Job 22
Psalm 121
Mark 7-10
SOAP - Whose traditions are these?
Scripture
Mark 7:8 "You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."
Observation
Jesus is talking to the Pharisees about washing hands, clean and unclean, etc. He tells them that the traditions they are so obsessed with are traditions of man, that they've lost sight of the traditions of God.
Application
As someone who was only in church til about the age of seven and has never studied the Bible in depth, there are a lot of times when I don't know if a tradition came from man or from God. There are holidays and holiday traditions. I guess every year I learn a little more about the history of some holidays, and how all the traditions developed. Actually it's often sort of surprising. Some traditions that I would think had no biblical basis do, and others that I've always assumed originated with the Bible didn't. Of course this applies to more than just holiday traditions. There are lots of traditions or attitudes/beliefs that are associated with being a Christian. Some in our everyday lives, some in the way we worship, etc. And it's sometimes hard to know which ones are man made and which ones are from God. But I think that studying the Bible and prayer will help us know. And I pray that the traditions of man don't cause us to lose sight of the commands of God.
Prayer
Dear Lord, sometimes traditions in life can cause me to lose sight of you and your commands, even if they are good and fun traditions. Lord I pray that in all our holiday celebrations and in our day to day lives you'd help us remember you and your message to us. Thank you Lord for your grace and your love. Help us be good to each other and give us a heart for you. Amen.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
But I like rocky places... not so much thorns though
Job 20
Mark 3, 4
SOAP - But I like rocky places... not so much thorns though
Scripture
Mark 4:16-19 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like the seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Observation and Application
Jesus is explaining parts of the parable of the sower to the disciples. I think in my life a lot of times I struggle with a combination of these two parts of the parable. I feel like God calls me to do something, and I'm excited about it and take some steps in that direction, but as soon as I am met with a challenge my determination diminishes and eventually I just stop. I think I've gotten better at this, but still definitely have tons of improvement to make. I think this Bible study, a better (but still pretty pathetic) prayer life and a habit of regularly going to church have helped me here. God gives me strength and reassurance through all those things and that helps me keep going when it looks like failure is likely. I'm excited to be able to look back over the years and see the differences in my life that studying the Bible, prayer and church have made.
And I also struggle a lot in the area of the seed sown among the thorns. I usually feel like God is trying to tell me something, but all the worries and distractions of the world are making it hard for me to get the message. I get a general idea, but worrying about money or time takes me off track. Or I worry that some plan will not work. And that is silly. God's plans do work, if we follow them. That's a 100% guarantee. They may not work how we think they should, but why would they? They are not our plans, but his. God isn't telling me what he wants me to do so I can do a risk analysis of it and review it (sorry, that's what I do at work so I tend to do it everywhere). He doesn't want me to tell him all the ways I'm worried it might not work out how I think it should, or all the ways I'd do it differently. Hmm... thinking back to small group and talking about unsolicited advice in relationships, I think I do that to God a lot. God has a plan and I spend my time thinking of all the ways I'd do it different and why it might not work, instead of just going with the plan.
I hope that as I grow in faith through Bible study, prayer and worship I will have better roots to keep me going when there are struggles. And I hope those things will also help me focus on God and not the worries and distractions in the world so that I can hear his message and go where he leads me.
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me build me faith in you and listen to you and not the world so that I can serve you and your plans for me will be effective and not lost. Thank you Lord for all that you do for us. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your love. Amen.
Mark 3, 4
SOAP - But I like rocky places... not so much thorns though
Scripture
Mark 4:16-19 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like the seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.
Observation and Application
Jesus is explaining parts of the parable of the sower to the disciples. I think in my life a lot of times I struggle with a combination of these two parts of the parable. I feel like God calls me to do something, and I'm excited about it and take some steps in that direction, but as soon as I am met with a challenge my determination diminishes and eventually I just stop. I think I've gotten better at this, but still definitely have tons of improvement to make. I think this Bible study, a better (but still pretty pathetic) prayer life and a habit of regularly going to church have helped me here. God gives me strength and reassurance through all those things and that helps me keep going when it looks like failure is likely. I'm excited to be able to look back over the years and see the differences in my life that studying the Bible, prayer and church have made.
