The young staff member and I sat in my office talking through a difficult situation in which he found himself embroiled. In the course of a conversation with a pastor on behalf of the ministry we both worked for, a misunderstanding had occurred. Heated words had been exchanged on both sides and the phone call was finished in anger.
The staff member came to me right away and explained, from his point of view, what had happened. He finished by saying, “I know he’s going to call you and I wanted you to hear my side first!” At least he was as honest as he could be at that point.
The young man then looked at me and said, “You never seem to lose your cool, even when people are saying pretty nasty things about you. How do you do that?” That may not have been completely true but I was glad my life gave that impression. What I shared with him that afternoon is what I’m sharing now. The passages of Scripture and the principles they contain are a part of the scriptural principles that guide my life.
“Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls” (Proverbs 25:28 - NKJV).
A person who has no control over his own spirit is a person who can be taken advantage of. If you don’t control your thought life, your anger, or your passion, all kinds of influences and thoughts will find residence and will fight for control of your life.
“He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32).
The man who gets angry quickly is weak and will lose his way more easily than the man who has rule over his spirit. Note that the verse doesn’t say that anger has no place in the life of a believer, but that anger can be controlled. Over and over when praying for and counseling people in trouble, I have been asked to pray that their anger be removed—but I have never prayed for that and never will. It is not wrong to get angry about a problem or a troubling situation, but you must control/rule the anger and not let it control you. God put that intensity in you, but not for bad. It’s a part of who you are and God intends for you to have the rule over it.
“Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).
This verse is cautioning people to be careful in what they say. The man or woman who knows when to say something and, perhaps more importantly, when not to say something, is a person who has taken a giant step away from trouble. The phrase “mouth and tongue” is figurative language for speech. The word “soul” is better rendered “himself” and the word “troubles” in Hebrew is plural and suggests legal and social difficulties resulting from unwise talk.
“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).
The word “sin” is also rendered “transgression” which refers to offensive behavior. Offensive behavior refers to a failure to practice good sense in dealing with others. People who talk too much, who can’t seem to control their tongue, have a tendency to get themselves into trouble that did not have to happen. In fact, people who talk too much are actually displaying their insecurity. It’s better to be a person of few words than to run off at the mouth.
“He that spareth his words hath knowledge; and he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding” (Proverbs 10:19 - New American Standard Version).
When a person has a thorough knowledge of something, he does not normally have to use an abundance of words to make his point.
And then there’s this…I’ve always wanted to be known as a cool guy, and surprise! Here I am in the Bible.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
THE SHACK
One of our local churches recently went through a very rough time just because the pastor publicly endorsed the book The Shack. Apparently one of the key lay leaders in the congregation took offense and made his displeasure known to the pastor and then angrily led his family and others to leave the church. How sad.
I am fully aware of the controversy surrounding the book and its phenomenal sales. I’ve read many of the criticisms and heard the words “blasphemy” and “heresy” thrown around and used against this book and the author.
Late in the fall of 2007 a very dear friend asked me if I had read the book and I told him I had never even heard of it. My friend asked me to get a copy, read it, and then let him know what I thought about it. I trust my friend and so I bought the book. It sat on my desk for several weeks before I started reading, but after I got started, I finished it in a couple of sessions.
I was captivated by the narrative and the unfolding drama and then, WHAM, it hit me fully in the face. The writer was describing God as a jolly, fat, “loves to cook Cajun food,” black…are you ready for this…woman! Now that caught me off guard—I was totally unprepared. In fact, the first time I read that chapter, I put the book down because what I had read jarred me and I needed to think about it.
The first thing that came to mind is that this is an allegory, a long parable very much like Pilgrim’s Progress. Parables were very familiar teaching tools when Jesus was ministering in Israel and He made great use of the technique. At least one-third of all Jesus’ teachings are in the form of parables.
