Hope!

Monday, October 31, 2011

9:25 AM

As I was doing my Bible study this morning, this verse really spoke to me.

Romans 15:13(NKJV)

13Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A God of hope.  We serve a God of hope!  And our God wants us to abound in hope.  What's that mean?  He wants us to have LOTS of HOPE.  How cool is that?

Why is hope so important?  Well I don't know about you but to me it's what makes living our daily lives worth while.  The hope that tomorrow will always be better than today.  Now in reality, will it?  Of course not. 

A Christian's everyday life is full of many of the same ups and downs as any other person's life.  The difference is that even in the down times, because of God's promises, we can always have hope.  Here is another of my favorite verses that illustrates this point. 

Romans 5:1-5(NKJV)

1Therefore, having been justified by faith, £we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

2through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

We are told to glory in tribulations.  Love that word picture.  Instead of getting all down about the struggles (tribulations) that we face in life, we are told to "glory in them".  What does glory mean in this case?  Here is one of the definitions of glory when used as a verb.

Glory

Verb.  10.  to exult with triumph; rejoice proudly (usually followed by in): Their father gloried in their success.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/glory>

How can you rejoice in your struggles?  Without God I can see where that would be hard to understand.  However when you serve the God of hope it becomes much easier because He gives us hope in abundance.  It also becomes easier once you understand the purpose of those tribulations. 

And what is the purpose?  Tribulations give us a chance to grow and learn.  They give us a chance to exercise our hope.  Let's look at the progression that God tells us we can expect. 

3And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 

4and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 

5Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Tribulation produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint. 

So I invite you to live a life of hope through Jesus Christ.  How do you do that?  You can get started by  simply saying a prayer something like this:

Dear Lord, I don't know all of the details but I do believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead and I am now asking Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of my life.  Amen!

Remember what God has promised:

Hope does not disappoint! 

What Should We Know and When Should We Know It?

Friday, October 28, 2011

7:56 AM

Two things have kind of fallen together for this morning's musings.  In my daily walk my New Testament readings have been from Revelation for the last week or so.  I don't know about you but I find Revelation to be one of the most cryptic and hard to understand books in the whole Bible. 

The other thing is an article I read this morning about a pastor that is retiring from his ministry.  This particular pastor has three times predicted the end of the world and been wrong.  The most recent time being October 21, 2011.  I want to be very clear here.  My intention is not to mock this pastor but to ask a question:

What should we know and when should we know it? 

People have been curious about the end times for as long as I can remember.  It's natural to want to know what lies ahead, what does the future hold?  What is cool is that the Bible gives us lots of clues.  Some of those clues are pretty general like:

Matthew 24:4-8(NKJV)

4And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 

5For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 

6And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for £all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 

7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, £pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 

8All these are the beginning of sorrows.

These are things that are general and are going on right now but have also been going on for generations.  As you can see verse 8 says "All these are the beginning of sorrows". 

Here is another example of the general:

Matthew 24:9-12(NKJV)

9“Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 

10And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 

11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 

12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 

Again you could easily make the case that these things are happening right now but has also been happening for years.

Now let's look at a couple of the more specific examples:

Matthew 24:15(NKJV)

15“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ £ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 

When you see new idols or something like that being constructed right in the middle of Jerusalem, that is a lot more specific and I would think easier to recognize.

Or how about this one:

Revelation 8:8-9(NKJV)

8Then the second angel sounded: And something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea, and a third of the sea became blood. 

9And a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.

Again pretty specific and I would think hard to miss.

So the Bible has given us clues, but my question is, to what purpose?  Are we supposed to try to pinpoint the day so we can all assemble with our suitcases packed, ready to go?  Or are we supposed to use this info in a more general way to let us know that God has given us a task, to bring people to Christ, and we better get busy because we don't have all day. 

My own personal belief is that it is the latter.  Here is what Jesus said in Matthew:

Matthew 24:36(NKJV)

36“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of £heaven, but My Father only.

We have Jesus speaking here and He says that only God knows.  Jesus knows He's coming back, but even He doesn't know exactly when!  So if Jesus doesn’t know the exact time and date, why should we?

So where does that leave us?  If we take the Parable of the 10 Virgins found in Matthew 25 as our guide, we need to be ready and prepared.  How do we do that? 

First by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Then by continually seeking God with all of our hearts, minds, and souls.  By being in the word daily.  By praying and seeking God's will for our lives, and then actually doing all we can to fulfill that vision that God has for our lives (whether we want to or not because sometimes it is scary or hard). 

So it may be tomorrow or it may be in thousands of tomorrows, but as long as are continually seeking God we will be OK, and that's all we really need to know!

