Plans for 2008

This time of year is always a great time to reflect on the past year and all that has happened, all that God did, and to also look ahead and make plans for the next year, according to the dreams and visions God has planted in your heart. With this in mind, here are some Scriptures (NLT) about making plans:

If you plan to do evil, you will be lost;if you plan to do good, you will receive unfailing love and faithfulness. -Proverbs 14:22

I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own.We are not able to plan our own course. - Jeremiah 10:23

May he grant your heart’s desiresand make all your plans succeed. - Psalm 20:4

The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever.Don’t abandon me, for you made me. - Psalm 138:8

Plans go wrong for lack of advice;many advisers bring success. - Psalm 15:22

We can make our own plans,but the Lord gives the right answer.
Commit your actions to the Lord,and your plans will succeed.
We can make our plans,but the Lord determines our steps. - Proverbs 16:1,3,9

You can make many plans,but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. - Proverbs 19:21

“What sorrow awaits my rebellious children,”says the Lord.“You make plans that are contrary to mine.You make alliances not directed by my Spirit,thus piling up your sins." - Isaiah 30:1

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. - Jeremiah 29:11

What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own plans, and all such boasting is evil. - James 4:15-16

So what are some of my plans?
- Like most Americans, I plan to eat healthier and exercise more in 2008
- I plan to take some classes and prepare myself for grad school
- I plan to get my first credit card
- I plan to find a Christian primary care doctor in the metro area (anyone got any suggestions?)
- I plan to have more children, spiritually speaking

How about you? Take some time this week to sit down and reflect on how the 168 hours you spend each week is or is not being applied to achieve the things God has placed in your heart. Feel free to reply with some of your plans, I'd love to hear about them.

Happy New Year!

Ascending

Psalm 126 is from a group of Psalms labeled "Song of Ascents". Most scholars agree that the songs of ascents were songs sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem bringing their praise and sacrifices to the Lord for various feasts and festivals. It is an ascent because one "goes up" to Jerusalem, and also "goes up" within the temple itself.

What struck me as I read Psalm 126 was how many times the words we, our, they, them, and us occur. In a psalm of 6 verses, these words appear 9 times. This is a psalm in the plural - the people of God. This is a song of ascents. We do not ascend to the holy city alone; we're in this together. We need one another, not because God is not sufficient in Himself for us, but because He desires to perfect us by causing us to ascend together, relying on one another's prayers, encouragements, corrections, faith, and love. Community life is a privilege and a blessing, sharing our life together, ascending unto the New Jerusalem as pilgrims in the earth, the body of Christ.

"The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad." - Psalm 126:4

Atheism in America

The number of atheists in America doubled from 1991 to 2001 according to the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS). As of 2001, there were nearly 30 million atheists in the country. Although the majority of Americans still identify themselves as Christians, 30 million atheists do make up a significant percentage of the population (about 10%), and their numbers are on the increase. You can read the rest of this article, which is mostly about atheists in politics, here.

It seems to me that the results of atheism's rise are two fold. First, the Church is silenced. Laws are passed which make it illegal to speak out publicly against homosexuality and other kinds of immorality. Churches then must either go to jail, compromise, or go underground. Then, Islam fills the vacuum created by the absence of Christianity. Secularism/atheism/humanism is a bankrupt system and will collapse in the face of Islam. Be have begun to see this whole pattern play out in Europe; will it happen here in the states as well? I believe the presidential election in November will be a great litmus test to see where we are and where we are headed as a nation.

Noah's Remarkable Faith

Noah is a man of remarkable faith, who found grace in the sight of God during one of the most vile, corrupt, wicked and violent periods of human history. I don't know about you, but I want to be prepared also to stand faithful to God in the midst of an even more perverse generation than Noah's.

Jesus says, "as in the days of Noah, so it shall be in the coming of the Son of Man."
- Matthew 24:37

"The earth was corrupt before God...filled with violence...all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth..." - Genesis 6:11-12

Noah, however, "did according to ALL that God commanded him." - Genesis 6:22

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of THINGS NOT SEEN AS YET, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house..." - Hebrews 11:7

Blessed are we who have not seen, and yet believe (John 20:29), for He is coming quickly and His reward is with Him (Revelation 22:12) !

On living for others

Last Wednesday's service seemed to have an overriding theme of marriage. From the sermon itself, to the announcement by a couple friends of their recent engagement, relationships were on my mind. Our pastor made a clear distinction between the purpose of marriage and the purpose of sex, saying that the purpose of marriage was not sex, but rather children. And so, I began to think about children, and parenting, and how one's whole life becomes not about oneself, but the care of another. It is the same with being a Christian. Properly understood, the purpose of our salvation is not so that we would live for the sake of ourselves, but for others, to see them saved, and then they also live for others.
Well, I began to think, it seems like it just continues on forever like that, that as each person is born again, their lives become all about others. But, if it's always about other people, what's the point, I thought. Doesn't it just keep on going like that, the importance always about the next person?
As I thought about all this, I realized that in the genius of God, He ordained that we find our fulfillment not in living to please ourselves, but in living for the sake of others. And those others, whose sakes we live for, also live not unto themselves, but for others. And therein we see the truth of God, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Therein do we see the paradox that when we seek to save our life, we lose it; but, if we'll lose our lives for His sake, we'll find it. God in His genius designed us so that we would have abundant life in community, that is, in relation to others. For He Himself is, as a man once said, a "sweet company:" Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - One God in three persons, having fellowship with one another. What a great God!
Thank You, Lord, for community. May we see it for the blessing that it is, and may it be a glory to You!

Judgment

Tonights sermon was about judgment in the church. A verse that came to mind from earlier in the day is Psalm 9:16, which say, "The Lord is known by the judgment He executes." It says elsewhere that righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Judgment is one of the foundational doctrine of the faith discussed in Hebrews 6. Obviously, God is a God of judgment. But we also are called to partner with Him in His kingdom, which means we also are called to judge.
Like our pastor said tonight, however, we shrink back from judging because we have some area in our own life that we are compromised in, and so we have no authority to judge anyone else. But, that's a good reason why God does call us to judge one another - that we might practice what we preach. Another good reason the God has ordained that we judge one another is that we need one another to speak the truth in love to us and speak those difficult but neccessary correcitions, because most of the time we cannot see them in ourselves. We are much better at picking up on the sin and faults of others than our own. I thank God for leaders who are willing to speak a hard word, a word of correction. May we love one another enough to receive and speak the truth in love. May judgment begin in the house of God. To God be glory in the Church!

"...In whose heart are the highways to Zion"

Many days have passed since my last blog post, and many bloggers have retired. But, I was inspired to post tonight as a friend and I pored over Psalm 84. Verse 5 is really the essence of the blog "just passing through" is all about:

Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, whose heart is set on pilgrimmage. (NKJV)

Blessed are the men whose strength is in Thee, in whose heart are the highways to Zion. (RSV)

So, what's all this blogging business for anyways? I don't know, but I don't believe I'm through with blogging just yet. Psalm 84:5 seemed like I good place to resume my blog tonight. That's all for now, goodnight.