Parables are illustrations of truth and are not meant to be used to build or define doctrinal positions, and the same is true of a book like The Shack. Every time someone attempts to use a parable to define a doctrinal position, they get into trouble. St. Augustine tried to use the parable of the Good Samaritan to build a doctrinal position sixteen hundred years ago and theologians are still arguing about it. Those who attempt to define allegory as heresy or blasphemy are simply not on solid ground. Put down your stones and realize that God is bigger than the little box you have attempted to put Him in.
I was comfortable after I thought it through on this first point and I went back and finished the book—and I am glad I did!
After reading The Shack, I continued to be challenged by the illustration of God as a woman until I did some study of my own on the character and nature of God. One of the Scriptures I came to was Genesis 1:27 (and also Genesis 5:1-2).
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
The nature and character of God is such that it cannot be described as male or female, for God’s nature is comprised of the qualities of both. Sorry, guys, but God cannot be described just as a male. Too much of Scripture describes God as having the qualities of both the mother and the father. In Deuteronomy 32:11-12 God uses the imagery of an eagle caring for its young, and it is a mother eagle.
“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, talking them up, carrying them on its wings. So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.”
Not only does Genesis 1:27 describe the male and female qualities of God but there is a compelling argument against same sex marriage and homosexuality…..but that’s another discussion for another day.
I realized that I was guilty of having too small an understanding of the greatness of God. I thought I was a pretty progressive thinker but I realized that I had read Genesis 1:27 possibly hundreds of times and had never allowed that Scripture to speak to me. I had always viewed God as the total man and I had ignored the idea that God was that and more…that He also had mothering qualities to Him.
To those who are now convinced that I am a heretic and are gathering your stones, all I can say is…Get in line!
I am fully aware of the controversy surrounding the book and its phenomenal sales. I’ve read many of the criticisms and heard the words “blasphemy” and “heresy” thrown around and used against this book and the author.
Late in the fall of 2007 a very dear friend asked me if I had read the book and I told him I had never even heard of it. My friend asked me to get a copy, read it, and then let him know what I thought about it. I trust my friend and so I bought the book. It sat on my desk for several weeks before I started reading, but after I got started, I finished it in a couple of sessions.
I was captivated by the narrative and the unfolding drama and then, WHAM, it hit me fully in the face. The writer was describing God as a jolly, fat, “loves to cook Cajun food,” black…are you ready for this…woman! Now that caught me off guard—I was totally unprepared. In fact, the first time I read that chapter, I put the book down because what I had read jarred me and I needed to think about it.
The first thing that came to mind is that this is an allegory, a long parable very much like Pilgrim’s Progress. Parables were very familiar teaching tools when Jesus was ministering in Israel and He made great use of the technique. At least one-third of all Jesus’ teachings are in the form of parables.
Parables are illustrations of truth and are not meant to be used to build or define doctrinal positions, and the same is true of a book like The Shack. Every time someone attempts to use a parable to define a doctrinal position, they get into trouble. St. Augustine tried to use the parable of the Good Samaritan to build a doctrinal position sixteen hundred years ago and theologians are still arguing about it. Those who attempt to define allegory as heresy or blasphemy are simply not on solid ground. Put down your stones and realize that God is bigger than the little box you have attempted to put Him in.
I was comfortable after I thought it through on this first point and I went back and finished the book—and I am glad I did!
After reading The Shack, I continued to be challenged by the illustration of God as a woman until I did some study of my own on the character and nature of God. One of the Scriptures I came to was Genesis 1:27 (and also Genesis 5:1-2).
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
The nature and character of God is such that it cannot be described as male or female, for God’s nature is comprised of the qualities of both. Sorry, guys, but God cannot be described just as a male. Too much of Scripture describes God as having the qualities of both the mother and the father. In Deuteronomy 32:11-12 God uses the imagery of an eagle caring for its young, and it is a mother eagle.
“As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, talking them up, carrying them on its wings. So the Lord alone led him, and there was no foreign god with him.”
Not only does Genesis 1:27 describe the male and female qualities of God but there is a compelling argument against same sex marriage and homosexuality…..but that’s another discussion for another day.
