romans 2

romans 2

Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself.  It takes one to know one.  Judgmental criticism of others is a well known way e escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors.  But God isn't so easily diverted. 

I need to watch my mouth!

God is kind, but he's not soft.  In kindness he takes us firmly by the hand and leads us into a radical life-change.

God disciplines, and firmly takes a hold of us...radical life-change... hmm?  There is something more to this...

If you sin without knowing what you're doing, God takes that into account.  But if you sin knowing full well what you're doing, that's a different story entirely.  Merely hearing God's law is a waste of time if you don't do what he commands.  Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.

oh... Now I see a little more clearly.  When God takes us by the hand, we must follow, in order to see the radical life change...  I thought I would just sit around here until my life started to miraculously look different.  I thought, maybe, if I go to church enough.... or listen to a ton of sermons...  or even read my Bible enough...  my life would look different.  Like I could act whatever way I want to and then just do those other things and some how my life could matter more in the kingdom of God.  Apparently, I have wasted quite a bit of time.  

also apparent from this chapter is this little tid-bit, and this proves that this has been a problem for a long, long time.

You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and his law.  The line from Scripture, "It's because of you Jews that the outsiders are down on God,"  show's it's an old problem that isn't going to go away.

I think the two problems are related.  the fact that i love to hear about God and not always do what i hear (it's called disobedience) and the fact that outsiders are down on God b/c of jews(i think you could substitute modern day christians in place of Jews)  

and from scripture it is clear that this blog won't fix the problem.  it is a problem that isn't going away.  but, there is something you can do.... become marked by God.  

You become a Jew by who you are.  It's the mark of God on your heart, ...

God, actually marks your heart.  He chooses you...  that makes me WANT to obey...  i can get pumped up about that.  THAT makes me want to change, obey, live, love, give, surrender, submit...joyfully!  he marked me....   

and you!

romans

romans 1

Through him we received both the generous gift of his life and the urgent task of passing it on to others who receive it by entering into obedient trust in Jesus.  You are who you are through this gift and call of Jesus Christ! (MSG)

seems like a pretty good way to start a monday morning!  i think God is teaching me something about my identity.  

then there is this....v. 18-24

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.  For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.  For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.  So they are without excuse.  For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen (ESV)

although the knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him...

they exchanged the truth about God for a lie AND worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!

if in the first posted verse about identity God was teaching me, what do you think he might be saying here?  

can you think about worshipping AND serving right after exchanging the truth about God for a lie?  

have you ever looked at what is on one of these?  ...resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things...is what romans says.  i think this is primarily for me....lots to consider and think about!  

see ya tomorrow...

colossians 3

i read colossians 3 this morning.  good stuff...  paul lays out some application steps for us.  every time i read this book, i always think of paul setting up match stick men, and in this chp. he knocks them down.  he lays it out, all on the line for practical steps of how to live.

one thing stuck out to me through out the day...  

children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 

Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

eric had a rough morning, so did i.  i took him to day-care where he catches the bus to school.  he forgot his back pack... ugh!  third or fourth time in as many weeks...  i said, "sorry buddy...i'm not going to get it this time"  he handled it calmly, NOT!  he freaked a little bit on me.  then, i got stubborn... :-) i said, "sorry.  you can cry all you want, i'm not getting it for you again.  if you don't want to go to school without it...don't forget it."

after 20 minutes at day-care and this type of bantering going back and forth...i left.  he was sitting on the floor crying.  i could have went on got the back pack 3 or 4 times with the time that i took in there.  and i didn't think about colossians until i got back in the truck.  oh man!  did i embitter him?  as the MSG says,  don't be too hard on your children or you will crush their spirits... did i crush his spirits?  

he was fine when he got to school and he was great tonight when i got home.  he learned a lesson...  and so did i.  i think the Lord was saying, hey!  be careful...live holy.  rely on Christ. don't be too hard on your kids.  raise them to be holy.  teach them to obey you.  love them like crazy.

great teachable moments!  i love it when these work out! 

