Just busy. It's apparent after many attempts and failures that blogging is not a high enough priority required to maintain a themed blog or to maintain a consistent frequency of posts, so I'll end up popping on with short entries here and there passing along whatever enters my brain that I deem blog-worthy. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy it. There are just other things that occupy my time.
On that note, I had an interesting realization last week. Often you will hear people say, "I just don't have the time to do that!" Let's be honest, though...we have the time, we just choose to use it in other ways. For instance, notice I didn't say, "I don't have the time or energy to maintain a blog..." I have plenty of time and energy. I just choose to use that on softball, playing with my kids, reading, playing Playstation, and watching tv. If I stopped playing softball, playing Playstation, and watching tv, I'd have plenty of time to do something else. Of course then when someone says, "Did you see that tv show last week?", my response would probably be, "I don't have time to watch tv!" :)
Just a thought to chew on.
Obeying Him...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Titus
Do you remember in school when you'd be listening to a lecture, not too sure about what to write down and what not to worry about? Usually a dead give-away to write something down was 1) if they wrote it on the board, or 2) if they repeated something multiple times. Well, I guess Paul was a pretty good teacher, because he employs the same repetition tactic in Titus that we have experienced.
At the end of each book I finish (whether it's in the Bible or any other book) is the answer to "So what?" The end of Titus in my Bible now reads the following: "Display self-control and do what is good." If you want the long and short of Titus, that's it. 5 times (in 3 chapters) Paul mentions the fact that all should show self-control. And 7 times he teaches to do what is good.
I love the literal meaning of the Greek word sophron used for "self-control". It means "to voluntarily place limitations on one's own freedom." We show great maturity whem we display self-control.
...
...
...
Well, my composition juices just aren't flowing tonight, so I'll leave you with some tidbits here and there with no real smooth connections to them. :)
Obeying Him...
At the end of each book I finish (whether it's in the Bible or any other book) is the answer to "So what?" The end of Titus in my Bible now reads the following: "Display self-control and do what is good." If you want the long and short of Titus, that's it. 5 times (in 3 chapters) Paul mentions the fact that all should show self-control. And 7 times he teaches to do what is good.
I love the literal meaning of the Greek word sophron used for "self-control". It means "to voluntarily place limitations on one's own freedom." We show great maturity whem we display self-control.
...
...
...
Well, my composition juices just aren't flowing tonight, so I'll leave you with some tidbits here and there with no real smooth connections to them. :)
Obeying Him...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
1 Timothy
Our small group has been going over 1 Timothy the past couple weeks, and as we started reading it, something jumped out at me. It's the very first verse of the chapter: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God..." Normally I glance over the introduction verses of all the letters in the New Testament, but this one stuck out at me. And looking at more of Paul's letters, they all start with something similar. Paul makes note of the fact that he is an apostle of God because it is God's will.
Am I Michael, network administrator and sunday school teacher by the will of God? Or am I closer to Michael, network administrator and sunday school teacher because no one else would do it and I happen to be there when a need arose. I don't know. I hope I'm the former, but it's hard to say. I think so. Is there some other way I should be defined? Is there something I'm missing? I guess this is why God wants us to "pray continually."
Anyway, this stuck out at me. Drop me a line if something sticks out at you. I'd love to hear about it!
Obeying Him...
Am I Michael, network administrator and sunday school teacher by the will of God? Or am I closer to Michael, network administrator and sunday school teacher because no one else would do it and I happen to be there when a need arose. I don't know. I hope I'm the former, but it's hard to say. I think so. Is there some other way I should be defined? Is there something I'm missing? I guess this is why God wants us to "pray continually."
Anyway, this stuck out at me. Drop me a line if something sticks out at you. I'd love to hear about it!
Obeying Him...
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
New Favorite
I've been continuing in James, and I've found my new favorite "passage". Not verse, but passage. It is James 4:13...
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
Wow! What an awesome reminder that it's not our will and desires that matter, but it's that of God. Obviously I don't think he's saying, "Don't plan for the future," but when you do, keep in mind that it should all be according to God's plan. It's a huge load of my chest to know that I don't have to worry about what's going to happen tomorrow, because God's got that taken care of. All I have to do is stay tapped in to God through prayer and through his word, and know that if I follow him, he takes care of the details.
