Laziness

I am always amazed at how true the Bible is. Now, as a Christian, I believe it is true because I have faith in the God who wrote it. But, even without that faith, I think so much of the Bible is obviously true if we simply consider it in terms of life around us. Take, for instance, laziness. I was reading through Hebrews 6:1-3 this morning. Verse 1 says: "Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God . . . ." The verses go on to list other "elementary teachings." Really, what this verse is saying is "stop being lazy." Why does it say to stop being lazy? Because you can't grow if you're sitting still. Is this true everywhere in life? Yes! You can't build a house if you're always focused on pouring and re-pouring the foundation. The apostles could not follow Jesus without first leaving behind what they were doing. We are to leave the elementary teaching about Christ. Notice it doesn't say "leave behind" -- just leave, as in move forward from something. These truths are excellent, essential, foundational - but we can't live our lives simply sitting on them. God is not a "good enough" God! He always wants us moving forward. The next part of the verse says to "press on to maturity." This is not to assume that we will ever reach maturity. But, as Barnes says, "No man accomplishes much who does not aim high." Think about it - if you find something sitting completely still anywhere in this whole universe, you have found something dead! Every action of life is characterized by movement, from our cellular level up to our lungs moving up and down when we breath. The same is true of your spiritual life - if it is still, if it isn't moving, you are dead. So, if you have claimed to believe in the truths about God, get moving! Don't just sit there! Not only is mediocrity not a goal Christ supports - it is dangerous to our souls.

New Bible Study site

While reading a friend's blog, I stumbled upon a post about a new Bible study site - it's called Best Bible. As I mentioned to said-friend (!), I wanted to make a shameless plug for this site, and not just because he created it! It's awesome! As the explanation under the title on the homepage puts it (I'm sorry - I know there's a technical name for things like that, and I'm sure I'll be getting an email from my brother, but I don't know what it's called, and if I did, I probably wouldn't remember anyway!) -- "Explaining Bible Translations and Recommending Resources." Now, I love studying the Bible - but I have had to figure out which translation to use and which commentaries to use, and which resources to trust, through trial-and-error! I've stumbled along, and into, a lot of heresy along the way! So, I really appreciate a site (by someone I trust) making recommendations on things such as these. I also love the explanation given under the "Good News" tab -- one of the best presentations of the Gospel I have read. So, if you're looking for a site to help you get started in your quest to study the Bible, check out Best Bible. If you have any recommendations on anything mentioned, too, be sure to make them! [Please note - I was not paid to make these statements! I genuinely like the site! I hope you do too!]

God's glory and our good

This is a thought that has been running through my heart/head a lot lately, as I've been hearing sermons on God's sovereignty and reading about it. I think it was actually a quote in one book in particular, but I've heard it repeated by many people when discussing God's sovereignty. We were actually talking about this whole topic again at Bible study last night, as our pastor has been preaching on God's providence. The thing that came up several times in our discussion, which was very convicting to me, is that we must be careful when talking and thinking about God's providence/sovereignty. It is very easy to come across as cavalier and uncaring when discussing all of this. I think this is something I, personally, can easily fall into. It's not that I don't care, that I can look at every bad situation and just say "God's in charge - deal with it." But, when talking about things, I know I can easily come across that way. I'm sure I've come across that way on this blog! My sweet, well-spoken husband often reminds me that I tend to think out loud, so I have to be careful when talking about subjects like this because I can come across very callous (he doesn't use those words, but that's what he means!). Then, we stubmled upon something in talking last night that made things click, and helped me to better explain how saying God is sovereign does not mean I'm saying "just suck it up and deal with it."
Here it is - just because God works good out of all situations doesn't mean the situation is good in and of itself. Nothing can make murder a "good" thing; nothing can make rape "good"; nothing can make the death of a child "good." But, as the verse in Romans points out, God works good out of all things. We've been studying the story of Joseph. In Genesis 50:20, Joseph tells his brothers "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." The same word is used in this sentence for both the brothers' intentions and God's intentions. The verse does not say "God intended good in the situation." Joseph is referring to all his brothers did to him - they stripped him naked, threw him into a pit (with hard sides), and sold him to slave traders. They very obviously intended all they did to him, and they intended it to harm him. Now look closely back at that verse - Joseph doesn't say "but God intended all those things to be good things, so I've figured out a better way to look at it." No - he says "God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done . . .." The brothers' intentions were simplistic and short-sighted - they wanted to harm their brother, so they took each opportunity that came to them to accomplish this purpose (they didn't start off plotting to sell him to slave traders - it just kind of worked out that way). But God's intentions are much larger - He intended to plant Israel in the heart of Egypt and save "many lives" in the process. He intended, ultimately, to save the world. In order to do this, bad things happened along the way. This does not make the bad things good - to put it bluntly, Joseph's situation sucked! BUT, God planned, from the beginning, to work good out of the situation. This does not mean Joseph can look at his past and say "that was good, what my brothers did to me." Notice he never says that to them! We should (I should!) never expect someone to be able to look at what God has brought about after a situation and say "that situation was good because this happened as a result." A bad situation is bad, no matter what God works out of it. But what we can say, and what we can place our hope, our faith, our trust in, is that GOD WILL BE GLORIFIED and, as a result, we will be changed, for good. In the midst of hard times, we do not put our faith in the resolution of the situation, thinking God will make this situation good. He doesn't promise that - in fact, in the Bible, God tells us that we, as Christians, will have troubles in this world. What we do put our faith in is God, that He is good and that He will accomplish His purposes, and that His purposes are worth accomplishing - even if we don't see the end result. And that last statement could lead us into a whole other discussion, but it's time to get some kids out of bed so . . . that's all for now!

