Book Review: @#!*% , Rob Bell, and What Happens When People Die by Bobby Conway

I read Rob Bell's newest book, Love Wins, and blogged about it.  You can read that review here.  Then I ran across this book that counters Bell's philosophy by Dr. Bobby Conway.

First, I will say that Rob Bell makes a smooth argument.  You leave the book feeling very persuaded, and it all sounds very nice.  I can see that many will accept this philosophy just based on the feel-good factor.  But, I got to thinking--human nature craves justice.  We all want to see evil punished, things evened out in a fair manner, that is, until it comes to us.  So the "no-hell" theory sounds nice, and makes you feel very comfortable, until you start thinking about the worst offenders in our world--pedophiles, kidnappers, Nazi concentration camp officers, rapists, serial killers--admit it, you want to see them burn.  It's the truth.  That throws a wrench into the works, doesn't it?  This changes things a bit.  You could change your theory to a "bar set really low" theory, it becomes a "most get into heaven" theory, but I do not see how anyone can really have an "everyone gets into heaven" theory.  You say, "well, I'm not nearly as bad as those kind of people, surely God would let me into heaven."  But the fact is, sin is sin, and we all deserve hell.  I'm no better than a lying, thieving, murderous, adulterer.  It say so in James 2:10.

That is how Bobby Conway opens his book, and I like that approach.  With a very loving tone, his focus is on grace.  He does not come from the stance of attacking Bell, but rather goes to the Bible to show the truth.  It's the truth, you deserve hell, I deserve hell, we all do.  And if you follow Bell's thoughts through to their conclusion (which Bell did not do in his own book), you will start to question many, many things about the Bible.  The biggest question becomes, "why did Jesus have to die?"  Conway addresses this issue.  As he puts it, "Why did the Father allow His wrath to be poured out on His Son?"  Doesn't that make God out to be more cruel than the God Bell portrays?  If everyone gets into heaven, there was no point to God's wrath on Jesus.

This brings me to the heart of the matter.  Bell ultimately does not take the Word of God as inerrant, and inspired, he doesn't take it seriously.  Conway puts it this way, "One thing becomes clear when reading Bell’s writings: he is more comfortable casting doubt on the Bible than offering credible contextual interpretations."  He says that we must go to the Word with an attitude of "what does the Bible say?" rather than "what do I want the Bible to say?"  I completely agree.  Conway quotes Darrell Bock, saying, "Bell reads Revelation 21–22 as if Revelation 19–20 did not exist."  I thought the same thing when I read Love Wins.  We cannot pick and choose from the Bible as if it's a salad bar.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that has read Love Wins, or anyone that has questions about heaven, hell, death, or the afterlife.  As Conway puts it, "Jesus wins!"  I agree!

This book is only available in ebook format.  I have to say, I wasn't thrilled about that.  I thought my eyes would get too fatigued reading on my PC (I don't have a Kindle or Nook), but they didn't.  I do like the feel of a book in my hand, but this book is pretty short, so I didn't have to sit at the computer for very long.  It is only 58 pages, not counting end notes, table of contents, etc.  Perhaps it will be released in print at some point.  But don't let the ebook format stop you from checking it out now.

I agree with Conway that it does seem that Bell has the right heart, to see people come to Christ, but I'm telling you, when you start doubting parts of God's Word, you tread on thin ice.  You will open the door for the devil to tempt you with other deceptions--the ultimate being that Jesus is not really the Son of God, He was not really born of a virgin, and therefore cannot save.  If you will recall that is the same thing he did in the Garden of Eden--tempted Eve with doubting God's Word (Gen. 3).  I will be curious to watch the path that Bell follows in the coming years.  I really hope he doesn't end up like the Carlton Pearsons and Charles Templetons of the world, but I see him opening himself up to that.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

The Pendulum

I see the pendulum swinging, always to one side or the other, rarely does it rest in the middle. The pendulum I speak of swings between grace and faith. It seems people want one or the other, but rarely a mix. They want to lean to one side or the other, but not balance between.

Ephesians 2:8

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

I see a mixture of grace and faith here. I see balance. It does not just say we are saved by grace, it says by grace, through faith. And grace is not just for salvation. This is how we get through each and every day--by God's grace, through our faith. This is how we do anything we do--by God's grace and through our faith.

It is when the pendulum stops in the middle, it is at rest. This is the place of rest mentioned in Hebrews 3 and 4, and the yoke mentioned by Christ in Matthew 11:29-30.

I see many that latch on to the faith aspect, they want to do something, but then they discount the grace side. They do things in their own strength and don't give God the glory. Or they give God the glory, but turn around and tell others how to rise above and don't include the key detail of God's grace.

It seems grace isn't welcome in a lot of churches. Pastors would rather tell their flock about faith, what they can do, but without grace this is just willpower. The word grace has become taboo because, to a lot of pastors it is equated with sinful living. If people know all about God's grace, they will just do whatever they want! But we can't pick and choose topics from the Bible, like it's a salad bar. We must teach the whole counsel of God. Teaching faith without grace is humanism that has crept into the church.

Grace is what Paul is talking about in Galatians 5:16. When you rely on God's grace, and take the step of faith He is asking of you, you will be empowered by His spirit, to rise about the lusts of the flesh.

Remember Rahab in the city of Jericho (Joshua 2). The two spies came to scope out the city. She told them she believed they knew the one true God and asked them to spare her family. She has faith here. The spies tell her they will spare her if she will hang a scarlet cord out of her window. She does--that is the act of proving her faith (James 2:17). Her family is spared (saved) by grace, through her faith.

Remember Moses with the Israelites at the Red Sea (Exodus 14). They were cornered with no way out. The Egyptian army was behind them, they had mountains on each side and in front of them was the Red Sea. God already told Moses He would save the Israelites. Moses had faith in God's promise. God tells him to lift up his rod. Moses obeys--this is the act of proving his faith. God parted the Red Sea and the Israelites traveled through to safety. God saved them by His grace, through their faith.

Remember Joshua preparing to conquer the city of Jericho (Joshua 6). God promised the Israelites the land over 400 years earlier. Joshua believes this, as he told Moses 40 years earlier, when he was one of the 12 spies. And God confirmed this word to Joshua just before this battle. God tells Joshua to have the army and the priests march around the city of Jericho. How very strange? They were to march around the city once each day for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were to march around seven times and then blow their trumpets. All of this was what proved their faith. God brought the walls crumbling down. God gave them the victory by grace, through their faith.

