Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:  

Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh arm yourselves with the same way of thinking.  For whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin…so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God.  1 Peter 4:1-2

Observation:

  I wonder if I got some thinking mixed up about suffering, affliction, and stuff like that.

Application:

 When I read this first verse the first thing I thought of was a line from an old sitcom: “What’cha talking about, Willis??

Trying to read the Scriptures thoroughly and deeply takes some effort-especially when I run across something that makes me squint and tilt my head. Peter says (in cadence) “…therefore since Christ suffered in the flesh…” and what follows as a direction,  “…arm yourself (the singular…ME) with the same way of thinking.”  This requires EFFORT to assimilate into my discipleship plan because I don’t want to suffer.

“Arm yourself”: Reads like suffering is a weapon or at least a defensive posture.  Flip this into the “Whole armor of God” in Ephesians and what do I have?

I think what I have is the logical extension and application of the Gospel-that afflictions are not to be avoided.  Maybe not welcomed…but certainly embraced with thankfulness for the Mercy of God.

In Romans 8:29 it says that God’s intention is to “conform us to the Image of the Son.”  Also the scripture indicates that the servant is not above their Master (Matt 10:24-25).  Therefore, when afflictions and sufferings come, isn’t it reasonable to see an opportunity for holiness?

Tough stuff to think about.  Could looking to avoid suffering/affliction kind of thwarts God’s intention for our growth and maturity?  Maybe.  How would I know what to do?

One particular tool is the local Church and specifically cultivating friends in the Faith.  We are not meant to grow in a lonely vacuum nor is the once a week hour or two sufficient for improving maturity in Christ.  In the next chapter Peter talks about the “End of all Things” and how to respond.  Breaking bread, having pizza and a soft drink can start a good path to growing in Christ.

Paul wrote Timmy: “Practice these things; immerse yourself in them so that all might see (be able to observe) your progress.”  (1 Tim 4:15a)  Nothing strange here-a good old straightforward directive.

Reader: Go get’um.

Prayer:  

 Father: Please help me practice the things you are doing in me.  Prevent me from avoiding them.  Give me the gumption to act on Your whispers-the whispers I long for from you.  Tune my ear to Your Voice.  Time for pizza, Father.  Spirit-do Your thing in my and our hearts.  AMEN

Scripture:

1 Peter 3:9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Observation:

Peter lays out a list of behaviors that believers are supposed to exhibit. These behaviors seem opposite of how most people act and react. Yet, Peter states that for us to receive our blessing me must act opposite of how the world acts.

Application:

I must seek God’s wisdom as I react to others. The world sees things in a different way. The world does not look to God for direction, guidance or for its examples. The world’s view is that if someone does something bad to me they should be paid back in kind. The world expects people to act in this manner. But God wants me to act contrary to the world’s beliefs. I am to act differently, almost counter intuitive, to the way the world acts. I am supposed to react in love.

I must act according to how God wants me to act. I must act to please God, not man. Acting in a manner that is opposite of the way the world acts sets us apart and allows us the be the light that others see. I am called to be a light in a dark world. To reflect Jesus’ light and love not the world’s hate. To stand out. The thing about light is that even a faint light can be seen in complete darkness. When I stand out in darkness it allows others to see the path God wants us to take. I don’t know when others are looking at me and it should not matter. I am to act according the example that Jesus provided always.

Prayer:

Allow me the wisdom to do what is right in your eyes. Help me to be the light in the darkness. Help me to act according to your direction and guidance so that others realize what love looks like.

Scripture:

1 Peter 2
Vs 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk
Vs 10 … now you have received mercy

Vs 20 … if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
Vs 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

Observation:

Peter is telling the believers who they are as God’s children.
He is also telling them how they should now act as God’s children in the world.
Peter then reminds the believers what they have received from God.
They have received mercy.
Peter contrasts this with what they are likely to receive from the world.
From the world they will endure rejection and suffering… even while doing good.
Peter holds up Christ, though, who suffered even while being perfect.
He is the example for the believers to follow.

