In the final 10 days of my bachelor-hood...bachelorism...bachelor life-style...I guess you get the point. But in the final 10 days before Jenny and I get married, I've had several decisions to make and topics to discuss, such as: insurance, budgeting, career choices, when to have kids, whether to have kids at all, and etc... Although I'm excited to the MAX about getting married, a lot of situations and decisions that lie ahead make me nervous. It would be comforting for me to believe that God has a blueprint for my life, which he can lead me to the path that would be best for me. But as we learned on Sunday, that is not the case, and today's post will be discovering the comfort that lies in the statement: God does NOT have a blueprint for my life.
Most of us believe, have believed, or would like to believe that God orchestrates every situation we face and decision we make (what job we take, what school we go to, who we marry) so that we can have a prosperous and happy life. However, we learned earlier in this series that God's main concern is not that we're happy, but that we become more like His Son. Therefore, maybe it's more realistic to believe that God is working within all situations, to create within us a mentality and spirit which reflects Jesus. According to Paul, the man most responsible for spreading Christianity throughout the world, God uses even the darkest situations to mold us into the people He desires for us to be.
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. -Romans 8:28
Many have misinterpreted Paul's words, believing that he meant that God orchestrates are situations to build us a better life. The problem is that most misunderstand what Paul meant by the word "good". If God's main priority is not that we are happy, then what could this good be? Maybe God uses our situations to help us become more like Him. Maybe instead of asking God to show me signs for which job I should take, I should ask what kind of employee I should be. Maybe instead of asking God to orchestrate every situation so that I would know what school to go to, I should search through God's Word to find out how He thinks I should treat my teachers and classmates. The comfort is found when I understand that God's ultimate goal is to shape me into someone who reflects His will, and that He will be there to help me every step along the way. If God's will is not a blueprint that has to be followed precisely, then we can be comforted to know that God's will is much more flexible. We no longer have to fear decisions because we can't stray away from a blueprint that doesn't exist, and God will hold our hand in every decision and form us along the way.
Explore
What does Jesus describe as "easy" and "light" in Matthew 11:28-30?
Pray
That God can begin to bring comfort to the thought that He has no blueprint for your life, and that you can begin to look for His will in all situations.
Homework
Prepare an answer for group on Sunday.
When facing a big decision to you usually follow your head or your heart?
Guilty Pleasures
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
If only real high school was filled with bad actors, cheesy dialogue, and people who say "oot" instead of "out", then I might have actually wanted to attend. Alas, I am stuck enjoying my guilty pleasure, the Canadian TV show "Degrassi: The Next Generation". Now, if you don't currently watch Degrassi, please for the love of everything righteous and holy DO NOT WATCH IT, because you will become addicted. But unfortunately this post is not about Degrassi; however, it is about our guilty pleasures (and not the cute-comfortable ones like Degrassi). The kind of guilty pleasures I'm writing about are the ones that keep you up at night. Maybe it's not even a habit. Maybe it's just guilt over something you never thought you'd do, but it's still there waking you up in the middle of the night. So, when you find yourself in the situation where you're being haunted by the past or you feel like you've gone too far to be forgiven, what do you do?
We learned on Sunday that when we're faced with our sin we have two choices: Godly sorrow (a temporary sadness which leads to repentance and salvation) and worldly sorrow (a lasting sadness which leads to a spiritual and emotional death). You might ask, "if worldly sorrow leads to death, why would anyone ever choose it?” Well, if Godly sorrow leads to repentance and repentance leads to salvation and salvation is gained by surrendering our rights to Christ, then the answer might simply be: we don't want to surrender. When we choose to deal with our guilt on our own, we believe that we can handle our situation better than God. We beat ourselves up over our guilt or we try and resolve the situation on our own, and all the while our heart is still heavy from the weight of our guilt. David, a man who understood guilt better than most, explains how we might be able to remove our guilt while also changing ourselves in the process, in a prayer he wrote to God:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10.
If we ask God to create for us a clean heart and a renewed spirit, then we might not only be free of our guilt, but more resistant to our temptations that led us to that guilt. David, the man after God's own heart, understood that only after we have a new heart, a clean heart, can we begin to live the life God is calling us too. As we know, there is nothing we can ever do that is too terrible for God to forgive, so why do we continue living like our sin is worse than anybody else's? God wants to create a pure heart within us, all we have to do is lay down our pride and ask for His help.
