ListenDaily - 28 January 2010: It would be worth it…
“Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
It would be worth it…don’t you think?
Would it not be worth the price of being still in order to get to know God? To know Him? What would it cost us? A little television time, a little less internet/texting/twittering time?
What price would you pay to know God?
I recently read an article on the top grossing popular music tours of the last decade, and it noted that some artists kept their ticket prices “low”, meaning under $150. For one ticket. For 90 minutes of entertainment. Once.
You can know God for a much lower price.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet time questions:
1. How long has it been since you took time to “be still” before God?
2. Is it hard for you to “be still” for a length of time?
3. Do you think God means for us to “be still” for a moment, like prayer time, or more of a “be still” lifestyle?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.” Hudson Taylor
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
ListenDaily - 27 January 2010: Turn it down!
ListenDaily - 27 January 2010: Turn it down!
Good morning! We have been moving around, dancing around this idea that we all need to make a change in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need to … well what exactly do we need to do? Move closer? Listen more? Feel something? Receive the Spirit or be baptized in the Spirit?
I don’t want to give a name for it, heck, I don’t have a name for what I need to do.
But I know I need to do something. Let’s start with something that God told us to do.
“Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
You might have heard me say this before; if being still equals knowing God, then it follows that not being still equals not knowing God.
If God told people thousands of years ago, before traffic jams, radios, 24 hour-a-day news, MP3 players, and cell phones to “be still” in order to know Him, what do you think He is saying to you today?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet time questions:
1. How long has it been since you took time to “be still” before God?
2. Is it hard for you to “be still” for a length of time?
3. Do you think God means for us to “be still” for a moment, like prayer time, or more of a “be still” lifestyle?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"As the sun can be seen only by its own light, so Christ can be known only by His own Spirit."
Robert Leighton
Good morning! We have been moving around, dancing around this idea that we all need to make a change in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We need to … well what exactly do we need to do? Move closer? Listen more? Feel something? Receive the Spirit or be baptized in the Spirit?
I don’t want to give a name for it, heck, I don’t have a name for what I need to do.
But I know I need to do something. Let’s start with something that God told us to do.
“Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
You might have heard me say this before; if being still equals knowing God, then it follows that not being still equals not knowing God.
If God told people thousands of years ago, before traffic jams, radios, 24 hour-a-day news, MP3 players, and cell phones to “be still” in order to know Him, what do you think He is saying to you today?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet time questions:
1. How long has it been since you took time to “be still” before God?
2. Is it hard for you to “be still” for a length of time?
3. Do you think God means for us to “be still” for a moment, like prayer time, or more of a “be still” lifestyle?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"As the sun can be seen only by its own light, so Christ can be known only by His own Spirit."
Robert Leighton
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
ListenDaily - 20 January 2010: A brief aside…
ListenDaily - 20 January 2010: A brief aside…
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1: 4-6
The other day, I asked that each of us consider the following question; is the work God has begun in me complete? I think we all came to the same conclusion, that, obviously, it is not. It is a foregone conclusion that none of us have reached eternal perfection, nor will we in this life. And yet the Scriptures cry out to us to improve our state, to ‘be holy as God is holy’, to ‘press on toward the prize’, to live righteously, and on and on. And the Holy Spirit is sent to us to help us, not yet to be perfect, but to, right now (!) be in the process of perfection. .
How is that going?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet time questions:
1. Relative to where God wants me to be, where am I?
2. Is there anything more important to me than being where God wants me?
3. Am I living as if that is the most important thing?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God is not a deceiver,
that He should offer to support us,
and then, when we lean upon Him,
should slip away from us."
Augustine *
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1: 4-6
The other day, I asked that each of us consider the following question; is the work God has begun in me complete? I think we all came to the same conclusion, that, obviously, it is not. It is a foregone conclusion that none of us have reached eternal perfection, nor will we in this life. And yet the Scriptures cry out to us to improve our state, to ‘be holy as God is holy’, to ‘press on toward the prize’, to live righteously, and on and on. And the Holy Spirit is sent to us to help us, not yet to be perfect, but to, right now (!) be in the process of perfection. .