"Mother of the Year" Award

As I may have mentioned before, and for those of you who don't know me, I'm a rules follower. I am always on a quest to find the set of "rules" I need to follow in order to be the best I can be in any given situation (I know, I have problems!). This has been a big challenge for me in my faith because I'm constantly trying to reduce the Bible to a set of rules, and it just doesn't work that way! In fact, most of life doesn't work that way! But for some reason I'm hard-wired to think that way, so it's an on-going challenge for me.
Today I was looking up a book on learning styles on Amazon.com, and the write-up about the author said she was the 2007 Mother of the Year award recipient for her state. That caught my eye - the Mother of the Year?! You have got to be kidding me! As if I don't have enough issues with feeling adequate as a mother and a wife, now you're telling me there's a set of criteria people use to decide what mom is the Mother of the Year?!!! Ahhh. I don't need that kind of pressure! I did research it a little to see what exactly they were referring to -- apparently, an organization known as American Mothers, Inc., puts on the official competition each year, and there are fairly stringent requirements. For those of you out there who have known about this before, please don't read me wrong here - I'm not knocking the women who have won. I'm sure they are well-deserving - probably the types of women I would like to be mentored by. But that's not the point - the point is that rule-followers like myself do not need to be considering what exactly would qualify a woman for Mother of the Year. Because then I'll decide those are the things I need to be focused on. Sheesh. For the record, I'm not bookmarking the site!

Ponderings . . .

In the past week, we have learned of two tragedies in the lives of old acquaintances -- one, the death of a marriage, the other, the death of a father, husband, and friend. This got me thinking, once again, about God and His sovereignty, even in times of suffering and tragedy. In our Bible study last night, we were discussing (on a wonderful tangent!) the verse in Romans 5:9 - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." I have never considered all that verse entails until our discussion last night (thank you, Chris!). Think about it - the verse is saying that God decided the best way for Him to demonstrate His love to us was while we were still sinners. Not after all suffering had been removed. Not after He had removed all sickness, bound up all the brokenhearted, eliminated evil, and solved global warming (!) - but now, in the thick of things, while we are still sinners. I listened to a series on Christ and Suffering by John Piper, and one of the things he pointed out was that God demonstrated His love and mercy to us through the single most horrific event of suffering this world has ever seen. I know what you're thinking - how could he say that, when so many other horrible things happen every day. But, truly, the murder of Jesus Christ, the only perfect man to have ever walked this earth, by nailing him to a tree between two petty criminals so that He could die an excruciatingly slow and painful death . . . that is the most horrific act of suffering this world has ever seen. So, consider that in light of Romans 5:9 -- God demonstrates His love to us while we are sinners, through all our fallenness and depravity. He does not work despite our sin - He works through it. Our pastor, on Sunday, noted at the end of his sermon that the greatest message of the Gospel is that God is a redeeming God. He is always at work redeeming all of creation. In what clearer way do we see this then through suffering, through tough times, through painful circumstances and trials? Through sin? God, in His infinite and unfathomable greatness, has decided that the best way for Him to demonstrate His love to us is while we are yet sinners. I can't say I fully understand this (I know, dear friend - "what about . . . ?") - but I can say that God is way more sovereign than I have ever given Him credit for!
Here's another thing to consider -- Hebrews 4:3-5 says:

3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, "AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST," although His works were finished from the foundation of the world. 4 For He has said somewhere concerning the seventh day: "AND GOD RESTED ON THE SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS"; 5 and again in this passage, "THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST."

I have often wondered about this idea of God's work being finished. A commentary I read (sorry I can't remember which one it was!) pointed out that, in John 5:17, Jesus says "My Father is always at his works to this very day, and I, too, am working," when questioned as to why he was doing things on the Sabbath. What these verses suggest is that God's creative work was finished on the 7th day of creation (note, in the creation story, that Moses does not say there was an end to the 7th day - so God's work is still finished, and He is still resting). However, His works of compassion, of grace, of mercy, are still happening. God is still "loving on us" in all our sinfulness. But - notice this big point - He work is finished. All God was going to create and accomplish throughout human history is done. There is nothing He gets "surprised" by, nothing He has to "fix" as a result of our sinfulness. In fact, our sin is not a "stumbling block" for His plans -- it is the very means through which (not BY which) He accomplishes them . . .
So, how does this all relate to trials and tribulations? God will use even these trials to demonstrate His love to us. And, not only that - this is the best way for Him, in this situation, to demonstrate His love. I do not completely understand all of this . . . but I know God is sovereign, and He will bring love, peace, healing, and a deeper vision of His glory, through all of this. Even trials such as these, which seem senseless and incomprehensible. Again, I am thankful to serve a Sovereign God.

God's work in me - and my "Israel in the desert" response

I was talking with a friend recently, bemoaning the fact that I don't feel like God is changing me "enough" (I know, pride of all prides!). I have finally realized that, not only do I not "save" myself, I don't sanctify myself either. Having realized that, my constant prayer is now "Lord, please don't leave me as I am." I am seeking God more fervently than I have in a very long time, if ever. But, there are days when I look at my own sinfulness, and I say: "God, why is this still an issue? Why do I still struggle with this? Why aren't I perfect yet . . . ?" (Ok, I don't ask that last question, but that's essentially what I'm wondering!). I suppose I'm in good company when I ask these questions - Paul asked the same things in Corinthians. Sin is, indeed, still at work in me, and God is still at work even stronger, changing me. God's timetable and processes are much longer and more complex than I will ever realize. often His greatest works are done when I don't even realize something is happening - it's only after the fact, when I notice a new response coming out of me, that I realize God has refined another jagged edge. And that's probably the best way - if I was more actively involved in this whole sanctification process, I'd probably try to "take it from here on my own, thank you very much." I caught the headline of an article on a Christian study sight and stopped to read a little further - it was called "How to Whine Effectively." While the article didn't actually teach me how to whine, it did point out a major conviction point for me. God got angry at the Israelites in the desert when they whined and complained about Him - "why did He take us out of Israel to die in the desert?" Think about it - here was Israel, having been set free from slavery, oppression, beatings, and death, having been led through the Red Sea, being given a place to sleep every night, and having food and water delivered to them (supernaturally, I might add) every day . . . and they were complaining about God! God got angry with them because their whining was an indication of their pride. That's the part that got me. Ouch. Here I am living in America; I always have food on my table, a place to sleep at night, clothes to wear; I have a wonderful husband and two precious, healthy children; I have never been abused, mistreated, maligned, etc, in any real meaning of the words . . . and yet, here I sit complaining about what God is doing in me. Please excuse me while I step out of the way of that lightening bolt from heaven . . . Father, forgive me for my pride. Can we add that to the list of things that still need to be changed in me . . . ?

