Is 43:18-21
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.
20 The wild animals honor me,
the jackals and the owls,
because I provide water in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland,
to give drink to my people, my chosen,
21 the people I formed for myself
that they may proclaim my praise.
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Sunday, July 11, 2010
parable of the unmerciful servant
matt 18:21-35
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
i've heard people use this passage to say that if you do not forgive, then you will not be forgiven. meaning, if you have an unforgiving spirit, then you're not a Christian because you do not have a regenerate and thus not going to heaven.
the above statement didn't sit well w/ me, but i couldn't really biblically articulate why. the passage above does seem to indicate that if you're not forgiving, then you're not a Christian, right?
but today, i took a closer look. what does verse 26 say? the servant says he's going to pay the owner back. his debt is astronomical. it's so big, that there's no way he can pay him back. the debt is equal to billions in our $$. so the fact that the servant says he's going to pay him back says that he doesn't really get it. he's just saying stuff to try and get out of the situation. he's begging, hoping to get some mercy. we've heard this being used to illustrate that God has paid our debt of sin and if that's the case, then v.26 is an example of people's response of trying to earn their salvation. if they're trying to earn salvation, then they didn't really get the gospel message in the first place.
of note, we don't see the servant's response to the master when the master shows compassion and forgives his debt (v.27). we don't know what he said. but we do know what he did next. he went to his fellow servant and demanded his money back. this indicates that the servant never really understood forgiveness from his master. he never got the message. so the question isn't, "can you lose your salvation if you don't forgive others". to me, the question is, was the person even a Christian to begin with? did he respond to the gospel? as we see here, the master extended compassion and forgave the debt, but the servant didn't accept it.
people ask, can you show the virtue of true forgiveness if you're not a Christian? i don't think you can... because without Christ, you don't even have the ABILITY to divinely forgive. True forgiveness, that is selfless is through the workings of the Holy Spirit... so going back to the parable. the servant didn't have the ability to forgive his fellow servant for a far lesser debt because he didn't ever receive True Forgiveness from his master.
still processing this one, but for now, i'm tired.
21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]
23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.
29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'
30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."
i've heard people use this passage to say that if you do not forgive, then you will not be forgiven. meaning, if you have an unforgiving spirit, then you're not a Christian because you do not have a regenerate and thus not going to heaven.
the above statement didn't sit well w/ me, but i couldn't really biblically articulate why. the passage above does seem to indicate that if you're not forgiving, then you're not a Christian, right?
but today, i took a closer look. what does verse 26 say? the servant says he's going to pay the owner back. his debt is astronomical. it's so big, that there's no way he can pay him back. the debt is equal to billions in our $$. so the fact that the servant says he's going to pay him back says that he doesn't really get it. he's just saying stuff to try and get out of the situation. he's begging, hoping to get some mercy. we've heard this being used to illustrate that God has paid our debt of sin and if that's the case, then v.26 is an example of people's response of trying to earn their salvation. if they're trying to earn salvation, then they didn't really get the gospel message in the first place.
of note, we don't see the servant's response to the master when the master shows compassion and forgives his debt (v.27). we don't know what he said. but we do know what he did next. he went to his fellow servant and demanded his money back. this indicates that the servant never really understood forgiveness from his master. he never got the message. so the question isn't, "can you lose your salvation if you don't forgive others". to me, the question is, was the person even a Christian to begin with? did he respond to the gospel? as we see here, the master extended compassion and forgave the debt, but the servant didn't accept it.
people ask, can you show the virtue of true forgiveness if you're not a Christian? i don't think you can... because without Christ, you don't even have the ABILITY to divinely forgive. True forgiveness, that is selfless is through the workings of the Holy Spirit... so going back to the parable. the servant didn't have the ability to forgive his fellow servant for a far lesser debt because he didn't ever receive True Forgiveness from his master.
still processing this one, but for now, i'm tired.
