Hosted every Sunday at “About My Father’s Business“;By Sunny Shell. Copyright © 2008-2011 About My Father’s Business – John 15:13
Archive for “Christian Life”
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Jul 2011
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Hosted every Sunday at “About My Father’s Business“;By Sunny Shell. Copyright © 2008-2011 About My Father’s Business – John 15:13
26
Jun 2011
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Hosted every Sunday at “About My Father’s Business“;By Sunny Shell. Copyright © 2008-2011 About My Father’s Business – John 15:13
01
Nov 2010
The Heart not the Dress
I had been contemplating on a sermon that my pastor had preached and he had talked about 1 Samuel 16:7,”But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”Look at the picture on the right.
If you were walking anywhere, what is the first thought that hits your mind about this man?
Would you grab your purse and feel your heart start beating? Would fears start filling your mind.
Maybe you would walk by and resolve not to say anything. Think what a disgrace.Grab the kids hands a little closer and walk a little faster.
What if you went surfing the internet and came across a picture of this same person, here, and gasped with shock at what you discover?
It really made me stop and think when the pastor went…we all need God. God doesn’t care if you wear a suit or rags.
We need to be careful about making pre-judgements about a person, because the chances are…we maybe proven wrong, and what a relief if mentally we think, “Wow, glad I didn’t say anything,” but what about the miss opportunity then if we didn’t step up and say anything?
God cares about you. The “you” inside, not the “you” outside.
He cares about everyone.
There is a quote that goes,
“We can make a serious error and put the emphasis on the external to the exclusion of what is essential. Spirituality is not gained by conformity to a set of appearance standards. Please don’t make that mistake. A person can be straight down the line with an impeccable appearance and be as mean as the devil. They can just stab you in the back. God does not want that. He wants your heart as well as your appearance to be right. ……………………….We can make a serious error and put the emphasis on the external to the exclusion of what is essential. Spirituality is not gained by conformity to a set of appearance standards. Please don’t make that mistake. A person can be straight down the line with an impeccable appearance and be as mean as the devil. They can just stab you in the back. God does not want that. He wants your heart as well as your appearance to be right. “
Source: Sermon: “Outward Appearance” by Pastor Gary Prisk
I was thinking about that when during a conversation , a church was judged not by the sermon or if it was biblically based but the person was judging it by how the people arrived dressed.
I shared a story that I was told of a that pastor brought up the fact he was asked one time why he never wore a suit and was it because he couldn’t afford one.
He replied,”I own a few suits…and I will wear them to a wedding….or a funeral, but I come here to worship God, not for a fashion show. I want God to see what is in my heart, He’s not going to see me by what I wear.”
The person then criticized about how there were people wearing shorts in the church and they thought it was disrespectful and the pastor brought up, Galations 5:6,”For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love. “
And reminded gently that the Pharisees were dressed up in fine robes, but inside…they weren’t concern about God. They thought by dressing up in finery and being showy, that SHOWED they loved God, but the reality…inside they were empty and the cup wasn’t clean.
Matthew 23:25,”Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. “
The pastor went, if we were so much more caught up in what we wear, that brings attention to us…not to God.
It’s not about what we wear that will define how faithful or how much we believe in God, it’s what goes on in our hearts and how we allow God to flourish in our lives that will define it and we have to make sure that we are not trying to create “works” or our own ideas of a “religious life” to justify serving God.
God will take care of dealing with that particularly person’s conviction about how THEY feel they should dress but , God isn’t going to say,”This person is wearing a suit, why aren’t you?”
If a person is going to show up in a scuba diver’s outfit…yes they will definitely stand out for sure and be thought of odd, but God isn’t. He isn’t going to think…”Hey that’s not *insert a brand name*, why are you here in church?”
There are Christains all over the world that dress differently than we dress here in the States, but that doesn’t make them less of a brother or sister.
Galatians 5:4You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
In the MSG version it goes, “When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace.”
The focus becomes too much on yourself and it risks losing focus on who it is about….God.
God doesn’t want make loving him and worshipping Him HARD. If He did…we would all have to look like the pharisees in order to please Him.
Most of us probrably couldn’t go to church if we had to say…only wear clothes from *insert a high end designer here* God doesn’t require shopping at Neiman Marcus or at a thrift store to love Him, He just requires opening your heart to Him.
He does want us to repent of our sins…and He does want us to stop living a life that is sinful and disrespectful of Him, but He doesn’t want our dress to stop us from worshipping Him…and nor should we allow the dress of others stop them from worshipping Him either.
Matthew 11:28-30,”28. ‘Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest, 29. take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and ye shall find rest to your souls, 30. for my yoke {is} easy, and my burden is light.’ “
God is not here to burden us anymore than we already are; He has come here to free us, all of us, irregardless how we are dressed.
I actually heard of an excuse why someone didn’t go to church was because they had nothing to wear and couldn’t afford to buy “Sunday clothes”. Income and dress isn’t a requirement to worship God.
I tried to encourage them to go to church irregardless. Just dress nice with what you have and go to church and they replied,” I can’t because the others look down on me then.”
Do we sometimes do that ourselves?
Condemn other fellow brothers and sisters because they don’t dress like us, and rather than encourage them to go to church, to have fellowship with other believers and encourage to come closer to God, we set up a man’s precedent and condition of how they should come before God.
Do we have the “well they should just go buy this and that if they really want to go?” whispering in our ears when we listen to others who don’t go to church.
That if they don’t do this…they aren’t allowed or good or worthy to be associated with, to be talked to, because well..they don’t fit in so they are out of the club?
Or do we encourage our weak brothers and sisters and take the time to tell them that God loves them for them…not what they are wearing, where they lived, where they eat.