One thing I see in all three of these stories is how miniscule the part we have to play. We do have to act, we do have to obey, we do have to step out in the natural, but it's always something so much smaller than what God is going to do. That way, there is no question who did the saving, who gets the glory. And our step is not of our doing. It's not something we make up. This is not where you set rules for yourself. You will end up breaking your own made up rules. For example, "God I really need you to help me out. I promise to read my Bible an hour a day." We are not bargaining with God, or manipulating Him. We are asking for His help. He will ask you to take a small step, to test your faith. You take that step, and then His grace kicks in and empowers you to overcome.

The pitfalls I see of using my faith, without acknowledging God's grace--it's all me, this leads to pride, I'm not as likely to give God glory and trust in Him, I trust in myself. I do achieve a pseudo-abundant life, but it's a false success, built on a sandy foundation. There are not many storms, because I have chosen to build my house in the prime location, far from the beach. After all, life is all about my choices, right? But one day the storm will come, something big that is out of my control. Then my house will come crashing down because I have been in the habit of fixing things myself, not turning to God. Hopefully at that moment I will repent and see my need for God. If not, I may blame God, when it wasn't His fault.

The pitfalls I see of solely relying on God's grace, yet never exercising faith--I don't have to do anything, Jesus did it all (and that is true, but we have to prove our faith), I don't have to commit to church, I don't have to study my Bible, I don't have to ask you for forgiveness, because God forgives me. I don't have to teach my children, God's grace will keep them in church. I stay bound up in my strongholds, I never see true freedom. I never achieve the abundant life, because I never build any foundation. The wind and the waves tear my house down in every storm. Hopefully, during one of these storms, I will think to ask God what I need to be doing, to show Him I do have faith.

I hope you see that you will walk in victory, you will be building on the rock (see Matthew 7:24-27) only when you walk in the balance of grace and faith. It is shifting sand on either side of the middle. This is a moment-by-moment, day-by-day decision. We will all be tempted at one time, or another, to shift to either side. If you do, simply repent, and get back on track.

Happy New Year!

When I think of New Year's Resolutions, I think of this verse -

James 4:13-16

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

For this very reason, I really enjoyed reading Greg Laurie's article on New Year's resolutions. I think you will profit from reading it. I love that he mentions the race. That is my theme lately and I will posting shortly on that very topic.

Functional or Dysfunctional

Functional comes from the root word function, meaning the natural or proper action of anything. Dysfunctional then means the opposite, the unnatural or improper action of anything. We see dysfunction all around us in this world, families with dead-beat dads, people in codependent relationships, enablers, manipulators, parents having to take care of adult children, grandparents having to care for grandchildren because the parents are not capable, and on and on and on. Relationships that are unnatural and improper.

We are so accustomed to dysfunction that we let it carry over into our relationship with God. Is your relationship with God unnatural and improper?


Q -

1. Do you go to church because of whom you're married to, or dating, or because your parents make you?

2. Are you in a relationship with God as long as the going is smooth, but once it gets rough, you bail?

3. Do you read your Bible to feel good?

4. Do you go to church to get an emotional high?

5. Do you put your trust in any person (spouse?) or thing (job?) more than God?

6. Do you ask others for prayer, because you feel their faith is stronger than yours?

7. Do you seek out encouragement from others to pull you out of your discouragement?

8. Do you pray only when you have a problem?

9. Is your faith based on tradition or conviction?

10. Are you content to be spoon fed God's Word, relying on hand-my-down revelation from others?




A -

1. God wants you to seek Him because you are responding to His Word, not just because of whom you're married to or dating, or what rules your parents have.

2. God wants you to be committed in the good times and bad (He promised we would face persecution - II Timothy 3:12). He is not the one that causes any bad thing in your life. See James1:17 and John 10:10.

3. He is looking for those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), not just reading the Word to feel good, but reading to get to know Him, to find out His will, to gain an awe and reverence, a proper fear of the Lord, to be motivated by obedience--that is when we will gain true wisdom from His Word (Proverbs 9:10).

4. Going to church and being emotionally uplifted is totally fine, but to be seeking after a feeling is wrong. We are not to be driven by our emotions. Romans 8:6 says that to be carnally minded is death. Being carnally minded is being controlled by what you feel.

5. God want us to trust completely in Him and not place any one person (spouse) or thing (job) above Him, that becomes idolatry. Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:5-10

6. Having others pray for you is totally fine and scriptural, but don't ever feel that God won't listen to your prayers. Don't ever feel like your faith is too small. Jesus said faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17), you have the answer before you to release the faith that He has already placed on the inside of you (Romans 12:3).

7. Getting encouragement from those around you is part of the purpose of the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but if you are relying on them more than God, you are wrong. David encouraged himself, reminding himself of God's promises, when he was at a particularly low, depressed state (I Samuel 30:6).

8. Prayer is for so much more than giving God our laundry list. Prayer is a conversation with God, we talk to Him, He answers us with His Word. Praise and thanksgiving should be a much higher priority than asking for things. There is a time and place for requests, but that is not all prayer is. See how the prayer starts and ends that the Lord taught to his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, with praise.

9. The more you spend time in God's Word, with a pure motive of submission to it, you will move away from tradition to conviction.

10. It's time to get out of the highchair, start feeding yourself, start digging into the solid food (truths, revelation) of God's Word for yourself, and He will reveal wisdom to you. Hebrews 5:12-14, read in the New Living Translation.




I hope you will allow the Holy Spirit to use this strong word to teach you. I don't mean any of these things to condemn you, but rather convict. How do you know the difference? Condemnation pulls you away from God, conviction pulls you closer. We all need to examine our motives and heart from time to time. Some of you have pure hearts, some of you just don't know any better. We have all been at one of these places at one time or another. It's time to grow up. I have actually seen people that live a life of spiritual immaturity and dysfunction and as a result have a hell-on-earth life. They are saved, but they do not walk in victory. God wants better for you.

Your Testimony Part 2

This may seem like a really simple thing, but it came alive to me recently. If you recall, in Part 1, I explained how the devil wants to steal your testimony. Well, what better way to infuriate the devil, but with praise and thanksgiving to God.

This is what the devil originally wanted, was to be worshipped, to be higher than God. See Isaiah 14. He still wants your attention off of God. If he can't get you to outright worship him, he'll settle for distracting you, bringing you down, discouraging you, getting you to gripe and complain.

Praise and thanksgiving is a weapon and it brings our focus back to where it should be, on God, not on our problems, and not on ourselves. Praise removes pride from our life and it builds up our faith. Think of every possible thing, big and small, to praise and thank God for. After all, every good and perfect gift comes from Him. (James 1:17)

Philippians 4:4, 6-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

I Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Listen to this three-part series for more information.

