Colossians 3:3 "For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God."
This verse always comforts me. There are times when I am disappointed or scared and look around my life and wonder what on earth went wrong? How did I end up here? I think everyone has days like that sometimes. It's those times when I need to be reminded that this life here on earth is temporary, and it's not my real life. My real life is safe and secure and hidden with Christ.
Sometimes it is hidden for me, as protection, sometimes it is hidden from me, as a test. Will I still trust when life does not make sense? Will you?
It's so good to be reminded that because I have Jesus in my life, this life is not the end of everything. When it's over, I will wake up to the reality that it was nothing but one single breath, and my real home awaits. You know, I tried to tell people about the reality of heaven even in elementary school... my teachers thought I was suicidal because I looked forward to heaven so much. I do look forward to heaven, but no, I am not suicidal in the slightest.
I can't see the full purpose of my life right now. Really, none of us can. We will only see it when we get there, when we have eternity's perspective. Right now, we each follow Christ to the best of our ability, walking in the light we have. God is patient with us and He understands our weakness, He knows that we are little more than dust. He knows that we are dependent on the Holy Spirit for the strength and will to obey when it's hard.
So, when it seems that your life is in shambles, or that you have gone off course and don't know how to get back, remember that this life really only lasts for a moment, and that your real life is perfectly safe in the hands of a perfect God.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Living in Peace
In families and churches, how do we live in love and peace with our brothers and sisters in Christ when we disagree? (Note: scripture references will be at the end of the post, if you would like to look it all up.)
I have aunts and uncles and cousins who attend a church where the women all wear hats to church and do not speak or sing at all during the services. My Aunt Sarah also covers her head whenever she prays, even in private. In every other area of doctrine and all major issues, we agree.
I believe that the head covering is about authority (being under her husband's authority), and that a woman's hair is a sufficient physical covering (as it says just following one of the scriptures that speak about this), and that the verses that say that a woman should not speak in church can not mean that women are never to speak, because if she were to never speak that would contradict other scriptures where it says "your daughters will prophesy" and other scriptures.
Yet, when I visit in my Aunt and Uncle's home and go to church with them, I show respect by covering my head and being silent during the service. I have learned alot from my Aunt's godly example in her home. She is someone I respect and honor because of her faithful example of love and hospitality and submission to her husband. It makes no difference that we disagree on the interpretation of scriptures that honestly will have no bearing on whether or not we make it to heaven. There are scriptural reasons why I respect their way of doing things while in their home and neither of us impose our interpretations on the other.
We are called to live in peace with one another, to consider others more important than ourselves, and to maintain the bond of love between the brethren in Christ. We are told not to be quarrelsome and not to cause divisions and factions in the Body of Christ (the universal church, made up of all true followers of Jesus Christ). If (and when) we cut people off from our fellowship, we need to be absolutely sure that we have a solid scriptural reason for doing so. Jesus Christ does not take it lightly when people divide and cut off parts of His Body, which is also called His Bride.
In my family, we maintain love and unity in 2 ways. First, we focus on what unites us, what we do agree on, Jesus Christ and His Words, and His command that we love one another. When we visit in one anothers' homes or visiting one anothers' churches, we refrain from doing or saying anything that would cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble. Second, we recommend that each person or family studies God's Word for themselves and prays about it, and when they are strong in their faith and knowledge of the Bible, each obeys what each believes the Lord is leading them to do, as their convictions dictate.
These principles are clearly seen in how Paul tells the Corinthian church how to respond to those who believe that they shouldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, and he also covers similar topics in the book of Romans.
Let's make a big deal out of the things that affect people's eternal destiny, not the minor things that will not make a difference when we stand before Christ. Paul said that we neither gain nor lose anything by eating or not eating, and the same applies to whether or not a woman prays with her head covered, and other minor differences of Bible interpretation. Let's remember that man judges by external appearance, but God judges the heart.
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Romans 12:3-16
Romans 13:8-10
Romans 14:1-23
Romans 15:1-8
Philippians 2:1-4
Titus 3:1-2, 9-10
I have aunts and uncles and cousins who attend a church where the women all wear hats to church and do not speak or sing at all during the services. My Aunt Sarah also covers her head whenever she prays, even in private. In every other area of doctrine and all major issues, we agree.
I believe that the head covering is about authority (being under her husband's authority), and that a woman's hair is a sufficient physical covering (as it says just following one of the scriptures that speak about this), and that the verses that say that a woman should not speak in church can not mean that women are never to speak, because if she were to never speak that would contradict other scriptures where it says "your daughters will prophesy" and other scriptures.
Yet, when I visit in my Aunt and Uncle's home and go to church with them, I show respect by covering my head and being silent during the service. I have learned alot from my Aunt's godly example in her home. She is someone I respect and honor because of her faithful example of love and hospitality and submission to her husband. It makes no difference that we disagree on the interpretation of scriptures that honestly will have no bearing on whether or not we make it to heaven. There are scriptural reasons why I respect their way of doing things while in their home and neither of us impose our interpretations on the other.
We are called to live in peace with one another, to consider others more important than ourselves, and to maintain the bond of love between the brethren in Christ. We are told not to be quarrelsome and not to cause divisions and factions in the Body of Christ (the universal church, made up of all true followers of Jesus Christ). If (and when) we cut people off from our fellowship, we need to be absolutely sure that we have a solid scriptural reason for doing so. Jesus Christ does not take it lightly when people divide and cut off parts of His Body, which is also called His Bride.
In my family, we maintain love and unity in 2 ways. First, we focus on what unites us, what we do agree on, Jesus Christ and His Words, and His command that we love one another. When we visit in one anothers' homes or visiting one anothers' churches, we refrain from doing or saying anything that would cause our brothers and sisters in Christ to stumble. Second, we recommend that each person or family studies God's Word for themselves and prays about it, and when they are strong in their faith and knowledge of the Bible, each obeys what each believes the Lord is leading them to do, as their convictions dictate.
These principles are clearly seen in how Paul tells the Corinthian church how to respond to those who believe that they shouldn't eat meat sacrificed to idols, and he also covers similar topics in the book of Romans.
