A few weeks back I met up with some adventurous Christians at my church to go on a "treasure hunt". This was no typical treasure hunt for goodies and treats; it was a treasure hunt for people. Let me explain. The idea of a spiritual treasure hunt is to go minister and witness to people out on the streets. Unlike a typical street evangelism outreach where you pick one designated spot and try to talk with everyone you meet, a treasure hunt narrows down the search asking God to show you specific people He wants you to minister to, those who are a treasure to Him.
So the five of us sat in an upper room in our church office, discussed our plans, worshipped the Lord and then each individually took some quiet time to seek the Lord for words and pictures. We each had a sheet of paper folded into four sections representing four categories of hints: names of people, appearance, needs to pray for and "other". As we sat before the Lord, each of us received words or pictures that came into our mind and we scribbled them down on our paper.
We took about fifteen minutes to hear from the Lord and then reconvened to discuss what each of us had received. The names I received were Chris, Walter and Ted. The appearances were jeans with a tear in the knee, loose untied shoe strings, lightning bolts and blue Slurpee. The needs I heard were "break up" and "balance". The other category had the words baked goods, paper/toy plane, clocks, scented candles and guitar. I explained to the group the 80/20 rule - eighty percent of what we received could be dead-on and twenty percent garbage, or the reverse, but in either case the point of the exercise and ministry is to grow in our walk with the Lord by faith.
Earlier in the morning, I felt the Lord saying to me that we were to go to Target, so after we each shared our words we hopped in our cars and headed there. Next to our local Target there is a guitar store, so having the word "guitar" I decided to go there first. Now you can imagine, the nervousness I felt walking into a store with the hopes of meeting someone that God wants me to interact with and love on. My fleeting thoughts of insanity were one by one offered up to Jesus.
I walked into the store, greeted the teenager at the front desk and began walking into my mission field. I had to look out of place as I starred up on the walls at all the guitars like a young boy on his first trip to a big city looking around at all the skyscrapers. As I walked around the store I was praying under my breath - "Lord, please guide me to the person you want me to meet."
I turned the corner and there he was. A man in his late 40's or 50's was seated on a bench in one of the aisles strumming on a guitar. He had on a yellow, dirty sweatshirt and wore jeans with a whole in the right knee. "Oh my" I thought to myself, "He's it." Now what, Lord? I sat down next to the man and started to chat with him. "Do you play?" he asked. "No, not really." I asked him the same question to which he replied, "I'm no good" -words that may have spoken more on his self-worth than his ability to play the guitar.
I sat down with him and patiently listened to him as he bent over the guitar almost in a fetal position, head down draped over the side of the instrument. He was a one man show and I was a one man audience. As I sat there listening to this man strum his guitar I began to think to myself, "This is God's treasure?" I mean think about it, here is this random man, in the middle of the day, sitting in a guitar store playing music by himself. His clothes looked like they hadn't been cleaned in...well, maybe never, his face was scruffy with untrimmed facial hair and his eyes were gazed.
Yet, I was convinced that God had this man on His heart so much that He would send me out to find him and minister to him. Is that incredible or what? It makes me think of the story in Acts 8:29 when "the spirit said to Philip, 'Go near, and join yourself to this chariot'". Philip obeyed the word of the Lord and met the Ethiopian Eunice who "just happened" to be reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. God had that man in mind. He was God's treasure, or better yet his "Target".
After a few rounds of jamming, I offered to pray for my new friend. He bowed his head down reverently as I spoke a blessing over his life. He lifted his head back up to thank me and went back to strumming his guitar. After ministering the love of God to this man, I walked away with a stronger sense of confidence to talk to more people. I stopped briefly to talk to the teenager at the front desk who I found out was raised Buddist and never heard the gospel, which I graciously shared with him. I was then off to Target again to look for more of God's treasures.
Walking into Target I headed directly to the Slurpee machine up front, but found no treasures awaiting me there so I decided to head towards the baked good section instead. On my way there I ran into Carol, another treasure hunter, who looked more like a casual shopper with a basket in hand. "We decided to pick these up and do some shopping to look less conspicious." Good idea. I got my own and headed to my next destination.
When I arrived, I found only one man stocking shelves with a new brand of tantelizing Oreo cookies. I struck up a conversation with him about the cookies he was putting in place and noticed a sizable crucifix dangling from a gold chain around his neck. "I like your cross." I said, pointing to the jewelry. "Do you go to church somewhere?" This simple question opened up a dialogue between us about life and spiritual things where I learned that "Craig" was a father of three children who hadn't visited a church in years and didn't know anyone who was praying for him. So I volunteered to do so and prayed for his life and family to have peace and balance.
As I left the baking section with a box of those delicious Oreos in my cart I glanced down to my white sheet looking for my next clue. I gazed upon the words "lighting bolts" wondering what this clue could mean. I got it! God wanted me to go to the section of the store that sold light bulbs and other lighting products. So with the guidance of a local Target worker I was headed to my next treasure spot, the lighting department.
At the lighting department I met another man stocking shelves. Again after striking up a random conversation about flouresent lighting, I began to converse with this "retired" man who couldn't stand sitting at home so he got himself a job stocking shelves at Target. "It gets me out of the house." It got me thinking of how God's purposes in our lives are by not means limited to the prime years we spend in the workforce. God wants to use us all the days of our life.
We had a good conversation, this time about grandchildren, life after work, the state of our nation, the direction of our society and the need for trust in God. I also sensed that this man had been burnt by the church, either personally, or through the scandals that had taken place over the years. I explained to him that we need not confuse "religion" or sinful people with God himself. He concurred with that idea, maybe the seed God wanted to plant in his heart. I prayed that God would reveal himself to this man and also lifted up his grandchildren and wife in my prayers.
