Thoughts On Tuesday Night

"Love, Hate, Cling" This was how our Tuesday night C&C Bible study began. Love. Hate. Cling.

Here a just a few highlights:

Romans 12:9 (NIV) "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

When we ask "how are you?", do we really care or are we fulfilling a social expectation?

Romans 12:9 (NLT) "Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them."

"We are all like the moon, we all have a dark side we don't want anyone to see."

Where does sincere love come from?

1 Timothy 1:5 (NLT)" The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith"

Sincere love comes from a pure heart, clear conscience, and a genuine or sincere faith. How do we come into posession of a pure heart?

Acts 15:8 (NIV) "God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us."

Only when we give our heart to God can He make it pure and put it back in us. But what is sincere love? What is our example to follow (here's a real kick in the pants!)

1 John 4:7-11 (NIV) ⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Read it again. God's love is how ought to love! Do we? Do we really? Not even a little. Jesus is our standard for how to love others and His love was always outwardly focused.

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV) ³⁷Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' ³⁸This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' ⁴⁰All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

No where in there does Jesus say, "but make sure you take some time to love yourself". He didn't need to, we've got that down pat! We can love ourselves like no other creature on this planet! No, Jesus says that love should be always pointed outward. First to God and then to others.

Outwardly focused love and outwardly focused manifestations of that love, without hypocrisy.

Think on it, it'll blow your mind!!

Set-Apart Living

Part 2
by Gwen Smith

Today's Truth
"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4:29, ESV)

Friend to Friend
Yesterday we began to talk about living a set-apart life. We looked at our e-lives, the time we spend on computers, and were challenged to establish healthy boundaries to protect and strengthen our faiths. It was noted that God is the source of all holiness. In order to live a set-apart life, we must spend time with Him and then be fueled by His Holy Spirit. Today, we are going to consider how we can be set-apart (holy) with our words.

My ten year old son, Hunter, recently came to me with a humble confession. He said that, "because he hasn't been spending much time with God lately, he has been grumpier and grumpier." He quietly admitted that he has been mean to his siblings and has said some unkind things. With amazing insight, he connected the amount of time that he spent with God and in God's Word with his behaviors ... recognizing that there was a direct correlation in his life.

Boy, could I relate to that! Tears welled up in my eyes as we spoke about this. I told Hunter that I experience the exact same thing in my life. That when I don't carve out time in my day to spend with the Lord, I often say things I shouldn't. For that matter, even when I do read my Bible and pray, I still say and do sinful things.

There was a time in my life when I really struggled with profanity. My tongue was a loose cannon. My church friends would never have known, but when I was angry, profanity was often present ... even if only under my breath. God has delivered me from that ugly habit, but it took over ten years of prayer. In those ten years, I failed repeatedly and struggled to believe that God could change my ways. It was a long-term process for me to be purified in my language, and I can assure you that it is only by the grace and strength of God that I can stub my toe now without needing to wash my mouth out with soap.

The Bible has so much to say on this topic! Here are just a few examples:

"Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." (Proverbs 12:18, NIV)

"My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires." (James 1:19-20, NIV)

"When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness." (Proverbs 31:26, NLT)

"He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin." (Proverbs 13:3, NIV)

This is hard stuff. Living set-apart with our words is simply beyond us, but be encouraged, because all things are possible with God. We need to constantly fall before the Lord and ask Him to filter our words through the Holy Spirit. It's important that we keep short accounts with God. When we do, He equips us to disarm the loose cannon of our tongues.

At the end my conversation with Hunter, I told my son that one of the most amazing things about our Heavenly Father is the mercy that He greets us with when we come before Him to confess our behavior. I said to him, and I say to you, God loves us so perfectly, that every time we turn to Him with a repentant heart, He offers us His grace. Go in His grace and live a set-apart life in the power of His Spirit today.

