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Guys, I am tired. I don’t feel like blogging. I re-read Galatians 4 today. I also spent time with God not reading at al. We just kind of talked about what in the world is going on with life. It is amazing to me how calm thigs can get when you just listen to God. even though everything else seems out of control, His promises are true and His love is everlasting.
Sometimes I just need to rest in His presence. It helps me to respond better to my wife, my kids, and my employees. Maybe that’s the whole “Be still and know that I am the G-man!.”
Anyway, love you guys. Sorry that I have been a less than stellar blogger lately. I haven’t figured out how to manage my new schedule.
Okay, so this is a really basic principle, continuing on from last night. How do you become an “in shape” Christian? You make the difficult choice and walk it out. The end…I wish. As I go through my day, I make hundreds of decisions a day like what to eat or drink. I’m able to eat junk food all day if I want but that wont help me reach my goal. As easy as it is to eat junk, it’s so much more rewarding during and after to eat what I know I need to. Instead of that “sick” feeling, I feel good, I feel like I have grown. That’s how it is with Papa. John 18 tells the story of Jesus being arrested. Now Jesus was human so he could have run, he could have let Peter and the guys go to work on his captors but he doesnt. John 18:11, “Jesus commanded Peter, ‘Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?’” Yeah…about that, I struggle to choose Papa daily, not sure I could let myself be arrested knowing I was getting the death penalty. And this is where the lesson came from for me. Jesus could have done things to get away, but he made the tough choice, because he wanted to follow Father. He knew in order to be in the Will of God, he had to let them take him. So I guess that’s step 1 to getting in shape: Change my mindset. I’m not depriving myself of the “good stuff,” I’m rewarding myself with the best stuff.
Papa, I’m begging You to continue to open my eyes. I will not make it through tomorrow morning as a blind man. I need You, to make my decisions and to lead me. I love You and praise You.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. Titus 3:1-2
Not much wriggle room here. So do I really want to sit down and take inventory against this list?
Am I properly subject to authorities that have been placed in position over me?
Am I obedient?
Am I ready to do whatever is good?
And this slander thing … what about that? I’m not guilty of that right?
Slander is an untruthful oral (spoken) statement about a person that harms the person’s reputation or standing in the community.
This is the legal definition, but one has to be really careful here, because there is truth that the world sees and there is the truth that God sees . I am reminded of Job’s wife and his response to her “curse God” suggestion. He could have said “you are a foolish woman” and that would have probably been perceived as truthful to anyone standing nearby, but Job knew that was not the truth. He knew her to be a faithful believer in God who was choosing in that moment to give herself over to a lie. So Job says “you are acting like a foolish woman”.
When we are communicating about a follower of Christ and their standing in the Kingdom community, the truth for that person is based in their Christ identity and what the Word of God says about them. So then anything that I say about a fellow believer that is not in accordance with what the bible says about them is slander.
Do I show true humility towards all men? This speaks to what Bryan was talking about today from James.
Hey it’s just like all the other guidelines and commands in the Bible…simple…not easy…but simple.
James 2:1 NLT
My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
How do I really get past this verse? This is a really hard verse to really, truly, live out.
For me, it is a litmus test of just how much of “me” is still alive. Whenever I think I’m doing pretty good, one of these tests comes along to show me just how much more of me needs to die.
Lord help me die to myself and see others through your eyes.
So Sammy is giving his farewell to the nation. He tells them he has given them a king like they asked for, he makes sure he hasnt done anything wrong or screwed the people over and if he has he would make up for it. He then reminds them a little of what their fathers went through when they decided to go against God. He tells the people that if they will only turn and follow God that everything will work out well for them, if they dont no bueno. He scares them by praying to God to bring rain and lightning, God does and they all repent and ask Sammy to pray for their lives so they dont die. Sammy tells them again to turn from their ways and follow God with their whole heart and everything will be grand. He ends by saying if they continue to do wicked things than they along with their king will be swept away.
Samuel makes it sound like in vs 23 that by not praying for others would be a sin for him. Is that true for us? Also the thing that stuck out to me was the common theme of, “if you will follow God with your whole heart than you and your King will be ok.” It sounds like the King didnt really have a huge choice in this matter, as if the king were controlled by how the people responded to God. Is that true for us and our king? Have we got a king based on how we have responded to God? I think its cool that Sammy remembers everything about God and what God did for him and his people. We need to remember and speak out daily what God has done for us.
Galatians 4 really gets into being an heir. A son, when he is young is no different than a slave, even though he has all the rights of a son. It isn’t until he matures that he realizes his rights and privileges. How often does that happen to us? At what point do we become mature enough to realize our position?