I realized that I was guilty of having too small an understanding of the greatness of God. I thought I was a pretty progressive thinker but I realized that I had read Genesis 1:27 possibly hundreds of times and had never allowed that Scripture to speak to me. I had always viewed God as the total man and I had ignored the idea that God was that and more…that He also had mothering qualities to Him.
To those who are now convinced that I am a heretic and are gathering your stones, all I can say is…Get in line!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
STEPPING INTO OUR FUTURE - PART 6
FACING OUR FEAR
“Do not be afraid (terrified), nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9b).
To be dismayed means that we have allowed fear to terrify us and break us down, causing us to become confused and ineffective. We have allowed fear to frighten us into inactivity.
Fear sometimes gets a bad name. There is good fear and bad fear. Some Christians believe that if you are really “in the Spirit” or really “exercising faith,” then you are never afraid…and I am telling you to be afraid…very afraid…of people who say stuff like that!
We are instructed in scripture to “fear the Lord,” which means to be “in awe” of the Lord, to be “reverent.” And that’s good fear. I believe we don’t have enough reverence in the church right now; in fact, it’s become so casual that it’s almost embarrassing at times. At some churches I visit I keep waiting for them to sell popcorn in the aisles.
Another good fear is one that I possess: I don’t particularly like climbing up on high ladders or standing on the edge of a roof.
My wife has a fear of vacuuming—it terrifies her into inactivity. Actually, that’s not a fear, it’s a phobia! (I promise no more vacuuming jokes…today!)
For years I had an inordinate fear of the devil. I feared that he could come and take me over at any moment and there was nothing I could do about it. It was an irrational fear but real, nonetheless.
When I was little, five or six years old, a very famous healing evangelist came to our church. During the healing service a woman came on the platform and the evangelist announced to the huge crowd that she was demon-possessed and he was going to cast the demon out of her. The evangelist went on to say that if we were not in the right spiritual attitude, the demon would go out of her and into us. Sure enough, as soon as he prayed for the woman, another person in the balcony began screaming and the evangelist and the pastor went into the crowd and prayed for him. In my young mind, two things were happening. The first was that I had no clue as to what the right spiritual attitude was. The second was that I saw God and the devil in a wrestling match and some days God won and some days the devil was the winner. My fear was compounded by the ignorance of the evangelist who did not properly handle this prayer of deliverance. From then on, I had an unfounded fear that at any moment the devil could take advantage of me just like he did that innocent person sitting in the balcony of the church.
It was not until later in life that I came to grips with the truth that the devil and God are not on the same footing. The devil is not sovereign, he is not everywhere, he is not all-powerful, and he is not knowledgeable about all things. The devil is a liar and a deceiver; he is a master of manipulation and trickery—and the devil is not God! When this truth settled in my spirit, my fear went away and has never returned.
We tend to be afraid of what we do not know or understand. Much of our fear of the future is because of what we don’t know. God’s commitment is to walk with us into our future. He will be our guide and our companion! We are instructed to hold fast to Him as we step into the future!
God’s promise to us is, “I (God, the sovereign creator of the universe) will be with you at all times; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is an important truth to embrace and it is repeated (the holy stutter again) in verse 5 and again in verse 9.
So again, God’s promise to us is, “Just as I was with one of the great heroes of the faith, Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you alone or forsaken.”
Let me paraphrase for you how the Psalmist David treats this whole thought of God being with us when he says in Psalm 23:4: “Even when I am in one of those moments when death is nearby, so close I can see his shadow, it may make me nervous but I am not terrified BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH ME, just like You said You would be!”
We step into our future with confidence, knowing that God is with us. We hold fast to the One who knows exactly where we are going and how to get there!
Step out…the future is now and our Guide and Protector is ready to travel!
“Do not be afraid (terrified), nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9b).
To be dismayed means that we have allowed fear to terrify us and break us down, causing us to become confused and ineffective. We have allowed fear to frighten us into inactivity.