And I also struggle a lot in the area of the seed sown among the thorns. I usually feel like God is trying to tell me something, but all the worries and distractions of the world are making it hard for me to get the message. I get a general idea, but worrying about money or time takes me off track. Or I worry that some plan will not work. And that is silly. God's plans do work, if we follow them. That's a 100% guarantee. They may not work how we think they should, but why would they? They are not our plans, but his. God isn't telling me what he wants me to do so I can do a risk analysis of it and review it (sorry, that's what I do at work so I tend to do it everywhere). He doesn't want me to tell him all the ways I'm worried it might not work out how I think it should, or all the ways I'd do it differently. Hmm... thinking back to small group and talking about unsolicited advice in relationships, I think I do that to God a lot. God has a plan and I spend my time thinking of all the ways I'd do it different and why it might not work, instead of just going with the plan.
I hope that as I grow in faith through Bible study, prayer and worship I will have better roots to keep me going when there are struggles. And I hope those things will also help me focus on God and not the worries and distractions in the world so that I can hear his message and go where he leads me.
Prayer
Dear Lord, please help me build me faith in you and listen to you and not the world so that I can serve you and your plans for me will be effective and not lost. Thank you Lord for all that you do for us. Thank you for your word. Thank you for your love. Amen.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A simple man?
Job 19
Mark 1, 2
SOAP - A simple man?
Scripture
Mark 1:6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Observation
Well, I thought I could find some "cool" scripture that would stand out to me. But for some reason I kept coming back to this. It's a brief description of John's clothing and what he ate. One of our study Bibles says the clothing is significant because it was exactly like Elijah's and there is scripture saying God would send Elijah back. The rest of our study Bibles also say it's like Elijah's clothing and that both wore that clothing in contrast to the flowing robes of the religious leaders. John's clothing is mentioned in one study Bible as a statement against self-indulgence. And in another it says his clothing and way of life was the beginning of the "gospel spirit", a spirit of self denial and non-conformity to the world.
Application
I guess the appeal to me here is in the simplicity and the self denial, or lack of self indulgence. And it's applicable to all aspects of life, not just my clothes and my food. There are lots of areas in life where I'm likely to embrace an attitude of self indulgence. Sometimes that comes from a desire to fit in to society in a certain way. Sometimes it comes from an attempt to fill some void that I've probably created by neglecting prayer, and God in general. Sometimes life just gets kind of overwhelming and my temporary solution is to indulge myself in something... buying some fun new hiking/camping equipment, going out for lunch instead of eating the sandwich I brought from home, sitting down on the couch to watch football all day when I know there are things that need to be done, etc. I think there are times when all that stuff is ok, but not when we are struggling with something we should take to God in prayer, and instead we try to solve it at Gander Mountain with a new fleece and a camping stove. And of course as I said earlier, this carries over into lots of other areas of life. It just occurred to me that another way I indulge myself when I get overwhelmed is by going on a little mini vacation. Hmm... as usual my thoughts are just kind of randomly jumping around. I wonder if God is trying to get something thru to me here. I feel like maybe there is some relationship between self-denial and being able to have self control. Of course there is. I ask God for help a lot with self control in how I react to situations in life. But yet I think I'm pretty lacking in self-denial in lots of little ways. Maybe there are some places where I need to practice more self denial and that will help me have better self control too.
Prayer
Dear Lord...
Mark 1, 2
SOAP - A simple man?
Scripture
Mark 1:6 John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist and he ate locusts and wild honey.
Observation
Well, I thought I could find some "cool" scripture that would stand out to me. But for some reason I kept coming back to this. It's a brief description of John's clothing and what he ate. One of our study Bibles says the clothing is significant because it was exactly like Elijah's and there is scripture saying God would send Elijah back. The rest of our study Bibles also say it's like Elijah's clothing and that both wore that clothing in contrast to the flowing robes of the religious leaders. John's clothing is mentioned in one study Bible as a statement against self-indulgence. And in another it says his clothing and way of life was the beginning of the "gospel spirit", a spirit of self denial and non-conformity to the world.
