Meet The McKinneys

Warriors, Worship, and Kings

May 10, 2012 Bible Reading

1 Samuel 8:1-9:27
John 6:22-42
Psalms 106:32-48
Proverbs 14:34-35

It is CRAZY to me how the Lord speaks through His word. Seriously, Today we will talk about Israel’s first King and the Eternal King. We see how the lack of worship when we are asking for something can lead to failure because we rely on our own knowledge. We also see God’s unrelenting love for us in that He uses our feeble requests to show His awesome purposes for us. The reading today really pulls all of this together in one spot. It is truly amazing.

God’s passion for His people shows up all over the place. We take His passion for us for granted a lot. Doesn’t sound good does it? The truth about ourselves hurts… a lot. Some of that truth about us follows us from our past into our present if we let it. Samuel’s sons seem to act a lot like Eli’s sons. Why is that? Is it because Eli basically raised Samuel and those actions and customs of Eli’s household fell on Samuel? If that’s the case it shows us something that we already subconsciously know. Everything we do matters.

Because Samuel’s sons acted wickedly, they were not seen fit by the people of Israel to govern and lead. This caused the people to cry out and request a king be put over them. At first, it seems that God kinda gives in to their request in order to appease the people. Make no mistake, had this not served God’s purpose, a king would never have been appointed over Israel. It is God’s purposes that are carried out not our own. We have the fortunate wisdom that hind-sight gives. We have the benefit of knowing that Jesus is THE true King. That is God’s purpose.

As Saul was chosen to be the first King of Israel, we see that God does this in His normal fashion. He raises up someone from the lowliest stature of society to accomplish great things. Although Saul is raised up for God’s purpose I noticed something today that I had not previously noticed while reading this passage. A glimpse of Saul’s character.

Why the story about the lost donkeys and going to see a prophet? Why the language about a “Seer” and a “Prophet”? Why all the hub-bub, Bub? It reveals something about Saul’s character. Saul will go anywhere and do anything that others tell him is best to accomplish HIS current mission. That will play out over the next couple of days for sure, so we’ll come back to that.

Look ahead to the Gospel of John. We see the people asking Jesus for something in the same way Israel asked God hundreds of years before when they asked for a King. Do you think Jesus turns them away when they ask him for a sign? No. He tells them who He is. The Son of God. He is the Bread of Life.

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35 NIV)

Worship

Had Saul and the people worshiped from their hearts like the Psalmist did in today’s verse, they may never have fallen like they did. Worship is a beautiful expression of how we love God. All I know is that when I am worshiping, their is no malice in my heart. There is no fault in me. When I am worshiping God (and that can be anything I do for the Glory of God) then I am incapable of doing wrong in that moment. May all I do be a testament to the Lord!

Proverbs… Ah… The Proverbs…

Righteousness exalts a nation,
but sin condemns any people. A king delights in a wise servant,
but a shameful servant arouses his fury. (Proverbs 14:34, 35 NIV)

Worship is righteousness. We will see over the next few days how this Proverb plays out.

6 Quotes To Beat The Feeling of Defeat

May 9, 2012 Bible Reading

1 Samuel 5:1-7:17
John 6:1-21
Psalms 106:13-31
Proverbs 14:32-33

Scripture of the Day

When calamity comes, the wicked are brought down,
but even in death the righteous seek refuge in God. Wisdom reposes in the heart of the discerning
and even among fools she lets herself be known. (Proverbs 14:32, 33 NIV)

This really spoke to me this morning. I began the morning feeling pretty defeated. I’ve been through some failures recently in my life and they all hurt. Relying on the strength of God is easy to say, but harder to do. When I got that “defeated” feeling this morning I ran to scripture to fight it and to comfort me. I found my refuge in:

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14 NIV)

and…

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

and…

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4 NIV)

and…

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.” (2 Chronicles 15:7 NIV)

and…

God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV)

I encourage you to RUN to scripture when you feel defeated. If you feel defeated, then you must have been in a battle. If you were in a battle, you need weapons to fight. Check this out.

Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17 NIV)

I’ve been needing to do this for a while…

How Revolution365 Works

Revolution365 is my answer to God’s current calling. Hopefully, it fulfills His purpose of getting more people interacting with the Word of God on a daily basis. Revolution 365 is a prayer group that meets weekly here in the Augusta Georgia Area and a Bible Reading Blog that engages people around the world in making the journey through scripture from Genesis to Revelation in one full revolution within a year.

Resources

Using resources like the Daily Audio Bible and Bible Gateway, we follow along in the Bible each day. We have a one year reading plan that we follow from DailyAudioBible.com. I provide a link to the reading we cover each day at the beginning of each days blog post. Go on… click it. We’ll wait for you to try it and come back… Ok see how that worked? Both places are fantastic resources for listening to the Bible or reading it. I recommend listening. The spoken Word is amazing and no one does it better than Brain and the team at DailyAudioBible.com

Revolution365 Blog

The Blog, Revolution365, is my reaction to the current days reading. It’s basically my Bible Journal. I write the blog daily in an attempt to model for others what has helped me change the way I see life.

Revolution365 Prayer Group

The Prayer Group Revolution365 meets each week in a casual public setting. We open with prayer, discuss a preassigned weekly topic, catch up on life with one another, and close with prayer for the coming week. Revolution365 the prayer group as designed to give that support needed from each other to make it through the Bible in a year.

Let’s face it, If it were easy to make it through the Bible in a year, more people would do it. It takes dedication and is a commitment to say the least. Having a support system like Revolution365 can be a great help to someone that has questions about the reading or just needs some good old fashioned, “Get your butt down here!” thrown their way once in a while.

Delivery Updates

On the right side of this blog as place to key in your email address. When you do you will begin to be notified via email that a new post has been added to the blog. This website, MeetTheMcKinneys.com, is my family website that I have maintained for years. I have surrendered a portion of this website to blog about my scripture readings. From time to time you will also get email updates of things that the McKinneys get into just being a God-Fearing family going through life so don’t be surprised.

For updates, the best way is email signup, but you can also used facebook, twitter, or RSS if you are savvy like that. If you are the buttons are at the top right. If you are not… no sweat.

I hope this helps you. My vision is that more and more people come together around the Word of God and that my actions serve in some way to help you enjoy what I have for the last 10 years… A better and ever-growing relationship with God.

No Guts, No Glory

May 8, 2012 Bible Reading

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
John 5:24-47
Psalms 106:1-12
Proverbs 14:30-31

After reading the Prophecy of the House of Eli in 1 Samuel today, I feel like we need to take a closer look at what’s going on here. First of all, did you read it? Go on… we’ll wait…

You back? Good. We find that Samuel, this boy growing up in the house of the Lord, hears God speak to him for the first time. It’s a little amusing because the boy doesn’t understand that the Lord is speaking to him at first. He hears God say, “Samuel” three different times and gets up from where he was sleeping three different times. Each time Samuel gets up, he goes to Eli and says, “Here I am. You called me?”

Eli doesn’t even get it until the third time. Once Eli understood that God was talking to the boy, Eli gave instructions to Samuel.

So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. (1 Samuel 3:9 NIV)

But why didn’t Samuel understand that it was God. He HEARD the voice of God and didn’t recognize it. Why not? The Bible says,

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. (1 Samuel 3:7 NIV)

This was it! God was speaking to him. Eli gave the boy good instructions on how to show reverence in the presence of the Lord. Eli was a great living example of how to act. He also gave good instruction on how to be reverent in the presence of the Lord, but he couldn’t control his two boys. That lack of control of these to “heathens” as my Granny would say, was the downfall of the House of Eli. And now, Samuel had to tell Eli this news. That must have been a very tough test for Samuel. He shows a lot of guts.

I said earlier that the story of Samuel getting up three times because he didn’t recognize that God was talking to him was amusing. At first it’s amusing because somewhere in me is trapped a four-year-old that enjoys silly things like “The Three Stooges” and movies like “Airplane”. But when I really think about it, it’s amusing because we as believers all go through this.

It has taken me 37 years to fully understand that God has been talking to me. That’s more than amusing… it’s a little embarrassing! For those of you that know me, I’m a little hard-headed. Ok a lot hard-headed.

