This past week has been "book heaven" for me. I just came back from the 2014 Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis, MN. All the books were 40% off, plus some other great buys. Needless to say, I spent more than I probably should have.
There are some great deals this week ONLINE, so check them out:
1. Taking God at His Word - by Kevin DeYoung - $.99 reg. price: $12.99
2. A Place for Weakness - by Michael Horton - $2.99
3. Manhood Restored - by Eric Mason - $2.99 print price: $14.99
4. Recovering Redemption - Matt Chandler - $2.99 print price: $16.99
5. All Things For Good - Thomas Watson - $.99 print price: $5.00
6. The Insanity of Obedience - Nik Ripken - $2.99 print price: $15.99
7. The Insanity of God - by Nik Ripken - $2.99 print price: $14.99
8. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ - by John Owen - $.99 print price: $7.99
9. An Approach to Extended Memorization of Scripture - by Andrew Davis - $.99
10. Lectures on Calvinism - by Abraham Kuyper - $.99 print price: $9.99
11. Biblical Doctrines - by B.B. Warfield - FREE
12. Finding Faithful Elders and Deacons - by Thabati M. Anyabwile $.99 reg. price: $8.99
13. Holy Subversion - by Trevon Wax $.99 reg. price: $11.99
14. Collected Writings on Scripture - by D.A. Carson $1.99 reg. price $19.99
15. How to Argue like Jesus - by Joe Carter $.99 reg. price: $13.99
16. The Atonement - by Loraine Boettner - FREE
17. Start Here: Beginning a Relationship with Jesus - by David Dwight - $2.51 reg. price: $7.99
18. Creature of the Word - by Matt Chandler - $3.99 print price: $14.99
19. The Freedom of Self-forgetfulness - by Timothy Keller - $1.62 print price: $4.99
20. Hope Reborn - by Adrian Warnock - $3.99 print price: $7.99
21. 10 Answers for Atheists - by Alex McFarland - $2.99 reg. price: $14.99
22. Conviction to Lead - by Albert Mohler - $3.03 reg. price: $22.99
23. Which Bible Translation Should I Use? - by Andreas J. Kostenberger - $2.99 print price: $14.99
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Midweek Book Buzz: 9/24/14
I am always online looking at great deals on books to download for my kindle. I will try to put out a list of books that seem to be worth your time and money each Wednesday. Here we go...
1. Calvinism: A Southern Baptist Dialogue by Brad J. Waggnor - $.99 /regular price: $19.99
2. The Francis Chan Collection, which includes: Crazy Love, Forgotten God, Erasing Hell, and Multiply - $12.99 /regular price: $22.99
3. Perspectives on the Doctrine of God by Bruce Ware- $2.99 /regular price: $24.99
4. Perspectives on Christian Worship by Timothy Quill - $2.99 /regular price: $24.99
5. HCSB Study Bible - $2.99 /regular price: $10.99 /print price: $49.99
6. Be Series Commentaries: Be Complete (Colossians) by Warren Wiersbe- $2.51 /regular price: $12.99
7. A Quest for More by Paul David Tripp - $2.51 /regular price: $17.99
8. The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - FREE /print price: $8.99
9. Pleasing God by R.C. Sproul - $.99 /regular price: $14.99
10. Systematic Theology by Louis Berkof - FREE /regular price on Amazon: $9.89
Be Edified.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Are you a man or a boy?
Yesterday, Matt Chandler gave one of the best sermons I've ever heard him preach on the topic of headship. I listened to it today as I was driving back from Orlando. This is a MUST listen to sermon for both men and women.
Here is a quick summary of the sermon:
"When God creates man, He gives him
a unique identity and purpose in life. God designs a
specific role for man to fulfill and, by living out that role,
to increase human flourishing. One of the unique ways
that men fulfill their responsibility to the spiritual authority
entrusted to them is through male headship in church
and home. This headship should be characterized by the
commands in Genesis 2:5-15 to work and keep what has
been entrusted to man’s care. As men lead, love, serve
and protect, they fulfill God’s commands to work and
keep what the Lord has given to their care." - Matt Chandler
Listen to the sermon here "A Beautiful Design (Part 3) - Man's Purpose."
Here are the discussion questions.
Be edified.
Here is a quick summary of the sermon:
"When God creates man, He gives him
a unique identity and purpose in life. God designs a
specific role for man to fulfill and, by living out that role,
to increase human flourishing. One of the unique ways
that men fulfill their responsibility to the spiritual authority
entrusted to them is through male headship in church
and home. This headship should be characterized by the
commands in Genesis 2:5-15 to work and keep what has
been entrusted to man’s care. As men lead, love, serve
and protect, they fulfill God’s commands to work and
keep what the Lord has given to their care." - Matt Chandler
Listen to the sermon here "A Beautiful Design (Part 3) - Man's Purpose."
Here are the discussion questions.
Be edified.
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Thinking on Ephesians Chapter 1 Verses 3-6 PART 2
Eph. 1:3-6 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved." - ESV
When I read this passage in the Bible, I begin to think of the Wizard of Oz. There is a scene in that movie where Dorthy and her friends find out what's going on "behind the curtain." When we read Ephesians (especially the first chapter) Paul seems to give us a "behind the curtain" look at what God is doing in salvation.
Understanding this can be quite difficult for many, because it will run counter to what our culture seems to communicate. Our culture screams individualism, and self proclaimed glory. It's very hard for us to give up the credit. It seems unnatural, and whenever we realize that we don't really deserve the credit for something, we try to come up with some sort of rationalization to at least keep some of it. People do this in the work place, husbands and wives do this in their relationship, and we even see it in our children.
The most prevalent place we see this today is in social media. It seems that many people look to social media for their "self-esteem boost of the day." They constantly want to know if someone "liked" their post, or commented on their picture, or re-tweeted their quote.
Paul takes all of that away in these verses. He strips us of all credit in our salvation! He tells us that it was all part of a master plan that existed before the world was even created. THAT IS HARD TO SWALLOW!
We will focus on the first part of this long, rich doctrinal sentence today, and continue through it next week, so here we go, let's get to work....
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,"
The first thing Paul does is bless God. He gives God honor and glory. WHY? He tells us why. Because God the Father through Jesus the son has given us EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. It wasn't us, it was HIM!
First, notice all of the Trinity is involved in our salvation.
1. Blessed be the God and Father...
2. ...of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
3. ...with every spiritual blessing...
As we continue through Ephesians, we will see this Trinitarian element over and over.
