This is the devotion that inspired the last post: January 31. My Utmost for His Highest. Oswald Chambers.
http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php
Do You See Your Calling?
Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the gospel of God. The one all-important thing is that the gospel of God should be recognized as the abiding reality. Reality is not human goodness, or holiness, or heaven, or hell— it is redemption. The need to perceive this is the most vital need of the Christian worker today. As workers, we have to get used to the revelation that redemption is the only reality. Personal holiness is an effect of redemption, not the cause of it. If we place our faith in human goodness we will go under when testing comes.
Paul did not say that he separated himself, but "when it pleased God, who separated me . . ." (Galatians 1:15). Paul was not overly interested in his own character. And as long as our eyes are focused on our own personal holiness, we will never even get close to the full reality of redemption.
Christian workers fail because they place their desire for their own holiness above their desire to know God. "Don’t ask me to be confronted with the strong reality of redemption on behalf of the filth of human life surrounding me today; what I want is anything God can do for me to make me more desirable in my own eyes." To talk that way is a sign that the reality of the gospel of God has not begun to touch me.
There is no reckless abandon to God in that. God cannot deliver me while my interest is merely in my own character. Paul was not conscious of himself. He was recklessly abandoned, totally surrendered, and separated by God for one purpose— to proclaim the gospel of God (see Romans 9:3).
Sunday, January 31, 2010
We CAN'T get it mixed up
A devotion reminded me of a struggle of mine:
I allow God's holiness to be mixed up in my quest for moral perfection.
Of course, I am less than morally perfect, and I know this, but when it comes to certain things in life (for example, particular struggles), I endeavor to overcome those struggles so badly (without rather, an unabated focus on God's redemptive power over my life), that overcoming those struggles winds up becoming more of a goal and focus than God's word.
Ironically, I am humbled when I fall into temptation and stumble again.
I know I CAN'T overcome who I am without God...so I don't know why I try to.
This, however, is besides the point.
The Gospel teaches me already that I am a sinner: Romans 3:23: "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."
Thus, there is no "pride" that should be felt when I am overcoming a particular sin. I only know I can do this through God. Notice how when you spend more time with God at certain periods of your life, you are challenged and grow more deeply in your faith.
For me, spending less time with God is dangerous. I gradually become this second person, perhaps someone I don't want to be. Importantly, I forget God's saving grace for my life and start taking more things for granted.
I guess the conclusion is that we should not test ourselves or think that we can do it on our own. We need to continually spend time with God and prioritize Him in our lives, so that we continually remember what He has done for us.
...this, in affect, will help us overcome our particular struggles.
Our focus, however, should be more on Him than ourselves.
..if you find yourself slipping, you should try and make a commitment NOT to fall, and re-enter the world of God's word.
I allow God's holiness to be mixed up in my quest for moral perfection.
Of course, I am less than morally perfect, and I know this, but when it comes to certain things in life (for example, particular struggles), I endeavor to overcome those struggles so badly (without rather, an unabated focus on God's redemptive power over my life), that overcoming those struggles winds up becoming more of a goal and focus than God's word.
Ironically, I am humbled when I fall into temptation and stumble again.
I know I CAN'T overcome who I am without God...so I don't know why I try to.
This, however, is besides the point.
The Gospel teaches me already that I am a sinner: Romans 3:23: "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."
Thus, there is no "pride" that should be felt when I am overcoming a particular sin. I only know I can do this through God. Notice how when you spend more time with God at certain periods of your life, you are challenged and grow more deeply in your faith.
For me, spending less time with God is dangerous. I gradually become this second person, perhaps someone I don't want to be. Importantly, I forget God's saving grace for my life and start taking more things for granted.
I guess the conclusion is that we should not test ourselves or think that we can do it on our own. We need to continually spend time with God and prioritize Him in our lives, so that we continually remember what He has done for us.
...this, in affect, will help us overcome our particular struggles.
Our focus, however, should be more on Him than ourselves.
..if you find yourself slipping, you should try and make a commitment NOT to fall, and re-enter the world of God's word.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Are we entitled to emotion?
Are we entitled to emotion? The simple answer is yes BUT not all emotion. There are some emotions that God wills us to express. These emotions are said to be the result of surrendering to the Holy Spirit's guidance for our lives. Galatians 5:22 claims that "the Holy Spirit produces...love, joy, peace...and patience" for our lives.
