Living life with steps of faith

Why is there suffering in the world? A.       God created a beautiful world and gave humans volition (the power of using one’s own will). ( Genesis 1 & 2 ) B.       God gave us instructions on how to live well.  We can choose to follow God’s advice or choose to go our own way. (The book: The Bible .) C.        Problem is that when we choose to go our own way we create brokenness.  That brokenness impacts everything and everyone! ( Genesis 3 & 4 ) D.       There is suffering in the world because people choose to disobey God’s wise advice and the earth, our bodies, and our relationships have suffered as a result. ( Romans 8:18-22 ) So how do we find Joy in the midst of the suffering? A.       Recognize that Joy flows from God & we become conduits of this Joy when we worship God. ( Psalm ) B.    ...

We have lived so long in the covenant of grace, we have forgotten what life was like during the covenant of holiness. This morning as I continued my chapter a day reading through the holiness code of Leviticus, I was struck by the contrast between Jesus' role as the great high priest and the original boundaries drawn for that role.  The great high priest had been set apart from the world.  He was to live in such a way that his lifestyle represented the holiness of God.  He couldn't marry whomever he wanted, but must marry a kin who was a virgin.  He could not attend his wife's funeral, nor touch her body. If his child had any physical disability or "abnormality" the child would not even be considered for the role of the high priest in the future.  See Leviticus 21. Although Jesus never married, his life crossed the boundary lines of the holiness code.  He shared a cup of water with a "loose" woman, a Samaritan no less. He touched the coffin of th...

When I was in middle school I created a list of 100 lifetime goals.  Using colorful markers and white pieces of computer paper I recorded these dreams of mine for the life that I wanted. In high school I recreated the list, crossing off the few items I had completed. In college, in writing pen, I added several more and removed new achievements. Yesterday, I went to find the list and was unable to locate it. So, I sat down to write a new list and realized how much my adult perspective had shifted things. A hundred goals at an idealistic age of thirteen was no problem.  But now that I have seen the work, patience, and obstacles that must be overcome to accomplish each goal, even creating a list of eight was difficult.  My new list, I suspect contains some of the items on my old list.  "Travel to Italy," "Be in a movie or television series," and "Learn another language."  It also contains some new ones, with lengthy clauses, "Have the entire house c...

What would our lives look like if we actually lived the way Christ asked us to live?  I personally find it quite difficult to live as he commanded.  Here are some of the things he asked for: Be baptized (Mt. 3:15) Live on the Word of God (Mt. 4:4) Do not put God to the test (Mt. 4:7) Worship the Lord and serve Him only (Mt. 4:10) Repent (Mt. 4:17) Follow Jesus (Mt. 4:19 & repeated several times) Fish for people (Mt. 4:19) Rejoice in the midst of persecution (Mt. 5:12) Let your light shine through good deeds (Mt. 5:12) Practice & teach God's law (Mt. 5:19) Quickly reconcile with others (Mt. 5:23) Do not look at anyone lustfully (Mt. 5:28) Don't divorce, commit adultery, or marry someone who is divorced (Mt. 5:32) Don't make oaths, just say "yes" or "no" (Mt. 5:36) Do not resist an evil person (Mt. 5:39) Give to the one who asks - do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow (Mt. 5:42) Be perfect like your Father in heaven ...

The saintly woman three generations ago was defined by from what she abstained.  Perhaps the saintly woman of today is defined by how she exhibits compassion.  Those in their 90s today define godliness and being set apart as related to a moral goodness that is internal.  Yet, when I look at the term godly or righteous, I see it in terms of external relationships, how one interacts with the stranger.  When I put these two models side-by-side, I experience a bit of friction.  I love the sinner by inviting him in, she loves the sinner by keeping him out.  She is set apart by her personal lifestyle of abstaining.  I am set apart by my personal lifestyle of engaging. We read the same passage of Scripture and hear different things.  What did it mean when Jesus said to treat the obstinate as one would a pagan or tax collector? (Matthew 18:17)  What did he mean when he invited us to live in the Spirit instead of by the flesh?  Did the flesh r...

