ALL – Psalm 71:1-24
ALL – Proverbs 24:9-10
OT – Isaiah 57:15-59:21
NT – Philippians 1:1-26
Interesting passage for the day: For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me to be ashamed of myself but that I will always be ready to speak out boldly for Christ while I am going through all these trials here, just as I have in the past; and that I will always be an honor to Christ, whether I live or whether I must die. – Philippians 1:20, The Living Bible
Thought: Do you notice what would make Paul feel ashamed? He would feel ashamed if he were not ready to speak out boldly for Jesus at any point, no matter what trials he was facing.
Easy to say.
But for Paul, it was serious. He meant business.
Would I feel ashamed if I weren’t ready to boldly speak up for Jesus? Do I? I think I’m pretty sensitive to my opportunities to speak for Jesus. But when I’m faced with the choice—to speak up or not to—do I speak up?
It’s one thing to be sensitive enough to our opportunities to speak up for Jesus that we feel ashamed when we miss our chances. It’s another thing to get to the point where we don’t need to feel ashamed, where we gently, passionately and boldly point people to Jesus instead of passing up our opportunities and walking away with our shoulders hanging.
Question: How do you develop a sensitivity to openings for sharing about Jesus? What helps you to be bold when you need to be bold?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Pray. Really—Pray!
ALL – Psalm 70:1-5
ALL – Proverbs 24:8
OT – Isaiah 54:1-57:14
NT – Ephesians 6:1-24
Interesting passage for the day: Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere. – Ephesians 5:4, The Living Bible
Thought: Prayer is harder for me, in some ways, than Bible study. When I’m studying the Bible, I always know exactly where my reading for the day is supposed to begin and end. If I have a question, I do some research until I think I have the answer. I can consult with “experts.” Even if I’m not sure exactly what’s right, I can at least get to the point where I have a lot better an understanding of all the perspectives I should be thinking through.
But with prayer, it’s a lot harder to feel like I’ve made progress. Sometimes I struggle to come up with words to say. When I do, I might be stumbling over myself. Even if I set a goal of praying for a certain number of minutes, I find that I struggle to fill them all with actual prayer. My mind gets distracted. The time goes by, and I’ve managed a sentence of prayer.
Perhaps that’s because I often don’t bring God my needs, but my wishes. I don’t take time to confess my true heart to God. I ask God to help me finish up the day’s business, but my prayer time is distracted time because my mind is so worked up about getting back to the day’s business.
Instead of just asking God to help me with my tasks, perhaps I need to pray more about Him changing the way my heart rebels against doing some of them. Instead of merely asking God to help my kids learn to be quiet (for once!), perhaps I need to pray more about Him teaching me patience, about Him leading me in being a good father to them, and about Him getting their full attention so that they grow in understanding that sometimes their volume bothers other people. Instead of praying just to pray, perhaps I should be praying so that I get to know my heavenly Father better and so that He changes my heart, my behaviors, my thinking, my speech—me. And as I get to know my own needs better—my need to be more like Jesus, not just my need to have a good day—perhaps my prayers for others will be deeper and more intentional and focused, too.
Father, help me to pray to You sincerely, exposing and confessing my deepest daily needs. Help me to see my need for a heart that grows steadily more Christlike. Help me to recognize that I’m not the most patient man in the world, and to pray about it. Help me to understand that getting my tasks done doesn’t mean that I’m a success in Your book, and to pray about it. Teach me to pray in a way that honors You, that really seeks You and finds You, that taps into my real needs and weaknesses and comes to You for my every provision and strength.
Question: Do you struggle with prayer sometimes, too? What helps you to turn to God for an extended time of honest prayer?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 24:8
OT – Isaiah 54:1-57:14
NT – Ephesians 6:1-24
Interesting passage for the day: Pray all the time. Ask God for anything in line with the Holy Spirit’s wishes. Plead with him, reminding him of your needs, and keep praying earnestly for all Christians everywhere. – Ephesians 5:4, The Living Bible
Thought: Prayer is harder for me, in some ways, than Bible study. When I’m studying the Bible, I always know exactly where my reading for the day is supposed to begin and end. If I have a question, I do some research until I think I have the answer. I can consult with “experts.” Even if I’m not sure exactly what’s right, I can at least get to the point where I have a lot better an understanding of all the perspectives I should be thinking through.
But with prayer, it’s a lot harder to feel like I’ve made progress. Sometimes I struggle to come up with words to say. When I do, I might be stumbling over myself. Even if I set a goal of praying for a certain number of minutes, I find that I struggle to fill them all with actual prayer. My mind gets distracted. The time goes by, and I’ve managed a sentence of prayer.
Perhaps that’s because I often don’t bring God my needs, but my wishes. I don’t take time to confess my true heart to God. I ask God to help me finish up the day’s business, but my prayer time is distracted time because my mind is so worked up about getting back to the day’s business.
Instead of just asking God to help me with my tasks, perhaps I need to pray more about Him changing the way my heart rebels against doing some of them. Instead of merely asking God to help my kids learn to be quiet (for once!), perhaps I need to pray more about Him teaching me patience, about Him leading me in being a good father to them, and about Him getting their full attention so that they grow in understanding that sometimes their volume bothers other people. Instead of praying just to pray, perhaps I should be praying so that I get to know my heavenly Father better and so that He changes my heart, my behaviors, my thinking, my speech—me. And as I get to know my own needs better—my need to be more like Jesus, not just my need to have a good day—perhaps my prayers for others will be deeper and more intentional and focused, too.
Father, help me to pray to You sincerely, exposing and confessing my deepest daily needs. Help me to see my need for a heart that grows steadily more Christlike. Help me to recognize that I’m not the most patient man in the world, and to pray about it. Help me to understand that getting my tasks done doesn’t mean that I’m a success in Your book, and to pray about it. Teach me to pray in a way that honors You, that really seeks You and finds You, that taps into my real needs and weaknesses and comes to You for my every provision and strength.
Question: Do you struggle with prayer sometimes, too? What helps you to turn to God for an extended time of honest prayer?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Dirty
ALL – Psalm 69:15-36
ALL – Proverbs 24:6-7
OT – Isaiah 51:1-53:12
NT – Ephesians 5:1-33
Interesting passage for the day: Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful. – Ephesians 5:4, The Living Bible
Thought: I take a pretty strong stand against Christians using swear words. And some people close to me have challenged me on it, asking me whether swear words are inherently any worse than what I consider to be less offensive words—words that I use in pretty much the same way.
And you know what? In some ways, my friends are right. They’re right that when I use “cleaner language” to express my own unclean thoughts, I’m still sinning. I may be less offensive to other people, but my heart still has major problems.
So is that a justification for swearing?
I don’t think so.
