1 John 1
1That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
I was talking to some friends last night and one guy was sharing how a kid in his class was wondering about God. The kid asked how we can have a relationship w/ a person we've never seen? He said my girlfriend is easy to talk to and I can know what she's thinking right away, so, how can I have that w/ Christ?
Immediately my mind began to fly to the response and what I thought made the most sense in a way that was easily accessible. But, since then, I've had more time to really ponder that mystery. We believe in a person that we've never shaken hands w/. I've not been introduced to His parents, so to speak, and I haven't had the chance to spill coffee on His bible on the dashboard of His 1990 Ford Taurus, just yet.
It made me think of the children of Israel who, while wandering in the wilderness, had a visible God protrusion in the sky,(pillar of fire/cloud by day) every waking moment for 40 years. And yet, once they enter into the promised land, they revert back to worshipping false gods. So I guess I'm inclined to think that even if we could meet at Jesus' apartment tonight, w/ the opportunity to put drink rings on his coffee table and maybe even say something offensive about the lack of NFL Israeli football players that His nation has been able to produce, that seeing in the natural wouldn't in fact, improve upon my relationship w/ Jesus.
In fact, it could very well put a damper on it, if the truth be told. If I'm honest in recalling many of the friendships & family relationships I've had personally over the years, I can pretty well attest to the fact that I have the ability within me to say the wrong thing at any given time, in a style that's not unlike that of "Uncle Buck". Having said that...
The apostle John did see Jesus. John saw the many expressions on his face when He uttered words that have blessed, molded, and shaped our lives and continue to do so on a daily basis. When we read in the gospel that Jesus looked at Peter after Pete had denied Him three times, John knew that look, we can only surmise/speculate. But it was a look of love as John will go on to write in his epistle. God is love.
Now I know what this young man is saying, it's difficult to have the most important relationship in your life to be faith based. In our limited faculties, life would appear much easier if we could have what John had, and yet, we have much more than John had. We have a complete Old and New Testament, don't we? Heck, all you have to do is spend a night in a hotel in the U.S. and you can snag a free King James Gideon bible, it happens. Most people have Grandma Gertrude's family Bicentenial bible that is collecting dust in an attic or in the corner of someone's bookcase. The question I guess then I want to leave you w/ is, what do you have?
I know for myself, that I can say to somebody," you need to have a personal relationship w/ Jesus" faster than I can be contributing to my own. My mouth is pretty quick. Someone said last week that they probably spend more time talking to Christ than they do listening to Christ. It occured to me that, towards our friends, not to mention close personal friends, that it's kind of rude to do so, to talk more than to listen to them. And it has made me want to listen more and talk less.
Not that I want to pray less, not a chance. But listen more. I find that a line, a verse, a spiritual principle that is consistent w/ the character & nature of God gets me started. Once that begins, I can mull it over in my mind. "John touched Jesus". He spoke w/ God. The gnostic belief that Jesus was a phantom is bogus, Jesus left footprints when He walked. And Jesus wants to talk to Chuck. Amazing, but wait, there's more. Jesus wants me to listen to Him talk to Chuck.
Get out! No it's true. And what's more, Jesus wants to talk to Amber, Todd, Bill, Phil, Crystal, Kyle, Jesse, Aunt Gertrude & cousin Beatrice. Yea, just like that. When I let that simmer in the mental cooker for awhile, I like what makes for tasty mental broth. My Jesus, the creator of the universe, the One who has given my life purpose, meaning, and direction, wants my attention. I guess Jesus was right when He told doubting Thomas, blessed are those who have believed without seeing.
John 20;27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God.
29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Monday, May 12, 2008
Who Cares?
1 Peter 5;7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
All a believer's anxieties can be cast on Him. Christ sustains because He cares.A Christian's confidence rests in the fact that Christ is genuinely concerned for his welfare. Cast "all your cares", personal cares, family cares, cares for the present & for the future, for yourselves, for others, for the church, on God. Our worries can be very burdensome when they arise from unbelief &distrust and they end up torturing & distracting the mind.
The remedy is to cast our care upon God & leave every event to His wise &gracious disposal. Firm belief calms the spirit of man.It takes humility however, to turn everything(lit. throw your anxieties)over toGod & trust that He cares. God is not indifferent; He knows what He's doing in our lives. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin & foolishnessare not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight, even of those struggles.
Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls our circumstances.And maybe even try to carry this verse on a notecard to remind us when the microsecond trials of life enter our mind, that we need to continually keep giving them over to Him and not to our "worry centers", our melancholic sofa bed of mental/I told you so's and you'll never amount to a hill of bean's troughs of ill carnage. To trust the seen to the unseen, and to see through the unseen lens of faith what the seen lense of doubt can easily dismiss.
All a believer's anxieties can be cast on Him. Christ sustains because He cares.A Christian's confidence rests in the fact that Christ is genuinely concerned for his welfare. Cast "all your cares", personal cares, family cares, cares for the present & for the future, for yourselves, for others, for the church, on God. Our worries can be very burdensome when they arise from unbelief &distrust and they end up torturing & distracting the mind.