Let's Pray
Holy Father, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." (Psalm 19:14, NLT)

I ask this in Jesus' Name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

· Meditate on Hebrews 4:14,16:

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

· Now, grab your journal and throw yourself into this devotion. What are your greatest areas of temptation and weakness regarding your words? Confess those to God and ask Him to grant you the mercy and strength to help you live a set-apart life.

· Read Ephesians 4.

Set-Apart Living

Part 1 
by Gwen Smith

Today's Truth 
"Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."(Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV)

Friend to Friend 
As Christian believers, we're called to live set-apart lives. To be holy as God is holy. To be in the world, but not of the world. God is the source of all holiness, and in order to live a set-apart life, we must spend time with Him so we can be fueled by His Holy Spirit.

I don't know what your days look like, but mine are pretty full. They start early and end late. Once the sun rises, it seems that coffee isn't the only thing brewing in my house. An invisible competition brews daily that vies for my time and attention. The competitors are often "good things" that end up to be "time-robbing things" that keep me from God's best and God's presence.

Today I'd like to put our computer lives under a spiritual microscope. I'm an e-girl. I love my MacBook Pro computer, my iPhone, email, instant messaging, and the World Wide Web. Though I'm admittedly fully immersed in the e-life, I'm also cognizant of the fact that the e-world has become a dangerous addiction and spiritual deterrent to many. I struggle with this personally! These electronic forums host a new and efficient opportunity for us to connect with other people 24/7. While much of the social networking, online surfing, and emailing is innocent, encouraging, and fun, they clearly present us with opportunities to sin and be distracted from set-apart living.

Over the past several years, Facebook, MySpace, blogs, instant messaging, and chat rooms have replaced many face-to-face conversations and, for some, devotion time. They have become a new source of temptation for us, an opportunity to live a fantasy or a momentary escape from the daily grind.

A friend of mine recently said, "My computer whispers to me." Yikes! Mine does, too! Though it's embarrassing to admit, I sometimes don't manage my time efficiently because I've given in to the lure of e-life by responding to the audio alert that indicates "I've got mail" or the notification that someone has left me a message on a social networking page of mine. As a result, I've robbed myself of productive time. Time I have wasted and spent unwisely.

We are warned against this in Scripture. "Be very careful, then, how you live -- not as unwise, but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:15-16, NIV).

Now, hear me clearly on this. I'm not saying that electronic forums or computers are bad or evil in and of themselves. (For goodness sakes, you're reading this devotion because of the amazing electronic world!) I'm simply suggesting that it would be wise for each of us to pray about the amount of time and energy we devote to these things.

How can we be set apart in our e-life? How can we establish healthy e-boundaries that will protect our purity and our time with God? Perhaps we could start by taking an honest look at the amount of time we commit to our social e-lives versus the amount of time we commit to spending in God's Word and in His presence each day. (Did that sting? Rest assured, it stings me too.) 

The good news is that we can turn to God for direction and wisdom in all of this. "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5, NIV). Our gracious Lord longs for each of us to choose His best and live each day in His strength.

"God, make a fresh start in me. 
Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life. 
Don't throw me out with the trash, 
or fail to breathe holiness in me. 
Bring me back from gray exile, 
put a fresh wind in my sails!" 
Psalm 51:10-12, MSG

Let's Pray 
Today I thought it would be fitting to pray directly from Scripture."And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light" (Colossians 1:10-12, NIV).

Father, we ask this in Jesus' Name, 
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn 
Let's get practical today: 

• Spend some time in thought and prayer about this subject. 
• Ask God to reveal to you any e-habits that are sinful, indulgent, or inappropriate.  
• Check your on-line notification settings and consider eliminating unnecessary email alerts. 
• Remember that God longs for your time and attention. Be certain that you don't choose mundane activities instead of spending time with Him. 
• Read Ephesians 5:1-20.

What Would Moses Do?

