Moral Blessing, Deuteronomy 5, Psalm 7

Deuteronomy 5:33, "Walk in obedience to all that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess."

Psalm 7: 8, "Let the LORD judge the peoples. Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity, O Most High."

And verse 15 and 16,"Those who dig a hole and scoop it out fall into the pit they have made. The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads."

God's commands are given for our own benefit. They are meant to empower us, not restrict us. They are meant to preserve life, not make life dull. His commands are the building blocks of character and when we obey them they are a security for us. When we run our feet won't stumble because doing what is right is rewarding. It comes with its own blessing. Many of life's headaches can be avoided when we follows God commands. When we live with integrity we avoid many setbacks and pitfalls.

Righteousness is it's own Reward.

Relationships, Genesis 2,3

Genesis 2 and 3
Before Adam and Eve sinned, Moses wrote in Genesis 2:25, "The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame." And after they both sinned, Gen 3 describes how they hid from God and neither one took responsibility for what just happened. Later in that same passage God reveals to them that their relationship would be stained because of sin. Genesis 3:16 "To the woman he said, ...Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."


Integrity in relationships breeds trust between people, and consequently trust paves the way for intimacy to develop.

Titus 2, Grace

Titus 2:11,12
"For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldy passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.

In the past I've abused God's grace because I didn't truly understand it. Many of us have used it as an excuse to sin. Paul wrote that when someone truly understands grace they will say, "No" to the world and ungodliness and "Yes" to an upright and godly life. God's offer of grace is no excuxe to play around with sin. God's call to grace is an enticement and compulsion to holiness.

Spiritual Leadership, Joshua 2, Ephesians 3

Joshua chapter 1 is God's commission for Joshua to claim Canaan as Israel's divine inheritance. While chapter 2 describes the origins of that plans execution and the preparation it took.

Joshua 2:1 "Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. 'Go look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there."

Ephesians 3:20 "Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us."

Spiritual leaders understand the role of planning and preparation in following through on a God given vision. They understand they must work in cooperation with God to see His plan come to past. Just because something is God's will doesn't mean it will happen. He needs His body to execute the desires of its Head, which is Christ. A God given vision must always be worked out with God given wisdom.

Matt 8

Healing the Leper
Matt 8:1-3, "When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus reached out his hand hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy."

Healing the Centurion's Servant
Matt 8:5-7, "When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "My servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly." Jesus said to him. "Shall I come and heal him?"

Like the Leper we know God can, but we question if He will. And His answer is always, "Yes, I am willing." Most Christian's don't doubt God's ability to act on their behalf they just question His willingness to do so.

Also, what was the greater miracle? Jesus healing the leper or him touching the leper?

The next story following this one in Matthew's Gospel has Jesus asking the question, "Shall I come and heal him?" Indeed He is very willing....even to the point of asking us, "Do you want My help?" He is waiting to be asked.

Matt 7, Transference

Matt 7:9-11 "Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"

Jesus is addressing prayer in these verses but He is also addressing what kind of father we believe God to be. Is He good? Does He have my best interest in mind? Does God like me? And Christ answers, "Yes, Yes, Yes, you can trust your Heavenly Father."

Often times in moments of crises our subconscious thoughts about God come out. I know mine do. We may feel like telling God off because we think He hasn't treated us right or He hasn't fulfilled our expectations of what He should do or what He should be like. But in these verses Jesus addresses our view of God. God is not out to screw with us. God is out to Free us. He is looking out for our best interests.

The "One", Genesis 2:18, Proverbs 18:22

Proverbs 18:22 "He who finds a wife finds what is good and obtains favor from the Lord."
Genesis 2:18 "The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

I think as Christians, including me, we have a tendency to look at selecting a mate as an overtly spiritual process. Sure God is involved...but I think sometimes we look for "confirmation" that simply isn't there.

Now let me explain, we've all heard the "God told me" line and the I just "knew the moment I saw her" scenarios. But there is a lot more at work here than just "God," it's our expectations and hopes.

So why do we believe in this myth? First, its reassuring, romantic and gives us a sense of fate and a feeling of being special. Second, our culture has taught us this is how we are supposed to react. The music we listen to and the images we watch tell us this is what love is and how we'll know when we've found it, but it's simply not true. The idea of knowing if someone is "the One" early in a relationship is a myth. Sounds great and we've all heard people who married someone who says they knew right away, but there are many more who also thought they knew and it didn't turn out so well for them.

