April 15, 2010 (1 Corinthians 12-16)

Today's reading encompassed chapter 13 - the love chapter. Paul tells us the most important thing is love. It doesn't matter if our faith is so great we can move mountains, or if we knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, or if we sacrificed everything for the poor - all of that would mean nothing if we didn't love others. And here is what love is:

^13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵ or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. ⁶ It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷ Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

¹³ Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

Read through the list again. Think of Jesus admonishment to love our neighbors. How about instead of our neighbors, we start with our family? I think a lot of time it's easier to love our neighbor because we don't interact with them 24-7. And since God is love, this is how He loves us. He keeps no record of our wrongs. He never gives up on us. He never loses faith in us, because He has placed His Spirit within us to lead us to be able to endure through every circumstance. Thank you Father for Your unfailing love.

The Corinthians were getting all hung up in the people who brought them the message. That is our tendancy, I think, to think more highly of people than we should. We need to recognize that it really is not the people, but God working through them. He is the only one that should be praised. But although He is the One to be praised, He pours out His Spirit on us and expects us to allow Him to work through us:

^15:10 But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than all the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace. ¹¹ So it makes no difference whether I preach or they preach. The important thing is that you believed what we preached to you.

And then one final note of encouragement:

^15:58 So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lords' work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

April 14, 2010 (1 Corinthians 5-11)

This reading was a tough one. Just Monday night I went to a "Community Discussion on Homosexuality", where the panel was comprised of six members - all still dealing with the issue of homosexuality. Some were in committed homosexual relationships, so were in committed heterosexual relationships and some were single. But all professed a faith in Christ and were comfortable in their faith and their sexual orientation. I came away from that feeling 'happy' for them, but still a little confused. And now with my reading this morning I am even more confused. Paul was addressing the church in which there was a man who was living with his father's wife. And I got the impression that they were a 'welcoming church'. But Paul got on their case and demanded that they cast the man out of the church, using the analogy of yeast and saying that if you allow even one person to go on sinning, all will be affected. Then he said this:

^5:9 When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. ¹⁰ But I wasn’t talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. ¹¹ I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don’t even eat with such people.

¹² It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. ¹³ God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.”

I think there was more 'purity' in the church in the old days. And because we don't know people's hearts, I really don't know how we can judge anyone. This is one of those controversial passages. In Corinthians Paul tells us not only that we are not to judge each other, but he even has a hard time judging himself and leaves that up to God. But then he goes on to say this:

8:1But while knowledge may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up the church. ² Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn’t really know very much. ³ But the person who loves God is the one whom God knows and cares for.

So, I think that is where the changes have come in today. We are so concerned with loving others and not condemning that we may be going in the opposite direction. I guess there is to be a 'happy balance'. Me, I'd rather exhibit love and let God deal with the rest.

April 13, 2010 (Acts 18:19-19:41, 1 Corinthians 1-4)

Well, I blogged the 12ths reading before taking Cooper to a Drs. appointment. We were her first patient (8am), and were finally seen at about 8:55am. She drives down from Denver and obviously didn't leave early enough to allow for traffic issues, etc. As I signed Cooper into school at 9:30am, I found myself complaining about what had just happened. As I finished my 'rant', I said, "Wait, I'm supposed to be thankful! Well, I guess I'm thankful we aren't any later than we are!" Just those two little verses - 'always be joyful' and 'no matter what happens, always be thankful' - wow, if only I could do that....

So, now to 1 Corinthians. Here's another encouraging promise:

^1:8 He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. ⁹ God will do this, for he is faithful to do what he says, and he has invited you into partnership with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

And then Paul goes on to say that people will think that Christians are 'idiots' (kind of).

^1:18 The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God. ¹⁹ As the Scriptures say,

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise
and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”

²⁰ So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish. ²¹ Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.

These beginning chapters are good reminders that everything is from God and everything is through Christ. None of us have any reason to boast. Everything we have has been given to us by God and He particularly likes the 'simple' people in order to show His power through them:

²⁶ Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. ²⁷ Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. ²⁸ God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. ²⁹ As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

³⁰ God alone made it possible for you to be in Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made Christ to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he gave himself to purchase our freedom. ³¹ Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about what the Lord has done.”

^2:1 When I first came to you, dear brothers and sisters, I didn’t use lofty words and impressive wisdom to tell you God’s secret plan. ² For I decided to concentrate only on Jesus Christ and his death on the cross. ³ I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling. ⁴ And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ I did this so you would trust not in human wisdom but in the power of God.

Again, Paul brings us back to Jesus. Everything is because of Him, and even can only be known through Him. I think too often we try to live the Christian life 'on our own'. But it's God's Spirit that is the one to guide us, as we see below:

¹⁰ But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God’s deep secrets. ¹¹ No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God’s own Spirit. ¹² And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

I don't know about you, but I'm drawn to wanting to know the secrets of God. But I think it's kind of like when Jesus' disciples wanted to sit on His right and left in heaven. Jesus told them they really didn't know what they were asking, knowing the sacrifice that would be required of them in order to allow that. I have a feeling that's the way it is with knowing God's secrets. I don't think they are revealed to everyone - only those willing to suffer for His sake. Which makes me ask, "How much do I really want to know them? Am I willing to pay the price?"

