C.S. Lewis: Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn.
Our experiences shape us. They teach us things that books can't. They help to shape how we view the world. They are inevitable and everyone's experiences are different. For some people those experiences might give certain of the world, of God and of people.
For instance, someone who lives a really sheltered life, might not think to be cautious with strangers, because maybe they don't know some of the danger that could posses. Yet someone who has been hurt by a stranger, might be overly cautious in the view of those around them. No matter what your experiences are they teach you and grow you. I believe God gives you each of your experiences to shape you. He's soverign and allows things to happen to make you more like Christ and to give Him glory.
Sometimes though, you might not see how experience shaped your view. For instance if you experience was that everyone in the world is safe and there is nothing to fear, it might sound foreign to you the first time you hear about someone who was robbed. You might not know until this happened that what you thought about the world, a situation, or a person was wrong.
That's the problem with experience friends. I agree that you learn, but do you always learn the best lessons? I know my experiences have taught me a lot, but I definitely think it's been more on the side that there are things to fear in the world and at times that makes me overly worried. It's something God and I work through everyday.
Yesterday I learned that a view that I had was completely twisted and I didn't even know it. It's a personal view so I'm not going to share what it was specifically, but as I was hearing someone else's views I began to realize that what I had classified as "normal" or " that's just how it is" was really not normal or how the world really works.
And can I just say it makes me wonder... what other things that I don't know. I'm praying that God will show them to me and I wanted to encourage you to do the same. Ask God to show you the things that the world has taught you that are not from Him. I want to see the world the way God does. I'm not saying I want to know everything God does but I want Him to change the things in me that I don't know need to be changed.
We see in this same desire in the Psalms.
Psalm 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
In some ways He has really changed my heart and given me a renewed spirit. In the big ways that "christians" should act. Note I didn't change. HE changed me and I'm SO thankful for that!!!! But what I do pray now is that I would learn the smaller things that aren't as obvious and that I would open to it.
Friends I hope this is your prayer as well. that you would let God search you and grow you in ways you don't even know you need to grow. <3
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts
Lately I've had God really speaking to me in church. Not in the sermon. not in the worship. not in something someone said to me or in a bible study/fellowship class. But just when I'm there I find Him bringing me to places in the bible I don't frequent often. Last week Philemon, Titus, Habakkuk. This week Malachi, and some other places that I might take you through in other posts.
Today it was Malachi
The book begins with the Lord's declaration of love for Israel and God explaining how their offerings aren't pure.
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you,- Malachi 1:6.
He goes on to tell the priests that they aren't honoring Him. They aren't loving Him and yet they are asking for blessing and that God's blessing isn't guaranteed. It's a gift. He speaks to the church leaders who have given unclean offerings, who have cried at the alter but don't bring their joy, those who cheat on their wives. He calls them faithless. He calls them cursed.
In Malachi 3:1 He says -Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
That's Jesus.
See friends. as I read the book of Malachi in church this morning (even though the sermon was on 1 corinthians and how we are all important members of the body of Christ-- good message but God had another one) I found that we are like this. We bring God the unclean offering, we don't set our hearts completely on Him, we don't honor Him as much as He deserves, we don't obey Him like He calls. But He sent Jesus to help us,to refine us, to save us. He sent Him to make us blameless, who had no blame. He sent Him to pay the price, who had no debt. And thus we are called to repentance. Daily. more than daily.
I think back about what was it that I never learned as a kid. what's the piece I missed and that's it: repentance. Thats not simply conviction or confession. It's a changing of your mind that is done by the holy spirit which we are given because of Christ.
The book ends with these verses 3:17 and 18- “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Friends- is there a difference between you and the world? God says there will be a distinction. That He will spare those who serve Him. (note I'm not saying you earn your salvation by being good enough. We are saved by grace but the mark of that salvation is repentance.) Friends are you growing? are you bearing fruit? or are you one of the many that cries "Lord Lord" but doesn't KNOW Him? I can't answer this for you. But I just felt like God was showing me how important it is to know which side of the fence you are on. God loved us so much He sent His messanger. He wanted to save us. To help us turn from our sin both from nature and choice. He wanted to care for us, and so He sacrificed His son. What have you sacrificed for Him? What have you given up for Christ. What have you not repented of? and what are you waiting for?