My time was running out before I had to meet back up with the other treasure hunters, so I glanced quickly down at my sheet and out jumped the word, "clock". With that clue, I headed over toward the electronic section looking for clocks. I was greeted by a larger than life clock and then greeted by a young 20-something kid and a friendly, "Can I help you with something?". I looked down at his badge and saw the name, Chris, which was on my list of clues.
Chris and I spoke about the new flat screen TVs in his section. He was knowledgable about these devices and their quality. I was only thinking in my mind, "God loves this kid so much". So when he took a breath, I explained to him my treasure hunt and showed him his name on my paper. Chris looked surprised, in a good way, and shared with me that he does go to church, although he couldn't remember the name of the place he attended. I sensed he had a real tender heart towards the Lord and he was more than happy to receive my prayers for his life and future. Chris thanked me for the prayers, I gave him some encouraging words. I looked down at my watch and realized it was time to head back and meet up with the other treasure hunters for a wrap up conversation.
Since that day at Target, I have become more aware of God's great love for humanity and more sensitive to His leading and guiding. I have come across more than one person who I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that God had led me to speak with and minister to. I'm growing in my understanding of just how much God loves each and every one of us and how willing He is to go out of His way to meet us where we are at. In fact, His love is so great that He was willing to leave the comfort and joy of heaven to seek and save those who were lost. Now that's one great love!
As you go about your day, to the Supermarket, the gas station, to work or even the hair salon, I pray you will realize that all around you are treasures - people who God dearly loves and wants to reach with the gospel. Take some time out of your day and speak to one of those treasures and meet the need they have or offer to pray with them. You will find that a treasure from God is more valuable and joy giving than a pot of gold. And never forget, you are one of those treasures!
Amen.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, October 10, 2009
From Being Stressed to Being Blessed
Stressed. It's a common symptom that describes a majority of Americans today. In fact, eighty percent of workers feel stress on the job. Sixty-five percent of all Americans lose sleep due to stress, 32% are losing sleep at least one night a week!
Could stress be a national epidemic?
The two most common reasons I see people are stress, and that I myself experience stress are that we feel overwhelmed by what we need to do or we fear the future. And in our society where people use the word "busy" as a state of being, and where the nightly news only reports what's going wrong in the world, it is no wonder why personal stress is at such colossal proportions.
Whether the source of your stress comes from work, personal finances, relationships, home life or personal health concerns, here are some Bible principles that will help you go from being stressed to being blessed.
First, if you're feeling overwhelmed...
1)Know that God cares about you.
It might sound cliché, but it's true. God cares greatly about your well being. Jesus said that our Father cares enough to feed the birds and cloth the flowers. "Aren't you of much more value than they?" (Matthew 6:34) Contrary to popular belief, God is not aloof, distant and cold. In fact, He was willing to cloth himself in human flesh in order to save humanity. (John 3:16) He is not far off out in some outer galaxy. He is willing to draw near to those who humble themselves. (James 4:8) He is not too busy or concerned, that's really our problem more than it is His. God takes our calls, even in the middle of the night. (Jeremiah 33:3)
2)Turn your care into a prayer.
If God said, "I care" and left it at that, we'd not be much better off. But continually throughout the Scriptures we hear God encouraging His people to bring Him their cares in exchange for his grace, love, power and peace. Not a bad deal if you ask me. "Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he shall sustain you." (Psalm 55:22) As we pray and give our cares to God, He promises us His peace that passes our own intellectual comprehension, now that's pretty good. (Philippians 4:6,7) And you've got to love Jesus' promise to those weary and heavy laden, "I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Ok, so I'll take one order of peace with a side of rest!
3)Evaluate your current workload and obligations.
Are you burnt out because you've taken on too much? Here's an easy solution, reduce your workload. It sounds idealistic, but it might just be what the doctor ordered. Maybe your child doesn't have to go to dance class, play soccer, have piano lessons, be in the school play and clean their room all before Saturday noon. And maybe you don't need to spend that extra two hours toiling over work every night. Take this proverbial advice, "Don't overwork to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint. Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." (Proverbs 23:4-5)
4)Delegate some responsibilities or ask others for help.
If you thought delegation was a modern day business idea you're wrong. Delegation is as old as God himself. It's interesting to see the workings of delegation even in the Trinity. The Father sent the Son to the earth, the Son sent the Spirit. Sharing responsibility with others can help give people an opportunity to grow and lighten your load. I love the advice Moses' father-in-law gave him when he saw Moses toiling day and night to settle the people of Israel's disputes. "What you're doing is not smart. You're going to burn yourself out fast! You can't do all this yourself, go teach the people the law for themselves and then train up some responsible God fearing men to take over this task for you." (My paraphrase of Exodus 18:17-21)
5)Take time to get away from the situation.
Jesus might have felt the greatest pressure of being overloaded with work than anyone on the face of the earth. Mark 1:32-34 records a busy evening for the Master when people brought all those who were sick with various diseases and those who were oppressed by the devil to his care. And of course, His compassion got the best of Him and He healed them all. That's my Jesus! But early the next morning, Jesus got away to a deserted place to spend some quiet time with God in prayer - smart move. (Mark 1:35-37) If Jesus needed a break, I'm sure we could all use one too!
The second common reason for stress is the fear of the future. One of the greatest picture of this kind of stress from the Bible is the story of the disciples on the boat in the storm. Jesus was fast asleep and the water was overtaking their vessel. (Luke 8:22-25) "Master, master, wake up, we are dying!" I don't know about you, but I've often found myself in situations where it felt like God was asleep and I was drowning. Here are some ways to help calm the storm in your life.
1) Live for the day and not in the future.
"Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient." Let's face it, we can't change our past, we can't control our future, and we've got enough to keep us busy today. So why worry about those things that are out of our control? Which leads me to the second reason to avoid fearing the future...