I’m doing this thing where I’m reading through the Bible in 90 days, so basically this summer I’m reading through it. I’ve been reading for a week, and now I’m in Exodus 3. God is talking to Moses from the burning bush and tells him to go back to Pharaoh. Moses being Moses “said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ And God said, ‘I will be with you.’”

Moses clearly had some insecurity. He didn’t speak that well, he had a history with that Pharaoh, and the people of Israel had no good, logical reason to follow him out of Egypt. There were multiple reasons why Moses should not have gone back to Egypt. But one HUGE reason why he should: God told him to go. God said “do this, I’m going with you.” What more could we want? We can’t expect God to live our lives for us and just sit on the couch at home, hoping that God will bring everyone we need or want to talk to right up to our front door. We have to be willing to walk the path He sets out for us, willing to accept the call.

As I sit here with a root beer and some Hershey’s Special Dark chocolate, I can only wonder, would I be as willing to obey? Or would I come up with excuses like Moses did? We read the Bible and we see these Biblical figures as great people, people of accomplishment, and some of them are. But most of them are just like us: scared and insecure. The only difference between them and us (besides the obvious physical and space/time differences) is that they obeyed. They questioned and they struggled, but they obeyed.

How have we obeyed today? Have we, all of us, answered that call? Regardless of what the call turns out to be, missionary, secretary, pastor, have we answered it with a willing servant heart? Or have we given excuses and tried to tell God that we aren’t good enough to do the job He has for us. God does not make mistakes! He’s going to call you for something you are not made for. Some of us are made to be missionaries, some of us are made to be pastors, some of us are made to be youth workers, and some of us are made to be secretaries. The call does not matter, as long we answer it!

Have you answered it? God is with you. What other promises do you need?

Overwhelmed and painting

So much has happened in the last 4 days! I'm still overwhelmed by it all!

First, Saturday, I learned how to paint and painted my first picture ever in my entire life (See left). In case you need help figuring out what the heck that is, it's me. I'm a dead tree. Or I was at least. But by the blood shed on the cross, I came back to life. I haven't painted a live tree yet, still working on that. But you can see a few blades of green grass beginning to grow where the blood from the cross, carried by the river, has begun new growth, new healing in the tree.

This painting is literally my first time ever picking up a paint brush in my life. I think I might take up painting, it's quite therapeutic and sometimes the therapist needs therapy.

Second, Thursday night I met this guy named Scott (who deserves a whole post himself- but I'm not going to dwell on him). He told me about the house next to him that was for sale. Keri and I will be looking for a place to live in a few months and we thinking about a house, although I wasn't really thinking about buying a house. We drove by Friday night and Keri fell in love with it. She saw the balcony and loved it. My parents and I drove by again on Saturday afternoon and took a look around the outside, my dad found a few problems but reserved his opinion until he saw the inside.

Sunday morning, a bunch of us went to Bethel to hear Craig preach. It was during this service, hearing him preach (although I hear him preach weekly), that I fully realized that this man was going to be my pastor. He said later to me that apparently I smiled at him the whole time and the look on my face said "pastor" to him. I knew that I was smiling becuase God was talking to me the whole time and just hugging me with His love. I knew before I went to Bethel that morning that it was important for me to be there, to hear Craig preach even though I had heard him many times before. And it was that morning that God pointed at Craig and said "this is your pastor" to me.

We then went to The Homeplace for lunch and we had a lovely lunch and a very nice waitress. She recognized me from when I worked at Mill Mountain in Salem and we talked. I talked with her longer than I have talked with my waitress in a long time. Not because I'm rude or anything, just because they tend to have other tables besides mine and not many actually strike up an actual conversation. I, for some reason, told her that we were going to look at houses that day and I was nervous about actually buying a house. She chatted some and then went away. When she dropped off our check, she wrote down her name, number, and weekday job. Her name is Linda and she does Morgages! Gee, does God want me to buy a house? I still don't know. But now I'm willing to look with a more open mind and perhaps get some estimates and numbers and see how to proceed.

