Roman s 13:14a Let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you...
The apostle, Paul, wrote those 7 words in his letter to the Christians in Rome.
They lived in a city considered by the western world at the time to pretty much be the center of the world's activities.
It was an unbelievably wicked place in an equally unbelievably wicked world.
And Paul tells them to let Jesus take control of their lives.
What would our lives look like if we REALLY did that?
If we let go of our hopes, dreams, desires, & wants...
If we relinquished control of our present, our past, & followed Him into our future...
If we became & did what He led us to be & do...
What do you think that would look like?
What do you think it would be like for you, or for me, or anyone for that matter?
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Friday, November 29, 2013
keep on
Who, besides me, needs to be told this morning to endure, persist, hang on, persevere, continue, last, or finish?
Why did these 2 two verses stand out today as I was up early reading this morning?
I've gotta think about how the overarching truth of these verses applies to me right now.
But I also felt like these 2 verses are for more than just me.
Maybe they're for you, too.
Read them, & see if God speaks into your life through them.
When you see the repeated parts, emphasize the words in caps (I'm not shouting ;-) .
Matthew 7:7 - 8
Keep on
asking,
& YOU will be given what you ask for.
& you WILL be given what you ask for.
& you will be GIVEN what you ask for.
& you will be given what YOU ask for.
& you will be given what you ASK for.
Keep on
looking,
& YOU will find.
& you WILL find.
& you will FIND.
Keep on
knocking,
& the DOOR will be opened.
& the door WILL be opened.
& the door will be OPENED.
For everyone who asks,
receives.
Everyone who seeks,
finds.
And to everyone who knocks,
the door is opened.
Why did these 2 two verses stand out today as I was up early reading this morning?
I've gotta think about how the overarching truth of these verses applies to me right now.
But I also felt like these 2 verses are for more than just me.
Maybe they're for you, too.
Read them, & see if God speaks into your life through them.
When you see the repeated parts, emphasize the words in caps (I'm not shouting ;-) .
Matthew 7:7 - 8
Keep on
asking,
& YOU will be given what you ask for.
& you WILL be given what you ask for.
& you will be GIVEN what you ask for.
& you will be given what YOU ask for.
& you will be given what you ASK for.
Keep on
looking,
& YOU will find.
& you WILL find.
& you will FIND.
Keep on
knocking,
& the DOOR will be opened.
& the door WILL be opened.
& the door will be OPENED.
For everyone who asks,
receives.
Everyone who seeks,
finds.
And to everyone who knocks,
the door is opened.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
don't worry
Matthew 6
25b ...don't worry about your life...
whether you have enough food and drink,
or enough clothes to wear.
Isn't life more than food,
and your body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds.
They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 "And why worry about your clothing?
Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.
They don't work or make their clothing,
29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today
and thrown into the fire tomorrow,
he will certainly care for you.
Why do you have so little faith?
31 "So don't worry about these things, saying,
'What will we eat?
What will we drink?
What will we wear?'
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need.
34 So don't worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Today's trouble is enough for today.
My mischievous nephew, Aaron Barth,came to staff prayer one morning.
He told me that he had been studying Matthew 5-7, called by some as the Sermon on the Mount.
And he said something remarkable...
"Ya know, that whole section about the lilies of the field & the birds of the air? Jesus could have stopped at the very beginning of all that & just said 'don't worry about your life'. He didn't need to say the rest."
What he said rocked my world.
It still does.
And it's just as true now (if not more) than it was then.
I'm a worrier.
Yeah, I know that worry is really just a full blown lack of trust.
But anyway, I'm a worrier.
And Jesus whispered to me then, & continues to whisper to me...
"...don't worry about your life..."
How then would we all live if we truly believe what Jesus said?
25b ...don't worry about your life...
whether you have enough food and drink,
or enough clothes to wear.
Isn't life more than food,
and your body more than clothing?
26 Look at the birds.
They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns,
for your heavenly Father feeds them.
And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are?
27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
28 "And why worry about your clothing?
Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow.
They don't work or make their clothing,
29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today
and thrown into the fire tomorrow,
he will certainly care for you.
Why do you have so little faith?
31 "So don't worry about these things, saying,
'What will we eat?
What will we drink?
What will we wear?'
32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers,
but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else,
and live righteously,
and he will give you everything you need.
34 So don't worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Today's trouble is enough for today.
My mischievous nephew, Aaron Barth,came to staff prayer one morning.
He told me that he had been studying Matthew 5-7, called by some as the Sermon on the Mount.
And he said something remarkable...
"Ya know, that whole section about the lilies of the field & the birds of the air? Jesus could have stopped at the very beginning of all that & just said 'don't worry about your life'. He didn't need to say the rest."
What he said rocked my world.
It still does.
And it's just as true now (if not more) than it was then.
I'm a worrier.
Yeah, I know that worry is really just a full blown lack of trust.
But anyway, I'm a worrier.
And Jesus whispered to me then, & continues to whisper to me...
"...don't worry about your life..."
How then would we all live if we truly believe what Jesus said?
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Go!
Romans 10
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.
They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
That is why the Scriptures say,
"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
Think about this...
Setting up a connecting with God is so simple - not easy, but simple.
And that connection is usually brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts AND the active participation of Christ followers who are in anyone's life.
What if the people who impacted you & me & encouraged you & me to make a connection & commitment to Jesus had been as iffy & wishy-washy about it as you & me are?
