Category: PASSION Reflections

Devoted Goals

On By BrianIn Habit Miscellaneous, Holidays

This past Fall our church looked at five habit of growth to which we should be devoted. Then during advent, we looked at being devoted to the gospel. Below is my attempt to pull it all together with the goal of applying our study to our lives during the coming year. I believe these would be good questions for any Christian to ponder as we look at a new year, a new month, and a new week.

Annual Goals (Review at least monthly)

Gospel: What habit will I begin this year to better remember, focus on, and live out the hope, peace, joy, and love found in Jesus?

Worship: What habit will I begin to better prepare my heart to come into God’s presence for corporate worship each Sunday? 

Prayer: What is one way I would like to grow in prayer this year? 

Word: What portion of Scripture (Old Testament, New Testament, Book(s) of the Bible, etc.) will I commit to read and meditate on throughout this year? 

Fellowship: In what ways will I partner with my church family this year in serving, giving, and prayer?

Outreach: What habit will I begin to become more watchful for opportunities to share the gospel this year? What will I do to become better prepared to share the gospel this year?  Who might I specifically pray for to receive salvation this year?

What might distract me from these goals, and how can I overcome that?
How can I live out these goals as expressions of love instead of pride?

Monthly Goals (Review at least weekly)

Gospel: What might I do to better grasp some aspect of the gospel this month, and let that aspect of the gospel better grasp me?

Worship: Is there an area in my life that I need to start submitting to God this month, and what will I do about it?

Prayer: What promise or attribute of God will I incorporate into my prayers this month?

Word: What passage of Scripture will I memorize this month?

Fellowship: What practical need in my church family will I seek to help with this month?  Who can I get together with this month around a meal?

Outreach: What practical need do I see in my workplace, neighborhood, or community that I could seek to meet this month?  How might God lead me to help with this month’s church outreach activity and/or outreach/missions project? How do I specifically need to pray for my missionaries this month? 

Weekly Goals (Review daily)

Gospel: What aspect of the gospel from my Bible reading or Sunday’s sermon will I meditate on this week?

Worship: In the midst of my current trials and temptations, what attribute of God or aspect of the gospel will I cling to this week to tune my heart to praise Him? 

Prayer: Who and what do I specifically need to pray for this week?

Word: What Biblical truth from my personal reading or Sunday’s sermon do I need to very specifically apply to my life this week?

Fellowship: Who in my church family might God be leading me to care for and/or seek to encourage this week, and how will I do it?

Outreach: How might I better shine as a light with integrity, hope, and love this week? What is one way I might purposefully seek to share the gospel this week?

God Loves You

On By BrianIn All About Love

God loves you.  He proved it by coming to earth as a baby for you.  He proved it by dying on a cross for you. He proved it by forgiving your sin, and giving you a new life with Him now and forevermore.

God loves you – that might be most important you hear today.

God loves you.  But maybe you doubt it because of some sin in your life, and you wonder how he could love someone like you.  But he came and died to pay for that sin, to wash away all the shame and guilt of that sin. That sin is gone.  And he did it, because he loves you.

God loves you.  But maybe you doubt it because of some suffering in your life.  If God loved me, why am I going through this?

But his love is not found in keeping us from suffering.  We live in a fallen world, and because of that, there is sickness and death and tragedy and terrible actions by others.  We will suffer.

Jesus suffered, and we will suffer too.

But his love is not found in keeping us from suffering.  Rather, his love is found in being there to help us in our suffering.  He will never leave you nor forsake you.  He is with you always to end of age. 

And at end the end of the age, He will come again and bring all of our suffering to an end.

He came for you.  He died for you.  He washed away all your sins.  He purchased a new life for you.  He is with you in your trials.  And he is coming again for you.  All because he loves you.

Psalms Feed 26-30

On By BrianIn Psalms Feed

Psalms1

Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord. – Psalm 27:14

Your face, Lord, do I seek. – Psalm 27:8c

This psalm gives three very relevant instructions for us today:

First, wait for the Lord.  There are things want to do.  Place we want to go. People we want to see.  But we can’t.  Wait on the Lord.  Don’t be impatient.  Don’t be anxious.  Don’t grumble and complain.  Just wait on the Lord.  Wait on his timing.  Wait on his plan. Wait on his goodness.  Wait on the Lord.

Second, be strong and courageous. There is a virus out there and financial concerns and questions about the future. Be strong and courageous.  Do not fear.  Do not worry.  Do not freak out.  Just be strong and courageous.  He is our stronghold. He is our shelter. He is our salvation. Be strong and courageous.

Third, seek his face.  There are distractions aplenty.  Lots of things we could do.  Lots of online media to engage.  Seek his face.  Don’t waste your time.  Don’t live for something else.  Don’t place your trust somewhere else. Just seek his face.  He is gracious.  He is beautiful.  He is trustworthy.  Seek his face.

Wait for the Lord. Be strong and courageous. Seek his face.