There are other emotions, however, that God prohibits and can be attributed to our sinful nature. These are emotions that God does not wish for us to express...emotions that we do not have a right to express...emotions that we were not created to express. Galatians 5:19 sums up these emotions-- sexual immorality, impurity, lust, obsession, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition (pride), and envy. We are not entitled to these emotions simply because we are not God and our ways of feeling are never justified.
For example, selfish ambition is a failure to neglect the fact that it is God who provides for you. By trampling over and competing with others, you essentially do the same to God. Matthew 25:40 explains that what we do to others affects God and is a reflection of our attitudes towards God. In addition, one neglects the undeniable blessing of others in one's life and the importance of their life events to them. What one has to selfishly compete for is never usually worth it.
Anger is never justified. Jesus explicitly says that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us (Matthew 18:22). Additionally, Paul tells us to never take revenge, but allow the "righteous" anger of God to do that work for us (Romans 12:19). We learn here that we are not entitled to that emotion, only God's anger is pure because he is justice. By being angry, we forget all the times that others could have expressed that emotion towards us (but didn't), or did express those emotions towards us and how it brought fear and worry into our lives.
Pride essentially is deeming yourself God, as we deserve absolutely nothing and should instead be humble and grateful for our blessings, which exist as bonuses to what could be mundane. Amazingly, God (as a default setting) made life miraculous, and filled with blessings. To him goes all the glory.
Lastly, sexual feeling is to be expressed only within the sanctity of marriage. It is why God created marriage and it protects us as well.
There are many reasons why we should not feel the way we do a lot of the time. We should remember them to change the way we think.
So next time you feel a particular way, do question the emotion and remember what you were created for.
There are other emotions, however, that God prohibits and can be attributed to our sinful nature. These are emotions that God does not wish for us to express...emotions that we do not have a right to express...emotions that we were not created to express. Galatians 5:19 sums up these emotions-- sexual immorality, impurity, lust, obsession, jealousy, anger, selfish ambition (pride), and envy. We are not entitled to these emotions simply because we are not God and our ways of feeling are never justified.
For example, selfish ambition is a failure to neglect the fact that it is God who provides for you. By trampling over and competing with others, you essentially do the same to God. Matthew 25:40 explains that what we do to others affects God and is a reflection of our attitudes towards God. In addition, one neglects the undeniable blessing of others in one's life and the importance of their life events to them. What one has to selfishly compete for is never usually worth it.
Anger is never justified. Jesus explicitly says that we are to forgive others as God has forgiven us (Matthew 18:22). Additionally, Paul tells us to never take revenge, but allow the "righteous" anger of God to do that work for us (Romans 12:19). We learn here that we are not entitled to that emotion, only God's anger is pure because he is justice. By being angry, we forget all the times that others could have expressed that emotion towards us (but didn't), or did express those emotions towards us and how it brought fear and worry into our lives.
Pride essentially is deeming yourself God, as we deserve absolutely nothing and should instead be humble and grateful for our blessings, which exist as bonuses to what could be mundane. Amazingly, God (as a default setting) made life miraculous, and filled with blessings. To him goes all the glory.
Lastly, sexual feeling is to be expressed only within the sanctity of marriage. It is why God created marriage and it protects us as well.
There are many reasons why we should not feel the way we do a lot of the time. We should remember them to change the way we think.
So next time you feel a particular way, do question the emotion and remember what you were created for.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Forgive me, Father.
I had my quiet time for the first time in about three days and I would like to share with you what I wrote in my journal:
Lord God,
I have sinned against You. For the past two, maybe even three, days I have allowed other things, useless things, to take Your place in my sight. I worshipped my selfishness and I disobeyed You. I ignored You. Only now do I realize how disgusting my attitude and state of being is. Forgive me, Father, and have mercy on my soul. Give me a clean heart, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
[O God, hear my heart! You know it better than I do, and You know I yearn for You with all my being. Take every part of me, Lord, and make it new. Make me glisten with Your glory, Father, and may Your fingerprints be visible for all to see, that You and You alone may be glorified in me. Make my heart and mind right with Yours. May they be a reflection of You.]
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgement.
