poor reflections...
Topic: actually 2001
john 3:16

for God SO LOVED the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.


**** fairly familiar verse, huh? let's look at a couple of other verses about God's love and what kind of people it was shown to - then we'll talk some more.....


romans 5:8

but God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were STILL SINNERS, Christ died for us.

ephesians 2:4-5

but because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ EVEN WHEN WE WERE DEAD IN TRANSGRESSIONS - it is by grace you have been saved.


*** we as Christ's disciples - his followers - called to be like Him - do we have this kind of love? or do we have a very conditional love?
let's think:
He forgave me - do i forgive others?
He became a servant for me - will i serve others? (with a good attitude)
He went out of his way because He so loved me - do i so love those around me that i am willing to go out of my way?
(oh, but they may not react in love, they may not appreciate me, thay may not show me respect - OF COURSE, they killed Jesus - did that stop him?)

i am convicted - my love is not what it should be - God, help me to love more like you do!!!!!!!!!!

matthew 22:37-39

Jesus replied, "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. this is the first and greatest commandment. and the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself.

a little clarity (entry 1a in today's daily verses)
Topic: actually 2001
***this stuff fits in perfectly with the thoughts from earlier

luke 6:32-36

if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? even 'sinners' love those who love them. and if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? even 'sinners' do that. and if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. BUT

* love your enemies,
* do good to them,
* and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

* be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

national day of prayer
Topic: actually 2001
today is the national day of prayer - take a few extra moments today to pray for our country!

2 chronicles 7:14 (a threefold promise - following a fourfold command!)

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then i will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

jeremiah 29:11-14

"for i know the plans i have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and i will listen to you. you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. i will be found by you," declares the Lord...

***many of us are familiar with the first verse here in jeremiah and love to claim that promise of God's wonderful plans for our lives - BUT do we keep reading - do we call and pray and seek (and is our seeking with all our hearts)? could it be that we don't know the plans - cause we aren't going to the master planner for them? He has them - we need to seek HIM!!

juxtaposition
Topic: actually 2001
psalm 139:23-24

search me, o God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
see if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

1 corinthians 4:1-5

so then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. i care very little if i am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, i do not even judge myself. my conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. it is the Lord who judges me. therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. at that time each will receive his praise from God.

psalm 139:23-24

search me, o God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
see if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

1 corinthians 4:12-13

we work hard with our own hands.
when we are cursed, we bless;
when we are persecuted, we endure it;
when we are slandered, we answer kindly.
up to this moment, we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world.

philippians 2:5

your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.

1 corinthians 4:20

for the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

matthew 23:2-3

the teachers of the law and the pharisees sit in moses' seat. so you must obey them and do everything they tell you. but do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.

***"juxtaposition" - placing side by side for contrast or comparison

- God's ways and the world's ways are WAY different.

let it go, let it go
Topic: actually 2001
ephesians 4:26-27

in your anger, do not sin: do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

hebrews 12:14-15

make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. see to it that no one misses the grace of God and that NO BITTER ROOT grows up to cause trouble and defile many.


*** i was reading a book by c.s. lewis yesterday and came across this quote "every one says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive..." WOW - what a powerful statement - and yet unforgiveness and holding onto things can give the devil a foothold!! it help that bitter root to grow up - causing TROUBLE - and does it hurt just me - NO - it "defiles many" - ephesians 5:1 instructs us to "be imitators of God" - so i'll close today with the question - what was our Lord Jesus' response to the terrible injustice and suffering he faced on the cross?

"Father, forgive them..."

**** bonus thought "love keeps no record of wrongs..." ( 1 cor 13:5)

ring, ring - it's for you
Topic: actually 2001
ephesians 4:1-6 (instructions pertaining to "the worthy life" numbered for your convenience)

as a prisoner for the Lord, then, i urge you to LIVE A LIFE WORTHY of the calling you have received.

1.be completely humble

2.and gentle;

3.be patient,

4.bearing with one another in love.

5.make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

there is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

slackers?
Topic: actually 2001
1 corinthians 3:13

his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work.

will test the quality of each man's work.

test the quality of each man's work.

the quality of each man's work


colossians 3:23

whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,

**** so the school year's just about up and maybe you're tryin to coast to the end..... a lesson from nationals - several times last week - our quiz team was beaten in a quiz after being ahead by a fairly large margin in the second half - why? maybe we relaxed cause we were ahead - lost a little of the desperation.... why do underdogs often win in the NCAA tourney? is it maybe that they have nothing to lose and play with everything they have? how are we living our lives for Christ? what kind of effort are we putting forth? are we comfortable?...

ATTENTION!!!
Topic: actually 2001
luke 17:32

remember lot's wife!

**** short enough verse, huh? i think all of you could probably memorize it in a few minutes!! so why's it there? well, it's in a section (luke 17) speaking of Christ's return - "the days of the Son of Man" - and how people will be complacent - just going about there everyday stuff and not see the coming destruction! then there's lot's wife - she got out of sodom before it was destroyed - but she looked back and was turned to salt - how much do we love the world? how aware are we of the daily spiritual conflict we are in? remember what james 4:4 says "you adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." pretty strong stuff, huh?......... think about it

....luke 17:26-29 "just as it was in the days of noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. people were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marrieage up to the day noah entered the ark. then the flood came and destroyed them all. it was the same in the days of lot. people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. but the day lot left sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all."

spring training
Topic: actually 2001
matthew 7:24-27

therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like the wise man who built his house on the rock. the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

but everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. the rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

**** it's spring - that time of year when baseball players go to florida or arizona - not to work on their tans, but to practice fundamentals - they do hitting drills, they run, they practice bunting and hitting the cutoff man, they field hundreds of ground balls, they play games that don't count for anything, just to get themselves for the regular season - is it that they have never played baseball before? no - most of them have probably been playing their whole lives - but in order to be the best they must constantly work on their skills.....

so i was thinking this morning - WOW - the sermon on the mount (matthew chapters 5-7) is sure full of a ton of practical stuff for us as disciples of Christ (christians) - and the more i thought about it - it hit me that if we really concentrated on putting those 3 chapters into practice - we would be well on our way to living as Jesus wants us to (which i FIRMLY believe is much more difficult in the society in which we live than any of us imagine) - and in light of that thinking - i thought to challenge myself and you as well - to spend the next week or so - really readin over those chapters - maybe as a whole at one time - maybe in bits and pieces - but do it repetitively AND do it prayerfully - asking God to shine the light of his word on YOUR life - and then heedin Jesus' words - (put them into practice) - what better time than the beautiful spring to check on our foundation, our fundamentals - and make sure we are truly prepared.....

are we soft?
Topic: actually 2001
hebrews 11:36-12:4

others were made fun of and beaten with whips, and some were chained in jail. still others were stoned to death or sawed in two or killed with swords. some had nothing but sheep skins or goat skins to wear. they were poor, mistreated, and tortured. the world did not deserve these good people, who had to wander in deserts and on mountains and had to live in caves and holes in the ground.

ALL OF THEM PLEASED GOD BECAUSE OF THEIR FAITH! but still they died without being given what had been promised. this was because God had something better in store for us. and he did not want them to reach the goal of their faith without us.

such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! so we MUST get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. and we MUST be determined to run the race that is ahead of us. we MUST keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. he endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. now he is seated at the right side of God's throne! so keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. then you won't get discouraged and give up.

none of you have yet been hurt in your battle against sin.


**** so, my question is: are we too comfortable? does complacency keep us from following Christ as we should?...............