Filed under: Christian Living, Cool Finds, Good Advice, Gospel, Lessons Learned from Reading
I really appreciated this post that explains that obedience to the golden rule is linked to remembering God’s goodness to us. It is worth reading the whole thing, but here is a little excerpt to whet your appetite.
We first must understand that God will always do good for us (v.11) — so therefore we can devote ourselves to doing good for others (v.12) … Jesus does not want us to obey the Golden Rule by gritting our teeth and ignoring our own needs so we can care for the needs of others. He wants us to obey by first trusting all our needs to our Father in earnest prayer — resting in the fact that He is rejoicing to do us good with all His heart and soul. Then — trusting that God is passionately pursuing us with good — we can devote ourselves to doing good for others.
Filed under: Christian Living, Counseling, Discipleship, Friends, Lessons Learned, Life
I saw a lot of guilt and bitterness both in my own life and in the lives of others last semester, that stemmed from not believing God’s sovereignty. Many of us will say that God is sovereign, but then turn around and say things like, “I know this is beyond my control, but I want there to be something I can do to change this so it doesn’t hurt so and so.” “I’m ruining everything.” “So and so doesn’t know what their sinning against me has cost me. I’m not ready to forgive him yet. He is going to have to earn my trust back.”
Let me clue you in on something. The sovereignty of God means that you or I can’t bring anything into each other’s lives that God does not orchestrate. Stop feeling guilt about not being good enough for that friend or spouse. Stop moping about how your difficulty has affected another when it was something beyond your control. Stop accusing others of harming you or bringing you more than you can bear. Those claims are actually accusing the Lord of not being good. It is accusing Him of being unkind to the person who you have affected or of his unkindness in allowing you to be hurt by another. Instead, we can be certain that nothing comes our way that is not loving and divinely orchestrated. That’s good news! That includes break-ups, financial struggles, limitations, sins, and the whole gammet.
Yes, that boy may have been insensitive. Yes, your illness may have come at some cost to your roommate. Yes, your moving away brings great sorrow to those who love you. Yes, that teacher is harder than the others and yes, his B may have cost you a scholarship… this trial was dealt to you by the hand of God. Take it as such and rejoice. Rejoice at seeing your heart. If you didn’t sin in response to this trial, rejoice at seeing the Spirit at work in you. If you are suffering and not sinning, rejoice at coming to know the Lord more fully. Rejoice at sharing in his suffering. Rejoice at your need for Christ. Rejoice at your opportunity to not only model Christ’s response but to help that other believer that wronged you look more like Christ too.
Let the sovereignty of God cure you of moping and bitterness and instead be replaced with rejoicing and loving service to God and others.
Just read a post by Stephen Altrogge on New Year’s resolutions, which I found very helpful. And so, here are my Resolutions for 2012,
Personal:
- Work on my handwriting each week as I write notes
- Stick to the Bible Reading Plan I’ve selected
- Hang out with friends outside of the dorm at least once every two weeks
- Spend 30 minutes a week working on a foreign language
- Work out once a week – I know it is small, but you have to start somewhere.
- Read one book for leisure a month or see one movie
- Memorize one verse a week
Ministry:
- Write a note a week. This is something I’ve gotten out of the practice of. I used to write notes all the time in college, even though my roommate said that no one could read them because of my messy writing :), but now a days it seems like there is never time or I don’t have the brain power to do anything worthwhile. That has got to change.
- Every Sunday spend time looking at the month ahead to prepare personally and better communicate to my staff
- Pray regularly for eyes to see how the Spirit is at work in people’s lives to encourage them with what I see.
- Dsomething spontaneous or silly with the girls at least once a month
- And I don’t know how to turn this into a resolution that’s doable since it is more of a mind shift, but here is an excellent post on caring for the person God has placed before you in that moment instead of being preoccupied with that girl on the opposite side of the room who you are not talking to.
Filed under: Christian Living, Community, Cool Finds, Friends, FUN!, geography / travel, Home, Hospitality, role models, These are a few of my favorite things..., Travel
Okay, so I’m not staying at a Bed and Breakfast this week, but I am staying at a friend’s home at Mount Hermon. They are gone, but I am here. The hikes, the sleep, the quiet, the reading, the pinning, the video-watching, the outdoors, the indoors, and opportunities to hear myself think have been lovely. I haven’t slept as well since I don’t know when but definitely not since moving into the dorm. On campus there is continual life and noise. Even with the students gone there are fire alarms, car alarms, tennis players, knocks on the door, grounds crew people outside making noise, a crow flying into my window over and over in the morning to wake me up… I’m so thankful for the couple who see what God has given them as an opportunity to serve others and minister through hospitality. It makes me dream of someday being able to do the same. A retreat house up here would be nice because it’s only an hour away from the fam and because I am more of a mountain girl than a beach girl, but here they have the best of both worlds since the beach is only 30 minutes away :).
