Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
We must be a holy people. The next aspect of holiness that Peter points out is this:
Holy people live for the eternal and not the temporary. Holy people look forward to the “gracious salvation” that will come to them when Jesus Christ comes back to the world.
As the story goes, a young banker was driving his BMW in the mountains, during a snow storm. As he rounded a turn, the vehicle slid out of control and toward a deep cliff. At the last moment, he unbuckled his seatbelt and jumped from the car. Though he escaped with his life, his left arm was caught near the hinge of the door and torn off at the shoulder. A trucker passing nearby witnessed the accident, stopped his rig, and ran back to see if he could be of help. There standing, in a state of shock, was the banker at the edge of the cliff moaning, "Oh my BMW, my BMW." The trucker pointed to the banker's shoulder and said, "Man, you've got bigger problems than a car." With that the banker looked at his shoulder, finally realizing he'd lost his arm, and began crying, "Oh my new Rolex, my new Rolex."
This is a funny story but make no mistake… The lives we live can be just as silly. When we stop putting aside time during our day for prayer and bible study, we are ignoring our severed arm and focusing on our BMW. When we stop spending time with our Christian brothers and sisters, we are ignoring our severed arm and focusing on our Rolex.
I urge you today to hold onto the hope that you received when you accepted Christ into your life. Jesus told us that this life would be hard and that few would actually give up the pleasures of this world to find it:
Matthew 7:13-14 (NLT)
You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Make no mistake… This world and the things in it are beautiful. Because of this, the pull of the world can easily steal our affections away from Christ and cause us to live for the temporary things this life can bring us. As a holy people, we must keep this life in perspective. Check out what Paul tells us in Romans:
Romans 8:18 (NLT)
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later.
Look forward to your “gracious salvation.”
Hold on to your hope in Christ and let everything else go.
Holy people live for the eternal and not the temporary.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Exercise Self-Control
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
I don’t guess I could have picked two worse words to title this post with but all things considered, there was really no other way. The fact remains: Holy people exercise self-control.
If we are to be holy as God has commanded us to be holy, we must exercise self-control.
So how do we exercise self-control? James gives us the key:
James 3: 2 (NLT)
For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
Obviously, the first thing we must do is control our tongues. That sounds simple enough, right?
Wrong.
James 2:6 (NLT)
And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
Wow.
What do we do with a thing like that? Paul tells us:
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
If we’re to gain control over our tongues and over hell itself, we must go to the Author of our salvation.
The Beginning and the End of our faith.
The One who has conquered hell and freed us.
Jesus Christ is what we do with a thing like that. We give it to Him.
Spend some time this morning asking God to take control of your tongue. Ask Him to use what was once set on fire by hell itself as a force for good. He can do it but don’t forget the most important part:
ONLY He can do it.
Exercise self-control.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
I don’t guess I could have picked two worse words to title this post with but all things considered, there was really no other way. The fact remains: Holy people exercise self-control.
If we are to be holy as God has commanded us to be holy, we must exercise self-control.
So how do we exercise self-control? James gives us the key:
James 3: 2 (NLT)
For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way.
Obviously, the first thing we must do is control our tongues. That sounds simple enough, right?
Wrong.
James 2:6 (NLT)
And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself.
Wow.
What do we do with a thing like that? Paul tells us:
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
If we’re to gain control over our tongues and over hell itself, we must go to the Author of our salvation.
The Beginning and the End of our faith.
The One who has conquered hell and freed us.
Jesus Christ is what we do with a thing like that. We give it to Him.
Spend some time this morning asking God to take control of your tongue. Ask Him to use what was once set on fire by hell itself as a force for good. He can do it but don’t forget the most important part:
ONLY He can do it.
Exercise self-control.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Thinking Clearly #2
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
We spent the latter part of last week talking about holiness. We’ll continue that conversation this week. As we saw before, the scripture above lays out some basic principles in regards to holiness that we’re going to spend a few days diving into. The first is thinking clearly. If we’re going to be a holy people, we must have clear minds.
So how do we make sure our minds are clear? There are three ways that we’re going to discuss here:
We discussed taking care of yourself physically on Friday so we’ll move forward to the next two today. This is not something new. We’ve discussed how to take care of ourselves spiritually but luckily this is something that I don’t think we can hear enough.
There are three basic yet vital aspects to taking care of ourselves spiritually:
The last way that we make sure our minds are clear is to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually and let God take care of the rest. Check out what Paul tells us in Philippians:
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
There’s not much that I can add to this. We serve a BIG God. He is bigger than we can even imagine. Yet it is so easy to lose perspective and see the problems that life throws at us in a bigger light than we see God in. There is a way to conquer this defeated thought process and that is delivered to us by Paul above.
“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”
Holy people think clearly. Let’s be holy.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
We spent the latter part of last week talking about holiness. We’ll continue that conversation this week. As we saw before, the scripture above lays out some basic principles in regards to holiness that we’re going to spend a few days diving into. The first is thinking clearly. If we’re going to be a holy people, we must have clear minds.
So how do we make sure our minds are clear? There are three ways that we’re going to discuss here:
- Take care of yourself physically.
- Take care of yourself spiritually.
- Let God take care of the rest.
We discussed taking care of yourself physically on Friday so we’ll move forward to the next two today. This is not something new. We’ve discussed how to take care of ourselves spiritually but luckily this is something that I don’t think we can hear enough.
There are three basic yet vital aspects to taking care of ourselves spiritually:
- PRAY – We must spend time with God in prayer. We have to work at a relationship with God the same way we work at a relationship with a friend here on earth. We talk to Him. Constantly. If you want to get to know a person better, you spend time with them. You have deep conversations with them. It’s the same way with God, our Father. The more time we spend just talking to Him, the more intimate our relationship with Him will become.
- BIBLE – We must spend time reading and studying God’s Word. He has given us a book of letters that reveal His heart and His character. The Bible is our ultimate guide to who God is and if our goal is to fall in love with Him and give our lives to Him, we need to know Him at least a little bit, don’t you think?
- PEOPLE – We must spend time with our Christian brothers and sisters. The easiest way to do this is to get plugged into a church family. Here at Refuge, we do little things to make sure that we have time to hang out. On top of the time we spend together in worship, we eat breakfast on Sundays, dinner on Wednesdays, and have LifeGroups to connect us even deeper. This is vital to your spiritual health. Don’t go it alone!
The last way that we make sure our minds are clear is to take care of ourselves physically and spiritually and let God take care of the rest. Check out what Paul tells us in Philippians:
Philippians 4:6 (NLT)
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.
There’s not much that I can add to this. We serve a BIG God. He is bigger than we can even imagine. Yet it is so easy to lose perspective and see the problems that life throws at us in a bigger light than we see God in. There is a way to conquer this defeated thought process and that is delivered to us by Paul above.
“Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.”
Holy people think clearly. Let’s be holy.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Reflection
1. Have you felt the Lord's discipline on your life before? Recount one of these experiences and how it changed your life. Praise God for loving you enough to introduce you to some divine discipline!
2. We were made to be encouragers! Think of three different people who you know could use some encouragement this week. Spend a few minutes writing each one a note or letter or encouragement and give it to them!
3. What does it mean, personally, for you to live in peace with those around you? Recount some experiences where a peaceful response might have changed everything and ask God to give you the courage and boldness to stand up for Him peacefully amidst the chaos of this life!
4. Does the word Holiness excite your or scare you to death? Why?
5. When you see the phrase, “I want the things you just can’t give me,” in regards to God, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Ask God to help you give it up and make a plan to do so!
6. Turn off the TV, take a walk, and spend some time talking with God!
2. We were made to be encouragers! Think of three different people who you know could use some encouragement this week. Spend a few minutes writing each one a note or letter or encouragement and give it to them!
