Who Are You?

Some people seem to have real good grasp on who they are and where they want to go in life.  If you ask them about their chosen profession, they will tell you about how they started, what their goals are and what goals they have after they reach the ones they just told you about! Their vision is clear and realistic, grounded with solid counseling from qualified mentors.

Do you know such a person?  Do you sort of just hate them a little?  Do you think they are arrogant and full of pride?  Maybe it's because, like me, you are jealous of that level of well-adjusted foresight!

Let's be  honest, it can be difficult to plan just a few hours of our lives due to all the commitments that just seen to come at us in waves!

We read in the bible that Jesus was very clear and focused in on what his objective were in life.  All the activity in His life was driven by those goals.  He also helped others focus in their objectives.

Are all of us called to be itinerant ministers like Him?  Of course not.  But we are called to be like Him in the way He ordered His life after a clear purpose.  Otherwise we are just living day to day, waiting to die!

What's your life about?

Road Rage

One thing you have probably said to yourself is "I would enjoy driving if it wasn't for all the other people out on the roads!"

I have had to confront this over and over, I get really frustrated on the roads and it can boil over.

I throw my hands up in amazement at the violations of basic courtesy on our highways. It's an epidemic! I scratch my head at the behavior I see. BUT...

I forget that those people have lives and situations that are different. Sometimes those other people just can become faceless and anonymous. It's easier to get mad at them that way! But is it really worth it?

No.

We all have to learn this, I am first in line to the class.

When we are on the roads we can transform into the most critical person can't we?

If the mask were off and we could see the actual people and not the car, then what?

Sometimes when your driving past someone you're a little upset with and you sneak a glance to who has been causing you so much heart ache, and lo and behold it's someone you did not expect!

(Granted, there are some who are just uncaring)

Mostly people just want to get from point A to point B. They want to get there fast.

It's pointless to stress out over the antics of drivers who choose to set aside the rules. It won't change things.


My Prayer: Lord help me be at peace with all men....even on the 400!

Dig In!

Here's why it's so important to not only read the bible to but to study it...

Have you noticed that you're different after learning what's been written in it's actual context? We have a way that we interpret biblical words in the 21st century, but when it was written the words had unique applications, and it has extra meaning if you dig a little bit.

For example, reading in Ephesians you come across the word "grieve" (To grieve the Spirit of God through your actions or attitudes). We would normally think about that word in the context of losing a loved one and the feeling of emptiness after, but it really means more the feeling of betrayal that a spouse would have after discovering their partner had been unfaithful.

Here is the devotional that I was reading that got me thinking about this, it's from, Rick Renner...

Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit! And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. — Ephesians 4:30

Many years ago, when I first studied the word “grieve” in Ephesians 4:30, I ran to my bookshelf and pulled out my Greek New Testament to discover exactly what the word “grieve” meant. I found that this word was taken from the Greek word lupete. This surprised me, because the word lupete is from the word lupe, which denotes a pain or grief that can only be experienced between two people who deeply love each other. This word lupe would normally be used to picture a husband or wife who has discovered his or her mate has been unfaithful. As a result of this unfaithfulness, the betrayed spouse is shocked, devastated, hurt, wounded, and grieved because of the pain that accompanies unfaithfulness. This tells us, first of all, that the relationship that exists between us and the Holy Spirit is precious! The Holy Spirit is deeply in love with us. Just as someone in love thinks about, dreams of, and cherishes the one he loves, the Holy Spirit longs for us, thinks about us, desires to be close to us, and wants to reveal Himself to us. But when we act like the world, talk like the world, behave like the world, and respond the same way the world does, we cause the Spirit of God to feel shock, hurt, and grief. You see, when we deliberately do what is wrong, we drag Him right into the mire of sin with us, because He lives in us and goes wherever we go. The Holy Spirit convicted us of sin and brought us to Jesus; then He indwelt us, sanctified us, empowered us, and faithfully remains alongside to help us. So when we deliberately enter into sin, it grieves Him. Just as a husband or wife would feel who has just discovered that his or her spouse has committed adultery, the Holy Spirit is shocked when we dishonor His Presence in our lives. One scholar has translated Ephesians 4:30 in the following way: “Stop deeply wounding and causing such extreme emotional pain to the Spirit of God, by whom you have been sealed until the day of your redemption.” We need to realize how precious the Holy Spirit is in our lives and honor Him by making sure we live holy and upright lives. If our behavior has been wrong, we should confess our sin and receive cleansing by the blood of Jesus so we can be restored to fellowship with the Spirit of God. So before you get started with your daily duties today, stop and ask, “Holy Spirit, is there anything in my life that causes You grief? If there is, please reveal it to me so I can change.”

