Romans 2

I want to share something from Romans 2 that jumped out at me yesterday. In verses 17-29, Paul warns about the danger of hypocrisy. It starts at as a poison, blinding us to the needs of others and before we know it we are anything but what we claim to be.

Paul notes that for the Jews that claimed a special relationship to God, because of their relational status as the chosen people, that they must be careful not to let thier boasting become their fall. His most stinging words come in v. 24 when he writes, “as it is written, “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

I got to thinking how many people in the world have cursed God or have been turned off to God because of a Christian’s holier thant thou attitude? How are we doing portraying Christ’s compassion, grace and mercy to the world? To the people in our community, you know the one’s that stink, drink, cuss, and spit? The one’s that Jesus misses the most?

Paul will go on to write that, appearance can be deceptive. “A man is not a Jew if he is one outwardly.” These same people who think of themselves as insiders view their religiousity as grounds for divine acceptance. We do all that we are supposed to do, we go to church three times a week, we read the Bible, pray, and give a tenth of all we have. It is frightening to me that one can be religious thier whole life and miss a relationship with Christ. The externals of religion aren’t as important as what’s on the inside. How is your heart this morning?

Happy Thanksgiving

I am taking a blogging break, and hope to resume blog activity sometime after Nov. 28. I have a major paper due on the 28th on the social signigicance of the nuclear family in Genesis 2-3. Pray for me!

 

In the mean time, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Most of all, I am thankful for the Savior’s love. His free, unlimited and unfailing love. Jesus you set me free, and continue to pursue me when I stray from the right path. May I reflect your presence in this world to all I meet, and be as persistent in the pursuit of those you miss the most. I know what it’s like to be lost, and I hope that those that have the emptiness within them, can be found by you and experience the life-changing, warm embrace of God’s amazing grace.

 

I am thankful for my wonderful life. Jen you teach me more about what grace and patience look like lived out in a life in love with Jesus.

 

I am thankful for my precious little princess’s. Rachel and Kenzie, loving you two has taught me what it means to be loved by God.

 

I am thankful for the teens and parents I serve. From heartache to joy, we are on a journey together. Thanks for letting me share Jesus with you.

 

I am thankful for family. Aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents who have helped make growing up in our family a safe, fun place.

 

Mom and dad, I am not sure how often you frequent my blog, but I love the both of you and well, I owe you so much. Thanks for your example of faithfulness in marriage for 30 plus years and for all that you have done to raise Matt and I, and the way you shower my daughters with love from afar.

 

Matt, I couldn’t of asked for a better brother.

 

Don and Brenda, I thought I was blessed to have been born into the family of my birth, thank you for accepting me with open arms into your family. I am looking forward to turkey and pie, and football this weekend.

 

I am thankful for all of you, whoever you are who stop by my little corner of the blogosphere. Thanks for reading and God bless.

Social World of Ancient Israel

I have been entangled in the social world of the Old Testament throughout this semester and thought this except from Matthews and Benjamin was worth sharing:

 

“The world in which the Bible developed was dramatically different from the world in which we read the Bible. There are many ways to describe the differences. The world of the Bible, for example, is ancient; our world is modern. It is as Eastern world; ours is Western. The world of the Bible is virtually changeless; our world is ever changing. It is agricultural; ours is industrial. Biblical people think of their goods and resources as limited. We consider ours renewable. They think of themselves as households; we think of ourselves as individuals. In their world old age is a blessing; in our world it is a burden. Their favorite genre of literature is story; ours is history. And perhaps the most difficult of all for us to understand, in the world of the Bible there is no separation between religion and daily life or between church and state” (Matthews and Benjamin, xiii).

 

Despite the differences as they exist, we would do well to orient ourselves to the social world of the Bible. We might be surprised at what we find?