Once we believe someone is "the One" we ignore contrary information because we don't want to know anything that doesn't support our belief. And this is dangerous ground because we ignore character flaws, bad habits and often quickly speed a relationship towards the altar because, "I've found the One, so why wait when you already know?" Doing so is really foolish.

We want to believe these feelings of bliss are God's approval that we have found "the One." But feelings alone are not a good judge of character, compatibility or God's best. In short, Don't trust feelings, but rely on family, friends and Godly people whose advice we can trust and of course prayerfully ask for wisdom.

Doesn't sound too romantic does it?

Trials, James 1, 2 Cor 12

James 1:2-5 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

God knows that when things are going great in our lives we often do not seek Him, but when it seems that when we are in a storm every word we utter is uttered in prayer. Transitions are often what God uses to mold us and shape us. Transitions often involve stress, pain, sadness, and they are often something we did not choose for ourselves. James teaches us that when we, "Let perseverance finish its work" or in other words, accept the fact that God is trying to speak to us through a trial and recognize that it is coming from God's hand we will experience growth that causes us to mature. James teaches that when we do not "Let perseverance finish its work" we will not learn what God is teaching us. So....

1. Acceptance of God's work in our lives no matter how good or bad helps God bring us to maturity.

2. We need to ask for wisdom to help us discern what God is speaking to us through our circumstances. Without wisdom we will not respond properly.

3. Focus on the fruit that God is producing in you, not how He is doing it. "Rejoice"

4. We need God's wisdom to respond right to our trials.

5. Failing to respond correctly to trials means we will be tested repeatedly in that area until we learn our lesson.

Trials and Temptations, 1 Corinthians 10

1 Cor 10:13 "No temptation has over taken you except what is common to us all. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

Temptations in this passage is a Greek word which can mean an enticement to evil or testing in general. And the word should probably be understand in a broad sense to mean both. Satan tempts to destroy us while God test to develop us.

God is faithful. God is involved in this process. He takes what is intended for evil and uses it for our good (Genesis 50:20). We know He doesn't initiate everything that comes our way but He does govern everything. God filters and limits the testing we receive allowing only what we can handle and He also provides the way of escape out of trial. In short, God limits the trials and temptations we receive; not allowing anything we can't handle. And the temptations and trials we experience are meant to develop and mature us not destroy us.

Facing Temptation, Matt 4

In Matt 4 we read about Christ's temptation at the hands of Satan. These three temptations lie at the heart of all temptations that we face as believers.

From this passage we learn that most temptation comes when we are in a weakened state, i.e. lonely, angry, tired, hungry.

The first temptation was an attempt to get Jesus to turn stones into bread. On a universal level this was a temptation to get his needs met in ways other than God's.

The second temptation was a test to get Jesus to throw himself off of the temple. On a deeper level this was a test to control God rather than to trust Him and His ways. We do the same thing when we bargain with God in our prayers, or try to fix people instead of loving them and letting God work His grace in their lives.

The third temptation was when Satan offered Jesus all the kingdom's of the world just for worshipping him. This was a temptation to avoid suffering. Had Christ accepted Satan's offer He would not have had to go to the cross.

In short, We are tempted like Christ to:
1. Get our legitimate needs met in an illegitimate way,
2. Use God for our own ends,
3. Do the right thing at the wrong time in the wrong way and to take short cuts doing it.

Growth, Romans 8

I for a long time I've been asking myself, "What does growth look like?" That may be a strange question, but it has been something I've been thinking about since I started my graduate work. And the funny thing is after a few years thinking about it I honestly still have a lot of questions. But here is what I've learned:

1. All growth is spiritual growth. Our lives can't be compartmentalize into religious and secular, i.e. learning to budget is still spiritual growth.
2. Letting the scriptures guide my relationships produces emotional health.
3. Most of my growth has been the result of transitions or to put it plainly, suffering.
4. Relationships should be opportunities for people to experience acceptance.
5. We should respond to difficult situations by obeying scripture. I believe that when a person obeys scripture's teachings when they are suffering, God is putting them on the fast track to spiritual growth.
6. I've learned that we should accept things we can not change and seek God's grace for strength.

