I'm so excited today- and I don't know why!
Today the Lord has blessed me with a sense of anticipation, hope, and love for humanity that has in all honesty blind-sided me. Trust me- I'm not complaining! I wish this came more often :)
One thing I have noticed is a sense of community with this. We tend to get so bogged down in our own lives, friends, goals and ambitions that we forget every one of us in this world is really in the same boat. All humans struggle to survive and find a purpose. I am a human, you are a human, and the guy half way around the world is human too. And think about this- all of us were even created for the same reason!
We are here to be given a chance to glorify God.
That is something I know I need help with at times as I sink back into the selfishness of "Me-ism" that plagues the world today. But, that is also something I know you need help with, and so does that guy I'll never meet in some distant land. We can not do it alone. That means we need each other. So why wouldn't I love "him" and everyone else worldwide?
So, we love. We pray for and reach out to one another. I pray for salvation, hope, and purpose in the lives of all. I pray that they may come to know the blessed, personal relationship we can have with Jesus Christ so that they can continue to glorify God for all eternity. I pray they know don't know of Jesus, but know Him in a way that completely transforms their lives. And as I pray.... I'm excited for what I know He will do!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Tidbits
One great reason to read the Bible all the way through is to gather the tasty tidbits you will find scattered throughout. These are Scriptures that never make their way into typical devotionals, but offer us deep insight and clues that help bring these ancient stories to life. Often, they stand out as a side note, or afterthought by the writer of that passage, but they are certainly a gift from God to remind us these were real people in real situations.
My daily Scripture reading brought me to one of these tidbits today in the Exodus story of the plagues on Egypt as the Israelites tried to leave. Seventh of the ten plagues was hail- Immense hail. In between the warnings from God and threats from Pharaoh, is Exodus 9:31-32:
This gives us a few interesting details. First, it gives us a time frame. This plague occurred around the end of February or first of March. (See multiple commentaries here.) We do know that the Passover was established with the last plague and the Jewish year told to begin then with the month of Nisan (Exodus 12), but having this verse about the crops shows us that the plagues were in fairly quick succession. Second, we are told just what crops were important and were grown almost four thousand years ago! As people have excavated throughout the last few hundred years, they have time and again proven the validity of the Bible by matching up what it says by what they have "uncovered". Proof and comfort once again that God really does know what He's doing, and the Bible really is His Word.
As you read your Bible be on the look out for these tasty nuggets of seemingly random information. They give us greater clues into God's Word, His character, and His concern for us to know certain details. Who knows? Perhaps finding them in Scripture is good practice for those He plants in our daily lives!
My daily Scripture reading brought me to one of these tidbits today in the Exodus story of the plagues on Egypt as the Israelites tried to leave. Seventh of the ten plagues was hail- Immense hail. In between the warnings from God and threats from Pharaoh, is Exodus 9:31-32:
The flax and barley were destroyed
because the barley was ripe and the flax was budding,
but the wheat and spelt were not destroyed
because they are later crops.
This gives us a few interesting details. First, it gives us a time frame. This plague occurred around the end of February or first of March. (See multiple commentaries here.) We do know that the Passover was established with the last plague and the Jewish year told to begin then with the month of Nisan (Exodus 12), but having this verse about the crops shows us that the plagues were in fairly quick succession. Second, we are told just what crops were important and were grown almost four thousand years ago! As people have excavated throughout the last few hundred years, they have time and again proven the validity of the Bible by matching up what it says by what they have "uncovered". Proof and comfort once again that God really does know what He's doing, and the Bible really is His Word.
As you read your Bible be on the look out for these tasty nuggets of seemingly random information. They give us greater clues into God's Word, His character, and His concern for us to know certain details. Who knows? Perhaps finding them in Scripture is good practice for those He plants in our daily lives!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Examples
Trust and obey.
I wonder if perhaps Abram (later renamed Abraham) wasn't privy to this old American hymn as he wandered around from Mesopotamia through Canaan to Egypt. Here he was, called out of his homeland who worshiped multiple gods as his family did (Joshua 24:2), to wander through a distant land following the "Start walking " command of a single God. That takes a lot of Trust and Obey.
