ListenDaily - 30 April 2009; How to be free
Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
John 8;31-32 (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
This is the recipe for freedom.
If you want to be free, live freely, speak freely, think freely, witness freely...free from anxiety...free from doubt...free from worry...then follow the steps that Jesus left for us:
You will be set free, if you know the truth.
You will know the truth if you are a disciple of Christ.
You will be a disciple if you follow His teachings.
Follow...know...freedom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Does this sound too simple? 2. Is it? 3. Have you tried these steps? Will you?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Monday, April 27, 2009
ListenDaily - 27 April 2009; What difference does it make?
ListenDaily - 27 April 2009; What difference does it make?
Does it matter if I believe that Satan is real?
Certainly.
I have four children, three of whom are drivers. I taught them to drive as best as I could, yet even if I taught them to be perfect drivers, there is still danger when they go out on the road. There are other drivers, some texting on their cell phones, some inattentive in other ways, some under the influence of alcohol. There are deer, mechanical failures, and a host of other things that make driving hazardous for the best of drivers. And to be the best driver you can be, you must be aware of yourself, as well as the external forces that endanger you. How dangerous it would be to think your driving experience would be completely safe, even if you could perfect yourself, as if everything is under your control.
"...each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:14-15 (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
As natural beings born into a fallen world, we certainly have fleshly desires, but even if we could cleanse ourselves, perfect ourselves, (which of course we cannot), there are external forces waiting to 'drag us away'. When our frailties are exploited by those external forces, by Satan and his followers, it leads to death.
I think the great danger of ignoring the external forces of evil, is that it causes us to ignore the need for the Holy Spirit. If people ignore the spiritual forces of evil, then we begin to doubt the need for Heavenly spiritual intervention.
Certainly, we need the work of the Cross to save us from our own inward evil intent. Just as certainly, we need to power of the Holy Spirit to defend us from external spiritual evil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. do you believe in Satan as a real being? 2. What does your pastor/church believe? 3. is there a difference between the two?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Does it matter if I believe that Satan is real?
Certainly.
I have four children, three of whom are drivers. I taught them to drive as best as I could, yet even if I taught them to be perfect drivers, there is still danger when they go out on the road. There are other drivers, some texting on their cell phones, some inattentive in other ways, some under the influence of alcohol. There are deer, mechanical failures, and a host of other things that make driving hazardous for the best of drivers. And to be the best driver you can be, you must be aware of yourself, as well as the external forces that endanger you. How dangerous it would be to think your driving experience would be completely safe, even if you could perfect yourself, as if everything is under your control.
"...each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." James 1:14-15 (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
As natural beings born into a fallen world, we certainly have fleshly desires, but even if we could cleanse ourselves, perfect ourselves, (which of course we cannot), there are external forces waiting to 'drag us away'. When our frailties are exploited by those external forces, by Satan and his followers, it leads to death.
I think the great danger of ignoring the external forces of evil, is that it causes us to ignore the need for the Holy Spirit. If people ignore the spiritual forces of evil, then we begin to doubt the need for Heavenly spiritual intervention.
Certainly, we need the work of the Cross to save us from our own inward evil intent. Just as certainly, we need to power of the Holy Spirit to defend us from external spiritual evil.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. do you believe in Satan as a real being? 2. What does your pastor/church believe? 3. is there a difference between the two?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Thursday, April 23, 2009
ListenDaily - 23 April 2009; So, how can we know?
ListenDaily - 23 April 2009; So, how can we know?
So then, is Satan real or a metaphor? Are the Scriptures true, as written, or just a series of stories to kind of point us in the right direction?
Can we know.
Yes...we can know.
We know, not by becoming convinced of the inerrancy of the Bible first, or by believing that Satan exists first. First, we have to know God.
When we come to know and trust Him...when we experience Him, then creation, parting of seas, resurrections, and eternity are no longer unthinkable. They become plausible, they become possible, they become expected. When we come to know God, we can come to trust His Word, even if we don't understand it. And is that so unimaginable? How many different things of this world, do you not understand, yet trust?
So, how do we get there?
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
If you struggle with any of these 'truth' issues, start here, with just these verses. Let every other thing go. Just seek God. God will reveal Himself to you. He desires nothing more than to be in a relationship with you; to show His love for you.
If you do not struggle with this, but are in the conversation with someone who does, consider sharing this with them. I think it is rare that someone gets argued, debated, or beaten into the kingdom. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15
The love of God is the mightiest power, the greatest magnet in the universe. Surely we should seek truth, love truth, teach and preach truth. But always, always, in and with love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How do you know God? 2. What is the state of your relationship with Him? 3. How do you share Him with others?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
So then, is Satan real or a metaphor? Are the Scriptures true, as written, or just a series of stories to kind of point us in the right direction?
Can we know.
Yes...we can know.
We know, not by becoming convinced of the inerrancy of the Bible first, or by believing that Satan exists first. First, we have to know God.
When we come to know and trust Him...when we experience Him, then creation, parting of seas, resurrections, and eternity are no longer unthinkable. They become plausible, they become possible, they become expected. When we come to know God, we can come to trust His Word, even if we don't understand it. And is that so unimaginable? How many different things of this world, do you not understand, yet trust?
So, how do we get there?
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10 (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
If you struggle with any of these 'truth' issues, start here, with just these verses. Let every other thing go. Just seek God. God will reveal Himself to you. He desires nothing more than to be in a relationship with you; to show His love for you.
If you do not struggle with this, but are in the conversation with someone who does, consider sharing this with them. I think it is rare that someone gets argued, debated, or beaten into the kingdom. "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15
The love of God is the mightiest power, the greatest magnet in the universe. Surely we should seek truth, love truth, teach and preach truth. But always, always, in and with love.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How do you know God? 2. What is the state of your relationship with Him? 3. How do you share Him with others?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
ListenDaily - 22 April 2009; Itchy ears
ListenDaily - 22 April 2009; Itchy ears
Wow! What a response this has generated! Some folks grew up in churches, while others currently attend ones, that act as if Satan and Hell do not exist. As one friend put it, they taught (or teach) a "watered down" form of the Scriptures.
Friends, don't get me wrong, I don't think a church has to preach Hell and damnation every week; as a matter of fact, I think emphasizing the love of God does more to bring people into the Kingdom than fear ever does. After all, the love of God is the greatest power in the universe, much greater than fear. Still, we must understand the enemy against which we battle, it is commanded in the Scriptures that we do so:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Romans 17:17-190) (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
The book of James indicts us for our own sinful behavior, citing our "sinful desires", so, indeed, we have a natural born bent for evil within us. However, if Satan and his unfortunate followers are mere 'metaphors' for that evil, then Paul went way overboard, don't you think? "...rulers...authorities...powers of this dark world...spiritual forces of evil..."