Let's make a big deal out of the things that affect people's eternal destiny, not the minor things that will not make a difference when we stand before Christ. Paul said that we neither gain nor lose anything by eating or not eating, and the same applies to whether or not a woman prays with her head covered, and other minor differences of Bible interpretation. Let's remember that man judges by external appearance, but God judges the heart.
Scriptures:
1 Corinthians 8:1-13, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
Romans 12:3-16
Romans 13:8-10
Romans 14:1-23
Romans 15:1-8
Philippians 2:1-4
Titus 3:1-2, 9-10
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Resources for Honest Seekers and Curious Christians
This is a list of excellent websites that specialize in answering the tough questions people have about the Bible and God. They are excellent for helping Christians stand strong in their faith in the face of criticism and for helping those who are willing to come to Christ but need a few questions answered before they take that leap of faith.
http://www.carm.org
http://www.rationalchristianity.net/
http://www.christianapologetic.org/
*free download of the book "Christian Handbook of Reason and Insight for Scientists and Technologists".
http://www.allaboutgod.com/christian-apologetics.htm
*Excellent article about remaining humble and not relying on intellectualism while also defending the faith through apologetics.
http://www.answersingenesis.org
*some very strong articles in revealing the errors in carbon dating and radiometric dating, lots of interesting info for the evolution vs. creation type questions.
http://www.biblicaldefense.org/
*links to many scientific research papers and transcribed debates between scholars on both sides of Christianity and atheism.
http://www.josh.org/
Josh McDowell, author of "Evidence that Demands a Verdict", has many free online articles, mp3 downloads, and e-books available.
http://www.jesuscentral.com
This site is massive with enough info on the life of Christ, the historical accuracy of the New Testament, etc, that to go through it all would take probably at least 10 hours. Excellent source! 5 STARS!!!
http://www.leestrobel.com/
Author of "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith", his website includes many video lectures for those who would rather watch video than read pages of info.
*** A little note, Mr. Strobel has made many enemies among atheists, and a google search of his name will reveal only about 4 or 5 favorable websites in a sea of over 300,000.
http://www.carm.org
http://www.rationalchristianity.net/
http://www.christianapologetic.org/
*free download of the book "Christian Handbook of Reason and Insight for Scientists and Technologists".
http://www.allaboutgod.com/christian-apologetics.htm
*Excellent article about remaining humble and not relying on intellectualism while also defending the faith through apologetics.
http://www.answersingenesis.org
*some very strong articles in revealing the errors in carbon dating and radiometric dating, lots of interesting info for the evolution vs. creation type questions.
http://www.biblicaldefense.org/
*links to many scientific research papers and transcribed debates between scholars on both sides of Christianity and atheism.
http://www.josh.org/
Josh McDowell, author of "Evidence that Demands a Verdict", has many free online articles, mp3 downloads, and e-books available.
http://www.jesuscentral.com
This site is massive with enough info on the life of Christ, the historical accuracy of the New Testament, etc, that to go through it all would take probably at least 10 hours. Excellent source! 5 STARS!!!
http://www.leestrobel.com/
Author of "The Case for Christ" and "The Case for Faith", his website includes many video lectures for those who would rather watch video than read pages of info.
*** A little note, Mr. Strobel has made many enemies among atheists, and a google search of his name will reveal only about 4 or 5 favorable websites in a sea of over 300,000.
Monday, June 8, 2009
New Bible
I have been wanting a new Bible for a couple of months now. I tend to get myself a new one whenever there has been a major event in my spiritual life. For example, I got a new Bible in 1999, after I had recovered from one of the biggest heartbreaks of my life. And I got a new one at the end of Bible College in 2001. I think that the journey I have been going through in the last couple of months is worthy of a new Bible.
So, I bought myself one! It's nice. Red and black leather cover, not too big, in the New Living Translation. I have been used to the New American Standard Bible for almost my whole life (it's the version I've been reading since I was 8), so the change is refreshing and breathing fresh life into verses I've known for years.
So, I bought myself one! It's nice. Red and black leather cover, not too big, in the New Living Translation. I have been used to the New American Standard Bible for almost my whole life (it's the version I've been reading since I was 8), so the change is refreshing and breathing fresh life into verses I've known for years.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sanctification (Part 3)
As I continue to read and study this topic, I am finding that there is some reference that applies to this topic in every book of the New Testament, and in some books it's on almost every page. I have had a hard time deciding which scriptures to include and which to leave out of this post. At the end of this post will be a list of scriptures that apply that have been left out, it is by no means an exhaustive list, but enough for you to do some further reading on your own if you'd like.
We've covered what sanctification is, it's importance, God's reason for doing it, and how God does it.
Before I get into this, I think I need to make sure that this comes first. As soon as we give our lives to Jesus Christ and commit to follow Him, receiving the forgiveness that He bought for us on the cross with His own blood, God sees us as being "in Christ". From heaven's point of view, we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Himself. God sees the end from the beginning and whenever there is sin in our lives, He looks to the sacrifice of His Son as the justice that has already been done on our behalf. He sees us as we will be when the Holy Spirit has completed this work of sanctification in our lives. That is the only way we could even hope to approach God to get help to deal with our sin. (scripture verses for the above will be in the list at the end of this post)
Now it's time to look at the human side of the equation. What are we responsible for in this journey?
1. Repentance
Repentance literally means "a change of mind". It happens when we decide to turn from our own ways and agree with God's Word. The sin we once thought was perfectly fine (sex outside of marriage, swearing, lying, cheating on our taxes, etc), we now agree with God that it is wrong. Someone who has truly repented will start to live their life differently than they did before.
Matthew 3:8 "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance"
Luke 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance is linked to baptism in the scripture. Now if someone on their deathbed had no chance to get baptized before they died, God is a righteous and fair Judge and I do not believe that that person would go to hell. However, we are commanded by scripture to be baptized and we need to take that step of obedience to Christ. (see Acts 2:38, Matthew 3:11, Romans 6:1-11)
2. Confession of sin
Confession is closely related to repentance, it's part of the process of repentance. Repentance and confession is not just something that happens once, it's something that continues throughout our lives as God shows us the sins in our lives that we need to get rid of.
