The Lord's Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.
The title of this passage is most commonly referred to as the the Lord's Prayer. This is kind of a misnomer because it is not a prayer that Jesus would pray or have to pray since he does not need to be forgiven of sins. Instead this is prayer outline given to us by Jesus. Albeit this is not a prayer he probably prayed, it is probably similar to what he prayed. So I wanted to break it down a little. Firstly, Jesus acknowledges God as father. He begins with praise. To say hallowed be your name means that there is no one else like our God. He continues to praise the Father by saying that whatever God wills it will be done on earth. Jesus takes up a big chunk of the prayer by acknowledging first who God is. Then Jesus tells us to ask for forgiveness, but also just as important is our forgiveness of others. Then Jesus basically ends with, "let us stay out of trouble for His glory." We too need to pray like this!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
march 30 : james 1
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."
I think asking for wisdom has been such an important part of my prayers ever since I was young. My mom always told me to pray for wisdom every night. She always said that wisdom is one of the most important things to have in this world because of what it can do for you. If you ask for wisdom from God and he gives it to you, you got the best kind there is. The way we run our lives to how we help others when governed by faithful wisdom can be the difference between a good and fruitful life and an unfruitful sad life. But the hard thing about praying for wisdom is that you have to pray with faith. Praying with faith is hard. I find it difficult to pray with such complete faith. But as this passage says, if we pray with faith God will give it to you. Lets pray for wisdom guys. Wisdom will help your life in so many ways as well as the church.
I think asking for wisdom has been such an important part of my prayers ever since I was young. My mom always told me to pray for wisdom every night. She always said that wisdom is one of the most important things to have in this world because of what it can do for you. If you ask for wisdom from God and he gives it to you, you got the best kind there is. The way we run our lives to how we help others when governed by faithful wisdom can be the difference between a good and fruitful life and an unfruitful sad life. But the hard thing about praying for wisdom is that you have to pray with faith. Praying with faith is hard. I find it difficult to pray with such complete faith. But as this passage says, if we pray with faith God will give it to you. Lets pray for wisdom guys. Wisdom will help your life in so many ways as well as the church.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
march 26 : 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
So this is how we should give. God loves a cheerful giver. In the beatitudes Jesus explains the principles behind giving. He reminds us that as followers we should be able to give freely with love. We should be able to give without recognition or anything in return. When the rich ruler comes to Jesus to ask what more he can do to inherit the kingdom of heaven Jesus replies to give everything he has to the poor. I kind of thought that we as Christians should give to whoever and whenever...with love. I thought it was kind of impossible to do that you know? Its hard to give up what you want to buy for the sake of someone else. This verse here tells us that we are to give what we want to give. Now, a ordinary heart in this world would translate that as not having to give at all. After all we don't really want to give something of value to us right? Wrong. For Christians it should come out of his heart to give because he loves God. So with that in mind each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give. God loves a cheerful giver. =]
So this is how we should give. God loves a cheerful giver. In the beatitudes Jesus explains the principles behind giving. He reminds us that as followers we should be able to give freely with love. We should be able to give without recognition or anything in return. When the rich ruler comes to Jesus to ask what more he can do to inherit the kingdom of heaven Jesus replies to give everything he has to the poor. I kind of thought that we as Christians should give to whoever and whenever...with love. I thought it was kind of impossible to do that you know? Its hard to give up what you want to buy for the sake of someone else. This verse here tells us that we are to give what we want to give. Now, a ordinary heart in this world would translate that as not having to give at all. After all we don't really want to give something of value to us right? Wrong. For Christians it should come out of his heart to give because he loves God. So with that in mind each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give. God loves a cheerful giver. =]
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
march 24 : Hebrews 6
"During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."
What we know from Scripture is that Jesus' prayers were heard by God. When he prayed in the mount of Gethsemane he did not pray to an inanimate object nor to a God without ears. Sometimes we question whether or not our prayers are heard. Does God really know the desires of my heart? If he does then why does he not answer them? It seems like God handpicks only those prayers which are worthy. We cannot say for sure why God chooses some to answer and some to dismiss for another time. But from this verse we can know a little bit more of how or why God listens. We look at this verse word by word. At the end we see that Jesus was in 'submission' to God. We all know what that looks like - the obedience of a slave to his master. But the kind of submission required is a 'reverent' one. One that comes naturally because of the Glory of God. We also find that Jesus offered up prayers and petitions. We all do that at times right? But lets see how Jesus offered these up. It says that Jesus cried out loud with tears. When was the last time you or I prayed like this? This shows what? Sincerity in anguish and abandon. We have to pray with such fervency, although not always, when we are in desperate need. Lets learn to pray as Jesus did.
