Today's reading is really working on my heart. There are so many inspirational verses in this one chapter, and a lot of really strong teaching. So much is speaking to me ... I'm not even sure where to begin!! At the beginning, as usual, I suppose.
vs 5-6 ... But just experiencing God's wonder and grace didn't seem to mean much - most of them were defeated by temptation during the hard times in the desert, and God was not pleased. The same thing could happen to us. We must be on guard so that we never get caught up in wanting our own way as they did.
It never ceases to amaze me just how easy it is every single day to give in to temptation. God gives us never-ending grace and mercy, is unwavering faith so much to ask for? Apparently. "we must be on guard" ... it sounds so easy. How do we achieve that? It seems trite to say prayer, but it is the truth. It seems silly to say devotion, worship, praise, but that doesn't mean those aren't the answer.
When we build up the Word of God around us and fortify ourselves with the knowledge that He has created us for His Glory, we will become stronger. Yes, there are bad days. Yes, there are days when we want to run and hide and put our head under our pillows. But what are those days compared to the ones where we feel His presence around us, see the evidence of His love, know that His protection keeps our families safe.
vs 11 ... These are all warning markers - danger! - in our history books, written down so that we don't repeat their mistakes. Our positions in the story are parallel - they are at the beginning, we at the end - and we are just as capable of messing it up as they were.
And we, in the fall of 2010, are just as capable of messing it up as Paul and the Corinthians ... almost 2000 years ago.
vs 13 ... No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down, he'll never let you be pushed past your limit; he'll always be there to help you come through it.
These are words we have always heard. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger ... God will never give you more than you can take. Have you ever questioned that? I have. I DO. On a DAILY basis! There have been so many times in the past year when I just know that God has me confused with someone else. Someone who is stronger, wiser, more prayerful ... holier? Because surely I can't handle this anymore. Surely I am not strong enough to keep conquering everything that we keep getting dealt.
But I am stronger today than I was last week. I was stronger last week than I was last year. And I was certainly stronger last year than I was 10 years ago. I can only pray to God above that I am stronger tomorrow than I am today, because today is just not looking so good.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
1 Corinthians 9
vs 19-22 ... Even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized - whoever. I didn't take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ - but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I've become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.
So very refreshing! Can you imagine Paul today? Just think of all the people he would be working with, hanging out with, ministering to! Homeless people, cancer patients, kids with autism, drug addicts, gamblers, porn addicts, alcoholics, HIV/AIDS patients, war heroes, congressmen. He'd have a fantasy football team and go to Superbowl parties. He'd hang out with the teens discussing the realism of cliques in High School Musical. He'd golf with the pastors and doctors. He'd set up play groups and mentors for teen moms.
Because really? How are any of these people different than the people back then? Ok, maybe excluding HSM and football. But didn't they have the same drama and stereotypes that we do now? 2000 years haven't really changed anything at all.
I think of the WWJD bracelets/bumper stickers/posters people used to display so proudly. But, really, Jesus was our teacher. Paul ... Paul was our missionary. He was the one that taught us how to put the words of Christ into action. Now, before we get all jumpy, I'm not putting Paul up on the same pedestal as Jesus - not by ANY means. I am very much saying that the next time we see a guy on the corner with a "Will work for food" sign ... think about what Paul would have done with him. He wouldn't have turned a blind eye and ignored him, but he would have found him help - a job, some food, anything.
We are all built to minister to a group. We all have experiences that we are meant to share in order to help someone else. Don't waste those - help someone you know God has intended for you. Be a Paul.
So very refreshing! Can you imagine Paul today? Just think of all the people he would be working with, hanging out with, ministering to! Homeless people, cancer patients, kids with autism, drug addicts, gamblers, porn addicts, alcoholics, HIV/AIDS patients, war heroes, congressmen. He'd have a fantasy football team and go to Superbowl parties. He'd hang out with the teens discussing the realism of cliques in High School Musical. He'd golf with the pastors and doctors. He'd set up play groups and mentors for teen moms.