1 John 1:6-10 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
3. Believe, have faith
John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
4. Love God, love people
Matthew 22:37-40 And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these tho commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
1 John 3:23 "And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us."
5. Submit our lives to God's Word
God's Word is the #1 tool He uses to separate us from sin. We must not hide from it, we should be running to it, letting His Word be the authority in our lives.
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
John 8:31-32 "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
6. Fix our attention and devotion on Jesus Christ alone
Hebrews 12:2 "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Colossians 3:1-4 "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right had of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."
Our job is to repent, change our minds about sin and agree with God, confess our sins, believe in Jesus Christ, love Him with all of our hearts and love other people (even the ones that are hard to love), submit our lives to His Word and be willing to forsake sin that God reveals to us, and to fix our eyes and our affection on Jesus Christ.
There is one thing I would like to add. Those who teach people to pray for riches in this live (God wants us to pray for our needs, I'm talking extravagant luxuries, not needs), and to seek fancy cars, big houses, airplanes, etc, and to use faith to mentally picture things that they want in this life and make them "manifest" are in disobedience to Colossians 3:2. We are to set our minds on things above (in heaven) not things that are on the earth.
In conclusion, I must add that most of what I was taught regarding sanctification has only been confirmed through this study. The only thing that I would change is that it's importance needs to be stressed far more than it currently is in the church circles I have moved in.
And here we are. We have arrived at the end of this journey. Here are some references for further study and consideration:
Matthew 5-7, 10:24-39
John 8, 10, 14:16-27, 15, 16, 17:13-26
Romans 3-15
1 Corinthians 3:11-17, 6, 8, 13
2 Corinthians 2:14-16, 3:17-18, 4:7-18, 5, 10:3-6, 13:4-5
Galatians 2:19-21, 3-6
Ephesians (whole book)
Philippians (whole book)
Colossians (whole book)
1 Thessalonians 4-5
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:16
1 Timothy 1:5, 1:12-19, 2:1-8, 6
2 Timothy 2
Titus 2-3
James (whole book)
1-3 John (all 3 books)
We've covered what sanctification is, it's importance, God's reason for doing it, and how God does it.
Before I get into this, I think I need to make sure that this comes first. As soon as we give our lives to Jesus Christ and commit to follow Him, receiving the forgiveness that He bought for us on the cross with His own blood, God sees us as being "in Christ". From heaven's point of view, we are clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Himself. God sees the end from the beginning and whenever there is sin in our lives, He looks to the sacrifice of His Son as the justice that has already been done on our behalf. He sees us as we will be when the Holy Spirit has completed this work of sanctification in our lives. That is the only way we could even hope to approach God to get help to deal with our sin. (scripture verses for the above will be in the list at the end of this post)
Now it's time to look at the human side of the equation. What are we responsible for in this journey?
1. Repentance
Repentance literally means "a change of mind". It happens when we decide to turn from our own ways and agree with God's Word. The sin we once thought was perfectly fine (sex outside of marriage, swearing, lying, cheating on our taxes, etc), we now agree with God that it is wrong. Someone who has truly repented will start to live their life differently than they did before.
Matthew 3:8 "Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance"
Luke 5:32 "I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance."
Matthew 4:17 "From that time Jesus began to preach and say, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Repentance is linked to baptism in the scripture. Now if someone on their deathbed had no chance to get baptized before they died, God is a righteous and fair Judge and I do not believe that that person would go to hell. However, we are commanded by scripture to be baptized and we need to take that step of obedience to Christ. (see Acts 2:38, Matthew 3:11, Romans 6:1-11)
2. Confession of sin
Confession is closely related to repentance, it's part of the process of repentance. Repentance and confession is not just something that happens once, it's something that continues throughout our lives as God shows us the sins in our lives that we need to get rid of.
1 John 1:6-10 "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."
3. Believe, have faith
John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name."
John 3:16-18 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
4. Love God, love people
Matthew 22:37-40 And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these tho commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets."
1 John 3:23 "And this is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us."
5. Submit our lives to God's Word
God's Word is the #1 tool He uses to separate us from sin. We must not hide from it, we should be running to it, letting His Word be the authority in our lives.
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
John 8:31-32 "If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."
6. Fix our attention and devotion on Jesus Christ alone
Hebrews 12:2 "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Colossians 3:1-4 "If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right had of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory."
Our job is to repent, change our minds about sin and agree with God, confess our sins, believe in Jesus Christ, love Him with all of our hearts and love other people (even the ones that are hard to love), submit our lives to His Word and be willing to forsake sin that God reveals to us, and to fix our eyes and our affection on Jesus Christ.
There is one thing I would like to add. Those who teach people to pray for riches in this live (God wants us to pray for our needs, I'm talking extravagant luxuries, not needs), and to seek fancy cars, big houses, airplanes, etc, and to use faith to mentally picture things that they want in this life and make them "manifest" are in disobedience to Colossians 3:2. We are to set our minds on things above (in heaven) not things that are on the earth.
In conclusion, I must add that most of what I was taught regarding sanctification has only been confirmed through this study. The only thing that I would change is that it's importance needs to be stressed far more than it currently is in the church circles I have moved in.
And here we are. We have arrived at the end of this journey. Here are some references for further study and consideration:
Matthew 5-7, 10:24-39
John 8, 10, 14:16-27, 15, 16, 17:13-26
Romans 3-15
1 Corinthians 3:11-17, 6, 8, 13
2 Corinthians 2:14-16, 3:17-18, 4:7-18, 5, 10:3-6, 13:4-5
Galatians 2:19-21, 3-6
Ephesians (whole book)
Philippians (whole book)
Colossians (whole book)
1 Thessalonians 4-5
2 Thessalonians 2:13-3:16
1 Timothy 1:5, 1:12-19, 2:1-8, 6
2 Timothy 2
Titus 2-3
James (whole book)
1-3 John (all 3 books)
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Sanctification (Part 2b)
Sanctification is a process that takes time. How long? Well as long as we have left on this earth. Philippians 1:6 "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."
We need to trust that Jesus will perfect His work in us in however long we have left until the day we face Him. We also need to not judge and look down on others who might not be as far along in this process as we are. We need to trust that God is doing His work in our lives and we need to trust Him to work in the lives of those we love without our meddling (unless the Holy Spirit tells us to go talk to them about something, or if they are in blatant sin, in which case we have a scriptural command to confront them in love.)