Application
I guess the appeal to me here is in the simplicity and the self denial, or lack of self indulgence. And it's applicable to all aspects of life, not just my clothes and my food. There are lots of areas in life where I'm likely to embrace an attitude of self indulgence. Sometimes that comes from a desire to fit in to society in a certain way. Sometimes it comes from an attempt to fill some void that I've probably created by neglecting prayer, and God in general. Sometimes life just gets kind of overwhelming and my temporary solution is to indulge myself in something... buying some fun new hiking/camping equipment, going out for lunch instead of eating the sandwich I brought from home, sitting down on the couch to watch football all day when I know there are things that need to be done, etc. I think there are times when all that stuff is ok, but not when we are struggling with something we should take to God in prayer, and instead we try to solve it at Gander Mountain with a new fleece and a camping stove. And of course as I said earlier, this carries over into lots of other areas of life. It just occurred to me that another way I indulge myself when I get overwhelmed is by going on a little mini vacation. Hmm... as usual my thoughts are just kind of randomly jumping around. I wonder if God is trying to get something thru to me here. I feel like maybe there is some relationship between self-denial and being able to have self control. Of course there is. I ask God for help a lot with self control in how I react to situations in life. But yet I think I'm pretty lacking in self-denial in lots of little ways. Maybe there are some places where I need to practice more self denial and that will help me have better self control too.
Prayer
Dear Lord...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Give it away, give it away, give it away now!
If The Bridge ever does want to have a Free Yard Sale, I'm confident that it would be a huge blessing, maybe not a huge monetary blessing, but still a huge blessing. This blog isn't directly about our scripture, but maybe it's about the result of some of the messages I've gotten out of the scripture and the result of some things God has placed on my heart lately. Anyway, this is my story about giving away some of the "stuff" I've accumulated through the years...
Well, as Hugh said to me Saturday morning, in the words of the Red Hot Chili Peppers... "Give it away, give it away, give it away now!"
Over the last few years I've made some efforts to clean out the house, get rid of stuff I don't need. It's been really really slow. Sometime in the last year, God got involved in the effort. It changed from just being something I wanted to do, to something I felt God telling me to do. It was still really slow. I sorted through some stuff but still had it sitting in our house for months. Then a couple weeks ago God kind of lit a fire under me. I felt like he was telling me "really Kristy, give that stuff away and give it away now! don't wait til you think all the details involved are perfect, make it a priority, sort through as much as you can, and give it away now!"
So, for once, I put all I had into doing what God told me to over the last couple weeks. It often seemed silly and hopeless. And there was stuff that I couldn't imagine letting go of. I just wished someone else would come along, do something with it for me and make it all easy. But I asked God for help every day and I did my best. Our living room was piled with junk, some of the bedrooms too. The time came to give it all away. I asked John if he thought it would be ok to sit in the Bridge parking lot and try to give it away. And he said it was. So Saturday morning I got up with the plan of loading as much as I could into my truck, putting up a sign that said "Free" and giving it away.
All kinds of excuses for not doing it crossed my mind... it won't fit in my truck, someone I know will see me and laugh, people in businesses around there won't appreciate someone looking like they've opened a thrift store on the side of the road, it looks like it might rain, no one will want this stuff because it's junk, I'll give away something I love and regret it... so many excuses. But I loaded up and went anyway.
I still don't know how it all fit in my truck. I'd say God was most definitely involved there. It had started to rain as I headed over the mountain into Huntsville, but by the time I got to the Bridge it had mostly stopped. I set up a table and taped together my "Free" sign and started getting stuff out, wondering if anyone would stop. They did! Some people told me their names. I wish I could remember more names. The first to stop was a girl probably around my age. She joked that she was supposed to be having her own yard sale but had canceled it because of the rain... and now she was taking home my junk. I had a lot of kitchen items and linens that were duplicates from Hugh and I combining households. That stuff went QUICKLY to the first couple people who stopped. They seemed very happy to be getting some sheets, a crockpot, etc. At one point a handful of people had stopped all at once. I was still unloading stuff and I put out a bag of clothes... this one guy just took the whole bag. I was kinda surprised but didn't really think much about it. Then I put out a bag of stuffed animals... and another guy took that whole bag. That one I was really tempted to stop... I wanted to stop him and say "wait, I loved those stuffed animals, my brother and I both did, you can't just take the whole bag and toss them in the back of your truck!" But I knew it wasn't right to stop him. I just smiled at him. He seemed really thankful. That made it better. I knew part of what God wanted me to do is let go. It's just stuff! But it's still hard. One guy named James stopped and thoroughly looked through everything. He kinda reminded me of my dad, kinda quirky, very nice. He talked to me for quite a while. He took some stuff that would have been extra hard to give away, but he kinda won me over so it was easier to see it go into his hands. A girl stopped who said her house burned down about a month ago. A lot of my clothes that were too small for me fit her perfectly. She was really nice and fun to talk to too. She even left and came back with a friend. That was cool too. I met a little boy that looked thru everything and picked out things for his grandma and his cousin... he seemed like he had a very generous and loving heart. He picked up a necklace and said he wanted to see what it looked like on me. I put it on and he said I should keep it because it looked pretty on me. Some of these people just totally captured my heart. People took all kinds of stuff, all kinds of nicknacks. I even had a "TrapperKeeper" from elementary school that someone took. Old coloring books. Little cat statues. I'm still way too attached to my stuff. But it was a better experience than I could have ever imagined. God was right there with me and I am still amazed and thanking him. I don't even begin to know how to thank him. Our house looks so clean now. I met some cool people. And hopefully people have some things they might have needed, and some things that will just be for fun.