I think that both my friends and I are called to clean up our act, and zealously. Here’s a theological truth that anyone can understand: God is GOOD. Seriously good. And we’re His children. Would He share our language—whether the less-filtered language my friends don’t mind or the cleaned up versions I use? Would God appreciate our dirty stories or foul jokes?
God is good. And we are His. We aren’t missing out on anything by giving up our dirty stories and foul language. We should be thankful that such a wonderful God is willing to associate with us, rather than upset that being associated with Him means saying no to our filthy hearts.
Question: How comfortable are you with your personal degree of impurity? What have you learned about putting off unclean thoughts and words and putting on purity? What’s your role? How does the Gospel fit into this discussion?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 24:6-7
OT – Isaiah 51:1-53:12
NT – Ephesians 5:1-33
Interesting passage for the day: Dirty stories, foul talk and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, remind each other of God’s goodness and be thankful. – Ephesians 5:4, The Living Bible
Thought: I take a pretty strong stand against Christians using swear words. And some people close to me have challenged me on it, asking me whether swear words are inherently any worse than what I consider to be less offensive words—words that I use in pretty much the same way.
And you know what? In some ways, my friends are right. They’re right that when I use “cleaner language” to express my own unclean thoughts, I’m still sinning. I may be less offensive to other people, but my heart still has major problems.
So is that a justification for swearing?
I don’t think so.
I think that both my friends and I are called to clean up our act, and zealously. Here’s a theological truth that anyone can understand: God is GOOD. Seriously good. And we’re His children. Would He share our language—whether the less-filtered language my friends don’t mind or the cleaned up versions I use? Would God appreciate our dirty stories or foul jokes?
God is good. And we are His. We aren’t missing out on anything by giving up our dirty stories and foul language. We should be thankful that such a wonderful God is willing to associate with us, rather than upset that being associated with Him means saying no to our filthy hearts.
Question: How comfortable are you with your personal degree of impurity? What have you learned about putting off unclean thoughts and words and putting on purity? What’s your role? How does the Gospel fit into this discussion?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Not Just Forgiven: Welcome
ALL – Psalm 68:1-18
ALL – Proverbs 24:1-2
OT – Isaiah 43:14-45:10
NT – Ephesians 3:1-21
Interesting passage for the day: Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him. – Galatians 3:12, The Living Bible
Thought: Have you ever done something so bad that the person you offended or hurt couldn’t forgive you?
Let’s not debate the word “couldn’t”. I’m not trying to get into the question of whether they actually could but wouldn’t, or whatever. I’m just asking whether you’ve ever had the experience of being unforgiven and totally shunned. Or perhaps you are the one who hasn’t forgiven someone. The reality is that some of our relationships can be totally destroyed because we can miss the mark so badly in what we do that we offend people in ways they can’t overlook. Ever.
Enter God. In contrast to even the best of men, He is holy and righteous and good. We sometimes give in to temptation; when Jesus walked the earth with us, He never gave in. We sometimes laugh at our sins; Jesus cried over the sins He encountered. When we get worn out, we stop aiming for what’s good; when Jesus was overwhelmed, He persevered. We may despise those who commit certain sins and crimes, but we know what it’s like to sin when we’re in a tough spot; in the toughest of spots, Jesus never sinned.
So if anyone should be able to forgive, just based on common experience, you’d think we could forgive one another. Our sins are not all the same, but we’ve all sinned. But do we forgive one another and welcome one another back into our embrace? Often, no. Instead, the God who hates sin and has never given in to its temptations for one moment, who has no desire to sin or understanding of a desire to sin (even though He understands what makes temptations so hard, having gone through them), the God who has spent eternity doing good and not evil—HE is the one who forgives! And He forgives so completely that “we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.”
Question: Have you received the forgiveness and welcome of God? What keeps you from knowing the reality of this amazing mercy? What convinces you that God’s welcome for you is actually available?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 24:1-2
OT – Isaiah 43:14-45:10
NT – Ephesians 3:1-21
Interesting passage for the day: Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him. – Galatians 3:12, The Living Bible
Thought: Have you ever done something so bad that the person you offended or hurt couldn’t forgive you?
Let’s not debate the word “couldn’t”. I’m not trying to get into the question of whether they actually could but wouldn’t, or whatever. I’m just asking whether you’ve ever had the experience of being unforgiven and totally shunned. Or perhaps you are the one who hasn’t forgiven someone. The reality is that some of our relationships can be totally destroyed because we can miss the mark so badly in what we do that we offend people in ways they can’t overlook. Ever.
Enter God. In contrast to even the best of men, He is holy and righteous and good. We sometimes give in to temptation; when Jesus walked the earth with us, He never gave in. We sometimes laugh at our sins; Jesus cried over the sins He encountered. When we get worn out, we stop aiming for what’s good; when Jesus was overwhelmed, He persevered. We may despise those who commit certain sins and crimes, but we know what it’s like to sin when we’re in a tough spot; in the toughest of spots, Jesus never sinned.
So if anyone should be able to forgive, just based on common experience, you’d think we could forgive one another. Our sins are not all the same, but we’ve all sinned. But do we forgive one another and welcome one another back into our embrace? Often, no. Instead, the God who hates sin and has never given in to its temptations for one moment, who has no desire to sin or understanding of a desire to sin (even though He understands what makes temptations so hard, having gone through them), the God who has spent eternity doing good and not evil—HE is the one who forgives! And He forgives so completely that “we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.”
Question: Have you received the forgiveness and welcome of God? What keeps you from knowing the reality of this amazing mercy? What convinces you that God’s welcome for you is actually available?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Belonging in Heaven
ALL – Psalm 67:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 23:29-35
OT – Isaiah 41:17-43:13
NT – Ephesians 2:1-22
Interesting passage for the day: Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. – Galatians 2:19, The Living Bible
Thought: It’s nice to belong. No, it’s amazing to belong.
Everyone’s been an outsider at some point. Being an outsider is just…awkward. Perhaps you spend some time living in someone else’s house. You’re used to having chores at home, but in their house you feel like you have no role at all and you’re useless. Maybe you’re visiting a new church and you discover that they have some sort of “understood” pattern for when to stand and when to sit—but they don’t communicate it verbally, so you’re constantly finding yourself in the wrong position. Or perhaps you’re not into sports and someone takes you to a basketball game. You’re barely interested but you feel stupid knowing nothing, and you can’t even begin to follow what’s going on.
It’s that first-ever day of school feeling. “Will I ever really belong here?”
When we first get to know God’s people, everything’s new and foreign. They open up the Bible and tell us strange things. We realize we don’t belong. But we want to belong. We recognize the truth, the grace, the love, the righteousness. We want to know Jesus.
And then we give our lives to Jesus—we submit to Him, confess how awful we’ve been, ask for forgiveness and receive it. He welcomes us into His family, takes us by the hand and walks us up to the throne of His Father—now ours. And the heavenly Father says, “You belong in my household with every other Christian.”
