Everything in the bible is there to make our lives better
Every once in a while I realize that I may have gotten a little off track and taken my eyes off the prize, Jesus. These times require a refocusing on His Word . Getting refocused and drawing closer to Jesus reminds me a little of getting started exercising after a long break -- but usually within a couple weeks, everything is flowing again. I wake up early to pray, read, and just soak in His presence. Sometimes I play Kari Jobe Radio on Pandora softly in the background and let the words pull me in and paint pictures in my mind of Jesus, of God, of heaven, of glory, etc.
Here are a few verses I've been studying this week as I have been reviewing my actions and drawing closer to Jesus.
God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. (Ephesians 4:15 MSG).
Our love grows soft without the truth and our truth grows hard without love.
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:25, 31-34 MSG)
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ-that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1, 2 MSG)
"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in.
"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse. (Luke 11:9, 10, 23 MSG)
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults-unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.
It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
"Knowing the correct password-saying 'Master, Master,' for instance-isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience-doing what my Father wills. "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. (Matthew 7:1, 2, 5, 12, 16, 21, 24, 26 MSG)
Every once in a while I realize that I may have gotten a little off track and taken my eyes off the prize, Jesus. These times require a refocusing on His Word . Getting refocused and drawing closer to Jesus reminds me a little of getting started exercising after a long break -- but usually within a couple weeks, everything is flowing again. I wake up early to pray, read, and just soak in His presence. Sometimes I play Kari Jobe Radio on Pandora softly in the background and let the words pull me in and paint pictures in my mind of Jesus, of God, of heaven, of glory, etc.
Here are a few verses I've been studying this week as I have been reviewing my actions and drawing closer to Jesus.
God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love-like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. (Ephesians 4:15 MSG).
Our love grows soft without the truth and our truth grows hard without love.
"If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don't fuss about what's on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (Matthew 6:25, 31-34 MSG)
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ-that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. (Colossians 3:1, 2 MSG)
"Here's what I'm saying: Ask and you'll get; Seek and you'll find; Knock and the door will open. "Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This is not a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in.
"This is war, and there is no neutral ground. If you're not on my side, you're the enemy; if you're not helping, you're making things worse. (Luke 11:9, 10, 23 MSG)
"Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults-unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging.
It's this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. "Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get.
Who preachers are is the main thing, not what they say. A genuine leader will never exploit your emotions or your pocketbook. These diseased trees with their bad apples are going to be chopped down and burned.
"Knowing the correct password-saying 'Master, Master,' for instance-isn't going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience-doing what my Father wills. "These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. "But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don't work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. (Matthew 7:1, 2, 5, 12, 16, 21, 24, 26 MSG)
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