Ephesians 2:1-11 says this:"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body[a] and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.[b] 4 But[c] God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands—"
I'm just going to write out some observations that I pull from this text. This was given to us as an assignment in my preaching class. These observations will likely be unrefined and everywhere as my mind contemplates on this passage and, prayerfully, the Spirit teaches.
OBSERVATIONS:
-Paul loves to use "Were, But" comparisons. This is one. You were dead in sin, but God made you alive.
-Sin is both how and why we were dead.
-Some people look at verse 2 and think that this passage does not apply to them because they were saved at an early age and never really "walked in the ways of the flesh." This is heresy. All men have sinned and fall short (Romans 3:23) and God views each as guilty as the others. For a person to ever think scripture doesn't apply to them because they are over it, is for a person to think much too highly of themselves, placing themselves in the throne of God.
-Paul is also gut-checking the Ephesians, reminding them that they are not any better than those in the culture around them that still outwardly pursued the pursuits of the flesh.
-Paul explicitly states here in verse 4 that all people are by nature children of wrath. He recognizes that to serve God exclusively cannot be done without relying wholly on His strength. People cannot do things that are against their very nature. It is against a humans nature to fly, therefore we don't (not airplanes). Just like it's against a human nature to show grace, and glorify another (God), so we don't unless God glorifies Himself through us, or works His grace through us.
-Then comes the But. God, who is rich in mercy, mercy is getting what you don't deserve. God delights in pouring out what His children don't deserve on them. I'm not talking about common grace here, like a house, car, job, etc. He gives those blessings to the lost and saved alike. I am referring to the eternal joy and hope that a Christian who truly believes the bible has. God's mercy is at its peak at the cross. God gave Himself, the ultimate of what we do not deserve.
-God's great love, with which He loved us. Agape, unconditional love, past tense verb here, "loved us" meaning that He loved us unconditionally even before we acknowledged Him. While we were lost. Incredible! His love is also stated as the source of His mercy in this passage, or translation at least. Because He loves us, He lavishes mercy on us. Christ went to the cross, because He loved us.
-Christ is the pinnacle of all God's love, we know quite a bit about how God felt about Christ. We know that God the Father exalts Him to the highest place over all creation. He sits at God's right hand, at the place of honor. Now, Paul claims here that we were made alive together with Christ. We know that Christ defeated death on the cross. So can we! The death referred to here as sin CAN be defeated because of God's love and mercy, through Christ's defeat of it on the cross. Incredible!
-Paul explicitly says, by grace we are saved twice. Grace is the flip side of mercy, it is not getting what you do deserve. We were all born in sin and we all deserve an eternity in hell. But God's grace is sufficient through Jesus Christ that we don't get what we deserve if we believe and live lives that glorify Him.
-We were made alive; allowed to live. But that's not all. Not only did He save us from His judgment, He has chosen to exalt us with Christ. He makes much of those who make much of Him. This does NOT mean that we should worship God because He makes much of us. But because He allows us to make much of Him. That is what we were created for.
-Verse 10 says that we are God's workmanship. A few applications come to mind. One, God created you with His will in mind. If you feel like you're not what you want to be physically, God knew exactly what you were going to look like every day of your life. To say that you are not created for a purpose, or that you cannot fulfill that purpose because of your self esteem is to say that God does not know beauty as well as we do. Ridiculous! Another application; God created us with a purpose. He spent time and energy to make us in His image; for His glory. Don't lose sight of that. Christian you have a purpose and it is NOT only to fill a pew every Sunday. Your purpose is stated in the rest of that verse.
-Created in Christ Jesus for Good works. Now we know that works ≠ salvation. But flowing forth from salvation should be godliness. Good works are part of every true Christian's life. It's that simple.
-Verse 11 refers to the uncircumcision and the circumcision. Paul is being a little bit of a smart alec here and i love it. Paul's entire ministry was plagued by Judaizers (those who believed you must be Jewish first then Christian). He uses a derogatory term for them here. But they coined it. Regardless, sometimes Paul smarts off.
-The main point in this passage: God did everything good in you. He sought you while you were a filthy sinner and chose you out, to exalt you to the highest place alongside Christ. Not so you can boast, but so He will be glorified through your joy.
Thanks for reading. I know they don't all make sense. If you have a question, just comment and I'll see what I can do with it.
Desiring deeper understanding,
Jeremy
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
Integrity is hard
As I get older and I learn more about both God and life, I am realizing that this life is hard. It is filled with opportunities to destroy yourself.
