I was scheduled to go in 2 hrs earlier than normal this morning, when I got a message from our Worship Leader cancelling the early practice. My first thought was Thank goodness!
I began to think about how I appeared to her. Probably as very willing to work, showing up on time, every time. I'm one of those people who you can count on to be there every time, and I will work tirelessly the whole time, and if you said "can you stay an extra hour?" I would.
But then I thought, if my boss was Jesus, would I do the same? And I realized that it's more because I signed up for this, so I treat it like a job, and the worship leader like my employer. However, if it were Jesus and I were just following Him and He gave people the opportunity to leave after a long hard day of work, if no one took it, I would be loathe to be the first one (I wouldn't speak up, so would stay if everyone else did - peer pressure at its finest!). But, if someone else said "I have to go home", I would too, even if I didn't have something else to do. I imagine I would just be worn out, and need a break. And then I would spend the rest of the night at home relaxing.
There's some sort of ethic about there being an employer vs. being just a friend. There's also a difference between a set event I'm committing for and a spontaneous "let's help people today". I really don't think Jesus had a set schedule, where if you followed Him in the morning, He was going to tell you "okay, we're doing X at 10 AM, this other event at noon, and a third event this evening". He probably just followed things as they came up. In fact, the lack of organization would probably frustrate me to no end, because I like to know where I am going in my day. We all do.
So I felt the urge to look up some verses on authority (figures) in the Bible. Who are we supposed to give our authority to? God, of course. But what does that look like on a day to day basis? Sure, I still give my authority to God. But that says nothing about spontaneity vs. a job.
In the Bible, God does say we're supposed to work hard. We're supposed to work for employers like we're working for God. And I believe we're supposed to work tirelessly on every workday. We are also commanded to take a day of rest every week to combat this (the Sabbath), to give our bodies and minds time to relax. I myself had a GREAT worship day with the Lord two days ago now, and have felt very spiritually refreshed since then.
Bible verses for the day (a lot of these deal with Jesus and his authority):
Ecclesiastes 8:8 No man has the authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death... but Jesus does. While the disciples were out in the storm, he stopped the wind and waves with a motion of His hand. He Himself also clearly knew when He was going to die, and specifically said "I have authority to lay down my life, and to take it up again"(see John 10:18). So it's clear that no mere man has this authority, so then Jesus must not be a mere man. This is an argument that He is part of the Godhead.
Similarly, this verse speaks to me. I, being a mere man, do not have authority over the things in my life. God does. I need to trust God, and trust in His plan.
Isaiah 22:20-22 Then it will come about in that day that I will summon my servant [] and I will clothe him with your tunic, and tie your sash securely about him. I will entrust him with your authority, and he will become a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the house of Judah. Then I will set the key of the house of David on his shoulder. When he opens, no one will shut. When he shuts, no one will open. This again speaks of the Christ to me. Though a different servant's name is mentioned, the Bible often parallels itself, with different people filling the same roles (or Christ filling other people's roles in metaphor). I believe Jesus himself quotes this passage about "What I shut, no one will open, and what I open, no one will shut". This passage also refers to being a father of the house of Judah, the line from which the Messiah would come. So this passage is Messianic as well, showing that Jesus has authority, tying Him to the house of Judah, and giving Him the absolute unmovable power of God.
Jer 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule on their own authority. And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? This passage is preceded by a long explanation of the people worshiping false gods and turning away from God. Clearly, as humans, we are not meant to have our own authority. As Jesus says, "You do not know where you come from, and you do not know where you are going." It's the same thing as not knowing our day or time of death, or what's going to happen in life. Yet people try to claim their own authority, clinging to that and following it.
The problem here is not only do we as individuals do it, but priests (whose sole power comes from the fact that they're supposed to be serving God!) start falling in love with power. And an even bigger problem is that the common people are seeing this evil and embracing it! But the ending line is the clincher. At first I read it as "Everyone else is leaning on their own authority/understanding and following their own will and not God's, and people are willingly embracing evil over good. But what will you do?" As in, the choice is left to you, the individual.
On 2nd reading, after reading it in context (the whole chapter), which has mentioned God's destruction, it's a little more like, But God is coming to destroy at the end of it, and what will you do then? So less of a choice to you the individual and more like, But you're going to get your comeuppance at the end.
The verse I really wanted today was:
Matthew 16: 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven; and whatever you bind on Earth shall have been bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on Earth will have been loosed in Heaven.
That's a lot of power and authority! Kind of like Adam having authority over all the animals in the Garden of Eden. It's a lot of responsibility too (not an excuse to go wild).
So I'm having trouble putting all this together as authority. The Bible says we're supposed to serve our authority figures (bosses, leaders, etc.) with the same devotion as if we're serving God, because God put them in place there. Really, it's just another outlet of serving God, and God likes our devotion.
Yet, He gives us a lot of authority and independence over ourselves too.
The Takeaway
I think the main message is, Don't serve your employer just because you've been taught you ought to. Do it because you serve the Lord, and desire to please Him by serving your employer (who is on earth with us, who we can see) as you would serve the Lord (who we can't see) (a proxy for God). Serving the Lord in general pleases Him, and if we do this, since He's asked it of us, it pleases Him. Be prepared to go with changes as He crafts the plan for our lives for each of us. So put your heart on serving the Lord and working tirelessly for Him, rather than working tirelessly from 9-5 every day.
Also, it's clear from the above passages that Jesus has God's authority. He is the Servant mentioned many times in the Old Testament, and He has the authority of God (or at least beyond a mere man). I, and you, do not, so don't pretend we do.
At the same time, when we're serving God, we're acting with God's authority (I think that's the gist of the Genesis and Matthew passages giving us power over things). So it's impossible to abuse that, as long as we're serving God.
Make sure your head's in the right place today, and that your eyes are on God.
Prayer: Dear Lord, please don't let me fall into serving an earthly employer. I want to serve you. Please help me to set my eyes on you and serve you all my days, and have that fill my heart, rather than fulfilling a social or societal obligatory need. In the precious name of your Son Jesus Christ, I pray I could follow Him today and be willing to work tirelessly for Him whether it's official or spontaneous, that I would have a heart for Him and the work rather than for the schedule, and that I would have faith that He would give me the energy I will need when I get tired. Amen.
Jedi Council
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Devotional: Greed Is a Form of Idolatry
After encouragement from the worship leader at church, I decided to start a short daily devotional. But before I start, I skimmed the inspirational verses on the homepage of Bible.com. The one from yesterday was very apropos to my issues:
Ephesians 5:25-26: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...
When this happens (and it happens often, though not 100%), I feel it's God speaking to me. He's placed many well-placed passages in my life.
What it says to me:
This short verse tells me that no matter how mean your spouse is, you should love your spouse. First, because Christ did it (loved a group of people - the church! Just think of how many more issues a group of people have!), and we're trying to follow Christ's example. Second, that it's a sacrificial love - that you give yourself up for the other person without expecting anything in return. Like Christ gave himself up for sinners, the other person will be rotten at times. Don't expect perfection. This is one of the miracles of Christ - as Paul says, we might give ourselves up for a good man, but an evil one? Who would die for an evil one except Christ? Third, this loving and giving ourselves up for our spouse is in order to sanctify and cleanse them. The verse, if you continue reading, finishes with presenting the church (or our spouses) as holy and blameless before God. This is for God's glory.
Devotion
On to today's devotion:
Colossians 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
The part that struck me out of all this (and believe me, I like instruction manuals on how to live!) is that greed is a form of idolatry. It's true: we feel like we need an item, and in a sense, we are worshiping it. I'm not sure if the rest (evil, and elsewhere it says anger) are also included in that amounting to idolatry, but when I first read through this verse, my heart focused on greed.
What am I greedy for? At times, new things to keep up with the Joneses, I have to admit. A good and peaceful life. What else is an idol in my life? If I'm not careful, Star Wars can be, or my novel, or this idea of peace and meditation. What am I greedy for now? New clothes/toys for my child. The best things for the baby.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to not be greedy. Help me to focus on you and realize that all good things, and all peace, comes from you. Amen
Update: sure enough, greed came up yesterday afternoon (I was waiting to see how it was going to make an appearance). I hadn't told my spouse about my devotional, and Spouse brought up trying not to be jealous of people who had more things than we did. We also visited people who had a much larger and nicer house on a lot of land, and lots of wilderness resources that Spouse and I would love to have. I did find myself thinking on the way home, wondering how they made their money, so that we might be able to follow a similar route. However, I was thinking, do I really want a big house? Do I really care it's on the water? I realized that God gives me everything and could snap His fingers tomorrow and give me a mansion and lots of wealth if He wanted to. Which means we are right now where He wants us. And I'm content with that. He's given us just the right amount of resources to pursue Him. I think any more would be a stumbling block.
