Dec 09 - Gen 1:1a

In the beginning … God …

Genesis 1:1a

 

It’s hard to get people to agree. If you can believe internet statistics …

 

·         20% of Americans believe that the earth revolves around the sun,

·         29% think Bigfoot probably exists,

·         and up to 25% of American don’t believe that Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

 

And yet …

 

·         only 8% of Americans don’t believe that God exists.

 

The first words of the Bible are “In the beginning … God …” The first revelation of Scripture is that “GOD IS”! And the good news is that 92% of our friends actually believe this.

 

The problem, though, is what kind of a “god” our friends believe in. Is God an energy or a “person”? Is God one or many? Is God personal or impersonal? Is God active or inactive? Are we part of god or is God separate and beyond us? (I could go on for hours!)

 

Over these next weeks, I want to help you learn to make a simple Biblical case for God – the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the good news is that with 92% of your friends, you can start with common ground …

 

GOD IS.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who believes in the

earth revolving around the sun

and in God, the Father of the Son

 

 

 

 

Nov 7 - 1 Cor 8:6 - Everything

My Hope is on this week:

Watch Billy Graham’s “95^th Birthday Sermon”

http://watchbillygraham.com/?#tv-listings

There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ,

Everything came into being through him,

and we live because of him

1 Corinthians 8:6

When was Jesus born?

Did you say something like, “Christmas, 2000 years ago”?

Well, the official answer is: It’s a trick question.

The one Lord, Jesus Christ, was NOT born. If “everything came into being through him” – and it did (that’s the consistent witness of scripture) – then Jesus PRE-EXISTED.

•      He was alive before creation.
•      He wasn’t born. He simply is.
•      He eternal.
•      He is infinite.
•      He has no beginning or end.
•      He is the Alpha and the Omega. 

The tricky part of that question is that Jesus – the eternal and infinite – temporarily took off his robes of light and stepped into our world in human flesh. In this temporary, fleshly nature, yes, he had a birth. But don’t let Christmas confuse you! Jesus is eternal.

Now listen to the two truths based on this awesome wonder:

    1.  Not only was Jesus there at creation (along with the Father and the Spirit), but he had a powerful role in creation. How did the Father create? In Genesis 1, we are told that God spoke the world into existence. He created just by saying a word like “light” – “let there be light” – and guess what … “there was light.” In John 1, we are told that Jesus is the Word. And it was through words and the Word that “everything came into being through [Jesus].”

     2.    But Jesus actions are not just in the past. In the present, we are told that “we live because of him.” Daily his Word, his Spirit, his creative power speaks our days into existence. Our life – every moment, every hour – depends on his grace. We can ignore that. We can pretend that his presence doesn’t really matter minute-to-minute, but if we’re honest and humble, we know deep down that we exist only according to his pleasure. (And it’s a good thing that his heart is made out of extraordinary love … because we don’t always give him enough pleasure to justify being kept alive by his pleasure. Yet he does it anyway. That’s grace!)

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who, when realizing

that Jesus is the Word,

needs my every word

to be “thank you”!!!

Nov 6 - Acts 17:25 - Everything

He himself gives life

and breath to everything,

and he satisfies

every need there is.

Acts 17:25

How would you describe God?

I don’t ask this question idly. It’s incredibly important. How you define God determines how you act. For example …

•      If God is a judge, we’re always afraid, always trying to appease him.
•      If God is a genie, we make wishes and hope he comes through (and grow distant when  
•      If God is passive (alive, but distant; keeping his hands off day-to-day events), we’re less likely to pray and trust and treat him as if he matters.

Do you see how that works?

Well, I’d suggest today’s verse as a good definition of God if you want to discover more of his power and provision!

•      If God gives life to everything, we in awe of his power and we worship him in wonder.
•      If God animates everything with his breath, we depend on him daily for life and breath and daily food.
•      If God satisfies every need, then we become active in prayer, depending on him for decisions, comfort, help, provision, and blessing.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who believes

that God is everything!