Encouragement

This is something that has been on my mind a lot recently, and it keeps popping up every where I look so I had to share it here. Been working through the book of Hebrews with some dear friends, and came across the following verse: "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." - Hebrews 3:13. When reading this and discussing it later with Dave, it hit me that one of the key ways the enemy tries to attack us is by making us feel like we're "alone." Have you ever noticed that? And have you ever noticed that the "alone" feeling seems magnified when we're in the throes of a trial? Perhaps it's because we DO need to encourage each other daily! When left to our own devices (and left alone with our own thoughts), we tend to stray, to wander, to lose our focus. But, when we encourage each other (and allow others to encourage us), we walk closer to the truth. And notice the key thing we're supposed to do - we're to ENCOURAGE each other, daily. Not just talk with each other, not just vent - encourage. The Amplified version of the Bible goes on and says we should warn, admonish, urge, and encourage one another to guard against " . . . the fraudulence, the strategem, the trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may play on him." (his sin, meaning our own sin). Part of God's plan for our sanctification is that we live our lives with other people, encouraging each other lest our hearts (which are, as Jeremiah says, above all, deceitful) become hard and we are deceived by sin. One commentator I read (David Guzik) points out - we do an awesome job of judging and criticizing each other, but how good are we at seriously encouraging each other - and receiving it from others? That's my "life lesson" right now -- I need to encourage others, and I need to be encouraged daily . . .

South Beach Conclusion

Today ends my 2 week introduction to the South Beach diet, so I thought I'd post a little something. No, this doesn't mean the diet ends today - just means I'll be going back to a more normal way of eating (can't say that I'll be having eggs for breakfast any time soon). Here's what I've learned:
- My belly is still there. I did loose some weight, but the belly (which Michael, my youngest, enjoys playing with -- always sweet!) is still there. On to phase two of my plan - returning to sit-ups and working out in earnest.
- While I figured out how to improve my energy level and get rid of the nausea (drink lots of water, eat more snacks), I'm still very drained. Hoping that goes away once I return some carbs to my diet!
- Didn't find too many outstanding veggie recipes, but did find a fun recipe blog(Kaitlyn's Kitchen)and am more willing to cook with fresh veggies now. I also learned that I just need to eat more veggies at meals, rather than skimping on that so I can fit more noodles!
- I think my cravings have improved. I don't find myself "needing" a cookie in the afternoon - I'm ok with grabbing another kind of snack. That is probably my biggest victory!
- I'm drinking more caffeine (not good), but I'm liking cheese again. Why is this amazing? Because both used to upset my stomach, and now they don't. Weird, but I'll take it!

So, that ends my South Beach saga for now . . . I'll let you know if I learn anything else new in the future!

South Beach Update

I'm on Day 5, and here's my status on my goals:
To Eliminate the post-baby belly: I've lost several pounds already, and I can tell it's from my waist because my pants fit differently. But, oddly enough, the baby belly is still intact. Hmm. If that doesn't go away, I'm DEFINITELY not going to eat like this for the rest of my life!
To Learn New Recipes: We made a really good Orange Roughy (it's a fish- I didn't know either!) last night with ginger and green onions. I also like the cilantro mayo used for turkey and ham roll-ups (you roll up ham/turkey in lettuce - also very good). I found a recipe on another blog for Pinto Bean Salad with Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, and Cilantro (although we used Garbanzo beans). I loved it, but Dave didn't care for it, so my taste buds may be a little off! I also found I like sauteed cabbage, and I'm remembering omelets are also quite tasty. Oh, and poached eggs are nowhere near as bad as the name sounds! So, there are a few . . .

Here are some of my thoughts on the experience, in no particular order:
- Felt really nauseous the first few days. Not as bad today. Honestly thought I may be pregnant . . . Not sure if this is the way other people feel, but definitely not a "perk" as far as I'm concernd!
- I'm grumpy when I don't get enough food, and I don't ever really feel full eating this way. But that, too, has gotten better as the days have gone by.
- I really, really, really don't like ricotta cheese. There's a "dessert" with ricotta, vanilla extract, and splenda . . . even typing it makes me feel slightly nauseous again!
- I don't realize all the places I tend to "sneak" in a snack here and there, so this is definitely opening my eyes to that (like when I stop by the foodstore for milk - apparently I always get something when I do that because I almost did it without thinking!).

That's all for now . . . my brain is a bit mushy, too, so that's all I can remember! I'll let you know how the next week goes!

Hair cut

I decided to "take the plunge" and let a stylist do whatever she wanted with my hair! It took me 5 minutes to do this morning - easiest cut I've ever had, and way more fun. I'm getting brave in my "old age," I guess! So, here's the end product:

South Beach Diet

Yes, I have decided to go on a diet. I swore I would never go on a "diet," per say - that I would just eat healthy and exercise, and be happy with myself as I am. But, two babies does a number on your body - both in terms of it's shape, and in what you ingest! So, I have decided to tackle a diet for two reason: (1) to see if I can get rid of my "baby belly"; and (2) to re-train myself on how to eat healthy (and not need a cookie every afternoon!). I picked the South Beach diet because it seemed the least "diet-ish" (I love food and abhore the idea of drinking a shake in place of food for a meal; and I know how obsessed I become with things so counting calories would become a new religion for me!). Also, since one of my goals is to retrain my eating habits, I picked a diet that would introduce me to some new recipes involving something I'm awful at cooking - vegetables! And, I picked it because my mom and dad already did it, they had the book, and they seemed to like it (so, built in support system)! So, enter "THE DIET."
Yesterday, the boys and I spent 2 hours at Wal-Mart (woohoo!) collecting veggies I had never bought in my life, and fish (also something I've never learned how to cook, so I'm excited!). Then, last night, I stayed up until 11:30 cutting up veggies and getting salads and side dishes as prepared as I could (since one of the complaints I've read about this diet is it is time consuming). I'm using the menu recommended in the book because I'm lazy, and because I'm a rule follower and I couldn't figure out how to follow the rules without cooking explicitly what the author said. You should see our fridge - we've never had this many veggies in there in my life!!! But, I'm excited to give this a real shot, so I'm in full-force "rule-following mode"!
It is now afternoon on day #1 and I haven't had any trouble sticking to it (!). I'm a bit hungry right now, but I think it's just because I'm craving my afternoon sweets. One weird thing I've noticed is that things taste better, or at least stronger. Weird, I know. I don't think I'll have much trouble committing to the first 2 weeks - it doesn't sound like much fun, but I know I can do it (I tend to be stubborn that way). The challenging part, I think, will come in figuring out how to change my lifestyle to fit in with what I'm learning. But, we'll "worry" about that day when it comes. For now, day 1 is well underway and I'm excited to cook salmon for the first time tonight!