This morning during my devotions I read a quote that really struck my attention.  I would use the quote here, but if I did I would be taking it out of context as I don't believe I interpreted it as the writer intended. But, how I interpreted it was meaningful to me.  The idea I heard was that sin is something we discover that becomes deeply ingrained within ourselves.  I like this idea, because as I have discerned sin in my life, I have often found that it is something I've been doing for a while and never considered to be sin.  I often find my recognition of something in my life as sin to be quite surprising and then I feel sorrowful because I hadn't realized how what I had been doing had been so hurtful to myself and others.  I like this concept because it speaks to those areas that seem so right at the time and can be justifiable until we are enlightened to view it differently.  And I like this perspective because it shows how sin can go unrecognized, an...

Humility is of great price.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about what it means to be set apart for God and how all of us Christians are set apart for God.  I've thought about how I started the race well as a child, having been confident of my faith and committed to living differently as described in the Bible.  Then considered how my teenage years I gave into pressures to "conform to the world."  It was in little ways that I gave in - telling a dirty joke, laughing when I shouldn't, and wearing "attractive" clothes.  I remember hearing my grandmother say on multiple occasions, "what is so bad about being a nerd?"  Then in college, I chose to be set apart by joining other Christians at a Christian college. I had hoped to be humbled by having others around me of deep faith.  Instead what I discovered were things that I didn't like about Christians.  Yes, I was blessed my first couple of years in a cocoon of growth, but in the later years I began to questio...

1 Kings 2:10-12; 3:3-14 “The Right Request” “Nothing is foolproof to a talented fool.”   “The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.” “Borrow money from a pessimist; they don’t expect it back.” “Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.” What is wisdom? And why do we want it so much and then when we get it we ignore it? There are a lot of advantages to being wise.    According to Proverbs 3:13-18: READ FROM BIBLE Wisdom has the potential to bless us with longer lives, wealth, and peace.   Ecclesiastes tells us that wisdom is better than weapons for war. Proverbs says that wisdom will save us from the ways of the wicked and from the adulterous.   If we don’t let it out of sight, we will find that wisdom keeps us from stumbling and maintains our safety. But it does more than that.   Wisdom protects our reputation.   In Matthew Jesus reflects on the ridiculous...

I am utterly amazed by all that the Bible has to say about wisdom.  I really thought that in doing a word study on wisdom, that I would find one, two, or perhaps three unified themes.  What I am discovering is that the depth and complexity of wisdom is expressed in a variety of ways and that GOD really wants us to grasp wisdom.  It isn't something hidden or difficult to find.  It is there for our taking - if we will just seek it!

How do we hear you, O LORD, when no one is listening? Why do you speak so quietly when your voice is a Thunderous Roar? We don't take you seriously we expect your voice to remain silent and yet Your voice is so loud. You speak in the thunder and the lightening. You speak in the waterfalls and the lapping of waves. You are all around us. Your Voice beats out in nature, but we've been deceived so we no longer hear you there. Open our ears and our minds to hear you once again. Amen.

Isaiah 55 - 56:8 (NIV) "'Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters;  and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.  Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live.  I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.  See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.'  Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he wil...

He just lay there. Day after day passed. People came and went. Their ailments being so unkind that they were able to seek help themselves, while he lie alone unable to move.  The young man who was severely injured in a work accident, who had five children and a wife at home who relied upon him to earn a wage, was carried down to the waters by two brothers.  Praise God - he is healed!  The blind woman who traveled a long distance to reach this mystical pool and when the fresh scent of the stirred water flowed past, she stepped in and gained sight!  Praise God - she is healed! Day after day the man lies there.  He hears the celebrations of those who pass by, which increases his faith that if he too were just able to touch the water when it was stirred, his pain would be relieved and he could get up and walk as well. Yet no one is there to help him. Some days he just can't hold back the tears. He has wailed uncontrollably before, but he has learned that groans an...