  

Nov 5 - Mark 10:27 - EVERYTHING

Jesus looked at him and loved him and said,

"You lack one thing. Go, sell everything you have ...

Then come, follow me."

Mark 10:21

This week, we’re studying the scriptural word “everything.”

•      This word occurs twice in this story in Mark 10. Yesterday, we discovered God’s gift of everything. Jesus joyfully revealed that “27 with God … everything is possible”! In fact, about half the time, “everything” points to what God gives to us!
• 
  
•      The other half of the time, “everything” points to what we are called to give to God. And that’s what today’s verse is about.

The context is a “good man” who is trying to impress Jesus, saying, “20 I have kept [God’s commandments] since I was a boy.” “Aren’t I a good boy?” implied the man. But Jesus wasn’t impressed. In fact, he tells him that “being good” isn’t good enough.

“So how do you draw close to God?” this young man desperately wants to know.

He wants to follow … he really does … but … he wants to set the terms and conditions of his following.

Isn’t that the natural human condition? Isn’t that what you want to do? (It sure is what I continually want to do!) I want to set the terms and conditions of my following … of my obedience … of even my giving.

Does God, for example, want 10%, a tithe? No. In the New Testament, the amount we give is not legalistic. And yet the standard is definitely not lower. God doesn’t want so much of this and so much of that. God wants everything. He is exclusive. No half-measures will do. When Jesus says, “Give me everything, he means it.”

In one of my favorite all-time quotes is …

[This] is hard; but the sort of compromise we are all hankering after is harder -- in fact, it is impossible. It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg. We are like eggs at present. And you cannot go on indefinitely being just an ordinary, decent egg. We must be hatched or go bad.

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants to fly

(but it’s 100% out of the shell …

or not flying at all)

Nov 4 - Mark 10:27 - EVERYTHING

Jesus looked at them intently and said,

"Humanly speaking, it is impossible.

But not with God. Everything is possible with God."

Mark 10:27

This week, we’re going to start a word study in the scripture. “Everything” points in two directions simultaneously. First, it points UPWARD to God. He made everything and gives everything (indeed Jesus’ gave everything including his very life).

Second, “everything” points DOWNWARD to – and OUTWARD through – us. Following Christ’s pattern, we are called to give everything too (and for the Lord’s sake).

Today’s verse points upward. But it starts with people pointing downward and seeking a human solution. People were asking Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” (Mark 10:26). They wanted a human solution. One man even justified himself saying, “20 I have kept [all of God’s commandments] since I was a boy.”

But Jesus was unimpressed. Our Savior essentially said, “Great, you’re the most perfect person in history but” – and here’s the quote – “‘21 you [still] lack one thing.’” That man – and most of us humans – want to be able to rely on ourselves. We want to be in control of our own destiny. But “27 humanly speaking,” said Jesus, “it is impossible.” Humanly speaking all of our efforts are futile.

Ouch!

I constantly try to rely on my efforts. I constantly try to rely on my own wisdom. I reflexively do what seems right to me. Looking downward, I eagerly chase after what culture prescribes as “best practices.” And the result? I’m constantly tired, continually frustrated, regularly thwarted, and routinely empty.

When I build on me, myself, and my own understanding, it’s a house of cards. But when I build on God and “lean not on [my] own understanding,” I discover the only firm foundation because “with God … everything is possible”!!!

In Christ’s Love,

A guy who wants everything!!!

(wait … that’s not greedy;

that’s just wanting more of God

because He is Everything!)

Nov 1 - Life (and Parenting) Focus

L I F E   A N D   P A R E N T I N G   A D V I C E

What is your real focus?

As nice Christians, we wonder sometimes why we don’t have much power, purpose, and joy. Well, too many well-meaning people – like you and me – are accidentally (but oh-so-easily) turning our focus from God to false idols and false priorities.