That no matter what their circumstances…God isn’t an elitist.
He loves all of us no matter our age, size or what we wear.
Look around us. How many lost brothers and sisters do we have that doesn’t know God because they feel because they don’t dress like June Cleaver or Ward, that God won’t love them.
God loves the current Mary Magdelenes of today’s world despite how they are dressed.
Remember Mary of Magdalene? She was a prostitute. Did God say, ulp, because she was a woman, a low class citizen and a prostitute, I’m not going to take time for her; She has no right?
No. He loves her…not her sin. He loves her enough that He wants her to be better than what she is and to see there is something better than what there is….but how many, can you think, are willing to care more about her soul and lead her to a better life and in the process, turn…turn from the sin.
Yes…He confronted her, but He didn’t say, first you have to do this and then this and then this….Instead, He said “First turn away from the sin…sin no more…” and she followed…and allowed Him, not the Pharisees, but Him, to work in and through her to change. She change because of a conviction of the heart.
I Corinthians 13:1
If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
It doesn’t work that we how we dress is the only way that God loves us. He loves us no matter what. It’s man who won’t love man until they change the way they dress.
The trick is that when a person has fully allowed Jesus Christ to be their Lord and Saviour and geniunely repents of their sin, and allows the Holy Spirit to work in their life…their outward appearance will change when THEY are ready.
Some people come to know God due to a traumatic event. Maybe a drug overdose, maybe a long night alone, crying in the dark feeling lost. Most people who come to know God has a past and it’s because of the path of their past that led them to God.
Not everyone grew up as Christians. Some may never had even read a bible or had someone share the word of God with them. Some may never know the word of God or have someone take the time to share the Gospel with them and they will die, never knowing because someone didn’t think it was worth their time or comfort.
While society is quick to cast away our rejects because they don’t fit our standards or care to associate with them, God wants to get to know them and save them.
I love this quote that I saw posted that said,
JESUS didn’t go around inviting lost people to the temple… HE met them where they were. As did the disciples. I’m not saying that unbelievers didn’t come in on their own, just that it doesn’t look like that was the way of sharing the gospel. The modern way of doing things has taken the burden of leading others to CHRIST off of us as individuals and placed it on one man.This is where balance comes to play. If we’re living our lives for CHRIST then others will see HIM in us. If we’re sharing HIM with the ladies in the grocery store, or inviting them into our homes then we have many chances every day to share the gospel.
Everyday is an opportunity to share and lead people to Christ. That’s part of our job too. It’s not just surrounding ourselves in a comfort zone because everyone that we choose around us, thinks like us, talks like us and dress like us.
Not when we are ready…when they are ready.
We may not give them a second glance, but God has.
He is working in their lives to change, but we aren’t helping when we are trying to push them down while God is working to lift them up…eventually something has gotta give and someone either goes down, or is lifted up.
For many lost souls….whose been burned by the church body, not the church, but the body, this is a hard struggle. To help them come back to God, we have to be living examples of how God loves us without setting up conditions that if you don’t do this, I’m closing the door on you.
There are many who honestly have NEVER read or owned the Word of God, they may never have grown up in a Christian home, have false beliefs about God and well….just never had someone take the time to really just talk to them.
Doesn’t make them worthless just more valuable to God.
Remember Saul.
Before he became Paul.
You wouldn’t want to run into him in a dark alley then, but God did. Did you know that afterwards…people for the longest time, STILL didn’t want to have anything to do with him because they cared about what they saw and know about his past and not his present or his future.
Who cared that God saved him and that he was saved; He had a past. A bad past. The people of his time didn’t like him so what if God does, they didn’t. He could starve for al lthey cared,but God cared.
He cared enough that he said, this is the man I will chose to share my word. Notice God didn’t pick a man with a clean past, who was cleanshaven and had no blood on his hands.
Romans 8:28,“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [his] purpose.”
When we strive to get to know God, it’s not just a personal journey, one on one…It’s also about getting to know God through our interactions with everyone….We are all children of God, not just a few select.
Every religion has a set of you have to do this, what you have to wear and what you have to eat and do to know God. Fail to do it and you fall short.
The list will show all this things that other religions require to know God on their terms, by man terms and determinations.
Religion is spelled “DO”.
Not ours.
Grace is spelled “Done”.
There is nothing else on that list for Grace.
It’s been done.
Jesus Christ paid the price. It’s done.
“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).
He didn’t mean He was going to die now…He didn’t mean it was over for those who were persecuted. He meant, the price has now been paid for our sins.
That is all it took. He died for us. For You…For Me. There is nothing more in the world we could do then.
Throw out the animal sacrifices and the legalism of the OT. It has been paid for by the sacrifical lamb, Jesus Christ.
You. Me. The druggie. The prostitutes, the ills of society. Paid for.
And all we had to do…was accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour. That’s it.
We didnt have to drag out our best animal. We didn’t have to wear our best. Our best is now. In our hearts.
We just needed to say, “You are my Lord and Saviour”. No flourishes in our speech. No fireworks.
“When He had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, He bowed His head and gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).
The ONLY way to God, isn’t how we dress or what we do. The only way to God is through Jesus Christ.
Notice He didn’t add, and those nice shoes we see in the window will get us there, it’s not the clean life becuase none of us had that. We all sinned.
John 14:6 (Emphasis added by me), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but through Me.” .
Mark 1:17And Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Sometimes the nicest, most God-fearing people are often the ones we least expect to look like they do.
Without judge, trial or jury, we have already judged them on basis of looks and because they didn’t make it easy for us, we’re not going to make it easy for them.
Galatians 5:6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.