But look back again. The Bible says:

The Word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. (1 Samuel 3:7 NIV)

When the word was revealed to Samuel, boy was it revealed! He hears the Lord speak some pretty deep truth about the man that Samuel looked up to, Eli. The next morning this happens…

Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision, but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.”
Samuel answered, “Here I am.” (1 Samuel 3:15, 16 NIV)

This time, Samuel realized the difference in God’s voice and Eli’s because the Word of God HAD been revealed to him. His heart was now open to the Word of God. What a lesson. When our hearts are open we can hear His instruction in our lives. I have experienced the awesome power of the Lord’s forgiveness in my life, but it came through forgiving others and myself. When that took place in my life, I began to see what and where God was trying to work in my life. Because I was no longer held down to the past and no longer holding on to things of the past then I was able to freely move forward. I was able to turn to God and away from the past that held me down. That opening of my heart and changing of my mind is what God has done for me. I’m so glad in my heart that the Lord gave me strength to make that “shift” in my life. It is making all the difference.

The story of Eli’s house ends on a somber note. God’s justice is carried out all on one day as He foretold Samuel. Eli’s two sons were killed in a battle with the Philistines and Eli fell, broke his neck, and died when he heard the news that the Ark of the Covenant was captured. Eli’s daughter-in-law also dies giving birth to a son whom she names Ichabod. Ichabod means, “no glory” for God’s Glory had left Israel.

The somberness of the story reminds me to look at my own life to see where God was trying to speak to me and I didn’t recognize Him or worse, ignored Him. That is not so amusing… There are many places if I am going to be completely honest (and I am!).

Today’s Prayer

Lord, I pray that when I hear you speak to me that I am obedient like Samuel and say, “Here I am, Lord. Your servant is listening.” Lord I pray that you give me the strength to do your will and open my heart that I might hear your voice and carry out your will on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Jesus and Spike Lee?

May 7, 2012 Bible Reading

1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
John 5:1-23
Psalms 105:37-45
Proverbs 14:28-29

We finished the Book of Ruth yesterday and it is an amazing story of Godly women doing Godly things and being blessed because of their hearts and actions. It pains me to feel like I’m glossing over the Book of Ruth, but there is so much going on in reading right now. Maybe Ruth will be a good topic for our Bible Study… Revolution365.

Also, we begin the Book of Samuel today and I don’t want to miss the significance of that. Brian Hardin from the Daily Audio Bible does a fantastic job of introducing the Book of 1 Samuel. You should check out the podcast over at DailyAudioBible.com and click the button on the right that says “Listen”.

When I asked Jesus what to write about today I kept coming back to this handicapped man at the pool in Bethesda. At first I thought to write about how sometimes we accept what has happened to us and begin to depend on others. Then God speaks to our souls and rights the course. I thought about it and I thought about it… Nope… not it.

What really got my attention are these religious leaders. Seriously, they had made it against the law to carry a mat? This guy was healed from the inability to walk by the Power of God and they are concerned about his mat? How big-a-mat was it??? It got me thinking about how truly messed up the religious leaders of the time had gotten God’s message.

I do not want to take away from God’s command for taking a Sabbath Day of rest. Everyone needs to have time to rest. The fact that in the United States we observe (or mark) the Sabbath as Sunday instead of Saturday (Saturday is derived from the word Sabbath) is weird. It’s a measure of us kind of missing the point too. But seriously… carrying a mat?

It kinda makes me mad! Then I realized how much of this goes on now and how relevant this situation makes the Bible to today. The situation gives the opportunity for Jesus to establish His authority over the Sabbath (or the law). It is Jesus who said,

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27 NIV)

Christ freed us from the law. Not because the law was not worthy, it is. He freed us from the law because the Spirit is greater than the law. He gave us the Holy Spirit to walk by. Make no mistake, I am not saying you can go and break laws! I’m saying that if you walk by the Spirit of God you will do the will of God. For walking by the Spirit we accomplish all that is in the law, but without needing to remember to do it. It is doing what is right, when it’s right to do it. Jesus didn’t heal this man because He wanted to stir up trouble. He healed this man because He had the power to do so, the man was faithful in Jesus’ ability to do so as the Son of God, and it was the RIGHT thing to do.

