I'm becoming less fond of using the word "devotions" to describe reading God's word and prayer. I remember when I was young, like 8 or 9 years old, my Dad would wake up our entire family at 6am every other morning to do family "devotions". To say the least, it was brutal. First of all, I hated being interrupted from sleep and so early! Second, I ended up sleeping half the time and between prayers because I was so tired! Third, I don't think I retained anything with my brain still asleep. Don't get me wrong, I do commend my Dad's valient efforts to get his family on the right track spiritually and eventually I grew in my faith and love for the Lord. But after that, I began (perhaps subconsciously) to associate the word "devotions" with "chore", and doing devotions akin to fulfilling a daily chore. That phrase "doing devotions" has become so commonplace in Christian circles that we don't stop to think about its connotations. I know I'm probably overanalyzing something so menial, but too bad cause it's my blog and I want to! Reading God's Word and praying shouldn't be something we tick off our daily (or perhaps, weekly ;P) "To Do" list and, once done, move on to the next item. I used to think of it that way. I used to think that once I read my Bible and prayed I'm good to go for the day; my conscience was eased and I could respond with a resounding "YES!" when my Dad asked "Did you do your devotions today?" I know he meant well; every parent does. But now that I look back in hindsight of where I have traveled from in my journey with Christ, I know that what starts with "doing devotions" evolves into moment-by-moment awareness of the Holy Spirit's presence in every aspect of one's life. Today I like to use the word "meditation" because it requires both deep thought coupled with action. Meditation requires one's active engagement/contemplation/reflection followed by action related to one's reflection.
In the book of Psalms we find the word "meditate" used throughout to describe what one does with the precepts/commands/laws of the Lord. When I meditate on the Word of God and consider all of His ways and His truth, the Holy Spirit changes my course of action from mine to His. And the wonderful thing about the Holy Spirit is that He's not only present when I open the Bible and pray during an allotted time, but when I wash the dishes, deal with a student at work, cook dinner, workout. Meditation is not limited to the minutes or hours I allot to "doing devotions" but rather, it permeates daily life as we reflect and contemplate and act on what we come to know about God and His ways. I can pray any where, any time and God hears me. It really is about abiding in Him day by day by day.
So those are my thoughts on that.
Today has already been met with frustration, challenge, sweat, doubt, and temptation, but thanks be to God that when we call upon His Name his Spirit meets us at our point of weakness and gives His strength. I know He is working miracles as I type and He will be faithful to His promises. Sometimes when we've been praying for a long time about something or someone and God doesn't seem to be answering our prayers, it's easy to lose hope or to doubt His faithfulness, but who or what else do and can we turn to? Seemingly impossible circumstances are God's forte. Although I don't deny that I doubt or get frustrated at times, at the end of the struggle I trust all the more in God that He knows what He is doing and allowing to happen and that in time, we will see and understand the intended purposes of His will.
Some noteworthy bits before I end:
1) I cooked Beefsteak (or "Bifstek" depending on how FOB you are ;P) Filipino style with the lemon and everything (Mom's recipe) for the first time and Dale said (and I quote): "It's probably one of the best things that have come out of our kitchen." I even surprised myself at how good it turned out, especially since I don't cook often (but that's changing! heehee).
2) We're getting a new car today! Silver 2000 Honda Civic Si, manual. Haha, yeah our first manual car and we both don't know how to drive stick. Well, Dale's been practicing with Reggie's car. Actually, only on one occasion. But he claims he's driven stick in the past on different occasions with different vehicles. Yesterday, we tested out the car one last time (with the owner driving us around) and Dale took it for a brief spin on a deserted road with no cars. He did well. Hahaha...I think he'll learn pretty fast and then be able to teach me. Until then, I'll be driving our soon to be spotless inside and out CRV. Guys really know how to keep a car messy!
3) Hannah and Reggie are getting married on Saturday! Time to boogie down! (Haha, not really cause I don't dance)
9.12.2007
9.05.2007
Making Wise the Simple
We humans like to over-complicate. Perhaps it is our way of showing that life must be more complicated than simple because human beings are complex, as are everything that exudes from them (emotions especially). So we make complicated choices and suffer complications from those choices we make. Those of us with brains like to intellectualize more than we should and ought, making things more complicated than they are. Those of us who like to emotionalize depend too much on the little truth our emotions speak, making things more complicated than clear. Essentially, life becomes more complicated than it really is and the solutions more complicated than they really are, thus the joy of living is sucked right out of a complicated life. And who do we blame? Well, here we make things simple: God. Not ourselves or the complicated and often dumb choices we make but God who, because apparently my life is in His hands, delights to see me suffer and perhaps is punishing me for all the wrong things I've done. After talking with someone who admitted to believing this previous statement, I pondered the irony of mistaking God's will with God's plan.