Psalms Feed 11-15

On By BrianIn Psalms Feed

Psalms1

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I take counsel in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord,
because he has dealt bountifully with me.
– Psalm 13:1-2a, 5-6

We are living in “How long, O Lord” days.  How long will we face this virus?  And where is God in this situation?  Why would he allow it?  We wrestle in our souls and in our hearts with questions, uncertainties, anxieties, disappointments, and sorrows.  The wrestling is real, and cry of “how long?” is real.

But in the midst of our wrestling, let us trust in God’s steadfast love. God loves us even now.  He does.

And we will rejoice one day in his salvation.  We will sing one day of his bountiful care through this situation and of his future blessings.  We will.

Psalms Feed 1-5

On By BrianIn Psalms Feed

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked…

Whose advice are we following?

…nor stands in the way of sinners…

Whose actions are we following?

…nor sits in the seat of scoffers…

Whose attitude are we following?

…but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night…

Do we delight in the Word?  Meditate on it?  Ponder it?  Are we following the advice, actions, and attitudes taught in God’s Word?

…he is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season….

If we are meditating on God’s Word, we are like well-watered trees.
To bear good fruit, we must be planted in God’s Word.  Are we?

(From Psalm 1)

Psalms Feed

On By BrianIn Psalms Feed

Psalms1

Many of us spend a lot of time going through news feeds and FB feeds, and are bombarded with news of the coronavirus, which can leave us stressed and distressed.

I would like to propose for the month of April that we go through a Psalms Feed to find peace, comfort, and strength in the Lord during this time.

Feed your soul on five psalms a day – which will take you through the Psalms in one month.

I will be posting reflections throughout the month as I am able.  I would love to hear your reflections too – please share them in the comments.

Sermon Short: Justice to Victory

On By BrianIn Sermon Shorts1 Comment

BiblePicture

Until he brings justice to victory; and in his name the Gentiles will hope.
– Matthew 12:20b-21 (ESV)

When Jesus returns he will usher in a new day where justice reigns.  Not an enforced justice that would require constant fighting, but justice that will flow from each redeemed heart, so that all the world is filled with justice.

A world where there is no more injustice, no more oppression, no more abuse, no more mistreatment, and no more victims. But rather love towards each other, joy in one another, peace towards each other. A world where patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control towards all is an everyday continuous reality.

He will bring justice to victory.

No matter what injustice we may face today, we have a great hope for the future!

 

We Have Found…

On By BrianIn Virtue of Joy

In Christ, we have found a great love that came down to suffer with us and die for us.

In Christ, we have found a great peace with God – a relationship we can enjoy during the darkest storms of life.

In Christ, we have found a great hope that pierces the monster of death and transcends the grave.

In Christ, we have found a great joy as we remember the great love, peace, and hope we have found.

Gentle Discipline

On By BrianIn Virtue of Gentleness

Gentle-Way

What do you wish? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness (meekness)?  – I Corinthians 4:21 ESV (Other Translations)

 I, Paul, myself entreat (urge, beseech, appeal to) you, by the meekness (humility) and gentleness of Christ.  – II Corinthians 10:1a ESV (Other Translations)

Paul is weary of Corinthians, who are like wayward children, and yet he wants to treat them with gentleness.  He doesn’t want to come with a rod, but with gentle love.  Notice he doesn’t demand, command, or threaten.  But clothed with the gentleness of Christ, he entreats, he urges, he beseechs, he appeals to them. His discipline is gentle.

Sometimes a rod is required.  In righteous anger, Jesus chased all buyers and sellers in temple out with a whip.   But, usually, we aren’t very good at righteous anger.  I used to think that anger was part of discipline.  But usually that anger was about me being inconvenienced and having to deal with a situation – nothing righteous about it.  And discipline can be done without anger.  Even using a rod can and should be done with a gentle loving spirit.

So what does your discipline look like?

Is your default setting to be gentle?

Or to be angry and harsh and violent?

How do you need to change?

Gentle Marriage

On By BrianIn Virtue of Gentleness

Gentle-Way

[Wives:] But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle (meek) and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. – I Peter 3:4 ESV (Other Translations)

 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding (considerate) way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered. – I Peter 3:7 ESV (Other Translations)

 Wives are to have a gentle and quiet spirit that comes out in their words and actions.  But husbands too must be gentle if they are to be considerate of their wives and honor them.  In whatever way women are the weaker vessel, it requires husbands then to be gentle with them.

And husbands and wives, like all people, can be weak and bruised and weary from the trials and struggles of this world.  And so they need to be gentle with each other.

This is the great test of gentleness.  It is easy to put on show in public, but what are we like at home?  Are we gentle with each other, or are we harsh, brawling, loud, or manipulative?

Every marriage would improve greatly if gentleness ruled in our homes.  God calls us to grow in gentleness.

If you are married, are you gentle with your spouse?

Does gentleness rule in your home?

How might you need to be more gentle toward your spouse this week?