Going back to a previous post, it's my job to serve God, it's God's job to take care of the rest. How comforting and calming is that?!?!?! LOVE IT!
Alright, back to work.
Obeying Him...
"Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."
Wow! What an awesome reminder that it's not our will and desires that matter, but it's that of God. Obviously I don't think he's saying, "Don't plan for the future," but when you do, keep in mind that it should all be according to God's plan. It's a huge load of my chest to know that I don't have to worry about what's going to happen tomorrow, because God's got that taken care of. All I have to do is stay tapped in to God through prayer and through his word, and know that if I follow him, he takes care of the details.
Going back to a previous post, it's my job to serve God, it's God's job to take care of the rest. How comforting and calming is that?!?!?! LOVE IT!
Alright, back to work.
Obeying Him...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
James 2
The past couple days was James 2, and he talks about not showing favoritism. The first thing I thought of when I heard favoritism is "Mom likes me more" or "I'm the teacher's favorite." But James is talking something more than that. Essentially, it's about living out one part of the greatest commandment God gave us: "Love your neighbor as yourself." My neighbor being anyone that shares this Earth with me, whether I can see them, know them, or even recognize that they exist, I am called to love them "in the same manner" that I love myself.
He goes on to say that those who show no mercy to others will be shown no mercy on the day of judgment. At first glance, this seems a little harsh, so I took a moment to think about it. It turns out it's really very simple. If I show no mercy to others, I am not loving my neighbor as myself. And if I'm not loving my neighbor as myself, I'm not living out God's commandments. It further enforces the fact that it's not the end product, i.e. the works or fruit produced, that leads to salvation. It starts with faith and obedience. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8 that "it is by grace we are saved, through faith...not by works."
It's interesting that God pointed me in the direction of James, because I've been struggling with judging people based on 5 seconds of exposure to them, and deciding what kind of person they are without getting to know them. The typical "holier than thou" syndrome. So today I'm looking for opportunities to show mercy and love my neighbor as myself, and not pass judgment on my 'neighbors'. Apparently it's God's job to pass judgment. It's my job to show mercy.
Obeying Him...
He goes on to say that those who show no mercy to others will be shown no mercy on the day of judgment. At first glance, this seems a little harsh, so I took a moment to think about it. It turns out it's really very simple. If I show no mercy to others, I am not loving my neighbor as myself. And if I'm not loving my neighbor as myself, I'm not living out God's commandments. It further enforces the fact that it's not the end product, i.e. the works or fruit produced, that leads to salvation. It starts with faith and obedience. Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:8 that "it is by grace we are saved, through faith...not by works."
It's interesting that God pointed me in the direction of James, because I've been struggling with judging people based on 5 seconds of exposure to them, and deciding what kind of person they are without getting to know them. The typical "holier than thou" syndrome. So today I'm looking for opportunities to show mercy and love my neighbor as myself, and not pass judgment on my 'neighbors'. Apparently it's God's job to pass judgment. It's my job to show mercy.
Obeying Him...
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Two Worlds
Last night, I went back over a few verses that I had inspected over the weekend. It was James 1:22-25, which reads,
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does."
That word "looks" in the Hebrew takes on a deeper meaning than what we use the word for. When we think of "look", it is generally a quick glance or two, but nothing more. The word James uses here is closer to "observe" or "study" or "contemplate". So, "Anyone who listens to the word (meaning the Gospel) but does not do what it says is like a man who studies his face in the mirror, and after studying himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."
How many times have I come to church and listened to the word and studied it, but walked right out the door only to forget what it says and do the exact same things this week that I did last week. So if I'm not coming to church to digest what God has for us from his word, what am I doing there? Ginny read an interesting illustration in her bible a few nights ago that set up this scenario:
Suppose you invited a bunch of friends and relatives to your birthday party. A time is set, preparations are made, and people show up just as planned. Celebrations take place, "Happy Birthday" is sung by all, but all throughout the party, everyone is talking to everyone else except you. You feel left out, sitting in the corner all alone, while your friends use your party as a time to catch up on recent events.