I don't think this was just a little hyperbole on the Apostle's part; Paul was telling it as God inspired him.
The real question is this; do we elect to believe what the Scriptures say? Or do we pick and choose what makes us comfortable, and leave out the rest? If we do, we can find plenty of company, for as Paul also wrote to Timothy: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1.What is your view of the truth of Scripture? 2.Do you regularly hear 'sound doctrine'? Or teaching meant to 'suit their own desires'? 3. What is your response?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Wow! What a response this has generated! Some folks grew up in churches, while others currently attend ones, that act as if Satan and Hell do not exist. As one friend put it, they taught (or teach) a "watered down" form of the Scriptures.
Friends, don't get me wrong, I don't think a church has to preach Hell and damnation every week; as a matter of fact, I think emphasizing the love of God does more to bring people into the Kingdom than fear ever does. After all, the love of God is the greatest power in the universe, much greater than fear. Still, we must understand the enemy against which we battle, it is commanded in the Scriptures that we do so:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Romans 17:17-190) (find any passage at www.Biblegateway.org)
The book of James indicts us for our own sinful behavior, citing our "sinful desires", so, indeed, we have a natural born bent for evil within us. However, if Satan and his unfortunate followers are mere 'metaphors' for that evil, then Paul went way overboard, don't you think? "...rulers...authorities...powers of this dark world...spiritual forces of evil..."
I don't think this was just a little hyperbole on the Apostle's part; Paul was telling it as God inspired him.
The real question is this; do we elect to believe what the Scriptures say? Or do we pick and choose what makes us comfortable, and leave out the rest? If we do, we can find plenty of company, for as Paul also wrote to Timothy: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1.What is your view of the truth of Scripture? 2.Do you regularly hear 'sound doctrine'? Or teaching meant to 'suit their own desires'? 3. What is your response?
INTERESTING THOUGHT ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
ListenDaily - 21 April 2009; Truth
ListenDaily - 21 April 2009; Truth
I am going to change gears here, in response to this question I received:
"Someone I work with told me they are a Christian, but that they don't believe in Satan or Hell, that they are metaphors for evil, not a real being or a real place. What do you think?"
Well, I am not surprised. According to a recent poll by George Barna, most Americans do not believe in Satan or the Holy Spirit. ( http://www.barna.org/ ) The short answer is, that they are falling for one of Satan's slickest schemes.
However, the answer to this is not short, nor is it simple. Satan works wherever he can, to influence people to not believe he exists, or that God exists. Among people, there are those outside the church with a variety of flawed thinking. Then there are those with whom I have the most difficulty, those teachers and preachers inside the church with not only false, but dangerous teaching.
"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
(Romans 17:17-190) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people..."
From the charlatan I heard preaching on television last night, who was twisting Scriptures to convince people to send him money, to those in pulpits who twist God's Word, intentionally or not, in order to move people to a view of God that is man-made, false teaching is rampant.
For a few days, we will look at the types of lies that are being fed to believers today, and how to stand up to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1.What do you think of the Satan question? 2.Have you ever heard false teaching in your church? 3. What did you do?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
I am going to change gears here, in response to this question I received:
"Someone I work with told me they are a Christian, but that they don't believe in Satan or Hell, that they are metaphors for evil, not a real being or a real place. What do you think?"
Well, I am not surprised. According to a recent poll by George Barna, most Americans do not believe in Satan or the Holy Spirit. ( http://www.barna.org/ ) The short answer is, that they are falling for one of Satan's slickest schemes.
However, the answer to this is not short, nor is it simple. Satan works wherever he can, to influence people to not believe he exists, or that God exists. Among people, there are those outside the church with a variety of flawed thinking. Then there are those with whom I have the most difficulty, those teachers and preachers inside the church with not only false, but dangerous teaching.
"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I am full of joy over you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil."
(Romans 17:17-190) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people..."
From the charlatan I heard preaching on television last night, who was twisting Scriptures to convince people to send him money, to those in pulpits who twist God's Word, intentionally or not, in order to move people to a view of God that is man-made, false teaching is rampant.
For a few days, we will look at the types of lies that are being fed to believers today, and how to stand up to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1.What do you think of the Satan question? 2.Have you ever heard false teaching in your church? 3. What did you do?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Friday, April 17, 2009
ListenDaily - 17 April 2009; First things first
ListenDaily - 17 April 2009; First things first
"So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:8-10) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
We all have moments of doubt and fear, do we not? At minimum, we have moments in which we are not fully focused on God and go about our day, our job, our schoolwork, our church work, looking somewhere besides at Him.
Then we remember. Something happens...a song...a voice...a Scripture...something...and we remember, or re-refocus on Him. So what do we do next? If we receive a moment of comfort from Him, what do we do? Or if we get an answer? A direction? Or when He brings a sense of peace...what do we do next. Quite often, I'm afraid, we appreciate the moment and move on with whatever we were about.
I think the women in this story offer the perfect example of what we should do. They were full of fear, anxiety, and grief; then they saw Jesus. Then, immediately "they came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him".
You see friend, their response was not just about them, it was about Him! Surely they were relieved, but in their relief they worshipped their Lord, for their lives were about Him. That is what we should do. When we are afraid, we should worship. When He brings peace, we should worship. When we want to ask for something, first we should worship. Before we teach, preach, or witness, we should worship.
We should worship on Sunday morning.
And every other day.
We exist to worship. Eternity will be worship. If we want to be closer to Him now, we must worship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Do you agree that worship should be our primary function ? 2. When and where do you worship? 3. Is it more than Sunday morning?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON WORSHIP:
"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." John Piper
"No sort of defense is needed for preaching outdoors, but it would take a very strong argument to prove that a man who has never preached beyond the walls of his meetinghouse has done his duty. A defense is required for services within buildings rather than for worship outside of them." William Booth
"If thou beest ever so exact in thy morals, and not a worshiper of God, then thou art an atheist." William Gurnall
"So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:8-10) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him."
We all have moments of doubt and fear, do we not? At minimum, we have moments in which we are not fully focused on God and go about our day, our job, our schoolwork, our church work, looking somewhere besides at Him.