What kind of state would you & I be in?
Yeah...
God says "Go!"
So, let's "Go!"
9 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,
you will be saved.
10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God,
and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.
11 As the Scriptures tell us, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced."
12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect.
They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him.
13 For "Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved."
14 But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him?
And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him?
And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?
15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
That is why the Scriptures say,
"How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!"
Think about this...
Setting up a connecting with God is so simple - not easy, but simple.
And that connection is usually brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts AND the active participation of Christ followers who are in anyone's life.
What if the people who impacted you & me & encouraged you & me to make a connection & commitment to Jesus had been as iffy & wishy-washy about it as you & me are?
What kind of state would you & I be in?
Yeah...
God says "Go!"
So, let's "Go!"
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
2014
Hebrews 10
35 Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens.
36 Patient endurance is what you need now,
so you will continue to do God's will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 12
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands
& stand firm on your shakey legs.
13 Then those who follow you,
though they be weak & lame,
will not stumble & fall but will stay strong.
4 verse I believe God's given me to hold onto during 2014...
As I absorb them for next year, here's some of the stuff running through my head...
What could they all portend?
What could "no matter what happens" mean?
"Patient endurance" means it's gonna get tough, or it's gonna take a long time? Or both?
I can't figure out what "promise" it's talking about.
Well, I certainly have tired hands & shakey legs!
Who's following me?
Yes, I know this sounds neurotic, but welcome to the inside of my head! ;-)
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how these 4 verses are ones I'll need next year.
35 Don't throw away this confident trust in the Lord,
no matter what happens.
36 Patient endurance is what you need now,
so you will continue to do God's will.
Then you will receive all that He has promised.
Hebrews 12
12 So take a new grip with your tired hands
& stand firm on your shakey legs.
13 Then those who follow you,
though they be weak & lame,
will not stumble & fall but will stay strong.
4 verse I believe God's given me to hold onto during 2014...
As I absorb them for next year, here's some of the stuff running through my head...
What could they all portend?
What could "no matter what happens" mean?
"Patient endurance" means it's gonna get tough, or it's gonna take a long time? Or both?
I can't figure out what "promise" it's talking about.
Well, I certainly have tired hands & shakey legs!
Who's following me?
Yes, I know this sounds neurotic, but welcome to the inside of my head! ;-)
Anyway, it will be interesting to see how these 4 verses are ones I'll need next year.
Monday, November 25, 2013
epic stuff
Sometimes the apostle Paul gets to writing & the Holy Spirit gets
a hold of him, and all kinds of incredible stuff comes pouring out.
That's what Romans 8 is like.
I'm sharing the verses I've underlined - verses that for one reason or another have stood out as I've read this chapter over the years...
Read it slowly...
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
So God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
5b...those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
9a But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.
You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
10 And Christ lives within you,
so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God,
who raised Jesus from the dead,
lives in you.
And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12b ...you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13b ...if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,
you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, "Abba, Father."
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.
17 And since we are his children,
we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us,
who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,
won't he also give us everything else?
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?
Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love.
Neither death
nor life,
neither angels
nor demons,
neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow;
not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.
39 No power in the sky above
or in the earth below;
nothing
in all creation
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God
that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
That's what Romans 8 is like.
I'm sharing the verses I've underlined - verses that for one reason or another have stood out as I've read this chapter over the years...
Read it slowly...
Romans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.
2 And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
So God did what the law could not do.
He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have.
And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.
5b...those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit.
9a But you are not controlled by your sinful nature.
You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you.
10 And Christ lives within you,
so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God.
11 The Spirit of God,
who raised Jesus from the dead,
lives in you.
And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you.
12b ...you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.
13b ...if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature,
you will live.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.
15 So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves.
Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children.
Now we call him, "Abba, Father."
16 For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children.
17 And since we are his children,
we are his heirs.
In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.
But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness.
For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for.
But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
27 And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying,
for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
28 And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
31 What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us,
who can ever be against us?
32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all,
won't he also give us everything else?
35 Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love?
Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?
37 No,
despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love.
Neither death
nor life,
neither angels
nor demons,
neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow;
not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.
39 No power in the sky above
or in the earth below;
nothing
in all creation
will ever be able to separate us from the love of God
that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
thankful-ness
Psalm 95:1 Come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the LORD is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,
7 for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
I know that we all have it tough sometimes.
At the same time we aren't thankful enough for what we do have.
Perhaps it is a greater virtue to be thankful for what we have rather than being sorrowful for what we don't have or what we've lost.
Does that last sentence make sense?
As we approach our national holiday of thanksgiving, maybe we should ask ourselves if we TRULY are thankful for what we have, what God has done for us, & how He continues to "watch over" us.
Think about it...
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come to him with thanksgiving.
Let us sing psalms of praise to him.
3 For the LORD is a great God,
a great King above all gods.
4 He holds in his hands the depths of the earth
and the mightiest mountains.
5 The sea belongs to him, for he made it.
His hands formed the dry land, too.
6 Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,
7 for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
I know that we all have it tough sometimes.
At the same time we aren't thankful enough for what we do have.
Perhaps it is a greater virtue to be thankful for what we have rather than being sorrowful for what we don't have or what we've lost.
Does that last sentence make sense?
As we approach our national holiday of thanksgiving, maybe we should ask ourselves if we TRULY are thankful for what we have, what God has done for us, & how He continues to "watch over" us.
Think about it...
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