Are You For Real?

I’m always involved in a Bible study of some sort. I love focusing on a particular subject like that … but I also feel that it is important to read through the entire Bible to get the bigger picture. Because of time limitations, I am not able to read it every day, so I keep a sticky note on the last page I read, and I move it every time I read a bit more.

By using this method, I managed to read through the entire Narrated Chronological Bible in three years. I have learned SO much more about God’s character and how He deals with His people by reading through the Bible this way. I think that most believers are missing out on the benefits of reading God’s Word in full.

I’d like to encourage you to try my method. Place 4 or 5 stick notes inside the front cover of your favorite translation, read as much as you can, as often as you can, and place a sticky note where you left off. When that sticky note loses it’s sticky, pull another one off the inside cover and carry on! It may take a couple years, but eventually you will have read the FULL counsel of God.

Keeping it real,

Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. It turns us into control freaks. It deadens our recall, and creates a form of spiritual amnesia… it dulls our miracle memory. It makes us forget what Jesus has done and how GOOD God is. When fear shapes our lives, safety becomes our god.

~Max Lucado, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Photo courtesy of: mikebaird

Fear is a default reaction when we feel we are not in control, and it often causes us to lash out at others with false accusations. We see a perfect example of this when the disciples encountered a storm while crossing the Sea of Galilee.

The disciples did not ask about Jesus’ strength.

“Can you still the storm?”

They did not ask about His knowledge.

“Are you aware of the storm?”

Nor did they ask about His know-how.

“Do you have any experience with storms?”

But rather, they raised doubts about Jesus’ character.

“Do you not care?”

Anxiety Causes Us to Forget God’s Love and His Power

Obviously, the disciples had forgotten the point of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus spoke at length about His deep concern for human welfare. Apparently, they did not recall how His heart went out to the grieving widow when He raised her only son, who had just died. For a moment, they did not remember how Jesus had lovingly cured many who had diseases, sicknesses, blindness, and evil spirits. But recalling these things would have helped them overcome their fear. It would have taken their mind off the power of the storm and put it on the power of One who could calm the storm … and perhaps that would have helped them think to humbly ask the Lord for help, rather than insult Him with a false accusation.

This post was inspired by Max Lucado’s book, Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear

Keeping it real,

Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.

~Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Photo courtesy of: tomalen

Let the chill bumps begin!

I know you will be awe struck with God if you take 3 minutes to watch this video and realize how VERY special we must be for Him to have chosen us out of all the galaxies of His enormous creation.

This post was inspired by Francis Chan’s latest book, Crazy Love

Keeping it real,

Why is the Law of Love so important? Fulfilling the Law of Love is how we abide in Christ!

Love is the most basic building block of our relationship with Christ. Jesus tells us that, if we fulfill the Law of Love (i.e., love God and love your neighbor), we will satisfy all the law and abide in Christ! Look at the following passages:

Rom 13:10,  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

John 15:10a,   If you keep My commandments [law], you will abide in My love.

As we live a life of love and respect for God and our neighbor, we will fulfill every commandment in God’s Word, as a by product. For example, if we love and respect our neighbor, we will not kill him, steal from him, allow him to go hungry, etc. If we love and respect God, we will not use His name in vain, allow other things to come before Him in our life, etc.

Honoring the Law of Love is how we ‘abide’ in Christ.

1Jn 2:10,  Whoever loves his brother lives [abides] in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble.

1Jn 3:17,  But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

It is very important that we honor the Law of Love, because if we aren’t abiding in Christ, we will be among those who are gathered together and thrown into the Lake of Fire:

John 15:6,  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Pearl of Wisdom: In the last days, there will be a strong temptation to let our love grow cold, in other words there will be a strong temptation to be selfish, or self centered.

Mat 24:12-13,  And because lawlessness [wickedness] will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.

James 1:12,  Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.

The Law of Love is SO important because it will be rewarded with the Crown of Life.

What is the Law of Love? Simply stated, it is this: Love God and love your neighbor. Christ informed us that ALL the law hangs on this principle. Paul refers to it as the Law of Christ in his letter to the Galatians. It is the essence of Jesus’ teaching in Mat 22:36-40.

I’ve been learning a lot about the Law of Love, recently, and I’ve been thinking about how it is God’s command and His delight for us to share His blessings. Last week, I heard a minster say that because we are receiving God’s blessings, a river of blessings should be flowing out of us. What a perfect way of describing the Law of Love!

Through Scripture and ministers and conversations with godly friends, the theme of ‘love your neighbor’ has come up time and again, lately. If you are walking with the Lord, I’m sure you know how God, often, teaches in themes. So when I recognize a theme surfacing, I start paying attention because I know I’m about to learn a very special lesson.

Selfishness Is the Opposite of the Law of Love

When I read Jeremiah 22:15-16 a few days ago, it really caught my attention. I’ve been back to look at it several times, knowing that God meant for me to understand something deeper.

“Does it make you a king to have more and more cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He did what was right and just, so all went well with him. He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 22:15-16 NIV)

I was particularly captivated by these details … The king’s father had food and drink and everything was going well for him, but still he cared for the poor and needy. Then the Lord, in making a point to the son, asked him, “Isn’t that what it means to know me?” God was teaching the son about his sin of being self-centered.

Later, while reading in Ezekiel, I came to a verse that gave me the ‘clunk’ you get when a solid truth falls into place like the last piece of a puzzle coming together.

Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen. (Ezekiel 16:49-50 NIV)

Arrogant … Overfed … Unconcerned … suddenly, I got it! They ate and drank and lived well and forgot the Law of Love … it’s exactly the same as the sin of the king in the Jeremiah passage. And look at the horrors the sin of selfishness eventually led to in Sodom; it caused them to do detestable things before the Lord!

Pearl of Wisdom: The sin of selfishness has a powerful momentum which carries us far away from the Lord.

Living by the Law of Love is how we abide in Christ, and it is the way to safeguard us from the horrible end of a self-centered life.