30 Days in the Word
Sunday, September 07, 2003
The end of the public record
It has been a while since I logged anything in here. That is because the journey has become too intensely personal. The things the Lord is speaking to me are very personal. They are very much a blessing, just not things you would share in a public forum. Because of this, I won't be putting entries into this Blog any more.
If anyone read this, I hope you enjoyed what I put in, and I encourage you to try your own 30 day Word fast!
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
Day Fourteen
Have you ever woken up with the Lord speaking the Word into your ear? It happened this morning! Specifically 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV):
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
I was thinking about the dinner I had with my fellow business travelers last night. One of them ordered a beer. He’s new in our office, so he asked the rest of us how much we drank. The other two in our party said that they were occasional drinkers, and I merely said, “I don’t drink.” Now, if I’d wanted to, I could have laid into all three of them with an explanation of how sinful drinking is and how they should change their ways, but instead, I let my life stand before them. I needed to be ready to give an answer if I was asked, but for that moment, that was the answer that was needed. That helps keep verse 16 true:
keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.
I think that when we spend all our time telling people how wrong they are, we fall short of this. We can’t keep a good conscience, because in our accusations, they have cause to speak against us. Instead of speaking against the sin, we must speak for the savior from sin! There are times to speak against sin, but if you look at the examples of the Apostles in Acts, they spent just a very little effort speaking about what the people had done wrong, and focused on presenting Christ! (Hmmm…I think I know what I’m reading next!) They lived, and we must live, Colossians 4:5-6:
Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Day Thirteen
(Pasted from offline journal one day later)
Yesterday, in the plane, I managed to read through all of 1 and 2 Peter. It’s all about holiness! There are so many different things the Lord was speaking to me as I read, I can’t possibly get them all down, but I’ll try to hit the highlights.
1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
God has given such awesome blessings. And when you look at the trials of life through this perspective, they seem so small! Not only that, but many times the trials act like a fire, burning away the dross, removing the impurities, making us more like Him. That’s kind of a theme I saw in all of 1 Peter: when your life is in God’s hands, trials may come, but He will use them to make you more like Him!
1 Peter 2:9-12 (NIV)
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
We can’t be holy in our own power, but the work God has done in our lives has made us holy. Now, we must decide to allow God to do the work in our lives to live holy, so that when the world looks at us, the holiness shines through, and God is glorified!
There’s so much more in 1 Peter that spoke to me: being the best worker no matter how my bosses are, loving and respecting my wife no matter what, rejoicing when I suffer for the cause of Christ. That was a big one. If I’m suffering the consequences of my own sin, then I am suffering. I am being purified and it is painful, but if I am being punished and persecuted because I am living righteously and living for God, then it is a blessing!
1 Peter 3:8-18 (NIV)
Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
"Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep his tongue from evil
and his lips from deceitful speech.
He must turn from evil and do good;
he must seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."
Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit,
We are called to speak words of blessing to those that persecute us! I see so many Christians, and I have been among them, that curse the world and the people in it, but Jesus Christ died for every one of them! We spend so much time trying to legislate righteousness, and complaining that the world doesn’t live up to God’s standards. Well, they can’t! But if we spend more time living the life Christ called us to instead of pointing out every sin all the time, they would be drawn to Christ, and He will change their hearts!
I pray that today my life will be an example of grace and holiness. By God’s power, I desire to live holy before the world, in word and deed, letting those around me see Christ in living example, and that through me someone may be drawn to Him!
Sunday, August 24, 2003
Day Eleven (Part 2)
As I meditate more on 1 Peter and holiness, the words to the song "Holiness" by Sonic Flood keeps coming to mind:
Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness, is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You
want from me
Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness, is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You
want from me
So, take my heart and form it
Take my mind and transform it
Take my will and conform it
To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord
Faithfulness, faithfulness is what I long for
Faithfulness, is what I need
Faithfulness, faithfulness is what You
want from me
Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for
Brokenness, is what I need
Brokenness, brokenness is what You
want from me
There is so much truth here! He wants holiness from us, but first, we must receive holiness from Him! In fact, we can never obtain our own holiness, it is only through His grace we receive it. What a transforming truth! There is no need to try to act holy, He will transform us into His image according to His holiness and His plan!
Day Eleven
There's so many time wasters out there! When I do spend time in the Word, I don't get the time to post here!
I said at the beginning that the only additional reading material I would look at was for school, work and Sunday School. Well, studying this week for Sunday School has revamped my reading of the Scripture! Today in Sunday School, we will be covering The Grace of Holiness. It is an awesome study on how critical it is for us to live a life of holiness, and how impossible it is to live holy without God's grace!
Anyway, as I was studying, I noticed how much the author quoted from 1 Peter, so I began to read it it. This morning, I read Chapter 1. It jumps right in on holiness!
1 Peter 1:13-15 (NIV)
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
Those verses contain the standard, and these verses contain the answer to getting there!:
1 Peter 1:23-25 (NIV)
For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was preached to you.
It is only through God's holiness, imparted to us by His grace, that we can ever hope to be holy, but the life of holiness is an awesome one!
For this week at least, I intend to focus my study on the epistles of Peter, to grow closer to the life of pure holiness He has called me to! I am going on a trip to DC this week. I don't know how my access will be to log in to the online journal. I will journal offline and upload if I have to at the end of the week.
