January 31st 2012

Yesterday we talked about finding a new standard of what it means to live out this walk with Jesus, today we’re going to examine our lives to see if there is anything holding us back.

Read Joshua 24:14-25 and re-write this in your own words

Did you notice a sort of back and forth between Joshua and the nation of Israel? Joshua would tell them to put away their idols, and they’d say that they didn’t have any. Joshua would respond with something like “no seriously, put your idols away, quit it” and time after time the people respond by denying that they have idols. Basically the people are worshipping other idols and Joshua is calling them out on it, but time after time they deny. Now one of two things is happening here. Either the people are lying or they’re completely ignorant and don’t realize that they are worshipping other idols.

This raises the question for us, what other idols do we have in our life that we don’t even know that we have? For the ancient Hebrews, they may not have realized that some of these idols were really bad. For some they were simply a way to be more productive.

For example Ba’al and Asherah were both god’s of fertility. In those days each nation had a different god (the idea of one God was completely foreign). So after Israel has a few terrible seasons with no harvest, maybe they look at what the other nations are doing and begin to do the things that they do. What if they begin to have a good harvest? All of a sudden this idol is a tool for farming.

So what are the idols in our lives that we may not recognize? What are the things that consume our time and devotion?

Today pray that God would reveal the idols in your life that may be easy to overlook.

January 30th 2012

If love is a choice then what is the standard of that choice?

Read Romans 12:2 and journal your thoughts

When we talk about living a lifestyle of love, what do you think of? Seriously write down some of the first things that pop into your head?

Now read Matthew 5:43-48

This isn’t our world’s standard of love, is it? Even for those who proclaim to follow Jesus we have a hard time with this one. It’s easy for us to list off things like feeding the poor, helping the widows and the orphans, maybe even helping the recovering addicts. But loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us is just pushing it. Jesus in this one command opens us up to a whole new way of thinking (which is something he does continuously throughout his ministry).

You see, we have the choice to either conform to the lifestyle, the habits, the rhythm, and the expectations of this world, or we can turn to Jesus and allow God to transform or alter the way you see everything. No longer will we see our enemies as enemies but as someone who has just as much potential and we do (see Paul). Imagine what other new worlds God will open our eyes to when we choose to follow and trust Him

Today pray that God would open your eyes to new standards and to help you see new worlds of beauty.

January 29th 2012

Yesterday we talked about how the way of Jesus frees us from a life of religious rites and opens us up into a lifestyle of love. But in our verses from yesterday Paul also warns us in our freedom not to indulge in the flesh (translation: sin). Today we are going to look a little more into the consequences of our actions if we do.

Read Romans 6:20-23 and write down what you think this means

When you read wages of sin, think about it like this; you get what you pay for. If you invest all of your time and energy into things that destroy (sin), then don’t be surprised when you look around at the world you’ve created and it’s filled with only death and destruction. Earlier this week we’ve looked at the love of God, specifically how God loves us so much that He gives us the freedom to choose whether to follow Him or not. When we choose to run from Him and His ways we begin to create a world of destruction.

Remember when we talked about John 10:10 and living abundantly, we also talked about how Jesus shows us how to live a healthy life, the way we were created to live. This is the flip side of that, when we run from Jesus we are no longer stepping into the way we were created to live, we begin to create a life that is against the way we are supposed to life. This way is filled with destruction and death. Here is the catch, the choices we make do not just affect us, but everyone around us. Essentially we create a world of death, by spreading death with our choices.

Today pray that you would begin to see in advance the consequences of your actions, both the good and the bad.

January 28th 2012

Yesterday we looked at how God gives us a choice. We were not created to be robots who have no say in what we are doing. Instead he loves us enough to give us the opportunity to do things ourselves, to create whatever kind of world we want. Essentially we can choose to follow Jesus or do our own thing.

Read Galatians 5:13-14 and journal your thoughts

We have to begin with freedom. Here Paul isn’t just talking about our freedom to choose, but he is talking about our freedom from. Remember Christianity is born out our Judaism, and so formerly Jewish followers are used to doing a list of rites and Holy acts as a way to be seen as acceptable before God. Instead Paul reminds them that they are free from the rites and Holy acts of the Law.

