2 Timothy 3:16-17
Has anyone seen the new movie “Dear John”? I have a dear friend who often goes with me to “chick flicks” but we opted out of this one. Why? Well, I read the book and while I would venture to guess that the movie, for draw factor, does not end as the book did in sadness, it got the thumbs down from us for big screen viewing. In an effort to not give the movie/book away I will say that much of the story centers on letters written between John and his girlfriend to include a “dear John” letter. Have you ever received a “dear John or dear Jane” letter. You know, the one that says, “Please don’t write again, I’ve moved on with my life”. Sometimes letters are not welcome things, even by way of text messages, emails or phone calls. The words we read or hear are sometimes not easy. That’s not the case with the letters written to us from God. You see, God wrote us a letter spanning the centuries and He tells us that we can hear from him daily by reading it over and over again.
God’s letter will never be a “dear John” letter. It isn’t a letter we put away and never desire to read again. Nor is it a letter we dread receiving. God even tells us it is “living and breathing”. God’s letter contains words of encouragement, it gives us “a hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11), it is also full of “instruction and useful one way or another” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Many of us long to “hear from God.” As we struggle in our day to day decisions we pray for God’s voice to give us clear direction. In decisions that affect our here and now or our future we long to “know” the right direction or course of action. We often search for our answers in conversations with friends, and family, in articles or books we read or programs we watch. All along, the answers are written in letters bound in a book given to us long ago through the inspired Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:17 tells us “using the scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do any good work.” The word “all” here means “entire”, it encompasses every word written by God through man and recorded in the book we call “the Holy Bible”.
So, if you want to know God and discern His voice from your own you have to get to know His written word. Priscilla Shirer in her study “He Speaks to Me” says “The problem is not with God’s communication, the problem is with our ability to listen clearly. The foundation for hearing God speak is knowing and believing in the absolute truth of the Bible.” You want to truly hear God, get to know his letters to you.
Scripture tells us to “write God’s word on our hearts”, to teach it to our children and talk about it when we sit or walk along the road, when we lie down and when we get up. Deuteronomy 6:4-9 goes on to say we should wear it on our hands and write it on our foreheads, doors and gates. In other words, get to know God’s word, teach it to others and then live by what it says because it’s what you know.
So, next time you long to “hear from God” as Joyce Meyer says “go to the throne, not the phone”. God’s words to you are written in scarlet letters and bound for all eternity. Hearing from Him is as easy as reading a letter written to you long ago from a dear, dear friend. The beauty of His letters is they still apply today, he longs to know you and reveal himself to you with an everlasting letter of love (John 14:21).
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Holding Our Thoughts Captive
2 Corinthians 10:5b
“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
Have you ever thought about what it means to capture your thoughts? Do you put them in glass jars like lightening bugs, poke holes in the top and let them shine until their light goes out? If you capture a thought does it die or fester? Does it become a prisoner longing for freedom or die in the cage you put it in? What makes you capture a thought? Is it because it could destroy you or someone else or is it because it’s too lofty or silly or ambitious for you to think on? What makes a thought bad or good? What does it mean to capture you thoughts?
2 Corinthians was written by Paul as an admonishment to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote to remind them of who they now belonged to as followers of Christ and to always examine themselves as the new creations they now were. The Corinthians had become full of themselves and their “religious fellowship” and they argued over who the best leader was and who had the greatest gifts. When Paul wrote this second letter to them he sought to reign them back in by “taking their thoughts captive” and remembering who they served and the gift of eternal life that could only come from Christ. But Paul wasn’t writing to just the Corinthians of that time, he was writing to all of the “Corinthians” in future generations. The today Corinthians who hold lofty thoughts and puff themselves up with importance and the tomorrow Corinthians, who seek to serve self rather than their fellow man. He was writing to those of us who forget who we belong to and our purposes here on earth because we can’t seem to “take our thoughts and hold them captive in obedience to Christ.”