Friday, October 30, 2009
depth
yes, i'm a straight shooter.
yes, i want depth.
yes, i want people to be real.
but in this day in age, why is that so hard? i was at a gathering the other night with people i didn't know very well. it was a pleasant night but it never got past the "hello, my name is... and i do this for a living and have x number of kids" we talked about home decorating stuff (the hostess just had her house painted). don't get me wrong, i LOVE talking about home decor. but 4 1/2 hours later as i walked home, i thought to myself that i don't know these ladies. i didn't have a substantive conversation w/ anyone. not ONE. OK. i know what some of you are thinking. it takes time. it's the small talk first. build the trust and then the deeper stuff comes later. while i agree in a sense that sometimes, we need to just suck it up and give it time, i don't believe it always has to be that way. i think it has to do with this culture and society that we live in. that says, we should put on a mask that says "i'm ok". as long as i'm telling you what i DO during the day, you'll think i've got my act together. but quite honestly, i don't really care what you DO. i want to know who you ARE. put aside the pretense for a while. drop the mask. pull up a chair and a cup of joe and let's be real.
on a post script, i was so hungry for real conversation, when i got home, i woke my man up at midnight and shared w/ him what i learned in nahum in my bible study that morning. that book is really rich.
here's my quick nahum-in-a-nutshell:
nahum was a hebrew who lived in judah. he had a vision from God about Nineveh and he spoke the oracle of nineveh to the people of judah. nahum is about 100 years after jonah's evangelistic efforts to ninevah. (remember jonah and the whale)? so nineveh repented after jonah went to them. but we see that 100 years later, they resorted back to their ways. they were known for their barbaric ways and the surrounding countries didn't like them. nineveh was thriving. they were strong and seemed invincible. but nahum talks about their destruction. and destruction came for this city as prophesied. in fact, the remains of nineveh were only found about 40 years ago, when some historians discovered some books. so what does this all say? 1. i was reminded of the sovereignty of God. God is the ultimate judge and in the end He will judge all. watch out world! 2. parts of the book kind of read like God is building up a case - reminds me of micah. 6. and i pondered on how in God's courtroom absolute Truth always prevails. unlike the junk that you see going on in the courtrooms today. sometimes, people just suck. but God is good and He is just. Enter his courtroom. take your case to God. There are no unjust scales there. Truth will always rule in His courts.
yes, i want depth.
yes, i want people to be real.
but in this day in age, why is that so hard? i was at a gathering the other night with people i didn't know very well. it was a pleasant night but it never got past the "hello, my name is... and i do this for a living and have x number of kids" we talked about home decorating stuff (the hostess just had her house painted). don't get me wrong, i LOVE talking about home decor. but 4 1/2 hours later as i walked home, i thought to myself that i don't know these ladies. i didn't have a substantive conversation w/ anyone. not ONE. OK. i know what some of you are thinking. it takes time. it's the small talk first. build the trust and then the deeper stuff comes later. while i agree in a sense that sometimes, we need to just suck it up and give it time, i don't believe it always has to be that way. i think it has to do with this culture and society that we live in. that says, we should put on a mask that says "i'm ok". as long as i'm telling you what i DO during the day, you'll think i've got my act together. but quite honestly, i don't really care what you DO. i want to know who you ARE. put aside the pretense for a while. drop the mask. pull up a chair and a cup of joe and let's be real.
on a post script, i was so hungry for real conversation, when i got home, i woke my man up at midnight and shared w/ him what i learned in nahum in my bible study that morning. that book is really rich.