Application:

Peter uses language and several words that are common in my pursuit of “the Christian life”.
I want to “long for the spiritual”
I want to “do good”.
I want to be “called”.
I want to “follow in His steps”.
But if I do, in fact, do all these things, do I expect the same things in return from both God and the world?
I shouldn’t.
Peter tells me to pursue things in both the spiritual world and the material world.
But Peter tells me I will receive in return very different things.
When I “long for spiritual milk”, … I will “receive mercy”.
When I “do good”, … I may well “suffer for it”.
I am, indeed, to pursue both, “spiritual milk” and “doing good”.
I just shouldn’t expect goodness in return of both pursuits.
Peter tells me it’s OK, though.
Because I have already received “mercy”. And when I suffer for doing good it is “gracious in God’s sight”.
I can live in and experience both mercy and grace … mercy and grace.
There is no better way to “follow in His steps”.

Prayer:

Thank You again, God, for Your Word.
Show me where I need to live it out.
Help me Holy Spirit see others the way you do.
Give me a taste for spiritual milk.
And give me a desire to do good regardless of outcome.
In Jesus name
Amen

Scripture:

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:13

Observation:

Peter here is writing to the believers spread out into Roman dominated cultures and areas. As he writes to them about the living hope they have in Christ that has been given and prepared and protected by God by his power and lead us to grace through faith in Jesus. As Peter has encouraged and lifted their hearts and spirits of the Hope of Jesus that has been planned for them he urges and exhorts them to holiness as Christ is Holy. The first verse in this section stop me in my tracks because I fail at this daily.

Application:

Preparation – Do I prepare my mind for action when it comes to the holiness of God and the holiness that he has called me to? I do not, is the answer I give that I wish was not my answer. Preparation is so important in my relationship with Jesus as I should be living in a way that is in pursuit to be like him and be sanctified in his truths of his Word. I see through out the scriptures that preparation in Gods word is so intricate to the battle we face in this world with our flesh and against the enemy. My preparation should lead me to a deeper desire to know God more through Christ and grow my love for my Savior.

Sober-Minded – The first thought is alcohol when we see sober. When I read this is don’t just think of alcohol but I think I the world that gets us drunk of the things it offers. It leads us and tempts us to engage and overindulge in the things of the world that has so buzzed of the things we have been given. We have success in work, we have toys and games, we have sports and events and much more that take us to a place of intoxication from the world. Man, if I could not be intoxicated by the world or anything in it my preparation for holiness would be set to be obedient to Jesus.

HOPE FULLY ON THE GRACE — Simply put, I must place my hope ONLY in the hope of Jesus and love and grace he offers me. Jesus is the answer to all of this sin I find my self in. Peter prepares us with the hope of Jesus only to instruct us to live as Christ and whatever it leads us to it WILL BE GAIN!

Prayer:

Father, forgiver me for my disobedience in preparation, soberness, and false hope I have given my heart to. Change every dark part of my heart and my life truly be a pursuit of YOU. Thank you for loving me Jesus and never giving up on me. Help me Lord by your spirit. Help me love you like you love me.

Scripture:

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgements are like the great deep; Man and beast you save, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of Your delights.

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light.

 Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know You and Your righteousness to the upright of heart! Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me or the hand of the wicked drive me away. Ps 36:5-11

Observation:

When do I remind myself of the Greatness of God? His majesty? His Goodness? Any or all of His Attributes? Something to think about.

Application:

I shortchange God. Clarification: God is never shortchanged; He is mighty and glorious in Himself. Doesn’t need me.

I shortchange God in my life—because I don’t really look to see Him as He is. I don’t think, I don’t meditate, I don’t study, I don’t seek, I don’t talk about Him much at all. Oh, I might talk about other things about God: what He has done or what He can do for me. I can present Him in evangelism through the Gospel-but what do I do with my heart? Do I speak to my heart about His Awesomeness? His Majesty? Do I glory in Him?

The Psalmist did here. He preached to God. He declared God to God. The Psalmist reviewed various points of His Attributes right back to Him—resulting in reinforcing the Vision of God in his life; preaching Truth to his own heart; compounding encouragement to his own soul, etc.

AW Tozer reflected that many Christians have a low view of God in their life because they don’t think about the Attributes of God and how truly Awesome He is. A low view of God initiates all sorts of untoward behavior, not the least of which is soft (or weak) faith. A low view of God can lead us into biblical error, a tendency to be like a Pharisee or, on the other swing of the pendulum, a tendency to worldliness-both sides of the pendulum are engaging in sinful behavior.