So, long before Spike Lee said it… Jesus said it. Do the right thang!

Hey You!

If you’ve enjoyed this… Share it with someone or leave a comment below.

Strengths and Weaknesses

May 6, 2012 Bible Reading

Ruth 2:1-4:22
John 4:43-54
Psalms 105:16-36
Proverbs 14:26-27

Over the last couple of days I’ve encountered messages about weakness and strength. More specifically, my weaknesses and God’s strength. I’m reminded in several areas of my life that it is where the two meet that I must go.

Today’s reading is one of those places “pointing” me towards that concept. In Ruth we see a beautiful picture of God’s grace out of the destruction and rebirth of a family. Not only was Ruth blessed by God’s grace out of the weakness of becoming a widow and headed for destitution, but because of her obedience to God and doing what was right, God made her part of the lineage of Jesus Christ!

In John we see an Official that comes to Jesus to get Him. The official wants Jesus to heal his son. The Official is normally a man of strength because of his earthly stature. He is made weak because of the illness of his son. Out of that Jesus performed His 2nd miracle and Jesus’ grace was sufficient to heal the child. (I like the way Jesus did this without even being with the boy. It shows us that Jesus doesn’t have to be “physically” present to perform His grace.

In Psalms I’m reminded of the accounts of Joseph, Jacob, and Moses. All men that have a story of weakness brought to strength by God’s grace.

Joseph the youngest brother was sold into slavery in Egypt because of his brothers actions. He turns out to be in control of all of Egypt because of God’s grace.

Jacob often ran from his fears a weakness many of us suffer from. He wrestled God and won! During the wrestling match Jacob says:

“I will not let you go unless you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26 NIV)

Jacob being strong was brought to weakness when God touched his hip socket and caused him to limp. God brought Jacob to physical weakness so he would no longer run from his fears but face them. Because of this physical weakness, Jacob was made strong and God changes his name to Israel and made him a nation. (sorry for the run-on sentence… I was on a roll)

Moses was a man of temper and poor speech. God used him to mold a culture from God’s command and Moses still speaks to us today from the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. What strength.

In Proverbs we see this…

Whoever fears the Lord has a secure fortress,
and for their children it will be a refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
turning a person from the snares of death. (Proverbs 14:26, 27 NIV)

I believe that “fear” is also “respect” when used like this. The Lord says in the Bible, “Do not be afraid” 365 times when he appears to people in the Bible. I don’t think He wants us to fear Him given the fact that he tells us not to the same amount of times that there are days in the year. I think He wants us to have a healthy “fear” of Him or a respect of Him. Kinda like electricity. I’m not afraid to turn on the lights, but I do respect what electricity has the ability to do!

However, when you look at it, the passage is talking about someone who fears or respects. That puts them at a place of inferiority or weakness in relation to the one of strength. Our weakness and His strength.

Spiritual S.W.O.T. Analysis – The Tough Part

Where in my life am I weak that I have not allowed God to show His strength. Remember, we are blessed by Him when we share in His strength? This “Spiritual S.W.O.T. Analysis” is even tougher than the kinds of S.W.O.T. analyses used in business. I am going to do a Spiritual S.W.O.T. and start with my weaknesses. There are probably more places in my life that I could allow God to show His strength that I am not right now.

Hey You! — Leave A Comment On This Post

What about you? Do you have place where God has shown His strength in your weakness? Leave a comment on this post and share with the rest of it. Don’t be afraid… we know how that goes…

Be The Light

May 5, 2012 Bible Reading

Judges 21-Ruth 1:22
John 4:5-42
Psalms 105:1-15
Proverbs 14:25

Today with our reading I find a lot of encouragement. I also find some discouragement, but out of the discouragement comes very encouraging people. We end the book of Judges today and we’ve seen a lot of devastation in Israel. They have cut off the tribe of Benjamin from Israel and yet the Lord moves within the remaining tribes to have compassion on their brothers.

We begin a book of the Bible that has become one of my favorites, Ruth. Naomi, the mother-in-law, in the story has her share of disappointment in life to say the least, but ultimately this story of the Bible is a fabulous story of encouragement.

