Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Romans 15:13
"I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit."
Reflection:
I don't have a lot to add to this verse as I think it speaks for itself. I felt strongly that I needed to post it however, because God put it on my heart to read this verse tonight, and it really has instantly become one of my favorite verses, one that I really need to read regularly. If reading this verse one extra time can brighten someone's day as much as it did mine, then I feel satisfied in posting it despite how short this reflection will be.
Hope is not only something we all want, but something we all need. Hope is meant to be a powerful word, because it is such an important part of our lives. The strategic use of this word had a huge impact on our current President being elected 4 years ago. While its not necessarily wrong to look to an election, a single man, for hope... our true problems, our true hope, can only come from one source. God. Sadly, we all have tendencies to look for hope in the wrong places. Know anyone who plays the lotto on a regular basis, just for the "hope" of possibly being able to quit their terrible job one day? I can't deny that I bought a lotto ticket a few times after a bad day at the office. I'm sure you we can all think of an example on our lives where we sought hope in the wrong place at one time.
Some of us are more optimistic, more hopeful than others. This verse really helps me because I tend to be at the bottom of the optimism ladder. Instead of finding hope, I usually find ways that things will not work out in both my personal or professional life. But this verse alone, gives me hope. Hope that I will find out what career path God has planned for me. Hope that I am going to find the relationship God has planned for me. Hope for today, hope for tomorrow, hope for happiness in the future.
I admittedly have been close to giving up hope a few times on some things in the last month. Luckily, the Lord led me to this verse at the perfect time tonight. I feel real hope now, and know through continued prayer that this is something that can be a permanent thing. I wish I could truly describe the real amazing feeling of hope this passage has put on my heart right now (enough to where I was inspired to write this on a night where I had intention of sleep over blogging :)).
Final Thought:
Sometimes we try to trick ourselves in finding ways to have hope. While this isn't necessarily a bad way to put a positive spin on circumstances in our life, the only way we will find true hope is (as Paul says), to "trust in Him." By doing this, we will be "overflown" with true hope... that will lead to true happiness.
Where do you need hope right now? I know I need hope in a few areas of my life right now. What's my plan to deal with this? Simple after reading this. Prayer, trust in God, Prayer, faith, and more Prayer.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Play through the Pain
Scripture I'm reflecting on: 1 Peter 9
. . . Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
The "him" in this passage refers to Satan. When you are feeling down, when you are struggling, suffering, what better time for Satan to pounce?
Reflection:
How easy it is for us to think we are the only ones in the world suffering when something is going wrong in our life. But is this really true? Certainly not. When we get a bad test score, is there not someone else who just got fired from their job? When we lose a loved one, is there not someone else who just found out they had a terminal illness? You get the point. So what does Peter tell us to do? Remember our brothers and sisters. What do I read this to mean? When we're feeling down, when we're suffering, when something bad happens to us...this is our time to go out and help our fellow brothers and sisters, not sit around in self-pity.
My running blog theme is that it's really easy to be a good Christian when things are going well. But when something bad happens to us, its easy for us to go into "self-pity", and "take a seat on the sidelines" of being a Christian for awhile. But do we think this would please God? What about if when we are down, when something bad happens to us, or when we are battling through a life crisis, we make an extra effort to go help someone else in need? Would this please God? I certainly think that it would.
Anyone that played sports probably had a coach at some point tell them to "play through the pain." In a sense, I think Peter is telling us to do that in this verse. Don't let your problems take you out of the game, out of your Christian ways. Find the strength to use this time to help someone else who is suffering like you. Stay in the game. Play through the pain. If you are going through a divorce, a crisis, an illness; show your faith in God by continuing to be a diligent Christian: show up to work on time, hold the door open for a neighbor, say thank you at the store, smile to the cashier, say have a nice day when dealing with a customer, greet strangers with a smile. Don't let people see your suffering inside. Be strong. Be steady. Play through the pain. God will most certainly be pleased when he sees this.
It's easy to get defensive against this concept. I know I have a tendency to think, "no one understands my pain." "Why me, this isn't fair." Blah blah. There are very few people in this world who can truly say "no one has it worse than me." There's always someone else suffering with us. But the Bible is very clear: there is life after the pain, there is life after the divorce, there is life after the cancer, there is life after your family loss. Whether it is in this life or in heaven, as long as we do not lose faith, we should take comfort in the fact that there will be "light at the end of the tunnel." So why not play through the pain when it comes, and do something that will please God even in the midst of our low points.
Imagine if everyone who had pain in their life sought out to help someone else in pain. What a pleasant thought indeed.
Final Thought:
The story of Job pretty much sums up this concept. Job suffered more than anyone reading this could even imagine. But after this suffering, Job got everything he had before....doubled... What will be your after this? After this divorce. After this disease. After this job loss. After this loss. What will lead to a better after this? Sitting on the sidelines waiting for our wounds to heal, or playing through the pain, helping others, and keeping our faith in the midst of our suffering.
I have two quotes that I wrote down from a past service I attended a few weeks ago that seem to fit into this writing:
"Scars will be stars for the Glory of God"
"Praising instead of complaining, nothing makes Satan tremble more"
No one expects much out of someone who is suffering. What better opportunity could you ask for to show off your faith, the Glory of God, then to do something truly helpful, truly "Christian", in the midst of this suffering.
. . . Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.
The "him" in this passage refers to Satan. When you are feeling down, when you are struggling, suffering, what better time for Satan to pounce?
Reflection:
How easy it is for us to think we are the only ones in the world suffering when something is going wrong in our life. But is this really true? Certainly not. When we get a bad test score, is there not someone else who just got fired from their job? When we lose a loved one, is there not someone else who just found out they had a terminal illness? You get the point. So what does Peter tell us to do? Remember our brothers and sisters. What do I read this to mean? When we're feeling down, when we're suffering, when something bad happens to us...this is our time to go out and help our fellow brothers and sisters, not sit around in self-pity.
