Library of Thoughts

"And do not forget to obey these commands when you go into the land that I have given you." Deut. It is always interesting how Jesus enters into everyday life discussions. A mid 20's NCO asked me yesterday morning what I thought about Love and Logic as a parenting philosophy. Being a spiritual but not religious young woman, this soldier is not prone to accept the church's current teaching on parenting. But the worlds' valueless logic is not getting the job done with her 5 and 8 year olds. "Why not skip right to the source?" I asked. God has a pretty clear parenting philosophy, that though it is logical, is not based on logic. Nor is it a "be good" crossless and powerless philosophy like the church has been peddling for a few decades. Jesus asks parents to submit to His will, and learn His truth. He provides the power to the powerless through an empty tomb reality, and an intimate relationship with Him. As Jesus followers, we ask our kid...

Seeking guidance from the Lord takes the form of  1. Prayer over circumstances. 2. Seeking the Spirit's confirmation. 3. Asking for wise counsel from other Jesus followers. But preeminent in seeking the Lord's will, is His own Word!  There we find: promises that guide... commands that guide... examples that guide… Here are some scriptures sent out by a friend today that you can set aside in your journal, or in the front of your bible for those hours where you are seeking His face, to know His will… Isaiah 58:10-12  and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The  Lord  will guide you always ; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail… Isaiah 42:16 I will lead the b...

Throughout scripture the message is known and knowable. "For the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life. And this life is in His Son…." "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me." And Jesus' example and commands are clear. "He has my Words and keeps them, He it is who loves me." "Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength". Our job is to reflect His truth, through our words and obedience to His commands! Our lives amplify His grace . His grace is illustrated by  our obedience. He has set the lines of the tapestry, and we have been given the grace of weaving in our daily lives to bring color and depth to His work! When we commune with Him in His Word and prayer, we are learning the tapestry. When we serve the lost, love our brothers and sisters, and make disciples we are amplifying His work. The only way we can magnify the work of Chr...

Religious Activity & Steeple People  Jer. 6:29 &30; 7:1-19 In Jeremiah's day, God has been patient, but the people have continued to be worshippers of others God's. He called them back, but they have ignored Him. More than that, they rely on religious activities, and call out "We are delivered!" as they stand in the temple gate, as if their religious activities will outweigh their unrighteous actions the rest of the week. What did God want?: 1. Worship Him! Quit melding the activities of Baal worship with the worship of God. God is not interested in half hearted worshippers. 2. Pursue Justice! Between men and women; treat children and orphans with dignity, and don't allow the downtrodden to be oppressed. We must seek the welfare of our communities. 3. Listen and Obey! The Lord is calling out to you. Seek His voice, hear it and obey. The consequences of their disobedience, is that they will loose the the religious things they trust in. Go...

Take a break! Life is difficult and painful. For Americans it is also busier, and more complex than ever before in the history of mankind. More information, more decisions, more perceptions foisted on us by a society that wants us to consume and consume nearly frenetically. The impact on followers of Jesus is that we miss the voice of the Lord. We look only momentarily into His Word, listen only momentarily to our brothers and sisters, begin to process in a moment and then we move on. We become followers who have fewer convictions, shallow relationships, and are disconnected from our identity in Christ. I think we miss His voice. Rest. The regular practice of Sabbath. Where we tune out from the world and "our desires" or goals. Isaiah 58:13-14 ESV, " If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your...

Hbr 10:24-25  24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Jesus says, “He who has my commands, and keeps them, he it is who loves me...” In our community of believers, is our obedience to the commands of Christ being stirred up by: Deliberately thinking about, “How do I help this person to be a better follower?” Encouragement as we seek to live out the life of a Christ follower? You see, sharing life together should address the issues of daily life, in the context of loving Jesus! “In the midst of my difficult work relationships, how can I obey Jesus’ command to ‘let your light shine’?” “How, today, will I share a Jesus story with my neighbor?” “What can I say and do to set up a discussion about the kingdom we are living in, with my friend at the gym?” Deliberate, thoughtful comm...

2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Hbr 12:8, 11 NASB But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. ... All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Spiritual Disciplines; those measurable habits that involve us in the attempt to obey His commands. " Abide in my Word..." " Pray without ceasing..." " Do not forsake the assembling together, as is the habit of some..." "...make disciples..." Powered by trust in the work of Jesus on the cross, and the inhabitation of the Holy Spirit, these vehicles of grace become imperfect conveyers of perfectly powerful promises. But what happens when we trust the discipline, not the Savior. Being disciplined in the spiritual disciplines can become...

Tolerance - Aug. 14 2013 " ...with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love" ... Eph. 4:2 In other translations, the word "bear with" (anecho) is translated literally "showing tolerance". Put more simply, we put up with each other. GK Chesterton said, "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions." To put up with one another, we need a strong set of convictions, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians makes it clear that we put up with one another because... ... I believe at the heart level that same Christ working in me, is living and working in you. ... because we are one body, innately connected to spiritual health of one another. ... We are both being granted strength by His Spirit. Tolerance in the body of Christ assumes we are followers of Jesus.  It assumes we are trusting Christ, so that we can walk in a manner worthy of our calling. It assumes a set of convictions. ...