I know. It's scary. It's hard. But you dont' need to be fearless just ask the Holy Spirit for strength. You only need to be strong enough to say "i can't do this alone I need You (God)"
"They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts"
Friends. Be His. I promise it's the most important decision you will ever make. Nothing in this world will satisfy or compare.
Today it was Malachi
The book begins with the Lord's declaration of love for Israel and God explaining how their offerings aren't pure.
A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the Lord of hosts to you,- Malachi 1:6.
He goes on to tell the priests that they aren't honoring Him. They aren't loving Him and yet they are asking for blessing and that God's blessing isn't guaranteed. It's a gift. He speaks to the church leaders who have given unclean offerings, who have cried at the alter but don't bring their joy, those who cheat on their wives. He calls them faithless. He calls them cursed.
In Malachi 3:1 He says -Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.
That's Jesus.
See friends. as I read the book of Malachi in church this morning (even though the sermon was on 1 corinthians and how we are all important members of the body of Christ-- good message but God had another one) I found that we are like this. We bring God the unclean offering, we don't set our hearts completely on Him, we don't honor Him as much as He deserves, we don't obey Him like He calls. But He sent Jesus to help us,to refine us, to save us. He sent Him to make us blameless, who had no blame. He sent Him to pay the price, who had no debt. And thus we are called to repentance. Daily. more than daily.
I think back about what was it that I never learned as a kid. what's the piece I missed and that's it: repentance. Thats not simply conviction or confession. It's a changing of your mind that is done by the holy spirit which we are given because of Christ.
The book ends with these verses 3:17 and 18- “They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18 Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.
Friends- is there a difference between you and the world? God says there will be a distinction. That He will spare those who serve Him. (note I'm not saying you earn your salvation by being good enough. We are saved by grace but the mark of that salvation is repentance.) Friends are you growing? are you bearing fruit? or are you one of the many that cries "Lord Lord" but doesn't KNOW Him? I can't answer this for you. But I just felt like God was showing me how important it is to know which side of the fence you are on. God loved us so much He sent His messanger. He wanted to save us. To help us turn from our sin both from nature and choice. He wanted to care for us, and so He sacrificed His son. What have you sacrificed for Him? What have you given up for Christ. What have you not repented of? and what are you waiting for?
I know. It's scary. It's hard. But you dont' need to be fearless just ask the Holy Spirit for strength. You only need to be strong enough to say "i can't do this alone I need You (God)"
"They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts"
Friends. Be His. I promise it's the most important decision you will ever make. Nothing in this world will satisfy or compare.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Titus 1:16
God has been teaching me a lot and I'm so thankful for that.Sometimes God shows you things that are hard to wrap your mind around. I've been praying a lot about women I am discipling and came across this verse:
Titus 1:16 "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."
Now those are some harsh words that Paul wrote. But we know all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the context of this information is where Paul is writing to Titus and passing on his knowledge. He talks about rebuking those who fail to do good and it's something God brought me to in the word today. Something that has rocked my world. I may have read this verse before but the realities of it have been hitting me. I know what Jesus says about being lukewarm. I know that many will say Lord Lord but they don't know Him. But not only do they not know Him even though they say they do, not only are they something to be spit out, but this group of people in the world that gives lip service to being a christian but they dont' know him. This verse doesn't sugar coat that. This verse rips apart anything that says "well I'll get to it" or "God knows my heart" This verse... is heartbreaking to me because I know so many that have "Christian" on their facebook profile but then if you took a peek through their pictures and statuses you would think something didn't add up.
I was this person. I had a "Jesus Fish" on my foot, but those same feet where carrying me a lot of places I shouldn't have been.
detestable
disobedient
not fit for doing anything good.
these words keep echoing in my head. Because this is what I was named until I truly learned about the grace of God. I'm SO thankful that God turned my life around. I'm so thankful that He didn't let me keep walking around being...detestable. disobedient. not fit for anything good. and it breaks my heart that I know people that are still here. (Please not I'm not calling anyone these things. I'm just talking about what the bible says.) I wish I could say that my past mistakes are a thing of the long long long distant past but they aren't. They affect who I am today. They affect how I deal with situations, the things that hold me back from running after God faster, they pop up in my dreams, ect. But here's the thing, I always knew I wasn't honoring God, but I always thought I'd get to it, or it was ok because I already had messed up or I took advantage of knowing that we are forgiven in Christ.
