SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

“God created us for this: to live our lives in a way that makes him look more like the greatness and the beauty and the infinite worth that he really is. This is what it means to be created in the image of God.” 
― John Piper

PROVERBS 7-8

32“Now then, my children, listen to me;

blessed are those who keep my ways.

33Listen to my instruction and be wise;

do not disregard it.

34Blessed are those who listen to me,

watching daily at my doors,

waiting at my doorway.

35For those who find me find life

and receive favor from the Lord.

36But those who fail to find me harm themselves;

all who hate me love death.” (8:32-36)

1 CORINTHIANS 14:21-40

 24But if an unbeliever or an inquirer comes in while everyone is prophesying, they are convicted of sin and are brought under judgment by all, 25as the secrets of their hearts are laid bare. So they will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, “God is really among you!”

JOURNAL 

The point of faith is relationship with God so that others will be drawn to believe. According to Paul this is the main reason for prophesy and the organization of the church. To care for each other and to be a beacon so that unbelievers will know that "God is really among you".

This isn't about securing wealth or becoming famous or building an empire to glorify self. This isn't about power or money or position or privilege. It is simply about moving others and encouraging them to embrace relationship with God so that they will do the same.

When I really look around I see how often I have missed it. I see how I get so consumed with my own doubts and questions and circumstances that I miss the opportunity to really love others and to be part of a community that demonstrates and lives out the spirit of God. I miss out on teaching this to my children. I miss out on encouraging other believers in their own walk and battle. I am grateful that my life is not over. I am grateful that I still have today to share God's love, to lead my boys, to love Marci and to encourage others.

31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

MATTHEW 6:31-34

SEPTEMBER 1, 2017

“Ted Engstrom insightfully writes: “Cripple him, and you have a Sir Walter Scott. Lock him in a prison cell, and you have a John Bunyan. Bury him in the snows of Valley Forge, and you have a George Washington. Raise him in abject poverty and you have an Abraham Lincoln. Strike him down with infantile paralysis, and he becomes Franklin Roosevelt. Burn him so severely that the doctors say he'll never walk again, and you have a Glenn Cunningham -- who set the world's one mile record in 1934. Deafen him and you have a Ludwig van Beethoven. Have him or her born black in a society filled with racial discrimination, and you have a Booker T. Washington, a Marian Anderson, a George Washington Carver. Call him a slow learner, "retarded," and write him off as uneducable, and you have an Albert Einstein.” 
― Charles R. Swindoll, The Quest for Character/Improving Your serve/Strengthening Your Grip

PSALM 148-150

4For the Lord takes delight in his people;

he crowns the humble with victory.

5Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor

and sing for joy on their beds. (149:4-5 )

1 CORINTHIANS 11:16-34

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

JOURNAL 

This morning the power was out...actually went out last night. I noticed something this morning and that is the power of habit. I kept turning the light switches on even though I knew that there was no power. That response is so ingrained into my psyche that I do it even when I know there will be no benefit to flipping the switch.

That lead me to think about the different habits in my life and the reality that the more I do something, the more likely I will be to repeat that behavior. If I am disciplined to following God, then my default behavior will be to do so. However if I am conditioned to going my own way and using people and things rather than God...then I will tend to continue...especially when under stress or in difficult situations.

So disciplining myself to practice my faith...no matter the circumstance, is what is required. However it is not a grit and bear it faith but rather we are promised that joy and love are there no matter the earthly circumstances. To have faith means I trust God in all things, in all trials in all victories, in all suffering, in all pleasure. It is to be the one and only constant.

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

MATTHEW 5:3-10

AUGUST 30, 2017

“You can avoid Jesus as Savior by keeping all the moral laws. If you do that, then you have “rights.” God owes you answered prayers, and a good life, and a ticket to heaven when you die. You don’t need a Savior who pardons you by free grace, for you are your own Savior.” 
― Timothy Keller, The Prodigal God: Recovering the Heart of the Christian Faith

PSALM 142-144

7Answer me quickly, Lord;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.

9Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,

for I hide myself in you.

10Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

lead me on level ground. (143:7-10)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:14-33

31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 32Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— 33even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

JOURNAL 

One of the benefits of serving as an aide in different classes is that in some respect it is as if I'm going going back to junior high. In first period we have been reading through King Arthur and discussing the concept of chivalry. Chivalry comes from serving a cause and something greater than yourself. It comes out of the base of our faith which is a belief that God is greater than our own immediate welfare. Serving God then becomes more important than getting what we want in the moment.

