Temporary hold...and a prayer request

soooo.. I was praying about how to use my artistic creativity...and I suddenly got the idea (not sure yet if it was from God, or just out of my head) to make all of Jesus' parables into cartoons.... There are 40 of them, and my dream is to finish them before the end of 2009. That's only one parable a week... but, I want to do a really good job. I don't know how this will fit in or how much time I'll have. I want to keep reading through the Bible and doing this...but, as you've figured out already, it's going kind of slow... (heh...sometimes I get really carried away praying, and don't have enough time...somehow I don't know that God minds that much) But... I'm going to get "set up" and who knows... maybe I'll figure out a way to post the cartoons on here...(that is NOT a promise, I have no idea about that or how that works. )

I'm also strongly considering the idea of devoting most of my time to this, and really studying what these parables mean and how they apply and sticking that into the cartoons... but, I don't know yet... sooooo yeah... a lot to consider and figure out...

Prayer request though, to anyone reading this... Logos--the church I'm going to--sent out a call to any SAU students who are going to the church asking if they wanted to be a part of the leadership...to take part in the vision for the church and to pray with them, and help them to meet the needs of those attending... I think that this might be something God wants me to do. In fact I'm pretty certain about it... But, if you could just pray that God would give me guidance and wisdom, I'd really appreciate it.

Resting in God's Arms...

Today I took the day to spend with God to get refocused and refreshed before the start of the new semester tomorrow. Most of the time I spent listening to an awesome series on spiritual warfare by Shane Holden (preacher at Damascus Road Church in Madison, WI). If one of my friends sends me the link to the site where he gets the podcasts from I will post it on here. I highly recommend it to everyone. Other then that I listened to worship songs and prayed. It was really amazing. I feel very much at peace...something I definitely haven't for the last couple days. The interesting thing about today was that I wasn't sure whether or not I should spend the whole day with God, or if there were other things that He would rather I do.... I didn't mention this idea to anyone. A few days ago a friend and I were praying and she mentioned, in her prayer, something about me setting aside a day for God, if I could. I was shocked, but, I got my answer...and I can't think of a better way I could have spent today.

Tomorrow I will be back to school and the norm...and back to the driving schedule... but, God is there in the midst of that as well...

For those of you, tired and weary...those who are sick of the busy schedule, you're having a hard time finding peace in the midst of the whirlwind of activity...I challenge you to set aside a day, or even half of a day... give it to God, to rest in His loving arms, and to soak up His peace. Pray about it, I'm sure He will help you to find the time...

But, even more than finding the occasional day to set aside for God, it's important to give Him every day. No matter what that day is filled with, our focus needs to be set on God... Give Him today, and tomorrow, to live for Him, to be with Him, to stand in His presence, to be filled with His peace, to follow His orders, and to obey His every command.

May you rest in the arms of your beloved Saviour today and always. Go in His peace.

Day 11

Texts:

• Job 13-14—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2013-14&version=31)
• Matthew 8:18-34—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208:18-34;&version=31;)
• Daily in Your Presence, Jan. 25 “Potter” by Rebecca Barlow Jordan—(http://bible.christianity.com/devotionals/dailypresence/1465423/)

Summary of Job 13-14—Job continues on, first, pretty much just telling his friends to shut up because they aren’t doing him any good and cannot speak for God. “If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom”(5). Then he says that he wants to speak and defend himself before God…and that he will continue to hope in Him. But, he makes two demands of God: [1] that God withdraw His hand and stop frightening Job with His terrors, and [2] then summon Job “and I will answer, or let me speak, and You reply”(22). Job then begins again to lament for his lost relationship with his God, asking why God considers him an enemy and why He’s hiding His face. In several different ways Job describes the shortness of the life of man, and the seeming hopelessness of the situation. “as water wears away stones and torrents wash away the soil, so you destroy man’s hope”(14:19). Job wants only to be pure before God, and to have their relationship restored…he wants to discuss it with God himself, to understand and to know…and to have it settled once and for all.

Summary of Matthew 8:18-34—In the first section, Jesus explains the cost of following Him. It includes giving up comforts, like a home, and things that matter a lot to us, like family. Following God takes priority over everything and everyone else. In the next two sections, Jesus shows that He has the power and authority to take care of His disciples (and us), by calming the storm and casting out demons. He has authority over the physical and the spiritual. Though we must be willing to give up everything, God not only has the power, but also the authority to take care of us…and He will…just trust.

Summary of “Potter”— Isaiah 64:8 “Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Rebecca reminds us that even when we are broken, God’s light can still shine through (when we are weak, God is strong…). No matter what, God will continue to mold and shape us, and work with us. But, in order to be all that He wants us to be we need to be content with who He wants us to be

Okay, for Job, the testing he was going through was like the firing process for working with pottery, but in the end, when he came out okay, he was stronger, firmer, and more beautiful in God’s eyes than ever. But right now, he was really suffering. Part of his choosing to follow Christ included suffering, included losing his family, home, possessions, and even—for a time—not knowing what on earth was going on with his relationship with God. Hope and trust are key here… Job’s hope was fading fast, but, he still trusted that God knew what He was doing, and he still was willing to cling on to what little was left and not turn away from following God, and in the end, he was blessed, and was closer to God for it.

Challenge: Let God continue to mold and shape you, and even when you are broken or when the molding and shaping hurts, remember that God is in control of everything…and trust…cling…and continue to hope.

Days 9-10

Texts

• Matthew 7—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%207&version=31)
• Matthew 8:1-17—( http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%208:1-17&version=31)
• Job 12—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%2012;&version=31;)
• Joe Eaton’s Devotional—John 8:53-59, Chapter 7 (Available upon request)

Summary of Matthew 7—Matthew 7 opens up admonishing us not to judge one another, because we do the exact same things, and have no right. (That kind of hit hard…) Jesus went on to say that if we ask, we will receive; seek, and we will find; knock, and the door will be opened—because God knows how to give to us what we need. God will always do what is best for us if we are seeking Him. Then He warned the disciples to watch out for false prophets, telling the disciples that they would recognize those not following Jesus’ words by the way they lived their life. After that, Jesus told a parable, explaining what the lives of those who put Jesus’ words into action (and those who did not) would look like. Those who founded their lives upon Jesus’ words would stand to the end, and those who did not would be destroyed. And thus concluded the Sermon on the Mount.