Because really? How are any of these people different than the people back then? Ok, maybe excluding HSM and football. But didn't they have the same drama and stereotypes that we do now? 2000 years haven't really changed anything at all.
I think of the WWJD bracelets/bumper stickers/posters people used to display so proudly. But, really, Jesus was our teacher. Paul ... Paul was our missionary. He was the one that taught us how to put the words of Christ into action. Now, before we get all jumpy, I'm not putting Paul up on the same pedestal as Jesus - not by ANY means. I am very much saying that the next time we see a guy on the corner with a "Will work for food" sign ... think about what Paul would have done with him. He wouldn't have turned a blind eye and ignored him, but he would have found him help - a job, some food, anything.
We are all built to minister to a group. We all have experiences that we are meant to share in order to help someone else. Don't waste those - help someone you know God has intended for you. Be a Paul.
1 Corinthians 8
vs 9 ... But God does care when you use your freedom carelessly in a way that leads a fellow believer still vulnerable to those old associations to be thrown off track.
The appearance of evil. A daunting subject.
*deep sigh* Ok ... here goes.
When Hubby and I first started dating, I was in a very tense living arrangement. Following my divorce, I wasn't able to manage the financial aspects of our house, and lost the lease on it. The children moved in with The Ex, and I moved in with a friend of mine. It was very difficult living with her ... she was an interesting character. But a roof is a roof. Not long after Hubby and I got engaged, I reached a point when I could no longer tolerate living there. Hubby and I began looking for what would be "our" first apartment, but only I would be living there in the beginning. We found the cutest little place, fell in love, and I moved in.
Only 5 minutes later, The Ex got into some major legal issues and went to jail, the two kids (now what we collectively call The Bigs, tho at the time they were The Onlys) moved in with me. I needed a lot of help right there at the beginning, and Hubby was awesome! He would often stay late at night, and sometimes even all night.
A friend of ours stepped in as soon as she heard this was going on and got very very angry with us. She didn't ask if we were "behaving" - said she didn't even care. It didn't matter what we were or were not doing ... only that it looked as if we weren't doing right. Simply, can CAN'T control the thoughts of others. They are going to think what they want to, no matter what.
Puts us all in a difficult position, doesn't it? We are called to be Christ-like, but we all know we're not always perfect, all the time. The task of setting a good example for those we are ministering to (or even just anybody standing around and noticing you) is daunting and huge and almost unbearable. Prayer, wise choices, prayer, thinking/planning ahead, prayer, the ability to ask forgiveness of others when you do mess up, and prayer. The only solution I have.
I learned a very valuable lesson that summer. Someone is always watching. Even when no one is around? God still sees me.
The appearance of evil. A daunting subject.
*deep sigh* Ok ... here goes.
When Hubby and I first started dating, I was in a very tense living arrangement. Following my divorce, I wasn't able to manage the financial aspects of our house, and lost the lease on it. The children moved in with The Ex, and I moved in with a friend of mine. It was very difficult living with her ... she was an interesting character. But a roof is a roof. Not long after Hubby and I got engaged, I reached a point when I could no longer tolerate living there. Hubby and I began looking for what would be "our" first apartment, but only I would be living there in the beginning. We found the cutest little place, fell in love, and I moved in.
Only 5 minutes later, The Ex got into some major legal issues and went to jail, the two kids (now what we collectively call The Bigs, tho at the time they were The Onlys) moved in with me. I needed a lot of help right there at the beginning, and Hubby was awesome! He would often stay late at night, and sometimes even all night.
A friend of ours stepped in as soon as she heard this was going on and got very very angry with us. She didn't ask if we were "behaving" - said she didn't even care. It didn't matter what we were or were not doing ... only that it looked as if we weren't doing right. Simply, can CAN'T control the thoughts of others. They are going to think what they want to, no matter what.