Whether you have kids or not, let parenting expert, pediatrician Meg Meeker, give you an example of how. (We continue with a piece of her recent observations on Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson, she says …)

Good, solid, loving Christian parents [are honoring and prioritizing] their children more than they [honor and prioritize] the Lord. … How did this happen?

Well … very insidiously and slowly over the past 30 years Satan has come in and used the nicest of our friends to just sort of make a few little changes in their parenting under the guise of being wonderful parents to focus more and more and more away from God and onto our children. …

Moms and dads are orbiting around our kids and God is orbiting around all of us in our family.

It sounds good – “focus on your kids.” And in truth, our world would be a lot better off if more Americans added a little focus to their child-rearing habits. But here’s the problem: we’re totally misunderstanding what “focus” really means.

The human soul is selfish and self-centered. “Focusing” on a child – and prioritizing their desires -- exalts the absolute wrong part of a child’s character.

But as parents in America, this is how we’ve been trained to do our job effectively. High schools, then colleges, and now even some first-time employers are calling parents “helicopter parents.” They hover around their children. They … orbit … around their children.

No! That’s not the way it’s supposed to be. We as individuals families are called to orbit around God. He is the center … of everything. We are called to focus – unwaveringly – on him.

When we put our kids – or anything else in life (money, job, hobbies, our parents, our spouse) – at the center of our universe, we’re pagans. We’re worshipping the created rather than the creator.

And kids see this. We say we love God, but in the name of being good parents, we focus on everything else. And then they see us a hypocrites when we call them to follow something we aren’t following ourselves.

This subtle shift is destroying the church … and destroying our children.

If you want to focus on your kids, focus on God. Train their attention away from their self and their desires and their abilities and what makes them “happy” (in the short-run), and turn them toward the only thing that will bring them power, peace, purpose, and joy in the long-run.

God is our center.

Indeed, he’s the reason we can spell joy.

     It’s J-Jesus, first (He must be the center of our orbit).

     O-Other’s second (and the good news is that kids actually desire deeply to serve, they want to make a difference, and yet we as parents keep focusing on them and confusing their heart), and …

     Y-You last. (Let’s resolve to not confuse them with the wrong focus.)

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s tired

of living in a YOJ world

Oct 31 - What's Really Scary on Halloween

P A R E N T I N G   A N D   C U L T U R A L   A D V I C E

What’s Really Scary on Halloween

The funniest news item of the week is actually rather revealing … and ultimately should be viewed as a prophetic (and scary) sign of the times in which we live.

Did you hear how supertankers and merchant ships in the Indian Ocean are scaring away Muslim (Somali) pirates?

They blast Brittany Spears music at them.

Literally.

These Muslims view western culture as offensive. And Brittany Spears represents the very worst we have to offer.

And guess what … this ought to be a prophetic shaming for us and our culture.

Pirates, by definition, have a compromised sense of morality. They willing plunder, steal, terrorize, and (if necessary) kill. But in their mind that’s not nearly as offensive as what we Americans invite into our living rooms on an almost nightly basic.

We set up an altar in our family rooms (the television). We turn every chair to face the altar. We gather our children before this altar. And even if it’s only for the commercials, we invite something that’s arguably worse than theft – provocativeness and sex – into our homes, into our children, and into our hearts.

Scary.

In Christ’s Love,

a child of our culture who’s

justified a lot of TV over the years

but has run out of excuses

Oct 30 - Parenting Fears

T O P   P A R E N T I N G   A D V I C E

What you fear … it reveals your heart

and determines your results

Fear is a funny word.

In modern English, “fear” almost always means worry, trembling, anxiousness, and falling down in fright.

In old English, “fear” also means “profound respect” – the kind that falls on its knees before king. That’s what is meant when scripture calls us to fear the Lord.

Yesterday I quoted Pediatrician Meg Meeker. Recently, after reminding us that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom …” (Proverbs 9:10), she made a profound observation about parenting. She said, “we’ve come to place in our parenting where we fear our children more than we fear the Lord … Good, solid, loving Christian parents [honor/prioritize] their children more than they [honor/prioritize] the Lord. … How did this happen?”