This is the core of what makes a great society, this is the core of sacrifice, courage and ultimately love...for love is the ultimate expression in giving of yourself for the benefit of another. In scripture it is stated that God is love, so that if we serve God, we ultimately serve the concept of love. If we give of ourselves completely to God then we give of ourselves completely in love of God and others.

An individual, team, group, organization, community, nation and world that collectively serves a God of love becomes a world that truly is Heaven on earth. This is the hope that we should aspire to realize. This is the Epic story that God has weaved into our mind and heart. This is the sacrifice of Christ and the guiding light of all of scripture.

Yet despite the power of this in our lives there lives a darker presence that draws us to seek immediate gratification first. This darker force compels us to lie, cheat, manipulate and allow self to be more important than love. This darker force can be found at the core of abuse, addiction and all forms of selfishness. This is the daily battle fought in every human that lives upon the earth. This is why story and literature and history is so important...for it helps us to confront this battle for our own hearts and minds.

7Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.- 

1 JOHN 4:7-8

AUGUST 29, 2017

“Masculinity grows not out of conquering the woman, but only out of conquering the man—and not another man, as in war, but oneself.” 
― Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul: God's Restoration of Men to Real Manhood

PSALM 139-141

1You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.

5You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain. (139:1-6)

1 CORINTHIANS 10:1-13

12So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13No temptation^c has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^d beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^e he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

JOURNAL 

What is the temptation in my life? What is it that I must be careful of and that will serve to pull me away from trusting God. I don't know that it is one in particular but I do know that overall the temptation is to go my own way, seek immediate gratification and not be disciplined to God's wisdom and commands.

This rebellion is subtle and many times is not detected outwardly, because it is an inward struggle. It is my private war...

Recently I have faced many ways in which my plans and hopes have not panned out the way I wanted. From losing our home, to business taking unexpected turns, to taking a job as a special ed aide and coaching football. None of these things were in my plans or hopes for life...yet there are so many blessings and ways that I can see God is caring for me and fulfilling my purpose. It reminds me that the best I can do is to trust God everyday and not get carried away in visualizing and planning the future...especially when those plans become demands and expectations to fulfill me and my purpose.

21Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. 

PROVERBS 19:21

AUGUST 28, 2017

“When Jesus promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to the believers as “the Helper,” the text uses the Greek word paraclete, which, as John Sandford has explained, is an ancient warrior’s term. Greek soldiers went to battle in pairs, so when the enemy attacked they could draw together back to back, covering each other’s blind side. Your battle partner was called your paraclete.6” 
― Gordon Dalbey, Healing the Masculine Soul: God's Restoration of Men to Real Manhood

PSALM 136-138

1Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.

2Give thanks to the God of gods. His love endures forever.

3Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever.

4to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever.

5who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever.

6who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever.

7who made the great lights— His love endures forever.

8the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever.

9the moon and stars to govern the night; His love endures forever. (136:1-9)

1 CORINTHIANS 9

24Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

JOURNAL 

A thought came over me yesterday and then this morning. The gift of life is such a trivial thing to me and it is such a shame that I don't live in absolute wonder at my life. I don't mean from the worldly perspective...I mean simply from the reality that I have life, that I have a functioning body and a mind and an ability to think, contemplate and create. That is an amazing gift. That in and of itself is a miracle. Yet more often than not I dismiss this, more often than not I take all that for granted.

In taking it for granted, my mind wanders and drifts to things I don't have, ways I don't measure up, comparing and contrasting my life to others. While this ability is one of the gifts of being human, it actually can become a curse. Instead of using this ability to serve God and in obedience to him...it becomes a means by which I degrade myself and my life. It becomes a measuring stick that serves to shame me instead of encouraging me.

Here though is where God saves me. His word and scripture assure me that he loves me, will never leave me, forgives me and has gone to death to save me from myself. What a miracle, what comfort and joy.

I can rest in this because you have given me a spirit that calms my mind, that assures my worries and my anxiety. Thank you Father for life, for your word, for your spirit and for stripping away all the doubts, and pulling me close to your heart.

23Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. 24Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

25“All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. - JOHN 14:23-27