He is known for His greatness & glory found in the unexpected.
This morning I have been pondering the Messianic Birth Narratives in Luke in preparation for tomorrow morning @ living faith. I’m trying to look at this section with new eyes, imaging what it must have been like for someone observing all of these events to go home and tell their family. Hard to believe I bet. Yet this is where we find God and where we find the beginning’s the Messiah’s life.
Not in the palace of Herod but in the stable.
Not born to the rich& famous but to the humble and faithful peasants.
Not announced to the religious leaders but to shepherds.
The way Jesus starts his life is certainly in line with the rest of the life he would live. This shows me that God is not found in the things and ways of this world but by stepping out of those things we can see Him & His workings. I’m trying hard not to quote the often used “His ways are not our ways” but it just seems so appropriate!
Isaiah 55:6-9 6 “Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. 8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
He is found outside of our comfort zone. He is found outside of our routine. He is found outside of the workings of this age. He is found in the things of the age to come that spill over to this age – things like love for enemies, forgiveness, justice, sabbath, prayer, care for those in need, and the like.
He will not be found in the world (including Christmas shopping). So take time to seek after Him today.
As I have said before I realized early in my desire to take a weekly Sabbath that you have to work to not work, after a couple of weeks of out of town visitors, traveling, and stuff to do, I sit down again early this morning and enjoy time with the LORD (and my sweet 4month old). We’re taking a Sabbath today again finally back to the normal routine that our family really wants and needs.
As I sat down this morning after realizing I could and I reflected on the fact that Israel eventually did not keep the sabbath that was commanded them by their God.
As I have said from the beginning of my own sabbath journey, I am not advocating that Christians keep the sabbath as a command of the LORD and if they don’t they are far from God – this is something that I have begun to see the value and importance of in my own life for my own life. That being said, I understand what God commanded Israel as He did:
Exodus 20:8 ”Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Deuteronomy 5:15 – You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
This is something I have to remember to do – if not, my life, my schedule and the things of the world will pile up and overload me so that I end up doing work and being worked up when I need to rest.
Honestly, we need to have better control of our lives – doesn’t it seems that sometimes we go from one thing to the next and then to the next without thinking about what it is we’re doing? We react and respond to things that come at us without realizing that our responses and actions are often without thought. We make decisions by indecision.
I am understanding more and more that can’t be like this in general with Christianity and regarding my sabbath taking specifically. I have to remember throughout the week that I have been redeemed – I’m not living for this life, this job, this task, this errand, etc – I’m living free because of Christ in expectation of the coming Kingdom. And then today, I am going to celebrate this expectation of rest in the future by resting from the normal routine of Sunday-Friday.
So, more thoughts in my mind today to consider, and I’ll do so today because I’m going to work hard to rest today!
I think Bishop Wright makes a good point for us to consider in the age in which we live. For the advantages that the online community does give, we must not neglect the real community around us – the one of our churches as well as in our neighborhoods.
Kind of a humbling and insightful reminder to me of who we are, and how great GOD is.
“GOD rescues us (bad people), to reveal the glory of HIS grace and the expansive boundaries of HIS love…”
So many times in my life, I would try to earn GOD’s grace by works or believe that because of my Christian up-bringing that I was placed in an “automatically saved” group. It wasn’t until GOD showed me through my sin and iniquity of how bad I was, that I realized how HIS salvation rests on how great HIS love and grace is and not on how good we (think) we are.
“Why are some saved and not others? (those who aren’t saved can’t come to terms with the fact that they’re bad… ironically, they spend their lives searching any and everything of the world they feel will make them better). When you understand that we are all guilty, the amazing thing is not that GOD saves some and not others, the amazing thing is that GOD saves any.”
If GOD’s desire is to save all men (1 Timothy 2:3-4), and all men are bad (Romans 3:23 and Matthew 19:17), then “GOD saves bad people” isn’t all that enlightening of a statement to most Christians. However, taken a little further, and this belief can be easily argued to defend Universalism.
Christian Universalist believe that, GOD, in a “display of HIS infinite love, sent Jesus the Christ to die so that ALL of humankind not just can be saved but will be saved, regardless of faith and actions.” – sounds good huh.?. especially if you want to flow through life doing what you want and still be saved in the end.
http://www.christian-universalism.com/ – Here you can see E. Stetty proclaiming the gospel of, “no man left behind” (I think he stole that phrase; isn’t that the marine’s motto.?. or from an x-men cartoon or something)? Anyways, you see that Christian Universalist claim that ALL men are being saved by GOD through Christ, and this is the “good news”.
What are your thoughts on the video and what are some verses/scripture that refute this growing Christian Universalist belief.
Fantasy: an unreal, imagined or conjured up image fulfilling a psychological desire.
Mark 4:18 & 19 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
In going over the parable of the sower recently, one aspect of the seed sown on thorny ground intrigued me the most. It’s crazy that the desire for wealth and other things would be a topic needed to be directed towards Christians who are already finding their joy in someone as great as the LORD. However, it seems to even a self-proclaimed “Christian”, that the LORD simply isn’t enough for us. In our pursuit to find joy from the things of the world, our joy in the LORD and HIS salvation gets diminished, choking us away from a fruitful faith, and ultimately HIS coming Kingdom.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
I hate to give the devil credit for anything at all, but he really has had his way in presenting this fallen world as a tantalizing substitute for the joy of the LORD and HIS salvation through Jesus.
