Monday, May 14, 2012
Pursuing God
On the turbulent waters of the Sea of Galilee, a storm raged around the disciples. Aboard a small boat, they feared for their very lives. In the midst of the storm, suddenly appeared Jesus in the distance, walking on the very waves that threatened their lives, showing His power and authority over the storm. In spite of the waves, Peter cried out to Jesus to allow him to walk out on the water to where Jesus stood. Jesus replied, "Yes, come". Peter then stepped out, carefully placing each step but walking on the water nonetheless. Suddenly, a brief distraction, as a wave rises higher than the others, taking Peter's concentration away from Jesus. Peter began to fall just as Jesus reached out to grab him.
As Peter pursued God, in spite of the tumultuous circumstances that surrounded him, he believed God for the miraculous. Peter chased God in passionate pursuit, even stepping into unimaginable supernatural ability. Peter's one chance to defy reason and walk with Jesus in an impossible way was cut short by one brief distraction...
Thankfully Peter learned his lesson, as some years later he again follows God into the unknown, speaking in other tongues, receiving 3000 into the Kingdom in one day, and offering healing to a beggar.
It was his destiny...
The Prudent and the Simple (Proverbs 22:3)
Proverbs 22:3
Who are the "simple"?
What does "simple" mean here?
In this scripture, the prudent foresee danger or lack and make provision; the "simple" carry on blindly.
The prudent are proactive and thinking. They read the signs; when trouble (or temptation) is coming, they avoid it. When drought looms, they store up provision ahead of time.
To be simple, in this sense, is to seek pleasure, to live by desire, without thinking of consequences. Babies and animals are simple in that they lack reasoning.
Prudent (which means to "think about the future, to look ahead") individuals see the signs and think ahead. When a prudent man sees a checkout aisle, he avoids looking at the magazines on the ends. A prudent man thinks ahead to his family falling apart from sin and avoids any glance at another woman.
Thank You, God, for wisdom from Your Word!!
Who are the "simple"?
What does "simple" mean here?
In this scripture, the prudent foresee danger or lack and make provision; the "simple" carry on blindly.
The prudent are proactive and thinking. They read the signs; when trouble (or temptation) is coming, they avoid it. When drought looms, they store up provision ahead of time.
To be simple, in this sense, is to seek pleasure, to live by desire, without thinking of consequences. Babies and animals are simple in that they lack reasoning.
Prudent (which means to "think about the future, to look ahead") individuals see the signs and think ahead. When a prudent man sees a checkout aisle, he avoids looking at the magazines on the ends. A prudent man thinks ahead to his family falling apart from sin and avoids any glance at another woman.
Thank You, God, for wisdom from Your Word!!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Those Who Have No Hope
“Under the shadow of our steeple
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?”
-Casting Crowns
Many of us, as Christians, I believe we see a lost and dying world and ask ourselves inwardly, “Is it really that bad?” We justify that it is ok to go another day not inviting our friends, family, and colleagues to church or sharing the love of Jesus with them because, after all, life for them is really not that bad… Sure, we completely understand that their souls are not right with God and ultimately they will spend eternity in darkness without Him, but life itself for them is not very different from life for us. We still share classrooms and cubicles with them and face the same daily challenges. We hear songs like the one above, which depict the sadness and pain of a life without God’s forgiveness and cannot help but inwardly scoff that they are simply not as sad or broken as the songs portray.
We Christians have adapted to our Christian walks rather nicely, haven’t we? We enjoy the pleasure of living a life of freedom so well that we have grown accustomed to it. We have maybe even begun to forget what life was like B.C…. that is, before Christ Jesus came and “washed our sins away”. It seems we take for granted one of the most basic, yet fulfilling, aspects of this life of freedom we so enjoy… and that is hope. Hope has become part of us. We have hope now and hope for what is to come. We no longer suffer “as those who have no hope”.
Yet around us daily, there are “lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me”… They truly are lost. They truly do suffer. Let us not forget how painful life without Jesus was for us! Those who have no hope, says 1 Thessalonians 4:13, grieve for what they cannot change, for what they have lost… The lost have no hope for survival, no hope that they will be able to feed their families, no hope that they will have enough in savings to retire… No hope for an abused child that their Dad won’t visit their room again late at night to destroy what little innocence they have left…
Yes, life for the lost really is bad. It is sad and horrible and all those things the sad songs imply. They really do need the Church to stand up for them, to stand in the gap between God and man for them. Your friends, your family, your colleagues at work need you to share hope with them! Life without communion with God is a horrible existence… We cannot sit around idly watching the lost die in their sin anymore. Now is the time for our hearts to be broken for the lost. They are not just our friends, our peers, our family… They are “those who have no hope”…
-Tim Rodgers
With all the lost and lonely people
Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me
Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see?”
-Casting Crowns
Many of us, as Christians, I believe we see a lost and dying world and ask ourselves inwardly, “Is it really that bad?” We justify that it is ok to go another day not inviting our friends, family, and colleagues to church or sharing the love of Jesus with them because, after all, life for them is really not that bad… Sure, we completely understand that their souls are not right with God and ultimately they will spend eternity in darkness without Him, but life itself for them is not very different from life for us. We still share classrooms and cubicles with them and face the same daily challenges. We hear songs like the one above, which depict the sadness and pain of a life without God’s forgiveness and cannot help but inwardly scoff that they are simply not as sad or broken as the songs portray.
We Christians have adapted to our Christian walks rather nicely, haven’t we? We enjoy the pleasure of living a life of freedom so well that we have grown accustomed to it. We have maybe even begun to forget what life was like B.C…. that is, before Christ Jesus came and “washed our sins away”. It seems we take for granted one of the most basic, yet fulfilling, aspects of this life of freedom we so enjoy… and that is hope. Hope has become part of us. We have hope now and hope for what is to come. We no longer suffer “as those who have no hope”.
Yet around us daily, there are “lost and lonely people searching for the hope that’s tucked away in you and me”… They truly are lost. They truly do suffer. Let us not forget how painful life without Jesus was for us! Those who have no hope, says 1 Thessalonians 4:13, grieve for what they cannot change, for what they have lost… The lost have no hope for survival, no hope that they will be able to feed their families, no hope that they will have enough in savings to retire… No hope for an abused child that their Dad won’t visit their room again late at night to destroy what little innocence they have left…
Yes, life for the lost really is bad. It is sad and horrible and all those things the sad songs imply. They really do need the Church to stand up for them, to stand in the gap between God and man for them. Your friends, your family, your colleagues at work need you to share hope with them! Life without communion with God is a horrible existence… We cannot sit around idly watching the lost die in their sin anymore. Now is the time for our hearts to be broken for the lost. They are not just our friends, our peers, our family… They are “those who have no hope”…
-Tim Rodgers
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