Summary of Matthew 8:1-17—After Jesus left the Mountain, he heals a leper, the centurion’s servant, Peter’s mother-in-law, and a host of others with illnesses, demons, and other ailments. The leper came to Him, saying that if Jesus was willing, He could heal him…and Jesus did. The centurion came to Him, asked Him to say the word, and heal his servant…and Jesus did. They asked, and received, for such was their faith. I also find it interesting that Jesus just had to speak, and His words were back up with action. They have been since the beginning. =)

Summary of Job 12—By now, Job is pretty ticked off at his so-called friends, and makes the interesting comment, “men at ease have contempt for misfortune…those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands” (5-6), those who never take their religion past their comfort zone. He goes on to say that God is in control of all things, both the good and the bad. Summarizing the rest—the Lord gives, and the Lord takes away.

Summary of Joe’s devotional on John 8:53-59—In the Biblical passage, Jesus confirms His deity before the Jews in a humble yet stunning way. In Joe’s words, “We can learn many things, but here are two things that really stuck out to me. First, Jesus makes it clear that He is God….Secondly, Jesus affirmed His deity in an amazing way…by reflecting all the glory back to His Father. He could have thrown His weight around and gotten everything He wanted. Yet He chose to humble Himself. So often, we think we’re so important for one reason or another, and we want everyone to know about it. Jesus hates our pride and He wants us to follow His perfect example. We ought to go hard after humility as Jesus did. After all, He is God…and He is the most humble being in the universe. What do we have to be prideful about?”


Okay, so we have Jesus telling the disciples to not only listen to what He says, but to live out His words, and to be wary of those who do not. However, do not be hypocritical about your actions, looking down on those who aren’t doing what you think they ought to, unless your life is completely in line… As you are living out His words, ask of Him, seek His face, and knock…and He—who knows how to give the best gifts—will give, and open doors. Kind of like he did for those who came to Him to be healed, they asked, and Jesus knew that the gift He was giving was good, so He spoke, and His words were backed up with action, and they were healed. Interestingly enough, Job said that, “men at ease have contempt for misfortune…those who provoke God are secure—those who carry their god in their hands” (5-6) yet Jesus—our prime example—did not have a contempt for misfortune. He took His ministry far beyond the reaches of His comfort zone, stepping out of the perfect realm of heaven to live among us. Even then, when He could have shown off His power and glory and still have been in His comfort zone to some level, He chose instead to be humble, and to point all of the glory His rank demanded back to His Father.

Challenge: Follow Christ’s example, get out of your comfort zone and live out what God has said. Be careful of those who are not listening to God, but say they are, and make sure that you are not one of them. As you are living out His words, remember to ask, seek, and knock…He is there for you. Last, but certainly not least, give glory to the Father in all that you do.

May the Lord be your shining example in everything, and may you follow Him no matter where the path may lead. Keep walking and give glory to God.

Day 8 and Connections...

Text:

Job 10-11—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=JOb%2010-11;&version=31;)

Summary of Job 10-11—In Ch. 10 Job is very depressed and speaks out of the despair and hopelessness of his soul. He said, in many different ways, that God created him…will He now curse the work of His hands? Then, giving up, Job just says that he’s going to die, so what’s the use? He can’t prove himself to God, so what’s the point in arguing it… and he falls silent.

Then Zophar the Nammathite answers back. He points out that God is beyond all our finite minds, and that we cannot understand him…and that He is just and will act just and that if we only reach out to him, devote ourselves and our lives to Him that pretty much everything will go well…

This really reminds me a lot of a friend of mine, who I’m going to call Patrick. Patrick is going through a very rough time right now. He is depressed, unmotivated, and has seemingly had his relationship with God severed almost. He doesn’t feel like God answers him when he prays and isn’t there when he reads his Bible. He feels like a little child waiting at the window for his Father to come home…but has been waiting so long that he is becoming very lonely and wonders if he’ll ever come home.

All of the authority figures and many friends tell Patrick that he’s doing everything wrong and that he needs to spend more time with God and do this or do that… but nothing is working. Patrick still feels like he’s been virtually abandoned by God. His relationship with God is the most important thing in his life…and now it feels like that has been ripped away. He wants to die, and be with God… to get angry because God left him, and to just run to God’s arms and be held close…and know that everything is going to be okay.

The interesting thing about all of this is that Patrick and I had a talk a couple nights ago…right after I had read this passage, and I showed him the comparison. I told him I didn’t know how similar it was, or if this was just something that I was coming up with…and he disagreed, saying that he also could see the connection quite clearly…and it encouraged him. I just hope that our modern day Job gets his interview with God soon…and that God will not allow this test to go on much longer. The spiritual war is really hurting Patrick…and he just wants to be with God…. If you think about him… please pray…

Challenged-Thinking-Praying

So there I was, at a mosque in dowtown Detroit with my Urban Ministries class, watching over a hundred Muslism men gathering to pray, as they did 5 times a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It suddenly struck me that this really isn't a matter of convience, but of dedication. It was a choice they made, a tradition they kept, something they did because their religion is a way of life to them. Seeing how the prayer brought them together, I noticed their unity. Seeing their dedication, I noticed how their religion was lived out. I had no doubt that these people were Muslim by the way they lived their life. I wonder, why don't we do that? Not just living our lives for Christ, but going out of our way to get together with other Christians on a regular basis to show unity and pray...more than just church? I wonder, why can't we set time aside, 5 times a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to gather with a few other Christians and pray? Some will say they have jobs, others families, others school... my reply is...so? Don't the Muslims? It was a challenge to me... one I'm still thinking about and definitely going to be praying about, but, I want to do this... I want to show that same dedication and live out my faith--the one that I believe to be the only true faith--and add to it truth and a spirit of enthusiasm and love, and see what God will do with that. It's just a brain wave--whether it was from God or not, I don't know yet... but, I'm going to try it out for tomorrow...

If anyone wants to join me, I will be praying at 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, and 7pm. 5-10 minute sessions... to pray and reflect... refocus, and set aside time for God.

If I am joined, then it will also be for unity among the believers and for standing together with God. If not, then it will just be me and God... I have been challenged by this truth I see in the Muslims, and I'm thinking about it and still praying about it, but, I think it's amazing... and I want to get in on it. How about you?

Hearing God...

I was having my devotions this morning, and, like the last few days, I've had a lot to think about and a lot to pray about (which slows down my getting around to reading...but that's another whole story). One of the things is the prospect of going to Detroit for my Urban Ministries class. Our purpose in going there is education about a number of different ministry opportunities, different ways of life, showing what the need is, and what God is already doing. Though that is the purpose, we will also have opportunities to reach out, and that scared me. I was terrified of the prospect of being in a city and not knowing really anything about the people that I would be coming in contact with and not knowing what to say or what not to say, or how to offer them the hope that is inside me, but wouldn't be in them--particularly because of the situations they've been in and I haven't and so on. I was so scared that it was even hard to bring up the topic to pray about... But... as I started writing out my prayer... (part of which you will get to read...) another thought broke in...

