Archive for the ‘Devotions / Bible Studies’ Category
Small Beginnings…
January 21st, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Just a few quick thoughts tonight before bed, all arising from our Sunday School lesson yesterday.
First, a couple Scriptures, both from the New Living Translation.
Zechariah 4:10
10Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.
Matthew 13:31-32
31Here is another illustration Jesus used: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. 32It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches.”
I don’t know about you, but often times when God has laid things on my heart to do, the task has seemed so large that I haven’t really known where to begin. It’s not necessarily even that the task itself is necessarily huge, but sometimes simply because I see that the task has huge potential. Either way, I often find myself a bit overwhelmed… finding it hard to eat the proverbial entire elephant.
What to do?
Too often, I simply put off the task for a while, trying to figure out not only how to get my arms around the entire thing, but how to swallow the whole thing in one ginormous bite. The result? You’ve probably already guessed… I either become tired and frustrated with the amount of chewing required, and eventually spit it out in failure, or, in some cases… I struggle through to the end to find success. It’s not a futile effort ALL of the time, thankfully!
So what am I getting at? Certainly not that mode of attack for tackling God-given tasks.
Check out Matthew 13:31-32 and Zechariah 4:10 and be encouraged.
For God to be pleased, we don’t have to do everything all at once! Sometimes, we just have to start the work, tackling small items, bit by bit. We don’t have to do BIG things for God to be pleased. Moreso… often the little things in which we are faithful grow into something far bigger than we’d ever imagine!
Think about it. What events in your life have been most meaningful to your walk with Christ?
Odds are, they’re not big items. Maybe it’s simple words or notes of encouragement offered to you by a friend. Maybe it’s those few minutes spent in prayer each morning. Maybe it’s a single Scripture passage God has laid on your heart to remember. You tell me… what has it been in your life?
Little things make a huge difference. Be faithful in tiny tasks or small beginnings, and let God take care of the big stuff.
Circumstantial Faith
January 10th, 2008 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
I was listening the radio the other day, captivated by the testimony of a Christian musician who was sharing the story of a time in their life when they felt distanced from God due to a number of things, primarily due to an inability to “feel” God’s presence, probably driven by difficult situations they were going through in life. As you might suspect, they captured the time and their struggle with music. I don’t recall all the details, but they’re not terribly important to the topic at hand… circumstantial faith.
All of us go through difficult times in our lives… sickness, financial troubles, difficulties at work, deaths of those close to us, marriage problems, frustrations with our children… need I go on? Suffering is an unavoidable part of life.
In those times, God doesn’t always “feel” so close at hand. Our mountaintop faith experiences, ones where God’s presence is so real we can almost reach out and touch Him… well, they’re temporary. Back in the “real world”, those valleys in our faith journey where we commonly live, God often seems distant… even almost non-existent or completely unreachable sometimes.
John writes in his gospel of this in the account of Thomas:
John 20:24-31
24Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
28Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Circumstantial faith is like that of Thomas… having to see the marks and feel the holes… needing to experience God first-hand on a regular basis… dying slowly when those experiences simply aren’t present.
While it’s natural for our faith to wax and wane some related to our personal experience with God, what kind of faith do we have if it’s wholly based on our experiences? Is circumstantial faith real faith? What happens when we rely on feeling to determine our level of faith?
The answers to those questions aren’t all that pleasant, if you ask me.
So how can we grow our faith beyond the circumstantial, that we might remain strong when God does seem distant? We know that it’s almost a certainty that difficult times in our lives will come and that God won’t always feel right there beside us. How do we cope?
Perhaps belief is simply a matter of will sometimes… trusting what you know to be true, and remaining determined to stick with it to the end?
Any thoughts?
Out of the Overflow…
January 8th, 2008 | 4 Comments | Posted in » Baptist Issues, Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life
I was looking back over some of the things I’d written from various times of Bible study over the years, and ran across a devotion on Luke 6:43-45 I’d written almost five years back. In thinking over what I’d written, it occurred to me that this passage might be somewhat applicable to much of the rhetoric, debate, and conflict in Baptist life recently. Or, maybe it’s just applicable to me.
Regardless… here’s the passage:
Luke 6:43-45
43No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
I’d originally written the following:
I don’t think this passage needs much explanation. Think about it a bit, then ask yourself the following:
- What’s coming out of my mouth?
- What are my most frequent topics of discussion?
- What do these things reveal about my heart and what’s most important to me?
These questions are still applicable for self-evaluation… it’s clear, beyond a doubt, that what we talk (or write) about reveals a lot about what’s important to us.