What we know from Scripture is that Jesus' prayers were heard by God. When he prayed in the mount of Gethsemane he did not pray to an inanimate object nor to a God without ears. Sometimes we question whether or not our prayers are heard. Does God really know the desires of my heart? If he does then why does he not answer them? It seems like God handpicks only those prayers which are worthy. We cannot say for sure why God chooses some to answer and some to dismiss for another time. But from this verse we can know a little bit more of how or why God listens. We look at this verse word by word. At the end we see that Jesus was in 'submission' to God. We all know what that looks like - the obedience of a slave to his master. But the kind of submission required is a 'reverent' one. One that comes naturally because of the Glory of God. We also find that Jesus offered up prayers and petitions. We all do that at times right? But lets see how Jesus offered these up. It says that Jesus cried out loud with tears. When was the last time you or I prayed like this? This shows what? Sincerity in anguish and abandon. We have to pray with such fervency, although not always, when we are in desperate need. Lets learn to pray as Jesus did.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
march 22 : Philippians 3
"If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless."
Have you ever felt like this? To look at your resume and think, "wow, I am the bomb." Even within the church we each have a resume we hold on to. Even if not intentionally we are, as leaders, adding more to our resume as we serve in church. For me, I have been a youth group leader my freshman and sophomore years, I was the missions leader at Cornerstone for 2 years, I lead a small group 2 years, I was praise leader a year, and my dad is a pastor (as if I had anything to do with that). I sometimes hold on to the things I have achieved. Academically I hold on to a few a things as well - things not worth mentioning. Very well; what does all this mean for me? Nothing. As Paul writes after he lists his accomplishments that are far far greater than mine, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Everything we do we do for Christ's name sake. Never should we boast of our accomplishments. Everything we have is nothing compared to what Christ has saved us from. The greatest gift he's given us was death on a cross for the redemption of our damned souls. The love that Christ had and has to offer greatly exceeds all that we can imagine. It is more than what you think it is, it is much more than what your pastor says it is. Are you and I willing to trade everything to gain Christ? Paul sure was willing, had no regrets, and had everything to lose save his faith.
Have you ever felt like this? To look at your resume and think, "wow, I am the bomb." Even within the church we each have a resume we hold on to. Even if not intentionally we are, as leaders, adding more to our resume as we serve in church. For me, I have been a youth group leader my freshman and sophomore years, I was the missions leader at Cornerstone for 2 years, I lead a small group 2 years, I was praise leader a year, and my dad is a pastor (as if I had anything to do with that). I sometimes hold on to the things I have achieved. Academically I hold on to a few a things as well - things not worth mentioning. Very well; what does all this mean for me? Nothing. As Paul writes after he lists his accomplishments that are far far greater than mine, "But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith."
Everything we do we do for Christ's name sake. Never should we boast of our accomplishments. Everything we have is nothing compared to what Christ has saved us from. The greatest gift he's given us was death on a cross for the redemption of our damned souls. The love that Christ had and has to offer greatly exceeds all that we can imagine. It is more than what you think it is, it is much more than what your pastor says it is. Are you and I willing to trade everything to gain Christ? Paul sure was willing, had no regrets, and had everything to lose save his faith.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
march 21 : Philippians 2
"Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life—in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing."
This is why we do the things we do - in order that we may boast on the day of Christ's return that we did not do the things we did for no reason. I guess boasting here is a good thing. I boast of many things, a lot of times its a silent boast in an attempt to be humble. Humility can be such a hard thing to measure. Some people you can just tell they are so boastful or proud. A lot of NBA stars are kind of like that. While there are people like that there are also other people who display humility most of the time. But who can really tell the state of their heart right? But we need a heart like that of Paul's - pure humility. I thinks its so hard to do things without complaining. Arguing is a little easier for me to overcome because I am not that type of person, but complaining is something I am good at. If I were to overcome this I could be closer to shining like that of the stars - to be one of few to hold out the word of life.
