na day4 - set
Originally uploaded by joey
Abandon
So, nobody wants to be this person right? It's tough. Nothing to really call your own, nowhere to sleep, hardly anything to eat. Yet we're called to this.
Luke 14:25-33
25)Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26)"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. 27)And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
28)"Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? 29)For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30)saying, 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
31)"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32)If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33)In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.
So three things.
1. Hate your father, mother, brothers and sisters, and yourself, you can't be a disciple of Christ. Commonly interpreted as a hyperbole (an exaggeration for the sake of emphasis) Especially in light of Matthew 10:37 "If you love your Father and Mother more than me, you're not even my disciple"
2. If you do not carry your cross, you can not be a disciple of Christ. Deny self, give up desires and dreams to follow God. Repenting and fleeing from sin.
3. Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Of the three this is the most self explanatory, yet most confusing.
Give up everything? Surely he can't mean my home or my wealth or my life, can he? I'm not sorry to tell you that this portion of the verse is not a hyperbole.
The greek word used in this verse is apotasso. It means: say farewell (to), take leave (of); renounce, give up.
Love Jesus above all, so that your love for your family looks like hate. Carry your cross and die to your self daily. Give up everything you have.
Need examples?
Peter James and John
Elisha
Abraham
Moses
Noah
most of all,
Jesus. Who are we to be like?
Jesus.
new attitude conference 2007
So I leave tomorrow after work to go to Louisville, Kentucky for the New Attitude Conference. Please pray for safety for me. I'll be going solo, but I'm sure that I'll make some friends. All in all I think it will be good quiet time for me to reflect and evaluate everything in my life in contrast with scripture, with the changes that will be taking place in the months to come. Thank you for your prayers. I love you all and will miss you very much.
the task remaining.
matthew 24:14
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."
romans 15:20-21
"and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, Those who have never been told of him will see,and those who have never heard will understand."
revelation 5:9
"And they sang a new song, saying, Worthy are you to take the scrolland to open its seals,for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for Godfrom every tribe and language and people and nation"
number of unreached people groups = 6,442
(www.joshuaproject.net)
"His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us leaves us no other choice."
-John Stott
sin. accountability.
To finish off my theme on dealing with sin, i want to conclude with accountability. God's design of the church perfectly addresses our sinful nature. This is why it is detremental to be a "lone ranger" christian, (which, in and of itself, is a sin). Without the fellowship of other believers to encourage, exort, and lovingly correct you, there will be an extremely high risk of falling.
When dealing with sin, it is important to be transparent with your spiritual siblings. Partner them in with your struggles.
Galatians 6:1-6
"Brothers,if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor."
Hebrews 10:22-24
"let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
1 Thessalonians 5:14
"And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone."
Preach it
2 Timothy 4:2-5
Preach the word, be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Take note of the fact that Paul said nothing about how people would respond. He did not say anything about the size of Timothy's church, or how much money they received, or how influential it was. Paul did not tell Timothy that the world would respect, revere, or even accept him, in fact Paul's emphasis was on commitment, not success or acceptance.
In many churches we see them infatuated with standards of success, rather than fruits of righteousness. We need to be focused on growing to be more like Christ rather than how many people go to our church, or how much money the church takes in. We need our focus to be on God rather than success. We should be focused on our commitment to Christ and our ministry rather than the success, or popularity of our ministry.
Focus: A testimony
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
Recently I gave a profound something up to God, that, in my own selfish way, was beginning to define me. Before I gave this thing up, I prayed, read scripture and sought good advice in order to gain the knowledge and strength to remove myself from the sin that was consuming me and pulling me farther and farther from God's love and law. My prayers in the deepest, hardest times were that God would remove the sin; that God would pull me away from the transgression that was replacing Him in my life. I knew the only way for me to stop sinning was to beg God to change me, then and only then could I walk away from it in obedience. This is my testimony, God removed, or rather diverted my attention away from the world and my chosen sin.I fell into a deeper love with God. That is obedience; We are believing and walking through sin, in spite of it. We as believers can not take ourselves away from the world, nor should we become apathetic toward it. We have been given a gift of truth, perspective and knowledge, that when applied should act as filters...not blinders.
The last days
2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.