My running blog theme is that it's really easy to be a good Christian when things are going well. But when something bad happens to us, its easy for us to go into "self-pity", and "take a seat on the sidelines" of being a Christian for awhile. But do we think this would please God? What about if when we are down, when something bad happens to us, or when we are battling through a life crisis, we make an extra effort to go help someone else in need? Would this please God? I certainly think that it would.
Anyone that played sports probably had a coach at some point tell them to "play through the pain." In a sense, I think Peter is telling us to do that in this verse. Don't let your problems take you out of the game, out of your Christian ways. Find the strength to use this time to help someone else who is suffering like you. Stay in the game. Play through the pain. If you are going through a divorce, a crisis, an illness; show your faith in God by continuing to be a diligent Christian: show up to work on time, hold the door open for a neighbor, say thank you at the store, smile to the cashier, say have a nice day when dealing with a customer, greet strangers with a smile. Don't let people see your suffering inside. Be strong. Be steady. Play through the pain. God will most certainly be pleased when he sees this.
It's easy to get defensive against this concept. I know I have a tendency to think, "no one understands my pain." "Why me, this isn't fair." Blah blah. There are very few people in this world who can truly say "no one has it worse than me." There's always someone else suffering with us. But the Bible is very clear: there is life after the pain, there is life after the divorce, there is life after the cancer, there is life after your family loss. Whether it is in this life or in heaven, as long as we do not lose faith, we should take comfort in the fact that there will be "light at the end of the tunnel." So why not play through the pain when it comes, and do something that will please God even in the midst of our low points.
Imagine if everyone who had pain in their life sought out to help someone else in pain. What a pleasant thought indeed.
Final Thought:
The story of Job pretty much sums up this concept. Job suffered more than anyone reading this could even imagine. But after this suffering, Job got everything he had before....doubled... What will be your after this? After this divorce. After this disease. After this job loss. After this loss. What will lead to a better after this? Sitting on the sidelines waiting for our wounds to heal, or playing through the pain, helping others, and keeping our faith in the midst of our suffering.
I have two quotes that I wrote down from a past service I attended a few weeks ago that seem to fit into this writing:
"Scars will be stars for the Glory of God"
"Praising instead of complaining, nothing makes Satan tremble more"
No one expects much out of someone who is suffering. What better opportunity could you ask for to show off your faith, the Glory of God, then to do something truly helpful, truly "Christian", in the midst of this suffering.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
One yes is worth a million no('s)
Scripture I am reflecting on: 1 Kings 18:43-44
". . . Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea."
Can you think of any instances in your life where you have kept up hope for something after seven rejections, seven "no's", and still kept your faith and followed through to get the result you wanted?
Reflection:
I won't go into much background reflection on this passage, as I'm sure all of you reading this have a much better knowledge of this story than I do as I am just now reading it. I pulled this passage two reflect on the two points that stuck out in my head.
The obvious reflection is that we should be persistent in our prayers. I was drawn to this passage by testimony I heard today from a pastor speaking about two friends of his and their attempts at having a child. To state it briefly, this couple had tried for over 15 years to have a child. The pastor said despite this, they came to him every week and told him how excited they were going to be for him to meet their child when their time came. He, as any of us probably would didn't have much hope that this couples hopes, their prayers, would be answered. Long story short, they ended up not only finally beating out all of the doctors predictions not only to have a kid, but twins.
How many "no's" did this couple receive? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Yet they kept hope. They kept praying. And it paid off. And why wouldn't they believe. Open the first pages of the Bible and we see God give Sarah her first child at 80 years old. But it is hard for us now a days to really take this story for how glorious it really is. We have such conclusive "science" that tells us this just isn't possible. "Maybe then, but not now". I admit when I read through that story the first time it was almost like I was reading fiction, or a fable. I read it more that the story was for the message, but not reality. But this is wrong. This did happen. And it could happen again at the snap of God's fingers.
We all have situations in our lives where our prayers are answered with a "no". Sometimes we get a "no" and consider our hope and prayer done. Sometimes we fight through two or three "no's". Sometimes maybe we even get to seven or eight like Elijah. How many "no's" are you willing to hear before waiting for a "yes".
The answer all of us should have is, "as many as it takes." Don't get stuck on a "no." I have a sports way of thinking about things. Ball or strike. The shot went in or it didn't. I made the putt or I missed the putt. In bounds or out of bounds. Completion or Incompletion. I won or I lost. So when I hear a "no", I'm usually done. "That's a loss, time to move on." But this is wrong, and the Bible clearly tells us this is wrong with this story and many others.
This segways into the second reflection I had on this verse, which is that not only to we need to remain persistent in our prayer, but to ACTIVELY look for the answer to our prayer. It makes it easier to get stuck on a "no" when we just pray and then kick the feet up and wait. But Elijah doesn't do this. Not only does he continue praying, but everyday he sends someone out to LOOK for the rain. We also need to be LOOKING for our answer. God will answer our prayers, but if we aren't actively looking for the answer, there's no guarantee we will see it. And we get stuck on a "no", whether its the first "no", the second "no", or the hundredth "no", then its almost certain we will miss the answer.
Prayers can be hard to see if we are not actively looking. Take this verse as evidence of this. What was the first answer to Elijah's prayer. A tiny raincloud. Had Elijah not been sending out a servant to LOOK for the answer to his prayer, who knows if this tiny cloud would have been seen. Be on the lookout for tiny clouds. If you are praying for a job, your answer may come in the form of a volunteer job that looks like nothing, but blossoms into something special. Sometimes our answer comes in the form of something so minor, so minute like a tiny cloud, that it's easy to overlook. I don't doubt that there have been thousands of small clouds I have missed in my lifetime. But I do have faith going forward now, that I know to look despite how many "no's" I get, that I will find those small clouds in my life. And just like this story, those tiny rainclouds will turn into the "terrific rainstorm" we needed.
Final Thought:
Don't get stuck on a "No". The next time you get a "no" in your life, try to go for just one more. Even if you know a "no" is coming, go get it. Go obtain it. Go interview for that job you know you're not going to get. Go to get a second opinion about your illness that you know will be the same as the first. You never know, when your next "no", will be the Yes you've been waiting for.