The Size of Sin

I posed a question on Facebook yesterday asking if God can forgive Ted Haggard. It didn't draw a lot of response, I understand it's a controversial topic. But I was glad to see that all the responders agreed that Mr. Haggard can be forgiven, no matter what he has done. Examples of David and Paul were brought up. David committed adultery and murder. Paul committed murder. God forgave both of them.

Then I posed the question asking whether there are bigger sins and smaller sins. Again, glad to see that the response was that God forgives all. But I can't keep from thinking that people view someone like Ted Haggard a little differently than someone that gets a speeding ticket. And I think that view colors their thinking of how God feels about those sins, as well.

I ask you, do you feel a sorrow and shame before God when you speed? When you tell a little white lie? When you break your word to someone? (I'm sure you had a good excuse.)

I say we should. Because there are no big sins or little sins with God. Sin is sin. If we break one law, we have broken all. Think of God's law as a whole, like a big glass window. Whether you put a tiny hole in it or a big hole, it is still broken. (And by God's law, I mean the whole Bible, not just the Old Testament law.)

Now, man does look on things differently. There are definitely different worldly consequences to speeding or committing murder.

I think when we change our paradigm in this matter, it helps tremendously. It will answer a lot of questions for you.

This will change your thinking on separation from God. I guarantee that most people feel more of a separation from God over so-called big sins, but not too much over so-called small sins. I came up with a little list (I'm quite sure it's not all-inclusive) of areas of my life that are not right. I have pride in many areas, I try to impress, which is really just looking for man's approval, I'm critical, can be judgmental at times, I can get caught in comparison to others, I shift blame, I bristle with authority, procrastinate, I'm inefficient with my time, I have fears, I'm not a good listener because I'm too self-centered and would rather just talk about myself all the time, I lack self-control, of my tongue, and in the area of food. There, that was not pleasant. Do I look at myself and say, "at least I've never killed anyone." Do I brush these things off? Do I diminish them? What does the Bible say?

All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 2:10

Think of a high ceiling. You may be able to jump within one inch of it, or 1 foot of it, but if you don't reach the ceiling, you don't reach the ceiling. God doesn't say that those that are in the top 10% are accepted, He says ALL fall short. His standard is perfection and therefore we HAVE to rely on the perfection of Jesus, as our Savior. Referring to my list, Proverbs 16:5 says that pride is an abomination.

Questions to consider:

--Does this make a difference in how you will treat others?

--Does it make a difference in your pride, your ego, in how much you think you have it together?

--Does it make a difference in your condemnation of yourself?

--Does this cause you to have compassion on the unbeliever? Knowing that the only difference between you and he/she is that you have accepted the gift of salvation. There is no difference in the amount of sin in your lives.

--Does this change your thinking on sin separating you from God? If sin separates you, is it all sin, or just the so-called big sins?

--Does this change the way you view eternal security? Can you lose your salvation if you sin? If so, which sins?

--Does this change the way you view being a little dishonest with someone, breaking your word? That God views it the same as murder and adultery? Do you think you should take that a little more seriously?

The bad news is none of us can ever come up to God's standard. The good news is that Jesus did and became our substitute. We need only accept that He died for our sins, and gives us His righteousness, to be in right-standing with God.

Love

I've been thinking a lot lately about the love of God.

There are many that want to define God's love, but not all are correct.

Some would say that the love of God is never to confront issues. These are the, "don't judge me" types.

Others say they are walking in God's love and say they love you, but their actions don't prove it. Their actions, actually, contradict their professed love. They don't keep their word, etc.

So, I have been thinking a lot lately about what God's love is really all about.

The verses that come to mind are John 3:16, Romans 5:8, and I John 4:9 - all talking about God's love for us and His ACTION that proves it.

This makes me think of James 2:14-17. Faith without works is dead. I say love without action is false love.

I heard a great definition of truth--when the word and the deed become one. I love that. God promised to send His Son and He did it. The deed proved His word. His action proved His love for us. So for love to be true, it must be a joining of word and deed.

Jesus didn't come into this earth and start going around telling everyone how much He loved them. No, He served them--He healed, He cast out demons, He taught, He fed.

Jesus did tell His disciples of the Father's love for them, but never told them He loved them (as far as the Bible tells us). This speaks volumes to me. Obviously, people around us need to hear words of love, but much more important are our actions. Are they actions of love? Are we keeping our word? Do we operate with integrity?

On this same note, Jesus said that if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Our obedience proves our love and faith (it is not, however, how we are justified). (John 14:15)

I love what Joe McGee has to say about saying the words, "I love you." He says, "that didn't cost you anything!" It's true, it costs nothing to say those words. It costs you to serve and show love by your actions.

I heard recently that to children, love is spelled T-I-M-E. I think that is the absolute truth. Your time costs you much, much more than just saying a few words about love to your kids.

So if we show love by our actions, should we ever confront?

Luke 17:3

Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.

Read Matthew 16:23, Mark 8:33, and Luke 4:8 - all the same story of Jesus rebuking Peter, who unconsciously was allowing himself to be used by Satan. And John 2:15, where Jesus drove out the merchants from the temple--he used a whip!

We have to confront, out of a motive of love, to help bring to light issues that people need to change. All of our relationships in this world should be bringing all of us to a higher level of character. Our marriage should be helping us build character. Our children should motivate us to model character, as we teach them character. From time to time, we need to bring wrong character into the light, to say that certain actions are not acceptable, otherwise we are enablers, and will be held accountable.

So, this image of Christ as a pushover, always calm, nice guy, is wrong. Did you know God feels anger and feels hate?

Ecclesiastes 3

¹ To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:
² A time to be born,
And a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
³ A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
⁴ A time to weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
⁵ A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
⁶ A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
⁷ A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
And a time to speak;
⁸ A time to love,
And a time to hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.

What are your thoughts on this?

My Notes

I love my church! If you are not in a church that is teaching the Word, go and find one. Your life depends upon it.

These are my notes from this weekend.

I Corinthians 6:19-20 God does not dwell in a building, He does not live at church. His presence used to dwell in Moses' tabernacle and later Solomon's temple. All that has changed now. Since Christ died and rose again, God's Spirit lives on the inside of us. If you are saved, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, your life is not your own, you were bought with a price.

This is a slavery term. Back in Paul's day slavery was very, very common. The Romans would conquer a land, such as Germany or England, for instance, and make some of the people slaves.

But God is a good master, that is where this differs from the slavery of the day.

I Corinthians 12:18 He is a good master and gives us a specific job to do in the Body of Christ.

I Corinthians 12:28-30 God gives the gifts and He leads.

James 4:13-15 It is not up to us to plan our lives.

Some think that as long as we're doing something good that God is pleased. But that is not so. We are to submit to His direction and be obedient.