The word thought or past tense of think has it’s origins in Old English or Saxon language. It literally means the act or process of thinking. When you have a thought you are taking the concept or idea and basically mauling it over. It means you’ve been inspired, have a concept, idea or impression you are now considering. There is a science behind your thoughts. Scientists have long studied brain patterns and gone to great lengths to explain why we think as we do. One of the most interesting things I found in researching the word thought was in Wikipedia under pitfalls; it said that thoughts can lead to self-delusions or the inability to confront relevant issues. I think that’s what Paul was talking about when he said “we must hold every thought captive”. Our thoughts can become destructive. They have the ability to disable us if we let them. David Guzik’s commentary puts this into perspective; he says “Paul's principle has a much broader application. We are not helpless victims or recipients of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
The application is clear. How we think today, how we process our thoughts is a reflection of whose we are. Paul is saying, if you have a thought and it is contradictory to the way a new creation in Christ must think you need to take that thought, hold it prisoner and banish it. Like the bugs in the jar the light must go out and once you have reined the thought in, it must not be allowed to come back. It is not just a matter of capturing the thought; it is a matter of banishing it and filling you mind with good. Paul goes on to tell us that we have the weapons to fight the thought war and to take the thoughts that destroy us captive. Those weapons are found in Ephesians chapter 6. We put on the “full armor of God” 6:14-18 tells us we have a belt of truth, a shield of faith and shoes that carry the good news. Our salvation is our helmet and our sword is the word of God. God equips us with the tools to take every thought captive. He gives us the armor, and says “use it to defeat the enemies, the thoughts that take you captive and pull you away from me”. I love how the Message translates this part of scripture “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way….Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s word is an indispensible weapon.” (vs. 11-14).
Capture your thoughts today, put them in glass jars and if they are destructive use the weapons God provides to destroy them, and then let only the light from the truth shown to you in God’s word shine through. You’ll see a beacon where once there was only a glimmer and your armor will shine like the Son!
“We capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ.”
Have you ever thought about what it means to capture your thoughts? Do you put them in glass jars like lightening bugs, poke holes in the top and let them shine until their light goes out? If you capture a thought does it die or fester? Does it become a prisoner longing for freedom or die in the cage you put it in? What makes you capture a thought? Is it because it could destroy you or someone else or is it because it’s too lofty or silly or ambitious for you to think on? What makes a thought bad or good? What does it mean to capture you thoughts?
2 Corinthians was written by Paul as an admonishment to the Christians in Corinth. He wrote to remind them of who they now belonged to as followers of Christ and to always examine themselves as the new creations they now were. The Corinthians had become full of themselves and their “religious fellowship” and they argued over who the best leader was and who had the greatest gifts. When Paul wrote this second letter to them he sought to reign them back in by “taking their thoughts captive” and remembering who they served and the gift of eternal life that could only come from Christ. But Paul wasn’t writing to just the Corinthians of that time, he was writing to all of the “Corinthians” in future generations. The today Corinthians who hold lofty thoughts and puff themselves up with importance and the tomorrow Corinthians, who seek to serve self rather than their fellow man. He was writing to those of us who forget who we belong to and our purposes here on earth because we can’t seem to “take our thoughts and hold them captive in obedience to Christ.”
The word thought or past tense of think has it’s origins in Old English or Saxon language. It literally means the act or process of thinking. When you have a thought you are taking the concept or idea and basically mauling it over. It means you’ve been inspired, have a concept, idea or impression you are now considering. There is a science behind your thoughts. Scientists have long studied brain patterns and gone to great lengths to explain why we think as we do. One of the most interesting things I found in researching the word thought was in Wikipedia under pitfalls; it said that thoughts can lead to self-delusions or the inability to confront relevant issues. I think that’s what Paul was talking about when he said “we must hold every thought captive”. Our thoughts can become destructive. They have the ability to disable us if we let them. David Guzik’s commentary puts this into perspective; he says “Paul's principle has a much broader application. We are not helpless victims or recipients of our thoughts. We can choose to stop our thoughts, and bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
The application is clear. How we think today, how we process our thoughts is a reflection of whose we are. Paul is saying, if you have a thought and it is contradictory to the way a new creation in Christ must think you need to take that thought, hold it prisoner and banish it. Like the bugs in the jar the light must go out and once you have reined the thought in, it must not be allowed to come back. It is not just a matter of capturing the thought; it is a matter of banishing it and filling you mind with good. Paul goes on to tell us that we have the weapons to fight the thought war and to take the thoughts that destroy us captive. Those weapons are found in Ephesians chapter 6. We put on the “full armor of God” 6:14-18 tells us we have a belt of truth, a shield of faith and shoes that carry the good news. Our salvation is our helmet and our sword is the word of God. God equips us with the tools to take every thought captive. He gives us the armor, and says “use it to defeat the enemies, the thoughts that take you captive and pull you away from me”. I love how the Message translates this part of scripture “So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the devil throws your way….Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s word is an indispensible weapon.” (vs. 11-14).