The Greek word here for glory is the same for image. Romans 8:17 "Now if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory (image)."
Responding right to suffering makes us more like Christ.

Man was perfect in the beginning with God. Man fell away from God shortly thereafter. God's plan of redemption is God's restorative work to make us more of our true selves. In short, By obeying scripture's principles in every situation we are being transformed into Christ's image and becoming more of our true selves.

Matt 6, Psalms 37

Matt 6:25-34 could be paraphrased this way, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, or how you'll pay your bills, who you'll marry or what career you'll choose...look at creation even life that isn't made in our Father's image is taken care of by Him. So don't anxiously worry about the necessities of your life. Don't be like the world running around after these things for our Father knows what we need them. But seek first His way of doing things and being made into the image of His Son and all these things we'll be given to you as well."

These two verses sound a lot alike and they both teach the same spiritual lesson.

Psalms 37:4, "Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Matt 6:33, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things we be given to you as well."

God wants our energy spent on being confirmed into the image of Christ and enjoying Him. Somehow when we do this He provides what we need....even what we don't need, but desire. In short, God's way of meeting our cares is to seek His way of doing things and put His ways ahead of our own.

Spiritual Leadership, 1 Tim 3

Paul's description to Timothy about who should lead God's people was very simple. Paul wanted someone who was to be "blameless" or "above reproach."

1 Tim 3:2 says, "Now the overseer is to be above reproach." Everything that follows in his description of a pastor is tied to the idea of being above accusation. Be faithful to your wife, be respectable, be kind to strangers, teach others what you're living, don't let alcohol control you, be content with your finances and put your family's needs above the needs of the church. God is pretty serious about how a servant leading His people treats his family. In short, God's desire is for honest character driven leaders to guide His church.

Also, God is making a point about what gives leaders their influence... it's their moral authority. Those following them know they can be trusted because the leader's words and actions have always been consistent.

Job 1

Sometimes I think Satan has been given to much credit or power than he really deserves. Did you know that Job 1 describes Satan's attributes. He is not all knowing, he is not all powerful, he can only be in one place at a time. He is God's opposite in character and ability. He is a fallen creature, not a god with any true power. That is why Satan relies on deception so much because he has no real power. He tries to manipulate by "roaring like a lion" to create fear in our lives. If he can get us to believe a lie then he has the upper hand for the moment. In order for Satan to attack us God has to give him permission and only then God has placed severe limits on what he can try to do.

Holy Spirit Guidance #3, Acts 1

In Acts 1:8 Luke gives the two major themes of his book. The first theme is how the Spirit works to expand the Kingdom, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...." and the second is the chronological order the book follows, "In Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We can learn several things from the Book of Acts, most of the Spirit's leadings will come when we are doing work to expand the Kingdom, not personal decisions we are facing. Because that's true I believe, God expects us to walk in wisdom in our personal lives to know His will when He is seemingly silent. Eph 5:15-17, "Be careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise...Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

In short, know that 1. God's Spirit is given to further the work of His Kingdom. 2. Most of the Spirit's leadings will come when we are working to expand the Kingdom. 3. God expects us to walk in wisdom in our personal lives to follow His will when it seems the Spirit isn't guiding. 4. God will always lead us in the footsteps of wisdom and His Spirit's "guidance" will not contradict that; Prov 4:11.

James 1, Trials

James 1:2-5 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

James 1:5 encourages us to pray for wisdom when we are being tested. The Greek conditional sentence assumes that those of us facing trials do lack wisdom. In this context the wisdom that God gives is understanding the nature and purpose of trials and knowing how to meet them victoriously. Such wisdom is available to the one who will "ask God" for it, not once only, but repeatedly (Gr., present tense). The promise is that "it will be given to him." There is nothing in God that keeps him from giving. More good news: When perseverance has finished its work, the believer will lack none of the needed virtues and strengths. That is what God is trying to do in us. In Short, the wisdom we pray for is too understand the nature and purpose of trials and know how to meet them victoriously.

Holy Spirit Guidance #2, Proverbs 4

When we are following God and believe He is guiding us by His Spirit we need to test these leadings. Here are some questions to ask ourselves, "Does this contradict God's character? Does this violate my conscience? Does this violate clear teaching from the Bible? What do mature Christians who have been following God for years say about this? Is this wise?"

