Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:

Acts 9
4 … “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
5 And he said, “Who are you, Lord?” And he said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
6 But rise and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
8 Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand …

10 Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 And the Lord said to him, “Rise and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul…
13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done …
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine … to carry my name …”

Observation:

Saul was in his famous road to continue his quest to stomp out Christianity.
Jesus stopped him and gave him instructions.
Saul followed the instructions even though he couldn’t see.
Jesus then appeared to the disciple, Ananias.
Jesus told Ananias to go see Saul.
Ananias initially questioned Jesus about this, but then followed His instruction when Jesus said, “Go …”

Application:

The initial reactions of Saul and Ananias stand out here.
Saul, a nonbeliever responds to Jesus with, “Who are you, Lord?”
Ananias, the disciple, responds to Jesus with, “Here I am, Lord.”
The reaction of Saul and Ananias to Jesus’ response also stand out.
Saul, who could not even see, allowed himself to be lead to where Jesus told him to go.
Ananias, though, allowed the reputation of Saul to give pause in his response to where Jesus told him to go.
So, the non believer, who is still figuring out who Jesus is, responds immediately..
The believer questions Jesus’ instructions.
I need to be careful that the longer I am a follower of Jesus, I don’t become more confident in my own thinking than that of Jesus.
I can think I have people and plans and purposes figured out.
Jesus can change plans and people in a flash, though.
The purposes of Jesus do not change though … “carry my name”.
I can not put anyone outside of the grace of God or the use of God to do that.
And I need to be responsive to what Jesus tells me to do.
Jesus has grace for me too, though.
Jesus can handle my questions and my doubts.
But I need to handle his explanations, even if I don’t like or understand them.
When Jesus says, “Rise and go”, I need to, “Rise and go.”

Prayer:

Thank you God for your word
Thank you for these people who teach how to respond to you
Help me Holy Spirit to hear your voice and respond
I’m Jesus name
Amen

Scripture:

(Stephen says) “Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands. As the prophet says:
“Heaven is my throne and the earth My footstool.
What kind of house will you build for Me?” says the Lord,
“or what is the place of My rest? Did not My hand make all of these things?”
(Stephen continues) “You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered; you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” Acts 7:48-53

Observation:

Stephen the deacon was having a pleasant conversation with a group of rulers and Pharisees, debating the essence of Christianity. Not!

Application:

I have to wonder how seriously I take myself.

Here is what I mean by that: Obviously my observation above is meant to be a joke of sorts. But after reading about Stephen, what do I model from the record of his speech and actions? Talking about the Gospel can be inflaming, controversial.

Just thinking about this (which is what we should do with the practice of journaling), I think there are two choices: 1) Kindly, gentle, and non-confrontational, or; 2) Fire and brimstone, in your face rhetoric. Really, the Stephen discourse can be focused on “You stiff. Necked. People!” by most. Satisfying. Full of self-righteousness. Feels good in a pompous sort of way. But that is not really reading what Stephen said. Stephen related the Gospel from a beginning to an obvious conclusion-as should we. The Gospel is just fact, not an argument, not a position. Fact.

Stephen starts with Abraham, runs through the history of his progeny, from Egypt and Moses, into David and Solomon. Stephen is careful to illustrate the Hand and Intention of God throughout. After building a pretty intense background for his audience, speaks a specific evaluation, firmly and courageously. The hearers were enraged (I can only guess their hearts were cut to the quick) and Stephen gave up his ghost under a storm of rocks.

 Reading Stephen’s discourse, I wonder how good a grip I have on the Gospel? Could I really and deeply explain why Jesus had to die for my sin? Could I discourse about I am just not “lost” but I am already judged by God as a traitor and destined for a traitor’s judgement? Could I peel apart and talk about the amazing, miraculous, and wonderful myriad of facets of the Jewel that is the Gospel?

I can’t most days. Why is that? Because I forget.

 CH Spurgeon was once asked: “Why do you preach the Gospel to your congregation every time you preach?” Chuck replied: “Because we forget.”

Preaching the Gospel to myself is not to prepare for a Stephen-moment. It is to keep my heart prepared for That Day when the skies split and the King of Glory descends. That’s cool. But…it is to also keep my heart prepared when affliction and trials come and I am required to keep my Hope firmly in front of me so that I persevere to the End, bringing honor and glory to Him who called me.

 Prayer:

Lord God, You who are the Trinitarian God: Keep my heart and mind stayed on You. Allow me, help me to review and remember the Gospel every moment, every day, all of my days. I am powerless to surrender to You daily without the Gospel. I bow my heart; I bow my head to You O God, to You. AMEN.

Scripture:

Acts 8:10-11
They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, this man is the power of God that is called great. And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

Observation:

Stephen is dead, Christians are saddened yet empowered and evil is knocking at the door.