2) Recognize the futility of being anxious.
Last I checked, worry never paid the bills, never got us to our appointment on time, never watched over our children when they were out of our sight, never found us a job and never met the deadline. "Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?" (Matthew 6:27) The only thing worry is good for is to make you grow older sooner than you'd like. The next time you want to worry, remember this little phrase, "Worry equals Wrinkles". If not for any other reason, maybe our own vanity can keep us from running off to play with worry.
3) Plan for the future, but don't be presumptuous.
We can't control the future, but we can plan for it. The Bible calls us to plan for the future, but it also reminds us to submit our plans to God and trust Him with our future. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty." (Proverbs 21:5) "A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) To avoid planning is foolish, but to presume our plans will pan out regardless of the Lord's will is equally ignorant. (James 4:13-16)
4) Do what is in your power to do.
Praying through our fears is good. Planning for the future is great. But we can't forget to take action with the responsibilities before us today. One of the most practical means of reducing stress over the future is to take action today. "To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17) "But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?" (James 2:20) Nothing may feel as rewarding and be as helpful to reducing stress as checking off actions on our "to do list" and getting the job done.
5) Learn to trust God with your future and situation.
At the end of the day, after we've prayed, after we've planned and after we've worked, we must entrust our future into God's hands. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:3-5)
One final note that I hope you'd consider as you go through the stress of this life is to remember that at times stress can actually produce good results in our life. As you submit your life to God and trust Him through your trials, He can work in you to refine your character. (James 1:1-4) I will leave us with a prayer that may best encompass the lessons the Bible teaches us about stress managment. It is known as the Serentity Prayer and was penned by Reinhold Niebuhr.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.
Could stress be a national epidemic?
The two most common reasons I see people are stress, and that I myself experience stress are that we feel overwhelmed by what we need to do or we fear the future. And in our society where people use the word "busy" as a state of being, and where the nightly news only reports what's going wrong in the world, it is no wonder why personal stress is at such colossal proportions.
Whether the source of your stress comes from work, personal finances, relationships, home life or personal health concerns, here are some Bible principles that will help you go from being stressed to being blessed.
First, if you're feeling overwhelmed...
1)Know that God cares about you.
It might sound cliché, but it's true. God cares greatly about your well being. Jesus said that our Father cares enough to feed the birds and cloth the flowers. "Aren't you of much more value than they?" (Matthew 6:34) Contrary to popular belief, God is not aloof, distant and cold. In fact, He was willing to cloth himself in human flesh in order to save humanity. (John 3:16) He is not far off out in some outer galaxy. He is willing to draw near to those who humble themselves. (James 4:8) He is not too busy or concerned, that's really our problem more than it is His. God takes our calls, even in the middle of the night. (Jeremiah 33:3)
2)Turn your care into a prayer.
If God said, "I care" and left it at that, we'd not be much better off. But continually throughout the Scriptures we hear God encouraging His people to bring Him their cares in exchange for his grace, love, power and peace. Not a bad deal if you ask me. "Cast your burdens on the Lord, and he shall sustain you." (Psalm 55:22) As we pray and give our cares to God, He promises us His peace that passes our own intellectual comprehension, now that's pretty good. (Philippians 4:6,7) And you've got to love Jesus' promise to those weary and heavy laden, "I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) Ok, so I'll take one order of peace with a side of rest!
3)Evaluate your current workload and obligations.
Are you burnt out because you've taken on too much? Here's an easy solution, reduce your workload. It sounds idealistic, but it might just be what the doctor ordered. Maybe your child doesn't have to go to dance class, play soccer, have piano lessons, be in the school play and clean their room all before Saturday noon. And maybe you don't need to spend that extra two hours toiling over work every night. Take this proverbial advice, "Don't overwork to be rich. In your wisdom, show restraint. Why do you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven." (Proverbs 23:4-5)
4)Delegate some responsibilities or ask others for help.
If you thought delegation was a modern day business idea you're wrong. Delegation is as old as God himself. It's interesting to see the workings of delegation even in the Trinity. The Father sent the Son to the earth, the Son sent the Spirit. Sharing responsibility with others can help give people an opportunity to grow and lighten your load. I love the advice Moses' father-in-law gave him when he saw Moses toiling day and night to settle the people of Israel's disputes. "What you're doing is not smart. You're going to burn yourself out fast! You can't do all this yourself, go teach the people the law for themselves and then train up some responsible God fearing men to take over this task for you." (My paraphrase of Exodus 18:17-21)
5)Take time to get away from the situation.
Jesus might have felt the greatest pressure of being overloaded with work than anyone on the face of the earth. Mark 1:32-34 records a busy evening for the Master when people brought all those who were sick with various diseases and those who were oppressed by the devil to his care. And of course, His compassion got the best of Him and He healed them all. That's my Jesus! But early the next morning, Jesus got away to a deserted place to spend some quiet time with God in prayer - smart move. (Mark 1:35-37) If Jesus needed a break, I'm sure we could all use one too!
The second common reason for stress is the fear of the future. One of the greatest picture of this kind of stress from the Bible is the story of the disciples on the boat in the storm. Jesus was fast asleep and the water was overtaking their vessel. (Luke 8:22-25) "Master, master, wake up, we are dying!" I don't know about you, but I've often found myself in situations where it felt like God was asleep and I was drowning. Here are some ways to help calm the storm in your life.
1) Live for the day and not in the future.
"Therefore don't be anxious for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Each day's own evil is sufficient." Let's face it, we can't change our past, we can't control our future, and we've got enough to keep us busy today. So why worry about those things that are out of our control? Which leads me to the second reason to avoid fearing the future...
2) Recognize the futility of being anxious.