 

except taken from: Matthews, Victor H. and Don C. Benjamin. Social World of Ancient Israel: 1250-587 B.C.E. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1993

Jesus loves me

 

“And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them” (Mark 10:16)

 

A word from the Word: Read Mark 10

“…for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Mark 10:14)

 

Food for Thought: Jesus loves me…

I know I’ve written a lot about my oldest daughter, Rachel. It’s hard not to write about those you love. She teaches me so much about fun, play, brushing hair, dancing, and Jesus. Last night her mommy and her were getting ready for bed. Jen was helping Rachel get into her jammies, and my wife was asking Rachel to sing the new songs she had learned at Sunday School. Rachel asked, “about Jesus?” And then instead of singing, she started telling Jennifer that Jesus loved her, and has the whole world in his hands. Rachel goes on to say that Jesus is with her all the time, and that He plays with her, and sits on the floor with her.

 

She may not realize what she is saying, but she understands something about Jesus that us adults would do well to comprehend. Rachel knows that Jesus loves her, and that He is ever present in her world, willing even to sit with her and play. I believe that is exactly what Jesus would do. Those little children that Jesus blessed in the Gospels, you remember the ones that disciples tried to keep from bothering Jesus? He sat with them, loved them and they didn’t question if he loved them or not, they knew he did.

 

Sometimes I think we are afraid of having a child-like faith. Why that would mean that we wouldn’t worry about the adult things that weigh us down. No, we would be forced to seize every moment to play, dance, and sing about a Jesus that truly does have the whole world in his hands. My daughter’s world is full of adventure and joy. I pray she doesn’t ever lose her enthusiasm for life and her knowledge of how close Jesus is. And if you have little children, remember that how you live is the image of Jesus they will see.

Psalm 3

David writes in Psalm 3, “how many are my foes, how many rise up against me!” It would seem from the opening of this Psalm that the rest of his message would be bleak. In spite of mocking (v. 2) “many are saying of me God will not deliver him,” he is able to say with confidence that God is a shield around him. It is to the Lord he cries out to when things aren’t going right, and when people are against him. To me the most striking statement that David makes is that of verses 5 and 6, “I led down and sleep; I awake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side.”

David has unshakeable confidence and trust in the Lord. Such so he can sleep during moments when life gets a little to overwhelming. Because he knows who it is that sustains him, he knows who it is that takes care of him, and he knows who it is that deals with his enemies,  and he knows who holds the world in his hands.

We would do well to learn from David’s words in Psalm 3. I think if I could sum up the message from Psalm 3 is “don’t worry.” We know that worry is a silent beast, a cancer of the heart if you will. Worry creeps in and pushes out the joy we once knew. Worry makes us fear and become disillusioned with people, and even God. Worry is certainly a serious creature. But worry is not to big for God’s unfailing love. You see, when you worry you are focusing on your problems. God has promised to walk with us, and when we are in a right relationship with him, he is our provider, protector, and friend. Jesus in Luke 12 tells us that worry is pointless. Worry can lead us down paths that we never intended to travel.

So, whatever you are worrying about today, spend sometime in the Word reading of God’s goodness, his unfailing love, and his ability to take care of us. Spend some time in prayer as well, letting go of the bag of burdens you woke up with this morning. Lay them down there at the cross, and face the rest of your day worry free, and full of renewal.

Hello Moon

A couple of days ago my wife and I were driving home from a trip to Tulsa. It was dark, and where we some 30 miles still from our home, and in the southeastern sky I saw a large shooting star/ meteor racing across the sky. The heavenly mass was enormous, and the green trail it created as it burned up was the most brilliant green I have ever seen. It was a breathtaking moment.

It was that shooting star event that prompted me to notice the stars in the sky. It was a clear night, and rural Oklahoma provides an amazing opportunity to be enamored by the heavens. My oldest and I like to look up at the sky at night. She talks to the moon, and  while she is dazzled by the moon I thank God that his handiwork has captured humanity’s attention for centuries. In those moments when my little one looks for the moon’s light, I share the Psalmist’s sentiments, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3-4). It is easy to stand outside and gaze at the sky and feel little and insignificant, but God wants us to peer upon what He has made and be dazzled at His work. He is a big God, with a big love, and wants us to experience that big love through his Son Jesus Christ. Those same hands that hung the stars are the same hands that welcome his children into his embrace. If God can create the universe, do you think He can’t handle our problems? The cure for a feeling of insignificance is a healthy dose of appreciation and thanksgiving for what God has done.