So what's my point?
Friends. There are people right now in your life that are here and we have an opportunity to encourage them and grow them. We have the ability to help share truth with them, be accountability with them, disciple them. We can be praying for them.
Now the sad truth is some of you reading this might think "well I'm a christian but maybe my life doesn't reflect it's ok." I'm going to say this: It's not ok. Not because I am saying that but the bible says that, Jesus said that. but what I need to say most is that God does want you. No matter what you've done, where you have been, how much you haven't honored Him He wants you. He doesn't want you to be called these things He wants to call you His. Beloved. Saved. Forgiven. Paid for.
So if you find yourself convicted by that verse then stop now and talk to God. You don't have to know how to do everythign you just need to know how to ask Him for help.
and if you read that verse and you know people who are lost and they don't know it start discipling them. help them. Don't let them stay where they are at. You wouldn't walk away from an injured person asking you for help, but yet we walk away from people who are missing so much more. Let stop just watching them with judgement and start loving them.
Let's love God and love people. those are the greatest commandments. <3
Titus 1:16 "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."
Now those are some harsh words that Paul wrote. But we know all scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit. And the context of this information is where Paul is writing to Titus and passing on his knowledge. He talks about rebuking those who fail to do good and it's something God brought me to in the word today. Something that has rocked my world. I may have read this verse before but the realities of it have been hitting me. I know what Jesus says about being lukewarm. I know that many will say Lord Lord but they don't know Him. But not only do they not know Him even though they say they do, not only are they something to be spit out, but this group of people in the world that gives lip service to being a christian but they dont' know him. This verse doesn't sugar coat that. This verse rips apart anything that says "well I'll get to it" or "God knows my heart" This verse... is heartbreaking to me because I know so many that have "Christian" on their facebook profile but then if you took a peek through their pictures and statuses you would think something didn't add up.
I was this person. I had a "Jesus Fish" on my foot, but those same feet where carrying me a lot of places I shouldn't have been.
detestable
disobedient
not fit for doing anything good.
these words keep echoing in my head. Because this is what I was named until I truly learned about the grace of God. I'm SO thankful that God turned my life around. I'm so thankful that He didn't let me keep walking around being...detestable. disobedient. not fit for anything good. and it breaks my heart that I know people that are still here. (Please not I'm not calling anyone these things. I'm just talking about what the bible says.) I wish I could say that my past mistakes are a thing of the long long long distant past but they aren't. They affect who I am today. They affect how I deal with situations, the things that hold me back from running after God faster, they pop up in my dreams, ect. But here's the thing, I always knew I wasn't honoring God, but I always thought I'd get to it, or it was ok because I already had messed up or I took advantage of knowing that we are forgiven in Christ.
So what's my point?
Friends. There are people right now in your life that are here and we have an opportunity to encourage them and grow them. We have the ability to help share truth with them, be accountability with them, disciple them. We can be praying for them.
Now the sad truth is some of you reading this might think "well I'm a christian but maybe my life doesn't reflect it's ok." I'm going to say this: It's not ok. Not because I am saying that but the bible says that, Jesus said that. but what I need to say most is that God does want you. No matter what you've done, where you have been, how much you haven't honored Him He wants you. He doesn't want you to be called these things He wants to call you His. Beloved. Saved. Forgiven. Paid for.
So if you find yourself convicted by that verse then stop now and talk to God. You don't have to know how to do everythign you just need to know how to ask Him for help.
and if you read that verse and you know people who are lost and they don't know it start discipling them. help them. Don't let them stay where they are at. You wouldn't walk away from an injured person asking you for help, but yet we walk away from people who are missing so much more. Let stop just watching them with judgement and start loving them.
Let's love God and love people. those are the greatest commandments. <3
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