3. What does it mean, personally, for you to live in peace with those around you? Recount some experiences where a peaceful response might have changed everything and ask God to give you the courage and boldness to stand up for Him peacefully amidst the chaos of this life!
4. Does the word Holiness excite your or scare you to death? Why?
5. When you see the phrase, “I want the things you just can’t give me,” in regards to God, what is the first thing that pops into your head? Ask God to help you give it up and make a plan to do so!
6. Turn off the TV, take a walk, and spend some time talking with God!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Thinking Clearly #1
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
We’re talking about holiness. The scripture above lays out some basic principles in regards to holiness that we’re going to spend a few days diving into. The first is thinking clearly.
If we’re going to be a holy people, we must have clear minds.
So how do we make sure our minds are clear? There are three ways that we’re going to discuss here:
Check out what Paul tells us about taking care of ourselves physically:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Wow. There is much being said in this verse that we could dive into but we’re going to simply study the surface of it today. The most important thing that Paul tells us is this: “You do not belong to yourself.” When we accept Christ and His call on our life, we give up our right to destroy ourselves. We give up our right to put on beer-goggles this Friday night. We give up our right to eat 16 plates at the buffet. We give up our right to destroy our lungs with cigarettes. We give all of these rights up!
Furthermore, if we’ve given God our whole lives, we cannot just give Him the easy things. We must give Him those things it would be impossible for us to give Him apart from the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts.
There’s a line in a song that haunts me whenever I hear or think about it:
“I want the things you just can’t give me.”
Jesus knows us intimately. He knows how much we struggle with these things. But He also knows that He is all-powerful and that through Him, there is nothing that we can’t do (or give up).
Give God some of those things this weekend and pray for a clear mind!
We’ll continue this conversation next week.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
We’re talking about holiness. The scripture above lays out some basic principles in regards to holiness that we’re going to spend a few days diving into. The first is thinking clearly.
If we’re going to be a holy people, we must have clear minds.
So how do we make sure our minds are clear? There are three ways that we’re going to discuss here:
- Take care of yourself physically.
- Take care of yourself spiritually.
- Let God take care of the rest.
Check out what Paul tells us about taking care of ourselves physically:
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NLT)
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
Wow. There is much being said in this verse that we could dive into but we’re going to simply study the surface of it today. The most important thing that Paul tells us is this: “You do not belong to yourself.” When we accept Christ and His call on our life, we give up our right to destroy ourselves. We give up our right to put on beer-goggles this Friday night. We give up our right to eat 16 plates at the buffet. We give up our right to destroy our lungs with cigarettes. We give all of these rights up!
Furthermore, if we’ve given God our whole lives, we cannot just give Him the easy things. We must give Him those things it would be impossible for us to give Him apart from the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts.
There’s a line in a song that haunts me whenever I hear or think about it:
“I want the things you just can’t give me.”
Jesus knows us intimately. He knows how much we struggle with these things. But He also knows that He is all-powerful and that through Him, there is nothing that we can’t do (or give up).
Give God some of those things this weekend and pray for a clear mind!
We’ll continue this conversation next week.
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
What Is Holiness, Alex?
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Yesterday, we focused on the first part of this verse. We learned that living in peace with everyone is not just a suggestion. It’s a commandment and something that we absolutely must do if we’re going to share our faith with a dying world. Today, I want to focus on the second half of the verse.
Holiness.
What is holiness? You could ask a million different people and probably get a million different answers. Today, I believe that the answer we’re looking for is found in the New Testament book of 1st Peter:
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
This passage of scripture tells us a few things about holiness:
Over the next few days, we will go a little more in-depth so today I want you to just pray that God will begin to show you the parts of your life that are not holy. The parts of your life that are unacceptable. If you ask Him earnestly, it may be painful but this pain is necessary if you are to grow and mature in your faith.
Besides, He only disciplines us because He loves us.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Yesterday, we focused on the first part of this verse. We learned that living in peace with everyone is not just a suggestion. It’s a commandment and something that we absolutely must do if we’re going to share our faith with a dying world. Today, I want to focus on the second half of the verse.
Holiness.
What is holiness? You could ask a million different people and probably get a million different answers. Today, I believe that the answer we’re looking for is found in the New Testament book of 1st Peter:
1 Peter 1:13-16 (NLT)
So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”
This passage of scripture tells us a few things about holiness:
- Holy people think clearly.
- Holy people exercise self-control.
- Holy people live for the eternal and not the temporary.
- Holy people are obedient to God.
- Holy people do not live to satisfy their own desires.
- Holy people “know better.”
Over the next few days, we will go a little more in-depth so today I want you to just pray that God will begin to show you the parts of your life that are not holy. The parts of your life that are unacceptable. If you ask Him earnestly, it may be painful but this pain is necessary if you are to grow and mature in your faith.
Besides, He only disciplines us because He loves us.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
World Peace? Right.
Hebrews 12:14 (NLT)
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
World peace.
That’s just something we hear Miss America sneak into the interview stage every year, right? Or is it a moody basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers? I’m not even sure anymore…
In this age, living in peace with everyone seems to be impossible.
It seems like everyone is fighting. Nations are constantly fighting other nations. States are constantly fighting other states. There are television networks whose only mission is to keep the fight going between both sides. The Maury Show has been airing for over 20 years (it’s sin-dicated! #rimshot) with the basic premise of broadcasting, for the nation to see, people airing their dirty laundry and literally fighting like spoiled children.
We call this entertainment.
In athletics, games are becoming life and death situations to some. A college football fan will write a person off based solely on the team they support. A group of soccer fans will riot and literally stomp people to death after their team is dealt a loss.
Again, we call this entertainment.
It’s when you seek some shelter from the storm that you walk into the seemingly safe world of American religion and find rock bands, light shows, and supremely polished motivational speakers amidst a world of pointing fingers where churches are fighting churches, Christians are fighting Christians, and most bizarrely, the god that they implore you to follow seems to be okay with it.
Imagine yourself on the outside looking in… Is it any wonder that the American church is having trouble making Jesus seem relevant?
My fellow Refugees, we are at a tipping point. As followers of Christ, we have to different. We have to be a bright light in this world of darkness! We have been commissioned by the King and Creator of the universe to share our faith with that hungry world right outside our front door.
We can’t do this if we’re fighting.
Do your best to live in peace with those around you today. If you’ve given your life to Christ, you have no excuse not to.
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
World peace.
That’s just something we hear Miss America sneak into the interview stage every year, right? Or is it a moody basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers? I’m not even sure anymore…
In this age, living in peace with everyone seems to be impossible.
It seems like everyone is fighting. Nations are constantly fighting other nations. States are constantly fighting other states. There are television networks whose only mission is to keep the fight going between both sides. The Maury Show has been airing for over 20 years (it’s sin-dicated! #rimshot) with the basic premise of broadcasting, for the nation to see, people airing their dirty laundry and literally fighting like spoiled children.
We call this entertainment.
In athletics, games are becoming life and death situations to some. A college football fan will write a person off based solely on the team they support. A group of soccer fans will riot and literally stomp people to death after their team is dealt a loss.
Again, we call this entertainment.
It’s when you seek some shelter from the storm that you walk into the seemingly safe world of American religion and find rock bands, light shows, and supremely polished motivational speakers amidst a world of pointing fingers where churches are fighting churches, Christians are fighting Christians, and most bizarrely, the god that they implore you to follow seems to be okay with it.
Imagine yourself on the outside looking in… Is it any wonder that the American church is having trouble making Jesus seem relevant?