Here’s a suggestion for personal devotions: Read the Psalms out loud. Every day for a month. Put feeling in what you read (don’t be monotone). Pause, reflect often. Read them out loud like you wrote it. You will see changes if you stay with it.

Prayer:

Oh, God: Please make me fill my eyesight with You, high and full. You are Awesome in all your ways. You are Awesome in all your works. You are merciful and full of wonder!! Facts: I don’t look for Your presence daily. Lam 3 reminds me that Your mercies are new every morning and thinking about, acknowledging these mercies leads me to “Great is your Faithfulness oh Lord.” Phooey on me. I can get so wrapped up in myself that I forget to acknowledge You most mornings. Forgive me Lord. Burn your Majesty in my mind. AMEN.

Scripture:

Psalm 33:18 – Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love

Observation:

God watches over those who live in awe of Him. God’s love is unchanging for those who trust in Him for their provision.

Application:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)
Fear the Lord and trust completely in the Lord. On the surface looks like two simple precepts that would seem easy. However, fear of the Lord requires a reverence as I know God is my Creator and recognition that His ways are better than mine. Complete trust in the Lord means that I have submitted all areas of my life over to Him. This can’t be a situational trust or based on my circumstances or limited knowledge of a subject matter.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for creating the world and loving us out of everything to send Jesus so we can have a relationship with you. Help your Spirit guide me as I follow you to be in reverence and trust.

Scripture:

Psalm 32:1 – “Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.”

Observation:

Psalm 32 is a psalm written by David. It discusses the theme of God’s faithfulness to forgive when we confess. Throughout the psalm the pattern is shown, when we acknowledge our sin to God, He is faithful to forgive us.

Application:

Although this seems so basic it goes against our initial reactions when we sin. Even back in Genesis we see the first thing that Adam and Eve do after sinning is cover themselves and hide. We react in shame and in fear. Should we accept our sin? Of course not. However, we must resist the lie that God is “out to get us”. Instead what Psalm 32 and the whole of scripture shows us is that God’s wrath has been poured out on Christ and therefore we are covered by him. We can run to God in our brokenness and know that He is faithful to cover us and to forgive us because Christ is enough.

Prayer:

God thank you for the amazing truth that Jesus is enough. In the middle of sin and brokenness you still forgive us and you cover us with your love. Help me today to not run away from you and believe the lie of shame. Instead, let me draw deeper into intimacy and relationship with you.

Scripture:

Psalm 27:1-2
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?

Observation:

The psalmist starts this song with total clarity on who God is and what it means for his life. God is both the light of salvation and the stronghold of his life. The result in his life? There is nothing to be afraid of anymore!

Application:

I wish it was just that easy. To know who God is and let that strip all fear from my life. But maybe it is? Maybe fear sets in my life when I forget who God is. A few things…

-Jesus has conquered death. Is there anything worse than death that I will face today? The answer is no. If Jesus has authority of the cross, then he has authority over everything I will face today.

-The King of the Universe is my Father. It truly doesn’t get any better than that. May I rest in that today.

-If something seems to be going wrong in my life, instead of freaking out, I will cry out to God and put my trust in Him.

Prayer:

I truly have nothing to fear Father. May I rest in you. May I rest in your authority!

Scripture:

Psalm 26:1 and 26:4-5

Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering…….. I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.

Observation:

David states that he has walked in faith. This connotates action on the part of a believer. David didn’t just believe but his belief caused certain, deliberate actions. David had been taught in faith and now his actions are matching his belief. Having stated the fact that he is faithful to God, David now describes several ways that his life demonstrates his faith. He states his faith not what he does but by who he does not associate with.

Application:

I should choose and value my relationships. I have a little control over some of the people I meet. For example, when I go to the grocery store, a Starbucks, airport, the beach or at even at work I come across people of all ages, races and religions. Even though I should be cordial and Christian, I do not have to “sit” or associate with these people on a regular basis. I should have a heavenly perspective when it comes to my friends and associations. That heavenly perspective extends beyond people and includes social media, where I spend my time, what I watch on television, etc.

There is a saying that we are known by the company we keep. David knew this to be true over 2000 years ago and it still applies today.

Prayer:

Give me the wisdom to identify non spiritual threats in my life that are not good influences. Provide me the courage to remove them from my life if my association with them reflects poorly on you.

Scripture:

 Psalm 23

Vs 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Vs 3 … He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Vs 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

Vs 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Observation:

 David recognizes here that no matter what his circumstances are, he will be shepherded by The Lord.