Ephesians 5:25-26: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word...
When this happens (and it happens often, though not 100%), I feel it's God speaking to me. He's placed many well-placed passages in my life.
What it says to me:
This short verse tells me that no matter how mean your spouse is, you should love your spouse. First, because Christ did it (loved a group of people - the church! Just think of how many more issues a group of people have!), and we're trying to follow Christ's example. Second, that it's a sacrificial love - that you give yourself up for the other person without expecting anything in return. Like Christ gave himself up for sinners, the other person will be rotten at times. Don't expect perfection. This is one of the miracles of Christ - as Paul says, we might give ourselves up for a good man, but an evil one? Who would die for an evil one except Christ? Third, this loving and giving ourselves up for our spouse is in order to sanctify and cleanse them. The verse, if you continue reading, finishes with presenting the church (or our spouses) as holy and blameless before God. This is for God's glory.
Devotion
On to today's devotion:
Colossians 3:5: Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
The part that struck me out of all this (and believe me, I like instruction manuals on how to live!) is that greed is a form of idolatry. It's true: we feel like we need an item, and in a sense, we are worshiping it. I'm not sure if the rest (evil, and elsewhere it says anger) are also included in that amounting to idolatry, but when I first read through this verse, my heart focused on greed.
What am I greedy for? At times, new things to keep up with the Joneses, I have to admit. A good and peaceful life. What else is an idol in my life? If I'm not careful, Star Wars can be, or my novel, or this idea of peace and meditation. What am I greedy for now? New clothes/toys for my child. The best things for the baby.
Prayer: Dear God, help me to not be greedy. Help me to focus on you and realize that all good things, and all peace, comes from you. Amen
Update: sure enough, greed came up yesterday afternoon (I was waiting to see how it was going to make an appearance). I hadn't told my spouse about my devotional, and Spouse brought up trying not to be jealous of people who had more things than we did. We also visited people who had a much larger and nicer house on a lot of land, and lots of wilderness resources that Spouse and I would love to have. I did find myself thinking on the way home, wondering how they made their money, so that we might be able to follow a similar route. However, I was thinking, do I really want a big house? Do I really care it's on the water? I realized that God gives me everything and could snap His fingers tomorrow and give me a mansion and lots of wealth if He wanted to. Which means we are right now where He wants us. And I'm content with that. He's given us just the right amount of resources to pursue Him. I think any more would be a stumbling block.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Personal Accountability Weekly Worksheet #1
PERSONAL ACCOUNTABILITY
Weekly or Daily Worksheet
A little tired but spiritually refreshed after last night. Generally pretty good all day, though I got frustrated earlier with a fussy baby and a grumpy spouse.
2. How connected do you feel to God today?
More connected than I have in a long time. I listened to spiritual music today (though a lot was just for enjoyment), prayed before bed, prayed several times throughout the day, and tried to think more of What would God do when situations arose (more in His mindset).
3. How have you been this past week with taking care of yourself? Have you maintained a good sleep/exercise/eating schedule? Have you practiced positive mental habits? Where have you found peace?
Yes on sleep, for the first time in a long time. On the lousy sleep days at the beginning of the week, I ate what I had to to survive, but yes on healthy eating since then. Yes on exercise (not overdoing when I'm injured - giving it a break and not pushing it too hard), need to get back into physical therapy. Positive mental habits? well, I was stressed with Spouse. Hard to practice positive mental habits when you're angry, but I didn't practice negative ones at least, and I prayed, even if all I could focus on was my anger. So I at least initiated good habits (praying). I also initiated good habits and a jump start on conquering my performance fear - I jumped on it by looking up things to combat it and psyching myself up mentally instead of tearing myself down. I still have work to do (a way to go), but it worked! I was much less afraid, and only experienced a few moments of fear during practice.
I could probably get back to practicing meditation.
Where have I found peace? In worship practice! Never thought I would say that but I loved it. I really like the outlook of our worship leader. I think she's a great example of an authentic Christian, and she's teaching me how to be laid back, a firm believer in Christ, and yet see the value of everyone as a person, and encourage by bringing them up (a case where everyone wins!).
4. How has progress towards your goals gone? Have you practiced good time management? If you'd like to change directions on your goals, or think you need a new strategy somewhere, please list that here:
Hmmm. Not sure what my goals are at this point.
Goals:
- Get my leg back good enough to start running again. (been working on physical therapy exercises, and taking a break when I need to. Now I guess we'll try running again, and try to keep it short and not overpush again).
- Start a short daily devotional to refresh myself and help give me a better, mature, and peaceful perspective on the rest of the day.
- Volunteer with Christians and non-Christians (the with Christians part - yes! Joined the worship team at Church this week).
- Get my work done - not so hot this week, but the week's not over yet.
- Make connections with friends - yes! in both Home Group (Bible study), seeing/encouraging people outside as friends, and seeing old friends. Christianity is about investing in people.
- Start a Bible study (we're taking steps to get there! It's starting to fall into place. Spouse led our Bible study, and everyone thought they did great!)
- Handle situations like a mature adult (tried to - feelings sometimes still a little out of line, but I practiced very good mental habits and tried to be as open in communication as I could,, and as respectful as I could, and it worked)
- Get on the right sleep schedule for my body (so far so good).
Other goals are making God more part of my thoughts/day (which has worked the past 2 days), find some sort of exercise (especially cardio) that I can do with my bad leg, and start my daily devotional (excited!).
Time management? Not great in the early part of the week when I was dead tired, but I did what I had to to survive. Today, I've spent all day on this blog, but I'm giving the time to God, so is that really going wrong?
5. Have you found time for a regular devotional? How is that going? Remember, any relationship is important to upkeep, and your relationship with God is no exception. If you’re having trouble making time for God, look at your schedule and schedule in a time right now. Maybe you can wake up 15 mins earlier or go to bed 15 mins later. Maybe you can take a few minutes on your lunch break to pray. Maybe you can listen to the Bible or worship songs on your way to work.
Going to start that today!
6. In what areas do you feel like God is working in your life this week?
Spousal relationship, building social bridges with friends, incorporating Him more into my thoughts/daily life, teaching me to be less competitive (or how to value everyone, including myself, infinitely based on ourselves and not what we do)
7. What is challenging you in your walk with God this week? What are some things you’ve been learning recently (in your walk with God)? Has it been easy or hard for you? In what areas or ways do you feel like you’re growing?
Stage fright/perfectionism was challenging, challenging not to push others down in order to push myself higher. But I succeeded in valuing someone (or trying at least) by lifting them up in encouragement. It just feels so much better to lift up someone in encouragement to constantly compare! Everyone wins and feels good.
Major challenge: getting angry with my spouse. Still figuring that one out. Trying to be as positive and encouraging and respectful as I can though, and I came to the conclusion that I'm sure it's God's plan for me, and God's plans are good for us. In fact, they're the best for us, so they do lead to good.
What am I learning recently? How to be an authentic Christian and be laid back and respectful. How to lift others up (even in parenthood, how a lot of friends lift each other, even in differences! My family never did - it was always about comparison and putting others down). So I'm learning a lot from other parents and spouses.
8. Pick a verse for the day. This can be a verse related to how you’re feeling, an inspirational verse off the homepage of Bible.com or Biblegateway.com or any other inspirational verse site, or a random verse from the Bible. Read it, and write it down, even if it’s just on a piece of note paper. Just somewhere to see it.
I was going to look up a verse on husbands and wives. There are a lot of them. The main gist I get when I search is that wives and husbands must remain faithful and married (planning on it).
The other thought I had is how God is often likened to a caring husband, and His people (first Jews, now Christians) are His bride. We must remember the tender loving care God provides for us, providing everything we need, taking care of us, loving us, desiring relationship with him.
9. Remind yourself of God’s truth: (what is God speaking to your situation this day/week?) Take a moment to just enjoy being with God. In prayer, in reading the Bible…just meditate for a minute and talk to God.
Ultimately, God is my husband. I will try my best to serve my earthly spouse, but ultimately it's God who is the master whom I serve.