In her second reference, I obviously changed the words to “honor” and “prioritize,” but I want us to stick with “fear” for just a minute. What kind of fear are modern parents “taught” by society to treat their kids with?

I’d say it’s both.

First, nice, wonderful, engaging secular parents have no higher priority in their life than their kids. So they pour everything into them. And then Christian parents join the same clubs (or sports teams or scouting organizations, etc.) And as Christians we watch our peers “prioritize their kids.” And we say, “well, I ought to be at least as committed as they are.”

And then we see all this well-intended attention seem to push our kids an inch or two ahead of our kids (at least in the short run) and nice Christian parents become anxious (fearful). And we start prioritizing the wrong things too – accomplishments rather than character (see yesterday’s devotions).

Thus we begin following the world’s priorities “so that our kids won’t be left further behind.”

But, guess what?

More commitment to the world means what? Less time for our higher commitments – including God, faith, character, discipline, solitude, and Sabbath. Soon we join the world. We push our kids a few inches higher while simultaneously destroying their foundation. That’s one kind of fearful response.

The second is the most classic fearful kind of fear. Our culture teaches kids to distrust and disrespect their parents. And we turn them onto it when we turn on way too many of our culture’s sacred indoctrination tools – including television and self-esteem doctrines. Couple our children’s cynicism with the desire for most of us parents to be liked, and parents nowadays are extremely vulnerable.

Thus, for many, our highest goal in raising our kids is that they “like us.”

Wanting to be their friend, we fear their approval.

Thus we orient our parenting around “what makes our kids happy.” If they say they don’t want to do something – including “go to church” – we let their emotions reign in our house.

More and more, the child becomes the god, and Dr. Meeker’s right, we honor, prioritize, and fear our children more than we honor and prioritize God.

(I probably don’t have to tell you that this will have disastrous consequences for our youth because as adults the world will never revolve around them and we’re setting them up for a lifetime of disappointments.)

God has a simple solution. Fear me. And teach your kids to fear me. That’s the beginning of wisdom. And that’s the foundation of all success.

In Christ’s Love,

a former psychology major

who was taught by the gods of culture

and a bunch of psychobabbling lies

to prioritize my kids

… and I was saved (and my kids were too)

when I learned to prioritize God

Oct 29 - Top Parenting Advice

T O P   P A R E N T I N G   A D V I C E

You are not in charge of

your child(ren)’s success.

We all want our children to do well. But that must not be our primary goal as parents. In fact, it’s a dangerously false idol.

True success comes from character – not accomplishments. Deep down we all know this is true. We’ve seen it!

•      We all know that in the long run, character is what produces the enduring accomplishments – like a lasting family, respect from our peers, a dependable track-record at work, and a faith-filled foundation that boldly weathers any of life’s storms.
• 
  
•      Character strives for excellence because doing our best glorifies God! But a performance driven mentality strives harder out of pride (seeking one’s own glory) or insecurity (feeling desperately like one is not measuring up). The twin pillars of pride and insecurity regularly defocus the gift of family, frequently step on or over peers, and is ultimately fragile in the face of life’s fiercest storms 

Occasionally, performance-driven personalities will indeed earn big money, climb the corporate ladder, and make notable accomplishments. But with too few spots at the very top, most peter out in the middle and live a life of dissatisfaction and regret (… and often they’re alone while doing this, having shed the gift of family while trying unsuccessfully to attain a long-forgotten goal).

Meanwhile the people of character are joyful and content with whatever life deals them … and even if it’s not a million dollars, they come home to family and friends who love them and they know personally the God who uplifts and sustains them. These are the ones who are truly rich.