here's my quick nahum-in-a-nutshell:
nahum was a hebrew who lived in judah. he had a vision from God about Nineveh and he spoke the oracle of nineveh to the people of judah. nahum is about 100 years after jonah's evangelistic efforts to ninevah. (remember jonah and the whale)? so nineveh repented after jonah went to them. but we see that 100 years later, they resorted back to their ways. they were known for their barbaric ways and the surrounding countries didn't like them. nineveh was thriving. they were strong and seemed invincible. but nahum talks about their destruction. and destruction came for this city as prophesied. in fact, the remains of nineveh were only found about 40 years ago, when some historians discovered some books. so what does this all say? 1. i was reminded of the sovereignty of God. God is the ultimate judge and in the end He will judge all. watch out world! 2. parts of the book kind of read like God is building up a case - reminds me of micah. 6. and i pondered on how in God's courtroom absolute Truth always prevails. unlike the junk that you see going on in the courtrooms today. sometimes, people just suck. but God is good and He is just. Enter his courtroom. take your case to God. There are no unjust scales there. Truth will always rule in His courts.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
just when you think you're on track
i'm perpetually a 1/2 day behind in my reading. just when i think i'm going to catch up that day, something happens that causes me not to be able to finish. ugh!! this time around i'm not on top of things. but then again, this seems to be my overarching issue of my life these days. i'd like my anal, organized, remember everything, not lose anything, type A person back please! if you find her, please let me know. i'd like to this take head that is in the clouds and exchange it.
Friday, August 14, 2009
God-inspirations needed
Lord,
as i'm reading through numbers, it's rather easy to just read it as a historical text. i pray that Your Word would seep through the pores of my soul. it's getting to be a little dry and i pray for your merciful hand to guide my reading. i pray for personal encounters with You as i read your Truth. teach me. show me. inspire me.
-amen.
as i'm reading through numbers, it's rather easy to just read it as a historical text. i pray that Your Word would seep through the pores of my soul. it's getting to be a little dry and i pray for your merciful hand to guide my reading. i pray for personal encounters with You as i read your Truth. teach me. show me. inspire me.
-amen.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
90 day challenge
this is the second 90 day challenge i've started this year. let's hope this one actually takes me 90 days rather than 120.
this is week 2 of the the Bible in 90 days
week one i was perpetually behind. i'm still trying to catch up, but i'm gettin' close!
this is the 4th time around for the Bible in 90 days and it's nice to see new things each time i read it. in 2006, my highlights were in red. 2007, my highlights were in purple. in 2008, there were no highlights because i used a podcast (bad idea!), and this year my highlights are in green. yes, i love to color coordinate and i love seeing the different colored God-inspired thoughts throughout the years. it's my little rainbow covenant w/ God (kind of like God's covenant w/ noah but not really)....
my little PS... we started Bible 90 on August 2nd. so today is day 10.
this is week 2 of the the Bible in 90 days
week one i was perpetually behind. i'm still trying to catch up, but i'm gettin' close!
this is the 4th time around for the Bible in 90 days and it's nice to see new things each time i read it. in 2006, my highlights were in red. 2007, my highlights were in purple. in 2008, there were no highlights because i used a podcast (bad idea!), and this year my highlights are in green. yes, i love to color coordinate and i love seeing the different colored God-inspired thoughts throughout the years. it's my little rainbow covenant w/ God (kind of like God's covenant w/ noah but not really)....
my little PS... we started Bible 90 on August 2nd. so today is day 10.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Ladies Retreat 1
Last weekend was so great at the ladies' retreat and i feel like i learned so much but often once you get back home, it just seems to be the usual routine of life and then before you know it, the great nudgings of the Spirit seem to dissipate into little nice Christian sayings to live by.
so i wanted to take some time to reflect on it but then that gets overwelming to try and write about all that was impressed on the heart. so i thought i'd break up my notes into quotes that struck me.
QUOTE 1: "What pit did Jesus pull me out of?"