I was thinking the other day about how we give greater honor to those whose stories have been recorded.  It is almost as if one's work doesn't matter unless it is published.  But, this isn't how it works in God's kingdom.  This morning I read Jesus' words as recorded in John 4:38, "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor."  Who are these other people? In the church, we frequently rely upon the stories of the New Testament, for obvious reasons.  But, we also tend to tell the New Testament stories that are louder and take more space.  The disciples get a lot of attention.  Here, in John, Jesus acknowledges that the disciples have the easy job--they get to reap what others have sown. But look at what, or should I say, "who," Jesus is pointing to here.  Jesus is recognizing that many of his followers have worked quite hard to get people to the feet of Jesus. ...

Your gracious care, O Lord, extends beyond our human race, it enfolds plant life, animals, nature, and even angels! Your covenant of love has no borders. Jesus, Your perfection has grandeur greater than  St. Helens, Mt. Everest, and the Alps combined. The depth of wisdom to your judgments, who can comprehend? Through them you bring about life for both humanity and the animal kingdom. How great of value is Our Mighty One! We find comfort and safety in Your wake. Your supply is overwhelming, You not only provide for our needs, but delight in our pleasures as well. You are our womb. From within Your being, we gain vision and sight. Persevere, O Lord, in being our teddy bear, the One who comforts and loves us and invites us to be intimately known. Share Your perfection with us, and make our hearts right like Your own. Amen.

I struggle with these verses. "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing." Perhaps it is because I define "righteous" from a New Testament perspective - as Christ makes all believers righteous.  Perhaps it is because I define "forsaken" too loosely and include in that definition "treated unjustly."  Perhaps it is because I wonder if the opposite is true, that if we see one who is forsaken or their children are not called "blessed" this verse indicates that indeed the parent isn't as righteous as s/he seems.  More likely I struggle with these verses because I wonder how they apply to a relative of mine who has been through a lot, yet has always been a person who is generous and lends freely... a person who acknowledges God's will and gives God honor even in Job-like moments. I supp...

Last time I read through Numbers 28 & 29, I had similar thoughts to today's reading - Do we have a rhythm of celebrations & holy gatherings in the church?  We meet regularly on Sundays to worship God; We have Christmas celebrations and recognize Holy week; But do we really have a rhythm?  What if we changed how we behaved as church such that our main gatherings were for specific celebrations and purposes and Sundays became times for small group Bible studies or for individuals to come into the worship space to worship solemnly and individually?  Do I sound too Catholic?  Would this work better in our culture? Imagine having everyone in a Christian community commit to going camping for 8-days (Festival of Tabernacles) and during that time we shared the blessings that God had given us the previous year?  Imagine the whole Christian community stopping everything for one day to fast and to repent (Day of Atonement), not only for our individual sins, but th...

A business owner decided to settle her accounts.  Known for her graciousness, she had given out several loans to her employees.  As she began this process, she scheduled a meeting with a man who owed her over 2 billion dollars.  Since he was not able to pay, the owner explained that she would have to begin filing the papers for a lawsuit against the man.  Knowing this woman was well connected with the legal system and had strong grounds for the suit, the man knew he would lose everything, including his wife and kids.  At this, he fell to his knees before his employer and begged, saying "Be patient with  me. I will pay back everything. Just give me more time. I will pay it back." The employer knew better.  She knew he hadn't yet paid him back and that the debt was so great that it would be impossible for him to even make a dent in what he owed.  So, she took pity on him and forgave the entire debt.  He left her office with a huge weight li...

Prayer for a Neighbor's Salvation I pray that ________ will both hear and understand the gospel,   will both see and perceive it. Please soften ______'s heart so that they may see with their eyes,  hear with their ears,  and understand with their hearts. I pray that _____ turns toward you Christ,  so that you might heal them. Amen. (Matthew 13)

Holy ecstasy that is what I feel in Your Divine Presence Holy ecstasy I feel selfish in the joy I discover in Your presence Nothing can compete with this pleasure of honoring Your holy Name. When I put you first, my whole world changes, it improves faster than overnight. You must be jealous of this change in me.