[I am humbled in Your presence, Lord; I am broken and fallen to pieces before You. You are great and just; You alone are God, and against the Might One, Creator of all, have I sinned. I am embarassed and ashamed to the point that I cannot bear to be in Your presence. Remove my guilt and shame so that I may live again! Apart from you I am nothing and have no life; I am a useless, withered branch, producing no fruit. (John 15)]
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.-- Psalm 51:1-12
[You know my flesh is weak, Lord, and You know I am helpless on my own. Do not look at my evil deeds; reach out and save me, that I may not drown in them! I need You, O Lord my God, to save me. Forgive me and I will follow You. This is the desire of my heart.]
(Read 2 Chronicles 6:12-42)
I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if [you, O daughter,] who are called by My name humble [yourself], and pray and seek My face and turn from your wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive [your] sin and heal [your] land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
[Realize that My eyes have always been on you, child, and you can go nowhere to hide from Me.]
But if you turn aside and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from My land that I have given you, and this house, [you], that I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to [her]?' Then they will say, 'Because [she] abandoned the LORD, the God of [her] fathers who brought [her] out of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore He has brought all this disaster on [her].'" -- 2 Chronicles 7:12-16, 19-20
[This is My word to you, Annita. I am the Lord Almighty. I rule and I reign. I am righteous, faithful and just, abounding in love and mercy. Just as you are not the one exception from My love you are not the one exception from the consequences of leaving the Lord your God. But do not fear, for I am with you if you, and you will find Me if you seek Me (Deuteronomy 4:29), and from My hand no one can pluck you (John 10:27-30). You are the temple that I have consecrated (2 Corinthians 6:16).]
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, do I lift of my soul.
For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You answer me.
There is no one like You among the gods, O LORD, nor are there any works like Yours. All the nations You have made shall come and worship You, O LORD, and shall glorify Your name.
[You are so different than any god in this world; so different that You cannot even compare. They are nothing beside You. They are so meaningless that there is not a word on this planet abhorent enough to belittle them. You alone are God.]
For You are great and do wonderous things; You alone are God!
Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth;
[I beg You from the deepest part of my heart, Lord, to teach me so that I can honor and glorify You.]
Unite my heart to fear Your name. I give thanks to You, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your steadfast love toward me,
[an unworthy servant].
You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol -- Psalm 86:3-13.
And I pray this in Jesus' mighty name, AMEN.
Lord God,
I have sinned against You. For the past two, maybe even three, days I have allowed other things, useless things, to take Your place in my sight. I worshipped my selfishness and I disobeyed You. I ignored You. Only now do I realize how disgusting my attitude and state of being is. Forgive me, Father, and have mercy on my soul. Give me a clean heart, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your steadfast love; according to Your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
[O God, hear my heart! You know it better than I do, and You know I yearn for You with all my being. Take every part of me, Lord, and make it new. Make me glisten with Your glory, Father, and may Your fingerprints be visible for all to see, that You and You alone may be glorified in me. Make my heart and mind right with Yours. May they be a reflection of You.]
For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be justified in Your words and blameless in Your judgement.
[I am humbled in Your presence, Lord; I am broken and fallen to pieces before You. You are great and just; You alone are God, and against the Might One, Creator of all, have I sinned. I am embarassed and ashamed to the point that I cannot bear to be in Your presence. Remove my guilt and shame so that I may live again! Apart from you I am nothing and have no life; I am a useless, withered branch, producing no fruit. (John 15)]
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, You delight in truth in the inward being, and You teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.-- Psalm 51:1-12
[You know my flesh is weak, Lord, and You know I am helpless on my own. Do not look at my evil deeds; reach out and save me, that I may not drown in them! I need You, O Lord my God, to save me. Forgive me and I will follow You. This is the desire of my heart.]
(Read 2 Chronicles 6:12-42)
I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if [you, O daughter,] who are called by My name humble [yourself], and pray and seek My face and turn from your wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive [your] sin and heal [your] land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and consecrated this house that My name may be there forever. My eyes and My heart will be there for all time.
[Realize that My eyes have always been on you, child, and you can go nowhere to hide from Me.]
