Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Isaiah 45:9
"What sorrow awaits those who argue with their Creator.
Does a clay pot argue with its maker?
Does the clay dispute with the one who shapes it, saying,
'Stop, you're doing it wrong!'
Does the pot exclaim,
'How clumsy can you be?'
Reflection:
This has quickly become one of my favorite verses. A witty and humorous way to make a very simple yet powerful point.
I would doubt any of us can say we don't find ourselves arguing with God on rare occasion from time to time. It might be in a subtle way of just questioning why something isn't going your way, or where the answer to a prayer is. Or if you're like me you might actually find yourself arguining with God in prayer from time to time. Regardless of when and how, I think after reflecting on it, and by reading this verse, we see how truly silly that is.
This verse doesn't just speak to our thoughts however. Technically I think we are "arguing" with God anytime we resist what the Holy Spirit puts on our heart. This past fall I accepted a position that after I interviewed for I knew it was something I wasn't called to take. I even voiced this to a couple of close friends. But I took it anyway, because it made sense to me. It was a good internship in a position that I wanted some experience, and would also look great on my resume. Since it didn't make sense to me, I took the position, despite the fact I knew so clearly that the Holy Spirit had put on my heart not too. Long story short, I didn't enjoy the internship, and it was a virtual waste of a semester in that department. This is a very minor instance of the "sorrow" this verse speaks of.
I continue to be surprised and amazed as I grow in my faith by how much the Holy Spirit will guide you if you allow it to happen. I've let my logical thinking talk me out of following what's been put on my heart a few times. It's always been a bad move. Giving up control is hard, probably real hard if you're someone like me who spent most of their life withouth any real faith. Once you give up control though, and follow Him no matter how illogical or irrational it may seem at the time, you will find happiness and success that you never could have obtained without Him.
Final Thought:
I was drawn back to this verse because right now I find myself battling a cold. I used to take the word complain to new meaning everytime I was sick. I would always think God was out to get me, because it always seemed to be at the worst possible times (as if there was ever a great time to be sick). I now realize how ridiculous these complaints were. I now realize how thankful I should be for the health I have, the fact that I'm rarely sick, the fact that a cold here and there is usually he only medical battles I have in a year. There are soo many people that battle so far worse things than my puny cold, and its taken a verse like this to make me appreciate and be thankful for what God has provided me.
Arguing with God is not something anyone can win. Besides the fact you can't win, it will also do nothing but hurt yourself...bring "sorrow" to try to do so. There's always going to be a reason to question Him, to question his plan for you. Many people my age are starting to question why they aren't married yet. Some people wonder why they haven't found their dream job, why they don't have kids, etc etc etc. The answer to these questions isn't all that complicated. Give up control and let the Holy Spirit guide you. Live in His glory, and things are going to work out. This promise is prominent throughout the Bible. Have faith that it will happen, and it will.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Degrees of Seperation
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Romans 8:35-37
"Can anything ever seperate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitude, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."
Reflection:
I decided to post this verse not because it's one I have had an insightful thought or reflection about, but one in which I am struggling deeply with right now. For some time now, I've felt that every step forward I've taken, I've been met with two steps backward. Everytime I've felt like a certain prayer had been answered, it comes crashing back in my face. This has marked a worse extension of this feeling. I saw what I thought was a "step forward" to a prayer I've had for a while... that over the last day turned into not one or two steps backward, but twenty staircases worth of steps backward.
These steps backward have seperated me from Christ. Sometimes for just a few minutes of frustration, sometimes for a day sadness, sometimes for even longer. Currently, this backward fall has left me in a position where I can't even see the end. I feel myself in a state of seperation now that seems to have potential longevity. But how can this be? Paul tells us that overwhelming victory is ours...is mine...through Christ. If this is true though, where does my seperation come from?
This is an answer I will be dedicating a significant amount of time to finding for the forseeable future. I know the answer is in this verse. I know the answer is in the Word. But I know with where my heart is right now, I'm really going to have to read and pray deeper than the plain language of the Bible to find peace.
The message I guess I hope this passes along is a reminder that troubles, hardships, and our low points in life are not things meant to seperate us from God. In fact, its probably meant to be the opposite of that. God doesn't present challenges in our lives to seperate us from Him. God doesn't lose any love for us during our bad days. And these hardships do not prevent us from "victory". They don't prevent us from God's plan. I lose sight of this very frequently, and the result of losing sight of this is seperation, and a heart thats not at peace.