Integrity- N. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
That is what good ole Dr. Webster has to say about what integrity is. He's right. The quality of being honest is part of integrity, a large part even. He presents a second definition, though, and that's the one I want to talk about.
Integrity- N. The state of being whole and undivided
Interesting Webby. Let's dissect that a little, shall we?
Point 1- Morals. Having integrity means that when no one is watching, when no one will ever know, you follow the rules. You do what is right. No matter the benefit to you or the lack of consequences. There are much fewer gray areas in God's mind than there are in the world's. Keep that in mind.
Point 2- Being what you say you are. Being vs. Saying. Now, when I say "saying," I mean proclaiming or identifying with. To have integrity requires the way we think and act to line up with what we claim. As humans we claim many things: and some things are much easier to "be." For example, I claim to be human, pretty easy to make that true. I claim to be a son, pretty easy to make that true. Let's look at some harder ones though. We claim to be dependable, but we hoard money like we'll never see another cent. We claim to be honest, but we lie every time someone asks us how we are.
Now let's take this practical knowledge, beneficial to everyone, and apply it to Christianity.
Point 1- Jesus had perfect morals. However, his morals were not defined by the cultures. If the culture said that abortion and gay marriage are okay, one can bet that Jesus said they weren't. Christian morals should be modeled directly after Jesus'. Stand for what he stood for, and denounce what he denounced. WARNING: THIS WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE COUNTER CULTURAL. People will NOT like you. But the God of the universe will help you.
Point 2- If you claim to be a "Christian," then you claim to be Christ. The word literally means "Christ one." Now, if you CLAIM that, you should BE that. Having integrity among Christianity requires living EVERY facet of your life the way Christ would live if he was you. If you are a "Christ One" then all of you is Christ's. That word does NOT mean "Half Christ's," because he doesn't want that. He wants all. To be what you say you are is not HUMANLY possible. We know that. That is why people don't even try, and to this I say, START. You will be amazed to find that you will begin to succeed because the God of the universe wants you to. God, who created you, draws you closer to Him through making you more like Christ.
It sounds legalistic I know. Follow all the rules and God will bless you. Sure. Well, if we measure this in a legalistic way, ALL of us are completely hopeless. God's rules and laws do not exist only to show us how to live and keep us from trouble, they exist to point out how imperfect we are. Without the law, we would not know what is right or wrong, so we would not be aware how sinful and wrong we are! The law of God shows us that we desperately NEED JESUS.
The good news: Christ came, lived out the law, died, and ROSE AGAIN. Through this act, God's wrath was satisfied. Those who believe are made perfect through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Not only are our sins forgiven, but when God looks at us, He sees Christ. Perfection. Glory.
I say that to say this: when it seems like you are going through a season lacking integrity, falling away from the presence of God, you should not give up. Christ paid for those sins ahead of time. Brokenness over sin is beautiful. Being upset about sinning against the God of the universe is expected, however dwelling on a sin thinking that God doesn't want you or that He can no longer use you is heresy. It is putting God in a box.
To sum this last part up: Christ is our integrity!
Desiring deeper integrity,
Jeremy
Integrity- N. The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
That is what good ole Dr. Webster has to say about what integrity is. He's right. The quality of being honest is part of integrity, a large part even. He presents a second definition, though, and that's the one I want to talk about.
Integrity- N. The state of being whole and undivided
Interesting Webby. Let's dissect that a little, shall we?
Point 1- Morals. Having integrity means that when no one is watching, when no one will ever know, you follow the rules. You do what is right. No matter the benefit to you or the lack of consequences. There are much fewer gray areas in God's mind than there are in the world's. Keep that in mind.
Point 2- Being what you say you are. Being vs. Saying. Now, when I say "saying," I mean proclaiming or identifying with. To have integrity requires the way we think and act to line up with what we claim. As humans we claim many things: and some things are much easier to "be." For example, I claim to be human, pretty easy to make that true. I claim to be a son, pretty easy to make that true. Let's look at some harder ones though. We claim to be dependable, but we hoard money like we'll never see another cent. We claim to be honest, but we lie every time someone asks us how we are.
Now let's take this practical knowledge, beneficial to everyone, and apply it to Christianity.
Point 1- Jesus had perfect morals. However, his morals were not defined by the cultures. If the culture said that abortion and gay marriage are okay, one can bet that Jesus said they weren't. Christian morals should be modeled directly after Jesus'. Stand for what he stood for, and denounce what he denounced. WARNING: THIS WILL CAUSE YOU TO BE COUNTER CULTURAL. People will NOT like you. But the God of the universe will help you.