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and in that matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:2
Choice is the unique attribute of human life that truly reflects who we really are and what master we serve. In everything there is a choice. The struggle of choosing is not simple, but often the choice that should be made is. God's will is that in every choice we make, we listen and heed to the Holy Spirit - who is often directly opposed to what we think or feel is right, convenient, or comfortable. God's will is that we be sanctified: transformed daily by the renewing of our mind. God's will is that we have self-control governed by the standards of holiness. God's will is that we stop using one another for self-gain, self-interest, and self-centered reasons. God's will is that we act like people who know God (because we do!) rather than like people who do not.
God's ultimate plan is to bring about good in us. The famously cited passage Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. And in Ephesians 1:11, Paul writes: God works all things according to the counsel of his will. How it is that God governs all events in the universe without sinning, and without removing responsibility from man, and with compassionate outcomes is mysterious. God governs all (the good, bad, pain, pleasure, etc.) for His wise, just, and good purposes. He is not to blame for the unwise and stupid choices we so often make that bring about unkind or painful events in our lives; likewise, he is not to blame for the sins we have committed against one another that bring about destruction. However, by his purposeful goodness he allows things to happen with the ultimate plan of bringing glory to Himself. The good he desires to bring about in us is transforming us into the likeness of his Son.
God is not like a firefighter who gets calls to show up at calamities when the damage is already happening. He is more like a surgeon who plans the cutting he must do and plans it for good purposes. Without the confidence that God rules over the beginning of our troubles, it is hard to believe that he could rule over the end. If we deny God his power and wisdom to govern the arrival of our pain, why should we think we can trust him with its departure? -- John Piper
It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and in that matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. -- 1 Thessalonians 4:2
Choice is the unique attribute of human life that truly reflects who we really are and what master we serve. In everything there is a choice. The struggle of choosing is not simple, but often the choice that should be made is. God's will is that in every choice we make, we listen and heed to the Holy Spirit - who is often directly opposed to what we think or feel is right, convenient, or comfortable. God's will is that we be sanctified: transformed daily by the renewing of our mind. God's will is that we have self-control governed by the standards of holiness. God's will is that we stop using one another for self-gain, self-interest, and self-centered reasons. God's will is that we act like people who know God (because we do!) rather than like people who do not.
God's ultimate plan is to bring about good in us. The famously cited passage Romans 8:28 says: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son. And in Ephesians 1:11, Paul writes: God works all things according to the counsel of his will. How it is that God governs all events in the universe without sinning, and without removing responsibility from man, and with compassionate outcomes is mysterious. God governs all (the good, bad, pain, pleasure, etc.) for His wise, just, and good purposes. He is not to blame for the unwise and stupid choices we so often make that bring about unkind or painful events in our lives; likewise, he is not to blame for the sins we have committed against one another that bring about destruction. However, by his purposeful goodness he allows things to happen with the ultimate plan of bringing glory to Himself. The good he desires to bring about in us is transforming us into the likeness of his Son.
God is not like a firefighter who gets calls to show up at calamities when the damage is already happening. He is more like a surgeon who plans the cutting he must do and plans it for good purposes. Without the confidence that God rules over the beginning of our troubles, it is hard to believe that he could rule over the end. If we deny God his power and wisdom to govern the arrival of our pain, why should we think we can trust him with its departure? -- John Piper
9.04.2007
Thoughts on Pride
The world does not revolve around me.
Say this to yourself right now. I'm saying it too. We need a reality check, a mind makeover, a heart transplant - not yearly but hourly, momentarily. It's deceiving how easily we allow ourselves to slip into this mindset, masking it by what we call our faith. Pride is elusive. The very thought that one is not proud (or not as proud as the next) is the essence of pride. Pride was at the root of the Fall of Man; and it still lays claim on the lives of people. It is in fact what keeps you and I from being real with one another; it keeps the Holy Spirit away from what we desire to keep in control; it tells us that we are right and they are wrong; it makes the excuses we always give; it keeps us from admitting our wrong or asking for help; it hates rebuke, despises it, avoids it. Pride has many expressions and, when fueled by Satan's lies, is a tool of destruction to both ourselves, to our witness, and to the body of Christ. Pride is not merely "arrogance", or "conceit" as the dictionary defines it. To accept such definition as truth above the Word of God is an act of pride in itself. We must acknowledge how pride infiltrates our thoughts, motivates our actions (or inaction), and defines the world that we see when we are not looking through the eyes of Jesus Christ.