Final Thought:
My complaints, my faith questioning, over the last 24 hours, has been constant and frequent. I felt justified in my complaints. I feel what is happening to me is undeserved, and unfair.
A few hours ago, I received news that a family friend, and someone that helped me out during my college years, fell down his steps and is now in a coma. Here I am complaining about falling down "emotional" steps, saying "why me". The reality of how pathetic my complaints were after hearing this news has hit me quite hard.
Be thankful for all of the greatness in your life. The fact that you are reading this means you are blessed with resources that 90% of the world population does not have. I am sad that it took news like this for me to realize that my life is still so blessed despite my comparitvely tiny emotional hardships. Don't let it take someone's misfortunes to realize how blessed you are. Say prayers of thanks every chance you get. And say prayers for those around you that they receive all the blessings that you have.
"Can anything ever seperate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitude, or in danger, or threatened with death? No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us."
Reflection:
I decided to post this verse not because it's one I have had an insightful thought or reflection about, but one in which I am struggling deeply with right now. For some time now, I've felt that every step forward I've taken, I've been met with two steps backward. Everytime I've felt like a certain prayer had been answered, it comes crashing back in my face. This has marked a worse extension of this feeling. I saw what I thought was a "step forward" to a prayer I've had for a while... that over the last day turned into not one or two steps backward, but twenty staircases worth of steps backward.
These steps backward have seperated me from Christ. Sometimes for just a few minutes of frustration, sometimes for a day sadness, sometimes for even longer. Currently, this backward fall has left me in a position where I can't even see the end. I feel myself in a state of seperation now that seems to have potential longevity. But how can this be? Paul tells us that overwhelming victory is ours...is mine...through Christ. If this is true though, where does my seperation come from?
This is an answer I will be dedicating a significant amount of time to finding for the forseeable future. I know the answer is in this verse. I know the answer is in the Word. But I know with where my heart is right now, I'm really going to have to read and pray deeper than the plain language of the Bible to find peace.
The message I guess I hope this passes along is a reminder that troubles, hardships, and our low points in life are not things meant to seperate us from God. In fact, its probably meant to be the opposite of that. God doesn't present challenges in our lives to seperate us from Him. God doesn't lose any love for us during our bad days. And these hardships do not prevent us from "victory". They don't prevent us from God's plan. I lose sight of this very frequently, and the result of losing sight of this is seperation, and a heart thats not at peace.
Final Thought:
My complaints, my faith questioning, over the last 24 hours, has been constant and frequent. I felt justified in my complaints. I feel what is happening to me is undeserved, and unfair.
A few hours ago, I received news that a family friend, and someone that helped me out during my college years, fell down his steps and is now in a coma. Here I am complaining about falling down "emotional" steps, saying "why me". The reality of how pathetic my complaints were after hearing this news has hit me quite hard.
Be thankful for all of the greatness in your life. The fact that you are reading this means you are blessed with resources that 90% of the world population does not have. I am sad that it took news like this for me to realize that my life is still so blessed despite my comparitvely tiny emotional hardships. Don't let it take someone's misfortunes to realize how blessed you are. Say prayers of thanks every chance you get. And say prayers for those around you that they receive all the blessings that you have.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Discouragement
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Ezra 4:4
"Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans."
Reflection:
When is your faith at its low points? When do you find yourself neglecting prayer? I'll bet its not when you had a great day. If youre anything like me, you find yourself forgetting about God when we're discouraged. When we were reprimanded at work. Lost out on an opportunity. Turned down for a date. Mocked. Laughed at. The residents in this verse knew this, and this still stands true today.
Discouragement surrounds us in all facets of our lives. It may not be as blatant as the Early Christians faced, but it is just as prevalent. Turn on the TV for any significant period of time, and I assure you that you will find something discouraging for Christians. Try to go out to almost any public place talk about the Word, and it will not take you long to come across a discouraging or distasteful comment. The workplace. The grocery store. Maybe even among your own friends and family. The facts we must face is that discouragement is out there for Christians. And it is growing. And it is becoming more blatant.
I think the key for us is to simply recognize these moments of discouragement, and fight them with prayer. When we feel discouraged, for whatever the reason, our natural reaction is to stop. Stop doing what we're supposed. Lose motivation. Lose passion.