10. Personal goal for growth this week: (use this from your Monthly sheet, write it here, and keep it in view and in mind daily)
Try to be respectful of my spouse. And not just in ways they want, but in true respect in my speech and manner, without compromising my integrity.
Make time for friends, and have good time management
Continue to go to bed early
Find a way to exercise even with my injury
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Christians Span the Political Spectrum...not surprisingly
Like Jedi, Christians encompass a bunch of different personalities and hold political positions.
In the media Christians are typically lumped together in the same ways: as conservative socially and economically, intellectually ignorant, with some pretty "out there" theories. Christians know that this does not represent all Christians, only a subset. Many Christians I talk to laugh off the media representation as "the crazies", but I don't think the general public knows the difference. (same with street preachers, coincidentally...most Christians I know cringe when they hear someone on the street yelling to everyone going by that they're going to hell. Some Christians I know think that, in a general case while God may call individuals to do different things, that it's doing more harm than good for the faith. Some Christians are personally offended by street preachers. I myself, as a Christian, find street preachers very uncomfortable and very anti-the personality of Christ). So it's nice to see a chart like this:
(Axes are Support for Evolution and Belief Climate Change is real)
The above is a picture from this page. It shows that Christians both support or don't support evolution depending on the denomination, and/or support or don't support the idea of climate change occurring and climate regulations to curb effects. It is my understanding that this chart was generated based on a survey, and while every individual from each of the faiths does not fit in those bubbles, those bubbles encompass the majority of the people of that faith who took the poll. Please see the original page and study for more details.
I am a Christian. I strongly believe in evolution (with a Creator, of course). I have no doubt man-made climate change is occurring, and that the Earth is headed towards a bad state without climate regulations. I don't fall on the typical liberal-conservative political spectrum.
For the record, I have no problem with Christians who are conservative politically. I have no problem with Christians who are liberal politically. I think both can be true Christians, as long as each is trying to follow Jesus Christ to the best of his/her abilities, and is trying to act to shape the world in a way consistent with that. Logic may have led different people to different political ideas or methods, and people are constantly growing to be more Christlike, (and everyone will discover they were wrong in some points, I believe). As long as we keep a dialogue open, and are willing to listen, and take good points from the other side (even if we ideologically don't agree with them), that is what is ultimately important.
In the media Christians are typically lumped together in the same ways: as conservative socially and economically, intellectually ignorant, with some pretty "out there" theories. Christians know that this does not represent all Christians, only a subset. Many Christians I talk to laugh off the media representation as "the crazies", but I don't think the general public knows the difference. (same with street preachers, coincidentally...most Christians I know cringe when they hear someone on the street yelling to everyone going by that they're going to hell. Some Christians I know think that, in a general case while God may call individuals to do different things, that it's doing more harm than good for the faith. Some Christians are personally offended by street preachers. I myself, as a Christian, find street preachers very uncomfortable and very anti-the personality of Christ). So it's nice to see a chart like this:
(Axes are Support for Evolution and Belief Climate Change is real)
The above is a picture from this page. It shows that Christians both support or don't support evolution depending on the denomination, and/or support or don't support the idea of climate change occurring and climate regulations to curb effects. It is my understanding that this chart was generated based on a survey, and while every individual from each of the faiths does not fit in those bubbles, those bubbles encompass the majority of the people of that faith who took the poll. Please see the original page and study for more details.
I am a Christian. I strongly believe in evolution (with a Creator, of course). I have no doubt man-made climate change is occurring, and that the Earth is headed towards a bad state without climate regulations. I don't fall on the typical liberal-conservative political spectrum.
For the record, I have no problem with Christians who are conservative politically. I have no problem with Christians who are liberal politically. I think both can be true Christians, as long as each is trying to follow Jesus Christ to the best of his/her abilities, and is trying to act to shape the world in a way consistent with that. Logic may have led different people to different political ideas or methods, and people are constantly growing to be more Christlike, (and everyone will discover they were wrong in some points, I believe). As long as we keep a dialogue open, and are willing to listen, and take good points from the other side (even if we ideologically don't agree with them), that is what is ultimately important.
Daily Life 5/23/2015
I am so tired. Comes from going to bed too late, for too many days in a row. Yesterday, I knew today would be hard, and it is.
The Jedi Council picture reminds me to have peace, and to take care of myself. Mentally, physically, spiritually. Be gentle, and do what I know is best to help myself grow (even if my physical body/mind resists).
As a Jedi, I need to have better control over my bodily impulses. As a functioning, mature adult, I need to be able to go to bed at a set time. As in, if I decide to go to bed early for health reasons, I need to not dawdle and actually go to bed at that time.
Goals for the day:
Do what I have to to get through it, and it is crucial that I go to bed at the planned time tonight!
Accomplishment:
Made up Prayer Book, something I've been meaning to do for a while now. Now I'm all set for praying like they do in Acts and in Paul's letters - including not just the people in our immediate lives, but other Christian communities, and for people and events around the world.
The Jedi Council picture reminds me to have peace, and to take care of myself. Mentally, physically, spiritually. Be gentle, and do what I know is best to help myself grow (even if my physical body/mind resists).
As a Jedi, I need to have better control over my bodily impulses. As a functioning, mature adult, I need to be able to go to bed at a set time. As in, if I decide to go to bed early for health reasons, I need to not dawdle and actually go to bed at that time.
Goals for the day:
Do what I have to to get through it, and it is crucial that I go to bed at the planned time tonight!
Accomplishment:
Made up Prayer Book, something I've been meaning to do for a while now. Now I'm all set for praying like they do in Acts and in Paul's letters - including not just the people in our immediate lives, but other Christian communities, and for people and events around the world.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Delta Groups
When my spouse and I lived in Boston, we attended a church there called The River. It was a great church, and if you're in the area, we encourage you to check it out. It was very welcoming to all kinds of individuals, and went out of its way to welcome every person individually from the moment they walked through the doors. We loved it there and were sorry to leave.
To keep consistency, one of the things they did was name each part (or meeting of different ages of people) after different bodies of water. Thus there was The River, The Harbor, etc. The young adult group decided to call themselves Delta (no "the" in front). We chose it for ourselves, and I love it on so many levels.
Delta Meanings:
To keep consistency, one of the things they did was name each part (or meeting of different ages of people) after different bodies of water. Thus there was The River, The Harbor, etc. The young adult group decided to call themselves Delta (no "the" in front). We chose it for ourselves, and I love it on so many levels.
Delta Meanings:
- Officially, a river delta is where a river meets the ocean; in other words, a place where new people could come to get to know people from the church in a safe, friendly, relaxed environment. A place where the church and secular world could interface and dialogue.
- One of the first things I think of with the word Delta is a fraternity or sorority - in otherwords, brotherhood. Community. This is exactly what Christians are supposed to be, as a group. In the early church (see the book of Acts and Paul's letters), Christians prayed for Christians and churches in other areas, sent them money, and tried to uplift and encourage them in any areas of struggle. Sometimes they sent kind people to help out in any way needed. None of the denominational infighting we see today.
- Another thing I think of with the word Delta is the military. For some reason, at least in movies, the most elite military forces are always called Delta Force. I don't know why. But it made me feel like I was part of an elite group, the best of the best when it comes to skills or physical endurance or intelligence, chosen if you will. And Christ does choose each one of us...or rather, God is calling all of us, and the group is made of people who have accepted God's call. And I do think God calls us to be often better than we think we can be. (By the way, this is totally consistent with the Jedi...Jedi being elite warriors, probably equivalent to the military special forces today. Think about it - not just physical awesomeness but sent on missions, often to militarily impose or keep peace...)
- The last meaning of Delta is as a greek symbol. The lowercase delta looks like the lowercase letter "d", while the uppercase Delta is simply an equilateral triangle. So when I see the word Delta, a triangle also appears in my head. I only recently put together that the Trinity (God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is also three parts, and often represented by a triangle. So a group that worships and serves God would be very adequately served by using a triangle as their symbol.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
The Book of Nahum
Nahum 1-3, concentrating on Nahum 1
My spouse and I decided to start reading the Bible together again. It is interesting because like the Jedi Council, our marriage is a mix of personalities. We bring different strengths to the table, and we see things often from very different perspectives. Although now that we've been married a while, we're starting to see them from the same critical perspective. So I'm looking forward to this mini-Bible study, because I value seeing the Bible differently.