April 12, 2010 (Acts 17:1-18:18, I Thessalonians 1-5, 2 Thessalonians 1-3)

Ok, this is crazy! I've got to blog the day I read. I'm three days behind in 'blogging' so will catch up today. These will be 'short and sweet'!

I and 2 Thessalonians are some of my favorite books. In verse 3 of 1 Thessalonians Paul said "As we talk to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your continual anticipation of the return of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Two things struck me in this short verse. First, the wording was different than saying, "When we pray for you" - it was "When we talk to God about you". It gave me more of the idea of just chatting with God, as in a relationship, which is what I think it is supposed to be. It's so hard to 'chat with someone' when you can't see them, even though they are there. I think my prayers are so messed up. God, thank You for this; I need that; so and so needs this; the other so and so needs that; etc. etc. I'm going to try and incorporate a more relational approach to my prayers, but old habits are hard to break. The second thing that struck me was that I think their behavior was motivated by their continual anticipation of the return of Jesus. If we really thought He would come back today, how would that change how we live?

Following are just some verses that need no commentary:

1 Thessalonians 2:⁴ For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.

^2:13 Therefore, we never stop thanking God that when you received his message from us, you didn’t think of our words as mere human ideas. You accepted what we said as the very word of God—which, of course, it is. And this word continues to work in you who believe.

And now a group of little verses. Do you wonder what God's will is for your life? Here it is:

^5:16 Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

And then an encouragement that God will continue His work in us:

^5:23 Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. ²⁴ God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

And then two sections that I highlighted from 2 Thessalonians:

^1:11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. ¹² Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Verse 11 encourages me. By His power, may He give us the power to accomplish everything our faith prompts us to do.

^3:3 But the Lord is faithful; he will make you strong and guard you from the evil one. ⁴ And we are confident in the Lord that you are practicing the things we commanded you, and that you always will. ⁵ May the Lord bring you into an ever deeper understanding of the love of God and the endurance that comes from Christ.

April 11, 2010 (Galations 1-6)

Galatians is Paul's attempt to bring the people back to 'faith' and not 'works'. He is shocked that they are turning away from God and he warns them about being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ. Below is one of the passages I have heard, and believe, but struggle to know how to really allow the 'application' of this verse to be real in my life:

^{Galatians 2:20} My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.

I wish I could feel like Christ is living through me, but the reality is that my 'old self' is alive and well. This verse is probably one of the key verses in living the Christian life. Actually realizing that my 'old self' is dead. And it's dead because God says it's dead. And that's where faith comes in. Do I really believe that my 'old self' is dead and that I am 'no longer a slave to sin'? Paul will go into this again in Romans, as not only is it hard for me to grasp, it was hard for the Christians back then to grasp as well. I remember when I was first saved and heard sermons from men who talked about 'the exchanged life'. This is what they were talking about. They 'got it'. Paul's next admonishment to them is where I feel I am still:

^{Galatians 3:3} How foolish can you be? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?

And that's the dilema. I catch a glimpse of the way it is supposed to be - knowing I've been saved by faith. I remember that day well. All I did was believe - took God at His word, accepted the sacrifice of Christ for my sins, and gave my life to Him by faith. And I was changed. It wasn't because I went to church, or read my Bible every day, or did good for other people, it was because I believed. And now that I'm a believer I know He wants me to 'do' all those things I've listed above, but more than 'doing' he wants me to 'be' in Him. And we can only 'be' in Him as we spend time with Him and allow His Spirit free reign in our lives. And the thing that limits that is 'self'. And he addresses that:

^{Galatians 5:16} So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. ¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Holy Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. ¹⁸ But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to the law.

¹⁹ When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, ²⁰ idolatry, participation in demonic activity, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

²² But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.

So there it is. A further explanation. And he closes with one last thought:

^{Galatians 6:14} As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. ¹⁵ It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people. ¹⁶ May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God.

¹⁷ From now on, don’t let anyone trouble me with these things. For I bear on my body the scars that show I belong to Jesus.

So there it is. He got it, and because he got it he lived differently. So differently that those who were not Christians hated him, and hated him to the point of doing physical harm to him. But he counted it 'joy' that he could suffer for Christ.

April 10, 2010 (Acts 15-16)

Today's reading started with the disagreements, and the theme carried through, but to keep this relatively short I won't go into the other one. The first disagreement came because some men arrived teaching that "unless you keep the ancient Jewish custom of circumcision taught by Moses, you can't be saved." Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, and "argued forcefully at length" until they decided to go back to Jerusalem and talk to the apostles and elders about it. I was kind of surprised at what they all came up with:

Acts 15:28 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: ²⁹ You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

So that was it. If they did those things (or should I say, didn't do those things) they would do well. I was surprised at that. I thought it was faith in Christ - that was it - nothing else. I read the footnote of my Bible and this was their clarification: "These practices were offensive to the Jews and made it particularly hard for them to have table fellowship with Gentiles. We, too, should be sensitive to the feelings of others."

