Posts Tagged ‘Bible’

God Watches Over Us

August 19th, 2010

Allyssa GraceI don’t believe I’ve ever felt more profoundly inept than I have over the past few days. It’s unbelievable that our seven pound baby can bring a two-hundred pound man to a screeching halt with one whimper. Yet that is what’s happening.

As I’ve pondered raising our new daughter (we’re now just over a week into parenthood), I’ve realized that there are so many things in life that I can’t take care of for her. While I want to teach her and protect her, there are some things that I can’t teach and so many things I can’t protect her from. So many opportunities for evil.

That scares me

I don’t like to realize that I’m incapable and insufficient.  I don’t like the feeling of helplessness.  I’d much rather be able to protect my little girl from everything and everybody.

Sure, I could get the stereotypical shotgun to scare off all potential boyfriends.  I could try to refuse to let her date until she’s 35.  I could homeschool her and keep her inside and away from germs.  But if I did that, it might still do no good.  It might even cause her harm.

Unless the LORD builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted.
Unless the LORD protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good.

(Psalm 127:1 – New Living Translation)

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Don’t Settle

June 29th, 2010
Dirty water spilling out of a large glass carb...

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Sometimes when things don’t work out or when our way seems confusing, it can be tempting to take matters into our own hands.  To say (to ourselves), “God’s forgotten me,” or, “I guess this is the best I can get,” or, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.”  In short, it can be tempting to settle – to take less than what God has for us.

Don’t Settle

It’s not worth it.  God’s plan and provision for our lives is always worth the wait.  It’s always good.  It’s always better.

A Proverb

A few years ago I was going through a dry patch in relationships.  I’d just gotten out of one destructive relationship and I was looking around to find pretty much anything I could.  Thank God my mother had the wisdom to coin a proverb for me.

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Are You a Slave?

June 26th, 2010

As a Christian, I know a lot of “Christian” answers.  But every so often a question touches me.  Confuses me and makes me think.  Do you ever run into a question that makes you think?

That is exactly what happened when Scott Asher (@epecho), a friend of mine, asked whether we are really slaves to Christ in a recent blog post.

His set-up was pretty simple and straightforward – and I believe, quite sincere.  You see, he was looking at Romans 6:1-23 and noticed that the Bible said that we should be slaves to Christ rather than slaves to sin.  And, looking at the reality of his own life, noticed that he was maybe just a little more a slave to sin than he would like.  And maybe not so much a slave of Christ.

So, he asked the question:

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Effects of a Media Diet Change

May 15th, 2010
Expedition 20 Flight Engineers Jeff Williams, ...
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A couple weeks ago I wrote that I was changing my media diet. Today I’d like to look at what I’ve changed and what I’ve been seeing as the effects of a media diet change.

Before we get into the changes, though, let’s remember that there was a reason that I wanted to change my media diet. Behind what I’ve changed. I didn’t just decide that I wanted to do this so that I could deny myself things that I like. Rather, I wanted to change things so that I could have what I wanted more.

I saw things in my life that didn’t line up with how I believe God would have them. And I wanted what God has for me more than I wanted to fill my life with amusements.
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Changing My Media Diet

May 4th, 2010

Over the next few days or weeks, I’m going to change my media diet. I’m not talking about going on a “media fast.” But I think it’s time for a change.

Why the sudden desire for change?

To be completely honest, I’m wanting to change my media diet (not unplug completely, just make a change) largely because I feel disconnected.

  • I don’t feel as connected to God as I would like.
  • I don’t feel as connected to my wife as I would like.
  • I don’t feel as connected to God’s purpose in my life.

And I deeply want to feel connected. I want for my passion for the purposes of God to increase. I want a renewal of vision. And I want deeper intimacy.

Further, I get the sense that I’m bordering on having media in control of my life than under my control as I submit to God. I find myself wanting to watch that next episode of a sitcom or wanting to check my Facebook or Twitter accounts more than I find myself wanting to play a card game with my wife or spend a few moments in prayer with God.

