Here we get into the details about faith and life

Practice Makes Christ-like

We all want to be more like Jesus, right? We can read a lot, give a lot, even go to church a lot, but there’s one more thing that will help us. Practice. Practice makes us Christ-like. How so?

“Mom, I think the toilet’s clogged.”

Not what I had on my list for the day. And it NEVER happens when Dad is home. Now I’m gonna be behind, probably for the rest of the day. Great.

Sound familiar? Not the toilet part, necessarily but the responses. Life throws us a little curve and we react immediately. Grumbling, complaining, maybe even some of that “unsanctified” speech slips – or floods – out.

But it’s not “life” throwing anything. It’s God.
God backs up toilets? (Well, is He sovereign or isn’t He?) But plumbing? Isn’t that insanely micro-managing things? (Okay, micro-managing is for control freaks. Control freaks try to run things they can’t or shouldn’t. God can and does rule over everything, and sovereignty over these little details is evidence of His vast knowledge and power.)

So why does God mess with all these little details, allowing these aggravations into our lives? It’s training. The annoyances give us a chance to practice all those sweet-sounding lessons we learn on Sundays, that is, practice being Christ-like. How will we respond when the car doesn’t start? Were those hymns and praise songs just lip service? What will we do when the three year old paints her bedsheets with nail polish? What kind of God will she see modeled in our response?

God arranges everything in our lives to make us more Christ-like. Sometimes He uses a “lecture” setting, like sermons or Bible study, and other times, He gives us a “lab” exercise, to put those ideas into action. While it doesn’t make us perfect, practice makes us more Christ-like.

Accepted

By Paula

to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6

I love the story of the prodigal son. It’s such a deep story with so many layers and applications. For just a moment, focus with me on the end of the story. Imagine being that young man thrust in the middle of the banquet. He was surrounded by family and friends who had known him since he was a kid, but they also knew his story. Everybody there knew what he had done, knew how he had disrespected his father, knew how he had lived his life. They’d heard all the gossip about the immorality, the prostitutes and the partying.

Put yourself in his shoes. How do you feel? Uncomfortable? Ashamed? Undeserving? Afraid of rejection? Would you feel accepted?

Ephesians 1:3-6 contain some of the most mind-blowing truths in Scripture, and it finishes up with God’s grace “by which He made us accepted in the Beloved”. Accepted means highly favored, honored, showered with blessing. Other translations render it “glorious grace he has poured out on us,” “lavished on us,” “freely bestowed.”

As the boy journeyed home, his only concern was how his father would receive him. His father welcomed him joyfully, his heart overflowing with love.

How does our Father receive us? The very same way. Everyone else at the banquet shared the father’s heart and rejoiced with him. Only those outside the banquet resented the grace the father showed the prodigal.

I need to focus on my Father, who accepts me, favors me, showers me with blessing. The people outside the banquet- He’ll deal with them in His wisdom just as the father in the story approached his older son.

When it’s someone else’s banquet, I need to make sure which side of the door I’m on- the rejoicing side or the pouting side.

For more, see Shameless

Prepared for Worship

By Paula

Today is the absolute last post on 2 Chronicles… at least until I come back around to it again. Chapter 35 describes the Passover that Josiah led the people to observe, and the account says in v. 18 that ‘There had been no Passover kept in Israel like that since the days of Samuel the prophet…’ For 400 years, the worship of God had not been what it was during those days. What made the difference? Thursday, we discussed the importance of having a leader who is following God with his whole heart and soul. I think there is another significant factor. Preparation. Seven times in that chapter, there is mention of being prepared for worship.

I admit, I’m rarely ever properly prepared for a worship service. With children at home, I’m thankful just to get to church in one piece. But those times when I do have the opportunity to transition my heart and mind from the mundane things to the wonder and awe of God’s presence, something special happens. My preference would be to have some quiet time alone, then a good long music service before hearing the Word taught.

