A couple of things stuck out to me as I did my Bible reading tonight - but there is one in particular I want to mention:
2 Chronicles 20.3
"Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord."
Often we are told "do not be afraid." Instead we need to be resolved and determined and "get 'er done" in spite of the fear.
Now, granted, there is some truth to the whole "do not be afraid" thing - God said it to Joshua and the angel said it to Mary and Jesus said it to his disciples... But they were encouraging the ones they were talking to not to dwell in fear or be overcome by it. They weren't telling them to dig deep inside themselves to conquer all.
Sometimes fear is a natural and appropriate response... say, when your kingdom is about to be invaded by a multitude of armies. It's not so much the feeling of fear that is the issue, but what we do with it. Jehoshaphat was afraid and turned his attention to seek the Lord.
Isn't that what we should do?
Do you?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
On suffering...
Great quote by Henri Nouwen from today's Finan reading:
"There is no suffering - no guilt, shame, loneliness, hunger, oppression, or exploitation, no torture, imprisonment, or murder, no violence - that has not been suffered by God. There can be no human beings who are completely alone in their sufferings, since God, in and through Jesus, has become Emmanuel, God with us. The Good News of the gospel, therefore, is not that God came to take our suffering away, but that God wanted to become part of it."
Praise God for His wonderful hesed (lovingkindness)!
"There is no suffering - no guilt, shame, loneliness, hunger, oppression, or exploitation, no torture, imprisonment, or murder, no violence - that has not been suffered by God. There can be no human beings who are completely alone in their sufferings, since God, in and through Jesus, has become Emmanuel, God with us. The Good News of the gospel, therefore, is not that God came to take our suffering away, but that God wanted to become part of it."
Praise God for His wonderful hesed (lovingkindness)!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Finan Reading - June 7
from Celtic Daily Prayers:
Scriptures: Psalm 32:5, Micah 7:8-9, Galatians 6:14
The meditation was from Blaise Pascal (which I found interesting in itself)...
"Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because He shows us both God and our own wretchedness. Jesus is a God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair."
Love the tension/balance there. And I wonder if that was at the back of Max Lucado's mind when he wrote this of Peter after his denial and later conversation with Jesus (from "A Gentle Thunder"):
"If Peter had shed tears but not seen the cross, he would have known only despair. Had he seen the cross but shed no tears, he would have known only arrogance. But since he saw both, he knew redemption."
Scriptures: Psalm 32:5, Micah 7:8-9, Galatians 6:14
The meditation was from Blaise Pascal (which I found interesting in itself)...
"Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because He shows us both God and our own wretchedness. Jesus is a God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair."
Love the tension/balance there. And I wonder if that was at the back of Max Lucado's mind when he wrote this of Peter after his denial and later conversation with Jesus (from "A Gentle Thunder"):
"If Peter had shed tears but not seen the cross, he would have known only despair. Had he seen the cross but shed no tears, he would have known only arrogance. But since he saw both, he knew redemption."
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Finan Readings - June 1 & 2
This year I'm doing the daily offices from the book Celtic Daily Prayers for my devotional times. I'm using the Finan series of readings. The following are from the first two days of June - and June is themed "Jesus of the Scars."
________________
June 1st:
Scripture: Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 52:15, Luke 24:30-40
Question: What are the only man-made things in heaven?
Answer: The wounds in the hands, feet and side of Jesus.
(I found that extremely profound to think upon yesterday)
________________
June 2nd:
Scripture: Psalm 129:3-4, Isaiah 50:6-9, 1 Peter 2:22-24
Excerpt from Henri Nouwen:
"Jesus' hands and feet were not just anyone's hands and feet, but the signs of His real bodily presence. They were the hands and feet of Jesus marked with the wounds of His crucifixion. It is of great spiritual importance that Jesus made Himself known to His disciples by showing them His wounded body. The resurrection had not taken His wounds away but, rather, they had become part of His glory. They had become glorified wounds.
"Jesus is the Lord who came to save us by dying for us on the Cross. The wounds in Jesus' glorified body remind us of the way in which we are saved. But they also remind us that our own wounds are much more than roadblocks on our way to God. They show us our own unique way to follow the suffering Christ, and they are destined to become glorified in our resurrected life. Just as Jesus was identified by His wounds, so are we."
________________
June 1st:
Scripture: Psalm 22:16, Isaiah 52:15, Luke 24:30-40
Question: What are the only man-made things in heaven?
Answer: The wounds in the hands, feet and side of Jesus.
(I found that extremely profound to think upon yesterday)
________________
June 2nd:
Scripture: Psalm 129:3-4, Isaiah 50:6-9, 1 Peter 2:22-24
Excerpt from Henri Nouwen:
"Jesus' hands and feet were not just anyone's hands and feet, but the signs of His real bodily presence. They were the hands and feet of Jesus marked with the wounds of His crucifixion. It is of great spiritual importance that Jesus made Himself known to His disciples by showing them His wounded body. The resurrection had not taken His wounds away but, rather, they had become part of His glory. They had become glorified wounds.
"Jesus is the Lord who came to save us by dying for us on the Cross. The wounds in Jesus' glorified body remind us of the way in which we are saved. But they also remind us that our own wounds are much more than roadblocks on our way to God. They show us our own unique way to follow the suffering Christ, and they are destined to become glorified in our resurrected life. Just as Jesus was identified by His wounds, so are we."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