We who trust in Jesus Christ are no longer strangers. We belong in God’s house. We belong.
Question: Do you still feel like an outsider, or have you realized in your heart that you belong with God? What is keeping you from being at rest in Jesus’ family?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:29-35
OT – Isaiah 41:17-43:13
NT – Ephesians 2:1-22
Interesting passage for the day: Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. – Galatians 2:19, The Living Bible
Thought: It’s nice to belong. No, it’s amazing to belong.
Everyone’s been an outsider at some point. Being an outsider is just…awkward. Perhaps you spend some time living in someone else’s house. You’re used to having chores at home, but in their house you feel like you have no role at all and you’re useless. Maybe you’re visiting a new church and you discover that they have some sort of “understood” pattern for when to stand and when to sit—but they don’t communicate it verbally, so you’re constantly finding yourself in the wrong position. Or perhaps you’re not into sports and someone takes you to a basketball game. You’re barely interested but you feel stupid knowing nothing, and you can’t even begin to follow what’s going on.
It’s that first-ever day of school feeling. “Will I ever really belong here?”
When we first get to know God’s people, everything’s new and foreign. They open up the Bible and tell us strange things. We realize we don’t belong. But we want to belong. We recognize the truth, the grace, the love, the righteousness. We want to know Jesus.
And then we give our lives to Jesus—we submit to Him, confess how awful we’ve been, ask for forgiveness and receive it. He welcomes us into His family, takes us by the hand and walks us up to the throne of His Father—now ours. And the heavenly Father says, “You belong in my household with every other Christian.”
We who trust in Jesus Christ are no longer strangers. We belong in God’s house. We belong.
Question: Do you still feel like an outsider, or have you realized in your heart that you belong with God? What is keeping you from being at rest in Jesus’ family?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Weekly Sermons in Swanton: The Right to (Self)Slavery
The message, preached on September 19th, 2010, covered 1 Corinthians 9, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. We all have rights, but sometimes we insist on them a little too strongly. From his own example, Paul encourages us to love, because love is our right to give up our rights and it’s a disciplined gospel race. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.
Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Love Goes the Extra Mile
The message, preached on September 12th, 2010, covered 1 Corinthians 8, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. When we get into debates about what Christians are allowed to do (or aren’t!), we ought to remember not to depend only on our knowledge, but to let love for one another guide our actions. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.
Holy Agent of Change
ALL – Psalm 66:1-20
ALL – Proverbs 23:26-28
OT – Isaiah 39:1-41:16
NT – Ephesians 1:1-23
Interesting passage for the day: And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. – Galatians 1:13, The Living Bible
Thought: How thankful are you for the Holy Spirit? Do you realize that He has been given to us because of Jesus Christ? Peter tells us in Acts 2 that Jesus “poured out” the Holy Spirit on His disciples, and the Holy Spirit has been given to all believers since then. Romans tells us that if we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we do not belong to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit marks those who have faith in Jesus Christ. His fruit is grown in our lives. He lifts our eyes to Jesus when we would otherwise get distracted or discouraged. He speaks to our conscience and encourages us toward what is best. He brings the newness of Christ’s life to dwell in our souls, and He navigates the new creatures we are safely through this world’s challenges to dwell in our heavenly home.
Question: Are you working with Christ’s Spirit or against Him? What difference do you think that His presence in our lives should make?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:26-28
OT – Isaiah 39:1-41:16
NT – Ephesians 1:1-23
Interesting passage for the day: And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. – Galatians 1:13, The Living Bible
Thought: How thankful are you for the Holy Spirit? Do you realize that He has been given to us because of Jesus Christ? Peter tells us in Acts 2 that Jesus “poured out” the Holy Spirit on His disciples, and the Holy Spirit has been given to all believers since then. Romans tells us that if we do not have the Spirit of Christ, we do not belong to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit marks those who have faith in Jesus Christ. His fruit is grown in our lives. He lifts our eyes to Jesus when we would otherwise get distracted or discouraged. He speaks to our conscience and encourages us toward what is best. He brings the newness of Christ’s life to dwell in our souls, and He navigates the new creatures we are safely through this world’s challenges to dwell in our heavenly home.
Question: Are you working with Christ’s Spirit or against Him? What difference do you think that His presence in our lives should make?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How'd That Grow?
ALL – Psalm 65:1-13
ALL – Proverbs 23:24-25
OT – Isaiah 37:1-38:22
NT – Galatians 6:1-18
Interesting passage for the day: Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows. – Galatians 6:7, The Living Bible
Thought: I can never read this verse without examining my life. Can you? I can’t imagine coming across this verse and patting myself on the back to tell myself, “You should be good to go!” Even at my best, I fail. I fall short. Even when I’m sowing mostly the kinds of crops I want, I’m bound to be sowing something I don’t want, too.
On the other hand, we walk by the grace of God. So what I hear this verse saying is not that God’s going to surprise us one day with a bad crop of stuff we didn’t even know we were sowing. Instead, it’s a call to trust in Jesus’ cross and walk by His Spirit and rest in His loving grace toward us. It’s a call to hold nothing back from Jesus—not knowingly. It’s a call to humility and confession and repentance and obedience at the foot of the cross.
Question: Are you holding back anything from Jesus today—anything that you know of? Sow seeds of repentance and faithfulness rather than rebellion and waywardness.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:24-25
OT – Isaiah 37:1-38:22
NT – Galatians 6:1-18
Interesting passage for the day: Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows. – Galatians 6:7, The Living Bible
Thought: I can never read this verse without examining my life. Can you? I can’t imagine coming across this verse and patting myself on the back to tell myself, “You should be good to go!” Even at my best, I fail. I fall short. Even when I’m sowing mostly the kinds of crops I want, I’m bound to be sowing something I don’t want, too.
On the other hand, we walk by the grace of God. So what I hear this verse saying is not that God’s going to surprise us one day with a bad crop of stuff we didn’t even know we were sowing. Instead, it’s a call to trust in Jesus’ cross and walk by His Spirit and rest in His loving grace toward us. It’s a call to hold nothing back from Jesus—not knowingly. It’s a call to humility and confession and repentance and obedience at the foot of the cross.
Question: Are you holding back anything from Jesus today—anything that you know of? Sow seeds of repentance and faithfulness rather than rebellion and waywardness.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The Guide, The Spirit
ALL – Psalm 64:1-10
ALL – Proverbs 23:23
OT – Isaiah 33:13-36:22
NT – Galatians 5:13-26
Interesting passage for the day: I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to do. – Galatians 5:16, The Living Bible
Thought: We need the Scriptures because they help us to learn to recognize God’s voice, and they correct us when we think we heard God’s voice and later find out otherwise.