We like to use people but of course, we won't admit it. Classic pride at work. I've observed (even from myself) that the most common use of people is in the form of security. Friends make us feel good about ourselves, otherwise they probably wouldn't be our friends. Best friends are even better; they are not only listeners, advisors, and complimentors, but convenient and comfortable company. They warrant immediate invitation when loneliness comes upon us or when we don't want to appear alone in a crowd. They give promise of someone to chat with at any time, even when the other company gets boring, crowded, or uneasy. Security. Don't get me wrong, friends are necessary in life and a good thing. They make life on this earth all the more pleasant and fun! Rather, what needs to be understood is how pride is at work in the way we use our friendships (or relationship of any kind) to provide an identity for us that should be found in Christ alone.
The apostle Paul's life reminds us of our mandate as Christians who have given their life over to Christ. He often walked free of human company, especially when his travels brought him to inconvenient and uncomfortable places, or to places where his life was in danger. Although he lacked the human company we long for and seek during our tough times, his faith alone in the strength and cause of Christ was his security; so much so that he had no bias in his ministry nor towards the people God called him to preach to. His focus was not on his own comfortability but on Christ's credibility in his life. For Paul, life revolved around the renown of Jesus Christ.
I decided to blog on this particular topic because of observations that I've made and conversations that I've had about relationships. Our friendships are a gift from the Lord, but can so easily become idols in our lives, even without our knowing (or perhaps we are too prideful to admit it). When you take the time to pick apart and analyze the role that an idol of any kind plays in our lives, pride is at the heart of it. When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from the Lord, the Israelites got worried, restless, and impatient. They created idols to deal with their insecurity, to appease their pride and self-interest. They sought their own solution and dismissed the Lord's. Are we not still like those stubborn Israelites, even though God has provided us with Jesus Christ?
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We will never get away with acting on pride; God holds us accountable to our motives, thoughts, and actions through the Holy Spirit in us and equips us with the strength to confront and admit our weaknesses, humble ourselves, and turn to Him.
Say this to yourself right now. I'm saying it too. We need a reality check, a mind makeover, a heart transplant - not yearly but hourly, momentarily. It's deceiving how easily we allow ourselves to slip into this mindset, masking it by what we call our faith. Pride is elusive. The very thought that one is not proud (or not as proud as the next) is the essence of pride. Pride was at the root of the Fall of Man; and it still lays claim on the lives of people. It is in fact what keeps you and I from being real with one another; it keeps the Holy Spirit away from what we desire to keep in control; it tells us that we are right and they are wrong; it makes the excuses we always give; it keeps us from admitting our wrong or asking for help; it hates rebuke, despises it, avoids it. Pride has many expressions and, when fueled by Satan's lies, is a tool of destruction to both ourselves, to our witness, and to the body of Christ. Pride is not merely "arrogance", or "conceit" as the dictionary defines it. To accept such definition as truth above the Word of God is an act of pride in itself. We must acknowledge how pride infiltrates our thoughts, motivates our actions (or inaction), and defines the world that we see when we are not looking through the eyes of Jesus Christ.
We like to use people but of course, we won't admit it. Classic pride at work. I've observed (even from myself) that the most common use of people is in the form of security. Friends make us feel good about ourselves, otherwise they probably wouldn't be our friends. Best friends are even better; they are not only listeners, advisors, and complimentors, but convenient and comfortable company. They warrant immediate invitation when loneliness comes upon us or when we don't want to appear alone in a crowd. They give promise of someone to chat with at any time, even when the other company gets boring, crowded, or uneasy. Security. Don't get me wrong, friends are necessary in life and a good thing. They make life on this earth all the more pleasant and fun! Rather, what needs to be understood is how pride is at work in the way we use our friendships (or relationship of any kind) to provide an identity for us that should be found in Christ alone.
The apostle Paul's life reminds us of our mandate as Christians who have given their life over to Christ. He often walked free of human company, especially when his travels brought him to inconvenient and uncomfortable places, or to places where his life was in danger. Although he lacked the human company we long for and seek during our tough times, his faith alone in the strength and cause of Christ was his security; so much so that he had no bias in his ministry nor towards the people God called him to preach to. His focus was not on his own comfortability but on Christ's credibility in his life. For Paul, life revolved around the renown of Jesus Christ.
I decided to blog on this particular topic because of observations that I've made and conversations that I've had about relationships. Our friendships are a gift from the Lord, but can so easily become idols in our lives, even without our knowing (or perhaps we are too prideful to admit it). When you take the time to pick apart and analyze the role that an idol of any kind plays in our lives, pride is at the heart of it. When Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from the Lord, the Israelites got worried, restless, and impatient. They created idols to deal with their insecurity, to appease their pride and self-interest. They sought their own solution and dismissed the Lord's. Are we not still like those stubborn Israelites, even though God has provided us with Jesus Christ?
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. We will never get away with acting on pride; God holds us accountable to our motives, thoughts, and actions through the Holy Spirit in us and equips us with the strength to confront and admit our weaknesses, humble ourselves, and turn to Him.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)