Fear sometimes gets a bad name. There is good fear and bad fear. Some Christians believe that if you are really “in the Spirit” or really “exercising faith,” then you are never afraid…and I am telling you to be afraid…very afraid…of people who say stuff like that!
We are instructed in scripture to “fear the Lord,” which means to be “in awe” of the Lord, to be “reverent.” And that’s good fear. I believe we don’t have enough reverence in the church right now; in fact, it’s become so casual that it’s almost embarrassing at times. At some churches I visit I keep waiting for them to sell popcorn in the aisles.
Another good fear is one that I possess: I don’t particularly like climbing up on high ladders or standing on the edge of a roof.
My wife has a fear of vacuuming—it terrifies her into inactivity. Actually, that’s not a fear, it’s a phobia! (I promise no more vacuuming jokes…today!)
For years I had an inordinate fear of the devil. I feared that he could come and take me over at any moment and there was nothing I could do about it. It was an irrational fear but real, nonetheless.
When I was little, five or six years old, a very famous healing evangelist came to our church. During the healing service a woman came on the platform and the evangelist announced to the huge crowd that she was demon-possessed and he was going to cast the demon out of her. The evangelist went on to say that if we were not in the right spiritual attitude, the demon would go out of her and into us. Sure enough, as soon as he prayed for the woman, another person in the balcony began screaming and the evangelist and the pastor went into the crowd and prayed for him. In my young mind, two things were happening. The first was that I had no clue as to what the right spiritual attitude was. The second was that I saw God and the devil in a wrestling match and some days God won and some days the devil was the winner. My fear was compounded by the ignorance of the evangelist who did not properly handle this prayer of deliverance. From then on, I had an unfounded fear that at any moment the devil could take advantage of me just like he did that innocent person sitting in the balcony of the church.
It was not until later in life that I came to grips with the truth that the devil and God are not on the same footing. The devil is not sovereign, he is not everywhere, he is not all-powerful, and he is not knowledgeable about all things. The devil is a liar and a deceiver; he is a master of manipulation and trickery—and the devil is not God! When this truth settled in my spirit, my fear went away and has never returned.
We tend to be afraid of what we do not know or understand. Much of our fear of the future is because of what we don’t know. God’s commitment is to walk with us into our future. He will be our guide and our companion! We are instructed to hold fast to Him as we step into the future!
God’s promise to us is, “I (God, the sovereign creator of the universe) will be with you at all times; I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
This is an important truth to embrace and it is repeated (the holy stutter again) in verse 5 and again in verse 9.
So again, God’s promise to us is, “Just as I was with one of the great heroes of the faith, Moses, so I will be with you. I will never leave you alone or forsaken.”
Let me paraphrase for you how the Psalmist David treats this whole thought of God being with us when he says in Psalm 23:4: “Even when I am in one of those moments when death is nearby, so close I can see his shadow, it may make me nervous but I am not terrified BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH ME, just like You said You would be!”
We step into our future with confidence, knowing that God is with us. We hold fast to the One who knows exactly where we are going and how to get there!
Step out…the future is now and our Guide and Protector is ready to travel!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
STEPPING INTO OUR FUTURE - PART 5
“Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success” (Joshua 1:7 and 8, NKJV).
The terms “prosper, prosperous and success” are used in verses 7 and 8. Equating these terms primarily with affluence, influence and/or money is a very Western/American point of view and cultural response. Over the last several decades, whole theological positions have come to prominence that are more influenced by Western culture than they are appropriately balanced and founded on strong biblical principles. It is a mistake to impose on scripture a totally Western cultural viewpoint.
Does God take care of his people? Yes, He does! Psalm 23:1 and Psalm 37:25 make it very plain that God cares for His children. Does God promise to make His people rich? Does He promise that they will have big houses, drive fancy cars, and wear expensive clothes? No, He doesn’t! There is nothing wrong with that at all but this is not the predominant promise of scripture and those things are not guaranteed to anyone.
What do these verses mean then when they talk about success and prosperity?