But I’m growing more and more impressed with how often the New Testament writers urge us to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice as we make our daily choices. We believers have the Holy Spirit living in us! He whispers to our hearts and minds what His desires are for us in every situation. And we are called to listen and obey.
This certainly involves challenges. We have to learn to distinguish between our own desires and the Holy Spirit’s. We need enough humility to admit that we sometimes claim we’re hearing His voice when we really aren’t. We still need to discipline ourselves to return to the Scriptures, even though some people might deny this is a necessity since the Holy Spirit is guiding them (but then, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit’s desire for us include time in God’s Word?).
But we should be able to walk through life a lot more confidently than we often do. We should be confident that we can make good choices consistently—GODLY choices—not because we have perfectly read, studied, memorized, systematized and analyzed the Bible, but because we walk with the Holy Spirit every moment.
Question: What decisions are you thinking through today? What direction do you hear the Spirit leading you to take? Share it here and share your impressions with believing friends. You’re free to follow wherever He leads.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:23
OT – Isaiah 33:13-36:22
NT – Galatians 5:13-26
Interesting passage for the day: I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to do. – Galatians 5:16, The Living Bible
Thought: We need the Scriptures because they help us to learn to recognize God’s voice, and they correct us when we think we heard God’s voice and later find out otherwise.
But I’m growing more and more impressed with how often the New Testament writers urge us to listen to the Holy Spirit’s voice as we make our daily choices. We believers have the Holy Spirit living in us! He whispers to our hearts and minds what His desires are for us in every situation. And we are called to listen and obey.
This certainly involves challenges. We have to learn to distinguish between our own desires and the Holy Spirit’s. We need enough humility to admit that we sometimes claim we’re hearing His voice when we really aren’t. We still need to discipline ourselves to return to the Scriptures, even though some people might deny this is a necessity since the Holy Spirit is guiding them (but then, wouldn’t the Holy Spirit’s desire for us include time in God’s Word?).
But we should be able to walk through life a lot more confidently than we often do. We should be confident that we can make good choices consistently—GODLY choices—not because we have perfectly read, studied, memorized, systematized and analyzed the Bible, but because we walk with the Holy Spirit every moment.
Question: What decisions are you thinking through today? What direction do you hear the Spirit leading you to take? Share it here and share your impressions with believing friends. You’re free to follow wherever He leads.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Professionally Sincere, or Just Sincere?
ALL – Psalm 57:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 23:9-11
OT – Isaiah 12:1-14:32
NT – 2 Corinthians 13:1-14
Interesting passage for the day: I pray that you will live good lives, not because that will be a feather in our caps, proving that what we teach is right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are despised. – 2 Corinthians 13:7, The Living Bible
Thought: Why do people seem to fight a pastor’s advice more than each other’s? Is it some suspicion lurking in people’s minds that the pastor is just trying to be a know-it-all and prove how great he is? When a pastor wants people to do something good, does everyone assume that he’s just giving his particular advice “because that’s his job”?
Pastors love their people. At least I hope so. Personally, I don’t look at being a pastor so much as being paid to give good advice. I see it more as being financially supported so that I can max out my time doing what I would try to do even if I weren’t a pastor—loving people and encouraging them to follow Jesus.
“I pray that you will live good lives…even if we ourselves are despised.” For me, that’s not just a phrase I’m paid to say. I don’t write this blog every day because I’m paid for it, either (I’m not). It’s because I love you (yes, you, whoever’s reading this, even if I don’t know you) and want to do everything I can to encourage you to love the God who loves you, hates sin, and died to show the extent of both.
Question: Which people do you suspect are only saying good things because they’re supposed to? What would it take for you to follow their counsel anyway?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:9-11
OT – Isaiah 12:1-14:32
NT – 2 Corinthians 13:1-14
Interesting passage for the day: I pray that you will live good lives, not because that will be a feather in our caps, proving that what we teach is right; no, for we want you to do right even if we ourselves are despised. – 2 Corinthians 13:7, The Living Bible
Thought: Why do people seem to fight a pastor’s advice more than each other’s? Is it some suspicion lurking in people’s minds that the pastor is just trying to be a know-it-all and prove how great he is? When a pastor wants people to do something good, does everyone assume that he’s just giving his particular advice “because that’s his job”?
Pastors love their people. At least I hope so. Personally, I don’t look at being a pastor so much as being paid to give good advice. I see it more as being financially supported so that I can max out my time doing what I would try to do even if I weren’t a pastor—loving people and encouraging them to follow Jesus.
“I pray that you will live good lives…even if we ourselves are despised.” For me, that’s not just a phrase I’m paid to say. I don’t write this blog every day because I’m paid for it, either (I’m not). It’s because I love you (yes, you, whoever’s reading this, even if I don’t know you) and want to do everything I can to encourage you to love the God who loves you, hates sin, and died to show the extent of both.
Question: Which people do you suspect are only saying good things because they’re supposed to? What would it take for you to follow their counsel anyway?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Painful Ministry
ALL – Psalm 54:1-7
ALL – Proverbs 23:1-3
OT – Isaiah 6:1-7:25
NT – 1 Corinthians 11:16-33
Interesting passage for the day: I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. – 2 Corinthians 11:27, The Living Bible
Thought: Martyrdom. Persecution. Suffering. When I think of the Christians who have endured severe trials for Jesus and His kingdom, I am amazed by them. They seem so strong. What great perseverance! What incredible faith! What certain hope they must have had to walk through the difficulties they did.
And as I am amazed by them, I begin to daydream about if I were ever to go through the same things. I daydream about the powerful statements of faith that would fall from my lips as I stood trial before my persecutors, statements like Stephen’s, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them,” and Martin Luther’s, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” And in my daydreams, persecution and martyrdom almost begin to seem like glorious experiences.
They aren’t glorious. They’re dreadful. They’re overwhelming. They’re exhausting.
The verse above is just one verse in quite a lengthy list of sufferings that Paul endured as he proclaimed hope through Jesus Christ. And Paul didn’t write about them to display his strength. He wrote about them to demonstrate his weakness, His complete dependence on Jesus, and the genuine nature of His ministry to the Corinthians. He didn’t endure them because he was strong and glorious; Paul endured them in spite of his weakness because Jesus is worthy.
Question: Do you remember how worthy Jesus is? When Jesus asks you to do something hard, how do you respond? How should you respond?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 23:1-3
OT – Isaiah 6:1-7:25
NT – 1 Corinthians 11:16-33
Interesting passage for the day: I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food; often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. – 2 Corinthians 11:27, The Living Bible
Thought: Martyrdom. Persecution. Suffering. When I think of the Christians who have endured severe trials for Jesus and His kingdom, I am amazed by them. They seem so strong. What great perseverance! What incredible faith! What certain hope they must have had to walk through the difficulties they did.