Puts us all in a difficult position, doesn't it? We are called to be Christ-like, but we all know we're not always perfect, all the time. The task of setting a good example for those we are ministering to (or even just anybody standing around and noticing you) is daunting and huge and almost unbearable. Prayer, wise choices, prayer, thinking/planning ahead, prayer, the ability to ask forgiveness of others when you do mess up, and prayer. The only solution I have.
I learned a very valuable lesson that summer. Someone is always watching. Even when no one is around? God still sees me.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
1 Corinthians 7
I don't have a lot to say about intimacy between a husband and a wife. I'm at peace with that part of my relationship with my husband and I don't feel the need to really discuss it right now. But, I do want to say something about this verse:
vs 15 ... On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you've got to let him or her go. You don't have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can.
There was a night a few years ago when, in a drunken rage, my husband pinned me down on the bed and tried to strangle me. For years, we had fought. It had often been violent. But that night ... it was the end for me. With some counseling, and a lot of support from some very close friends and family, I filed for divorce, and left my husband. (He is known as The Ex around these parts of the blogosphere.) But along with that support came a very healthy dose of fellow Christians telling me that I was most certainly going to hell for walking away from him. Those people must not have paid too much attention to this verse.
A word out there to any woman who has undergone any kind of abuse from her husband...
You are a valued Princess of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. God created you in and for His Glory. You do not deserve to be used as a punching bag - whether that is physically, mentally, or sexually. Try as hard as you can to get your husband the help he needs. Call everyone you can to help him. But - and this is a really big but - if you have exhausted your resources, and he shows no sign of getting better, and doesn't sign his heart over to God, then it is ok to let him go. It is perfectly acceptable to grow in love on your own and make peace. You are allowed, and you deserve that. But be cautious ... make sure you are getting the emotional and spiritual care that you need through that process.
I did ... and I don't regret any of the choices I made during that time.
vs 15 ... On the other hand, if the unbelieving spouse walks out, you've got to let him or her go. You don't have to hold on desperately. God has called us to make the best of it, as peacefully as we can.
There was a night a few years ago when, in a drunken rage, my husband pinned me down on the bed and tried to strangle me. For years, we had fought. It had often been violent. But that night ... it was the end for me. With some counseling, and a lot of support from some very close friends and family, I filed for divorce, and left my husband. (He is known as The Ex around these parts of the blogosphere.) But along with that support came a very healthy dose of fellow Christians telling me that I was most certainly going to hell for walking away from him. Those people must not have paid too much attention to this verse.
A word out there to any woman who has undergone any kind of abuse from her husband...
You are a valued Princess of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. God created you in and for His Glory. You do not deserve to be used as a punching bag - whether that is physically, mentally, or sexually. Try as hard as you can to get your husband the help he needs. Call everyone you can to help him. But - and this is a really big but - if you have exhausted your resources, and he shows no sign of getting better, and doesn't sign his heart over to God, then it is ok to let him go. It is perfectly acceptable to grow in love on your own and make peace. You are allowed, and you deserve that. But be cautious ... make sure you are getting the emotional and spiritual care that you need through that process.
I did ... and I don't regret any of the choices I made during that time.
1 Corinthians 6
vs 12 … Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims.
I love the law. When I was 4, I told my mom I wanted to be a lawyer. I worked very diligently towards that goal from a very young age. When I was in middle school, I found out I could join the Navy and be an attorney – thank you Tom Cruise!! But then, I found out because I had foot surgery, I wouldn’t be allowed to join any military force. That didn’t deter me from staying on my track to be a lawyer. Until my Senior year of high school, and I went on vacation to the University of Florida and realized that if I went to college right away, I would find myself totally crazed and wild and not actually getting an education. So, I waited a couple of years and ended up going to school to be a paralegal. I haven’t worked in a law firm for a couple of years, and there are days when I truly miss it.
But since I became a Christian, I’ve struggled with knowing what the law says and knowing what God says. Just because it’s legal, doesn’t make it right. But the good news is? If we follow God’s law, we will always be following the laws set forth by man.