Me: God. I’m scared. I don’t really know what to expect, and I feel very disqualified to be reaching out to anyone. I don’t and won’t know what to say or do…

God: Hannah… why do you think that it is based on you? You ARE inadequate. YOU can’t do it. But, if you truly have given yourself to me, it wouldn’t be you saying or doing anything anyways. It would be Me. Hannah, remember that. Remember that you don’t have to do anything but be willing and to listen to My leading. It’s okay, do not fear. My perfect love is inside of you. Be willing, that is all that I ask… In your weakness I AM strong.

As those thoughts were coming... I felt a peace settle over me... I'm not scared anymore. I am willing to be used by God... (hey--if it's Him doing it, I know that what's going to be said and done will be the right thing!) and I know that as long as I am in His will... nothing will come up that He isn't prepared to deal with or hasn't known about for a very long time. He is capable and more than adequate. Why need I fear?

I share this because this is part of true relationship--sharing both ways. It is more than just reading a couple of books and getting things out of it, it is a relationship--sharing, giving, taking, mutual bonding, talking, encouraging, being together, when one is down the other lifts up, it goes both ways. This blog is a very small portion of that relationship, since I don't share much of my prayers on here, but when things like this happen, I want to encourage others by sharing it. God does speak, sometimes through His Word, sometimes through others, through books, media, His Truth anywhere, and sometimes in that still, small voice that one can only hear when one is crying out to God, and He answers back.

Reminder...

Jeanne Guyon says this in her book Experiencing God Through Prayer: “Once you have given yourself to God, do not take yourself back again. Remember, a gift once presented is no longer at the disposal of the giver.”

Day 7

Texts

• Job 9—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%209;&version=31;)
• Matthew 6:16-34—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:16-34&version=31)
• Marriage Blog—Monday, May 28, 2007, “What You See is What You Get!”—(http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Joe Eaton’s Devotional—John 6:25-29, 51, Chapter 6 (available upon request)

Summary of Job 9—In this chapter Job paints a picture of just how mighty God is, as Job points out how helpless he is against such a powerful God. No matter how powerful or blameless a man is, God is infinitely more. At the end, Job laments, “If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both, someone to remove God’s rod from me, so that His terror would frighten me no more. Then I would speak up without fear of Him, but as it now stands with me, I cannot” (33-35).

Summary of Matthew 6:16-34—Continuing on in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks first about fasting. He again states that something like that should not be done out of pride and for the reactions of others, but done secretively—so that only God sees. Instead of getting human honor for it, one should seek God’s honoring of the act. Then, Jesus mentions that we are not to store up for ourselves treasures here on earth, for these are only temporary, and we ought to seek the eternal. We cannot serve two masters, one of the temporary and one of the eternal. So really, if one is serving the eternal master, why worry about temporary things like food or clothes? He can provide for our needs. If we seek to serve and honor Him, the temporary will be provided for and great rewards will be granted in the eternal.

Summary of “What You See is What You Get!”—Today’s blog post is an interesting take for unmarried couples. The Scotts talked about how most married couples don’t really take God into consideration when they are looking for a spouse, they just choose from what they can sense and see, and that’s the end of it. However, marriage is a huge, life-long commitment that we need to trust God with. Sometimes that’s hard when we can’t see what all is going on, but we need to trust Him that He can take care of us.

Summary of Joe’s devotional on John 6:25-29, 51—In this passage, Jesus confronts the crowds following Him, and tells them that they aren’t really seeking Him for His sake, but because He fed them. Joe writes that, “[Jesus] commands us to “Labor [not] for the food that perishes…but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has set His seal” (emphasis mine). There are two types of “food” defined in this text. The “food that perishes” is all of our earthly stuff. One day, all of it will be gone. We know that God has “set His seal” on the “food that endures”. Therefore, that “food” must be Jesus Christ Himself. In this passage, Jesus pinpointed the sin of the crowd…the sin of idolatry. The crowd idolized the bread and forgot the Bread of Life…So, they asked Jesus, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?" Jesus answered simply, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” That is all we are called to do.”

Both Matthew and the Scotts talked about how important it is to not focus on the temporary or just on what is visible, but on God and trusting Him to provide for our wants and needs. John and Job continue that thought by pointing out how powerful God is, either with language or in visible signs like the bread. The visible bread is proof that He is able to take care of the temporary needs. However, temporary things don’t last, and, as Job voiced, we need someone to take care of us on an eternal level, well, God took care of that too, we just need to believe in the One that He sent.

We as people are eternal beings with temporary needs that must be met as well. The first thing we need to pay attention to today is to decide which master we will serve—the god of the temporary, or the God of the eternal, the choice is yours. Once that choice has been taken care of, we need to act upon it. If the choice is the temporary god, then follow him, if it is the God of the eternal, then trust and follow Him. The God of the eternal is not only concerned with the eternal, but also with our needs here on the temporary level, whether as the Scotts said, that need is a spouse, or whether it be money, clothes, food, time, or dealing with friends…whether the need be physical, emotional, mental, or spiritual the God of the eternal is able to take care of our every need, we only need to believe in the one whom He has sent to take care of us.

May the God of the eternal open your eyes to the provision He has sent and the blessings He has lavished upon you.

Day 6

Texts

• Psalm 73—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2073&version=31)
• Matthew 6:1-15—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%206:1-15;&version=31;)
• Marriage Blog— Tuesday, May 29, 2007, “Married to the Mob?” (http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Joe Eaton’s Devotional—John 4:31-42, Chapter 4, (available upon request)

Summary of Psalm 73—Asaph, the writer of this psalm, begins by stating that God is surely good to those who are pure in heart. However, he still became envious of the prosperity of the arrogant and the wicked. He wished he could have their health, good looks, easy life, etc. They could do whatever they wanted to, and trampled on those beneath. Asaph longed to be so carefree, free from having to be careful, following this rule and that, yet it stung every time he noticed the others, and increased the bitterness. That is, until he went to God with it, and understood more fully what would happen to the worldly ones. He realized their inevitable complete ruin, soon to befall, and the terrors that lay ahead. Slowly his mind began to comprehend that when he was bitter and envious he was “senseless and ignorant” (22), and yet God was always with him, holding and guiding him, and keeping him strong. Finally understanding it all, Asaph said “Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds” (27-28). Asaph realized a taste of God’s goodness and justice, and was content. Not only content, but he was also grateful to be near God. He no longer obeyed because he had to, he chose to follow God, and to give up the option to follow the others.

