2 Peter? What happened to Romans?

Doing my quiet time, on Romans as always, and was still chewing on Rom. 8:17. So I'm writing my personal reflections on the verse (which somewhere along the way has increased in length to a novella), when I decide to reference the fact that our sufferings really don't last that long now, especially in light of eternity. I knew that was from Peter, but couldn't remember where (it was 1 Peter 5:10). So I ended up reading 1 Peter, and that was so good  I read 2 Peter and couldn't help thinking how fun that would be to peruse on Sunday nights, even though I'm pretty much decided to do Witness to the World on Sunday nights for the next 6 weeks. Anyway, I knew I was going to preach on witnessing (Nathan-new title still isn't imaginative but true, it's "Each One, Reach One") when I came across 2 Peter 3. Here's verses 8-9 and 15 from the New Living: 8 But you must not forget, dear friends, that a day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise to return, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so he is giving more time for everyone to repent....15 And remember, the Lord is waiting so that people have time to be saved. This is just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him. (By the way, notice Peter quotes Paul here, he must have read Romans too!). Everyone thinks Jesus has taken so long to come back, that He might never come back. But why is He taking His time? He wants everyone to get to be in relationship with Him! God wants people to be saved! Isn't that a good passage? Spurred me on to write a majority of my sermon based off them! I must We must live with intentionality and love people into the kingdom. Every day matters too much just to waste it. I have been reminded repeatedly lately how that if I will simply walk in relationship with the Father through Jesus, He will open my eyes and I will see tons of opportunities to do what I'm called to. And that if I grab those opportunities He will do amazing things in people, and I will be even closer to Him. The irony is great here, spending time with God makes me a better Christian. HA! God is so cool! I love Him!

Romans 8:15-17

This will be quick. Looking at Romans as always.
8:15: Once again, it is so clear that how we act is our choice. We often want to cower and act like sin is the only option, but because of Jesus that just isn't the case. We're no longer mindless slaves following a will we cannot control. Instead, we are children who can run to our Daddy and lean on Him...if we will just choose to!
8:16: I like how NLT puts it, that the Holy Spirit, "speaks to us deep in our hearts." Yeah, can't explain it in words or thoughts, but many times I just know that I know that God is, and that I belong to Him and am loved by Him. Thank God  for that continuing confirmation, or I'd wander away in a heartbeat!
8:17: First the side everyone likes. If we are with Christ then we get to share in all the good things, like eternal life, initmate realtionship with the Father, belonging, joy, etc... But nobody wants to read the secondhalf of this verse which reads, "But if we are to share in his glory, we must also share in his suffering." So we get all the privileges through Christ, but we also get the responsibilities. It means my way dies and I pick His, even though that will cost me. It means obedience. Funny how everyone honors a soldier who out of duty and honor goes above and beyind to serve and die for his country, but thinks that the same kind of thinking doesn't apply to our relationship with God through Jesus. What else did Jesus mean when He said to pick up our cross and follow Him? We follow Him to our death, and then find life. I pray to be that bold, to take the call that seriously, to go wherever He asks regardless of the cost.

Prayers and Pennies

Two huge things that I want to give God the glory for! First, there is a guy I have been praying for since last October. For a chance to develop relationship and for Him to start a relationship with Jesus. Last night after AWANAs, I stopped to chat with him, and we talked for 15 minutes about his past, where he kind of is with God, and why a relationship with God is vital. WOW! I had been praying for this guy in my quiet time in the morning and that evening here I am sitting and talking to him about things that matter for eternity! He's not ready to decide yet, but I'm forming relationship with him and am planting seeds. Not because I'm smart or so good at that, but because God hears prayers and moves through the Holy Spirit to put us in places to love His people. God does all the work putting us in the right place at the right time with the right heart, so all we have to do is open our eyes and jump on the opportunities He throws our way! Makes you look at Phil. 4:13 in a new way when you think about it like that.

Second, I had an interesting talk with Jentri (my 6 year old daughter) last night. She had been given a dollar by a lady the other day and wanted to talk to me about how to spend it last night. She asked me what to do with it, and I asked her what she wanted. She said that she wanted a snack from school, but she could bring one from home so she didn't want to spend it on that. Then she thought perhaps spending it on her teacher, or giving it for Haiti. I asked her if her teacher really needed it, and she said no, but the people in Haiti did so she decided to give it to them. But I noticed she still wasn't happy, so I asked what the problem was. She asked if I had given money to Haiti, and I said yes. And she said that she felt like her dollar was useless because I could give so much more, and she wanted to give more and didn't have any money (in part because she had just emptied her piggy bank savings for the last 6 months into our Lottie Moon offering for foreign missionaries). So I smiled at her and had her sit in my lap and I told her that there was a story ab out Jesus she needed to hear.

