Showing posts with label Spiritual Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Life. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

I Corinthians 13:4-8

1 Cor 13:4-8 (KJV) "Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth."

Love is showing kindness. Kindness that is an end in itself. Love that doesn't expect a return. The kindness we share has the end goal of kindness alone.

Dan's paraphrase of 1 Cor 13:4-8

Love quietly waits for unpleasant situations to pass and through it all love remains kind. Love does not compare its lot in life against any body elses lot. He who has love does not need to show it off to other people nor does he want to be a show off himself. Love behaves right by being compassionate, sympathetic, empathetic, respectful, courteous, supportive and generous. However, love never does any of these things for ulterior motives. Someone without love may try to irritate the person with love in cruel ways but love will continue to show patient understanding toward them. Love will not imagine ways to get back at them. Love even becomes sad when tragedy falls on those who have provoked him and love is happy for them when they come to know and experience genuine love for themselves. Love puts up with all sorts of garbage because love has incredible faith that great miracles will soon take place and turn the garbage into treasure. Love has the power to fulfill the highest aspirations and accomplish unfathomable good. Love claims all the promises of God, not only for himself but for others also. Patiently trusting that everything will work out in the end, there is nothing love cannot fix. Although nothing of this earth will last forever, love is not of this earth. The love we have shown to others will never go away, its effects will follow people enriching lives in unimaginable ways and its ripples will only become wider encompassing the universe throughout eternity.

Describe how God's love has made a difference in your life? Compare your personal experience applying love with the ultimate love described in this passage?

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Proverbs 3:5-6

Prov 3:5-6 (NIV) “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”

Are you facing a crossroad in your life? Do you have family or friends who are depending on you to make wise choices? Are you ever unsure whether you are making the right decisions?

Is there a difference between just trusting the Lord, and trusting the Lord with all your heart? Maybe it’s time to try some extreme trust! I have heard it said, "To have things you've never had, you must be willing to do things you've never done.” Like trusting when we know potential harm may come to us or trusting without a guarantee. So many times we want answers, plain and clear, before we trust. But real trust, trusting with all your heart, involves stepping out in total darkness, unsure of where you are stepping, unable to see your hand in front of your face trust walking. It is not really trust if there is no risk, it is not really trust if the path is straight and the road is clearly marked, if the brightness of the sun clears away the shadows and reveals all the obstacles in our way.

We often want to do things our way rather than God’s way, God’s way is not the natural way we often think about, so to do things we have never done is in many ways parallel to trying it God’s way, something we cannot do without being led by the Spirit. The New Testament talks often about individuals like Paul and Philip being led away by the spirit. This is something we need to ask for from God on a daily basis, for God to redirect our plans through His Spirit in all that we do. Then be willing to do whatever God directs us to do no matter how crazy it may sound at the time.

God will not give us detailed instructions and it is not like Him to reveal His plans far ahead of time. But if we are open minded to His “still, small voice” speaking to our hearts, if we have faith to believe what He is revealing to us, is actually from Him, then just in time He will direct our paths.

Describe some of the risks you have taken in order to follow Jesus? What other risks would you be willing to take to follow Him more?

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

John 15:7-8

John 15:7-8 (NIV) “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

My very limited experience with peach trees and blueberry bushes on our property in Michigan helped me realize some important lessons illustrated in this passage. God makes the flower appear on the branch, bees pollinate the flowers and fruit appears. Pruning helps, fertilizing helps, watering is essential, and sunlight is essential. God sends the sunshine and the rain. God created a system that allows nature to take rotten food and worms turn it into compost that fertilizes the soil that allows the trees and plants to absorb nutrients. In the same way, God provides all our spiritual needs. The farmer prunes the dead or useless branches once a year. Only healthy branches that remain connected to the tree bear fruit. Farmers pride themselves in techniques that produce larger and more abundant fruits but really the farmer cannot make the tree produce any fruit. God does it all.

In our spiritual life, God produces all the fruit, we need to be a good branch that remains connected to God to avoid pruning. If there are things we know we can do to help make larger and more abundant fruit we should do them.

