Well, it’s time for my annual break from blogging. I’ll be back in 3-4 weeks….
Category: Uncategorized
The Temple Mount in Jesus’ Day
Here is an interesting virtual reconstruction of the Temple Mount in Jesus’ Day:
RHMA Take Home Thoughts, Part 3
At the RHMA conference, D. A. Carson gave a two part seminar on “How To Think Wisely about Suffering and Evil.” I wish you could have heard the entire thing. What follows doesn’t begin to give the topic or seminar justice, but are simply some points that stood out to me:
- We all sin, so we all deserve to suffer.
- Suffering is short compared to eternity (at least for those in Christ).
- We can’t grasp God’s plan; we need to trust him.
- Our suffering may be God’s providential discipline (Hebrews 12:3-11).
- God brings good things out of bad things (think Joseph in Egypt).
- When you doubt God’s goodness, go back to the manger and the cross and see his love.
- Christians have been granted to believe and suffer (Philippians 1:29).
RHMA Take-Home Thoughts Part 2
Another main speaker at the RHMA conference was Duane Litfin. A few reflections from his two main sessions:
- How do you picture Jesus? He is no longer a simple carpenter or a tortured sacrifice on a cross. He is the risen and ascended Lord and King. When John sees him in Revelation 1, he falls down at his feet as though dead. As we picture him in all his glory, it should have positive affects on our worship, our obedience, and our confidence.
- In Matthew 21, Jesus chose a humble donkey to ride into Jerusalem. Jesus has a habit of choosing to use the humble – people like us. God chooses us not because we are wonderful, but because he is.
- The disciples untied the donkey and brought it to Jesus. Jesus used the donkey because it was available. Are we available? How do we use our time, our money, our hands, our tongues, our minds, our hearts? Are we available or are we tied up with other things?
RHMA Take-Home Thoughts, Part 1
Over a week ago I promised to share some highlights from the RHMA conference I attended. The conference is for pastors/wives of small town and country churches. One of the main speakers this year was D. A. Carson. A few thoughts from his two main sessions for reflection:
- Jesus was not held to the cross by the nails but because he desired to do God’s will. Likewise, we must not sin because we desire to do God’s will.
- Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” so we would never have to make that cry. He was forsaken in our place.
- Though least in the kingdom, we are greater than John because we can better point others to Jesus, especially to his death and resurrection that brings salvation. In other words, the Christian criteria for greatness are radically tied to proclamation and witness. What makes us great is that we can point others to Jesus.
Spiritual Slacker
Heard this devotional this morning on the radio from Our Daily Bread. Well worth considering:
While studying the book of Proverbs in my small-group Bible study, our leader suggested that we change the description of a lazy person from a sluggard to a slacker (6:6,9). Ah, now he was speaking my lingo. I immediately started thinking of all the people I consider to be slackers.
Like the men and women who fail to teach and discipline their children. Or that guy who refuses to help around the house. Or those teenagers who neglect their studies and play Internet games day and night.
If we’re honest, we’re all susceptible to this. What about being a “prayer slacker” (1 Thess. 5:17-18), or a “Bible-reading slacker” (Ps. 119:103; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), or a “non-exercising-of-our-spiritual-gift slacker” (Rom. 12:4-8), or a “non-witnessing slacker”? (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 1:8).
If we are not doing what we know God wants us to do, we are certainly spiritual slackers.
For the rest, see here.
Thorns?
Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold,
some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears, let him hear.
– Matthew 13:7-9
Are there thorns in your life seeking to choke you
and keep you from being fruitful?
Maybe it’s time to pull some weeds….
Enjoying the Work of Our Hands
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.
– Genesis 1:31-2:3
Upon finishing creation, God looked at all that he made and declared it good. He found pleasure in what he had made. And so he rested from his work – enjoying the work of his hands.
I recently spent a lot of time laying a new floor in our living room. One day, as I was near the end of the project, I was looking at the floor. And I felt pleasure at what I had done. I had a sense of accomplishment. I enjoyed the work of my hands.
This is one reason God created the Sabbath – to give us a day to rest and enjoy the work of our hands. To be able to stop from our labor long enough to see what we had done and find pleasure in it.
As we finish another year, we look back to evaluate. But perhaps too we should look back to enjoy what we have been able to do during the past year. To celebrate the successes. To find pleasure in tasks completed. To enjoy the work of our hands.
Counting the Cost
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost,
whether he has enough to complete it.
– Luke 14:28
For which of you, desiring to remodel your living room and children’s bedrooms,
does not first sit down and count the cost, to see if you have enough time to do it.
Okay so I flunked on that second one, and have been giving all my extra time to it.
But the remodeling is almost done, so I should be blogging again soon….
New Look, New Features
“Am I on the right blog?”
You might be asking that question if you have been on this blog before. The answer is yes.
As you can see I have changed the look. This is something I have wanted to do for awhile. The new look is directly related to choosing a new WordPress format which has a lot more features and I think is easier to read as well. One feature I especially wanted was the ability to create drop down menus along the top bar. Look for new pages along the top soon.
I have also added some new widgets. You will now see Recent Posts on the side bar to give you a quick snap shot of, well, recent posts. I have also added Recent Comments to the side bar to highlight your contributions. At the bottom you will find Post Archives by month.
I have also been thinking about what I write. As a result, I am starting some new weekly features. Every Tuesday we’ll have Quotes To Ponder. Fridays will be church/ministry related. I am going to try to have more personal reflections on Mondays and Wednesdays. Thursdays will be a catch-all day. And of course we’ll continue to have Passion Points highlighting the best of the blogosphere on Saturdays.
Finally, I am starting a new weekly post called “Declaring the Glory.” Coming from Psalm 19:1, this post will feature a picture of God’s amazing creation to remind us of his glory.
I appreciate all of you who frequent this blog. Drop me a note and tell me what you think of the new and hopefully improved blog.
Brian J. Mikul 