Discipline is not God trying to pay you back; it is God trying to bring you back.
Low Drama & Fake: Sitcoms, many Fb posts.
Low Drama & Real: Being responsible, being apathetic, smoking weed.
High Drama & Fake: Reality TV
High Drama & Real: Pain, conflict, injustice, hatred, sickness, suffering, death, miracles, healing and resurrection on the third day.
1. False god promises greater joy through disobedience to God.
2. Person believes the lie.
3. Real life happens.
4. False god’s lie is exposed for what it really is.
Rinse and repeat.
OK. Quick question. What does “bless” mean?
I need to know what this word means if I am to ask the Almighty to do it for America.
Does asking for blessing mean I am asking God to give America more money? Power? Security? Happiness? Political unity? Protection from economic downturns? Protection from terrorists? More joy? Better marriages? More kids? Better kids? No kids? A lower unemployment rate? For more 3-day weekends? For peace?
I ask, because I really only want one thing for America; a move of the merciful Spirit of God changing hearts from stone into flesh, setting Americans free to worship the Father rightly, through the Son.
America bless God
Lord that I love
Stand beside Him
As He guides you through the night with the Light that is Himself.
From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam,
America, bless God
Make Him your home, sweet home.
“Dear Jesus, my friend said he needs to meet with me later today. I know he wants to talk about some issues in my life, or maybe just one of them. I know that he loves You and that he loves me, so his words to me may be hurtful, but only to my pride. Please give me the desire to listen; to hear Your voice through the courageous words of a friend who wants me to find greater joy in You.
The old me simply hates correction. I hate that the old me is even there. I look forward to the day when he is dead; then he will finally be silent in my life, and I’ll stop sinning. But here on earth, help me to embrace the tool of rebuke. Make me humble enough to receive it and courageous enough to give it.
Jesus, please remind my individualistic mind how desperately I need the Spirit’s words through brothers and sisters. Make me see that I am shooting myself in the foot when I avoid community. Help me to truly hear, to understand in my head, then repent with all my heart.
Amen.”
Our company said goodbye to a really good guy on Monday.
He was the husband of a wonderful wife, who is also with our company, and the father of two little ones. His death was a total shock, and appears to have been something like a freak brain aneurysm. This got me thinking…
Did this man have a meltdown at age 18, wondering what he was going to do with the second half of his life? Probably not.
Particularly when you are under the conviction that life is about so much more than yourself, it bears asking the question:
“If guessing the midpoint of my life is impossible, can I do anything more than take every moment to honor God, serve others, work hard, and love people well?”
No. No you can’t.
He was eating whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it, in whatever quantity suited him at the moment. Then someone in his church small group explained to him what the word “gluttony” means.
She was a new Christian who lived a very normal life. She was working hard as a server at Chili’s, studying hard to get through nursing school, and living with her boyfriend of two years. Then her pastor preached about what the word “adultery” means in the Bible.
And then earlier this week I read Gods at War and the book showed me how my passions, money, time and affections show me what is truly ultimate in my heart. Now I look at the first Commandment a little differently: “You will have no other gods before Me.”
OK, maybe I was sinning already, but now that I’m aware, something has to change.
What was tugging at my heart last week as I read about the ritual slaughter of lambs? Why did it seem so much easier to give one’s best to God when all it took was surveying the flock and taking the best one to the Temple?
It was a weird emotion.
I knew in my head that I have a perfect Lamb, a perfect High Priest, and a perfect Temple along with a far better Covenant. So what was the strange attraction to the Levitical way? In a word…simplicity.
My daily sacrifice is my own life, (Romans 12:1-2) and ironically, that seems messier than just killing an animal.
Quick cultural observation:
As a real estate agent, I can’t help but notice that dining rooms are no longer in vogue. If families no longer need/want a room for dining, then it would be natural to assume that eating is becoming passe…
…or not.
We are eating, but I would have to guess that the new visual focus of a group of eaters is the television, not each other. Yes, you could make an argument that this has been happening since the 50s, but at least here in Sacramento, CA, homes built as recently as the early 90s still have dining rooms.
So in 2014 we still eat; we’re just allowing relationship to fall into the background, perhaps.
It all makes makes me kinda sad. It seems something of the evening routine needs to be redeemed…thanks to TiVo, this shouldn’t be too hard!
Share a meal with loved ones this week, and comment here how it went!
I felt strongly impressed of the Holy Spirit a few weeks ago that I really should get back to writing out my prayers. It slows me down; it exposes how self-centered my prayers can be, and gives the Spirit room to direct my passions toward God’s glory and the Gospel’s advancement, instead of asking for small things and being satisfied playing with mud pies in a slum.
After some time writing this morning, I picked up the Sword to survey Christ’s utter holiness as communicated in Leviticus 1. I haven’t felt God’s presence so deeply in weeks. God is so patient with me when I am distracted by lesser things.
Growing Forward 