Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Prepare for Departure
Vienna is a mere two weeks away and I could not be more excited. It hasn't really hit me until today just how close it is. Am I ready? I want to say yes, but in all honesty I don't know. The adventure part of it, I am so ready. But am I ready to share my faith with others? There is nothing I desire more than to obey the Great Commission and share God's love with others, but I feel so unqualified sometimes. I keep thinking of 1 Peter 3:15, where it says, "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." Am I prepared to answer tough questions about my faith? I've been taking a class in theology and it has really challenged me to answer these tough questions. I'm very grateful for this opportunity to expand my knowledge of the Bible. However, there are so many things that I don't know. What if someone asks me to answer a tough question about predestination? I am going to have to trust the Holy Spirit to give me the words to say. This is really tough for me though because my sinful nature says that I need to rely on my own strength to do so. One thing I do know is that I need to dig into the Word more and rely on God's strength rather than my own. I can't be an effective minister of God's grace unless the Holy Spirit speaks through me. I am first and foremost a follower of Christ, a student of the Word and I need to keep that a priority in life.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul...
"Never be content with your grasp of the gospel. The gospel is life-permeating, world-altering, universe-changing truth. It has more facets than any diamond. Its depths man will never exhaust."--C.J. Mahaney
This year more than ever before, I am discovering how little I know about the Bible. Sure, compared to some people I have a lot of knowledge, but I've been a true Christian for 6 years now. You'd think I'd know a ton of stuff about the Word. For a long time I just analyzed Scripture through my own lens: "What does this verse mean to me?" rather than "What is God saying through this passage in that time, today, to others, to me?" It's a lot more work to look at it through God's lens, but so much better. My professors, pastors, friends, and family have challenged me this year and pointed out things in passages that I've never noticed before. Part of this was due to my selfish way of reading, but also that the word "has more facets than any diamond and its depths man will never exhaust." The beauty of the Bible is that we can learn something new every time we read it.
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward, Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless; innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. --Psalm 19: 7-14
This is a beautiful passage describing the Word of God. Do we value it the way David describes it or is it just a book to us? God gives us His very word to teach us about Him: the Almighty, Everlasting God! We should rejoice in this, but so often we take the access we have to God for granted.
Paul charges Timothy to "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8) One of the ways to train ourselves to be godly is to meditate on the Word day and night. Sound daunting? It is, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and a desire to become godly, it is possible. The Christian faith is not a lazy one. So often people make it out to be: go to church, pray before meals, and be a nice person. However, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)
Christianity is a religion of hard work, not because we need to work to obtain salvation, but because God calls us to become like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11). If we are true followers of Christ, we will desire to put to death our sin, meditate on His Word day and night, pray without ceasing, and become like Christ.
This year more than ever before, I am discovering how little I know about the Bible. Sure, compared to some people I have a lot of knowledge, but I've been a true Christian for 6 years now. You'd think I'd know a ton of stuff about the Word. For a long time I just analyzed Scripture through my own lens: "What does this verse mean to me?" rather than "What is God saying through this passage in that time, today, to others, to me?" It's a lot more work to look at it through God's lens, but so much better. My professors, pastors, friends, and family have challenged me this year and pointed out things in passages that I've never noticed before. Part of this was due to my selfish way of reading, but also that the word "has more facets than any diamond and its depths man will never exhaust." The beauty of the Bible is that we can learn something new every time we read it.
"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward, Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless; innocent of great transgression. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. --Psalm 19: 7-14
This is a beautiful passage describing the Word of God. Do we value it the way David describes it or is it just a book to us? God gives us His very word to teach us about Him: the Almighty, Everlasting God! We should rejoice in this, but so often we take the access we have to God for granted.
Paul charges Timothy to "Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales; rather train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." (1 Timothy 4:7-8) One of the ways to train ourselves to be godly is to meditate on the Word day and night. Sound daunting? It is, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and a desire to become godly, it is possible. The Christian faith is not a lazy one. So often people make it out to be: go to church, pray before meals, and be a nice person. However, "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." (James 1:22)
Christianity is a religion of hard work, not because we need to work to obtain salvation, but because God calls us to become like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11). If we are true followers of Christ, we will desire to put to death our sin, meditate on His Word day and night, pray without ceasing, and become like Christ.
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