And as I am amazed by them, I begin to daydream about if I were ever to go through the same things. I daydream about the powerful statements of faith that would fall from my lips as I stood trial before my persecutors, statements like Stephen’s, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them,” and Martin Luther’s, “Here I stand. I can do no other.” And in my daydreams, persecution and martyrdom almost begin to seem like glorious experiences.
They aren’t glorious. They’re dreadful. They’re overwhelming. They’re exhausting.
The verse above is just one verse in quite a lengthy list of sufferings that Paul endured as he proclaimed hope through Jesus Christ. And Paul didn’t write about them to display his strength. He wrote about them to demonstrate his weakness, His complete dependence on Jesus, and the genuine nature of His ministry to the Corinthians. He didn’t endure them because he was strong and glorious; Paul endured them in spite of his weakness because Jesus is worthy.
Question: Do you remember how worthy Jesus is? When Jesus asks you to do something hard, how do you respond? How should you respond?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Sorry. This Relationship’s Exclusive.
ALL – Psalm 53:1-6
ALL – Proverbs 22:28-29
OT – Isaiah 3:1-5:30
NT – 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Interesting passage for the day: I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God himself—anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband. – 2 Corinthians 11:2, The Living Bible
Thought: Ok, so it’s not all that shocking, but people don’t like being cheated on. We reserve our deepest displays of love for that “special someone.” Obviously, as a Christian I believe that the “special someone” should be a spouse. But even those who aren’t married expect their boyfriend or girlfriend to be faithful to them so long as they’re a couple.
So why is it so hard to understand that Jesus wants us to be faithful to Him? Why do Christians toy with pleasures Jesus hates and with lies that Satan promotes? Why does the world mock those who are faithful to Jesus for being “narrow-minded,” when even worldly couples want an “exclusive” relationship? Is it really so hard to understand? Jesus isn’t a style of clothing, a haircut, or a skin to cover our cell phones. We don’t change gods and religions at whim, as though the fall season religion is out and winter season religion is now in. We don’t trade Jesus in for a newer model.
Jesus is a person, a very real person. He’s not a philosophy. He’s not a daydream. His love for us is very real. His suffering for us is very real. His death for us was very real. His life is fully devoted to us, the church, His bride. And we are meant for Him. Exclusively for Him. Let’s be faithful and pure.
Question: What alternative loves are distracting you from Jesus? When are you tempted to pursue other interests? Why not call on Jesus now, confess your heart’s unfaithfulness and impurity, and ask Him to forgive you, purify you, and draw you even closer to Him?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:28-29
OT – Isaiah 3:1-5:30
NT – 2 Corinthians 11:1-15
Interesting passage for the day: I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God himself—anxious that your love should be for Christ alone, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband. – 2 Corinthians 11:2, The Living Bible
Thought: Ok, so it’s not all that shocking, but people don’t like being cheated on. We reserve our deepest displays of love for that “special someone.” Obviously, as a Christian I believe that the “special someone” should be a spouse. But even those who aren’t married expect their boyfriend or girlfriend to be faithful to them so long as they’re a couple.
So why is it so hard to understand that Jesus wants us to be faithful to Him? Why do Christians toy with pleasures Jesus hates and with lies that Satan promotes? Why does the world mock those who are faithful to Jesus for being “narrow-minded,” when even worldly couples want an “exclusive” relationship? Is it really so hard to understand? Jesus isn’t a style of clothing, a haircut, or a skin to cover our cell phones. We don’t change gods and religions at whim, as though the fall season religion is out and winter season religion is now in. We don’t trade Jesus in for a newer model.
Jesus is a person, a very real person. He’s not a philosophy. He’s not a daydream. His love for us is very real. His suffering for us is very real. His death for us was very real. His life is fully devoted to us, the church, His bride. And we are meant for Him. Exclusively for Him. Let’s be faithful and pure.
Question: What alternative loves are distracting you from Jesus? When are you tempted to pursue other interests? Why not call on Jesus now, confess your heart’s unfaithfulness and impurity, and ask Him to forgive you, purify you, and draw you even closer to Him?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Self-Measurement Standards
ALL – Psalm 52:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 22:26-27
OT – Isaiah 1:1-2:22
NT – 2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Interesting passage for the day: Oh, don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how good they are! Their trouble is that they are only comparing themselves with each other, and measuring themselves against their own little ideas. What stupidity! – 2 Corinthians 10:12, The Living Bible
Thought: If you want to look good, compare yourself to another human being. Seriously. I can make myself look better than Bill Gates. I can make myself look better than Michael Jordan. I can make myself look better than President Obama. Perhaps not in every area of life, but in a few. And if those few aspects of life are all I focus on, I can look pretty good.
It’s tougher to look good when we compare ourselves to God’s standards. Do I need to say anything more than that? Just think about it a bit. When we measure ourselves by God’s standards, there is only one thing left to do: Call on Jesus for help!
Question: How long has it been since you’ve really thought about your need for Jesus? What areas of your life make you realize how much you need Him? When will you set aside time to call on Him to change you by the power of His Spirit?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:26-27
OT – Isaiah 1:1-2:22
NT – 2 Corinthians 10:1-18
Interesting passage for the day: Oh, don’t worry, I wouldn’t dare say that I am as wonderful as these other men who tell you how good they are! Their trouble is that they are only comparing themselves with each other, and measuring themselves against their own little ideas. What stupidity! – 2 Corinthians 10:12, The Living Bible
Thought: If you want to look good, compare yourself to another human being. Seriously. I can make myself look better than Bill Gates. I can make myself look better than Michael Jordan. I can make myself look better than President Obama. Perhaps not in every area of life, but in a few. And if those few aspects of life are all I focus on, I can look pretty good.
It’s tougher to look good when we compare ourselves to God’s standards. Do I need to say anything more than that? Just think about it a bit. When we measure ourselves by God’s standards, there is only one thing left to do: Call on Jesus for help!
Question: How long has it been since you’ve really thought about your need for Jesus? What areas of your life make you realize how much you need Him? When will you set aside time to call on Him to change you by the power of His Spirit?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Weekly Sermons in Swanton: God and Marriage
The message, preached on September 5th, 2010, covered 1 Corinthians 7, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. Following Jesus involves being ourselves—but redeemed, maximizing our service, and being wholly His. Even making the decision about whether to marry or not, and how to live as a married person or a single, needs to be submitted to Jesus Christ. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Ownership Blues
ALL – Psalm 51:1-19
ALL – Proverbs 22:24-25
OT – Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14
NT – 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Interesting passage for the day: Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. – 2 Corinthians 9:11, The Living Bible
Thought: I really struggle with ownership. I’m not saying that I have a hard time owning. I own much more than I need to own. But I struggle with that reality. On the one hand, I’m called to give thanks for God’s wonderful provision. On the other hand, I’m called to be generous. And I live with a sense of guilt that says I fall short in both areas. I’m neither as thankful nor as generous as I ought to be. And then when I start to think about how I ought to be managing our family finances and belongings in such a way that they grow to the point where I can still care for my wife when I get to old or weak to work, my sense of tension goes through the roof! How can I be thankful and content, yet seek more? How can I both build personal wealth and be generous to the extent that I believe God wants?