This is why we do the things we do - in order that we may boast on the day of Christ's return that we did not do the things we did for no reason. I guess boasting here is a good thing. I boast of many things, a lot of times its a silent boast in an attempt to be humble. Humility can be such a hard thing to measure. Some people you can just tell they are so boastful or proud. A lot of NBA stars are kind of like that. While there are people like that there are also other people who display humility most of the time. But who can really tell the state of their heart right? But we need a heart like that of Paul's - pure humility. I thinks its so hard to do things without complaining. Arguing is a little easier for me to overcome because I am not that type of person, but complaining is something I am good at. If I were to overcome this I could be closer to shining like that of the stars - to be one of few to hold out the word of life.
Friday, March 20, 2009
march 20 : galatians 6
"Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God"
From these two verses I again see the issue of legalism being addressed. I did not see this before this year. I didn't know this was such a huge topic in the New Testament. I wish I could have read these things earlier. I can tell from what I have been reading that the Spirit has been leading me to these passages dealing with legalism. Legalism has become such a huge part in my life, it has basically shaped most of my personality and character. I guess there is one question right now that I need to challenge:
Am I a new creation?
I believe this will determine whether you inherit the kingdom of God or not. Someone can appear to be a new creation, but, when searched through and through that person could have been deceiving you - and also himself. I can see myself fooling myself. When legalism becomes a way of life it slowly becomes the only life you know. Circumcision or not; Going to church on sunday or not; Doing your QT's or not; Not Drinking or...not; Not partying or not, what does it matter if the heart is not a new creation? Lets hope that we are or that we are trying to get there. =]
From these two verses I again see the issue of legalism being addressed. I did not see this before this year. I didn't know this was such a huge topic in the New Testament. I wish I could have read these things earlier. I can tell from what I have been reading that the Spirit has been leading me to these passages dealing with legalism. Legalism has become such a huge part in my life, it has basically shaped most of my personality and character. I guess there is one question right now that I need to challenge:
Am I a new creation?
I believe this will determine whether you inherit the kingdom of God or not. Someone can appear to be a new creation, but, when searched through and through that person could have been deceiving you - and also himself. I can see myself fooling myself. When legalism becomes a way of life it slowly becomes the only life you know. Circumcision or not; Going to church on sunday or not; Doing your QT's or not; Not Drinking or...not; Not partying or not, what does it matter if the heart is not a new creation? Lets hope that we are or that we are trying to get there. =]
Thursday, March 19, 2009
march 19 : galatians 4
Hello everybody. I have been moving around from here to there in the last few days. Hectic. Its nice to finally get some time to do a quiet time. I read from Galatians 4. This chapter was interesting. Paul takes a detour from his usual direct message to that of 'freedom'. We are all free, that is his message to us. Being free means to be free from bondage, the opposite of slavery. He gives us an illustration about freedom using Hagar and Sarah. Isaac was born of a free woman, Sarah, Ishmael was not. If we were born from a free woman, then we are also free. This is an amazing promise to us. We are heirs to a kingdom because we are children of the living God, the king of the universe. But why then are we still held captive to sin, especially us Christians? I think its about attitude, about true faith. We need to recognize our freedom in Christ. And in that we know that we can overcome sin as well, because our God has. I need to learn this as well. I often succumb to the temptations sin sets before me. But if I know that I belong to the living God I too can overcome sin. It won't be easy, but it can be done. I hope that we can fight this battle.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
march 17 : galatians 2
"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"
My dad and I were talking today during lunch about people who give us trouble. I have my set of people that make my life a little more difficult. My dad also has his fair share of trouble makers. Being rash I showed my dad the anger I had for them. But my dad said to me that what I was thinking about them was wrong. He said, "we have to realize that we all need the same amount of grace as the people we dislike." He said this is what makes us equal with everyone, even though we don't feel like it. This is what Paul was saying here. In this chapter Paul rebukes Peter. Peter, having been one of the Jesus' favorite disciples and greatest advocate for the Christian faith, needed to be told what he was doing was wrong. I think it would be a considerable achievement if I were to fully and completely realize this. We all are saved by grace. We may appear good to other people, or even to ourselves, because we do what is recognized as faith. But we can never think that the law is what saved us. That what we do is what faith is. Faith is accepting the blood of Christ as the essential piece to the puzzle of sin. We need to understand this in ourselves before we try to help anyone else out.
