In wandering around St. Cloud State University's library this evening, I came across some gems in James Hasting's The Great Texts of the Bible series. One particularly interesting exposition was on Isaiah 6 - In the year King Uzziah died.
Here's the principle verse, from Isaiah 6:1 :
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple."
The emphasis of the exposition is that change, particularly moving OUT of the comfort zone, the familiar, the trusted and the reliable, is often calculated and orchestrated by God to lift our vision UP from the things that are shakable and temporal and unto Him who alone is unmovable and eternal.
In light of the many changes and transitions occurring in both my life and the lives of those close to me in my church family, I found this exposition to be insightful and edifying. Enjoy!
"God never empties places in our homes and hearts, or in the nation or the Church, without being ready to fill them. He sometimes empties them that He may fill them. Sorrow and loss are meant to prepare us for the vision of God, and their effect should be to purge the inward eye, that it may see Him. When the leaves drop from the forest trees we can see the blue sky which their dense abundance hid. Well for us if the passing of all that can pass drives us to Him who cannot pass, if the unchanging God stands out more clear, more near, more dear, because of change.
This accounts for a great many of the dark experiences in life. God puts out our little light that we may see Him the better. When you are looking out the window at night, gazing towards the sky, you will see the stars more clearly if you put out your gaslight. That is what God has to do for us. He has to put out the secondary lights in order that we may see the eternal light. Uzziah has to die, in order that we may see it is God who lives. God has continually to take away our little kings, the weak repositories of our trust, in order to show that we have given a false emphasis to life. He takes away that which we regarded as the keystone, in order to reveal to us the real binding-force in life. I have known Him to come to a nation and take away the King of Commercial Property, because when commercial property reigns, men are too prone to forget the Lord."
At the time of Uzziah's death, "He [Isaiah] anticipated an end; he found a new beginning."
It was then Isaiah saw the Lord "high and lifted up", and it was THAT seeing that precipitated Isaiah's sending.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
God's good plans
At the request of Scott Leisner, I thought I would share a little bit about my new job, move to Saint Cloud, and my understanding of how God brought it to pass. This is a testimony to HIS faithfulness in my life.
After becoming born again as a sophomore in college in the spring of 2004, I began to ask the Lord to tell me what I should study in college, as I was yet to pick a major, and would have to declare the upcoming fall semester. I had some of my own ideas, but was not really passionate or committed to any of them; I just wanted to tell everyone I met about Jesus.
After a summer of asking and seeking an answer from the Lord, it was on a missions trip to Costa Rica in August of 2004, while driving up through the mountains and overlooking San Jose, that the Holy Spirit whispered "geography" to me, and I knew He was telling me what to study. It was not premeditated, in fact, I wasn't even thinking about school at the time. I didn't know why geography specifically, but it didn't matter. I was just thankful to have something. To be honest, I still don't know why geography. Faith is obedience, whether or not I understand.
Over the following two years, however, my faith was tested, because it just didn't make sense to me. Looking back now, I can see, as I just stated above, that part of God's purpose in this time was to teach me about the nature of faith, and to stand on the word He speaks to me, even and especially when it tarries and does not make sense to me.
Unfortunately, because it did not make sense to me, I did not do geography with all my strength as unto the Lord. I worked hard and got good grades, but what I meant is that I did not attend career fairs, did not take an internship, did not pursue geography much outside of the classroom, etc. In short, I did not PREPARE myself for a job in geography after college. And so, when my last semester came around, instead of putting together resumes and applying for jobs, I took a business opportunity, starting my own business, which, in the moment, seemed much easier.
Over the next 6 months, various circumstances combined to lead to the failure of the original vision I shared with my other friends involved. Several other friends who owned their own businesses in similar fields were gracious enough to take me under their wing and teach me their trade, for which I am forever grateful. That being said, the last year and a half has been what I would describe as a wilderness experience.
The wilderness refers to the time or times Israel and all true sons (and daughters) of Israel spend wandering around without any clear direction or purpose, but simply a promised land which God has promised He would give you for an inheritance.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God gives us a number of reasons for which He leads us out into the wilderness: "He did this to take away your pride and to test you, so things would go well for you in the end." - Deuteronomy 8:16
"This was to teach you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:3
Most importantly, the wilderness is where we learn to worship God first and foremost for who He is, not just what He gives to us. This was demonstrated in Moses telling God that unless God's presence went with them into the promised land, he would rather stay in the wilderness - because God Himself was the real desire of his heart.
