"To learn, you must love discipline." Proverbs 12:1 NLT
In my devotion this morning, I was reading from a book that I received from my kids on Father's Day entitled, The Best of God is in the Small Stuff. It spoke about a word that we cringe at: discipline. I wanted to share part of the devotion with you today.
"The want of whatever it is to be bigger, better, or faster, equals material want. Does outward material things really make us happy? This is a question that we often hear asked in different circles of life. This question rears us to discover that outward material things doesn't really make us happy. So the next thing to do is tune inward. Along the way we decide that it's what's inside that counts. Consequently, many of us have embarked on an inward journey, seeking to simplify our lifestyles while increasing our joy. At least that's the goal, because that's what the simplicity gurus are telling us.
The idea of simplifying your life is a good one, but the problem is that we are attacking the goal with the same unbridled methods we've always used. The key is balance, consistency and perseverance, all of which come from one thing: discipline. We want it all, and we want it now, whether it's an abundance of possessions or an abundance of simplicity. But nothing worthwhile comes quickly and nothing worthwhile comes without discipline. Over life's long haul, discipline works in every dimension of your life: financial, physical, mental and spiritual. If you've ever tried to get rich quick, tried to lose weight by taking a pill, tried to get knowledge by cramming at the last minute, or attempted to get close to God by asking for a miracle, you know what it's like.
It's easy to get caught up in the trap of quick results when you focus on the results rather than the journey. The truth is, the joy is in the journey, in the daily discipline of growing in the details of your mind, body and spirit. The only way to bring abundance to your life - the kind of abundance that gives you joy - is to bring discipline into your life, no one else will." (The Best of God is in the Small Stuff)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
In The Know
"Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord...All the while, you will learn to know God better and better." (Colossians 1:10 NLT)
Have you ever felt that God seemed distant or detached from you? Could it be because we seem to be waiting for God to come to us? An observation: this is backward!
God has given us His Word, His Son, and His Spirit. That is more than we will ever need in order to understand God (and certainly more than we can absorb in a lifetime). But the next step belongs us. It's up to us to read God's Word, to believe in His Son, and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost for those still stuck in tradition).
God is anxiously desiring a deep and meaningful personal relationship with us, but He won't force the issue. I believe the meaningful relationship comes when we desire that deep personal relationship with God! In order to know God better, to be in the know, we must approach Him. When Jesus taught about this principle, He presented the relationship as an invitation:
"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:20 NLT)
God makes Himself available, but we must respond to His invitation. Take Him at His Word. Go to Him. Open the door of your heart to Him. You don't have to move to a monastery to know God better. You don't have to learn ancient Hebrew or memorize the names of the twelve disciples in alphabetical order. All it takes is a little bit of your time and attention - reading His Word and talking to Him. Start with a few minutes a day and grow from there.
God has already extended the invitation and He's waiting for us to respond. We don't have to call for an appointment.
~excerpts from The Best of God is in the Small Stuff.
Have you ever felt that God seemed distant or detached from you? Could it be because we seem to be waiting for God to come to us? An observation: this is backward!
God has given us His Word, His Son, and His Spirit. That is more than we will ever need in order to understand God (and certainly more than we can absorb in a lifetime). But the next step belongs us. It's up to us to read God's Word, to believe in His Son, and to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit (or Ghost for those still stuck in tradition).
God is anxiously desiring a deep and meaningful personal relationship with us, but He won't force the issue. I believe the meaningful relationship comes when we desire that deep personal relationship with God! In order to know God better, to be in the know, we must approach Him. When Jesus taught about this principle, He presented the relationship as an invitation:
"Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." (Revelation 3:20 NLT)
God makes Himself available, but we must respond to His invitation. Take Him at His Word. Go to Him. Open the door of your heart to Him. You don't have to move to a monastery to know God better. You don't have to learn ancient Hebrew or memorize the names of the twelve disciples in alphabetical order. All it takes is a little bit of your time and attention - reading His Word and talking to Him. Start with a few minutes a day and grow from there.
God has already extended the invitation and He's waiting for us to respond. We don't have to call for an appointment.
~excerpts from The Best of God is in the Small Stuff.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Firm Place
Ezra 9:8,9 says, "But now, for a brief moment, the Lord our God has been gracious in leaving us a remnant and giving us a firm place in his sanctuary, and so our God gives light to our eyes and a little relief in our bondage. Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia. He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem." (NIV) Notice what the verse says about a firm place in his sanctuary. The NKJV translates the firm place to be a "peg" which is in reference to "claiming a stake". You can do a study of the events that happen in the book of Ezra and also Chronicles about the temple of God and how God has commissioned Ezra to be His prophet to lead His people in this time, but God has shown me just a small part of the scripture that speaks volumes to me this morning.
As referred to earlier, a "peg", or a "firm place", God wants us to know that we have a "stake" in His Kingdom as followers of Jesus Christ. This means that "no weapon formed against us shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17), this means that we are "risen with Christ just as He is risen from the grave" (Colossians 3:1). We have a stake in something that is eternal. We have a hope in something this morning that no one, nobody, no circumstance, nothing - can take it away! You see, Ezra was a prophet of God that was humble before the Lord because of the sins of the people. In the same chapter in verse 5, it says that Ezra fell on his knees with his hands spread out to the Lord and prayed. This shows me of a posture that we as Christians need to be at all times, on our knees in prayer with a "humble heart and turning from our wicked ways and hearing from God" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
I believe with all my heart that if we have a need, that if we have lost loved ones that need to be saved, that if we have a "thorn in the flesh" we can take a "stake" and humble ourselves before the Lord in prayer and fasting then we will see the hand of God move in a mighty way. Join with me today and be like the prophet Ezra and get in the right "posture" and be "humble" and claim the stake and blessings that God has for His children.
As referred to earlier, a "peg", or a "firm place", God wants us to know that we have a "stake" in His Kingdom as followers of Jesus Christ. This means that "no weapon formed against us shall prosper" (Isaiah 54:17), this means that we are "risen with Christ just as He is risen from the grave" (Colossians 3:1). We have a stake in something that is eternal. We have a hope in something this morning that no one, nobody, no circumstance, nothing - can take it away! You see, Ezra was a prophet of God that was humble before the Lord because of the sins of the people. In the same chapter in verse 5, it says that Ezra fell on his knees with his hands spread out to the Lord and prayed. This shows me of a posture that we as Christians need to be at all times, on our knees in prayer with a "humble heart and turning from our wicked ways and hearing from God" (2 Chronicles 7:14).
I believe with all my heart that if we have a need, that if we have lost loved ones that need to be saved, that if we have a "thorn in the flesh" we can take a "stake" and humble ourselves before the Lord in prayer and fasting then we will see the hand of God move in a mighty way. Join with me today and be like the prophet Ezra and get in the right "posture" and be "humble" and claim the stake and blessings that God has for His children.
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