If we were to hold our culture/world today to this standard, how would it do? If each "quality" or "characteristic" was worth a point, What grade would it receive?
Now hold the Bride of Christ, the church, under that same standard? How would it do? What grade would it receive?
Finally, hold yourself to these standards. How would you do? What would your grade be?
The Bride of Christ needs to be set apart from this world. We need to be Righteous, Sanctified, Holy, and Pure. It's easy to sit back and say, "Yup, Paul was spot on about how the world was going to be in the end times!" Is the church's grade much more different than the worlds grade? How much more is it towards the end days of this twisted, sick and wicked world when the church of Christ isn't much more different than the world?
What should we do? We need to be on fire and be urgent about evangelism, about spreading the Good News throughout the world, and about our personal testimony and walk with God. Paul was definitely urgent when he wrote about this... how much more should we be urgent about this warning/heeding with the current state of our world?
Vessels for righteousness
2 Timothy 2:11-26
11The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12if we endure, we will also reign with him;if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13if we are faithless, he remains faithful--for he cannot deny himself.
A Worker Approved by God 14Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. 15Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. 16But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. 19But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."
20Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.
22So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 23Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. 24And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, 25correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, 26and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.
open my eyes God.
please pray that God would reveal to me any sin in my life that i am unaware of and that the sin He recently showed me would be something i can overcome. i want nothing more than to honor God in all areas of my life and i know i'm not doing this. of course i will never be perfect but i want to be a good example to my family, friends, and the people i don't know.
Prayer Request
Exodus 20:12
"Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
Please pray for me in this area. This is something I really struggle with, and I must do better. Please pray that I will glorify God by honoring my parents. Please pray that I will learn to be respectful and honoring. I have been convicted lately about the way I act and respond to my parents. God has put them in our lives for a reason and we must honor them. We may not agree on everything, we may not see eye to eye on things, but I must still honor them and respect them. So pray that God would change my heart and mind in a way that I would honor my parents fully.
dealing with sin. 4.
To continue with our theme on sin... and to partner with Brian's awesome post on the sin of omission. (That post was awesome. I was saying "This is SO good!" out loud) I want to take a look at another step along the way of dealing with sin. So far we've seen the importance of:
1. asking God to reveal sin to us that we are blinded to.
2. repent/turn from the sin.
3. sin isn't just wrong deeds - sin is not doing what we are commanded to do.
Next: Read/Meditate on God's word.
Psalm 119:9-20
"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declareall the rules of your mouth. In the way of your testimonies I delightas much as in all riches. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. I will delight in your statutes;I will not forget your word. Deal bountifully with your servant,that I may live and keep your word. Open my eyes, that I may beholdwondrous things out of your law. I am a sojourner on the earth;hide not your commandments from me! My soul is consumed with longingfor your rules at all times.
Psalm 37:31
[speaking of "the righteous man"] "The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip."
"It is the constant input of the Word of God that begins to fill up the mind and control the thinking, and that alone becomes the strength and resource in us that can resist the initial impulses of the flesh. "How can a young man keep his way pure?" By keeping his heart completely committed and guarded by the Word of God. Then in verse 10, "With all my heart I have sought Thee; do not let me wander from Thy commandments. Thy word I have treasured (or hid, or kept) in my heart that I may not sin against Thee." It is the Scripture that must be meditated on."
"Meditate on the Word of God. You are always studying the Word, studying the Word, learning the Word, learning the Word, meditating on the Word as you get the Word--so filling you up so that it, "Dwells in you richly," (Colossians 3:16). You will find that it controls you. And as you start into some kind of attitude of sin or some kind of act of sin, the Word of God will act as a restraint. When you feel the impulse of the truth you know, meditate on that, not on the enticings of the flesh and its pleasures. So watch for sin's subtleties and don't trust your own spirituality. Resist and oppose the first risings of the flesh and its desires to please itself, and meditate on the Word--the ingrafted Word, which is able to save your souls. "
-John Macarthur
Sin
Sin is not limited to things that we shouldn't do.
James 4:17
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. (KJV)
What aught we do?
1 Thesselonians 5:16-22
16)Rejoice always;
17)pray without ceasing;
18)in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19)Do not quench the Spirit;
20)do not despise prophetic utterances.