Last I checked, worry never paid the bills, never got us to our appointment on time, never watched over our children when they were out of our sight, never found us a job and never met the deadline. "Which of you, by being anxious, can add one moment to his lifespan?" (Matthew 6:27) The only thing worry is good for is to make you grow older sooner than you'd like. The next time you want to worry, remember this little phrase, "Worry equals Wrinkles". If not for any other reason, maybe our own vanity can keep us from running off to play with worry.
3) Plan for the future, but don't be presumptuous.
We can't control the future, but we can plan for it. The Bible calls us to plan for the future, but it also reminds us to submit our plans to God and trust Him with our future. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty." (Proverbs 21:5) "A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9) To avoid planning is foolish, but to presume our plans will pan out regardless of the Lord's will is equally ignorant. (James 4:13-16)
4) Do what is in your power to do.
Praying through our fears is good. Planning for the future is great. But we can't forget to take action with the responsibilities before us today. One of the most practical means of reducing stress over the future is to take action today. "To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin." (James 4:17) "But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?" (James 2:20) Nothing may feel as rewarding and be as helpful to reducing stress as checking off actions on our "to do list" and getting the job done.
5) Learn to trust God with your future and situation.
At the end of the day, after we've prayed, after we've planned and after we've worked, we must entrust our future into God's hands. "Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shall you dwell in the land, and verily you shall be fed. Delight yourself also in the Lord; and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:3-5)
One final note that I hope you'd consider as you go through the stress of this life is to remember that at times stress can actually produce good results in our life. As you submit your life to God and trust Him through your trials, He can work in you to refine your character. (James 1:1-4) I will leave us with a prayer that may best encompass the lessons the Bible teaches us about stress managment. It is known as the Serentity Prayer and was penned by Reinhold Niebuhr.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Fearless - Imagine Your Life Without Fear
New York Times Best-Selling Author Max Lucado has done it again. He's written another biblically sound book full of antidotes, personal testimonies, clever analogies, Bible verses and exegesis neatly woven together like a knit hat from Grandma. (Oh, he's so much better at those analogies than I).
Fearless - Imagine Your Life Without Fear is a solid book that's easy to read and a good pill for the faint heart to swallow. It's comforting, encouraging and only mildly convicting. Max does a great job in disrobing fear to make it seem like an every day issue for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Fearless is a good summer sit by the deck read, especially with it's captivating front cover shot of a young boy airborne off the edge of a pier. What Fearless is not, is a hardcore, down and dirty manual on what the Bible says about fear and how to overcome it. If I had one criticism about Fearless it would be that it does not give a lot of practical "to dos" in overcoming fear other than the standard "read your Bible and pray" solution. In that sense it didn't deliver what I had expected.
What Fearless does do however is tackle some of life's most challenging questions concerning fear using sound and deep theology written in a way that anyone can understand. He address the fear of...not mattering, disappointing God, running out (worry), not protecting your kids, overwhelming challenges, worse-case scenarios, violence, the coming winter (finances), of life's final moments (death), what's next (the future) and the fear that God is not real. Each chapter could easily stand on it's own and used as a reference guide when any of these fear mounts.
I would even recommend Fearless as a gift to a person who may not be ready to delve into the Bible, but is an avid reader who appreciates good writing and a smile. Fearless has and gives both. All in all Max Lucado is an extremely talented author. I'm betting he could write a book on boredom and make it interesting. He's just that good. Hats of to Max (and his supporting staff and team) for another well read book.
Fearless - Imagine Your Life Without Fear is a solid book that's easy to read and a good pill for the faint heart to swallow. It's comforting, encouraging and only mildly convicting. Max does a great job in disrobing fear to make it seem like an every day issue for every man, woman and child on the face of the earth. "There has no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted above that you are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Fearless is a good summer sit by the deck read, especially with it's captivating front cover shot of a young boy airborne off the edge of a pier. What Fearless is not, is a hardcore, down and dirty manual on what the Bible says about fear and how to overcome it. If I had one criticism about Fearless it would be that it does not give a lot of practical "to dos" in overcoming fear other than the standard "read your Bible and pray" solution. In that sense it didn't deliver what I had expected.
What Fearless does do however is tackle some of life's most challenging questions concerning fear using sound and deep theology written in a way that anyone can understand. He address the fear of...not mattering, disappointing God, running out (worry), not protecting your kids, overwhelming challenges, worse-case scenarios, violence, the coming winter (finances), of life's final moments (death), what's next (the future) and the fear that God is not real. Each chapter could easily stand on it's own and used as a reference guide when any of these fear mounts.
I would even recommend Fearless as a gift to a person who may not be ready to delve into the Bible, but is an avid reader who appreciates good writing and a smile. Fearless has and gives both. All in all Max Lucado is an extremely talented author. I'm betting he could write a book on boredom and make it interesting. He's just that good. Hats of to Max (and his supporting staff and team) for another well read book.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Finding God's Will One Step at a Time
Most Christians I know have asked the age old question, "What's God's will for my life?" Early on in my Christian life I desperately wanted to know God's will and for some reason felt that I was missing it. After having such an overnight, dramatic conversion I concluded that God's will also had to be found through a similar epiphany experience. While I still welcome and seek to find God and experience Him in new ways, I have come to believe that finding His will happens more gradually and subtly as we follow Him daily.
I have read literature and heard sermons on finding God's will that has been helpful. But too often I find that God's will becomes a forumla that we are trying to crack. The line of thinking typically goes something like this, "If you read your Bible enough, pray enough and make a list of all the pros and cons to every decision, you will find God's will."
I agree that reading God's Word daily, praying without ceasing and making wise choices will help us to find God's will, but I'm convinced that God is more interested in our relationship with Him than in us doing certain things to find His will.