colossians 2 and a little more

this probably should be 2 posts, but it isn't ..so hang on this could be long. i am trying to spend time with the Lord early in the morning. why? is there something magic about spending time with the Lord in the morning vs. any other time of the day? no, not really. but, for me...here is what happens. i oversleep, i choose not to get up or to just lay back down for one more minute...then i tell myself, i will open my bible first thing when i get to the office. then, i get to the office and the onslaught of the list i have compiled in my head hits. so, the rush is on to finish the list, before the meetings start and before the phone starts ringing. all the while, some where down deep i am trying to figure out where i will fit God into my day. so, 2:30 it is....

i admire people with enough discipline to start their day, every day, with God first. i think it says a lot about their view of their saviour... so, here at 2:36 now, i will do my "quiet time"...

colossians 2
v. 1, i want you to know how much i am struggling for you and those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally... it has been a while since i struggled for anyone, much less for those who have not met me personally. struggle... God, forgive me for living in the mirror. give me a passion for those that you have a passion for. a passion to struggle, to work, to, according to dictionary.com, to advance with a violent effort!

i'm stuck here...but i struggle on...

so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
how cool is that? the full riches of complete understanding! wow, i want that! fullness, i feel like my life lacks fullness. i get focused on one tiny aspect of life and i miss the fullness of complete understanding. in verses 6-8, Paul talks about how to achieve this. by continuing in the way we came to know Christ. through faith! that is how i came to know Him, by believing in Him. by His grace and my faith! and i love this, do not let human traditions and the basic principles of this world dictate how you live! how many times do we do this? this is religion...it isn't life giving or inspiring. live free in Christ, through faith in Him and be filled with joy! shouldn't by that statement, christians be the happiest people on the face of the planet? but we aren't. unfortunately i'm not.

but i will hold onto this when i am down or feeling defeated...verses 13-14...could be my favorite passage in all of scripture...
When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

live in that for a little while... words that pop out to me are, dead, alive, God made, you, forgave, ALL, canceled, took it away, nailing it to the cross, disarmed, made a public spectacle of them, triumphing, by the cross!

grace...

colossians 1

i'm back...

colossians 1

i love how Paul has identity down.  in the first sentence he clearly states who he is.  "Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God..."  i had to pause for just a second on that.  mostly b/c i do not embrace my identity like that.  by the will of God....if you know anything about Paul's life, you know he lived  controlled by the holy spirit.  surrendering his will over and over again.  in fact in one place he says, (paraphrasing) if this isnt the real deal, then i am the biggest fool there is!  he was wreck-less in the way he followed the will of God.  

Then, he is clear on the identity of those he is writing to in the church at Colosse...to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ.  Paul had identities down.  sometimes we don't.  we beat ourselves up for the "sins" we commit.  we live in a drunken state of guilt and shame, or apathy, or where ever it is you live.  holy and faithful brothers in Christ.... i love this b/c Paul goes on to tell us how to identify ourselves properly.

in v. 6 he mentions the gospel is growing and bearing fruit all over the place, just as it is among you since the day you heard it AND understood God's grace in ALL its truth.  they heard the gospel, they understood God's grace in all its truth.  if you just read that and blow right by it, you probably dont understand the ramifications of grace.  if your head spins when you read that the holy and faithful brothers in Christ understood God's grace...you are starting to get, Grace.  there is a completeness that Paul writes about in colossians...it's as if he is trying to let the people of Colosse know that they only got part of the story.  he uses the word ALL quite a bit through out the letter.  i wonder if that is why i like this book so much?  

Paul is praying for the people.  specifically for God to fill them with the knowledge of God's will through spiritual wisdom and understanding.  why?  so that they would live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way!  how?

• by bearing fruit
• growing in knowledge
• being strengthened for endurance
• joyfully giving thanks 

that would be a pretty good picture of a life of a person following Christ.  and if you ever get hung up and need a memory jolt as to why you would want to live this way...Paul gives us one in verse 13...  for he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

not only did he rescue us, but he brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves!  

Grace....