When trying to interpret a scripture, it is always helpful to look at the larger context of what was happening at the time the portion of scripture was written. In this chapter, Joshua is being established in his leadership role and the nation is being prepared for their future.
Secondly, it is helpful to understand the original meaning of the Hebrew words that are used here and have been variously interpreted as prosper (v. 7), prosperous (v. 8), and success (v. 8).
The word prosper in verse 7 comes from the Hebrew word that means “to be circumspect, to be prudent, to act wisely.” This is a promise that God will bless His people with “wisdom.” I would rather be given wisdom than riches because a wise person will eventually translate that wisdom into affluence but an unwise person with riches will always be unwise and eventually will be broke. When God asked Solomon what He could bless him with…and Solomon asked for wisdom rather than gold…God smiled! (1 Kings 3:9-13) Solomon asked for wisdom and along the way became one of the wealthiest men in history.
It is not wrong to openly ask God for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with out reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 & 6). I have made this scripture a prayer more times than I can ever remember.
In Joshua 1:8 the phrase we will look at says, “For then you will make your way prosperous.” This is speaking of our journey of life, our “way” or path. The word used here for “prosperous” means in the original language “to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable.” This is a promise that life is not going to be able to hold us back but as we are obedient and open to Him, we will move ahead, break out and be successful as we follow His plan for our life.
The second phrase we will look at in verse 8 reads, “And then you will have good success.” The word used here for success is identical to the Hebrew word used for prosper in verse 7; the meaning is to “act prudently and with wisdom.”
What an interesting and thought-provoking flow there is in these scriptures. As I see it, what the Lord is saying is, “Ask for the right thing, ask for wisdom. Wisdom will get you on the right path and keep you there. Moments of breakout, of advance for you, will come. As you are centered in Me and are keeping My Word in you, My wisdom will continue to flow in you and will protect your forward progress.”
Remember that Joshua was being installed as the leader of a nation and I am sure that was not a comfortable fit to start with. It would take some time for Joshua to get into the harness and feel like he could do this. God spoke to him about his “way” or his “journey.” What we learn from this is that the principles that God was establishing for Joshua, for Solomon, are also true for us. God will give us wisdom and will teach us how to draw on Him and His Word for wisdom. Wisdom will get us on, and keep us on, the right road to the future.
Success is a relative term. Success to one person is having enough to eat and a dry place to sleep. To others, success means having a good job, a nice home and money in the bank. Success to the child of God cannot be measured by material possessions, bank accounts, or academic degrees. To a child of God, success means fulfilling God’s plan for his or her life. Joshua stepped boldly into God’s plan for him and it is recorded in Joshua 11:23:
“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.”
The terms “prosper, prosperous and success” are used in verses 7 and 8. Equating these terms primarily with affluence, influence and/or money is a very Western/American point of view and cultural response. Over the last several decades, whole theological positions have come to prominence that are more influenced by Western culture than they are appropriately balanced and founded on strong biblical principles. It is a mistake to impose on scripture a totally Western cultural viewpoint.
Does God take care of his people? Yes, He does! Psalm 23:1 and Psalm 37:25 make it very plain that God cares for His children. Does God promise to make His people rich? Does He promise that they will have big houses, drive fancy cars, and wear expensive clothes? No, He doesn’t! There is nothing wrong with that at all but this is not the predominant promise of scripture and those things are not guaranteed to anyone.
What do these verses mean then when they talk about success and prosperity?
When trying to interpret a scripture, it is always helpful to look at the larger context of what was happening at the time the portion of scripture was written. In this chapter, Joshua is being established in his leadership role and the nation is being prepared for their future.
Secondly, it is helpful to understand the original meaning of the Hebrew words that are used here and have been variously interpreted as prosper (v. 7), prosperous (v. 8), and success (v. 8).
The word prosper in verse 7 comes from the Hebrew word that means “to be circumspect, to be prudent, to act wisely.” This is a promise that God will bless His people with “wisdom.” I would rather be given wisdom than riches because a wise person will eventually translate that wisdom into affluence but an unwise person with riches will always be unwise and eventually will be broke. When God asked Solomon what He could bless him with…and Solomon asked for wisdom rather than gold…God smiled! (1 Kings 3:9-13) Solomon asked for wisdom and along the way became one of the wealthiest men in history.
