Tag: Discipleship

Cultivating Your Prayer Life

On By BrianIn Habit of Prayer

CultivatePrayerIn How Can I Cultivate Private Prayer, Joel Beeke’s third way to take hold of yourself is to speak with sincerity in prayer.  He notes Psalm 62:8 which calls for us to pour out our heart to God.  We cannot just mouth words; the heart, indeed our whole being, is to be involved.

Beeke expands on this thought by quoting Thomas Brooks:

God looks not at the elegancy of your prayers, to see how neat they are; nor yet at the geometry of your prayers to see how long they are; nor yet at the arithmetic of your prayers, to see how many they are; nor yet at the music of your prayers, nor yet at the sweetness of your voice, nor yet at the logic of your prayers; but at the sincerity of your prayers, how hearty they are.

So how hearty are my prayers?  Am I simply mouthing requests without feeling?  Going through the motions of praying through my prayer list?

Or am I crying out to God for help?  Am I groaning for his intervention?  Pleading for his grace and mercy?  Rejoicing in his blessings?

Where is my heart?  And where is yours?

Sermon Songs: Ephesians 5:25-30

On By BrianIn Ephesians Hymns

MusicNotes

Christ loves His church – His life he gave
He died upon the tree
To cleanse us from our sin – to save
And present us holy
The husband now should love his wife
Love sacrificially
And for her good now give his life
Her best seeking daily

His wife the husband nourishes
And for her needs provides
He cares for her and cherishes
His wife close by his side
With Christ his model to follow
And his sins washed away
He strives our Lord’s great love to show
With Christ’s power each day

In ev’ry marriage there is sin
Selfish and hideous
But Christ can take what is broken
And make it glorious
He calls us to humility
Each husband and each wife
Deny ourselves for His glory
And become more like Christ

(To the tune of “We Sing the Greatness of Our God”)

 

Reflections on Judges 3-5

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Our passage tells of four judges today: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, and Deborah.  For all but Shamgar who is only mentioned briefly, we see the cycle that was mentioned in chapter 2.  The people sinned, God sent others to oppress them, the people cried out, God sent someone to deliver them, and they had rest.  Note:

  • God’s judgment – God warned the people of what would happen if they rebelled against him. But again and again, they chose to rebel anyway.  God judged them.  God is a holy God who takes sin very seriously.  Do you take sin in your life seriously?
  • God’s mercy – God heard Israel’s cries, and he raised up judges to deliver them from their oppressors. God is just – punishing sin, but he is also merciful – delivering those who call upon him.  Have you called upon him for the mercy that is available to you through Jesus Christ?
  • God’s faithfulness – Whether in judgment or mercy, God is acting faithfully to the covenant he made with Israel. He promised judgment for sin, and mercy if they returned (see Deuteronomy 28), and God kept his promise.  While Israel often acted faithlessly, God remained faithful.  How has God been faithful in spite of your faithlessness?

Reflections on Judges 1-2

On By BrianIn OT Reflections

Judges begins promisingly as Judah continues the conquest of the land.  But Israel’s failure to take the land and serve the Lord soon follows.

  • Incomplete obedience – Israel took much of the land, but failed to take all of it. Even when they grew stronger than their enemies, Israel allowed the Canaanites to continue in the land.  Israel started well, but they didn’t finish what they started.  What has God called you to do?  Are you working to finish the task?  Are you seeking to fully obey God’s Word, or are you cutting corners along the way?
  • Next generation – What a great tragedy is found in 2:10! Joshua’s generation failed to teach their children the way of the Lord.  In the span of one generation, Israel goes from following the Lord to abandoning the Lord.  What are you doing to teach the next generation about God?  How are you supporting your church is this process?
  • Need for leadership – Before Moses died at the end of Deuteronomy, he passed the leadership of the people on to Joshua. When Joshua dies, no one takes his place.  There is a great vacuum of godly leadership.  What is your church doing to pass on the torch of leadership to the next generation?  How can you help?

Judges 1-5: Unfaithfulness

On By BrianIn OT Studies

(1-2) Though Israel started well, they quickly became unfaithful to God.  What phrase is repeated in 1:27-33 that shows their first step of unfaithfulness?

What second step of unfaithfulness do you see in 2:11-13?

How is the second step related to the first?  What can we learn from this?

In what ways can the people around us lead us astray today?  What steps can we take to minimize our culture’s pagan influence in our lives and families?

(2) What tragedy do we find in v10 that further leads to Israel’s unfaithfulness?

What application is there in this verse for parents?  The church?  Youth?

(2-4) Judges 2:11-19 describe a continuous four-part cycle found throughout the book of Judges.  Describe each part of the cycle.

Summarize how this cycle plays out in the following passages:

3:7-11 –

3:12-30 –

4:1-24 –

(4-5) Despite their unfaithfulness, God did not desert them, but continued to deliver them from their enemies.  What assurance did Deborah give Barak (4:14)?  How does this assurance encourage you today?

How did Deborah and Barak respond after God delivered them (chapter 5)?  Are we quick to do the same?