Friends and moving

So, for those of you who know me, you know that several of our closest friends have moved over the past year and a half. Dave and I used to be in the military (for those of you who don't know), so I thought we were used to the whole "friends moving" thing. I even remember telling more than one person, when saddened by the departure of a friend, that friends come in and out of our lives and the ones we are meant to remain friends with won't go away simply because their address has changed. And I do still firmly believe that. But, can I just tell you that it sucks to be on the "staying here" end of all these moves! At least when you're the one moving, you have the excitement of starting over in a new place and making new friends because you'll be out exploring new places (for those of you who have moved recently, I'm sure you'd disagree . . . and, when I was the one moving, I would side with you. But, since this is my blog, I'm talking about this from my perspective right now :-)). But, when you're the one staying put - it just sucks! I know, I know - I can get out there and meet new people, and I still have many dear friends who are still here. But the process of making friends is always such a daunting task!
Ok, so, when faced with an issue like this, I like to make lists. It's my way of controlling my environment (I know, I know - I'm working through this, really!). So, here is my list of good things that come from friends moving:
(1) You get to know neighbors you never knew you had.
(2) You become "chatty" with the people in the check-out line at the food store again (lesson learned, though - people aren't as chatty at Wal-Mart!).
(3) You learn new computer applications, in an attempt to stay in touch with friends who have moved (Facebook, anyone?!).
(4) You reconnect with your husband (poor Dave!).
(5) You rediscover library story times . . . all of them.
(6) You explore new ways to get to know people (Yahoo! Groups is kind of a cool thing!).
(7) You read more books.
(8) You make lists.

So, I guess this whole "friends moving" thing isn't so bad after all . . . Hey, any reason for me to have to make more lists is a good reason to me! And to those friends of mine who are actually reading this -- I miss you guys!!!

Update and Change

Hello! Yes, I have decided to attempt this blogging thing once again, in case I have friends out there who are actually reading this thing. With more and more people moving far away, I thought this may actually be a good way to keep people up-to-date on our lives . . . Hence the title change! For those of you who know me, I tend to ramble. I've taken out the "spiritual" part of the title because I want to be able to post any thoughts I have and any updates on our lives . . . maybe then I'll actually use this! So, here goes . . . !

Learning from my children's study Bible!

Having just posted a comment on studying the "deep" things of God, I had to point out something I learned the other night while reading my son's Bible! I wanted to share this to show that it is possible to learn the deep things of God in some of the most "basic" of formats . . . You don't have to pull out a lexicon and study all the words in the original Greek or Hebrew to learn something new and deep and amazing about God!
We were reading the story of Abraham and Isaac, when God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (I know, this Bible covers some hefty topics!). This is one of those stories in the Bible that I tend to tread lightly around. I don't completely understand it. Why would God, the one who tells us not to murder, tell Abraham to go sacrifice Isaac, the promised son and the one God's promises would start to be fulfilled through? Obviously He really meant for Abrham to sacrifice Isaac, but He apparently also fully intended to provide a substitute (ok, so can you see this is where I start to get lost? I haven't worked through all this yet, so bear with me!). The cool thing - in the kids Bible, the author tends to end each story with a foreshadowing of the cross (have I mentioned I love this Bible?!). So, at the end of this story, it said: "God wanted His people to live, not die. God wanted to rescue His people, not punish them. But they must trust Him." Basically, what I got out of this was that God wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to show Abraham (and us, by extension) that God does not want us to die in our sins, to be punished for them. He wants us to live, He wants to rescue us. But - we MUST trust Him. Just like Abraham had to do - God didn't want Isaac to die, He didn't want Isaac to be punished. But, in order for Isaac to be rescued in the end, Abraham had to trust God completely. And Abraham didn't know that fact at the beginning! God wants our best, He desires life for us and He longs to rescue us. But - before we know the ending, before we know how a situation will turn out - we must trust Him. All of that from a children's Bible story!!!

Why the deep thoughts . . .

I've been asked, either through posts or in conversation, why I'm bothering to think about some of the things I'm working through here. That's a very valid question. For years, I've thought it's a waste of time to think about the things I'm posting! So do I just have a lot of time to waste now? Absolutely not - as I type, I'm constantly checking the clock because one of my two small children is bound to wake up soon! I'm thinking through these things now because I've realized it is essential, it is important, and it is biblical. Someone (Mark Talbot) much smarter than I explained it this way: Why do we study the deep questions about God?

(1) Because we're commanded to love God with our whole mind, and this is the greatest commandment ("Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind . . . " - Luke 10:27).
(2) We are told to search for knowledge, wisdom, understanding. Prov. 2:2-4 - ". . . turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." All of the phrases used here, in relation to wisdom - turn your ear, apply your heart, call out, cry aloud, look, search - all imply an active search for knowledge and understanding about God. If you look at Job 28:1-11, it explains how hard it is to search for silver - man searches in the farthest recesses, in the balckest darkness, far from where people dwell, in places forgotten by the foot of man . . . man's hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains . . .. THIS is the way we are to go about seeking wisdom and understanding, knowledge of God!
(3) God wants us to understand Him so we can give Him adequate glory.

That last point is the crux, really. If I'm seeking God and asking questions just to acquire knowledge, I'm missing God and puffing myself up. BUT - if I am seeking God so that I can give Him adequate glory, that glorifies God! Want to know the exciting thing? The more I learn about God and learn about what the Bible says about how He works and who He is, the more I want to just drop to my knees and worship Him. If I ever reach the point where I don't have that reaction, I'll stop asking questions. And if I ever get to the point where I think I fully know and understand God, I'll stop asking questions and repent! But, for right now, I feel closer to God than I ever have, and I feel more excited than ever before to tell other people about Him because He is real and He is so much more powerful than I am! So, for now, I think I'll keep asking these questions - and keep digging and searching for understanding.

