My friend Billy told me of a series that Life Church is doing over Habakkuk. Afterwards, I thought to myself that I really didn't know what Habakkuk talked about so I decided to read it today (only 3 chapters) to learn something. I was reminded of a few things as I read through it.
First, I was reminded that God is doing something huge right now. Something that we don't know about. I've said that to many people lately, and finding it confirmed in scripture is always encouraging. Habakkuk starts with a huge burden. He felt as if God wasn't hearing him and wasn't doing anything about the perversion of His name. After Habakkuk is done with crying out to God, the Lord answers him with verse 1:5, "Look around you among the nations and see! And be astonished! Astounded! For I am putting into effect a work in your days such that you would not believe it if it were told to you." At times I feel alot like Habakkuk did. In my own life not receiving answers, and looking at the ineffectiveness and perversion of the world. But I am encouraged that God is indeed up to something great. He doing much that we cannot see. Which leads to my second realization.
And that is, God does most of the work. In chapter 3 verse 2 Habakkuk is praying again and says to God, "O Lord, revive Your work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make Yourself known." When I read that I was a little convicted. Because I have been thinking non-stop to try and figure out what I'm supposed to be doing. I know I want to see God reveal Himself to people like He has to me, but I've been forgetting one thing. And that is, He is the only one who can reveal Himself. Regardless of my powers of persuasion, or my own testimony, or any amount of theatrics, the only way someone can experience the love of Christ like I have is if He reveals Himself. I've been trying too hard to do the work that only He can.
So I asked myself, what can I do then? I looked at Habakkuk to see what He did. What I noticed is that he prayed to and he worshiped the One who could. That is my job when it comes to God's heart being known. Now that's not to say He won't use me. But it works best when He is always put first. And when I see Him working in me, to remember that He alone is doing the work. My talents and my thoughts need to be directed to Him, and then He will do the work through me.
It is easy to get lost in our own world and forget how big our God is. I hope you are reminded that He is in control and you are only a small piece of an eternal plan.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Intimacy
I just want to say that I am glad that God speaks. I am glad that He is alive. Not a distant god, but a loving, intimate Father.
That's all. I was just reminded of His nearness and how intimately He desires to love us and speak to us if only we would listen to what He is saying. If only we dropped our agendas and really listened to what He had to say. I think most of the times we approach God like a press conference. Something has happened in our life, or we have a need, and we have a list of questions we need answering. We are interested only in getting our answer and calming our nerves. But we need to approach Him like a Father. To sit on His lap and lay next to Him and tell Him about our day and ask His advice on what we should do in our situations. Not to get our answer. That is secondary to hearing Him speak and knowing that He is answering out of complete love for us.
That's all. I was just reminded of His nearness and how intimately He desires to love us and speak to us if only we would listen to what He is saying. If only we dropped our agendas and really listened to what He had to say. I think most of the times we approach God like a press conference. Something has happened in our life, or we have a need, and we have a list of questions we need answering. We are interested only in getting our answer and calming our nerves. But we need to approach Him like a Father. To sit on His lap and lay next to Him and tell Him about our day and ask His advice on what we should do in our situations. Not to get our answer. That is secondary to hearing Him speak and knowing that He is answering out of complete love for us.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Where is wisdom found?
I marvel at how simple Scripture is once it has been revealed to me. I guess I could extend that to my world as well. However, most of the time I do not think it is the Spirit simply saying "Here is what this means." God is taking us on a journey, and it is in the journey, through the hardships, and in our experiences that we are brought to the knowledge of Truth. Or should I say, that we are brought into the knowledge of the heart of Christ. Once our heart has been changed to become like Christ's, then we can easily see the Truth, and the Spirit has an easy task of imparting His wisdom on us.
For instance, how did I arrive at this conclusion? It has been something stirring within my own mind and heart lately as a result of my circumstances. And once I was ripe enough to understand, He showed me 1 Corinthians 2. I have never read it so plainly before.
v.1 "As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom: 2 For I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I am not going to type out the entire chapter here, although I suggest reading it completely. But Paul says here, and continues stirring this issue of where we get our wisdom. From God or from man? Now our conditioned Christian minds automatically say, "Ooh ooh I know...God, right?" But I believe many of us Christians have it wrong. We seek wisdom of man. If you read the chapter, Paul downplays the idea of persuasion and conventional wisdom, and simply states that the only thing he needs to know is Jesus and His crucifixion. And in verse 4 and 5 he talks of how the Spirit and power of God is what is persuasive.
Paul does mention a "higher wisdom" in verse 6. He talks of how when we are together among mature Christians we share a divine knowledge with each other. But it is unlike this world and it comes from God alone. And the extent of God's wisdom is far greater than anything man could think up, giving us wisdom without bounds. So I am not here to attack the concept of wisdom. In fact, I hope that I am sharing some now to fellow Christians so that we may sharpen one another.
However, I do see a problem with the Church today with regards to how we are reaching those still trapped in the heart of this world. We reach out to them, trying to persuade them with "words of eloquence". But Paul says plainly, that words regarding Christ are not going to persuade those who do not have the mind of Christ. Verse 14 says, "But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God." So, instead, we must approach them with simply Jesus. His love for them. And follow it with the Spirit and power of God.