Then we remember. Something happens...a song...a voice...a Scripture...something...and we remember, or re-refocus on Him. So what do we do next? If we receive a moment of comfort from Him, what do we do? Or if we get an answer? A direction? Or when He brings a sense of peace...what do we do next. Quite often, I'm afraid, we appreciate the moment and move on with whatever we were about.
I think the women in this story offer the perfect example of what we should do. They were full of fear, anxiety, and grief; then they saw Jesus. Then, immediately "they came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him".
You see friend, their response was not just about them, it was about Him! Surely they were relieved, but in their relief they worshipped their Lord, for their lives were about Him. That is what we should do. When we are afraid, we should worship. When He brings peace, we should worship. When we want to ask for something, first we should worship. Before we teach, preach, or witness, we should worship.
We should worship on Sunday morning.
And every other day.
We exist to worship. Eternity will be worship. If we want to be closer to Him now, we must worship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Do you agree that worship should be our primary function ? 2. When and where do you worship? 3. Is it more than Sunday morning?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON WORSHIP:
"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't." John Piper
"No sort of defense is needed for preaching outdoors, but it would take a very strong argument to prove that a man who has never preached beyond the walls of his meetinghouse has done his duty. A defense is required for services within buildings rather than for worship outside of them." William Booth
"If thou beest ever so exact in thy morals, and not a worshiper of God, then thou art an atheist." William Gurnall
Thursday, April 16, 2009
ListenDaily - 16 April 2009; Fear not!
ListenDaily - 16 April 2009; Fear not!
Friends, this is not an intensive analysis of the first Easter, but rather a variety of things that strike me as, well, striking.
"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:5-10) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
Characters in the Gospels are told "fear not",or"do not be afraid", or something similar, over twenty times. The angels told Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds to "fear not". The other occurrences were from Jesus to a variety of people. In this passage we have both. First the angel tells them "Do not be afraid..." and it is understandable. They were afraid that Jesus was dead a,d the angel is assuring them otherwise.
But then they see Jesus, and know Him. They fall down and worship Him. Their greatest fear suddenly relieved, Jesus is not dead, and yet He tells them "Do not be afraid."
I wonder why.
Maybe it is because, no matter how much you love someone, seeing a resurrected person would be unsettling.
Or, maybe His return might seem to signify that the Jews and Romans would redouble their attempts to break this movement.
There are many other possibilities. In looking at all of the 'fear nots' and 'don't be afraids', I think there might be another message here. When the 'fear not' message came from an angle or from Jesus, it was often followed by a need for action and/or understanding by the hearer. "Do not be afraid...take Mary as your wife." "Do not be afraid...just believe." "Do not be afraid...come to Me on the water." "Do not be afraid...go and tell..." And this is a command, He does not say 'try not to be afraid'.
I think that whenever we deal with God, our tendency is to be afraid. Not just because He is the Almighty, Creator, Jehovah God, but also because Satan leaps in when he sees us getting close to God. He whispers the lies in our ears...'Be afraid, you're not good enough.' 'Be afraid, God's not real.' 'Be afraid, you'll fail.' "Be afraid, you're not smart enough.' 'Be afraid, you're too young...you're too old...you're too...''
Jesus' closest followers spent part of three days under constant attack, hearing Satan screaming out at his apparent victory. With Jesus' resurrection Satan was bound to redouble his efforts. Jesus knew this.
And so, before He sends them off to "go and tell", He gives them peace, He takes away fear. And it is not a hollow phrase, spoken by someone who is suffering from fear Himself. The words of Christ are power! Remember? "Even the wind and waves obey..." And that message, that commandment, that promise is for you and I as well.
So friends, when God calls us to a task, a place, or an understanding, we must remember that He has already told us...already commanded us; "Do not be afraid."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Has God ever called you out of fear?
2. Why do you think He prefaced so many things with this command?
3. What does this say about His love for you?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON FEAR:
"He whose head is in heaven
need not fear to put his feet into the grave."
Matthew Henry
"Jesus promised the disciples three things-:
that they would be completely fearless,
absurdly happy and in constant trouble."
G.K. Chesterton
"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God,
and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen,
they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth."
John Wesley
"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion.
He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."
Samuel Chadwick
Friends, this is not an intensive analysis of the first Easter, but rather a variety of things that strike me as, well, striking.
"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."
So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." (Matthew 28:5-10) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
Characters in the Gospels are told "fear not",or"do not be afraid", or something similar, over twenty times. The angels told Zechariah, Joseph, Mary, and the shepherds to "fear not". The other occurrences were from Jesus to a variety of people. In this passage we have both. First the angel tells them "Do not be afraid..." and it is understandable. They were afraid that Jesus was dead a,d the angel is assuring them otherwise.
But then they see Jesus, and know Him. They fall down and worship Him. Their greatest fear suddenly relieved, Jesus is not dead, and yet He tells them "Do not be afraid."
I wonder why.
Maybe it is because, no matter how much you love someone, seeing a resurrected person would be unsettling.
Or, maybe His return might seem to signify that the Jews and Romans would redouble their attempts to break this movement.
There are many other possibilities. In looking at all of the 'fear nots' and 'don't be afraids', I think there might be another message here. When the 'fear not' message came from an angle or from Jesus, it was often followed by a need for action and/or understanding by the hearer. "Do not be afraid...take Mary as your wife." "Do not be afraid...just believe." "Do not be afraid...come to Me on the water." "Do not be afraid...go and tell..." And this is a command, He does not say 'try not to be afraid'.
I think that whenever we deal with God, our tendency is to be afraid. Not just because He is the Almighty, Creator, Jehovah God, but also because Satan leaps in when he sees us getting close to God. He whispers the lies in our ears...'Be afraid, you're not good enough.' 'Be afraid, God's not real.' 'Be afraid, you'll fail.' "Be afraid, you're not smart enough.' 'Be afraid, you're too young...you're too old...you're too...''
Jesus' closest followers spent part of three days under constant attack, hearing Satan screaming out at his apparent victory. With Jesus' resurrection Satan was bound to redouble his efforts. Jesus knew this.
And so, before He sends them off to "go and tell", He gives them peace, He takes away fear. And it is not a hollow phrase, spoken by someone who is suffering from fear Himself. The words of Christ are power! Remember? "Even the wind and waves obey..." And that message, that commandment, that promise is for you and I as well.
So friends, when God calls us to a task, a place, or an understanding, we must remember that He has already told us...already commanded us; "Do not be afraid."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Has God ever called you out of fear?
2. Why do you think He prefaced so many things with this command?
3. What does this say about His love for you?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON FEAR:
"He whose head is in heaven
need not fear to put his feet into the grave."