This is what the last year and a half have meant to me - a time of humbling, a time of testing, a time of being sustained not so much by food on the table and clothes on my back and a roof over my head, but being sustained by the spoken word of God to my heart at key points along the journey, and most importantly, coming to the realization that God alone can satisfy me; He alone is the real life-giver.
Throughout the last year and a half, the Lord has reminded me again and again about geography, and so I have gone back to the books, back to the lab, and searched out and applied for geography jobs. I had some near misses with job opportunities here in the twin cities, but I always asked the Lord to shut the door if He something greater planned, and He did.
This story is about to end abruptly, but it is getting rather long, and I know how it can get reading such a long blog post. Basically, earlier this month I applied for a job in Saint Cloud, MN and was soon thereafter hired. Throughout the application and interview process, I was full of faith that this is of God. And so, in a little over a week, I will be starting the new job, and by the 1st of June, Lord willing, moving to Saint Cloud, 3 blocks from my job in downtown St. Cloud, and 7 blocks from the heart of Saint Cloud State University. All this is in fulfillment of several words the Lord has spoken to me over the past four years since I've been saved. Glory to God!
I will share more specifics about the job itself in a forthcoming blog, but I think this is enough for now. Now I live happily ever after, right? Well, not quite...Still more promises of God to be fulfilled, still more desert to cross at some point I'm sure, and once you've come into a promise, there are giants in the land to be defeated : "Tear down...smash...cut down...and burn their idols...Hate and reject those things; they must be completely destroyed." - Deuteronomy 7:5, 26
"Be careful not to forget the Lord your God...when you have more of everything, then your heart will become proud. You will forget the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 8:11, 14
But I am not of those who turn back and forget the Lord my God. I am of those who have faith and are saved. Therefore, I will run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith! (Hebrews 10:39, 12:1-2)
After becoming born again as a sophomore in college in the spring of 2004, I began to ask the Lord to tell me what I should study in college, as I was yet to pick a major, and would have to declare the upcoming fall semester. I had some of my own ideas, but was not really passionate or committed to any of them; I just wanted to tell everyone I met about Jesus.
After a summer of asking and seeking an answer from the Lord, it was on a missions trip to Costa Rica in August of 2004, while driving up through the mountains and overlooking San Jose, that the Holy Spirit whispered "geography" to me, and I knew He was telling me what to study. It was not premeditated, in fact, I wasn't even thinking about school at the time. I didn't know why geography specifically, but it didn't matter. I was just thankful to have something. To be honest, I still don't know why geography. Faith is obedience, whether or not I understand.
Over the following two years, however, my faith was tested, because it just didn't make sense to me. Looking back now, I can see, as I just stated above, that part of God's purpose in this time was to teach me about the nature of faith, and to stand on the word He speaks to me, even and especially when it tarries and does not make sense to me.
Unfortunately, because it did not make sense to me, I did not do geography with all my strength as unto the Lord. I worked hard and got good grades, but what I meant is that I did not attend career fairs, did not take an internship, did not pursue geography much outside of the classroom, etc. In short, I did not PREPARE myself for a job in geography after college. And so, when my last semester came around, instead of putting together resumes and applying for jobs, I took a business opportunity, starting my own business, which, in the moment, seemed much easier.
Over the next 6 months, various circumstances combined to lead to the failure of the original vision I shared with my other friends involved. Several other friends who owned their own businesses in similar fields were gracious enough to take me under their wing and teach me their trade, for which I am forever grateful. That being said, the last year and a half has been what I would describe as a wilderness experience.
The wilderness refers to the time or times Israel and all true sons (and daughters) of Israel spend wandering around without any clear direction or purpose, but simply a promised land which God has promised He would give you for an inheritance.
In the book of Deuteronomy, God gives us a number of reasons for which He leads us out into the wilderness: "He did this to take away your pride and to test you, so things would go well for you in the end." - Deuteronomy 8:16
"This was to teach you that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:3
Most importantly, the wilderness is where we learn to worship God first and foremost for who He is, not just what He gives to us. This was demonstrated in Moses telling God that unless God's presence went with them into the promised land, he would rather stay in the wilderness - because God Himself was the real desire of his heart.
This is what the last year and a half have meant to me - a time of humbling, a time of testing, a time of being sustained not so much by food on the table and clothes on my back and a roof over my head, but being sustained by the spoken word of God to my heart at key points along the journey, and most importantly, coming to the realization that God alone can satisfy me; He alone is the real life-giver.