So, now you can clearly see that adds a new meaning to that verse that's life changing if you're a Christian! If you read that and understand it, you're a changed person!

So get out the shovel and dig a little deeper into the bible for all the GOLD!

P.S. I would highly recommend getting this devotional in your daily e-mail! http://www.renner.org

Christmas 2015

The family out for a Star Wars viewing!

Christmas is weird for a lot of reasons.  Honestly a lot of the traditions don't make a lot of sense if you think about them.  We bring a tree indoors, put lights on our houses and eat too much.  How did the celebration of the birth of Christ turn into this?  I am not sure.

Anyway, here's the great thing about the holiday...I get to see my kids and brother and sister in law and my niece, and spend time with them and do fun things!  If we had no other attachments to the Yuletide, this would be worth it to me!

Rose and I tried to raise our tots with an appreciation for God and faith and I love that we can get together and thank Him for all that we have.  My kids are a blast to be around and we always have fun and there is no real drama.  I think they enjoy being around us to, so that's awesome.  My brother and his family are always a good time and since we live closer it's great seeing them more often!

This year we all headed out to the cinema to take in our traditional Christmas movie "The Force Awakens".  It was a second viewing for all of us but my son...we had to keep spoilers at a minimum!  I liked the movie better the second time around!  Great film, fun for all!

We got to play Aggravation and a new game called "Exploding Kittens"...it's a card game, so no animals are harmed!  We watched movies and played video games and ate too much!  Now they have all gone back north and the house is quiet again.  Ahhhh

Good times!

 

Checkmate, Satan!

The other day I was at a friends house and they had a nativity scene on their coffee table.

To me it looked like a chess set!  

When I was younger, my friends and I were chess freaks!

My parents got me a chess set for Christmas one year and I joined the chess club at school.  I would lay in bed and imagine strategies before drifting off to sleep.  I even had a chance to play a Russian Master!  He came to our local library and played about 20 of us all at once.  He would make a move on one board and move to the next, all while chain smoking!  I was fifth to the last to be eliminated.  It was because I was not paying attention, I was chatting with my friend and I looked up and The Master was waiting for me to make a move, I made one real quick without thinking it through and it was all over!  I had no long term game plan and I got distracted!  That's why I lost.

Getting back to the Nativity scene.  Imagine the game!  Wise man takes Joseph, Mary moves two spaces and this Camel is now in trouble... 

It's a funny thought, but there is a real deep truth to it.  Just like chess, the plan of human redemption took a long time to play out and was planned well in advance.

For Jesus, the Savior to be born, a lot of different elements had to come together at just the right time. All the pieces had to be in place, the strategy had to be worked in just the right way.  

Amazing!

Here is another thought...

When I would play chess with my friends, we had a rule that if you moved a piece you could keep your finger on it until you were sure that was the move you wanted to make.  I feel like God has His finger on us sometimes to.  Only we are the ones making the move!  He holds us and says "Are you sure you want to do this?".  It's nice to know that as we play this game called life, that the Master has his finger on us while we move across the board.  

There is a game plan for our lives!

Christmas Changes

Jasmine and Brett

Alex and Jess

Victoria and Jay

It's a weird year.

This will be the first Christmas for Rose and I where all the kids don't live with us.

Sure, they are coming over for the holidays and there will be lots of fun, but afterwards everyone will go home again.

It's odd.  It makes you remember all the times when they would tear around the house and open gifts!

Good times.

I am glad that they are out there, making their own way in the world.

I am glad when they come back to!

Can't wait to see you guys!

Would Jesus "shun" someone?

I have a question about a scripture, it's Matthew 18:15-17

15 “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Jesus speaks here about relationships where one person does something clearly wrong.

There is a process explained where the issue gets worked out, but if it doesn't, it says you are too treat that person like a pagan or tax collector.

Most times I have heard that scripture talked about, it was strongly implied that we are to totally cut ourselves off from that particular person. In other words to "shun" them.

I was reading this Sunday morning and something occurred to me. Jesus would never advocate for us to hate anyone or to ignore anyone using the "silent treatment". 

So what did he mean?

I was thinking about this and then I realized that Jesus was KNOWN for hanging out with "pagans and tax collectors"!

Luke 15:1
Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him.
Matthew 9:10
Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

Interesting eh? Then I saw THIS ONE:

Matthew 9:11  When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?"

Seems to me that Jesus was not "shunning" them. It WAS a different kind of relationship, but it was not one of exclusion. It was not "I'm holy and you're dirty rotten sinners."

It has made me re-think how the church is taught about relationships where someone does something wrong.

I know some of you reading this will immediately start thinking about the situation in Corinth. (1Cor Chapter 5) 

 I thought of that to. 

 
How does this relate to that situation and what are YOUR thoughts on this?

Leave me a comment!