It’s interesting in the MSG version it goes, “Galations 5:6, “For in Christ, neither our conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior; faith expressed in love.”
The face of our brothers and sisters are different culturally outward in how we dress or talk, but inside…we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
We need to be careful ourselves that we don’t get so caught up legalistically wise that we may inadvertantely turn people away from salvation.
In the darknest of nights, God still holds His hand out to all of us.
The first Christians didn’t wear clothes of riches, probably didn’t take baths often since it would be far in and between and look vastly different….but ultimately….we all will meet in the same place when we truly serve God not by how we look, but how we serve Him from our heart.
“…..The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 NLT
Lord, Thank You for Your love and forgiveness for no matter how I look, what I wear or what I eat or do, I was unworthy ,”But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrifical death while we were of no use whateer to him.” Romans 5:8 MSG
Lord, help me remember it’s not all about how I dress or where I live or who I am outside, but forever make me Your humble servant so I may serve YOU, not You serve me but I serve YOU and that my life is Your life and my life is used by YOU to be a light to others Lord.
Lord, don’t let me find comfort in self-effort. Remind me that I can clean and clean and clean the cup and make it shiny and it will not matter to You if inside it’s filled with self-indulgence, greed and worldy thoughts that don’t lead to you Lord.”
Keep me humble Lord; I praise You for remembering it’s not what I have or get that is a blessing from You but what Your Son, Jesus Christ, is all I would ever need in this world. Heavenly Father, I pray for those who don’t know You, who are afraid to come to know You, don’t have people in their lives to lead them to You and just don’t know how to come to know You.
Heavenly Father, help me remember that angry person, that person dressed in a way I wouldn’t or talk in a way I wouldn’t or doesn’t look like the way I would, needs You more than the average joe, that looks talks and dresses like me.
Remind me that the single parent needs You, the drug addict, the abused, the hurt, the lonely. I can’t just play safe and wait for someone in a suit and tie.
They aren’t the ones You are worried about. You are worried about the ones who have fallen, who are fallen, who will fall. You are worried about the ones, society says, you don’t look right, talk right, smell right. They all need You and I’m not helping by turning the other way. Help me overcome fear Lord and have trust in You.
Help me remember….it’s not about embracing, accepting and encouraging their lifestyles…but it’s about embracing, encouraging and accepting the sinner…not the sin. Lord help me love but not love to the point of blindness.
It means to love people irrespective of the sins that we may see in them. It means accepting them and loving them just as they are without thereby “loving” their sins and practicing them ourselves………let us indeed love sinners — and don’t we all fit that category? — and hate the sin in our own lives, including the “acceptable kind,” that makes us poor representatives of the Christ we claim to serve. Source: Love the Sinner-Not the Sin
Hebrews 10:26-3126.For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27. but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on [the testimony of] two or three witnesses. 29. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30. For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31. It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Romans 11:22Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.
Help them Lord, they need you, we all need you. Change us to emulate You.
Help me remember I don’t have to go to Africa, or Asia or some far off country to help the lost, the needy, the unwanted. That we have them all around us. They are next door, down the street, at the grocery store, in the shelters, in prisons.
We all deserve Your love and grace…None of us are exempt based on how we looked or dress.
You gave grace to a dying thief on a cross. You gave grace to a man who hunted down Christians for a living. Teach me to not just hang around the cross but to go on the cross.
Help me embrace and use every moment to lift Your name up in glory and not just at the safety and comfort of my kitchen table.
Luke 12:29-40
29. And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these hings. 31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33. Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 35. Let your loins be girded about, and [your] lights burning; 36. And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. 37. Blessed [are] those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 38. And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find [them] so, blessed are those servants. 39. And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. 40. Be ye
thereore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
Remind me each time I leave the safety of my home, the comfort of my home, each day is a day of witnessing to Your Love and Your Grace.
The lost and unsaved won’t wait for Sunday to come to church.
Salvation isn’t for Sunday’s only and how would they know the way if no one takes the time to show them the right directions.
Lord, give me strength and courage to share the Truth, the map, the way to You Lord.
It’s not about me Lord. It’s about You. My life is about you. It’s about showing the way to You.
This isn’t just my path alone to walk…It’s about lighting the way so others can follow too. We don’t pile barriers when we go hiking so others can’t go down the same hiking trail like we are…so why do we do that in our own lives sometimes? Lord, help me keep the path clear and help others find their way to You too.
Like a hiking trail is open to everyone, both experienced or not…so is the path to You Lord. Lord, Help me keep my life, words or the way I dress from becoming a barrier from getting to know You.
Lord, don’t let people look at me, or read my words or look at my life and go, “I don’t want to know the Lord,” Help me shine the light to you….
I Corinthians 13:1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
People don’t want to go down a hiking trail that is filled with obstacles. People won’t be encouraged to try if there is a sign saying “Only these people may enter”.
Keep the hiking trail to God open. Help other hikers who are trying to find their way to God, no matter how experienced or inexperienced they maybe.
At one point before we started hiking…we all had to learn how to crawl too…In time, they will grow in experience and they will be able to handle the difficult climbs that often comes with hiking, and they will learn the way to dress for the hike, but in the meantime, if a hiker is going to wear heels to walk that path…let them, but help them with encouragement, don’t thrust hiking boots at them right off and say, “If you don’t wear this now , I won’t help you or guide you.”
We are all on different levels of our hike.
We can tell the hiker wearing heels, be off with you, and let them fall, or we can help them up and say, “Good try, keep trying, don’t give up, because God isn’t giving up on you either.”
Peter 3:8-11 NIV (New International Version)Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.For,”Whoever would love lifeand see good daysmust keep his tongue from eviland his lips from deceitful speech.He must turn from evil and do good;he must seek peace and pursue it.