Pediatrician Meg Meeker reminded me of this recently. Here’s a few pieces of her insight from last week’s Family Talk with Dr. James Dobson …

What’s gone wrong in our culture in the last forty or fifty years? …

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom …” [But] we’ve come to place in our parenting where we fear our children more than we fear the Lord … Good, solid, loving Christian parents [honor/prioritize] their children more than they [honor/prioritize] the Lord. … How did this happen?

Well, we know how this happened because very insidiously and slowly over the past 30 years Satan has come in and used the nicest of our friends to just sort of make a few little changes in their parenting under the guise of being wonderful parents to focus more and more and more away from God and onto our children. …

Moms and dads are orbiting around our kids and God is orbiting around all of us in our family.

And this is a very important paradigm to understand – this shift that has taken place, if you go out and ask any garden variety, wonderful, Christian parent what his or her job is as a good parent, they will respond by saying something like, “My job as a godly dad is to provide a lot of opportunities for my child (Great!), to make sure that my child has a healthy self-esteem (Right!), … and by the way, my number one job as a mom is to make sure my child is happy all the time … and that they are successful.” …

Parents have never been so exhausted as they are today. … they’re frustrated … they know they’re not living right …  But they don’t know where to go. Why? Because they need to go back to the right starting place.

God is the right starting point. Character, then, is the primary fruit. Indeed, when we train a child’s heart in the way they should go, they thrive in all the ways that truly matter.

In Christ’s Love,

a dad who was fortunate

to have a wife who understood this

much earlier than I

Oct 26 - How to Experience God's Presence (3C) PRACTICE: SEEK GOD'S FACE

Do you want more of the presence of God?

Today, we will discuss the third step of

Practice and Discipline and Making it Happen.

After we actively choose (yes, we want more of God), we must submit. We must give God the keys to our life. We must say, “Not my will, but thy will be done.”

Then we must practice the practical disciplines that draw us progressively closer to God.

On Thursday, we talked about prayer. It is talking … and listening.

Yesterday, we talked about meditating on God’s word. This is absolutely the clearest way to hear God’s voice.

Today, based on 2 Chronicles 7:14 (If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves … and pray … and seek my face … and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land),

we are invited to seek God’s face.

What does that mean?!!!

 3.     “And seek my face”

The final discipline is seeking God’s face. Another word for this is worship. As part of time with God, make sure to 1) thank him, 2) praise him, and 3) spend time worshipfully with him. For some it will involve more silence. For others it may mean singing a hymn of praise. Others, after reading and praying may want to walk outside and enjoy the beauty of his creation.

My wife, spends the first few moments of devotion on the back porch, looking out over creation, and thanking God (until she wakes up enough to focus on the more intentional parts of her discipline – which include scripture and prayer). (By the way, coffee is part of her routine. For her, the smell of coffee is both a reminder of God’s blessings and the scent of God’s presence getting ready to break in!)

Assignment: If you don’t know how to worship, praise, or seek God’s face, add one more minute to the two (plus) minutes of your prayer time, starting with telling God as many things as you can think of that you are thankful for. (Hint: I find doing this alphabetically helps me … God, I’m thankful for air that’s fresh, breakfast in a few minutes, children – Paul, Jay, and Rob, d …, e …, etc. )

Ahh … there’s one more practice, one more discipline …

When?!

I’d suggest first thing in the morning. And that’s from a person who is definitely not a morning person. Some days I’m not sure if I’m alive til noon! Nevertheless, if I don’t start with discipline, I seem to never fully make it back up.

Furthermore, morning provides us with one other blessing. When we start the day listening to God, we’re more likely to live that day with his guidance, purposes, and power (rather than charging out unarmed and unfocused).

There are three parts of this practice – prayer, word, and seeking God’s face. If you’re brand new to this, here’s how to start fitting this into your day …

     1.    Set your alarm ten minutes earlier …

     2.     Find a comfortable spot – away from distractions.

     3.    Optional: Get a cup of coffee.

     4.     Spend a few minutes with God.

 ·         One minute to praise.

 ·         Five minutes to read scripture.

 ·        Two minutes to pray.