Philippians 2:12-13 "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
This is something that takes work. We are instructed to work out our own salvation (not someone else's, by the way). Another translation says it this way "Keep on working to complete your salvation with fear and trembling, because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him."
God is the one who give us the desire to please Him and the ability to do what pleases Him, but it is still our decision whether or not we do those things, or run off into the darkness after our old lovers again.
Ephesians 5:26 "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word..."
Jesus Christ sanctifies us with His blood (verse already quoted earlier), and cleanses us and washes us with the water of His word. This is how He sanctifies us. He buys us out of slavery with His own blood, the absolutely biggest act of love anyone can do. Then He takes His Word and uses it like water to wash us clean outwardly, and He takes His Word and uses it like a sword that is sharper than any surgeon's scalpel to open up our hearts and change our hearts.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Ezekiel 36:26-27 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances."
It is very common for someone who has just come to faith in Christ to be occupied in cleaning up his/her outer life. The first things to go are usually drugs, drunkenness, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, etc. Then God starts doing the deep work that takes longer... rooting out greed, pride, rebellion, lust, etc. These are the sins that live in the heart and motivate the external sins.
Anyone who has been reading my blog will know that greed and pride are 2 biggies that the Lord has been working on in my heart lately.
Now we know that God does this because He loves us. It's usually hard and involves time in the wilderness. He bought us back from slavery with His own blood and He uses His Word to wash us clean and do surgery on our hearts. So what do we have to do in this process, how do we work out our salvation?
That's part 3, coming your way sometime in the next week.
We need to trust that Jesus will perfect His work in us in however long we have left until the day we face Him. We also need to not judge and look down on others who might not be as far along in this process as we are. We need to trust that God is doing His work in our lives and we need to trust Him to work in the lives of those we love without our meddling (unless the Holy Spirit tells us to go talk to them about something, or if they are in blatant sin, in which case we have a scriptural command to confront them in love.)
Philippians 2:12-13 "So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
This is something that takes work. We are instructed to work out our own salvation (not someone else's, by the way). Another translation says it this way "Keep on working to complete your salvation with fear and trembling, because God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases Him."
God is the one who give us the desire to please Him and the ability to do what pleases Him, but it is still our decision whether or not we do those things, or run off into the darkness after our old lovers again.
Ephesians 5:26 "that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word..."
Jesus Christ sanctifies us with His blood (verse already quoted earlier), and cleanses us and washes us with the water of His word. This is how He sanctifies us. He buys us out of slavery with His own blood, the absolutely biggest act of love anyone can do. Then He takes His Word and uses it like water to wash us clean outwardly, and He takes His Word and uses it like a sword that is sharper than any surgeon's scalpel to open up our hearts and change our hearts.
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth."
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
Ezekiel 36:26-27 "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances."
It is very common for someone who has just come to faith in Christ to be occupied in cleaning up his/her outer life. The first things to go are usually drugs, drunkenness, sexual immorality, lying, cheating, stealing, swearing, etc. Then God starts doing the deep work that takes longer... rooting out greed, pride, rebellion, lust, etc. These are the sins that live in the heart and motivate the external sins.
Anyone who has been reading my blog will know that greed and pride are 2 biggies that the Lord has been working on in my heart lately.
Now we know that God does this because He loves us. It's usually hard and involves time in the wilderness. He bought us back from slavery with His own blood and He uses His Word to wash us clean and do surgery on our hearts. So what do we have to do in this process, how do we work out our salvation?
That's part 3, coming your way sometime in the next week.
Sanctification (Part 2a)
Now that we know what sanctification is and that it's important enough to God that He said that no one will see Him without it (Heb. 12:14), why? Why is this so important to Him?
Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot of wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
2 Corinthians 11:2 "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin."
He wants to sanctify you so that He can marry you. He wants to pick us up from the mud and mire of sin and clean us up completely, inside and out, so that He can make us His glorious bride! That's the motive in the heart of Jesus Christ for wanting us to turn away from sin and turn to Him. It is totally based in His fierce, jealous love for us. A love that the only human thing He could compare it to to make us understand is the love a husband has for his bride.
We must understand that He wants to sanctify us because He loves us. If we don't get this, we have a tendency to end up legalistic, just obeying outwardly but resenting God's commands in our hearts.
Let's look at this love in a beautiful prophetic picture of it in the book of Hosea. I'm not going to list alot of references here or quote it much, but just tell you the story. I thoroughly recommend that you grab a Bible and read it for yourself if you are not familiar with it.
The Lord told Hosea, one of His prophets, to marry a harlot (prostitute) named Gomer. Naturally, simply taking a prostitute away from the streets does not change her habits and her beliefs about who she is, at first it's only a change in geography. She keeps running off on him and sleeping with her old lovers, and he keeps taking her back. Eventually, she gets herself into serious trouble and one of her lovers sells her into slavery.
Hosea had every right according to the law of Moses to have her stoned. But he didn't. He went to her slave master and bought her back. Then he lead her out to the wilderness to speak kindly to her, to give her love and joy. Hosea's desire is that she would no longer call him her master, but her husband. He led Gomer to a remote place, far from the comforts she usually ran to, so that she would have no choice but to learn to trust in the love her husband had for her and learn to return that love. The wilderness is the place where she was sanctified, separated from her adulterous ways and her heart was changed by the love of her husband. We know that this applies to God's relationship with His people because the Lord tells Hosea that what he is doing is a prophetic picture of God's relationship with His people.
When we first decide to follow Jesus, we are alot like Gomer when she first married Hosea. Just as Hosea bought her back from slavery, Jesus Christ paid our debt by dying for us on a cross. The very next thing He wants to do is lead us out to the wilderness, where it's hard and it's tough and we can't seem to find anywhere to turn for relief except to Him. There He changes our hearts and we learn to trust in His love and return it with all of our hearts.
We are saved the moment we decide to go with Him and abandon our sin. We are sanctified as we stay with Him and allow Him to change our hearts. Let's look at some more scriptures.
