Quiet Time: I Looked for Sorrow and Found Hope

I Looked for Sorrow and Found Hope


Read: Hebrews 10:32-39

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. – Hebrews 10:35

This verse brought me comfort after the elementary school tragedy yesterday, in Connecticut, Friday, December 14, 2012.

My daughter, Candice, keeps her large study bible on my book shelf in the extra bedroom. After a long and restless night, I wanted to hear what God had to say about sorrow. So, I grabbed Candice’s “Application” study bible. As I flipped through the pages I unexpectedly came across the passage in Hebrews.

So, although I never located the application for “sorrow” I did find one for hope.

“Faith means resting on what Christ has done for us in the past, but it also means trusting Him for what He will do for us in the present and in the future.” – Application study bible notes

Quiet Time: Dig Deeper

Dig Deeper

Job 26:13-14


13 “By His breath the heavens are cleared;

His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;

And how faint a word we hear of Him!

But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”



I had a professor in college who insisted we study nothing but poetry in his class. No classic novels, no inspiring biographies, and certainly nothing written prior to the nineteenth century! My first essay garnered a low “C” grade and I soon discovered from fellow classmates that my grade was high.

So, I decided to find out what the prof wanted since obviously none of us students knew. I began by first keeping copious notes listing everything that he thought was important with the piece of poetry we were studying. Next, I highlighted every passage that he chose to camp on and wrote his key words and phrases regarding these passages in the margins. Finally, when the day came for the class to write another essay, I made sure to include the professor’s thoughts, I parroted his key words and phrases, and quoted the highlighted passages within the body of my essay. The result? I never received a grade lower than a “B” for the remainder of the class.

Of course my fellow students wanted to know how I turned things around. So, during one of our mid-class bathroom breaks I called them all together. “Listen”, I said, “This guy doesn’t care what you think. He wants you to know what he thinks. And, he wants to know, that you know. So give him what he wants and you’ll get what you need to pass the class.”

Like poetry, the bible can be tough to understand. But, that fact shouldn’t keep us from digging deeper. And it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to find out what others have discovered when we’re not sure about a passage. There are so many commentaries and bible helps available these days that there is no excuse for any of us being tripped up or confused. And, sometimes, we may find that it’s OK to simply say, “I don’t know what that means.”

The point is this: Dig deeper. Your Professor wants you to know what He knows.

Song Series: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

Song Series: O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go


Sometimes I worry that I’m not being all that God wants me to be. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as fruitful as I “should” be and I feel the need to be more - do more for Jesus.

But, then, I remember that it is God Who is at work in me both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and that Jesus tells me to simply abide in Him (John 15:5) and He will use me to bear fruit for Him as He sees fit. In other words, the best fruit I can produce on my own is fake fruit. It's good for looks but not much more.

I like what one pastor says on the topic of abiding and fruit bearing, he says, “You know who wants fruit a lot more than you do? God does. And you can't do one thing to get it.” The great news about abiding (remaining) in Christ is that He will not let us go until we grow. Simply submit to His embrace and trust that He is at work in you.

George Matheson, best known for the hymn, “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go,” wrote another song titled “Ignored Blessings,” in which he looks back to “the road gone by.” It was by looking back he could see that his heavenly Father had led him all the way.

O Father of light and leading,

From the top of each rising hill

Let me cast my eye on the road gone by

To mark the steps of Thy will. —Matheson

Jesus will not let us go until we grow



Quiet Time: Delightful

Delightful


Read: Psalm 37

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. – Psalm 37:9

Last week our worship team focused on Psalm 34:9 and wanting what God wants us to have when He wants us to have it. Continuing along that theme I see that God wants us to find our delight (pleasure, happiness) in who He is: His character, attributes, words, deeds, and yes, His, desires and designs for our lives.

Like a child who finds pleasure in pleasing his parent, we too must develop our relationship with Jesus to the point that we are always looking for ways to please Him. When He becomes our passion, God the Father will so position our mind, will, and emotions through the power of the Holy Spirit, that the very desire of our hearts will change to that which pleases God. This in turn will fill us with the joy of the Lord and His desires will become ours (Nehemiah 8:10).