And because of this, David will not “want”, and he will not “fear”.

Even if David is in an extraordinarily terrible spot, the presence of the Shepherd calms him.

Application:

What drives my behavior? What motivates what I do?

There is usually a positive motivator … what I personally desire, or what I want!

There is also a negative motivator … what I personally do not desire, or what I fear!

My “wants” and my “fears” can often determine which direction I go.

David shuts both of these motivators down emphatically.

In fact, with the Lord as my Shepherd, David says, “I shall not want” and “I will not fear”.

And when I really think about it … Isn’t this a much better way to go through life?

No sense of lack … No sense of anxiety … Isn’t this that beautiful spot of … Contentment?!

What then would motivate me to live in such a space, if not those human drivers of “want” and “fear”?

One thing …. His Name!

I will be led by the Good Shepherd … “for His namesake”.

And if His name is the “why”, then what is the “how”?

How can I actually live this way “all the days of my life”?

I must understand the all-encompassing protection of the Good Shepherd.

Jesus is in front of me … “He leads me …”

Jesus is beside me … “for You are with me …”

Jesus is behind me …. “goodness and mercy follow me…”

I am never far from Jesus.

I dwell in His house forever.

When I grasp this … I can grasp any of life’s circumstances or situation “all of my days”.

Prayer:

Thank you, God, again for Your Truth.

Scripture:

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Observation:

The psalmist declares the glory of God in creation, specifically in the heavens, the sky and the sun. As he meditates on the enormity and glory of God, he sees his own issues, problems, inconsistencies. Yet instead of feeling insignificant compared to the glory of creation, he asks the God of creation to fix him. To address his secret sins and to make him clean and pure. You see his desire clearly in verse 14 in which he prays that both the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart would be pleasing to God.

Application:

When I recognize the all encompassing power and presence of God, I also realize He knows all. He holds the whole universe in His hands, yet He also knows me, my behavior, and even my deepest thoughts. Instead of being overwhelmed in shame, I should be overwhelmed with thankfulness. Not only can He see it all, he can also fix it all. Through His grace and glory He can adjust and transform the deepest parts of depravity in my heart and mind. How? The cross and resurrection. What the psalmist did not know fully, is fully known to me through the Spirit. The answer to the psalmist’s prayer is my hope today. Through the victorious Christ, not only my behavior, but my darkest meditations are showered with grace and transformed into His likeness. The chains and shackles that held my heart and mind captive wIthin, even when my self imposed behavior modification seemed to manage the outside has now been both revealed and forgiven. It is through this that I am free. As I seek to continue to walk and grow in faith, I ask The Father to not only keep my behavior above reproach, but also my thoughts, plans and dreams.

A few things…
-If God has the power to transform the inside and outside, I must not hinder either changes in my life. May I never be satisfied with only outside adjustments that impact my reputation, but also inside adjustments that impact my character.

-May I lead ministry that addresses both. May I never lead people to see the cross and resurrection as behavior modification therapy. May I help them see the deeper work as well.

-As I see the enormity of the Glory of God, May I not forget today that He knows and loves me too. He is equally incredibly enormous yet also interested in the seemingly insignificant.

Prayer:

Thank you for the gospel that both works on me and within me everyday. Chisel the parts of my actions and meditations that are not pleasing to you. May I bring you Glory even though the heavens speak loud enough. Thanks for letting me be part of the story of your Glory. I am humbled.

Scripture:  

From morning till evening he expounded to them testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus-both from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.  And some were convinced by what he said but others disbelieved.  And disagreeing among themselves they departed after Paul made one statement:  “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet-“Go to this people and say: You will indeed hear but never understand and you will indeed see but never perceive.  For this people’s heart has grown dull and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed lest they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn-and I would heal them.”  Acts 28:23b-27.

Observation:

 We can present the Word of God, the Gospel, fervently, passionately, logically, and faithfully-and there will be some that believe and others that won’t.  There is a reason for that and that reason should be what is responded by us in faith, trusting in the Sovereignty of the Most High God.  And then, what does it reveal to me?

Application:

 I would contend that Paul might have been the most prepared to bring the Gospel to the nations post-ascension.  In Chapter 28 the Bible testifies of Paul being knowledgeable, theologically apt, patient with others, willing to endure hardships, prepared to speak of his Hope, and oh yeah: has a miracle or 10 of healing to toss around.  I would say Paul was faithful.