1 Corinthians 1:30 "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption."
Hebrews 13:12 "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
Ephesians 5:25-27 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot of wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
2 Corinthians 11:2 "For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin."
He wants to sanctify you so that He can marry you. He wants to pick us up from the mud and mire of sin and clean us up completely, inside and out, so that He can make us His glorious bride! That's the motive in the heart of Jesus Christ for wanting us to turn away from sin and turn to Him. It is totally based in His fierce, jealous love for us. A love that the only human thing He could compare it to to make us understand is the love a husband has for his bride.
We must understand that He wants to sanctify us because He loves us. If we don't get this, we have a tendency to end up legalistic, just obeying outwardly but resenting God's commands in our hearts.
Let's look at this love in a beautiful prophetic picture of it in the book of Hosea. I'm not going to list alot of references here or quote it much, but just tell you the story. I thoroughly recommend that you grab a Bible and read it for yourself if you are not familiar with it.
The Lord told Hosea, one of His prophets, to marry a harlot (prostitute) named Gomer. Naturally, simply taking a prostitute away from the streets does not change her habits and her beliefs about who she is, at first it's only a change in geography. She keeps running off on him and sleeping with her old lovers, and he keeps taking her back. Eventually, she gets herself into serious trouble and one of her lovers sells her into slavery.
Hosea had every right according to the law of Moses to have her stoned. But he didn't. He went to her slave master and bought her back. Then he lead her out to the wilderness to speak kindly to her, to give her love and joy. Hosea's desire is that she would no longer call him her master, but her husband. He led Gomer to a remote place, far from the comforts she usually ran to, so that she would have no choice but to learn to trust in the love her husband had for her and learn to return that love. The wilderness is the place where she was sanctified, separated from her adulterous ways and her heart was changed by the love of her husband. We know that this applies to God's relationship with His people because the Lord tells Hosea that what he is doing is a prophetic picture of God's relationship with His people.
When we first decide to follow Jesus, we are alot like Gomer when she first married Hosea. Just as Hosea bought her back from slavery, Jesus Christ paid our debt by dying for us on a cross. The very next thing He wants to do is lead us out to the wilderness, where it's hard and it's tough and we can't seem to find anywhere to turn for relief except to Him. There He changes our hearts and we learn to trust in His love and return it with all of our hearts.
We are saved the moment we decide to go with Him and abandon our sin. We are sanctified as we stay with Him and allow Him to change our hearts. Let's look at some more scriptures.
1 Corinthians 1:30 "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption."
Hebrews 13:12 "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sanctification (Part 1)
In my regular Bible reading last week, I came upon this verse:
Hebrews 12:14 "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."
I knew what I was taught about sanctification, but I was never taught that without it, I won't get to see God, which means I won't be in heaven, which means that I could end up in hell without it. So this is much more serious business than alot of preachers/teachers make it out to be. The way it was taught to me made sanctification sound optional. So I threw out what I was taught and launched into a Bible study to find out the whole truth.
I realize that sanctification is one of those big Bible words that most people, especially those who haven't gone to church all their lives, have no clue about. It doesn't make any sense to most people these days. Sanctify means "to separate from profane things and dedicate to God." Sanctification means "consecration and purification." To consecrate something is to renew or remake it, and to purify something is to cleanse it from all impurities. To sum all of that up, sancitifcation in the Bible sense is the process of cleansing from sin, being renewed and reformed into the image of Jesus Christ, separating our lives from sin, and being dedicated to God.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 says "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." (emphasis added by me)
So, how does that work together with Ephesians 2:8-9, which says that salvation is by grace through faith? So which one is it? Is it by God's grace, or through separating ourselves from sin and being dedicated to God?
There are 2 keys to figuring this out. The first is in the verse above, sancitfication is by the Spirit, which means that this is not something we have to do on our own, in fact, if left on our own it would be impossible for us to separate ourselves from our sin. It is "by the Spirit". The Holy Spirit gives us the power to obey God and dedicate ourselves to Him.
The second key is found in Titus 2:11-14 which says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."
The grace of God inscruts us to deny sin, it purifies us, is teaches us to live righteously and godly, so really God's grace produces sanctification in our lives. There is also a warning here. If we say we have God's grace, but we are not learning to deny ungodliness and worldly desires (lust, greed, pride, etc) and if the Lord is not teaching us to live for Him, it is very likely that the Christianity we claim to have is a counterfeit and not the real thing.
In part 2 we will look at how God sanctifies us, it is by His Spirit so He's the one that the bulk of the responsibiliry rests on. Then in part 3 we will look at what our part to play in this process is, although God is the one who is going to do it, there are responsibilities that we need to step up to the plate and take care of.
Hebrews 12:14 "Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord."
I knew what I was taught about sanctification, but I was never taught that without it, I won't get to see God, which means I won't be in heaven, which means that I could end up in hell without it. So this is much more serious business than alot of preachers/teachers make it out to be. The way it was taught to me made sanctification sound optional. So I threw out what I was taught and launched into a Bible study to find out the whole truth.
I realize that sanctification is one of those big Bible words that most people, especially those who haven't gone to church all their lives, have no clue about. It doesn't make any sense to most people these days. Sanctify means "to separate from profane things and dedicate to God." Sanctification means "consecration and purification." To consecrate something is to renew or remake it, and to purify something is to cleanse it from all impurities. To sum all of that up, sancitifcation in the Bible sense is the process of cleansing from sin, being renewed and reformed into the image of Jesus Christ, separating our lives from sin, and being dedicated to God.
2 Thessalonians 2:13 says "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth." (emphasis added by me)
So, how does that work together with Ephesians 2:8-9, which says that salvation is by grace through faith? So which one is it? Is it by God's grace, or through separating ourselves from sin and being dedicated to God?
There are 2 keys to figuring this out. The first is in the verse above, sancitfication is by the Spirit, which means that this is not something we have to do on our own, in fact, if left on our own it would be impossible for us to separate ourselves from our sin. It is "by the Spirit". The Holy Spirit gives us the power to obey God and dedicate ourselves to Him.
The second key is found in Titus 2:11-14 which says, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds."