If you haven't figured it out yet, the "blessing" that Paul is talking is salvation. The rest of the passage makes that abundantly clear.
Focus on the word "every" for a minute. It's the Greek word pantos. It means the units of the sum, or a complete accounting of.
The point is that when it comes to our salvation, God did not exclude any part of salvation from us when He saved us. Our salvation is COMPLETE! He did not say, "Ok Tim, I'm going to do this much, and you need to do the rest."
This is why we can never loose our salvation...because we didn't have any part in it. I've always thought this was a weird thing to believe anyway. "Honey, I lost my salvation, can you help me find it?" Who says that? It sounds absurd. Yet many believe this non-sense. Some people think if they sin, they "lost their salvation" and have to go pray to God to give (or "get"...because they think they had a part in this) it back. I guess we just haven't read Col. 2:13-14 or 1 Peter 1:17-19. Ultimately, when we say that sin causes us to loose our salvation, we are saying that the blood of Christ didn't really cancel out our debt, we have to do that. It's just another form of trying to earn your salvation.
We know Satan can't take our salvation away (Romans 8:31-39), and we can't loose it because of sin, so the only other person that can take it away would be God, and Jesus told us in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." You know what "never" means in Greek, NEVER!
We were given salvation by God, and God promises that this blessing will never be taken away, perish, lost, or stolen.
One thing I haven't talked about yet is the phrase "in the heavenly places." Paul is communicating that there is a sort of "here and now" element to the blessing of salvation, and a "yet to come" element.
While our salvation is complete in the sense that God has not required anything of us to do, We have not yet experienced the fullness of all that salvation means. This is a "tricky truth" so stay with me.
We have the imputed righteousness of Christ, but we don't live 100% completely righteous lives. We still sin, and we continue to strive toward holiness. This is the struggle Paul speaks of in Romans 7. However, there will be a day that we are fully sanctified and glorified, and we look forward to that day while we strive to "work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12)."
Let us daily "take up our cross and follow Christ (Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23). We will struggle in sin till we see Christ, but we don't have to strive to earn God's favor. It is He who favored us when he blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing before the foundation of the world! That's just AWESOME!
Be edified!
When I read this passage in the Bible, I begin to think of the Wizard of Oz. There is a scene in that movie where Dorthy and her friends find out what's going on "behind the curtain." When we read Ephesians (especially the first chapter) Paul seems to give us a "behind the curtain" look at what God is doing in salvation.
Understanding this can be quite difficult for many, because it will run counter to what our culture seems to communicate. Our culture screams individualism, and self proclaimed glory. It's very hard for us to give up the credit. It seems unnatural, and whenever we realize that we don't really deserve the credit for something, we try to come up with some sort of rationalization to at least keep some of it. People do this in the work place, husbands and wives do this in their relationship, and we even see it in our children.
The most prevalent place we see this today is in social media. It seems that many people look to social media for their "self-esteem boost of the day." They constantly want to know if someone "liked" their post, or commented on their picture, or re-tweeted their quote.
Paul takes all of that away in these verses. He strips us of all credit in our salvation! He tells us that it was all part of a master plan that existed before the world was even created. THAT IS HARD TO SWALLOW!
We will focus on the first part of this long, rich doctrinal sentence today, and continue through it next week, so here we go, let's get to work....
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,"
The first thing Paul does is bless God. He gives God honor and glory. WHY? He tells us why. Because God the Father through Jesus the son has given us EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. It wasn't us, it was HIM!
First, notice all of the Trinity is involved in our salvation.
1. Blessed be the God and Father...
2. ...of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ
3. ...with every spiritual blessing...
As we continue through Ephesians, we will see this Trinitarian element over and over.
If you haven't figured it out yet, the "blessing" that Paul is talking is salvation. The rest of the passage makes that abundantly clear.
Focus on the word "every" for a minute. It's the Greek word pantos. It means the units of the sum, or a complete accounting of.
The point is that when it comes to our salvation, God did not exclude any part of salvation from us when He saved us. Our salvation is COMPLETE! He did not say, "Ok Tim, I'm going to do this much, and you need to do the rest."
This is why we can never loose our salvation...because we didn't have any part in it. I've always thought this was a weird thing to believe anyway. "Honey, I lost my salvation, can you help me find it?" Who says that? It sounds absurd. Yet many believe this non-sense. Some people think if they sin, they "lost their salvation" and have to go pray to God to give (or "get"...because they think they had a part in this) it back. I guess we just haven't read Col. 2:13-14 or 1 Peter 1:17-19. Ultimately, when we say that sin causes us to loose our salvation, we are saying that the blood of Christ didn't really cancel out our debt, we have to do that. It's just another form of trying to earn your salvation.
We know Satan can't take our salvation away (Romans 8:31-39), and we can't loose it because of sin, so the only other person that can take it away would be God, and Jesus told us in John 10:28 - "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand." You know what "never" means in Greek, NEVER!
We were given salvation by God, and God promises that this blessing will never be taken away, perish, lost, or stolen.
One thing I haven't talked about yet is the phrase "in the heavenly places." Paul is communicating that there is a sort of "here and now" element to the blessing of salvation, and a "yet to come" element.
While our salvation is complete in the sense that God has not required anything of us to do, We have not yet experienced the fullness of all that salvation means. This is a "tricky truth" so stay with me.
We have the imputed righteousness of Christ, but we don't live 100% completely righteous lives. We still sin, and we continue to strive toward holiness. This is the struggle Paul speaks of in Romans 7. However, there will be a day that we are fully sanctified and glorified, and we look forward to that day while we strive to "work out our salvation (Phil. 2:12)."
Let us daily "take up our cross and follow Christ (Matt. 16:24; Luke 9:23). We will struggle in sin till we see Christ, but we don't have to strive to earn God's favor. It is He who favored us when he blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing before the foundation of the world! That's just AWESOME!
Be edified!
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Thinking on Ephesians: Chapter 1 Verses 3-6 PART 1
Eph. 1:3-6
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. If you are a follower of Christ, I hope it is one of your favorites as well. These two sentences are so rich with the blessings of salvation. These two sentences show the child of God that God's inclusion of them into his family was no accident, but rather part of his master plan from the beginning of time.
As finite beings we have to acquiesce that there are some questions that we will never have answered by God in this time of redemptive history. If we don't come to grips with that truth, we will allow anxiety, fear, and anger to over take our lives. Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God..."
In Bible College I would often ask the question, WHY? God, why in the world would you choose to save me by having your son die? Isn't there a better way? I mean, you are God, you are all powerful, you know all things, you hold all of time in your hand. Why this?