Summary of Matthew 6:1-15— Whether in prayer or helping those in need, Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, that both should be done in secret and not so that others can see you and grant you honor. If we do things to be seen by others, to be thanked, appreciated, honored, looked up to, in any way that our pride is appeased and puffed up, we have received our reward, and God is not glorified. Instead of seeking our own glory, we ought to be quiet about what we do, and let God get the credit.

Summary of “Married to the Mob?”—This particular blog post I thought was really interesting. It talked about how many, many marriages have been broken up or seriously hurt because of all the people outside the marriage giving input, advice, or saying things that were particularly damaging, and the either or both marriage partners listening to the mob over and above of their spouse. Instead of finding out the facts from the source, or listening to them first, they pay more attention to what other people—people they aren’t married to—over their other half.

Sadly, I know there are a lot of Christians who are supposed to be married to Christ who pay more attention to what teachers, books, devotionals, family, friends, and others say about God and what He wants rather than listening to Him in the first place. It is so easy to get misinformed and to hurt your relationship with Him when you listen to anyone or anything more than, or above Him.

Summary of Joe’s devotional on John 4:31-42—In this devotional Joe revisits the story of the aftermath of Jesus meeting the woman at the well when the disciples come to him and ask Him to eat. Jesus does not because to Him doing the will of the Father—sharing His love and grace to the woman at the well—was not only spiritual food, but more important food than the physical. Joe goes on to point out that not only do we need to reach out, but that we need to not sit around waiting for it—it’s already here! However, we shouldn’t focus on numbers, but on being passionate about Christ, and the things He’s passionate about because we love Him. The goal is not to win souls, the goal is Christ.

Okay… so, we seem to have scattered ideas again, at first glance… but are they really so different?

At first we have Asaph, being bitter about others getting to do what they want, while he can’t cause he has to be perfect…and then realizing the eternal side, and slowly moves from being inward focused and discontent, to being upward focused and being more than satisfied in Christ. Then we have Jesus talking about not being focused on ourselves when we are serving others or talking to God, but being focused on God and not doing anything to gain attention for ourselves. From there we have the Scotts (authors of the Marriage Blog) talking about how married couples need to be focused on one another and not on what other people are saying. They need to shut the others out, put on another first, communicate, share, and be one, and, as one, then examine what others are saying to a degree. Finally, we have Joe pleading with us to be passionately focused on God and in that passion reach out to others.

Amazing isn’t it? Every single passage or devotional we looked at really all boils down to focusing on God, not ourselves, not others, but on God, and with that focus, then look at the world and reach out to them because, as Asaph realized, they are lost and they do have a horrible fate. But, reaching others is not the point—the point is to love God and to focus on Him.

A dear friend once stated it thus:

It isn’t about you,
It isn’t about the situation,
It isn’t about them…
It’s about God and what He wants.

When you focus on God, on loving Him and doing what He wants, all else falls into place.

May the Lord bless you and may your eyes be only for your Husband—your maker, your Saviour, your only Love.

Day 5

Texts:

• Job 8—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%208;&version=31;)
• Matthew 5:21-end—(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:21-48%20&version=31)
• Marriage Blog—“Bay-Bay’s Kids” May, 2007 (http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Joe Eaton’s Devotional—John 1:14-18, Chapter 3 (available upon request)

Summary of Job 8—Bildad responded to Job’s agonizing first with nearly indignant tones—asking how Job could hint that God was/is unjust. If someone sins, God punishes them, if someone does what is right, God will bless them and take care of them. Right after that Bildad says something interesting and challenging—particularly to my generation, those of us in highschool or college—to “ask the former generations and find out what their fathers learned, for we were born only yesterday and know nothing, our days on earth are but a shadow. Will they not instruct you and tell you? Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?” From there Bildad explicated what would happen to those who did not follow God, they would wither away and come to ruin, while the blameless man would be filled with fulfillment and joy.

Summary of Matthew 5:21-48—This next section of the Sermon on the Mount is really just redefining the law. Jesus is explaining to His disciples that there is more to what He wants than mere actions—there has to be a change in the heart. Instead of doing the act of murder, one cannot even wish such a thing, Jesus calls for love and forgiveness. Instead of the act of adultery, the problem must be stopped at even the first lustful thoughts, Jesus calls for purity and holiness. Instead of swearing lengthy oaths, Jesus calls for honesty and commitment at the very beginning levels, “simply let your ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and your ‘no,’ ‘no;’…”(37). The change of the heart goes beyond just not sinning, or doing things wrong…it goes deeper and grows more radically—Jesus calls for a change from the norm, instead of simply not returning insult for injury, He asks us to forgive, love, and show that love to the one who hurt us. “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the pagans do that?”(46-47). Jesus calls for His followers to stand up against what’s wrong, and to act out of the normal mold, to be different, and to be intentional in making a difference.

Summary of “Bay-Bay’s Kids”—First, the authors define “bay-bay’s kids” as the unruly, undisciplined, havoc-causing, parent-raising kids we’ve all seen at one time or another. They go on, lamenting that when parents allow their children to become such, it often causing a great number of problems in their marriage, the children ruin something that belongs to the parents. The authors say that it is the parents responsibility to take back their marriage and to raise their children the way that God wants them to.

Now, for those of you who don’t have kids, or aren’t married yet, remember, I’m not married yet either, and I don’t have kids, so I can understand the feeling of non-applicability that first comes in reading this… or the thought—weeeeell…that might apply to me later, but for right now… it has no relevance…not true, stay tuned =P. Y’see… if we continue to look at the marriage as the one between us and Christ, this can still apply to our faith. Obviously, the quote “bay-bay’s kids” wouldn’t be physical children, but it could be anything in our lives that God wants us to take care of that we are neglecting to deal with as He would have us do, and is, in effect, hurting our relationship with Him.