Matthew Henry
"Jesus promised the disciples three things-:
that they would be completely fearless,
absurdly happy and in constant trouble."
G.K. Chesterton
"Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God,
and I care not whether they be clergymen or laymen,
they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon Earth."
John Wesley
"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion.
He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."
Samuel Chadwick
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
ListenDaily - 15 April 2009; Care for the one...
ListenDaily - 15 April 2009; Care for the one...
"Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher)." (John 20:10-16) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
One of my favorite New Testament stories, told in the eighth chapter of Acts, recounts the story of Philip in Samaria. Philip had just led one of the greatest evangelical crusades of all time. The Apostles sent Peter and John in, and God called Philip out of the city, to one man, the Ethiopian eunuch. He had been leading hundreds and hundreds to Christ, and now had a congregation of one.
I love this story because it shows the importance of the individual, the one. Each one, every one, equally important to, and loved by, God.
Today's passage, another from that first Easter morning, brings us Jesus, newly resurrected. Two days before He had willingly gone to the cross for every person that had ever lived. He died for Adam's sin and Eve's, for the children of Abraham, for the Chief Priests and Romans who had crucified Him. He died that day for the sins of the Crusades, the Nazis, pirates, and terrorists. He carried the sins of every single person who had ever lived or ever would. He went through the physical, mental, and spiritual horrors of crucifixion, then He died. He lived, suffered, died, and lived again for all people of all time.
And yet, our first recorded words of His, after the resurrection, are not from a hillside to thousands, or the Temple to dozens, or even a closed room to a group of His closest followers.
They are a soft, tender, expression of love for one person. "Mary."
To one hurting, shattered soul, He says one word that brings her peace. "Mary."
The story of Philip shows that God cares for each and every person's salvation and and uses us to reach out with that message...even to just one.
This story of Jesus and Mary shows that in time of need, He is there, even just for one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. We know that God loves "the world", but what do you think about His love for the individual?
2. Why do you think He took this time with Mary?
3. What does this say about His love for you?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises,
leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary."
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher)." (John 20:10-16) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
One of my favorite New Testament stories, told in the eighth chapter of Acts, recounts the story of Philip in Samaria. Philip had just led one of the greatest evangelical crusades of all time. The Apostles sent Peter and John in, and God called Philip out of the city, to one man, the Ethiopian eunuch. He had been leading hundreds and hundreds to Christ, and now had a congregation of one.
I love this story because it shows the importance of the individual, the one. Each one, every one, equally important to, and loved by, God.
Today's passage, another from that first Easter morning, brings us Jesus, newly resurrected. Two days before He had willingly gone to the cross for every person that had ever lived. He died for Adam's sin and Eve's, for the children of Abraham, for the Chief Priests and Romans who had crucified Him. He died that day for the sins of the Crusades, the Nazis, pirates, and terrorists. He carried the sins of every single person who had ever lived or ever would. He went through the physical, mental, and spiritual horrors of crucifixion, then He died. He lived, suffered, died, and lived again for all people of all time.
And yet, our first recorded words of His, after the resurrection, are not from a hillside to thousands, or the Temple to dozens, or even a closed room to a group of His closest followers.
They are a soft, tender, expression of love for one person. "Mary."
To one hurting, shattered soul, He says one word that brings her peace. "Mary."
The story of Philip shows that God cares for each and every person's salvation and and uses us to reach out with that message...even to just one.
This story of Jesus and Mary shows that in time of need, He is there, even just for one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. We know that God loves "the world", but what do you think about His love for the individual?
2. Why do you think He took this time with Mary?
3. What does this say about His love for you?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises,
leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
ListenDaily - 14 April 2009; Satan's "Plan B"
ListenDaily - 14 April 2009; Satan's "Plan B"
Easter passes too quickly for me, in church I mean. The day itself is great, we had a wonderful day, Sunrise Service, then three, different, beautiful worship services. But I feel the need to pause here for a moment, and examine the other things that happened on that day of resurrection, and the events that followed.
"While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed."
(Matthew 28:11-15) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
Sometimes I wonder what Satan was thinking, likewise I wonder what the Jewish leaders were thinking. It was well known that Jesus had, prior to the crucifixion, raised people from the dead, defeated death, and yet they thought that He would stay dead? (Not to mention the resurrection of believers during the crucifixion.)
Then came the report from the guards. These guards had no reason to lie, their own lives were possibly at stake for their 'failure'. (Though that might explain why they conspired with the chief priests first...) And the Jewish officials did not go to the tomb to see for themselves. Instead, confronted with the story of a resurrected Christ, they devised a story to explain away the resurrection.
What were they thinking?
Did they think that this Man, this Son of God, who had shown mastery over death in the lives of others, and now Himself, could be defeated by a lie? And yet, that lie has persisted for two thousand years. Non-believers often refuse to accept this miracle, instead, believing the lie.
Sadly, many in the church who claim to be believers, and shamefully, many pastors, continue to propagate this lie, the pastors to their own peril. (***See note below***)
Friends, the church as we know it, began, because a group of men and women confronted Jesus with their doubts, overcame those doubts,and boldly proclaimed the Resurrected Christ.
How can we not do the same?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. I understand non-Christians not believing in the Resurrection, but why do you think so many inside the church have doubts?
2. What are your own thoughts about the Resurrection?
3. How can you help bring people the Truth?
***Note***
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matt. 18:6
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Easter passes too quickly for me, in church I mean. The day itself is great, we had a wonderful day, Sunrise Service, then three, different, beautiful worship services. But I feel the need to pause here for a moment, and examine the other things that happened on that day of resurrection, and the events that followed.
"While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed."
(Matthew 28:11-15) (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
Sometimes I wonder what Satan was thinking, likewise I wonder what the Jewish leaders were thinking. It was well known that Jesus had, prior to the crucifixion, raised people from the dead, defeated death, and yet they thought that He would stay dead? (Not to mention the resurrection of believers during the crucifixion.)
Then came the report from the guards. These guards had no reason to lie, their own lives were possibly at stake for their 'failure'. (Though that might explain why they conspired with the chief priests first...) And the Jewish officials did not go to the tomb to see for themselves. Instead, confronted with the story of a resurrected Christ, they devised a story to explain away the resurrection.
What were they thinking?
Did they think that this Man, this Son of God, who had shown mastery over death in the lives of others, and now Himself, could be defeated by a lie? And yet, that lie has persisted for two thousand years. Non-believers often refuse to accept this miracle, instead, believing the lie.