So what’s your fantasy? Fortunately our GOD is way greater than this satan and has equipped us with scripture to inform us of which treasure is worth striving after and which one will one day perish (and wouldn’t mind taking us with it).
1 John 2:15-17 Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
I Timothy 6:6-19 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He will bring about at the proper time–He who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
In New England, we battle the hard hearts of skeptics while enjoy the open-mindedness of those searching. Engaging our neighbors and communities is important – and there is a way to do it right. Forget the marketing strategies or membership drives, get into conversations with the people you’re around. I think that the challenge facing New England in regards to evangelism and outreach is not in the people who need the gospel, its found in the people who supposedly don’t.
Best line of the article – “That means outreach must be deliberate and personal.” And those reaching out need to move out of the comfort of our church building’s four walls and away from the safety have having our pastors teach those who don’t know the gospel.
Maybe if we stop the excuses – fear, busy-ness, selfishness, ignorance, newness, etc – and seek the LORD’s help, there can be some change. I don’t know if there is going to be a revival in New England widespread (that’d be nice), but I know that there are people hurting and broken and self-deceived and searching and praying right in this city. God is waiting for some willing hands and hearts.
John 13:36 Simon Peter said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
I received an email recently with the following question:
Can you provide me a good explanation of Jesus’ words in John 13:36 – I’ve looked up all my resources & can’t find a worthy explanation for that one. My Christadelphian source says it is speaking of the type of death Peter will experience… not sure? maybe. ”where I go, you cannot follow me now; but you shall follow later.”
I would imagine that some would agree with the thoughts of my friend above. I think that this explination may be just what Jesus was speaking about. I am sure othesIn light of the context of the disciples loving each other as Christ loved them (v34 &35) Peter says that he will follow Jesus wherever he goes – and Jesus says that he cannot follow Him where he is going – maybe it isn’t so much he he cannot die like Jesus will, but Peter will later, but the steps Jesus is going to take are not steps that Peter because of his lack of faith, but will be restored later.
I only say this because the next verse is in regards to Peter not following Jesus to the death but denying him. Compare this section to what Peter says in the other Gospels:
Matthew 26:33 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I will never fall away.”
Mark 14:29 But Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away, yet I will not.”
Luke 22:33 But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!”
I think Luke gives us the best picture to what I think John 13 might be talking about – He wants to follow Jesus, but because of the fear that Peter has in his heart (which will be evident in the 3x denials that are about to take place), he cannot follow Jesus – but as we know, he will later.
Proverbs 31 is it too outdated for us 2010 modern day women??? I think not! When I go through this proverb and dissect it line by line for my own personal understanding I say wow up before dark to make food for my family? Buy things of great value? Sew my family’s clothes? Bring my husband good and not harm? Open my arms to the poor and needy? Walk around with strength, dignity, wisdom, confidence? These do not sound like a woman of today. No I think fast food, prepared meals, nannies , store bought clothes, disgrace and dishonor to husbands, the needy are gross, dirty people who they tell their children to avoid at all cost, women who are arrogant and prideful who think they too are a man and must be treated equally as one or else!!
So then I ask myself what must I change about myself to line up with this proverb that God gave us women as a guideline to be virtuous and worth far more then rubies? Isn’t this just what we are looking for anyway to be valued, to be loved, to be thought of as precious and honorable? I think so. So I see that it is my heart that must change before I even think about my daily routine and actions. I must love my God enough to trust Him that what He gave me as a guideline on how to be virtuous, beautiful, confident, strong and wisdom filled is what I should strive for. It is what will make me more precious than rubies to my husband and honorable to society.
So in what some women think of as outdated or politically incorrect we find the very thing that God has given us as a picture of a virtuous, beautiful, confident, strong and wisdom filled women. I am willing to look weird and strange to the entire female population and society at large in order to look right and acceptable to God, how about you?
I have been reading through Proverbs each day this month. He’s a selection from the reading today. How appropriate:
Proverbs 31:10-31 – 10 An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. 11The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good, and not harm, all the days of her life. 13She seeks wool and flax, and works with willing hands. 14She is like the ships of the merchant; she brings her food from afar. 15She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and portions for her maidens. 16She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard. 17She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.18She perceives that her merchandise is profitable. Her lamp does not go out at night. 19She puts her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle. 20She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid of snow for her household, for all her household are clothed in scarlet. 22She makes bed coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23Her husband is known in the gates when he sits among the elders of the land. 24She makes linen garments and sells them; she delivers sashes to the merchant. 25 Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. 27She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: 29“Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” 30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates.
What a great way to end the book of Proverbs. Though perhaps it seems as if some of the references are outdated and not clear because of the lives we live today – nonetheless this is a picture of a godly, virtuous and excellent woman and wife.
The qualities of this woman are beautiful. She is caring. She is self-sacrificial. She is giving. She is diligent. She cares for her husband and family.
And she receives praise from God, her family, and friends because she fears the LORD. This is the woman to be praised – the one who chooses to fear God and live a life of love.
2day's a great day for 1 & a tough day 4 another. the LORD is maker of both. may He provide you w/ joy & comfort 2day as your heart has need 20 hours ago
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