Now I know that there are some great theological answers to that question above, but when I asked that question, I wasn't looking for a reason to thank God for his rich love for me, I was trying to figure out why in the world would God institute a law of redemption that necessitated death as the means of being redeemed. When I am with the Lord, maybe I will have my answer, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't really care at that point.
And so it is with predestination...
God, WHY? I don't understand.
Did you know the death of Christ was predestined in the book of Genesis? Gen. 3:15 is the first prophecy of the death of Christ. - "...he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
The Greek word for predestine in the passage is proorizo and it means exactly what you think it means, to decide beforehand or predetermine. It fits the context perfectly as in verses 1-2 and the beginning of verse 3 Paul uses the term kyrois (decision maker) for Christ when he calls him Lord. So we see that Jesus is the decision maker and he made an amazing, gracious decision before the world began.
This is such a rich text, so yes, I will go through it phrase by phrase in the coming weeks, but this is what the Lord is bringing to my mind as I read this morning:
Thought #1
Notice that we were chosen to be HOLY and BLAMELESS before God. Immediately my mind races to justification and Christ's imputed righteousness. Paul is explaining to the Christian that your standing before God is one of righteousness, not condemnation. Romans 8:33 says, "Who can bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."
We should respond with gratitude, because we will NEVER be able to pay him back for the debt he literally canceled out. Col. 2:13-14 says, "And you who were dead in your trespasses and and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
Thought #2
Predestination was done in a certain way to accomplish a specific purpose. It was done in love.
I know what you're thinking..."how is this love?" Well take into consideration the purpose: ADOPTION!
Here is an illustration: If you adopt a little new born baby, you have no idea what that baby is going to do some day. He or she could be the next Disney CEO or develop the iPhone 84S and then they can support you, right? Isn't that what being a parent is all about...getting a return on your investment?
Adoption is a selfless act. It is something done because someone else is choosing to take someone who is not your child and make them your heir, and this is what God did for you and me because of his amazing love.
We should respond by loving people. We don't know who God has chosen to adopt, but we do know that he adopts people from every nation (Matt. 28:19), so we are to love people from every walk of life. God's amazing grace to us is the catalyst for how we respond to the people he places in our life.
Fill your heart with gratitude this weekend and go out and give away the amazing love of our adopter.
Be edified!
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved."
This is one of my favorite passages in all of Scripture. If you are a follower of Christ, I hope it is one of your favorites as well. These two sentences are so rich with the blessings of salvation. These two sentences show the child of God that God's inclusion of them into his family was no accident, but rather part of his master plan from the beginning of time.
As finite beings we have to acquiesce that there are some questions that we will never have answered by God in this time of redemptive history. If we don't come to grips with that truth, we will allow anxiety, fear, and anger to over take our lives. Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God..."
In Bible College I would often ask the question, WHY? God, why in the world would you choose to save me by having your son die? Isn't there a better way? I mean, you are God, you are all powerful, you know all things, you hold all of time in your hand. Why this?
Now I know that there are some great theological answers to that question above, but when I asked that question, I wasn't looking for a reason to thank God for his rich love for me, I was trying to figure out why in the world would God institute a law of redemption that necessitated death as the means of being redeemed. When I am with the Lord, maybe I will have my answer, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't really care at that point.
And so it is with predestination...
God, WHY? I don't understand.
Did you know the death of Christ was predestined in the book of Genesis? Gen. 3:15 is the first prophecy of the death of Christ. - "...he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
The Greek word for predestine in the passage is proorizo and it means exactly what you think it means, to decide beforehand or predetermine. It fits the context perfectly as in verses 1-2 and the beginning of verse 3 Paul uses the term kyrois (decision maker) for Christ when he calls him Lord. So we see that Jesus is the decision maker and he made an amazing, gracious decision before the world began.
This is such a rich text, so yes, I will go through it phrase by phrase in the coming weeks, but this is what the Lord is bringing to my mind as I read this morning:
Thought #1
Notice that we were chosen to be HOLY and BLAMELESS before God. Immediately my mind races to justification and Christ's imputed righteousness. Paul is explaining to the Christian that your standing before God is one of righteousness, not condemnation. Romans 8:33 says, "Who can bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies."
We should respond with gratitude, because we will NEVER be able to pay him back for the debt he literally canceled out. Col. 2:13-14 says, "And you who were dead in your trespasses and and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross."
Thought #2
Predestination was done in a certain way to accomplish a specific purpose. It was done in love.
I know what you're thinking..."how is this love?" Well take into consideration the purpose: ADOPTION!
Here is an illustration: If you adopt a little new born baby, you have no idea what that baby is going to do some day. He or she could be the next Disney CEO or develop the iPhone 84S and then they can support you, right? Isn't that what being a parent is all about...getting a return on your investment?
Adoption is a selfless act. It is something done because someone else is choosing to take someone who is not your child and make them your heir, and this is what God did for you and me because of his amazing love.
We should respond by loving people. We don't know who God has chosen to adopt, but we do know that he adopts people from every nation (Matt. 28:19), so we are to love people from every walk of life. God's amazing grace to us is the catalyst for how we respond to the people he places in our life.
Fill your heart with gratitude this weekend and go out and give away the amazing love of our adopter.
Be edified!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Great Advice for Young Pastors
I like to think of myself as a "young" pastor. I know I have three children and have been married for almost 9 years, but I still have a lot to learn about ministry. Below is a great article from three very seasoned ministers of the Gospel...3 men I highly respect and often read. Click the link below to read the article.
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
What do you think about para-church organizations?
What do you think about para-church organizations? A friend of mine was saved through the ministry of a para-church organization. Burk Parsons is the editor of Tabletalk Magazine and the co-pastor of St. Andrews Chapel in Sanford, Florida. We went to Bible college together. Read what he has to say about the role of para-churches in the church.
Click on the link below.
Click on the link below.
Saturday, September 06, 2014
Thinking on Ephesians - Chapter 1 Verses 1-2
I've decided to start a series of my thoughts as I read through the book of Ephesians. I hope this series of blog posts will be an encouraging and edifying.
Eph. 1:1-2 says, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." -ESV
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus"
Isn't it interesting how Paul starts this letter. The first thing I notice is that he identifies himself as an apostle. The title of apostle carries with it authority. When the early church compared biblical writings in order to help recognize which books were actually authoritative and were part of the canon of Scripture, one of the tests they used was whether they came from an apostle. Paul wants his readers to know he has authority to speak on the subject. Paul has a very specific encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Jesus appeared to him, transformed him, and (literally) gave him new life.