So as I prayed last night, I asked God briefly what part of the Bible we should study. It is a book teeming with truth (though I often have trouble seeing this truth until it's pointed out to me; see previous post). Old Testament or New Testament? The Old Testament deals mainly with God's relationship with His people. After Genesis, it pretty much repeats the same story over and over: God gives the people good things. After some time, the people (or their descendants) start focusing on the things instead of God, and decide they don't need God. God gets mad and starts sending bad things. The people suffer, and repent of their sin, and God being merciful relents and gives them good things again. I'm not being facetious when I say God is being merciful. It's kind of like giving a teenager your car, and they promise to be responsible, and then they go out, get drunk, and smash the car. Then you bail them out of their mess, and they ask for your other car, and promise to do better this time. Again. Eventually, we as human parents get tired and say no! Luckily, God is more merciful.
Back to the Bible. The Old Testament I read in large chunks, except for books like Proverbs or Psalms which are meant to be savored in little bits of wisdom. Similarly, the New Testament is nearly impossible to read in large chunks - Paul's letters and the Gospels are full of Wisdom sayings, which need to be digested slowly line by line in some cases. Only Acts acts as a history and can be read in large chunks. So I debated which book to do.
I got the feeling, first for Ezekiel, which I decided to stay away from because it parallels Revelation and I don't want to get into an End Times discussion, and then for Nahum. My first thought was, "Is that even a book of the Bible? Huh. I guess it is." I've read through the whole Bible once before (and read the common parts hundreds of times), so I've read through it but I don't remember it.
So, for this Bible study, we decided to do Nahum, paired with a New Testament book yet to be determined. If you're reading along, we welcome you to join us for this Bible study.
Bible Study
On first reading, it read like a typical history. God is going to punish Nineveh.
Background:
Nahum is a prophet from the city Elkosh. This is the only time he's mentioned in the Bible.
Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians, a powerful nation that often conquered the peoples around them.
Personal Relevence
-Now, while this book might seem boring (and it does get kind of repetitive in Nahum 2 and 3, which is why I'm lumping them together), this is actually pretty applicable to my spouse and I. You see, Nineveh was the capital of the enemy nation (the Assyrians). According to this website, the Jews were oppressed by this great power for many generations. God had sent Jonah to the Ninevites years earlier, and they had repented and accepted God. So they were supposedly God-followers. However, they turned away from God and continued to oppress the Jews.
I've been praying for my spouse, because they (yes I realize this is the plural form, but it protects their identity) have been in a similar situation. They currently work at a "Christian" institution, yet the people making the decisions have brutally crushed opposition with very anti-Christian actions and tactics while continuing to proclaim a "Christian" worldview. My spouse and their co-workers are very much oppressed, and it has led my spouse to question "Where's God in all of this?" It has seriously shaken their own faith. After all, how can they share a faith with people who are content to trod mercilessly on others just to get their own way?
So, over the past few years, while they originally rejoiced at the opportunity to work for a Christian institution, a place where they could supposedly live out their faith with like-minded people, instead they have been oppressed. So perhaps this is the book for them - a promise that God does see what's happening, and will eventually bring justice.
What does it Say?
Nahum 1:
God avenges. (rights wrongs, in angry/wrathful way). BUT, after stressing the Lord is angry, the writer says it actually takes a long time/many offences for the Lord to get angry (the Lord is actually slow to anger.) So we can assume Nineveh did many wrongs against the Lord before He got angry.
The Lord is powerful, meaning He has the capacity to punish. He is not a weak king, who may desire to curb evil but doesn't have the military or physical power to do so. God has plenty of power in abundance to punish, more than is needed.
The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
He is so powerful, He does many (seemingly impossible) things on this earth, and no mere man is powerful enough to oppose Him.
BUT, in contrast to this angry picture of God, it is stressed again - the Lord is good. He protects people, and he recognizes/intimately knows (or counts as his own) those who take refuge, or take advantage of that protection.
As I'm reading this, I make a note to look up the Hebrew word translated as "know" in verse 7. Does it mean recognize? Does it mean the intimately know/care for, as the same word "know" which translates for husband and wife (it's a very intimate, complete familiarity with something)? Or is it a different word?
Again, God angry after his enemies, and no man can come up with plans that God does not know (so again, no man can oppose Him).
Question upon reading, to return to in the next section: who are God's enemies? Just Nineveh? All of us, or at least all the unsaved who do not put their faith in Jesus (as it says elsewhere in the Bible)?
v. 11 - from "you" - I assume Nahum is talking to the town of Nineveh here - Nineveh has birthed a person who plotted against the Lord and is a "wicked counselor". Not sure exactly what this means. Was this someone who led many astray, in contrast to the Good Counselor (the Holy Spirit that the Lord sends)?
Nineveh's full strength doesn't matter, and because the Lord is now mad at Nineveh, He'll stop using them to punish the Jews (lift the Jews' punishment/current affliction) and instead punish the Ninevites. Even the Ninevites (false) "gods" will be destroyed.
THEN, in a seeming break from the passage, someone on the mountain comes bringing good news - peace! Is this peace to the afflicted Israelites (since God is going to turn His wrath away from them towards Nineveh)? So Israel can celebrate again, and give vows to God again, because wickedness is banished from her forever.
Nahum 2 and 3
The Lord tells Nineveh to summon all their strength, because they're going to need it against Him! (and still it won't be enough).
The Lord is restoring Israel from their lowly position.
Basically, the rest of Nahum 2 and 3 are all poetic descriptions of how the Lord will destroy Nineveh.
What does it mean?
I'm not sure. If I had to glean some meaning out of it, for say a class discussion, I'd do the following:
Look at the key players. In this book, we have God, the Ninevites, the Jews, and the prophet Nahum. Unlike some of the other prophetic books, Nahum does not interact with people here. We don't know how his message was received. I'm guessing that it was met with rejoicing by Israel, who was hearing that their oppressors were going to be destroyed. Hallelujah! Not only was their suffering going to stop, but God was going to put an end to the ones doing the suffering!
Now let's go on a little deeper level:
The Ninevites had been preached to by Jonah, and repented. They were supposed to be on the same side as the Jews! They were supposed to be following God, but they'd strayed. In other words, they were God-followers only in name, but far from God in their actions.
The Jews: in this passage, it mentions that the Jews are under oppression. Presumably, (usually when this happens in the Old Testament), it is God punishing the Jews for disobeying Him. So the Jews are seeing and judging the Ninevites as evil, but they haven't repented for their own sin (because when they do, God stops punishing them...and the prophet mentions they're being punished still, so they haven't repented).
From above, looking up the word "know" in v. 7 (it is indeed the Hebrew intimate knowing). Here is a good website which explains it much better than I can: http://skipmoen.com/2010/09/21/yada-yada-yada-2/
It seems as though the Wicked Counselor referred to in Verse 11 is generally thought to be Sennacherib, or possibly the Assyrians as a whole.
Acccording to the Benson Commentary on BibleHub, this passage is taking place while Sennacherib is warring against the Israelites and has already taken 10 tribes captive. Hezekiah is king. So this puts it at a very definitive time in history, when we can look up and see exactly how sinful the Israelites have been (see 2 Kings 18)
In 2 Kings 18, it says that the Jews would neither listen to the word of God, nor obey it. So they were doing wrong, and they didn't care, and didn't want to hear otherwise.
God:
The last person/character in this passage is God. In fact, the passage mainly centers around God, mostly detailing his wrath but also taking time to contrast that with His personality - slow to anger, protecting, caring, intimately knowing. This passage juxtaposes the two images, intermixing them frequently so we can see the contrast side by side. Why does the speaker do this? Because with all these descriptions of God's anger, we might become afraid of God, or think that somehow it's unjustified! Instead, the speaker reminds us God is first and foremost sheltering, caring, and it's only when we refuse to take refuge in Him, and refuse to do His works, and then on top of that refuse to even listen to admonishment about our mistakes (in other words, be headstrong and/or so enjoying of evil things that we don't want to turn away or be told they're wrong), that God gets mad.
This passage details the end of God's wrath for Israel, and a restoration to the right order of things - Israel once again making vows to God, and her main enemy subdued. At the end of the world, God will also restore things (comparison to the other major restoration in the Bible).
How else does this fit as a whole into the Bible?
