Genesis 2: God Has Plans

God Has Plans

In Genesis 1 we saw how God created the earth and how we have to realize that we are not accidents and that we have a purpose here on this earth. God finished making the earth and then rested on the 7th day (Genesis 2:1-3). First off, which day is your day of rest? If you are not fully rested how can you be re-energized to not only do the job(s) that lay before you, but also do the work God has before you? People will make excuses and say "Just gimme coffee and I can get it done" but is that what God wants from you? I know American culture is "go go go" and "achieve more and make more money", but God established a predominant culture many, many moons ago that also involved rest. Let's be honest, even cars, cell phones, lap tops, light bulbs are not meant to run at all times...and neither are we. 

God created man and placed hm specifically, not just anywhere, but in a place for him to do the job God bestowed upon him (Genesis 2:15). God also saw that the man did not need to be alone. Many take this section of scripture to mean God's view of marriage in terms of we should all be married, but in context, Adam was the first person on the planet and therefore was completely alone. Today, if you are not married, do not force yourself to be married due to the belief of this verse because celibacy/singleness is also a gift (Matthew 19:9-12) and God does not contradict Himself. 

God know what He wants from you, now you must be receptive to what it is He wants and then you must be obedient to do what it is He has called you to do.

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Hebrews 13: What Pleases God?

What Pleases God?

In Hebrews 13:1-5 there are some issues pointed out that we as Christ followers will forever face as we are human and prone to mistakes and bad decisions no matter how much we follow Christ. We are told to continue loving like brothers, be hospitable to strangers, show love to prisoners (imprisoned for the sake of the gospel aka persecuted), honor marriages and be free from the love of money.When we love like brothers that means like someone is family and we treat them with the same love that we would family members. When we are hospitable to strangers (people we don't know including foreigners) we could even be entertaining angels. When we remember those fellow believers in prison by writing them letters and visiting them then we are showing them Christ like love as Jesus loved those imprisoned by their own sin or that of others, so we should do the same especially to those imprisoned for being Christ followers. Honoring marriages is another big one as we make commitments to God and our spouses in relation to what is scriptural. We are to keep our lives free from the love of money. We need to use money, but not love it as we cannot serve 2 masters. And through all of this we also must remember that God will never leave us or forsake us. We must stay true to His commands and direction.

 

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1 Timothy 3: Being an Overseer

Being an Overseer

When it comes to leadership that is respectable, not everyone is qualified. Some may say that seems or sounds judgemental, but isn't it true? Have you ever had a boss that wasn't a very good leader or a supervisor that was not a very good leader. There are certain qualities and character traits that a leader would need to have to be a good leader for you. In the church, the same type of rules apply. In 1 Timothy 3:1-7 we see that a good overseer must be above reproach, in other words the hold themselves to a high standard that keeps them from trouble. Also a good overseer will only have one wife, not multiple. This could be related to polygamy or numerous marriages or marital fidelity or all three. An overseer is also even temperate, self controlled, etc. If these are the kind of people that we are looking for to lead us at church, then these are also examples of the type of people that we should seek to be around us in our private lives.

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Galatians 3: Law or Grace

Law or Grace

In Galatians 3:10 we read " For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” That means, if you are not accepting of Christ and his sacrifice then you are under the law. The law basically requires perfection. Christ does not require perfection but obedience to or submission to God's will through Christ. You can either be forgiven or keep striving for perfection. As I have stated before, you can be married and honor your spouse because you are married, or you can honor your spouse and your marriage because you love you spouse. As with Christ, it is not about religion but a relationship. As with marriage, it is not about the title of marriage but the honoring of the one you are with which represents that relationship. Christ has redeemed us by dying in our place and dying for our sins. The law was cursed and Christ became that curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Talk about total sacrifice.

 
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Friday Focus #27

Making a Rash Decision

Life is full of frustrations. Sometimes it seems like no matter what you do or where you turn, there is a problem. It could be a money problem or a relational problem or a job issues, but whatever it is, it seems like the issues are never ending. Job issues may lead you to want to quit, but then what? You need money to live and pay bills and eat. You could open up another credit card and pull all of that money out, but how will you pay it off? Could you cut spending rather than increase debt? In relationships, people will rub us the wrong way and we can be tempted to cut ties. But, have you thought about the the possible repercussions? Better yet, did you ask God for direction? 

