I will post the section of scripture that I want to meditate on today. I will read and ponder and add comments throughout the day. In this section we have friends, baptism, testing and then preaching. I want to see Jesus better, it is like I need stronger glasses to see Him more clearly so God give us all super strong glasses to see your Holy Spirit and teach us with your words. Help us to be is a constant state of prayer and to not give in to the cares of this world. Thank you Jesus!
Last night I had trouble sleeping and felt like I was being attacked. I tried something that I have seen my wife do, I turned on worship music and put on head phones at 11:30 at night and after 30 minutes of WOW worship I was able to sleep with greater peace. The song that spoke to me last night and helped is below.
first of all, thank you for your transparency on this blog, scott. i love you and know that God is answering your prayers! he delights in you!
ReplyDeletenow for the reading:
1) john saw jesus as a cowboy (which i guess i have as well through poetic anaolgy) "(Jesus) will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He's going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he'll put out with the trash to be burned." he definitely wasn't thinking of the Christ as a gentle shepherd (like we often do) but as a wild, fire-wielding judge & master.
2) God, however, spoke with affection "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life." a much softer description of this man i want to get to know.
3) even jesus had to prepare to be tested by the enemy! what? really? i should stop being so casual about this spiritual warfare. today i was talking to my friend jessica about yesterday's post about it being jesus' "fault" all those kids were killed. she said defiantly that jesus would never be fooled by the enemy into false guilt/blame, that he knew the enemy and his lies for what they are. may we as effectively deflect the enemy's lies with God's truth as jesus did in the desert.
4) we need a constant diet of God's word to be healthy. i wrote a little post on spiritual eating disorders one time. i am reminded of it.
5)jesus' steps were predetermined by prophecy. how much of what i do is predetermined? does it matter?
6)he inspired people to follow him; they didn't even ask questions. this seems crazy. would i ever do anything with such blind faith? i know scott thinks i ask too many questions, hesitate and lack faith in him as a husband and man. what would it feel like for me to let go of that control, the need to understand?
7)in this section of scripture he taught in "churches" to the religious/jews. he healed them and showed them that God changes lives.
8)did he move to the hilltop in order to weed out the crowds and have only the most committed follow? or did he go outside the church where there was room for more people?
9) he spoke words of encouragement to those who felt insignificant and were hurting. he spoke gently to them.
10) he wanted us to know Why We Are Here! not to be comfortable, but to point others to God, for us and them to realize we live in an invisible kingdom that is none-the-less very very real, more real than the illusive life we think of as the real world.
11) "God's Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God's Law will be alive and working." morality matters and jesus is not afraid to talk about it. he doesn't seem to try to show people why they should trust God's commands, or how they will benefit from them, but instead urges them on the basis of morality to question their practices. however it is notable that i think he's still talking here to jews, to people who were already convinced they should obey God's laws but thought they could get away with the bare minimum. let's see as we keep reading if his approach to people who are not jewish (how don't already know God) is different.
ReplyDelete12) Live Generously! (hey! jesus beat jason mraz to the punch here!) also he says to let your enemies bring out the best in you. wouldn't that be amazing! may it be so!
13) yes, we will be taken advantage of. here jesus says to be silent. to love when you are treated unfairly. to give more than you owe. this is meekness in action. jesus was bold when he questioned what people thought was acceptable. was he bold in more Firey ways, like john expected?
14)wow! i know i've been giving this advice a lot lately. well... all except the "grow up!" bit although i've perhaps thought it. "I'm telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. In a word, what I'm saying is, Grow up. You're kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you."
this was great stuff! i like reading it in the message too. good idea scott.
lastly i really liked the beatitudes in the message. here they are:
ReplyDelete3"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
4"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
5"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
6"You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
7"You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.
8"You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.
9"You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
10"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
Chapter 3 - I think that Diet is important and that I have not put as much focus on this as I should. God mentions John's diet and I did some research and some believe this is literal while others believe that it is allegorical. Whichever camp you come from I believe that the food we eat is a physical function and that we need as much spiritual sustenance to maintain our spiritual lives. I know I eat more that I pray so I will try to balance my spiritual life and see what happens.
ReplyDeleteChapter 4 - Jesus was lead out into the wilderness for 40 days and nights. I tried to comprehend when the last time I went for 40 days without something that was meaningful. The thoughts that God gave me on this chapter where that when I thought of it the first time, it was ouch, giving up food. Giving up food for me would be very hard but God reminded me that I should focus on the positive side of time with God. I need to watch my perspectives and focus on the eternal not the temporary.
ReplyDelete