But if you turn aside and forsake My statutes and My commandments that I have set before you, and go serve other gods and worship them, then I will pluck you up from My land that I have given you, and this house, [you], that I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight, and I will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples. And at this house, which was exalted, everyone passing by will be astonished and say, 'Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to [her]?' Then they will say, 'Because [she] abandoned the LORD, the God of [her] fathers who brought [her] out of Egypt and laid hold on other gods and worshiped them and served them. Therefore He has brought all this disaster on [her].'" -- 2 Chronicles 7:12-16, 19-20
[This is My word to you, Annita. I am the Lord Almighty. I rule and I reign. I am righteous, faithful and just, abounding in love and mercy. Just as you are not the one exception from My love you are not the one exception from the consequences of leaving the Lord your God. But do not fear, for I am with you if you, and you will find Me if you seek Me (Deuteronomy 4:29), and from My hand no one can pluck you (John 10:27-30). You are the temple that I have consecrated (2 Corinthians 6:16).]
Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to You do I cry all the day. Gladden the soul of Your servant, for to You, O Lord, do I lift of my soul.
For You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon You. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon You, for You answer me.
There is no one like You among the gods, O LORD, nor are there any works like Yours. All the nations You have made shall come and worship You, O LORD, and shall glorify Your name.
[You are so different than any god in this world; so different that You cannot even compare. They are nothing beside You. They are so meaningless that there is not a word on this planet abhorent enough to belittle them. You alone are God.]
For You are great and do wonderous things; You alone are God!
Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth;
[I beg You from the deepest part of my heart, Lord, to teach me so that I can honor and glorify You.]
Unite my heart to fear Your name. I give thanks to You, O LORD my God, with my whole heart, and will glorify Your name forever. For great is Your steadfast love toward me,
[an unworthy servant].
You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol -- Psalm 86:3-13.
And I pray this in Jesus' mighty name, AMEN.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Le Future
What lies beyond is sometimes as scary as what lies beneath. The future is always a grey, opaque blur that is inscrutable at best, terrifying at worst. Which college should I apply to? Should I go to graduate school now that I’m done? Career paths lie ahead of us in a tangled labyrinth of confusion...which one’s best? The “One” everyone talks about sounds mythical, and exciting. But how would we know when they come around? What if we marry the wrong person in the end? There are so many questions and so little time it seems to answer them before the future pounces on us with its many surprises, good and bad.
While the future is certainly uncertain, we do have certainty in our lives - God’s plan. We know, factually and faithfully, that God has an intricate, infinite plan that is slowly unfolding through time. The famous Romans 8:28 should set our souls at ease. Instead of worrying ineffectively, we should instead be crafting our present in God’s word in order to secure a future that will bring glory and honour to Him. Walking with God every step of the way gives us clarity and direction, confidence and conviction. The hazy mess of future before us will eventually dispel. God’s grace and hand in our lives will gradually and gently illuminate the confusion that paralyzes us, just like sunshine after the rain.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
When a creation of yours goes wrong, don’t you simply destroy it and start over? Or do you allow it to exist for its own dignity? Do you sink yourself to the level of your creation to salvage it? We usually discard the things that are damaged, throw away the broken, wipe away the wrecked. Only an indescribable love for that creation would keep one from rendering it rubbish. Indescribable love puts that creation among beautiful things, so that it glows and radiates as a result. Indescribable love creates a purpose for that creation where there was none. And naturally, that creation would reach the end of its years…grow tired and old, produce its own demise through its error, but indescribable love is always correcting and rectifying. Indescribable love saves its creation from death. Indescribable love gives everlasting life.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Wednesday September 2nd Action Plan!
Write a list of how your specific sins function to hurt yourself, God, and others, and ultimately serve to disrupt the unity we have between God and His creation (this includes ourselves). Take one specific sin (ex. anger) and do a short writing exercise detailing how the world would prove to be better if this sin did not exist. If you are brave, do a write-up that details what the world is like because of this sin. Compare and contrast.