Cool hymn

I didn't write down the name of this hymn, but I heard this stanza and had to share it. Wow!

When through fiery trials your pathways shall lie
My grace, all sufficient, shall be your supply
The flames shall not hurt you
I only design your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

Praise God He knows which parts to consume and which parts to refine!!!

Loving our children

I've had a trying and convicting few days with my children, and wanted to share what I was just convicted of (in the hopes that, in making it public, it will stick with me more!). I was reading 1 Peter 4:8 and wondering how this applies to our children. It says:
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
First, I like to start with definitions. So, here are some keys:
"Covers over" = "to hinder the knowledge of a thing." It is also translated "veil."
"Sins" = "an act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God."

So, how does this apply to our children?
(1) We should love our children constantly, continually, perpetually - whether they are "loveable" or not (translate: even when they are throwing a monster temper tantrum and "accidentally" kick you in the face!).
(2) We should take no notice of offense (and with children, there are many!).
(3) We should not "aggravate" their sins or "spread them abroad." We don't walk around airing the sins of our Christian brothers and sisters - why do we air the sins of our children?
(4) We are to forgive them as Christ forgave us - not holding our child's sin against them and immediately restoring our relationship with them.

I think #3 hit me the hardest. As 1 Cor. 13:5-6 says, " . . . Love . . . keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth." How often have I sat down with other moms and aired the sins of my children, internally keeping a record of wrongs so I could share how "tough" my day was? How often have I shown delight in evil by recounting all the ways my child wronged me? It's amazing to me how I keep coming back to this point - the foundation of the Law is that we love one another. I think Mommy needs to seek someone's forgiveness today . . .

We are God's workmanship

I just had one of those "wow" moments studying the Bible, and I had to share what hit me. I'm sure, like most things I post, this is something most of you have realized before. For some reason lately, I seem to be relearning a lot of "basics" of the Christian faith! Perhaps, as I often learn, it's because I never really understood them in the first place . . . !

Anyway, I was looking at the idea that God's effectual calling overcomes our resistance to the Gospel (a point made by John Piper - and others, I'm sure!). As a reference, he provided 1 Cor. 1:22-24, which talks about how Christ's crucifiction is a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but TO THOSE WHOM GOD HAS CALLED it is the power and wisdom of God. So that got me thinking - who does God "call"? And that's where I stumbled on this little gem - God calls all those He predestined to call (Rom. 8:30). Put another way, I was created so that God could call me to Himself. The whole purpose of my existence is to glorify God (hmm, I think I've heard that before!) BECAUSE that's the purpose I was created for. Eph. 2:10 says: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." In the previous two verses, Paul points out that we are saved by grace through faith, a gift of God and the result of no works on our behalf. We are saved BECAUSE we were made to be saved. Why did God make us as His creatures? To do the good works he prepared in advance for us to do. Here's the kicker - I am not saved so that I can be happy or fulfilled or at peace with my circumstances (although these are certainly beneficial "side-effects" of salvation!). I AM saved so that God can use me to do the things He needs accomplished on this earth. Wow. That is both humbling and awe-inspiring.

Does God "cause" or "allow"?

In reading over a comment from someone on one of my previous posts, my husband and I got talking about whether God "causes" or "allows" bad things to happen. After talking around it for about 3 hours, we decided to go to bed - and I promised him I would use this blog as an outlet for my continued thoughts (because I probably could have kept talking the rest of the night!). Now, before you continue reading, let me warn you - what I'm suggesting will come across as offensive. But, as my dear friend, Jenn, always points out, God is constantly offending us - and I don't think that's a bad thing! With that said, though, please read my whole post before you decide I've jumped off the deep-end here! Ok, here goes - and please, tell me what you think on this!

Here's what I believe: God causes bad things to happen (versus allows). (NOTE: I'm discussing here whether you should use the word "cause" or the word "allow" - I'm not saying "cause" is necessarily the best word to use in this sentence. See, you need to keep reading!)

Here's what I'm assuming when I say that:
God is perfectly good, and there is no evil in Him (1 John 1:5).
God does not enjoy causing bad things to happen (Psalm 5:4).
God has good purposes in everything He does (Romans 8:28).
We are held responsible for the evil things we do because our purposes are not always good.
"Cause" means: to bring about. It implies a purpose.
"Allow" means: to permit something to happen or exist. It does not imply a purpose.

Why do I think it's important to say God causes bad things, verses God allows bad things? Saying God causes something to happen shows that He is in control. If was say He simply allows things to happen, I think it demonstrates a lack of control on His part. If I allow the door to remain open, I don't know what is going to happen as a result. If I cause the door to be left open, I do it to bring about a purpose I have already decided upon. There's a whole lot more I could say right now but, in the interest of keeping this first post readable, I'm going to stop there!

Having said that, let me tell you something I just discovered, as I tried to figure out how best to word this - a lot of people who are A LOT smarter than me have been discussing this very topic for centuries! Specifically, how do we deal with God's role in the occurence of evil. John Frame, in his book The Doctrine of God, says this about how we've dealt with this challenge in the past: "Some initial possibilities: authors, brings about, causes, controls, creates, decrees, foreordains, incites, includes within his plan, makes happen, ordains, permits, plans, predestines, predetermines, produces, stands behind, wills. Many of these are extra-scriptural terms; none of them are perfectly easy to define in this context. So theologians need to give some careful thought about which of these terms, if any, should be affirmed, and in what sense." Point well-taken - this is not an easy question to answer. While I'd like to fill in the blank in the following sentence - "God ______ bad things to happen"- the "blank" is apparently not very easy for us, as humans, to fill. If theologians through the centuries have not been able to decide on a specific term, I don't think I'm going to figure it out in one blog post! For me, the key is something else Frame says: "Somehow, we must confess both that God has a role in bringing evil about, and that in doing so he is holy and blameless. . . . God does bring sins about, but always for his own good purposes. So in bringing sin to pass he does not himself commit sin. "

What's my point in all this - God has a plan. Nothing happens by accident. And I am very glad to serve a God who is the ultimate authority on all things, good or bad.