My dad and I were talking today during lunch about people who give us trouble. I have my set of people that make my life a little more difficult. My dad also has his fair share of trouble makers. Being rash I showed my dad the anger I had for them. But my dad said to me that what I was thinking about them was wrong. He said, "we have to realize that we all need the same amount of grace as the people we dislike." He said this is what makes us equal with everyone, even though we don't feel like it. This is what Paul was saying here. In this chapter Paul rebukes Peter. Peter, having been one of the Jesus' favorite disciples and greatest advocate for the Christian faith, needed to be told what he was doing was wrong. I think it would be a considerable achievement if I were to fully and completely realize this. We all are saved by grace. We may appear good to other people, or even to ourselves, because we do what is recognized as faith. But we can never think that the law is what saved us. That what we do is what faith is. Faith is accepting the blood of Christ as the essential piece to the puzzle of sin. We need to understand this in ourselves before we try to help anyone else out.
Monday, March 16, 2009
march 16 : philipians 1
To live is Christ and to die is gain. Those are such powerful words spoken by Apostle Paul. I think its so honorable that Paul would say this while he is in prison, for his faith. He was debating between living and not living. He mentions only one reason for his presence on earth: to preach the Gospel. How crazy is that? He is willing to trade his life for the sole purpose of saving other lives that he does not yet know. The kind of devotion he has... Another thing I learned from this passage is that Paul accepted anything that was beneficial to the church. He said a couple times that people were trying to undermine his work. That the reason why people were preaching the Gospel was to spite him. Yet Paul said that he would rejoice in knowing this because ultimately the Gospel is being preached. Cool. You know. In our fellowship we need to understand that we will have differences with people in our leadership team. There may be problems with relationships or what have you. But we need to be in harmony with each other because we know we serve one God together. That together we are all trying to accomplish the same goal. Paul says to the church in Philipians, "whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ." He knew that we would have problems in the church. But he shares with us his wisdom. Lets learn to heed it - especially me.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
march 12 : Galatians 5
"The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Do you struggle with any of these? Some of them you may be like, "what the heck, I would never do that!" Others, however, will respond with silence. A few of these I look at and wonder, "will i ever inherit the kingdom of God?" Will you? I think it would be safe to say that everybody at one point in their lives have struggled with one of these things. But I wonder, do they ever, eternally go away? Is it going to always be this tough? The end shows us how we can overcome these things. The 9 fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Paul sums up the whole Bible with this: love. I guess all of the fruits of the Spirit point in one direction. We will be able to overcome our sinful desires and tendencies, not by our own strength, but by the power of God. The fruits of the Spirit are not somethings we can develop our selves, otherwise they would have entitled: The fruits of You. Its not though. Even though it involved you, its really involves the Holy Spirit. If we are struggling in this area it would be best to fight our weaknesses with the one who beat it all. God bless
Do you struggle with any of these? Some of them you may be like, "what the heck, I would never do that!" Others, however, will respond with silence. A few of these I look at and wonder, "will i ever inherit the kingdom of God?" Will you? I think it would be safe to say that everybody at one point in their lives have struggled with one of these things. But I wonder, do they ever, eternally go away? Is it going to always be this tough? The end shows us how we can overcome these things. The 9 fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Paul sums up the whole Bible with this: love. I guess all of the fruits of the Spirit point in one direction. We will be able to overcome our sinful desires and tendencies, not by our own strength, but by the power of God. The fruits of the Spirit are not somethings we can develop our selves, otherwise they would have entitled: The fruits of You. Its not though. Even though it involved you, its really involves the Holy Spirit. If we are struggling in this area it would be best to fight our weaknesses with the one who beat it all. God bless
March 11 : Galatians 3
"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort? Have you suffered so much for nothing—if it really was for nothing? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law, or because you believe what you heard"
Have you ever thought about this? This was Paul speaking - rebuking - the Galatian church. I feel that he speaks to me at this very moment. Its amazing that they call the Bible the Living Word. Its as if God planned this all from the very beginning. He knew where we would stumble. Even these QT's written in blogs, or even QT's undocumented, why do we do them? I think a lot of the times I do them out of obligation. I think that if I do this God will give me an A, or he'll fix something else in my life. Legalism seems to find its way into the core of our faith. Out of love is why we should do the things we do. The other day I found myself being rude to somebody, but I then realized I was acting that way because there were no direct consequences. Its like cheating on a homework, quiz, or test. We think that if nobody knows...nobody knows. But out of love we should stop ourselves, out of love we serve our God.