Studied hard for a test and didn't get the grade you want? Natural reaction = loss of motivation in studying for the next test.
Put in a year of hardwork only to get passed up for that promotion? Natural reaction = to lose your passion to perform your job at your highest level.
Build up the courage to ask a girl out only to get the dreaded "no"? Natural reaction = to lose confidence and give up on finding the right person.
But if we recognize these moments of discouragement with prayer, turn to the Word, and ask God for help...we can attack these moments with the opposite reactions. Work even harder at your job, for that next test, build up even more confidence. This is our chance to not only please God, but to use these moments of discouragement to better ourselves in a way we couldn't have done before.
Final Thought:
Before I found Christ, I worked at a job where I was passed up for numerous promotions, despite being far and away the most qualified each time. Unfortunately I didn't excel in the politics of the profession I was in, and I let this discourage me. I stopped caring about my work. I spent the majority of the day reading sports articles in the office, and just did the minimum to get by. The result was I hated my job, which carried into effecting my happiness outside of work.
Fast forward to now that I have found Christ. My first year of law school was marked with results that were lower than expected. I felt the same amount of discouragement I felt in my job before. The only difference, was this time I prayed about it. The result was I came into this second year with a stronger passion than when I started. I worked harder to get the results I failed to achieve the first go-around. And through all of this, I enjoyed the work I was doing more, happiness and enjoyment that affected me outside of school.
We can all turn discouragement into something great. As I've said, its all around us. But instead of facing it with fear, face it as an opportunity. An opportunity to show God how strong your faith is. An opportunity to use it to increase your happiness.
"Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans."
Reflection:
When is your faith at its low points? When do you find yourself neglecting prayer? I'll bet its not when you had a great day. If youre anything like me, you find yourself forgetting about God when we're discouraged. When we were reprimanded at work. Lost out on an opportunity. Turned down for a date. Mocked. Laughed at. The residents in this verse knew this, and this still stands true today.
Discouragement surrounds us in all facets of our lives. It may not be as blatant as the Early Christians faced, but it is just as prevalent. Turn on the TV for any significant period of time, and I assure you that you will find something discouraging for Christians. Try to go out to almost any public place talk about the Word, and it will not take you long to come across a discouraging or distasteful comment. The workplace. The grocery store. Maybe even among your own friends and family. The facts we must face is that discouragement is out there for Christians. And it is growing. And it is becoming more blatant.
I think the key for us is to simply recognize these moments of discouragement, and fight them with prayer. When we feel discouraged, for whatever the reason, our natural reaction is to stop. Stop doing what we're supposed. Lose motivation. Lose passion.
Studied hard for a test and didn't get the grade you want? Natural reaction = loss of motivation in studying for the next test.
Put in a year of hardwork only to get passed up for that promotion? Natural reaction = to lose your passion to perform your job at your highest level.
Build up the courage to ask a girl out only to get the dreaded "no"? Natural reaction = to lose confidence and give up on finding the right person.
But if we recognize these moments of discouragement with prayer, turn to the Word, and ask God for help...we can attack these moments with the opposite reactions. Work even harder at your job, for that next test, build up even more confidence. This is our chance to not only please God, but to use these moments of discouragement to better ourselves in a way we couldn't have done before.
Final Thought:
Before I found Christ, I worked at a job where I was passed up for numerous promotions, despite being far and away the most qualified each time. Unfortunately I didn't excel in the politics of the profession I was in, and I let this discourage me. I stopped caring about my work. I spent the majority of the day reading sports articles in the office, and just did the minimum to get by. The result was I hated my job, which carried into effecting my happiness outside of work.
Fast forward to now that I have found Christ. My first year of law school was marked with results that were lower than expected. I felt the same amount of discouragement I felt in my job before. The only difference, was this time I prayed about it. The result was I came into this second year with a stronger passion than when I started. I worked harder to get the results I failed to achieve the first go-around. And through all of this, I enjoyed the work I was doing more, happiness and enjoyment that affected me outside of school.
We can all turn discouragement into something great. As I've said, its all around us. But instead of facing it with fear, face it as an opportunity. An opportunity to show God how strong your faith is. An opportunity to use it to increase your happiness.
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Don't take the Word for granted
Scripture I'm reflecting on: 2 Timothy 3:16-17
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
"The whole Bible is God's inspired Word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our life. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show you what is true and equip you to live for him."
