March 5
Scripture reading for today: Ephesians 5; Amos 4 &
5
I am concerned about you. I am afraid you will rush past big believing, and move on to trying to behave, without pausing to prepare. Frankly, that’s easier than doing the work of believing, and humans gravitate towards softer, gentler solutions. If a microwave will accomplish the same purposes as a conventional oven, we will pick the microwave, right?
So let’s read chapter five in Ephesians, and I’ll illustrate my concern. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. Ephesians 5:1‐2 NLT
Reframing:
• Believing will require me to know God well enough to imitate Him in every single solitary moment of my life.
to the second half Ephesians and study what it says we should do than to camp in two little verses long enough to grasp their astounding implications.
Thought for today: Once a long time ago, Pete (my husband) and I were teaching a “newlywed” Bible study at church. Someone in charge of curriculum got the idea that the summer months would be a good time to bring out a series of biblical studies on sexuality. I’ll never forget the experience for a variety of reasons, some of which I can’t share! One Sunday our topic was homosexuality, and these newlyweds really got into it! Oh, they said, what a
Scripture reading for today: Ephesians 5; Amos 4 &
5
I am concerned about you. I am afraid you will rush past big believing, and move on to trying to behave, without pausing to prepare. Frankly, that’s easier than doing the work of believing, and humans gravitate towards softer, gentler solutions. If a microwave will accomplish the same purposes as a conventional oven, we will pick the microwave, right?
So let’s read chapter five in Ephesians, and I’ll illustrate my concern. Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. Ephesians 5:1‐2 NLT
Reframing:
• Believing will require me to know God well enough to imitate Him in every single solitary moment of my life.
- Believing is contingent upon me understanding my relationship with God (I’m His kid; not his indentured servant, not His pawn, not an object of His wrath; I’m His baby.)
- Believing will always, always, always mean loving, and loving is best exemplified by Christ.
- Believing will require me to know how Jesus loved, and will necessitate me learning how to apply how He loved to my daily life experience (I’ve got work to do!).
to the second half Ephesians and study what it says we should do than to camp in two little verses long enough to grasp their astounding implications.
Thought for today: Once a long time ago, Pete (my husband) and I were teaching a “newlywed” Bible study at church. Someone in charge of curriculum got the idea that the summer months would be a good time to bring out a series of biblical studies on sexuality. I’ll never forget the experience for a variety of reasons, some of which I can’t share! One Sunday our topic was homosexuality, and these newlyweds really got into it! Oh, they said, what a
sin! How terrible! Just look at how clearly the
scriptures speak about this subject—how dare
anyone commit this vile act against holy God! The
next week we talked about adultery. Specifically, we
discussed Jesus’ instructions to men when he says, If
you even look at another woman with lust in your
heart, you’ve committed adultery in your heart (see
Matthew 5:27‐28). The room was strangely silent.
"It struck me as sad, really, how easy it was for us to judge others so harshly for a sin (that presumably wasn’t an issue for any of them) yet how reluctant we were to engage in meaningful conversation about an area of behaving that surely every person in that room could relate to. So I’m concerned that you’re going to follow the example of these young believers who found it easier to discuss a sin that they couldn’t relate to than it was to wrestle with one that they no doubt had experienced. When we rush through believing and straight to behaving, this can happen to us. We can seek to avoid getting honest about our own stuff and instead set up rules to live by that we think we can manage on our own—independently of God. I warn you: don’t do this. None of us can behave our way into the good graces of God, nor do we have to! God has a different way to handle our “issues” that is far more effective than us trying to muster up the self control necessary to play by the rules." from northstarcommunity.com
I was excited when I found this devotional for recovery. It is truly filled with lots of practical and thought provoking ideas. To read more visit http://www.northstarcommunity.com/clientimages/44773/documents/devotional12in12.pdf
"It struck me as sad, really, how easy it was for us to judge others so harshly for a sin (that presumably wasn’t an issue for any of them) yet how reluctant we were to engage in meaningful conversation about an area of behaving that surely every person in that room could relate to. So I’m concerned that you’re going to follow the example of these young believers who found it easier to discuss a sin that they couldn’t relate to than it was to wrestle with one that they no doubt had experienced. When we rush through believing and straight to behaving, this can happen to us. We can seek to avoid getting honest about our own stuff and instead set up rules to live by that we think we can manage on our own—independently of God. I warn you: don’t do this. None of us can behave our way into the good graces of God, nor do we have to! God has a different way to handle our “issues” that is far more effective than us trying to muster up the self control necessary to play by the rules." from northstarcommunity.com
I was excited when I found this devotional for recovery. It is truly filled with lots of practical and thought provoking ideas. To read more visit http://www.northstarcommunity.com/clientimages/44773/documents/devotional12in12.pdf