SIN: JEALOUSY
The effects of this sin:
1)Forsake God and fail to realize His grace
2)Fail to realize that you do not possess anything
3)Makes you feel bitter inside
4)Harbour animosity
5)Forget about how much you may love the person you are jealous of (if you are jealous of a family member or friend)
6)Forget that the person you are jealous of is a special creation of God's that He loves and blesses just like you
7)Forget your own blessings
8)Break unity and oneness with God and His creation
9)Become separated from God
10)Has led to all kinds of evil (murder, etc)
11)Act and think in darkness
12)Spiritual blindness (failing to see God and recognize Him in your life)
13)Cannot exercise the fruits of the Spirit(love, patience, gentleness, Galatians 5:22-23)
14)Hurt yourself
15)Fail to encourage others and build them up
16)Fail to realize God's mercy
17)Fail to praise God and rejoice in Him
18)Fail to show love and happiness
19)Show control, selfish ambition, and individualism
20)Not concentrated on God's purpose of winning souls for His kingdom, healing and changing lives
21)Walk based on emotions and self-will rather than God's will
22)Cannot experience God in His fullness
23)Live in lies that are hard to overcome
24)Pride and selfishness
A WORLD WITHOUT JEALOUSY
1)God's will is enacted
2)Lack of pride, experience true humility
3)Show sincere love and happiness
4)Able to encourage and uplift others
5)Experience oneness, unity, and harmony with God and His believers
6)Walk in the fruits of the Spirit
7)Run the race marked out for us
8)Living in light and truth of God
9)Acknowledge and thankful for your own blessings
10)Understand that God has a reason for where you are in life and then can truly be a blessing there
11)Contentment
12)Realize the interconnectivity of life
13)Show that we have died to sin
14)Create a space of Heaven on Earth
15)Show that God's spirit is within us
16)Are a good example and witness to others
17)Show that you truly know and understand God
18)Show that you are God's child and that you belong to Him
19)Reduced amount of snowballing sins (ex. jealously leads to anger, hatred)
20)Deny the self and live for others
21)Actively fighting against evil
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: When we experience jealousy and let it rule our hearts without confronting it, it shows that we do not really know God and that we are blind. We do not praise God for the grace through blessings he has given us and disrupt unity between us, Him, and His creation. We fail to realize that life is interconnected and that we are fighting for one purpose: to win souls to God. We fail to realize that we have done absolutely nothing to deserve what we have and that everything is a gift. We fail to truly love others...and this is a big part of our faith. We must make a commitment to counteract such sins in ourselves and remember what our world is like because of sin and what it would be like without it. =)
-I
SIN: JEALOUSY
The effects of this sin:
1)Forsake God and fail to realize His grace
2)Fail to realize that you do not possess anything
3)Makes you feel bitter inside
4)Harbour animosity
5)Forget about how much you may love the person you are jealous of (if you are jealous of a family member or friend)
6)Forget that the person you are jealous of is a special creation of God's that He loves and blesses just like you
7)Forget your own blessings
8)Break unity and oneness with God and His creation
9)Become separated from God
10)Has led to all kinds of evil (murder, etc)
11)Act and think in darkness
12)Spiritual blindness (failing to see God and recognize Him in your life)
13)Cannot exercise the fruits of the Spirit(love, patience, gentleness, Galatians 5:22-23)
14)Hurt yourself
15)Fail to encourage others and build them up
16)Fail to realize God's mercy
17)Fail to praise God and rejoice in Him
18)Fail to show love and happiness
19)Show control, selfish ambition, and individualism
20)Not concentrated on God's purpose of winning souls for His kingdom, healing and changing lives
21)Walk based on emotions and self-will rather than God's will
22)Cannot experience God in His fullness
23)Live in lies that are hard to overcome
24)Pride and selfishness
A WORLD WITHOUT JEALOUSY
1)God's will is enacted
2)Lack of pride, experience true humility
3)Show sincere love and happiness
4)Able to encourage and uplift others
5)Experience oneness, unity, and harmony with God and His believers
6)Walk in the fruits of the Spirit
7)Run the race marked out for us
8)Living in light and truth of God
9)Acknowledge and thankful for your own blessings
10)Understand that God has a reason for where you are in life and then can truly be a blessing there
11)Contentment
12)Realize the interconnectivity of life
13)Show that we have died to sin
14)Create a space of Heaven on Earth
15)Show that God's spirit is within us
16)Are a good example and witness to others
17)Show that you truly know and understand God
18)Show that you are God's child and that you belong to Him
19)Reduced amount of snowballing sins (ex. jealously leads to anger, hatred)
20)Deny the self and live for others
21)Actively fighting against evil
COMPARE AND CONTRAST: When we experience jealousy and let it rule our hearts without confronting it, it shows that we do not really know God and that we are blind. We do not praise God for the grace through blessings he has given us and disrupt unity between us, Him, and His creation. We fail to realize that life is interconnected and that we are fighting for one purpose: to win souls to God. We fail to realize that we have done absolutely nothing to deserve what we have and that everything is a gift. We fail to truly love others...and this is a big part of our faith. We must make a commitment to counteract such sins in ourselves and remember what our world is like because of sin and what it would be like without it. =)
-I
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