When You Don’t Feel Like It, Take Heart :: Desiring God
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
Are you Gossiping? Nine questions to ask yourself.
Question of the Week:
Concerning your many conversations with others, how do you know when it is OK to share information and when it could be useless or destructive to do so?
Response:
Kevin A. Miller (Is This Gossip? 9 questions to help you decide) provides some great questions to ask yourself before you share information with others:
1. Am I telling this to someone who can do something about the problem by helping the person or offering discipline or correction?
2. If not, am I telling this to someone who is wise enough to help me sort out my feelings and courageous enough to make me do the right thing: to confront the person or to confess where I was at fault?
3. Is this news approved for sharing?
4. Am I breaking a confidence? If so, is it only because the person is endangering someone's life, including his or her own?
5. Am I willing to say from whom I got this information so the information can be checked for accuracy?
6. When I say this, does it break my heart?
7. Have I taken the time to examine my life and confess to God how I also sin like that?
8. Am I praying for the person?
9. Would I feel comfortable if someone were saying this about me?
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:9-10).
taken from Pastors Weekly Briefing from Focus on the Family.
Concerning your many conversations with others, how do you know when it is OK to share information and when it could be useless or destructive to do so?
Response:
Kevin A. Miller (Is This Gossip? 9 questions to help you decide) provides some great questions to ask yourself before you share information with others:
1. Am I telling this to someone who can do something about the problem by helping the person or offering discipline or correction?
2. If not, am I telling this to someone who is wise enough to help me sort out my feelings and courageous enough to make me do the right thing: to confront the person or to confess where I was at fault?
3. Is this news approved for sharing?
4. Am I breaking a confidence? If so, is it only because the person is endangering someone's life, including his or her own?
5. Am I willing to say from whom I got this information so the information can be checked for accuracy?
6. When I say this, does it break my heart?
7. Have I taken the time to examine my life and confess to God how I also sin like that?
8. Am I praying for the person?
9. Would I feel comfortable if someone were saying this about me?
"With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be" (James 3:9-10).
taken from Pastors Weekly Briefing from Focus on the Family.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Some thougths on the Sovereignty of God from Isaiah
I am in Isaiah in my yearly reading program (about a month behind!). The book of Isaiah describes God’s just judgments and his patient and enduring love toward his people, whom he chose to pour out his grace and mercy. Isaiah looks to a future king who will rule them and who will also be a servant. All of Israel’s kings were Messiahs in some sense but this King and Servant will be the ultimate King, not only for Israel, but for all the nations of the world.
Isaiah is continually reminding Israel that Yahweh is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords; there is none like Him. He proves this by continually reminding them that Yahweh alone is sovereign. For instance, he says,
“I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things (45:7).”
This chapter starts out describing Cyrus as God’s chosen instrument to accomplish His purpose. The Lord is in control of history, he uses Cyrus for His own purposes. Cyrus will conquer nations and then help Israel rebuild. All this is to awaken faith in all the nations of the world and let them know that He is the only Sovereign and Savior. God not only saves Israel but uses pagan kings to accomplish his purposes! Here is the application. When things do not look like they are going as planned, that Gods purposes are not being fulfilled, we are to remember that He is still sovereign and that nothing is outside His control. In the next chapter, Isaiah describes how Israel has a tendency to give credit to idols for the work of God. Idolatry in our hearts leads to idolatry in our thoughts and actions.
"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose (46:8-10).”'
Israel is commanded to remember and stand firm that God is unique and unlike the pagan gods they tend to worship. Only his counsel and his purposes shall stand. God can say something will happen because God makes it happen. If God is not absolutely sovereign over everything, He could not predict the future with any certainty and we could not trust prophecy to come true, nor his Word.
We, the people of God, are charged to remember and stand firm in this truth because in a world full of idolatry our clarity of God becomes eroded. Remember, you who follow Christ, God is in control of history and just because things don’t look like they are going Gods way does not mean they are not. That is true of our present economic and geopolitical landscape, as well as your life today! Do not look to anything but your God for hope, peace, and yes, even your security.
Isaiah is continually reminding Israel that Yahweh is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords; there is none like Him. He proves this by continually reminding them that Yahweh alone is sovereign. For instance, he says,
“I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things (45:7).”
This chapter starts out describing Cyrus as God’s chosen instrument to accomplish His purpose. The Lord is in control of history, he uses Cyrus for His own purposes. Cyrus will conquer nations and then help Israel rebuild. All this is to awaken faith in all the nations of the world and let them know that He is the only Sovereign and Savior. God not only saves Israel but uses pagan kings to accomplish his purposes! Here is the application. When things do not look like they are going as planned, that Gods purposes are not being fulfilled, we are to remember that He is still sovereign and that nothing is outside His control. In the next chapter, Isaiah describes how Israel has a tendency to give credit to idols for the work of God. Idolatry in our hearts leads to idolatry in our thoughts and actions.
"Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose (46:8-10).”'
Israel is commanded to remember and stand firm that God is unique and unlike the pagan gods they tend to worship. Only his counsel and his purposes shall stand. God can say something will happen because God makes it happen. If God is not absolutely sovereign over everything, He could not predict the future with any certainty and we could not trust prophecy to come true, nor his Word.
We, the people of God, are charged to remember and stand firm in this truth because in a world full of idolatry our clarity of God becomes eroded. Remember, you who follow Christ, God is in control of history and just because things don’t look like they are going Gods way does not mean they are not. That is true of our present economic and geopolitical landscape, as well as your life today! Do not look to anything but your God for hope, peace, and yes, even your security.
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