Sadly, many in the church who claim to be believers, and shamefully, many pastors, continue to propagate this lie, the pastors to their own peril. (***See note below***)
Friends, the church as we know it, began, because a group of men and women confronted Jesus with their doubts, overcame those doubts,and boldly proclaimed the Resurrected Christ.
How can we not do the same?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. I understand non-Christians not believing in the Resurrection, but why do you think so many inside the church have doubts?
2. What are your own thoughts about the Resurrection?
3. How can you help bring people the Truth?
***Note***
But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Matt. 18:6
Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. James 3:1
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. 2 Peter 2:1-3
Sunday, April 12, 2009
ListenDaily - 12 April 2009; Christ is risen!
ListenDaily - 12 April 2009; Christ is risen!
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." Mark 16:1-4, John 20: 10-16 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
There is so much in the resurrection! Today, in keeping with our Easter discussion I'd like to look at one point. We read earlier, that on Good Friday, Joseph and Nicodemus to Jesus' body to the tomb and prepared it for burial. We also read here that these women went on Sunday to do the same thing. Could it be that the men acted somewhat in secret, and that the women did not know that the body had already been prepared? That might explain their actions.
Maybe, jut maybe, God caused these events to happen this way, for His purposes. Had they no reason to return to the tomb, they would have not discovered the 'missing' body at that particular time! But by obeying the Law, obeying God's Law, they found Jesus!
May this be a lesson for us. Sometimes, we don't need any other reason, we don't need all the information, we just need to obey...to do that which He has commanded in His Word for us to do. In that way, we too may find the resurrected Christ.
As we close this season of Easter, may we continue to seek Him...He has promised that we will find Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Is it hard to obey without knowing the 'why'?
3. How do you feel on this, the day He arose?
May we seek God by obeying His Word. Jim
"Beware of reasoning about God's Word - obey It."
Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary." Mark 16:1-4, John 20: 10-16 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
There is so much in the resurrection! Today, in keeping with our Easter discussion I'd like to look at one point. We read earlier, that on Good Friday, Joseph and Nicodemus to Jesus' body to the tomb and prepared it for burial. We also read here that these women went on Sunday to do the same thing. Could it be that the men acted somewhat in secret, and that the women did not know that the body had already been prepared? That might explain their actions.
Maybe, jut maybe, God caused these events to happen this way, for His purposes. Had they no reason to return to the tomb, they would have not discovered the 'missing' body at that particular time! But by obeying the Law, obeying God's Law, they found Jesus!
May this be a lesson for us. Sometimes, we don't need any other reason, we don't need all the information, we just need to obey...to do that which He has commanded in His Word for us to do. In that way, we too may find the resurrected Christ.
As we close this season of Easter, may we continue to seek Him...He has promised that we will find Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Is it hard to obey without knowing the 'why'?
3. How do you feel on this, the day He arose?
May we seek God by obeying His Word. Jim
"Beware of reasoning about God's Word - obey It."
Oswald Chambers
http://www.myutmost.org/
Saturday, April 11, 2009
ListenDaily - 11 April 2009; The day after Jesus died; Saturday...In The Grave
ListenDaily - 11 April 2009; The day after Jesus died; Saturday...In The Grave
In remembrance of the importance of this season, there will be ListenDaily postings today and Easter Sunday, if you are interested, Pastor Jim
Link to explore: http://explorefaith.org/themes/easter.html
The day after Jesus died; Saturday...In The Grave
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38-42 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
What happened after this point? There are no Scripture references for Saturday, the Sabbath, the day between the burial and the resurrection.
So, let us look at His burial, in the context of His life. As far as we know Jesus had few, if any, possessions. Consider this:
He was formed in a borrowed womb.
Born to a borrowed father, in a borrowed stable, and laid in a borrowed feeding trough.
As He said of His life; "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Then, borrowing the sins of the entire population that ever lived and ever would, He laid down His life, and was laid in a borrowed tomb.
From a borrowed womb to a borrowed tomb.
This season of Easter, may we appreciate His giving up all of Heaven, to live as He did, for us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think Scripture does not refer to this day?
3. How do you feel on this, the day He lay in the tomb?
May we seek God by taking on Jesus attitudes toward earthly possessions. Jim
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us,
we have to see it as something done by us."
John Stott
http://www.johnstott.org/
In remembrance of the importance of this season, there will be ListenDaily postings today and Easter Sunday, if you are interested, Pastor Jim
Link to explore: http://explorefaith.org/themes/easter.html
The day after Jesus died; Saturday...In The Grave
Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19:38-42 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
What happened after this point? There are no Scripture references for Saturday, the Sabbath, the day between the burial and the resurrection.
So, let us look at His burial, in the context of His life. As far as we know Jesus had few, if any, possessions. Consider this:
He was formed in a borrowed womb.
Born to a borrowed father, in a borrowed stable, and laid in a borrowed feeding trough.
As He said of His life; "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Then, borrowing the sins of the entire population that ever lived and ever would, He laid down His life, and was laid in a borrowed tomb.
From a borrowed womb to a borrowed tomb.
This season of Easter, may we appreciate His giving up all of Heaven, to live as He did, for us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think Scripture does not refer to this day?
3. How do you feel on this, the day He lay in the tomb?
May we seek God by taking on Jesus attitudes toward earthly possessions. Jim
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us,
we have to see it as something done by us."
John Stott
http://www.johnstott.org/
Friday, April 10, 2009
ListenDaily - 10 April 2009; The Most Horrible Event in History
ListenDaily - 10 April 2009; The Most Horrible Event in History
In remembrance of the importance of this season, there will be ListenDaily postings tomorrow and Easter Sunday, if you are interested, Pastor Jim
Link to explore: http://explorefaith.org/themes/easter.html
The Friday before He died; Good Friday...The Crucifixion
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Matthew 27: 32-54 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?
On this day, He died.
What can be added to this? The most tragic, yet the most triumphant event in all of history. Volumes have been, and will be written regarding this day. Some poor souls, sadly many inside the church, debate that it even happened.
For today, I would like to focus on one event...Simon's carrying of the cross, also recounted in Mark 15, and Luke 23. Jesus is often betrayed in movies and stories as being too weak to carry the cross, and that Simon was forced into His place. This may or not be true, but it is never mentioned in Scripture, that Jesus couldn't, only that Simon was forced to.
But this is not my point. Let us consider Simon, who, not knowing what was going on, suddenly yanked from the crowd and forced into what he might have believed was his own execution march. How would he know any different? And yet he was innocent of any capital crime...as innocent as any man might be.