Do you have a favorite?

Do you have a favorite?

Thursday, October 27, 2011

7:55 AM

Do you have a favorite book in the Bible?  I do.  I was reminded of this as I have been reading my notes from last year.  I was reading through Proverbs again.

We all have different learning styles, interests, personalities, and gifts so it should be no surprise that different books in the Bible speak to each of us differently.  What is so amazing to me though is how God uses the Holy Spirit to help reveal things in the Bible to us when we are ready to understand those things.  

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has had the experience of reading through the Bible and all of a sudden going "Wow, I never noticed that before!".  It's almost like someone snuck into my Bible and added some verses that were not in there the last time I read that same book and chapter. 

Or how about when you are reading a section you have read many times and never really understood when all of a sudden it is like a light bulb going off in your mind as you suddenly "get it".  Again the Holy Spirit helps us make the connections when we are ready to understand. 

Or how about those times when we read something that we've read many times that didn’t have much meaning but this time because of some circumstances in our lives it speaks to us and helps guide us in a very real and practical way.  It's just so cool!

So anyway, as I mentioned above, I have always loved Proverbs.  I tend to be a right to the point kind of guy.  I love that Proverbs is right to the point.  Lots of good nuggets.  I'd love to have a screen saver that just rotated Proverbs on my screen all day.

Here are just a few nuggets to start your day with:

Proverbs 1:7(NKJV)

7    The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,      But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Proverbs 1:33(NKJV)

33    But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,      And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

Proverbs 3:5-6(NKJV)

5    Trust in the Lord with all your heart,      And lean not on your own understanding;

6    In all your ways acknowledge Him,     And He shall £direct your paths.

Proverbs 4:5(NKJV)

5    Get wisdom! Get understanding!     Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

Great verses on the importance of seeking God's wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.

Proverbs 6:10-11(NKJV)

10    A little sleep, a little slumber,     A little folding of the hands to sleep—

11    So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,     And your need like an armed man.

Several like this about the value of working hard.

Proverbs 6:28(NKJV)

28    Can one walk on hot coals,     And his feet not be seared?

I get a chuckle out of this one because yes you actually can.  I've done the firewalk before.  Barefoot over about 15-20 foot bed of burning and glowing embers.

Proverbs 12:4(NKJV)

4    An£ excellent wife is the crown of her husband,      But she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

Ain't that the truth.  I'm fortunate to be blessed with one of those excellent wives!

Proverbs 15:22(NKJV)

22    Without counsel, plans go awry,      But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 11:14(NKJV)

14    Where there is no counsel, the people fall;      But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

A couple about the value of having counselors (mentors).

Proverbs 19:13(NKJV)

13    A foolish son is the ruin of his father,      And the contentions of a wife are a continual dripping.

Proverbs 21:9(NKJV)

9    Better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,      Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

Proverbs 21:19(NKJV)

19    Better to dwell in the wilderness,      Than with a contentious and angry woman.

Proverbs 25:24(NKJV)

24    It is better to dwell in a corner of a housetop,      Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.

Wow.  Sure were a lot of contentious women back then and apparently not a single contentious man in the whole country!  But seriously, great advice about not having contentious people in your life.

So if you are ever in need of some quick to the point nuggets from God, trying flipping over to Proverbs and give it a read!

Memorization - What's the point?

Memorization - What's the point?

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

9:04 AM

How important is it to memorize verses from the Bible?  I'm in the word pretty much daily anyway.  Is it really a big deal that I have never spent much time memorizing scripture?  That is something that I have been reevaluating in my life. 

As you may be able to tell, I have never been big on the memorization thing.  There are many times when discussing the Bible that I refer to the Common Christian paraphrase.  What I mean by that is that I can paraphrase what I think the Bible says about a subject and I know it's in there somewhere but I'm not exactly sure where.  (Isn't there a spaghetti sauce commercial that says that?)

The question is, is that good enough?  Well let's see what the Bible says.  I could beat you over the head with several verses that talk about this issue but I'll stick with just one that goes right to the point.

Deuteronomy 11:18(NKJV)

18“Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 

We are instructed to write God's words on our heart.  Not just to read them but to write them on our hearts.  What is the difference?  Well as I evaluate the issue I would say that memorization is much closer to writing God's words on my heart than just reading them. 

I remember years ago at our old church we had a missionary by the name of Dave Green come talk to us.  He had spent 30-40 years in the mission fields of Africa.  As he talked he told us to look up this verse and that verse.  He read them as we looked them up.  Well, he didn't actually read them.  As I watched him he was reciting them from memory.  He had then written on his heart.