Summary of Joe’s devotional on John 1:14-18—Joe begins by stating that with some understanding of the text one might pull one of two reactions, either an intense love and passion for Christ, or an overwhelming despair. The first would be through understanding the fullness of what was done, and the other through understanding in part. To gain understanding, Joe began by looking back in the old testament at the 10 commandments, and then at Christ’s redefinition of them in the Sermon on the Mount, with the final blow coming in at Matthew 5:48 when Jesus commands us to be perfect like He is. If we stopped here, it would be only natural to be overwhelmed with despair at this point—there isn’t any way possible to be perfect like Jesus. He came and embodied the perfection that we fail to attain; and, through His death, gave us a way to attain perfection through His blood. “If the Word had not become flesh and dwelt among us, we would still be left trying to satisfy the wrath of a holy God on our own. And we would fail. Instead, now “…we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus…” (Hebrews 10:19)!” Thanks be to God for His enduring love… “The Word is our only hope, the only way to God.”

While Bildad was generally wrong as applied to the immediate, he was not wrong as applies to the eternal. God does punish those who do wrong, and does reward those who are righteous in His sight. It may not be here on this earth, but God is just and in the end, His justice will be satisfied and all who do not follow Him now will be most severely punished for it. Unfortunately, looking at Joe’s devotional on John and Matthew 5:21-48, we really don’t stand a chance according to the law, particularly since it’s a matter of the heart and not of deeds…(though even in deeds we fail most miserably.) Fortunately for us, God did send His Son Jesus to pay the price for our sins and satisfy His justice, restore a perfect relationship with us, and offer us the hope to stand before Him perfect for eternity. So, as we are now perfect in His sight, we are to intentionally live out that difference, casting aside and dealing with everything that hinders our relationship with Christ. Praise God for His goodness, and live out the intense love and passion that we ought to show Him for His grace.

May the Lord bless you and may you be intentional in your walk with Him.

2-Year Plan--January Schedule

January

1. Job 3:1-26; Matthew 1:1-25
2. Job 4:1-5:27; Matthew 2:1-23
3. Job 6:1-30; Matthew 3:1-17
4. Proverbs 16; Matthew 4:1-25
5. Job 7:1-21; Matthew 5:1-20
6. Job 8:1-22; Matthew 5:21-48
7. Psalm 73; Matthew 6:1-15
8. Job 9:1-35; Matthew 6:16-34
9. Job 10:1-11:20; Matthew 7:1-29
10. Job 12:1-25; Matthew 8:1-17
11. Job 13:1-14:22; Matthew 8:18-34
12. Job 15:1-35; Matthew 9:1-17
13. Job 16:1-17:16; Matthew 9:18-38
14. Psalms 74; Matthew 10:1-42
15. Job 18:1-19:29; Matthew 11:1-30
16. Job 20:1-29; Matthew 12:1-21
17. Job 21:1-34; Matthew 12:22-50
18. Job 22:1-30; Matthew 13:1-23
19. Job 23:1-24:25; Matthew 13:24-58
20. Job 25:1-26:14; Matthew 14:1-36
21. Psalms 75-76; Matthew 15:1-28
22. Job 27:1-23; Matthew 15:29-16:28
23. Job 28:1-28; Matthew 17:1-27
24. Job 29:1-25; Matthew 18:1-3
25. Proverbs 17; Matthew 19:1-15
26. Job 30:1-31; Matthew 19:16-20:16
27. Job 31:1-40; Matthew 20:17-34
28. Psalms 77; Matthew 21:1-22
29. Job 32:1-22; Matthew 21:23-46
30. Job 33:1-33; Matthew 22:1-22
31. Job 34:1-35:16; Matthew 22:23-46

Day 4

Texts

• Job 7— (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%207&version=31)
• Matthew 5: 1-20--(http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205:1-20;&version=31;)
• Marriage Blog- Tuesday, May 29, 2007, “Two’s Company, but Three’s a Crowd”, (http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Eaton’s Devotional – John 1:12-13, Chapter Two (Available Upon Request)

Note: The passages are becoming a little more challenging to work with, so I'm cutting down to the amount of reading I'm "supposed" to be doing per day...

Summary of Job 7—Job begins this chapter by revealing how hard his life is…wishing every moment of the day for the nighttime when he can rest. But, when night comes he finds no rest and counts the moments until morning. Without hope, and with his time running out Job states that he will not keep silent—why should he?—but will complain in the midst of his bitterness. Job asks who is he that he should be worth so much trouble to God. Why is he of such importance that such pains would be taken to torment, examine, and test him every moment. He ends asking that if he has done wrong—will he not be forgiven?

Job is still down in the dumps—life is all uphill for him right now. He can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, and he doesn’t know what on earth happened to make things like this. He calls out to God, pleading for an answer—how could one man be worth so much trouble to God? Will God not grant him even forgiveness from whatever it was that he’d done? Things are hard. Job is struggling…a ton…

Summary of Matthew 5:1-20—Jesus begins the Sermon on the Mount with hope for those who are struggling, seeking, and striving in life. He goes on to say that, as His disciples we have goodness and guidance to share with the world, but if we do not share that, it is worthless that we have it. Instead, fill the world with goodness, and let the whole world gain guidance to bring glory and men to God. Jesus goes on to say that He has not come to abolish or change the Law, but to fulfill it. Anyone who goes against the law and leads others in doing the same is against God, but whoever “practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom.”

Jesus begins talking by starting where His disciples were at. Some were weak and poor, others were mourning, hurting, some were timid and scared, others were seeking and striving to do the right thing, and still others were making a difference and being persecuted and insulted for it. Jesus addressed those issues, giving them hope and encouragement to continue on. He went on to say that no matter where they were at, they have something to give, something to share with the lost and dying world. He challenged them to not hide what they had—it’s worthless that way—but to boldly display and share it. Continuing on, Jesus said that He hadn’t come to change the way the law was, but instead by fulfilling it, He gave them more reasons to stand up even straighter for what they believed. He encouraged them…but also warned them to not lead others astray, but to lead by example and to build one another up.

Summary of “Two’s Company, but Three’s a Crowd”—When talking about the marriage of people, this blog post is summarized to say that God joined the husband and wife together and meant for them to stay together. Unfortunately sometimes we allow marriage to become uneventful and stale—and begin looking elsewhere for something to appease our boredom…which God speaks against very strongly.

When we apply this to our spiritual lives, remember that we are also in a marriage relationship with God. God meant for our relationship with Him to last. Unfortunately, sometimes we let this relationship slide when other things begin to seem more important, or too time consuming, or when things just get slow and we get bored. This relationship is one of the most important relationships we can invest in—if other things are taking too much time, cut out something, or trust God to take care of things anyways, and make time for Him. If things are getting slow or boring, change it up a bit. Find someone else’s devotionals, read different passages, rewrite a Bible story, listen to worship music and soak in the words, write a poem about different theological ideas, try to get a new perspective on things, whatever it takes. Look for ways to push yourself, to keep your end of the relationship strong. If a relationship with a special someone or spouse was weakening, do something extra special, or surprise them…don’t wait for the normal times—and do the same with God.