How is that going?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quiet time questions:
1. Relative to where God wants me to be, where am I?
2. Is there anything more important to me than being where God wants me?
3. Am I living as if that is the most important thing?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God is not a deceiver,
that He should offer to support us,
and then, when we lean upon Him,
should slip away from us."
Augustine *
Monday, January 18, 2010
ListenDaily - 18 January 2010: Let’s begin.
ListenDaily - 18 January 2010: Let’s begin.
Life by the Spirit; God’s plan, Jesus’ promise.
Where are you today? Please, stop reading just for a moment, if you need to, go to a quiet place and ask yourself the following questions:
Relative to where God wants me to be, where am I?
Is there anything more important to me than being where God wants me?
Am I living as if that is the most important thing?
This is a continuation of our discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit, for it is the work of the Spirit that teaches you what God wants, how to do it, and who gives you the strength.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1: 4-6
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
I want to start this week with one more question:
Is the work God has begun in me complete?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What is your take on this?
2. How does the Holy Spirit affect your daily living?
3. God promised you many things about the Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God is not a deceiver,
that He should offer to support us,
and then, when we lean upon Him,
should slip away from us."
Augustine *
· http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/augu.htm
FYI, Augustine’s classic book “Confessions” is available, free, at: http://books.google.com/books?id=TIYOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Augustine&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Life by the Spirit; God’s plan, Jesus’ promise.
Where are you today? Please, stop reading just for a moment, if you need to, go to a quiet place and ask yourself the following questions:
Relative to where God wants me to be, where am I?
Is there anything more important to me than being where God wants me?
Am I living as if that is the most important thing?
This is a continuation of our discussion of the work of the Holy Spirit, for it is the work of the Spirit that teaches you what God wants, how to do it, and who gives you the strength.
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1: 4-6
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus
I want to start this week with one more question:
Is the work God has begun in me complete?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What is your take on this?
2. How does the Holy Spirit affect your daily living?
3. God promised you many things about the Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God is not a deceiver,
that He should offer to support us,
and then, when we lean upon Him,
should slip away from us."
Augustine *
· http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/augu.htm
FYI, Augustine’s classic book “Confessions” is available, free, at: http://books.google.com/books?id=TIYOAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Augustine&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Thursday, January 14, 2010
ListenDaily - 14 January 2010: I hold this truth to be self-evident…
ListenDaily - 14 January 2010: I hold this truth to be self-evident…
It has become evident to me that what we are really talking about here is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the availability and presence of the Spirit in the world today.
Jesus said: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17
“… to be with you forever...” I do not mean to say that we should lift the Holy Spirit above the Father or the Son, not at all. However, God’s plan, and Jesus’ promise, was that the Holy Spirit would be with us in a new way.
It is the Spirit that nudges non-believers toward Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that nudges believers into Christ-like living.
Different denominations have different takes on the ‘gifts of the Spirit’ and the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. I’m not talking about any of that specifically. I am simply saying that God planned and Christ promised that we should seek out and live by the Holy Spirit, and Paul was told to write and encourage us to do so. Galatians 5 prompts us to “live by the Spirit” and tells us that we should “be in step with the Spirit”.
So let us consider Paul’s writing, God’s plan, and Jesus’ promise, as we read Scripture, as we deal with our work, school, and families, as we listen to sermons – in every part of our lives.
LIFE BY THE Spirit; God’s plan, Jesus’ promise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What is your take on this?
2. How does Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit to you affect your daily living?
3. God promised you many things about the Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Wise leaders should have known that the human heart cannot exist in a vacuum.
If Christians are forbidden to enjoy the wine of the Spirit they will turn to the wine of the flesh.
Christ died for our hearts and the Holy Spirit wants to come and satisfy them."
A.W. Tozer *
* http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer
It has become evident to me that what we are really talking about here is the work of the Holy Spirit, and the availability and presence of the Spirit in the world today.