Reflection:
A simple message that is so easy forget at times. When we're busy, stressed, or having a bad day....its easy to "take a day off" from pulling out our Bible. This becomes even easier when you've already read through the Bible multiple times and feel you already have a complete understanding of God's Word. This verse, along with many others scattered throughout the Bible, warn us to stray away from this line of thinking.
As I find myself trying to progress to greater levels of closeness with Christ, I have found there is no substitute for keeping a strong, committed focus on the Bible. In my "chronological" reading through the Bible from start to finish, I reached Chronicles about a week ago. Chronicles also brought about my first "rut" in my reading. I found myself not looking forward to reading, not finding this particular book all that inspiring and took a "night off".... which turned into a week off. I figured subbing in some sermons on my phone and reading a few devotional pages would be good enough to stay close with Christ.
It wasn't.
It took me until reading this verse to realize why I was feeling a little off... because I was becoming distant from God. It seems crazy to say, but just from reading a couple of chapters a night, even from a less than inspirational 1 Chronicles, I can already feel my heart back in peace.
God has left us a manual. A manual of his thoughts. A manual which encourages us to experience real life and become more like Jesus. A manual of his teachings. 10 commandments - a guide to live in freedom of fear and evil. Proverbs - teachings of wisdom. His word sets us straight when we stray towards evil, restores us, and opens our eyes to ways to make our lives more happy and fulfilled.
Final Thought:
My most difficuly challenges, that I still haven't necessarily overcome, is not only remembering to read, but remembering that the Bible is God's words. No matter who the actual author of each book was, all of the words that made the Bible come from God. I have a tendency, particularly with some of the Old Testament stories that seem almost impossible nowadays, to read these stories as almost fiction. It is only when I correct this thinking and remember to read these stories for what they are, God's manual of the history and glory of our faith, that I experience the full glory of the Word and find myself the closest to God.
If you are like me, then there is rarely (if ever at all) a time when you read the Bible where you don't find a line or a teaching that speaks to you in a way you hadn't thought of before. Turn to the Bible with the troubles or worries of your day. The answer to how to put your heart at peace will assuredly find you during your reading.
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work."
"The whole Bible is God's inspired Word. Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should read it and apply it to our life. The Bible is our standard for testing everything else that claims to be true. It is our safeguard against false teaching and our source of guidance for how we should live. It is our only source of knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show you what is true and equip you to live for him."
Reflection:
A simple message that is so easy forget at times. When we're busy, stressed, or having a bad day....its easy to "take a day off" from pulling out our Bible. This becomes even easier when you've already read through the Bible multiple times and feel you already have a complete understanding of God's Word. This verse, along with many others scattered throughout the Bible, warn us to stray away from this line of thinking.
As I find myself trying to progress to greater levels of closeness with Christ, I have found there is no substitute for keeping a strong, committed focus on the Bible. In my "chronological" reading through the Bible from start to finish, I reached Chronicles about a week ago. Chronicles also brought about my first "rut" in my reading. I found myself not looking forward to reading, not finding this particular book all that inspiring and took a "night off".... which turned into a week off. I figured subbing in some sermons on my phone and reading a few devotional pages would be good enough to stay close with Christ.
It wasn't.
It took me until reading this verse to realize why I was feeling a little off... because I was becoming distant from God. It seems crazy to say, but just from reading a couple of chapters a night, even from a less than inspirational 1 Chronicles, I can already feel my heart back in peace.
God has left us a manual. A manual of his thoughts. A manual which encourages us to experience real life and become more like Jesus. A manual of his teachings. 10 commandments - a guide to live in freedom of fear and evil. Proverbs - teachings of wisdom. His word sets us straight when we stray towards evil, restores us, and opens our eyes to ways to make our lives more happy and fulfilled.
Final Thought:
My most difficuly challenges, that I still haven't necessarily overcome, is not only remembering to read, but remembering that the Bible is God's words. No matter who the actual author of each book was, all of the words that made the Bible come from God. I have a tendency, particularly with some of the Old Testament stories that seem almost impossible nowadays, to read these stories as almost fiction. It is only when I correct this thinking and remember to read these stories for what they are, God's manual of the history and glory of our faith, that I experience the full glory of the Word and find myself the closest to God.
If you are like me, then there is rarely (if ever at all) a time when you read the Bible where you don't find a line or a teaching that speaks to you in a way you hadn't thought of before. Turn to the Bible with the troubles or worries of your day. The answer to how to put your heart at peace will assuredly find you during your reading.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Remember those who fought for us
Scripture I'm Reflecting on: Acts 14:19-20
"Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe."
