I John 5:21 Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts.
We live in a society & culture that is incredibly wealthy. Even the poorest among us make more than the overwhelming majority of the rest of the world.
What might be some of the things included in the "anything" John refers to?
money
position
great job
great car
great place to live
video games
pumped & ripped body
friends
influence
reputation
opinions of others
sex
food
time off
toys
more interested in me than others
lots of stuff, like material things
clothes
greed
relationships
smugness
hate
dysfunction
a spirit of saying "later" rather than "ok, I'll be/do what You say"
laziness
pet sins
busy-ness
hidden motives
gossip disguised as prayer concerns
jealousy
fear
my way or the highway
arrogance
what else?
It's so easy to let even good things take God's place in our hearts.
It's all about what's the single most important thing in our lives.
Is there anything we think we can't live without?
I've been thinking about that this morning. Is there anything I couldn't give up. If there is, could that thing be what John is talking about?
Or must I come to the point where everything is surrender-able, except my relationship with our Abba Father?
everything...?
anything...?
I think so.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
loving & being loved
There's so many things in this section that are foundational to our identity as Christ followers. Read it slowly, & more than once.
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
13 And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. 14 Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 All who confess that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. 16 We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. 17 And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.
18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 19 We love each other because he loved us first.
20 If someone says, "I love God," but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is a liar; for if we don't love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? 21 And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.
Monday, September 6, 2010
handholds
Just reviewing the scripture passages God gave me for this year. In light of all that's happened recently, it seemed like a good idea...
1 Thessalonians 5:18 No matter what happens, always be thankful; for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (Got this Wed., Dec 23, 2009)
Proverbs 3:5 (The Message)
Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don't try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God's voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
He's the One Who will keep you on track.
(Got this Mon., Jan. 18)
Proverbs 4:25 Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
27 Don’t get sidetracked;
keep your feet from following evil.
(Got this Tues., Jan. 19)
Saturday, September 4, 2010
light & dark
1 John 1:5 This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you:
God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light,
then we have fellowship with each other,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
John jammed a lot in to just a few verses.
God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all.
6 So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth.
7 But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light,
then we have fellowship with each other,
and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.
8 If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.
9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
10 If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.
John jammed a lot in to just a few verses.
Friday, September 3, 2010
what he say
Psalm 16:8 I know the Lord is with me.
I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.
So much for all that stuff the devil's been saying to me. (read the blog from yesterday I wrote last night)
Here' s the rest of Palm 16, that I just "happened" to read ater aday of the devil whispering all kinds of crap to me.
Psalm 16:1 Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you."
3 The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.
5 LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the LORD who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me.
So much for all that stuff the devil's been saying to me. (read the blog from yesterday I wrote last night)
Here' s the rest of Palm 16, that I just "happened" to read ater aday of the devil whispering all kinds of crap to me.
Psalm 16:1 Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
2 I said to the LORD, "You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you."
3 The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
4 Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods.
I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood
or even speak the names of their gods.
5 LORD, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
6 The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
7 I will bless the LORD who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I know the LORD is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
9 No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice.
My body rests in safety.
10 For you will not leave my soul among the dead
or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
11 You will show me the way of life,
granting me the joy of your presence
and the pleasures of living with you forever.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
the adventure begins
Wednesday night, after unloading the uhaul, going to WalMart, siaying hi to a 20someting greeter Ben Kerr & I met a few weeks ago, having supper at Subway at WalMart, we finally headed out to the Farmhouse to collapse into bed.
We were driving down GA 129 to the Farmhouse in the dark, I was thinkiing...
We're REALLY gonna do this...
For the past few months, there's been something of a disconnect, because we were living in Macon, & going back & forth.
But Wednesday night, as we wound our way down the road to the Farmhouse, the reality of it all began to sink in.
The the devil started whispering things to me...
How are you gonna pay for this house?
What happens if you can't?
How are people gonna get to know you, & what are they gonna think about you? (probably not good things)
Why should YOU be the one that should be doing this?
You're 60 yrs old - come on!
How in the world are you gonna pull this off?
Do you REALLY think these people up here are just gonna take you at face value, find your trustworthy, & then trust you with themselves?!
(These are just a few of the dozens & dozens of things he said to me)
And what does God say to me?
Don't cling to your life, because if you cling to your life, you'll lose it, but if you let go of your life for Me, you'll find it.
Don't worry about your life.
God both precedes & follows me.
Sink your roots deep into Him.
No matter what happens, always be thankful.
Patience endurance is what you need now to that you will continue to do God's will.
Don't try to figure everything on your own.
We are the ones who throw the dice, but God determines how they land.
Whose ideas was this anyway?
So, we're walking toward it all in Blairsville. So much of it we haven't a clue about. I've been thinking about the dozens & dozens of college friends of mine who have done this kind of thing more than once in their lives, in different countries with different languages.
I've done cold moves before, but the last one was 30 yrs ago. Here's what I remember...
It takes about a year for people to get to know us, feel our trustworthy, & then, maybe, they will trust themselves with us.
Just be real - the real us is better than anything we can contrive.
Go slow.
Live our life like we always have - the uniqueness of our life will color the world around us.
Trust God to do His thing through us.
There is not telling what is up ahead. But God's in charge.
We were driving down GA 129 to the Farmhouse in the dark, I was thinkiing...
We're REALLY gonna do this...
For the past few months, there's been something of a disconnect, because we were living in Macon, & going back & forth.
But Wednesday night, as we wound our way down the road to the Farmhouse, the reality of it all began to sink in.
The the devil started whispering things to me...
How are you gonna pay for this house?
What happens if you can't?
How are people gonna get to know you, & what are they gonna think about you? (probably not good things)
Why should YOU be the one that should be doing this?
You're 60 yrs old - come on!
How in the world are you gonna pull this off?
Do you REALLY think these people up here are just gonna take you at face value, find your trustworthy, & then trust you with themselves?!
(These are just a few of the dozens & dozens of things he said to me)
And what does God say to me?
Don't cling to your life, because if you cling to your life, you'll lose it, but if you let go of your life for Me, you'll find it.
Don't worry about your life.
God both precedes & follows me.
Sink your roots deep into Him.
No matter what happens, always be thankful.
Patience endurance is what you need now to that you will continue to do God's will.
Don't try to figure everything on your own.
We are the ones who throw the dice, but God determines how they land.
Whose ideas was this anyway?
So, we're walking toward it all in Blairsville. So much of it we haven't a clue about. I've been thinking about the dozens & dozens of college friends of mine who have done this kind of thing more than once in their lives, in different countries with different languages.
I've done cold moves before, but the last one was 30 yrs ago. Here's what I remember...
It takes about a year for people to get to know us, feel our trustworthy, & then, maybe, they will trust themselves with us.
Just be real - the real us is better than anything we can contrive.
Go slow.
Live our life like we always have - the uniqueness of our life will color the world around us.
Trust God to do His thing through us.
There is not telling what is up ahead. But God's in charge.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
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