So as I try to deepen my understanding of God I can see how memorization could help that understanding.  So I'm on board at that level.  But if we go to my theme of a couple of days ago, is there any practical day to day benefit to memorization.   

The answer is yes.  God has made many promises to us.  We can stand on those promises.  Here is the practical day to day difference.  We can stand on those promises in a general way because "we know they are in there somewhere" or we can memorize the actual promises and  have a much more confident footing on which to stand.

This was illustrated very nicely in todays JumpStart Daily Devo from Pastor Beth.  (http://community.icontact.com/p/jeffandbethjones/newsletters/jumpstart/posts/how-sweet-it-is)  Sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we would like or in the time frame we would like.  It's easy to get disappointed and discouraged by that.  But if you know God's specific promises regarding the things that we desire then you can focus on God's promises instead of your disappointments and discouragements.  So yes there are practical day to day reasons to memorize scripture.

So whatever you are dealing with in your lives, spend some time with God looking up His promises in that area of your life and then memorize those scriptures.  You just may find it helps give you that peace that surpasses all understanding!

Spiritual ADD

Today's observation comes from my reading back on September 1, 2006.  My reading that day came from Judges 8.

Judges 8:18-27(NKJV)

And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men were they whom you killed at Tabor?” So they answered, “As you are, so were they; each one resembled the son of a king.”

Then he said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.” 

And he said to Jether his firstborn, “Rise, kill them!” But the youth would not draw his sword; for he was afraid, because he was still a youth.

So Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Rise yourself, and kill us; for as a man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took the crescent ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.

Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.”

But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.” 

Then Gideon said to them, “I would like to make a request of you, that each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder.” For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.

So they answered, “We will gladly give them.” And they spread out a garment, and each man threw into it the earrings from his plunder. 

Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which were on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that were around their camels’ necks. 

Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house.

Judges 8:33-35(NKJV)

So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. 

Thus the children of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; 

nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel.

There were a couple of things that really struck me about this chapter.  The first thing is why are we all so prone to Spiritual ADD?  We see it all through the old testament and many of us still suffer from it today.  We see it in this story of the men of Israel.  God does great and miraculous things and everyone gets focused on God.  But then the excitement wears off, things are flowing smoothly, and little by little we lose focus on God's word.  We start skipping a day here and there.  We'll make it up in the next few days, etc. 

It's kinda like this, we are in the Word, reading a great passage with deep meaning…..Oh look, a squirrel (to borrow a phrase from James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal). 

How do we guard against that?  I think by first being aware of it and second by being disciplined and a bit rigid on our time with God.  We have to be on guard against making exceptions and giving God less than our first fruits everyday.

Along with this issue is leadership.  Strong leaders can help us maintain that focus.  If you will notice from this passage, as soon as Gideon died, the men of Israel lost focus and started worshiping  other gods.  One of the real strengths of our church I believe is it's strong leadership.

The last thing that struck me about this passage is the fact that some times even when we have the right intentions, they can turn out wrong.  Look at the ephod that Gideon made.  The people wanted him to be king.  He said no, focus on God.  He made the ephod from the plunder of their great victory that God had given them.  The purpose of the ephod  was to symbolize the great victory that God had provided but unfortunately the people  started worshiping the ephod instead of the God behind it.

How do we guard against these things?  I think first and foremost, making your daily time in the Word a non negotiable part of your day.  Easier said than done I know but a worthy goal non the less!  

Of what practical use?

Of what practical use is our Christianity in our day to day lives?  Does it really make a difference or is it really only an issue for down the road when we die, to make sure we go to Heaven?

That was a question that I began asking myself more than 25 years ago when we were members of another church.  It seemed like all of the adult Sunday School offerings focused on all of these deep religious and philosophical questions and being the pragmatic guy that I am, I was looking for ways  that my faith walk would impact my every day life. 

Well I mentioned this to the Christian Ed board and they said, "Great idea! Why don't you start a class."  Well here was an early test of my belief that when God calls, answer the call.  The idea scared the heck out of me.  I was not comfortable at all speaking in front of people or teaching or anything like that!

But I answered the call.  I prayed for guidance.  I went to the Christian bookstore and walked around asking God to guide me (and fully expecting Him to) to the books or resources I was going to need to teach the type of class that I believed He had put on my heart.  I had to depend on God each week as I prepared my lesson because I wanted to make sure that I was communicating what God wanted communicated.   I had to depend on God each Sunday morning to help me not puke because I was so nervous about speaking in front of people.

And your probably starting to think to yourselves "and what exactly does this have to do with the topic at hand?"