Paul was preaching the good news. He was doing what God was asking him to do. What did he get in return? A beating. Stoned. Nearly killed. Paul's response? He got up, and went to another location, to preach the same good news that he was just nearly killed for preaching.
Reflection:
Stop and think about how amazing this story is. Paul was nearly killed. . .solely for doing what God had asked him to do. Did his faith waiver? Did he say "forget this"? Did he even question what was happening? Nope nope and nope. Paul got up and kept going, and his faith never waivered.
Stop and think about the times in your life where you have questioned God, or even had thoughts about your faith. When I think about the times in my life, they are quite embarassing when compared to what Paul went through. Paul was nearly killed and never once wondered if God was with him. Sadly, I've found myself wonder why God rewarded someone with a better grade that I thought I was more diligent than. I've found myself question God numerous times when I've heard the "Youre a nice guy but . . ." or "Its just not the right time" lines from a girl I'm interested. I've seen my faith waiver at times when I thought my prayers weren't being answered. Maybe I never said these things outloud, but I've thought them. Most of the time these thoughts for us are just brief thoughts, and they happen in an instance. But that doesn't change the fact we should try to fight against them, and remembering this story about Paul is a great way to do so.
The bottom line is, we can't let little obstacles slow us down, or lessen our faith. There are no promises in the Bible that being a Christian comes with an easy life. There are no promises that we will get everything we pray for. But we do know God is always looking out for us. He is always providing for us. And He is always providing us with the tools to live a joyous fulfilled life.
Final Thought:
I whole-heartedly believe, like I'm sure we all believe, in Jesus Christ and the gift he gave us by giving His life on the cross. I have never been beaten up for this belief. I have never been threatened because of this belief. I've honestly never faced anything negative for this belief. Sure, many os us will face people who will laugh at our beliefs, judge us because of our beliefs, maybe even deny us opportunities based on our beliefs. But very few of us (hopefully none of us) will ever face what Paul and many other Church leaders faced because of their belief. Be thankful for this. Be inspired by this. And thank God everyday for the opportunity to follow Him free from many of the obstacles that those before us had to battle through.
"Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe."
Paul was preaching the good news. He was doing what God was asking him to do. What did he get in return? A beating. Stoned. Nearly killed. Paul's response? He got up, and went to another location, to preach the same good news that he was just nearly killed for preaching.
Reflection:
Stop and think about how amazing this story is. Paul was nearly killed. . .solely for doing what God had asked him to do. Did his faith waiver? Did he say "forget this"? Did he even question what was happening? Nope nope and nope. Paul got up and kept going, and his faith never waivered.
Stop and think about the times in your life where you have questioned God, or even had thoughts about your faith. When I think about the times in my life, they are quite embarassing when compared to what Paul went through. Paul was nearly killed and never once wondered if God was with him. Sadly, I've found myself wonder why God rewarded someone with a better grade that I thought I was more diligent than. I've found myself question God numerous times when I've heard the "Youre a nice guy but . . ." or "Its just not the right time" lines from a girl I'm interested. I've seen my faith waiver at times when I thought my prayers weren't being answered. Maybe I never said these things outloud, but I've thought them. Most of the time these thoughts for us are just brief thoughts, and they happen in an instance. But that doesn't change the fact we should try to fight against them, and remembering this story about Paul is a great way to do so.
The bottom line is, we can't let little obstacles slow us down, or lessen our faith. There are no promises in the Bible that being a Christian comes with an easy life. There are no promises that we will get everything we pray for. But we do know God is always looking out for us. He is always providing for us. And He is always providing us with the tools to live a joyous fulfilled life.
Final Thought:
I whole-heartedly believe, like I'm sure we all believe, in Jesus Christ and the gift he gave us by giving His life on the cross. I have never been beaten up for this belief. I have never been threatened because of this belief. I've honestly never faced anything negative for this belief. Sure, many os us will face people who will laugh at our beliefs, judge us because of our beliefs, maybe even deny us opportunities based on our beliefs. But very few of us (hopefully none of us) will ever face what Paul and many other Church leaders faced because of their belief. Be thankful for this. Be inspired by this. And thank God everyday for the opportunity to follow Him free from many of the obstacles that those before us had to battle through.
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