Jesus does something so cool. Imagine that. While talking to a Samaritan woman at a well He shines a little light on her life. She was feeling very discouraged no doubt, but Jesus uses His example of witness to encourage her and us! He’s such a multi-tasker and I mean it in a good way! In this narrative, Jesus gives her the encouragement needed to seek the “living water” and Jesus provides us a prime example of what we are sent here to earth to do… Win souls.

Psalms encourages me with the promises contained in verse after verse today. Very uplifting. Check this out:

Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced, (Psalm 105:1-5 NIV)

And that’s just how it opens up!

Finally the proverbs… Ah… The Proverbs. They can cut like a knife because I usually see a place in my life where I’ve done something that doesn’t make sense after reading them. Today… they encourage me.

A truthful witness saves lives,
but a false witness is deceitful. (Proverbs 14:25 NIV)

So What Do You Do With All of That?

Great question. Today being about encouragement, let’s talk a little about what that means. Often, we are so zealous for the Lord as believers that we want to beat people that are hurting up with scripture and make them see what God can do for them. We mean to do good for them and we actually are hurting the cause of Christ.

How would you feel if someone came to you while you were down about something and said (in my best southern preacher voice) My Chiild, yoo justa needa little JEEESUSSA! Nobody can RECEIVE the message while they are down when it is delivered like that. Not anybody I know anyway (sadly I’ve tried).

Encouragement, as we see in Jesus’ perfect example, can come in the form of our witness. But remember a witness is not an active participant. I witness is recounting what happened… to them or what they saw. Encourage people like Jesus did. He listened. He listened and then when the opportunity presented itself and the time was right He offered encouragement. You can do the same with what God has done for YOU. However, I caution you not to get into what He will do for THEM.

Encouraging others is our duty as Christians, but I ask you not to do it out of duty. Do it because you can’t help but encourage others. Look for places in your day today that you can genuinely encourage someone to do right or to just provide a little lift. It could prove to be a place to offer witness as well. Think about a time recently when someone you don’t know had a little word of encouragement that gave you a lift. Now… pass it on and keep passing it on. Be genuine because remember flattery is for fakers. Be genuine and the smallest thing you do will encourage someone. The cool thing is, that God set it up so that when you encourage others you experience His strength. So, encouraging others will actually encourage you too.

I’m Taking This With Me Today

My job is to turn on the light, not to dispel the darkness. ~ Dr. Neil T. Anderson (I think…;)

Personal Civil War

May 4, 2012 Bible Reading

Judges 19:1-20:48
John 3:22-4:4
Psalms 104:24-35
Proverbs 14:22-24

Personal Civil War

Today in Judges we read an awful story. Ok it was also amazing. Let’s call it “amazingly awful”. Brian Hardin unpacks it in the DailyAudioBible Podcast and does a fantastic job of answering “How could God allow this to happen”. You should listen to it, but basically because of a couple of decisions (made without the Lord in mind) a Civil War breaks out amongst Israel.

I decided to take a more “macro” approach and look at all four pieces of scripture today (I did consult the Almighty first . I have often thought of the Children of Israel and their story as my own personal story. They do things on their own, they fall, they cry out to God, He saves them, they do things on their own… etc. etc. Sounded too much like my life for me NOT to get it (even though I can be thick-headed).

Because of seeing the Children of Israel that way I realized while reading John today, that John the Baptist discusses another Civil War. The War within. John the Baptist discusses his purpose. JTB foretells the Persona Civil War we all must face in order to follow Jesus. More of Jesus, less of me. That sums it up, but let’s take a look at the way God’s chosen messenger says it.

He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:30 NIV)

We must die to ourselfs in order to be Born Again. We must put off the old man and put on the new. We must die to our repetitive sins and fight back against them. This is one of my favorite pieces of scripture:

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. (Ephesians 6:13-18 NIV)

We must become less, so He can become greater in our lives and it is going to be a FIGHT!

Proverbs… Ah The Proverbs

Do not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness. (Proverbs 14:22 NIV)

May God be included in the foundations of your plans. John the Baptist quoted in John (unrelated to each other by the way) says:

A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. (John 3:27 NIV

So when I find myself struggling, I should first consult God. To deal with this personal civil war of dying to self, He can and will help me. To practice less of me and more of Him is tough. It is work! Let’s look back at Proverbs one more time.