Let us not be caught up in persuasive words, even if they are truthful. It will not work. They will not understand. We can teach them, and they will learn, once the Spirit who brings understanding is upon them. But first, we must allow them a chance to meet this Jesus. And that is done through His love, and by allowing His Spirit and power to be manifest.
Verse 16 sums up the chapter quite completely, and I think it will serve as a good conclusion for this as well: "For who has known or understood the mind of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ and do hold the thoughts of His heart."
For instance, how did I arrive at this conclusion? It has been something stirring within my own mind and heart lately as a result of my circumstances. And once I was ripe enough to understand, He showed me 1 Corinthians 2. I have never read it so plainly before.
v.1 "As for myself, brethren, when I came to you, I did not come proclaiming to you the testimony and evidence or mystery and secret of God in lofty words of eloquence or human philosophy and wisdom: 2 For I resolved to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
I am not going to type out the entire chapter here, although I suggest reading it completely. But Paul says here, and continues stirring this issue of where we get our wisdom. From God or from man? Now our conditioned Christian minds automatically say, "Ooh ooh I know...God, right?" But I believe many of us Christians have it wrong. We seek wisdom of man. If you read the chapter, Paul downplays the idea of persuasion and conventional wisdom, and simply states that the only thing he needs to know is Jesus and His crucifixion. And in verse 4 and 5 he talks of how the Spirit and power of God is what is persuasive.
Paul does mention a "higher wisdom" in verse 6. He talks of how when we are together among mature Christians we share a divine knowledge with each other. But it is unlike this world and it comes from God alone. And the extent of God's wisdom is far greater than anything man could think up, giving us wisdom without bounds. So I am not here to attack the concept of wisdom. In fact, I hope that I am sharing some now to fellow Christians so that we may sharpen one another.
However, I do see a problem with the Church today with regards to how we are reaching those still trapped in the heart of this world. We reach out to them, trying to persuade them with "words of eloquence". But Paul says plainly, that words regarding Christ are not going to persuade those who do not have the mind of Christ. Verse 14 says, "But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God." So, instead, we must approach them with simply Jesus. His love for them. And follow it with the Spirit and power of God.
Let us not be caught up in persuasive words, even if they are truthful. It will not work. They will not understand. We can teach them, and they will learn, once the Spirit who brings understanding is upon them. But first, we must allow them a chance to meet this Jesus. And that is done through His love, and by allowing His Spirit and power to be manifest.
Verse 16 sums up the chapter quite completely, and I think it will serve as a good conclusion for this as well: "For who has known or understood the mind of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ and do hold the thoughts of His heart."
Pursuing the Pursuer
I wrote this on Facebook on April 21. I figured it would be a good to start of with this as my first blog:
When was the last time you pursued someone? When was the last time you were pursued? I am talking with regards to love. The thrill of pursuit and of being pursued seems to make all time stand still and everything else fade away. It consumes our every action and becomes our purpose. The thought of being wanted to such a degree by someone gives us life. And it is only equally matched when we, in turn, pursue the one that pursues us. This is the story of love and the desire of every heart. That is because it is what we were created for. We were meant to pursue and be pursued from the day this world began. But this pursuit was not intended to be had strictly between humans. In fact, when humans share this experience it is only a shadow of the true design. We were created by the Great Lover to be pursued for eternity. And in turn, He waits for us to pursue Him.
He is chasing you already. He is waiting to unleash the full fury of His love for you. Some of you may already know of His pursuit for you. And you may have accepted His hand many times in love. But when was the last time you pursued Him? He wants to be pursued by you. When is the last time you gave a gift to your Lover? Or sang a song for Him? Or spent time reading His letters to you? Or admired His creation?
These are all things we would do for the person we loved aren't they? We delight in expressing ourselves through song, art, poetry, a simple letter, or by even showing interest in our lover's interests. How much more does God desire that we do these things for Him? He will pursue you regardless of what You may do for Him. That is His nature. But He is waiting for you to make Him smile.
He is waiting for you to pursue Him.
When was the last time you pursued someone? When was the last time you were pursued? I am talking with regards to love. The thrill of pursuit and of being pursued seems to make all time stand still and everything else fade away. It consumes our every action and becomes our purpose. The thought of being wanted to such a degree by someone gives us life. And it is only equally matched when we, in turn, pursue the one that pursues us. This is the story of love and the desire of every heart. That is because it is what we were created for. We were meant to pursue and be pursued from the day this world began. But this pursuit was not intended to be had strictly between humans. In fact, when humans share this experience it is only a shadow of the true design. We were created by the Great Lover to be pursued for eternity. And in turn, He waits for us to pursue Him.
He is chasing you already. He is waiting to unleash the full fury of His love for you. Some of you may already know of His pursuit for you. And you may have accepted His hand many times in love. But when was the last time you pursued Him? He wants to be pursued by you. When is the last time you gave a gift to your Lover? Or sang a song for Him? Or spent time reading His letters to you? Or admired His creation?
These are all things we would do for the person we loved aren't they? We delight in expressing ourselves through song, art, poetry, a simple letter, or by even showing interest in our lover's interests. How much more does God desire that we do these things for Him? He will pursue you regardless of what You may do for Him. That is His nature. But He is waiting for you to make Him smile.
He is waiting for you to pursue Him.
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