There are two things that I see out of this passage: 1) Can’t say it enough-Paul is faithful!!  Not just faithful for the moment but long suffering faithfulness, patient faithfulness, not ignoring the moment but not letting the moment fill his vision.  Paul sees past the immediate and in faithful hope sees the future without discouragement.

The second thing I see is: calm analysis of the situation.  Despite spending his time expounding, preaching, having dialog, conversing and yes, some arguing may be implied-Paul accurately, rationally,  and emotionally embraces that God is Sovereign-some will be drawn by the Holy Spirit and believe, others will not.

Right on out there: Some will and some won’t.  Should we frail and feeble folk get discouraged when we don’t lead a countywide revival right here, right now?  Nah, we shouldn’t-but we do and will.  Why is that?  Don’t know about you readers but I have this expectation of defined success a mile wide up my 24 inch back.  I used to think an expectation of success was the requisite thought and emotion of Faith.  Now, I am not so sure.

You see, the object of being successful was ME.  I expected to be successful.  God working through ME!!  What a crock.  A huge crock.  I wanted the glory that belongs to God alone.  Note: I noticed that I wrote “wanted”-not true.  I still struggle with that “Me before Him” issue daily. I want the glory. I would bet we all do.

If we ask God to not spare our feelings and show us where we want seeking out glory instead of His, He will do that-because I am sure that asking for our faults to be shown is right there in the wheelhouse of His Will.  Maybe then (and in faith) we can imitate Paul in a couple of ways.

Prayer:

Lord God, Father.  You say: Ask whatever I want in Your Will and you will be faithful to provide it.  What could be more in Your Will than to ask for You to reveal our sin?  For You to make us mature and faithful?  For showing this stuff so that we can mortify the old man?  Help me to shed the façade of being a Christian and dig deep into what it means to be a disciple.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Acts 27:23-25 For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told.

Observation:

During the fury of a violent storm, Paul hears from God, through an angel. Paul both belongs to God and he worships God. Paul not only listens but he believes the angel, who tells him that God will protect him and his shipmates and he must travel on to Rome. Paul has unwavering faith that this will happen even though they will shipwreck on an island.

Application:

Paul realizes step one that he is not his own but that he belongs to God. If I don’t understand that I was created by God to have a loving relationship with him I’m starting at the wrong take off point and will never completely understand the Gospel. Paul worships God for who he is and what he did to transform him from someone who persecuted the early church to an instrument to carry the Gospel to the Gentiles. I must recognize this truth of the transformation in my life and worship God accordingly. We have to listen to God and have faith in His plan to get us out of the storm(s) in our life. Nothing stopped Paul from spreading the Gospel, beatings, prison, and shipwreck. Sharing the Gospel needs to be a focused priority in my life regardless of cost.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for creating us to be in relationship with you and sending Jesus to allow us to be reconciled to you. Help me to recognize this and have the faith, focus to make it my life to share your love and Gospel.

Scripture:

Acts 26:15-16And I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you,

Scripture:

Acts 25:19
Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive.

Observation:

As Festus talks with Agrippa about Paul’s situation he shares how he doesn’t understand what the big deal is. To him, the dispute between Paul and the Jews about the resurrection of Jesus wasn’t significant enough to charge Paul with anything. The only reason Paul is moving up to see Caesar is because Paul appealed to him.

Application:

This verse is so helpful. It gives insight into the life of an unbeliever. To Felix, Jesus being alive or dead wasn’t important. It didn’t seem to impact life that much. However between those who knew the power of the resurrection and those who knew the implications of the resurrection, it was a debate of vital significance.

A few things…

If Jesus is dead, He wasn’t who He said He was and therefore has no authority anymore.

If Jesus is dead, his teachings, though helpful, lack the staying power to build life upon.

If Jesus is dead, sins are not forgiven and eternal life is not available.

However, if Jesus is alive. If He did come alive again: All authority belongs to Him, His teachings are the foundation of our lives, our sins are forgiven and we have eternal life!

I must not overlook the fact that many who are lost simply don’t understand the significance of the cross and resurrection. To them, it’s just a debate between different religions.

Prayer:

The resurrection is everything. I read, Journal and pray today because you are Alive!