Ok, now for the only part that was kind of a bummer... I confess, I only mentioned the church to a few of the people. I've always been shy about doing that kind of thing, telling people to come to church, etc. And I've never really felt like God was calling me to improve there. I kind of felt like he was ok with me being shy. This time was different. It's not that I feel guilty or that he really convicted me saying "kristy you should have told everyone to come to church!" He just kind of showed me that I met some great people, and they went on their way, and I could have done more for them. Maybe it would have been nice to see them again. Inviting them to church would maybe give me that chance. Or maybe it would have just been a nice thing to do for a nice person, telling them they are welcome at our church. I wish I had done what I could to help them know the God I know. It wasn't my focus for the day, and I think God was ok with that. But I like how he can still point out that I could have done more there. I was doing what he asked me to do and he used that opportunity to show me more that can be done. :-)
Anyway, I think I've rambled on about this enough. It was an amazing experience. God is so great. Thanks to God. Thanks to The Bridge. And thanks to all the people who stopped. :-)
Well, as Hugh said to me Saturday morning, in the words of the Red Hot Chili Peppers... "Give it away, give it away, give it away now!"
Over the last few years I've made some efforts to clean out the house, get rid of stuff I don't need. It's been really really slow. Sometime in the last year, God got involved in the effort. It changed from just being something I wanted to do, to something I felt God telling me to do. It was still really slow. I sorted through some stuff but still had it sitting in our house for months. Then a couple weeks ago God kind of lit a fire under me. I felt like he was telling me "really Kristy, give that stuff away and give it away now! don't wait til you think all the details involved are perfect, make it a priority, sort through as much as you can, and give it away now!"
So, for once, I put all I had into doing what God told me to over the last couple weeks. It often seemed silly and hopeless. And there was stuff that I couldn't imagine letting go of. I just wished someone else would come along, do something with it for me and make it all easy. But I asked God for help every day and I did my best. Our living room was piled with junk, some of the bedrooms too. The time came to give it all away. I asked John if he thought it would be ok to sit in the Bridge parking lot and try to give it away. And he said it was. So Saturday morning I got up with the plan of loading as much as I could into my truck, putting up a sign that said "Free" and giving it away.
All kinds of excuses for not doing it crossed my mind... it won't fit in my truck, someone I know will see me and laugh, people in businesses around there won't appreciate someone looking like they've opened a thrift store on the side of the road, it looks like it might rain, no one will want this stuff because it's junk, I'll give away something I love and regret it... so many excuses. But I loaded up and went anyway.