Rest assured that the Bible you carry is AUTHORITATIVE! You can trust what it says and it will CHANGE you as you read it.
"by the will of God"
Paul goes on to tell us that he has been given his apostolic authority by the will of God, not the will of man. He was chosen by God for this task. It was God who called him to be His representative to the church.
You were chosen by God for a task as well. Each and everyone of His children have a ministry. It doesn't always look like what you might think, but God has a very special plan for your life.
"To the saints who are in Ephesus"
Paul calls his recipients "saints." In some churches they actually measure ones good works in this life and if they've done something so self-sacrificing or so amazing they are given the title "saint." I don't like this practice. Why? Because I don't like exulting the works of people. It is God alone who should receive the glory.
The Greek word for "saint" is hagios, and it means set apart for holiness. Paul is addressing a very specific group of people in Ephesus. He is addressing those people who have been set apart by God for holiness. In other words, he is addressing the children of God, Christians.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
I love this! When Paul greets his readers the very first thing he greets them with is GRACE AND PEACE! If you haven't figured it out yet...IT'S ALL ABOUT GRACE! It really is! And when God's grace permeates our lives, His peace that passes all understanding settles our heart and keeps us close to Him.
You can rest assure that this grace and peace is not fleeting because it comes from God and Jesus. This isn't a mere feeling that comes and goes.
Finally, Paul tells us that God is our Father and Jesus is our Lord. We can rest in our daddy's arms because we are surrendered to Christ, our Lord. The Greek word for Lord is kyrou. It means "decision maker." Christ is our decision maker. The reason we have the GRACE and PEACE of God is because we look to Christ for our answers and not ourselves. When I try to take control of my life, I worry, I get angry, and I get stressed out. I have to learn daily that I am not in control. It is Christ who is sovereign over me!
Be edified!
Eph. 1:1-2 says, "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." -ESV
"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus"
Isn't it interesting how Paul starts this letter. The first thing I notice is that he identifies himself as an apostle. The title of apostle carries with it authority. When the early church compared biblical writings in order to help recognize which books were actually authoritative and were part of the canon of Scripture, one of the tests they used was whether they came from an apostle. Paul wants his readers to know he has authority to speak on the subject. Paul has a very specific encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus. Jesus appeared to him, transformed him, and (literally) gave him new life.
Rest assured that the Bible you carry is AUTHORITATIVE! You can trust what it says and it will CHANGE you as you read it.
"by the will of God"
Paul goes on to tell us that he has been given his apostolic authority by the will of God, not the will of man. He was chosen by God for this task. It was God who called him to be His representative to the church.
You were chosen by God for a task as well. Each and everyone of His children have a ministry. It doesn't always look like what you might think, but God has a very special plan for your life.
"To the saints who are in Ephesus"
Paul calls his recipients "saints." In some churches they actually measure ones good works in this life and if they've done something so self-sacrificing or so amazing they are given the title "saint." I don't like this practice. Why? Because I don't like exulting the works of people. It is God alone who should receive the glory.
The Greek word for "saint" is hagios, and it means set apart for holiness. Paul is addressing a very specific group of people in Ephesus. He is addressing those people who have been set apart by God for holiness. In other words, he is addressing the children of God, Christians.
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
I love this! When Paul greets his readers the very first thing he greets them with is GRACE AND PEACE! If you haven't figured it out yet...IT'S ALL ABOUT GRACE! It really is! And when God's grace permeates our lives, His peace that passes all understanding settles our heart and keeps us close to Him.
You can rest assure that this grace and peace is not fleeting because it comes from God and Jesus. This isn't a mere feeling that comes and goes.
Finally, Paul tells us that God is our Father and Jesus is our Lord. We can rest in our daddy's arms because we are surrendered to Christ, our Lord. The Greek word for Lord is kyrou. It means "decision maker." Christ is our decision maker. The reason we have the GRACE and PEACE of God is because we look to Christ for our answers and not ourselves. When I try to take control of my life, I worry, I get angry, and I get stressed out. I have to learn daily that I am not in control. It is Christ who is sovereign over me!
Be edified!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Transition
What is going on? I certainly have not posted the two posts a week I set out to do when I first started this blog. My last post was on July 26 and it is now Aug. 12th. At this point, I will be changing to one blog post a week, and it will probably be posted on the weekend.
Let me update you all on what is going on in my life.
Our family is moving! As many of you know, whenever you get ready for a move, your life gets turned upside down.
Our house is on the market, and we are praying that God will sell it quickly. At the same time, we are fixing it up a bit to make it more attractive for potential buyers.
While all of that is going on, I started a new job and my son started school. So as you can see, busy is an understatement in our family right now.
However...
It's also a blessing. God has supplied our needs in ways we never could have imagined.
So we are in TRANSITION.
Transition can be a very stressful place, but it is a very exciting place at the same time. In the midst of transition I am forced to increase my faith in Christ and live in a state of vulnerability and dependence on my God who supplies all my needs.
This is a very scary place for many people, but if I truly have the kind of faith I claim to have, it can also be a very peaceful place.
So I am simply living one day at a time. I am allowing myself to be surprised by my Father's daily providence.
Taking a quote from John Piper..."God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him."
This is my motto. I want God to fill me with satisfaction and joy daily so that his name can be lifted up.
Phil 4:6-7 sums up my mandate right now..."Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus."
Let me update you all on what is going on in my life.
Our family is moving! As many of you know, whenever you get ready for a move, your life gets turned upside down.
Our house is on the market, and we are praying that God will sell it quickly. At the same time, we are fixing it up a bit to make it more attractive for potential buyers.
While all of that is going on, I started a new job and my son started school. So as you can see, busy is an understatement in our family right now.
However...
It's also a blessing. God has supplied our needs in ways we never could have imagined.
So we are in TRANSITION.
Transition can be a very stressful place, but it is a very exciting place at the same time. In the midst of transition I am forced to increase my faith in Christ and live in a state of vulnerability and dependence on my God who supplies all my needs.
This is a very scary place for many people, but if I truly have the kind of faith I claim to have, it can also be a very peaceful place.
So I am simply living one day at a time. I am allowing myself to be surprised by my Father's daily providence.
Taking a quote from John Piper..."God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him."
This is my motto. I want God to fill me with satisfaction and joy daily so that his name can be lifted up.
Phil 4:6-7 sums up my mandate right now..."Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus."
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Timing
"God, your timing is awful." I have to confess, I have been thinking those words for a couple of days now.
