Page thirty-two is one of my favorites in the book! The first two sentences knocks your socks off. "Part of the Book of Genesis is the record of God's accomplishing His purposes through Abraham. it is NOT the record of Abraham's walk with God." Come on, Blackaby! What?! This relationship study establishes the rules and pulls all of our selfishness away from us - the spot light has shifted; it's not about you and your wonderfulness; it's about God.
When we lose that the focus of everything is God and not us as the world says, we sin. It's so easy to do. Look at the diagram on page thirty-two - I will have colored copies for us all on Sunday. I call this the decision maker. Take a quick inventory of some of your latest decisions. How many fall on the side to the right - God-Centered Life? Yeah, me too. Time to make another adjustment!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Unit 2: Looking to God
We have been taught by the world that we are deep thinkers. We feel that the questions we ask and answer are truly divine. We search for God and think it's our search when it isn't. I love the line on page 31 in the second paragraph that reads, "...peole don't seek God on their own initiative. They won't ask about spiritual matters unless God is working in their lives." That mean us. We don't have it in us to seek God. That is why we have to join Him in what He is doing.
I remember writing a poem when I was a young Christian and it had this line in it, "...I lift my hands in worship and then I see that it is He praising Himself..." Even for my worship to be relevant, He has to invite me to it.
We ask to see God so that we become like Him - here's the opportunity. Listen for when people began to ask questions about God. When they have spiritual matters on their hearts -it's God at work. When you hear those things, ask God to allow you to join Him there. Ask your part in what He is doing.
I like the last paragraph on that same page, "For two years we had tried to do something for God and failed. For three days we looked to see where God was working and joined Him."
I remember writing a poem when I was a young Christian and it had this line in it, "...I lift my hands in worship and then I see that it is He praising Himself..." Even for my worship to be relevant, He has to invite me to it.
We ask to see God so that we become like Him - here's the opportunity. Listen for when people began to ask questions about God. When they have spiritual matters on their hearts -it's God at work. When you hear those things, ask God to allow you to join Him there. Ask your part in what He is doing.
I like the last paragraph on that same page, "For two years we had tried to do something for God and failed. For three days we looked to see where God was working and joined Him."
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Jesus is Your Model
I remember the lesson God taught me one year after reading of Peter's walking on the water. It wasn't the walk that God used to teach me anything at that time. It wasn't the sinking and taking his eyes off of Jesus that was Peter's example to me, but it was what happened between Jesus telling them to cross to the other side and the disciple stepping out of the boat. It was a thought. Remember it? Matthew 14:26, "...And when they saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a ghost!" And they cried out for fear.." That word troubled is talking about being disturbed/burdened in the mind in other versions of the same scripture. They had a thought according to their circumstance. We often think according to our circumstance and not the character or word of God.
The beginning of Day 2 talks about using the word of God to dictate our thoughts. Going back to the word to prove our response. The disciples thought a ghost (something that caused fear and could cause them harm) was approaching. They thought that because they had never seen Jesus, or any man for that matter, walking on the water before that this was a problem coming. They didn't understand in their thinking what was going on. The dim light, the boisterous sea, the loud crashing waves...but then Jesus spoke to calm their fears (that's another blog, I'm going somewhere else with this one! ha!) and my guy Peter did something that God taught me to do the rest of my life. He looked closer and made a request of God! He said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." We must stop looking at every situation that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar as something not God. We have to ask every time.
We cannot let our circumstance dictate our responses to things without seeking God first. We have to begin to interpret our circumstances according to scripture. What does the word of God say? We can no longer respond according to the word or our flesh (our own understanding).
The beginning of Day 2 talks about using the word of God to dictate our thoughts. Going back to the word to prove our response. The disciples thought a ghost (something that caused fear and could cause them harm) was approaching. They thought that because they had never seen Jesus, or any man for that matter, walking on the water before that this was a problem coming. They didn't understand in their thinking what was going on. The dim light, the boisterous sea, the loud crashing waves...but then Jesus spoke to calm their fears (that's another blog, I'm going somewhere else with this one! ha!) and my guy Peter did something that God taught me to do the rest of my life. He looked closer and made a request of God! He said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." We must stop looking at every situation that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar as something not God. We have to ask every time.