The question I find myself asking tonight is simply this:
If a blog primarily focuses on the conflict in Baptist life, what does it reveal about the author?
If you look at the categories in my left sidebar, you’ll notice pretty quickly that “Baptist Issues” is my number one topic. Worse, were you to look at my bloglines feeds, you’d find the majority of blogs I read deal with Baptist conflict.
While I feel I’ve been civil (for the most part) in the discussions in which I’ve partaken, and I’ve moved away from this almost completely in the last couple months, tonight I simply find myself ashamed of the fact that this has been what has consumed my blogging interests in the past… foolish and stupid arguments (2 Tim. 2:22-26).
No more.
Work and Worship
January 6th, 2008 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
This morning during Sunday School, we had an interesting discussion on the relationship between work and worship. They’re two topics we don’t generally link, but in light of Colossians 3:23-24 and other Scripture passages, it’s clear that work is ordained and valued by God:
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, 24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Statistics tell us 1 out of every 3 people hate their jobs, and that 2 out of every 3 people feel they work in the wrong field. People commonly complain about their bosses, company policies, benefits, co-workers, pay rates, hours worked… you name it. Christians respond similiarly to non-Christians.
So how do we respond to this? If, according to Scripture, we’re supposed to work at whatever we do with all of our hearts… as if working for the Lord, no less… should we consider our work a form of worship?
How does this change the way we go about our daily tasks? How does this change our outlook toward work? How does this play out? What does it look like?
Any thoughts?
Favorite Christmas Verse?
December 19th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life
Just out of curiosity… does anyone have a favorite Scripture passage about Christmas?
This Christmas season, I find myself kind of partial to Luke 2:11-12:
11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.
Maybe it’s just that I have three kids, and that I’ve held each of them many many hours while they were infants, but there’s just something very real to me envisioning the newborn Savior, Jesus. Lying there in a manger or being held by Mary… the tiny, sweet, innocent, and perfect Christ-child. Born to save the world, Jesus, our precious gift from God… there with all His earthly life ahead of Him.
I don’t know what it is about the image I have in my head as I read the passage, nor can I really put it into words… it’s just, well… Christmas. Perfect as God intends.
How about you? What passage or verse sticks out in your mind as you consider Christmas? Why is it so special to you?
Pondering Prayer… Part 3.
December 4th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Well, this series of posts seems to continue to stretch itself out further and further. It’s been almost two weeks since part 2. At this rate, I may still be writing on this topic next year at this time!
I don’t suppose that would be all that bad. Prayer is an integral part of the Christian life, and continual meditation and reflection upon it almost certainly helps in one’s walk with Christ.
The second of the Scripture passages I posted originally comes from Proverbs 15:29.
Proverbs 15:29
29The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
This Scripture passage about prayer makes a lot of sense to me, taken at face value, from my own experience as a relatively normal person in my response to those who have wants or needs (note I did say, “relatively”).
What determines our response to a plea for help from someone?
Their standing with you?
Their relation to you?
How “deserving” they are of assistance?
If they’re a “good” person?
If we have pity for them?
Other factors?
To be perfectly honest, I think most of us go with #3… if they’re “deserving”. That’s probably a pretty natural response… We pass by the homeless, the beggars, the broken down travellers, the door-to-door salesmen… yes, even the telemarketers. We might have pity on them to the point we’ll acknowledge them… but to listen to their needs and respond?
It’s a rare thing for most of us.
Who do we respond to? Generally those whose needs or wants are right… whose needs or wants are meaningful… whose needs or wants are pleasing to us to meet.
Put simply, in parallel to the Scripture passage… if needs or wants are “righteous”… we respond, just as God does.
Here’s where this gets troubling though… when I think about my standing before God.
Am I righteous that he would hear my prayer?
Hardly.
Not of myself, at least.
Romans 3:10-18 describes our predicament:
10As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
12All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
13“Their throats are open graves;
their tongues practice deceit.”
“The poison of vipers is on their lips.”
14“Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”
15“Their feet are swift to shed blood;
16ruin and misery mark their ways,
17and the way of peace they do not know.”
18“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
In and of ourselves, outside of Christ, we have nothing of value to offer God. Our sin stains us with dark, disgusting, gunk that a holy, pure, and righteous God will have nothing to do with.
Why would he listen to us, much less respond? We wouldn’t.
Therein lies the rub.
We ARE righteous… at least once we have placed our faith in Christ.
Romans 3:22-24 explains:
22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
The very righteousness we need for God to hear our prayers comes from God Himself… through faith in Jesus.
Prayer is a gift from God: enabled by God, conveyed by God, heard by God, and answered by God.