Jesus said: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth.” John 14:16-17
“… to be with you forever...” I do not mean to say that we should lift the Holy Spirit above the Father or the Son, not at all. However, God’s plan, and Jesus’ promise, was that the Holy Spirit would be with us in a new way.
It is the Spirit that nudges non-believers toward Christ. It is the Holy Spirit that nudges believers into Christ-like living.
Different denominations have different takes on the ‘gifts of the Spirit’ and the ‘fruit of the Spirit’. I’m not talking about any of that specifically. I am simply saying that God planned and Christ promised that we should seek out and live by the Holy Spirit, and Paul was told to write and encourage us to do so. Galatians 5 prompts us to “live by the Spirit” and tells us that we should “be in step with the Spirit”.
So let us consider Paul’s writing, God’s plan, and Jesus’ promise, as we read Scripture, as we deal with our work, school, and families, as we listen to sermons – in every part of our lives.
LIFE BY THE Spirit; God’s plan, Jesus’ promise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What is your take on this?
2. How does Jesus promise to send the Holy Spirit to you affect your daily living?
3. God promised you many things about the Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Wise leaders should have known that the human heart cannot exist in a vacuum.
If Christians are forbidden to enjoy the wine of the Spirit they will turn to the wine of the flesh.
Christ died for our hearts and the Holy Spirit wants to come and satisfy them."
A.W. Tozer *
* http://www.cmalliance.org/devotions/tozer
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
ListenDaily - 13 January 2010: Can God lie?
Can God lie?
So we decide that we want to follow Jonathan Edwards’ lead and root out the cause of any doubt we have of God’s love (or His capability).
Further, we accept that we are imperfect, and have those “things” in us that cause us to doubt, and that the enemy uses those things as an avenue to whisper, or shout, doubt to us.
What do the Scriptures say to give us some confidence, vision, and hope? They say more than I can print here, but we can know -- know! – that the Holy Spirit is with us, works in, through, and for us. Can God lie? Through Jesus, and through the Scriptures, He has promised you the that the Holy Spirit will work for you. Two examples:
We can be taught by the Holy Spirit: All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14: 25-26
The Holy Spirit knows us better than we know ourselves, and intercedes for us: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8: 26-27
Be careful and discerning with what others say through the internet, preaching, and books. Always seek affirmation of what any person says through the Scriptures, prayer, and discussion, and, yes, I mean you should question what I say also. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to seek out help from the Holy Spirit, through study of Scripture and prayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What methods do you use to understand what the Bible says?
2. Do you pray for understanding?
3. God has promised you many things about the Holy Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God hath divers ways into divers men.
Into some he comes at noon, in the sunshine of prosperity;
to some in the dark and heavy clouds of adversity.
Some he affects with the music of the church;
some, with some particular collect or prayer;
some, with some passage of a sermon, which takes no hold of him that stands next to him.
Watch the way of the Spirit of God into thee."
John Donne
So we decide that we want to follow Jonathan Edwards’ lead and root out the cause of any doubt we have of God’s love (or His capability).
Further, we accept that we are imperfect, and have those “things” in us that cause us to doubt, and that the enemy uses those things as an avenue to whisper, or shout, doubt to us.
What do the Scriptures say to give us some confidence, vision, and hope? They say more than I can print here, but we can know -- know! – that the Holy Spirit is with us, works in, through, and for us. Can God lie? Through Jesus, and through the Scriptures, He has promised you the that the Holy Spirit will work for you. Two examples:
We can be taught by the Holy Spirit: All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14: 25-26
The Holy Spirit knows us better than we know ourselves, and intercedes for us: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will. Romans 8: 26-27
Be careful and discerning with what others say through the internet, preaching, and books. Always seek affirmation of what any person says through the Scriptures, prayer, and discussion, and, yes, I mean you should question what I say also. I cannot encourage you strongly enough to seek out help from the Holy Spirit, through study of Scripture and prayer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. What methods do you use to understand what the Bible says?