Have you ever thought about this? This was Paul speaking - rebuking - the Galatian church. I feel that he speaks to me at this very moment. Its amazing that they call the Bible the Living Word. Its as if God planned this all from the very beginning. He knew where we would stumble. Even these QT's written in blogs, or even QT's undocumented, why do we do them? I think a lot of the times I do them out of obligation. I think that if I do this God will give me an A, or he'll fix something else in my life. Legalism seems to find its way into the core of our faith. Out of love is why we should do the things we do. The other day I found myself being rude to somebody, but I then realized I was acting that way because there were no direct consequences. Its like cheating on a homework, quiz, or test. We think that if nobody knows...nobody knows. But out of love we should stop ourselves, out of love we serve our God.
Monday, March 9, 2009
march 9 : ephesians 3
"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
Wouldn't it be great to see the love of Christ? To see it in its entirety. How wide is wide? How long is long? How high is high? And how deep is deep? More than just that, it would be greater to be able to 'grasp' it. Paul prayed this for the church in Ephesus. I wonder if the people of that church actually got what Paul prayed for. Everyday living kind of dilutes God's love doesn't it? It does for me. I have 2 exams coming up, one of them is really important for me, the other not so much. Nevertheless I am constantly studying or constantly worrying about it. When I am not eating I am reading. When I am not walking from class I am reading. Its tough you know. Its easy to get distracted from the more important things of life. The reason why I stress, the reason why I do not give my all to the one who gave his all is because I am yet fully able to grasp His love. I will pray this prayer for myself and hope that Cornerstone too will be able to grasp this love. God bless =]
Wouldn't it be great to see the love of Christ? To see it in its entirety. How wide is wide? How long is long? How high is high? And how deep is deep? More than just that, it would be greater to be able to 'grasp' it. Paul prayed this for the church in Ephesus. I wonder if the people of that church actually got what Paul prayed for. Everyday living kind of dilutes God's love doesn't it? It does for me. I have 2 exams coming up, one of them is really important for me, the other not so much. Nevertheless I am constantly studying or constantly worrying about it. When I am not eating I am reading. When I am not walking from class I am reading. Its tough you know. Its easy to get distracted from the more important things of life. The reason why I stress, the reason why I do not give my all to the one who gave his all is because I am yet fully able to grasp His love. I will pray this prayer for myself and hope that Cornerstone too will be able to grasp this love. God bless =]
Sunday, March 8, 2009
march 8 : matthew 28
The Great Commission.
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus has risen, and he is with us now. Without this chapter the teaching of Jesus would be no different than the teachings of prophets of both the Bible and other religions. Without the resurrection of Jesus Jesus would have been just another man, who lived and inevitably died. But Jesus overcame death. He lived again after his death here on Earth. How amazing is that. That is the power of our God. Now what interested me about this chapter is what Jesus tells his followers to do. If you look in the other Gospels its very similar to what was written here. "Go and make disciples of all nations," what Jesus' last command. He said to "Go." How important of a task would this have been to Jesus that this was his last command? Now as a follower of Christ I need to learn this. I dislike the fact that I have to call small group members, pester them to come to church, or make them feel guilty. I dont like that. I always looked at Jesus' ministry and noticed that he never begged people to listen, he never pleaded with people to come and listen to him. I am not saying I am comparable to Jesus, but this was my approach too. I am now thinking I have been doing it wrong. I need to "Go" as Jesus commanded and reach out to people around me, that would be obeying God's commands. I think as leaders of the church it should be our duty to do this - to ask for them to come and listen. =] God bless you guys.
