declaring as a church to reach out to the least, the lost, and the broken was not the easiest path that Refuge Church could have taken. We could have decided to just reach out with our own selfish comforts in mind. You know, find us a good, clean building in the nicest part of town. Show up. Take our shoes off before we walk in so we don’t scuff up the floor. Visit about nothing in particular. Eat breakfast. Sing some catchy songs. Sit and listen to the preacher. Go home. While lives can certainly be changed through fellowship and the worship service, God never called us to leave our faith in a building or pick and choose who we’re comfortable having in our midst.
As we begin our day knowing that we’re going to face battles and encounter situations and people that make us uncomfortable, we should always be mindful that nowhere in God’s word will you find a call to live as comfortable a lifestyle as you can manage while giving the least, the lost, and the broken your scraps and leftovers.
We are called to love, serve, and battle for God with everything that we’ve got. If we can choose to do that, maybe we can stop wasting so much time in the self-centered wilderness we sometimes find ourselves in.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
God Loves You
James 1:18 (NLT)
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
I want you to know something: God loves you.
I know what you’re thinking… Of course he does. God is love. Duh…
Even though you are absolutely correct, hear me out.
We believe that God breathed life into us. We also believe that God has created everything that we see, hear, and feel. Believing that, we can’t help but notice that God has a bigger imagination than we could ever comprehend. I’m serious. Look at a duck-billed platypus. No, seriously. Google it right now. This egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal (as Wikipedia describes it) is a mess. It’s like God was in the middle of creating every swamp beast that he could think of and decided things were getting too serious. All of a sudden, BOOM! Duck-billed platypus. God is just good like that. It’s like his imagination is out of control without being out of control. A creative paradox that knows no beginning or end.
It’s no exaggeration to say that we could keep pointing out weird plants and animals for the rest of time that speak to this fact but I want to get to the point, which is this:
That same God with that same imagination created me and you and looks at us just like a proud parent looks at their child. He calls us his prized possession. We are his masterpiece.
So the next time you feel like an unlovable egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammalian mess, stop what you’re doing and lift your hands in praise for YOU are a child of the most-high God and YOU are dearly loved.
He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession.
I want you to know something: God loves you.
I know what you’re thinking… Of course he does. God is love. Duh…
Even though you are absolutely correct, hear me out.
We believe that God breathed life into us. We also believe that God has created everything that we see, hear, and feel. Believing that, we can’t help but notice that God has a bigger imagination than we could ever comprehend. I’m serious. Look at a duck-billed platypus. No, seriously. Google it right now. This egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal (as Wikipedia describes it) is a mess. It’s like God was in the middle of creating every swamp beast that he could think of and decided things were getting too serious. All of a sudden, BOOM! Duck-billed platypus. God is just good like that. It’s like his imagination is out of control without being out of control. A creative paradox that knows no beginning or end.
It’s no exaggeration to say that we could keep pointing out weird plants and animals for the rest of time that speak to this fact but I want to get to the point, which is this:
That same God with that same imagination created me and you and looks at us just like a proud parent looks at their child. He calls us his prized possession. We are his masterpiece.
So the next time you feel like an unlovable egg-laying, venomous, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammalian mess, stop what you’re doing and lift your hands in praise for YOU are a child of the most-high God and YOU are dearly loved.
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Morning Message
Scripture References:
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Title or topic of message:
Notes:
Questions I have about the message:
How can I apply this message to my life?
Friday, March 2, 2012
Reflection and Meditation
1. Do you make decisions every day based only on the temporary ramifications instead of the eternal ones? What are some ways you can begin to think in a larger way when faced with every day decisions?
2. Do you keep your eyes open for opportunities to share you faith? Is your mouth the only thing in your life pointing people to Christ or do your actions back it up as well?
2. Do you keep your eyes open for opportunities to share you faith? Is your mouth the only thing in your life pointing people to Christ or do your actions back it up as well?
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Always Be Ready
1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
When we see a great movie or hear a great song, our first impulse is to share it with our friends. We watch or listen to it with them hoping to see them smile in amazement as we did the first time we saw or heard it. There’s nothing like sharing something amazing with someone and seeing them embrace it as you did.
In the same way, Peter urges us to share something that is much greater than any movie or song. As we read in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, he experienced many spectacular things: Walking daily with Jesus Christ. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and his ascension into Heaven. The day of Pentecost. The healing of the sick with Jesus and through Jesus. Miracle after miracle. Because of these experiences, he devoted his life to the Great Commission (Going and making disciples) that we talked about yesterday and was given opportunity after opportunity to share this faith and his hope in Christ.
In the same way, we will be given opportunity after opportunity to share this love and his grace with others. People will ask you how you handled a tough situation like you did. Why you let someone curse you and get the ever-powerful “last word.” Why you gave that cashier back that $5 of extra change she mistakenly handed you.
If you choose to “worship Christ as Lord of your life,” you will always have opportunities to share your faith. Always be ready!
Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.
When we see a great movie or hear a great song, our first impulse is to share it with our friends. We watch or listen to it with them hoping to see them smile in amazement as we did the first time we saw or heard it. There’s nothing like sharing something amazing with someone and seeing them embrace it as you did.
In the same way, Peter urges us to share something that is much greater than any movie or song. As we read in the Gospels and in the book of Acts, he experienced many spectacular things: Walking daily with Jesus Christ. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and his ascension into Heaven. The day of Pentecost. The healing of the sick with Jesus and through Jesus. Miracle after miracle. Because of these experiences, he devoted his life to the Great Commission (Going and making disciples) that we talked about yesterday and was given opportunity after opportunity to share this faith and his hope in Christ.
In the same way, we will be given opportunity after opportunity to share this love and his grace with others. People will ask you how you handled a tough situation like you did. Why you let someone curse you and get the ever-powerful “last word.” Why you gave that cashier back that $5 of extra change she mistakenly handed you.
If you choose to “worship Christ as Lord of your life,” you will always have opportunities to share your faith. Always be ready!
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