One thing you can do is go to God humbly and ask Him to show you what you could have done differently. It is hard to be humble when we get upset at people or life. Making more money is great, but if you do not know how to save and budget, then what difference does it make. Finding a new job is great but if every job you have had there are issues you have that irreconcilable with coworkers or upper management, then maybe that needs to be addressed before quitting. Finding a new friend or significant other is fine, but maybe there is a way you talk to people that pushes people away instead of pulling them in. In Job 6:24 we read that Job was asking Eliphaz to show him where he was wrong regarding a rant. But do we do this with ourselves, others and Go?. When there is an issue you can just "fix it" or you can humbly seek to find out what went wrong and where.

Also, just know that God will guide you, but you have to be humble enough to know that God's way is the best way. If you are not reading your Bible and seeking to understand it and see what God's word has for you, it will make life harder. Life can be hard anyway, why make it harder by not checking the manual. You can't fix a car without looking at the intricate parts of the engine, transmission, and the owner's manual. With people, our brain and our heart (emotions) and owner's manual (the Bible) need to be connected in order to help us through life. In Psalm 31:3 we have to see that God is our rock and our fortress and He will lead and guide us. We have to seek Him and His way.

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2 Corinthians 6: No Obstacle and Not Being Unequally Yoked

No Obstacle and Not Being Unequally Yoked

Two verses jump out to me today. One is verse 3 that tells us that Paul's ministry was not designed nor can it be justly accused of putting an obstacle in anyone's way.  The Corinthian Christians could falsely accuse him of anything they wanted, but when it got down to it, there was no justification in the accusation. In verse 4-10, Paul gives a running list of the things that his ministry has endured from sleepless nights, beatings, and imprisonments. They are treated like impostors and liars yet they are truthful. They were able to endure all of this through "truthful speech and the power of God."

The second verse that hit me was a reminder that we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Corithians 6:14). This didn't mean we could not speak to non-believers to them. But think of a connection that people have be they friendships, marriage, business. Christ followers submit to God understand that God's grace saved us for reconciliation. An unbeliever is not linked to Jesus, which is why they are an unbeliever. You can't charge an iPhone with a cordless phone jack. They would be unequally connected and the same applies to our lives. You have that connection with Christ so the closest people to you that are yoked (or linked) to you should also be connected to Christ.

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Friday Foucs #26

What is Love?

This may be a topic I have done before, but you know what, it's important. So let's go over this...again.

We have heard this section of verses on love at wedding and I'm sure we have heard it in church when pastors discuss relationships be they friendship, dating or marriage. But when it comes to love, so often we think of the feeling of it. It is that flutter in your heart when you see them. It is that bond you feel when you talk to them and are around them. Sadly, love can come with conditions. "I love you as long as you do 'x' for me and make me feel like 'y.'" People love as long as they are treated a certain way. I'm here to tell you, if your love has an ending condition, that isn't love my friend.  So, what is love?

Paul writes to the Corinthian Christians on what love is. You can apply this to Valentine's Day or just relationships. But you can also see this from God's perspective. God wants us to be loving. This section of text was in relation to spiritual gifts that without love are just loud clanging symbols. So, no matter what you do with your life, if you do not understand or reject God's love for you (us) and Christ's sacrifice then how will you know that love is patient, kind, is not envious nor boastful nor arrogant (1 Corinthians 13:4)? God is patient with us in our sins and is kind in bestowing talents to us to honor Him. We should not be envious of one another nor should we boast. When you envy another you forget what God gave you. And when you boast, you overwrite what God has done for someone else like your boasting and arrogance says you are superior.

Love is not rude. Love does not insist upon its own way. Love is not irritable or resentful (1 Corinthians 13:5). How many times are you rude to others or insist upon your own way? That is not being loving in those moments. Love does not allow for irritability or resentment. Being irritable is like being agitated with a little extra on it. We have seen resentment before. That feeling you have when someone does or says something hurtful and you hang on to that every time you see or think of them. It's like bitterness. Love does not give birth to these things.

Love does not rejoice in wrong doing but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). The wrong doing is not done in love. If you do wrong that cannot be done in love. Rejoicing in the truth is a way to show love as well. God is truth. God's word is truth. We rejoice in Him and His word. That is love.

Lastly, we must know that love bears, believes, hopes and endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7-8). This does not mean that we believe everything we ever hear from anyone or any random source. We are believing in the best of others. We are being optimists. Love hopes for the best and endures the trying times of life. Love keeps you going even when that friend, significant other or person has done you wrong. Love keeps pushing through and does not allow for that person to become an enemy. Love has no end date. 