I consider the story of Simon to be a comma, a punctuation mark in the story of the crucifixion. As with Abraham and Isaac, he let an 'innocent' be put in the place of sacrifice, for a moment. But as innocent as Simon might have been, he was far more worthy of death than Jesus, the only true innocent who ever lived. And it was Jesus on His way to be executed, for Simon...and you...and me. And so, it might just be, that as God watched His Son march toward death, he paused the events, and caused the cross to be put on an ordinary man...like you...like me, where it truly belonged. Yes, it was Simon, and you, and me, that deserved to die...for all have sinned. Maybe, just maybe, for the onlookers then and now, God gave us a moment to think about that.
This season of Easter let us appreciate our guilt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think Simon had to take the cross?
3. How do you feel on this, the day of His death?
May we seek God by knowing our place in His Son's death. Jim
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us,
we have to see it as something done by us."
John Stott
http://www.johnstott.org/
In remembrance of the importance of this season, there will be ListenDaily postings tomorrow and Easter Sunday, if you are interested, Pastor Jim
Link to explore: http://explorefaith.org/themes/easter.html
The Friday before He died; Good Friday...The Crucifixion
As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!"
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.' " In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
The Death of Jesus
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah." Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!" Matthew 27: 32-54 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth?
On this day, He died.
What can be added to this? The most tragic, yet the most triumphant event in all of history. Volumes have been, and will be written regarding this day. Some poor souls, sadly many inside the church, debate that it even happened.
For today, I would like to focus on one event...Simon's carrying of the cross, also recounted in Mark 15, and Luke 23. Jesus is often betrayed in movies and stories as being too weak to carry the cross, and that Simon was forced into His place. This may or not be true, but it is never mentioned in Scripture, that Jesus couldn't, only that Simon was forced to.
But this is not my point. Let us consider Simon, who, not knowing what was going on, suddenly yanked from the crowd and forced into what he might have believed was his own execution march. How would he know any different? And yet he was innocent of any capital crime...as innocent as any man might be.
I consider the story of Simon to be a comma, a punctuation mark in the story of the crucifixion. As with Abraham and Isaac, he let an 'innocent' be put in the place of sacrifice, for a moment. But as innocent as Simon might have been, he was far more worthy of death than Jesus, the only true innocent who ever lived. And it was Jesus on His way to be executed, for Simon...and you...and me. And so, it might just be, that as God watched His Son march toward death, he paused the events, and caused the cross to be put on an ordinary man...like you...like me, where it truly belonged. Yes, it was Simon, and you, and me, that deserved to die...for all have sinned. Maybe, just maybe, for the onlookers then and now, God gave us a moment to think about that.
This season of Easter let us appreciate our guilt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think Simon had to take the cross?
3. How do you feel on this, the day of His death?
May we seek God by knowing our place in His Son's death. Jim
"Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us,
we have to see it as something done by us."
John Stott
http://www.johnstott.org/
Thursday, April 9, 2009
ListenDaily - 09 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Thursday
ListenDaily - 09 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Thursday
The Thursdaybefore He died...
"When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." Luke 22:14-22 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, many things took place; He washed the disciple's feet, served the Last Supper, prayed at Gethsemane, predicted Peter's denial. This, one day, could be an entire study, which we may come back to. Today, however, we will focus on Judas' betrayal.
We know that when Jesus referred to "him who is going to betray me" that He meant Judas. Much has been made of this man Judas. Just a few years ago, came the so-called 'Gospel of Judas', saying that he and Jesus had a secret understanding. Last year the news magazines ran an article that portrayed him as a terrorist, bent on removing Roman rule from Israel, and conspiring with Jesus to do so. I've heard many teachers say that Judas was simply trying to force Jesus' hand, in an effort to speed up Jesus' takeover as King.
If Judas' actions were sanctioned by God, why would Jesus say "woe to that man who betrays him"? And let us not forget John 12:4-6; "But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."
No, Judas was not a good man, he was a thief. Many would say that the thirty pieces of silver would not have been enough to persuade him...but he was a thief!
Brothers and sisters, the church today is much like this band of disciples. There are rash, unthinking people. There are those who doubt. And there are thieves...those who would betray Him for next to nothing.
Worse yet, is when we see these traits in ourselves! Have we ever betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver...or less? How about for a dirty joke? For a juicy piece of gossip? For how little have we turned our back on Him and provided one more nail for His cross?
This season of Easter, now nearly over, let us look at our motives and actions, as if we were leaving Jesus' table to commit them.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think the world pursues justification for Judas so desperately?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
May we seek God by not betraying Him. Jim
"Do not think me mad.
It is not to make money that
I believe a Christian should live.
The noblest thing a man can do is,
just humbly to receive,
and then go amongst others and give."
David Livingstone
The Thursdaybefore He died...
"When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. And he said to them, "I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God."
After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, "Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed, but woe to that man who betrays him." Luke 22:14-22 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, many things took place; He washed the disciple's feet, served the Last Supper, prayed at Gethsemane, predicted Peter's denial. This, one day, could be an entire study, which we may come back to. Today, however, we will focus on Judas' betrayal.
We know that when Jesus referred to "him who is going to betray me" that He meant Judas. Much has been made of this man Judas. Just a few years ago, came the so-called 'Gospel of Judas', saying that he and Jesus had a secret understanding. Last year the news magazines ran an article that portrayed him as a terrorist, bent on removing Roman rule from Israel, and conspiring with Jesus to do so. I've heard many teachers say that Judas was simply trying to force Jesus' hand, in an effort to speed up Jesus' takeover as King.
If Judas' actions were sanctioned by God, why would Jesus say "woe to that man who betrays him"? And let us not forget John 12:4-6; "But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages." "He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it."
No, Judas was not a good man, he was a thief. Many would say that the thirty pieces of silver would not have been enough to persuade him...but he was a thief!
Brothers and sisters, the church today is much like this band of disciples. There are rash, unthinking people. There are those who doubt. And there are thieves...those who would betray Him for next to nothing.
Worse yet, is when we see these traits in ourselves! Have we ever betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver...or less? How about for a dirty joke? For a juicy piece of gossip? For how little have we turned our back on Him and provided one more nail for His cross?
This season of Easter, now nearly over, let us look at our motives and actions, as if we were leaving Jesus' table to commit them.
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Why do you think the world pursues justification for Judas so desperately?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
May we seek God by not betraying Him. Jim
"Do not think me mad.
It is not to make money that
I believe a Christian should live.