Point 2- If you claim to be a "Christian," then you claim to be Christ. The word literally means "Christ one." Now, if you CLAIM that, you should BE that. Having integrity among Christianity requires living EVERY facet of your life the way Christ would live if he was you. If you are a "Christ One" then all of you is Christ's. That word does NOT mean "Half Christ's," because he doesn't want that. He wants all. To be what you say you are is not HUMANLY possible. We know that. That is why people don't even try, and to this I say, START. You will be amazed to find that you will begin to succeed because the God of the universe wants you to. God, who created you, draws you closer to Him through making you more like Christ.
It sounds legalistic I know. Follow all the rules and God will bless you. Sure. Well, if we measure this in a legalistic way, ALL of us are completely hopeless. God's rules and laws do not exist only to show us how to live and keep us from trouble, they exist to point out how imperfect we are. Without the law, we would not know what is right or wrong, so we would not be aware how sinful and wrong we are! The law of God shows us that we desperately NEED JESUS.
The good news: Christ came, lived out the law, died, and ROSE AGAIN. Through this act, God's wrath was satisfied. Those who believe are made perfect through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Not only are our sins forgiven, but when God looks at us, He sees Christ. Perfection. Glory.
I say that to say this: when it seems like you are going through a season lacking integrity, falling away from the presence of God, you should not give up. Christ paid for those sins ahead of time. Brokenness over sin is beautiful. Being upset about sinning against the God of the universe is expected, however dwelling on a sin thinking that God doesn't want you or that He can no longer use you is heresy. It is putting God in a box.
To sum this last part up: Christ is our integrity!
Desiring deeper integrity,
Jeremy
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Lion Lovin'
This weekend I went to Fayetteville, Arkansas with my fiancee and her wonderful family. On Saturday afternoon we went to a safari park. Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I love animals. Really all types of animals.
Though this one seems tame, because he is completely worn out from all the playing, I am reminded not be distracted by the furry, cute outer covering. Don't get me wrong, this thing was stinkin adorable. I wanted to take it home. Here is another picture of the one I'm holding's brother playing with a toy:
Think about it this way, underneath all the fur and muscle and bones, lions run on primitive software. Simple software, Eat, Sleep, Breed, and Survive. Everything else comes extra and is easily forgotten when the software takes over. Even though they are cute and cuddly, they will one day be dangerous. Very dangerous.
Here's the thing, humans are the same way. We run on primitive caveman software. The one thing you don't have to teach a child how to do is sin. Babies come out of the womb selfish beings. Knowing this, why in the world do we expect non-believers to look like believers? Shouldn't there be a difference?
To judge someone who does not claim Christ for not looking like Christ is utter foolishness.
That statement, to me, means two things.
One, being surprised or upset at a sinner (unbeliever) when they sin is a sure fire way to block the gospel from flowing through you to them. Simple as that. You can't expect someone without Christ not to sin because they have no way not to. Christ is our only way not to sin. In two ways, Christ shows us our sin by His Word and His spirit (The Holy Spirit's conviction John 16:7-8) and, Christ gives us the strength to defend against temptation. He is more powerful than any sin, addiction, or fault we have, and he FREELY gives us that power.
Two, if someone claims Christ and truly believes, you have every right to hold them up to scripture as a fellow believer. Not only do you have the right, but the duty. To allow a brother to fall without attempting to catch him is a slight to the kingdom.When a man accepts Christ and truly believes, Christ makes him a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The "old" referenced in this verse is that sinful wiring. Christ desires to make us more like himself and that's where he starts. A word of caution, before you call someone out, make sure what they are doing is actually a sin. And do so graciously. Scripture instructs us to bear with one another, (Ephesians 3:13) and love one another through it.
Just a thought for today. I hope it encouraged/challenged you.
Desiring deeper waters,
Jeremy
 |
| While we were there we had a chance to play with a lion cub. |
Though this one seems tame, because he is completely worn out from all the playing, I am reminded not be distracted by the furry, cute outer covering. Don't get me wrong, this thing was stinkin adorable. I wanted to take it home. Here is another picture of the one I'm holding's brother playing with a toy:
Think about it this way, underneath all the fur and muscle and bones, lions run on primitive software. Simple software, Eat, Sleep, Breed, and Survive. Everything else comes extra and is easily forgotten when the software takes over. Even though they are cute and cuddly, they will one day be dangerous. Very dangerous.