Summary of Joe’s Devotional on John 1:12-13—Joe begins by redefining salvation—so that one may have a better understanding of what happened to those “who did receive Him.” He goes on to show that salvation is a privilege, a gift from God; because we were dead, but God made us alive in Christ. Continuing, Joe points out the three things John 1:12-13 says that salvation is not. (1) Salvation is not of blood—we are not born into Christianity, not saved through tradition or works… (2) not the will of the flesh—we are all born with a sin nature that separates us from God that we can’t overcome ourselves… (3) not of the will of man—we cannot understand or seek God on our own (Rom 3:10-11) while we are dead in our sins. Then the climax (in Joe’s own words) “Salvation is “…of God…” I was dead in my sins, and God made me alive. Isn’t that awesome? I am as used to living in sin as a fish is to living in water, yet this holy, holy, holy God, who will not have sin in His presence, “drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure” (Psalm 40:2)! Amazing. And I had nothing to do with it. I cannot even claim that I called Him Lord on my own strength (see 1 Corinthians 12:3). Christ has made me alive; He has given me eyes to see His glory.”

Salvation truly is a gift from God. Our relationship with God is the most precious thing we have been given, yet, are we letting it get stale or becoming bored with it? Are we allowing it to crumble away? We may be struggling in some areas, and having a hard time in our physical and/or spiritual lives, we may not have a clue what’s going on or why, but God is willing to meet us where we are and He offers hope and comfort to us. When we accept that hope, that comfort, and the grace He offers to us, He also places a challenge before us to continue seeking Him and striving after Him, and to encourage others to do the same. But, we are not doing it alone…. Take hope.

May the Lord bless you, and may you take the hope He offers and walk with Him with a renewed joy and fellowship in your relationship as together you bring glory to His Name.

Day 3

Today was something a little out of the ordinary, but God taught me what I consider to be a very important lesson. I had missed my devotion time yesterday and have been not doing so well on some things that I had promised God that I was going to try to do to honor Him better....and things have just more or less fallen apart. I hit a really low spot and was beating myself up, asking why I even bother and telling myself that I couldn't keep my promises and that they don't mean anything...it was pretty bad. Ready to cry and very depressed I suddenly realized that this was a spiritual attack and that I was giving in to it. I was accepting the lies and that those were lies. As I was journaling out my stream of consciousness already I started writing down the truths of God, found in Scripture...things like the fact that nothing can separate me from God's love--even if I was a failure, it wouldn't be enough, that I am His daughter and bride, and that He has already paid for my sins...things just kept coming back to mind...truths that He has spoken to me, and put within my heart. I am much more at peace, and greatly encouraged (and suddenly very tired), my God is with me...

I say all of this to encourage you, when you are disappointed in yourself, when you think you've messed something up, when you think that you've dishonored God, when you have a low self-esteem or low self-image, remember how your God, Father, Saviour, and Friend views you. Remember His death, and that He has already paid for your mistakes and sins. Remember that no matter how many times you fall short or mess up, that those things He has already paid for--He still views you as holy and blameless...and has clothed you in white. He is reaching out His holy (hole-y =) ) hands to help you back to your feet in order to continue on with the journey. It's okay to fall...but we must get back up and continue on. There is work to be done, and there are things that He would have you do...but you must be in fighting condition. Feel His peace and His presence, and walk with Him in His ever-enduring grace...

May the Lord bless you and walk beside you forever.

Day 2

Texts:

• Job 6 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%206;&version=31;)
• Proverbs 16 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs2016&version=31)
• Matthew 3-4 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%203-4;&version=31;)
• Marriage blog (Wed. May, 30, 2007—Marriage, A Terrible Thing to Waste)(http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Part One of Joe Eaton’s devotionals
  

Notes: Proverbs is taking a while right now… so I’m going to add it later when I have time…

Summary of Job 6—Job begins by lamenting his pain, explaining in terms that cannot be mistaken just how hurt he’s actually feeling, yet even that isn’t enough to know what it really was like. Job asks that God would be willing to crush him, and have it over and done with, so that he would be able to be cut off and end knowing that he had not denied God. He asks what strength he has, or what power he has to help himself? Then he adds bitterly that he doesn’t even have the loyalty of his friends. He had been hopeful, even confident, that they would be helpful, and they disappointed him. Job challenges and pleas with them to teach him, show him where he’s wrong, and he’ll rest quiet then. But, their arguments proved nothing, and they treated his words as nothing.

It seems like a pretty hopeless looking situation for Job, he’s hurting badly—so badly that he wants God to just end it. He can’t do anything for himself, and those he’d looked to for help only hurt him worse…

Summary of Matthew 3—John the Baptist came preaching, teaching, and baptizing those who were repentant. Many people came out to the Jordan River to listen to him including the Pharisees and Sadducees. John told them that if they wanted to repent their lives had to show it, and any life that did not show that it had been changed would be cut off and thrown into the fire. Then John began prophesying about the Messiah’s coming, and how he was going to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and separate the wheat from the chaff—those who were serious and would bear fruit, from those who were just fluff. Later, Jesus came to John to be baptized, John resisted for a time, then consented—and heaven was opened, the Spirit descended upon Christ, and God spoke (pretty amazing, no?).

True faith seems to be the main theme here, basically that true faith cannot be without deeds, and deeds without faith are meaningless. Our faith will be tested by fire, and only what is true will last.

Summary of Matthew 4—Right after all of that happened with the baptism, the Spirit led Jesus into the desert where he fasted for 40 days and nights, and then was tempted by the devil. He was promised food, power, and even the world, but each time Jesus countered the devil with Scripture, and finally he was left alone. Then, the angels came and ministered to Him. Not long afterwards, Jesus found out that John was in jail and began to preach. As he preached he began also calling disciples: Peter, Andrew, James, John,—who left everything they had—their way of life, their family, any possible fortune, safety and normalcy, everything, on the spot—when Jesus called them. He continued on, preaching as he went, healing “every disease and sickness among the people.”

Though Jesus doesn’t have a “weakest point” he was/is fully human, and when he was tempted he had been without food for a very long time, and was physically weak. Satan tried to hit him at his lowest point to hurt him and to make him fall. Then he went and tried messing with Jesus’ pride by offering him fame, power, prestige—pride seems to be the key root of all sins.
Now the disciples come on the scene, and it amazes me that when Jesus called, they responded without hesitation and gave up everything they knew—for something they didn’t fully understand and couldn’t possibly know exactly what was going to happen. To give up their jobs, homes, families, comforts, friends, everything…for someone they didn’t really know, and something they couldn’t really understand, that takes strength and courage.