The grace of God inscruts us to deny sin, it purifies us, is teaches us to live righteously and godly, so really God's grace produces sanctification in our lives. There is also a warning here. If we say we have God's grace, but we are not learning to deny ungodliness and worldly desires (lust, greed, pride, etc) and if the Lord is not teaching us to live for Him, it is very likely that the Christianity we claim to have is a counterfeit and not the real thing.
In part 2 we will look at how God sanctifies us, it is by His Spirit so He's the one that the bulk of the responsibiliry rests on. Then in part 3 we will look at what our part to play in this process is, although God is the one who is going to do it, there are responsibilities that we need to step up to the plate and take care of.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Dead Men Walking
Dead men do not get discouraged. They feel no disappointment. They have no dreams to risk, they have no pride to defend. They have no concern for their own well-being, no ambition to promote their cause, and no concern for their reputation. No one can offend a dead man, no one can cause him to fear or worry, and no sudden catastrophe could ever shake his faith.
To assume that we will be resurrected with Christ without first dying to sin and to our own will shows that at best we are deceived and at worst we are hypocrites and false brethren. (see Romans 6:5, Philippians 3:10-11) The Apostle Paul ran toward suffering, not shrinking back even when shipwrecked, beaten, tortured, and put in prison.Even Jesus had to choose God's will over His own in the Garden. We can't assume that God loves us too much to let us suffer. That kind of thinking sets us up for discouragement and makes us easy targets for the enemy to take out, all he has to do is bring some kind of catastrophe in our lives, and our faith crumbles because it was not based on the truth of God's Word, but on our pride. Do we think we are better than our Master? He was crucified, and He called us to take up our cross and follow Him up that hill considering our lives to be nothing but garbage compared to the eternal value of knowing Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings and the power of His resurrection.
To assume that we will be resurrected with Christ without first dying to sin and to our own will shows that at best we are deceived and at worst we are hypocrites and false brethren. (see Romans 6:5, Philippians 3:10-11) The Apostle Paul ran toward suffering, not shrinking back even when shipwrecked, beaten, tortured, and put in prison.Even Jesus had to choose God's will over His own in the Garden. We can't assume that God loves us too much to let us suffer. That kind of thinking sets us up for discouragement and makes us easy targets for the enemy to take out, all he has to do is bring some kind of catastrophe in our lives, and our faith crumbles because it was not based on the truth of God's Word, but on our pride. Do we think we are better than our Master? He was crucified, and He called us to take up our cross and follow Him up that hill considering our lives to be nothing but garbage compared to the eternal value of knowing Christ and the fellowship of His sufferings and the power of His resurrection.
It's so much easier to talk about than to actually do, this dying to self. It hurts, it's hard, it's dark and lonely sometimes, often we feel like God has abandoned us. But we have a promise that if we do not grow weary in the middle of it, if we do not faint and give up, there is a great reward.
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and delivered Himself up for me."
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 "Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
One of my Heroes
I have great respect for Mother Theresa. A small woman who simply devoted her life to obeying the command of Jesus Christ to feed and clothe the least of His people. (see Matthew 25)
She once said, "Don't give in to discouragement. No more must you do so when you try to settle a marriage crisis or convert a sinner and don't succeed. If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinion. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. It is very difficult to practice because we all want to see the result of our work. Leave it to Jesus."
I very recently saw the connection between discouragement and pride. I love the way Mother Theresa expresses it. However, far more important is what the Bible has to say about it.
Philippians 2:1-8
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death
Jesus did not get discouraged, even in the face of betrayal and fickle crowds that one day praised Him and about a week later screamed "Crucify Him!" He did not value their opinions of Him... He did not even value His own opinion of Himself. He loved them, but He knew the wickedness in the heart of mankind. The only opinion He was concerned with was that of his Father in heaven. May we have that same attitude.
She once said, "Don't give in to discouragement. No more must you do so when you try to settle a marriage crisis or convert a sinner and don't succeed. If you are discouraged, it is a sign of pride because it shows you trust in your own powers. Never bother about people's opinion. Be humble and you will never be disturbed. It is very difficult to practice because we all want to see the result of our work. Leave it to Jesus."
I very recently saw the connection between discouragement and pride. I love the way Mother Theresa expresses it. However, far more important is what the Bible has to say about it.
Philippians 2:1-8
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death
Jesus did not get discouraged, even in the face of betrayal and fickle crowds that one day praised Him and about a week later screamed "Crucify Him!" He did not value their opinions of Him... He did not even value His own opinion of Himself. He loved them, but He knew the wickedness in the heart of mankind. The only opinion He was concerned with was that of his Father in heaven. May we have that same attitude.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Selfishness and Pride (part 2)
If selfishness is evident in my actions... then pride is the source of it in my heart.
I was taken on a little history lesson of my life that night.
I saw the girl that I had the privilege of leading to faith in Christ... who later turned her back on Him in favor of Wicca, then converted to Islam for awhile, and is still confused and fearful and lost. I saw that I had felt that I had failed her somehow.
I saw the girl that has been so hurt by people in church that she ran, was almost suicidal, and now distrusts Christ because of the behavior of some of His people. I saw that I took her hurt personally and once again believed that I had failed her, because I couldn't stop it from happening.
I saw the youth group that I lead for a couple of years that totally fell apart after my husband and I left that church. I realized that I felt guilty for it, even though I had God's promise that He would be taking care of those kids.
I didn't trust God. Part of me believed that the results were in my power to control and my responsibility. Part of me had the audacity to think that God needs my help, that if I mess up it will somehow destroy His plans. I felt that if I had only done this different or that different... maybe things would have turned out differently. I pulled back from ministry... out of fear that what happened in the lives of those kids might continue to happen to others. In reality, I was trying to protect my stupid ego, lest I should fail again and prove that I am not the hero and I can't save anyone. A couple of days ago, I didn't think that pride was an issue in my life, it turns out that it's the biggest issue of all. I thought that I was helping people out of love and compassion, but deep down there was a desire to be praised, to be the one who saved their lives. Gag me. How arrogant is that?!
To think that less than a week ago I actually lectured my little sister on not deceiving herself! Ha! I was more deceived than she ever was. I was totally blind to what was really in my heart.