". . . Seven times Elijah told him to go and look. Finally the seventh time, his servant told him, "I saw a little cloud about the size of a man's hand rising from the sea."
Can you think of any instances in your life where you have kept up hope for something after seven rejections, seven "no's", and still kept your faith and followed through to get the result you wanted?
Reflection:
I won't go into much background reflection on this passage, as I'm sure all of you reading this have a much better knowledge of this story than I do as I am just now reading it. I pulled this passage two reflect on the two points that stuck out in my head.
The obvious reflection is that we should be persistent in our prayers. I was drawn to this passage by testimony I heard today from a pastor speaking about two friends of his and their attempts at having a child. To state it briefly, this couple had tried for over 15 years to have a child. The pastor said despite this, they came to him every week and told him how excited they were going to be for him to meet their child when their time came. He, as any of us probably would didn't have much hope that this couples hopes, their prayers, would be answered. Long story short, they ended up not only finally beating out all of the doctors predictions not only to have a kid, but twins.
How many "no's" did this couple receive? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. Yet they kept hope. They kept praying. And it paid off. And why wouldn't they believe. Open the first pages of the Bible and we see God give Sarah her first child at 80 years old. But it is hard for us now a days to really take this story for how glorious it really is. We have such conclusive "science" that tells us this just isn't possible. "Maybe then, but not now". I admit when I read through that story the first time it was almost like I was reading fiction, or a fable. I read it more that the story was for the message, but not reality. But this is wrong. This did happen. And it could happen again at the snap of God's fingers.
We all have situations in our lives where our prayers are answered with a "no". Sometimes we get a "no" and consider our hope and prayer done. Sometimes we fight through two or three "no's". Sometimes maybe we even get to seven or eight like Elijah. How many "no's" are you willing to hear before waiting for a "yes".
The answer all of us should have is, "as many as it takes." Don't get stuck on a "no." I have a sports way of thinking about things. Ball or strike. The shot went in or it didn't. I made the putt or I missed the putt. In bounds or out of bounds. Completion or Incompletion. I won or I lost. So when I hear a "no", I'm usually done. "That's a loss, time to move on." But this is wrong, and the Bible clearly tells us this is wrong with this story and many others.
This segways into the second reflection I had on this verse, which is that not only to we need to remain persistent in our prayer, but to ACTIVELY look for the answer to our prayer. It makes it easier to get stuck on a "no" when we just pray and then kick the feet up and wait. But Elijah doesn't do this. Not only does he continue praying, but everyday he sends someone out to LOOK for the rain. We also need to be LOOKING for our answer. God will answer our prayers, but if we aren't actively looking for the answer, there's no guarantee we will see it. And we get stuck on a "no", whether its the first "no", the second "no", or the hundredth "no", then its almost certain we will miss the answer.
Prayers can be hard to see if we are not actively looking. Take this verse as evidence of this. What was the first answer to Elijah's prayer. A tiny raincloud. Had Elijah not been sending out a servant to LOOK for the answer to his prayer, who knows if this tiny cloud would have been seen. Be on the lookout for tiny clouds. If you are praying for a job, your answer may come in the form of a volunteer job that looks like nothing, but blossoms into something special. Sometimes our answer comes in the form of something so minor, so minute like a tiny cloud, that it's easy to overlook. I don't doubt that there have been thousands of small clouds I have missed in my lifetime. But I do have faith going forward now, that I know to look despite how many "no's" I get, that I will find those small clouds in my life. And just like this story, those tiny rainclouds will turn into the "terrific rainstorm" we needed.
Final Thought:
Don't get stuck on a "No". The next time you get a "no" in your life, try to go for just one more. Even if you know a "no" is coming, go get it. Go obtain it. Go interview for that job you know you're not going to get. Go to get a second opinion about your illness that you know will be the same as the first. You never know, when your next "no", will be the Yes you've been waiting for.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Become a reality show for God
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: 1 Peter 3:15-16
"....."And when someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way......Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ."
If you're life were made into a movie, what would it look like? Would you like what you see? Would you know, that you are a Christian?
Reflection:
Everyone has different ways of "displaying their faith." Some are very open about it, and look for people to tell. Others consider their faith a personal matter that they keep to themselves. And then there's others that fill out the middle of these two ends of the spectrum. For any NFL fans reading this, compare Tim Tebow to Phillip Rivers. Both are equally very faithful Christians, they just each go about showing their faith in different ways. Tebow mentions it every chance he gets. Rivers doesn't mention it at all publicly. Are either of these wrong? I don't think so. To my knowledge, there is no "right way" to go about this, it is a matter of personal preference. BUT, when asked about our faith, when confronted with an opportunity, we should take the opportunity to expand the Kingdom and get someone else interested in getting to know Jesus. Peter essentially tells us this with this verse. Without people doing this, so many people, including myself, would still be spiritually lost.
I included the second part of verse 16 to reflect on what I think the most important part of the passage is, which is showing people the glory of God in your own lives. There are people out there, quite a few in my life, who just aren't going to listen to preaching. They don't want to hear verses. They don't want your beliefs thrown on them. In fact, doing this will push them farther away from a Christian life. Doing this will build animosity towards the Word. So is there nothing we can do? The answer is, Yes there is. And its simple. Live a good life. Be happy and joyous. Show off the blessings you receive from walking with the Lord. If you grumble and complain at work, school, or at social gatherings to people who know you are a Christian, what do you think the chances are that they will want to come to Jesus? If you're not showing a desirable life, why would they even consider Christianity? Flip that around however, if you are a person who always sees situations for the positive, sees the glass as half full, shows genuine concern for others, and doesn't judge, then people may just want to look into this Jesus fella. Happiness in hard times will spark curiosity, and if people see that your faith is causing this happiness, it will certainly spark curiosity at the very least.