All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty. The wealth of the wise is their crown,
but the folly of fools yields folly. (Proverbs 14:23, 24 NIV)

It’s about where you put your work. I plan on putting mine into the Kingdom of God. I know I will get knocked down a few times, but that’s ok. Character comes from that. Not to mention, God gave us the Holy Spirit too to help with where to go and what to do. The Holy Spirit is not only our guide but also our comforter. So, though I may get knocked down there is nothing to fear for The Holy Spirit is there to comfort me as well.

The 15 Minute Challenge

15 Minutes. That’s all it takes to read through the Bible in a year. 15 minutes per day. Would you sit down and listen to someone talk to you about an investment for your retirement for 15 minutes? How about your doctor? Do you listen to them for 15 minutes to invest in your health? Your boss? 15 minutes to invest in your career? I encourage you to take the challenge of reading the Bible for 15 minutes a day and invest in your eternity. Go on… we’ll wait.

Born Again

May 2, 2012 Bible Reading

The 15 Minute Challenge
15 Minutes. That’s all it takes to read through the Bible in a year. 15 minutes per day. Would you sit down and listen to someone talk to you about an investment for your retirement for 15 minutes? How about your doctor? Do you listen to them for 15 minutes to invest in your health? Your boss? 15 minutes to invest in your career? I encourage you to take the challenge of reading the Bible for 15 minutes a day and invest in your eternity. Go on… we’ll wait.

Resources

Read
Click the Passages to go directly to the Bible for easy reading.
Judges 17:1-18:31
John 3:1-21
Psalms 104:1-23
Proverbs 14:20-21

Listen On The Go
Daily Audio Bible Podcast – by Brian Hardin
Download the podcast to your iPhone or Android Smartphone so you can easily listen to the Bible on the go. The DAB is an awesome podcast centered around the Word of God and one of the sources of inspiration for the Revolution365. Brian and the team put together a podcast of Brian reading the Word of God daily. Brian gives heartfelt and prayerful commentary each day and a community of listeners call in to support each other, pray, and report what God is doing in their lives. Truly amazing what God is doing with the DAB.

Listen on Your Computer
Audio Version – Daily Audio Bible

Born Again

I have had the benefit of growing up in the environment I did and learning what being born again means. I think I understand it now, but it has taken me a while to fully grasp it. I suppose that one day in Heaven, I will look back at this writing and laugh a little because I’m sure there is much more to learn.

What a trip it must have been for Nicodemus to hear Jesus say you must be born again. I mean look how Nic reacts:

“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” (John 3:4 NIV)

When we are born by the Spirit it is our second birth. Pretty cool that we get two births and only one death to experience in life, but that’s beside the point. In the beginning, Adam and Eve were both born naturally and spiritually at the same time. Because of their sin they died spiritually before they died naturally.

Because of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, we today are born alive, but spiritually dead. It is not until the Holy Spirit comes into our lives that we are born again. Later in the Bible Paul says in Romans 8 (if I may summarize and paraphrase) is that when we walk by the Spirit it doesn’t matter about the law. (hold your rotten tomatoes and don’t stone me to death at the town square)

What I believe is meant here is that only by being filled with the Holy Spirt can we walk by the Spirit. When we walk by the Spirit we will be doing the things of God and thus be better than the law. Better than the law not only because we will be abiding by the law, but also because we are doing it with all of our heart, mind, and will, spirit, soul and body.

When we are born again of the Spirit we become a new creature in Christ, by Christ, for Christ.

“Putting” God First? Really?

May 2, 2012 Bible Reading

Judges 15:1-16:31
John 2:1-25
Psalms 103:1-22
Proverbs 14:17-19
Use the links above to read today’s Word.

Audio Version – Daily Audio Bible

Many times I hear other people say, “I’m trying to put God first in my life.” Being honest with you, I’ve said it myself. The phrase popped in my head as I read through the end of Samson’s story today and it haunted me.

God is not something we can “put” first in our lives. He IS first in our lives. We tend to “put” other things ahead of God in our lives and that sin of idolatry is more prevalent in today’s world than it was in the days of wooden, metal, and stone calves.