As Christians we all know that Jesus came to save us from our sins... but what sins?
yes, i know you can say - all sin. but there are certain sins that are specific to me. based on my personality, my upbringing, my everything... i have certain "pits of sin" that i seem to fall into - and keep falling into. so what pit did he pull me from?
honestly, this question was really hard for me. i'm so analytical and i constantly like to evaluate and dissect everything - thoughts, actions, words, ideas... but i didn't know the answer to this question. that told me one thing. that i do not have good quality, intimate time with God where I'm quiet before Him. instead i'm going off about what i need and don't have. what the latest - 411 in my life is, just in case God didn't know, you know. so it's something that i've been trying to work on this week. being quiet before God. can i tell you that it's really really really hard?!
so i wanted to take some time to reflect on it but then that gets overwelming to try and write about all that was impressed on the heart. so i thought i'd break up my notes into quotes that struck me.
QUOTE 1: "What pit did Jesus pull me out of?"
As Christians we all know that Jesus came to save us from our sins... but what sins?
yes, i know you can say - all sin. but there are certain sins that are specific to me. based on my personality, my upbringing, my everything... i have certain "pits of sin" that i seem to fall into - and keep falling into. so what pit did he pull me from?
honestly, this question was really hard for me. i'm so analytical and i constantly like to evaluate and dissect everything - thoughts, actions, words, ideas... but i didn't know the answer to this question. that told me one thing. that i do not have good quality, intimate time with God where I'm quiet before Him. instead i'm going off about what i need and don't have. what the latest - 411 in my life is, just in case God didn't know, you know. so it's something that i've been trying to work on this week. being quiet before God. can i tell you that it's really really really hard?!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Bible reading
I just finished the last chapter and i am officially done!
unfortunately i didn't keep to the schedule so rather than being 90 days, it was more like 130 days.
i have to admit that this time around wasn't that great for me.
here's why:
1. i really really really do not like falling behind of a schedule. it's the oc side of me. so i was constantly irritated at how far behind i was.
2. i did almost all of my "reading" via podcasts. i listened to most of it while driving or running. while it made for efficiently checking off the chapters, sometimes, it's not about efficiency. often times (esp i was having a hard run or was just tired, then i found myself zoning out - even after replaying the same sections!)
3. if i do listen to the Bible, then i need to find a way to get it all in one version. it was really disconnected switching versions every other day or so. i uesd one podcast as my main source and he went from the message to the new king james to the english contemporary.... etc. it was all over the place. really hard for me to follow any motifs or themes which is why i like to do the 90 days reading to begin w/!
4. the podcast i used was by a guy who liked to talk/ share, ponder... whatever you want to call it for the first 1-3 minutes of the reading. it DROVE ME NUTS!!! i know i shouldn't get so upset about it because he wasn't doing anything wrong, but i just wanted him to get on w/ it!! see? i'm still upset about it!
5. towards the end, i was all over the place, reading malachi, john, and revelations at the same time. partly because of the way the podcast was set up and partly because i was trying to finish.
all in all, i'm glad this wasn't my first experience w/ it, because if it had been, i probably wouldn't do this again....
unfortunately i didn't keep to the schedule so rather than being 90 days, it was more like 130 days.
i have to admit that this time around wasn't that great for me.
here's why:
1. i really really really do not like falling behind of a schedule. it's the oc side of me. so i was constantly irritated at how far behind i was.
2. i did almost all of my "reading" via podcasts. i listened to most of it while driving or running. while it made for efficiently checking off the chapters, sometimes, it's not about efficiency. often times (esp i was having a hard run or was just tired, then i found myself zoning out - even after replaying the same sections!)
3. if i do listen to the Bible, then i need to find a way to get it all in one version. it was really disconnected switching versions every other day or so. i uesd one podcast as my main source and he went from the message to the new king james to the english contemporary.... etc. it was all over the place. really hard for me to follow any motifs or themes which is why i like to do the 90 days reading to begin w/!
4. the podcast i used was by a guy who liked to talk/ share, ponder... whatever you want to call it for the first 1-3 minutes of the reading. it DROVE ME NUTS!!! i know i shouldn't get so upset about it because he wasn't doing anything wrong, but i just wanted him to get on w/ it!! see? i'm still upset about it!