Personal Reflection:
I struggle with this concept personally. Since I have found Jesus, I do generally feel happier, and some around me have said they have noticed some changes. But I still find myself complaining at little things, whining about immaterial issues, and the works.
I did recently have a chance to "display" the new me however at a recent dinner gathering with a group that has been ongoing weekly for about 10+ years now. As you may or may not have been able to tell, I am quite the sports follower, and the big news over the last couple of days has been the Lance Armstrong "blood-doping, performance enhancing" breakthrough story. Naturally, as the resident "sports guy", when I walked in the door, everyone came to me for my take on the story....
A very short cliff-notes background story, I was always the guy that CRUSHED anyone who "cheated", whether it was steroids, corked bats, or whatever. I hated these guys, thought they deserved maximum punishments, on and on and on. Anyway, back when Lance was still riding at the end of his career, I told all of my friends that Lance was cheating. I even wrote a paper as a college senior stating as much. Naturally, most people adamantly disagreed with me because of what an icon Lance was, so it is safe to say I was waiting for this "triumphant" moment for awhile...
Two years ago, this would have been awesome. Now, however, I just feel bad about it. There's no satisfaction in this, and there shouldn't be for anyone. I feel bad for Lance. I feel bad for the people who looked up to him. Two years ago, I would have RIPPED Lance and called him a scam, a fraud. But the first thing that popped into my head when the story broke yesterday was the "Do Not Judge Others...." verse. It's easy to say I would never do something like that from my couch, but is that really true? I was one of the best baseball players in my area when I was in middle school. When we made the jump into high school, my size (I was tiny to put it lightly) held me back from the opportunities that my AAU teammates, who I considered myself better than, were getting. If someone were to have told me, "hey son, take these and you will bulk up, and you will make it on a college team, get a college scholarship." Would I really have said no? I dont know. If I was in a sport like cycling, where it was widely known everyone was blood doping, would I have tried to go at it clean knowing I had no chance at my dream? I dont know. If you were a from a low-income family, and someone told you that you that you had to take steroids to earn a living playing a sport where you could feed your parents, your kids, would you say no?
Maybe we would all have said no. But we need to be careful about jumping to rash conclusions, rash judgments, in situations where we cannot relate to. Lance did some deplorable acts. I'm not advocating for him or telling you how you should feel. But be careful not to judge. Listen to the Word. I write all of this to say, that my group was genuinely shocked by my reaction, and I think they truly took notice of my more positive attitude in this situation. And I must say, it felt really good. Take advantage of these opportunities in your own life, and I think you will feel the same way.
Final thought:
Be a living example of the glory of God. Be infectious with your positive attitude, your peace, your care for others. This thought gives me hope to fulfill this duty I have as a Christian. I will likely never be someone that preaches the Word, or who seeks out people to read Scripture too. But I can succeed at showing off the Christian faith in the way I live.
Now more than ever in the world today, people are watching other people. Don't believe me? Just turn on the TV and see how many reality shows are playing. Today's population is fascinated with how other people live. USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. People want to live like other happy people they see. So show them how to do that through faith!
"....."And when someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way......Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ."
If you're life were made into a movie, what would it look like? Would you like what you see? Would you know, that you are a Christian?
Reflection:
Everyone has different ways of "displaying their faith." Some are very open about it, and look for people to tell. Others consider their faith a personal matter that they keep to themselves. And then there's others that fill out the middle of these two ends of the spectrum. For any NFL fans reading this, compare Tim Tebow to Phillip Rivers. Both are equally very faithful Christians, they just each go about showing their faith in different ways. Tebow mentions it every chance he gets. Rivers doesn't mention it at all publicly. Are either of these wrong? I don't think so. To my knowledge, there is no "right way" to go about this, it is a matter of personal preference. BUT, when asked about our faith, when confronted with an opportunity, we should take the opportunity to expand the Kingdom and get someone else interested in getting to know Jesus. Peter essentially tells us this with this verse. Without people doing this, so many people, including myself, would still be spiritually lost.
I included the second part of verse 16 to reflect on what I think the most important part of the passage is, which is showing people the glory of God in your own lives. There are people out there, quite a few in my life, who just aren't going to listen to preaching. They don't want to hear verses. They don't want your beliefs thrown on them. In fact, doing this will push them farther away from a Christian life. Doing this will build animosity towards the Word. So is there nothing we can do? The answer is, Yes there is. And its simple. Live a good life. Be happy and joyous. Show off the blessings you receive from walking with the Lord. If you grumble and complain at work, school, or at social gatherings to people who know you are a Christian, what do you think the chances are that they will want to come to Jesus? If you're not showing a desirable life, why would they even consider Christianity? Flip that around however, if you are a person who always sees situations for the positive, sees the glass as half full, shows genuine concern for others, and doesn't judge, then people may just want to look into this Jesus fella. Happiness in hard times will spark curiosity, and if people see that your faith is causing this happiness, it will certainly spark curiosity at the very least.
Personal Reflection:
I struggle with this concept personally. Since I have found Jesus, I do generally feel happier, and some around me have said they have noticed some changes. But I still find myself complaining at little things, whining about immaterial issues, and the works.
I did recently have a chance to "display" the new me however at a recent dinner gathering with a group that has been ongoing weekly for about 10+ years now. As you may or may not have been able to tell, I am quite the sports follower, and the big news over the last couple of days has been the Lance Armstrong "blood-doping, performance enhancing" breakthrough story. Naturally, as the resident "sports guy", when I walked in the door, everyone came to me for my take on the story....
A very short cliff-notes background story, I was always the guy that CRUSHED anyone who "cheated", whether it was steroids, corked bats, or whatever. I hated these guys, thought they deserved maximum punishments, on and on and on. Anyway, back when Lance was still riding at the end of his career, I told all of my friends that Lance was cheating. I even wrote a paper as a college senior stating as much. Naturally, most people adamantly disagreed with me because of what an icon Lance was, so it is safe to say I was waiting for this "triumphant" moment for awhile...