Sunflower Faith |
3 comments
04
Oct 2010
Daily Bible Reflections-How do we serve?
My Daily Bible Reading
Today’s Reading is from:
Scripture
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. 22 And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!” 26 Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him. And he became as one dead, so that many said, “He is dead.” 27 But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”
29 So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”
30 Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. (Mark 9:20-30, New King James Version)
Observation:
This part of the passage of Mark 9:20-30 (NKJV) really stood out at me, “28 And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?”.
Oswald Chambers shared in today’s devotions, ”We can remain powerless foreverm as the disciplies were in the situation, by trying to do God’s work without concentrating on His power, and by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to sever Him without knowing Him. ~Oswald Chambers, Upmost for His Highest devotional.”
How many times do we jump headlong into a project under the banner we are doing it for Him, when truthfully, it’s more for us or the power that is behind it then for Him?
As I read the passage and the devotional and reflected on the disciple’s dilemna, it was just a powerful reminder of how we must always seek all things in prayer and contemplation with Him, seek Him in His word and knowing our bibles and not just for rote but for heart. It’s so easy to get caught up in doing everything for Him, only to find that maybe things didn’t work out (and not to say things will always work out or be prosperous), but we have forgotten Him in the process.
It’s so easy to say “Yes” to doing things, but if it find we have no time really, to spend with Him and His word, are we really doing this for Him? Because sometimes, doing thing for Him, also means telling the world,”No” so you have the time first to spend with our Father in Heaven and in His word.
“…. by following instead the ideas that we draw from our own nature. We actually slander and dishonor God by our very eagerness to seve Him without knowing Him.” (Oswald Chambers, Upmost for His Highest). That is a scary and discouraging thought isn’t it?
We get so caught up with our own nature and ideas and this is the way to do it and hey let’s try doing this as well that in the process it can become a form of ego boosting or self worship and less about looking and lifting up and glorifying our Father.
It’s a thin line…it is a thin line.
Prayer helps because it serves as a mental bumper in our lives to slow us down, focus…what are we really wanting and is it to His glory and then….wait. Let Him answer…try not to guess or assume or think, this is what His answer is.
When He answers, it tends to be pretty clear but if it happens slow, don’t assume He’s not listening, just maybe the timing isn’t right or it’s not meant to be and He is giving us time to think….do we really know what we are praying about or for?
When we are ready in heart, and we know it, He’ll let us know what His answer is and sometimes it maybe on a whole different track that we didn’t expect or want or thought of .
To all give the Glory to God…for He is above all and a loving Father who also knows us better than we know ourselves.
28
Sep 2010
Bible Reflection-Mark 10:21-Would you give up the world to follow Him?
My Daily Bible Reading
21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.”
(Mark 10:21, New King James Version)
What do you feel is holding you back?
Is it material?
Is it emotional?
Is it that person down the street?
Or someone whose friendship has gone up in flames? Or just a complete stranger that rubbed you the wrong way?
“Our Lord never places anyone’s personal holiness above everything else when He calls a disciple” shared by Oswald Chambers in his book, “Upmost for His Highest”, but how often do we use that against someone we may have a disagreement with or even unconciously in the spirit of wanting to “better up” someone?
And for what?
Gain in this world that is so temporary?
When Jesus met the rich man in Mark, Matthew Henry Commentary (MHC), shares what happens:
This young ruler showed great earnestness. He asked what he should do now, that he might be happy for ever.
Most ask for good to be had in this world; any good, Ps 4:6; he asks for good to be done in this world, in order to enjoy the greatest good in the other world. Christ encouraged this address by assisting his faith, and by directing his practice. But here is a sorrowful parting between Jesus and this young man.
He asks Christ what he shall do more than he has done, to obtain eternal life; and Christ puts it to him, whether he has indeed that firm belief of, and that high value for eternal life which he seems to have. Is he willing to bear a present cross, in expectation of future crown?
The young man was sorry he could not be a follower of Christ upon easier terms; that he could not lay hold on eternal life, and keep hold of his worldly possessions too. He went away grieved. See Mt 6:24, Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Mk 10:23-31)
We cannot have the glory and the good of the world if it counters and interferes with that of our journey with our Heavenly Father. If it distracts us from His real purpose we must be open to the sacrifice of giving up this world so we can do His work.
Do we know what it means to truly have unconditional, identification and surrendor to our Father? Are we willing? Or do we hold on to this world and seek our glory here and build our treasures that we know in the end, are just rust and decay while Him and His word is eternity?
Not many of us can.
Oswald Chambers shares, “Where you are soft and pliable with God is where the Lord has looked at you.”
This is something interesting to look at and to contemplate where in our lives are we soft and pliable that it’s not us that people will see, but our Heavenly Father.
But complete abandonment is not very easy to do is it?
Chambers continues,
“If you are hard and vindictive, insistent on having your own way, and always certain that the other person is more likely to be iin the wrong then you are, then there are whole areas of your nature that has never been transformed by His gaze.”
Not a very warm and fuzzy thought, but how we interact not just with non-believers, but with believers can speak volumes about our state of maturity.
Isn’t there a saying that it’s our actions not our words that will define us?
The hardness about Chambers devotional and reading Mark 10:21 about the rich person, is that it is a reminder in today’s materialistic world and yes, even in the blogging world, we tend to over depend too much on what we have, how many friends we have, our statistics, our visits, the praises and it’s not a bad thing, not for anyone else, but ourselves, to pull back and take a blogging/facebook break or just take that much needed step back and step into Him to refocus who, where and what we really are.
What if we were told, give up everything….give up our Facebook, our blogs, our ministries, our careers, our whatever to just serve Him, quietly and without prescence or people knowing…can we really do it?
