One of the things that I’ve been trying to do as I read the Psalms is discover how to relate to God. The Psalms can drive me nuts, because they are really subjective and feely. I really like Paul’s writings because they are cut and dry, straight to the point, and basically in an outline form that I can put into a handout and make me feel good about my faith in my box. The reality is though, our life with God is not in a box. It includes all of ourselves. Mind, will, body, and emotions. We are to love God with all of these (Deut. 6:5) and so we’ve got to figure out how to relate to God and love God with all that we are. And honestly, despite the fact that I’m comfortable with my Pauline faith in a box, I’m really not very comfortable with it. Something inside me says, that’s not the end of your faith. Go deeper, learn how to have your whole self worshipping God and you will find true intimacy with him, true satisfaction in him, and will bear great fruit for him. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with this Bible reading plan through the Psalms is learn how to relate to God.
It’s been awesome. All the Psalms in the “individual lament” genre have challenged me to be honest with God at all times, while still keeping in mind his qualities of love and goodness in the midst of the hard things I’m being honest with God about. I love that God wants us to be honest with Him. Our society is so full of dishonesty and trying to make be feel better by not stepping on toes. God just wants us to lay it out there, while still remembering who he is.
I’ve also been learning the importance of commanding ourselves to worship God and to follow through on the disciplines of the Lord, even when we don’t feel like it. In Psalm 42, after recognizing that he is depressed, downcast, and lacking hope, the Psalmist commands himself twice to “put your hope in God.” I’ve been asked the question a lot, “what do you do when you don’t feel God?” There’s a great sermon on Ed Noble’s website www.journeycom.org called “Feeling God” that you should listen to check out that question more in depth. But one thing I’ve been learning is that we can’t stop doing things for God when we don’t feel like it, sometimes we just have to command our souls to worship God, even when it doesn’t seem natural. In doing that, God will develop in us a greater heart to love and worship him.
One of the great things about the psalms too (and the scripture in general for that matter), is that they help me know what to pray to God. Sometimes, when I’m not sure about what to pray, I can go to the Psalms and learn what to pray and how to pray it. I love Psalm 67 in that it really helps me think about what I should be praying about. The Psalmist prays that God would be gracious and bless him. That seems like a great prayer to pray and one that I’ve prayed often, along with everyone else in the world. Who hasn’t prayed for God to blessing them. What the Psalmist causes me to do, is to put that prayer in perspective and realize that I am to pray for blessings, not for my own gain, but to BE and blessing to the world around me and to the nations. I would have missed that had it not been for God’s word taking the focus off me and putting it on the world around me.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Thursday, March 6, 2008
A Prayer of Longing
Jesus, today your words are life to me. I cling to you, the savior of my unworthy soul. Your word reminds me that you are the final end of all my desire for relationship, joy, happiness, justice, mercy and glory. The one thing I have to offer you I give you now with open palms- my need. By satisfying my thirsty soul, show your infinite goodness to the world by exalting Jesus Christ, in whom the fullness of deity dwells. I long to be filled with longing. I thirst to be made more thirsty still- until Jesus becomes my all in all. Amen.
Inside Out
Scripture: Matthew 23
Observations: Jesus is not holding anything back in confronting the Pharisees on their hyposcrisy and pride. He cuts straight to the heart of the real issues, especially focusing on what's really going on inside of them.
vs. 3 - they don't practice what they preach
vs. 5 - everything they do is for men to see
vs. 6 - they love places of honor and titles
vs. 25 - they are clean on the outside, but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence
vs. 28 - appear righteous on the outside, but the inside if full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
These verses made me think of Isaiah 29:13 - The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
Application: Its easy for me to get mad at the Pharisees, but that only lasts about 30 seconds because I then realize how I can tend to be one of them! How often I catch myself doing something "good" and then wondering if I'll get recognized for it. Or, I can remember being in leadership during college and taking pride in the the title of "leader" and loving the attention it could bring. ICK. I think its easy to do the right things, like go to TSC, go to Connection Group, maybe even lead a Connection Group, etc., but our hearts can be far from the Lord. We are proud and focusing all on the outside, rather than the inside, which is what really matters. Now, I definitely don't think this means to just stop what we're doing, but rather to ask God to change our hearts! I need to humble myself often before both God and men and make sure my heart is set on the 2 greatest commands which Jesus just stated in Matt 22: Love God and love others!
Prayer: Lord, please forgive my pride. I often do things just to look good on the outside, but my heart is far from you. Please change me from the inside out! Make me clean on the inside! Help me to be humble before you and not to exalt myself. I want my heart to be undivided in loving you with all I am, so then I can also love others. Thanks that you desire to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Gather us in, and make us willing.
Observations: Jesus is not holding anything back in confronting the Pharisees on their hyposcrisy and pride. He cuts straight to the heart of the real issues, especially focusing on what's really going on inside of them.
vs. 3 - they don't practice what they preach
vs. 5 - everything they do is for men to see
vs. 6 - they love places of honor and titles
vs. 25 - they are clean on the outside, but the inside is full of greed and self-indulgence
vs. 28 - appear righteous on the outside, but the inside if full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
These verses made me think of Isaiah 29:13 - The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men."
Application: Its easy for me to get mad at the Pharisees, but that only lasts about 30 seconds because I then realize how I can tend to be one of them! How often I catch myself doing something "good" and then wondering if I'll get recognized for it. Or, I can remember being in leadership during college and taking pride in the the title of "leader" and loving the attention it could bring. ICK. I think its easy to do the right things, like go to TSC, go to Connection Group, maybe even lead a Connection Group, etc., but our hearts can be far from the Lord. We are proud and focusing all on the outside, rather than the inside, which is what really matters. Now, I definitely don't think this means to just stop what we're doing, but rather to ask God to change our hearts! I need to humble myself often before both God and men and make sure my heart is set on the 2 greatest commands which Jesus just stated in Matt 22: Love God and love others!