We cannot let our circumstance dictate our responses to things without seeking God first. We have to begin to interpret our circumstances according to scripture. What does the word of God say? We can no longer respond according to the word or our flesh (our own understanding).
Unit 1 Day 1 Jesus is Your Way
This first day still blows my mind. So much to take in and remember. So much of what I knew about God that had been forgotten over the years. So many new dynamics - Christianity (our faith) is a relationship with a PERSON. That statement alone revolutionized my faith. I am no longer in love with the theory of God - who I've heard Him to be; not even who I've read Him to be, but I am in love with a living, breathing, emotion having, divine, all-powerful PERSON. The He in, "He gave His one and only Son..." means something a little more to me.
The desires that he has for me as I take this study - again are to hear him, see Him at work, join in his work. I remember the first time I was asked to help with Thanksgiving dinner when I was nine years old. I was the twelfth grandchild of thirteen and I had seven aunts who gathered to cook at my grandmother's house on Thanksgiving Eve. They never needed anyone else. They brought pots and pans. They talked and laughed together and I remember sitting outside the saloon doors that led to my grandmother's kitchen and I listened -the stuff I learned!
Then one day, I don't know how it happened, but I was handed a glass and told to cut the biscuits that had been rolled out on the table. They handed me the glass! I began cutting buscuits. I stayed really close to the edge at first all the way around just as I had seen my mom do it. I then cut the middle pieces having a few odd shapes. It was a proud moment. I had been asked to join them in their work - pretty important thing a Thanksgiving meal. Not as important as joining God though. Not as important as advancing the kingdom by living the way God has for us to live, and loving the way He has for us to love or forgiving the way He has for us to forgive. God hands us glasses all the time - a few of us take them and know what an honor is it.
I have to comment on Jesus being our map. How many times in our lives have we allowed someone to lead us somewhere? The weatherman leads me in what I choose to wear the next day to work. The Home Depot commercials lead me in where I choose to buy my lawnmower - okay, so maybe that's Sears, but still you get the point. How often do we really follow the leading of Jesus? How often is He our map to get from one place to another? I mean our intentional map. How often do we say, 'I am going to do what Christ DID to get to this place or that"? Let's be intentional about that. We refer to maps quite often. Hmmm....
Day 1.
The desires that he has for me as I take this study - again are to hear him, see Him at work, join in his work. I remember the first time I was asked to help with Thanksgiving dinner when I was nine years old. I was the twelfth grandchild of thirteen and I had seven aunts who gathered to cook at my grandmother's house on Thanksgiving Eve. They never needed anyone else. They brought pots and pans. They talked and laughed together and I remember sitting outside the saloon doors that led to my grandmother's kitchen and I listened -the stuff I learned!
Then one day, I don't know how it happened, but I was handed a glass and told to cut the biscuits that had been rolled out on the table. They handed me the glass! I began cutting buscuits. I stayed really close to the edge at first all the way around just as I had seen my mom do it. I then cut the middle pieces having a few odd shapes. It was a proud moment. I had been asked to join them in their work - pretty important thing a Thanksgiving meal. Not as important as joining God though. Not as important as advancing the kingdom by living the way God has for us to live, and loving the way He has for us to love or forgiving the way He has for us to forgive. God hands us glasses all the time - a few of us take them and know what an honor is it.
I have to comment on Jesus being our map. How many times in our lives have we allowed someone to lead us somewhere? The weatherman leads me in what I choose to wear the next day to work. The Home Depot commercials lead me in where I choose to buy my lawnmower - okay, so maybe that's Sears, but still you get the point. How often do we really follow the leading of Jesus? How often is He our map to get from one place to another? I mean our intentional map. How often do we say, 'I am going to do what Christ DID to get to this place or that"? Let's be intentional about that. We refer to maps quite often. Hmmm....
Day 1.
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