People have this idea that everything God hands out is castor oil. It's not going to be easy, it's going to be something that we won't like doing, etc. But that is not so. There are times that are uncomfortable, when we are corrected, but our purpose and job will draw on our skills and strengths that He has given us. When we are fulfilling the purpose that He has set out for us that is when we will truly feel peace, joy, contentment, and fulfillment. We can never attain this planning our own life, career, and path.

Being submissive, willing, and obedient is called having fear of the Lord. This is not a terror kind of fear. This is an awe and reverence. When we are not obeying Him, we are essentially saying, "God, I don't trust you to take care of me, I don't fully believe you have my best interest at heart."

Acts 2:41-43 The church is born on Pentecost. 3,000 people are saved. This passage notes that they have a fear of the Lord. Does that mean they were afraid of Him? No. They want to only do whatever He asks of them, they fully respect Him. Everyone wanted to live right and please God.

Acts 5:1-11 Story of Ananias and Sapphira. Collectively, the church at Jerusalem felt that they should sell possessions and bring the proceeds to the church. This was not something that was required of them. Ananias and Sapphira wanted to keep part of their proceeds. That was certainly okay, but they chose to lie about it. They indicated that they were giving all the profits. Ananias then dropped dead. They carried him out and buried him. His wife comes in a few hours later and corroborates the lie. She, too, drops dead and is buried. This brought fear on the church. Again, this is not torment, but a healthy fear and respect for the Lord. He means what He says and says what He means. Just because we don't see a consequence immediately for our actions doesn't mean it doesn't come. There is a day when we will all give an account.

I John 4:18 Perfect love casts out fear. Why would Proverbs say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, when John here says that God's perfect love casts out fear? These are two different fears. As I said earlier, fear of the Lord is awe, reverence, respect, submission to His will, willingness to obey. The fear that perfect love casts out is torment. It is when you fully realize God's unconditional love for you that all your fears are cast out. You will have no more reason to fear, because you know that God will take care of you, no matter what.

I John 3:18-21 It is when you are obeying God's direction and His Word that you will have full assurance and confidence in God. You will have no more of the "terror" or "worry" fear, but instead have the proper fear and respect.

Verse 20 - It is when we are not obeying His will and His Word that our heart condemns us. We feel guilt. We have the wrong fear, fear that God doesn't love us. [Side note: Romans 8:1 says that there is therefore now no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. This means that you have been justified by the blood of Christ, your debt has been paid, your sentence erased. It is finished (John 19:30), it's a done deal. Your sin has been judged. You are no longer condemned (think of as a criminal). We should not go around condemning ourselves. You cannot live your life in regret and guilt and condemnation, beating yourself over the head. Know that God loved you while you were a sinner, He still loves you as a Christian that misses the mark sometimes. If you don't have a full revelation of God's unconditional love, please study that out. Andrew Wommack Ministries has some wonderful material in this area.]

Know this, God does not look at us by our intentions. It is the action that counts. We cannot stand before Christ and say we intended to do such and such. Real love can be seen, not just heard. So if we say we love God, we had better be doing things for Him. James 1:22

These deeds mentioned in I John 3 are not necessarily going out witnessing door-to-door, going out on the mission field, getting up in front of crowds. I imagine as some of you are reading this, you feel some "fear" that God will call you to something you don't want to do.

I know, because I used to feel that same feeling, every time a message like this was preached in church. Why? Because I wasn't doing anything. I was feeling that guilt mentioned in I John 3. My heart was condemning me. I was not condemned as a sinner, my sins have been paid for, but I was beating myself over the head for not serving in any area, not in my church, not outside of church, not anywhere.

I would rationalize and justify myself in my own mind by saying that I know that we are not saved by works. There are many clear scriptures on that point. And I would leave it at that.

I was right, we are NOT saved by works, that is a gift of God, in His grace. (See Eph. 2:8) But back then, I had done so little study of the Bible on my own (okay, really none), I didn't know much about the judgment seat of Christ. We will all stand before Christ one day and give an account of our works. See I Corinthians 3:9-15 and also II Corinthians 5:10. This judgment is only for Christians. There is another judgment for sinners, that is the Great White Throne, mentioned in Revelation 20. We will not be there, our sin has already been judged (as I mentioned above), Christ paid for it with His blood. But what we have done with our lives, since being saved, that will go through fire. Our works that amount to wood, hay and stubble, will be burned up. The works that amount to gold, silver, and precious stones, those last through fire. Those will be rewarded.

There will be regrets that day, when we stand in front of Christ and give an account. That is why I believe there are tears mentioned in Revelation in reference to heaven. But there will also be joy, when the work that we did here on earth for Him, is rewarded. That is exciting to me. Like I mentioned, in the past, that idea scared me, thinking about standing to give an account. That was because I wasn't doing anything! I know there will be things I have done that will be burned up. I cannot change the past. But I can move forward and stop wasting time.

This really hit me one day, in church, listening to a visiting minister. He asked for a show of hands of who was saved. Of course, most hands went up. Then he asked who was in full time ministry. Not too many hands this time. He says, "wait a minute, how many of you are saved?" His point, you're saved---what are you doing with it. This was a wake-up call for me. You mean, I'm supposed to be doing something?!? This seed has grown and grown in me and I want to tell others.

You might be called to be a wife, a husband, a parent, a friend. It doesn't mean we are all called to be pastors, evangelists, or missionaries. Start with the basics. Read your Bible and see what sticks out to you. It could be that you just need to be friendly to that cashier that is rude. Perhaps she has had an awful day and needs to know that God cares. We all have a circle of influence, not just those that get up on a stage. It should sober us to realize that our lives affect lives around us. It could be that we need to live holier lives than we do. It could be that we need to clean some thins up. When our coworkers know we are Christians, but then they see us getting angry, cussing, and such, as they do, it destroys our witness.

Examine yourself, ask God what He wants you to do. (I Corinthians 11:28--self examination is not the same as self condemnation. We do not need to condemn ourselves.)

If you would like to watch the service that prompted these notes, click here. The service should be available by Monday or Tuesday.

Questions, Questions, Questions

Did I open a can of worms with my challenge?

Did I bring up too many questions?

What if you can't even make a list of your beliefs because you have too many questions?

Questions are good, it is perfectly okay to question things.  In fact, it is the fool that accepts information without questioning it.

What you need to do is start a journal or notebook and list your questions.  Then, pray and ask God to answer your questions.  This is an idea I have heard Dr. Chuck Missler suggest, I think it is great.