I then told the story about Jesus and the pennies. One day in the temple Jesus was standing around watching as all the people came in and gave their money to help people. And there were some rich people who were coming up and giving $1000 at a time. And everyone would see their gifts and they would clap and say what good gifts they gave. And then a lady went up who very quietly gave 2 pennies, all the money she had. And suddenly Jesus got everyone's attention and asked if people had seen the woman's gift. Everyone said yeah, but what's the big deal since she only gave 2 pennies? And Jesus said that her present was the best gift given. Everyone was freaked out and said that didn't make sense since other people had given so much more than the lady. But Jesus said no, her 2 pennies were a much better gift. Because the people who gave $1000 had many more thousands of dollars at home, but not the lady. That was all the money she had. So her gift was more valuable to Jesus because she gave all she had to help others.

Jentri looks at me, and the biggest grin comes over her face and she says, "So my gift is the best?" And then I grinned back and said, "Yep." So she hopped up and put the money in her Bible to give Sunday. But we weren't done. She then asked me what the money would be used for. And I explained how it would buy food and water, and that those supplies would be given away to the people until they were gone. She then asked if everybody would only get one meal and one bottle of water. When I said yes, she got a very focused look on her face and said, "We all need to give more because it would be so much better if we could give everyone like 2 or 3 bottles of water, because more water is better." And I agreed. Then we prayed along with Landri (my 4 year old daughter) and we prayed especially for Haiti.

Now Jentri is not perfect, she can often drive you crazy and be a selfish kid, and I'm not usually such a good Bible teacher on the spot like that, but lat night God worked on both of us and taught us both something about what it means to love Him and to love others. And I'm glad that I get to walk on my spiritual journey with Jentri, because I'm already richer because of it. God is so good...

Life...death

Was going to write about Romans 8:12-14. Shattering verses, you are under no obligation to live according to sin, because you've died to that. And if you willingly and wantonly continue on that path it leads to death, and shows that you have not died with Christ, so you won't live with Him. Proof you're living (even if you mess up regularly as I do) is seen in being led by the Holy Spirit. So it boils down to pride (ie. selfishness) in choosing me instead of loving God enough to choose Him...and yet factor in God's amazing love wooing me even then. See Will's blog for some good thoughts on this in Genesis: http://seriousperfectlove.blogspot.com/2010/01/simon-says.html.

But what's on my mind is life and death. I've been in the hospital a lot lately for church members. On Monday I got to hold a fresh (under 1 hour old) baby and hold him up and pray for God's blessing on His life. About an hour ago I stood at the side of a bed in another hospital and held the hand of a dear lady and prayed God's blessing on her as she laid there unable to speak or swallow. The similarities of those two settings were crazy. Two precious beings loved so dearly by God, and both so small and helpless. Unable to take care of themselves or to even vocalize their feelings, dependant on others to protect and nurture them. One just beginning life, one ending it. Such joy in one room, such sorrow in another, but both brought on by such deep love. Life is so short, and goes by so quickly...

I hope I don't waste any of my days. I pray that my talks with my little girls will leave them with a legacy of knowing and loving God. I hope my wife is thankful in 40 years to still have me around. I pray that my time in church is not wasted on empty words but deep relationships that change me and those I encounter for eternity. I hope to not be the man I am today tomorrow. I pray in thanks I am not the man I was. I hope...I pray. Life...death. Wow, so much is wrapped up in those three little periods between those two words. Life...death. So much to do.

Clogging Your Mind

I've been camping out in Romans for what feels like forever. Came across this statement in Romans 8:5 "Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Holy Spirit." So here's the image that pops into my head. Remember that commercial where a man is walking out if his house, and on the way out sees the really hot lady plumber going into the house next to his? He turns around and runs into his house and immediately tries to clog his toilet so he can get the plumber to come over to his house. He throws everything down the toilet trying to get it to clog. Dog food, golf balls, a potted plant, teal lights. And as he is desperately working, he looks up to see his wife looking at him like he's lost his mind. Is that not us?

We are in relationship with God, and our mind is being renewed (Romans 12:1-2, yes that's another Romans quotation). So we go out on our day, and we see something that seems really attractive, but that we don't have any business messing with. And immediately we start clogging our mind trying to justify and find some way to get that thing we want. And the sad part is we often succeed, and then we betray our wife (God, ignore gender this is just a metaphor and God isn't any gender anyway, I'm just saying we're in a monogamous relationship with Him) with some pretty thing we see. And then we look up to see God looking at us like we've lost our mind, because in essence we have.

If we're going to walk with God, we've got to quit clogging our mind, because we know that will lead to us cheating on God. Conversely, we know that if we focus on Him that it draws us closer and more intimate in relationship with Him. The question then becomes, do I love God enough to quit clogging my mind? Will I willingly quit putting inappropriate things in their that lead my heart astray, even if it's things I really like. In the end I guess it's a love issue. How much do I love God, enough to plunge my mind clean, or enough to talk about Him but cheating in Him behind His back. I hope to learn to love Him more!