Explore and Pray
Read and pray along with David's prayer of redemption in Psalm 51:1-17
Homework
Prepare an answer for discussion on Sunday
What is the difference between having a blueprint for something and a plan for it?
We learned on Sunday that when we're faced with our sin we have two choices: Godly sorrow (a temporary sadness which leads to repentance and salvation) and worldly sorrow (a lasting sadness which leads to a spiritual and emotional death). You might ask, "if worldly sorrow leads to death, why would anyone ever choose it?” Well, if Godly sorrow leads to repentance and repentance leads to salvation and salvation is gained by surrendering our rights to Christ, then the answer might simply be: we don't want to surrender. When we choose to deal with our guilt on our own, we believe that we can handle our situation better than God. We beat ourselves up over our guilt or we try and resolve the situation on our own, and all the while our heart is still heavy from the weight of our guilt. David, a man who understood guilt better than most, explains how we might be able to remove our guilt while also changing ourselves in the process, in a prayer he wrote to God:
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. -Psalm 51:10.
If we ask God to create for us a clean heart and a renewed spirit, then we might not only be free of our guilt, but more resistant to our temptations that led us to that guilt. David, the man after God's own heart, understood that only after we have a new heart, a clean heart, can we begin to live the life God is calling us too. As we know, there is nothing we can ever do that is too terrible for God to forgive, so why do we continue living like our sin is worse than anybody else's? God wants to create a pure heart within us, all we have to do is lay down our pride and ask for His help.
Explore and Pray
Read and pray along with David's prayer of redemption in Psalm 51:1-17
Homework
Prepare an answer for discussion on Sunday
What is the difference between having a blueprint for something and a plan for it?
You Don't Know Me!
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
If I'm honest with myself, I spend a lot of my day talking about and/or making assumptions/judging those around me. Most of the time I make judgments about random strangers (assumptions such as: I bet he's a jerk or I bet she's just trying to catch attention with that outfit, and we can all agree this is wrong and sinful; however, the situation becomes a little more tricky when someone we know is caught in a sin that is tearing their life apart, and we want to say something without overstepping our bounds.
As we talked about on Sunday, Jesus gave us guidelines for how to approach our friends when making a judgment: judge as we would want to be judged, understand the entire situation, examine ourselves, and address our own problems. Just as important as understanding how to judge, it is important for Christians to understand how to receive criticism. What does the Bible say about how we should handle ourselves when God sends a friend to confront an issue in our own lives? Let's take a look at what Solomon, a man God granted with the gift of extreme wisdom (which is wisdom TO THE EXTREME, by the way), has to say about criticism:
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. -Proverbs 12:1
It is better to correct someone openly, than to have love and not show it. -Proverbs 27:5
Personally, when a friend of mine takes the time and puts our friendship on the line to bring my attention to a problem in my life, I am very respectful and receive their criticism with open arms...Now, I hope you didn't buy that. Just like most of us, I often become defensive, and ignore the Holy Spirit's calling stirred on by a friend's warning. However, if I could keep the advice of Solomon in my heart, I might be able to notice my own shortcomings, and save myself future heartache. God often puts people in our lives who can point out flaws in ourselves, which we would never notice on our own. Just as it is important for us to judge correctly, it is important for us to receive Godly correction in a God-honoring way.
Explore
Meditate on the words of Solomon in the previously mentioned Proverbs.
Pray
That God will help you receive correction in a manner that honors Him, and that you may follow His guidelines for judging others.
Homework
(Prepare an answer for group on Sunday)
What are some typical things people feel guilty about?
As we talked about on Sunday, Jesus gave us guidelines for how to approach our friends when making a judgment: judge as we would want to be judged, understand the entire situation, examine ourselves, and address our own problems. Just as important as understanding how to judge, it is important for Christians to understand how to receive criticism. What does the Bible say about how we should handle ourselves when God sends a friend to confront an issue in our own lives? Let's take a look at what Solomon, a man God granted with the gift of extreme wisdom (which is wisdom TO THE EXTREME, by the way), has to say about criticism:
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. -Proverbs 12:1
It is better to correct someone openly, than to have love and not show it. -Proverbs 27:5
Personally, when a friend of mine takes the time and puts our friendship on the line to bring my attention to a problem in my life, I am very respectful and receive their criticism with open arms...Now, I hope you didn't buy that. Just like most of us, I often become defensive, and ignore the Holy Spirit's calling stirred on by a friend's warning. However, if I could keep the advice of Solomon in my heart, I might be able to notice my own shortcomings, and save myself future heartache. God often puts people in our lives who can point out flaws in ourselves, which we would never notice on our own. Just as it is important for us to judge correctly, it is important for us to receive Godly correction in a God-honoring way.