I don’t believe it’s God’s plan for me to be controlled by my circumstances. I believe it’s God’s plan for me to be devoted to and obedient to him.

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Are You Seeking After God?

March 15th, 2010
An officer aboard the HMAS Melbourne (FFG 05) ...
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As I was reading today, this passage struck me:

As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”

Romans 3:10-12 (emphasis added)

God forgive me! I know that very often I don’t truly seek God. I seek his favor. I seek his gifts. I seek knowledge of him. I search for satisfaction of my needs and desires and longings and. And I search for the feeling of being close to God.

But I don’t really seek God. At least not as much as I’d like. And certainly not with as much purity of heart as God deserves.

How about you?

Do you seek God? Or do you seek “stuff?”

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Are There Treasures in Your Baggage?

February 2nd, 2010
Suitcases
Image by masochismtango via Flickr

Isn’t it interesting when you’re reading the Bible and you see something you haven’t noticed before?

That happened to me yesterday as I was reading Proverbs 31. Believe me, this is not the first time I’ve read this particular chapter – the one that most people look to to describe an ideal wife.

Here’s what I noticed:

Proverbs 31:1
The sayings of King Lemuel—an oracle his mother taught him: (emphasis added)

My first thought was “Isn’t that funny?! The chapter that we often use to describe an ideal wife and it was taught to him by his mother!” But then I reflected a little longer – in many cases a mother might be the best equipped to teach her sons how to look for a good wife.

Now I could certainly take this very short text and make it into “children honor your parents.” I could point out how we accept disobedience as being “strong willed” and how marketing to teens tries to separate them from the influence of their parents so that they’ll make bad decisions. I might even be right to do that. But today I’d like to go a different direction.
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There’s Too Much to Do

January 31st, 2010
Too much to do, so little time.
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I suspect we’d be hard pressed to find more than a handful of people in the US who don’t have too much to do. We all have responsibilities, goals, and aspirations. We all have relationships we want to maintain. We all have “time vampires” (some might call them addictions) that suck the time out of our schedules. And there are always unexpected events or difficulties.

I know that I certainly fall into the category of “those who have too much to do.” You probably do as well. So I’m constantly trying to make sure that I’m putting time into those things that are the most important to me. Well, really, it starts before that.

What’s important to God

I want to make sure that I’m investing my time and energy into what is important to God. After all, deep down, God is what is most important to me. Thank God (no pun intended) that he has let us know what is most important.
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Where is Your Wealth?

January 11th, 2010

It’s an amazing gift of God’s grace for him to reveal our places of poverty – the places in our lives where our perspectives and priorities are out of line. Where our goals are the money and stuff of this world rather than the treasure unspeakable who is God himself. Places where we honor ourselves more than him.

I know that I do this often. Lord, help me to have a right perspective and heart in my life.

How often I think my priorities are more important than what God is doing! (Oh…I’m sure I could justify my “stuff” if I wanted to. But what’s the point – I can’t justify myself!). How often I look at my earthly wealth (such as it is) and think to myself, “I’m doing pretty well.”

The truth is, I am still living as though I am poor in the places that matter most. While God has given me a glorious inheritance in himself and in the saints, I fail to take hold of it. Lord, help me to have a right motivation and to take action.

What does the Bible say?

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Poverty of Faith Leads to Blessing

January 6th, 2010

As we enter the new year, I would like to challenge you to make sure you are doing some spiritual exercises so that you grow in your faith:

  • Read the Bible
  • Spend time in Prayer and Worship
  • Spend time with other followers of Jesus
  • Share your faith and Serve others

If you’ve never read the entire Bible, I would recommend that you do it this year. I’m reading through the Bible on YouVersion.com this year. For the plan I’m using, click here. It’ll get you through the Bible in a year (if you follow it) and has some “grace space” built in so that if you miss a day, you can catch up.

That said, if you haven’t spent any time in the Bible today, consider meditating on the passage below. Ask God what he’s saying and how you can be a part of his plan.

Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Lord, God, may you grant us the grace to see our own poverty – in resource, in belief, in grace, and in humility – so that we may exchange it for the treasure that is you.

Until next time…

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