In some ways, that desire reminds me of Apollo 13. (Not the ‘Houston we have a problem” part- although some days I could make a case for that.) In order to conserve power, they had shut down almost every system in the craft. As the astronauts were getting closer to home, Jim Lovell was instructed to burn off some of the fuel. Without the computers, they risked veering off course from the thrust of the fuel burn. In order to stay on the proper heading, Lovell instructed the other two astronauts to keep the earth in the window. As long as they did that, they would stay on course. In other words, use that frame of reference beyond us, outside our situation. Stay centered on that no matter what happens around you.

When my worship falls flat, that focus is what I’ve lost.

The wrong way to handle success

By Paula

I am a nerd. I admit it. I enjoy reading Chronicles. If you don’t get hung up on the names, there are some interesting stories of failure and success. With Chronicles, you also get commentary about the individuals, sometimes including their motives. Chapter 26 tells of King Uzziah. I suppose he’s most famous for dying. (You know, Isaiah 6:1… ‘In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, sitting on a throne, high and lifted up…‘) He became king at 16 and reigned for 52 years. That’s a tremendous burden, being responsible for a nation of God’s people, surrounded on every side by enemies, especially for a teenager. There was a prophet named Zechariah (not THAT Zechariah) and Uzziah depended on the prophet’s counsel. Verse 5 says ‘as long as [Uzziah] sought the Lord, God made him prosper‘.

However, verse 16 says, ‘But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction…‘ After a string of successes, he decided he could set his own agenda. The rest of the chapter tells how he went into the temple with the intent of burning the incense. That was a job for the descendants of Aaron and them alone. For his presumption, he was immediately struck with leprosy and lived out the rest of his days in exile in his own house.

That’s where the story hits home – There have been times when I’ve presumed to do things my way and expected Him to bless my efforts. He’d blessed me before with success. To me, that indicated I knew what I was doing. I was wrong. We will never get to the place where we can operate on our own. It is only when we seek the Lord that success comes. And in truly seeking God, success is no longer the goal, but a footnote.

No Seriously, 1 Chronicles

By Paula

It’s been several years since I’ve read through the Bible- you know, the whole Genesis to Revelation thing. I’ve done plenty of studying, mind you. I just haven’t given in to the whole ‘order and structure’ thing. (That right brain asserts itself occasionally.) This year I began a new trek through, and I’ve hit 1 Chronicles. (And I’m not on any ‘plan’ or anything, so there’s no pressure. I hate pressure.)

Anyway, 1 Chronicles… The first few chapters are tougher than Leviticus and Deuteronomy put together. (I happen to like Deuteronomy, thank you very much.) The book begins with genealogies that go on page after page, with names I can’t spell (but I always pretend I can pronounce them). Why on earth would God want to include 1 Chronicles in His Bible? I don’t know, but I have a few ideas.

1. It’s the story of Israel, the apple of God’s eye, His chosen people.

Don’t you revel in the minute details of those you love? Can’t you remember the first time your kids smiled? Or that second grade program? Don’t you include all that in your Christmas letter each year? Or… how about this… how long could you talk about your hobby? Those details get us giddy and excited because of the love, not the details themselves.

2. It shows the vast scope of God’s plan, involving so many people across so many generations.

The web of His will is so intricately woven, we can’t begin to fathom the connections.

3. There are practical, useful things in there if you’re diligent (stay awake) while reading.

In 5:20, there is a quick reference to a victory won by the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh. It says the victory came because ‘they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer because they put their trust in Him.’ There are so many lessons there- crying out to God in battle, He hears when we put our trust in Him, how victory comes… and those are the obvious ones.

4. Those aren’t just endless names to God.

He knows each one of those people intimately. He delighted in their obedience. He grieved when they sinned. So many stories are there waiting to be uncovered. Like the folks in 1 Chronicles, I am not just a number or a name to God.

So… any portions of Scripture slow you down? I have another that’s even more difficult, but I’ll save it for later.

Practice Makes Christ-like

Accepted

Prepared for Worship

The wrong way to handle success

No Seriously, 1 Chronicles

1. It’s the story of Israel, the apple of God’s eye, His chosen people.

2. It shows the vast scope of God’s plan, involving so many people across so many generations.

3. There are practical, useful things in there if you’re diligent (stay awake) while reading.

4. Those aren’t just endless names to God.

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