Okay, so we have a lot of really scattered thoughts this time: wounded and troubled Job, true faith, temptation, and the “stepping out” of the disciples.

Now…allow me to attempt to tie these themes together before we go on for you. “True faith,” like we said earlier, “cannot be without deeds, and deeds without faith are meaningless. Our faith will be tested by fire, and only what is true will last.” This faith can be evidenced by deeds such as the disciples-to-be displayed—giving up everything, particularly their past lives, to follow Jesus, even though they didn’t know what was going to happen or where He would take them. They trusted Him and did what He asked them too. However, life is never going to be easy, as Job found out, and, like Jesus, we will be hit by temptation and trials when we are at our weakest point, and tried in our most vulnerable points. Job, rich, wealthy family guy, lost everything he owned, everyone he cared most deeply about, and even his health, to be tempted to sin against God. Even those friends he thought he could count on didn’t come through for him. He didn’t know this was going to happen when he decided to follow God, but, even when the hard times hit, and he was tested by fire, his true faith showed through. He was hurting and wanted God to take him out right then and there, but he was not willing to back down or back away from what he believed, in the midst of trials he still wanted to please God.

Summary of “Marriage, A Terrible Thing to Waste”—hmmm…short one today, but the gist of it is that if we don’t live our lives, or conduct our marriage (which, marriage could be taken as our marriage to God, as well) for God—doing it His way—we won’t have His blessing or His help. That sounds rather harsh, but, y’know, if we aren’t listening, then why would He bother to try to help us?

Tie that in to everything else…if the trials and temptations come up, our deeds are tested by fire, and nothing is left, then what is that saying about our faith? We need God’s help, there’s no way the disciples could have followed Jesus without His help… they wouldn’t have had a clue of what to do, but with God’s guidance and direction, they were powerful tools and cornerstones in God’s kingdom.

Summary of the take on John 1:1-5 that a personal friend did a devotional on (available on request)—My friend decided to take each phrase in those verses and look at them separately. He begins by noticing that John sets Jesus in the front right at the beginning. Even though He isn’t really brought into the story until the latter half of chapter one He is the foundation of Truth that the entire story (and all of life) rests upon. He also drew connections to the truths of the trinity, God’s eternality, His role as Creator, He is the cornerstone, true Life, the only objective reality, and our light. My friend goes on to write “This next phrase is interesting. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Really? I don’t know about you, but sometimes when I look at our fallen world, everything in me shouts the opposite of that phrase” and I’m sure Job and many others have thought the same, at times. But, when the wind and the waves surround us, and we begin to sink, remember that Christ is trustworthy and He has the power to say, “peace, be still.” When the darkness closes in, look for His enduring light. Though it may be a small candle in the vast darkness, that light will still fill the world. Trust in God to be your light, to be your cornerstone to base your life and hope on, and may that faith be true—evidenced by a life changed. The disciples left their past lives, even though they were good, for something a lot more challenging, rougher, but eternally better.

Challenge: Don’t be afraid to step out, to do something that you might not fully understand or know where it’s going, when God is calling you. When the hard times come, stand fast, hold true to the faith you’ve attested to. God is still with you, He will be your light in dark places, and the darkness cannot overcome it.

The Lord be with you always and guide you through the darkness.

Day 1

Texts

• Job 3-5 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job%203-5;&version=31;)
• Matthew 1-2 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201-2;&version=31;)
• Marriage God's Way blog - Where did our Love go? - May 31, 2007 (http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)
• Crosswalk the Devotional - January 8, 2009 http://bible.christianity.com/devotionals/crosswalkdevo/11597872/)

Note: I wrote this as I was going along...and I had decided yesterday that I wanted to try to fit everything together, because I know that God does that. However, I didn't plan for it to work this well. God's truth really is woven through here and binds everything together like it was designed to, but that was His design not mine. In fact, the devotional at the end I just randomly picked, and knew nothing about until I started reading it and journaling. God truly is amazing.

Summary of Job 3 – Job is wondering why on earth God let him live at all. What was the purpose of him living on the earth if it was only to suffer, to come to nothing, to only seek peace and rest among the agonies of the day. What’s the point? Why doesn’t he just die? “Why is light given to those in misery, and life to the bitter of soul” (20).

I know people like that, those who seek peace and rest, who feel they have none. I know those who wish they could just die—be with God in heaven, or just at rest in the ground. Somewhere where they no longer have to endure the pain others inflict on them, not so much in the body, but in the heart and mind. People who feel like this world has nothing good for them, only searing pain of heart, bitterness of soul, and turbulent unrest. Obviously there are brief moments of joy, but, at the close of day, when the dust settles, and they look back, there is only misery, and the question “why?”.

Summary of Job 4 and 5 – In the beginning, Job’s friend Eliphaz tries to get Job to see the bigger picture, to see how much he is worth. It reminds me of the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, and how the Clarence the angel shows George how his life has impacted those around him.
The tone of his message soon changes though, and he more or less states directly that you reap what you sow, so Job must have done something wrong. Examine your actions and see if there is a reason for this. But then he says something interesting, “man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward”—basically that everyone is going to have problems. Life may be a bed of roses, but even roses have thorns.

Again he moves on, bringing God much more into the picture. He tells Job to bring his case to God, and see what God will do. He tries to be encouraging when he tells Job that God blesses people and saves them from destruction. He takes care of His people, and curses those who are not His. I love verses 17 and 18 of chapter 5, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects, so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but His hands also heal.” Those verses put me in mind of Aravis in The Horse and His Boy by CS Lewis. Aslan wounded her, causing her great pain and injury, but he did it with a purpose to teach her a valuable lesson that she wasn’t soon to forget. While Eliphaz may have been wrong in what he said—as far as it concerned Job—it is something that can apply to others of us. Sometimes things do happen in order to bring us to our knees, things terrible and hurtful that may have been the only thing that would get our attention and open our eyes.

When things happen, it may just be a test—like Job, to just see if we’ll remain faithful when we don’t know what’s going on, hold tight to God and persevere. Or, it may be like Eliphaz suggested, something may be wrong in our lives—examine yourself, bring your case to God, see what He says, ask what He’s trying to teach you. Whatever the case may be, remember, things will never be easy or perfect, because we are humans in a fallen world, and it is our lot to live through this. Make the most of your time here, be a blessing to those around you like Job and George did, and honor God in all you do.