Well, as stated, it comes during the period of Jews abandoning and then repenting/recommitting to God. This is the relief part of the cycle, for one of the cycles. In 2 Kings, it said Hezekiah was a good king, and had broken the bronze serpent Moses had created (cf. Numbers, and Jesus quotes it as well) to save people from the snakes many years before, because people had begun to worship the statue. Which means that the people now had no token to remember what God had done for them, to remember God...Jesus wasn't yet around as their savior.
Why was this passage written, and to whom?
This passage was written to the Jews. I believe it was written to reassure them, reassure them that they are once more right with God (their punishment is ceasing), and to comfort that their physical troubles will end soon.
How does this relate to modern life? To my life?
1. God punishing the punishers:
School - I remember being in school and being bullied. I definitely would have rejoiced to hear that the bullies were going to get "payback"! Sometimes, after suffering a lot, we rejoice to think that they'll experience exactly what they gave out - that they'll get payback. However, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. In Return of the Jedi, Luke was totally within his rights to go after Darth Vader full force. After all, Darth Vader had previously cut off his hand, and if Luke hadn't joined with him and hadn't escaped, Darth Vader would probably have killed him. Darth Vader had tortured his friends. In other words, Darth Vader did the same things that a lot of bullies do - he hurt Luke, and he hurt his friends. But instead of hurting him, Luke believed there was good in his father, and was determined to bring that out.
In the same way, even bullies at school are people too. We all do hurtful things to people, and we all have our good parts. Be determined not to stoop to their level - not to wish for their pain, even if it is justified - and instead recognize our own mix of good and evil, and try to bring out the good in them.
Similarly, if you're out of school, sometimes an employer or coworker can be difficult to deal with. God will bring about justice eventually, but often He chooses to heal situations through a restoration to peace, rather than through vengeance. Look for the good, choose to walk with God daily, and be ready to be an agent to bring that good about.
2. God Followers who Aren't Acting Godly: (the Ninevites)
Like the Ninevites, there are some Christians, or people of other religions, who supposedly follow God but commit horrible atrocities. In fact, the meanest people I've known in my own life have professed to be Christians. Now, churches aren't perfect, and people aren't perfect, but in a lot of churches I've gone to, there've been people left out, people who are perhaps awkward or introverted. That could be the subject of another whole blog post as to how the church can better cater to introverts. But the point is, awkward people make other people uncomfortable, and some people are content to leave those people out.
There are also Christians (I will focus on Christians here) who, while they don't commit atrocities are busy pursuing the American Dream of wealth rather than pursuing God.In other words, they still aren't acting godly. Maybe they're not spending time with their family in order to pursue their career.
If this is you, be forewarned! I don't like doomsday gloom and doom, but our hearts should be on God. If you've found you've turned away recently, choose today to turn back to God.
For non-Christians, this is also applicable, because every person that does not put God first is an enemy of God. This passage explains that God will punish the guilty eventually, and without Christ, we are all guilty.
3. The Mote in your brother's eye: (the Jews)
At the same time, when we've seen other people who label themselves Christian act ungodly, it's tempting to think "they're not really Christians". In other words, we distance ourselves from them. Yet at the same time, we excuse our own wrongdoing as "whoops, made a mistake there. I know better now."
So instead of judging other people, give them grace and be merciful, because we all make mistakes. Put your energy into being the best Christian you can be, and if their behavior helps solidify that image (even if it's knowing more of what you don't want to be like, that's a good thing).
So if I were writing a short report on this, what would I write?
My spouse and I decided to start reading the Bible together again. It is interesting because like the Jedi Council, our marriage is a mix of personalities. We bring different strengths to the table, and we see things often from very different perspectives. Although now that we've been married a while, we're starting to see them from the same critical perspective. So I'm looking forward to this mini-Bible study, because I value seeing the Bible differently.
So as I prayed last night, I asked God briefly what part of the Bible we should study. It is a book teeming with truth (though I often have trouble seeing this truth until it's pointed out to me; see previous post). Old Testament or New Testament? The Old Testament deals mainly with God's relationship with His people. After Genesis, it pretty much repeats the same story over and over: God gives the people good things. After some time, the people (or their descendants) start focusing on the things instead of God, and decide they don't need God. God gets mad and starts sending bad things. The people suffer, and repent of their sin, and God being merciful relents and gives them good things again. I'm not being facetious when I say God is being merciful. It's kind of like giving a teenager your car, and they promise to be responsible, and then they go out, get drunk, and smash the car. Then you bail them out of their mess, and they ask for your other car, and promise to do better this time. Again. Eventually, we as human parents get tired and say no! Luckily, God is more merciful.
Back to the Bible. The Old Testament I read in large chunks, except for books like Proverbs or Psalms which are meant to be savored in little bits of wisdom. Similarly, the New Testament is nearly impossible to read in large chunks - Paul's letters and the Gospels are full of Wisdom sayings, which need to be digested slowly line by line in some cases. Only Acts acts as a history and can be read in large chunks. So I debated which book to do.
I got the feeling, first for Ezekiel, which I decided to stay away from because it parallels Revelation and I don't want to get into an End Times discussion, and then for Nahum. My first thought was, "Is that even a book of the Bible? Huh. I guess it is." I've read through the whole Bible once before (and read the common parts hundreds of times), so I've read through it but I don't remember it.
So, for this Bible study, we decided to do Nahum, paired with a New Testament book yet to be determined. If you're reading along, we welcome you to join us for this Bible study.
Bible Study
On first reading, it read like a typical history. God is going to punish Nineveh.
Background:
Nahum is a prophet from the city Elkosh. This is the only time he's mentioned in the Bible.
Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians, a powerful nation that often conquered the peoples around them.
Personal Relevence
-Now, while this book might seem boring (and it does get kind of repetitive in Nahum 2 and 3, which is why I'm lumping them together), this is actually pretty applicable to my spouse and I. You see, Nineveh was the capital of the enemy nation (the Assyrians). According to this website, the Jews were oppressed by this great power for many generations. God had sent Jonah to the Ninevites years earlier, and they had repented and accepted God. So they were supposedly God-followers. However, they turned away from God and continued to oppress the Jews.
I've been praying for my spouse, because they (yes I realize this is the plural form, but it protects their identity) have been in a similar situation. They currently work at a "Christian" institution, yet the people making the decisions have brutally crushed opposition with very anti-Christian actions and tactics while continuing to proclaim a "Christian" worldview. My spouse and their co-workers are very much oppressed, and it has led my spouse to question "Where's God in all of this?" It has seriously shaken their own faith. After all, how can they share a faith with people who are content to trod mercilessly on others just to get their own way?
So, over the past few years, while they originally rejoiced at the opportunity to work for a Christian institution, a place where they could supposedly live out their faith with like-minded people, instead they have been oppressed. So perhaps this is the book for them - a promise that God does see what's happening, and will eventually bring justice.
What does it Say?
Nahum 1:
God avenges. (rights wrongs, in angry/wrathful way). BUT, after stressing the Lord is angry, the writer says it actually takes a long time/many offences for the Lord to get angry (the Lord is actually slow to anger.) So we can assume Nineveh did many wrongs against the Lord before He got angry.
The Lord is powerful, meaning He has the capacity to punish. He is not a weak king, who may desire to curb evil but doesn't have the military or physical power to do so. God has plenty of power in abundance to punish, more than is needed.
The Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished.
He is so powerful, He does many (seemingly impossible) things on this earth, and no mere man is powerful enough to oppose Him.
BUT, in contrast to this angry picture of God, it is stressed again - the Lord is good. He protects people, and he recognizes/intimately knows (or counts as his own) those who take refuge, or take advantage of that protection.
As I'm reading this, I make a note to look up the Hebrew word translated as "know" in verse 7. Does it mean recognize? Does it mean the intimately know/care for, as the same word "know" which translates for husband and wife (it's a very intimate, complete familiarity with something)? Or is it a different word?
Again, God angry after his enemies, and no man can come up with plans that God does not know (so again, no man can oppose Him).
Question upon reading, to return to in the next section: who are God's enemies? Just Nineveh? All of us, or at least all the unsaved who do not put their faith in Jesus (as it says elsewhere in the Bible)?
v. 11 - from "you" - I assume Nahum is talking to the town of Nineveh here - Nineveh has birthed a person who plotted against the Lord and is a "wicked counselor". Not sure exactly what this means. Was this someone who led many astray, in contrast to the Good Counselor (the Holy Spirit that the Lord sends)?
Nineveh's full strength doesn't matter, and because the Lord is now mad at Nineveh, He'll stop using them to punish the Jews (lift the Jews' punishment/current affliction) and instead punish the Ninevites. Even the Ninevites (false) "gods" will be destroyed.