God through his grace has brought me a wonderful opportunity, but he didn't do it the way I wanted him to. I wanted him to bring this opportunity to me back in May. If he did that, I would have had the TIME to really take CONTROL and plan everything out the way I wanted.
Have you ever read Romans 9. If you haven't, take a minute to read it. After you read it once, you will have to read it again, and again, and again. It is very deep and discusses some very difficult doctrine to wrap your head around.
One thing we learn in Romans 9 is the reasons behind the whole, "Pharaoh" power struggle when God sent Moses to free the Hebrews.
Romans 9:17 says, "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'"
We see above that God had a very specific purpose for Pharaoh's life as he does for everyone. Here we see that that purpose was to show God's power and that God's name would be proclaimed throughout the world.
I'm sure that word got out after Hebrew slaves were able to usurp the most powerful king of that time. I'm sure word got out that the Red Sea parted and the Hebrews escaped the Pharaoh's grasp. It is reasonable to think other nations began to contemplate whether the god's of Egypt or the God of the Hebrews was really running the show.
What's the point?
The point is, that God took Israel through some dark times...some tough times.
Their journey to the "promised land" was not easy, especially with a crazy king chasing them into the desert. However, even though the Hebrews couldn't see it at the time, God had a very specific purpose for what he was doing through that crazy pharaoh guy.
Their journey to the "promised land" was not easy, especially with a crazy king chasing them into the desert. However, even though the Hebrews couldn't see it at the time, God had a very specific purpose for what he was doing through that crazy pharaoh guy.
So these events are their to teach us ...
...how POWERFUL and MIGHTY our God really is.
We don't see it at first. We don't understand because the situation or circumstances seem impossible, and the timing just seems to be all wrong
BUT
We don't see it at first. We don't understand because the situation or circumstances seem impossible, and the timing just seems to be all wrong
BUT
God's timing is not my own, and I know that, "He has made everything beautiful in his time..." (Eccl. 3:11) and he will do the same in my life.
What I think is awful timing, just might be perfect timing. I guess I just need to wait, trust, and watch as His master plan unfold.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Faith
Have you ever thought about how hard it really is to have faith as an adult? What is faith?
Hebrews 11:1 tells us, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
It's not a terribly difficult concept to understand, however, as adults, it seems to be a very difficult thing to actually do in our complicated lives.
I remember when I was younger, faith wasn't that big of a deal. I remember learning about it in Sunday School, Youth Group, and Chapel. It seemed easy...of course I can trust God...of course I want His will...sure, I can be patient...hmmm...why was faith so easy?
Because I didn't have a lot of responsibility.
I have found, as an adult, It is harder (practically speaking) to live or "do" faith because of responsibility I have as a Husband, Father, Provider, Spiritual Leader, Good Steward of our families money, and the list goes on...
Why does responsibility make it more difficult to have faith?
Because we all have a natural tendency to try and control every single circumstance and "iota" (like that word...its Hebrew) of our lives as adults.
We play out countless hypos in our mind and talk out how we think each circumstance will play out trying to gain some CONTROL over the unknown.
Now it's good to seek godly counsel on issues we need guidance on, but it's a whole other thing altogether when we try to do God's job for Him.
Why do we do that?
The unknown is scary. The unknown makes us helpless. The unknown makes us vulnerable.
Back to FAITH
Hebrews tells us that faith is confidence in what we hope for. Do you realize how hard it is to have confidence in something that hasn't happened. This seems to be a contradiction to the rational mind. It's just not possible. The rational mind tells us we can only have confidence in what we know or what we can control.
Hebrews gives us a "part 2" of the FAITH DEFINITION - "assurance of what we do not see"
Honestly, this verse makes me want to scream. How are you assured of anything if you can't see it, or touch it, or have some sort of tangible anything???
There is only one explanation for all this--Faith is not a human function. Faith is not natural for man. Faith is contrary to rationality. Faith is a confidence that comes from God. Faith is an assurance that comes from our Savior.
Faith is a peace that passes all understanding that guards your hearts and minds. Faith is how God reveals His supernatural will to us.
ITS SUPERNATURAL
(that's a song by DC Talk by the way)
If you don't put much stock in the supernatural, you probably have very little faith or your faith is weak.
TIME TO BUFF UP!
Challenge: Ask God to fill you with peace, confidence, and assurance that He has His Best for you in every aspect of your life that you just can't seem to "nail down."
Let the Lord surprise you with his perfect will by trusting Him with the unknown.
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Christian Celebrities
Have you ever seen that music video by Brad Paisley about Celebrities? Check it out below.
Celebrities...I will never understand the concept. It's just amazing to me that people are idolized, as if they are some how better than someone else because they were in a movie or they have a lot of money, or they play a professional sport. Genesis 1 tells us that we were all made in the image of our creator.
You know...this whole "celebrity" thing has been going on for centuries. The Bible talks about this in 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, which says,
"My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?"
These are strong words from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. The only one who we should follow is Christ. He is God. Throughout history there have been countless men and women of God who teach wonderful and great things, but remember that they are only human. They had a sin nature just like you and I. They needed the blood of Christ to cover and wash their sins away too.
It's a wonderful thing to know what you believe and to know how to explain it, defend it, and preach it. Its another thing altogether to say I believe what he believes. Your faith shouldn't be based on your respect or admiration of another person. You need to grab hold of your faith and make it yours. Look at the Scriptures for yourself and compare them to what you hear.
Don't make the mistake of putting people above or before Christ. When you align yourself with another Christian, it shouldn't be because you think he is cool, or you just love his preaching, or he or she seems like such a loving person. It should be because you have compared his/her teachings with Christ, so ultimately you are not aligning yourself with another "Christian celebrity," but rather you are agreeing and promoting God's Word from another perspective.
Our worship and admiration goes to CHRIST ALONE!
Celebrities...I will never understand the concept. It's just amazing to me that people are idolized, as if they are some how better than someone else because they were in a movie or they have a lot of money, or they play a professional sport. Genesis 1 tells us that we were all made in the image of our creator.
You know...this whole "celebrity" thing has been going on for centuries. The Bible talks about this in 1 Corinthians 1:11-12, which says,
"My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, 'I follow Paul'; another, 'I follow Apollos'; another, 'I follow Cephas'; still another, 'I follow Christ.' Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized in the name of Paul?"
These are strong words from the Apostle Paul to the church in Corinth. The only one who we should follow is Christ. He is God. Throughout history there have been countless men and women of God who teach wonderful and great things, but remember that they are only human. They had a sin nature just like you and I. They needed the blood of Christ to cover and wash their sins away too.