I can’t. I just can’t. I’m not perfect. And I don’t see perfection coming my way too quickly, either. In fact, I’ve come to the point that I believe this is a tension I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life. And Jesus will grow me in all three areas as the years go by. Sometimes I’ll take a leap forward in gratitude. Other times I’ll learn more about planning for the future and providing for my family. And other times I’ll soar into higher levels of generosity. But I doubt they’ll all be at once, at least not usually.
Which will require faith. That’s what I hear Paul encouraging the Corinthians to display: faith. Faith that God is the ultimate provider. Faith that, because He is, they can be generous and provide for others. Faith that expresses thanks to God for all He does and will do. Faith that rests in God to such an extent that others in turn have the chance to thank God, too. Faith that at the end of the day, our ownership isn’t about ownership at all, but about God’s wonderful love toward us, providing enough for us all and giving us gifts that transform us into thankful recipients rather than prideful owners and managers. We may not get it all down to a T, but we can walk by faith that allows us to grow, because we can rest in God’s perfection rather than ours.
Lord, grant me the faith to provide, to give, and to be thankful through it all. And by the way…thank You. Keep taking care of us all.
Question: What have you learned about being an owner? How have you learned not to let your possessions own you? Or are you still learning? What’s the journey of faith looking like for you?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:24-25
OT – Song of Solomon 5:1-8:14
NT – 2 Corinthians 9:1-15
Interesting passage for the day: Yes, God will give you much so that you can give away much, and when we take your gifts to those who need them they will break out into thanksgiving and praise to God for your help. – 2 Corinthians 9:11, The Living Bible
Thought: I really struggle with ownership. I’m not saying that I have a hard time owning. I own much more than I need to own. But I struggle with that reality. On the one hand, I’m called to give thanks for God’s wonderful provision. On the other hand, I’m called to be generous. And I live with a sense of guilt that says I fall short in both areas. I’m neither as thankful nor as generous as I ought to be. And then when I start to think about how I ought to be managing our family finances and belongings in such a way that they grow to the point where I can still care for my wife when I get to old or weak to work, my sense of tension goes through the roof! How can I be thankful and content, yet seek more? How can I both build personal wealth and be generous to the extent that I believe God wants?
I can’t. I just can’t. I’m not perfect. And I don’t see perfection coming my way too quickly, either. In fact, I’ve come to the point that I believe this is a tension I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life. And Jesus will grow me in all three areas as the years go by. Sometimes I’ll take a leap forward in gratitude. Other times I’ll learn more about planning for the future and providing for my family. And other times I’ll soar into higher levels of generosity. But I doubt they’ll all be at once, at least not usually.
Which will require faith. That’s what I hear Paul encouraging the Corinthians to display: faith. Faith that God is the ultimate provider. Faith that, because He is, they can be generous and provide for others. Faith that expresses thanks to God for all He does and will do. Faith that rests in God to such an extent that others in turn have the chance to thank God, too. Faith that at the end of the day, our ownership isn’t about ownership at all, but about God’s wonderful love toward us, providing enough for us all and giving us gifts that transform us into thankful recipients rather than prideful owners and managers. We may not get it all down to a T, but we can walk by faith that allows us to grow, because we can rest in God’s perfection rather than ours.
Lord, grant me the faith to provide, to give, and to be thankful through it all. And by the way…thank You. Keep taking care of us all.
Question: What have you learned about being an owner? How have you learned not to let your possessions own you? Or are you still learning? What’s the journey of faith looking like for you?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Love that Spills Over
ALL – Psalm 50:1-23
ALL – Proverbs 22:22-23
OT – Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16
NT – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24
Interesting passage for the day: He is glad to follow my suggestion that he visit you again—but I think he would have come anyway, for he is very eager to see you! – 2 Corinthians 8:17, The Living Bible
Thought: I love these personal touches we find in the Scriptures. Paul’s letters are full of teaching, logic, and sometimes even argument. But we can never forget that these letters are intensely personal. Paul wrote to people he loved dearly, and he was happy to tell them how much others loved them, too.
How well do we communicate our love for one another inside the church? Or, for an even more foundational question, how much do we actually love one another? Sometimes the evidence for our love runs thick, but sometimes it feels as if our love for one another is more of a show than a heartfelt reality. Christ died and rose for us because of His love for us, and because of the Father’s. And His command is that we love one another. Love must be sincere. If it’s genuine, it’s gonna show.
Question: How dearly do you love other people – your family, neighbors or associates? After you’ve answered a quick, self-defensive, “I love them very dearly, of course!” ask yourself whether deep down in your heart, you actually love them or love when other people think you love them. Would you pray with me that our Lord Jesus Christ would give us hearts whose love for each other grows continually?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:22-23
OT – Song of Solomon 1:1-4:16
NT – 2 Corinthians 8:16-24
Interesting passage for the day: He is glad to follow my suggestion that he visit you again—but I think he would have come anyway, for he is very eager to see you! – 2 Corinthians 8:17, The Living Bible
Thought: I love these personal touches we find in the Scriptures. Paul’s letters are full of teaching, logic, and sometimes even argument. But we can never forget that these letters are intensely personal. Paul wrote to people he loved dearly, and he was happy to tell them how much others loved them, too.
How well do we communicate our love for one another inside the church? Or, for an even more foundational question, how much do we actually love one another? Sometimes the evidence for our love runs thick, but sometimes it feels as if our love for one another is more of a show than a heartfelt reality. Christ died and rose for us because of His love for us, and because of the Father’s. And His command is that we love one another. Love must be sincere. If it’s genuine, it’s gonna show.
Question: How dearly do you love other people – your family, neighbors or associates? After you’ve answered a quick, self-defensive, “I love them very dearly, of course!” ask yourself whether deep down in your heart, you actually love them or love when other people think you love them. Would you pray with me that our Lord Jesus Christ would give us hearts whose love for each other grows continually?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Sorrow-Motivated Life
ALL – Psalm 48:1-14
ALL – Proverbs 22:17-19
OT – Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
NT – 2 Corinthians 7:8-16
Interesting passage for the day: For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret his sending it. But the sorrow of the man who is not a Christian is not the sorrow of true repentance and does not prevent eternal death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10, The Living Bible
Thought: We just looked at our motivation for doing right, and found that the promises of God give us a desire and a drive to obey Him. But what about our motivation for turning away from what’s wrong? I mean, let’s be honest. Sin is often pleasurable. Temporarily pleasurable, but still. We often have plenty of desire to do what is wrong. Finding the motivation to turn away from it—a motivation above and beyond the bare truth, “I know I shouldn’t be doing this”—can be pretty difficult.
