|
BLOGGING THE BIBLE
| |
|
Why Did Jesus Die?
REFERENCE: Isaiah 53:4-6 Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! 5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. 6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God´s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all.
Observation: It is amazing to observe all that Jesus took to the cross for us. It was not just our sin, it was our sorrows, our rebellion, our brokenness and unwholeness. What it tells us is that we live far below our birthright. We know that we don´t have to live under the control and power of sin, but we don´t realize that we don´t have to give into undue sorrow (it is not that Jesus came to save us from the natural grieving process, but by faith He came to rescue us for sadness that is unnecessary, unrelated to what is really happening in life and debilitating). When we can not get our flesh to submit to our spirit, we need to look to the cross where our rebellion died. How often we feel less than whole, lacking, somehow, in who or what we are. Jesus died to win us completeness and total fullness as a person.
How do we actuate all of this? Through prayer and faith. We need to ask for it and believe that if Jesus was willing to die to win it for us, then as His children, we deserve to have it.
Application/Confession: How often I simply give into a sense of sadness, of brokenness and incompleteness when I ought to be contending for what Jesus won for me.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you that You died not only so that I can be free from the dominion of sin but from my weaknesses and sorrows as well. Teach me to walk in all that You have won for me. I refuse undue sadness, I choose not to live in weakness any longer. I choose Your strength and joy instead.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
A Useful Mouth
REFERENCE: Ephesians 4:29 Don´t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
Observation: We need to watch what comes out of our mouths. It is more than just making sure that we don´t hurt or abuse people with what we say. We certainly should do that, but we need to go beyond eliminating the negative and ask ourselves how we, in fact, can be good and helpful to those around us by what we say.
We should think back to our last interactions with people. Were they left more encouraged or less by what we had to say to them? Our goal should be just that; to leave built up, stronger people in our wake. All it takes is to watch what comes out of our mouths.
Application/Confession: I feel like I have come a long way in this area. Still, I can do more. I want God to use my mouth to be a blessing to others, always.
PRAYER: Lord, bless my mouth today. May it say words of life and healing to those I interact with. Put a watch over it and warn me when I am about to hurt someone. Thank You for the awesome power you have entrusted to me with my mouth. May I always use it well.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
How A child Of God Should Act
REFERENCE: Ephesians 4:1-3 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other´s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
Observation: What is our calling? To be a child of God. That is really something to live up to!! So how do we live up to such a wonderfully high calling?
o Be humble. Refuse pride in all of it´s forms.
o Be gentle. Treat each other with tenderness and love.
o Be patient. Be willing to suffer a long time with those who frustrate you.
o Allow for the fact that we all have faults and be willing to live with other´s.
o Work for unity and peace with your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Application/Confession: Of all of these the one I struggle with the most is being gentle. I am, by nature, a straight forward and direct person. I tend to say what is on my mind. I am learning, especially with my wife, that this approach to "the truth" must be mixed with love and gentleness. Since my calling is even more than just being a Christian, it is being a pastor, leader and teacher. I have a responsibilty to do all of these things even more than others.
PRAYER: Lord, teach me to be kind and gentle. Remind me to mix the truth I express with love as You would have me do.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
How We Offend Our Creator
REFERENCE: Isaiah 45: 9-10"What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator. Does a clay pot argue with its maker? Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying, ´Stop, you´re doing it wrong!´ Does the pot exclaim, ´How clumsy can you be?´ 10 How terrible it would be if a newborn baby said to its father, ´Why was I born?´ or if it said to its mother, ´Why did you make me this way?´"
Observation: Most people are focused more on what they are not rather than on what God has made them to be. The truth is if we come to understand the powerful strengths that God has built into us and work to build those us, we will be more effective in life. We gain more by focusing on our strengths than trying to overcome all of our weaknesses. It is not that we ignore our weaknesses, it is just that we first honor what God has made us.
When we rail against ourselves and condemn ourselves because of what we are not, we are really condemning our creator, accusing Him of making us wrong. We need to see, instead, that God knew what He was doing and that we have strengths He has given us for His purposes. If we will focus on those, then we will be effective, others will be blessed, and God, our creator, will be glorified.
Application/Confession: I can get so frustrated at myself that I am not more sensitive, that I am not smarter or more charismatic. What I have to remember that God has made me with great gifts and strengths and I need to rejoice in those, develop them and use them to help others. Focusing on my strengths instead of my weaknesses is not just a success strategy; it is a "pleasing God" strategy.
PRAYER: Thank you for how You have made me. I can preach well. I know some things about planning. I can organize pretty well. I will honor Your creation of me by developing those gifts in my life. Help me to overcome my weaknesses but teach me not to make them the center of my thoughts and life.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
Who Completes Me?
REFERENCE: Ephesians 3:19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
Observation: What completes us? Our work? Another person? The way we dress or something we possess? All of those things may seem like what we need for completeness, but they will all fall short because they are finite. Even the love of our most dear friends has its limits. What we need to complete us is nothing short of the love of God. It is a love that is beyond understanding and yet is all that we really need.
So many people lives are spent in an effort to find fulfillment. Money, stuff, people are all thrown into that gaping hole in our being; all to no avail. We hurt the very people we love the most trying to force them to be what we need. In the end, only the love of God can do it. If we want to feel complete looking to God is the only way to find it.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
Hard Times Won´t Kill You
REFERENCE: Isaiah 43:1-2 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, "Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.