Application:

What is evil God can teach for his glory and goodness. People paid attention to Simon the magician and believed him because he was consistent with what he was living and providing. HE WAS CONSISTENT.
Wow, am I consistent in following Jesus? Am I consistent living out the Gospel in front of people. At least one thing Simon the magician did was be consistent to the evil he presented. He was bad and was not of God yet God is using his wickedness to teach his children consistency is key to winning people.
Jesus was always with his people and he was the same the first to the last day he was with them. We trust God because he is consistent with us…..do people trust me and my voice in their life because of my consistency in their life?
Share life has to be done through consistency and longevity!!!

Couple of things:

-I have to be consistent meeting with God and be in it for the long run not the short sprint.

-I have to know that my transformation takes time, but know people and most of all God is watching.

-be consistent and be in it with people for the marathon! Be consistent with them and win them with dedication to them!

Prayer:

Father forgive me for being flaky at times and honestly most of the time. Help me pursue you DAILY and meet with you regularly. Help me committed to your mission and be committed to my family and others

Scripture:

Acts 6:7 – And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Observation:

Despite efforts to stop the Gospel by arresting the apostles, the word of God is spreading. After choosing deacons to serve, the apostles continue to preach and many people became disciples of Jesus. Included in the people to place their faith in Jesus were the priests who became obedient to the faith.

Application:

The word of God can’t be stopped. The Gospel is for everyone, not who I think should hear the word. The priests, who opposed Jesus and wanted to squash Christianity at all costs, became disciples that were obedient to the faith. The priests weren’t kind of half in on the deal but obedient. This should be an eye opener and a game changer to us that sometimes people we think may be “off limits” because of their religion are the very people that we can and should witness. Everyone is a wide open playing field and the Great Commission is my responsibility. Therefore, I must not be content but continue to share the Gospel at home and abroad with all.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for your love and the truth in your word. Help your Spirit guide me to be a bold witness to everyone regardless of the cost.

Scripture:

Acts 5:38-39 – “So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice

Observation:

In Acts chapter 5 the disciples of Jesus are facing difficulty because of their preaching of Jesus. They were imprisoned for preaching, God released them, then they went right back to the public to preach about Jesus again! The disciples were put before the Jewish council to be silenced but one of the leaders made a prophetic claim we see in verses 38-39. The idea being that if what the disciples were saying was untrue then it would not survive but, if what they are preaching is true then who could possibly stand against God?

Application:

These words in Acts chapter 5 have proved prophetic because to this day over two thousand years later Jesus’ church is still thriving and the message of the disciples is still being preached! How amazing that I get to continue in the legacy of believers knowing that God has promised to build His church. The disciples were so compelled by the message of Jesus that they couldn’t stop speaking about Him. I want this zeal and devotion in my life.

Prayer:

God thank you for your promise to build your church. Thank you for the amazing gospel of Jesus and that I am free! I pray that the same zeal of the disciples would be found in me and that I would proclaim your truth to my community.

Scripture:

Acts 4:1-4
And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them,greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.

Observation:

The preaching of the gospel was annoying to some and life to others. Some responded negatively because It threatened their customs and power. For others, it was the very hope and truth they had been longing for.

Application:

Not much has changed in 2000 years. When the gospel is preached and the proclamation of the cross and resurrection is presented the response is varied. Some are annoyed by it. The presentation and application threaten their way of life and the status quo. If that is us, we don’t want change. We like life as it is. Not that it is perfect, but at least it is predictable. The story of the gospel demands us to place our faith in the actions of Jesus and trust Him with our tomorrow. For some, that is simply too much to ask.

For others though, the gospel is life. The number grows from 3000 in Acts 2 to 5000 in Acts 4. This was not a result of simply mass preaching. It was a mixture of the apostles messages and the people sharing their own stories.

The church was taking off for three clear reasons. The Holy Spirit was moving. The gospel was being proclaimed. The people were sharing their stories with those they influenced. These are still the three keys to church growth. All three must be true for growth to happen.

A handful of things…

-I can’t get discouraged if people are annoyed with the message. The gospel demands change and some people don’t want or are afraid of change.

-I must instead celebrate when some of the crowd experience life. Even if the majority are reluctant, I must focus on the few.

-The Holy Spirit’s presence is mandatory if the gospel is going to spread. He speaks into the depths of the soul where mere man cannot.

-The gospel must be preached. In a world where it seems watered down,cookie cutter, feel good, life coaching is what everybody wants, I must be dedicated to preach Christ’s death, resurrection and the only hope for eternity in Him. If I am not preaching this, I’m simply not preaching.