Two years ago, this would have been awesome. Now, however, I just feel bad about it. There's no satisfaction in this, and there shouldn't be for anyone. I feel bad for Lance. I feel bad for the people who looked up to him. Two years ago, I would have RIPPED Lance and called him a scam, a fraud. But the first thing that popped into my head when the story broke yesterday was the "Do Not Judge Others...." verse. It's easy to say I would never do something like that from my couch, but is that really true? I was one of the best baseball players in my area when I was in middle school. When we made the jump into high school, my size (I was tiny to put it lightly) held me back from the opportunities that my AAU teammates, who I considered myself better than, were getting. If someone were to have told me, "hey son, take these and you will bulk up, and you will make it on a college team, get a college scholarship." Would I really have said no? I dont know. If I was in a sport like cycling, where it was widely known everyone was blood doping, would I have tried to go at it clean knowing I had no chance at my dream? I dont know. If you were a from a low-income family, and someone told you that you that you had to take steroids to earn a living playing a sport where you could feed your parents, your kids, would you say no?
Maybe we would all have said no. But we need to be careful about jumping to rash conclusions, rash judgments, in situations where we cannot relate to. Lance did some deplorable acts. I'm not advocating for him or telling you how you should feel. But be careful not to judge. Listen to the Word. I write all of this to say, that my group was genuinely shocked by my reaction, and I think they truly took notice of my more positive attitude in this situation. And I must say, it felt really good. Take advantage of these opportunities in your own life, and I think you will feel the same way.
Final thought:
Be a living example of the glory of God. Be infectious with your positive attitude, your peace, your care for others. This thought gives me hope to fulfill this duty I have as a Christian. I will likely never be someone that preaches the Word, or who seeks out people to read Scripture too. But I can succeed at showing off the Christian faith in the way I live.
Now more than ever in the world today, people are watching other people. Don't believe me? Just turn on the TV and see how many reality shows are playing. Today's population is fascinated with how other people live. USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE. People want to live like other happy people they see. So show them how to do that through faith!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Ask and you shall receive?
Scripture I'm reflecting on: John 15:7
"But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!"
WOW........Can this really be true?.....
Reflection:
Well obviously I think we all know that this verse is not meant to be read literally as, "pray and you shall receive whatever you want." It may sound like that, and we may occasionally wish it was like that, but that certainly can't be. As has been my theme in past posts, if it were that easy, everyone would be a Christian.
I don't believe there is anyone out there who can pray for anything and have it come true. If you are reading this and saying, that's not true it works for me, I would love to e-mail you a list of prayer requests that may or may not include a week long golf vacation to Scotland and a World Series Championship for the Baltimore Orioles next year :).
Conversely, I have actually found my personal life to be the opposite of this quote, that being, it seems like the more I pray for something I want the less likely I will get it. This clearly isn't a "prosperity promise", at least not in a material sense. So what is it?, what does this verse mean? I don't think verses just happen to be in the Bible without meaning, so what is the takeaway we are supposed to find in this verse?
The part of this passage that sticks out at me is the word REMAIN. Notice that REMAIN is mentioned twice. This also has been translated as abide in different versions (and maybe something else in others I haven't viewed). This seems to be the takeaway from this verse, that we are to remain in Christ, remain in the LORD, remain in their Word, and we will be fruitful, we will be happy? we will prosper? But again, I come back to a similar question, what does it mean to remain? Remain in Him? Have His words remain in us?
Final Thought:
You say, "Wait, You're already at a final thought? You haven't said anything!" Sadly you are correct, I have no answer here. I researched this verse and found a plethora of possible answers. One website says this was meant solely for the apostles. One website said that we are to "abide" in Jesus love, rejoice in how much he loves us, and allow him the joy of loving others through us. Another site summed it up with a poem "More saturated by the Word, More surely will our prayers be heard."
If I had to put out my opinion, I think this passage is meant to mean different things for different people. For some people, maybe it is an encouragement to continue being faithful. Maybe for some it is inspiration to become faithful. For others (or maybe just myself), it must mean something more, because I know in my own life that praying for what I want is often a losing battle. But am I reading this wrong? Just because I don't physically get what I want, is that reason to say I didn't have my prayer answered? Maybe this is to say only that our prayers will be answered, even if that means you don't get what you asked for? Maybe I'm not getting what I want all the time because I would end up taking it for granted, or letting it lead me away from Him. I can't argue this may be true. I remember as a youngster my mom pulling out the line many times when I would whine for something....Put want in one hand and.....well if you know the quote you can finish it your mind, I'll keep the blog PG-13 for now.
I'll just throw out my short opinion. For me, REMAIN means to clear the clutter, clear the distractions, clear all the useless mumbo jumbo (no , theres really no better adjective for whats going on upstairs for me) out of my head that I needlessly waste time stressing over, and just live in a way that pleases Christ. By doing this, God will be with me, and take care of me. This doesn't mean I can have whatever I want, but it means that I am not going at it alone.As
Maybe this is the right answer, maybe its not....I don't have a set in stone answer to these questions. But I do think this is an important passage to reflect on, which I plan to do in detail. Not just what it means, but how it applies to our lives. How do we REMAIN when we drink our morning coffee. How do we REMAIN on our work commute. How do we remain when someone belittles you. How do we REMAIN when life doesn't give you a fair shake.
If each of us can find our own answer to this question, I think the results will be an amazing sight to see
"But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!"
WOW........Can this really be true?.....
Reflection:
Well obviously I think we all know that this verse is not meant to be read literally as, "pray and you shall receive whatever you want." It may sound like that, and we may occasionally wish it was like that, but that certainly can't be. As has been my theme in past posts, if it were that easy, everyone would be a Christian.
I don't believe there is anyone out there who can pray for anything and have it come true. If you are reading this and saying, that's not true it works for me, I would love to e-mail you a list of prayer requests that may or may not include a week long golf vacation to Scotland and a World Series Championship for the Baltimore Orioles next year :).