The noblest thing a man can do is,
just humbly to receive,
and then go amongst others and give."
David Livingstone
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
ListenDaily - 08 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Wednesday
ListenDaily - 08 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Wednesday
The Wednesday before He died...
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, it is widely believed that He took a day to rest, because this day is not specifically mentioned. Personally, I would think that He spent some time teaching, because He knew time was short. Either way, we will look today, at another famous story from His final week.
We all have probably heard this story, of the "widow's mite'. I'm tempted to re-title it, "The Widow's Might"! Because of the awesome power over money that this woman had. Or, because of her incredible resistance to the power of money.
Jesus made a simple point here, that I believe is sometimes misunderstood. It is surely true, that this woman gave more, 'per capita', than the others, but this story goes beyond simple percentages. Physically, God doesn't need much to work with. Remember the five loaves and two fishes that fed over five thousand people? And man was created from a handful of dirt...and the world from...nothing! What He does need, are willing, generous hearts. In dealing with us, He needs a starting point. Those giving grudgingly, weren't giving God much to work with. This widow gave Him a 'broken and contrite heart’; she gave it all, not financially, but spiritually.
What do we give Him?
Spiritual pennies, left over from work, school, marriage, and worldly spending? Or do we give God the first fruits of our hearts, and see what He can do with them?
This Easter season, may we let go of our spiritual stinginess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you? Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
May we seek God by offering ourselves, wholly, to Him. Jim
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live.
The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive, and then go amongst others and give."
David Livingstone
The Wednesday before He died...
As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. "I tell you the truth," he said, "this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Luke 21:1-4 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, it is widely believed that He took a day to rest, because this day is not specifically mentioned. Personally, I would think that He spent some time teaching, because He knew time was short. Either way, we will look today, at another famous story from His final week.
We all have probably heard this story, of the "widow's mite'. I'm tempted to re-title it, "The Widow's Might"! Because of the awesome power over money that this woman had. Or, because of her incredible resistance to the power of money.
Jesus made a simple point here, that I believe is sometimes misunderstood. It is surely true, that this woman gave more, 'per capita', than the others, but this story goes beyond simple percentages. Physically, God doesn't need much to work with. Remember the five loaves and two fishes that fed over five thousand people? And man was created from a handful of dirt...and the world from...nothing! What He does need, are willing, generous hearts. In dealing with us, He needs a starting point. Those giving grudgingly, weren't giving God much to work with. This widow gave Him a 'broken and contrite heart’; she gave it all, not financially, but spiritually.
What do we give Him?
Spiritual pennies, left over from work, school, marriage, and worldly spending? Or do we give God the first fruits of our hearts, and see what He can do with them?
This Easter season, may we let go of our spiritual stinginess.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you? Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
May we seek God by offering ourselves, wholly, to Him. Jim
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Do not think me mad. It is not to make money that I believe a Christian should live.
The noblest thing a man can do is, just humbly to receive, and then go amongst others and give."
David Livingstone
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
ListenDaily - 07 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Tuesday
ListenDaily - 07 April 2009; The week that Jesus died: Tuesday
The Tuesday before He died...
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, He spent it avoiding traps set by the priests, and teaching, much of it in parables.
For more on this day, read Matthew 21:23 - 24:51; Mark 11:27 - 13:37; Luke 20:1 - 21:36. Here we will focus on this one exchange. Remember, they were looking for ways to convict Jesus. But look at this one statement: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Does this conflict with anything in the Law? Is He not reaffirming their own beliefs? They could not see Him for who He was. The claimed to seek the truth, yet the Truth was right in front of them. Their concern with not being wrong outweighed their desire to be right.
Let this not be us! This Easter season, we should look beyond what we've 'always heard' and ensure that the Christ we seek, is the one, true, living God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you? Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
The Tuesday before He died...
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, He spent it avoiding traps set by the priests, and teaching, much of it in parables.
For more on this day, read Matthew 21:23 - 24:51; Mark 11:27 - 13:37; Luke 20:1 - 21:36. Here we will focus on this one exchange. Remember, they were looking for ways to convict Jesus. But look at this one statement: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
Does this conflict with anything in the Law? Is He not reaffirming their own beliefs? They could not see Him for who He was. The claimed to seek the truth, yet the Truth was right in front of them. Their concern with not being wrong outweighed their desire to be right.
Let this not be us! This Easter season, we should look beyond what we've 'always heard' and ensure that the Christ we seek, is the one, true, living God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Does anything Jesus says in the Bible bother you? Has God led you to anything that you disagreed with?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
Monday, April 6, 2009
ListenDaily - 06 April 2009; The week that Jesus died
ListenDaily - 06 April 2009; The week that Jesus died
The Monday before He died...
Many of us spent yesterday celebrating Palm Sunday. If you have not, I recommend reading through the details of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem from one or more of the following passages: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, or John 12.
"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night." Matthew 21:12-17 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, He spent it setting His death into motion, and loving His people.
Imagine, He was here to perform the ultimate sacrifice...and some of His own were in His Father's house, taking advantage of the poor...over sacrifices. He was certainly angry, and displayed His anger in a righteous way! But friends, He was in control here. The time of His crucifixion was near, and no one knew it, but Him. So by creating the stir in the Temple, He stepped up the accusations against Him, and started the ball rolling that would lead to His death.
But He did not leave on that note. No, He took one of His last opportunities to love and to heal.
This Easter season, let us look at our Savior as a righteous, justice seeking, loving God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Did you ever consider that Jesus, through the Father, determined the exact time of His arrest and death?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"This life was not intended to be the place of our perfection, but the preparation for it." Richard Baxter
The Monday before He died...
Many of us spent yesterday celebrating Palm Sunday. If you have not, I recommend reading through the details of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem from one or more of the following passages: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19, or John 12.
"Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. "It is written," he said to them, " 'My house will be called a house of prayer,but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple area, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they were indignant. "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, " 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night." Matthew 21:12-17 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
How did Jesus spend His final week on Earth? On this day, He spent it setting His death into motion, and loving His people.
Imagine, He was here to perform the ultimate sacrifice...and some of His own were in His Father's house, taking advantage of the poor...over sacrifices. He was certainly angry, and displayed His anger in a righteous way! But friends, He was in control here. The time of His crucifixion was near, and no one knew it, but Him. So by creating the stir in the Temple, He stepped up the accusations against Him, and started the ball rolling that would lead to His death.
But He did not leave on that note. No, He took one of His last opportunities to love and to heal.
