OCTOBER 3, 2016

“There is not one blade of grass, there is no color in this world that is not intended to make us rejoice.” 
― John Calvin

ISAIAH 27-28

 “Sing about a fruitful vineyard:

3I, the Lord, watch over it;

I water it continually.

I guard it day and night

so that no one may harm it.(27:2-3)

EPHESIANS 5

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

JOURNAL 

God never intends for us to live in some type of depressed, lifeless, bitter obedience. His intent is that obedience will give us life like no other. The life he intendeds is to give us a joy that becomes intoxicating and such that it moves others. It is a passionate spirit that surpasses all heartache and trivialities of this world. This is great news!

I will confess that so often there is this dark spirit that poisons my mind and heart into believing that all God wants from me is a heartless, soulless obedience. That simply is a lie. Compassion, love, joy and passion are the most contagious, most wonderful things in this life. This is the life God calls me to...so that no matter the circumstances or hardships...I will possess a spirit that cannot be defeated. What an amazing gift and it is available every moment of every breath I breathe.

What does that look like? I believe it's celebrations that border on hysterical, I also believe it is the comfort of sitting with someone through heartache and devastation. I believe it is hard, honest conversations where bitterness, anger and hurt are resolved. I believe it is the joy of receiving forgiveness and redemption. I also believe it is the joy and work of working together with others to solve a problem. It is warm smiles, sincere tears, hearty laughs and passionate kisses. It is refusing to allow a moment to pass with out soaking up everything it has to offer.

The miracle of our lives too often passes without recognition and celebration. There truly is so much joy to have that our greatest enemy often becomes our complacency in taking it all for granted.  God help me to see that each moment is a miracle...each moment is a gift from you to be shared and celebrated.

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5

What did I learn?

1) God provides in so many ways that I so often fail to acknowledge.

2) The guacamole at Taco Mama is fantastic.

3) Kevin Hart is one funny human!!

OCTOBER 2, 2016

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God.” 
― Pierre Teilhard de Chardin 

ISAIAH 24-26

3You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you. (26:3)

EPHESIANS 4

17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

20That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin”^d : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

JOURNAL 

Here it is in black and white...verses that level me in all ways. There is no way around or out of this...here is what we are called to in Christ. This is the life we are commanded to live. Here it says in Isaiah that God will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast...because they trust in God. Then in Ephesians Paul is telling them to put off the old self, to not let Satan have a foothold and to rid ourselves of all bitterness, rage, anger and every form of malice to be kind and and compassionate.

There can be no disputing these verses this is the Gospel and this is the spirit God gave us. If I am not surrendered to this thinking and this spirit then how can I claim to have fully surrendered my life to God. If I still hold onto bitterness and anger, if I am double-minded then am I really trusting in God? What is most important to me will show itself in my life...to constantly engage with scripture will reveal the waywardness of my own heart and mind. It is hard to stomach...but it is also the only way to receive God's joy and peace

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5

What did I learn?

1) I am mostly consumed with things that really don't matter.

2) The power of a moment can move millions of people.

3) The main push in our culture is for more of the same...rather than transformation and change of our hearts and minds.

OCTOBER 1, 2016

“The ragamuffin who sees his life as a voyage of discovery and runs the risk of failure has a better feel for faithfulness than the timid man who hides behind the law and never finds out who he is at all.” 
― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

ISAIAH 22-23

17At the end of seventy years, the Lord will deal with Tyre. She will return to her lucrative prostitution and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth. 18Yet her profit and her earnings will be set apart for the Lord; they will not be stored up or hoarded. Her profits will go to those who live before the Lord, for abundant food and fine clothes. (23:17)

EPHESIANS 3

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family^a in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

JOURNAL 

Reading these passages from Paul...it can at times seem like he is speaking another language. To visualize what it would be like to be sold out to Christ in this way. It saddens me to think how far I fall from really living this way. How my community does not look this way, how I depend so much on the culture and comfort and all the trappings of suburbia rather than truly seeking God with a community of believers.

To really press in and think about what a community of believer...truly transformed by the love of Christ looks like. I deeply desire that...yet to think about what it would require...saddens me. Because people usually only seek God in desperation...not in gratitude. It is usually out of weakness and failure...so what does that say about a community. Will we need to experience deep failure and weakness before we can bond together in the love of Christ?

I don't think it is an absolute necessity...however it usually is the way it happens. Yet with God all things are possible, all I can do is seek God always, not as just an answer to my own problems but because I realize the ineptness of my own wisdom. I realize the trappings of my own patterns of behavior. I realize that apart from God I am nothing and am just a vapor. I realize that with God I have the power and love of the creator of the universe and of all things. Why would I ever shrink back from trusting God? Why would I ever go my own way? Why would I ever rely on the things of this world rather than seeking and trusting God?

 4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 

EPHESIANS 2:4-5