NOVEMBER 7, 2016

“People who claim that they're evil are usually no worse than the rest of us... It's people who claim that they're good, or any way better than the rest of us, that you have to be wary of.” 
― Gregory Maguire, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

JEREMIAH 46-48

7Since you trust in your deeds and riches,

you too will be taken captive (48:7) 

HEBREWS 4

14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^fJesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

JOURNAL 

In seeking God, I can have confidence that God will be sympathetic to my struggle. God was one of us through Christ. Therefore he understands our struggle to obey and trust. He understands our struggle in encountering suffering and pain. He understands the struggle against thoughts and emotions that threaten to pull me away from obedience. He gets it and he gets me. Why on earth then would I ever want to depart from his presence? Why would I ever trust anything other than his word?

It is my struggle and one that I will encounter every day for the rest of my life. Jesus was not exempt, Jesus struggled with temptation and doubt. Therefore I can only take comfort in seeking God with all my heart and freely seeking rest in obedience to him. 

18“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 

MARK 10:18

NOVEMBER 6, 2016

“Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.” 

― Blaise Pascal, Pensées 

JEREMIAH 43-45

‘This is what the Lord says: I will overthrow what I have built and uproot what I have planted, throughout the earth. 5Should you then seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them. For I will bring disaster on all people, declares the Lord, but wherever you go I will let you escape with your life.’ ”(45:4-5) 

HEBREWS 3

12See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.

JOURNAL 

Our chief task in this life is to live our lives in full unabashed relationship with God. This is our objective, this is what we were created to do. By doing so we gain a power and an understanding of life that is beyond us. It gives us a love that is beyond the trivial love so often spoken of in our world. To give our lives in obedience to God anchors us psychologically and spiritually to the creator of truth and love. There is no more powerful or content place. This rock, this foundation will give stability through the wildest storms, it will give us contentment and peace no matter the circumstances.

Yet to reject God and relationship with him will cut us free from the anchor of truth and love and destine us to drift and be pummeled and scattered by every storm. It is not a pretty fate for it pits us against God himself. 

12I will destine you for the sword,

and all of you will fall in the slaughter;

for I called but you did not answer,

I spoke but you did not listen.

You did evil in my sight

and chose what displeases me.”

ISAIAH 65:12

NOVEMBER 5, 2016

“The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.” 
― Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas

JEREMIAH 40-42

 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: 10‘If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I have relented concerning the disaster I have inflicted on you. 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you now fear. Do not be afraid of him, declares the Lord, for I am with you and will save you and deliver you from his hands. 12I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your land.’(42:9-12) 

HEBREWS 2

10In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.^g

JOURNAL 

To think that we are considered brothers and sisters with Christ is really pretty overwhelmg. Yet this is also the affirmation and confirmation we need to be able to pray to God as our Father without shame or embarrassment. Scripture assures us that we will be accepted, loved and cherished just as Christ is cherished, loved and accepted by God. By accepting this we free ourselves of all shame, insecurity, anxiety and fear. For the God of all creation is our Father. 

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^k neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

ROMANS 8: 37-39

NOVEMBER 4, 2016

“The more you pray, the less you'll panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. You'll feel more patient and less pressured.” 
― Rick Warren, The Purpose of Christmas

JEREMIAH 38-39

15While Jeremiah had been confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him: 16“Go and tell Ebed-Melek the Cushite, ‘This is what the LordAlmighty, the God of Israel, says: I am about to fulfill my words against this city—words concerning disaster, not prosperity. At that time they will be fulfilled before your eyes. 17But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.’ ”(33:1-3) 

HEBREWS 1

1In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

JOURNAL 

Being obedient to God is such a logical choice.  Yet time and time again people in the Bible refuse to obey. Here I sit reading the text and it seems so simple. God tells them a certain path to follow and they refuse. Yet it is much easier said than done. The reason is that when I sit and watch a movie or read a book or the Bible, I am in a calm, comfortable place. Emotionally, physically etc. It is easy to make wise logical choices when I am in this state of being. 

Scientifically it has been proven that stress and anxiety actually cause the logical, reasonable parts of our brain to shut down. Stress causes our vessels to shrink and our blood doesn't flow to certain parts of our brain thereby flooding the ones that control our physical movements. We become restless and ready to run or fight. We begin to see all possibilities so that we can escape the impending danger. 

Therefore we don't think well...we are in survival mode. What is amazing about this is that it actually is possible to hit a pause button. God actually gives us the ability to override this automatic response system.  When we do so...the vessels relax, blood flows back in normal amounts to our full brain and we can then think calmly and make better decisions. 

The more in engage in meditative prayer and spend time reading and understanding God...the better I get at pausing the automatic responses and seeking his wisdom. By doing so I am able to remain calm in situations that feel threatening and actually can learn to be calm and trust God even in situations that are life threatening. This is amazing, but so incredibly true to scripture and modern psychology.  The fact that we can actually step outside of our circumstances in our minds and calm down the body and the mind is proof that there is another dimension to our brains and bodies that is beyond the physical...it is the spiritual.

13Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the duty of all mankind.

ECCLESIASTES 12:13

NOVEMBER 3, 2016

“The harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress and grow.” 
― Thomas Paine

JEREMIAH 36-37

 31I will punish him and his children and his attendants for their wickedness; I will bring on them and those living in Jerusalem and the people of Judah every disaster I pronounced against them, because they have not listened.’ ”(36:31) 

PHILEMON

14I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. 6I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

JOURNAL 

Last night I stayed up and watched the Cubs win the World Series. I was absolutely into it...I felt the emotion, the tension the elation after the final out. I caught myself singing "Go Cubs Go"...I felt completely a part of the win and the celebration. Why??? I'm not a big Cubs fan, I have a 12 year old Cubs shirt which I dug out of the dirty clothes to wear last night. I have never played for the team, have absolutely zero family connection or history and yet there I sat on the edge of my seat emotionally engaged. What in the world is that all about?

It seems absurd...it seems absolutely psychotic that I would be emotionally engaged...yet I was...and so were millions of other people all over the world. I read peoples comments on social media...other people who were not fans either yet were overcome with joy, celebration and emotion over a 10 inning baseball game. It seems so silly and yet it isn't. It is far deeper than anything on the surface. 

The human race is designed for relationship and to bond together to solve problems and care for each other. We are designed to want to be a part of a collective effort that overcomes heartache, difficulty and seeks the collective above the individual. It did not matter that many of those players never experienced the heartache of the past. It did not matter that several of them even played for opposing teams during this year. What mattered is that in this moment at this time they were brothers together, bonding and willing to fight to do something no other Cubs team has done in 108 years. Just as it didn't matter that many people cheering never experienced the disappointment  as fans...because regardless of our relationship with the Cubs...we all have experienced heartache and failure and dissapointment.  We all have been affected somewhere along the way by broken dreams and hard work and sacrifices that don't pay off.

It is why we connect and why we cheer and why we feel a part. It is the same reason that when I read scripture, I connect emotionally. These are words written 2000+ years ago that I have absolutely no physical connection to...yet they speak to me, they connect because we all connect to the heartache, the joys, the love, the brotherhood. We connect because we do truly have a creator that connects us all. God blesses us with this bond, this ability to connect. It is what draws us together and makes us weep and hug strangers and help our brothers and sisters regardless of race, color, nationality.  It is the beauty and the power of God within us and among us.