It's a wonderful thing to know what you believe and to know how to explain it, defend it, and preach it. Its another thing altogether to say I believe what he believes. Your faith shouldn't be based on your respect or admiration of another person. You need to grab hold of your faith and make it yours. Look at the Scriptures for yourself and compare them to what you hear.
Don't make the mistake of putting people above or before Christ. When you align yourself with another Christian, it shouldn't be because you think he is cool, or you just love his preaching, or he or she seems like such a loving person. It should be because you have compared his/her teachings with Christ, so ultimately you are not aligning yourself with another "Christian celebrity," but rather you are agreeing and promoting God's Word from another perspective.
Our worship and admiration goes to CHRIST ALONE!
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
Smarter than God?
You know, sometimes I come across people who are extremely pompous. So much so, that they seem to think they are smarter than God. They probably wouldn't come right out and say it, but their actions seem to say it for them. Maybe you've been around these types of people. They are usually very controlling, and selfish. They seem to always think about their needs and their wants before anyone else. They usually make quick decisions, and have a hard time being patient. They want things to just HAPPEN.
We have all been there at times. We all want to have more control in our lives, but being a genuine follower of Christ means we continue to submit. We continue to wait. We continue to seek Him through our disappointments because....
because why???
Because He is the only WISE GOD! (Rom. 16:27) He is the source of sound Wisdom!
Job 12:13-17 says, "With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding. If he tears down, none can rebuild; if he shuts a man in, none can open. If he withholds the waters, they dry up; if he sends them out, they overwhelm the land. With him are strength and sound wisdom; the deceived and the deceiver are his. He leads counselors away stripped, and judges he makes fools."
This passage above is very strong. You can't miss how Job reinforces the great SOVEREIGNTY of God, but you also need to notice how he is explaining God's WISDOM.
Job is saying that our reasoning, as logical and sound as we might think it is, isn't always right. "He makes judges into fools."
I am so guilty of this in my life. I know that I let my rationality consume my decisions and try to control things that I should just let go of and allow God to just lead.
I need to stop being so pompous and controlling. I need to stop being so selfish. I need to trust in my sovereign wise God.
Challenge: As much as we may reason and think, remember that God's Wisdom is much higher than Mans Rationality. Seek out His Counsel even when you don't understand the disappointments and confusion that surrounds you.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Family
It's been more than a week since I posted anything on my blog. I have been on summer vacation in Minnesota. You are probably wondering why I went to Minnesota for vacation. Well, my nephew was getting married, and he just so happens to live there. This was the first time the entire Bettelli clan with their respective spouses and children had ever been together in one place at the same time. It's amazing to think how my parents started a small tribe. The first picture below on the far left is me, my two brothers and my sister. The next picture on top is the entire Bettelli Family, and the picture on the bottom is my parents, their children and the spouses.
The Bible tells us that, as Christians, we are family too. Why? We have been adopted by God into his family and God made us co-heirs with Christ.
Galations 4:4-7 says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
So what does this mean for us? It means that God is our Father. It means we have a close, personal relationship with God, the creator of the universe. This relationship that God made with us, is the primary way we relate to God. It means that you are special to God. It means God chose you to be his child. It means that God desires to love you, care for you, and provide for you. You are his son. You are his daughter.
Romans 8:17 says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory."
What is an heir you ask? Its a person who inherits or has the right to inherit. What do we inherit? Heaven! Salvation Forever!
This is one of the reasons why salvation cannot be lost or taken. Our salvation is not some sort of Gnostic spiritual power where we power up or power down. The act of God making us his child and making us a co-heir with Christ was an act of permanency.
In salvation, we are justified, sanctified, and glorified, but we are also adopted. We become, literally, children of God. God doesn't bring you into his family and then abandon you or throw you out. He makes you his child and he makes you a co-heir, and he becomes your FATHER FOREVER.
Challenge: Take hold of this truth and find self worth and security in the fact that you are a member of God's family.
The Bible tells us that, as Christians, we are family too. Why? We have been adopted by God into his family and God made us co-heirs with Christ.
Galations 4:4-7 says, "But when the set time had fully come, God sent his son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba Father." So you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
So what does this mean for us? It means that God is our Father. It means we have a close, personal relationship with God, the creator of the universe. This relationship that God made with us, is the primary way we relate to God. It means that you are special to God. It means God chose you to be his child. It means that God desires to love you, care for you, and provide for you. You are his son. You are his daughter.
Romans 8:17 says, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory."
What is an heir you ask? Its a person who inherits or has the right to inherit. What do we inherit? Heaven! Salvation Forever!
This is one of the reasons why salvation cannot be lost or taken. Our salvation is not some sort of Gnostic spiritual power where we power up or power down. The act of God making us his child and making us a co-heir with Christ was an act of permanency.
In salvation, we are justified, sanctified, and glorified, but we are also adopted. We become, literally, children of God. God doesn't bring you into his family and then abandon you or throw you out. He makes you his child and he makes you a co-heir, and he becomes your FATHER FOREVER.
Challenge: Take hold of this truth and find self worth and security in the fact that you are a member of God's family.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Knit Together in My Mother's Womb
My favorite Scripture passage is Psalm 139:13-16. Why you ask? Well, this passage tells us that God is not absent from our lives as the deists would have us believe. God has a very intimate and personal role in who we are and desires to be involved in our personal life.
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."
How amazing to know that we were "knitted" together by God. Have you ever seen a person knit? It is a very time consuming process. People that knit put a lot of time and effort into what they are doing. These people take pride in their work. You see people knitting in coffee shops or in groups, and you see them blog about the specific designs they put together.
This tells me that God specifically designed us...from our looks, to our personality. He has a specific plan for our lives and he has designed us for that plan.
My wife just had a 4D ultrasound today. Below is the first picture of my daughter's face. Isn't she cute?
God is forming my little girl, inside and out. He is uniquely designing her for his very special plan.
So what's the point? The point is that knowing God is personally involved in forming who we are and planning our lives tells me that He cares for us more than we can imagine.
There are times when we feel insecure, lonely, vulnerable because of something that has happened in our lives. There are times when we doubt our self worth, or have a hard time trusting that God has our best in mind.
Remember that you were made in His Image (Gen. 1) and His Hands formed you in your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Our self-worth doesn't come from our achievements, our wealth, or even our relationships in this world, it comes from a God who cares so much about us that he was there designing us before we were born.
"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."