THEN, in a seeming break from the passage, someone on the mountain comes bringing good news - peace! Is this peace to the afflicted Israelites (since God is going to turn His wrath away from them towards Nineveh)? So Israel can celebrate again, and give vows to God again, because wickedness is banished from her forever.
Nahum 2 and 3
The Lord tells Nineveh to summon all their strength, because they're going to need it against Him! (and still it won't be enough).
The Lord is restoring Israel from their lowly position.
Basically, the rest of Nahum 2 and 3 are all poetic descriptions of how the Lord will destroy Nineveh.
What does it mean?
I'm not sure. If I had to glean some meaning out of it, for say a class discussion, I'd do the following:
Look at the key players. In this book, we have God, the Ninevites, the Jews, and the prophet Nahum. Unlike some of the other prophetic books, Nahum does not interact with people here. We don't know how his message was received. I'm guessing that it was met with rejoicing by Israel, who was hearing that their oppressors were going to be destroyed. Hallelujah! Not only was their suffering going to stop, but God was going to put an end to the ones doing the suffering!
Now let's go on a little deeper level:
The Ninevites had been preached to by Jonah, and repented. They were supposed to be on the same side as the Jews! They were supposed to be following God, but they'd strayed. In other words, they were God-followers only in name, but far from God in their actions.
The Jews: in this passage, it mentions that the Jews are under oppression. Presumably, (usually when this happens in the Old Testament), it is God punishing the Jews for disobeying Him. So the Jews are seeing and judging the Ninevites as evil, but they haven't repented for their own sin (because when they do, God stops punishing them...and the prophet mentions they're being punished still, so they haven't repented).
From above, looking up the word "know" in v. 7 (it is indeed the Hebrew intimate knowing). Here is a good website which explains it much better than I can: http://skipmoen.com/2010/09/21/yada-yada-yada-2/
It seems as though the Wicked Counselor referred to in Verse 11 is generally thought to be Sennacherib, or possibly the Assyrians as a whole.
Acccording to the Benson Commentary on BibleHub, this passage is taking place while Sennacherib is warring against the Israelites and has already taken 10 tribes captive. Hezekiah is king. So this puts it at a very definitive time in history, when we can look up and see exactly how sinful the Israelites have been (see 2 Kings 18)
In 2 Kings 18, it says that the Jews would neither listen to the word of God, nor obey it. So they were doing wrong, and they didn't care, and didn't want to hear otherwise.
God:
The last person/character in this passage is God. In fact, the passage mainly centers around God, mostly detailing his wrath but also taking time to contrast that with His personality - slow to anger, protecting, caring, intimately knowing. This passage juxtaposes the two images, intermixing them frequently so we can see the contrast side by side. Why does the speaker do this? Because with all these descriptions of God's anger, we might become afraid of God, or think that somehow it's unjustified! Instead, the speaker reminds us God is first and foremost sheltering, caring, and it's only when we refuse to take refuge in Him, and refuse to do His works, and then on top of that refuse to even listen to admonishment about our mistakes (in other words, be headstrong and/or so enjoying of evil things that we don't want to turn away or be told they're wrong), that God gets mad.
This passage details the end of God's wrath for Israel, and a restoration to the right order of things - Israel once again making vows to God, and her main enemy subdued. At the end of the world, God will also restore things (comparison to the other major restoration in the Bible).
How else does this fit as a whole into the Bible?
Well, as stated, it comes during the period of Jews abandoning and then repenting/recommitting to God. This is the relief part of the cycle, for one of the cycles. In 2 Kings, it said Hezekiah was a good king, and had broken the bronze serpent Moses had created (cf. Numbers, and Jesus quotes it as well) to save people from the snakes many years before, because people had begun to worship the statue. Which means that the people now had no token to remember what God had done for them, to remember God...Jesus wasn't yet around as their savior.
Why was this passage written, and to whom?
This passage was written to the Jews. I believe it was written to reassure them, reassure them that they are once more right with God (their punishment is ceasing), and to comfort that their physical troubles will end soon.
How does this relate to modern life? To my life?
1. God punishing the punishers:
School - I remember being in school and being bullied. I definitely would have rejoiced to hear that the bullies were going to get "payback"! Sometimes, after suffering a lot, we rejoice to think that they'll experience exactly what they gave out - that they'll get payback. However, Jesus tells us to love our enemies. In Return of the Jedi, Luke was totally within his rights to go after Darth Vader full force. After all, Darth Vader had previously cut off his hand, and if Luke hadn't joined with him and hadn't escaped, Darth Vader would probably have killed him. Darth Vader had tortured his friends. In other words, Darth Vader did the same things that a lot of bullies do - he hurt Luke, and he hurt his friends. But instead of hurting him, Luke believed there was good in his father, and was determined to bring that out.
In the same way, even bullies at school are people too. We all do hurtful things to people, and we all have our good parts. Be determined not to stoop to their level - not to wish for their pain, even if it is justified - and instead recognize our own mix of good and evil, and try to bring out the good in them.
Similarly, if you're out of school, sometimes an employer or coworker can be difficult to deal with. God will bring about justice eventually, but often He chooses to heal situations through a restoration to peace, rather than through vengeance. Look for the good, choose to walk with God daily, and be ready to be an agent to bring that good about.
2. God Followers who Aren't Acting Godly: (the Ninevites)
Like the Ninevites, there are some Christians, or people of other religions, who supposedly follow God but commit horrible atrocities. In fact, the meanest people I've known in my own life have professed to be Christians. Now, churches aren't perfect, and people aren't perfect, but in a lot of churches I've gone to, there've been people left out, people who are perhaps awkward or introverted. That could be the subject of another whole blog post as to how the church can better cater to introverts. But the point is, awkward people make other people uncomfortable, and some people are content to leave those people out.
There are also Christians (I will focus on Christians here) who, while they don't commit atrocities are busy pursuing the American Dream of wealth rather than pursuing God.In other words, they still aren't acting godly. Maybe they're not spending time with their family in order to pursue their career.
If this is you, be forewarned! I don't like doomsday gloom and doom, but our hearts should be on God. If you've found you've turned away recently, choose today to turn back to God.
For non-Christians, this is also applicable, because every person that does not put God first is an enemy of God. This passage explains that God will punish the guilty eventually, and without Christ, we are all guilty.
3. The Mote in your brother's eye: (the Jews)
At the same time, when we've seen other people who label themselves Christian act ungodly, it's tempting to think "they're not really Christians". In other words, we distance ourselves from them. Yet at the same time, we excuse our own wrongdoing as "whoops, made a mistake there. I know better now."
So instead of judging other people, give them grace and be merciful, because we all make mistakes. Put your energy into being the best Christian you can be, and if their behavior helps solidify that image (even if it's knowing more of what you don't want to be like, that's a good thing).
So if I were writing a short report on this, what would I write?
- I would note that one of the major themes is contrast of God's anger with God's good side, and the Ninevites' apparent strength with their coming downfall. God brings down the strong but lifts up the weak, evidenced in mentioning again that He is a stronghold for those who take refuge in Him (in other words, for weak people looking for a place to protect them - not warriors).
- I would draw inferences between the relationship of the Jews and the Ninevites about 1) making sure godly actions align with a profession of following God, both as shown by the Ninevites and implied by the Jews' punishment that they had forgone those godly actions, and 2) being quick to rejoice in peace but slow to rejoice in our enemies' demise, if we are to bring Christ's words into the picture, and 3) applying this to my own life, perhaps my spouse's restoration of justice is coming soon.
- I would end with the stressed importance of keeping an open mind to correction in life. We're all doing some things wrong, and we need to be able to hear that, however hard it is to take criticism. When we stop listening to God, that's when bad things happen. The Ninevites listened to Jonah the first time, and God decided not to punish them (Jonah, however, was pissed). It was their failure to listen, and the Jews' failure to listen to God, that brought punishment down on themselves.
- I would conclude with restoration (because that's the best thing to conclude with, right?) - God restores that which we think can't be restored. The tribes were in captivity of one of the strongest nations, yet God promised to bring down their captors...there is nothing God can't do. God restores all, in the end. The guilty won't go unpunished, the bad will be brought low, but the good will be lifted high. The world will become right again. I personally believe at the end of our lives, when we rejoin with God, we will be restored (not just in body but seeing everywhere we made mistakes, and what God was seeing...I think that will be very powerful).