Conversely, I have actually found my personal life to be the opposite of this quote, that being, it seems like the more I pray for something I want the less likely I will get it. This clearly isn't a "prosperity promise", at least not in a material sense. So what is it?, what does this verse mean? I don't think verses just happen to be in the Bible without meaning, so what is the takeaway we are supposed to find in this verse?
The part of this passage that sticks out at me is the word REMAIN. Notice that REMAIN is mentioned twice. This also has been translated as abide in different versions (and maybe something else in others I haven't viewed). This seems to be the takeaway from this verse, that we are to remain in Christ, remain in the LORD, remain in their Word, and we will be fruitful, we will be happy? we will prosper? But again, I come back to a similar question, what does it mean to remain? Remain in Him? Have His words remain in us?
Final Thought:
You say, "Wait, You're already at a final thought? You haven't said anything!" Sadly you are correct, I have no answer here. I researched this verse and found a plethora of possible answers. One website says this was meant solely for the apostles. One website said that we are to "abide" in Jesus love, rejoice in how much he loves us, and allow him the joy of loving others through us. Another site summed it up with a poem "More saturated by the Word, More surely will our prayers be heard."
If I had to put out my opinion, I think this passage is meant to mean different things for different people. For some people, maybe it is an encouragement to continue being faithful. Maybe for some it is inspiration to become faithful. For others (or maybe just myself), it must mean something more, because I know in my own life that praying for what I want is often a losing battle. But am I reading this wrong? Just because I don't physically get what I want, is that reason to say I didn't have my prayer answered? Maybe this is to say only that our prayers will be answered, even if that means you don't get what you asked for? Maybe I'm not getting what I want all the time because I would end up taking it for granted, or letting it lead me away from Him. I can't argue this may be true. I remember as a youngster my mom pulling out the line many times when I would whine for something....Put want in one hand and.....well if you know the quote you can finish it your mind, I'll keep the blog PG-13 for now.
I'll just throw out my short opinion. For me, REMAIN means to clear the clutter, clear the distractions, clear all the useless mumbo jumbo (no , theres really no better adjective for whats going on upstairs for me) out of my head that I needlessly waste time stressing over, and just live in a way that pleases Christ. By doing this, God will be with me, and take care of me. This doesn't mean I can have whatever I want, but it means that I am not going at it alone.As
Maybe this is the right answer, maybe its not....I don't have a set in stone answer to these questions. But I do think this is an important passage to reflect on, which I plan to do in detail. Not just what it means, but how it applies to our lives. How do we REMAIN when we drink our morning coffee. How do we REMAIN on our work commute. How do we remain when someone belittles you. How do we REMAIN when life doesn't give you a fair shake.
If each of us can find our own answer to this question, I think the results will be an amazing sight to see
Friday, October 12, 2012
There's never a good time to give up on a prayer...
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Luke 11:9-10
"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
Jesus spoke these words following a story He was telling his disciples in response to them asking to be taught how to pray. Jesus asked his disciples to imagine going to a friend's house at midnight to borrow some bread, only to have the friend let them know it was too late and he was leaving the door locked. Jesus said that if they kept knocking through "shameless persistence", the friend would get up and give you whatever you need.
Reflection:
The message of this verse is pretty clear this time, no deep reflection needed. Jesus is simply telling his disciples, and all of us, to never give up on prayer. Be persistent in prayer. Be dedicated to prayer. And be faithful that it will work out, that you will get an answer. In fact, he goes on to say EVERYONE who prays, receives. EVERYONE who does finds God.
This an easy devotion to type to readers. But I would find it hard to believe that there is someone out there who has never struggled with this concept in their spiritual life. I know I sure do. Jesus tells us to keep praying. Keep seeking, keep "knocking on the door." And while he guarantees the results will come, he doesn't guarantee two key components that us men and women always want to know: When and How? When are my prayers going to get answered? And how? What will happen?
Jesus doesn't give us these answers, and for good reason. For one, there is no "answer." The how and when will be different for every person, for every prayer, for every given situation. And again, this is for good reason. Our faith isn't supposed to be easy. If it was, everyone would claim their love (real or fake) for God. If every prayer was answered right away, then there would be a lot more Christians in the world. But would these be true Christians, in the way God wants us to be? Or would most of these new "Christians" just be selfishly praying for their own personal fortunes?
Put simply, prayer is the answer to our problems. We are told to pray constantly, seek God constantly, and remember and glorify God in all of our daily tasks. But even when we do all that, we shouldn't expect a "fast-food" style prayer transaction. We won't always get answers right away. And we won't always get the exact answers we WANT. But God always gives us the answers we NEED when we are diligent in our faith.
Personal Reflection:
Instead of going to my list of passages that I mark in my reading to come back and reflect on in this blog, I went online and specifically sought out encouragement for this specific topic. This verse in particular was the one I found most encouraging for my current prayer issues, and I thought it may help to share in case it could help someone else just as much.
While I have been blessed with great patience with others around me (with certain exceptions), I have absolutely no patience when it comes to myself personally. If I set out to try something new, I tend to give up very quickly if it looks it's something I don't pick up right away. This attitude put a quick end to my attempts to learn several musical instruments, learn a foreign language, and any attempt to complete a project that requires the slightest touch of artistic ability (which I absolutely do not have). I say all that to demonstrate how difficult this concept is for me, which is why finding this verse was especially encouraging for me.
When I first started truly praying again, most of my prayers seemed to be answered quickly and simply. As I'm sure is the case with everyone, it made it really easy to continue to pray and seek God when my prayers were being answered exactly as I had hoped. But lately, I have spent a notable amount of time praying for some things that simply are not coming to fruition, and I am finding myself having a hard time understanding why. While giving up isn't something I have come close to doing, the natural question of "why is God not responding to my prayers", a thought that we all probably have in similar situations, has started to pop in my head. I spent time reflecting on this before I began writing this, and I'm now realizing that God has been responding to me this whole time, for the last few weeks of my prayer time....and I just didn't realize it.