How amazing to know that we were "knitted" together by God. Have you ever seen a person knit? It is a very time consuming process. People that knit put a lot of time and effort into what they are doing. These people take pride in their work. You see people knitting in coffee shops or in groups, and you see them blog about the specific designs they put together.
This tells me that God specifically designed us...from our looks, to our personality. He has a specific plan for our lives and he has designed us for that plan.
My wife just had a 4D ultrasound today. Below is the first picture of my daughter's face. Isn't she cute?
God is forming my little girl, inside and out. He is uniquely designing her for his very special plan.
So what's the point? The point is that knowing God is personally involved in forming who we are and planning our lives tells me that He cares for us more than we can imagine.
There are times when we feel insecure, lonely, vulnerable because of something that has happened in our lives. There are times when we doubt our self worth, or have a hard time trusting that God has our best in mind.
Remember that you were made in His Image (Gen. 1) and His Hands formed you in your mother's womb. You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Our self-worth doesn't come from our achievements, our wealth, or even our relationships in this world, it comes from a God who cares so much about us that he was there designing us before we were born.
Friday, June 15, 2012
His Hands
Every night before I go to bed, I go into George and Ethan's room and check on them. I don't do it because I want to make sure they're sleeping...although there has been a couple times when I found one of them awake. Normally, I just like to see them sound asleep, resting in their bed. They look so cute and are so peaceful. Sometimes I think I could watch them sleep all night.
It's nice to know that God is watching over us all night long. He keeps his children in his hands, watching and guiding our lives.
Did you know that the Bible actually says that God has us in his hand? John 10:28-29 says, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."
This passage tells us that our eternity is secure, however, notice that God holds his children in HIS hands, and the NO ONE IS ABLE TO SNATCH THEM AWAY.
What does this tell us about our God? No one has the ability to take us from our Father. Our Father is greater and stronger than everyone.
This is not to say we won't experience hard times. James 1 tells us we will all go through trials, however the trials we face are meant to strengthen us for the tasks God has ahead for us.
The result of this truth is that WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR! We are safe in the HANDS OF OUR FATHER.
It's nice to know that God is watching over us all night long. He keeps his children in his hands, watching and guiding our lives.
Did you know that the Bible actually says that God has us in his hand? John 10:28-29 says, "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand."
This passage tells us that our eternity is secure, however, notice that God holds his children in HIS hands, and the NO ONE IS ABLE TO SNATCH THEM AWAY.
What does this tell us about our God? No one has the ability to take us from our Father. Our Father is greater and stronger than everyone.
This is not to say we won't experience hard times. James 1 tells us we will all go through trials, however the trials we face are meant to strengthen us for the tasks God has ahead for us.
The result of this truth is that WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR! We are safe in the HANDS OF OUR FATHER.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Future
On our last weekend trip to Disney World, we went to Epcot. My son, George, asked, "Dad, what is that big ball?" I told him that it was a ride and that we could go on it if he wanted. So we did and we took Ethan too. If you are familiar with Spaceship Earth you know that it takes you through time and talks about how mankind developed, intellectually, through the generations. I don't think it happend exactly the way they explained, but in any case, it was fun. The second part of the ride you answer some questions about what your future might be like. They take your picture and insert it into a short video of YOUR FUTURE. Check it out below.
Young people think about their future all the time, always looking forward to what's ahead...
"I can't wait to get my driver's license." "I can't wait to graduate high school and go to college." "I can't wait to get married." I can't wait to...fill in the blank. I know some people that plan for their next vacation while they are on the first day of the current vacation.
Did you know the Bible actually says something about making plans? James 4:13-15 says, "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
Note: James doesn't tell his readers not to make plans, but to change the WAY they make plans.
God doesn't want us to be lazy, thrown around by the wind wherever it might lead; he wants us to be responsible and account for our time, however, he wants us to do it with a willingness to change those plans if and when he desires.
Saying, "If the Lord wills" is a state of mind. It's a way you live your life. Some people need to actually say those words to remember the Lord in their plans, while others live their lives with a continual outlook of searching out God's will for their lives while not neglecting their responsibilities to be good stewards of the time and resources God has given them.
MAKE PLANS, BUT BE READY TO CHANGE THEM!
"I can't wait to get my driver's license." "I can't wait to graduate high school and go to college." "I can't wait to get married." I can't wait to...fill in the blank. I know some people that plan for their next vacation while they are on the first day of the current vacation.
Did you know the Bible actually says something about making plans? James 4:13-15 says, "Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" - yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that."
Note: James doesn't tell his readers not to make plans, but to change the WAY they make plans.
God doesn't want us to be lazy, thrown around by the wind wherever it might lead; he wants us to be responsible and account for our time, however, he wants us to do it with a willingness to change those plans if and when he desires.
Saying, "If the Lord wills" is a state of mind. It's a way you live your life. Some people need to actually say those words to remember the Lord in their plans, while others live their lives with a continual outlook of searching out God's will for their lives while not neglecting their responsibilities to be good stewards of the time and resources God has given them.
MAKE PLANS, BUT BE READY TO CHANGE THEM!
Thursday, June 07, 2012
I haven't forgotten you
Have you ever felt like God forgot about you? Maybe not completely, but thought..."God, I've been seeking your face, I've been patient, I've done everything you asked me to do...why aren't things happening?"
We've all been there at times. When I was a little boy, and was told to do something by my parents and didn't do it when they asked me to do it, my mom would say, "Tim, you are testing my patience."
Isn't it funny that we feel the same way about God sometimes. We would never come out and say, "God, you are testing my patience" because he's God, and he's in control, not us; but many times in our lives we think that God owes us, as if he works for us or something ridiculous like that. When did Christians become elitists? Where did this attitude of "I'm better than you, God" come from. Because even though we don't say it or think those exact words, our actions and our feelings of anxiety confirm it.
If I'm really being honest with myself, I have to confess that I need to change my "frame of reference." I think I need to be humble and realize that it is God who is testing my patience and dependence on Him, and not the other way around.
Proverbs 19:11 tells us that a persons wisdom yields patience.
Now the really cool thing is, that God, even though he doesn't have to give us confirmation in our lives that he hasn't forgotten us, HE DOES anyway. Just when you need that confirmation most, He supplies it. Why? He knows our needs. He knows our desires. Hello....HE CREATED US! HE WIRED US!
Psalm 139:13-14 says, "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
God doesn't forget about anyone or anything. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Jesus tells us: 1) I haven't forgotten about you 2) I'm taking care of you 3) You are so valuable to me
Now here is my challenge: DON'T FORGET ABOUT GOD! Don't forget that he is taking care of you because you are so VALUABLE TO HIM! When those feelings of anxiety creep in, know that you can rest in the arms of Christ.