Prayer: Lord, please forgive my pride. I often do things just to look good on the outside, but my heart is far from you. Please change me from the inside out! Make me clean on the inside! Help me to be humble before you and not to exalt myself. I want my heart to be undivided in loving you with all I am, so then I can also love others. Thanks that you desire to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. Gather us in, and make us willing.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Matthew 18-19 : Three strikes I am out...
I love how when I am reading God always seems to have a theme with what he's teaching me - right now it's God heart for unity among the body. In Matthew 18:15 it says If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you.... I stopped there, and realized...if a brother/sister sins against me - I don't go straight to that person. Nope -somehow I feel like I need to let everyone know how I have been wronged by that person. STRIKE #1
Matthew 18:35 it says This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Well, certainly I tell the person that I forgive them, but inwardedly I am pretty sure I am still angry, and make it a note not to forget what they have done to me. STRIKE #2
As I began journaling about all of this - I looked over at my notes from the message this Sunday where I had wrote - God says "I want unity among my people." and we must do all that we can to keep unity in the body. Ahhh - STRIKE #3
Hopefully, this finds you not "out" like me - but I ask you to search your heart, because God calls us to one body (not one pickering body) - one unified body.
Prayer - God thank you for your grace, which covers my sin, and allows me to restore relationships, not only on the outside but the inside as well. Continue to give me a heart like yours, which desires unity and right relationships.
Matthew 18:35 it says This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart. Well, certainly I tell the person that I forgive them, but inwardedly I am pretty sure I am still angry, and make it a note not to forget what they have done to me. STRIKE #2
As I began journaling about all of this - I looked over at my notes from the message this Sunday where I had wrote - God says "I want unity among my people." and we must do all that we can to keep unity in the body. Ahhh - STRIKE #3
Hopefully, this finds you not "out" like me - but I ask you to search your heart, because God calls us to one body (not one pickering body) - one unified body.
Prayer - God thank you for your grace, which covers my sin, and allows me to restore relationships, not only on the outside but the inside as well. Continue to give me a heart like yours, which desires unity and right relationships.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Won't take no for an answer - Matthew 15-17
Observations - I heard Jeff Lewis speak on Matthew 15:21-27 and it was absolutely fascinating. I love reading passages about Jesus and being able to see his very unique personality come out. The fascinating part about this dialogue of Jesus and the Syrophoenecian woman is that Jesus seems to be using satire. Jesus, the Messiah, sent by God to redeem some from every tribe, tongue, and nation says to the Syrophoenecian woman (non jew) who crying out for his mercy on her demon possessed daughter "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." What??? This is the Christ, what happened to Isaiah 49:6 that says it is too small at thing to restore the lost tribes of Jacob and Israel? The woman proceeds and bows down and asks for mercy. Once again Jesus says "it is not good to take the children's bread and toss it to the dogs." WHAT??? This should appall us. Children = Israel, Dogs=Gentiles, Bread = Jesus. The Son of God is telling this woman that the he himself, the Bread of Life, shouldn't be given to the dogs (gentiles). The woman persists once more and says "but even the Dog's will feed on the crumbs." The woman perseveres! Jesus then praises her for her great faith and heals her daughter. This is a wild story but the only explanation is that Jesus was being satirical and testing the woman and most likely the disciples.
Application - This woman showed so much perseverance. The Son of God looked at her right in the face and said "The bread of life is not for you." And this woman would not take no for an answer. She loved her daughter so much and believed in Jesus and his power that came from heaven so strongly that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Very bold faith, I envy it. I desire to pray like this woman. I desire to love like her also. Do I have someone in my life who I love so deeply that I am willing to beg Jesus for them without reservation, to where I will not take no for an answer. I have those people in my life, but I do not intercede with the love this woman does.
Prayer - Father, thank you for the wonderful examples of love in the stories of your Son and all His glory. I desire the faith of the Syrophoenecian woman. Father, in the name of Jesus, fill me with the Holy Spirit, with the word of Christ that brings faith, above all else, with love like this woman had for her daughter. Jesus your ways and teachings astound me. They are wise and they come with authority. Please continue to teach me through the Holy Spirit the meanings of the stories and parables that have been written. In Jesus name I pray with freedom and confidence. Amen.
Application - This woman showed so much perseverance. The Son of God looked at her right in the face and said "The bread of life is not for you." And this woman would not take no for an answer. She loved her daughter so much and believed in Jesus and his power that came from heaven so strongly that she wouldn't take no for an answer. Very bold faith, I envy it. I desire to pray like this woman. I desire to love like her also. Do I have someone in my life who I love so deeply that I am willing to beg Jesus for them without reservation, to where I will not take no for an answer. I have those people in my life, but I do not intercede with the love this woman does.
Prayer - Father, thank you for the wonderful examples of love in the stories of your Son and all His glory. I desire the faith of the Syrophoenecian woman. Father, in the name of Jesus, fill me with the Holy Spirit, with the word of Christ that brings faith, above all else, with love like this woman had for her daughter. Jesus your ways and teachings astound me. They are wise and they come with authority. Please continue to teach me through the Holy Spirit the meanings of the stories and parables that have been written. In Jesus name I pray with freedom and confidence. Amen.
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