Sunday afternoon, we finally saw the inside of the house. Sean Turk took us over. For a single guy, this kind of "fixer-upper" house would be fine. However, it is not, at this point, actually livable. This house needs all new windows, all kinds of work done in the basement, and attic (insulation and such) and it needs re-wiring, and that's just a start. Basically, it would need to be "flipped" as Scott says, which means about $30,000 worth of renovations before we could even move in. Other than that, it's an okay looking 2 story, 3 tiny bedroom, 2 bath (only 1 working though) house.

As Keri was standing on the porch with Scott, he mentions that the house across the street is also for sale. We look over and see this horribly ugly Pepto pink house. I mean, this puppy is hideous! We sucked it up and look inside. It's a nice little 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom (although one is in the basement) house. It needs to some work. For example, it has white carpet that needs to come up, a kitchen that needs help as far as the cabinets and such. It's a nice first house, built in 1948, 1,043 square feet, nice front porch, carport (although that is currently pink), 70 x 133 Corner Lot, and a nice back yard, with nice garden space.

I'm praying very hard. I'm still not sure what to do, but I'll call and get some info on what to do and how to proceed. I'm not ill at ease, neither to I have perfect peace about it yet. But I think that's mostly coming from me. I'm afraid. I've made some bad financial decisions in that past that I have no desire to relive. I'm just getting my credit score back up to something semi-normal. My brother got a loan and tried to build a house, but then couldn't pay for it. I don't want to end up down that path either. I'm praying hard, I'm seeking wise counsel, and seeking God's face about it. I'm keeping a level head, trying not to get too excited or too stressed out by this whole thing.

I Learned From You

Sometimes I couldn't hear what you're trying to tell me
I thought that I knew all I need to know
I didn't understand that the doors you would open
Could take me somewhere I wanted to go

I can be strong for you now
You taught me how

I learned from you that I do not crumble
I learned that strength is somethin' you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, I learned from you

You know where to find all of my hiding places
And there are no secrets from you I can keep
You let me know how you feel, pulling no punches
And I never knew that kind of honesty

I'm grateful for all of the times
You opened my eyes

I learned from you that I do not crumble
I learned that strength is somethin' you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, I learned from you

You helped me to stand on my own
And I thank you for that
It saved me, it made me
And now that I'm looking back I can say

I learned from you that I do not crumble
I learned that strength is somethin' you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, I learned from you

I do not crumble
I learned that strength is somethin' you choose
All of the reasons to keep on believin'
There's no question, that's a lesson, I learned from you

Windows 7 goes on sale October 22nd

Just thought you might like to know....

something new for me

Genesis 18:1-15

The Three Visitors

¹ The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

³ He said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. ⁵ Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant."
"Very well," they answered, "do as you say."

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. "Quick," he said, "get three seahs of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread."

⁷ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ "Where is your wife Sarah?" they asked him.
"There, in the tent," he said.

¹⁰ Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son."
Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"

¹³ Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh."
But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

Some things I never realized about this passage until today: there were three men standing there, yet it says that the LORD came to see Abraham. Abraham bowed before all three and addressed them as one, yet he knew there were three men standing before him because he prepared three loaves of bread. Could this be the second appearance of our three-in-one God? (the first being in the first few verses of Chap. 1). Also, Abraham seemed to understand that all three men were God, all three were his LORD. How did he know this? Did God sit him down and explain triune theology and it just didn't get recorded? We're only in chapter 18 of the Bible and yet Abraham seems to know things he really shouldn't know. How is this possible? Am I reading it wrong? Please, someone smarter than me give some insight.

The Lord is My Shepherd, Part 1

The Lord is My Shepherd, Part 1
Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
Know that the Lord is God. He made us, and we belong to him; we are his people, the sheep he tends.
(Psalm 100:3 NCV)

Friend to Friend
Shepherding was one of the oldest callings in Israel, even before farming. Shepherds traveled from place to place, living in tents while driving their flocks from one pasture to another. The sheep and their shepherd lived together every minute of every day. In fact, they were so intimately bound together that individual sheep, even when mixed with other flocks, could recognize the voice of their own shepherd and would come immediately when called by name.