Interesting thought.
27
Sep 2010
Luke 9:57-62-The Cost of Choosing;We can't have both.
“Shhhh….don’t say that…you’ll offend someone.”
Ever said that? Ever had someone say that to you?
“The words of the Lord hurt and offend until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsoever toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God. Our Lord’s answers were not based on some whim or impulsive thought, but on the knowledge of “what was in man”. If the Spirit of God brings to your mind a word of the Lord that hurts you, you can be sure that there is something in you that He wants to hurt to the point of death.”-Oswald Chambers, Upmost for His Highest.
58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
(Luke 9:58, New King James Version)
Oswald Chambers shares in “Upmost for His Highest” that,”Our Lord’s attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragment (referencing Luke 9:57-62), “for He knew what was in man.(John 2:25).
In John 2:23-25 (NKJV), it is written,
23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. (John 2:23-25, New King James Version)
I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count how many times people have said, “Only God knows what is in a man’s heart”, and yes, yes that is very true, but as John 2:23-25 indeeds backup’s, that Jesus knew all men’s heart that He didn’t commit Himself in Jeruselem, which in a lot of ways, can make that argument ineffective.
In “The “Go” of Renunciation, Oswald concentrated on Luke 9:57-62, where a man wanted to follow Christ, but also follow the whims of the world and what he (the man) wanted as well and Christ clearly points out that we “can’t have our cake and eat it too”. If we are to follow Him (our Father in Heaven), we have to give up the life as we knew it on earth, for it will only serve as a distraction and in some cases, a block to our growth and discipleship in and through Jesus Christ.
However, as rebellious children, how often do we think our parents don’t know what they are talking about and only trying to “steal our thunder” and “spoil our fun”. Sounds pretty selfish there….
Oooo…but that is judgemental….
We seem to have reached a point in our culture that if it interferes with what makes US feel good or justified in what we are doing, it’s automatically wrong, intolerant and not to be questioned, but we have to realistically ask ourselves, are we watering down our faith and walk with our Father that we have to ask ourselves, what are we really believing and stop being afraid to ask those hard questions out of fear.
It’s like saying that we love our parents, but they dont’ know what they are talking about and acting as if, we, the children know more than our parents really do…they are just “out of touch”, not “in with the times”.
Matthew Henry Commentary shares this insight into John 2:
Many believe in Christ.
Many believe in Christ.
Our Lord knew all men, their nature, dispositions, affections, designs, so as we do not know any man, not even ourselves. He knows his crafty enemies, and all their secret projects; his false friends, and their true characters. He knows who are truly his, knows their uprightness, and knows their weaknesses. We know what is done by men; Christ knows what is in them, he tries the heart. Beware of a dead faith, or a formal profession: carnal, empty professors are not to be trusted, and however men impose on others or themselves, they cannot impose on the heart-searching God.
“……however men impose on others or themselves, they cannot impose on the heart-searching God.” Isn’t that almost another word for bullying?
It’s easier to peer pressure everyone around us so we dont’ feel bad (remember the old adage, Misery loves company.”), than it is to stand out in the crowd.
Oswald Chambers shares about Luke 9:58,” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
(Luke 9:58, New King James Version)”, that “These words destroy the argument of servince Jesus Christ because it is a pleasant thing to do.”
The image that Luke 9:58, brings up, is of our Father’s Son finding NO place to rest His head.
Why’s that?
Rejection.
We live in a feel good society where “individuality” almost means conformity. We all dress in the latest fashions, listen to the same music, read and subscribe to the same pop culture and to stand out is to be “weird” or “defiant” and “an issue”, surprisinging not to oneself but to what other’s are comfortable with.
Yet, as Luke 9:59 shows us, we have mixed loyalties where we often find ourselves putting our loyalty out of worrying what everyone else thinks and feels and in the process, putting our Father in last place, because it’s not “popular” or we “worry it will offend”.
Ever stop and think though, what is the price, the long term price of worrying about offending.
It’s like subscribing to the peer pressure to do something that down in our hearts, we know is not right, only to pay for it later, not because we were worry about what was right, but we were more worry of looking “uncool” or “bad to others”.
Chambers, shared some haunting words,”The exacting call of Jesus has no room for good-byes; good-byes, as we often use them, are pagan, not Christian, because they divert us fromt he call.
In Luke 9:61, the verse that Chambers referenced to, it is shared,” 61 And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.”
62 But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62, New King James Version)”
Basically, what Jesus says is,
“Here is one that is forward to follow Christ, but seems to have been hasty and rash, and not to have counted the cost. If we mean to follow Christ, we must lay aside the thoughts of great things in the world. Let us not try to join the profession of Christianity, with seeking after worldly advantages.Here is another that seems resolved to follow Christ, but he begs a short delay. To this man Christ first gave the call; he said to him, Follow me. Religion teaches us to be kind and good, to show piety at home, and to requite our parents; but we must not make these an excuse for neglecting our duty to God. Here is another that is willing to follow Christ, but he must have a little time to talk with his friends about it, and to set in order his household affairs, and give directions concerning them.
He seemed to have worldly concerns more upon his heart than he ought to have, and he was willing to enter into a temptation leading him from his purpose of following Christ.
No one can do any business in a proper manner, if he is attending to other things. Those who begin with the work of God, must resolve to go on, or they will make nothing of it. Looking back, leads to drawing back, and drawing back is to perdition. He only that endures to the end shall be saved.
Trouble is…when we follow His Call, that also will mean making unpopular, un-cool choices and dealing with rejection, harsh criticisim, jeers and yes, even harassment.
No one said it was easy and it’s not supposed to be.