My fellow Refugees, we are at a tipping point. As followers of Christ, we have to different. We have to be a bright light in this world of darkness! We have been commissioned by the King and Creator of the universe to share our faith with that hungry world right outside our front door.
We can’t do this if we’re fighting.
Do your best to live in peace with those around you today. If you’ve given your life to Christ, you have no excuse not to.
Monday, April 22, 2013
A Day For Thanksgiving
Hebrews 12:12-13 (NLT)
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Life makes people tired. It makes people weak. It makes many people give up. If you look around, you’ll find person after person just walking around waiting to die. People with no hope and no purpose in life. People with nothing to look forward to. So many people have just decided that life isn’t worth living.
But not you, Refugees. Not you…
You see, I know something about you. You know what it means to trust God. You know what it means to wait for God’s timing. You know what it means when you hear that God loves you. You know what it means to go from death to life.
So today is a day for encouragement!
Today, I want you to follow the example of this scripture and “take a new grip with your tired hands.”
I want you to “strengthen your weak knees.”
What are some ways that we can do this while marking out a straight path for our feet so that will not fall but will become strong?
You already know...
We must spend time in prayer. We must spend time in God’s world. We must spend time with each other. We must make our life all about Jesus and sharing Him with others. That’s how we grow. That’s how we regenerate.
Spend 3 seconds every day just telling God that you trust Him.
As you begin your day today, thank God for giving you a hope and a purpose. Thank Him for giving us Heaven to look forward to. Thank Him for taking you from death to life. Thank Him for making your life worth living!
Now go live it!
So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.
Life makes people tired. It makes people weak. It makes many people give up. If you look around, you’ll find person after person just walking around waiting to die. People with no hope and no purpose in life. People with nothing to look forward to. So many people have just decided that life isn’t worth living.
But not you, Refugees. Not you…
You see, I know something about you. You know what it means to trust God. You know what it means to wait for God’s timing. You know what it means when you hear that God loves you. You know what it means to go from death to life.
So today is a day for encouragement!
Today, I want you to follow the example of this scripture and “take a new grip with your tired hands.”
I want you to “strengthen your weak knees.”
What are some ways that we can do this while marking out a straight path for our feet so that will not fall but will become strong?
You already know...
We must spend time in prayer. We must spend time in God’s world. We must spend time with each other. We must make our life all about Jesus and sharing Him with others. That’s how we grow. That’s how we regenerate.
Spend 3 seconds every day just telling God that you trust Him.
As you begin your day today, thank God for giving you a hope and a purpose. Thank Him for giving us Heaven to look forward to. Thank Him for taking you from death to life. Thank Him for making your life worth living!
Now go live it!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Divine Discipline
Hebrews 12:5-11 (NLT)
And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
To understand this passage, you have to understand something else first: God loves us and God loves you.
He has loved us from the beginning of eternity. When He said, “Let there be light,” He was creating the light for us that He would be glorified through us, His most prized creation. He so loved the world that He gave His only son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our many sins. God loves us perfectly.
It is because of this perfect love that He disciplines us and teaches us. He wants to teach us more about who He is. He wants us to take hold of our glorious future. He wants us to let go of the temporary and commit our lives to the eternal. The writer of Hebrews tells us that sometimes this discipline will be painful. Sometimes it will feel like punishment. That’s what discipline is anyway, right?
Now you’re thinking about God punishing you and you don’t like it… I know. I’ve been there too. When we grow up hearing about this mighty God that loves us enough to die for us, we often don’t leave room for this aspect of this character. Compounded with the fact that our culture has programmed us to view discipline, correction, and punishment in very negative lights, the idea of a divine punishment coming into our lives from the hands of this loving God is something that is very difficult for many of us to accept. That’s because we like a “Santa Claus” god more than we like the mighty King that He is. We expect God to take care of us on our terms if we take care of Him on our terms. But God doesn’t work like that. He never has and He never will.
This scripture tells us to stop treating the Lord’s discipline in our lives as a harmful thing. It tells us to not give up. It also tells us that along with this punishment comes acceptance. We can find great joy in this today if we can stop blaming God for pain and instead begin to ask Him what He’s trying to show us through it. We can find great peace in this if we can view the trials we face with an eternal perspective.
As my lion-hearted counterpart says often: God loves you just the way you are but also loves you way too much to leave you that way.
And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”
As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?
For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.
To understand this passage, you have to understand something else first: God loves us and God loves you.
He has loved us from the beginning of eternity. When He said, “Let there be light,” He was creating the light for us that He would be glorified through us, His most prized creation. He so loved the world that He gave His only son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our many sins. God loves us perfectly.
It is because of this perfect love that He disciplines us and teaches us. He wants to teach us more about who He is. He wants us to take hold of our glorious future. He wants us to let go of the temporary and commit our lives to the eternal. The writer of Hebrews tells us that sometimes this discipline will be painful. Sometimes it will feel like punishment. That’s what discipline is anyway, right?
Now you’re thinking about God punishing you and you don’t like it… I know. I’ve been there too. When we grow up hearing about this mighty God that loves us enough to die for us, we often don’t leave room for this aspect of this character. Compounded with the fact that our culture has programmed us to view discipline, correction, and punishment in very negative lights, the idea of a divine punishment coming into our lives from the hands of this loving God is something that is very difficult for many of us to accept. That’s because we like a “Santa Claus” god more than we like the mighty King that He is. We expect God to take care of us on our terms if we take care of Him on our terms. But God doesn’t work like that. He never has and He never will.
This scripture tells us to stop treating the Lord’s discipline in our lives as a harmful thing. It tells us to not give up. It also tells us that along with this punishment comes acceptance. We can find great joy in this today if we can stop blaming God for pain and instead begin to ask Him what He’s trying to show us through it. We can find great peace in this if we can view the trials we face with an eternal perspective.
As my lion-hearted counterpart says often: God loves you just the way you are but also loves you way too much to leave you that way.
Friday, April 19, 2013
Reflection
1. Have you ever run away from God? Recall this experience and write down how this season of your life felt. Ask God for the courage to fearlessly obey Him no matter what!
Think about both questions that were asked in Tuesday's devotional, "Jonah Gets Thrown Overboard."
2. Are you going through a storm in your life right because you have simply disobeyed God? What can you do to throw yourself overboard and give up running?
3. Is there a Jonah in your life that you need to throw overboard? Ask God to give you the courage to step away from the things and people in your life that constantly trip you up!
4. Can you remember a time in your life when all you could do was cry out to God? Take a few minutes and cry out to Him now. Write or type this prayer, fold it up, and place it in your sock drawer. Read it and pray it again every morning and watch as God delivers you!
5. Have you approached your Nineveh? What is holding you back? Ask God for courage to be bold and show this person a love that can only come from Him!
6. Have you ever found yourself upset because a person didn't get "what they deserve?" Ask God to help you show others the same mercy He shows you every morning!
7. Congratulations on reading the entire book of Jonah this week! What is the one thing that stood out to you? Why?
Think about both questions that were asked in Tuesday's devotional, "Jonah Gets Thrown Overboard."
2. Are you going through a storm in your life right because you have simply disobeyed God? What can you do to throw yourself overboard and give up running?
3. Is there a Jonah in your life that you need to throw overboard? Ask God to give you the courage to step away from the things and people in your life that constantly trip you up!
4. Can you remember a time in your life when all you could do was cry out to God? Take a few minutes and cry out to Him now. Write or type this prayer, fold it up, and place it in your sock drawer. Read it and pray it again every morning and watch as God delivers you!
5. Have you approached your Nineveh? What is holding you back? Ask God for courage to be bold and show this person a love that can only come from Him!