"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus has risen, and he is with us now. Without this chapter the teaching of Jesus would be no different than the teachings of prophets of both the Bible and other religions. Without the resurrection of Jesus Jesus would have been just another man, who lived and inevitably died. But Jesus overcame death. He lived again after his death here on Earth. How amazing is that. That is the power of our God. Now what interested me about this chapter is what Jesus tells his followers to do. If you look in the other Gospels its very similar to what was written here. "Go and make disciples of all nations," what Jesus' last command. He said to "Go." How important of a task would this have been to Jesus that this was his last command? Now as a follower of Christ I need to learn this. I dislike the fact that I have to call small group members, pester them to come to church, or make them feel guilty. I dont like that. I always looked at Jesus' ministry and noticed that he never begged people to listen, he never pleaded with people to come and listen to him. I am not saying I am comparable to Jesus, but this was my approach too. I am now thinking I have been doing it wrong. I need to "Go" as Jesus commanded and reach out to people around me, that would be obeying God's commands. I think as leaders of the church it should be our duty to do this - to ask for them to come and listen. =] God bless you guys.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
march 7 : Matthew 27
The crucifixion and death of Jesus.
Its ironic that I read this passage today. I just got back from Joe Lee's play titled, "The last days of Judas Iscariot." The play is set in a court room with Judas on trial. Should he be given a chance to go to heaven? Or or his punishment for the unforgiveable sin hell? We can't say for sure where Judas is right now. We do know however that Judas probably is at the latter according to the Scriptures. Its scary. Whats going on through my mind right now is that people are always trying to figure out who God really is. There are plays written on the Bible interpreted by the author - a human. There are many questions we have remaining. The Gospels leave a lot out that we can only imagine. There are a lot of haters who dislike what is written in the Gospels. But I am now more relient on the Spirit to give me answers. I think a lot of people these days look at movies or books written about Jesus' life to give them the answers to their questions. However, the best interpretation comes from the Spirit. Instead of looking at the entertainment industry to give us answers, although entertaining, we should look to the one who can answer our questions. I know this is irrelevant to what I have read today, but for some odd reason this is what I started thinking about while reading this passage. I hope that we can find an interpretation sent from God and not from mere people.
Its ironic that I read this passage today. I just got back from Joe Lee's play titled, "The last days of Judas Iscariot." The play is set in a court room with Judas on trial. Should he be given a chance to go to heaven? Or or his punishment for the unforgiveable sin hell? We can't say for sure where Judas is right now. We do know however that Judas probably is at the latter according to the Scriptures. Its scary. Whats going on through my mind right now is that people are always trying to figure out who God really is. There are plays written on the Bible interpreted by the author - a human. There are many questions we have remaining. The Gospels leave a lot out that we can only imagine. There are a lot of haters who dislike what is written in the Gospels. But I am now more relient on the Spirit to give me answers. I think a lot of people these days look at movies or books written about Jesus' life to give them the answers to their questions. However, the best interpretation comes from the Spirit. Instead of looking at the entertainment industry to give us answers, although entertaining, we should look to the one who can answer our questions. I know this is irrelevant to what I have read today, but for some odd reason this is what I started thinking about while reading this passage. I hope that we can find an interpretation sent from God and not from mere people.