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1 Corinthians 7: Marriage and Living as You Are Called

Marriage and Living as You Are Called

Paul breaks down how men and women should treat their respective spouses. I have heard stories of spouses with holding sex from one another for whatever reason (not due to health reasons) and the marriage falls apart. I'm sure there are other reasons why it happens, but if you refuse to have sex with your spouse, what are you expecting to happen? Paul says that the wife has authority over her husband's body and the husband has authority over his wife's body. They are not to deprive one another (1 Corinthians 7:4-5). Deprivation isn't being done in love. That is often done due to bitterness, anger and unresolved hurts. We stop being loving when we no longer like that person. Also, notice that Paul did not make mention of men marrying men and women marrying women and how that should be done. Remember he has already spoken about homosexuality on numerous occasions.

Next, in 1 Corinthians 7:17-24 Paul addresses people in the church who were followers of Christ but were also confusing circumcision with being saved. It became a "Christ and", not just being saved by Grace. He mentions bondservants and how if they are that and are saved by grace then they are free in Christ. But if they get their physical freedom then they ought to take that opportunity. Serving the Lord was the priority, not your position or social standing. 

Lastly, Paul discusses those who were not married. He was not speaking to the time and into the future, but specific to the time. There was a problem that he slightly touches on but doesn't go into detail. He tells them that married men are at a disadvantage in serving the Lord as they have to divide their attention to pleasing their wife and other worldly things. He is not saying that having a wife is bad or against God, but you know that if you are married, the joy of your spouse and the contentment within your marriage will be a concern that will need addressing on a regular basis. That is a fair statement, generally speaking. But, those who are not married can focus more on pleasing the Lord (1 Corinthians 7:35).

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Romans 7: Released from the Law

Released from the Law

Since we have committed ourselves to following Christ and have accepted him as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer bound to the expected rigid perfection of the law. The Law is not about grace or love, it is about complete or incomplete. It is about did you or did you not. While we are free of the law, we are not free to sin as we did prior to following Christ.

The example Paul uses to describe this idea is marriage and widows and being an adulteress. The old way of living has to die to us in other words we have to become widows so to speak to our old way of living. And we cannot be linked to the old way while trying to be with the brand new similarly to a woman who is married cannot be with another man until her husband is deceased or she would be an adulteress. It is one or the other, not both. One leads to death and the other redemption with God (Romans 7:1-6).

Paul also recognizes that he wants to do the right thing in his mind, but his body want to do the wrong thing. Paul knows that the flesh wants to do the wrong thing and it is the Holy Spirit that leads us to do what is right in regards to loving God. For all those who think they can just be good people and that is all it is, then why can't good people be good all the time? If they themselves possess that ability then they should never get it wrong and no one should ever be upset with them because they are always doing the right thing. Since I (Kingman) am not a good person I know that I need the Holy Spirit to guide me to do what is godly as apart from the Holy Spirit my flesh also wants to say thing and do things that I know are not of God (Romans 7:7-25).

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Romans 5: Peace, Endurance and Adam

Peace, Endurance and Adam

Romans 5:1 shows us that in Jesus there is peace. It does not bring strife and problems, but peace. Think of the problems that you have had in life. How many have been because being Christ centered was not the focus, either from you or other person/people? I know I have had plenty of situations occur and more to come that need the focus of what is Christ like. I cannot control others and their words and actions, but I do have self control through the Holy Spirit. That Holy Spirit is part of that peace that exists in Christ and when we are Christ centered. The peace with God comes through our acceptance of Jesus.

In Romans 5:3-5, things get kind of tricky from an outsider perspective. To read or hear the words "rejoice in our sufferings" sounds like be glad when things go horribly wrong. But there is more to it. The secular way to look at it is the "every cloud has a silver lining" saying, but from the God perspective we know that what we experience is an opportunity for us to grow in Him if we seek His will for our lives. I wish I could tell you the plethora of times that things went horribly wrong in my finances, work life, relationships, etc and how when I changed the focused to "what does God want from me in this", it gave me clarity which through actions because of my faith in Christ led me to a better situation. Through that suffering I developed endurance for problems. That endurance keeps me from falling apart when things start to go bad. In other words I am not giving up when problems arise. That endurance has produced character which is how I present myself when I am with others. One might say, "he isn't a quitter" and that is due to the problems I have had to endure and did not give up on when I encountered them. And through that character I have developed by dealing with issues from a God's will perspective hope is produced. That way I know when issues happen I am hopeful that doing God's will and not my own will produce fruit.