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- Love, love, love.
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- Wherever I live, I’d love to have a guest tree house like this :).
Gifts not only represent the great gift received on that first Christmas – God incarnate, they can be a good example for kids of the expected Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah. On this end it can be hard to imagine the longing God-followers had before Christ, but waiting until Christmas eve, Christmas morning, or Christmas afternoon can be a small taste of that expectation for kids. Explain that as a part of giving gifts at Christmas.
Filed under: Christian Living, Good Advice, Gospel, Lessons Learned from Reading, Vocation, work
Recently my group of coworkers read a chapter from a book on words of life and words of death. It examined the counsel that Jesus gave to the people He encountered. It caused us to think about I Thessalonians 5:14. To be helpful we must choose our words wisely. They must not only be true but they must address that individual where they are at. The article reminded me of the fact that most people come into counseling with their interpretation of the problem and the solution. Martha did. She thought the situation was that she needed to put on a fine meal, the problem was her sister, and the solution was Jesus telling her sister to get her petuty into the kitchen to work. Jesus didn’t reply the way she wanted. To reply the way she wanted, would have been harmful to Martha. It wouldn’t have brought life to her soul it would have caused her to rely on herself, be preoccupied with making a meal, and to continue to judge God in thinking that He didn’t care for her, if He didn’t respond the way she wanted Him to, in order for her to control the situation. Instead he says, “Martha, Martha, You are anxious and troubled about many things. Mary has chosen the better portion and for that she will be rewarded.”
I am a people pleaser and as such these words about counsel are hard to think about. I need my faith, wisdom, grace, and love for God and people to be increased by God so I can walk in the Spirit and minister rightly. If I walk in the flesh, my counsel, is going to lead people away from Christ not to Him.
In chapel, a speaker spoke on evangelism. He said the fields are ripe for harvest and yet we tend to look at them and say they are green… Who can live this way? God why did you choose me? I’m so awkward, I’m not a good representative. Why didn’t you choose the best, the brightest, and the suave to represent you?
If God wanted to bring a person to the saving knowledge of Himself or encourage, confront, and have them change He could snap and it would be done perfectly. Instead He chooses to graciously and patiently work through imperfect you and me and He gets the glory and He works for our good.
Recently there have been a number of things where I have been led to cry out in response to God’s commands or God’s call on my life, “Who is sufficient for these things?” “Why did you choose me? Why didn’t you choose someone who was wise or more gifted, someone who wasn’t broken and didn’t mess things up?” “Lord, increase my faith and increase my love!!!” I’ve been led to see my desperate need for Him and I’ve been reminded of the confidence I have in the Holy Spirit abiding within me. I see the work He has done and I know that He will be faithful to continue it. I have a confidence that He will grow my faith and He will foster more love in my heart because He is faithful and He will finish the work He has begun in His perfect way in the perfect time. One day I will be with Him and I will be like Him and I will see Him as He is but for now I will walk humbly and faithfully, confessing my failures and sins, and depending on Him for truth, growth, and life. And in the mean time, I join with the disciples at seeing the great call of Jesus to forgive others in Luke 17, in saying, “Increase my faith!”
Filed under: Christian Living, Cool Finds, Friends, FUN!, Lessons in Psalms, These are a few of my favorite things...
On Sunday night, I had the opportunity to go to a Getty Concert in Orange County. It was at a church and there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Master’s people spotted the auditorium. It was nice to chat with different people that I knew and that I had never met but who as fellow believers had a lot to talk with me about. The highlights for me were:
a. Talking with the pastor’s wife (I know two of her daughters, but had never talked with her.)
b. Hearing Keith Getty talk about writing hymns for every day life (They played one on money for us that was excellent.).
c. Hearing a song from their Christmas CD and buying it a few days before it was released (Yes, I have been listening to it. It’s okay to dwell on the incarnation every day of the year and not just from Thanksgiving to New Years :) ).
d. Being reminded of many theological truths to an Irish tune as well as putting words to many of my longings that I have not been able to put words to.
e. Pastor De Courcy’s 15-min-sermon entitled “Bright Hope for Tomorrow”
The concert was food for my soul. Here are the brief notes I took on my iphone from the sermonette. I wasn’t fast enough on my iphone to catch it all, but in 15 minutes he gave me a lot to think about and meditate on. I hope this encourages you the way it encouraged me.
Psalm 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
This verse reveals a man expectant about tomorrow. David is writing a memoir to God’s mercy. Psalm 23 is an autobiography of David’s life. He says, “What I have been to my fathers flock, God has been to me 100x more.” He spends the psalm reflecting on God as shepherd. Since the Lord is his shepherd, he shall not want for mercy. Verse 6 does not depart from the David’s theme of God as Shepherd. Gods sheepdogs are called goodness and mercy. They bark at his heals egging him on. They make sure we don’t go astray. They pursue after us. A modern analogy would be that they act like body guards.