Here's the thing, humans are the same way. We run on primitive caveman software. The one thing you don't have to teach a child how to do is sin. Babies come out of the womb selfish beings. Knowing this, why in the world do we expect non-believers to look like believers? Shouldn't there be a difference?
To judge someone who does not claim Christ for not looking like Christ is utter foolishness.
That statement, to me, means two things.
One, being surprised or upset at a sinner (unbeliever) when they sin is a sure fire way to block the gospel from flowing through you to them. Simple as that. You can't expect someone without Christ not to sin because they have no way not to. Christ is our only way not to sin. In two ways, Christ shows us our sin by His Word and His spirit (The Holy Spirit's conviction John 16:7-8) and, Christ gives us the strength to defend against temptation. He is more powerful than any sin, addiction, or fault we have, and he FREELY gives us that power.
Two, if someone claims Christ and truly believes, you have every right to hold them up to scripture as a fellow believer. Not only do you have the right, but the duty. To allow a brother to fall without attempting to catch him is a slight to the kingdom.When a man accepts Christ and truly believes, Christ makes him a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The "old" referenced in this verse is that sinful wiring. Christ desires to make us more like himself and that's where he starts. A word of caution, before you call someone out, make sure what they are doing is actually a sin. And do so graciously. Scripture instructs us to bear with one another, (Ephesians 3:13) and love one another through it.
Just a thought for today. I hope it encouraged/challenged you.
Desiring deeper waters,
Jeremy
Monday, October 15, 2012
It bugs me.
I don't want this to be a negative blog, so I'll end on a higher note than I start on.
To start, it really bothers me when people take pride in their salvation. Now, it's one thing to take pride in the Lord for saving you. That is a holy pride, a holy boast. Paul says explicitly, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" -2 Corinthians 10:17. So often in my experience with people, however, they take pride in the fact that they believe. You'll hear them saying things like, "I'm a christian so...." or "I believe so...." Here is what bothers me about that. Nowhere in scripture is there a reference to a man's ability to gain his own salvation; in any way. Here is what I take that to mean. Man by himself can do nothing good. That includes believe that Jesus is Lord. Faith must be given by the Lord. So I challenge you, are you proud to be a Christian because it makes YOU look like a good person who has their life together, or because the God you serve has done something incredible in you?? If you think for a second that a man who could not resist eating an apple has the ability to fully believe that a man he has never seen with his own eyes rose from the dead after being mutilated then you are sadly mistaken!
Here's the good part. The Lord hands that faith out freely. We cannot do anything to earn it. God loves us so abundantly that He just lavishes it on us. (Ephesians 1:3-14). He chooses to use us. He chooses to exalt us. Why? So we can glorify Him. When we glorify Him, He satisfies us. Praise God for that! He loved us enough to create us specifically to glorify Him so we can be satisfied in Him.
Israel Houghton recently wrote a song that says, "Your presence is heaven to me." I think He is right on here. God's presence is heaven. Period. He is why we go there; to be with Him. Just because you are going to heaven and have a blessed assurance of your salvation, be wary of your own pride in that salvation. Is it because you believed or because God saved you? We know the biblical answer is that God actively sought us while we were sinners.
Desiring a deeper understanding,
Jeremy
To start, it really bothers me when people take pride in their salvation. Now, it's one thing to take pride in the Lord for saving you. That is a holy pride, a holy boast. Paul says explicitly, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" -2 Corinthians 10:17. So often in my experience with people, however, they take pride in the fact that they believe. You'll hear them saying things like, "I'm a christian so...." or "I believe so...." Here is what bothers me about that. Nowhere in scripture is there a reference to a man's ability to gain his own salvation; in any way. Here is what I take that to mean. Man by himself can do nothing good. That includes believe that Jesus is Lord. Faith must be given by the Lord. So I challenge you, are you proud to be a Christian because it makes YOU look like a good person who has their life together, or because the God you serve has done something incredible in you?? If you think for a second that a man who could not resist eating an apple has the ability to fully believe that a man he has never seen with his own eyes rose from the dead after being mutilated then you are sadly mistaken!
Here's the good part. The Lord hands that faith out freely. We cannot do anything to earn it. God loves us so abundantly that He just lavishes it on us. (Ephesians 1:3-14). He chooses to use us. He chooses to exalt us. Why? So we can glorify Him. When we glorify Him, He satisfies us. Praise God for that! He loved us enough to create us specifically to glorify Him so we can be satisfied in Him.