Summary of Matthew 1– Matthew opens up with a geneology which has all the fascinating names (no, I’m not being sarcastic, I love odd Biblical names, but now is not the time or place to discuss them…yet), and then dives into the account of Jesus’ birth that we’ve all heard so many times before. Mary and Joseph were going to get married, but then she became pregnant thanks to God, and Joseph freaks out and decides to get a divorce, but doesn’t want it to be a huge thing and cause her public shame. Then God shows up on the scene and tells him that Mary was really telling the truth and that this was His doing—Mary was kind of like Job, something happened that was taken as bad because of the way it looked, but it was a test to see if she and Joseph would persevere and keep trusting God. After the encouragement from God, Joseph pressed on. God will step in when He needs to during tests. Bring your case to God, do what you can, and if you’re truly seeking Him, He will guide you. Sometimes you just have to step out, make decisions based on what you think God wants—Joseph did, he was all set to divorce Mary—he wasn’t sitting back doing nothing, he stepped out, and that was when God stepped in.

Summary of Matthew 2—The wise men show up in Jerusalem seeking Jesus, and Herod hears about it because it involves another king. So, he starts doing a background check on this king that was supposed to be, and finds out that the king child was supposed to be born in Bethlehem. He tells the Magi and sends them to Bethlehem with instructions to bring news back to him, so that he also could worship the king. What Herod intended for evil, God used for good. God used Herod’s schemes to send the wise men to the right place. And, after the wise men saw Jesus and gave Him their gifts, God stepped in and sent them home a different way. Then an angel appeared to Joseph, telling him to take Mary and Jesus and go to Egypt. After they had gone, Herod figured out that the Magi weren’t coming back and sent his soldiers to kill all of the boys 2 and under in Bethlehem, but Jesus wasn’t there because God’s timing was perfect. The others were killed, tying in with a prophecy. It was devastating for parents Bethlehem over, and why it had to happen, I don’t know. But, it was a trying time for everyone, a hardship that people had to go through and trust God through. I’m sure many, if not all, of the parents asked why, and had to suffer similar pain as Job did. As far as I know, it didn’t happen because of a universal sin, they didn’t have to apologize for something that the city did as a whole…but it was part of God’s pl an, and though he wounded them, somehow, He would also heal them if they were open to it.

Summary of “Where did our Love go?” (5-31-07) on the Marriage God’s Way blog. The authors talked about how love is lost by a lack of interaction between the partners, and how not having time, or not making time is a sure sign that the fire is dwindling. To tie this all in with everything else that has been studied this morning, when things are going wrong—whether it be a hardship in life, or even a rough time spiritually—examine your heart, is the fire still going strong between you and God? I have to ask if there is any love lost between God and I as well. Am I taking time for Him? From my own personal experience I know how easy it is, particularly when one is in school, and working, and keeping up with family and boyfriend out of state and friends on campus (and the list goes on…), to say that we don’t have time for God, and that we’ll do it another time. Does that time ever come? Is God the friend sitting waiting somewhere for you, glancing at His watch, wondering if you are going to show up like you had originally planned on, or like the wife waiting at home wondering when you’re going to come home from work…and when you do come home late, is God ignored, or do you take the time to keep the love going?

Summary of “Crosswalk the Devotional – Jan. 8 2009” (Mike Pohlman compares the Christian walk to athletics—particularly those world-class ones—and the amount of training—hours, days, even a lifetime—that those truly dedicated athletes spend on working towards something temporary. He, like Paul in numerous places in the Bible (the passages are on the website), encourages us to train and work towards our spiritual goal, something of much higher worth then anything an athlete could win here on earth. When the dust settles, what’s left? Those athletes are going through torture to win momentary glory, their life isn’t easy, but if they keep their eyes on the goal, they realize that to them, it’s all worth it, and they press on. We, who are seeking God and to glorify Him, need to keep our eyes on the goal. When we look around at the world we will start sinking beneath the waves and begin to fear the storm, but if we keep our eyes on Jesus, and we take the time to keep the love going, no matter what might befall, we will be upheld by Him. It will hurt, but that is only to make us stronger, and to bring us closer to Him.

Challenge: Take the time to keep your love with God going, look for God’s hand in things, keep your eyes on the goal, persevere, examine your heart, trust Him, encourage others, and—after seeking God’s will—don’t be afraid to step out and do what you think He’s telling you to do.

May the Lord bless you.

A New Twist on the 10%

It has long been understood that Christians are supposed to give God 10%, and it has often been said that when they do, God will bless them...or take care of their needs...whatever the case may be. However naive this may sound, I have decided that since I am really struggling to find the time to get everything done, that I am going to give God 10% of my time-about 2 1/2 hours a day. To some this may be a lot, to others, it may be nothing...to me, it doesn't matter what others think because this has nothing to do with them, it is merely between God and I. Then why on earth is this on a blog? one may ask. Well, I know for me, it's really hard to come up with stuff to do sometimes, and if there are others out there looking for encouragement or ideas, this may give them a few, as well as thoughts on what was done.

Understand that this is an idea unfolding, doubtless with revisions in the process, but for now, here is the idea of something that I will at least begin to do:

Pray--I keep a journal of my prayers on my laptop and those I will not be sharing, but they will most definitely be done.

Read the Bible--I found a topically arranged 2-year study of the Bible (http://www.northcoastcalvary.org/bookmarks.html) that seems to be pretty good...and for the first few days I'll be catching up to where I'm supposed to be, and after that I intend to stick to their plan.

Devotionals--To gain a broader view, more ideas, whatever, I decided to read a devotional or two.

I chose the first one, also a blog actually, on marriage because I am in the process of courting and would like some thoughts on the subject. Disclaimer: I haven't read any of the posts yet, so I don't know whether or not this one will be continued, but for now, it is in the works. (http://marriagegodsway.blogspot.com/2007_05_01_archive.html)

For the other devotional, it will be a bit more random unless I find something I really like, but I'm intending to get the devotionals off of (http://bible.christianity.com/devotionals/) a site that has a lot of devotionals, reading plans, and study tools...just things to help people get more into God's Word.

So there you have it as it stands now. My idea of giving God 10%--as far as it concerns me. To anyone who reads this, it is a challenge not to do the same--because I don't have all the answers--but to consider what areas you are struggling in, give them to God, and ask Him what He wants you to do with that.

May the Lord be honored.