6. Have you ever found yourself upset because a person didn't get "what they deserve?" Ask God to help you show others the same mercy He shows you every morning!
7. Congratulations on reading the entire book of Jonah this week! What is the one thing that stood out to you? Why?
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Jonah Throws a Man-Fit
Jonah 4:1-11 (NLT)
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
As we’ve already discussed, Jonah preaches to the city of Nineveh and the entire city repents of its sin. That's amazing. They repented in such a way that God decided to spare the entire city after earlier deciding to wipe it out. Jonah got so angry at this that he left the city and sat by himself in the desert.
So while Jonah was throwing his man-fit in the desert, God came to him and asked him if he felt his anger was justified. Jonah replied saying, "Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
So God left him alone stewing in the desert and did something strange. He caused a plant to grow up next to Jonah. Overnight. To give Jonah's whiny heinie some shade. Jonah was grateful as I would have been. I'm sure his anger subsided a bit when that cool shady breeze hit his face. However, after Jonah was able to finally get some relief from the heat, God sent a worm to eat the entire tree. A worm ate the entire plant. A worm. God also sent a very nasty blistering hot wind out of the east to beat on Jonah for a bit. So Jonah starts to throw another man-fit. He says, "Death is certainly better than living like this!" So God asks him if his anger towards the plant's demise was just. Jonah replied like any sweaty, hot, defeated man would have replied:
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Heat can make a man do and say many things he's not proud of. I know this from personal experience.
So then God comes at him with this question: “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?”
I'm sure every bird, lizard, and insect stopped whatever it was doing at that very second and let out a big, "Ohhhh SNAP!" Because that's where the book ends and if the animal's quip was written, it would have just been silly. But I bet it happened. We find out really quickly that Jonah has no answer to the question. The book just ends.
There are no more chapters in the book of Jonah. He will be forever remembered for being swallowed by a fish and throwing man-fits in the desert. Quite the legacy... However, I think he would be thankful that God was able to use him to teach us such a powerful lesson. I think this is the proverbial "can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing. Jonah was in such a selfish state that he was more upset about that plant dying than he was a city of over 120,000 people dying. If you're God, this is what you call a "teachable moment."
Let us not be so selfish and short-sighted that we completely miss out on all of the blessings God has set before us.
The world doesn't need another Jonah.
This change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
The Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?”
Then Jonah went out to the east side of the city and made a shelter to sit under as he waited to see what would happen to the city. And the Lord God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant.
But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.
Then God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry because the plant died?”
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Then the Lord said, “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn’t I feel sorry for such a great city?”
As we’ve already discussed, Jonah preaches to the city of Nineveh and the entire city repents of its sin. That's amazing. They repented in such a way that God decided to spare the entire city after earlier deciding to wipe it out. Jonah got so angry at this that he left the city and sat by himself in the desert.
So while Jonah was throwing his man-fit in the desert, God came to him and asked him if he felt his anger was justified. Jonah replied saying, "Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”
So God left him alone stewing in the desert and did something strange. He caused a plant to grow up next to Jonah. Overnight. To give Jonah's whiny heinie some shade. Jonah was grateful as I would have been. I'm sure his anger subsided a bit when that cool shady breeze hit his face. However, after Jonah was able to finally get some relief from the heat, God sent a worm to eat the entire tree. A worm ate the entire plant. A worm. God also sent a very nasty blistering hot wind out of the east to beat on Jonah for a bit. So Jonah starts to throw another man-fit. He says, "Death is certainly better than living like this!" So God asks him if his anger towards the plant's demise was just. Jonah replied like any sweaty, hot, defeated man would have replied:
“Yes,” Jonah retorted, “even angry enough to die!”
Heat can make a man do and say many things he's not proud of. I know this from personal experience.
So then God comes at him with this question: “You feel sorry about the plant, though you did nothing to put it there. It came quickly and died quickly. But Nineveh has more than 120,000 people living in spiritual darkness, not to mention all the animals. Shouldn't I feel sorry for such a great city?”
I'm sure every bird, lizard, and insect stopped whatever it was doing at that very second and let out a big, "Ohhhh SNAP!" Because that's where the book ends and if the animal's quip was written, it would have just been silly. But I bet it happened. We find out really quickly that Jonah has no answer to the question. The book just ends.
There are no more chapters in the book of Jonah. He will be forever remembered for being swallowed by a fish and throwing man-fits in the desert. Quite the legacy... However, I think he would be thankful that God was able to use him to teach us such a powerful lesson. I think this is the proverbial "can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing. Jonah was in such a selfish state that he was more upset about that plant dying than he was a city of over 120,000 people dying. If you're God, this is what you call a "teachable moment."
Let us not be so selfish and short-sighted that we completely miss out on all of the blessings God has set before us.
The world doesn't need another Jonah.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Jonah Obeys And Nineveh Is Glad
Jonah 3:1-10 (NLT)
Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”
This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.
When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:
“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah finally obeyed God and entire city of Nineveh repented and turned towards God! Wow! It’s amazing what God can do through a willing servant!
I hope you can find encouragement here. We’ve discussed throwing your Jonah off of your boat but now we have to move on to sharing God’s message with your Nineveh! That person that we discussed last week… The one that you know God is leading you to share your faith with… This person is your Nineveh!
While you may be afraid of the temporary consequences that may follow you sharing your faith with this person (NEWSFLASH: they may not be comfortable around you anymore and your relationship with this person may change!), they are far outweighed by the eternal consequences (eternity in Heaven or Hell!). With a person’s eternity in Heaven or Hell in the balance, we don’t have time to wait around and hope for the best! God has given us His power! We don’t have to walk into any situation alone! Ask Him to give you the words to say and He will! Trust Him today!
Share with your Nineveh the message that God has laid on your heart!
Then the Lord spoke to Jonah a second time: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh, and deliver the message I have given you.”
This time Jonah obeyed the Lord’s command and went to Nineveh, a city so large that it took three days to see it all. On the day Jonah entered the city, he shouted to the crowds: “Forty days from now Nineveh will be destroyed!” The people of Nineveh believed God’s message, and from the greatest to the least, they declared a fast and put on burlap to show their sorrow.
When the king of Nineveh heard what Jonah was saying, he stepped down from his throne and took off his royal robes. He dressed himself in burlap and sat on a heap of ashes. Then the king and his nobles sent this decree throughout the city:
“No one, not even the animals from your herds and flocks, may eat or drink anything at all. People and animals alike must wear garments of mourning, and everyone must pray earnestly to God. They must turn from their evil ways and stop all their violence. Who can tell? Perhaps even yet God will change his mind and hold back his fierce anger from destroying us.”
When God saw what they had done and how they had put a stop to their evil ways, he changed his mind and did not carry out the destruction he had threatened.
Jonah finally obeyed God and entire city of Nineveh repented and turned towards God! Wow! It’s amazing what God can do through a willing servant!
I hope you can find encouragement here. We’ve discussed throwing your Jonah off of your boat but now we have to move on to sharing God’s message with your Nineveh! That person that we discussed last week… The one that you know God is leading you to share your faith with… This person is your Nineveh!
While you may be afraid of the temporary consequences that may follow you sharing your faith with this person (NEWSFLASH: they may not be comfortable around you anymore and your relationship with this person may change!), they are far outweighed by the eternal consequences (eternity in Heaven or Hell!). With a person’s eternity in Heaven or Hell in the balance, we don’t have time to wait around and hope for the best! God has given us His power! We don’t have to walk into any situation alone! Ask Him to give you the words to say and He will! Trust Him today!
Share with your Nineveh the message that God has laid on your heart!