The next section in my reading is supposed to be Galatians and that makes sense, because in Galatians Paul is discussing this very issue. So tomorrow I'll get more into this discussion.

This next story made me think of modern day Christianity and the "stink" it creates. I think a lot of the friction has 'money' behind it. Let's take abortion for instance. There are a lot of doctors who make a lot of money off of abortion. To take the Christian perspective that all life is sacred and should be protected hits them right in the pocketbook. Here's the story that happened back then:

^{Acts 16:16} One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. ¹⁷ She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.”

¹⁸ This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her.

¹⁹ Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. ²⁰ “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. ²¹ “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.”

What??? Teaching customs that are illegal for Romans to practice? They never had any problem with them at all, until it affected their pocketbooks. I kind of got the feeling that day after day they followed them around because of the crowds they were drawing......hoping to make extra cash because of the people that were there.

So the city officials had them beaten and thrown into jail. Then at midnight, God did another miracle. One that caused the jailer to take note and say "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" What was it you ask? At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God and an earthquake happened. But it wasn't your 'typical' earthquake. This earthquake caused all the doors of the prison to fly open and all the chains of EVERY prisoner to fall off. When I think of an earthquake, that's not what I think of. I think of Haiti, and buildings collasping down and crushing the people in them. I think the jailer realized he had just witnessed something that was 'supernatural' and caught a glimpse of the power of God. So what was Paul and Silas' response to his question? The same answer they would give today:

³¹ They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” ³² And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. ³³ Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. ³⁴ He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

April 9, 2010 (James 1-5)

Well, today I was supposed to read James and then some in Acts, but there's too much in James to continue. What a practical, revelant book. I've only covered a tiny portion below, if that tells you anything. As I thought about this reading today, and my past blogs, I really wouldn't need to read another word. If I could just DO what I already know! That is the goal and that is what I am striving for.

Today started off with a 'springboard' from yesterday's beginning of persecution and trouble:

^{James 1:2} Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. ³ For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.

Wow - if I could only view life that way. But that's exactly what God wants us to do. That is immediately followed by this:

⁵ If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do - ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

I don't think it's a coincidence that asking for wisdom immediately follows the encouragement to be joyful in trials. That's the only way to be joyful in trials - to ask God for the wisdom and grace to endure it, all the while believing that He will provide and being fully committed to Him.

There are so many convicting passages in James. Here are a couple that deal with 'anger' and our tongues. They go hand in hand. When I get angry, my anger shows by what I say. And unfortunately, it normally happens with those I love the most.

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Your anger can never make things right in God's sight. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it is strong enough to save your souls. ²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

^{James 3:2} Indeed, we all make many mistakes, but those who control their tongues can also control themselves in every other way.

³ We can make a large horse turn around and go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. ⁴ And a tiny rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. ⁵ So also, the tongue is a small thing, but what enoumous damage it can do. A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. ⁶ And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness that can ruin your whole life. It can turn the entire course of your life into a blazing flame of destruction, for it is set on fire by hell itself.

⁷ People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, ⁸ but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. ⁹ Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. ¹⁰ And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! ¹¹ Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? ¹² Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.

^{James 4:11} Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. ¹² God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

Ouch, ouch, ouch!! How many times have I 'slandered' someone else. Slander is a form of judgment, and over and over God tells us not to judge. That is His job. What are we to do with our tongues? Praise Him, speak kind words and pray. Like I said, I don't really need to learn new truths, I just need to do what I already know. But on my own I can't do any of that. It only comes as I "abide in Jesus, and He abides in me". It's the 'fruit' that He produces through His Holy Spirit that is capable of all that. Again, it all comes back to Jesus. He is our righteousness.

And now, as if that "reaming" wasn't enough, how about some more? :)

^{James 4:1} What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? ² You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. ³ And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God. ⁵ What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, jealously longs for us to be faithful? ⁶ He gives us more and more strength to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

“God set himself against the proud
but he shows favor to the humble.”

⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

Wow. It's in passages like the ones from today that I feel like I just need to keep reading over and over to allow the truths to sink in. Let me repeat verse 4 from above:

⁴ You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can't be a friend of God.

I think the key part here is "if your aim is to enjoy this world". God gives us richly all things to enjoy. He is a God of love and every good gift comes from Him. As I said, I think the key phrase comes back to what our aim in life is - to bring glory to Him, or to enjoy the world. My deepest desire is to be a 'friend of God'. That desire requires a choice on my part - a moment by moment choice. Jesus always said -"If you love me, keep my commandments." In other words, "Show me that you love me by doing what I say. I don't want your 'words' - I want your actions and your heart."