 ·        Two minutes to listen

     5.        Repeat daily.

     6.        And you might eventually start enjoying it so much that you’ll jump out of bed fifteen or twenty minutes early!!!! (In fact, I’ll bet you will. But start simple.)

Oct 25 - How to Experience God's Presence (3B) PRACTICE: MEDITATE ON WORD

Do you want more of the presence of God?

Today, we will discuss the third step of

Practice and Discipline and Making it Happen.

Drawing closer to God is a three step process. 1) First, scripture tells us that we must intentionally choose to spend more time with God! 2) Second, God (through scripture) tells us that we need to humble ourselves, submit, and obey. 3) Third, we are called to be disciplined in continuing to draw nearer to God. We are calling this practice.

Yesterday, the first form of practice we talked about was prayer. Prayer is talking to God. It is listening to God. Most of all, prayer is the primary channel for developing a relationship with God.

Today we talk about the second of these three steps: Meditating on God’s Word. This indeed is what God called the Israelites to do if they wanted to be successful living his land – “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:8

2. “Meditate [on his Word] day and night” (Joshua 1:8)

Scripture is the second way in which we listen. Why? Because scripture is literally God’s Word. While my prayerful listening is important, it is often subjective. The written Word is clear, objective, and unchanging. God has promised to meet us on these pages. Indeed, he’s intentionally revealed himself here.

Assignment 1: Pray to develop a hunger for the Word of God. At first, reading scripture can be hard and it may require intentional discipline. As you become more familiar with “sound of God’s word” and as a hunger develops, reading scripture can be your day’s greatest joy.

Assignment 2: Read (at least) a “section” a day. What’s a “section”? If you do not already have a reading plan, let me give you some suggestions:

•       Read a Psalm a Day; or …
•       Or … read a New Testament chapter a day; or …
•       Or … if you’re less experienced with reading scripture find a good devotional book that starts with a scripture passage (a good devotional will help you make sense of the scripture passage) BUT THEN ALSO look up in the Bible that Scripture passage and read the paragraphs surrounding the scripture that you found in the devotion (this will help you learn to make sense of verses in context and gradually acquaint you with more of scripture).   

Oct 24 - How to Experience God's Presence (3) PRACTICE

Do you want more of the presence of God?

Today I offer the third of a three-step process.

On Tuesday, we discussed the first step in drawing closer to the presence of God. We must intentionally choose to spend less time with other things and more time with God! “Just do it!” as Nike says.

Yesterday, we addressed the second step. We need to be less proud, rebellious, and compromised. We need to humble ourselves, submit, and obey. Indeed, we said, “start by attacking the one big thing that you know you’re holding back.”

Today we focus on the final step – practice.

•      We need to craft a disciplined way of spending time with God daily.
•      And we need to keep practicing it until we experience more and more and more of God’s presence.
•      That doesn’t mean we can’t tweak and adjust the details of the plan. But our discipline must be consistent until we break-through to God’s greater blessing.

Here again are the three scriptures that will guide our daily discipline …

•      Joshua 1:4 [God said … When you] cross … into the land … 6 be … 7 careful to act in accordance with all the law … 8 [Furthermore,] this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night … 11 [Then Joshua commanded] “… in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.'"
• 
  
•       Joshua 3:15 [When] the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the … flood, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still.
• 
  
•      2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves … and pray … and seek my face … and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

Step 3: Practice

If you want to experience the Presence of God it is imperative that your daily discipline includes three primary elements (and then anything you want to add to make it more joyful and purposeful for you) …

            1.  “Pray” (2 Chron 7:14)

Prayer is a conversation. It is talking. It is also listening – part one of listening involves silence, solitude, and stillness (which is hard in a busy, noisy world), part two is below.

Most of all, prayer is relationship. It is sitting regularly in God’s Presence – whether you can feel it or not – until a relationship develops. And that’s why I say it takes practice and discipline.