This fact I know: God will never refuse His children, that which He wants them to possess.

Here's a take away for our team: The bible says to let the joyful sing praises (James 5:13b). If we are to effectively lead praise and worship with His people, we must be joy filled.

We will never experience or express true joy until we find our enjoyment (delight) in Him; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Here's a link titled "Cat and Dog Theology" that helped me wrap my mind around the concept of delighting in God:  http://www.operationworld.org/files/Cat%20&%20Dog%20Theology%20sample.pdf

Here's a link to the ministry's website for Cat and Dog Theology: http://www.catndogtheology.com/

Quiet Time: I Will

I Will


Read: Psalm 101

I will walk within my house in the integrity of my heart.

3 I will set no worthless thing before my eyes;I hate the work of those who fall away;It shall not fasten its grip on me. – Psalm 101: 2b-3

I love the part in the movie “Fireproof” where the main character trashes his computer with a baseball bat. He so wanted to turn his back on the bad stuff that he allowed into his home through the computer, that he took drastic measures to insure it got out and stayed out. I suppose just about everyone has had something that they kicked out of their life at one time or another. The psalmist had a better approach.

Between verses 1 and 5 he says “I will” at least seven times. He was committed to keeping the bad stuff out before it had a chance to get in.

That’s a good move, don’t you think?

Quiet Time: No Want

No Want

Read: Psalm 34:8-14

O fear the LORD, you His saints;

For to those who fear Him there is no want. – Psalm 34:9

I know God is in control but I’m not sure that I always like it.

You see, the thing is, I want what I want when I want it, but God often seems disinterested in my wants or my time table. He seems intent on my trusting Him – sloooooooooowly, steadily. It’s almost as if God is trying to get me to stop trying. You know what I mean, right? Like He wants me to get to the point where I want what He wants when He wants it.

I read a biography titled George Muller of Bristol. Muller was a real prayer warrior and was mightily used of God to help thousands of orphans in Great Britain during the 1800s. Muller knew what it meant to fear God and not fear want. Psalm 34:9 was one of his favorite bible verses and he often taught that, “He who would work with God must first wait on Him and wait for Him.”

I don’t think the book is in print any more (mine is an antique)

Here’s a link if you want to read more about George: More stuff about George

Prayer: God change me. I want to want what You want in my life when You want it.

Song Series: Our God Reigns (Free Indeed)

Our God Reigns (Free Indeed)


Read: John 8:34-38

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. – John 8:36

We’ve already discussed the chorus of this song in a previous Song Series blog (Our God Reigns: Sing Strong); this time we’ll focus on the bridge.

The bridge for “Our God Reigns” is almost verbatim, John 8:36. Here we see Jesus telling the crowd of mostly Jewish listeners, that He is the seed of Abraham and the true Son of God’s house (Gal. 3:16). In order to understand this reference we need to drop back to verse 36 where Jesus points out the difference between a slave and a son (John 8:35) .

The crowd fully understood the difference between Ishmael, Abraham’s slave son and Isaac the son of promise; heir apparent to all Abraham owned.

Remember the sad story? Ishmael was thrown out of the house along with his slave mom, but Isaac was the son who "belonged" and therefore remained in the house (Gen. 21:8-21). The correlation: without Jesus, the Son, you are in sin and in danger of being cast out.  The question: Were they like Ishmael, or Isaac? The issue was not physical genealogy but spiritual kinship through Jesus.

Now, let’s look at verse 36 in this light. Jesus is the true Son. He remains in the house and is over it (Heb. 3:6). People can become truly free by becoming sons of God by faith in Christ, the Son (Gal. 3:26).

Remember, the issue is not genealogy, or, in our case as Gentiles, how good we are compared to the next person. It doesn’t even matter if we’ve understood the message of Jesus being the Messiah, because it is possible to grasp the message of repentance without actually repenting and coming to Christ (John 8:31-32). So then, how do we know if we’re saved? We know because first, we trust in Him alone, not our good works or anything else for salvation. Second, we have a desire to walk in His word daily, thereby experiencing the freedom of a life lived with not against His will.