Israel Houghton recently wrote a song that says, "Your presence is heaven to me." I think He is right on here. God's presence is heaven. Period. He is why we go there; to be with Him. Just because you are going to heaven and have a blessed assurance of your salvation, be wary of your own pride in that salvation. Is it because you believed or because God saved you? We know the biblical answer is that God actively sought us while we were sinners.
Desiring a deeper understanding,
Jeremy
Sunday, October 14, 2012
I'm Back!
I know it's been a while, but I'm back!
I can explain: I lost access to my account and google hazed me to get it back.
Regardless, I've been in a contemplative mood lately and so much has changed in my life since my last post.
This post is going to be about where I am in my life.
One word: Limbo
Not the game you play when you're a little kid and your parents are struggling to entertain you and your friends, but the in between/nowhere stage similar to that seen in Inception.
I am engaged to an amazing woman. She is everything a man needs. Truthfully, she's too good for me. She said yes anyway, though. I can't be more excited to start my life with her. We got engaged in May, but we're not getting married until next June 15. So right now, we're in the "hurry up and wait" period. On top of being excited about tying the knot, and being 8 months away, We're dealing with distance. She is in Jackson finishing up her bachelor's degree and I am in Southaven working. We're both where we should be, but that does not make it any easier. So there's that.
Also, I have no idea where I'll be next year. I could be where I am now, I could be in Louisville, KY, but I have no idea. So once again, Limbo.
It's all going to workout, I know. I just wish time would fly so I can start down the next path of this journey that is life. I can see the path, and I can see that at least the beginning of the path is full of great opportunities and a wonderful partner to face them with. I just can't go down it!
Your prayers are coveted.
Desiring a deeper life,
Jeremy
I can explain: I lost access to my account and google hazed me to get it back.
Regardless, I've been in a contemplative mood lately and so much has changed in my life since my last post.
This post is going to be about where I am in my life.
One word: Limbo
Not the game you play when you're a little kid and your parents are struggling to entertain you and your friends, but the in between/nowhere stage similar to that seen in Inception.
I am engaged to an amazing woman. She is everything a man needs. Truthfully, she's too good for me. She said yes anyway, though. I can't be more excited to start my life with her. We got engaged in May, but we're not getting married until next June 15. So right now, we're in the "hurry up and wait" period. On top of being excited about tying the knot, and being 8 months away, We're dealing with distance. She is in Jackson finishing up her bachelor's degree and I am in Southaven working. We're both where we should be, but that does not make it any easier. So there's that.
Also, I have no idea where I'll be next year. I could be where I am now, I could be in Louisville, KY, but I have no idea. So once again, Limbo.
It's all going to workout, I know. I just wish time would fly so I can start down the next path of this journey that is life. I can see the path, and I can see that at least the beginning of the path is full of great opportunities and a wonderful partner to face them with. I just can't go down it!
Your prayers are coveted.
Desiring a deeper life,
Jeremy
Monday, June 14, 2010
Interesting weekend discussion
This weekend, our college ministry had a little get together at a friends house. We swam and cooked out and really just had a good time. But once the sun went down and all the food was gone, haha, we all sat down on her back porch and just began talking. Before we knew it, the conversation had gotten pretty deep with people sharing their opinions with one another, with a few small disagreements.
The topic of this entire conversation was dating. A member of the group is reading the book I kissed dating goodbye and wanted to tell us all of his new look on dating. Eventually, the conversation got around to how the world has corrupted dating. I wanna talk and discuss a few ways I think this is true.
Number one: "I'll date to find out exactly what I want in a partner." I think this is can be a positive thing, in some aspects, but I think it is more negative. If you date around just to see what you like in people, you're going to leave more behind than you take with you. Even if you withold your emotions in these relationships, eventually you'll become numb to dating altogether and could possibly never even acquire emotions for the one that is your perfect match. In my mind, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking this, dating is to be done with committment. I don't think you should date someone unless you could legitimitely see yourself with them forever. If it doesn't work out, then God does have a bigger plan. But dating with a commitment can lead to a deeper more meaningful relationship. I was only in two serious relationships my entire high school career. I was committed to both of them. No, niether worked out, but I really did learn soooo much, inadvertantly. I had no intention of dating to figure out things I wanted in a spouse, but God uses all our circumstances to teach us.
Number two: Attachment. We are told in Proverbs to guard our hearts. Until recently, I had never really thought about it all that much. But after taking some time and meditating on what that really means, I realized that I started "seriously" dating way too early. I had no clue what those emotions and thing brought with them. And, to be honest, I have left part of myself behind. Now, God is a gracious God and has provided everything I need, but the thought is still there. I encourage you to be slow to give someone much of yourself. You never get it all back.