Friday, March 6, 2009
march 6 : matthew 26
"The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
I can relate to this a lot. I think this passage is one of the more memorable ones to me. Not necessarily that it is full of power or whatnot, but that I am a man in love with sleep. I don't know if I am in love with sleep or am a servant of sleep. When I get tired nothing can stop me from thinking of the next time I get to lie down. I want to sleep. Even now. Its so hard when you have to stay awake for even 10 minutes when you're really really tired right? During class especially. Sometimes I think that its almost impossible to stay awake at times. But what do we see here. Jesus asks his disciples to stay awake at Gethsemane while he goes off to pray. He wanted his disciples to pray also. But of course it being late, and possibly the disciples feeling the effects from an early morning, they get tired. They cannot stay awake, and naturally fall asleep. Jesus comes back upset at them for not being able to pray for even an hour. Then it happens a couple more times. Jesus then says, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." How true is that? Whens the last time your tiredness got the best of you when you needed to do your quiet time? Prayer? Scripture reading? Studying? But not eating or playing. Jesus wants us to fight these things that seem so natural. Discipline is difficult to grasp, but when you do I believe Jesus will be proud of you. =]
I can relate to this a lot. I think this passage is one of the more memorable ones to me. Not necessarily that it is full of power or whatnot, but that I am a man in love with sleep. I don't know if I am in love with sleep or am a servant of sleep. When I get tired nothing can stop me from thinking of the next time I get to lie down. I want to sleep. Even now. Its so hard when you have to stay awake for even 10 minutes when you're really really tired right? During class especially. Sometimes I think that its almost impossible to stay awake at times. But what do we see here. Jesus asks his disciples to stay awake at Gethsemane while he goes off to pray. He wanted his disciples to pray also. But of course it being late, and possibly the disciples feeling the effects from an early morning, they get tired. They cannot stay awake, and naturally fall asleep. Jesus comes back upset at them for not being able to pray for even an hour. Then it happens a couple more times. Jesus then says, "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." How true is that? Whens the last time your tiredness got the best of you when you needed to do your quiet time? Prayer? Scripture reading? Studying? But not eating or playing. Jesus wants us to fight these things that seem so natural. Discipline is difficult to grasp, but when you do I believe Jesus will be proud of you. =]
Thursday, March 5, 2009
march 5 : matthew 25
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Will you be ready? I always thought this was a weird parable. I didn't quite understand the analogy as well as Jesus probably wanted me to. Why are they virgins? Why are there 5 smart ones and 5 dumb ones? But ah... Jesus wants us to be like the wise ones! Ok, so what does Jesus want us to learn from the wise virgins? First, they were prepared for a long wait. The 5 virgins took extra oil along with them while they waited for the bridegroom to come. They knew that they might have to wait for an hour up to a couple days. In parallel to this parable the next parable has a similar message. The wise servants in the parable were the ones who invested the master's money - looking to the future. So this means for me: store up what is good, do what is good, and steer away from the evil pleasures in this world. Second, be ready for Jesus' coming at any moment. The dumb virgins who left to buy, quickly, extra oil lost their spot in the kingdom of Heaven during their transit to and from the store. Jesus will come when you least expect it, but once he does come and you're not on his list, you're eternally not on his list. So lets be like the smart virgins and not the dumb.
Will you be ready? I always thought this was a weird parable. I didn't quite understand the analogy as well as Jesus probably wanted me to. Why are they virgins? Why are there 5 smart ones and 5 dumb ones? But ah... Jesus wants us to be like the wise ones! Ok, so what does Jesus want us to learn from the wise virgins? First, they were prepared for a long wait. The 5 virgins took extra oil along with them while they waited for the bridegroom to come. They knew that they might have to wait for an hour up to a couple days. In parallel to this parable the next parable has a similar message. The wise servants in the parable were the ones who invested the master's money - looking to the future. So this means for me: store up what is good, do what is good, and steer away from the evil pleasures in this world. Second, be ready for Jesus' coming at any moment. The dumb virgins who left to buy, quickly, extra oil lost their spot in the kingdom of Heaven during their transit to and from the store. Jesus will come when you least expect it, but once he does come and you're not on his list, you're eternally not on his list. So lets be like the smart virgins and not the dumb.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
march 4 : matthew 24
"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other."
Man. This is nuts. If you think about what is being said here and you believe it to be truth you can't but marvel at God's glory. Think about it. One random day at a random time you will see as clear as lightning Jesus coming back. Everybody - Caucasian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, young, and old - will fall to their knees in response to the second coming of Christ. All will tremble. The source however of this trembling will be different between believers and all others. We will tremble with joy. A feeling when the the timing is just right, like when your bus comes right when you need it to. But others will tremble out of the uttermost fear. A question of why they hadn't believed will inevitably arise; why they had hated Jesus without reason. Guys, the day is coming. No one knows when this will happen except the one who planned it all from the very beginning - God. Lets be faithful in our walks as we use the Bible and prayer as our crutches.