God answers prayer, “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” God is like a loving parent he wants to give us whatever we want. Ask God in prayer, He will provide all or emotional, spiritual, and physical needs that are for our enduring good. But being a wise parent he knows to only give us the things that is for our ultimate good that will help us grow and bear more fruit.

What a time of celebration for the God when the harvest is ready, when all the fruit can be picked and collected in the barns. When we are mature and ready for use! God made it all happen! This farming analogy demonstrates how God is glorified when His people mature into a right relationship with him and the yummy fruit of our lives can be enjoyed by all.

In your experience, what are some things you have done that has made your life's fruit, juicer, larger, and more delicious?

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Exodus 4:2-4

Ex 4:2-4 (NLT) The Lord asked Moses, "What is that in your hand?" "A shepherd's staff," Moses replied. "Throw it down on the ground," the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back. Then the Lord told him, "Reach out and grab its tail." So Moses reached out and grabbed it, and it turned back into a shepherd's staff in his hand.”

Moses’ staff was nothing but a common shepherd’s rod. Staffs as well as other personal belongings were used by people back then as items that identified them. In a similar way, today we can be identified by our car, or our house or clothes that other people recognize as ours. It is a funny thing how we become attached to our little things. A cook may have a favorite cutting knife, a physician may have a special stethoscope, a carpenter has a favorite hammer, a mechanic has a special tool box, and maybe you have a special possession like a laptop or a Bible. This story illustrates that whatever possession that we hold dearly in our hand, we have the opportunity to throw it down and give it to God. After Moses threw his rod on the ground – the rod of Moses became the rod of God. With the rod of God back in Moses’ hand Moses preformed supernatural signs and miracles. With the rod of God Moses called down plagues in Egypt, he divided the Red Sea, he struck the rock and water flowed out.

As Christians we are told to “seek first the Kingdom of God.” If we are doing this, then one of our most prized possessions should be the Kingdom of God, a possession we should be most notably identified with. Jesus told his disciples to “go, preach, saying, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” Matt 10:6-8 (KJV)

When you are seeking the Kingdom does your relationship with God flow both ways, in as well as out? Too many times we only allow the Kingdom to flow into us and not necessarily out to others. If this is your experience then, throw it down. Give it back to God, who gave it to you, and throw it down! When you give it back to God, the dry dead wood of our spiritual life will become like a living hissing snake, a living hissing relationship with God is a dangerous thing to the world around us. But we can do as Moses did and grab it by the tail and share it with those around us to show them that our relationship with God is real.

Share some things in your life you could throw down and give to God? How do you think God could use them through you once He gives it back to you?

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Genesis 28:12; John 1:51

Gen 28:12 (NLT); John 1:51 (NLT) As Jacob slept, “he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.”; Then Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth."

Jesus, the Son of God, is the stairway to peace and spiritual healing on our Journey to heaven. Jesus described himself as the ladder in Jacob’s dream that bridged the gap between man and God. The ladder is provided by Christ's death for our sins. Isaiah 53:4-5, TLB. "Yet it was our grief He bore, our sorrows that weighed Him down. And we thought His troubles were a punishment from God, for His own sins! But He was wounded and bruised for our sins. He was chastised that we might have peace; He was lashed—and we are healed." All of us who have been touched by sin are in great need of spiritual healing. Forgiveness is ours for the taking, peace is found by making things right with God. Romans 5:1, (TLB) tells us, "So now, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith in His promises, we can have real peace with Him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us." However, it took years for sin to create deep festering wounds in our lives, and as anyone who has worked in the health field knows, wounds take 10 times longer to heal than they did to form. But Praise God, as we climb Jacob’s ladder each round takes us higher and closer to the spiritual healing the Bible promises us is ours on the quest to the Kingdom of God.

“Every round goes higher” So the second round of the staircase involves removing what causes the wound from our lives. This round of the staircase is obedience. Psalm 119:165, (NIV) "Great peace have they who love Your law, and nothing can make them stumble." Disobedience is what caused the spiritual wounds in our lives to begin with so it makes sense that obedience removes what causes the wounds to keep growing. Doing the right thing because it is what God wants us to do is the essence of righteousness by faith. Isaiah 32:17-18, (NIV) "The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever."