5. towards the end, i was all over the place, reading malachi, john, and revelations at the same time. partly because of the way the podcast was set up and partly because i was trying to finish.
all in all, i'm glad this wasn't my first experience w/ it, because if it had been, i probably wouldn't do this again....
Monday, October 20, 2008
bible reading week 7 and 8
while my reading hasn't been the greatest - i'm still encouraged by the words of comfort God has for us in our time of need.
with the election coming up, i've been very intentional about not listening to or reading any political news. mainly because i get so steamed with how the media seems to twist things around and how the players themselves aren't playing fair. it's enough when you've got a husband who works for a news organization and brings that stuff home anyways ;)... speaking of which, i got a call from "joe the plumber from arlington" the other day on behalf of obama. HA!!
anyways, ps 46 seemed to say a lot on this matter for me and it was really encouraging. have a listen:
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
so there! whoever becomes president -- God WILL BE exalted regardless of whatever agenda man comes up with.
with the election coming up, i've been very intentional about not listening to or reading any political news. mainly because i get so steamed with how the media seems to twist things around and how the players themselves aren't playing fair. it's enough when you've got a husband who works for a news organization and brings that stuff home anyways ;)... speaking of which, i got a call from "joe the plumber from arlington" the other day on behalf of obama. HA!!
anyways, ps 46 seemed to say a lot on this matter for me and it was really encouraging. have a listen:
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah
...He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.
10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."
I LOVE this!
so there! whoever becomes president -- God WILL BE exalted regardless of whatever agenda man comes up with.
Monday, September 29, 2008
bible reading week 5 and 6
today i listened to 24 proverbs! while i think i'm feeling a bit overhelmed, i thought it was pretty cool that there were key phrases that repeated itself. after a run, my memory is rather limited, so i only remember one phrase that i kept pondering over and over again.. "humility comes before honor". i see this evident in my life, not just in certain situations, but also in phases of life. maybe this is the humility phase of my life and honor will come later. it gives one hope - to look forward to the blessings of the future but also to know that what we're currently undergoing isn't way off base but is in line w/ Scripture.
i also love this from ps. 62:5 "find rest in God alone". what else am i finding rest (or trying to ) in?
lastly, this caught my attention, ps 106:31 paraphrasing here: Phinehas stood up for God and it was credited to him as righteousness. i love that phrase "credited to him as righteousness". that phrase was also used to describe Abraham's faith and Noah too, right?
i also love this from ps. 62:5 "find rest in God alone". what else am i finding rest (or trying to ) in?
lastly, this caught my attention, ps 106:31 paraphrasing here: Phinehas stood up for God and it was credited to him as righteousness. i love that phrase "credited to him as righteousness". that phrase was also used to describe Abraham's faith and Noah too, right?
Monday, September 15, 2008
Bible reading week 4
there is one point that i have been noticing and that is the idea that God is such a gracious and compassionate God. i was talking to someone the other day and mentioned i was reading the Bible. They commented that the OT was so full of laws and rules that it was hard to see the connection between the OT and NT. I'm not sure if it's because the conversation was so fresh in my mind but i have to say that i've gotten a very different impression of God while reading the OT. yes, Leviticus does talk about the rules that God has placed for the isrealites - but it's bookends emphasize God's compassion...to love God and to worship Him alone because He is a jealous God. (sorry, didn't write down the verse). i see that - even in judges - where God gives the isrealites over to their own desires and gives them a king and how God says that even though they weren't content w/ what God had given them, that He was still gracious to them and not to be afraid.
Another minor point --- while I'm not about to go into a political discussion (i'm trying to keep myself as far away from this controversial topic as possible), but i was reminded that in the beginning chapters of Judges, that God used Deborah as a judge to rule over the isrealites. so while only God knows what is going to happen in the '08 elections, i'm so grateful to know that God is in charge and that He has gone before us and has already choosen the next president.