I still don't know how it all fit in my truck. I'd say God was most definitely involved there. It had started to rain as I headed over the mountain into Huntsville, but by the time I got to the Bridge it had mostly stopped. I set up a table and taped together my "Free" sign and started getting stuff out, wondering if anyone would stop. They did! Some people told me their names. I wish I could remember more names. The first to stop was a girl probably around my age. She joked that she was supposed to be having her own yard sale but had canceled it because of the rain... and now she was taking home my junk. I had a lot of kitchen items and linens that were duplicates from Hugh and I combining households. That stuff went QUICKLY to the first couple people who stopped. They seemed very happy to be getting some sheets, a crockpot, etc. At one point a handful of people had stopped all at once. I was still unloading stuff and I put out a bag of clothes... this one guy just took the whole bag. I was kinda surprised but didn't really think much about it. Then I put out a bag of stuffed animals... and another guy took that whole bag. That one I was really tempted to stop... I wanted to stop him and say "wait, I loved those stuffed animals, my brother and I both did, you can't just take the whole bag and toss them in the back of your truck!" But I knew it wasn't right to stop him. I just smiled at him. He seemed really thankful. That made it better. I knew part of what God wanted me to do is let go. It's just stuff! But it's still hard. One guy named James stopped and thoroughly looked through everything. He kinda reminded me of my dad, kinda quirky, very nice. He talked to me for quite a while. He took some stuff that would have been extra hard to give away, but he kinda won me over so it was easier to see it go into his hands. A girl stopped who said her house burned down about a month ago. A lot of my clothes that were too small for me fit her perfectly. She was really nice and fun to talk to too. She even left and came back with a friend. That was cool too. I met a little boy that looked thru everything and picked out things for his grandma and his cousin... he seemed like he had a very generous and loving heart. He picked up a necklace and said he wanted to see what it looked like on me. I put it on and he said I should keep it because it looked pretty on me. Some of these people just totally captured my heart. People took all kinds of stuff, all kinds of nicknacks. I even had a "TrapperKeeper" from elementary school that someone took. Old coloring books. Little cat statues. I'm still way too attached to my stuff. But it was a better experience than I could have ever imagined. God was right there with me and I am still amazed and thanking him. I don't even begin to know how to thank him. Our house looks so clean now. I met some cool people. And hopefully people have some things they might have needed, and some things that will just be for fun.
Ok, now for the only part that was kind of a bummer... I confess, I only mentioned the church to a few of the people. I've always been shy about doing that kind of thing, telling people to come to church, etc. And I've never really felt like God was calling me to improve there. I kind of felt like he was ok with me being shy. This time was different. It's not that I feel guilty or that he really convicted me saying "kristy you should have told everyone to come to church!" He just kind of showed me that I met some great people, and they went on their way, and I could have done more for them. Maybe it would have been nice to see them again. Inviting them to church would maybe give me that chance. Or maybe it would have just been a nice thing to do for a nice person, telling them they are welcome at our church. I wish I had done what I could to help them know the God I know. It wasn't my focus for the day, and I think God was ok with that. But I like how he can still point out that I could have done more there. I was doing what he asked me to do and he used that opportunity to show me more that can be done. :-)
Anyway, I think I've rambled on about this enough. It was an amazing experience. God is so great. Thanks to God. Thanks to The Bridge. And thanks to all the people who stopped. :-)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Me, a Christian?
Job 17
Acts 24-26
SOAP - Me, a Christian?
Scripture
Acts 26:28-29 Then Agrippa spoke to Paul. "Are you trying to talk me into becoming a Christian?" he said. "Do you think you can do that in such a short time?" Paul replied, "I don't care if it takes a short time or a long time. I pray to God for you and all who are listening to me today. I pray that you may become like me, except for these chains."
Observation
Paul has been trying to defend his actions and telling about Jesus. Some translations make it sound kind of like King Agrippa is mocking Paul. Some don't really give an impression of his attitude toward Christianity. Others make it sound like he is pleasantly surprised by what Paul is saying, on the verge of being convinced that he wants to be a Christian too. In any case, Paul responds that whether it only takes a short time to convince people, or a long time, his hope is that all who hear him will become Christians.
Application
Umm... I'm really doing bad with the application part lately. I read this early this morning. This was the scripture that stood out to me but I couldn't think of anything to say about it. I thought something might come to me during the day, but it hasn't. Maybe I just like it that Paul was hoping for all people to become Christians, even if it took a long time. Actually, the "except for these chains" part kinda makes me laugh. But I don't really know how it's applicable to my life. Maybe this also makes me think of being part of a church that is just getting started... whether it happens overnight or it takes longer, our hope is to grow and share God's love with more and more people.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help us all maintain the hope of sharing your love with all people, even if sometimes the timing might be different than we planned. Lord I pray that you'd give us strength and clarity of mind to follow your plans and help us not get bogged down when your plan takes turns we were not expecting. Help us see clearly enough to take the next step out into the darkness, trusting you, knowing that any path that follows you is amazing. Thank you Lord for your love. Amen.