Frankly, I see no way to be confident in our position in Him without being consistent in walk with Him (John 8:31-32).

We are free indeed, let's live in the joy of this freedom!

Quiet Time: Loving God Out Loud

Loving God Out Loud


In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. - Matthew 5:16 (NLT)

So, you love God and naturally you want to please Him. This desire leads you to read the bible regularly. Before long you begin to notice verses like “do your work heartily as unto the Lord” (Col. 3:23), “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19-20) or “let no unwholesome word proceed from out of your mouth” (Eph. 4:29). You’re struck by the practicality of it all and think, “Here’s something constructive that I can begin to do. It’s in the bible, so, I know it’s what God wants me to do, and something God will actually like.” Next, you pray asking God to help you walk in the light of this scripture. God being Who He is “Faithful and True” strengthens you through the Holy Spirit to actually do what the word says to do. That’s what I mean by loving God out loud. Your love is seen not just heard.

Before you know it, someone may notice your attitude at work is different. You’re actually happy to work hard at the stuff co-workers avoid. Or, your family members begin to recognize that you’re a better listener. You don’t interrupt them as much and you are able to hear them say stuff that you don’t agree with, without getting angry or saying something you later regret. That’s walking with God and that opens a door for you to share the practical side of your walk with Christ.

Doesn’t this sound feasible? For example; someone may ask, “Man, what’s gotten into you? Why are working so hard lately”? To which you can reply, “I read something in the bible the other day about working as unto the Lord. It motivated me to do my job as if it matters to God; as if God gets a kick out of watching me work for Him. So, I figure, if He likes it, then it must be a good thing to do, right?”

Who knows, this “loving God out loud” thing may even give you an opportunity to share how Jesus is a personal and integral part of your everyday living. If nothing else, it’ll offer you a chance to give the glory back to God; and that’s a good thing!

Quiet Time: Wise In The Word

Wise In the Word
Reason Reboot

Read: 1 Corinthians 14

Brethren, do not be children in your thinking; yet in evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature. – 1 Corinthians 14:20


Neither ignorant nor intimate of evil need I be. Wise in the Word, now that’s for me!

Christians are often derided for being simple minded in the things of this world. Sometimes I wonder about this, because I know so many of us who are pretty good at being bad! Frankly, I think we should be simple in worldliness. What are we missing, really? However, I think its shameful when a Christ follower is simple minded in the things of the Word.

We simply must spend time allowing the Word to wash our minds (Ephesians 5:26). Don’t we get plenty of a humanist world view daily to require at least a small amount of time with Jesus so that He can reset our thinking?

It may not be a bad idea to have a quiet time with the Lord in the morning, then another at lunch time, and one more sometime in the evening.

Come on Brother Doug, that’s just too much - too over the top? May-be. I just know that when I miss my time with Him, I miss a lot and life just isn't the same.

Song Series: All Because of Jesus

All Because of Jesus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uui-jUS8a4A


Read: Romans 6:8-14

Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. – Romans 6:11

“While the goal of the American dream is to make much of us, the goal of the gospel is to make much of God.” Dr. David Platt, Radical. The first time I read the book “Radical” I thought to myself, “This guy’s a mega church pastor?” I guess I questioned Platt’s position based on what I’ve seen over the years. It seems to me, that most of us American believers are content to live life in what I call the Goldilocks continuum. You know what I mean not too bad and not too good, just right. Kind of lukewarm, hmmmm.

Paul shatters this lifestyle in Romans chapter 6. He says that as Christ followers, we no longer have to listen to sin tell us what to do and that we can discover the joy of listening to God tell us what to do. Before Christ, we used to live our lives oblivious to God’s grace and walk according to our own will and way. However, now that the Holy Spirit lives within our hearts we have a growing desire to please God. We look back on our former way of living as fruitless, meaningless, and containing memories of nothing for which we are proud.

I want to live in newness of the life Christ offers. I want to follow the goal of the gospel. I want to make much of God, because it is “All Because of Jesus” I’m alive. (2 Corinthians 5:15)



And it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive

And it’s all because the blood of Jesus Christ

That covers me and raised this dead man’s life

And it’s all because of Jesus I’m alive