Archive for Scripture
September 4, 2010 at 4:40 am · Filed under Scripture
Driving tells us a lot about people. Whether cautious or reckless, aggressive or passive, accommodating or selfish. We can often get an idea of wealth or lack there of. Your age is often evident too! We can tell if you’re political, religious, classy or uncouth. We can see if you’re focused, distracted, vain, or attentive. Our cars are often reflections of ourselves, and the way we drive reveals to others what you value.
If I see you speeding in and out of traffic, failing to use turn signals, and running red lights or stop signs, I have a good feeling that you don’t place a high value on life – not with the way you put some many including yourself at risk. In the very least, you’re selfish and think you’re more important than the people around you.
If I see you abiding the speed limit and following traffic law, I tend to think you have a respect for authority and care whether or not someone gets hurt.
Unfortunately, the latter of the two seems to be vastly outnumbered. There are few days when I am not muttering about the state of driving in this country. It seems as though driving brings out the worst in people. A false sense of protection comes from the bubble of our cars – where we can play the music loud and ignore the rest of the world and do what we want. And people do it. Every day. Every. Single. Day.
I suppose I tend to get a little emotional – and so you better believe that this topic gets me riled up. I get agitated, I get a bit bitter. If I’m with someone else, I inevitably question, “WHY DID THAT GUY DO THAT?” or “WHAT IS HE THINKING?” I admit to calling people idiots – though afterward I recall a sermon our pastor preached about doing exactly the opposite and retract my statement, offering up a prayer for that person instead.
Especially bothersome to me, are the little fish that go flying by on the back of that car that just cut me off. There is a declaration of faith in Jesus (or so we assume), and here he is putting life in danger. Once that fish is there on your car, it’s a witness, and you disgrace the name of Jesus if your actions are do not resemble Jesus. (You better believe there is a reason Jesus WALKED almost everywhere in the time of his ministry – maybe we should be walking more!)
I have one of those fish. It’s in a drawer upstairs. I bought it years ago when I first became a Christian, yet I remain hesitant to this day to put it on my car. WHY? Though I claim to be a generally good driver, obeying the rules, I am afraid to put the name of Jesus out there and damage someone’s opinion of Christians and therefore Christ. It sounds silly I suppose, but driving around I don’t get the opportunity to speak with someone and share what Jesus has done in my life. What if I get caught up in that little bubble of my car and speed up to prevent someone from cutting me off…what if I just make a mistake when driving? What if I give the wrong impression of my Lord because of my actions with no way of explaining myself. I make critical judgments of other people by their driving, so I assume others are doing the same to me.
I wonder if I should put that fish on my car, and let it serve as a reminder of who I serve, and how I represent him. I suppose it’s something to think about at least.
That’s how I’m supposed to live my life, isn’t it?
Boldly representing my Lord in everything I do…
Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. 1Ti 4:12
~Jolene
August 30, 2010 at 4:00 am · Filed under Devotionals, Faith, Nature, Scripture
I was hiking with a friend recently and we were in awe of the sights around us. It was breathtaking (even if it was a cloudy day), and it was peaceful. There is something about being out in nature that puts you at ease. There is tranquility and rest, and I always find it rejuvenating, energizing, and fulfilling.
As we walked, my friend and I were discussing spiritual matters. She’s one of the few who seem to understand when I talk. We got to talking about this very topic. I suggested that maybe being out in nature is God’s natural soother, a balm for your soul. Think about it – all of God’s creation is singing His praise, and when you take it in or participate, you are treated! It’s that same feeling I get when I go to church, or a time of praise and worship. Whether I sign along or just take it all in, that experience is renewing.
Here are some pictures from this rejuvenating excursion. Let us with all the earth sing Praise and be renewed in Him!!
Let heaven and earth praise Him, The seas and everything that moves in them. Psalm 69:34
Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise. Psa 98:4
Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the LORD has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted Isa 49:13
~Jolene
July 1, 2010 at 8:41 am · Filed under Announcements, Bible Study, Scripture
Please stop by the GodlyGals forum and take part in our two week study of some of the women of the Bible. It starts today and our first reading is Genesis 2. Hope to see you there!