This is a promise of God’s goodness and mercy. David is confident God’s love and mercy will pursue him breathlessly throughout life. Surely shows assurance. No ifs ands or buts. This confidence comes from recounting of God’s past faithfulness. David looks at mile markers of his life and says God has been with me and will be with me. Find mile markers of mercy to increase your faith. We see David doing this in I Sam 17:34. David puts Goliath’s armor in his tent. What a testimony, a reminder.
There is an objective element too which leads David to put his confidence in the mercy and goodness of God. That comes from knowing and thinking on the character of God. He starts the passage with “The Lord”- YHWH- the covenant name of God. God’s self-sufficiency, immortality,
and immutability are seen in this name. He is the Timeless One. He cannot change for better because He is perfect and He can’t change for worse because He is perfect. If He’s all He needs for Him to be, then how much more so for us. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
Notice the partnership of God’s goodness and mercy. He is both those things to us. Goodness is his kind actions, gifts, and benevolence (Acts 14:17). He blesses our lives physically and spiritual. The best picture of goodness is His sending Christ. Mercy is God’s goodness coming after us despite our sin (Lame 3:22-23;Ps 103:10). You must meditate on mercy to appreciate His goodness. We can become so expectant of grace. At first we are awed, then surprised, then we start to demand it. Don’t be accustomed to grace!
God’s goodness and mercy pursue us. This verb denotes following, but it is more beautiful than that when you consider David’s life. Usually used of fowl intent. In Exodus it is used for the pursuit by Pharaoh’s army. It is a beautiful word and image for David who lived on the run. God’s mercy and goodness pursued me as I ran. They ran after me and met me in my need. Keep the image in mind of God’s goodness and mercy always sniffing us out and pursuing us like a sheep dog. Allow that to catch up to us. Be careful about running after things you are defining good under the sun. You can’t get to 23 without 22 prediction of the good shepherd laying down life for the sheep. True religion all about personal pronouns David knew that the Lord was His Shepherd and that God’s goodness and kindness pursued him and that gave him an expectant hope for the future.
Filed under: Christian Living
Some believe that it is never right to question God and equate it with sin. We are human. We are not omniscient and we have questions. God put us in a vast universe and gave us minds to think. We are also living in a fallen world where hard things happen and we try to make sense of it all. God knows the questions of our minds and hearts before we utter a word, so why would we not take all of our questions to The One Who Has Answers. He wants us to run to Him as our rock and our refuge. Only when we are honest before Him in confession can we be transformed by the gospel into His likeness and conformed to His will and find true knowledge and wisdom.
The psalmist often took his questions to God. In Psalm 42 the psalmist is devastated over his circumstances. He describes his experience saying, “My tears have been my food day and night.” His enemies taunted him in the midst of his turmoil saying, “Where is your God?” In verse 9 he cries out to God saying, “Why have you forgotten me? Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of my enemy? (See also 43:2).” While he cries out to God, he does not do so in a place of judgment over and accusation against God but these cries are cries of faith which look to who he knows God to be and asks God to make sense of the perceived inconsistencies between his circumstances or feelings and reality before God. His soul talk throughout the passage demonstrates this. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.” He spends time remembering going to the temple with shouts of songs and praise. He remembers that God is in control and that his troubles come at the hand of a loving steadfast God when he writes, “Deep calls to deep at the roar of your waterfalls; all your beakers and your waves have gone over me. By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me.” He continues in Psalm 43 writing, “Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause…For you are the God in whom I take refuge.” The psalmist is honest about his emotions before the Lord. He is honest about his questions. He takes his cares to the Lord knowing that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46). We are meant to run to Him. He’s not afraid of our questions. We can’t stump Him. He’s not surprised by our weak faith or our need for Him to define reality. He won’t desert us in our time of need. He is the same covenant God who promised to strengthen and help Israel and to uphold them with His righteous right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Paul tells us the point of our trials is to teach us to not rely on ourselves but the God of the resurrection (II Cor. 1:8-9). We have a great High Priest who can sympathize in our time of need, so draw near (Hebrews 4). That great high priest gave us a model for bringing our questions to God as well. Quoting the psalmist, he cried out to God on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” The psalmist teaches us who to take our questions to and to question in faith.
Job is an example of a person who in the midst of intense suffering did not ask correctly, but God kindly led him to repentance. In chapter 40, God asks job, “Shall a fault-finder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” Job’s response is one of humility, reverence, and trust in God “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Suffering isn’t the only thing that leads us to question God, we question God about His will and His ways. Deuteronomy 29:29 shows our human propensity to want to know more than is revealed. It is not wrong to ask questions and to try to understand how God’s universe works and about perceived inconsistencies in what science or archeology says and what God has revealed to be true, but once again, we must ask in faith and we must not use our inability to grasp some eternal truths with our finite minds as an excuse to disobey what is clearly revealed. It is not wrong to ask questions, but are we obeying what is clearly revealed and are we asking in faith or in doubt and judgment upon God thinking too highly of and relying to heavily upon our human intellect?