This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NIV)
God's will is for us to know Him. You can know the name of every President past and present, but have never met any one of them. In the same way, you can know about God, that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet not know Him personally. Finding God's will for your life starts by coming to know Him personally through salvation.
Knowing God doesn't stop at salvation though, in fact it's just the beginning. God wants us to continually "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". (2 Peter 3:18) As we come to know Him more intimately, we also come to know His will for our lives. God is not looking for us to crack a formula, but to develop a relationship. May it be at the end of our lives that we share the testimony of Enoch and Noah who "walked with God". (Genesis 5:24, Genesis 6:9)
Of course our greatest example of knowing God and walking in His will comes from Jesus Christ. Throughout the Scriptures we see that Jesus was "led by the Spirit" (Matthew 4:1l, Luke 4:1), spoke and did what the Father showed Him to do (John 8:38) and willingly laid down his will for that of the Father (Matthew 26:42).
Today as believers in Christ we have been given the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the person of the Holy Spirit who "will guide you into all truth", speak to you (John 16:13), give you the words you need to speak (Luke 12:12) and lead you in the ways of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
I am determined and convinved that God's will can be found by simply following the Holy Spirit one day at a time, one moment at a time. As we learn more about Him through the Word of God and grow in our relationship with Him on a daily basis, through prayer and fellowship with Him, we will find ourselves in the will of God.
So what is God's will for your life?
It's very simple. Do the next thing that the Holy Spirit would have you to do.
Amen.
I have read literature and heard sermons on finding God's will that has been helpful. But too often I find that God's will becomes a forumla that we are trying to crack. The line of thinking typically goes something like this, "If you read your Bible enough, pray enough and make a list of all the pros and cons to every decision, you will find God's will."
I agree that reading God's Word daily, praying without ceasing and making wise choices will help us to find God's will, but I'm convinced that God is more interested in our relationship with Him than in us doing certain things to find His will.
This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, NIV)
God's will is for us to know Him. You can know the name of every President past and present, but have never met any one of them. In the same way, you can know about God, that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, yet not know Him personally. Finding God's will for your life starts by coming to know Him personally through salvation.
Knowing God doesn't stop at salvation though, in fact it's just the beginning. God wants us to continually "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ". (2 Peter 3:18) As we come to know Him more intimately, we also come to know His will for our lives. God is not looking for us to crack a formula, but to develop a relationship. May it be at the end of our lives that we share the testimony of Enoch and Noah who "walked with God". (Genesis 5:24, Genesis 6:9)
Of course our greatest example of knowing God and walking in His will comes from Jesus Christ. Throughout the Scriptures we see that Jesus was "led by the Spirit" (Matthew 4:1l, Luke 4:1), spoke and did what the Father showed Him to do (John 8:38) and willingly laid down his will for that of the Father (Matthew 26:42).
Today as believers in Christ we have been given the precious gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the person of the Holy Spirit who "will guide you into all truth", speak to you (John 16:13), give you the words you need to speak (Luke 12:12) and lead you in the ways of God. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Romans 8:14)
I am determined and convinved that God's will can be found by simply following the Holy Spirit one day at a time, one moment at a time. As we learn more about Him through the Word of God and grow in our relationship with Him on a daily basis, through prayer and fellowship with Him, we will find ourselves in the will of God.
So what is God's will for your life?
It's very simple. Do the next thing that the Holy Spirit would have you to do.
Amen.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Refreshment for the Weary Soul
We live in a world that can tear us down and beat us up. At times the battle of life seems like an uphill fight and we become fatigued and feel like giving up. But there is hope! God's Word has given the solution to overcoming weariness and finding strength and refreshment to live.
The typical Western solution to weariness is found in taking vacations. "I need a vacation" is a common phrase I hear in the office and one I've muttered myself. Finding a break from work is a great start to overcoming weariness. In fact, God's original work plan instructed humanity to take one day of rest for every six days of work. (Exodus 23:12) I believe that the Sabbath day is God's on-going vacation plan for humanity to find rest each week.
Jesus corrected the understanding of his contemporaries who thought the Sabbath day was about keeping rules. Instead Jesus taught that the Sabbath was a day God had given to man for rest. (Mark 2:27) I have found that practicing the Sabbath day has been one of the best preventative means of avoiding weariness. Apart from church attendance and prayer, my Sabbath includes abstaining from the computer and e-mail for a day and taking a nap in the afternoon.
Even more practical than taking naps and taking time off, the Bible speaks about the importance of nutrition to overcoming a weary soul. When David and his people became weary, they nourished themselves with good, wholesome and healthy foods. (2 Samuel 17:27-29) Elijah is another a perfect example, he fell asleep and an angel of the Lord woke him up twice instructing him to eat. "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for you."(1 Kings 19:7). Now that's my kind of angel!
While good food and rest are essential, the solution to weariness goes even deeper. Weariness is the feeling of being fatigued not only in our body, but in our mind, emotions and spirit. Therefore the remedy for overcoming weariness needs to meet the inner needs of our heart as much as rest for our body. No food or rest can solve the need for quality time spent with God.
God himself never becomes weary. He never tires or needs rest. "Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28) God is the everlasting source of strength and life. Spending time in God's presence will recharge our internal battery. "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31)
Jesus made a statement that would be outlandish for anyone other than God when we said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV) Taking time to come to Jesus and giving him our burdens will bring refreshment to the weariest of souls.
Spending time with God must also include time in God's Word, the Bible. Nothing will refresh us more than a timely word in due season. A word in season can help encourage a person who is feeling weary to have hope. If you are weary, seek God for a word of encouragement and if you know others who are feeling weary, seek to encourage them. (Isaiah 50:4) A timely word from God is able to revive us, strengthen us, comfort us and give us joy. (Psalm 119:25, 28, 50, 107, Proverbs 12:25)
Weariness should not be taken lightly. The feelings of weariness can make us sick of living and even desirous of death, just ask Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Job (Job 3:16-17, 6:8,9, 10:1) or Jonah (Jonah 4:8) If you are feeling weary today, find time to rest, eat well and get alone with God in prayer and in reading His word. Ignoring, or denying the feelings of weariness and plowing forward can be disastrous.