Explore
Meditate on the words of Solomon in the previously mentioned Proverbs.
Pray
That God will help you receive correction in a manner that honors Him, and that you may follow His guidelines for judging others.
Homework
(Prepare an answer for group on Sunday)
What are some typical things people feel guilty about?
Happy is a Yuppie Word
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
In a 1991 interview covering the occasion of his 50th birthday, singer-songwriter and cosmic "weirdo" Bob Dylan gave an interesting response to a Rolling Stone journalist who asked if the aging legend was happy. This was his response: "You know, these are yuppie words, happiness and unhappiness. It's not happy or unhappy, it's blessed or unblessed". Although this could be considered nothing more than a shot at the middle-class business community or just a case of the old fashioned Dylan-esque craziness, I believe that Mr. Tambourine Man himself might have been on to an idea that is rooted deep in scripture. (Before we move on it's important to understand that a "yuppie" is a 1980's term for a young up-and-coming business-type, focused purely on becoming successful.)
As Christians we often follow a misconception that is deeply rooted in our minds, that "God's main priority is that we be happy". However, when looking at the life and teachings of Jesus it becomes evident that God's priorities and our happiness often fall on opposite ends of the spectrum. As we spoke about on Sunday, God clearly would not want us happy if our happiness was gained by us sinning, but more stunning is that Jesus spoke that those who are in difficult situations were "more than happy?”
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.- Matthew 5:3-10
The word used by both Bob Dylan and Jesus, "blessed", simply means "more than happy". So, in these verses, Jesus clearly states that those who mourn, those who are insulted, and those who are overly submissive are more than happy. The crazy thought that Christ followers must live by, is that when our circumstances feel hopeless or we feel alone and persecuted or we feel trampled on, we are to consider ourselves more than happy because we have a hope that runs underneath all of this. When we are broken and defeated God comforts us in a way we would never feel if we weren't broken. When we are persecuted for pursuing righteousness, we grow closer to becoming like Christ. When we feel like we are being taken advantage of to the point of being empty, we can rest in the loving arms of our Father. For those of us who are Christians, happiness is not our ultimate goal or God's ultimate priority, but God does want to bless us. God wants to make us "more than happy", because after all "Happy is a Yuppie Word".
Explore
Meditate on the Beatitudes stated in Matthew 5:3-10.
Pray
That God your hope will not rest in the temporary things of Earth, but in the salvation of Jesus Christ.
Homework
(Prepare an answer for group this Sunday)
According to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, is it wrong to judge others? Why?
As Christians we often follow a misconception that is deeply rooted in our minds, that "God's main priority is that we be happy". However, when looking at the life and teachings of Jesus it becomes evident that God's priorities and our happiness often fall on opposite ends of the spectrum. As we spoke about on Sunday, God clearly would not want us happy if our happiness was gained by us sinning, but more stunning is that Jesus spoke that those who are in difficult situations were "more than happy?”
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.- Matthew 5:3-10
The word used by both Bob Dylan and Jesus, "blessed", simply means "more than happy". So, in these verses, Jesus clearly states that those who mourn, those who are insulted, and those who are overly submissive are more than happy. The crazy thought that Christ followers must live by, is that when our circumstances feel hopeless or we feel alone and persecuted or we feel trampled on, we are to consider ourselves more than happy because we have a hope that runs underneath all of this. When we are broken and defeated God comforts us in a way we would never feel if we weren't broken. When we are persecuted for pursuing righteousness, we grow closer to becoming like Christ. When we feel like we are being taken advantage of to the point of being empty, we can rest in the loving arms of our Father. For those of us who are Christians, happiness is not our ultimate goal or God's ultimate priority, but God does want to bless us. God wants to make us "more than happy", because after all "Happy is a Yuppie Word".
Explore
Meditate on the Beatitudes stated in Matthew 5:3-10.
Pray
That God your hope will not rest in the temporary things of Earth, but in the salvation of Jesus Christ.
Homework
(Prepare an answer for group this Sunday)
According to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1-5, is it wrong to judge others? Why?
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