Amazing.
Remind me again, why do some of us struggle with seeing prayer as mundane, pointless, or the like?
It’s clearly anything but.
Pondering Prayer… Part 2.
November 21st, 2007 | 1 Comment | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Let’s see, it’s been three weeks now since I last spent some time on this site pondering prayer. Isn’t it interesting how important Biblical topics and studies always seem to get pushed aside when there’s significant spiritual gain to be found in spending time considering them? Something tells me that’s more than just the busy nature of life.
Anyway, this evening, I want to continue that thought process a bit by looking at the first of the Scripture passages I posted… Psalm 17.
Psalm 17
(New Living Translation)1O Lord, hear my plea for justice.
Listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer,
for it comes from honest lips.
2Declare me innocent,
for you see those who do right.
3You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.
I am determined not to sin in what I say.
4I have followed your commands,
which keep me from following cruel and evil people.
5My steps have stayed on your path;
I have not wavered from following you.6I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God.
Bend down and listen as I pray.
7Show me your unfailing love in wonderful ways.
By your mighty power you rescue
those who seek refuge from their enemies.
8Guard me as you would guard your own eyes.
Hide me in the shadow of your wings.
9Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
from murderous enemies who surround me.
10They are without pity.
Listen to their boasting!
11They track me down and surround me,
watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.
12They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—
like young lions hiding in ambush.13Arise, O Lord!
Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!
Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!
14By the power of your hand, O Lord,
destroy those who look to this world for their reward.
But satisfy the hunger of your treasured ones.
May their children have plenty,
leaving an inheritance for their descendants.
15Because I am righteous, I will see you.
When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied.
This Psalm is a prayer of David, where he cries out to God concerning the attacks of his enemies. While the circumstances of David’s prayer are not specifically applicable to most of our lives (how many of our lives are actually in jeopardy right now?), there’s a very good concept here about prayer that I think all ought to learn.
Honesty.
Take a look at verse 1 of this Psalm:
1O Lord, hear my plea for justice.
Listen to my cry for help.
Pay attention to my prayer,
for it comes from honest lips.
When I first read this, I thought… how vain of David. I envisioned him with a puffed up chest, declaring to God… “God, I am truthful and righteous, and my prayers worthy. Answer my plea for help!”
But is that really the case here, or the concept communicated? Hardly.
Think about this idea of honesty in prayer for a bit.
How often are you completely honest with God in prayer? Do you ever find yourself using flowery words about his greatness and love, professing how you love to praise His name, or even simply confessing how you enjoy the privilege of speaking to Him, when in reality you’re simply praying either out of habit or obligation? Perhaps you’re one that offers up lengthy and eloquent words in situations of corporate prayer… but rarely give God more than a couple minutes of the mundane in private. Or how about this… offering words like, “not my will be done, but yours, Lord”, when it’s really NOT okay with you that God might not choose to heal the loved one you’re offering prayer for?
I’m guilty as charged.
It’s funny, isn’t it? We’re so often taught to offer our prayers with beautiful words and immense reverence (neither of which are bad, of course)… but in doing so, often find ourselves doing nothing more than putting on a mask of falsehood about how we really feel.
Who are we fooling?
Maybe our church friends. Maybe even ourselves. But God?
No way.
Here’s a thought… Isn’t God big enough to handle us just as we are? Don’t you think He’s more pleased with us when we come to Him with hearts laid bare before Him?
Perhaps our prayers should be more like this:
Oh Lord… I know I’m supposed to pray to you, but I can’t hardly find the strength or words. I simply don’t feel like talking to you, and I don’t know why. Please help me to have a desire to do this prayer thing right. To have a heart for prayer. To have a desire to talk to you. To begin to understand the value of this. To see the way you answer my cries for help.
God, I don’t know how this prayer stuff works, but I know that somehow you listen and answer.
Please give me strength to pray. Take these requests I’m about to offer and answer them. I want to know that you listen and care.
Lord, I pray for…
Amen.
Some days (maybe even most), that’s how I find myself having to pray. Hardly elegant… most certainly not something I’d want to offer to God in front of my Sunday School class or small group. But raw and real? You bet.
I hope I’m reading Scripture right, and that God truly is pleased with such honesty.
Pondering Prayer…
October 30th, 2007 | 6 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Psalm 17:6-7
6I call on you, O God, for you will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.7Show the wonder of your great love,
you who save by your right hand
those who take refuge in you from their foes.
Proverbs 15:29
29The LORD is far from the wicked
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.