Another minor point --- while I'm not about to go into a political discussion (i'm trying to keep myself as far away from this controversial topic as possible), but i was reminded that in the beginning chapters of Judges, that God used Deborah as a judge to rule over the isrealites. so while only God knows what is going to happen in the '08 elections, i'm so grateful to know that God is in charge and that He has gone before us and has already choosen the next president.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ps 90:17
17Let the (A)favor of the Lord our God be upon us;
And [a](B)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
This seem to be my prayer these days - that God would establish what He's giving me the grace and strength to do in the time that we spend on this earth. May it give God all glory and honor. Unto You oh Lord, unto You alone.
And [a](B)confirm for us the work of our hands;
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
This seem to be my prayer these days - that God would establish what He's giving me the grace and strength to do in the time that we spend on this earth. May it give God all glory and honor. Unto You oh Lord, unto You alone.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Week 1 Bible Reading
Wednesday marks the first day of our Bible reading -
i'm doing this w/ a group of ladies and once a week we're sending out an email w/ our comments.
i thought i'd try to post my thoughts here so i could keep track of them...
one motif that i want to try and follow this time around is this idea of east and west. i picked up on it a bit late in the game during my last reading, but there seemed to be a correlation between east = bad/ negative and west equated to good. ie. Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:24 " So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
is anyone else having a difficult time getting into job? i am. maybe it's because i've read / listened to it in various versions - but it seems to not flow together for me yet. has anyone figured out what the timeframe is for job? are we talking days? months? hum.. if anyone has any insights on job that might spark something for me, i'd love to hear it.
i'm doing this w/ a group of ladies and once a week we're sending out an email w/ our comments.
i thought i'd try to post my thoughts here so i could keep track of them...
one motif that i want to try and follow this time around is this idea of east and west. i picked up on it a bit late in the game during my last reading, but there seemed to be a correlation between east = bad/ negative and west equated to good. ie. Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:24 " So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
is anyone else having a difficult time getting into job? i am. maybe it's because i've read / listened to it in various versions - but it seems to not flow together for me yet. has anyone figured out what the timeframe is for job? are we talking days? months? hum.. if anyone has any insights on job that might spark something for me, i'd love to hear it.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Thoughts on eternity II
kind of cool how God answers questions we have. i had posted a "thoughts on eternity" regarding the relationship between faith and experiences. tonight at church, God answered it via a sermon on phil. where Paul talks about going from head knowledge to heart knowledge. the 4 key points being: single-mindedness (chapter 1), humble-minded (chapter 2), heaven-minded (chapter 3), right-minded (chapter 4).
paul was in prison when he wrote this and the reason he had such joy and contentment was because of his experience with the Gospel. He got it and he became single-minded about sharing it.
love it!
paul was in prison when he wrote this and the reason he had such joy and contentment was because of his experience with the Gospel. He got it and he became single-minded about sharing it.
love it!
Friday, October 26, 2007
Thoughts on eternity
Once you've become saved, do you HAVE to have an experience for your faith to grow? what exactly constitutes an experience? is it feeling driven? what does a relationship with God look like if you don't have any "experiences"? if you don't have any experiences, then what does that mean?
just something i'm pondering these days in light of a conversation with a friend.
just something i'm pondering these days in light of a conversation with a friend.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
original thought #1 follow up
just a quick search on going west produced a few of these verses:
- Ex 10:19 And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.
- ex 26:22 Make six frames for the far end, that is, the west end of the tabernacle,
- ex 26:27 five for those on the other side, and five for the frames on the west, at the far end of the tabernacle.
- ex 27:12 "The west end of the courtyard shall be fifty cubits wide and have curtains, with ten posts and ten bases.
Original thought #1
ok, it's original to me -- i don't recall reading or hearing this anywhere but i'm sure if i did some research i would be able to find commentary on it... but for now, let's just call it my spiritual illumination ;)
so, for the past year i've been pondering this idea of going east. i noticed it the first time did the Bible in 90 days bit and with each reading i seem to see it more and more.
so, for the past year i've been pondering this idea of going east. i noticed it the first time did the Bible in 90 days bit and with each reading i seem to see it more and more.