Throughout the last year and a half, the Lord has reminded me again and again about geography, and so I have gone back to the books, back to the lab, and searched out and applied for geography jobs. I had some near misses with job opportunities here in the twin cities, but I always asked the Lord to shut the door if He something greater planned, and He did.
This story is about to end abruptly, but it is getting rather long, and I know how it can get reading such a long blog post. Basically, earlier this month I applied for a job in Saint Cloud, MN and was soon thereafter hired. Throughout the application and interview process, I was full of faith that this is of God. And so, in a little over a week, I will be starting the new job, and by the 1st of June, Lord willing, moving to Saint Cloud, 3 blocks from my job in downtown St. Cloud, and 7 blocks from the heart of Saint Cloud State University. All this is in fulfillment of several words the Lord has spoken to me over the past four years since I've been saved. Glory to God!
I will share more specifics about the job itself in a forthcoming blog, but I think this is enough for now. Now I live happily ever after, right? Well, not quite...Still more promises of God to be fulfilled, still more desert to cross at some point I'm sure, and once you've come into a promise, there are giants in the land to be defeated : "Tear down...smash...cut down...and burn their idols...Hate and reject those things; they must be completely destroyed." - Deuteronomy 7:5, 26
"Be careful not to forget the Lord your God...when you have more of everything, then your heart will become proud. You will forget the Lord your God." - Deuteronomy 8:11, 14
But I am not of those who turn back and forget the Lord my God. I am of those who have faith and are saved. Therefore, I will run with endurance the race that is set before me, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of my faith! (Hebrews 10:39, 12:1-2)
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Discover Jesus in the Quran?
In my year and a half driving in the Twin Cities, I've seen many Muslim bumper stickers such as "In Allah we trust", or "House of Islam". However, the one I saw the other day was the first of its kind, that I've seen, and a real sign of where we are prophetically. It read "Discover Jesus in the Quran."
To understand the significance of such a bumper sticker, you should know, if you don't already, that Muslims believe that at the End of the Age, Jesus, or Isa as they call Him, will return, but not as the Jewish Messiah, but as a radical Muslim, clearing up the misconceptions about Himself that are central to the Christian faith: namely, that He is the Son of God, God incarnate, that He was conceived of the Holy Spirit, and that He was crucified, buried and resurrected.
A lot more could be said about this here; I highly recommend the book by Joel Richardson titled "Anti-Christ: Islam's Awaited Messiah". This book compares islamic and Christian eschatology, and rightly identifies the coming "Mahdi" of the Muslims as the Anti-Christ spoken of in the Bible. This man, al-Mahdi, is the one who Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believes himself to be the forerunner of, preparing the way for this world Islamic leader to arise. Anyhow, if you want a copy, you can find it on amazon, and if you need more convincing, I'll even BUY you one, just let me know.
During a recent dialogue with a Muslim friend of mine, he asked if he could invite along another "Christian" friend of his to join us. It turned out this "Christian" friend of his is a Catholic who he has been meeting with and converting to Islam. He was likely allured by the idea of encountering Jesus in the Quran. So, this meeting with the two of them, and seeing that bumper sticker are a wake up call to me. Like Europe, the secularization of our country is making it offensive and unacceptable to believe the Bible. You can have your churches, and your holidays, and even honor Jesus as a humanitarian; but to suggest dogmatically that the Bible is the literal word of God, and that truth is not relative but absolute, that can no longer be tolerated.
Somehow, however, Islam, the most intolerable religion on the face of the planet, slips under the radar screen of the women's rights people, and the gay rights people, and the human rights people. The whole secularized society is duped by Islam's front of being the religion of peace. America needs to wake up! Those who love the lie will be given over, by God, to a spirit of deception, because they loved not the truth, because they loved not God. Already, nominal Christians in America and across the globe are being converted to Islam, which allows them to hold onto some semblance of Jesus Christ, but do not have to be looked at by the world as foolish for believing the Bible to be literal in its account of creation, or in any of its other miraculous and supernatural events. They can hold onto religion, which the soul of man craves, and yet be accepted and tolerated in the world.
My friends, do not be deceived. Without Jesus' shed blood, death, burial and resurrection, there is no salvation. The spirit of Anti-Christ is at work in the world, deceiving the willing, those who love their sin, who love falsehood, The love of the truth will protect you in the end; Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6).
Sunday, December 30, 2007
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!
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!
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
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
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
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
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) !
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) !
Monday, December 3, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
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!
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!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
"...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.
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.
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