I have had several dreams over the past couple of weeks where a situation has occurred and then someone in my life tells me "don't give up." Yesterday at Bible Study, someone spent a few minutes discussing a verse in Acts that helped them not give up on a prayer in their life, and ultimately their prayers were answered. I turned on a sermon this morning and the first words I heard out of the pastor's mouth were "never give up on your faith." Despite all of this, I ate my dinner this evening still wondering when God was going to give me some sort of response to my prayer. Finally, in prayer tonight, God put the words "don't give up" so strongly on my heart that I couldn't avoid the answer despite my "blindness" to the ga-billion other times he has shown this to me over the last few weeks. This powerful message was what led me to seek out verses on this topic, and ultimately write this blog.
You may be asking, how is "don't give up" an answer to your prayer? How could "don't give up" help me with whatever you may be imagining I am praying about. Well, is don't give up the ultimate answer to my prayers I was/am waiting for? No. BUT, I know now that God is telling me that he hears me, he loves me, and as long as I keep seeking him, keep showing faith, my prayers will be answered. Will this answer be the "Dream" answer I have in my head? Who knows. I understand it might not, and admittedly struggle and worry regularly about what ultimate answers I may get. Unfortunately prayer isn't a multiple choice test with one clear right answer and four wrong ones. But knowing God is telling me to not give up gives me comfort. Knowing God is telling me not to give up means he WILL answer my prayer, and WILL "open a door" for me, regardless of whether it is the one I wanted to be opened or a totally different one.
Final Thought:
If you have a prayer that you think hasn't been answered, or wasn't answered the way you think it should have been, take a little time today, tomorrow, or soon to reflect and pray about it. Similar to my situation, God may have been, or may still be responding to you in a way that you just have not been able to pick up on yet.
Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who seek Him.”
"And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
Jesus spoke these words following a story He was telling his disciples in response to them asking to be taught how to pray. Jesus asked his disciples to imagine going to a friend's house at midnight to borrow some bread, only to have the friend let them know it was too late and he was leaving the door locked. Jesus said that if they kept knocking through "shameless persistence", the friend would get up and give you whatever you need.
Reflection:
The message of this verse is pretty clear this time, no deep reflection needed. Jesus is simply telling his disciples, and all of us, to never give up on prayer. Be persistent in prayer. Be dedicated to prayer. And be faithful that it will work out, that you will get an answer. In fact, he goes on to say EVERYONE who prays, receives. EVERYONE who does finds God.
This an easy devotion to type to readers. But I would find it hard to believe that there is someone out there who has never struggled with this concept in their spiritual life. I know I sure do. Jesus tells us to keep praying. Keep seeking, keep "knocking on the door." And while he guarantees the results will come, he doesn't guarantee two key components that us men and women always want to know: When and How? When are my prayers going to get answered? And how? What will happen?
Jesus doesn't give us these answers, and for good reason. For one, there is no "answer." The how and when will be different for every person, for every prayer, for every given situation. And again, this is for good reason. Our faith isn't supposed to be easy. If it was, everyone would claim their love (real or fake) for God. If every prayer was answered right away, then there would be a lot more Christians in the world. But would these be true Christians, in the way God wants us to be? Or would most of these new "Christians" just be selfishly praying for their own personal fortunes?
Put simply, prayer is the answer to our problems. We are told to pray constantly, seek God constantly, and remember and glorify God in all of our daily tasks. But even when we do all that, we shouldn't expect a "fast-food" style prayer transaction. We won't always get answers right away. And we won't always get the exact answers we WANT. But God always gives us the answers we NEED when we are diligent in our faith.
Personal Reflection:
Instead of going to my list of passages that I mark in my reading to come back and reflect on in this blog, I went online and specifically sought out encouragement for this specific topic. This verse in particular was the one I found most encouraging for my current prayer issues, and I thought it may help to share in case it could help someone else just as much.
While I have been blessed with great patience with others around me (with certain exceptions), I have absolutely no patience when it comes to myself personally. If I set out to try something new, I tend to give up very quickly if it looks it's something I don't pick up right away. This attitude put a quick end to my attempts to learn several musical instruments, learn a foreign language, and any attempt to complete a project that requires the slightest touch of artistic ability (which I absolutely do not have). I say all that to demonstrate how difficult this concept is for me, which is why finding this verse was especially encouraging for me.
When I first started truly praying again, most of my prayers seemed to be answered quickly and simply. As I'm sure is the case with everyone, it made it really easy to continue to pray and seek God when my prayers were being answered exactly as I had hoped. But lately, I have spent a notable amount of time praying for some things that simply are not coming to fruition, and I am finding myself having a hard time understanding why. While giving up isn't something I have come close to doing, the natural question of "why is God not responding to my prayers", a thought that we all probably have in similar situations, has started to pop in my head. I spent time reflecting on this before I began writing this, and I'm now realizing that God has been responding to me this whole time, for the last few weeks of my prayer time....and I just didn't realize it.
I have had several dreams over the past couple of weeks where a situation has occurred and then someone in my life tells me "don't give up." Yesterday at Bible Study, someone spent a few minutes discussing a verse in Acts that helped them not give up on a prayer in their life, and ultimately their prayers were answered. I turned on a sermon this morning and the first words I heard out of the pastor's mouth were "never give up on your faith." Despite all of this, I ate my dinner this evening still wondering when God was going to give me some sort of response to my prayer. Finally, in prayer tonight, God put the words "don't give up" so strongly on my heart that I couldn't avoid the answer despite my "blindness" to the ga-billion other times he has shown this to me over the last few weeks. This powerful message was what led me to seek out verses on this topic, and ultimately write this blog.
You may be asking, how is "don't give up" an answer to your prayer? How could "don't give up" help me with whatever you may be imagining I am praying about. Well, is don't give up the ultimate answer to my prayers I was/am waiting for? No. BUT, I know now that God is telling me that he hears me, he loves me, and as long as I keep seeking him, keep showing faith, my prayers will be answered. Will this answer be the "Dream" answer I have in my head? Who knows. I understand it might not, and admittedly struggle and worry regularly about what ultimate answers I may get. Unfortunately prayer isn't a multiple choice test with one clear right answer and four wrong ones. But knowing God is telling me to not give up gives me comfort. Knowing God is telling me not to give up means he WILL answer my prayer, and WILL "open a door" for me, regardless of whether it is the one I wanted to be opened or a totally different one.