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Day Seven
I haven't been able to get to the blog for the last couple days, but I'm still reading! I finished Psalm 119 and started into the book of Acts (Isaiah will come later!). One passage that jumped out at me this time:
Acts 2:41-47 (NIV)
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The fellowship they had then was based on the infilling of the Holy Spirit they had all received. It is only the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that makes this kind of attitude possible. As I was taking a shower after reading this (my favorite place to meditate!), the Lord spoke to me (not audibly, but in my heart, in His still, small voice) and said, "If this is for the Church, it's even more for your marriage." How true! Our marriage is supposed to be a miniature example of the Church. It sounds so basic, but in our busy lives, breaking bread together and giving to each other's needs gets lost in the shuffle. It's time to put this in our lives as a verse first for our marriage, then also for the Church!
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Day Four
It's been an interesting learning experience for the last 24 hours. Yesterday, I did some reading for my college courses, so I ended up with less time reading Scriptures. I noticed the difference! Then, this morning I sit down and start reading, and the first verse I hit is Psalm 119:97: "O how I love The law! It is my meditation all the day." (NASB - emphasis mine). Ouch! I did notice the difference in my attitudes yesterday, even with one day, after only 4 days of this, I miss it!
This morning, I have to prepare a Sunday school lesson. We're doing a series on God's Amazing Grace, using the series under that title from Discipleship Tape Ministries. It is an awesome set of teaching. But, after I finish that, later today I'm coming back to this section of Psalm 119! (verses 97-104, the Mem section). There is a whole lot of truth in these few verses that I need to dig into some more!
Saturday, August 16, 2003
Day Three
Words from someone are as valuable as the person behind the words. That's why God's Word is so fantastic!
Psalm 119
L Lamedh.
89
Forever, O LORD,
Your word is settled in heaven.
90
Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations;
You established the earth, and it stands.
91
They stand this day according to Your ordinances,
For all things are Your servants.
92
If Your law had not been my delight,
Then I would have perished in my affliction.
93
I will never forget Your precepts,
For by them You have revived me.
94
I am Yours, save me;
For I have sought Your precepts.
95
The wicked wait for me to destroy me;
I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.
96
I have seen a limit to all perfection;
Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
Our God is eternal and perfect, so His Word is eternal and perfect. There's more to it, though. Once I publish this blog, the words will be put out there for you to read. I am not sitting next to you helping you understand what I've written. You will understand, not understand, or misunderstand me based purely on the words you are reading on your screen. But God's Word is not like that! It is living and powerful. In fact, the Word of God is God Himself! Like the Trinity, this is something we can't fully comprehend, but we can believe it and receive the benefits of it!
When I study God's Word, the Holy Spirit, as the Word of God, speaks to my heart, opening my eyes of understanding, helping me to understand Him more deeply than words on a page could reveal.
How can He do this? He's God!!! Our God is so huge. One my favorite passages of Scripture is Isaiah 40 (in fact, I think Isaiah is the next thing I will read after I finish Psalm 119). It shows just how incredible god is...His majesty is beyond comprehension. There is nothing He can not do, and there is nothing He does not know. And He so lovingly made Himself available to us through His glorious Word!
Friday, August 15, 2003
Day Two
At first I thought the enemy was after me with temptations. Then I thought about it and realized the Lord must be allowing me to be tested, like Abraham. As soon as I made the commitment, I was tempted with other things. A coworker emailed me the first chapter of the new Left Behind book. I am a huge fan of Left Behind! I also received a book I had ordered last week about creation. It was like God was putting these in front of me and saying, "Are you really serious about this commitment?" The booklet and email are set aside for after the thirty days. God, in His grace, is giving me the strength to endure and follow through on my commitment to Him.
Still in Psalm 119. Actually, I read this yesterday, but am typing this in this morning. I've got more reading to do, then I may have more to log!
Psalm 119
T Teth.
65
You have dealt well with Your servant,
O LORD, according to Your word.
66
Teach me good discernment and knowledge,
For I believe in Your commandments.
67
Before I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
68
You are good and do good;
Teach me Your statutes.
69
The arrogant have forged a lie against me;
With all my heart I will observe Your precepts.
70
Their heart is covered with fat,
But I delight in Your law.
71
It is good for me that I was afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.
72
The law of Your mouth is better to me
Than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
This fell under the category of "why do bad things happen to good people". The psalmist was rejoicing that he was afflicted! The affliction moved him from going astray into keeping God's Word. Lord God, whatever it takes to keep me in Your presence, it's more important than anything I have on earth! Paul had this attitude, too. He went through so many trials, and came out rejoicing because of them!
A powerful truth, and I've got more to read!!
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Day One:
The Lord has been speaking to me over the last few days about digging more into His Word. It came to a final point last night during adult Bible sstudy. We covered Colossians 3:16: "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (NASB) I came to a realization. I spend a lot of time reading, and I spend a lot of time reading good, Christian books. The Lord spoke to my heart and said, "Instead of spending all your time reading what others write about me, why not read what I have written about myself!" So, I have made a commitment to set aside all other reading materials. For the next thirty days, except for the minimum I have to read for work and school, I will read nothing but God's word. This blog will be a journal of my journey as I open up to what the Lord has to teach me.
This morning, I figured that the best place to start was Psalm 119: the longest chapter in the Bible and every verse is about the Word of God! Psalm 119:18 floored me: "Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law." (NIV) What a prayer! That is my prayer today, and every day for the next month. Lord, open my eyes! Let me see wonderful, glorious things as your Word opens up to me! The Word of God is a living thing, and very powerful, I want to see that power! I want to see God's works and wonders that are in His Word! I'm so excited about this journey. I don't plan on being the same person in thirty days!