Assignment: If you don’t do either of these pieces already, spend two minutes a day speaking to God AND spend two minutes a day (in silence) listening for God. (Since my mind wanders, I have to have a phrase from scripture or a scripture-inspired picture – like Jesus as a shepherd – to focus on as I’m otherwise sitting in silence.)

     2.   “Meditate [on his Word] day and night” (Joshua 1:8)

Scripture is the second way in which we listen. Why? Because scripture is literally God’s Word. While my prayerful listening is important, it is often subjective. The written Word is clear, objective, and unchanging. God has promised to meet us on these pages. Indeed, he’s intentionally revealed himself here.

Assignment 1: Pray to develop a hunger for the Word of God. At first, reading scripture can be hard and it may require intentional discipline. As you become more familiar with “sound of God’s word” and as a hunger develops, reading scripture can be your day’s greatest joy.

Assignment 2: Read (at least) a “section” a day. What’s a “section”? If you do not already have a reading plan, let me give you some suggestions:

•      Read a Psalm a Day; or …
•      Or … read a New Testament chapter a day; or …
•      Or … if you’re less experienced with reading scripture find a good devotional book that starts with a scripture passage (a good devotional will help you make sense of the scripture passage) BUT THEN ALSO look up in the Bible that Scripture passage and read the paragraphs surrounding the scripture that you found in the devotion (this will help you learn to make sense of verses in context and gradually acquaint you with more of scripture).   

     3.  “And seek my face”

The final discipline is seeking God’s face. Another word for this is worship. As part of time with God, make sure to 1) thank him, 2) praise him, and 3) spend time worshipfully with him. For some it will involve more silence. For others it may mean singing a hymn of praise. Others, after reading and praying may want to walk outside and enjoy the beauty of his creation.

My wife, spends the first few moments of devotion on the back porch, looking out over creation, and thanking God (until she wakes up enough to focus on the more intentional parts of her discipline – which include scripture and prayer). (By the way, coffee is part of her routine. For her, the smell of coffee is both a reminder of God’s blessings and the scent of God’s presence getting ready to break in!)

Assignment: If you don’t know how to worship, praise, or seek God’s face, add one more minute to the two (plus) minutes of your prayer time, starting with telling God as many things as you can think of that you are thankful for. (Hint: I find doing this alphabetically helps me … God, I’m thankful for air that’s fresh, breakfast in a few minutes, children – Paul, Jay, and Rob, d …, e …, etc. )

Ahh … there’s one more practice, one more discipline … When?! I’d suggest first thing in the morning. And that’s from a person who is definitely not a morning person. Some days I’m not sure if I’m alive til noon! Nevertheless, if I don’t start with discipline, I seem to never fully make it back up.

Furthermore, morning provides us with one other blessing. When we start the day listening to God, we’re more likely to live that day with his guidance, purposes, and power (rather than charging out unarmed and unfocused).

So … if you’re new to this, set your alarm ten minutes earlier.

•      One minute to praise.
•      Five minutes to read scripture.
•      Two minutes to pray.
•      Two minutes to listen.

Oct 24 - How to Experience God's Presence (3A) PRACTICE: PRAY

Do you want more of the presence of God?

Today I offer the third of a three-step process.

On Tuesday, we discussed the first step in drawing closer to the presence of God. We must intentionally choose to spend less time with other things and more time with God! “Just do it!” as Nike says.

Yesterday, we addressed the second step. We need to be less proud, rebellious, and compromised. We need to humble ourselves, submit, and obey. Indeed, we said, “start by attacking the one big thing that you know you’re holding back.”

Today we focus on the final step – practice.

•      We need to craft a disciplined way of spending time with God daily.
•      And we need to keep practicing it until we experience more and more and more of God’s presence.

     That doesn’t mean we can’t tweak and adjust the details of the plan. But our discipline must be consistent until we break-through to God’s greater blessing.