Good question.  I learned many things that were of practical use in my everyday life.  I learned to trust that God knew what He was doing even when it didn't make sense to me.  I learned to be obedient to God even when it was something that I didn't really want to do.  I learned that I could do things that I had never imagined myself doing, with God's help.  All of these things helped continue to build my faith in God. 

"Still sounds touchy feely to me, what about everyday life?"  Well it gave me the faith to follow God's guidance when He moved me to leave the comfort of being affiliated with a large corporation and go start my own business.  It gave me the faith to follow God's guidance to put our kids in Christian Schools when the family budget said there was no way.  It gave me the confidence to eventually start speaking in public professionally when I never could have imagined doing so years before.

My point is that your faith walk can have a very direct and exciting impact on your day to day lives.  It's not just about sometime in the future.  If you will just open yourself up to God's leading you will see things happen in your life that you never could have imagined. 

"Does that mean I am going to have a perfect life with no challenges?"  Oh, heck no.  You'll still have challenges, that's part of a growing dynamic life.  The difference is that you will have a partner helping to guide you through those challenges.

"And how do I open myself up to God's leading?"  Well first and foremost, if you haven't done so already, invite Jesus Christ into your heart to become the Lord and Savior of your life.  Secondly, get into God's word on a regular basis so that you can soak up His wisdom and knowledge.

Proverbs 8:17(NKJV)

17    I love those who love me,     And those who seek me diligently will find me.

Notice that it doesn't say "Some of those might or might not find me".  It says "those who seek me diligently WILL find me" 

So folks, enjoy the journey.  Diligently seek God and see how your life improves in ways you never could have imagined!

Praise!

Why is praise so important?  Do we serve an egotistical God that needs to be praised?  Is God some prima donna who has to have only green M&M's in his trailer like some pop star?  Or is there something about praise that is important and beneficial to us?

You will find the word praise used over 200 times in the Bible.  Starting in Genesis, ending in Revelation, and many books in between.  Here is a little Billy Bible quiz question:  Can you guess which book has the most references to praise in it?

What is praise exactly?  Here is the dictionary definition.

praise

[preyz]

1.

the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.

2.

the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.

3.

the state of being approved or admired: The king lived in praise for many years.

4.

Archaic. a ground for praise, or a merit.

verb (used with object)

5.

to express approval or admiration of; commend; extol.

6.

to offer grateful homage to (God or a deity), as in words or song.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/praise>

Well as you can probably guess, I don't think we serve an egotistical God that needs the praise.  I think He probably likes it just like we like it when we get praise from our kids, but I don't think He "needs" it just as we don't "need" it from our kids.  Does that make sense? 

I think that throughout the Bible we are encouraged to praise God for the benefits that we receive from it.  If we try to always start our prayer time with praise I think it helps set the stage for all of our communications with God. 

Here is what I mean.  When we come to God with praise I think that it helps put us in a reverent and thankful frame of mind.  Instead of going to God in prayer and immediately launching into a laundry list of please do this, please help with thats, try starting with praise and thanksgiving. 

As a parent we don't mind doing things for our kids but we like them to show their appreciation for the things we do by saying thanks.  It just let's us know that we aren't being taken for granted.  Well to a certain extent I think it is the same with God.  By starting with praise I think it just let's God know how grateful we are for all of the things he has already done for us.  

When should we praise God?  All the time!  In good times and bad, praise God.  If you would like a great example of always praising God read what King David had to say in the Psalms (BTW, Psalms is the answer to the Billy Bible quiz question). 

So as you go to God in prayer this week, what will you be praising Him for?

The Common Christian

How did I settle on the name The Common Christian?  Well as with most everything else having to do with this journey, it "just popped into my mind". 

What do I mean by that?  It literally just popped into my mind.  Out of nowhere it seemed.  No real connection to other thoughts at the time, and with such a strong feeling of conviction or emotion attached to it that you just go "Wow, where did that come from"?

Have you ever felt that?  Where does that come from?  My belief is that it is God speaking directly to us through the Holy Spirit.  But is that belief backed up by scripture?  I have a general sense that it is but I couldn't point to an exact reference right now. 

Why not?  Because I'm not a Bible scholar (is that spelled correctly?  Spell check says it is but it doesn’t look right).  In fact I have no formal Bible training at all.  I'm just an ever day guy that has read and studied the Bible over the years who has observations and questions.  Just a "common Christian". 

What qualifies me to write this blog?  Nothing, other than the fact that it "just popped into my mind, and wouldn't leave".  As did the name. As did so many other things that led up to the creation of this blog.  Does that mean I always act immediately on all things that pop into my mind? 