Adam is the father of all mankind. But, from Adam, Eve was created and Adam followed Eve's lead to bite from the apple that the serpent tempted her to eat. Therefore, in Romans 5:12-13 Paul shows us that through Adam sin was brought into the world, but through Christ, for those who follow him, that sin is not counted against you. Before Jesus then you would basically have to be perfect and never break commands or laws or anything so that God copuld be pleased, but even that isn't done out of love but obedience and obedience does not equate to love but love brings forth obedience.When we stop "religifying" our faith we see the freedom in Christ, not the perceived shackles from the secular perspective.

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John 21: Cast the Net on the Right Side

Cast the Net on the Right Side

When we live our lives and do things that are normal to us with work, marriage/dating, school, friendships, etc, we do things based on what we know. We do things the way that we have often done them. That way is sometimes based on the idea of "what can I get out of this." That is not the way God wants you to think.

 

After the resurrection of Jesus, he appeared to the disciples. After he appeared to them, Simon Peter and the other disciples went fishing. This was their work. This was their livelihood. This was how they operated. While out fishing the men were not catching any fish. Jesus called out to them (but they didn't know it was Jesus) from the shore and asked them if they had caught any fish. They answered no and Jesus said "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." They caught so many fish they were not able to haul them all in (John 21:1-8).

 

What does this tell us? When you heed the Lord's direction and guidance the blessing can come in an abundance. They can be so abundant that it can be overwhelming, but not in a bad way. Can you imagine following God's direction and being blessed by what you needed? Following His direction sounds like the magic word...obedience.

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John 14: Keep the Commandments Out of Love

Keep the Commandments Out of Love

We can think of following Christ out of obligation. Or maybe you were raised that way and your parents made you go to church when you were a kid. I have even heard people claim to be certain walks of faith based on pleasing their parents. But, what about your relationship with Jesus? I mean, we don't date or marry people (typically) if the purpose is to make your parents happy. So, why would we pretend to follow Jesus with no to low commitment?

Jesus said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." That is not "if you wanna make other people happy, then pretend to follow me." How can we overlook the love Jesus had for with the intent to unite us with God if we follow Jesus and just treat it like Jesus' sacrifice doesn't matter? It DOES matter. The life of Jesus is what caused the split between BC and AD. His life mattered. His death and resurrection mattered as well.

Keeping his commandments takes action. Even inaction is an action. It is an action of defiance. But our actions should be focused on keeping the commands of Jesus. That doesn't mean that if we just do what Jesus said that we are saved. Look at it like this, if you love Jesus and you understand what his purpose was for you and me, then why wouldn't you follow his commands? If you are in a relationship or married then it is safe to say that you love (or at least are loving) the person you are with. In that, aren't there things that you would do to show that love to that person? Make their favorite food, watch their favorite movie with them, tell them you love them and spend time with them. Granted, we can't take Jesus out to eat, but we can spend time with him and read the word in order to understand what he wants from us. He wants our pride wiped away and our humility and selfless love for him and others, especially those that are less fortunate. Do as Jesus did for the sake of love for him.

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Friday Focus #3

Bad Company and Good Morals

In the Wednesday Wake Up for this week I covered being unequally yoked with people who do not follow Christ. This could be dating, marriage, close relationships, business, etc. If you follow Christ it doesn't make sense as to why you would unite with someone who does not follow or understand Christ as you do. How can they help you grow in your relationship with Christ? That is in conjunction with the 1st Commandment.

You can't charge your iPhone with a charger for your my phone. It is a completely different device. Would you seek a golf coach to become a pilot? Would you want to learn how to cook from someone who doesn't understand how to cook? Why be partnered with someone who doesn't match well with you for something so important to you?

In 1 Corinthians 15:33, Paul tells us not to be misled and that bad company corrupts good character. I struggle in my prayer life from time to time. The only people who can help me grow in that area are those who follow Christ. If I am having a down in the dumps kind of day, nice words are nice from friends, but couldn't I use some scripture too? People who don't follow Christ have never led me to seek scripture for anything I was ever going through. I need that. You need that. We are all a part of the body of Christ and we need to be strong to keep the body upright and healthy. Just like we need to eat right, drink water and exercise for the betterment of our own bodies, then we need to make sure the body of Christ is strong as well by checking out where we are plugged in and with whom we are connected.

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