The remedy is to cast our care upon God & leave every event to His wise &gracious disposal. Firm belief calms the spirit of man.It takes humility however, to turn everything(lit. throw your anxieties)over toGod & trust that He cares. God is not indifferent; He knows what He's doing in our lives. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin & foolishnessare not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight, even of those struggles.
Letting God have your anxieties calls for action, not passivity. Don't submit to circumstances, but to the Lord who controls our circumstances.And maybe even try to carry this verse on a notecard to remind us when the microsecond trials of life enter our mind, that we need to continually keep giving them over to Him and not to our "worry centers", our melancholic sofa bed of mental/I told you so's and you'll never amount to a hill of bean's troughs of ill carnage. To trust the seen to the unseen, and to see through the unseen lens of faith what the seen lense of doubt can easily dismiss.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
How to Develop a Quiet Time
How to Develop a Quiet Time
1. Begin w/ prayer. As you open God’s Word, pause and ask Him to “ open your spiritual eyes to see wonderful things and open your ears to hear His voice “.
2. Always remember,” There is therefore now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Although I want to encourage you to protect your personal time in the Word every day—we all have our low times—we all fall off the path.
3. Hop back on. When you do miss, whether it is just a few days, or a few weeks—don’t try to catch up. Just start reading for your current day(this is written with the assumption that you’re following some kind of a read the bible in a year or some kind of devotional plan) and keep going from there. You might have time to backtrack later on, do not stress over it. Remember—“This is not a notch on your belt”. Our goal is FELLOWSHIP—not accomplishment.
4. Personalize the pace-Be realistic about your journey. For those new to Bible reading, mothers of young children, and students w/ a lot of homework, you may decide to read just through the New Testament portion this year. This reading segment can take just 5-7 minutes. It is much better to be consistent w/ a smaller portion, than to be overwhelmed w/ too much.
5. Paper and pen-If you pick up a pen and write the date in your notebook, you have put yourself in the mode to “ pay attention “. What you are saying to God and yourself is that you expect God to show you something or say something in His Word that is worth writing down and remembering. When you write something down you more than double your retention. As you write one thought, often you will see other facets of it expand and grow to sweet, deep understanding.
6. Find a time-Everyone has personal rhythm. Some are morning people, some are night owls. Both types can buy an inexpensive alarm clock and set it for a certain time each day. This small action can help you protect your “ personal appointment w/ Jesus”.
7. Prepare a place-Keeping your Bible, notebook and pen in a certain place, all the time is a tremendous help. You can right there and just jump in. You will find that you start viewing that place as special and hly.
8. The Search for answers-A quick review of the following question before you read every day will help you anticipate and be excited about your reading.
#1 What did I learn about God today in my reading?
#2 What did I learn as lessons about life?
#3 What did I learn about myself, my attitudes, my priorities, fears, failures, desires, mission, destiny?
#4 Is there a lesson that I can apply today?
#5 What can I take from my reading and pray back to God for understanding, instruction or help?
Building Your Life on the Rock Matthew 7;22-25
22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.
1. Begin w/ prayer. As you open God’s Word, pause and ask Him to “ open your spiritual eyes to see wonderful things and open your ears to hear His voice “.
2. Always remember,” There is therefore now, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Although I want to encourage you to protect your personal time in the Word every day—we all have our low times—we all fall off the path.
3. Hop back on. When you do miss, whether it is just a few days, or a few weeks—don’t try to catch up. Just start reading for your current day(this is written with the assumption that you’re following some kind of a read the bible in a year or some kind of devotional plan) and keep going from there. You might have time to backtrack later on, do not stress over it. Remember—“This is not a notch on your belt”. Our goal is FELLOWSHIP—not accomplishment.
4. Personalize the pace-Be realistic about your journey. For those new to Bible reading, mothers of young children, and students w/ a lot of homework, you may decide to read just through the New Testament portion this year. This reading segment can take just 5-7 minutes. It is much better to be consistent w/ a smaller portion, than to be overwhelmed w/ too much.
5. Paper and pen-If you pick up a pen and write the date in your notebook, you have put yourself in the mode to “ pay attention “. What you are saying to God and yourself is that you expect God to show you something or say something in His Word that is worth writing down and remembering. When you write something down you more than double your retention. As you write one thought, often you will see other facets of it expand and grow to sweet, deep understanding.
6. Find a time-Everyone has personal rhythm. Some are morning people, some are night owls. Both types can buy an inexpensive alarm clock and set it for a certain time each day. This small action can help you protect your “ personal appointment w/ Jesus”.
7. Prepare a place-Keeping your Bible, notebook and pen in a certain place, all the time is a tremendous help. You can right there and just jump in. You will find that you start viewing that place as special and hly.
8. The Search for answers-A quick review of the following question before you read every day will help you anticipate and be excited about your reading.
#1 What did I learn about God today in my reading?
#2 What did I learn as lessons about life?
#3 What did I learn about myself, my attitudes, my priorities, fears, failures, desires, mission, destiny?
#4 Is there a lesson that I can apply today?
#5 What can I take from my reading and pray back to God for understanding, instruction or help?
Building Your Life on the Rock Matthew 7;22-25
22 On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’
24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.
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