God will answer your questions, somewhere, someday.  He has promised you wisdom if you will ask for it.  James 1:5  When you do get the answer to your question, write it down in your journal.  This is so important because then you will be able to look back and see all the times God has answered you.  You will see His faithfulness.  Chances are, if you don't write it down, you will forget that you had the question in the first place.

So start a journal today--even if you just write down one question.

Book of Romans

I am continuing in my afternoon Bible study of the Book of Romans and listening to commentary by Dr. Chuck Missler.  Click here to listen to audio.  I'm currently in Romans 4, if you care to read the verses that accompany these notes.

These are my notes from today:

God HATES your trust in good works (as your basis for salvation) because you thus neglect all that God is, all that He has done, and His plans and desires for you!  All that God is, all that He has done, and His plans and desires for you are based on Him, not you!  Trying to add to God's work is ingratitude!

What did it cost God to give Christ?

What did it cost Christ to put away your sin?  That cost Him, it didn't come free!

When you sin next (when, not if, none of us are perfect), think about what Jesus had to go through to pay for that sin, to pay for each and every one of your sins!

We refrain from sin, not because of the law, but for what it cost Christ, out of our love for Him.  Did you know He still bears the marks?  (See John 20:24-29)  That's why we need to grieve over sin, because it cost Him, more than we can every fully realize!

We need to come to Him on His terms, not ours.  We can't come to Him and say we're better than Joe or Jane or with a list of our deeds--I go to church and I give money and I read my Bible, etc.

We are ONLY justified by the work that God did, we need only to believe!  Then our actions should demonstrate our love and and faith in Him!

What Do I Obey?

This could also be titled, "What is God's Will For Me?"  But since this is a study I did with my nine-year-old son, I used kid-friendly terms.

Since we finished up our study of God's grace (see here), we had to see what God's Word instructed us to DO.  Because God's grace works together with our faith and we read in James that faith without works is dead.  Works being obedience.  So what do we obey?

::The Ten Commandments  -  Exodus 20:1-17

::Parents  -  Ephesians 6:1

::Be humble  -  James 4:6 & Isaiah 14:12-21  (story to illustrate the effects of pride)

::Be givers and tithers  -  Malachi 3:10-11, Luke 6:38, & II Corinthians 9:7

::Be a hard worker  -  II Thessalonians 3:6-13, Proverbs 10:4-5, & Proverbs 12:24

::Love our neighbors as ourselves  -  Luke 10:25-37, John 13:34-35, & Romans 13:9-10

::Be a servant  -  Phillipians 2:3-8, John 13:1-10, Mark 8:1-10, & Mark 9:33-34

::Preach the gospel  -  Mark 16:15-20 &  II Timothy 3:14-4:5

::And most importantly of all--Love God with all your heart!  -  Deuteronomy 6:5

I covered these over the course of two weeks with my son.  Obviously, this is a list geared toward a child.  You can search the scriptures and find many, many more specifics of God's will for your life.  Specifics about your role as a wife, husband, a single person, parent, employee, boss, how to handle your finances, what God's plan is for you and what His purpose is for all of us as humans, and yes--even what and how to eat!

What is God's will for your life?  Search in His Word and find out!

Character of God

Update 1/27/09 - I know this is turning into a long post.  It might be best to break it down into days, rather than reading it all at once.  I have highlighted all the day breaks.

This week I decided we should study the fact that God is gracious to balance our study of God's wrath last week.  To read our other studies about God's character, click here.

I had my son write two definitions of grace in his notebook - unmerited favor & the ability to do something you wouldn't be able to do.

I read two verses on day 1 -
Jonah 4:2b I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.
I wanted to emphasize with this verse that God is SLOW to anger, to balance our discussion from last week.

Then I discussed that we are saved by grace, it was unmerited, meaning undeserved.  There is NO way we could be good enough to save ourselves (all have sinned--Rom. 3:23).

Eph. 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace...

Then I realized that if we were talking about grace, we HAD to bring in the subject of faith!  (Eph. 2:8).   If we were saved by grace ALONE, then everyone in the world would be saved.  It is God's will that everyone be saved. (II Peter 3:9)  But we have to use our faith and this is an important thing to realize.

I used to say for years that I am where I am in life because of the grace of God, but that was only partially correct--I am where I am because of my FAITH in the grace of God! It's not that I am special that He would choose to use me and not some others around me, it is my faith working TOGETHER with His grace.

I heard the other day on my Chuck Missler Galatians commentary that faith and obedience are synonymous (operationally) in the New Testament. I typed that into my notes on that day, but then it came alive to me as I started this study of grace with my son.

On day 2 we read the story of Rahab in Joshua 2 and 6.   She was saved, by grace, from destruction.  But notice that it was her faith working together with grace. She showed faith in God Almighty and asked the spies to spare her life. (Josh. 2:9-13)  She is living in a pagan, idol-worshipping world, but see in verse 11 that she says when she heard of the God of Israel that she knew He was God in heaven and on earth (not just a great god, like a pagan person would say).  This shows her faith.  They then gave her instructions--but she had to take action (obey)! (2:17-20)  It was up to her, if she hung the scarlet cord out her window, her and her family would be saved, if not, they died.  So we see that she found favor (grace), used her faith and obeyed.

On day 3 we read the first 2 chapters of Ruth. Not much to discuss until the next day.

On day 4 we read the last 2 chapter of Ruth.  Ruth was saved by grace, but notice in Ruth 3, verses 3 and 4, Naomi gives Ruth instructions.   In verse 5, what does Ruth say? "I will DO all that you have asked me to do."  She obeyed.  First she had faith in Naomi's words and THEN she obeyed, a thing of action.  So just like Rahab, Ruth found favor with Boaz (grace), had faith in Naomi's words and acted on that faith with obedience.

Salvation is a gift from God, but we have to accept it by faith, we have to OPEN that gift.  I explained it to my son like this--If I wrapped up a cool Lego set and gave it to him, he would never experience the joy of that gift unless he opened it.  Likewise, if I wrap up a nice, big umbrella, raincoat, and galoshes and gave them to him, he wouldn't experience the protection from the rain UNLESS he opens the gift.   JOY and PROTECTION are just two of the many things we get to experience when we OPEN the gift of salvation.

On a side note - I noticed as we were reading this morning in Ruth 3, that Naomi asks Ruth if she could seek security for her.  This means to find her a husband.  But in the margin of my Bible, it says that the word security here literally means rest.  This is what we experience when we accept Christ, rest AND we as the church are called the Bride of Christ.   Interesting! (Read Hebrew 3 & 4)

I have had my son add these two examples, Rahab and Ruth to his notebook page and also copy Ephesians 1:7 into it, as well.