“Every round goes higher” So the third round in the stairway looks easy, but it is actually the most challenging part of the climb. It is finding peace by letting go of self. It is a battle within ourselves against God’s will in areas of our life where we don’t want to let go, but where we need to grow. Job 22:21, (TLB) "Quit quarreling with God. Agree with Him and you will have peace at last. His favor will surround you if you will only admit that you were wrong." Self putrefies in our wounds, but Praise God, removing self cleanses the wounds to allow healing to begin to take place.

“Every round goes higher” in this round God gives us discipline, which is the fourth round in the stairway of peace and spiritual healing. Hebrews 12:5-11, (NIV) "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son. Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Medicine on a deep wound stings and burns, discipline is the medicine providing the antiseptic environment necessary for the spiritual wound to keep infection out. Praise God, that Jesus is the Balm of Giliad, by trusting in Him, the Balm of Gilliad will heal the sin sick soul. Isaiah 26:3-4, (TLB) "He will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord! Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength."

What are some other steps on Jacob's ladder that you feel have been important on your spiritual journey? Share an example of some of the spiritual healing you have experienced on your Christian journey?

*Originally posted as a comment by Dan on Kingdom Quest Blog on July 29, 2009 3:47 PM

Friday, July 17, 2009

Psalms 1:3

Ps 1:3 (KJV) “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”

The question is am I connected? God desires for us, the tree, to be planted by the water of life. Jeremiah 17:13 says that The LORD (YAHWEH) is the spring of living water. Just as Jesus says in John 15:5 NASB “he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.” We are totally unable to produce fruit by trying real hard to produce it. However, it is a natural process of a vine connected to a branch to produce fruit automatically without even trying. Likewise a tree planted by the waterside bears a bumper crop year after year. Not because it tries harder than the other trees, but rather because it is connected to a never-ending supply of nourishment.

Jeremiah 2:13 NIV says, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water. “ This leads me to ask, do I trust in a pit that collects rainwater but cannot hold it? Have I built a religious experience in which to store truth, but it is a cistern that is worthless? I am thinking of a book my friend Shari recommended to me, “Christianish: What If We’re Not Really Following Jesus At All?” by Mark Steele. According to the author, symptoms of Christianish include: the right behavior, but for the wrong reason; going through the motions, but not going through the change; and knowing Christ’s words, but not always applying His truth. I think these are areas I need to focus on in order to vitalize my spiritual life.

But in a real world what are the practical steps I need to take in order to strengthen my spiritual life, and discover the source of living water and to forsake the broken cisterns. First, I need to accept that going to church, knowing the proper catch phrases, and even carrying a Bible isn't what makes me a Christian. I cannot be just going through the motions of what I believe I should do but rather allowing a true relationship with Christ to motivate me and change me. Second, I need to reconsider how I treat other Christians. Am I at times bashing people with the Gospel ("spitting Bible" instead of love). Do I try to make everyone bow to my spiritual rules and regulations and then in the process am I showing off and focusing on myself and what a great Christian I am rather than discipling people to Jesus and being attentive to the needs of others. Third, are there times when I need to learn how not to use Christianity to lecture or bully or berate non-Christians because of their sinful lifestyles. This kind of attitude portrays Christianity as judgmental, mean-spirited, spiteful and closed minded. In attacking society’s behaviors am I depersonalizing individuals by stereotyping them to their actions rather than discovering who they are as unique individuals that Christ died for?

Having a real connection to Christ is the water of life that Jesus offered to the woman at the well. And as His disciples returned looking down their noses at this sinful Samaritan woman, Jesus was trying to teach them to stop drinking from their own broken cisterns.

What does "really" following Christ mean to you? Compare the "water of life" experience with any "broken cistern" experiences you have mistakenly fallen into?

*Originally posted as a comment by Dan on Kingdom Quest Blog on July 17, 2009 4:48 PM