Capture your thoughts today, put them in glass jars and if they are destructive use the weapons God provides to destroy them, and then let only the light from the truth shown to you in God’s word shine through. You’ll see a beacon where once there was only a glimmer and your armor will shine like the Son!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Go ahead, have a good cry!
As I shared with you last week I am taking a journey through the book of Ruth and learning many lessons. Today Kelly Minter wrote about crying and kindness and what happens when we choose to turn toward our tears instead of away from them. I never really looked at tears as a journey, rather as a stumbling block or a sign of weakness or sometimes even tears of joy over an occasion that made me happy but never a journey. So when we cry where do we travel?
For some of us crying is cathartic. It comes at the end of a trial or argument or incident. Sometimes crying comes during one of those occasions and sometimes crying comes as a result of something outside of ourselves. For instance, most of us cry at the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the hurt of heartache. Oh, I know there are other emotions that we encounter as we experience these happenings but for now let’s concentrate on crying.
There are happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, of anger or hurt. There are tears of joy and longing and sadness. There are tears of pain and confusion and even self examination. For most, we feel better after a good cry and lousy while we are in the middle of it. Some I know bottle up all their tears and then explode when they can’t hold them in any longer. Not long ago I had a day were everything made me cry. It wasn’t because things were bad or painful it was just because my emotions that day were best expressed in tears. Those are the days I think my husband wonders if a good psychologist might not be such a bad idea. But, overall, I think tears are good.
Did you know that if a person cannot cry there are now eye drops to help you cry? Can you imagine not being able to cry? I cannot imagine during the times in my life when a good cry was necessary to clean out my soul not being able to do so and yet, that is what can happen. Wikipedia states that “to cry or weep is to wail and/or shed tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. Further in the definition it says the function or origin of emotional tears remains open. Theories range from the simple, such as response to inflicted pain, to the more complex, including nonverbal communication in order to elicit "helping" behavior from others”. Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why we cry. But have you ever considered your tears a journey?
Jesus knew the value of tears. When his friend Lazarus died he wept, not so much for the death of his friend but for the grief he saw in those around him, those who did not know that death was not the final destiny but only the end of a persons time here on earth. I think he felt sorrow for those who wept around him and sorrow for those who still did not understand the message of salvation he tried to bring as he ministered to all those lost souls. This was yet another time he would show the people that He would conquer death and claim in triumph the words found in Isaiah “Death is destroyed forever in victory.” (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus also had an experience with the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:38-50. Jesus said those tears were a sign of great love. How I long for the day that I can bow at his feet and wash them with my tears. Did you know that there are 181 references to crying in the Bible? Jesus even wept for Jerusalem, wondering how long it would take the beloved city to realize that what could give it peace was already there. (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the value of tears and also understood that crying is a part of our journey.