Matthew:18:19-20
19“Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”
John 14:12-14
12“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. 13And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. 14You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”
Romans 12:12
12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
2 Corinthians 1:8-11
8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
Philippians 4:6
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Colossians 4:2
2Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
James 5:13-16
13Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. 14Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
1 John 5:14-15
14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him.
I’ll admit… I struggle with prayer. I can’t fully explain why… part of it is that I know God is omniscient… part of it that He’s omnipresent… yet more because He’s sovereign over everything. He knows everything I need, provides for me in accordance to His will… He knows my thoughts before I think them… my prayers before I offer them.
It seems so… well… I hate to admit… pointless sometimes.
Yet in light of Scripture (such as the above)… it’s clear that God expects prayer. Regular prayer. Powerful prayer. Righteous prayer. Fervent prayer. Even prayer that feels pointless to the one offering it.
Yet, to those who offer their prayers with complete faith and trust, somehow He hears us and responds… sometimes even answering as we plead.
I just don’t get it.
Does anyone?
Good Investments…
October 25th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies
Quick question… have you checked your investment portfolio recently? I’m not talking about Guidestone (for you pastors), your 401(k), IRAs, stocks, bonds, savings accounts, or the like… but the investment portfolio that matters most in the long run.
Check it out…
Matthew 25:14-30
14“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.19“After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
21“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
22“The man with the two talents also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.’
23“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
24“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
26“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
28“‘Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
You’ve probably read this before… the parable of the talents.
Jesus shared with his disciples about real investment here. God, the Master, has granted us, His servants, some amazing treasures of which we are stewards. Our talents, while not necessarily large sums of money as in the original parable, are extremely valuable to Him, and He’s simply entrusted them to us.
So what are you doing with the portfolio of talents God has entrusted to you while He’s away? Be it money, skills, spiritual gifts, time, energy, relationships, or anything else… God expects us to look at our talent portfolios and invest what we find within for His glory. We’ve got to be about the business of growing His Kingdom.
Will you be found a “good and faithful servant” when He returns? Do you know God’s true character… that He loves you enough to forgive you even if you mess up while trying to invest the “talents” He’s given to you? Or will you be the lazy servant, the one who is so afraid of crossing God… of messing up… of blowing it… that you hide away those things He has entrusted to you in a misguided effort of safekeeping?
Do something with what God has given you. Anything. Just don’t sit on your rear end and watch life go by, missing out on the treasures God has placed out there for you to take hold of and be part of… simply because risk is scary.
Live life. Love God. Serve others.
Attempt something great for God today.
Pressing On…
October 11th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in » Christian Living, Devotions / Bible Studies, My Life
This evening, I found myself taking a bit of time reflecting on “Toward the Goal”… this blog… this site… the Scripture from which it derives its namesake… the verse that I believe really kind of encapsulates my life.
I found myself wondering… if “forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead”… “press[ing] on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” is what my life is about… why then do I seem to be spinning my wheels of faith so often?
Why has it been so difficult to pray recently? Why is opening God’s word and devouring it in eager expectation of being fed such a struggle? Why has it been so hard to stay positive about my church’s future? Why has envy (and maybe even a hint of bitterness) been creeping into my thoughts about the excitement building at Micah’s new church? Why have my thoughts about Missouri Baptists and their conflicts been filled with cynicism? Why do I feel so frustrated with my seeming lack of faith?
Answers are hard to come by.
In looking at the surrounding text in Philippians, I see Paul in chains for the gospel… writing about the joy he has in knowing that the gospel progresses despite his imprisonment. I see him urging believers to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. I see him urging believers to look past selfish interests and to focus on the interests of others. I see him commanding believers to do everything without complaining or arguing. I see him expressing the magnitude of his hope in Jesus… that he considers everything loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. I see him urging believers to follow his example, focusing on our heavenly citizenship. And yes… I see him pressing on toward the goal… to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, that God might be honored and glorified.
I wonder how he did it.
You see, to me, Paul seems like such an amazing believer (and no doubt, he was). He went when God told him to go. He spoke when God told him to speak. He expressed joy when pain was ever present.
He practiced Christianity the way God intended.
I wonder… where does that kind of fervent faith come from? Why is it so hard to emulate? Does anyone REALLY have that kind of faith?
Again, I don’t have much in the way of answers. I do wonder, however… is my mind set on earthly things, as Paul writes in Philippians 3:19? Am I simply a casual Christian? Am I too, a practical atheist? Or am I expecting too much of myself?
I honestly don’t know what to think sometimes, but I do know this… I’m tired of the struggle. If I’m going to profess that Philippians 3:13-14 is my life’s theme, well… it’s time to put up or shut up.
Anyone feel the same way?