This Easter season, let us look at our Savior as a righteous, justice seeking, loving God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What do you think of this passage?
2. Did you ever consider that Jesus, through the Father, determined the exact time of His arrest and death?
3. How do you feel as you move toward the day of His death?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"This life was not intended to be the place of our perfection, but the preparation for it." Richard Baxter
Friday, April 3, 2009
ListenDaily - 03 April 2009; Can He do it?
ListenDaily - 03 April 2009; Can He do it?
God is able. I pray that you gain confidence in that truth.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"Now to him who is able ..."
God promises Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child, their first child, even in their old age. DO you remember Sarah's response? She laughed.
But I just love God's response: "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Can't you just hear the pain in His voice, even through the understanding? I can almost hear God saying; 'You believe in me. You know I created everything. Everything! What's one more baby?"
"Now to him who is able ...".
Now, you or I might not laugh at God, but it is very human to doubt things that are beyond our own capabilities. "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Is it?
What has God promised to you? His Word is full of promises for you, and they are all true. They are true because God cannot lie, and because He is able.
I pray that you know that, and have confidence in it.
And I ask that you pray that knowledge and confidence for someone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How differently might we live if we had complete confidence in God's abilities and promises?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
God is able. I pray that you gain confidence in that truth.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"Now to him who is able ..."
God promises Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child, their first child, even in their old age. DO you remember Sarah's response? She laughed.
But I just love God's response: "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Can't you just hear the pain in His voice, even through the understanding? I can almost hear God saying; 'You believe in me. You know I created everything. Everything! What's one more baby?"
"Now to him who is able ...".
Now, you or I might not laugh at God, but it is very human to doubt things that are beyond our own capabilities. "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" Is it?
What has God promised to you? His Word is full of promises for you, and they are all true. They are true because God cannot lie, and because He is able.
I pray that you know that, and have confidence in it.
And I ask that you pray that knowledge and confidence for someone else.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How differently might we live if we had complete confidence in God's abilities and promises?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Thursday, April 2, 2009
ListenDaily - 02 April 2009; Filled!
ListenDaily - 02 April 2009; Filled!
Be filled. I pray that you will be filled.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"And I pray...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
"...filled to the measure..." from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
From fingertip to fingertip.
All your heart. All your soul. All your mind.
All your thoughts.
All your love.
"...all the fullness of God." Leaving no room for anything not of Him.
Squeezing out negativity. Pushing out every doubt. Eradicating every sinful thought.
"...filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
The immortal, omnipresent, omnipotent, Creator, Jehovah God, moving inside of you and filling every inch.
Can you imagine? I hope you can. I hope you do. I pray you do.
Will you pray that for someone else?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How might it feel to be filled with the fullness of God?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Be filled. I pray that you will be filled.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"And I pray...that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
"...filled to the measure..." from the top of your head to the tips of your toes.
From fingertip to fingertip.
All your heart. All your soul. All your mind.
All your thoughts.
All your love.
"...all the fullness of God." Leaving no room for anything not of Him.
Squeezing out negativity. Pushing out every doubt. Eradicating every sinful thought.
"...filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
The immortal, omnipresent, omnipotent, Creator, Jehovah God, moving inside of you and filling every inch.
Can you imagine? I hope you can. I hope you do. I pray you do.
Will you pray that for someone else?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. How might it feel to be filled with the fullness of God?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
ListenDaily - 01 April 2009; More than you know.
ListenDaily - 01 April 2009; More than you know.
I pray that you can believe in more than you know.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"And I pray that you...know this love that surpasses knowledge..."
Do you know how much God loves you?
We have some idea, but I don't think we can truly know the immensity of His love for us. It would be like asking a three year old if they know how much their Mother or Father loves them. They know...but they don't really know. They kind of get that parents work hard to provide, that they can be comforted when they bump their heads, and that when they are hungry they can be fed. It is sweet and wonderful, but it is not complete understanding. They don't understand overtime to pay the mortgage, giving up personal desires for good of the family, or that Mommy or Daddy would lay down their life, if necessary, for the child.
I think what we know about the love of Christ is kind of like that. Oh, we study, and we learn...we increase in knowledge. And we know that Jesus laid down His life for us.
But I think their is so much more, more that goes on in the Heavens, more that was required of Christ in His sacrifice...more than we can know.
But not more than we can believe.
That small child's belief in the love of Mommy and Daddy is not limited to what he has experienced; he cannot imagine a limit to their love, and believes in it fully. And while earthly Mothers and Fathers will fall short of that perfect and complete love, our Heavenly Father never does.
We cannot really know the extent of His love for us.
But we can believe it. As Paul says at the end of this passage:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."
And pray for someone else, that they will believe more than they know.
Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. IAre your beliefs ever limited by your knowledge?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
I pray that you can believe in more than you know.
"For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21 (find this or any other passages at www.Biblegateway.org)
"And I pray that you...know this love that surpasses knowledge..."
Do you know how much God loves you?
We have some idea, but I don't think we can truly know the immensity of His love for us. It would be like asking a three year old if they know how much their Mother or Father loves them. They know...but they don't really know. They kind of get that parents work hard to provide, that they can be comforted when they bump their heads, and that when they are hungry they can be fed. It is sweet and wonderful, but it is not complete understanding. They don't understand overtime to pay the mortgage, giving up personal desires for good of the family, or that Mommy or Daddy would lay down their life, if necessary, for the child.
I think what we know about the love of Christ is kind of like that. Oh, we study, and we learn...we increase in knowledge. And we know that Jesus laid down His life for us.
But I think their is so much more, more that goes on in the Heavens, more that was required of Christ in His sacrifice...more than we can know.
But not more than we can believe.
That small child's belief in the love of Mommy and Daddy is not limited to what he has experienced; he cannot imagine a limit to their love, and believes in it fully. And while earthly Mothers and Fathers will fall short of that perfect and complete love, our Heavenly Father never does.
We cannot really know the extent of His love for us.
But we can believe it. As Paul says at the end of this passage:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine..."
And pray for someone else, that they will believe more than they know.
Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. IAre your beliefs ever limited by your knowledge?
2. For whom have you prayed today?
3. Will you pick one person, out of your normal circle, and pray for them every day during this study?
INTERESTING THOUGHTS ON TRUTH:
"Where I found truth,
there found I my God,
who is the truth itself."
Augustine
"Never let us be guilty of sacrificing
any portion of truth on the altar of peace."
J.C.Ryle
"Truth is so obscure in these times,
and falsehood so established, that,
unless we love the truth, we cannot know it."
Blaise Pascal
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