Update 1/23/09 -

Today is day 5 and I couldn't think of any more examples to read, so I thought I would just read a passage, Ephesians 2:1-10, and have a discussion.  I started asking my son questions about grace and I could tell he needed a bit more explanation, so I found myself using the example of the life of Paul.  So, we turned to read that story instead.  

I wanted to emphasize that we are saved by grace, it is undeserved, but also the work that we do for God is because of His grace.  The story of Paul illustrates this really well.

We first read about Paul in the end of Acts 7, then see some of his character in the beginning of Acts 8, and then read of his conversion in Acts 9.

The story of Paul is a good story to read if you are feeling unworthy.  If God could save Paul, He can save any of us!  Paul was killing and arresting and persecuting Christians.  If anyone deserved God's wrath, it was Paul.  But God gives everyone a chance (just like Ninevah, we'll probably read that story after this one).

So picking up in verse 3 of Acts 9, we see that Saul (Paul) was on his way to Damascus to arrest more Christians when he saw an incredible light.  From this light he heard a voice.  The voice said, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?"  And Saul asks, "Who are you?"  The voice answers, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting."  (I'm paraphrasing, please read the entire story in Acts 9.)

This is God's grace.  He could very well have let Saul keep on his destructive path, he certainly didn't deserve God's favor.

What is Saul's response?

"Lord, what do you want me to do?"  Ah ha!  This shows Saul's faith.  Remember that faith has to work together with God's grace.  Saul could have ignored the voice, he could have walked away, he could have said, "this is ludicrous!"  But he didn't, he shows us with his statement that he believes the voice to be, in fact, that of Jesus.  We also see that he wants to know what TO DO.  This is very important.  Faith without obedience is dead.  (James 2:17)

Jesus gives him instructions--go into the city and you will be told what to do.  (Remember the instruction that Rahab and Ruth were given?  What has Jesus instructed you to do?)

Paul has a choice, as we all do.  He could have run back home to Jerusalem, but he didn't.  He went into Damascus and he was saved.  He was saved by grace, AFTER he showed that he had faith by his obedience!

We will read more of Paul's story on Monday.  He tells us in Ephesians 2:8 that we are saved by God's grace, but also in Ephesians 3:8 that the work that we do is only by God's grace, as well.  Paul should not have been able to preach to anyone, since everyone knew of his past, but by the grace of God (AND Paul's faith working with it), he was able.  Hence, the dual definition I have taught my son--unmerited favor AND the ability to do things we wouldn't be able to do.

Update 1/27/09 - 

On Monday, day 6 of this study, we read from Acts 9:26-30 and Acts 11:25.  We see that Paul tries to preach, but everyone is afraid of him, they don't trust him because of who he used to be.  He goes away for a time and we pick up in verse 25 of chapter 11 and see that BY GOD'S GRACE, he is able to start a preaching ministry.  He tells us himself in Ephesians 3:8 that his preaching is BY GOD'S GRACE.

Today is Tuesday, day 7, and I can tell that my son is having a hard time wrapping his brain around the definition of grace.  If you recall from day 1, I taught him the definition of unmerited favor.  I decided to look up favor in the dictionary.  One of the definitions was help or aid.  This was a better word to use for my son.  So I had him write in his notebook that, "grace = favor = help", and, "unmerited = undeserved", and underneath that, "grace is the undeserved help of God."  I think this helped it click in his brain.  We cannot save ourselves, we need God's help.  Paul couldn't preach to anyone without God's help.

I started reading the story of Ninevah in the book of Jonah today.  We will conclude it tomorrow.  I also had my son copy Ephesians 2:8 into his notebook.

Update 1/29/09 - 

Yesterday, Wednesday, was day 8 on this study.  We read the last two chapters of Jonah.  We see that Jonah went to Ninevah and simply said that in 40 days the city would be destroyed.  (Jonah 3:4)  He didn't even mention the word repent!  Verse 5 tells us that the people believed.  Did they go around telling everyone they believed?  Did they shout to God that they believed?  Let's read on.  We see that they took action--they fasted and mourned (wearing sackcloth).  News got to the king and he declared that everyone should repent!  In verse 9 we see that the king has hope that, if they repent, God will relent from His wrath.  And He did.  God is giving everyone a chance.  He gave Jonah a chance, (even after he disobeyed!)  He gave Ninevah a chance, and He's giving you a chance!  The verse that we read in Nahum a couple weeks ago about how God hates sin and will one day pour out his wrath is now put in context.  This was 150 years AFTER Jonah had preached in Ninevah.  Nahum was a prophet that was sent to Ninevah to preach to a city that had heard the truth and had now REJECTED it!  That is important to understand.

Today is day 9 and we started out by reading II Peter 3, I wanted to highlight verse 18, but sometimes it's good to get some background and context.  Wow!  This was a good chapter!  The basic summary is that we should live holy and pure lives, looking forward to the return of Christ (that could happen as a thief in the night--at any moment).  I especially like verse 9, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.", and verse 18, "but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." This verse is why I picked this passage.  We are saved by grace, but we also need to grow in grace.

I asked my son, "How do we grow in grace?"

He said, "Accept Jesus into your heart."  (He's 9.)

I said, "That is the new birth, your spirit is born again.  Do physical babies grow after they are born?"  (This got a laugh.  The answer was, "Of course!")  I continue, "So how does your spirit man grow up?"

My son thought for a minute, but couldn't come up with an answer.

I explain, "The same way you are saved--by grace, through faith."

Remember that grace works together with faith.  And how do we SHOW our faith?  Through obedience.  We turned to James 2:14-26.  This passage contains an excellent concrete example that children can understand.  The example of a friend that has no food, absolutely nothing to eat.  If you go to them and say, "God loves you!  Have a nice day!", it doesn't do them a BIT of good!!!  You need to DO something for them--bless them with some food, show them God's love with a gift!  It is your actions WITH your words that will mean something to them.  It is the same with God, we cannot simply say we have faith in Him, we must DO something--obey His Word!  Afterall, God showed you His love for you by His actions--He SENT His only Son to DIE on a cross to pay for YOUR sins and to take your sickness and sorrow!  God wants more than lip service.  It's more than simply saying you believe, EVEN the demons believe (James 2:19).

So we see that we are saved by grace, but we ALSO live everyday by grace.  We are only able to grow spiritually by His grace and do the work (Eph. 2:10) He has called us to, by His grace.  This is a day-by-day thing, using your faith and obeying.