I shall ponder this some more and write more tomorrow.
So, again with the verses I have read several times that God is showing me things through. I think He may be trying to get me to look at things differently. Anyways, 1 Timothy 4:12 says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.” Lately I have been trying to get back in shape, you know cleanse and purify the body, that whole deal. It made me think about how similar it is with my spiritual life. There are things in my physical life I know have to stay away from but still struggle to do, it’s the same with my spiritual life. Romans 7:15-19 really hits me, the verse Kenny used the other day. I think I’m going to spend some time looking at what it looks like to be an “in shape Christian.”
Papa, change me, make me more like you. I long to be like You and only follow You, I give You this day. Live through me, let me be Your empty vessel.
In Genesis 45 we find the account of Joseph revealing himself to is brothers. It is the culmination of “collateral blessing” that came from Joseph’s obedience to the Lord even in the face of adversity.
One of the things that strikes me again in this passage the same as in chapter 39 is how God uses men who are not really His men to accomplish His end game. This time it is Pharaoh and I paraphrase… so Pharaoh and all his officials find out that Joseph has met up with his brothers and they are excited for him. Then Pharaoh says “hey you know what? Why don’t you tell the family to get your dad and the rest of their clan and come on back to Egypt and let’s put ‘em up on the finest most choice piece of property availabe on the Egyptian market and I’ll cover the cost.” Also he told them not to worry about bringing their stuff because the were getting all new, better stuff. Again God’s favor and blessing on Jospeh transferring to those around him even through and on people who are not really “God followers”
One other interesting note on this story… as his brothers were pulling off to go get Jacob and their families to come back to Egypt to live in the best house in the best location with all new stuff that someone else is buying for them, Joseph says to them “Hey guys don’t fight and argue on the way.” What would they have been arguing about? Interesting to think about…
James 1 (NLT) 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. 22 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.
In light of James 1, today’s devotional from Oswald Chambers (which I just “happened” to read today – not a normal occurrence) really hit me between the eyes. Read it here.
In case you didn’t, let me quote part of the article:
God speaks in the language you know best— not through your ears, but through your circumstances.
God has to destroy our determined confidence in our own convictions. We say, “I know that this is what I should do”-and suddenly the voice of God speaks in a way that overwhelms us by revealing the depths of our ignorance. We show our ignorance of Him in the very way we decide to serve Him.
Have I been persecuting Jesus by an eager determination to serve Him in my own way? If I feel I have done my duty, yet have hurt Him in the process, I can be sure that this was not my duty.
It’s a solemn reminder to “be still and know that I am God” and to wait on him. It’s a solemn reminder that every single act of ministry I do, I must be called specifically to do. I know to often, I jump in without asking if that is what He wants me to do at this time, at this moment, in this season.
Time for a little self evaluation… through His eyes and not my own.
Father, I invite you to inspect my life, my ministry, my motivations. Show me if anything is not pleasing or not for this time. If there is anything I have committed to without your calling to, I ask forgiveness and the wisdom to know how to handle it. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
OK this cat comes into town demanding everyone’s right eye, kinda weird huh? If they don’t give him their eye he will embarrass and demolish everyone. So the bunch of pansies decide to do it pretty much. Not only do the Israelites say ok we will give you our right eye but we will serve you as well. Word gets around to Saul who by the Holy Spirit gets righteously pissed. He builds up an army and goes off and slaughters everyone opposing Israel. They pronounce him king and end the chapter.
OK Nahash’s name means “serpent.” That’s just interesting in itself. The reason he wanted everyone right eye is because when people fought in battle their shields covered everything but their eye. So he did want the prospect of them being able to form an army and attack him later after he conquered the whole world. Interesting that in Mt. 5 God says that if your right eye is causing you to stumble gouge it out and throw it away. Anyway, I don’t think I get righteously pissed when the enemy is coming to take ground and people that belong to my God, at least not like Saul did. I especially don’t decide to go out and face it on expecting to win that battle. I have let the enemy into my town and enslave God’s people and gouge their eyes out so they cant fight long enough. After this great victory people are asking for the men who denied Saul so they could kill them as well. Saul in his wisdom declares its God’s day and victory and no one will die that day. Not me, my adrenaline is going a great battle has been fought and won, I am looking for everyone who denied and spoke badly about me and I am taking everyone of those s.o.b’s out. I need to remember that everything is about Him. Saul didn’t let his hurts and frustration and anger capture him to the point of not giving God what He is due. Saul started off really well here.
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