- I've already forgiven the bullies in my life
- Right now, I'm struggling most with keeping God in mind throughout the day, and not just when I pray at meals/bedtime and church. To really live as if God is my guide in everything, because that's what I need in order to talk about Him more. How does this apply here? See below - maybe this realization that God does care for/ is concerned for me on a daily scale will seep into my consciousness and then come out through my words. Maybe every time I'm upset, I need to retreat to God as a stronghold, not just in prayer but taking refuge in His character and how He would act? or is prayer better (but that hasn't worked emotionally for me).
- Where do I need to be reminded about God's character? I think just in general, that God is good, and does pity us/is concerned for us, and is a shelter for us, even when He's angry. It's that level of care, that God is caring about what goes on in my life, and does emotionally feel for me/sympathize with my day to day life, and is trying to care for me for my physical and emotional needs. Personally, I think of God more as a king or a parent more than a friend, and authority figure who comforts but not so much on the daily scale.
- I certainly need to keep an open mind about correction. This could come into mind when my spouse and I have an argument, for example. I need to internalize that I'm not always right, and there is no shame in admitting I'm wrong. It doesn't say anything about my character to admit I was wrong, and character is most important.
- Restoration - possibly about my anxiety (that all things will be restored, though like Mary with the raising of Lazarus I say "I know it will in the end" but don't have faith it can be done now).
- Nineveh - is the United States like Nineveh? People in the U.S. often claim the U.S.'s infallibility, especially in having God's blessing in everything...Probably not true. God doesn't support one nation, people are expected to serve Him, not the other way around. How much are we like Nineveh?
- God's wrath - evangelicals/some Protestants tend to underestimate, with the emphasis of a personal relationship with God.
- God wiped memory of Nineveh - how cool is that! they didn't even remember it existed for a long time.
- if not with God, there's no hope. We must act in accordance with God's will to get anywhere in life!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
How To Read The Bible (and get something out of it)
That's the challenge, isn't it?
As Christians, the Bible is our holy book. It ostensibly contains all the truth of the world, more truth than you or I could ever grasp in our lifetimes. What the Bible tells us about a situation should be what we follow.
Too often for me, this isn't the case.
I was raised to believe the Bible was a book written mostly by Jewish men, full of outdated social mores. It was good if you wanted to use it to study history, and good if you wanted to read Jesus's words and some of the rest of the New Testament, but definitely not something to apply to today's life. Definitely not the Definitive Truth. My parents either didn't like what the Bible said, or (and I think this is more the case) they either hadn't read it or didn't know how to read it in order to get stuff out of it.
I find myself now in a culture of Christians (in fact most Evangelicals I know) who assert the Bible is the absolute and literal truth of God, and should be referred to and learned from in all situations, having truth for all parts of life. They act on this assumption through regular Bible Studies and advocating for any struggle, "read the Bible more". Do I struggle with this perception of the Bible? Of course. I'd be lying if I said I didn't.
The other problem I have is that when I read much of the Old Testament, while I like the parts that read like an instruction book (like Proverbs) or show God's miracles of power (which I've seen in real life; which hit that same sense of wonder that Star Wars instills in me, this idea of super-human power/prophecy or miracles or big action events which all fit together), my mind automatically begins tuning out when I get to lists of names and dates, or old language. Basically, it's very foreign sounding names (and while I love certain cultures' names, most of the Hebrew names I love are the bad guys). So, reading the Bible more doesn't help me. I find it eats up more of my time, but often I don't get anything out of it. Either the reading's point seems patently obvious, or it bores me and I find my mind drifting. Especially when it gets to lists of numbers of trees, pots, etc. used to build stuff, or a list of everything that's going to be destroyed, etc.
Yet, I have at least one friend who gets so much out of the Bible every time she reads. She is constantly in awe of its truth and applying it to her life. How does she do it?
So here I have some techniques for reading the Bible. I'm planning on using this blog for Bible Study insights, along with personal accountability/assessment of a Christian lifestyle and some exploration of larger Biblical topics and themes.
Bible reading aids:
Bible Reading Techniques:
If just reading the Bible straight up is not helping, take any passage and apply the following:
It would probably be easier if the Bible were some mysterious old book full of runes, which promised ancient truth* and arcane magic to the reader...
As Christians, the Bible is our holy book. It ostensibly contains all the truth of the world, more truth than you or I could ever grasp in our lifetimes. What the Bible tells us about a situation should be what we follow.
Too often for me, this isn't the case.
I was raised to believe the Bible was a book written mostly by Jewish men, full of outdated social mores. It was good if you wanted to use it to study history, and good if you wanted to read Jesus's words and some of the rest of the New Testament, but definitely not something to apply to today's life. Definitely not the Definitive Truth. My parents either didn't like what the Bible said, or (and I think this is more the case) they either hadn't read it or didn't know how to read it in order to get stuff out of it.
I find myself now in a culture of Christians (in fact most Evangelicals I know) who assert the Bible is the absolute and literal truth of God, and should be referred to and learned from in all situations, having truth for all parts of life. They act on this assumption through regular Bible Studies and advocating for any struggle, "read the Bible more". Do I struggle with this perception of the Bible? Of course. I'd be lying if I said I didn't.
The other problem I have is that when I read much of the Old Testament, while I like the parts that read like an instruction book (like Proverbs) or show God's miracles of power (which I've seen in real life; which hit that same sense of wonder that Star Wars instills in me, this idea of super-human power/prophecy or miracles or big action events which all fit together), my mind automatically begins tuning out when I get to lists of names and dates, or old language. Basically, it's very foreign sounding names (and while I love certain cultures' names, most of the Hebrew names I love are the bad guys). So, reading the Bible more doesn't help me. I find it eats up more of my time, but often I don't get anything out of it. Either the reading's point seems patently obvious, or it bores me and I find my mind drifting. Especially when it gets to lists of numbers of trees, pots, etc. used to build stuff, or a list of everything that's going to be destroyed, etc.
Yet, I have at least one friend who gets so much out of the Bible every time she reads. She is constantly in awe of its truth and applying it to her life. How does she do it?
So here I have some techniques for reading the Bible. I'm planning on using this blog for Bible Study insights, along with personal accountability/assessment of a Christian lifestyle and some exploration of larger Biblical topics and themes.
Bible reading aids:
- Read the NASB, the most literal version of the Bible. If you really believe it is the truth of God for your life, then you should be reading exactly what it says.
- Read the Amplified version of the Bible, which gives the implications and shades of meaning a native speaker understands, to help get some of the connotations and implied messages you may have missed.
- Read the Message version of the Bible, which is only paraphrased, not literal, but it breaks up that whole mind-drifting from foreign language structures, because it puts it in today's vernacular. I read this as if it's a friend telling me some wisdom I should know or giving me some insight into the situation. I find it's good for the New Testament but not so much for the Old Testament, where it still keeps much of the original language.
- Even reading the Bible like the Jedi Council members are saying it. Yesterday when I wrote the post on wisdom, picturing the Jedi Council members telling me it as if I were a Padawan made me accept it as wisdom (it sounded like what they'd say!) and hunger for more. It just seemed like The Truth then that I could apply to life.
- On that note, listening to the Bible. Hearing a certain pastor quote lines from the Bible helped me see them in a different light. Hearing is a different medium from reading, and can help it sink in in a different way.
Bible Reading Techniques:
If just reading the Bible straight up is not helping, take any passage and apply the following:
- What does it literally say? What does it mean? How can I apply this to my life?
- The SOAP method - basically the same as above. Say, Observe, Apply, and then Pray about how to apply it.
- The SORT method - Say, Observe, your Response to it, and then how would you Tell the truth contained in this passage to one of your non-believing friends? This one is fun because most Christians speak in Christianese. They use terms like "saved", "blood", etc. that have a whole idea or concept behind them that most Christians know but most non-Christians don't. So it can be a challenge to tell this truth in everyday terms. Plus, most non-Christians are turned off if you just quote the Bible incessantly. Better to tell them the truth and have them be amazed and question where you got it, and then reveal it's the Bible, rather than shoving the Bible down their throats.
- The Question method: What is so and so explaining? (usually the answer will be right there). Then Why, and what effect does this have? Or, if it’s an argument, who is arguing, and to whom? What is he explaining? What is he arguing? Why - what is his goal?
It would probably be easier if the Bible were some mysterious old book full of runes, which promised ancient truth* and arcane magic to the reader...