We've all been there at times. When I was a little boy, and was told to do something by my parents and didn't do it when they asked me to do it, my mom would say, "Tim, you are testing my patience."
Isn't it funny that we feel the same way about God sometimes. We would never come out and say, "God, you are testing my patience" because he's God, and he's in control, not us; but many times in our lives we think that God owes us, as if he works for us or something ridiculous like that. When did Christians become elitists? Where did this attitude of "I'm better than you, God" come from. Because even though we don't say it or think those exact words, our actions and our feelings of anxiety confirm it.
If I'm really being honest with myself, I have to confess that I need to change my "frame of reference." I think I need to be humble and realize that it is God who is testing my patience and dependence on Him, and not the other way around.
Proverbs 19:11 tells us that a persons wisdom yields patience.
Now the really cool thing is, that God, even though he doesn't have to give us confirmation in our lives that he hasn't forgotten us, HE DOES anyway. Just when you need that confirmation most, He supplies it. Why? He knows our needs. He knows our desires. Hello....HE CREATED US! HE WIRED US!
Psalm 139:13-14 says, "You created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well."
God doesn't forget about anyone or anything. Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?"
Jesus tells us: 1) I haven't forgotten about you 2) I'm taking care of you 3) You are so valuable to me
Now here is my challenge: DON'T FORGET ABOUT GOD! Don't forget that he is taking care of you because you are so VALUABLE TO HIM! When those feelings of anxiety creep in, know that you can rest in the arms of Christ.
Tuesday, June 05, 2012
Poopy Diapers
You know, being a dad has it's ups and downs. I love spending time with my two sons. They love to play outside, wrestle in the living room, play video games, or just have me chase them around the house. My five year old son is at the age where he loves to go out to a ball game or a special event. Those are all fun, but there is another side to the "father coin" that we all have to deal with from time to time.
Yes...the dreaded POOPY DIAPER!!! Whether you have a boy or a girl, poopy diapers are not fun, EVER, but with different personalities, the experience changes.
My oldest son, George, rarely put up a fight when I would change his diaper...NOT THE CASE with my younger son, Ethan. Let's just say, Ethan is full of passion and excitement.
My oldest son, George, rarely put up a fight when I would change his diaper...NOT THE CASE with my younger son, Ethan. Let's just say, Ethan is full of passion and excitement.
...so much excitement that he likes to kick and scream sometimes, or turn around on the changing table. Sometimes he thinks he's being funny, and other times he is fighting me "TOOTH AND NAIL."
DOESN'T HE KNOW I'M TRYING TO HELP HIM? DOESN'T HE KNOW I'M TRYING TO CLEAN HIM UP?
I couldn't help thinking (maybe because I'm just wierd) that God must think the same things about us sometimes.
We get so messy in whatever sin we struggle with, and God comes along and says, "You are my child, let me clean you up. Let me restore you with my grace?"
And what do we do?...we fight him...why do we do that? Maybe it's because we are embarrassed, or feeling guilty, or just hate it when our sin is exposed.
One, thing is for certain, our heavenly father never stops loving us when we need to be cleaned up from the mess we made. He continually reaches out, telling us to, "Settle down...I'm here...I've cleaned you...I've covered you with my grace and mercy, and no matter how messy you may get, you will always be my child, and I will never stop loving you."
My son is so funny, but his reaction is classic when I'm finished wiping his little butt.
The entire time...whining....whining...whining...and then...
...the second I am done...his tears are GONE. WHY? I think he just realized that he is CLEAN.
1 John 1:5-9 says,
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son CLEANSES us from ALL sin.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to CLEANSE us from ALL unrighteousness."
Remember, if your are HIS child, You are CLEAN.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
1 Peter 5:10
"And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
When we look at the context of the passage we see that Peter is addressing trials and tribulation that the church is going through at this time. I would expect, if I did a bit of research, that 1 Peter was written at a time in history when Christians were going through an immense amount of persecution.
Verse 8 charges us with the command to be "sober-minded" and then goes on to tell us why.
Why should Christians be sober-minded? Because Satan is just waiting to get the chance to devour us. This verse compares him to a roaring lion. In other words, Satan want to destroy our lives. He wants to ruin our relationship with our Holy God. He wants us to reject our Savior, and in this he "devours" us.
Verse 9 then gives another charge to the Christian. RESIST HIM! Peter speaks imperatively. He tells us to stand firm in our faith and be comforted by the fact that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing similar sufferings.
Furthermore, Peter gives the follower of Christ hope in verse 10. He says that after the suffering comes God's grace. After the suffering comes God's restoration. After the suffering comes God's confirmation in your heart that He is with you and has never left you. After the suffering comes His mighty strength. After the suffering comes establishment in his Kingdom, or in other words the purpose for the suffering.
Peter is trying to tell us that when we go through suffering, it does not return void. God is not gone or missing in those times. He is working, building us up and fashioning us for something down the road that we don't know about or quite understand, but as we wait for God to reveal that future purpose, we are restored and strengthened, and given peace through the wonderful, outpouring of His beautiful grace.
When we look at the context of the passage we see that Peter is addressing trials and tribulation that the church is going through at this time. I would expect, if I did a bit of research, that 1 Peter was written at a time in history when Christians were going through an immense amount of persecution.
Verse 8 charges us with the command to be "sober-minded" and then goes on to tell us why.
Why should Christians be sober-minded? Because Satan is just waiting to get the chance to devour us. This verse compares him to a roaring lion. In other words, Satan want to destroy our lives. He wants to ruin our relationship with our Holy God. He wants us to reject our Savior, and in this he "devours" us.
Verse 9 then gives another charge to the Christian. RESIST HIM! Peter speaks imperatively. He tells us to stand firm in our faith and be comforted by the fact that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. Your brothers and sisters in Christ are experiencing similar sufferings.
Furthermore, Peter gives the follower of Christ hope in verse 10. He says that after the suffering comes God's grace. After the suffering comes God's restoration. After the suffering comes God's confirmation in your heart that He is with you and has never left you. After the suffering comes His mighty strength. After the suffering comes establishment in his Kingdom, or in other words the purpose for the suffering.
Peter is trying to tell us that when we go through suffering, it does not return void. God is not gone or missing in those times. He is working, building us up and fashioning us for something down the road that we don't know about or quite understand, but as we wait for God to reveal that future purpose, we are restored and strengthened, and given peace through the wonderful, outpouring of His beautiful grace.
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