Category: August

Jonah ran from God, but not because he just didn’t want to do something, in general. Jonah was a true patriot! He loved his nation of Israel. And when God commanded Jonah to preach to Nineveh, Jonah fully, totally trusted that God could and would forgive them if they repented. And he believed that if he preached, they most likely would repent like many others had in his life.

And he didn’t want that to happen. He wanted Nineveh destroyed! He believed he could choose which nations were worthy of receiving God’s love and grace.

His sin was the sin of Nationalism… putting his love of the nation of Israel over the love of God. What are the callings that God has placed on OUR hearts that we run from? What are prejudices in our hearts keep us from seeing others the way God sees them? We must remember that we are not the gatekeepers of God’s mercy. God will forgive and love whomever God chooses to forgive and love. Let’s check it out deeper here!

Lot was given the opportunity to see the easy path, so he made a decision that would define the rest of his life. He chose from a sense of feeling and dreams, but not seeking God first. And by the time we get deep into the story, he’s not living in tents NEAR the city, but living directly in the city.

Now, before we are harsh with Lot, we do exactly that. Feelings are fickle guides… and if we don’t consult with God, we are easily dazzled by the things of the world. Let’s look at Lot’s life, and see what God is teaching us through it.

Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. Pilate knew that the Jewish leaders were only trumping up charges to railroad Jesus. He admits it in the text. And in that, he still sent Jesus to die, because it was more politically appropriate. His politics outweighed his morals, and his politics won out.

Before we point a finger at him, let’s look ourselves. Knowing the truth is not the same as obeying it. Does what we know to be true come out in our lives every time? No… fortunately we have grace. Let’s look at Pilate today.

When “SELF” is on the throne of our hearts, others cease to be humans. They are no longer souls that deserve love. When the Philistines approached Delilah, she didn’t hesitate to take them up on their offer, and even attempted it multiple, multiple times.

Before we blame her too hard, do we do the same? Are we manipulative at times? Do we push to get our own wants and needs met over the lives of others? Our own comfort at the cost of someone else? Let’s talk about it.

This message asks us to evaluate our life and ask ourselves: Am I all in, or just trying to swim in the ocean with just my legs getting wet. That’s not swimming.

What hit me, personally, is the fact that god is calling us to take up our CROSS. What is a cross, in today’s nomenclature? The cross in the Roman world was a deep moment of Shame, Death, Suffering.

God is calling us to take up our SHAME and self that’s daily dying, and suffering, and all that we are, brokenness and all, and pick it up, and be truly, utterly and absolutely committed to Christ and his love for others. Has God’s power transformed you like that?

This scripture has a ton of meaning, if we can hear it. First, God’s mercy is new every morning. Because of HIS great love (not anything about us), we are NOT consumed. Great is the Faithfulness of God. This news was given in the midst of one of the most troubled period in Jewish history. But the truth in that moment is that it was terrible. It was hard. It was sorrowful. It was all those things. But just as true as that is the fact that God’s love and mercy and faithfulness is immense. Can you claim that as confidently? If not, let’s talk!

As we continue our exploration of Trusting God, we are looking at Philippians 4:6-7. Do not be anxious about anything. That’s a lot easier to say than do, especially in a life of chaos — not just trouble, but chaos, where life just isn’t making sense and the things that swirl around you are totally, completely, utterly out of your control. In those moments… do you still trust God? Let’s talk about that.

Consider it PURE JOY when we face trials… ARE YOU KIDDING ME? But that’s what James is teaching us. We dive in today to learn to Trust God in those trials — those tough, dry times where we can’t see him. We learn that God has a plan, even for this trial. And in that, his plan will bring about our best in him. He is there. He loves us. He is actually fighting for us, if we will just let him.