Not always.  If it is something big or really different or even really off the wall, I take time to pray about it, to make sure I'm really getting the message correct (and truth be told, sometimes I'm praying that I have misinterpreted the message because it is so scary, or inconvenient, or whatever, and I don't really want to do it).  But I have found in my life that it is generally better to listen to that voice. 

 How about you?  Do you have the faith to follow the ideas that "just pop into your mind"? 

What makes you believe?

As I was doing my Bible study this morning this question popped into my head.  What makes you believe?  What makes you so sure you are right?  What makes you know that you know that you know?

Interesting question but why could the answer to that question be important?  Because it could help us reach others like us. 

Those of us that are Christians have come to Christ in many different ways.  Through crusades, through friends, through TV ministries, and the list goes on and on.  We've learned about different scriptures that lay out the Biblical basis for Jesus.  But when you get right down to it, was it all of that logical stuff that got you to believe or was it something deeper and more emotional than that?

For me, witnessing has always been the weakest area of my faith walk.  As I look for reasons as to why that is I think the main thing is that I am focused too much on the cold dry logic part of it instead of sharing the human story of what Jesus has actually meant to me in my own life. 

The reason that I have always focused on the factual part is that it is my nature.  I think of myself as quite analytical and factual.  So I was always hesitant to witness because I didn't have all of the arguments and counter arguments memorized.  One of the key traits of my personality type is my need to be right. 

That is why my answer to the question What makes you believe? took me by surprise.   As I look at my own life I realize that it isn't any of the logical, Biblical stuff that makes me truly believe.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that it is there and it is important, but the real bedrock of my belief  is all of the times I can look back in my life and actually see God's guidance and design. 

So what have I learned from that?  A couple of things.  From now on I am going to be much more conscious of opportunities to just share my faith.  Not try to talk people into believing based on facts but to just share what God has done in my life.

The other thing I learned is not to worry about what I am going to say.  Just trust God to put the words in my mouth.  I don't have to have all of the "facts and arguments" memorized.  I don't have to worry about being "right" when I am just sharing my story.  I'll let you know if that helps my witnessing efforts.

So here's an idea.  Take some time to ponder the question for yourselves.  What makes you believe?

Doubt - Is It OK?

What role should doubt play in a growing Christian's life?  I find that to be an interesting question that seems to be a growing trend in some Evangelical circles (thankfully not at VFC!)  I read this article this morning.

 

Christian leaders peddling doubt?

Pasted from <http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=357061>

What is doubt.  Is it the same as questioning?  Let's look at the definition.

doubt

[dout]

verb (used with object)

1.

to be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe.

2.

to distrust.

3.

Archaic . to fear; be apprehensive about.

verb (used without object)

4.

to be uncertain about something; be undecided in opinion or belief.

noun

5.

a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something.

6.

distrust.

7.

a state of affairs such as to occasion uncertainty.

8.

Obsolete . fear; dread.

Pasted from <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/doubt>

Look at some of the phrases used in the definition.  "To be uncertain about; consider questionable or unlikely; hesitate to believe; distrust; a feeling of uncertainty about the truth, reality, or nature of something." 

OK, now what is one of the key tenants in our salvation?  Faith.  If we have believed in our hearts and confessed with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, then there should be no doubt of our salvation.  The big issue is settled. 

But does that mean that we give up our intellect and we no longer have questions?  Of course not.  The distinction I'd like to draw here is what I see as a difference between doubt and questions.  While I don't doubt the big picture at all, I have to admit that there are things in the Bible that make me go "Huh?"  That doesn't make sense to me.  What am I supposed to learn from that?  That seems contradictory.

Is it wrong to think those things?  Am I being disloyal or disrespectful towards God by even asking a question?  I think it depends on the spirit in which we are questioning.  I think that if we go at it from an unbelieving attitude (doubt) probably not a good way to go.  On the other hand if we are approaching those questions in an attitude of "God this doesn't make sense to me, please help me understand what I'm supposed to learn from this", I would think that is perfectly acceptable to God.

After all, we are told in the Bible that we are made in God's image.  Our intellect comes from God, our curiosity comes from God, our desire to learn comes from God.  We are told throughout the Bible to seek God's wisdom and knowledge.  Part of the learning process is to ask questions about things we don't understand.  So I actually think it would be an affront to God not to ask questions as I earnestly seek to learn more about Him.

But what about someone for whom the "big issue" isn't even settled yet?  What about those that actually do still have real doubts?  What about them?

My suggestion is this.  Keep seeking an answer diligently with an open heart.  Pray for guidance (even though you aren’t 100% convinced yet).  Visit different churches until you find one that "fits".  You might not be able to actually define what fit means but it just feels rights.  That small voice that is deep inside you that just lets you know.  Learn to listen for God's guidance through that small voice.   