These few verses and that illustration raised a couple interesting questions. 1) Do I just use church as a time to catch up with my friends and family? 2) Do I live one life during the week, then put on my church hat, walk in the building, study the word, only to leave my church hat at the door?
For me, it was a smack on the head that it's time to stop thinking and reasoning one way in church and another way out of church, and start taking the lessons learned from church and bible study and applying them to every other aspect of my life. After all, aren't church and bible study simply preparation and instruction for the other 95% of my week?
Obeying Him...
"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what is says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what is says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it -- he will be blessed in what he does."
That word "looks" in the Hebrew takes on a deeper meaning than what we use the word for. When we think of "look", it is generally a quick glance or two, but nothing more. The word James uses here is closer to "observe" or "study" or "contemplate". So, "Anyone who listens to the word (meaning the Gospel) but does not do what it says is like a man who studies his face in the mirror, and after studying himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."
How many times have I come to church and listened to the word and studied it, but walked right out the door only to forget what it says and do the exact same things this week that I did last week. So if I'm not coming to church to digest what God has for us from his word, what am I doing there? Ginny read an interesting illustration in her bible a few nights ago that set up this scenario:
Suppose you invited a bunch of friends and relatives to your birthday party. A time is set, preparations are made, and people show up just as planned. Celebrations take place, "Happy Birthday" is sung by all, but all throughout the party, everyone is talking to everyone else except you. You feel left out, sitting in the corner all alone, while your friends use your party as a time to catch up on recent events.
These few verses and that illustration raised a couple interesting questions. 1) Do I just use church as a time to catch up with my friends and family? 2) Do I live one life during the week, then put on my church hat, walk in the building, study the word, only to leave my church hat at the door?
For me, it was a smack on the head that it's time to stop thinking and reasoning one way in church and another way out of church, and start taking the lessons learned from church and bible study and applying them to every other aspect of my life. After all, aren't church and bible study simply preparation and instruction for the other 95% of my week?
Obeying Him...
Monday, January 5, 2009
Starting Point...
After some light deliberation and prayer, I'm diving in to James. It's familiar, and there is plenty to take away from the book without getting too heavy.
Some inital reactions...
1) A relationship with Christ (and being a Christian) should result in the production fruit, i.e. getting something done for the kingdom of God. Without fruit, there is no healthy relationship.
2) Don't waste all your time worrying about whether or not other people are being fruitful. It's God job to judge; it's your job to serve.
It's also been really neat doing my study with the Key Word Study Bible. For many words in the text, it has a reference to the origin of the word, whether it be Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. For instance, take James 1:2-4. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The word "finish" that James uses comes from the same word Jesus used as he was dying on the cross when he said, "It is finished." It means perfect, complete. Think of Jesus' work on Earth. When he died, do you think he left any loose ends untied? Absolutely not! He took care of business...completely, perfectly. In the same way, perseverance will finish its work in us.
As I write this, I can't help but be excited about what God has begun revealing through his message. It's so much cooler than any reality tv show!
Anyway, I'll check back in with little tidbits here and there. I'd like to think I could find 5 minutes in the morning to log what I discovered the night before, but we all know what happened the last time I tried to commit to blogging daily. :)
Obeying Him...
Some inital reactions...
1) A relationship with Christ (and being a Christian) should result in the production fruit, i.e. getting something done for the kingdom of God. Without fruit, there is no healthy relationship.
2) Don't waste all your time worrying about whether or not other people are being fruitful. It's God job to judge; it's your job to serve.
It's also been really neat doing my study with the Key Word Study Bible. For many words in the text, it has a reference to the origin of the word, whether it be Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. For instance, take James 1:2-4. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." The word "finish" that James uses comes from the same word Jesus used as he was dying on the cross when he said, "It is finished." It means perfect, complete. Think of Jesus' work on Earth. When he died, do you think he left any loose ends untied? Absolutely not! He took care of business...completely, perfectly. In the same way, perseverance will finish its work in us.
As I write this, I can't help but be excited about what God has begun revealing through his message. It's so much cooler than any reality tv show!
Anyway, I'll check back in with little tidbits here and there. I'd like to think I could find 5 minutes in the morning to log what I discovered the night before, but we all know what happened the last time I tried to commit to blogging daily. :)
Obeying Him...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