June 4, 2010 at 8:50 pm · Filed under Faith, Prayer, Scripture
Change has been a major theme in my life lately. Elizabeth posted about it recently, and as you listen to the next podcast, we talk a lot about change. The changes in my life are causing me great anxiety and stress. My body is physically showing the effects. I have not been content as I continue to learn of what the next 6-12 months hold for me. It causes me great sadness because I know I am not being very Godly…so I continue to pray that these words can soon be my own:
Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content…
Philippians 4:11
Take comfort in these words – trust in them – because with God by our sides we can be content regardless of the changes and situations we face. I am working on striving for contentment, and I look forward to the great gain that comes with that. I ask for your prayer, and invite you to join with me in striving for godliness and contentment in Christ.
~ Jolene
June 1, 2010 at 6:09 am · Filed under Faith, Scripture
I was thinking today about how much change has occurred in my life in the past five years or so. No small amount. I won’t pretend that I know a lot about the world or that I have lived long in it, but it is still amazing to see how God can change our situations so drastically in such a short amount of time. Prayers that I may have prayed, but in all honesty never imagined to be answered — were. It’s an incredible thing, the faithfulness of God.
Isaiah 54:10 (NLT)
“For the mountains may move
and the hills disappear,
but even then my faithful love for you will remain.
My covenant of blessing will never be broken,”
says the Lord, who has mercy on you.
Can you see the change in your life? What has God brought you out of or into? Where have you come from?
April 4, 2010 at 6:34 pm · Filed under Announcements, Faith, Scripture
April 3, 2010 at 10:54 am · Filed under Holidays, Prayer, Scripture
A random set of events occurred recently that brought me to church last night for a Tenebrae service. About a month ago, I was visiting a friend when her sister stopped by. They briefly discussed a situation at church and the need for an oboe player for a church service on Good Friday. I brought up that I knew a good oboe player from college, high school, elementary school… and that was that. About two weeks ago, my friend called me up and asked about this oboe-playing friend. Apparently their oboe player couldn’t make it, and they were now in dire need…
Through the wonders of Facebook I was able to get in touch with a girl I hadn’t seen since college 6 years ago. (Wow, has it really been that long?) The connection was made and things worked out.
Ok, rewind. I grew up going to liturgical church, and never once went to a Good Friday service. In high school I started going to a Baptist church, and the formality of the services was gone. This actually fit more with my preference for worship…traditional formulaic services were no longer a part of my repertoire. So, I’ve never experienced a Tenebrae service, let alone even heard of one.
So I was curious, and drawn by the fact that I’d get to see a friend I hadn’t encountered in quite some time. And my friend had invited me. So here I was seated in a tiny Anglican church ready to experience something new. And I was quite content.
Tenebrae is a prayer service. It incorporates music, scripture, candles, and prayer to bring to mind Christ’s last days before the cross. Readings from the Gospels are chosen to highlight events leading up to Golgotha. Each reading brings you closer to that point, and as it does so, you seem to be aware of just how heartrending Jesus’ path was. I was struck emotionally as I listened to each passage. And at the end of each passage, a lighted candle was extinguished leaving you in complete darkness and silence at the end of the service…
I really appreciated this experience. I felt connected to the scriptures, and despite the seriousness of the focus, I felt at peace. The words of Jesus, resonated through me as the final words were spoken, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” God forsook his only son for me.
He forsook His son on the cross, to complete and utter brutality, for you.
Yet even in this sadness, we have hope. We can have peace, because on the third day He rose again, conquering sin and death, and providing us a way to the Father and everlasting life. Let us all celebrate Easter this year, remembering that God gave up his most beloved for us, and that Jesus has risen and we can be free.
Happy Easter!
Rejoice, and be glad!