Final Thought:
If you have a prayer that you think hasn't been answered, or wasn't answered the way you think it should have been, take a little time today, tomorrow, or soon to reflect and pray about it. Similar to my situation, God may have been, or may still be responding to you in a way that you just have not been able to pick up on yet.
Hebrews 11:6
“And without faith it is impossible to please Him. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who seek Him.”
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Moderate Living
Scripture I'm reflecting on: Proverbs 25:16
"Do you like honey?
Don't eat too much , or it will make you sick!"
Nottttt one of your typical "go to" devotional verses here. I read over this phrase this evening and it gave me a little laugh at first read, as my first thought it too think of all the times I have gorged myself with way too big of a dinner. I stopped after finishing the chapter though to reflect and pray on it a little bit, and I think there's actually a pretty simple yet powerful message in this verse.
Reflection:
Ever lose perspective on how great your life is? I know I do. Do we have more than we need in our life, "abundant honey" one might say? Well, if you are reading this from your own computer then you have more "honey" than 95% of the world. Will you be going to sleep in your own bed tonight? Then you have more "honey" than 75% of the world. You get the point. Does this mean we should feel bad for our blessings. Of course not. But we should be thankful. We should be grateful. And we should think twice before when we find ourselves longing for more possessions, more power, more recognition, more attention.
What is something you have seen someone else have that you "longed for"? A dress, shoes, car, job? Just the other day someone was telling me how they became a member of a nice country club around here, and I remember thinking "How lucky is he, sure wish I could get on that golf course". But is this really something I should be longing after? The fact that I have the ability to play golf when I want to already in itself is more "honey" than so many people in my own life, better yet the country or the world.
I read somewhere that "wanting more is a sign that we have way too much." While this may be a little strong of a statement for my taste, I do think it is good cautionary language for us to consider. Its easy to fall into the trap of saying, "once i get this one thing, ill be satisfied." Once I get the "honey from that hive over there", I'll be good. But does it ever end that way? There's always another "hive" that seems to come around that's even more appealing.
While its natural to want more things in life, whether its material possessions, career advancements, accolades, etc.; its important to make sure these "wants" don't take priority over what really matters: our relationship with the Lord and living by the Word. The next time you find yourself wanting something, ask yourself, is this excess? Jesus told us that it is better to give than to receive. When God gives us more in our life, does it seem more logical that hes given us extra wealth, or giving us extra to give?
Personal Reflection:
As a high school sophomore, I had reached a high level of confidence in my tennis game. I remember a certain 5 letter P word that filled my body when I saw my name listed as #1 in the preseason conference predictions. Unfortunately, the 5 letter word wasn't proud, but pride. I remember after winning my first two matches that season, instead of being thankful for the skills and opportunity God had given me, I found myself "longing for more", wishing I would have would have won in a more "blowout" fashion to look better. An injury put a swift end to that pride, and I now look back on that period as a missed opportunity to enjoy a great gift from God. Sports is an easy example to me, but this attitude can creep up in many areas of your life. Bottom line: be thankful for what you have, caution yourself from wanting "too much", and enjoy the blessings God has given us.
"Do you like honey?
Don't eat too much , or it will make you sick!"
Nottttt one of your typical "go to" devotional verses here. I read over this phrase this evening and it gave me a little laugh at first read, as my first thought it too think of all the times I have gorged myself with way too big of a dinner. I stopped after finishing the chapter though to reflect and pray on it a little bit, and I think there's actually a pretty simple yet powerful message in this verse.
Reflection:
Ever lose perspective on how great your life is? I know I do. Do we have more than we need in our life, "abundant honey" one might say? Well, if you are reading this from your own computer then you have more "honey" than 95% of the world. Will you be going to sleep in your own bed tonight? Then you have more "honey" than 75% of the world. You get the point. Does this mean we should feel bad for our blessings. Of course not. But we should be thankful. We should be grateful. And we should think twice before when we find ourselves longing for more possessions, more power, more recognition, more attention.
What is something you have seen someone else have that you "longed for"? A dress, shoes, car, job? Just the other day someone was telling me how they became a member of a nice country club around here, and I remember thinking "How lucky is he, sure wish I could get on that golf course". But is this really something I should be longing after? The fact that I have the ability to play golf when I want to already in itself is more "honey" than so many people in my own life, better yet the country or the world.
I read somewhere that "wanting more is a sign that we have way too much." While this may be a little strong of a statement for my taste, I do think it is good cautionary language for us to consider. Its easy to fall into the trap of saying, "once i get this one thing, ill be satisfied." Once I get the "honey from that hive over there", I'll be good. But does it ever end that way? There's always another "hive" that seems to come around that's even more appealing.
While its natural to want more things in life, whether its material possessions, career advancements, accolades, etc.; its important to make sure these "wants" don't take priority over what really matters: our relationship with the Lord and living by the Word. The next time you find yourself wanting something, ask yourself, is this excess? Jesus told us that it is better to give than to receive. When God gives us more in our life, does it seem more logical that hes given us extra wealth, or giving us extra to give?
Personal Reflection:
As a high school sophomore, I had reached a high level of confidence in my tennis game. I remember a certain 5 letter P word that filled my body when I saw my name listed as #1 in the preseason conference predictions. Unfortunately, the 5 letter word wasn't proud, but pride. I remember after winning my first two matches that season, instead of being thankful for the skills and opportunity God had given me, I found myself "longing for more", wishing I would have would have won in a more "blowout" fashion to look better. An injury put a swift end to that pride, and I now look back on that period as a missed opportunity to enjoy a great gift from God. Sports is an easy example to me, but this attitude can creep up in many areas of your life. Bottom line: be thankful for what you have, caution yourself from wanting "too much", and enjoy the blessings God has given us.
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