In Luke 1, we see two people’s responses to things they do not understand. One is rebuked; one is not. One asked correctly; one did not. When Zechariah finds out from the angel of God that he and Elizabeth are going to have a son, he asks, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” You would think that a priest who knew the prophecies and who knew the miracles God had performed on behalf of his people in the past would trust the words of this messenger. Is conception too hard for the God who created the universe? Is it too hard for the God who formed Adam from the earth and fashioned Eve from Adam’s rib? Is a baby too big of a thing for the God of the plagues or the one who parted the Red Sea? Also, I think if I had an angel of the Lord standing before me, I’d think something like a miraculous conception would be plausible, but Zechariah doubts God. He says, “How is this going to work? Did God forget that my wife and I are old and that we couldn’t even have kids in our youth? Maybe you missed these facts; let me inform you about the details.” As a result of his questioning, he receives a mild rebuke (1:20). He’s unable to speak until after John’s birth. God, in his grace, strengthens Zechariah’s faith in the midst of all of this, so that when his speech is restored, the first words out of his mouth are those of praise and prophecy of the Messiah.
Another birth announcement is received in Luke 1. After the angel’s announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary, she says, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” This is a question not doubting God, His authority, His power, or what He has said; it is asking a simple question. “I believe, but I’m not married, how will this work?”
We must be willing to take our questions, concerns, fears, and doubts to The One with All the Answers, but we must do so as humble students who ask in wonder and not in pride, judgment, or accusations against the Lord. We must do so as obedient children, who are not using our lack of understanding in one area as an excuse to disobey in clear-cut areas. If we have questions and if we long for knowledge and understanding, there is one place to start. Proverbs 1:7 tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Run to Him for answers and only then will you understand reality and have true knowledge and wisdom.
Google has changed the way we think and learn. I know longer have to keep information in my brain to “know” it, I just need to know key phrases or search terms to find the well-informed article on that subject that I skimmed two weeks ago. I can use the collective knowledge of society at any moment by searching Wikipedia, the phone a friend lifeline for everyday life. I don’t know about you, but I use the search functions on my email and computer all the time. I remember my boss said something about this project I’m doing. Let me search my notes or let me search my emails to see what that detail was. Technology has allowed us to get a lot done because I can be working on more projects with more details that I could have possibly done 100 years ago, because I don’t actually have to remember anything. I just need a good system for filing or finding that information when it is needed. I don’t even have to remember that truth God taught me a month ago. I can just search my blog and reread it when I need to. Unfortunately, this has affected the way we “know” our Bibles too. How often do you search for a key phrase in the Bible because you know the Bible speaks to that somewhere, but you don’t remember the reference or the details of what it really says. Is this true knowledge? What happens when our smart phones are taken away? Where will we be in our pursuit of God, our knowledge of His truth, and the application of that truth to our daily living?
Recently, a friend shared that he had been praying to feast on the meat of the Word. That is my prayer too. Do you want to know The WORD not just skim it in order to know how to come back with google when you need it. When Tim Challies was on campus, I asked him how to best fight for this knowledge in the midst of the age of technology. He had a couple suggestions.
1. Flounder around looking for your passage in the Bible before you quickly look to google. Think of the context of the verse and skim the Bible to try to find it.
2. Memorize!
Recently, many areas in my life have converged to remind me of the importance, the challenges, and the methods for Scripture memory. Here are some appeals I recently heard.
Don’t think of Scripture memory as a childish thing to do. We can sometimes slip into that mindset because it was normal in Awana or in Christian homes or schools as children to have Scripture memory assignments. Most of us have not been as regular in this area since we hit highschool or adulthood. It may be easier for kids to memorize, but we need it even more as we face the challenges of daily life and the temptation to sin as adults. Memorize it in order to discipline your mind for godliness. It takes work. It takes discipline. Memory is not an easy thing for us anymore because of the way we have trained our minds.
Tim Challies on his recent visit reminded us of how good it is to memorize together. He said their church congregation memorizes passages together and that a five-year-old can come up and ask the preacher what the verse for the week is. One temptation with this accountability is to memorize it right before it is due, just so you can say it to that person. Don’t succumb to this temptation. Don’t memorize it to regurgitate it and then forget it an hour later, memorize it because you recognize your desperate need for and the rich value of the Word of God.
If the word of God is in our hearts, it will be on our tongues, and if it is on our tongues, it will be in our ears.