Well, at least I am now aware of what's going on in me. No one can change what they do not acknowledge.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Everytime I have heard this verse it has been in relation to guarding what we let in our hearts. What about guarding what comes out? I need to guard my heart like a fortress being guarded from invaders... but I also must guard my heart like a prison cell, keeping what is in there from hurting and destroying my life and others. God says that my heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and He is right.
I was taken on a little history lesson of my life that night.
I saw the girl that I had the privilege of leading to faith in Christ... who later turned her back on Him in favor of Wicca, then converted to Islam for awhile, and is still confused and fearful and lost. I saw that I had felt that I had failed her somehow.
I saw the girl that has been so hurt by people in church that she ran, was almost suicidal, and now distrusts Christ because of the behavior of some of His people. I saw that I took her hurt personally and once again believed that I had failed her, because I couldn't stop it from happening.
I saw the youth group that I lead for a couple of years that totally fell apart after my husband and I left that church. I realized that I felt guilty for it, even though I had God's promise that He would be taking care of those kids.
I didn't trust God. Part of me believed that the results were in my power to control and my responsibility. Part of me had the audacity to think that God needs my help, that if I mess up it will somehow destroy His plans. I felt that if I had only done this different or that different... maybe things would have turned out differently. I pulled back from ministry... out of fear that what happened in the lives of those kids might continue to happen to others. In reality, I was trying to protect my stupid ego, lest I should fail again and prove that I am not the hero and I can't save anyone. A couple of days ago, I didn't think that pride was an issue in my life, it turns out that it's the biggest issue of all. I thought that I was helping people out of love and compassion, but deep down there was a desire to be praised, to be the one who saved their lives. Gag me. How arrogant is that?!
To think that less than a week ago I actually lectured my little sister on not deceiving herself! Ha! I was more deceived than she ever was. I was totally blind to what was really in my heart.
Well, at least I am now aware of what's going on in me. No one can change what they do not acknowledge.
Proverbs 4:23 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Everytime I have heard this verse it has been in relation to guarding what we let in our hearts. What about guarding what comes out? I need to guard my heart like a fortress being guarded from invaders... but I also must guard my heart like a prison cell, keeping what is in there from hurting and destroying my life and others. God says that my heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), and He is right.
Selfishness and Pride. (part 1)
(written April 23rd)
4 am... that's when I finally fell asleep last night. I had a bit of a revelation about myself. I am about a hundred times more selfish and prideful than I thought I was.
I think about myself way too much, and about others way too little. I'm naturally introverted and quiet, so it has been very easy to hide my selfishness behind a cloak of shyness... even from myself. I've isolated myself at times, ignored phone calls because I just couldn't be bothered to care about whoever it was on the other end of the line at that time. I pulled away from people to keep from getting too involved in their lives or them in mine. I procrastinated and procrastinated for about 4 months on something that was very important to a friendship. I retreated into my own little world when my husband needed me in his. And I have no idea when the last time I talked to my Granny was.
It seems that the times I have felt lonely are my own fault. If I am going to change this, it'll have to be on purpose. I'm gonna have to exercise some discipline, schedule it even, times to make phone calls and go visit people and get out of my little shell.
I'd like to send a big thank-you to all my friends and family who have been so wonderful to me. I don't deserve you, you are a blessing from God.
4 am... that's when I finally fell asleep last night. I had a bit of a revelation about myself. I am about a hundred times more selfish and prideful than I thought I was.
I think about myself way too much, and about others way too little. I'm naturally introverted and quiet, so it has been very easy to hide my selfishness behind a cloak of shyness... even from myself. I've isolated myself at times, ignored phone calls because I just couldn't be bothered to care about whoever it was on the other end of the line at that time. I pulled away from people to keep from getting too involved in their lives or them in mine. I procrastinated and procrastinated for about 4 months on something that was very important to a friendship. I retreated into my own little world when my husband needed me in his. And I have no idea when the last time I talked to my Granny was.
It seems that the times I have felt lonely are my own fault. If I am going to change this, it'll have to be on purpose. I'm gonna have to exercise some discipline, schedule it even, times to make phone calls and go visit people and get out of my little shell.
I'd like to send a big thank-you to all my friends and family who have been so wonderful to me. I don't deserve you, you are a blessing from God.
Friday, April 17, 2009
What if?
The following is a bunch of questions that I have asked myself in recent months that have led to a big change in the way I think and slowly changing the way I live. I present them to you to make you think.
What if Jesus meant exactly what He said?
Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
What if He was not speaking just metaphorically "poor"?
Luke 6:20-21 And turning His gaze on His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God."
What if He was serious?
Luke 12:33 "Sell your possessions and give to the poor..."
What if He was deadly serious?
Luke 14:33 "So therefore, no one of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions."
What if money is detestable to God, not just the love of it?
Luke 16:9, 14-15 "And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; for when it fails, they my receive you into the eternal dwellings." ... Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things, and they were scoffing at Him. And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is destestable in the sight of God."
What if the wealthy need our prayers, not our envy?
Luke 18:24-25 "How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."
What if we must share in His poverty in this life?
Philippians3:10 "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death..."
2 Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich."
What if making a profit from ministry resources is wrong?
1 Timothy6:5, 9 "... who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. ... But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction."
What if those who use all sorts of positive "faith" confessions are the ones Jesus was talking about?
Revelations 3:17-19 Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent."
What if God's definition of true riches is totally opposite to the world's?
Revelation 2:9-10 "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
What if making a profit from ministry resources is wrong?
1 Timothy6:5, 9 "... who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. ... But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction."
What if those who use all sorts of positive "faith" confessions are the ones Jesus was talking about?
Revelations 3:17-19 Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eyesalve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; be zealous therefore, and repent."
What if God's definition of true riches is totally opposite to the world's?
Revelation 2:9-10 "I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
What if the truly rich are not those who have the most, but those who can be content with the least?
1 Timothy 6:8 "And if we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content."
Saturday, April 4, 2009
As I stepped out of the shower this morning and started getting ready for my day, I was struck by this thought: to put clothes that reek of yesterday back onto my fresh clean body would be a grave disservice, both to my body and to the lovely strawberries-n'-cream scent that remained from my shower gel.