God will never ask us to do anything that is unwise. NEVER. Here is what Solomon wrote to his son, read it knowing your Heavenly Father wrote it to us!
Proverbs 4:11-14: "I Instruct you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths."

In Short, when God is leading us He will guide us in the footsteps of wisdom and not lead us into foolishness.

Job 2

Job 2:9,10 '"His wife said to him, "Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!" He replied, "You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?" In all of this, Job did not sin in what he said."'

Job has been a book that has always puzzled me, but recently it has brought me relief. What I've learned from him is to accept the good and the bad God allows my way. It is coming from a loving Heavenly Father who is using these trials to transform me into His Son's image, but that happens only when I respond favorably to them. Job 2 puts Job's response side by side to his wife's. His wife curses God, while Job worships God. He is a great model of how to live when we are being tested. A funny thing happens when we quit fighting and accept what God is doing around us, we become content with where He has placed us. Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." "Learning" this can be very difficult, but when it is "learned" it's always rewarding. In short, 1. Accept the good and the bad God allows our way. 2. Know that God is good and only test us for our benefit. 3. Contentment only comes when we accept all that God gives us, the good and the bad.

Moses, Joseph

I love the stories of Moses and Joseph because it shows how God works in my life. God took into account their character flaws when he called them. God knew they were going to make their mistakes; His plan is bigger than our mistakes. Joseph would not have gone to Egypt as a slave if he wouldn't have struggled with arrogance. It was Joseph's bragging about his vision that was the last straw that made his jealous brothers finally attempt to get rid of him. Moses also had his issues. He tried to deliver the Hebrew people 40 years too early, but God was at work through a murderer. It was part of God's plan for Moses to live in the desert. Moses' story perfectly foreshadows the arrival and rejection of the Messiah. It was all part of God's plan. Here's what I've learned from Moses and Joseph, God actually uses our weakness (mistakes, shortcomings, character flaws) to accomplish His plan. He is that BIG.

1 Thess 5

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice Always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Why? Because Christ, the One we serve is always with us. He has His divine hand in our mess. He is the One who created our beautiful world out of the darkness that covered the earth. His Spirit brings order out of chaos. We can trust Him to do the same today. And here is the best part...He will. In short, God is involved in every aspect of our lives.

Mark 4:35-40 Storms of Life

Mark 4:35-40 "That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him up and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm." He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"

A storm that size I'm sure Jesus and the disciples saw the storm moving in and the disciples being expert fisherman I'm sure they knew how to handle it. In spite of the inclement weather Jesus said, "Let us go over to the other side." This same scenario plays out in our lives. We sense God's direction but the storms of life come causing us to doubt Him. God is faithful He gets us to the other side and rarely is it the way we thought it would happen. Jesus' statements to His disciples points to what God wants from us: He doesn't want us to be afraid, He wants our trust to be in Him.

In short, 1. We can be right in the middle of a storm and be right in the middle of God's will. 2. Circumstances don't necessarily confirm if we are in God's will. 3. God will get us to the "other side" when it's His idea, not ours. 4. God desires that we react with trust, not fear when we face storms.

Holy Spirit Guidance #1, Acts 10, 1 Thess 5

I have learned that following the Holy Spirit is not an exact science. In fact, we grow in our ability to discern the Spirit's guidance and it may take time before we are 100% sure we are doing the right thing. In reading through Acts, I've seen a common pattern, God's direction is given through the Spirit and then the recipient has to think about what they received and make smart choices to complete the divine task. For example, Acts 10 explains the story of how Peter received a vision 3 times and heard God's audible voice 3 times and he still didn't understand what God was saying. Peter was so offended he told the Lord, "Sorry God, but that doesn't fit into who I know You to be and it goes against the grain of everything I've been taught." It didn't make sense to him. Peter had to digest what he felt like God was saying to him (vs. 17). But while he was thinking it through the Lord provided him more direction, which ultimately led Peter on a journey to share the gospel with the first gentile specific audience. We are like Peter, in that God provides direction for us, but the next step isn't always clear. Many times its foggy and the best choices to make with the new "leading" are smart wise choices and to test "all things" that we believe come for the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19-22). Testing the Spirit's activity is a sign of spiritual maturity that pleases God. Too many people have been deceived because they failed to test the "Holy Spirit's" instruction or walk God's plan out with wisdom. In short, It is our responsibility to examine leadings and be wise in walking them out.