If you'll learn to listen to that small voice I believe at some point, you'll be prompted to take that leap of faith.  As an example have you ever sat in a church service and they were talking about "accepting Jesus" and you could feel that little voice deep inside you telling you to do it but you held back for whatever reason?  In my opinion that is God talking to you.  He's giving you the guidance you have been looking for.  You don't have to have all of the answers ahead of time.  It's OK to still have some questions.  But on the big issue, take a leap of faith!

Accept Jesus into your heart.  If you've never done that before it is as simple as saying a prayer like this:

"Dear Jesus, I still have many questions but on the big issue, I do believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that I would like you to be Lord of my life.  Please help me learn more about you and answer the questions that I have but on the big issue I have made my decision to follow you. Amen!"

Different Gifts

I have a verse here from 1st Corinthians and another from Ephesians that talks about the different gifts we are given.  Take a look:

1 Corinthians 12:4-11(NKJV)

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 

And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 

for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 

to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 

to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 

But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Ephesians 4:11-16(NKJV)

And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 

for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, 

till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 

that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 

but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—

from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

God has given us all talents and roles to play in His plan for our lives.  What is so exciting about our walk with God is that if you will submit and trust Him, He will help you develop talents that you never knew you had, or in some cases even wanted.  Here is what I am talking about.

I have often said that Church is not a spectator sport.  You need to be involved.  The easiest way to be involved is to volunteer.  I have found that this also gives you one of the most direct ways that God can help you develop new gifts, gifts buried deep inside you that you didn't even know were there.

There have been many times in my life where God has called me to do something.  I have always believed that when God calls you should ANSWER THE CALL.  And the more uncomfortable the call makes you, the more important it is to answer it. 

Folks, you know what I mean here.  When you are sitting in church and they are looking for volunteers and you can feel the urging of the Holy Spirit to volunteer but you resist because it is doing something that you aren't really comfortable with.  You get that queasy feeling in  your stomach just thinking about volunteering because it makes you so uncomfortable

It doesn't even have to be in church.  Sometimes God calls us to make changes and do uncomfortable new things in our private lives.  Again, my belief is that the more uncomfortable the call the more important it is to answer the call.  Why?

Because God has identified an area of your life He would like to help you develop a gift or talent in.  It is real easy to answer the call to do something for God that comes naturally and is easy, where is the growth in that?  It's when we answer God's call to do something uncomfortable that we get real growth.  And the cool thing I have found is that God always finds ways to take those new skills you learned for Him and use those skills in ways you never expected.

Which brings me back to this blog.  Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that writing might be a gift that I had.  In high school I chose all of my English classes by one criteria.  If it involved grammar and writing I didn't take it.  If it involved reading, Western Lit, English Lit, whatever, I took it. 

So when God led me to start writing in my professional life 2 years ago, never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine I would be led by God to begin writing a Christian Blog.  God is so cool!

I don't think I am alone in experiencing this principal so please share with us how God has used a time in your life to help you develop new gifts.

When was the last time?

When was the last time you sat back, closed your eyes, and just opened up your whole being to communicate with God?  Now I don't mean to sound like some metaphysical hippie from the 70's so let me explain what I mean.

Maybe I'm different from most of you, but I guess probably not so much.  We live in a fast paced and focused world.  And so when I spend my time with God it is usually like the rest of my life.  Fast paced and focused. 

I get my Bible open and my Bible Journal opened and then I go to God in prayer asking that he bless this time of study.  As I pray sometimes it's like I'm going down a business agenda: please bless so and so, please be with so and so, please guide me in this, thank you for that, etc. etc. etc.  When I get to the end it's like; anything you need to tell me Lord?  Wait 10 seconds, OK, cool.  Thanks for all you do, see you tomorrow, Amen. 

Now obviously I'm not using those words, what I'm trying to convey here is the flow and the feeling of the exchange between me and God.  And it is not done in any way to be disrespectful of God or anything.   I'm just getting down to business with God.  God's busy, I'm busy, let's not waste time here.

But is that what God wants from us?  As I type this it is dawning on me that I am again dealing with a First Fruits issue.  I have learned to spend my time with God in the morning, giving him the first fruit of the day, but only as long as it doesn't take too long. 

Let me suggest something that I experienced today.  As I went through my litany of thank yous, praises, and requests, as I was at the end about to say Amen, God said "hold on a second, just chill".  I was led to just sit back and be quiet for a change.  I just silently communicated with God.  I just opened up my whole being as it were and started to have a real conversation with God. 