All that said. Do not forget that God can change up our plans at any moment. James 4:13-15 says: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
I think this verse speaks volumes when it comes to dating. It is great to have plans, but never withold them from God's powerfull will.
Please comment and give me feedback on this. I typed a lot.
Desiring deeper relationships,
Jeremy
The topic of this entire conversation was dating. A member of the group is reading the book I kissed dating goodbye and wanted to tell us all of his new look on dating. Eventually, the conversation got around to how the world has corrupted dating. I wanna talk and discuss a few ways I think this is true.
Number one: "I'll date to find out exactly what I want in a partner." I think this is can be a positive thing, in some aspects, but I think it is more negative. If you date around just to see what you like in people, you're going to leave more behind than you take with you. Even if you withold your emotions in these relationships, eventually you'll become numb to dating altogether and could possibly never even acquire emotions for the one that is your perfect match. In my mind, and I don't think I'm alone in thinking this, dating is to be done with committment. I don't think you should date someone unless you could legitimitely see yourself with them forever. If it doesn't work out, then God does have a bigger plan. But dating with a commitment can lead to a deeper more meaningful relationship. I was only in two serious relationships my entire high school career. I was committed to both of them. No, niether worked out, but I really did learn soooo much, inadvertantly. I had no intention of dating to figure out things I wanted in a spouse, but God uses all our circumstances to teach us.
Number two: Attachment. We are told in Proverbs to guard our hearts. Until recently, I had never really thought about it all that much. But after taking some time and meditating on what that really means, I realized that I started "seriously" dating way too early. I had no clue what those emotions and thing brought with them. And, to be honest, I have left part of myself behind. Now, God is a gracious God and has provided everything I need, but the thought is still there. I encourage you to be slow to give someone much of yourself. You never get it all back.
All that said. Do not forget that God can change up our plans at any moment. James 4:13-15 says: Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
I think this verse speaks volumes when it comes to dating. It is great to have plans, but never withold them from God's powerfull will.
Please comment and give me feedback on this. I typed a lot.
Desiring deeper relationships,
Jeremy
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Cheating
I know I'm cheating by posting twice today. ha. But I had another thought. Not near as deep as the last, but bear with me.
Does anyone else find it crazy how crippling heartache can be? You have all these plans, all these ambitions and dreams. Things seem to be going great. It starts with just a little let down. Some small disappointment.
Once pain creeps in the door, the first thing to go is your ambitions. So often are we discouraged by small things. Things that are completely overcomable through the power we have in Christ. The worst part is, we know it. We've been taught these things our entire lives, yet we just can't believe it for some reason. Something that has somewhat convicted me lately.. Do we believe all of scripture? Do we believe that EVERYTHING God promised will come true?? Sure doesn't seem like it in my life. I mean, I know we're all human and no one's perfect. But these are the WORDS OF GOD people! Try to find a verse today that you find unbelievable by the world's standards, and BELIEVE it. CLING to it.
My verse for today is Ephesians 3:20-21: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
We can't even imagine the things God can give us. Gotta cling to this verse today. I'd love to know what verse you chose if you'd like to leave a comment.
If you're disappointed today. Hang on. You can overcome. I KNOW it's frustrating and painful. But our God's plans are not our own.
Desiring His knowledge,
Jeremy
Does anyone else find it crazy how crippling heartache can be? You have all these plans, all these ambitions and dreams. Things seem to be going great. It starts with just a little let down. Some small disappointment.
Once pain creeps in the door, the first thing to go is your ambitions. So often are we discouraged by small things. Things that are completely overcomable through the power we have in Christ. The worst part is, we know it. We've been taught these things our entire lives, yet we just can't believe it for some reason. Something that has somewhat convicted me lately.. Do we believe all of scripture? Do we believe that EVERYTHING God promised will come true?? Sure doesn't seem like it in my life. I mean, I know we're all human and no one's perfect. But these are the WORDS OF GOD people! Try to find a verse today that you find unbelievable by the world's standards, and BELIEVE it. CLING to it.
My verse for today is Ephesians 3:20-21: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
We can't even imagine the things God can give us. Gotta cling to this verse today. I'd love to know what verse you chose if you'd like to leave a comment.
If you're disappointed today. Hang on. You can overcome. I KNOW it's frustrating and painful. But our God's plans are not our own.
Desiring His knowledge,
Jeremy
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