If only I had the time to blog everyday. My thoughts would definitely make more sense as I would be able to expound upon them more, but nevertheless, I will do my best! If you live on the east coast, you know that blizzards have been falling upon us. Yesterday and today we got our first REAL Michigan snow. Now, for those of you who don't know, my school and dorm are all in the same building. I never have to leave the school at all...except for church, youth group, and the times when I'm just plain nutty from being cooped up in one building with 150 other people 24/7. :) BUT, one of the amazing things about my community is how we all work together to take care of each other. While this is "required," it really is a blessing. For instance, when we have big snow storms, all the guys are split up on snow crew teams and get up in the wee hours of the morning and shovel. I can't tell you what a blessing that is! It's neat to see students with a servant's heart, faithfully taking care of the needs of the student body. And the staff even scraped off all the cars in the parking lot today! What an amazing act of service. So thank you to all who partook in serving us in the snow.
Snowy days like today are perfect for curling up on my bed and reading. :) And I have quite a large supply of reading these days. Today one of my assignments was called "What is the believer's rule of life" by George Zeller. To be honest, I wasn't really looking forward to reading it, but God has definitely used it to reveal His truth in my life. We are about to start Romans chapter 7 tomorrow in class and this reading was on whether a believer is under the Law or not, and if not, what rule a believer is to follow. The article was very challenging in many different ways, but one thing really stuck out to me.
"What then is the Christian life all about? The Christian life is simply knowing a PERSON, loving HIM, seeking to please HIM, walking with HIM, honoring HIM, obeying HIM, thanking HIM, rejoicing in HIM, delighting in HIM, trusting in HIM, growing in HIM, talking to HIM, talking to others about HIM, abiding in HIM, learning of HIM, learning from HIM, sitting at HIS feet and enjoying HIS presence. Note the emphasis on HIM (on a person). As we go through each day, are we walking with a person and enjoying Him or are we following a religious, ritualistic, legalistic routine?"
I read this and sat there and thought, is this how I view my walk with God? Yes, I have a relationship with Him. But He doesn't want simply a relationship; He wants a friendship. Do I do the things that I do because I LOVE Him, because my desire is to please Him like a wife's desire is to please her husband, or do I do it because I have to? Butch was talking today in Revelation 2 on the church at Ephesus and how they had lost their first love. He was talking about a marriage where the wife had "vacant eyes" and was doing the things she was supposed to, but the flame was gone. Honestly, it didn't click in that class....well, it did in reference to the church, but not to me. But when reading the above paragraph it suddenly clicked. I have been just like that church. I have a relationship with my Savior, and I have had a friendship in the past where I wanted to please Him, but now it has been reduced to my duty. It pains me to write that. Sometimes I think I'm ridiculous for writing things on here for the whole world to read because then they will all see what a failure I am...but this is the truth. This is where I am at. This is what God is teaching me and revealing to me and this is the depths to my sinfulness. I want to do things because I love Him. I want to know Him more and to get to know Him and for that to be more important to me than anything else. Him and only Him. I don't want to do things out of duty. I want my heart behind it to be because I love my Savior...because He is the only one deserving of my love. I can't believe I've forgotten that and I am honestly just so incredibly fed up with me and my selfish heart. I want to intimately know His heart and respond to it in love, not obligation. And I know that's what He wants for me too. I know that I cannot change any of this by my own strength. Honestly I'm just a bit perplexed as to where to go from here...what my response needs to be. And that's my prayer...that I don't know, but I know that God is faithful to teach me and that He will. Please be praying for me. :) Thank you guys.
Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romans. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tribal People
Today in Romans we dug into the rest of chapter 1. I can't even explain how much I'm learning. We had some discussion groups about whether or not people who have never heard the gospel can go to heaven. We actually had a debate about it, which caused me to think a lot about the topic. Obviously, since I want to go into missions, I've thought a lot about this subject before, but we talked about what others say who might disagree with us and how we are to respond to them. We used the Bible to defend and used verses that we had heard defend both sides...which was a neat approach. It really helps you to think about what the BIBLE says, not just what you THINK it says, but what it really is saying. Basically, it's going to take a LOT more time going through verses and figuring out how to defend the truth of the Bible. It's so crazy to me that people have such different opinions, too! But I'm learning a lot.
I've been working today preparing for a timed essay I have to take tomorrow. I am SO grateful for my teachers and the time that they put into deciding what assignments to give us. All of our assignments are extremely beneficial; there's no busy work at this school. It's really nice to have assignments that cause us to really think about what we are learning and take everything back to the Bible. I am so fortunate to go to a school that does that. Anyways, this essay is basically on the believer and how believers in America make their decisions typically. These decisions are all over the board from what to do with their lives, to who they date and marry. We are also writing about what we think about people and change and how relationships work. It's been interesting to evaluate the "American Christian" worldview on these issues and then try to back them up with the Word...or to see that you can't back it up with the Word and a lot is just influenced by culture. We live in a "Christian nation" with "Christian" ordeals, yet we have little Biblical basis for the way we make decisions...as a whole I mean. Anyways, it's interesting to be learning and to be seeing for myself.
You know what else is totally crazy to me? We have truth in creation, but we reject it. We HAVE truth. Yet we don't want to believe it and we suppress it or cause it to be suppressed in others. This is what we focused on in Romans today. And in a way it almost baffles my mind. So many times I read those verses about someone else, but really, I have that too. Yes, I have more than that, praise be to God, but I have truth in creation as well. I don't know, but there are definitely a lot of sobering thoughts from that book. But now I must leave you all to go and do some homework. :)
I've been working today preparing for a timed essay I have to take tomorrow. I am SO grateful for my teachers and the time that they put into deciding what assignments to give us. All of our assignments are extremely beneficial; there's no busy work at this school. It's really nice to have assignments that cause us to really think about what we are learning and take everything back to the Bible. I am so fortunate to go to a school that does that. Anyways, this essay is basically on the believer and how believers in America make their decisions typically. These decisions are all over the board from what to do with their lives, to who they date and marry. We are also writing about what we think about people and change and how relationships work. It's been interesting to evaluate the "American Christian" worldview on these issues and then try to back them up with the Word...or to see that you can't back it up with the Word and a lot is just influenced by culture. We live in a "Christian nation" with "Christian" ordeals, yet we have little Biblical basis for the way we make decisions...as a whole I mean. Anyways, it's interesting to be learning and to be seeing for myself.
You know what else is totally crazy to me? We have truth in creation, but we reject it. We HAVE truth. Yet we don't want to believe it and we suppress it or cause it to be suppressed in others. This is what we focused on in Romans today. And in a way it almost baffles my mind. So many times I read those verses about someone else, but really, I have that too. Yes, I have more than that, praise be to God, but I have truth in creation as well. I don't know, but there are definitely a lot of sobering thoughts from that book. But now I must leave you all to go and do some homework. :)
Monday, January 18, 2010
Debtor
Today we officially began Romans. As some of you know, I had been studying Romans over Christmas break and was excited to dig in. I have read through the first chapter of Romans five different times with the express purpose of making observations (finding repeated words, lists, phrasing, etc.) and each time I have found MORE things that I missed before. My goodness this book is PACKED with so much amazing truth. Seriously I am just constantly amazed at our God.
So let me start at the beginning. Chapter 1 verse 1. Paul's introduction is filled with truth. He calls himself a bond-servant of Christ. How many times I have read over these words without stopping to think what they really mean. A bond-servant. In the Roman world this was someone who forsook his own rights and lived for his master. What an eloquent truth that completely knocks me back. Forsaking my rights for Christ, the man who bought me? Wow, I know that's truth, but I don't live that. And then Paul goes on to say he is called an apostle and separated unto the gospel of God. He lives for the gospel of God. His focus is on getting the gospel out to the world. As much as that is my heart, do I LIVE for that consistently, day by day, moment by moment? Is everything I do in order to get the gospel out? Challenging thought.