Here again are the three scriptures that will guide our daily discipline …

•      Joshua 1:4 [God said … When you] cross … into the land … 6 be … 7 careful to act in accordance with all the law … 8 [Furthermore,] this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night … 11 [Then Joshua commanded] “… in three days you are to cross over the Jordan, to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God gives you to possess.'"
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•       Joshua 3:15 [When] the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the … flood, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still.
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•       2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves … and pray … and seek my face … and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.

Step 3: Practice

If you want to experience the Presence of God it is imperative that your daily discipline includes three primary elements (and then anything you want to add to make it more joyful and purposeful for you) …

     1.     “Pray” (2 Chron 7:14)

Prayer is a conversation. It is talking. It is also listening – part one of listening involves silence, solitude, and stillness (which is hard in a busy, noisy world), part two is below.

Most of all, prayer is relationship. It is sitting regularly in God’s Presence – whether you can feel it or not – until a relationship develops. And that’s why I say it takes practice and discipline.

Assignment: If you don’t do either of these pieces already, spend two minutes a day speaking to God AND spend two minutes a day (in silence) listening for God. (Since my mind wanders, I have to have a phrase from scripture or a scripture-inspired picture – like Jesus as a shepherd – to focus on as I’m otherwise sitting in silence.)

OCTOBER 25

     2.    “Meditate [on his Word] day and night” (Joshua 1:8)

Scripture is the second way in which we listen. Why? Because scripture is literally God’s Word. While my prayerful listening is important, it is often subjective. The written Word is clear, objective, and unchanging. God has promised to meet us on these pages. Indeed, he’s intentionally revealed himself here.

Assignment 1: Pray to develop a hunger for the Word of God. At first, reading scripture can be hard and it may require intentional discipline. As you become more familiar with “sound of God’s word” and as a hunger develops, reading scripture can be your day’s greatest joy.

Assignment 2: Read (at least) a “section” a day. What’s a “section”? If you do not already have a reading plan, let me give you some suggestions:

a.     Read a Psalm a Day; or …

b.     Or … read a New Testament chapter a day; or …

c.      Or … if you’re less experienced with reading scripture find a good devotional book that starts with a scripture passage (a good devotional will help you make sense of the scripture passage) BUT THEN ALSO look up in the Bible that Scripture passage and read the paragraphs surrounding the scripture that you found in the devotion (this will help you learn to make sense of verses in context and gradually acquaint you with more of scripture).   

OCTOBER 26

     3. “And seek my face”

The final discipline is seeking God’s face. Another word for this is worship. As part of time with God, make sure to 1) thank him, 2) praise him, and 3) spend time worshipfully with him. For some it will involve more silence. For others it may mean singing a hymn of praise. Others, after reading and praying may want to walk outside and enjoy the beauty of his creation.

My wife, spends the first few moments of devotion on the back porch, looking out over creation, and thanking God (until she wakes up enough to focus on the more intentional parts of her discipline – which include scripture and prayer). (By the way, coffee is part of her routine. For her, the smell of coffee is both a reminder of God’s blessings and the scent of God’s presence getting ready to break in!)

Assignment: If you don’t know how to worship, praise, or seek God’s face, add one more minute to the two (plus) minutes of your prayer time, starting with telling God as many things as you can think of that you are thankful for. (Hint: I find doing this alphabetically helps me … God, I’m thankful for air that’s fresh, breakfast in a few minutes, children – Paul, Jay, and Rob, d …, e …, etc. )

Ahh … there’s one more practice, one more discipline … When?! I’d suggest first thing in the morning. And that’s from a person who is definitely not a morning person. Some days I’m not sure if I’m alive til noon! Nevertheless, if I don’t start with discipline, I seem to never fully make it back up.

Furthermore, morning provides us with one other blessing. When we start the day listening to God, we’re more likely to live that day with his guidance, purposes, and power (rather than charging out unarmed and unfocused).

So … if you’re new to this, set your alarm ten minutes earlier.

     One minute to praise.

     Five minutes to read scripture.

     Two minutes to pray.

     Two minutes to listen.