Observation: There are so many awesome promises here. Because we are, through Christ, part of God´s very own family, we can know that the God of all the universe knows us by name. He sees us as His!! Wow! Is about the only appropriate response. Since He knows us by name, since we are His we can know:
1. We never have to go through trying times alone--He will always walk with us.
2. Even though it may feel, at times, that we will be destroyed by the difficulties of life, we have His promise that all of our difficulties will not ruin our lives.
3. When people hate us, oppose us and try to ruin us, we can know that they will not succeed. God will stand on our side and bring us through.
Application/Confession: Many people have commented on how impressed they are that I persevered through great trial. I did, but I was only able to because He took me through. I have discovered that if I will not give up that God will see to it that neither people or circumstances will be more than I can handle. I can personally attest that the fires of opposition will not consume you. In fact, they may just burn up some junk that needed to be done away with.
PRAYER: Thank You for being with me in trial. Thank You that when people oppose me and lie about me, You stood up for me. For that, I am so thankful.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
God´s Mad At Sinners
REFERENCE: Eph 2:3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God´s anger, just like everyone else.
Observation: When we read the Old Testament we can´t help but be reminded, over and over, how much God hates sin (and even, although we hate to admit it, He hates sinners). Here we see it even in the New Testament. Without Christ, we are subject to God´s anger, He would be against us.
It should cause us to realize, all the more, how great the grace of God is towards us. We don´t deserve it. We are certainly on His bad side, but He chose to send Jesus so that He could love us and invite us into His family. Amazing Grace indeed.
Application/Confession: How I take sin so very, very less seriously than God does. I see others sinning on TV and I am entertained rather than repulsed by it. People tell me of their sin and my first thought is to make them feel OK rather than hating that sin like God does. When I fall to sin I see it as a small "mistake" rather that a horrible offense that God hates and sent Jesus to the cross. I need a revelation of the real horrid nature of sin.
PRAYER: Lord, may I see how awful sin truly is in Your eyes. It cost Jesus great pain, suffering and, ultimately, His life. You can´t even look at or be near to sinners. I want to hate what You hate as much as I want to love what You love.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
You Are A Masterpiece
REFERENCE: Eph. 2:10 For we are God´s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
Observation: This is one of the most profound and wonderful verses in the whole Bible. We are God´s masterpiece. He is working to create in us what He had in mind when He brought us to Himself. He is making us a work of art made by the true, greatest master artist.
God has something in mind for us to do. From before He even made us, He envisioned a future where we would be serving Him and using our unique gift and contributions, who we uniquely are, to do what only we could do in this world.
If they were planned for us ahead of time, all we have to do is to get our eyes open and see what those things, for each of us, are. We don´t have to make them happen we just need to obey in the moment when they are revealed.
Application/Confession: I think I am pretty good at doing good works. The hard part for me is to think that God is making me a masterpiece, a work of art. I feel plain and ordinary. I feel like nothing special. I really want God to reveal what wonderful, beautiful thing He is working in me.
PRAYER: Lord, teach me to see myself with the beauty and potential that You see in me. I want, so much, to grab a hold of all that You saw in me when You called me to Yourself. I can´t imagine that I am anyone´s work of art but I am willing to be convinced.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
The Holy Spirit Lives in Us Together
REFERENCE: Ephesians 2:21-22 (NIV) In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
Observation: We are not supposed to do this Christian Life thing alone. We talk a lot about being filled with the Holy Spirit. We talk about being led by Him and that is right, we ought to be. The interesting thing here is that God shows us that there is a sense of being spirit-filled that can only happen together. The Holy Spirit not only lives in each of individually, He also lives in us corporately.
So, we need to be built together, made to fit together better. We need to love more and conflict less. We need to let God eliminate our rough edges so that we can fit together. It is only in the context of such unity that God can dwell by His Spirit. We have to decide how much we really want it. Enough to lay down some of our selfishness and individuality?
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
Prayers God doesn´t Hear
REFERENCE: Psalms 66:18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
Observation: A simple but important thought. If we want God to answer our prayers, we have to deal with the sin problem in our lives. If we hold on to sin, live an unrepentant lifestyle that is against God´s principles, then we can not expect to live in God´s blessing. Don´t even bother to ask.
If we confess our sin and repent, then we can come back to the place of intimacy and blessing.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
|
Turning The Lights On
REFERENCE: Ephesians 1:18-19a (NIV) I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
Observation: To start with, it is instructive to note that our eyes need to be enlightened to understand this stuff. In other words, this is the kind of knowledge that we can only get by revelation. Our natural minds can´t wrap themselves around it, God has to turn the light on for us. What do we need to understand?
1. The hope we have. Not just that we will live forever but that our life is eternal starting now. The hope is that life has purpose, meaning and direction from now into eternity. I have a reason for being!
2. God has great things that He wants to give us. All the promises made to the seed of Abraham are for us. It is literally too much for us to comprehend. God needs to show us so that our faith can latch onto it and begin believing for it.
3. There is great power available for us. Paul goes on to say that the power at work inside of us is the very same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Pretty hot deal! Again, we need to see it so that our faith can access that power.
To start with then, this is a prayer project. We need to pray with Paul for this kind of revelation and then let it deeply effect how we live life.
Application/Confession: I know that I live far below the inheritance and power that is available to me. I need a greater revelation and I need to believe what God reveals.
PRAYER: Lord, I pray with Paul; show me my hope, my inheritance in Jesus and the power You have available to me. I want to see it. I want to know it.
|
Comments (
0
) :: Post A Comment!
:: Permanent Link
|
| |