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Jonah Cries Out To God
Jonah 2:1-10 (NLT)
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’ I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
This beautiful prayer should ring true in all of our lives. Even though Jonah ran away from God, He was delivered the moment He cried out to God for help. We must remember that God loves us through our mistakes. He doesn’t approve or accept sin in our lives but He will always restore us when we cry out to Him.
Don’t wallow in your sin any longer! Cry out to God and be delivered!
Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from inside the fish. He said,
“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and he answered me. I called to you from the land of the dead, and Lord, you heard me! You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea. The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, you have driven me from your presence. Yet I will look once more toward your holy Temple.’ I sank beneath the waves, and the waters closed over me. Seaweed wrapped itself around my head. I sank down to the very roots of the mountains. I was imprisoned in the earth, whose gates lock shut forever. But you, O Lord my God, snatched me from the jaws of death! As my life was slipping away, I remembered the Lord. And my earnest prayer went out to you in your holy Temple. Those who worship false gods turn their backs on all God’s mercies. But I will offer sacrifices to you with songs of praise, and I will fulfill all my vows. For my salvation comes from the Lord alone.”
Then the Lord ordered the fish to spit Jonah out onto the beach.
This beautiful prayer should ring true in all of our lives. Even though Jonah ran away from God, He was delivered the moment He cried out to God for help. We must remember that God loves us through our mistakes. He doesn’t approve or accept sin in our lives but He will always restore us when we cry out to Him.
Don’t wallow in your sin any longer! Cry out to God and be delivered!
Monday, April 15, 2013
Jonah Gets Thrown Overboard
Jonah 1:4-17 (NLT)
But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”
Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Two things:
First, are you going through a storm in your life right now because you blatantly disobeyed God? Are you and your family suffering for the decisions you’re making right now? Jonah realized that he was wrong and acknowledged “that this terrible storm is all my fault.” Are you going to continue to run away from God or are you going to listen to God? Decide right now.
Secondly, as John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) has stated before, is there a Jonah in your life? Is there a person in your life that you need to get away from? Are you suffering through storm after storm because you’re allowing this person and their influence to remain in your life? You know the person I’m talking about. They popped into your head as you read the past few sentences. It’s time to throw them off the boat (your life!) and move on!
These are tough things to swallow but they are vital if we’re going to grow closer to Christ in our lives. Give the Jonah's in your life to God and walk away from them. Your ship will crash and you will drown if you don’t.
But the Lord hurled a powerful wind over the sea, causing a violent storm that threatened to break the ship apart. Fearing for their lives, the desperate sailors shouted to their gods for help and threw the cargo overboard to lighten the ship.
But all this time Jonah was sound asleep down in the hold. So the captain went down after him. “How can you sleep at a time like this?” he shouted. “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.”
Then the crew cast lots to see which of them had offended the gods and caused the terrible storm. When they did this, the lots identified Jonah as the culprit. “Why has this awful storm come down on us?” they demanded. “Who are you? What is your line of work? What country are you from? What is your nationality?”
Jonah answered, “I am a Hebrew, and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the land.”
The sailors were terrified when they heard this, for he had already told them he was running away from the Lord. “Oh, why did you do it?” they groaned. And since the storm was getting worse all the time, they asked him, “What should we do to you to stop this storm?”
“Throw me into the sea,” Jonah said, “and it will become calm again. I know that this terrible storm is all my fault.”
Instead, the sailors rowed even harder to get the ship to the land. But the stormy sea was too violent for them, and they couldn’t make it. Then they cried out to the Lord, Jonah’s God. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “don’t make us die for this man’s sin. And don’t hold us responsible for his death. O Lord, you have sent this storm upon him for your own good reasons.”
Then the sailors picked Jonah up and threw him into the raging sea, and the storm stopped at once! The sailors were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered him a sacrifice and vowed to serve him.
Now the Lord had arranged for a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was inside the fish for three days and three nights.
Two things:
First, are you going through a storm in your life right now because you blatantly disobeyed God? Are you and your family suffering for the decisions you’re making right now? Jonah realized that he was wrong and acknowledged “that this terrible storm is all my fault.” Are you going to continue to run away from God or are you going to listen to God? Decide right now.
Secondly, as John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) has stated before, is there a Jonah in your life? Is there a person in your life that you need to get away from? Are you suffering through storm after storm because you’re allowing this person and their influence to remain in your life? You know the person I’m talking about. They popped into your head as you read the past few sentences. It’s time to throw them off the boat (your life!) and move on!
These are tough things to swallow but they are vital if we’re going to grow closer to Christ in our lives. Give the Jonah's in your life to God and walk away from them. Your ship will crash and you will drown if you don’t.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Jonah Runs Away
Jonah 1:1-3 (NLT)
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
Sometimes, we feel like God may be telling us something. We feel like maybe He wants us to talk to a certain person or go to a certain place. We feel like it anyway… Oftentimes, we chalk it up to food poisoning or headache medicine and ignore it.
Then you have situations like the one Jonah found himself in. The Lord actually gave Jonah a direct message. A specific message. God probably wrote it down on a holy post-it note (pure conjecture on my part - you will not find this in scripture!). Jonah didn’t have to interpret it or take it to his pastor. God left nothing to Jonah’s imagination.
Jonah ran anyway.
Imagine getting a direct command from God and running away from it. We like to think we’d never do that but if we’re honest, we do it every day. We make excuses. We do things halfway. We ignore it when we hear God’s voice and keep walking through our life like it never happened.
As you start this week, make sure that you don’t ignore God when He leads you to do something. The only way to do this is to be in constant communication with Him. Talk to Him throughout your day and you won’t have to wonder whether You heard His voice or not. You’ll know.
The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai: “Get up and go to the great city of Nineveh. Announce my judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.” But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.
Sometimes, we feel like God may be telling us something. We feel like maybe He wants us to talk to a certain person or go to a certain place. We feel like it anyway… Oftentimes, we chalk it up to food poisoning or headache medicine and ignore it.
Then you have situations like the one Jonah found himself in. The Lord actually gave Jonah a direct message. A specific message. God probably wrote it down on a holy post-it note (pure conjecture on my part - you will not find this in scripture!). Jonah didn’t have to interpret it or take it to his pastor. God left nothing to Jonah’s imagination.
Jonah ran anyway.
Imagine getting a direct command from God and running away from it. We like to think we’d never do that but if we’re honest, we do it every day. We make excuses. We do things halfway. We ignore it when we hear God’s voice and keep walking through our life like it never happened.
As you start this week, make sure that you don’t ignore God when He leads you to do something. The only way to do this is to be in constant communication with Him. Talk to Him throughout your day and you won’t have to wonder whether You heard His voice or not. You’ll know.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Reflection
1. Think about something you know you need to do that you've been putting off waiting on the perfect time to handle it? Ask God to give you the courage to step up and handle this situation today!
2. Who is God leading you to share your faith with today? He probably laid this person on your heart a long time ago. Ask God to give you the words to say as well as the courage to share you faith with them!
3. Pray that God will lead you to a mentor in your life. A person that you can trust and learn from. Don't be ashamed to ask this person to be a mentor for you. God put us here to love and help each other!
4. What is the main thing that stuck out to you as you read Wednesday's devotional, "Angry People?" Why did this stick out to you like it did?
5. Take every little sin that you've been carrying with you lately and write it down on a sheet of paper. Give them all to God and shred / burn / destroy the paper, signifying your letting go of the chains that have bound you!
2. Who is God leading you to share your faith with today? He probably laid this person on your heart a long time ago. Ask God to give you the words to say as well as the courage to share you faith with them!
3. Pray that God will lead you to a mentor in your life. A person that you can trust and learn from. Don't be ashamed to ask this person to be a mentor for you. God put us here to love and help each other!