Samson allowed vengeance to take precedence in his life when the Philistines burned his wife and father-in-law. God did end up using the situation for His purpose. Remember, God had set Samson apart from birth and at an early age God put it on Samson to marry a Philistine woman. God did that because He was going to remove the Philistines and their evil ways from the land.

God came on Samson in power and gave Samson the strength to kill 1000 Philistines with the jawbone of a donkey. Seriously? I play golf from time to time. If you play well you only swing 60 to 70 times not counting putting. If you play like me you swing a lot more, but no where near 1000 swings! I can hardly move after a round of golf. 1000 swings hard enough to take the life out of someone? Seriously? Think about that.

Afterwards, Samson honored God with the victory and God granted him water for his thirst. Later, Samson begins to repeat the cycle, but breaks it this time. The cycle was: act foolish without honoring God first, suffer consequences, get angry and allow vengeance to take over, act on it, find more trouble, ask God to rescue you, get rescued, act foolish without honoring God, and so on…

This time the Philistines had gouged out Samson’s eyes for his what he had done to them. This time before acting on his own with the talent, strength, and purpose that God afforded Samson, he asks God to take over in the situation. When Samson allows God His rightful place in our lives, Samson’s victory became God’s victory and the Bible says it was greater than any victory Samson had prior to that. It ultimately cost Samson his life, but this portion of the story shows that Samson got it!

Samson got the fact that we don’t “Put God first in our lives”, we “Realize God is first and honor Him”. Samson got it so much that he believed it with his life.

Think About This Today

A quick-tempered person does foolish things,
and the one who devises evil schemes is hated. (Proverbs 14:17 NIV)

Samson acted out of being quick tempered and it caused him to do foolish things. God is the author of vengeance and He will have it. When we take that from God, we are putting our own feelings and actions ahead of God and what He wants.

Leave A Comment

Tell the rest of the readers what you think about today’s reading. Use the comment section at the end of the post or the one at the beginning to leave a comment.

I Wanna Talk To Samson

May 1, 2012 Bible Reading

Judges 13:1-14:20
John 1:29-51
Psalms 102:1-28
Proverbs 14:15-16
Use the links above to read today’s Word.

Audio Version – Daily Audio Bible

Samson is one of those figures in the Bible that I remember form childhood. What I read about as an adult doesn’t actually jive with what I remember from learning about as a kid. As a child, I remember this super-human strong man that his strength was found in his hair. As an adult, I see an Israelite that eats from the carcasses of animals, marries a Pagan woman, and kills 30 people for their clothes? Wow… that’s a little different than I remember.

It’s confusing actually. What message is God trying to tell me with all of this? It’s important to remember “Where” God is in all of this. Of course we are not to learn from the obvious bad actions that Samson took so let’s step back for a moment and see where God is here.

To me, it seems that regardless of what God has set us apart to do, He has also offered us free will to do it or not to do it. We must decide and follow through. God will accomplish His purpose. We must realize it and accept His invitation in order to take part in it.

My purpose is not to judge Samson so I’ll leave that where it belongs, but I can discern which actions Samson took on his own and which ones were from God. Looking at the way that Samson approaches his ministry troubles me. I want to say, “Are you kidding me! You were set apart for God before you were born to accomplish a purpose that is great! A purpose that will further the Kingdom of God and you are playing jokes and doing silliness that divide His purpose!”

Than I’m reminded that anyone could look at places in the history of my life and say the same. That’s one of the reasons I love the Old Testament. We really see the story of our own spiritual maturity in the children of Israel.

Proverbs… ah the Proverbs…

The simple believe anything,
but the prudent give thought to their steps. The wise fear the Lord and shun evil,
but a fool is hotheaded and yet feels secure. (Proverbs 14:15, 16 NIV)

That tells me to mind my steps and not spout off at the mouth! It reminds me that before I judge Samson or other children of God that I must examine my ways and look for how God is trying to work in my life.

Revolution 365

Tonight’s Topic: Finding God Through Our Mistakes
Scripture: The Book of Judges
Place: Panera Bread in Evans GA
Time: 7pm