It is not wrong to openly ask God for wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with out reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 & 6). I have made this scripture a prayer more times than I can ever remember.
In Joshua 1:8 the phrase we will look at says, “For then you will make your way prosperous.” This is speaking of our journey of life, our “way” or path. The word used here for “prosperous” means in the original language “to advance, prosper, make progress, succeed, be profitable.” This is a promise that life is not going to be able to hold us back but as we are obedient and open to Him, we will move ahead, break out and be successful as we follow His plan for our life.
The second phrase we will look at in verse 8 reads, “And then you will have good success.” The word used here for success is identical to the Hebrew word used for prosper in verse 7; the meaning is to “act prudently and with wisdom.”
What an interesting and thought-provoking flow there is in these scriptures. As I see it, what the Lord is saying is, “Ask for the right thing, ask for wisdom. Wisdom will get you on the right path and keep you there. Moments of breakout, of advance for you, will come. As you are centered in Me and are keeping My Word in you, My wisdom will continue to flow in you and will protect your forward progress.”
Remember that Joshua was being installed as the leader of a nation and I am sure that was not a comfortable fit to start with. It would take some time for Joshua to get into the harness and feel like he could do this. God spoke to him about his “way” or his “journey.” What we learn from this is that the principles that God was establishing for Joshua, for Solomon, are also true for us. God will give us wisdom and will teach us how to draw on Him and His Word for wisdom. Wisdom will get us on, and keep us on, the right road to the future.
Success is a relative term. Success to one person is having enough to eat and a dry place to sleep. To others, success means having a good job, a nice home and money in the bank. Success to the child of God cannot be measured by material possessions, bank accounts, or academic degrees. To a child of God, success means fulfilling God’s plan for his or her life. Joshua stepped boldly into God’s plan for him and it is recorded in Joshua 11:23:
“So Joshua took the entire land, just as the Lord had directed Moses, and he gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their tribal divisions.”
Saturday, July 4, 2009
STEPPING INTO OUR FUTURE - PART 4
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” (Joshua 1:8)
You will, you will the writer says! This is a declaration of the availability of success as we step into your future if we will hear and do what God is saying!
This week we will talk briefly about the place of the Word in our life. Next week we’ll discuss “success and prosperity” (Sorry, but you have to wait!).
I think you know how much I love the Word. The model of my dad’s approach to the Word has a lot to do with my appreciation of the Word and its place in my life.
I don’t understand fully how the Word works in my life….I just know it does. Hebrews 4:12 says. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
I don’t really understand how cattle can eat grass or grain in the middle of a North Texas pasture and then a few days later that cow (or one of his/her close relatives) can end up on my plate in the form of a steak. The concept of grass to steak escapes me and frankly I not going to pursue it. The principle is the same with the Word….I don’t know exactly how it works its work in me…I just know it does. The Word of God is alive and full of the spiritual nutrients that we need. When we get it in us, it works in us whether we realize it or not. I like the way the Amplified Bible speaks to this in 1 Thessalonians 2:13
“And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].” (Amplified Bible)
You don’t have to be a theologian to understand this. The key issue is that you put a value on the Word and that’s what I learned from my dad. Morning after morning as I came into the kitchen I saw my dad prioritizing his day by putting a value on the Word and its place in his life.
Honestly, there are some days I read the Bible and when I’m finished I have no idea what I just read and that used to bother me but not anymore and here’s why. My wife is a wonderful cook but not every single meal she prepares is a 5 star culinary delight nor does it need to be. I know I need to eat a couple of times a day and if I don’t then weakness starts to set in. So sometimes I just eat something not because it’s a culinary delight but because I know I need to. I need to eat something because I need to have the energy and nutritional value the food provides.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth”
In extremely simple terms “the mouth” has 2 basic functions. Inhaling and exhaling. We take in food, air, water through the mouth. We exhale used air and speak words through the mouth. (Unless you are on the Grand Ole Opry and then you sing through your nose) This passage is telling us that we should be doing the same with the Word. We must not just be taking it in, we need also to be exhaling it through the confession of our faith in Jesus and through prayer.
