I am currently enrolled in the Global Studies class here at the university. Jeff Lewis is my professor and I must say that this class is absolutely amazing. He has so much knowledge and insight into the scripture, and I one day hope to know that I have retained it all.
Today we discussed Psalm 67. Here it is, to get the whole context.
Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upone us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the people praise you!
The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!
At the end of Psalm 67, David states, "God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!" David understood that through the blessings God bestowed on them (the Jews), others would seek out God. David asked for the blessings so confidently because he understood God's true purpose. Now that I understand why I am blessed so much, I also have the same responsibility to use those blessings wisely.
God's blessings are not just because we are such wonderful people. If that was the deciding factor, we would have no blessings, for we are far from wonderful! We will never have enough on our own to attain salvation and resurrection with Christ. It is through God and God alone that I will one day enter into Heaven for eternity to be spent with Him.
God blesses us so that others will see His work and be drawn to Him. For example:
In I Kings 10:1, it says, "Now when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with hard questions." God blessed Solomon with wisdom. That is a very commonly known fact, especially among the church going population. However, what is so often overlooked is that God blessed him so that others would hear of God and His greatness, one example being the queen of Sheba.
This all starts back in Genesis 1:28 which says, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" God blessed them and then sent them out. In Genesis 9:1 it says, "And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'" Then again, in Genesis 12:2-3 it states, "And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." All the families. All. Through God's blessing on me, others will be blessed. That will be because they see my blessings, are drawn to Him who blessed me, and come to know Him in the same way I do, therefore also being blessed. God's blessing cannot come without God's purpose.
So what does this mean in my life? This means I have been blessed in a multitude of ways. I need to be developing those blessings so that others might see them and be drawn to Christ, the true Blesser. Without His blessings, I would be nowhere, and I would still be dead in my sins. If I am not developing the gifts and other blessings that God has given me, I am not being a good steward of those things which I have been given (I Pet. 4:10). Through developing these gifts, I can better serve those around me as I Peter talks about. If I allow my gifts and my blessings to go to waste, I am telling God that His plans and His gifts are worthless. Seeing how He is the One True God and He is the reason for everything I do, nothing about Him is worthless. And I am only worth anything because of Him.
Prayer:
*Southeast Asia
*Dedication in school
*Faithfulness in quiet times
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Even amidst the turmoil
Psalm 30
I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.
O LORD, you have brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.
Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."
O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
"What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
These verses are such a blessing to me. They are such a solid reminder that God heals. God spares us. Although we may be full of sorrow, God will provide and He will heal us so that our joy may return. Being the (sometimes) self-centered American I am, I didn't really take into consideration how the days of others around me might be going until about halfway through my day. When I did start to consider it, I realized that we could all use some encouragement. I began to search my Bible for the best and truest encouragement there is, and I came upon Psalm 30. God is merciful. God is going to make those of us who are His disciples joyful. He will not let us be conquered by our enemies but even in the midst of hard times, He will help us overcome those.
My pastor, Dr. Mooney, frequently uses Romans 8:37 as a reference of this. When Romans 8 tells us we will be "more than conquerers" it is not speaking of good things. Rather, it is speaking of hard times, oppression, and persecution. These things will happen if we are being true disciples of Christ. Life won't be easy, rather, it will be challenging. Sometimes horrendously challenging. Nevertheless, God will be there to provide and pull us through if we are faithful.
Not only is He there, providing, saving, redeeming us, even amidst the turmoil, but we are to praise Him for this very act. He deserves our highest praise and yet, so often, I find myself giving Him a halfhearted attempt of praise. Honestly, He deserves it all and He has not held back from me so why do I hold back from Him? If we are to be able to expect His help and provision, we should be giving the highest praise.
I have found Psalm 30 to be a huge encouragement today. When things are really getting rough, God is still there. He is beside me. So I close with this.
As much as I have found Psalm 30 to be encouraging to me, I hope you, also, will reap some encouragement. He really is there beside you if you are a disciple of His son Christ. Keep also in mind I Peter 5:7 which says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." He really does. Hope this has encouraged you.
Prayer:
*Southeast Asia
*quiet times
*school work
Update as of 8:00 PM on Monday night:
Let us not forget Hebrews 4:16 which says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." HE IS HERE. God is with us. We are not alone and we will pull through. But only by His grace. I guess the question is, are we relying on Him like the remnant (Isaiah 10) or are we going to continue in idolatry and relying on someone or something else more than on the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 1)? By placing our trust in something or someone other than the one true God, we would be slapping Him and His mercy and redemption in the face. Let us not do that but let us throw ourselves at His feet and remember that He is our reason for everything. For living. For breathing. For praising.