Acts 24-26
SOAP - Me, a Christian?
Scripture
Acts 26:28-29 Then Agrippa spoke to Paul. "Are you trying to talk me into becoming a Christian?" he said. "Do you think you can do that in such a short time?" Paul replied, "I don't care if it takes a short time or a long time. I pray to God for you and all who are listening to me today. I pray that you may become like me, except for these chains."
Observation
Paul has been trying to defend his actions and telling about Jesus. Some translations make it sound kind of like King Agrippa is mocking Paul. Some don't really give an impression of his attitude toward Christianity. Others make it sound like he is pleasantly surprised by what Paul is saying, on the verge of being convinced that he wants to be a Christian too. In any case, Paul responds that whether it only takes a short time to convince people, or a long time, his hope is that all who hear him will become Christians.
Application
Umm... I'm really doing bad with the application part lately. I read this early this morning. This was the scripture that stood out to me but I couldn't think of anything to say about it. I thought something might come to me during the day, but it hasn't. Maybe I just like it that Paul was hoping for all people to become Christians, even if it took a long time. Actually, the "except for these chains" part kinda makes me laugh. But I don't really know how it's applicable to my life. Maybe this also makes me think of being part of a church that is just getting started... whether it happens overnight or it takes longer, our hope is to grow and share God's love with more and more people.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help us all maintain the hope of sharing your love with all people, even if sometimes the timing might be different than we planned. Lord I pray that you'd give us strength and clarity of mind to follow your plans and help us not get bogged down when your plan takes turns we were not expecting. Help us see clearly enough to take the next step out into the darkness, trusting you, knowing that any path that follows you is amazing. Thank you Lord for your love. Amen.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Suddenly I see...
Job 15
Acts 19, 20
SOAP Suddenly I see...
Scripture
Acts in general but the scripture I liked most was Acts 20:24 "However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to God's grace."
Observation and Application
I don't know what it is about Acts exactly, but something about it got me thinking about work this morning. I think it is the fact that the disciples and apostles could easily have felt like they had an impossible task in front of them, and could easily have backed away and not embraced that task. But they depended on God and moved forward and had great success. In thinking about work, I was remembering the various tasks I've been given through the years that seemed impossible to me. When I first started thinking about it this morning I was really just recalling things that have made me mad and reviving some old bitterness. Sounds like a dumb plan, I know, but I couldn't seem to stop thinking about these stupid work projects. I started thinking through each one and remembering what went wrong, how it turned out, etc. Many have the same story... I get assigned a project that is big and scary, I don't think I can do it, I ask for help and they tell me I should be able to do it, things go wrong, I fail miserably and I get in trouble for it. Umm... yeah, that definitely made me mad many times. Then I remembered that this summer I had a HUGE project that in many ways was bigger and scarier than any of the rest... and yet it turned out ok. Things went wrong but they got fixed, I didn't think I could do it, but I did. And I wondered, what is the difference? And it really was one of those moments when you suddenly see the difference and think "wow, that's so cool! God made all the difference!" Before, I was relying on me or maybe help from coworkers, but that is it. This summer I was totally relying on God. I depended on him alone to make it possible for me to do what I needed to on that project. And he helped me every day, whether it was be providing me with coworkers to help or helping me figure out things that seemed impossible to me. There were times when it felt like he made time stand still so I could finish what I needed to. He gave me words to say when I had to talk in front of people in meetings and stand up to opposition to my plans. He gave me strength when people said things that hurt my feelings. God is awesome! Anyway... it was just a really cool realization to me this morning that the only difference between all those projects that resulted in miserable failure and the one that resulted in success (and even a bonus) is that God was my foundation in my success. Without God I am nothing. With God I feel power, not that I am powerful but that I can feel God's power within me. I need him every day for every "project". He is a great foundation for success in life's big scary moments and in the little things we do day to day. He is everything to us and our hope is to love him and serve him in all our ways.
Prayer
Dear Lord thank you for the reminder this morning that you have done many awesome things in my life and allowed me to be someone I didn't know I could be, someone I can't be without you. Thank you for all your help this summer at work. And thank you for your help in every day. Dear Lord, your love is amazing. Thank you for your love and your grace. Dear Lord I need you today and every day. I want to do my best to serve you. Amen.