Hello Moon

A couple of days ago my wife and I were driving home from a trip to Tulsa. It was dark, and where we some 30 miles still from our home, and in the southeastern sky I saw a large shooting star/ meteor racing across the sky. The heavenly mass was enormous, and the green trail it created as it burned up was the most brilliant green I have ever seen. It was a breathtaking moment.

 

It was that shooting star event that prompted me to notice the stars in the sky. It was a clear night, and rural Oklahoma provides an amazing opportunity to be enamored by the heavens. My oldest and I like to look up at the sky at night. She talks to the moon, and  while she is dazzled by the moon I thank God that his handiwork has captured humanity’s attention for centuries. In those moments when my little one looks for the moon’s light, I share the Psalmist’s sentiments, “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:3-4). It is easy to stand outside and gaze at the sky and feel little and insignificant, but God wants us to peer upon what He has made and be dazzled at His work. He is a big God, with a big love, and wants us to experience that big love through his Son Jesus Christ. Those same hands that hung the stars are the same hands that welcome his children into his embrace. If God can create the universe, do you think He can’t handle our problems? The cure for a feeling of insignificance is a healthy dose of appreciation and thanksgiving for what God has done.

Just some thoughts on Psalm 3

David writes in Psalm 3, "how many are my foes, how many rise up against me!" It would seem from the opening of this Psalm that the rest of his message would be bleak. In spite of mocking (v. 2) "many are saying of me God will not deliver him," he is able to say with confidence that God is a shield around him. It is to the Lord he cries out to when things aren’t going right, and when people are against him. To me the most striking statement that David makes is that of verses 5 and 6, "I led down and sleep; I awake again because the Lord sustains me. I will not fear the tens of thousands drawn up against me on every side."

 

David has unshakeable confidence and trust in the Lord. Such so he can sleep during moments when life gets a little to overwhelming. Because he knows who it is that sustains him, he knows who it is that takes care of him, and he knows who it is that deals with his enemies,  and he knows who holds the world in his hands.

 

We would do well to learn from David’s words in Psalm 3. I think if I could sum up the message from Psalm 3 is "don’t worry." We know that worry is a silent beast, a cancer of the heart if you will. Worry creeps in and pushes out the joy we once knew. Worry makes us fear and become disillusioned with people, and even God. Worry is certainly a serious creature. But worry is not to big for God’s unfailing love. You see, when you worry you are focusing on your problems. God has promised to walk with us, and when we are in a right relationship with him, he is our provider, protector, and friend. Jesus in Luke 12 tells us that worry is pointless. Worry can lead us down paths that we never intended to travel.

 

So, whatever you are worrying about today, spend sometime in the Word reading of God’s goodness, his unfailing love, and his ability to take care of us. Spend some time in prayer as well, letting go of the bag of burdens you woke up with this morning. Lay them down there at the cross, and face the rest of your day worry free, and full of renewal.

Raking leaves

This afternoon, some of the kids from the youth group and I invaded the front year of one of our widow’s homes from church, and well, it was intended to be a drive by raking. However, her neighbor told her we were there and well she found out.

I got to to talk to the women, and well our act of service intended to minister to her, she turned around and well ministered to us. I got to talk to her for a few minutes and she talked about her love for God just how wonderful His creation is. It was like she really knew the intimacy of the Lord. That kind of faith is contagious. From our short conversation it was obvious that she had been with Jesus. And she also talked about how she is so excited about getting to meet Jesus one day. She is a cancer survivor and knows first hand her own immortality. Her desire for a place with no pain, no tears and constant fellowship with Jesus did my heart some good this afternoon.

Raking leaves

This afternoon, some of the kids from the youth group and I invaded the front yard of one of our widow’s homes from church, and well, it was intended to be a drive by raking. However, her neighbor told her we were there and well she found out.

I got to to talk to the women, and well our act of service intended to minister to her, she turned around and well ministered to us. I got to talk to her for a few minutes and she talked about her love for God just how wonderful His creation is. It was like she really knew the intimacy of the Lord. That kind of faith is contagious. From our short conversation it was obvious that she had been with Jesus. And she also talked about how she is so excited about getting to meet Jesus one day. She is a cancer survivor and knows first hand her own immortality. Her desire for a place with no pain, no tears and constant fellowship with Jesus did my heart some good this afternoon.