~Jolene
January 2, 2010 at 11:28 am · Filed under Scripture, Verse of the Day
So teach us to number our days,
That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12
December 12, 2009 at 5:10 pm · Filed under Doctrine, Faith, Prayer, Scripture
I am learning. And learning is always better than sitting still and stagnating, right?
When I was little I was raised in a (Christian) belief system that taught some things that might not have actually been the most biblical. I mean, most of the time they were spot on, but there was some stuff I found out later that was pretty questionable.
One of those things was that, “When you ask God for something, He will provide it right then and there.” There was a caveat though. You had to have enough faith and righteousness for your request to be honored. I can’t tell you how many of the most righteous little old ladies that I knew who were told that they just need to “press in and press on” because they didn’t have enough faith to get what it was they were needing.
That’s what I grew up believing. That if I was in need of something and petitioned God for it and it didn’t come to me right away it was my fault. That my faith was “small.” Let me tell you what, that is a great foundation for building guilt and causing doubt in your security as a child of the living God.
Here’s what I know about faith:
Then the disciples approached Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
“Because of your little faith,” He told them. “For I assure you: If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will tell this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. [However, this kind does not come out except by prayer and fasting.] ” – Matthew 17:19-21 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
We need faith. Jesus told his disciples that if they merely had “faith the size of a mustard seed” that nothing would be impossible for them. A mustard seed is really, really small. I’m not exactly sure how you quantify the amount of faith a person has, but I’m pretty what the Lord is telling is here is that all we need is just a little. He’s going to take care of the rest. All we have to do is believe.
Tough sometimes? I know. What I am learning through some painful lessons and some things that maybe aren’t lessons so much as just life is that things take time. We can’t always get what we want or think we need whenever it is that we ask for it. Should we stop asking God? Probably not. An open dialogue with our Heavenly Father is the best thing we can keep going so I’d suggest you keep on talking. He’s listening.
Right now I have some wants. Maybe they’re needs. I’m not really sure how to tell that and I don’t think that I am a neutral enough figure in the situation to even begin to decide that. They are good wants. God-approved and full of blessing. In my heart I sometimes ache. There is nothing wrong with what I want, but that doesn’t mean that now is a good time. Or God’s time. And I am learning (slowly and with a lot of feet-dragging, kicking and stomping fits) that no matter how “good” the thing is that I want, that God has a plan and a time for everything. And sometimes what you want, again, no matter how “good,” isn’t in the plan at all. That’s not something I want to entertain at the moment so I’m just going to skip it. But I’m learning it and accepting it and finding that with every passing day it gets a little easier to accept the Lord’s timing. What I’ve also picked up is that my godly longings are not going unfulfilled as punishment for my lack of faith. Sometimes, what we may hear in our heads as a resounding slam of a door may be something as quiet and hopeful as a whispered, “Wait. Not yet.”
September 8, 2008 at 7:25 am · Filed under Scripture, Verse of the Day
1 Timothy 1:1-10
1From Paul.
God our Savior and Christ Jesus commanded me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.
2Timothy, because of our faith, you are like a son to me. I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind and merciful to you. May they bless you with peace!
3When I was leaving for Macedonia, I asked you to stay on in Ephesus and warn certain people there to stop spreading their false teachings. 4You needed to warn them to stop wasting their time on senseless stories and endless lists of ancestors. Such things only cause arguments. They don’t help anyone to do God’s work that can only be done by faith.
5You must teach people to have genuine love, as well as a good conscience and true faith. 6There are some who have given up these for nothing but empty talk. 7They want to be teachers of the Law of Moses. But they don’t know what they are talking about, even though they think they do.
8We know that the Law is good, if it is used in the right way. 9We also understand that it wasn’t given to control people who please God, but to control lawbreakers, criminals, godless people, and sinners. It is for wicked and evil people, and for murderers, who would even kill their own parents. 10The Law was written for people who are sexual perverts or who live as homosexuals or are kidnappers or liars or won’t tell the truth in court. It is for anything else that opposes the correct teaching
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