I love the law. When I was 4, I told my mom I wanted to be a lawyer. I worked very diligently towards that goal from a very young age. When I was in middle school, I found out I could join the Navy and be an attorney – thank you Tom Cruise!! But then, I found out because I had foot surgery, I wouldn’t be allowed to join any military force. That didn’t deter me from staying on my track to be a lawyer. Until my Senior year of high school, and I went on vacation to the University of Florida and realized that if I went to college right away, I would find myself totally crazed and wild and not actually getting an education. So, I waited a couple of years and ended up going to school to be a paralegal. I haven’t worked in a law firm for a couple of years, and there are days when I truly miss it.
But since I became a Christian, I’ve struggled with knowing what the law says and knowing what God says. Just because it’s legal, doesn’t make it right. But the good news is? If we follow God’s law, we will always be following the laws set forth by man.
1 Corinthians 5
vs 11 … But I am saying that you shouldn’t act as if everything is just fine when a friend who claims to be a Christian is promiscuous or crooked, is flip with God or rude to friends, gets drunk or becomes greedy and predatory. You can’t just go along with this, treating it as acceptable behavior.
When do you get to step in and tell your friend that they are being a total jerk and they need to shape up? Always a tightrope walk.
When do you get to step in and tell your friend that they are being a total jerk and they need to shape up? Always a tightrope walk.
1 Corinthians 4
vs 1 … Don’t imagine us leaders to be something we aren’t. We are servants of Christ, not his masters. We are guides into God’s most sublime secrets, not security guards posted to protect them.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if all church leaders acted this way? As if the word of God wasn’t so high up above our heads that we’re not supposed to even attempt to grab it. My current pastor now has the most amazing knack of taking a verse and breaking it down into the most simple possible manner and then showing us how to teach ourselves to apply it to our lives – which is so much more important than doing it for us. You can give a man a fish or teach him to fish …
vs 3 … It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless.
This goes back to what we read yesterday. I am NOT important. Not when compared to GOD. Not when compared to what He has done for us and given to us.
For years, I let everyone else’s opinion of me shape me and mold me and twist me into something I couldn’t even recognize anymore. If someone thought I was too loud, I quieted down. If someone thought I was too quiet, I got louder. Too giving, I would be more selfish. Too selfish, I would start giving more. Not good enough, I would always try harder, harder, harder, until I pleased somebody – anybody. After years of struggling to be the perfect person, I gave up. I was never going to be good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, fun enough … why even bother?
Then I became a Christian, and realized that all of those things didn’t matter. Because even when I’m a total screw-up, God still loves me. And to Him, I am good enough, smart enough, pretty enough and fun enough. Because He created me this way. And if God likes me, then I’m pretty sure I can learn to like myself. It was a long battle, but well worth it.
vs 7 … For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing?
It is so very often to share my thoughts and feelings with you. You may not know me and I may not know any of you, but I am here for you. I want to learn with you, I want to grow with you. I want you to learn and grow with me. We are here in Christ together, so we need to make the most of it. Whether we’re right or wrong … in the good times and the bad.
vs 21 … So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you toe the mark? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if all church leaders acted this way? As if the word of God wasn’t so high up above our heads that we’re not supposed to even attempt to grab it. My current pastor now has the most amazing knack of taking a verse and breaking it down into the most simple possible manner and then showing us how to teach ourselves to apply it to our lives – which is so much more important than doing it for us. You can give a man a fish or teach him to fish …
vs 3 … It matters very little to me what you think of me, even less where I rank in popular opinion. I don’t even rank myself. Comparisons in these matters are pointless.
This goes back to what we read yesterday. I am NOT important. Not when compared to GOD. Not when compared to what He has done for us and given to us.
For years, I let everyone else’s opinion of me shape me and mold me and twist me into something I couldn’t even recognize anymore. If someone thought I was too loud, I quieted down. If someone thought I was too quiet, I got louder. Too giving, I would be more selfish. Too selfish, I would start giving more. Not good enough, I would always try harder, harder, harder, until I pleased somebody – anybody. After years of struggling to be the perfect person, I gave up. I was never going to be good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, fun enough … why even bother?