*Note: oh wait! All of the above is true (except for the arcane magic part), if you read it in its original language! Try reading Hebrew and Greek if you don't know the language - they look like runes. It's just an old book that has become so immersed in our culture that it's no longer "cool".)
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Wisdom
Proverbs 12:15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
Proverbs 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commands, but the babbling fool will be ruined.
Today is my very first blog post.
Today is also Star Wars Day (May 19th). How fitting.
As I sat down to write this, I became overcome with a slight, though nagging, fear. A fear that no one will read my entries, or my Bible commentary will sound childish to them, or that I'm stating the obvious and unable to draw a message or deeper insight. Shallow, pedantic. Trivial. Fear that if I look back on these entries, it will read more like my previous diary entries, leaving me cringing at every turn, and thinking that I missed all the important stuff, and was far too wordy about nothing (or just ranting).
So let me be concise.
I feared, in other words, a lack of wisdom. Does this realization make me wise? I think fools think that they are wise; only those who are not fools can see their own shortcomings. Fools are assured they are "wise", and so never lose their confidence. So this doubt, my slight hesitation, is a good sign.
The Bible talks about wisdom:
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Timothy was a young man, a young person much like myself, who just needed a little encouragement. Paul, an apostle and giant in the faith, gave him that. Let no one look down on me for my lack of wisdom. Sometimes I am afraid, because I am a relatively new believer (and at the same time an old believer).
Like Nicodemus, I hide behind the correct terminology, and no one would ever suspect that I just came to faith recently. (or at least, my understanding of coming to faith has changed where even though I always considered myself a Christian, now I think I hit enough of the checkpoints that most other people would too).
But, as a believer, I need to remember that my wisdom is just as valuable as anyone else's, no matter how long they've been a Christian. My thoughts matter, and my words may change someone's life. Just because I am young, or a "new" Christian, doesn't matter. I still have an infinite supply of wealth to offer the Christian world (fellow Christians), and non-Christians.
The Bible does mention, as stated in the opening verses, that it's not amount of words that make someone wise. It's probably better to remain silent than to feel forced to say something "substantive". No one is perfect, and no one can come up with something extremely deep all of the time. I'll try to do the best I can.
The wise also listen to counsel, and that's how they get wiser. Knowing that I don't know it all, I need to be willing to listen to not only new ideas but gentle correction, in all areas - those where I definitely know I need some help, and ALSO those that I already consider myself "wise". I also need to be willing to be gentle and be an encourager, like Paul, to those struggling in areas where I am more of an expert.
In summary, not having all of the answers, or not being the deepest analyst (in other words, not being a perfect person, which does not exist!) should not keep me from starting this blog or journaling my thoughts.
Take-Away Message
Bible Verse to leave myself with, to meditate on:
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
Somehow this verse seems appropriate, as this is a day of new beginning (of a blog, and a commitment to a true Christian life for me!). I commit to doing the Lord's commandments, and that is what is meant by wisdom in the Bible - you are serving the Lord God. If you fear Him as our Master, and carry out His commands, that is what makes you wise.
cf. almost identical verses: Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10, both of which equate wisdom with fear (or awe/love) of the Lord, and understanding with recognizing what is good and evil in life, and choosing good.
Always choose good.
That is the role of a Jedi, and what I attach to being a Jedi.
Proverbs 1:7 expands on this, with wisdom being the same, but now the caveat is that fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. Also, sometimes someone else will point out good and evil in life that you can't see. Now, you can't just take their word for it (they may not be correct themselves, even if they're sincere), but don't dismiss it just because you didn't think of it.
Goals
Proverbs 10:8 The wise of heart will receive commands, but the babbling fool will be ruined.
Today is my very first blog post.
Today is also Star Wars Day (May 19th). How fitting.
As I sat down to write this, I became overcome with a slight, though nagging, fear. A fear that no one will read my entries, or my Bible commentary will sound childish to them, or that I'm stating the obvious and unable to draw a message or deeper insight. Shallow, pedantic. Trivial. Fear that if I look back on these entries, it will read more like my previous diary entries, leaving me cringing at every turn, and thinking that I missed all the important stuff, and was far too wordy about nothing (or just ranting).
So let me be concise.
I feared, in other words, a lack of wisdom. Does this realization make me wise? I think fools think that they are wise; only those who are not fools can see their own shortcomings. Fools are assured they are "wise", and so never lose their confidence. So this doubt, my slight hesitation, is a good sign.
The Bible talks about wisdom:
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
Timothy was a young man, a young person much like myself, who just needed a little encouragement. Paul, an apostle and giant in the faith, gave him that. Let no one look down on me for my lack of wisdom. Sometimes I am afraid, because I am a relatively new believer (and at the same time an old believer).
Like Nicodemus, I hide behind the correct terminology, and no one would ever suspect that I just came to faith recently. (or at least, my understanding of coming to faith has changed where even though I always considered myself a Christian, now I think I hit enough of the checkpoints that most other people would too).
But, as a believer, I need to remember that my wisdom is just as valuable as anyone else's, no matter how long they've been a Christian. My thoughts matter, and my words may change someone's life. Just because I am young, or a "new" Christian, doesn't matter. I still have an infinite supply of wealth to offer the Christian world (fellow Christians), and non-Christians.
The Bible does mention, as stated in the opening verses, that it's not amount of words that make someone wise. It's probably better to remain silent than to feel forced to say something "substantive". No one is perfect, and no one can come up with something extremely deep all of the time. I'll try to do the best I can.
The wise also listen to counsel, and that's how they get wiser. Knowing that I don't know it all, I need to be willing to listen to not only new ideas but gentle correction, in all areas - those where I definitely know I need some help, and ALSO those that I already consider myself "wise". I also need to be willing to be gentle and be an encourager, like Paul, to those struggling in areas where I am more of an expert.
In summary, not having all of the answers, or not being the deepest analyst (in other words, not being a perfect person, which does not exist!) should not keep me from starting this blog or journaling my thoughts.
Take-Away Message
- Your recognizing that you're not the best at this is a good thing. It means you're already starting off in a humble enough position to learn. This is the first step in growing to become better.
- You do have valuable things to say. Young people have valuable things to say. New Christians have valuable things to say. Everyone, regardless of age or walk of life, has something valuable to offer.
- Be quick to listen and learn from others. Growth, and better wisdom, comes with listening to the advice and recommendations of those around you.
- Only fools are offended by the advice of others. Don't be a fool. Swallow your pride and see it as a learning experience, free to make mistakes.
- Especially in areas where you think you know a lot: be humble enough to listen to others.
- I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. After all, it's helping me become a better person.
- Encourage others who are struggling, knowing how much encouragement means to you when you need it.
- No one's perfect. Don't be hard on yourself for not being perfect. Give yourself grace, as God gives grace to you.
- Don't feel like you have to come up with something substantive every time. Either limit your writings to when you do, or just accept there will be gems mixed in with a lot of "boring" everyday stuff.
- The seed of growth is awe of the Lord, and recognizing His greatness compared to you. Then, rampant growth will occur. You'll grow in understanding, surrounding yourself with those who serve His commands. Eventually, His most dedicated servants all obtain good understanding; someday, you will too.
Bible Verse to leave myself with, to meditate on:
Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth forever.
Somehow this verse seems appropriate, as this is a day of new beginning (of a blog, and a commitment to a true Christian life for me!). I commit to doing the Lord's commandments, and that is what is meant by wisdom in the Bible - you are serving the Lord God. If you fear Him as our Master, and carry out His commands, that is what makes you wise.
cf. almost identical verses: Job 28:28; Proverbs 9:10, both of which equate wisdom with fear (or awe/love) of the Lord, and understanding with recognizing what is good and evil in life, and choosing good.
Always choose good.
That is the role of a Jedi, and what I attach to being a Jedi.
Proverbs 1:7 expands on this, with wisdom being the same, but now the caveat is that fools despise wisdom and instruction.
I don't take criticism well. I need to work on this. Also, sometimes someone else will point out good and evil in life that you can't see. Now, you can't just take their word for it (they may not be correct themselves, even if they're sincere), but don't dismiss it just because you didn't think of it.
Goals
- letting go of a hard-line "perfect" image - no one's perfect
- Being humble
- Listening to others, even those who I don't think know much
- Not judging how much others know about something
- Encouraging those "lesser" in an area than I
- seeing God's greatness for what it is - how infinitely large and above me it is
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