Total Depravity, Part II

I’m reading a sermon series by John Piper on the 5 points of Calvinism. I know I’ve written on this topic before, but I had to share a further revelation. I was trying to explain recently to a friend why I was so excited about understanding this idea of my complete, utter sinfulness. As I talked, I realized that it is really hard to put into words how exciting it is to realize you are a complete sinner! Let me borrow something from Piper to try to explain why this is so exciting, and why it is so awe-inspiring. He says, in concluding his discussion on total depravity:
“In summary, total depravity means that apart from any enabling grace from God, our hardness and rebellion against God is total, everything we do in this rebellion is sin, our inability to submit to God or reform ourselves is total, and we are therefore totally deserving of eternal punishment.
It is hard to exaggerate the importance of admitting our condition to be this bad. If we think of ourselves as basically good or even less than totally at odds with God, our grasp of the work of God in redemption will be defective. But if we humble ourselves under this terrible truth of our total depravity, we will be in a position to see and appreciate the glory and wonder of the work of God . . . “
It has really hit me recently that God is a God of absolutes. You are either for Him, or you are against Him. You are either a sinner, or you are saved by grace. There is no quantification in His book. I am not a better person than anyone else – I am a sinner of the worst kind (because there is no other kind!). The awesome part of that understanding is that, despite my complete “wrongness,” God reached in and He decided to make me “right.” It isn’t because He looked into the future and saw I was going to be a good person anyway so He might as well save me . . . I am full of sin, but God, in His infinite mercy and grace, decided to save me. That just brings me to my knees . . .

Why is prayer powerful?

I'm currently studying the book of James. I was amazed to find that I have taken a lot of verses from the book of James out of context. I think other people do, too (or maybe I've just heard people wrong in the past - I've found that happens way more often than I care to admit!). I think it's easy to do - James is written, as my study Bible points out, in the same format as Proverbs. It is filled with one-liners of wisdom! But, something I've realized is that you don't truly understand what the "one-liner" means until you read the other verses around it, consider where James is coming from and who he wrote this letter to, and consider what the Bible as a whole has to say about what he's writing. I know, novel concept here! But you can walk away from James with a lot of well-meaning, wise sayings that are just totally unbiblical and not at all what James meant! Poor James!
So, here's what I've discovered about prayer, in reading James 5:13-20. I'm going to put the whole section here because I'm sure, if you're anything like me, you won't take the time - while reading a blog - to pull out your Bible and look it up for yourself! Here it is, then:
"13 Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. 19 My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins."

Here's where I was wrong. I got all caught up in the ways to pray to bring about healing (or so I thought) and I missed the example James is giving. His examples are key, really. Elijah is an excellent example of someone uttering a powerful prayer - and the reason why such prayer is so powerful. Here's why:

1. Elijah was a "man like us." He wasn't someone who was extra-special (although we may beg to differ - he was in the Bible, after all!); he didn't have an "in" with God that made his prayers more effective than ours. He was normal, a sinner.
2. God sent Elijah, as his representative, to King Ahab to say it would not rain in the next few years (1 Kings 17:1) and then God sent Elijah back to King Ahab when God was going to make it rain again (1 Kings 18:1). Elijah didn't pray that it would stop raining or start raining on his own accord - he was doing what God told him to do. So, when our prayers are in line with what God wants, we can believe they will be answered.
3. God always brings wholeness and forgiveness in answer to our prayers - that's what James means when he says " . . . pray for one another so that you may be healed." Healing in this context means wholeness and restoration. Look at the example of Elijah - Elijah prayed, and God brought back the rain. He restored the land.

Prayer is powerful because God is powerful - not because we're righteous enough, we use the right brand of oil, or we've confessed every sin we could think of. A lot of the book of James can be misinterpreted as what we need to do to make things happen. But, really, if you look closely, you'll see that the book of James is all about how we are powerless to do anything apart from God. You want to have true faith? You want to tame your tongue? You want to receive what you ask for? You want to see someone healed? Humble yourself - "Come near to God, and He will come near to you" (James 4:8). It's amazing to me how, the more I understand the Bible, the more humbled I am and the closer I want to be to God. I guess that's the point!

Sovereign God

It's hard to find time to use this - I've actually had to start a list of all the thoughts I'd like to blog about at some point! Tonight everyone is in bed early and I'm still awake, so I thought I'd try to get some thoughts processed through here! So, here's what's been on my mind and heart a lot lately - the sovereignty of God. I've been re-examining a lot of the pat, Christian expressions I've uttered in the past, and realized that a lot of them don't line up with what the Bible really says. And, because of that, they don't show how big and sovereign God really is. Take Romans 8:28, for instance. According to the New American Standard translation (which I am coming to love because it seems to give such a better sense of what the verse actually means), it says: "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Usually, when I'm talking to someone, I can't remember the exact words of a verse - so I'll paraphrase! With this verse, I tend to say "God works good things out of all situations." When I say that, I mean (or at least, I used to, before I noticed this point I'm writing about here!) that God will bring something good out of even the worst of situations. And, in a sense, that's true. But what the verse is really saying is that God CAUSES all things to work together for good. He doesn't take the lemons and make lemonade - he makes the lemons AND the lemonade! Think about what that says about God's sovereignty. If you think God sees a bad situation in your life and then finds a way to bring good out of it, you're really saying that God was surprised by the bad situation in your life and had to figure out how to change it so that something good could come out of it. That's not sovereignty. That, in my book, is not God with a capital "G." BUT - if, instead, you look at a bad situation and say God is working good out of even this situation, which He caused, then God is sovereign. Then God is GOD. I used to think that by saying it that way, I was saying something bad about God - afterall, do I really want to worship a God who causes bad things to happen to people? But if you really think about it - really, truly think about it - I, for one, would much rather worship a God who causes both the good AND the bad, rather than a God who is surprised by the bad and has to scramble to somehow make it good again. What kind of God is that?! Now let me be honest - I'm still a little fuzzy about how all that works . . . Does God truly cause children to get cancer, or innocent people to die? I don't know. From what I read in the Bible, though, it sure does seem like it . . . And from what I read in the Bible, it seems like he uses ALL of it for His perfect purposes. That is way more encouraging - and more awe-inspiring - than a God who has nothing to do with the bad things. At least if God is in charge of causing/allowing the bad, too, I can find hope in the fact that there will be a purpose to it, since God is an orderly God . . . But that's another thought for another post!!! My point is - I'd rather follow a God who causes rather than a God who has to figure things out when they come up. Wouldn't you?