I told God how I was interpreting different things and He was telling me where I was getting it and where I wasn't.  What was the key?  Slowing down, taking a breath, and actually giving God the time He deserves.

So give it a try sometime.  When you are done praying, keep you eyes closed and your heart open and just listen to what God has to say for a change.  I can guarantee you will be blessed! 

First Fruits - Time with God

Does it matter when we have our time with God?  Does He really care? 

Personally, as long as we strive to be in the Word daily, I don't think God really gives a rip.  However, here is what I have found in my own life.  

I've found that the best time for me is at the beginning of my day.  Why?  It has to do with "First Fruits".  What made this tough for me is that I am a night person, so first thing in the morning wasn't my favorite time.  Here is how I came to this belief.

Throughout the Bible we hear about giving of "the First Fruits".  Well what does that mean exactly?  Giving of the first of the harvest, not what is left over.  Giving of the very best of the harvest, again, not the leftovers. 

What First Fruits exactly is God interested in?  All of them!  He wants the first fruits of our time.  We need to put our time commitments to God ahead of all other time commitments.  He wants the first fruits of our intellect.  He wants the first fruits of our attention.  He wants the first fruits of our physical abilities, and yes He wants the first fruits of our finances. 

Now does that mean you have to spend your time with God the minute you open your eyes?  Not necessarily.  You find what works for you.  Here is my schedule.  I wake up every morning and start my day with a cup of coffee in bed while I read the news from around the world.  I then make a list of any things that are bouncing around in my head of what I need to accomplish for that particular day.  The reason for the list is that it allows me to empty my mind and then I am better able to focus on God instead of "trying to remember all of these things that I have to do after my prayer and study time (is out of the way.  We never say that but we've all been there at one time or another.  Sometimes approaching our time with God in a rush because we have so much to do.) ". 

Now I spend my morning time with God.  I am able to focus on what God is trying to communicate to me that day from His word.  It allows me to relax and enjoy my time with God.  It allows me time to let the Holy Spirit lead me and guide me. 

So even though there are other times that "I" would prefer to spend my time in study and prayer I have found that if I spend my time with God in the "First Fruits" of the beginning of each day I tend to have a much better day!   Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Marvel and Wonder

Marvel and Wonder!  What a glorious God we serve!

Those are big soaring words aren't they?  But what do they really mean?  Is that just a fancy way of saying that God "did something pretty cool " or does Marvel and Wonder go deeper than that?

Here is what I mean.  As I begin this journey in writing this blog I sit here this morning looking back in my life at the things that have led me to this place, here and now.  And I can only marvel at the long term and intricate planning that God has put into bringing me to this point in my life. 

There are many that would say that it was all just coincidence.  Maybe (Just to be clear, this is a rhetorical "maybe" because I certainly don't think so!).  But I have always believed that coincidences are just little miracles that God chooses not to take credit for.  Here are some of the "coincidences" that have led up to this blog.  For the sake of brevity I am only going to look at the last five years of "coincidences". 

Was it a coincidence that God led me to start keeping a Bible Reading Journal in 2006?  Was it a coincidence that when I was looking for a new church I attended VFC because we had visited there once back in 2004 because one of my oldest son's best friends went there?  Was it a coincidence that  I started writing in my profession 2 years ago?  Was it a coincidence that I was prompted to go back and start reading what I had written? 

Not likely in my opinion.  As I look back I can see more of the pieces of the puzzle falling into place.  There are so many more little "coincidences" that I will share in the future that there is no way that it could have just been  coincidence.  And the plan has been so intricate that any word less than Marvel is inadequate to describe the total amazement I feel as I live through and witness God's ability bring His plan to fruition!

So folks, today spend a little time looking back in your lives and Marvel at what God has done, and is doing for you!  And if you feel so inclined please share with the rest of us some of those stories so we also can Marvel and Wonder at the Glorious God we serve!

Trusting God Can Be Scary!

Trusting God can be scary!  Why?  Because it sometimes requires us to step out in faith in new directions and just totally trust that God knows what He is doing and that as long as we follow Him, we will be OK.

Here  is one of those things that I am wrestling with as I start this new blog venture.  What to write today?  As I begin this journey that God has appointed me to I wonder and daydream about what shape or structure I am to use.  Should I write daily, weekly, just whenever?  Should I have a theme?  Just how should I do things?  Well as I prayed about this I am feeling God tell me to just write for now.  The questions of style and structure will come in time.   

After receiving that answer to my prayer as I was reading my notes from February 17, 2010 I ran across this note.  "Don’t worry about what to say, let the Spirit lead.".  How is that for confirmation?  I don't know about you but that is good enough for me.  I'm just going to start writing. 

