The best things in the Bible, the true promises of God typically (always?) have a negative cover or skin. Beginning with acknowledgement of our sinfulness which is our first step toward the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
And continuing with the transforming work of the word of God in the life of the believer. Reprove, rebuke, correct, teach …
And this brings us to the truly good stuff – intimacy with God as we walk the planet. Much better than standing as a child with our hand out waiting for another jelly bean (blessing) from God. But too many of us who want a life blessed by God insist on our own path.
Expressing an interest for the things of God we still resist his work in our lives. We don’t bow before his majesty: we merely draw near with our lips keeping our hearts at a distance and missing the best stuff.
The abundance Christ spoke of is behind the door God chooses.
But we turn from the best stuff because it is negative in the sense of changing our lives.
We hold out for the jelly bean and refuse God.
(Excerpt Beyond Pretend: A Sheep’s Guide to the Universe! © 2010 by David Lee Scott. All rights reserved, p. 29.)
A shared experience from the garden …
“Where are you?” God had asked, but the one asking the question was the only one with an answer. How could we expect Adam and Eve to know? Their landscape had shifted from light to darkness, the cataclysm of “the fall” leaving them dazed. Waking up that morning, eagerly anticipating another day as the pinnacle of God’s creation, it was good to be them. Within hours everything from the deepest inside parts of their souls to the dirt under their feet had been transformed. They tucked each other in that night, snuggled in their new clothes, fearful of life in the new world they had created. Yes, they did know more than they did before, but knowing more they now lived in darkness. Their newly acquired knowledge yielded only confusion and fear.
Welcome to our world, Adam and Eve!
(Excerpt Beyond Pretend: A Sheep’s Guide to the Universe! © 2010 by David Lee Scott. All rights reserved, pp 27-28.)
A lesson in ethical and moral decision-making as you try to personally answer the question – “Where am I?”
The rebel’s rule of convolution …
Eve’s extended conversation with the snake has a very specific purpose, and it was not to gain a better understanding of God’s words. She wanted a way out, so she applied the rebel’s rule of convolution and transformed a straight line into a maze. She wiggled like a snake to wriggle out of the will of God.
Which part of “Don’t eat from that tree!” didn’t you understand?
Our most important decisions are usually not overly-complex. And the most basic principles of life as God instructs are as clearly defined as “don’t eat from that tree.” In Matthew 22.40 Jesus squeezed two simple truths out of the entire Law and the Prophets. “Love God. Love your neighbor.” Do we sometimes face very intricate and complex issues? Undeniably. But the greatest proportion of decisions we make are as simple as Eve’s choice in this text. Listen to God and obey him or seek other data to justify a different course for your life.
First play with the words …
Her clever adversary knew precisely where to strike. He challenged not her intellect but her will and defeated both ever so deftly with such an innocent question: “Did God really say?” Eve didn’t become entangled in a labyrinth of ethics and morals; she tripped over herself and pulled Adam down with her. They were going to do what they wanted to do and needed some “biblical” data to back up their decision. Don’t miss this distinction. They didn’t just turn from God in disobedience; they first played with the words, they quoted the words of God for goodness sake, and then set about making their own pudding pie.
It wasn’t because they cut theology class …
Adam and Eve did not sin because they weren’t boned up on the intricacies and complexities of theology or the ethical and moral nuances of the day. They sinned because they disobeyed simple words from the mouth of God. “Don’t eat from that tree.” They fell, and we along with them. In the world as they saw it, the created beings knew better than the Creator.
Beginning with the fear of the LORD deals with the heart: The heart of the issue is the heart.
We must understand our most formidable obstacle. “We have met the enemy and they is us.” We cannot deal with our hearts on our own.
Allowing the word of God to do its work in our hearts is our only hope.
All the Bible study in the world will not help us overcome the barrier of a heart not dealt with before our God.
The absolute necessity of beginning our journey in the fear of the LORD cannot be overstated. We can see this necessary beginning – bowing before God – illustrated and explained in life, even in our own lives, if we look. We must place our hearts in God’s hands.
2.1b.2 Allow God to develop in us an appreciation for the restoration process of people, including ourselves.
The Craftsman’s vision.
Entering into the fear of the LORD begins a process of rebuke and restoration. If you have ever seen a craftsmen (or even better, you have done it yourself) restore a worn-out or broken piece of furniture or an automobile or an antique toy, or have just cleaned something up and made it useful again, then this may help you understand the process of submitting ourselves to the reverence of God. When we can even get a glimpse of God’s vision for our lives, it helps us tremendously in our decision to submit to his process.
First of all, the craftsmen sees value in the broken object or he would not waste his time, as God sees value in each of us or he would not have “wasted” his time in sending Jesus Christ to redeem and rebuild.
2.1b.5 Be convinced of the success of the project.
The entire project has already been financed.
The shed blood of Jesus Christ is the full payment. God will not waste his investment. Know and learn God’s truth concerning the facts of your salvation. God doesn’t build junk, and he does not partially restore junk. If his name goes on it, which it does, then the finished product will be absolutely perfect.
Back to the fear of the LORD.
Where do we start allowing the words of God to have God’s intended restorative effect? When we bow before God and surrender ourselves to his process.
(Excerpt from Living by the Words of God by David Lee Scott © 2004 by David Lee Scott. All rights reserved, pp. 37-39.)
A good thing …
The nature and purpose of God’s word is to prepare me to meet God now.
Welcoming the Surgeon’s scalpel …
So each of us should ask — Do I approach God’s word as something alive? Am I looking for God to cut inside me with his word to help me understand what is going on inside?
God’s word is alive and can penetrate my spiritual insides. God’s word can help me sift through and judge the thoughts and purposes of my heart. The Holy Spirit can use these penetrating words to expose me to me before God.
The freedom of full disclosure …
As verse thirteen explains, nothing can be hidden from God and one day we will all have to explain our lives to him. The great blessing is that the word of God can empower me to face my life and bring it before God now. If I will allow the words of God to cut into my life now and if I open myself up to the light of God, Satan will no longer be able to make his dark threats because I am now in the process of full-disclosure. I know my High Priest understands my weaknesses, and I hold on to my confession of faith and move with boldness to the throne of grace to find mercy and grace to help in my time of need. So much in these verses. Amen and amen!
No need to hide my life from God …
The absolutely great news is that I do not have to hide any part of my life from God. The living, powerful word of God opens me up, penetrates the deepest, darkest places of my life and prepares me for mercy and grace. No one needs to hide from God. Ever!
(Excerpt from Living by the Words of God by David Lee Scott © 2004 by David Lee Scott. All rights reserved, pp. 60.)
I wrote a post about the many uses of Twitter sometime back; here’s another.
I went for some time thinking that Twitter was … well … just stupid. A time-waster for teenage girls and NBA stars.
And it is that, but it is much more. And you do not have to invest that much time.
Here are some ways that I use Twitter:
With no effort hardly; go to a site, click “follow” and that’s it. Don’t like what you get; go to site; click “unfollow.”