4. What is the main thing that stuck out to you as you read Wednesday's devotional, "Angry People?" Why did this stick out to you like it did?
5. Take every little sin that you've been carrying with you lately and write it down on a sheet of paper. Give them all to God and shred / burn / destroy the paper, signifying your letting go of the chains that have bound you!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Wise Advisors
Proverbs 24:6 (NLT)
So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisors.
Let me share with you two different scenarios…
You have a big decision to make. There are many pros and cons. There are many reasons for you to choose one way and there are just as many reasons for you to go the other direction. You’ve been praying about this decision.
Scenario #1:
You decide to trust your gut. All of your life experiences have led you to this point and you trust yourself. You’ve even run it by a few of your friends and they agree with you. They’re all the same age as you and have your best interests in mind. Right?
Scenario #2:
You decide to find a person that you trust and respect to help you make your decision. Because of this person’s experiences and their walk with the Lord, they are able to help you see your decision from a different perspective. They are able to help you see pros and cons that you didn’t even know to look for. Now you’re able to make a decision based on more than just the acceptance of your peers. You’re able to make a truly wise decision.
Even though one of these scenarios is clearly better than the other one, we still choose Scenario #1 more often than not. It’s time to change that!
I challenge you to find a mentor of sorts to help you make the decision you’re struggling with right now. It may be someone you barely know. All you know is that they seem to be spiritually-mature. The fruit their life bears shows you that they have committed their life to Christ. Ask God to lead you to this person and when He does, don’t be afraid to ask them for advice!
Make your move!
So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisors.
Let me share with you two different scenarios…
You have a big decision to make. There are many pros and cons. There are many reasons for you to choose one way and there are just as many reasons for you to go the other direction. You’ve been praying about this decision.
Scenario #1:
You decide to trust your gut. All of your life experiences have led you to this point and you trust yourself. You’ve even run it by a few of your friends and they agree with you. They’re all the same age as you and have your best interests in mind. Right?
Scenario #2:
You decide to find a person that you trust and respect to help you make your decision. Because of this person’s experiences and their walk with the Lord, they are able to help you see your decision from a different perspective. They are able to help you see pros and cons that you didn’t even know to look for. Now you’re able to make a decision based on more than just the acceptance of your peers. You’re able to make a truly wise decision.
Even though one of these scenarios is clearly better than the other one, we still choose Scenario #1 more often than not. It’s time to change that!
I challenge you to find a mentor of sorts to help you make the decision you’re struggling with right now. It may be someone you barely know. All you know is that they seem to be spiritually-mature. The fruit their life bears shows you that they have committed their life to Christ. Ask God to lead you to this person and when He does, don’t be afraid to ask them for advice!
Make your move!
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Fearing People
Proverbs 29:25 (NLT)
Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.
How many times have you wanted to stand up for God but didn’t because of the people around you? How many times have you felt led to share the Gospel with someone but didn’t because you were afraid of the consequences? What if you were to lose this person as a friend? I’ll ask you a better question:
What if your friend died and spent eternity in Hell simply because you didn’t share Christ with them when you knew God was leading you to?
It comes back to maturing in your walk with the Lord and living your life with an eternal perspective. Instead of carefully guarding our quasi-relationships with people here on earth, we are able to see what’s most important: our friend’s eternal destination. Yet fear remains.
However, God’s Word tells us that we have no reason to fear people. Why fear people who can do us no eternal harm? We were made to love and worship God and, just as importantly, to love each other. I can’t think of any greater way to show a person love than to share with them the story of salvation given to us through Jesus’ death on the cross.
When you’re feeling led to share Christ today, don’t check out.
Make your move!
Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the LORD means safety.
How many times have you wanted to stand up for God but didn’t because of the people around you? How many times have you felt led to share the Gospel with someone but didn’t because you were afraid of the consequences? What if you were to lose this person as a friend? I’ll ask you a better question:
What if your friend died and spent eternity in Hell simply because you didn’t share Christ with them when you knew God was leading you to?
It comes back to maturing in your walk with the Lord and living your life with an eternal perspective. Instead of carefully guarding our quasi-relationships with people here on earth, we are able to see what’s most important: our friend’s eternal destination. Yet fear remains.
However, God’s Word tells us that we have no reason to fear people. Why fear people who can do us no eternal harm? We were made to love and worship God and, just as importantly, to love each other. I can’t think of any greater way to show a person love than to share with them the story of salvation given to us through Jesus’ death on the cross.
When you’re feeling led to share Christ today, don’t check out.
Make your move!
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Angry People
Proverbs 22:24-25 (NLT)
Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
There are three aspects to this verse that we need to notice and discuss.
The first thing we need to understand is very obvious: We don’t need to spend time with angry or hot-tempered people.
Anger and a short temper breed negativity and negativity sucks all the good air out of any room it enters. For your sake and the sake of the many people you’re sure to run into, don’t spend your time around people like this.
The second thing we need to understand is this: We need to make sure that WE aren’t the angry or hot-tempered person.
Is it possible that we are the person that God is telling people to not befriend? Of course it is… As Christians, we have to be very conscientious of our attitudes. There’s no way we can share the Gospel with anyone if we’re living a life that leaves us in a constantly angry state. Many angry people love to blame those around them for their anger but we all know this is just an excuse. We all make a daily decision as to how we are going to live. If you’re content breeding anger in your life, that’s a decision you’ve made… Not the people around you.
The third and final thing we need to understand is this: We will learn to be like the people we spend the most time with.
If you spend the majority of your time around thieves, you’re probably going to end up being a thief too. If you spend the majority of your time around poets, you’re probably going to be a poet too. If you spend the majority of your time around Pearl Jam fanatics, you’re probably going to begin enjoying Pearl Jam as well. In the same way, if you spend the majority of your time around authentic followers of Christ, you will find yourself authentically following Christ as well. Conversely, if you only spend time with Christ-followers at church 2 or 3 hours a week, it’s going to be very hard for you to follow Christ.
We have to choose to not let anger control us!
We have to choose to avoid spending time with angry people and instead surround ourselves with godly people!
Finally, we have to choose to be a godly person who will benefit and build up the people we spend time with!
Ask God to make these things true of you today! Don’t wait until tomorrow!
Make your move!
Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.
There are three aspects to this verse that we need to notice and discuss.
The first thing we need to understand is very obvious: We don’t need to spend time with angry or hot-tempered people.
Anger and a short temper breed negativity and negativity sucks all the good air out of any room it enters. For your sake and the sake of the many people you’re sure to run into, don’t spend your time around people like this.
The second thing we need to understand is this: We need to make sure that WE aren’t the angry or hot-tempered person.
Is it possible that we are the person that God is telling people to not befriend? Of course it is… As Christians, we have to be very conscientious of our attitudes. There’s no way we can share the Gospel with anyone if we’re living a life that leaves us in a constantly angry state. Many angry people love to blame those around them for their anger but we all know this is just an excuse. We all make a daily decision as to how we are going to live. If you’re content breeding anger in your life, that’s a decision you’ve made… Not the people around you.
The third and final thing we need to understand is this: We will learn to be like the people we spend the most time with.
If you spend the majority of your time around thieves, you’re probably going to end up being a thief too. If you spend the majority of your time around poets, you’re probably going to be a poet too. If you spend the majority of your time around Pearl Jam fanatics, you’re probably going to begin enjoying Pearl Jam as well. In the same way, if you spend the majority of your time around authentic followers of Christ, you will find yourself authentically following Christ as well. Conversely, if you only spend time with Christ-followers at church 2 or 3 hours a week, it’s going to be very hard for you to follow Christ.
We have to choose to not let anger control us!