Confession

I have something to confess. I've been reading through the book of James and, in several places, he talks about following the "royal law" (he only uses that phrase once, in James 2:8, but he also references it in James 4:11). The "royal law" is from Leviticus 19:18 - ". . . Love your neighbor as yourself . . . " It is also found in Matthew 22:36-40, where Jesus is asked what is the greatest commandment. He says it is "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." In Romans 13:8-10, Paul concludes that " . . . love is the fulfillment of the Law." I know this. I've read this before. I'm sure you have too. But for some reason, it really hit me today. My Study Bible, in reference to James 2:8, notes that the command to love your neighbor as yourself is called the royal law because ". . . it is the supreme law that is the source of all other laws governing human relationship. It is the summation of all such laws."
Here's my confession - usually, I kind of skip over that part about loving your neighbor as yourself. The part about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, etc. - that makes me pause. But the loving your neighbor as yourself part? Honestly, I tend to write it off as cliche (ouch -- it's in the Bible, how could I think that?! Now you're seeing the real me!!!). But I've been studying a little lately about what the Bible means when it uses the word "love." Consider 1 Cor. 13 - love is patient, kind, doesn't envy, doesn't boast, isn't proud, isn't self-seeking or rude, doesn't keep a record of wrong . . . Love is active. It is fruitful. It does not fail. It is the only thing that will remain when all else passes away (referring to 1 Cor. 13:8-13). In the past, I tended to look at the command to "love your neighbor as yourself" as a command to think about how I would treat myself and then treat others that way. At other times, I've thought it meant that I must love myself if I am going to truly love my neighbor (I know, I know - where did I come up with that little gem?!). But it is saying so much more than those selfish things. We are to love other people fruitfully - and the fruit of that love should be patience, kindness, humility, forgiving (hmm, I think I've heard those things before). You truly can sum up all God wants us to do in those words: "LOVE your neighbor as yourself." The emphasis is on the love part.
Again, one of those things that might not be deep for anyone else but me - but I had to confess skimming over these verses up to this point!!!

Understanding the Bible

Something I've really been seeing lately is how critical it is to interpret the Scriptures in light of the rest of the Bible. I've known that it's dangerous to take verses out of context, but now I'm realizing that, to truly understand what a passage means, you must consider it in light of what the rest of the Bible says. Why? Because the Bible makes sense as a whole - it was all inspired by God, so it's not going to contradict with itself. What specifically made me think about this? I was considering something a friend said - she pointed out that the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy. And I thought - I've heard that before, but where does it come from. So, I decided to look it up! Turns out the verse is John 10:10 where Jesus says: "IThe thief comes only to steal and kill and destory; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." It's part of Jesus' explanation fo how He is the gate for the sheep. He says all who came before Him were thieves and robbers, but the sheep didn't listen to them. He says that He is the gate and that, by entering "the pasture" throug hHim, the sheep will find full life. According to the notes in my Bible, the "others" that came before Him were "false shepherds," like the Pharisees and Chief priests. How does my Study Bible know this? Not only by the context surrounding the verse, but by other verses that discuss shepherds. Isaiah 56:11 and Ez. 34:2 are two such passages. I won't get into it all here, but by doing this little study it became clear to me that this passage is not about Satan - it's about the former leaders of Israel. Hmm.

My next question, then, is if this could be applied to Satan? Does he "kill and steal and destroy"? Is he referred to as a "thief" anywhere else? The answer to this last question is no - he's most often referred to as a deceiver and an accuser. An even bigger point I found, which I knew but didn't really know (if that makes any sense!) is that, while Satan can and does kill people, it is only when God allows him to do so. My study Bible points out that "Satan wields the power of death only insofar as he induces people to sin and to come under sin's penalty, which is death." Why is this a good thing?! Because - if God is ultimately in charge of everything, if He even uses Satan for His (God's) purposes, then I know that good will come of any bad thing that happens ("And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." - Rom. 8:28). It's not really right - or encouraging, in my opinion - to say that Satan killed or stole or destroyed something. Instead, I'd say that God is sovereign and His purposes will be fulfilled, even in the darkest of situations. But maybe I'm just a "glass half-full" kind of person . . . ?

Total Depravity

Recently, we (husband and I) have been praying and thinking about our "theology." Some deep things to think over!
Today, the thought of "total depravity" was on my mind. Total Depravity means that, apart from God, we are completely sinful. John Piper (ck out http://www.desiringgod.org/ for things by him) talks about how there are two types of sin referred to in the Bible (my wording, not his). There are sins, and then there is sin. The first type is what you normally think of as sin - going against the will of God. Sins are things we continue to commit even after we are saved. "Sin," in contrast, is everything we do apart from God. Piper points out the following verses to make this point:
Romans 14:23 - Whatever is not from faith is sin.
Hebrews 11:6 -And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Romans 7:18 - For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is
present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
What he is saying is, before we are saved, nothing we do can truly be "good," even if it looks good in the eyes of the world. Why is this? As Paul says, ". . . nothing good dwells in me . . . " so, connecting the dots, nothing good can come out of us in our flesh. As Piper says, even building a hospital or doing some other great philanthropic deed, if done apart from faith in God, is sin because it does not please God for us to do seemingly good things apart from Him. This doesn't make sense from a worldly perspective - how can doing something good be sin regardless of whether or not God is involved. Perhaps it's because God's ultimate goal is not to make "good people" who do "good deeds," but to make humble people who know Him and have a relationship with Him. What is the ultimate goal of life - to be good? According to the Westminster Confession, "The chief end of man [is] to glorify God and enjoy His presence forever." Challenging!