2. Do you pray for understanding?
3. God has promised you many things about the Holy Spirit and you; are you confident He is telling the truth?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"God hath divers ways into divers men.
Into some he comes at noon, in the sunshine of prosperity;
to some in the dark and heavy clouds of adversity.
Some he affects with the music of the church;
some, with some particular collect or prayer;
some, with some passage of a sermon, which takes no hold of him that stands next to him.
Watch the way of the Spirit of God into thee."
John Donne
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
That one thing…
ListenDaily - 12 January 2010: That one thing…
That one thing…
Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly,
what that one thing in me is,
which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God;
and to direct all my forces against it.
So goes one of Jonathan Edwards’ 70 resolutions*. So then, what might that “one thing” (or more than one thing) be, that causes us to doubt that God loves us, or that His love is sufficient to cover us in all circumstances?
There is no way to print an exhaustive list; everyone has their points of weakness. They might include fear, embarrassment, shame, circumstances (past or present), or any of a myriad of things that keep us from receiving all God would give us.
Jonathan Edwards says that he resolved to figure out which it was for him, and then to “direct all my forces against it”. An honorable idea, which I think each of us, should consider. But remember one thing: 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. (Eph. 6:12)
Friends, whatever that “thing” is, that causes you to doubt, that prevents you from receiving, or that stands between you and God, remember, it is nothing compared to the power, authority, and love of God. The enemy uses our fears as a portal for his lies; he will rush around us and whisper in our ears that the “one thing” is too big, too bad, too awful, or too ugly for God to get around. Is it? Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Gen. 18:13)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Have you ever felt that God couldn’t love you?
2. Have you ever felt that God’s love couldn’t overcome your fear?
3. What then, is your next step?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
Brendan Francis
LINKS:
* http://www.apuritansmind.com/christianwalk/ResolutionsOfJonathanEdwards.htm
That one thing…
Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly,
what that one thing in me is,
which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God;
and to direct all my forces against it.
So goes one of Jonathan Edwards’ 70 resolutions*. So then, what might that “one thing” (or more than one thing) be, that causes us to doubt that God loves us, or that His love is sufficient to cover us in all circumstances?
There is no way to print an exhaustive list; everyone has their points of weakness. They might include fear, embarrassment, shame, circumstances (past or present), or any of a myriad of things that keep us from receiving all God would give us.
Jonathan Edwards says that he resolved to figure out which it was for him, and then to “direct all my forces against it”. An honorable idea, which I think each of us, should consider. But remember one thing: 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. (Eph. 6:12)
Friends, whatever that “thing” is, that causes you to doubt, that prevents you from receiving, or that stands between you and God, remember, it is nothing compared to the power, authority, and love of God. The enemy uses our fears as a portal for his lies; he will rush around us and whisper in our ears that the “one thing” is too big, too bad, too awful, or too ugly for God to get around. Is it? Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Gen. 18:13)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Have you ever felt that God couldn’t love you?
2. Have you ever felt that God’s love couldn’t overcome your fear?
3. What then, is your next step?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
Brendan Francis
LINKS:
* http://www.apuritansmind.com/christianwalk/ResolutionsOfJonathanEdwards.htm
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
ListenDaily - 05 January 2010: Doubt
Happy New Year! So then, moving on from yesterday's In the beginning...God...
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
I had lunch with my good friend and brother, Pastor Jeff Collins of Christ Memorial Baptist Church*, here in Dover, Delaware, John Groth, of PriorityOne**, and a few other men. Jeff presented us with a list of resolutions made by one of the American fathers of the faith and a key figure of the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards***. One of those resolutions reads:
Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
I had an initial, knee-jerk reaction to this -- I don't doubt the love of God, so let's move on it is a long list of resolutions!) But the conversation (as conversations with these guys tend to do) began to go deeper, and I have continued to think about it since.