This has made me start wondering why we think that all of the sudden God is going to start telling us only to do things that are reasonable and, in the end, entail very little trust in Him. Actually, the more I read the Bible the more I realize He asks us to do very little that is reasonable or logical by human standards. How often in Scripture do you see someone respond with, "Oh, yes Lord. That makes perfect sense!" Most the time they are scared to death and completely confused.
I like that... It helps to know I'm in good company.
I wonder if perhaps Abram (later renamed Abraham) wasn't privy to this old American hymn as he wandered around from Mesopotamia through Canaan to Egypt. Here he was, called out of his homeland who worshiped multiple gods as his family did (Joshua 24:2), to wander through a distant land following the "Start walking " command of a single God. That takes a lot of Trust and Obey.
This has made me start wondering why we think that all of the sudden God is going to start telling us only to do things that are reasonable and, in the end, entail very little trust in Him. Actually, the more I read the Bible the more I realize He asks us to do very little that is reasonable or logical by human standards. How often in Scripture do you see someone respond with, "Oh, yes Lord. That makes perfect sense!" Most the time they are scared to death and completely confused.
I like that... It helps to know I'm in good company.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Doldrums
You are not going to be passionate for God everyday.
Yes, I really did say that. Does it mean you don't love Him? No. Does it mean you need to question your salvation? No. It means you are human, and are still fighting the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). It means you are still alive and have work still to do for His glory!
How do I handle days of spiritual doldrums? I'm honest with God about them and I read His Word - the Bible - whether I want to or not: Especially if NOT. I ask God to help me draw closer to Him, and for a mindset that would bring Him glory. Then, I'm honest with those around me - like you, right now - and ask for mercy and grace from you to remember I'm still human as well. There are days I pray you can now come to me when you experience the same. Then, knowing we have all been in the same boat, we can pray for one another and help to keep accountable.
That's how I handle it. I fight the good fight whether I want to or not. It's not the "good fight" for nothing. I take time to remember it's not the "passion fight", "happy fight", or "enthusiastic fight". It's GOOD: True, righteous, genuine, and sound whether I feel like it or not.
Remembering that, and dwelling on it is often the little spark that gets the fire going....
Yes, I really did say that. Does it mean you don't love Him? No. Does it mean you need to question your salvation? No. It means you are human, and are still fighting the good fight (1 Timothy 6:12). It means you are still alive and have work still to do for His glory!
How do I handle days of spiritual doldrums? I'm honest with God about them and I read His Word - the Bible - whether I want to or not: Especially if NOT. I ask God to help me draw closer to Him, and for a mindset that would bring Him glory. Then, I'm honest with those around me - like you, right now - and ask for mercy and grace from you to remember I'm still human as well. There are days I pray you can now come to me when you experience the same. Then, knowing we have all been in the same boat, we can pray for one another and help to keep accountable.
That's how I handle it. I fight the good fight whether I want to or not. It's not the "good fight" for nothing. I take time to remember it's not the "passion fight", "happy fight", or "enthusiastic fight". It's GOOD: True, righteous, genuine, and sound whether I feel like it or not.
Remembering that, and dwelling on it is often the little spark that gets the fire going....
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Favorite Books of the Bible
My Pastor is soon going to begin a lecture series through one of my 3 favorite books of the Bible: 1 John. I have to say 3, because I just can pick between them as to my absolute favorite. It really depends on what I am learning and experiencing at the time.
One of the reasons I adore this book so much is that it shows such a beautiful balance in truth and love. In fact, I would subtitle it, 1 John: Truth and Tough Love. How delighting it is that this book teaches me to have a healthy, tough love from "the disciple whom Jesus loved". You know something interesting about that? It was John himself that wrote that down- 5 times (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) . No one else did. I imagine he found comfort and the security to be bold for Christ in that knowledge. This is a trait I deeply desire.
What are some of your favorite books of the Bible?
One of the reasons I adore this book so much is that it shows such a beautiful balance in truth and love. In fact, I would subtitle it, 1 John: Truth and Tough Love. How delighting it is that this book teaches me to have a healthy, tough love from "the disciple whom Jesus loved". You know something interesting about that? It was John himself that wrote that down- 5 times (John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20) . No one else did. I imagine he found comfort and the security to be bold for Christ in that knowledge. This is a trait I deeply desire.
What are some of your favorite books of the Bible?
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