- gen 2:8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed.
- gen 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
- gen 4:16 So Cain went out from the LORD's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
- gen 10:30 The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.
- gen 11:2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
- gen 13:11 So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company:
- Gen 25:6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Tommy Nelson
My husband mentioned the Song of Solomon series a long time ago but i just never got around to it. Well, the time has finally come to listen to the famous series. and gals - it's good stuff! you can tell tommy nelson is such a texan! it cracks me up. it's a 6 part series and i finished the 4th today. i'm eager to listen to the rest of it and discuss with the man :)
i love when people are excited about the Word - it's contagious!
i love when people are excited about the Word - it's contagious!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
BS insight
so i'm in a BS this year Wednesday mornings and we're going through the Pentateuch. this week's study was on genesis 9-11.
i love finding little gems of insight. our pastor calls them spiritual illumination.
i saw the connection between Ham's curse by his dad and God's sovereignty in how it gets played out in future generations.
Chapter 9 talks about Noah's curse on Ham's descendants - Canaan. here's the curse:
i love finding little gems of insight. our pastor calls them spiritual illumination.
i saw the connection between Ham's curse by his dad and God's sovereignty in how it gets played out in future generations.
Chapter 9 talks about Noah's curse on Ham's descendants - Canaan. here's the curse:
25 he said,
"Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers."
26 He also said,
"Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem!
May Canaan be the slave of Shem.
27 May God extend the territory of Japheth ;
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his slave."
You see how the curse is carried out in chapter 10 when it lays out Ham's lineage: from Canaan:
10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Erech, Akkad and Calneh, in Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city.
13 Mizraim was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.
15 Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn, and of the Hittites, 16 Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.
Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19 and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.
Notice the bold (my addition). I pulled out the major people groups that the Bible mentions later on. It's amazing how one action can impact generations upon generations! these people groups are enemies to the isrealites. of further note is that in deut. after the isrealites leave egypt, God commands the isrealites to destroy the people mentioned in verse 15-18 above.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
part time work
there are certain things that we have strong convictions about but there are lots of gray areas too... take for example my working full time. we have a conviction about where we stand regarding this issue at this time in our lives - but when it comes to part time, i'm not sure what our conviction is. the Scripture is the same - it calls me to be the keeper of the house. and it's up to me to know how much outside part time work i can handle before something/someone else becomes the keeper of my home. so we've been praying.
so i've been contemplating going back part time. went in for an interview and the company seems very flexible. in the past, God would make it really clear and i would walk out of that interview with a "nope, this is not it" feeling. with this one, i felt with a very strong maybe. so these days i've been praying for scripture. i'm one of those people that need scripture in making decisions because i know that i'm going to have good days and bad days. on those bad days, if i don't have scripture i start to doubt and question. feelings change - but the Word is steadfast.
the other day, in my QT, i was reflecting on david's prayer in 1 sam 30:8 "So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
and that has been my prayer regarding this job. Lord, shall i pursue? will i overtake it? or will it overtake me?
still praying about it. we'll see how the Lord leads.
so i've been contemplating going back part time. went in for an interview and the company seems very flexible. in the past, God would make it really clear and i would walk out of that interview with a "nope, this is not it" feeling. with this one, i felt with a very strong maybe. so these days i've been praying for scripture. i'm one of those people that need scripture in making decisions because i know that i'm going to have good days and bad days. on those bad days, if i don't have scripture i start to doubt and question. feelings change - but the Word is steadfast.
the other day, in my QT, i was reflecting on david's prayer in 1 sam 30:8 "So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?”
And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
and that has been my prayer regarding this job. Lord, shall i pursue? will i overtake it? or will it overtake me?
still praying about it. we'll see how the Lord leads.
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