Weariness can also makes us more vulnerable and susceptible to the enemy's attacks which may come in the form of discouragement in our hearts or in the guise of a "good friend". (1 Peter 5:8, Deuteronomy 25:18, Job 16:7, Job 22:7) We must be cautious of the company we surround ourselves with when we feel weary and find good friends who will lift us up and encourage us.
Ultimately, we must determine to never quit doing good and serving the Lord knowing that the work we do is not in vain. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9) (2 Thessalonians 3:13) If we do not give up or lose heart, there will come a day when our labors are rewarded and we get to hear the words of our Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
The typical Western solution to weariness is found in taking vacations. "I need a vacation" is a common phrase I hear in the office and one I've muttered myself. Finding a break from work is a great start to overcoming weariness. In fact, God's original work plan instructed humanity to take one day of rest for every six days of work. (Exodus 23:12) I believe that the Sabbath day is God's on-going vacation plan for humanity to find rest each week.
Jesus corrected the understanding of his contemporaries who thought the Sabbath day was about keeping rules. Instead Jesus taught that the Sabbath was a day God had given to man for rest. (Mark 2:27) I have found that practicing the Sabbath day has been one of the best preventative means of avoiding weariness. Apart from church attendance and prayer, my Sabbath includes abstaining from the computer and e-mail for a day and taking a nap in the afternoon.
Even more practical than taking naps and taking time off, the Bible speaks about the importance of nutrition to overcoming a weary soul. When David and his people became weary, they nourished themselves with good, wholesome and healthy foods. (2 Samuel 17:27-29) Elijah is another a perfect example, he fell asleep and an angel of the Lord woke him up twice instructing him to eat. "Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for you."(1 Kings 19:7). Now that's my kind of angel!
While good food and rest are essential, the solution to weariness goes even deeper. Weariness is the feeling of being fatigued not only in our body, but in our mind, emotions and spirit. Therefore the remedy for overcoming weariness needs to meet the inner needs of our heart as much as rest for our body. No food or rest can solve the need for quality time spent with God.
God himself never becomes weary. He never tires or needs rest. "Have you not known? have you not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, faints not, neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28) God is the everlasting source of strength and life. Spending time in God's presence will recharge our internal battery. "Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31)
Jesus made a statement that would be outlandish for anyone other than God when we said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28, NIV) Taking time to come to Jesus and giving him our burdens will bring refreshment to the weariest of souls.
Spending time with God must also include time in God's Word, the Bible. Nothing will refresh us more than a timely word in due season. A word in season can help encourage a person who is feeling weary to have hope. If you are weary, seek God for a word of encouragement and if you know others who are feeling weary, seek to encourage them. (Isaiah 50:4) A timely word from God is able to revive us, strengthen us, comfort us and give us joy. (Psalm 119:25, 28, 50, 107, Proverbs 12:25)
Weariness should not be taken lightly. The feelings of weariness can make us sick of living and even desirous of death, just ask Elijah (1 Kings 19:4), Job (Job 3:16-17, 6:8,9, 10:1) or Jonah (Jonah 4:8) If you are feeling weary today, find time to rest, eat well and get alone with God in prayer and in reading His word. Ignoring, or denying the feelings of weariness and plowing forward can be disastrous.
Weariness can also makes us more vulnerable and susceptible to the enemy's attacks which may come in the form of discouragement in our hearts or in the guise of a "good friend". (1 Peter 5:8, Deuteronomy 25:18, Job 16:7, Job 22:7) We must be cautious of the company we surround ourselves with when we feel weary and find good friends who will lift us up and encourage us.
Ultimately, we must determine to never quit doing good and serving the Lord knowing that the work we do is not in vain. "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." (Galatians 6:9) (2 Thessalonians 3:13) If we do not give up or lose heart, there will come a day when our labors are rewarded and we get to hear the words of our Savior say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Saturday, May 9, 2009
A Need for More Compassion
This week, God has made it very clear to me that I need more compassion. It all started when I came home from work one night and began to sort through the day's mail on our kitchen counter. I flipped through the pile scanning and sorting each letter into categories: bills, junk mail etc. I was moving through the pile with machine-like speed until I came across an envelope with a child's face on the front cover. The child on the envelope had a severe cleft lip and palate. I paused momentarily to take in the picture then quickly flipped the envelope over disturbed and admittedly disgusted by the what I saw. As I continued on in my sorting process, my conscience rang loud within me like the first crow of the rooster that convicted Peter of his denial of Jesus.
A few nights later I was leading a Bible study at my church. One of the participants shared a story of Heidi Baker, a missionary to Mozambique. Heidi has seen God move miraculously through her ministry healing the blind, deaf and sick. On one occasion she came to a camp where there was a large group of terminally ill people under a tent. The Lord spoke to Heidi and said he wanted her to minister to each one of them face to face, cheek to cheek. This was an outlandish request because these people were contagious and their disease could have easily been transferred over to her. The doctors tried to convince her not to do it, warning her of the danger of getting cholera. But out of obedience to the Lord and compassion for these people she began to minister to each person. After only the first day, a few went home well, then the next day many more were healed until the third day when every person was made whole!
The cock crowed a second time; I was convicted of my lack of compassion for others.
On Friday morning, I went to a leadership training course that I've been taking for a few weeks. Our assignment from the prior week was to bring a group of co-workers together to brainstorm ideas that would save our company money. We gathered in groups of four at our tables discussing how each person's session went and elected one person from each group who's story was the most compelling. I was chosen from our group and was asked to stand in front of the class with two others to retell our story.