In the same way, when I've spent time with Jesus and asked Him to forgive me for something horrid I had done or said or thought, to just put back on the same old lifestyle and habits that got me in that mess in the first place would be an injustice to not only my own freshly washed spirit and soul, but also to the fragrance of Christ.
Instead of going back to old ways of thinking that smell like dirty socks, I should put on fresh thoughts and fresh ways of thinking that allow His sweet, light fragrance to shine through.
How do I do that? Thanks for asking!
I do that by letting God's Word change the way I think and act. Oh, I fail at that pretty much every day, but it's not about perfection, it's about progress. God's opinion needs to be more important to me than anyone else's, including my own. The lifestyle we are called to is one of obedience to God's Word... even when it hurts.
2 Corinthians 2:14-15 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing."
Ephesians 4:22-24 "You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
1 Peter 5:5b "All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'
Friday, April 3, 2009
Contentment
1 Timothy 6:6 "But godliness with contentment is great gain."
If there is one thing I have learned over the past few years, it is that life flies by far too fast. All of a sudden, I'm almost 30. I've heard it said that life is short my whole life, but not until now have I realized just how fast it can all fly by. I can hear my Dad saying, "You're only 29, you still have your whole life ahead of you!" And he's right, I am still young, yet this past decade has flown past so fast that my head is still spinning.
Just yesterday it seems, I was 20 years old, in Bible College, full of dreams and expectations for what my life would hold. So far, the only one of those dreams to come to pass is that I got married. Even marriage has not been what I expected.
I have been faced with a decision. To either accept my life and myself just the way I am, and be content and happy and make the most of it, or to wallow in dreams that never came to be and live disappointed, asking "why them and not me?"
Obviously, I chose the former, otherwise I would not be writing right now.
There are some preachers out there who say that to be content with where you are at and what you have in life is to allow your faith to stagnate and stop growing. I have heard some say exactly that. But I must disagree.
Often it takes far more courage and faith to live in the moment, with all its faults and failures, than it does to be constantly straining towards some unseen future. It takes courage to accept that God is in control, no matter what the daily circumstances look like. It takes courage to live through the hard times accepting those as God's will just as much as the blessings. It takes alot to let go of the reins and let God take care of the future and simply live this day to the best of my ability. In fact, without God's help, I can't do that at all. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
If the choice is between pursuing my dreams, even though I believe they were given by God, and living in and experiencing His presence here and now, I chose the presence of God. I will be content just to have the One I love near. I chose to lay those dreams at the foot of the cross, and should He give them back to me some day, that is up to Him, but I will seek only to know Him more and love Him fully.
When the mundane and the mediocre of the life I live right now, so so far from the dreams in my heart, threatened to choke all joy from my every day existence, I embrace them. It seems that they are the cross I am meant to carry for now. Although enduring mediocrity is not worthy of being compared to what Jesus went through for me, and so many have suffered so much more than I can imagine.
The question the Lord is asking me right now is this... "Am I really your heart's desire?"
So I refuse to focus on a future that may never be, and I seek to be content in this ordinary life. I seek to rely on my extraordinary God, with a supernatural faith and an awareness of His presence, so that even the most menial task can be an act of worship.
Even if the dream does not come true, and if my hopes never manifest themselves in everyday life, I will rejoice that my Lord is near, He never leaves me. His presence really is all I need.
My dreams consist of ministry, leading worship, writing books and songs, teaching a generation the ways of God... but it seems that for now, on my knees is the best place I can be. Prayer is the only "ministry" I am currently involved in... and it is a ministry that is open to any and every child of God.
If there is one thing I have learned over the past few years, it is that life flies by far too fast. All of a sudden, I'm almost 30. I've heard it said that life is short my whole life, but not until now have I realized just how fast it can all fly by. I can hear my Dad saying, "You're only 29, you still have your whole life ahead of you!" And he's right, I am still young, yet this past decade has flown past so fast that my head is still spinning.
Just yesterday it seems, I was 20 years old, in Bible College, full of dreams and expectations for what my life would hold. So far, the only one of those dreams to come to pass is that I got married. Even marriage has not been what I expected.
I have been faced with a decision. To either accept my life and myself just the way I am, and be content and happy and make the most of it, or to wallow in dreams that never came to be and live disappointed, asking "why them and not me?"
Obviously, I chose the former, otherwise I would not be writing right now.
There are some preachers out there who say that to be content with where you are at and what you have in life is to allow your faith to stagnate and stop growing. I have heard some say exactly that. But I must disagree.
Often it takes far more courage and faith to live in the moment, with all its faults and failures, than it does to be constantly straining towards some unseen future. It takes courage to accept that God is in control, no matter what the daily circumstances look like. It takes courage to live through the hard times accepting those as God's will just as much as the blessings. It takes alot to let go of the reins and let God take care of the future and simply live this day to the best of my ability. In fact, without God's help, I can't do that at all. But godliness with contentment is great gain.
If the choice is between pursuing my dreams, even though I believe they were given by God, and living in and experiencing His presence here and now, I chose the presence of God. I will be content just to have the One I love near. I chose to lay those dreams at the foot of the cross, and should He give them back to me some day, that is up to Him, but I will seek only to know Him more and love Him fully.
When the mundane and the mediocre of the life I live right now, so so far from the dreams in my heart, threatened to choke all joy from my every day existence, I embrace them. It seems that they are the cross I am meant to carry for now. Although enduring mediocrity is not worthy of being compared to what Jesus went through for me, and so many have suffered so much more than I can imagine.
The question the Lord is asking me right now is this... "Am I really your heart's desire?"
So I refuse to focus on a future that may never be, and I seek to be content in this ordinary life. I seek to rely on my extraordinary God, with a supernatural faith and an awareness of His presence, so that even the most menial task can be an act of worship.
Even if the dream does not come true, and if my hopes never manifest themselves in everyday life, I will rejoice that my Lord is near, He never leaves me. His presence really is all I need.
My dreams consist of ministry, leading worship, writing books and songs, teaching a generation the ways of God... but it seems that for now, on my knees is the best place I can be. Prayer is the only "ministry" I am currently involved in... and it is a ministry that is open to any and every child of God.
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