Acts 19, 20
SOAP Suddenly I see...
Scripture
Acts in general but the scripture I liked most was Acts 20:24 "However I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to God's grace."
Observation and Application
I don't know what it is about Acts exactly, but something about it got me thinking about work this morning. I think it is the fact that the disciples and apostles could easily have felt like they had an impossible task in front of them, and could easily have backed away and not embraced that task. But they depended on God and moved forward and had great success. In thinking about work, I was remembering the various tasks I've been given through the years that seemed impossible to me. When I first started thinking about it this morning I was really just recalling things that have made me mad and reviving some old bitterness. Sounds like a dumb plan, I know, but I couldn't seem to stop thinking about these stupid work projects. I started thinking through each one and remembering what went wrong, how it turned out, etc. Many have the same story... I get assigned a project that is big and scary, I don't think I can do it, I ask for help and they tell me I should be able to do it, things go wrong, I fail miserably and I get in trouble for it. Umm... yeah, that definitely made me mad many times. Then I remembered that this summer I had a HUGE project that in many ways was bigger and scarier than any of the rest... and yet it turned out ok. Things went wrong but they got fixed, I didn't think I could do it, but I did. And I wondered, what is the difference? And it really was one of those moments when you suddenly see the difference and think "wow, that's so cool! God made all the difference!" Before, I was relying on me or maybe help from coworkers, but that is it. This summer I was totally relying on God. I depended on him alone to make it possible for me to do what I needed to on that project. And he helped me every day, whether it was be providing me with coworkers to help or helping me figure out things that seemed impossible to me. There were times when it felt like he made time stand still so I could finish what I needed to. He gave me words to say when I had to talk in front of people in meetings and stand up to opposition to my plans. He gave me strength when people said things that hurt my feelings. God is awesome! Anyway... it was just a really cool realization to me this morning that the only difference between all those projects that resulted in miserable failure and the one that resulted in success (and even a bonus) is that God was my foundation in my success. Without God I am nothing. With God I feel power, not that I am powerful but that I can feel God's power within me. I need him every day for every "project". He is a great foundation for success in life's big scary moments and in the little things we do day to day. He is everything to us and our hope is to love him and serve him in all our ways.
Prayer
Dear Lord thank you for the reminder this morning that you have done many awesome things in my life and allowed me to be someone I didn't know I could be, someone I can't be without you. Thank you for all your help this summer at work. And thank you for your help in every day. Dear Lord, your love is amazing. Thank you for your love and your grace. Dear Lord I need you today and every day. I want to do my best to serve you. Amen.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Then and Now
Job 13, 14
Acts 17, 18
SOAP - Then and Now
Scripture
Acts in general.
Observation (umm... this is just a bunch of totally rambling thoughts that didn't come together to make any sense! :-) )
We talked last night at Bible study about the difference between the time period of Acts and the present day. What is the difference? Wish I could remember all of what was said. I think I might be making the mistake of reading Acts only as a history lesson, not really being open to applying it to my life now. Christianity is not new now. And I'm not at risk of being flogged. I don't see myself performing any miracles in trying to tell people about Christ. I don't face opposition like they did if I talk to someone about what I believe. But I think the world now is more similar to the world then than I realize... maybe? I really just don't know. There are definitely differences now. But I'm sure there is a lot we can learn from Paul, Silas, etc that would help us now. They faced the opposition of angry Jews who wanted them to go away. We face the scenario of trying to get through to people who feel like they already know all about God and Jesus and don't want any part of it. Or they want to be a part of God and Jesus but they've been to church and don't want any part of that. It seems like when it was new, Christianity was pretty well defined, people understood what to do and took action, helping each other, praying, studying. Now it seems like there is such a broad spectrum of what counts as Christianity, people who in theory believe in Jesus but yet their lives don't look any different before Christ and after Christ. So we see by example that we can be saved and then sit back and do nothing. If I can sit back and do nothing, do I really believe in Jesus? Have I really acknowledged him with all my heart? I doubt it. Anyway, I guess my main thought is that at first glance it seems that Christianity in the time of Acts was new and more straight forward, easier to convey and easier for people to embrace. And now it seems like such a jumbled mess that to most people it looks like there is nothing solid for them to grasp. But is it really that different? If it's such a jumbled mess now, what can we do to make it more straightforward? How can we live our lives and tell people about Christ in a way that they feel like it's worth being a part of?