The first person to give a report was Rebecca, a very soft spoken young woman who works as a lawyer representing poor people. She told of how she gathered a group of lawyers, paralegals and administrators from her office to do the brainstorming session together. One of the administrators leaned over to her during the meeting and whispered, "Do your really want my opinion, I'm not a lawyer?" Rebecca encouraged her to participate and said that everyone's opinion was welcome.
After the three of us gave our presentations, the class voted for the one story they appreciated the most. And the winner was Rebecca. While the other gentleman and I had stories that were similar in their attempt to save our company money, it was Rebecca's willingness to "level the playing field" and have compassion on "the least of these" that made her story the most compelling. Although the business people in the class come from various religious and cultural backgrounds, everyone could relate to the humane decision of compassion Rebecca made. The cock crowed again.
The Holy Spirit began to connect the dots for me showing how each of these stories had one overriding theme: compassion. It is compassion that will motivate others to donate money so the child with the cleft palate and lip can receive corrective surgery. It was the compassion of Jesus shown through Heidi Baker that motivated her to take a risk for her own health to see God do a miracle. And it was compassion for other co-workers that led Rebecca to honor the opinion of everyone in her office.
So what do you do when you see a world in need of compassion, but at the same time your heart is desperately in need of more love and care for others? You do what I did, call out to God and make your confession and plea, "Oh God, forgive me for my hard heart and fill me with your compassion for others!" I know this is a prayer that God is going to gladly answer.
One last note: As we approach Mother's day this year I want to honor one of the most compassionate persons I've ever known, my mother Souad Eade. My mom has a tender heart for others, a Mother Teresa type spirit and a compassion that is tangible. Thank you Mom for all the times you cared for me when I was sick, comforted me when I was sad and empathized with me when I was hurting. Your example of compassion is a great one for me to follow. Thank you. I love you.
"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14) Amen.
A few nights later I was leading a Bible study at my church. One of the participants shared a story of Heidi Baker, a missionary to Mozambique. Heidi has seen God move miraculously through her ministry healing the blind, deaf and sick. On one occasion she came to a camp where there was a large group of terminally ill people under a tent. The Lord spoke to Heidi and said he wanted her to minister to each one of them face to face, cheek to cheek. This was an outlandish request because these people were contagious and their disease could have easily been transferred over to her. The doctors tried to convince her not to do it, warning her of the danger of getting cholera. But out of obedience to the Lord and compassion for these people she began to minister to each person. After only the first day, a few went home well, then the next day many more were healed until the third day when every person was made whole!
The cock crowed a second time; I was convicted of my lack of compassion for others.
On Friday morning, I went to a leadership training course that I've been taking for a few weeks. Our assignment from the prior week was to bring a group of co-workers together to brainstorm ideas that would save our company money. We gathered in groups of four at our tables discussing how each person's session went and elected one person from each group who's story was the most compelling. I was chosen from our group and was asked to stand in front of the class with two others to retell our story.
The first person to give a report was Rebecca, a very soft spoken young woman who works as a lawyer representing poor people. She told of how she gathered a group of lawyers, paralegals and administrators from her office to do the brainstorming session together. One of the administrators leaned over to her during the meeting and whispered, "Do your really want my opinion, I'm not a lawyer?" Rebecca encouraged her to participate and said that everyone's opinion was welcome.
After the three of us gave our presentations, the class voted for the one story they appreciated the most. And the winner was Rebecca. While the other gentleman and I had stories that were similar in their attempt to save our company money, it was Rebecca's willingness to "level the playing field" and have compassion on "the least of these" that made her story the most compelling. Although the business people in the class come from various religious and cultural backgrounds, everyone could relate to the humane decision of compassion Rebecca made. The cock crowed again.
The Holy Spirit began to connect the dots for me showing how each of these stories had one overriding theme: compassion. It is compassion that will motivate others to donate money so the child with the cleft palate and lip can receive corrective surgery. It was the compassion of Jesus shown through Heidi Baker that motivated her to take a risk for her own health to see God do a miracle. And it was compassion for other co-workers that led Rebecca to honor the opinion of everyone in her office.
So what do you do when you see a world in need of compassion, but at the same time your heart is desperately in need of more love and care for others? You do what I did, call out to God and make your confession and plea, "Oh God, forgive me for my hard heart and fill me with your compassion for others!" I know this is a prayer that God is going to gladly answer.
One last note: As we approach Mother's day this year I want to honor one of the most compassionate persons I've ever known, my mother Souad Eade. My mom has a tender heart for others, a Mother Teresa type spirit and a compassion that is tangible. Thank you Mom for all the times you cared for me when I was sick, comforted me when I was sad and empathized with me when I was hurting. Your example of compassion is a great one for me to follow. Thank you. I love you.
"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick." (Matthew 14:14) Amen.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Reading the Fine Print
I had an unfortunate occurrence this week. I realized that I'd been scammed. Yes, it happens to all of us at some point or another. We enter into an agreement with good faith only to find out that the other party had malicious intentions in mind.
It all started about a month back when I read a blog about some products that I found interesting. Ok, I'll admit, it was for a tooth whitening product. Evidently the blogger, a former smoker, had success in using two different products. She suggested that by only purchasing a trial sample of each product and using them one at time you'd see great results. And her before and after pictures proved it.
So, I figured, "What's the harm?" I signed up for a trial of both products on-line, paid a nominal shipping fee and within days the products were sent to my house. Then about three weeks later I received a bill for $79.99 from one of the companies. Then a few days after that I received a new shipment of both products.