A shepherd owned and marked his sheep. In some cases, the sheep were even branded, although branding is no longer an accepted method of identification because of the damage it does to the wool. Today, the ears of sheep are pierced with identification tags but for thousands of years, shepherds around the world marked their sheep by notching their ears with a sharp knife. Each shepherd had his own distinctive notch that indicated identity and ownership.

When we come to Jesus Christ in complete surrender and begin the journey of becoming a fully devoted follower of Christ, we are redeemed by his forgiveness, made whole by his grace and marked with his love through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:13 "You were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal; the promised Holy Spirit."

For years, I desperately struggled to be a Christian with only head knowledge of who God was and wanted to be in my life. The result was a pitifully shallow existence with stress and frustration as my constant companions. I grew up in a Christian home, attending church just about every time the doors were open. I sang all of the right songs, spoke all of the right words and did all of the right things in front of all the right people. I fervently prayed that my works would validate my faith and desperately hoped that by following the rules, I would please the Ruler. It was not until middle school that the authentic life and spiritual integrity of a dynamic youth pastor made me hunger and thirst for something more. I wanted to know God -- not only as my Lord and King - but as my Shepherd, the one who would lead me, provide for me and love me like no other.

During a special Saturday evening revival service at our small country church, I sat in my usual spot, desperately clutching the back of the pew in front of me while wrestling with God over the condition of my soul and my eternal security. After all, I was a very active church member, a soloist and pianist for our worship services, and even directed a children's choir. I never missed a service unless I was deathly ill. I was a leader in our youth group, rarely failed to attend a youth activity and often brought friends who were lost, unlike me, of course, and needed to know God. How embarrassing to walk down that aisle, admitting to everyone that I had been living a lie. I clung to that pew in sheer arrogance and argued that I was a Christian. I must be. Look at all of the good things I had done. I looked liked a believer, talked like a believer and even acted like I was fully devoted to God ... but was I? (Don't miss the answer to that question in tomorrow's devotion!)

Let's Pray
Father, I confess that I have allowed fear and anxiety to fill my mind and heart. I want to trust You above all else. Please give me the faith to believe the promises in Your Word and the strength to take the first step of obedience. Help me remember that I am a sheep, totally dependent upon You, my Shepherd. Thank You for Your perfect provision for my life.

In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Now It's Your Turn

• Read Psalm 23.
• List three ways that sheep are dependent on the shepherd.
• List three ways that shepherds care for their sheep.
• Compare the two lists. What similarities do you find in your own life?

Psalm 73: 21-28 (NIV)

Psalm 73: 21-28 (NIV)
21 When my heart was grieved
and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless and ignorant;
I was a brute beast before you.
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
27 Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds.

Ever have an unsatisfied feeling after your devotional or Bible study—like nothing you read sunk in really deep? I had this feeling this morning, and I felt the need for a psalm. I began turning the pages of my Bible and my eyes fell on “you hold me by my right hand”, and I knew I had to read this one. I’ve read verses 21-28 over and over this morning, and thanked God for showing them to me.

There is such love for us revealed here. Security and peace. We can have bitter hearts, we can have bad attitudes, but when we come to our senses we will see the Truth. Our God never leaves us. God is so loving and so good. What have we done to deserve such love and goodness? To deserve being led by God and taken into glory? Not one thing. It is all about Him! Here we see the benefits of believing God and clinging to Him no matter what. And also, the complete abandonment of the heart, soul, mind, and strength to God. “But as for me, it is good to be near God.” For me, to be near God means spending time with Him in His Word, talking to Him, and also just loving Him and abiding in His love. Whatever we have to give up in our daily life to stay near God is nothing in comparison to what we gain.