Chambers reflected about Luke 9:57 was, “Our Lord’s attitude toward this man was one of severe discouragement,”for He knew what was in man” (ref.John 2:25).
Chambers continued, “Imagine being so cold to him and turning him away so discouraged!”
As Chambers said that, think of how like today’s world’s attitude is that?
“You hurt his/her feelings”.
“Oh that is intolerant”.
“Don’t offend/or don’t be offensive”.
Yet Chambers continued,”Never apologize for your Lord. The words of the Lord hurt and offend (emphasis is mine) until there is nothing left to be hurt or offended. Jesus Christ had no tenderness whatsover toward anything that was ultimately going to ruin a person in his service to God.”
This brought to mind Jesus at the temple. Remember that story? No, well here it is:
45 Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, 46 saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
47 And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. (Luke 19:45-48, New King James Version)
Yet even as He did this, His authority was questioned by the very authorities who should have known Him,
27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. 28 And they said to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?”
29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things: 30 The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”
31 And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men’”—they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. 33 So they answered and said to Jesus, “We do not know.”
And Jesus answered and said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:27-33, New King James Version)
Harsher than what even Chambers presented, but as MHC (Matthew Henry Commentary) shares about Luke 19:45-48,
”
Christ laments over Jerusalem.
Who can behold the holy Jesus, looking forward to the miseries that awaited his murderers, weeping over the city where his precious blood was about to be shed, without seeing that the likeness of God in the believer, consists much in good-will and compassion? Surely those cannot be right who take up any doctrines of truth, so as to be hardened towards their fellow-sinners. But let every one remember, that though Jesus wept over Jerusalem, he executed awful vengeance upon it.
Though he delights not in the death of a sinner, yet he will surely bring to pass his awful threatenings on those who neglect his salvation. The Son of God did not weep vain and causeless tears, nor for a light matter, nor for himself. He knows the value of souls, the weight of guilt, and how low it will press and sink mankind. May he then come and cleanse our hearts by his Spirit, from all that defiles. May sinners, on every side, become attentive to the words of truth and salvation.”
Reading Chambers devotional this morning, the truth is…is it worth the price of being well known and well liked but not having our Father?
In Luke 9:59, the man doesn’t want to disappoint his father or Jesus, nor show a lack of respect, but we can’t put respect and loyalty to our relatives and friends first if it will cost us putting Christ last. I like how Oswald shares it,”When your loyalties conflict, always obey Jesus Christ, whatever the cost.”
Sunflower Faith |
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07
Sep 2010
Revelations 12:10-12 (NKJV)-It's all about Him
My Daily Bible Reading
Today’s Life Journal Reading is from:
Romans 1:28NKJV
Scripture:
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12, New King James Version)
Observation:
It’s been a LONG time since I’ve worked in my Life Journal or posted here. I woke up early this morning (no alarm clock either) and with a long day ahead, open up my bible, pulled up the current Life Reading and as I read though Jeremiah and then Revelations, my first thought was….what could be so relevant about today’s reading to contemplate.
Drinking my coffee, watching the sun rise up, Revelations 12:10-12, just popped out at me.
10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Revelation 12:10-12, New King James Version)
Our Daily Bread shared the following from September 3, 2010′s devotional:
There’s something very appealing about loopholes, and we look for them wherever there’s a command we don’t want to obey.
Jesus addressed this problem with religious leaders who thought they had found a loophole in their religious laws (Mark 7:1-13). Instead of honoring their parents with financial or material support, they dedicated all their possessions to God, thereby limiting their use. Although their disobedience was not blatant, Jesus said their behavior was unacceptable.
Whenever we start looking for loopholes, we stop being obedient.
Lord, help us to submit to You,
To follow and obey,
Instead of finding loopholes to
Defend our sinful way. —Sper
As I read this, it reminded me how we sometimes compromise our faith too much and often not with enough discernment or care for the wants and wills of a fickle world and in the process, without knowing…not only look for loopholes to justify being less godly toward other people, but in our own actions and lives.
I think about people who share observations of people “caught in ungodly acts” when they don’t realize the world is watching and wonder how careful are we really about our own lives or how we interact with others.
Yesterday, I had a less than pleasant experience with someone whom we were friends with but didn’t hesitate to be critical and hurtful in comments about us choosing to homeschool and what floored me is seconds before they shared how they had to work with with troubled children from troubled homes, whose families didn’t provide them with a safe or healthy environment. They then turn around and ask the “So…why are you really homeschooling” and then followed up with, “How are we not preparing them for the real world?”
We just found it surprising and flooring that they would even say that as they then espouse how kids need to learn about how to deal with bullying and “be exposed to the real world” while in the same breath talk about how they didn’t want their kids to watch certain shows and movies because the content wasn’t “Christian” and the vulgarity of the language and the violence and it made me bite my tongue from asking them, “So why the double standard for their (and our kids) and even then, advocating putting kids in unsafe, unhealthy environments while all the while talk about working and developing programs to address trouble kids needs and address issues about bullying and self-esteem.
Reading Revelations 12:10-12; It’s not about the world. Just there is no compromise. No” if’s”" and’”s or “but’s”.
I like how a friend shared about the best way to respond, “,”"Because we prayed about it and find ultimate joy and freedom in being obedient to how God’s led our family. Thanks for asking. So how’s God led your family?”
Ultimately, this is beyond about schooling or anything else; As Sunny Shell shares on “About His Business“,:,”The issue shouldn’t be whether one home schools or public schools. B…ut it should be: “Are we all training up our children in the love and admonition of the Lord through our words and daily lives?” “
I would have to add to…are we in love and admonition of our Father in our own words and daily lives as well or as the “Our Daily Bread” article share, looking for loopholes.