Kelly Minter says; “although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what really matters.” Do your tears move you forward or do they hold you back? Are they cathartic or are they a hindrance? Tears should cause us to want to move forward, not hold us back. So when you cry, what direction are you going in? Are you moving forward or walking backward? The next time you have a good cry ask yourself which direction you plan to go once the good cry is over. If your plan involves wallowing in what caused you to cry to begin with, rethink your strategy. Even Paul cried when he left his friends in Acts 20, not because he wanted to stay were he was but because he knew in following the direction the Holy Spirit was leading him he would have to say goodbye to friends all the while looking forward to where the journey would take him. Don’t get stuck in what was, dig yourself out and journey forward, away from the tears. Old tears can turn to bitterness, even resentment. There will be a day for new tears. Ecclesiastes tells us “there is a time to cry and a time to laugh” (vs 4) our responsibility is to move forward. Today, if you feel a good cry coming on, go ahead, just remember when you move on to the other side of those tears, move forward. Psalm 30:5b says “Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I pray the other side of your tears finds you on a journey toward joy.
For some of us crying is cathartic. It comes at the end of a trial or argument or incident. Sometimes crying comes during one of those occasions and sometimes crying comes as a result of something outside of ourselves. For instance, most of us cry at the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the hurt of heartache. Oh, I know there are other emotions that we encounter as we experience these happenings but for now let’s concentrate on crying.
There are happy tears, sad tears, tears of frustration, of anger or hurt. There are tears of joy and longing and sadness. There are tears of pain and confusion and even self examination. For most, we feel better after a good cry and lousy while we are in the middle of it. Some I know bottle up all their tears and then explode when they can’t hold them in any longer. Not long ago I had a day were everything made me cry. It wasn’t because things were bad or painful it was just because my emotions that day were best expressed in tears. Those are the days I think my husband wonders if a good psychologist might not be such a bad idea. But, overall, I think tears are good.
Did you know that if a person cannot cry there are now eye drops to help you cry? Can you imagine not being able to cry? I cannot imagine during the times in my life when a good cry was necessary to clean out my soul not being able to do so and yet, that is what can happen. Wikipedia states that “to cry or weep is to wail and/or shed tears as a response to an emotional state in humans. Further in the definition it says the function or origin of emotional tears remains open. Theories range from the simple, such as response to inflicted pain, to the more complex, including nonverbal communication in order to elicit "helping" behavior from others”. Like I said, there are a lot of reasons why we cry. But have you ever considered your tears a journey?
Jesus knew the value of tears. When his friend Lazarus died he wept, not so much for the death of his friend but for the grief he saw in those around him, those who did not know that death was not the final destiny but only the end of a persons time here on earth. I think he felt sorrow for those who wept around him and sorrow for those who still did not understand the message of salvation he tried to bring as he ministered to all those lost souls. This was yet another time he would show the people that He would conquer death and claim in triumph the words found in Isaiah “Death is destroyed forever in victory.” (Isaiah 25:8). Jesus also had an experience with the woman who washed his feet with her tears and dried them with her hair in Luke 7:38-50. Jesus said those tears were a sign of great love. How I long for the day that I can bow at his feet and wash them with my tears. Did you know that there are 181 references to crying in the Bible? Jesus even wept for Jerusalem, wondering how long it would take the beloved city to realize that what could give it peace was already there. (Luke 19:41-44) Jesus knew the value of tears and also understood that crying is a part of our journey.
Kelly Minter says; “although there will be weeping in this life, the direction in which we weep is what really matters.” Do your tears move you forward or do they hold you back? Are they cathartic or are they a hindrance? Tears should cause us to want to move forward, not hold us back. So when you cry, what direction are you going in? Are you moving forward or walking backward? The next time you have a good cry ask yourself which direction you plan to go once the good cry is over. If your plan involves wallowing in what caused you to cry to begin with, rethink your strategy. Even Paul cried when he left his friends in Acts 20, not because he wanted to stay were he was but because he knew in following the direction the Holy Spirit was leading him he would have to say goodbye to friends all the while looking forward to where the journey would take him. Don’t get stuck in what was, dig yourself out and journey forward, away from the tears. Old tears can turn to bitterness, even resentment. There will be a day for new tears. Ecclesiastes tells us “there is a time to cry and a time to laugh” (vs 4) our responsibility is to move forward. Today, if you feel a good cry coming on, go ahead, just remember when you move on to the other side of those tears, move forward. Psalm 30:5b says “Crying may last for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” I pray the other side of your tears finds you on a journey toward joy.
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