I will exalt you, O LORD,
for you lifted me out of the depths
and did not let my enemies gloat over me.
O LORD my God, I called to you for help
and you healed me.
O LORD, you have brought me up from the grave;
you spared me from going down into the pit.
Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;
praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may remain for a night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.
When I felt secure, I said,
"I will never be shaken."
O LORD, when you favored me,
you made my mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
I was dismayed.
To you, O LORD, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
"What gain is there in my destruction,
in my going down into the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me;
O LORD, be my help."
You turned my wailing into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
These verses are such a blessing to me. They are such a solid reminder that God heals. God spares us. Although we may be full of sorrow, God will provide and He will heal us so that our joy may return. Being the (sometimes) self-centered American I am, I didn't really take into consideration how the days of others around me might be going until about halfway through my day. When I did start to consider it, I realized that we could all use some encouragement. I began to search my Bible for the best and truest encouragement there is, and I came upon Psalm 30. God is merciful. God is going to make those of us who are His disciples joyful. He will not let us be conquered by our enemies but even in the midst of hard times, He will help us overcome those.
My pastor, Dr. Mooney, frequently uses Romans 8:37 as a reference of this. When Romans 8 tells us we will be "more than conquerers" it is not speaking of good things. Rather, it is speaking of hard times, oppression, and persecution. These things will happen if we are being true disciples of Christ. Life won't be easy, rather, it will be challenging. Sometimes horrendously challenging. Nevertheless, God will be there to provide and pull us through if we are faithful.
Not only is He there, providing, saving, redeeming us, even amidst the turmoil, but we are to praise Him for this very act. He deserves our highest praise and yet, so often, I find myself giving Him a halfhearted attempt of praise. Honestly, He deserves it all and He has not held back from me so why do I hold back from Him? If we are to be able to expect His help and provision, we should be giving the highest praise.
I have found Psalm 30 to be a huge encouragement today. When things are really getting rough, God is still there. He is beside me. So I close with this.
As much as I have found Psalm 30 to be encouraging to me, I hope you, also, will reap some encouragement. He really is there beside you if you are a disciple of His son Christ. Keep also in mind I Peter 5:7 which says, "Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." He really does. Hope this has encouraged you.
Prayer:
*Southeast Asia
*quiet times
*school work
Update as of 8:00 PM on Monday night:
Let us not forget Hebrews 4:16 which says, "Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." HE IS HERE. God is with us. We are not alone and we will pull through. But only by His grace. I guess the question is, are we relying on Him like the remnant (Isaiah 10) or are we going to continue in idolatry and relying on someone or something else more than on the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 1)? By placing our trust in something or someone other than the one true God, we would be slapping Him and His mercy and redemption in the face. Let us not do that but let us throw ourselves at His feet and remember that He is our reason for everything. For living. For breathing. For praising.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Passion
Passion.
This one little word holds so much meaning and carries so much weight when used correctly. John Riter defines passion as, "the degree of difficulty we're willing to endure to accomplish the goal." If this is true, how many of us truly show passion in our lives for anything?
So often we throw the word passion around as a description of those we know. "He's so passionate about music." "She has such a passion for art." Really, when looking at the definition of passion again, most people we know are not passionate.
Passion.
What will it take to truly live out the definition of that word? In II Timothy 1:8-9a, Paul calls us to share with him in the sufferings of Christ. Sufferings are a part of passion. Also, in I Peter 4:12-13 we are told that we already share in His sufferings and that we are to rejoice in it! Today in my Global Studies class, a student made the statement that we don't have the opportunity in our everday lives to live with passion or to display passion. I disagree. If we are told in the Bible that we are to share with Christ in His sufferings, there must be opportunities present. Each and every day I have the option to live passionately for Him.
Passion.
Hardly anyone is truly passionate anymore. Those who are stand out, and those who aren't are considered "normal." Even more rare, I believe, is to find someone passionate about Christ. Loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength must require passion, yes? I believe so. We cannot be fully consummed by something and lack passion. Paul also tells Timothy in I Timothy 6:11-12 to not be caught up in the distractions that this world offers (specifically the love of money in this passage), but to be focused on Christ. Also, think on this. The book of Proverbs encourages a passionate pursuit of wisdom. We are told not to listen to all the other voices and distractions that may be present in our lives.
Passion.
The KJV Bible uses the word passion in Acts 1:3 when describing Jesus' crucifixion. Passion requires going the distance, whatever that may entail, to reach and accomplish a goal. No matter the pain, no matter the consequences. That's exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. No matter the pain. He went through with it all for us to live in eternity with Him. That's because Jesus truly understood passion. He should, after all he helped create it. In theater, the "passion play" was always about Jesus' life and crucifixion. A passion play was never anything else.