I figured something wasn't right about this situation, so I called up the first company and asked why they were charging me an additional fee and sending me more product. I was then told that in the fine print of my trial agreement it stated that I had 10 days to call and cancel my account or I'd be automatically enrolled into their "VIP" club.
I adamantly, but kindly, refused to be part of their club and asked for my money back. I was denied. I asked to speak to the manager, told him my complaint and requested my money back. He not only denied me, he hung up on me!!!
I then called my credit card company to dispute the charges only to find out that the other company had also charged me - twice. Fortunately, the second company was willing to remove all the charges once I sent back the additional product to their warehouse.
All of this trouble started because I didn't take the time to carefully read the fine print. I chalked this up as a lesson to be learned and put a stake in the ground - "From this point forward I will carefully and diligently read all the fine print before entering into any binding agreement".
Lo and behold, I received a piece of mail just this week with fine print. After reading it, I realized that I had to respond quickly to prohibit this company from using my personal information for their marketing purposes. My new conviction of reading the fine print was already paying off dividends.
I can give you plenty of reasons (read: excuses) that I never spent the time to carefully read the fine print - I considered it boring, redundant legal language that can be difficult to understand and time consuming.
I think at times we look at the Bible the same way. The same excuses abound, "I don't understand what I'm reading." "It's boring." "I've read it before." "I don't have the time."
Yet, if we avoid reading God's Word and knowing what it says, we will also suffer consequences that are more grave than a mere loss of money. WE CAN LOSE OUR SOUL!
Here are some quick tips I've learned about reading the fine print that I think we can also apply to our daily Bible reading to bring about greater results:
1)Read slowly - When I read fine print, I'm more concerned about my comprehension than I am about my speed. The same goes with Bible reading. It's not a race. It's more important that you comprehend one sentence than read a whole chapter.
2)Stop and ponder - When you read something that jumps out at you or that you don't understand, read it over until you do. In my Bible reading, if a word or phrase jumps out, I've learned to stop and meditate to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart.
3)Ask questions - If I feel uneasy or uncertain about something I'm reading in fine print, I make sure to ask questions. In the same way, it's a good and healthy practice to ask questions in our Bible reading and then seek God for the answers.
4)Seek Wise Counsel - I'm no lawyer, so if I have a question about a legal document, it's smart to ask someone who is proficient in interpreting the law. In the same light, I use many guides in my Bible reading - a good concordance and commentary can go a long way to gain insight from others who know more about the Scriptures.
5)Pray about what you've read - When I'm in doubt about what I'm signing up for, it's always wise to stop and ask God for clarity and guidance. When I apply the same rule to my Bible reading, God provides me with insight and revelation.
"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Amen.
It all started about a month back when I read a blog about some products that I found interesting. Ok, I'll admit, it was for a tooth whitening product. Evidently the blogger, a former smoker, had success in using two different products. She suggested that by only purchasing a trial sample of each product and using them one at time you'd see great results. And her before and after pictures proved it.
So, I figured, "What's the harm?" I signed up for a trial of both products on-line, paid a nominal shipping fee and within days the products were sent to my house. Then about three weeks later I received a bill for $79.99 from one of the companies. Then a few days after that I received a new shipment of both products.
I figured something wasn't right about this situation, so I called up the first company and asked why they were charging me an additional fee and sending me more product. I was then told that in the fine print of my trial agreement it stated that I had 10 days to call and cancel my account or I'd be automatically enrolled into their "VIP" club.
I adamantly, but kindly, refused to be part of their club and asked for my money back. I was denied. I asked to speak to the manager, told him my complaint and requested my money back. He not only denied me, he hung up on me!!!
I then called my credit card company to dispute the charges only to find out that the other company had also charged me - twice. Fortunately, the second company was willing to remove all the charges once I sent back the additional product to their warehouse.
All of this trouble started because I didn't take the time to carefully read the fine print. I chalked this up as a lesson to be learned and put a stake in the ground - "From this point forward I will carefully and diligently read all the fine print before entering into any binding agreement".
Lo and behold, I received a piece of mail just this week with fine print. After reading it, I realized that I had to respond quickly to prohibit this company from using my personal information for their marketing purposes. My new conviction of reading the fine print was already paying off dividends.
I can give you plenty of reasons (read: excuses) that I never spent the time to carefully read the fine print - I considered it boring, redundant legal language that can be difficult to understand and time consuming.
I think at times we look at the Bible the same way. The same excuses abound, "I don't understand what I'm reading." "It's boring." "I've read it before." "I don't have the time."
Yet, if we avoid reading God's Word and knowing what it says, we will also suffer consequences that are more grave than a mere loss of money. WE CAN LOSE OUR SOUL!
Here are some quick tips I've learned about reading the fine print that I think we can also apply to our daily Bible reading to bring about greater results:
1)Read slowly - When I read fine print, I'm more concerned about my comprehension than I am about my speed. The same goes with Bible reading. It's not a race. It's more important that you comprehend one sentence than read a whole chapter.
2)Stop and ponder - When you read something that jumps out at you or that you don't understand, read it over until you do. In my Bible reading, if a word or phrase jumps out, I've learned to stop and meditate to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart.
3)Ask questions - If I feel uneasy or uncertain about something I'm reading in fine print, I make sure to ask questions. In the same way, it's a good and healthy practice to ask questions in our Bible reading and then seek God for the answers.
4)Seek Wise Counsel - I'm no lawyer, so if I have a question about a legal document, it's smart to ask someone who is proficient in interpreting the law. In the same light, I use many guides in my Bible reading - a good concordance and commentary can go a long way to gain insight from others who know more about the Scriptures.
5)Pray about what you've read - When I'm in doubt about what I'm signing up for, it's always wise to stop and ask God for clarity and guidance. When I apply the same rule to my Bible reading, God provides me with insight and revelation.
"Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) Amen.
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