We have to choose to avoid spending time with angry people and instead surround ourselves with godly people!
Finally, we have to choose to be a godly person who will benefit and build up the people we spend time with!
Ask God to make these things true of you today! Don’t wait until tomorrow!
Make your move!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Perfect Weather
Ecclesiastes 11:4 (NLT)
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
Are you waiting for something to kick-start you into a relationship with God?
Are you waiting on a bad habit to subside? Are you waiting to see how a relationship is going to work out? There are a million different things that we are apt to put our lives on hold for. Something to remember is that we are never standing still in the same place in our relationship with God. We are either moving towards Him or away from Him. When we think we’re standing still waiting on the conditions to change, we are actually moving away from God and possibly not even realizing it.
I’ve found this to be true in my own walk with the Lord. At times, I’ve put off reading my Bible because I had yet to purchase the particular Bible I had my eye on. I’ve put off prayer because the “feng shui” (“fung shway” for us Southern types!) was a little bit off in the area of the house that I was set on praying in. I know these things sound silly but we go through them every day. I’ve put off lovingly confronting a friend about a sin in their life because I knew there was unresolved sin in my life. Instead of resolving the sin in my life with God and confronting my friend, I did nothing. This led to both of us being trapped where as we might have been set free had I taken the first step in resolving my own sin.
Solomon tells us in the scripture above that life’s conditions will never be perfect. I want to encourage you today to take the steps you know that God is leading you to take.
I heard a pastor say during a sermon one day, “Life is too short and Hell is too hot to wait around!”
Don’t wait for perfect weather.
Make your move!
Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
Are you waiting for something to kick-start you into a relationship with God?
Are you waiting on a bad habit to subside? Are you waiting to see how a relationship is going to work out? There are a million different things that we are apt to put our lives on hold for. Something to remember is that we are never standing still in the same place in our relationship with God. We are either moving towards Him or away from Him. When we think we’re standing still waiting on the conditions to change, we are actually moving away from God and possibly not even realizing it.
I’ve found this to be true in my own walk with the Lord. At times, I’ve put off reading my Bible because I had yet to purchase the particular Bible I had my eye on. I’ve put off prayer because the “feng shui” (“fung shway” for us Southern types!) was a little bit off in the area of the house that I was set on praying in. I know these things sound silly but we go through them every day. I’ve put off lovingly confronting a friend about a sin in their life because I knew there was unresolved sin in my life. Instead of resolving the sin in my life with God and confronting my friend, I did nothing. This led to both of us being trapped where as we might have been set free had I taken the first step in resolving my own sin.
Solomon tells us in the scripture above that life’s conditions will never be perfect. I want to encourage you today to take the steps you know that God is leading you to take.
I heard a pastor say during a sermon one day, “Life is too short and Hell is too hot to wait around!”
Don’t wait for perfect weather.
Make your move!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
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.
Friday, April 5, 2013
Some More Reflection
Well, done. good and faithful servant…
If you have made it this far, you should have a pretty good handle on our church's vision:
My prayerful hope is your relationship with Jesus has never been as close and intimate as it is now. Take a few minutes to praise and thank him for walking with you so closely. Then take a few more minutes to finish the reflection questions.
1. Has your personal relationship with Jesus changed over the last month? Explain.
2. Of all the Scripture, devotionals, sermons, or meditations, which one stuck out the most to you? Why? Explain.
3. How have you applied what you have learned or read to your daily life? Be specific.
4. What can you begin doing today to share what you've learned with others? Be specific.
5. List some reasons why you’re thankful to God
6. Pause to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for us. Confess any lingering sin. Accept his forgiveness. Ask of Him your needs (and even your wants).
7. Remember… Jesus loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to let you stay that way!
If you have made it this far, you should have a pretty good handle on our church's vision:
- To passionately seek a closer walk with Jesus Christ.
- To grow as a spiritual body into mature and active Christ-followers.
- To reach the least, the lost, and the broken with the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
- To serve our body and our community as a living, breathing, moving church who shows Christ’s love instead of just talking about it.
My prayerful hope is your relationship with Jesus has never been as close and intimate as it is now. Take a few minutes to praise and thank him for walking with you so closely. Then take a few more minutes to finish the reflection questions.
1. Has your personal relationship with Jesus changed over the last month? Explain.
2. Of all the Scripture, devotionals, sermons, or meditations, which one stuck out the most to you? Why? Explain.
3. How have you applied what you have learned or read to your daily life? Be specific.
4. What can you begin doing today to share what you've learned with others? Be specific.
5. List some reasons why you’re thankful to God
6. Pause to praise God. Thank Him for who He is and all He has done for us. Confess any lingering sin. Accept his forgiveness. Ask of Him your needs (and even your wants).
7. Remember… Jesus loves you just as you are, but He also loves you too much to let you stay that way!
Thursday, April 4, 2013
Reflection
1. Do you consider yourself a patient person? Do you find it easier to be patient with Jesus, others, or yourself? Why?
2. Do you tolerate others or do you bear with them in love? What types of things can you put into practice to help you better bear with others?
3. List three opportunities you've had this week to share the hope you have in Jesus. Did you? If not, how can you change that?
2. Do you tolerate others or do you bear with them in love? What types of things can you put into practice to help you better bear with others?
3. List three opportunities you've had this week to share the hope you have in Jesus. Did you? If not, how can you change that?
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Growth and Maturity #7 - One Hope
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
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.
A while back, John pounded into us the importance of planting the Scripture into our hearts, even if we had to write it down and tape it up all over the house and workplace. During my various stages as a believer, I’ve done just that. My apartment resembled my writing notebooks, with scribbled scraps of paper covering everything. One anonymous quote I cut out and attached to the backside of my front door read, “Hope is more than just a feeling, it’s a call to action, it's what you are willing to sacrifice for, as much as that power lies in you.”
The “one hope” Paul alludes to revolves around Jesus, his salvation of us, and our future home with him in eternity. Furthermore, we are to share this hope with others. Whenever the opportunity arises. This begs the question, “Do we?” Are we prepared to share the hope we have in Jesus? Are we willing to share our hope with others, so that our hope may be their hope? Are we, as John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) asked, comfortable sharing this?
You, like me, would say, “Of course I share the hope I have in Jesus.” But give it some brutally honest thought. Between the conversations about the weather, football, hunting, shopping, diets, work, and television programs, the hope of Jesus can get suffocated. We get side-tracked. Jesus gets lost among the hustle and bustle. Or rather, we lose grip of him. In addition to posting notes around our house, we should post notes on our hearts. Notes that shout, “My hope is you, Jesus. Allow me opportunities to share your hope, my hope!”
A last question to ponder, from John (the Pastor, not the Baptist):
Is everything we do about him?
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
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.
A while back, John pounded into us the importance of planting the Scripture into our hearts, even if we had to write it down and tape it up all over the house and workplace. During my various stages as a believer, I’ve done just that. My apartment resembled my writing notebooks, with scribbled scraps of paper covering everything. One anonymous quote I cut out and attached to the backside of my front door read, “Hope is more than just a feeling, it’s a call to action, it's what you are willing to sacrifice for, as much as that power lies in you.”
The “one hope” Paul alludes to revolves around Jesus, his salvation of us, and our future home with him in eternity. Furthermore, we are to share this hope with others. Whenever the opportunity arises. This begs the question, “Do we?” Are we prepared to share the hope we have in Jesus? Are we willing to share our hope with others, so that our hope may be their hope? Are we, as John (the Pastor, not the Baptist) asked, comfortable sharing this?
