http://bible.com/116/dan.12.3.nlt
Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.
To be wise is to have understanding, to fear the Lord’s wrath and righteous judgement that will be poured out on this world.
Continue reading “Shine bright, that isn’t your little flame, it is His glorious grace”
http://bible.com/59/luk.9.57-62.ESV
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”
Three men. Three situations. The responses.
Continue reading “A Disciple is not a career choice, it is a calling”
My dad and I had a wonderful talk the other night. Sometimes there just isn’t anyone else better than dad to give you that perfect mix of pep talk where it’s, “I’m proud of you” and “You need to stick it out and see it to the end because you are a man” all bundled up perfectly in the conversation you need to push you to keep climbing the stairs of life.
You know, it’s a blessing to be at that point in life where we can talk and listen to each other, both as grown men, and to respect each other and genuinely listen to each other. Lord knows it hasn’t always been that way. And don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t him – it was me and my immaturity that got in the way for so so long.
As we were sitting down at dinner tonight, we were explaining to our 4 year old daughter that everyone has a mommy and a daddy. She replied that her Daddy Jim doesn’t have a daddy. You see, my dad’s dad, my grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer shortly before Mia was born and was headed into hospice as we were bringing Mia home from the hospital. Their lives overlapped for exactly two weeks. Mia just understands that he is missing from the table at our family gatherings. We explained that granddad is in heaven.
To which my daughter boldly replied,
“You don’t fly to heaven, you walk.”
Continue reading “My 4 Year Old, “You don’t fly to heaven, you walk.””
Who Am I?
by Deitrich Bonhoeffer
Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a Squire from his country house.
Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As thought it were mine to command.
Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectations of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all.
This or the Other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptible woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?
Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am thine!
http://bible.com/116/isa.43.25.nlt “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.
Once we are forgiven for our sins, God will not bring them up again. In fact, they are to God “as far as the east is from the west”.
There is a lot that we can learn about forgiveness. We aren’t supposed to be the nagging spouse always bringing up the past faults of our partner. We aren’t supposed to be the constantly whining child pointing out every fault, every wrong, keeping score of the hurts of others crying, “That’s not fair”.
We are supposed to be Christ like.
Continue reading “Forgiven and forgotten, or keeping count?”
http://bible.com/116/isa.30.20.nlt Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and suffering for drink, He will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes.
Not exactly the encouragement that I was hoping for this morning.
Continue reading “Can I get a serving of Christian, minus the adversity and suffering, please?”
http://bible.com/116/isa.26.7-8.nlt But for those who are righteous, the way is not steep and rough. You are a God who does what is right, and you smooth out the path ahead of them. Lord , we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
The past few weeks, I’ve been getting things ready for a gathering of folks at our farm land. At the same time, we are involved in a Dave Ramsey financial peace class where we are running on a very strict weekly budget as we are focusing on eliminating debt and coming into obedience and self discipline in that area of our lives.
Continue reading “Am I running around seeking blindly, or am I following the path?”
http://bible.com/100/num.22.31.nasb Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed all the way to the ground.
How often are we walking blindly, but telling ourselves that we know what we are doing? Even those of us who walk by faith and not by sight, don’t we sometimes begin to believe that we know the way ourselves? Doesn’t our own will try to step in and recover a foothold on our Christ surrendered lives?
Continue reading “Are we blind to what is getting in the way?”
http://bible.com/116/isa.2.15-17.nlt He will break down every high tower and every fortified wall.
He will destroy all the great trading ships and every magnificent vessel.
Human pride will be humbled, and human arrogance will be brought down. Only the Lord will be exalted on that day of judgment.
High towers and fortified walls speak of things that man not only takes pride in, but those things that we look to as our source of security. For some who are prosperous, a source of security may be savings, wealth, insurance policies, and retirement plans. For some who are motivated and entrepreneurial, a source of security may motivation, abilities, and charisma. For some who are frugal, a source of security may be self-discipline and meager living. For some who are carefree, a source of security may be abandoning all concern for the future and chasing pleasure and immediate gratification by ignoring and denying the possibility of any future cost or consequences.
Harold J. Ballinger 