Let's begin by looking at another part of the entry from February 17, 2010 below.

--------

Feb17, 2010

Psalm 77 and Matt 14

Title : The Bible Reader’s Companion

Peter’s example  (14:22-31). Peter has been criticized for looking away from Jesus. Actually, we need to applaud his readiness to step out on the sea. After all, the other disciples stayed in the boat! It’s true that if we step out in faith we risk failure. But only by stepping out will we personally experience Christ’s power.

------------------ 

Great comment!  This comment is from the Bible Reader's Companion.  I love the change of focus from what Peter didn't do to what Peter did do.  He took a leap of faith!  Did it work out perfectly for him?  No.  Was he criticized?  Yes.  Do you think it was scary for him?  Of course it was.  But he did it!!!

If I look back in my life I can see how my being willing to step out in faith has allowed Christ to use me.  It kind of goes along with my belief of "When God calls, answer the call!"  When you can look back in your life and see times where you have "answered the call" I believe that can help build your faith.  It's kind of like a muscle.  The more you use it the stronger it gets.  The more you live by faith the stronger your faith gets which gives you the faith to take bigger and bigger steps. 

I would love to hear from you.  Please share a time in your life when you took a step of faith that was scary, and how it worked out for you.  How did it help or hurt your muscle of faith?

Why am I blogging for Christ?

I have been a Christian since I accepted Christ in the 8th grade.  As part of my spiritual journey, since August 29, 2006 I have been keeping a Bible Reading Journal.

My goal is to be in the Word everyday.  But as the Word tells us, we all fall short...and so I don't always reach my goal.  Am I in that struggle?

How did I come to write a blog?  Well I think it is an interesting story and I'd like to tell you.  If I were to give my complete testimony in this post I could show how God has repeatedly guided my life in ways that I could never have imagined, and really could only see in retrospect.  Because this is a blog not a book, I am not going to go into that right now.  I will confine this to the blogger question.

About two years ago in my professional life I felt led to start writing my own commentaries.  Now that was a bit of a stretch for me and outside my comfort zone.  In high school I avoided all English classes that involved writing so it was something that I didn‘t feel very skilled at.  So I have been writing commentaries for over two years now.   The feedback I get from many people is that I have some writing skills.

As part of my daily Bible reading I read one chapter from the Old Testament and one chapter from the New Testament and then I keep a journal of what I got out of each days reading.  Some days there is lots of stuff.  Some days I don’t get anything  (Pretty sure that is my fault, not God’s!).

Anyway about two months ago God led me to go back and start reading my Bible Reading journal.  I’ve been keeping it since 2006 but I had never gone back and read anything I had written.  Not trying to be immodest but as I’ve read it I’ve found that there are some pretty good nuggets in there.  So a few weeks ago God dropped this idea into my mind that maybe I should do a blog or something.

A couple of weeks ago, at the start of the week I had a couple of things that really needed to get done.  The problem was that I just felt a bit out of sorts.  I just couldn’t get focused.  I’d be in my reading of the word, “trying to focus cause I had to get through it so I could get to work”.  (Yeah, I know, approaching my time with God with the wrong attitude.  Tell me you all haven't been there at one point or another!)  Instead of focusing I kept finding my mind wandering and daydreaming about this stupid blog idea!  As I’d read my writings I’d run across something and start thinking that would be a good one to write about.  Well this went on for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Wednesday as I sat staring out the window wrestling with this whole blog idea, not wanting to get sidetracked down a rabbit hole and wondering if it was something that I should do, it was as if God just leaned over my shoulder and said “Dude, why do you think I have been having you hone your writing skills for the last two years?” 

Wow!  I thought He was guiding me in that direction just to help my professional life.  Never occurred to me that He was thinking way ahead of me.  Guess that explains why He is God and I’m not.  Lol!  What was cool was as soon as I got that revelation and surrendered to the idea, the edginess and lack of focus disappeared.  I felt at peace and focused.  God is so cool!

So folks, that is my story.  What is the purpose of this blog?  To stir discussion and to build our faith through that discussion of God's Word. I will share some things that just make me go Wow, what a great God!  I will also share some questions that I have.  Come on, you know we all have them.  I raise some issues that make me question some of the things in the Bible.  Not from an overall big picture salvation standpoint but on some minor stuff.  And question, not from the standpoint of questioning my faith but from a standpoint of, “God I don’t get what you are trying to teach me here”.

My prayer is that God will guide me in what He wants me to write about to build the faith of all.  So with that explanation let's get started on this journey.  Please check back often!