Then I became a Christian, and realized that all of those things didn’t matter. Because even when I’m a total screw-up, God still loves me. And to Him, I am good enough, smart enough, pretty enough and fun enough. Because He created me this way. And if God likes me, then I’m pretty sure I can learn to like myself. It was a long battle, but well worth it.
vs 7 … For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing?
It is so very often to share my thoughts and feelings with you. You may not know me and I may not know any of you, but I am here for you. I want to learn with you, I want to grow with you. I want you to learn and grow with me. We are here in Christ together, so we need to make the most of it. Whether we’re right or wrong … in the good times and the bad.
vs 21 … So how should I prepare to come to you? As a severe disciplinarian who makes you toe the mark? Or as a good friend and counselor who wants to share heart-to-heart with you? You decide.
1 Corinthians 3
vs 3 … As long as you grab for what makes you feel good or makes you look important, are you really much different than a babe at the breast, content only when everything’s going your way?
It never ceases to amaze me that even after 2000 years, some things NEVER change. We still stop at nothing to make ourselves seem more important than what we are. Life has never been, isn’t now, and will never be about US! It really doesn’t matter that I have a Coach AND a Kate Spade (although, if you know me, you know that I think my purses are really fun and very cute). It doesn’t matter how high up on the corporate ladder I climb. It doesn’t matter what kind of car I drive. None of those things amount to anything in the grand scheme of life. What matters is GOD. What matters is that our amazing and wonderful Father sent his very own son to die for us and take our sins away so that we can live in peace eternally.
vs 23 … and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.
It never ceases to amaze me that even after 2000 years, some things NEVER change. We still stop at nothing to make ourselves seem more important than what we are. Life has never been, isn’t now, and will never be about US! It really doesn’t matter that I have a Coach AND a Kate Spade (although, if you know me, you know that I think my purses are really fun and very cute). It doesn’t matter how high up on the corporate ladder I climb. It doesn’t matter what kind of car I drive. None of those things amount to anything in the grand scheme of life. What matters is GOD. What matters is that our amazing and wonderful Father sent his very own son to die for us and take our sins away so that we can live in peace eternally.
vs 23 … and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God.
1 Corinthians 2
vs … 3 I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate – I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it…
Paul felt inadequate? Oh, thank heavens! I’m not the only one! Because, I’ll be honest, speaking to others about the joy I have found in Christ is rather difficult.
I have a friend who is a street preacher and teaches Bible classes to men at the local jail. He blows my mind! I have enough difficulty telling strangers and acquaintances that I will pray for them. To have that level of boldness is so overwhelming to me! I can’t even begin to imagine it.
Paul was like my friend speaking boldly and without hesitation. But he tells us he was scared. One of the reasons I do my study on my blog is because I don’t feel that I am qualified or educated enough to speak to large amounts of people. The only thing I have ever felt comfortable doing is sharing my feelings about what I’m reading, the impact God’s word has on my heart and my mind – and on my life.
vs 7… God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
Paul felt inadequate? Oh, thank heavens! I’m not the only one! Because, I’ll be honest, speaking to others about the joy I have found in Christ is rather difficult.
I have a friend who is a street preacher and teaches Bible classes to men at the local jail. He blows my mind! I have enough difficulty telling strangers and acquaintances that I will pray for them. To have that level of boldness is so overwhelming to me! I can’t even begin to imagine it.
Paul was like my friend speaking boldly and without hesitation. But he tells us he was scared. One of the reasons I do my study on my blog is because I don’t feel that I am qualified or educated enough to speak to large amounts of people. The only thing I have ever felt comfortable doing is sharing my feelings about what I’m reading, the impact God’s word has on my heart and my mind – and on my life.
vs 7… God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest – what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene.
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