Passion.
What does that small word now evoke in you? Do you desire to live passionately for Christ now that you know what it really means? Be encouraging one another in Christ to be living passionately for Him.
Some prayer requests:
*Upcoming Southeast Asia trip
*Faithfulness in quiet times
*Dedication to school work
This one little word holds so much meaning and carries so much weight when used correctly. John Riter defines passion as, "the degree of difficulty we're willing to endure to accomplish the goal." If this is true, how many of us truly show passion in our lives for anything?
So often we throw the word passion around as a description of those we know. "He's so passionate about music." "She has such a passion for art." Really, when looking at the definition of passion again, most people we know are not passionate.
Passion.
What will it take to truly live out the definition of that word? In II Timothy 1:8-9a, Paul calls us to share with him in the sufferings of Christ. Sufferings are a part of passion. Also, in I Peter 4:12-13 we are told that we already share in His sufferings and that we are to rejoice in it! Today in my Global Studies class, a student made the statement that we don't have the opportunity in our everday lives to live with passion or to display passion. I disagree. If we are told in the Bible that we are to share with Christ in His sufferings, there must be opportunities present. Each and every day I have the option to live passionately for Him.
Passion.
Hardly anyone is truly passionate anymore. Those who are stand out, and those who aren't are considered "normal." Even more rare, I believe, is to find someone passionate about Christ. Loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength must require passion, yes? I believe so. We cannot be fully consummed by something and lack passion. Paul also tells Timothy in I Timothy 6:11-12 to not be caught up in the distractions that this world offers (specifically the love of money in this passage), but to be focused on Christ. Also, think on this. The book of Proverbs encourages a passionate pursuit of wisdom. We are told not to listen to all the other voices and distractions that may be present in our lives.
Passion.
The KJV Bible uses the word passion in Acts 1:3 when describing Jesus' crucifixion. Passion requires going the distance, whatever that may entail, to reach and accomplish a goal. No matter the pain, no matter the consequences. That's exactly what Jesus Christ did for us on the cross. No matter the pain. He went through with it all for us to live in eternity with Him. That's because Jesus truly understood passion. He should, after all he helped create it. In theater, the "passion play" was always about Jesus' life and crucifixion. A passion play was never anything else.
Passion.
What does that small word now evoke in you? Do you desire to live passionately for Christ now that you know what it really means? Be encouraging one another in Christ to be living passionately for Him.
Some prayer requests:
*Upcoming Southeast Asia trip
*Faithfulness in quiet times
*Dedication to school work
Monday, February 18, 2008
Forgiveness
So, I was reading one of my favorite blogs and he had a link to one of his favorite blogs which was an article on forgiveness. Check it out. It's worth the time. Here is the link. Please take the time to check it out.
[HT Anthony]
[HT Anthony]
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Internal threats and Israel
The only threat Israel ever had was internal. As long as they were seeking God and following Him, they would never be harmed. He would protect them. It would be as He promised. The instant they allowed themselves to turn to idolatry of any form, they were opening themselves up for destruction and desolation.
See the similarities? I do. In my life, the only threat I have is internal. If I am following God, seeking Him out, and obeying His commands, thereby truly worshiping Him, what harm can come to me? As Paul says in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." If I am seeking Him and I die, I will never have anything to regret. If I am not following Him wholeheartedly, I have much to regret. There are so many things I wish I understood better or wish I knew how to do better to serve Him. I need to realize that if I am unconditionally surrendering to Him and nothing or nobody else, I will be learning those things I desire to know and know how to do. God will never leave me. He has always been faithful.
So why do I find it so easy to be like the Israelites even though I know their mistakes so well? God has told me exactly how to avoid those same mistakes and yet, so often, I fall right back into them. I'm human, but thankfully no longer a sinner. But I sin. That's a fact. It is something I am striving to overcome through Christ, but that is a long and (sometimes) painful journey. God even tells me through Romans 15 that everything has been recorded that we may learn from it. So at this point, it's really my choice not to learn, yeah? Yeah. It is.
Thankfully, there is Romans 8 which tells me there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. As long as I am striving as Paul talks of in Philippians 3 and bearing the good fruit spoken of in Matthew 7, it will be clear that I am striving my best to walk the Christian life. Honestly, thank God I have been given this option.
For tonight, I think I am done. But there are many thoughts I will be sharing. For now, here are some things to be praying for...
*Faithfulness in my quiet times
*My trip to Southeast Asia this summer
*Dedication to my school work
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