Paul then goes on to describe who Christ is, both to the Jews as their King and to the Gentiles as the Son of God. It is through Christ that we have been given the ability to preach to ALL nations for Christ's name sake. It's all about HIM!
And then Paul talks about how the believers at Rome are called saints and beloved of God. He talks about how he longs to come to them and give them a spiritual present of discipleship and fellowship with them. And then in verse 14 he says this: "I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish." Debtor. Debtor of what? Well, he goes on to explain that because of his debt, he is ready to preach the Gospel. It is his call to go and preach. He considers himself a debtor to those who have not heard! If only this was the heart cry of more Christians, even of myself. I am a debtor to those who have not heard. That's a complete worldview change for so many of us, including myself. I've never thought of myself as a debtor to the unreached. Sure, I want to go, I'm passionate to go, but a debtor to them to go? That's revolutionary in my mind. It's so crazy to think about the focus of Paul and to compare it with my own focus. So many times I fall short of focusing on God in all things. I can't live this life on my own. I can't even think about things rightly on my own. I need Him. I need Him more than breath. I need Him more than food. I need Him if I want to live. I cannot think or act or do right without Him.
Lord, remind me of these truths every day, every moment. Show me the wrong-thinking that I cling to. Reveal to me the depths of my heart and remind me that the only answer is found in you. Thank you for your incredible grace that You have shown toward me, that I am called a child of yours, that you pursue me with unending love though I do not deserve it. You alone are worthy of praise.
So let me start at the beginning. Chapter 1 verse 1. Paul's introduction is filled with truth. He calls himself a bond-servant of Christ. How many times I have read over these words without stopping to think what they really mean. A bond-servant. In the Roman world this was someone who forsook his own rights and lived for his master. What an eloquent truth that completely knocks me back. Forsaking my rights for Christ, the man who bought me? Wow, I know that's truth, but I don't live that. And then Paul goes on to say he is called an apostle and separated unto the gospel of God. He lives for the gospel of God. His focus is on getting the gospel out to the world. As much as that is my heart, do I LIVE for that consistently, day by day, moment by moment? Is everything I do in order to get the gospel out? Challenging thought.
Paul then goes on to describe who Christ is, both to the Jews as their King and to the Gentiles as the Son of God. It is through Christ that we have been given the ability to preach to ALL nations for Christ's name sake. It's all about HIM!
And then Paul talks about how the believers at Rome are called saints and beloved of God. He talks about how he longs to come to them and give them a spiritual present of discipleship and fellowship with them. And then in verse 14 he says this: "I am debtor both to Greeks and to Barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish." Debtor. Debtor of what? Well, he goes on to explain that because of his debt, he is ready to preach the Gospel. It is his call to go and preach. He considers himself a debtor to those who have not heard! If only this was the heart cry of more Christians, even of myself. I am a debtor to those who have not heard. That's a complete worldview change for so many of us, including myself. I've never thought of myself as a debtor to the unreached. Sure, I want to go, I'm passionate to go, but a debtor to them to go? That's revolutionary in my mind. It's so crazy to think about the focus of Paul and to compare it with my own focus. So many times I fall short of focusing on God in all things. I can't live this life on my own. I can't even think about things rightly on my own. I need Him. I need Him more than breath. I need Him more than food. I need Him if I want to live. I cannot think or act or do right without Him.
Lord, remind me of these truths every day, every moment. Show me the wrong-thinking that I cling to. Reveal to me the depths of my heart and remind me that the only answer is found in you. Thank you for your incredible grace that You have shown toward me, that I am called a child of yours, that you pursue me with unending love though I do not deserve it. You alone are worthy of praise.
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