It is my opinion that we have many Christians today that have never put a proper value on the Word. Fast food eating is not going to cut it if we are looking for full life nutritional value. I know people who only read the New Testament; others who will only read certain parts of the Old and New Testament that have an appeal to their appetites. This is pathetic, fast food Christianity and then they wonder why their lives are such a mess. I don’t suggest that everybody do it like I do but it is a good pattern. I have started at Genesis 1:1 and read to the last verse of Revelation many times and will again. There are some extremely good daily reading guides that are available and a wonderful variety of translations, so there is really no excuse for not getting the Word into us.
The primary issue is that we put a value on the Word. We tend not to put things in our mouth that we don’t value. (except, of course, my foot which from time to time ends up in my mouth). Maybe we could entitle this devotional “Eat your way into the future”.
You will, you will the writer says! This is a declaration of the availability of success as we step into your future if we will hear and do what God is saying!
This week we will talk briefly about the place of the Word in our life. Next week we’ll discuss “success and prosperity” (Sorry, but you have to wait!).
I think you know how much I love the Word. The model of my dad’s approach to the Word has a lot to do with my appreciation of the Word and its place in my life.
I don’t understand fully how the Word works in my life….I just know it does. Hebrews 4:12 says. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
I don’t really understand how cattle can eat grass or grain in the middle of a North Texas pasture and then a few days later that cow (or one of his/her close relatives) can end up on my plate in the form of a steak. The concept of grass to steak escapes me and frankly I not going to pursue it. The principle is the same with the Word….I don’t know exactly how it works its work in me…I just know it does. The Word of God is alive and full of the spiritual nutrients that we need. When we get it in us, it works in us whether we realize it or not. I like the way the Amplified Bible speaks to this in 1 Thessalonians 2:13
“And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].” (Amplified Bible)
You don’t have to be a theologian to understand this. The key issue is that you put a value on the Word and that’s what I learned from my dad. Morning after morning as I came into the kitchen I saw my dad prioritizing his day by putting a value on the Word and its place in his life.
Honestly, there are some days I read the Bible and when I’m finished I have no idea what I just read and that used to bother me but not anymore and here’s why. My wife is a wonderful cook but not every single meal she prepares is a 5 star culinary delight nor does it need to be. I know I need to eat a couple of times a day and if I don’t then weakness starts to set in. So sometimes I just eat something not because it’s a culinary delight but because I know I need to. I need to eat something because I need to have the energy and nutritional value the food provides.
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth”
In extremely simple terms “the mouth” has 2 basic functions. Inhaling and exhaling. We take in food, air, water through the mouth. We exhale used air and speak words through the mouth. (Unless you are on the Grand Ole Opry and then you sing through your nose) This passage is telling us that we should be doing the same with the Word. We must not just be taking it in, we need also to be exhaling it through the confession of our faith in Jesus and through prayer.
It is my opinion that we have many Christians today that have never put a proper value on the Word. Fast food eating is not going to cut it if we are looking for full life nutritional value. I know people who only read the New Testament; others who will only read certain parts of the Old and New Testament that have an appeal to their appetites. This is pathetic, fast food Christianity and then they wonder why their lives are such a mess. I don’t suggest that everybody do it like I do but it is a good pattern. I have started at Genesis 1:1 and read to the last verse of Revelation many times and will again. There are some extremely good daily reading guides that are available and a wonderful variety of translations, so there is really no excuse for not getting the Word into us.
The primary issue is that we put a value on the Word. We tend not to put things in our mouth that we don’t value. (except, of course, my foot which from time to time ends up in my mouth). Maybe we could entitle this devotional “Eat your way into the future”.
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