As I end this journal entry, this popped up via “Disciple Life” on my facebook,
“”We spend our time dashing from one place to another, pursuing business and pleasure. We assure ourselves that the most important issue in life is making a living. In the midst of all our hustle we try to forget that we are becoming older every day. Only an occasional man or woman has the good sense to perceive that the day of judgment draws nearer and nearer.” – Tozer
Application:
It’s not about the world. It’s not about the world. We are called to not conform to this world though we have to live in it (ref Romans 12:2). That means, one foot trying to please the world and one foot trying to please our Father (Galatians 1:10). There can not be two masters, but only one whom we have to choose.
This is a reminder that if we are looking for loopholes to indulge in the sinfullness of the world while trying to follow our Father, we need to take time to step back, re-evaluate and ask ourselves, how strong or weak our Christian walk is.
We make the decisions that are good for this and this only household; Our first ministry is here at home, through the nuturing and the growth and guidance of our children. That’s my charge and call from our Heavenly Father first and foremost, then my husband, then the world….not the world, our Father, our spouses and then the kids…it’s our Father, our kids, our spouse and then the world.
I can not please men and our Father because then I will find myself slipping and rather than looking and growing upwards, looking sideways and trying to grow sideways as well and we all know how well that doesn’t work.
We are called not to be world-centered or self-centered but rather, we are called to be God-centered. No way around that.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I thank You for You for being a solid rock and foundation and as I seek to humble and commit myself always to You Father, I thank You for the challenges and trials You send my way to humble, to break, to grow and to refine this broken soul. Father, I pray that I look upwards, never sideways and though I hurt, I pray for Your comfort and not the comfort of the world.
In Your Name I pray,
Amen.
****Purpose of this post****
Gentle Readers, There are days that I will read a verse or passage and just feel pulled to share here, but there are days when I will read something and just feel, I need to spend the day, in personal contemplation of what is being convey and may just post via Twitter, what passages I have read that day and post nothing on here.
That is what bible reading is about; It’s not about having to write something down everyday; There maybe days when you are reading say, Numbers and it’s just lineages, but other days, you may find yourself dealing with a “powerhouse verse” of the moment and have to just go “WOW” and seek God in personal time and prayer to understand what He is sharing.
I will try to post daily, but particularly on weekends, if I’m sick or I’m just completely in awe of what I’m reading or maybe I am trying to understand what I am reading, I may not post here, I may just write in my Life Journal (hardcopy), because I will find myself having to seek His Word and/or the Commentary and just seek in prayer to understand what our Father in Heaven is seeking to reveal.
Either way.
Reading His Word, is about getting to know Him better and developing your Christian growth and maturity. Do what is right and good for you.
If you do use the Life Journal and participate in the daily readings, I would like to hear from you and your perspective on each day’s reading, when I do have a post up, or feel free to comment on a previous “Daily Bible Reading post” or send me a quick email.
Please feel free to join in the linky that I post below, so others too, who uses the Life Journal/or SOAP method to read the bible can participate.
Don’t feel obligate to have to blog about each passage to be read, but if anything, feel free to share those passages that have the most impact on you that day.
There maybe some days that you may read your daily reading and find nothing to jot down in your journal or on your blog and that’s okay, but there maybe other days, that you will find yourself inspire.
This is about you being encouraged to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and spending each day with Him, You and Him.
It is my prayer and hope that this will be an encouragement to establish a personal daily reading as well.
To find out more about using the S.O.A.P. method, here’s a link to an ehow article and here’s the link to the Life Journal to find out more what it is, and how you can use it for your own daily bible readings. If you don’t want to order the journal or if it’s not available through your local church, another method is simply, buy a journal or notebook or even blog about your life journal readings.
Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with the church that the link goes to, but merely share it as a resource of what the Life Journal is, how to order it.
Even though we make excuses for not obeying God, H still calls it disobedience.
Sunflower Faith |
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| Tags: Bible Reading, devotional, God's Word, Life Journal, Revelations 12:10-12, S.O.A.P.
22
May 2010
Bible Reflections-Colossians 4:5-7 (Not of this world)
Colossians 4:5-7 (New International Version)
5Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
From the MHC:
Persons of all ranks to persevere in prayer, and Christian prudence.
No duties can be done aright, unless we persevere in fervent prayer, and watch therein with thanksgiving. The people are to pray particularly for their ministers. Believers are exhorted to right conduct towards unbelievers. Be careful in all converse with them, to do them good, and recommend religion by all fit means. Diligence in redeeming time, commends religion to the good opinion of others.
Even what is only carelessness may cause a lasting prejudice against the truth. Let alldiscourse be discreet and seasonable, as becomes Christians. Though it be not always of grace, it must always be with grace. Though our discourse be of that which is common, yet it must be in a Christian manner.
Grace is the salt which seasons our discourse, and keeps it from corrupting. It is not enough to answer what is asked, unless we answer aright also. (Col 4:7-9)
What a powerful reminder of our words and our actions and how it can and does bear either good or bear testimony to others.
How many times have we said we were one thing, but then act in a way or do things in a way that makes us look or sound no different from that of a sin-filled world and then wonder why someone reacted as they did to us.
Or justify our actions not on our Father’s terms but in the world’s term to the point that we meld more with the world and how it deems we should act, less than with our Father and how He calls us to act.
Truth is…there is no place in His word for us to act like the world.
Pride, Jealousy, Lying, Gossipping, partaking of the world as if we are more of an “atheist” than a follower.
Ouch.
But truth is…how are we to stand apart from the world like a lighthouse, shining His Word when we choose to have swinging lanterns that half the time the lights are out?