You, like me, would say, “Of course I share the hope I have in Jesus.” But give it some brutally honest thought. Between the conversations about the weather, football, hunting, shopping, diets, work, and television programs, the hope of Jesus can get suffocated. We get side-tracked. Jesus gets lost among the hustle and bustle. Or rather, we lose grip of him. In addition to posting notes around our house, we should post notes on our hearts. Notes that shout, “My hope is you, Jesus. Allow me opportunities to share your hope, my hope!”
A last question to ponder, from John (the Pastor, not the Baptist):
Is everything we do about him?
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Growth and Maturity #6 - One Body - Bearing One Another in Love
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
Most of us have mastered the art of tolerance with one another. Fewer have passed the test when it comes to bearing with one another. And nearly no one does so with love. Doing so requires all the characteristics previously mentioned on this topic…plus love. It's possible to have them all without love, but only in an empty sort of way, like pottery. Fragile. But when you add love, you’re living like Jesus.
I've been writing the phrase “practice [the topic of the day]” at the end of the lessons because it takes just that- practice! Like a ball player, guitar strummer, or zumba dancer, all of these attributes must be put into practice. Apply it when the time comes to shine. Remember the words of James, “Faith without works is dead.” Practice is the action…or the application of faith. John (the pastor, not the Baptist) can preach about peace and unity until he’s blue in the face, we can nod our heads in agreement for years to come, we can sing songs dealing with us united until we’re hoarse. But until we long for unity and are willing to lose our self in the Savior and his body, its only faith. And it will be dead.
Most of us desire the action, the application. We just seem to get bogged down along the way. For those of us who need such things, here’s a list-
-Pray. Ask God to make His will, your’s.
-Participate. Get involved in being the hands and feet of Jesus.
-Practice. Make the prayer and participation a habit. Habits become lifestyles.
-Peace. To bear one another in love, live a life of worship. Do this by following the other “p”s. And enjoy the “peace that passes all understanding.”
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
Most of us have mastered the art of tolerance with one another. Fewer have passed the test when it comes to bearing with one another. And nearly no one does so with love. Doing so requires all the characteristics previously mentioned on this topic…plus love. It's possible to have them all without love, but only in an empty sort of way, like pottery. Fragile. But when you add love, you’re living like Jesus.
I've been writing the phrase “practice [the topic of the day]” at the end of the lessons because it takes just that- practice! Like a ball player, guitar strummer, or zumba dancer, all of these attributes must be put into practice. Apply it when the time comes to shine. Remember the words of James, “Faith without works is dead.” Practice is the action…or the application of faith. John (the pastor, not the Baptist) can preach about peace and unity until he’s blue in the face, we can nod our heads in agreement for years to come, we can sing songs dealing with us united until we’re hoarse. But until we long for unity and are willing to lose our self in the Savior and his body, its only faith. And it will be dead.
Most of us desire the action, the application. We just seem to get bogged down along the way. For those of us who need such things, here’s a list-
-Pray. Ask God to make His will, your’s.
-Participate. Get involved in being the hands and feet of Jesus.
-Practice. Make the prayer and participation a habit. Habits become lifestyles.
-Peace. To bear one another in love, live a life of worship. Do this by following the other “p”s. And enjoy the “peace that passes all understanding.”
Monday, April 1, 2013
Growth and Maturity #5 - One Body - Patience #3
Ephesians 4:1-6 (NLT)
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
Before pausing yesterday for the end-of-the-month reflection, we had been analyzing patience. On Friday, we witnessed the depth of Jesus’ patience with us and others. On Monday, we saw how we are to be like Christ in this and be patient with others. Today, we’ll tackle an often overlooked area of the topic- patience with ourselves.
Barring any severe case of denial, we tend to be hardest on ourselves, especially when it comes to our Christian walk. We confess our need for God, clean up, sober up, accept our Life-Change through Jesus and begin the journey. Then before long (usually later that day), we succumb to a temptation of our past life- sleeping around, getting drunk, taking a hit, stealing money, blaming others, cheating, whatever. We have little patience with ourselves because we were supposed to be perfect after we came to know Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit, right?!? Many times, we dive into a tailspin, believing the lie that now that we’ve sinned again, there is no return to him. That maybe his grace isn’t enough. That somehow He’s going to sling it into our faces despite Him already saying He’s thrown it into the sea of forgetfulness. Why is it that we can’t be more patient with ourselves and “forget” our sin. Do we enjoy playing God and not forgiving ourselves for some sick reason?
Although my capacity for patience has grown with me as I’ve grown spiritually, I have a tendency to lose patience with myself quickly. You see, I have a confession to make: I sinned this week. I hate to burst any sort of righteous bubble you may have put me in, but I’m bluntly honest. Since I‘m transparent, I might as well tell you I sin every week. Not a lifestyle of sin, mind you. But sins nonetheless. It's frustrating because I feel like the Apostle Paul when he lamented something along the lines of, “I don’t want to do this, to commit this sin…but d--- it, I do anyway.” I know its wrong. And I may even wrestle with it a while. But more often than not, I relent. I surrender. I give in. I quit. I sin. Less than the least. Overwhelmed by Godly sorrow, I hit my knees to seek forgiveness. Yet, despite knowing Jesus has forgiven and forgotten, I lash out at myself. Sometimes even use an explicative or two. It's then that the Spirit, not I, reminds me that “His grace is sufficient for me,” that I need to be patient not only with Jesus and others, but myself as well, that I won’t be perfect until I’m one with Him for eternity. Only then, do I accept the opportunity to grow in patience. And by His grace, I walk again.
Practice patience…
Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.
Before pausing yesterday for the end-of-the-month reflection, we had been analyzing patience. On Friday, we witnessed the depth of Jesus’ patience with us and others. On Monday, we saw how we are to be like Christ in this and be patient with others. Today, we’ll tackle an often overlooked area of the topic- patience with ourselves.
Barring any severe case of denial, we tend to be hardest on ourselves, especially when it comes to our Christian walk. We confess our need for God, clean up, sober up, accept our Life-Change through Jesus and begin the journey. Then before long (usually later that day), we succumb to a temptation of our past life- sleeping around, getting drunk, taking a hit, stealing money, blaming others, cheating, whatever. We have little patience with ourselves because we were supposed to be perfect after we came to know Jesus and were filled with the Holy Spirit, right?!? Many times, we dive into a tailspin, believing the lie that now that we’ve sinned again, there is no return to him. That maybe his grace isn’t enough. That somehow He’s going to sling it into our faces despite Him already saying He’s thrown it into the sea of forgetfulness. Why is it that we can’t be more patient with ourselves and “forget” our sin. Do we enjoy playing God and not forgiving ourselves for some sick reason?
Although my capacity for patience has grown with me as I’ve grown spiritually, I have a tendency to lose patience with myself quickly. You see, I have a confession to make: I sinned this week. I hate to burst any sort of righteous bubble you may have put me in, but I’m bluntly honest. Since I‘m transparent, I might as well tell you I sin every week. Not a lifestyle of sin, mind you. But sins nonetheless. It's frustrating because I feel like the Apostle Paul when he lamented something along the lines of, “I don’t want to do this, to commit this sin…but d--- it, I do anyway.” I know its wrong. And I may even wrestle with it a while. But more often than not, I relent. I surrender. I give in. I quit. I sin. Less than the least. Overwhelmed by Godly sorrow, I hit my knees to seek forgiveness. Yet, despite knowing Jesus has forgiven and forgotten, I lash out at myself. Sometimes even use an explicative or two. It's then that the Spirit, not I, reminds me that “His grace is sufficient for me,” that I need to be patient not only with Jesus and others, but myself as well, that I won’t be perfect until I’m one with Him for eternity. Only then, do I accept the opportunity to grow in patience. And by His grace, I walk again.
Practice patience…
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