21)But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22)abstain from every form of evil.
OK, what else?
Matthew 28:16-20
18)And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19)Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20)teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
And while you're at it, might as well go for the gold:
Luke 10:27
27)And he answered, "(A)YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Remember, if you know what to do, (and you do) and you don't do it. It's sin.
James 4:17
Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. (KJV)
What aught we do?
1 Thesselonians 5:16-22
16)Rejoice always;
17)pray without ceasing;
18)in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
19)Do not quench the Spirit;
20)do not despise prophetic utterances.
21)But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good;
22)abstain from every form of evil.
OK, what else?
Matthew 28:16-20
18)And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19)Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
20)teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
And while you're at it, might as well go for the gold:
Luke 10:27
27)And he answered, "(A)YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Remember, if you know what to do, (and you do) and you don't do it. It's sin.
sin. step2.
2 Corinthians 7:1 "Let us cleanse ourselves of all filthiness of the flesh."
Ephesians 4:22 "Laying aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit."
Romans 6:12 "Don't let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts."
1 Peter 2:1 "Lay aside all evil." Verse 11, "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul."
It's not enough to just ask God to reveal the sin that blinds us. It's not enough to say "I'm sorry God. Please forgive me."
There needs to be a genuine repentence. True repentence is a turning and rejection of sin.
Born Again
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith--more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire--may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Praise God that we are born again because of his great mercy.
blinded.
Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting."
"The heart of man is full of sin and corruption, and that corruption is of an exceedingly darkening, blinding nature. Sin always carries a degree of darkness with it. And the more it prevails, the more it darkens and deludes the mind."
-Jonathan Edwards
Usually the first thing I pray in the morning, as soon as I wake up, is a prayer of praise and magnification to God. I think my second prayer immediately following that prayer will now be for God to reveal sin in my life that I am blinded to.
haggai 1
Has anyone done any reading of Haggai lately? I know, it's not a commonly read book. I have grown to love it recently.
It a great book that shows God's sovereignty and man's sinfulness.
After God had allowed the children of Israel to return home to Israel from captivity in Babylon, they began to rebuild. However, they got caught up (once again) focusing on themselves by ignoring God's temple that sat in ruins, while they rebuilt and detailed their extravagant homes.
Check out what God says:
Haggai 1:2-4
"Thus says the LORD of hosts: These people say the time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the LORD." Then the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet, "Is it a time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?
God basically says: "oh, so you guys say that it isn't time to rebuild my house... i see... so, you're saying it IS time to relax in your own ornate houses..."
How often do we say what the Israelites said. "God it isn't time for me to do that yet." "God, the time isn't right to serve in that way yet." "I'll do that God, but not yet" or even "I'm waiting on a word from the Lord on that..." but at the same time we plan out our vacations, we focus on projects for school or work, we budget for our family or personal life. Did we wait on a "word from the Lord" regarding those things?
Hey, I'm not pointing fingers, I'll be the first to admit that I do this myself.
Let's act today!
his glory revealed.
Psalm 19:1
"The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
I made this video after seeing photos taken from the hubble telescope.
"The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."
I made this video after seeing photos taken from the hubble telescope.
Love Your Enemies
Matthew 5:43-48
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
God says that you treat enemies the same way you treat friends and family. Impossible? Of course. But not when we have the fear of the Lord. When we know that God's power is greater than that of our enemies, when we know that he is just, and when we know that he loved us while we were his enemies, then we are free to be simple servants who imitate and obey the Father. He blesses the righteous and unrighteous with rain and food, and so we too should bless.
To love this way, we need both power and discernment. We need power because we are incapable of loving the way Christ has loved us. We need discernment because it is sometimes difficult to know what form love should take.
-Edward Welch
Build your house on the rock
Matthew 7:24-27
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."
a heart for reading often.
Psalm 1:2
"but his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night."
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"[the godly man] makes God's law not only his task, but his recreation"
-Thomas Watson (speaking about Psalm 1)
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What I have found helpful is buying a pocket size Bible (old and new testaments). I take it wherever I go, so that whenever I have downtime, am on break, waiting in a line, or arrive early somewhere, I can read the Word.