20
May 2010
Daily Bible Reflections-Been Awhile
My Daily Bible Reading
Today’s Life Journal Reading is from:
1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3; Psalm 97; Romans 1 (NKJV)
Passage taken from Romans 1 (NKJV)
Scripture
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God 2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, 3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, 4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. 5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, 6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. 9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers, 10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you. 11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— 12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles. 14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise. 15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, (Romans 1, New King James Version)
Observation:
Romans 1:20, this just jumped out at me: 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
And made me wonder, have we lost awe of our Father and in the process trying to bring Him down to our level and make Him worldly to justify our own sin.
Hard hitting for the morning, but as we grow in our journey with Him, one thing is for sure and something I hear brought up time and time again around me by fellow believers, we are NOT of this world. We are just visitors, but our time is just passing through and though we are to live IN the world, we are not to be a part OF the world, and yet, it feels sometimes that there is a prevailing sense of a lukewarmness that is falling over everything.
It’s hard not to cringe reading this part, “22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.”
From MHC:
The sins of the Gentiles set forth.
The apostle begins to show that all mankind need the salvation of the gospel, because none could obtain the favour of God, or escape his wrath by their own works. For no man can plead that he has fulfilled all his obligations to God and to his neighbour; nor can any truly say that he has fully acted up to the light afforded him. The sinfulness of man is described as ungodliness against the laws of the first table, and unrighteousness against those of the second. The cause of thatsinfulness is holding the truth in unrighteousness. All, more or less, do what they know to be wrong, and omit what they know to be right, so that the plea of ignorance cannot be allowed from any. Our Creator’s invisible power and Godhead are so clearly shown in the works he has made, that even idolaters and wicked Gentiles are left without excuse. They foolishly followed idolatry; and rational creatures changed the worship of the glorious Creator, for that of brutes, reptiles, and senselessimages. They wandered from God, till all traces of true religion must have been lost, had not the revelation of the gospel prevented it. For whatever may be pretended, as to the sufficiency of man’s reason to discover Divine truth and moral obligation, or to govern the practice aright, facts cannot be denied. And these plainly show that men have dishonoured God by the most absurd idolatries and superstitions; and have degraded themselves by the vilest affections and most abominable deeds.(Ro 1:26-32)In a lot of ways, this passage just speaks volumes for itself, without any additonal, but it is a warning, a reminder and a commentary how we must not get so wrapped up in this world, that we become no more different than the very world we are supposed to stand apart from.
Application:
The world is going to criticize us. We are going to be subjected to peer pressure, no matter how old we are, but that’s not what matters. What matters is our Heavenly Father.
My hubby shared, several verses to be remembered:
Matthew 10:16-18 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. 17″But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Matthew 10:21-23 “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22″And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23″But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.
Matthew 10:16-18 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. 17″But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the courts, and scourge you in their synagogues; 18and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
Matthew 10:21-23 “And brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22″And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23″But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.
Luke 6:22-23 “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. 23″Be glad in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
Luke 6:26-27 “Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for in the same way their fathers used to treat the false prophets. 27″But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 17:33 “Whoever seeks to keep his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life shall preserve it.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, You ARE the King of kings and all that of this world is but rust and dust that will return to the ground, but You and Your Word is forever. Make my heart always hungry for you, Make me always humbled at your feet and not with thoughts I am wiser like or above You. Lord, we live in challenging times where morals and what is right and wrong seems challenged and often times upside down, Help us keep Your Word in our hearts and to seek what Your will is and not that of the world, in Your Name, we pray, Amen.
****Purpose of this post****
Gentle Readers, There are days that I will read a verse or passage and just feel pulled to share here, but there are days when I will read something and just feel, I need to spend the day, in personal contemplation of what is being convey and may just post via Twitter, what passages I have read that day and post nothing on here.
That is what bible reading is about; It’s not about having to write something down everyday; There maybe days when you are reading say, Numbers and it’s just lineages, but other days, you may find yourself dealing with a “powerhouse verse” of the moment and have to just go “WOW” and seek God in personal time and prayer to understand what He is sharing.
I will try to post daily, but particularly on weekends, if I’m sick or I’m just completely in awe of what I’m reading or maybe I am trying to understand what I am reading, I may not post here, I may just write in my Life Journal (hardcopy), because I will find myself having to seek His Word and/or the Commentary and just seek in prayer to understand what our Father in Heaven is seeking to reveal.
Either way.
Reading His Word, is about getting to know Him better and developing your Christian growth and maturity. Do what is right and good for you.
If you do use the Life Journal and participate in the daily readings, I would like to hear from you and your perspective on each day’s reading, when I do have a post up, or feel free to comment on a previous “Daily Bible Reading post” or send me a quick email.
Please feel free to join in the linky that I post below, so others too, who uses the Life Journal/or SOAP method to read the bible can participate.
Don’t feel obligate to have to blog about each passage to be read, but if anything, feel free to share those passages that have the most impact on you that day.
There maybe some days that you may read your daily reading and find nothing to jot down in your journal or on your blog and that’s okay, but there maybe other days, that you will find yourself inspire.
This is about you being encouraged to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, and spending each day with Him, You and Him.
It is my prayer and hope that this will be an encouragement to establish a personal daily reading as well.
To find out more about using the S.O.A.P. method, here’s a link to an ehow article and here’s the link to the Life Journal to find out more what it is, and how you can use it for your own daily bible readings. If you don’t want to order the journal or if it’s not available through your local church, another method is simply, buy a journal or notebook or even blog about your life journal readings.
Disclaimer: I am not personally affiliated with the church that the link goes to, but merely share it as a resource of what the Life Journal is, how to order it.
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