What God Has Been Teaching Me Lately XXXVIII (38)…
Greetings My Friends~
As a simple pilgrim following Jesus through the rainforests and deserts of this earthly life, I would like to humbly share some of what God has been bubbling up in my mind/heart lately.
I pray that these thoughts are cushions in your shoes, balm to your burns, umbrellas for the rain, and shade to the scorching heat as you too follow the Lord Jesus each day.
(please click on the Bible books/chapters/verses below to read the actual Scripture passages)
(July 1st–15th, 2015)
Sin
- With our sin,
many are indifferent (relax—I’m not perfect!),
defensive (I didn’t do it!),
or celebratory (it isn’t wrong!).
God wants us to be appalled at our sin
so we bring it to Jesus for forgiveness & transformation.
(Jude 1:23; Psalm 38:18; 1 John 1:9)
- We must learn to weep over our sin & not diminish it.
When we kneel before Jesus saying—”Look what I did!”
He lifts us up saying—”Look what I did!” [on the Cross]
- If we shrink our sin we shrink the cross.
Small sin only needs small love/grace/cross.
We wont be amazed at our Savior til we’re appalled at our sin.This is why Paul in Ephesians 3:17-19
prays for power from God to understand how high/wide/long/deep is God’s love!
Paul already had grasped the size of his sin.
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. - If we ask God to help us recover a holy disgust for our sin,
He will also help us rediscover a holy delight in our Savior.
Keep It Simple
Almighty God, forgive us for saying/believing the clever & false
rather than saying/believing the simple & true.
Help us trust the “foolishness” of Jesus’ cross…
Marriage
- In a physical sense, fast food on the drive home
ruins the appetite for the home-cooked dinner.
The same is true relationally.
Husbands, stop feasting on eye-candy
so you can hunger to truly honor, love & serve your wife.
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. - For Christians, the foundation of a healthy marriage is
Faith in Jesus & friendship with each other.
Feelings, like granite countertops, are nice but unnecessary.
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. - Marriage is often like a bank account:
you can only withdraw today the deposits you made yesterday.
Lord Jesus—help me sacrificially love my wife!
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. - Some say being married to the same person for life
is like eating the same cereal every morning—Not so!
When Jesus is at the center of monogamous lifelong marriage,
He’s the Chef Who creates nourishing/flavorful entrees
For the couple throughout the different seasons of life!
Prayer
- Lord Jesus, help us to give You the honor You deserve on earth & in heaven,
To give others the love they don’t deserve on earth
& to trust You to give us what You decide we deserve on earth & in heaven.
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. - Just noticed something for the 1st time in Ephesians 6:10-18—
the “and” in verse 18 connects prayer as part of the armor God gives us in verses 13-17!
Teach us to pray, Lord Jesus!!!
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. - Football players would never go in the game without helmet or pads,
yet we do this everyday when we don’t soak in God via prayer. Teach us, Holy Spirit!
Truth
- “Buy the truth and do not sell it” (Proverbs 23:23)…
not for prosperity, popularity or “peace,” not to please or to pacify others—
do not sell out God’s Truth.
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. - Holy Spirit, as teachers of Your Word,
help us not to amputate when a hug is needed
& help us not to give a pat on the back when surgery is required.
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. - Lord Jesus, please transform us to have hearts of cashmere & spines of steel,
to help people dig out with Your love & grace
and dig in to Your Truth.