Category: God

May God Be Praised for Good Deeds

focus, God, Jesus

These verses from Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount remind us that we want praise to flow to God as we do good deeds and as others see our good deeds:

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. (Matthew 5:14-16 NLT)

We do not and should not seek the praise of others as we perform good deeds in the world, but always keep in mind it is God who deserves the praise!

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Praying in the Holy Spirit

focus, God, identity

Today in our church service we are considering these two verses which reference “praying in God’s Holy Spirit.”

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. (Jude 1:20, 21 NLT)

Also:

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. (Ephesians 6:18 NLT)

Our pastor (Mateen Elass) pointed out these references are not talking about speaking in tongues. Neither is this a reference to God interpreting our groans & nonverbal messages which we share as we pray.

Instead, these verses are calling us to be “in sync” with the Holy Spirit so out desires & passions are in alignment with God’s. As we read in the Psalms:

Trust in the Lord and do good. Then you will live safely in the land and prosper. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun. Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. Stop being angry! Turn from your rage! Do not lose your temper— it only leads to harm. For the wicked will be destroyed, but those who trust in the Lord will possess the land. Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone. The lowly will possess the land and will live in peace and prosperity. (Psalms 37:3-11 NLT)

God is not a “vending machine in the sky,” giving everyone the selfish desires of their hearts focused on sin and selfish ends. Rather, God calls us to invite his Holy Spirit into our very bodies, so we would be filled with HIS desires as well as his powers and abilities. This is what New Testament authors are referencing when they exhort the church to pray “in God’s Holy Spirit.”

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Distinguishing Between the Spirits

gifts, God

These were some of the verses we considered today in our church service:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NIV)

The part that stood out to me is “distinguishing between spirits.” This verse acknowledges that there are both holy and worldly “spirits” which speak to us in our lives. In our “modern” world, we often discount, ignore, or deny the reality of these spirits and the power they can wield in our lives depending on how we respond to them. This is a mistake. Spiritual gifts are real, and so are “messages from the spirits.”

I pray God would give me discernment to “distinguish between the spirits” which I encounter in my life. I pray God would open my heart and mind to both recognize and heed the voice of His Holy Spirit.

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Bearing fruit in all good work

God, prayer

This is a pretty long sentence from the Apostle Paul. The phrase “bearing fruit in every good work” is what stands out to me this morning:

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. (Colossians 1:9-12 NIV)

I pray God will fill me “…with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.”

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Conformed to God’s Image and Spirit

discipleship, God, identity

Our sermon verses this Sunday came from Romans 8, and the daily verse in my YouVersion Bible iOS app today does too. This is a verse in the chapter which stood out to me:

The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6 NIV)

Our focus in life each day, and even every minute of each day, is very important. The things we focus on and pay attention to with our conscious minds are things our unconscious minds continue to process and turn over. We literally shape our minds and our identities through the things we choose to pay attention to. The things we read, watch, the conversations we have, the notes we write… All of these things shape our minds cognitively but also neuro-biologically. That ‘s a mouthful as well as a lot to consider.

Paul reminds us in these verses to focus on the things of God’s Spirit, rather than the things of the flesh, so we will be conformed to His image and perfect will.

God, help me to focus on the fruits of your spirit this day. I pray you would fill me and those around me with your love, joy, patience, peace, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. I pray you would conform my heart, my spirit, and my mind to yours. Thank you for sending us your son, Jesus, to teach us about your love and your plans for our lives.

In the powerful name of Jesus I pray,

Amen.

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We See God’s Holy Spirit in Our Lives

God

Great reminder from Jesus in these verses in John’s gospel today, as he responded to a question from the Pharisee, Nicodemus:

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (John 3:5-8 NIV)

I am reminded that when we look at the ways God is working in our lives and share those stories with others, we bear witness to the reality of God’s Holy Spirit!

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Read the Bible Aloud as a Family

focus, God

Does your family regularly read the Bible aloud together? Ours does not, but the following words convict me that we should. These are from a text by Charles Spurgeon:

As we sow we reap. Let us expect our children to know the Lord. Let us from the beginning mingle the name of Jesus with their A B C. Let them read their first lessons from the Bible. It is a remarkable thing that there is no book from which children learn to read so quickly as from the New Testament: there is a charm about that book which draws forth the infant mind. But let us never be guilty, as parents, of forgetting the religious training of our children; for if we do we may be guilty of the blood of their souls.

This evening for our Spiritual Parenting class we are reading chapter 3 of “Prayer Encounters,” and will consider the following verses from the Bible:

People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Luke 18:15-17 NIV)

I am going to lead our family in some oral Bible reading together in the coming week. I’ll let you know how it goes.

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The Tongue of Fire

focus, God, identity, struggles

These words from James, the half-brother of Jesus, remind me of a couple things today.

The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. (James 3:6 NIV)

First of all, it reminds me of bullying my wife talked about happening at school last week. It can be amazing, shocking, and sad (all at the same time) to witness how cruel kids can be to each other at times. Negative, attacking language can be like a poison. The words of children, even young ones, can be incredibly destructive.

The second thing it reminds me of is a conversation my wife I had last week, talking about the use of what might be termed, “stinkin’ thinkin’.” In many ways, we are both struggling with perceptions of failure. Some of this is financial, and some is also related to our family and professional work. We are not failures, and we are not failing, but there is a great temptation to not only view ourselves in this way but also talk about ourselves in this way. We are not and would not talk about each other this way, but in the past we have used the self talk of failure. This is incredibly destructive, and at least this time I was and am able to see it for the poison it is.

Perceptions of ourselves as failures do not come from the Spirit of God. They come from a spirit of evil, which seeks to destroy rather than build up. These words from James remind me how important words are, and how important it is that I take charge of my own tongue, even when I am using self-talk and language that only I can hear.

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Showing God’s Love in Our Actions

God, service

A couple weeks ago we read from Romans 12:9-13, in our Friday morning men’s group:

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. (Romans 12:9-13 NLT)

I was thinking about the terrible killing of Chris Lane this week in Duncan, Oklahoma as I read these words. This message from God is SO contrary to how people are responding in comments to articles online about this situation.

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Focus Our Relationship With God

focus, God

These are my notes from Mateen Elass’ sermon today on August 11, 2013.

God calls us to focus not on the things of this world, but on our relationship with God.

Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” (Luke 12:16-21 NLT)

The average house size has grown immensely for average US citizens the past few decades, at the same time storage rental facilities have boomed in popularity to store all our stuff.

No where in this story from Jesus do we see or hear the rich man mentioning God or talking with God. The man seeks advice and wisdom from himself, and “says to his soul” (the transcendent / eternal part of his life) to take it easy.

Some millionaires today have actually set up trust funds for themselves so they will have those funds when they are brought back to life hundreds of years in the future.

If you are consumed by your work, you may neglect your family, your health, and your relationship with God. We study the Bible so we will desire the things God desires. The world, however, speaks with a megaphone and says otherwise: The world tells us to focus on consumption and ourselves.

April 2011 example: “India bank termites eat piles of cash”

Retired CEOs in Naples, Florida, start measuring their lives by how many rounds of golf they can play. They find themselves leading empty lives.

Story of Katie as an elementary student, collecting pennies trick-or-treating at Halloween, for a fresh water mission project in Mexico.

Remember: Life is NOT about the accumulation of THINGS.

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