Man. This is nuts. If you think about what is being said here and you believe it to be truth you can't but marvel at God's glory. Think about it. One random day at a random time you will see as clear as lightning Jesus coming back. Everybody - Caucasian, Asian, Black, Hispanic, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Atheists, young, and old - will fall to their knees in response to the second coming of Christ. All will tremble. The source however of this trembling will be different between believers and all others. We will tremble with joy. A feeling when the the timing is just right, like when your bus comes right when you need it to. But others will tremble out of the uttermost fear. A question of why they hadn't believed will inevitably arise; why they had hated Jesus without reason. Guys, the day is coming. No one knows when this will happen except the one who planned it all from the very beginning - God. Lets be faithful in our walks as we use the Bible and prayer as our crutches.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
march 3 : matthew 23
This is such a strong chapter in which Jesus basically calls everyone out on their sins. The more I read this book the more alive it becomes to me. It becomes alive to me in a many ways. First, Jesus speaks with such intelligence that it not only pertains to the lives lived in the past but also the lives lived now and forever. Second, he points out the very sins in my own life. Its as if Jesus is speaking to me about my problems. Throughout this passage Jesus says what the Pharisees are doing wrong, and most often than not he speaks directly to me. The cup that is dirty on the inside but sparkling clean on the outside is a description of me. How easy it is to fall into the same trap the Pharisees fell victim to. Let me show you a clip from this chapter:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
That's some tough stuff right? I almost have to bite my own tongue as I read this. This passage really points out the legalism in our lives. Legalism will kill you as it will also kill me. People of the church are prone to following the laws of legalism, but as Jesus was trying to point out, we need to break free from this in order to break free from the chains of hell.
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
That's some tough stuff right? I almost have to bite my own tongue as I read this. This passage really points out the legalism in our lives. Legalism will kill you as it will also kill me. People of the church are prone to following the laws of legalism, but as Jesus was trying to point out, we need to break free from this in order to break free from the chains of hell.
Monday, March 2, 2009
March 2 : Matthew 22
"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come."
God invites all of us to come to his wedding banquet. All of us are given a chance, an invitation, to attend God's banquet. The kingdom of heaven according to this passage is available to all who are willing to come. The parable says that those who were invited were not interested in coming. But God invited you. He invited me. We are given a chance to spend eternity with him, but some of us are too blind to see the outstretched arm waiting for us to attend. God sees that people were not interested so he sent out an invitation to those on the streets. He extends his guest list to those who we would not even consider. I think this is a clear message that we should all go and welcome everyone who is willing to listen. When we lead our small groups and be examples on campus we need to welcome those who are interested. Instead of pushing pushing pushing, all we need to do is ask. It is good to push from time to time for those you know who need it. But when we see Jesus in his ministry he never begs for people to come and listen. He sits there and lets them come. The ones who come will be blessed, the ones who do not will not. Lets make an effort to be inviting.
God invites all of us to come to his wedding banquet. All of us are given a chance, an invitation, to attend God's banquet. The kingdom of heaven according to this passage is available to all who are willing to come. The parable says that those who were invited were not interested in coming. But God invited you. He invited me. We are given a chance to spend eternity with him, but some of us are too blind to see the outstretched arm waiting for us to attend. God sees that people were not interested so he sent out an invitation to those on the streets. He extends his guest list to those who we would not even consider. I think this is a clear message that we should all go and welcome everyone who is willing to listen. When we lead our small groups and be examples on campus we need to welcome those who are interested. Instead of pushing pushing pushing, all we need to do is ask. It is good to push from time to time for those you know who need it. But when we see Jesus in his ministry he never begs for people to come and listen. He sits there and lets them come. The ones who come will be blessed, the ones who do not will not. Lets make an effort to be inviting.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
March 1 : matthew 21 again
My Qt was on the latter part of this chapter. We see here Jesus rebuking the Pharisees. I think this rebuking is one of the toughest towards them. Jesus clearly points out how bad they really are. He basically tells them that others, second class citizens, will enter the kingdom of Heaven before them. He gives them two parables in particular that point out the direction the Pharisees are headed. In this passage Jesus says to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Thats tough. I am afraid that Jesus will hold us to these same standards as well. We are given so many opportunities, so many chances, so many in-your-face experiences. Yet we fail so many times to see the clear picture - the beauty of Jesus. First as Christians, then as leaders, we need to be able to read this passage and understand the importance of what is taught here. We need to be able to see past the lines and understand the Scriptures for what they were meant to be.
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