Hah, I have no idea what I'm saying. I've even been one of those people looking at the church and saying "God, yes I like God... but church, no thanks, don't want any part of that". And I have no idea what changed other than God telling me I needed to go to church whether I liked it or not. So, to add to the rambling thoughts here, can we even reach people and get them into church if God hasn't put on their hearts to be there? This is all kinda confusing, but kinda exciting too.
Prayer
Dear Lord, take all these jumbled thoughts in my head and make them make sense! Hah. I picture you listening to my thoughts and going "yay, she's almost got it... oh no, that wasn't it. bummer. maybe next time." Umm, wow, I don't know what to say to you Lord. We want to love you. We want to love each other. Our love is nothing without your love. Your love is amazing. Lord I know that I don't embrace Christianity with all that I am. I am ashamed to say that I'm not sure I'm willing to. Dear Lord, forgive me for clinging to "my life" and give me strength to follow you with all my heart. Help me see clearly what I should be doing in my life. Lord I pray that you would help us all see what our roles are as Christians in today's world. Help us learn from the stories in Acts. Help us take that knowledge and apply it here today. Thank you Lord for loving us, for guiding us, for hearing our prayers. Amen.
Acts 17, 18
SOAP - Then and Now
Scripture
Acts in general.
Observation (umm... this is just a bunch of totally rambling thoughts that didn't come together to make any sense! :-) )
We talked last night at Bible study about the difference between the time period of Acts and the present day. What is the difference? Wish I could remember all of what was said. I think I might be making the mistake of reading Acts only as a history lesson, not really being open to applying it to my life now. Christianity is not new now. And I'm not at risk of being flogged. I don't see myself performing any miracles in trying to tell people about Christ. I don't face opposition like they did if I talk to someone about what I believe. But I think the world now is more similar to the world then than I realize... maybe? I really just don't know. There are definitely differences now. But I'm sure there is a lot we can learn from Paul, Silas, etc that would help us now. They faced the opposition of angry Jews who wanted them to go away. We face the scenario of trying to get through to people who feel like they already know all about God and Jesus and don't want any part of it. Or they want to be a part of God and Jesus but they've been to church and don't want any part of that. It seems like when it was new, Christianity was pretty well defined, people understood what to do and took action, helping each other, praying, studying. Now it seems like there is such a broad spectrum of what counts as Christianity, people who in theory believe in Jesus but yet their lives don't look any different before Christ and after Christ. So we see by example that we can be saved and then sit back and do nothing. If I can sit back and do nothing, do I really believe in Jesus? Have I really acknowledged him with all my heart? I doubt it. Anyway, I guess my main thought is that at first glance it seems that Christianity in the time of Acts was new and more straight forward, easier to convey and easier for people to embrace. And now it seems like such a jumbled mess that to most people it looks like there is nothing solid for them to grasp. But is it really that different? If it's such a jumbled mess now, what can we do to make it more straightforward? How can we live our lives and tell people about Christ in a way that they feel like it's worth being a part of?
Hah, I have no idea what I'm saying. I've even been one of those people looking at the church and saying "God, yes I like God... but church, no thanks, don't want any part of that". And I have no idea what changed other than God telling me I needed to go to church whether I liked it or not. So, to add to the rambling thoughts here, can we even reach people and get them into church if God hasn't put on their hearts to be there? This is all kinda confusing, but kinda exciting too.
Prayer
Dear Lord, take all these jumbled thoughts in my head and make them make sense! Hah. I picture you listening to my thoughts and going "yay, she's almost got it... oh no, that wasn't it. bummer. maybe next time." Umm, wow, I don't know what to say to you Lord. We want to love you. We want to love each other. Our love is nothing without your love. Your love is amazing. Lord I know that I don't embrace Christianity with all that I am. I am ashamed to say that I'm not sure I'm willing to. Dear Lord, forgive me for clinging to "my life" and give me strength to follow you with all my heart. Help me see clearly what I should be doing in my life. Lord I pray that you would help us all see what our roles are as Christians in today's world. Help us learn from the stories in Acts. Help us take that knowledge and apply it here today. Thank you Lord for loving us, for guiding us, for hearing our prayers. Amen.
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