And so we find that while God’s promises are one form of godly motivation, sorrow is another. Yes, that’s right. Sorrow can motivate us to turn away from wrong. Sorrow can motivate repentance. Sorrow sparks in us a deep desire to set things straight, to reconcile broken relationships, to mend what we’ve destroyed. In sorrow we can finally set aside our pride enough to admit what we most hate to admit: “I was wrong.”
When you sin, do you care that you’ve sinned? When you hurt someone, do you squelch that feeling of regret that begins to rise up in your gut? Do you perhaps even add literal insults to injury, talking yourself and everyone else into the twisted belief that your hateful words and behaviors are justified?
May God give us hearts that can still feel deep, genuine, true sorrow. Not the kind of sorrow that people sometimes wallow in—more a mire of despair, really. But the kind of sorrow that motivates us to make a move, to change course, to commit our lives into Jesus Christ’s hands, to seek forgiveness, to deal with our sins. May our sorrows move us to gladly walk by the Spirit, praising God for freeing us from the lives that apart from sorrow we would still live.
Question: Which sins and pains especially lead your heart into change-motivating sorrow? And once you’ve answered that question, consider this one: Which of your own personal sins leads you into repentance-motivating sorrow? Some of us may not sorrow over that kind of sin in our lives as we should. Help us to understand how destructive your particular sin can be. Please. Lead us into godly sorrow.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:17-19
OT – Ecclesiastes 7:1-9:18
NT – 2 Corinthians 7:8-16
Interesting passage for the day: For God sometimes uses sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek eternal life. We should never regret his sending it. But the sorrow of the man who is not a Christian is not the sorrow of true repentance and does not prevent eternal death. – 2 Corinthians 7:10, The Living Bible
Thought: We just looked at our motivation for doing right, and found that the promises of God give us a desire and a drive to obey Him. But what about our motivation for turning away from what’s wrong? I mean, let’s be honest. Sin is often pleasurable. Temporarily pleasurable, but still. We often have plenty of desire to do what is wrong. Finding the motivation to turn away from it—a motivation above and beyond the bare truth, “I know I shouldn’t be doing this”—can be pretty difficult.
And so we find that while God’s promises are one form of godly motivation, sorrow is another. Yes, that’s right. Sorrow can motivate us to turn away from wrong. Sorrow can motivate repentance. Sorrow sparks in us a deep desire to set things straight, to reconcile broken relationships, to mend what we’ve destroyed. In sorrow we can finally set aside our pride enough to admit what we most hate to admit: “I was wrong.”
When you sin, do you care that you’ve sinned? When you hurt someone, do you squelch that feeling of regret that begins to rise up in your gut? Do you perhaps even add literal insults to injury, talking yourself and everyone else into the twisted belief that your hateful words and behaviors are justified?
May God give us hearts that can still feel deep, genuine, true sorrow. Not the kind of sorrow that people sometimes wallow in—more a mire of despair, really. But the kind of sorrow that motivates us to make a move, to change course, to commit our lives into Jesus Christ’s hands, to seek forgiveness, to deal with our sins. May our sorrows move us to gladly walk by the Spirit, praising God for freeing us from the lives that apart from sorrow we would still live.
Question: Which sins and pains especially lead your heart into change-motivating sorrow? And once you’ve answered that question, consider this one: Which of your own personal sins leads you into repentance-motivating sorrow? Some of us may not sorrow over that kind of sin in our lives as we should. Help us to understand how destructive your particular sin can be. Please. Lead us into godly sorrow.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Promise-Motivated Life
ALL – Psalm 47:1-9
ALL – Proverbs 22:16
OT – Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12
NT – 2 Cor. 6:14-7:7
Interesting passage for the day: And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For you are God’s temple, the home of the living God, and God has said of you, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16, The Living Bible
Thought: We all know that we’re supposed to do good. But what makes us want to do good? We recognize that God’s commands are right. But what makes us want to obey them?
How about God’s promises?
Take the one above, where God says that He shall live in us and walk among us, that He shall be our God, that we will be His people. He’s fulfilling that promise already! He’s already sent His Holy Spirit to live in us. He’s already become our God; we’ve already become His people. What a great God is ours! And we have more to look forward to. When Jesus comes again, this promise gets fulfilled in even more wonderful ways!
Doesn’t that make you yearn to please God? Looking forward to being with Him as fully as possible takes the concept of obeying Him and turns it from a “have to” into a “get to,” from a drudgery into a desire. I want God to be my God. He’s promised to be my God. So I want to please Him. God is so good.
Question: Which of God’s promises are especially inspiring and motivating for you? Please share them with us.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:16
OT – Ecclesiastes 4:1-6:12
NT – 2 Cor. 6:14-7:7
Interesting passage for the day: And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For you are God’s temple, the home of the living God, and God has said of you, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16, The Living Bible
Thought: We all know that we’re supposed to do good. But what makes us want to do good? We recognize that God’s commands are right. But what makes us want to obey them?
How about God’s promises?
Take the one above, where God says that He shall live in us and walk among us, that He shall be our God, that we will be His people. He’s fulfilling that promise already! He’s already sent His Holy Spirit to live in us. He’s already become our God; we’ve already become His people. What a great God is ours! And we have more to look forward to. When Jesus comes again, this promise gets fulfilled in even more wonderful ways!
Doesn’t that make you yearn to please God? Looking forward to being with Him as fully as possible takes the concept of obeying Him and turns it from a “have to” into a “get to,” from a drudgery into a desire. I want God to be my God. He’s promised to be my God. So I want to please Him. God is so good.
Question: Which of God’s promises are especially inspiring and motivating for you? Please share them with us.
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Weekly Sermons in Swanton: Fishing with Jesus
The message covered Luke 5:1-11, and it can be heard via streaming audio at http://www.swantonalliance.org. We think we know so much about what we do at work, at home, even in the ministry. And yet we can’t accomplish what we really want to accomplish on our own. For our dreams to be fulfilled, we have to be listening to Jesus. Note: Past sermons can be accessed through the resources page.
Joy: Pain Defeated
ALL – Psalm 46:1-11
ALL – Proverbs 22:15
OT – Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
NT – 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Interesting passage for the day: Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the joy of the Lord. We are poor, but we give rich spiritual gifts to others. We own nothing, and yet we enjoy everything. – 2 Corinthians 6:10, The Living Bible
Thought: Have you ever thought about comparing Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 6 to what Jesus said in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)? Following Jesus leads us through pain, but it also leads us through the best of life. Apart from Jesus, there are many hurting people I probably would not have stopped for. But because I’m walking with Jesus, I have sometimes stopped. And then their sorrows become my sorrows. Their foreclosures. Their extreme joint pain. Their friendlessness. Their despair. I share it with them, and I mourn with them, and my heart aches. Even inside my home, I learn to bear other people’s burdens. I am called to bear other people’s burdens, following Jesus, who bore my sin and my cross.