Instead of being bound to a list of rites and Holy acts, Paul sums up the way of Jesus in a word, “love”. In other words, the way of Jesus isn’t just a giant to-do list. In its place we are supposed to live a lifestyle of love, where we express the love of God through everything that we do.

The difference is key, if following Jesus is just a list of things to do then you also have the freedom to do whatever else we want in the spare time (Example: Amos 5). On the other hand when we life a lifestyle of love in consumes all of your time and energy. So when we choose to follow Jesus we aren’t just signing up for a list of things that we have to do, but we choose to embrace a complete lifestyle change where we change the core of who we are.

Today pray that God would allow you to see the opportunities in your life where you can demonstrate God’s love to the world.

January 27th 2012

Yesterday we talked about how God chose us and believe that we can live lives just like Jesus. Today we are going to look at what we have to say about it.

Read 1 Corinthians 10:23 and journal you initial thoughts

This is one of those verses that can be pretty confusing depending on which Bible translation you are using. So let’s sum this verse up as clearly as we can. Essentially Paul is saying “I’ve heard you say ‘look we have the freedom to do whatever we want’ and that’s true, but not everything you can do is good for you.” Another way of saying it may be like this “You can do it, I just wouldn’t recommend it”.

God didn’t create us to be robots, who simply do what we’re programmed to do. Instead God shows the love that He has for us, as His chosen ones, in freedom. He loves us so deeply that He gives us the freedom to choose whether to follow him or to simply walk away (or run). He loves all of us so much that He gives us that choice. We can choose to live a life that creates His Kingdom here on earth, or not.

Today pray that God would help you to see opportunities to choose to follow him with every choice that you make

January 26th 2012

This month we are switching gears, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner we are going to spend some time this month looking at some of the themes of love.

Read John 15:16 and journal what this means to you

When Jesus talks about choosing them, we have to remember that he is specifically talking about when he called them to follow him. Remember, the very act of Jesus recruiting disciples was very counter-cultural for that time. Normally if a kid was super smart and went through their education system which was centered around Torah and the Law, then they would interview with a Rabbi who they would like to learn under. If the interview went well, the Rabbi would ask them to follow him. But Jesus didn’t do that, he didn’t pick the smartest, better established, Ivy League kids. He went for those who weren’t established in the system, those who were used to working with their hands. People who weren’t good enough, smart enough, or even perfect, instead he picked flawed people.

Now read Ephesians 1:4 and journal your thoughts.

The beauty of the Gospel is the same that was true for Jesus’ disciples is true for us. In the same way that Jesus chose his disciples, he chooses us. He sets us apart to be holy and blameless. In other words not only does He choose to love us just as we are, but He also believes that we can change that we can live a life just like he did. After all, the whole purpose of a disciple was to become just like their Rabbi, the same is true for us.

Today pray that you would understand that in spite of your brokenness and flaws that Jesus chooses you warts and all. And that he believes in you, more than you could even believe in yourself.

January 25th 2012

Back when David was just a shepherd what do you think the vision was for his life?

Now read 2 Samuel 7:16 and write down your thoughts

There is no way that David, the shepherd boy would have ever imagined himself not only growing up to become a king, but that God would carry on his family’s throne forever. Now the Hebrew word for “forever” literally means…forever. Of course we know looking in hindsight that God is ultimately referring to what would be fulfilled through Jesus. But David couldn’t imagine that. Let’s ask ourselves a very honest question right now; what is the ultimate dream for your life?

What do you think David’s ultimate dream was when he was just a shepherd? When you begin to follow Jesus and step into our destiny, God takes our vision and expands it beyond what we could ever imagine. For David it was a kingship, but for us it may look quite different. Think of Willy Wonka’s Wonkavator it doesn’t just go up and down, but “the Wonkavator can go sideways, and slantways, and longways, and backways”. It may take us to the highest mountains village of Gao Shan or the urban streets of Los Angeles, or farm towns that you’ve never heard of before.

Today pray that God would give you the strength to stay the course and the courage to follow Him even in the most uncertain of times, that you may discover a world beyond your wildest dreams