Now it is very important to remember that we are NOT saved by works (Eph. 2:8).  Don't fall into the trap of doing good works to get on God's good side.  If you do, you won't have peace.  It is when you have received instruction from the Lord and His Word and are obeying out of faith, that He gives His grace, and remember one of the definitions means help.  It is easy to do, because He is helping you.  Jesus said, "My yoke is easy and My burden is light."  (Matt. 11:30)

Remember that Rahab, Ruth, and Paul all received instruction.  We must go to the Word to receive our instructions (II Tim. 3:16).  This makes for a nice segue into a study of specific instructions in God's Word.  I think we will spend the next few weeks on that.  I will have to do some research.

Tomorrow we will read the story of Abraham offering Isaac (spurred by James 2:21) to finish this topic.

Note to parents:  After reading this, I feel that there may be a few of you that don't feel capable of teaching your children these things from God's Word.  I want to encourage you to just start reading to them from the Bible.  You could start in Genesis and pick out the numerous Bible stories or go to the New Testament and read to them from the gospels about the life of Jesus.

There is something that happens when you start reading out loud and teaching your children.  Light bulbs will start to go off in your head, puzzle pieces will start to connect.  I have noticed a difference in my daily reading (One Year Bible Schedule) and my reading to my children.  Too often with my daily reading, when I was on a particular schedule, I was reading to check that day off my list.  I wasn't retaining much, or stopping to understand what I was reading.  Don't get me wrong, it was beneficial to me (I wrote about that here), but there is SO much MORE I get out of reading to my children.  I am thinking more about what I'm reading and stopping to explain it to them, which in turn helps me to understand it even more.

This topic is a prime example.  All these things I taught my kids in this two-week study, literally came to me as I was teaching them.  The dots were connecting in my head as we went through this and sometimes more thoughts would come to me through the day that I could teach the following days.

So don't hesitate, start sowing seeds of God's Word into your children now!  (Deut. 6:6-7)

Galatians

I was studying Galatians 5 yesterday and listening to a commentary by Dr. Chuck Missler. He mentioned something that I had not heard before.

Basically, the power to overcome our flesh with its desires and passions has ALREADY been given to us.  And I guess that makes sense.  Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ...", it does NOT say, "I am being crucified with Christ."   Your sinful nature was ALREADY crucified, you have been given a new nature.   Just as we WERE healed by Jesus' stripes (I Peter 2:24).  These are past tense things, all you have to do now is lay hold of them by faith and walk (obey/action) in them.

So rather than crying out ot God to help you with strongholds, temptations, and fleshly desires, realize that He has ALREADY done it!  Confess that you are a NEW creature, old things HAVE passed away, behold all things are NEW! (II Cor. 5:17)  Confess that you HAVE BEEN crucified with Christ and it is no longer you who live, but Christ that lives in you! (Gal. 2:20)  Confess that you WALK in the Spirit (this is a moment-by-moment thing) and you do NOT fulfill the lust of the flesh! (Gal. 5:16)   It is already done, it is settled.  If we don't continually lay hold of this truth we fall into the trap of legalism and we will try to secure victory by our own efforts.  This always fails.

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. (Rom. 10:17)  The more you read the Word and hear the Word, the stronger your faith grows AND remember--faith without works is dead, so be a doer of the Word as well as a hearer! (James 1:22)  WALK in the Spirit and you will see the fruit of the Spirit! (Gal. 5:22-23)  Rest in the fact that your old, sinful nature HAS ALREADY BEEN crucified and no longer keeps you in chains!

Peace Part Two

You may be wondering why this article is entitled, "Peace Part Two", where was part one?  Well, I posted it on my other blog.  My focus in that article was that in order to have true peace, you need God. But some of you are thinking, "I have God in my life, why don't I have peace?!?"

This article is for you.

I know what you are feeling. It's almost embarrassing to admit this, but if it helps someone, it is worth it. I got saved at the age of 3. I don't actually remember it. I was just always told by my parents. When I hit my teenage years I really started questioning whether I was really saved. I went forward during an altar call at teen camp one year, but later I still questioned my salvation. I grew up in church from the age of 2. We went to churches that taught the Word. I had a good grasp of a lot of doctrine, but still didn't have peace. I wasn't unhappy, I just had this ever-present nagging inside. Every now and then I would repeat the sinner's prayer to "make sure" I was saved, but it still didn't make the nagging go away. I think it came down to thinking I had to be perfect to be right in God's eyes. I would go over my past and think about things I had done wrong and question whether I was good enough to go to heaven.

Four years ago, I sat down and decided to start a Bible-reading schedule. I was 29 years old and had been saved for 26 years, but had NEVER really read my Bible!!! I know, shocking, but true! I had never done consistent devotions. I would go to church, but never bothered to look up the passages and see for myself if the pastor was right or not. Occasionally, I would feel guilty about my lack of Bible study, so I would randomly open up my Bible and read a bit, but didn't get much out of it, because I didn't understand much of what I was reading. I kept thinking that it would be great if there was a book or something out there that would teach me, without actually having to go to Bible school. But I didn't really seek anything out.

Well, now I realize that I had to take the first step. I started with a One-Year schedule that was printed in my Charisma magazine. Every day was a selection from the Old Testament, the New Testament and either Psalms or Proverbs. After a couple weeks of reading, it was starting to make sense. And the desire to know more was growing in me. I wanted to know the history behind things happening in the Old Testament, so I would check out books from the library. I started seeing the big picture of the Bible. And I'm happy to say that in the last four years I have been consistent. I may not study or read every single day, but most days of the week. It was only when I stepped out in obedience to God to seek first His kingdom and start a study of His Word that the peace came! And that peace has grown and grown. First came the peace about my eternal security, no more questioning whether I was really saved. Next came peace in other areas of life. I detailed one of those here. No more nagging sense that something isn't right! I'm at peace and truly free!

This is partly why this blog was born. I want to tell everyone that you MUST read your Bible!!!! But it sounds so legalistic. I am not telling you that you HAVE to read your Bible. God is not going to love you any more whether you ever read your Bible or not. But He can't help you unless you do! The abundant life that Jesus promised us in John 10:10 is available to ALL, but only SOME will partake! Many are saved, but FEW are walking in prosperity, peace, and joy! Why? Because they are not seeking His kingdom first. This is why that is my banner verse at the top of my blog.

It is the devil that will beat you over the head with guilt and condemnation and tell you that you're not a good Christian because you aren't reading your Bible. He may make you question your salvation because you're not reading your Bible, as he did with me. Romans 8:1 tells us that there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus. Condemnation will pull you away from God. All those times I felt the guilt and condemnation for not reading my Bible, it didn't motivate me form the habit. It is the working of the Holy Spirit (I wrote about this before here) that pulls you closer to God. I started the habit of Bible reading because I knew I needed to, not because I felt guilty, and that was the gentle pushing of the Holy Spirit. If you're ever feeling down, just read the whole chapter of Romans 8. I especially love the last verse - there is NOTHING that can separate us from the love of God!!! That is good news!