Do I ever doubt God's love? Do you? Are you as convinced as the Apostle Paul of the fullness of God's Love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. For God so loved the world... what does that mean? 2. Are you certain of His love for you? 3. What might it look like to doubt His love?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays." Andrew Murray
"Beware you are not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge." John Wesley
"If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all we wanted to say,
every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they loved them." Christopher Morley
"Love is the great conqueror of lust." C.S. Lewis
LINKS:
* http://www.christmemorialbaptist.org/
** http://priorityone.org
*** http://www.jonathan-edwards.org/
For I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers, neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
I had lunch with my good friend and brother, Pastor Jeff Collins of Christ Memorial Baptist Church*, here in Dover, Delaware, John Groth, of PriorityOne**, and a few other men. Jeff presented us with a list of resolutions made by one of the American fathers of the faith and a key figure of the Great Awakening, Jonathan Edwards***. One of those resolutions reads:
Resolved, to examine carefully, and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and to direct all my forces against it.
I had an initial, knee-jerk reaction to this -- I don't doubt the love of God, so let's move on it is a long list of resolutions!) But the conversation (as conversations with these guys tend to do) began to go deeper, and I have continued to think about it since.
Do I ever doubt God's love? Do you? Are you as convinced as the Apostle Paul of the fullness of God's Love?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. For God so loved the world... what does that mean? 2. Are you certain of His love for you? 3. What might it look like to doubt His love?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"Our love to God is measured by our everyday fellowship with others and the love it displays." Andrew Murray
"Beware you are not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge." John Wesley
"If we discovered that we had only five minutes left to say all we wanted to say,
every telephone booth would be occupied by people calling other people to stammer that they loved them." Christopher Morley
"Love is the great conqueror of lust." C.S. Lewis
LINKS:
* http://www.christmemorialbaptist.org/
** http://priorityone.org
*** http://www.jonathan-edwards.org/
In the beginning... l
ListenDaily - 04 January 2010: In the beginning...
Happy New Year!
After a much longer break than I ever imagined, the ListenDaily study is back online. I have a whole bunch of whiny excuses, but I digress.
"Happy New Year!" Here we are on the first (for most of us) work day of 2010. It's a new beginning. Have you made any resolutions? Broken any yet? Whenever I think of New Year's resolutions, I always think of the Apostle Paul's resolution (1 Cor. 2:2); For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Paul obviously knew other things, I think he was saying that he was resolving to see Christ in everything and everyone, nothing -- no one -- apart from Christ. I can't help but wonder if Paul was thinking over the creation story -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new year -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new day -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new job, a new semester, a new family -- "In the beginning, God..."
God desires to make new creations of us all. (Consider all the Scriptures about new birth, and "create in me a clean heart".) Is there anything changing in your life? Anything you want to change? Go back to the beginning. "In the beginning, God."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Have you made any resolutions? 2. What is God's place (not religion, not church) in those resolutions? 3. What would it mean for you to put God in the beginning of your resolutions?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God." Charles Finney
Happy New Year!
After a much longer break than I ever imagined, the ListenDaily study is back online. I have a whole bunch of whiny excuses, but I digress.
"Happy New Year!" Here we are on the first (for most of us) work day of 2010. It's a new beginning. Have you made any resolutions? Broken any yet? Whenever I think of New Year's resolutions, I always think of the Apostle Paul's resolution (1 Cor. 2:2); For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Paul obviously knew other things, I think he was saying that he was resolving to see Christ in everything and everyone, nothing -- no one -- apart from Christ. I can't help but wonder if Paul was thinking over the creation story -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new year -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new day -- "In the beginning, God..."
What a great thought for the beginning of a new job, a new semester, a new family -- "In the beginning, God..."
God desires to make new creations of us all. (Consider all the Scriptures about new birth, and "create in me a clean heart".) Is there anything changing in your life? Anything you want to change? Go back to the beginning. "In the beginning, God."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Questions:
1. Have you made any resolutions? 2. What is God's place (not religion, not church) in those resolutions? 3. What would it mean for you to put God in the beginning of your resolutions?
INTERESTING THOUGHT:
"A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God." Charles Finney
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)