SEPTEMBER 15, 2020

 “Life is a long lesson in humility.” 

― J.M. Barrie, The Little Minister

PROVERBS 28-29

13Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper,

but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

14Blessed is the one who always trembles before God,

but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble. (28:14-14)

2 CORINTHIANS 7

10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

JOURNAL 

The human brain and emotions and thoughts are truly amazing. Understanding them and truthfully seeking what they are telling us is the tough part. I am learning that emotions should not be feared. I think a lot of my life I have feared them and have taken steps to shield myself from feeling and experiencing them. Especially when it comes to disappointment, anger and fear. Those are some tough characters and they can be very painful.

I often found ways to ignore them instead of owning them and understanding why I was experiencing them. I know it lead me to have a very shallow relationship with God and in turn to deal dishonestly with people. For there is one thing that relationships will involve and disappointment and anger are two that cannot be avoided. People are flawed and make mistakes and therefore are due to hurt each other.

To ignore the disappointment and anger is to bury it without letting it resolve which is toxic. This leads to all kinds of irrational fears and built up anger that will only serve to eat away at the soul. God is a safe place for all of this. I can safely take it to God, pray through it...let it out and allow God and his word to counsel me in my hurt, anger and fear. When that happens I am able to respond in strength and love.

In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”^a

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 PETER 5:5-6

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

 True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging does not require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.

― BRENE' BROWN

PROVERBS 25-27

19As water reflects the face,

so one’s life reflects the heart. (27:19)

2 CORINTHIANS 6

3We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; 6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; 8through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; 9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

JOURNAL 

The whole idea that you belong nowhere but everywhere is radical but also is ingrained in biblical truth. We are here because we belong but our identity can never be derived from belonging to a particular group or sect of society. Identity is uniquely personal and can only come from our own uniqueness. It must be possessed yet derived from God. The verse in Corinthians presents multiple paradoxes and I love that this is the essence of being in the world but not of it. It is the paradox that to get your life you must give it up.

That giving up is what ensures that identity is formed in God alone. It is then and only then that we will possess means and ability to live, work and engage in a world that is dying for direction, leadership and hope. For we will then no longer seek our identity from the world but rather are willing and fully engaged to sacrifice who we are for those that do not deserve that sacrifice. That then is the essence of a believer because it is then and only then that we are reflecting the love and passion of God himself.

25Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28“Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31“Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

34“Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out.

“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

LUKE 14:25-35

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020

 “The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” ― Kalu Ndukwe Kalu

PROVERBS 23-24

30I went past the field of a sluggard,

past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

31thorns had come up everywhere,

the ground was covered with weeds,

and the stone wall was in ruins.

32I applied my heart to what I observed

and learned a lesson from what I saw:

33A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest—

34and poverty will come on you like a thief

and scarcity like an armed man. (24:30-34)

2 CORINTHIANS 5

 20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin^b for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

JOURNAL 

What does it really mean to be "the righteousness of God"?  What does it mean to be "Christ's ambassador"? Ultimately I think it means to become the best of yourself. For each of us are a unique creation with our own one of a kind identity, fingerprint, DNA etc. So to become my best I must seek the ultimate creator. I cannot trust my feelings, other people or my circumstance for my identity and direction. 

This requires a daily shift and change to not be ruled by feelings and circumstances but rather to see and view feelings and emotions as tools and indicators rather than a default mode of operation. I may feel fear and anxiety in certain situations but God has given me a brain and an ability to stand apart from those feelings and view them in the context of my current circumstance. To be able to pause and view them and not immediately react is the unique gift of being human. To then be able to filter all of that through the stories of scripture and the tenants of truth as well as pause to pray and ensure that any decision I make lines up with scriptural truth as well as internal truth...this is the operation process which will guide me into living a life that is the righteousness of God.

This is not easy...most times it is very hard to not choose an immediate reaction but rather to pause briefly to think it through. But if I am to live as a believer this is the life I have dedicated myself to live. This is the mode of operation that I have surrendered to for eternity.

 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

GALATIANS 2:20

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

 “I must be willing to give whatever it takes to do good to others. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts. Otherwise, there is no true love in me, and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.” 

― Mother Teresa

PROVERBS 21-22 

25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,

because his hands refuse to work.

26All day long he craves for more,

but the righteous give without sparing. (21:25-26)

2 CORINTHIANS 4

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

JOURNAL 

Working and giving are directly a result of being transformed by God's love. When we are transformed our concern is no longer being loved, our focus turns to giving, working and living in order to reflect God's spirit. That spirit lives within us and as a result our focus must shift, our attitude, passion, joy... everything must therefore change and does change when we surrender.

I do believe that this is a daily battle, I believe every morning when I wake up, my heart is subject to follow whatever I feed it. While God will never leave me and while his love transforms my heart and life, I still know that I must surrender each morning, each day or I will find myself drifting into sin and selfishness. No matter the success and joy of the previous day, I still have to surrender to God's will and his love. There are no days off, and as long as I am living on this earth, I will battle the darkness.

But I never am alone and Jesus promises that if I abide in him, and obey his command to love others as he has loved me then the worries of the world no longer own me. The selfishness of sin will never win and joy will find it's way complete in my life.

 9As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 

JOHN 15:9-12

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

 “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to 

succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.” 
― Abraham Lincoln

PROVERBS 19-20

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

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

22What a person desires is unfailing love^b ;

better to be poor than a liar. (19:21-22)

2 CORINTHIANS 3

4Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

JOURNAL 

God's purpose and his spirit is what ultimately prevails. We deeply desire an unfailing love and that can only be received through Christ. Our ultimate purpose is to reflect that in a world that tends to live for itself. Therefore conflict, heartache and frustration are inevitable, yet God's spirit is indomitable, it will inspire and sustain us no matter the circumstance.

Yesterday after practice I had a conversation with one of the coaches about purpose over passion. As we sat there in the fading light, I realized again that we are never alone in our struggle, you are all-around working through the lives of your children.

18 years ago so many people thought it was just another day. They assumed they would just go to work and be home that night. Yet they never returned, or they returned changed forever, that's not just on 9/11, that is the reality of our lives, that's why not embracing the miracle of today can be so tragic. We may only have today, so it needs to be lived fully reflecting the love of God to a world that is desperately needing his love. That's our purpose...

 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate^a the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

2 CORINTHIANS 3:16-18