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, "Do not put out the Spirit's fire. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject whatever is harmful."

Genesis 37-50, Transitions

Joseph's story reveals a lot about transitions. I'll hit the highlights of his story: he was the 2ND youngest of 12 brothers, he was arrogant, favored by his father, hated by his brothers, bought as a slave by his family's ancestral enemy, accused of rape, taken prisoner and then finally forgotten by someone he helped jail break. Now you may be thinking, "How is this encouraging?" Well his story teaches us several things about God's ways. Repeatedly throughout Joseph's story the Bible says, "The Lord was with Joseph." The first time this is mentioned he is just sold into slavery (Gen 39:2) and the second time he was in prison (39:20,21). Those aren't the times I would assume God was with me. We learn that circumstances do not reveal if God has us in mind or not. And secondly, We learn that God is with us through the good times and the bad, He never leaves us. But what is God doing during this time? He is actually using our circumstances from where we're at to fulfill His vision for our lives. Joseph may not have known how involved God was during his years of suffering but later in life he knew what God was doing. He said in Gen. 50:20, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." Often times the suffering of life and the transitions we endure may appear to come from peoples hands, but it actually has its source in God. 3 principles we can learn from this: First, Suffering makes us more compassionate. Second, What Satan intended for evil, God designed for good. Finally, God works all things for the good of those we love Him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

Nehemiah 1 Vision

Nehemiah was the cup bearer to a Persian king (vs 1:11). He wasn't a general, a politician or even a priest. He may have been perceived by some to be a trader because he was the food taster for a pagan king. His accessibility to the king meant he was someone the king could trust with his life. I imagine a special friendship developed between the two men. Nehemiah wasn't well educated, but he was in the right place at the right time. He was right where God wanted him when God impressed upon Nehemiah's heart His vision. God wanted Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after centuries of being destroyed. These open walls made Jerusalem easy to attack by surround nations and kept them from gaining lasting prosperity. Nehemiah knew how difficult this was. He had no power or authority to get the job done. He was the cup bearer to a Persian king whose country had destroyed Jerusalem's walls, but that is exactly where God wanted Nehemiah. Nehemiah was in the right spot to petition the pagan king for the supplies and manpower to get the job done. His relationship with the king was such that he could make a request in the king's presence without sudden death. God placed Nehemiah in the right place in life to accomplish this divine task. So what does that mean for us today? God has us in the right spot as long as we are seeking His Kingdom first. As unlikely as it may seem now: God is using our current circumstances to prepare us to accomplish His vision for our lives.

Proverbs 3:5,6

Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight."

We only come to know God's vision for us when we come to Him with the attitude, "I'm committed to doing what you want me to do even before I know what it is." This faith is pleasing to Him because we know He is a good God and that He desires only our best. When we seek His direction it causes us to be dependent on Him and in the process we get what we really need...Him. Not the "felt" need of an answered prayer or even knowing the next step we should take.

This proverb teaches that God will reveal the next step only after we've agreed to submit to it before we know what it is. The phrase "He will make your paths straight" could also have been written, "He will make your paths obvious and clear." In short, Decide you're going to trust God in the dark because that's when His vision will become obvious.

Jeremiah 29

I don't have problems believing God or believing that God is looking out for my best interest as I navigate through life's circumstances. My problem is not knowing HOW He is going to do it. This creates worry and frustration on my part. My question is, "Okay, how am I going to help God do this?" Which I believe is a legitimate question, but my reaction to the silence is what gets me. I am impatient for results, so I believe God is teaching me patience. He is teaching me to trust Him. I love Jeremiah 29. I'll paraphrase it for you, "Where you are now in life, exiled away from your promise land is right where I've placed you. Contrary to what your circumstances may lead you to believe my intentions are not to harm you, but to give you a future and a hope. This is actually meant to make you better and conform you into My image. Your circumstances will take on new meaning when you search for Me with all your heart and then you will find Me; and then I will fulfill my promise." In short, God leads us through seemingly unfavorable circumstances for us to find Him.

the BIG IDEA, My First Post

The idea behind this blog is really not my own, but a friend's who has encouraged me to enter the blog world. This blog is more for me than anyone who will read my posts. My desire is to help organize my thoughts about what God is speaking to me through His Word. If you've stumbled upon this I hope you enjoy.