And yet despite the pain that is added to my life—my own, of course, but also all the pain that comes from feeling powerless to help others overcome their problems—I have the joy of the Lord, like Paul. I have the joy of knowing that my own sins are washed away. I smile as I think of how Jesus offers everyone that same joy. Even more, I rejoice that Jesus is setting the world straight. I shout when He uses me to help someone in a small way, or better yet, when He uses His church to help in a big way. I see His victory pouring down from heaven to earth. And when the church’s resources are exhausted, I celebrate when Jesus comes through in miraculous ways. And when the world still has problems, I set my eyes on the day when Jesus comes back. And I sigh with contentment, even going through the troubles of this world. Because my Jesus will set everything straight on that day.
I don’t think anyone can be as deeply sad and as deeply happy at the same time as a follower of Jesus. No one except God, who is infinitely more sad about our sin and pain and yet infinitely more happy about restoring us all through Jesus. As followers of Jesus, let’s follow Him into greater and greater sorrows. As we do, the reality of His power and plan to make all things new will lead us into deeper and deeper joy. Jesus is everything!
Question: When you avoid entering into other people’s pain, how much of it comes from a fear that Jesus can’t or won’t help us through the pain? What has Jesus already helped you through?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:15
OT – Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22
NT – 2 Corinthians 6:1-13
Interesting passage for the day: Our hearts ache, but at the same time we have the joy of the Lord. We are poor, but we give rich spiritual gifts to others. We own nothing, and yet we enjoy everything. – 2 Corinthians 6:10, The Living Bible
Thought: Have you ever thought about comparing Paul’s words here in 2 Corinthians 6 to what Jesus said in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)? Following Jesus leads us through pain, but it also leads us through the best of life. Apart from Jesus, there are many hurting people I probably would not have stopped for. But because I’m walking with Jesus, I have sometimes stopped. And then their sorrows become my sorrows. Their foreclosures. Their extreme joint pain. Their friendlessness. Their despair. I share it with them, and I mourn with them, and my heart aches. Even inside my home, I learn to bear other people’s burdens. I am called to bear other people’s burdens, following Jesus, who bore my sin and my cross.
And yet despite the pain that is added to my life—my own, of course, but also all the pain that comes from feeling powerless to help others overcome their problems—I have the joy of the Lord, like Paul. I have the joy of knowing that my own sins are washed away. I smile as I think of how Jesus offers everyone that same joy. Even more, I rejoice that Jesus is setting the world straight. I shout when He uses me to help someone in a small way, or better yet, when He uses His church to help in a big way. I see His victory pouring down from heaven to earth. And when the church’s resources are exhausted, I celebrate when Jesus comes through in miraculous ways. And when the world still has problems, I set my eyes on the day when Jesus comes back. And I sigh with contentment, even going through the troubles of this world. Because my Jesus will set everything straight on that day.
I don’t think anyone can be as deeply sad and as deeply happy at the same time as a follower of Jesus. No one except God, who is infinitely more sad about our sin and pain and yet infinitely more happy about restoring us all through Jesus. As followers of Jesus, let’s follow Him into greater and greater sorrows. As we do, the reality of His power and plan to make all things new will lead us into deeper and deeper joy. Jesus is everything!
Question: When you avoid entering into other people’s pain, how much of it comes from a fear that Jesus can’t or won’t help us through the pain? What has Jesus already helped you through?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Faithfully Unimpressive
ALL – Psalm 45:1-17
ALL – Proverbs 22:14
OT – Job 40:1-42:17
NT – 2 Corinthians 5:12-21
Interesting passage for the day: He died for all so that all who live—having received eternal life from him—might live no longer for themselves, to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them. So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. – 2 Corinthians 5:15-16, The Living Bible
Thought: Christians aren’t designed to be impressive. They’re designed to be faithful. They’re designed to live real life—even when it looks boring. They’re designed to thank God—even for simple, “unexciting” blessings like bread and water. They’re designed to persevere—even when the rest of the world would decide “it’s not worth it.” They’re designed to please God, even when they seem to get no benefit.
Don’t misunderstand me. Some Christians are impressive and will do impressive things. Some are talented musicians, playwrights, actors, technicians. Some are gifted intellectuals, architects, athletes, speakers. For them, being faithful means using their impressive array of gifts to the glory of God. But they’re still designed first and foremost to be faithful, to please Christ rather than themselves.
And so the Christian life is not designed to be impressive. Which is a good thing, or most of us would be considered failures, not only by the world, but by Jesus Christ. As believers, we’re designed simply to be faithful to give ourselves wholly—heart, soul, mind, and strength—to loving and pleasing Jesus. And He’s given us life precisely so that we can all do exactly that.
Question: What does faithfully living to love and please Jesus Christ with your entire being look like for you right now? Where could you see yourself growing as you walk with Jesus through the years ahead?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
ALL – Proverbs 22:14
OT – Job 40:1-42:17
NT – 2 Corinthians 5:12-21
Interesting passage for the day: He died for all so that all who live—having received eternal life from him—might live no longer for themselves, to please themselves, but to spend their lives pleasing Christ who died and rose again for them. So stop evaluating Christians by what the world thinks about them or by what they seem to be like on the outside. – 2 Corinthians 5:15-16, The Living Bible
Thought: Christians aren’t designed to be impressive. They’re designed to be faithful. They’re designed to live real life—even when it looks boring. They’re designed to thank God—even for simple, “unexciting” blessings like bread and water. They’re designed to persevere—even when the rest of the world would decide “it’s not worth it.” They’re designed to please God, even when they seem to get no benefit.
Don’t misunderstand me. Some Christians are impressive and will do impressive things. Some are talented musicians, playwrights, actors, technicians. Some are gifted intellectuals, architects, athletes, speakers. For them, being faithful means using their impressive array of gifts to the glory of God. But they’re still designed first and foremost to be faithful, to please Christ rather than themselves.
And so the Christian life is not designed to be impressive. Which is a good thing, or most of us would be considered failures, not only by the world, but by Jesus Christ. As believers, we’re designed simply to be faithful to give ourselves wholly—heart, soul, mind, and strength—to loving and pleasing Jesus. And He’s given us life precisely so that we can all do exactly that.
Question: What does faithfully living to love and please Jesus Christ with your entire being look like for you right now? Where could you see yourself growing as you walk with Jesus through the years ahead?
To review the Bible reading plan options, please visit http://tinyurl.com/yj2o7jz.
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