extrapolating

One of my friends in the Bay area always challenged me with this thought... He didn't want me to quote stuff to him but to explain how what I read affected me.

If I were to detail the events of today in a blog window I would say this:

We cannot give what we don't have. If we want to affect people in their life and mind with the power of God's word, then that word must take hold of us. You would expect that a tour guide in Himalayas would be captured by the beauty of the mountains. Before I can cast a compelling vision, I have to be captured by it.
One reason I have been down lately is just the grind of life, coupled with laziness and selfishness.

If I don't have it, I can't give it. I cannot impart what I do not possess.

Reading

I am not sure how to explain all of this but when I feel spiritually flat, reading seems to bring me out of the slump. I feel like when I read I am motivated and inspired. Here's a sample of what I read from John Ortberg:

"In between other people's opinion of us and our pleasure in them is our assessment of the validity of their approval. We are not the passive victim of others' opinions. Their opinions are powerless until we validate them. No one's approval will affect us unless we grant it credibility and status. The same holds true for disapproval."
( The Life you always wanted )


Why do we allow other people to affect us this way ? Why isn't God' s opinion of us enough to satisfy us ?

Judgment

The Bible mentions judgment in at least three places:

Matthew 25:31 2 Cor. 5 and Revelation 20


Are these three separate judgments or all describing the same judgment ?

What do you think ?

why worry ?

The word of God really is our source of nourishment. I can feel myself shrinking spiritually when I don’t read it and I feel myself strengthened when I spend time with God in His word. For example: Galatians 3:26 says that we are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. So, where does our faith come from ? Romans 10 says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. There is a real connection between hearing the word of God ( and I would say reading) and our faith.
God has chosen to let us live in uncertainty with regard to :
the safety of our children
our housing
how people will respond to us
whether or not our “plans” will work out

Somehow in those uncertainties, God is glorified when we put our faith in Him and when we put our faith in Him we see the results of His power. All of my anxiety and worry about the future is meaningless and an unproductive waste of time. So, if we are worried, then we must not be walking by faith. Worry and self centeredness are related. This is why we shouldn’t worry. Tonight… or tomorrow night, go for a walk at night, look at the vastness of the sky and ask God to give you eyes of faith. Ask Him to give you strength to face an uncertain future. When you stop and think about it, there are no risks with a sovereign God. Have you really come to grips with His sovereignty or are you still walking by sight, trying every angle to make it work your way ?


Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Nice people or new men ?

There's a chapter in CS Lewis' book "Mere Christianity" called "Nice people or New men." It is basically discussing the idea that if people are Christians, shouldn't they be nicer than non Christians. There is definitely some theology in this chapter that I disagree with...namely the thoughts about God' s inability to change our will. However, I do like the way he phrases some things about the changes God does bring about.

Listen to this: "... mere improvement is not redemption... God became a man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature. Of course, 0nce it has wings, it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped and thus beat the natural horse at its own game. But there may be a period, while the wings are beginning to grow, when it cannot do so: and at that stage the lumps on his shoulders may even give it an awkward appearance." page 216 Mere Christianity


I think this reminds me of the fact that Christianity is not about taking bad people and making them good... it's about taking dead people and making them alive.

Another angle

I was reading an article on www.monergism.com and came across something I hadn't really thought about before. The author was asking the question: " Why was Jesus on earth for 33 years ? Couldn't he have just come in for the weekend,taken care of business and gone back to heaven ?"

He then turned my attention to Hebrews 4:15
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

I guess I had never meditated on that phrase: "in all things." Jesus was tempted throughout his life ...in all of its various stages and yet didn't sin. His demonstration of a righteous life satisfied God's wrath. He lived my life for me and presented that holy life to God...on my behalf.

Proverbs 3 again

Later on in Proverbs 3 the word says we are not to lean on our own understanding. It seems to me that we have to change some of the filters that we normally view life through....

Here is what we usually say to ourselves:
1. Is this fair ?
2. Does this make sense to me ?
3. Is this what I always thought would happen ?
4. What will I get out of this ?


I think Proverbs 3 is basically saying that we need to ask these questions instead :
1. Is God glorified in what I am doing ?
2. Are God's purposes accomplished in the earth ?

What if we could change filters and ask some different questions ?

Can we really trust in the Lord and "our own understanding" at the same time ?