Looking back now over the four years of my Bible study, I can see how beneficial it has been for me. The biggest benefit is to see God's Word come to my mind, come from my heart, when it is needed. In time of trial is when it is needed most and that is often not the time to sit down and search for a scripture.

Most of my life I have lived a blessed life, there were no real bumps. But you never really know when a trial will hit. I have had things these last 6 months that have really tried my faith and patience. If it were not for God's Word ALREADY planted deep in my heart, I would not have peace! You NEVER know when you will need it--why not prepare! Someone close to me found themselves in the hospital this last year with a life-threatening condition. There's no time like time in the hospital to stand on the promises of God! But this person didn't have any scriptures to stand in faith on. The answer was that they just didn't think something like this would happen! We can't predict that life is going to be smooth sailing, but you can have the peace of God amidst adversity, IF you have His Word planted in your heart. It will spring forth to your mind at your hour of need! And that will bring you needed peace!

At some point a few years ago, I started having my son memorize passages of scripture. Inevitably, this made me memorize them as well. This has been a big boost to my peace! When you memorize scriptures, the Holy Spirit will bring them back to your mind in times of need. John 14:26 So, I really recommend, as part of your new study, that you incorporate some memorization. It may sound like the stuff of children's Sunday school classes, but it will help you!

I could tell you until I'm blue in the face about all the benefits of starting a personal Bible study, but you will just have to experience it for yourself. Are you experiencing turmoil in your finances, your marriage, your child-rearing, or even about your eternal destiny? First and foremost you must accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but THEN you must LET Him teach you and correct you and instruct you in righteous living (II Tim. 3:16). This only happens when you let him IN through His Word. Your pastor can speak into your life to a degree, but to REALLY, really experience the abundant life that Jesus promised you, you HAVE to get into the Word! Verse 17 of II Timothy 3 tells us the end result - ...that the man of God may be complete! Salvation is not the end, but the beginning! The beginning of a work, that doesn't end until Christ returns! But YOU must LET God work in your life!  You can read more about that here.

What it really boils down to is obedience. You may be doing devotional reading daily, perhaps you need to start a deeper study. Perhaps you need to start tithing! (Oooh, hot button!) Perhaps there is an area you need to practice self control in. Perhaps, you are just hearing the Word, but aren't doing it? (James 1:22)

What if you don't know what areas God wants you to step out in obedience in? Start reading His Word and see what sticks out to you. You'll know it, when you read it.

Whatever area you feel you need to be obedient in, make Bible study a part of it. How else will you know what God's will is for you and how else could you obey? God's Word IS His will! For me, obedience was to simply start with a daily reading schedule. (Not to say that is the only thing--we never arrive, it is a life-long journey of obedience.)  God knew that I would dig deeper, He knew that with any area of interest I have, whether it's health or history, I dig as deep as I can.

Now, don't tell me you don't have time! You have time for whatever is important to you. You can MAKE time for anything you want! It's a matter of priorities. Shut off the TV for 30 minutes!

I want to be here to help you. I want to give you some resources with this blog. I mentioned above that I wished there were books or teaching tapes out there that would give me an in-depth "Bible School" education.  I always felt that if someone would educate me, THEN I could understand what I was reading and I would make Bible study a habit!  Now I know it's the other way around, I was to start the study myself and THEN the understanding would come.  And I have found some great resources along the way, as well.  Dr. Chuck Missler offers detailed, in-depth commentaries on practically every book of the Bible. He will teach you verse by verse and at the same give you a big picture perspective of the Bible. I highly recommend his Learn the Bible in 24 Hours study, as a start. I also have really enjoyed his study of Philippians, Isaiah, and Galatians. These commentaries are available for download, or on CD, and many are available to listen to direct from his website for free. He also puts the current broadcasts out on iTunes for free download. They are only available on iTunes for 2 weeks at a time, though.
On the right-hand bar of this blog you will find other links to ministries that I like. And I am trying to give you plenty of study ideas, on here, by posting what I am studying.

So, don't delay, start today!

Here is a Bible-reading schedule.

I would love to hear your comments and questions on this topic.

Update 1/30/09 - For more information on this topic, read my article on Grace, here.

Thought Life

I have been thinking about my thought life a lot lately and how I think it needs cleaned up a bit.

At my homeschool group mom's meeting in November we had a guest speaker, a missionary originally from her, but currently living in Indonesia.  She was really great to listen to.  She told us to go home and read Romans 8 and see what needed cleaned out of our "though closets", thoughts that don't line up with God's Word.  

I feel that lately my "thought closet" needs organized!  If I go into my thought closet to wear a black t-shirt and jeans, the red shirt is jumping out of the closet, yelling, "wear me, wear me!"  Or sometimes, 5 outfits at a time are jumping out of the closet saying, "Pick me, pick me!"  

Basically I feel like what ever I'm doing, my mind is on other things.  Maybe I'm the only one with these issues.  :)  I think I need to be more deliberate in my thoughts and focus my mind on whatever task is at hand.

So with this in mind, I went to bed the other night and wanted something quick to read.  I looked up the scripture that talks about bringing your thoughts into captivity.  I found it, it is in II Corinthians 10.  I read the whole chapter and many good things stuck out to me.

Verse 3 - we must always remember the battle is spiritual and we can only resist the devil with the Word! (James 4:7 & Ephesians 6:10-18)

Verse 4 - our weapon (the Word) is MIGHTY for pulling down strongholds!

Verse 5 - bringing every thought into captivity to the OBEDIENCE of Christ - this one got me - ouch!  Is it obedience to Christ to be so scatter-brained?

Verse 7 - we are Christ's!  We cannot focus on the external, but the internal and on the things of God.

Verse 12 - this one has been a favorite of mine for a while - it is not wise to compare yourself with others (I call this a trap, many get caught in it and let it rule their lives).

Verse 17 - we must not every forget - God wants ALL the glory!

Then I looked up in my concordance some other "thought" verses.  I came up with Psalm 139 and Psalm 40.

Psalm 139 tells us how God knows us inside and out, for He is the one who made us.  Verses 17 and 18 stuck out to me, they say, "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!  How great is the sum of them!  If I should count them, they would be MORE in number than the sand;"  (Emphasis mine.)

Did you know God is thinking about you?  And thinking precious thoughts?  So many that they can't be numbered?  That's got to make you feel good!

Psalm 40 has a theme of God always being there for us, especially in times of trial.  But verse 5 tells us again that God's thoughts toward us cannot be numbered!