I was reading James 3:13-15 today. Here it is: "Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. " It's interesting to consider how negatively James portrays a life lived without true faith. He really makes clear how much of a stench all our "good works" are without the true, saving faith of God at work in our lives. Verse 13 implies that, witout wisdom (that comes from faith in God), we cannot live a good life, we cannot perform deeds in humility. We will have bitter envy and selfish ambition in our hearts because they are simply characteristics of "good deeds" performed without the wisdom of God. Think about it - why can't you do anything good without God's wisdom? Because your wisdom, which governs what you do, will - by nature - be sinful. It is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. I was a "good" person before I was saved. But I wasn't "good" in God's eyes because the wisdom that directed everything I did was evil! Even if it looked good from the outside, it wasn't because my heart was wrong. Understanding that makes it all that much more clear how precious God's grace truly is, how amazing it is. He saved a wretch like me because His grace is amazing - not because of anything I did right. I was the worst of sinners, as Paul says (1 Tim. 1:16), but God showed me mercy so that " . . . Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.." Wow.

Faith

I decided to break-up these two thoughts because they're really two different trails. "Faith" is a word you hear bantied around a lot in Christian circles. So, in my undying devotion to the true meaning of all things, I decided to look it up! Faith, according to the dictionary, means: "belief that is not based on proof; the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved; belief, trust and loyalty to a person or thing." Faith is to be contrasted with "blind faith," which is "belief without true understanding, perception, or discrimination." Indeed, as my previous post suggests, if one has blind faith in God then his or her actions won't illustrate it. And so, such faith cannot and will not save. Another definition I found that I thought helpful was in Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (I know, a "biased" source! But, I figure it may actually give more of the meaning of a word in the Biblical sense, since the meaning of a word is influenced by its context). It says ". . . 'Faith is a spiritual attitude involving activity.' It is the actions that follow a declaration of faith which determine whether or not it is true." Faith might be something you can't see, and it might be based on something that can't be objectively proven, but it can be proven to be true by the resultant actions. It's almost like a backwards way at getting at "proving" God exists. If He is real and if He truly does change a person as He says in His Word, then a person who puts his/her faith in God should be changed. If you don't see a change, either the faith isn't real or the thing that a person has faith in is not real. I, for one, have seen the proof of real faith in my life - I am a different person, I do different things, than I did before I had faith in God. These changes are not things I could manufacture on my own, apart from God. How do I know this? I tried! Therefore, from what I can see, I know God is real.

The Proof Is In the Pudding

First, let me just say - if anyone is actually looking at this (!) - that I'm sorry for not being consistent. I guess that's just how it will be. So, if you are reading this - I apologize, but at least it makes it easy to stay caught up! And, if no one is, then it works great as an outlet for me! So it's a win-win all around!
For some reason, random idioms like to float through my mind when I'm reading or thinking abou things! Sometimes it's song lyrics (usually kid's songs, so not very helpful!). Occassionally, it's something spiritual like a Bible verse! But most of the time it's something seemingly useless - like this. Today, however, I decided to look it up to see if it applied to what I was reading - and, amazingly, it did. The even cooler part (is that a word?!) is that it made some of what I was reading click even more! Apparently, the phrase comes from Don Quixote and is actually "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." It means, according to Ask Yahoo, ". . . the true value or quality of something can only be judged when it's put to use." So what was I reading when this little gem popped into my mind?! James 2:17 - "Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." Often, I've heard this verse and related it to "being good." I figured it meant that I had to act in a certain way in order to be truly saved. I think a lot of people tend to thing it means that. But, in reality, what James is saying is that, if you are truly saved, you will act a certain way. You can't earn your salvation through your actions. Romans 3:28 says "For we maintain tht a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law." We are justified - declared righteous by God - through our faith in God's promises and His Word, not through anything we do or say. So James says, simply, that if we are truly saved, our deeds should reflect that. The way we behave should reflect that we have been changed on the inside. The proverbial proof - the quality or value - of our faith will be found in the pudding - when it's put to use. Cool!

Works vs. Fruit

Ok, so I said I was going to get back to some of my favorite definitions - but that will have to wait for another day, when I don't have anything else I've been thinking about! I just finished some time in Galatians, and I wanted to share something that is just starting to make sense to me. I was reading Gal. 5:16-26, and was looking specifically at verse 19 and verse 22. Here's what they say:
Vs. 19-21 - "Now, the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."
Vs. 22 - 23 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."
Here's the thing that hit me - notice how, in verse 19, the word "deeds" is used, and it is plural. In verse 22, the word "fruit" is used, and it is singular. As I mentioned previously, I love words - and think God intended to use the exact words He used in the exact places He used them, in conjunction with each other (so, in other words, context is also key!). So why did Paul use a these two words? The word "deeds" refers to things we do (according to the concordance, the word used means "an act, deed, thing done - the idea of working is ephasised in opposition to that which is less than work"). The list which follows is not meant to be exhaustive, but simply an example of what we do in the flesh - what we do when we try to do things on our own. The same word is used when referring to "works" vs. faith. Left to our own devices, these are the types of things we do. We might do all of them, but we do some of them! However, in verse 22, the word fruit is used in the singular sense because, when the Holy Spirit works in you, you become someone new. You don't just do better things - you ARE better.
So, here's a summary of what I got - God doesn't want us to be simply good rule-followers. If that's all He wanted, He would have just given us the law and left us to our own devices. Instead, He wants us to be new people. And the only way that can happen is by the grace of God: Eph 2:8-9 says "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of WORKS (there's that same word as in Gal. 5:19), so that no one may boast." For years, I thought that if I did everything I thought God wanted me to do (not by following Old Testament Law, but by "being a good person" and not stealing or cheating, reading my Bible, praying, etc.), I would be saved. I was wrong - not only was I not "saved," I was miserable! Why was I miserable? Because the law only serves to condemn and bring about death. It only points out what I was doing wrong because, ultimately, that's all the law can do. But when I gave myself to God and asked Him to live inside of me, that's when I became truly free - and that's when I was no longer miserable! Because, when you give yourself to God, when the Holy Spirit lives inside of you and when you listen to that still, small voice, you are changed. You become a different person. And it is through no act of your own, so you can't boast about it in the least! So that's my insight for today . . .