-The church cannot rely solely on the message of the preachers. The church grew from 3000 to 5000 because people were telling the story themselves. I must do my role as a preacher, but the congregation must also do theirs. Exponential growth happens when the things that happen in the gathering spread to the community.

Prayer:

Lord, you are so good. I needed this. I want to see your movement in our city. I know our church does as well! We need you! Move! Even if some are annoyed, others will embrace the message as their very Life source!

Scripture:

Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”

Observation:

Peter heals a lame beggar and then uses the opportunity to preach the Gospel. Like Jesus, Peter had been given the power to heal. There was a significant difference, however, in that power. Jesus healed by his own authority. Peter healed “in the name of Jesus”. The power was not his own but given to him by Jesus and through Jesus.

The beggar was not expecting to be healed. He had not even asked to be healed. Instead, he had asked for money. Peter gave him what he had. And, it was what the man needed most. This event occurred out in the open. It was meant to draw a crowd so God’s word could be spread.

Application:

I need to give credit where credit is due. Often, I take credit for something without giving proper credit to God. “I”, “My”, or “Mine” takes the place of God’s glory. Peter was very specific about where his power to heal came from. It does not need to be the power to heal, but God has given me gifts. These gifts are from God, not man, not something I developed. He should receive all the glory.

I need to be ready to seize my opportunities to share the Gospel. Peter healed the beggar and then, when everyone was gathering and amazed at what occurred, Peter used the opportunity to give credit to Jesus for the power and to share the Gospel with unbelieving Jews. He was matter of fact. He did not pull punches. He used Old Testament scripture, familiar terms and metaphors they would understand to identify them as sinner and for their need to repent.

Prayer:

Use me as you used Peter. Help me to recognize the situations where I can use events in my life to spread the Gospel. Allow me to step aside and give you the gory you deserve so others can see and experience your power.

Scripture:

Acts 2

4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.

6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language?

Observation:

Here we have Pentecost. The Holy Spirit has been sent to the apostles and those who were gathered with them.

Beyond the shocking experience of having the Holy Spirit come in like a mighty rushing wind, they were “amazed and astonished” that they could hear each other in their own native language.

Application:

This reminds me of another time when God came down.

I’m thinking way back in Genesis when the people were building the Tower of Babel.

But the motivations and reactions of the people in these two situations were exactly the opposite.

The people of Babel were filled with pride and ego and wrong motivations.

They wanted to hold something for themselves.

God came down then, too, but scattered them into different nation and languages so that they were not able to understand each other or collaborate any longer in their wrong endeavor to lift themselves above God.

Here, just prior to Pentecost, the believers were not prideful, they were actually afraid.

But then God come down again.

God empowered the people here.

The Holy Spirit unified the believers from every nation … “the multitude came together”.

The people were amazed and bewildered, but not out of confusion or chaos, by their understanding and hearing of each other.

And while the people of Babel were weakened, the people at Pentecost were empowered.

They were empowered to build something, but not something that would lift themselves, but would lift God.

They were empowered to accomplish the mission of the Church … form believers “in every nation under heaven”.

I must not be shocked when the Holy Spirit “shows up”.

He is here with me. He will grant me hearing and understanding.

He will empower me to come together with Himself and other believers to build His Church.

Will I be faithful to His mission or my own?

Prayer:

Father thank you for your word.

Holy Spirit thank you for your presence.

Help me hear You.

And help me hear other wise believers you put in my life.

Help me to continue to me amazed at what you do!

In Jesus name

Amen

Scripture:

Acts 1:3
He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.

Observation:

Jesus did not only come alive again after the cross, but walked the earth for 40days appearing to his followers and continuing to teach about the kingdom.

Application:

Sometimes it is easy to smash everything about the cross, resurrection and ascension of Jesus together. Yet we find here that there was 40 more days of teaching before Jesus gave the great commission and ascended into heaven. What we see follow from the apostles is not only a result of Jesus’ teachings during His life, but also His teachings after He rose.

A couple things:

Jesus rose from the dead. That is enough reason to pledge my whole being to Him.

Jesus still wanted His followers to understand the kingdom. It wasn’t just about dying and going to heaven. It was about the Kingdom advancing on Earth. If Jesus stayed 40more days to make sure His followers understood the importance of the Kingdom, I probably should see Christianity through the lens of the Kingdom.

Prayer:

Jesus help me see your Kingdom come through my life and ministry today.

Scripture:  

You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night.  You have tested me-and You will find nothing.  I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.  With regards to the works of man, by the word of Your lips I have avoided the ways of the violent.  My steps have held fast to Your paths; my feet have not slipped. Ps 17:3-5
For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.  Ps 18

Observation:

 In Psalms 17 and 18, the Psalmist observes two things: God is a God of equipping and He has enabled me to persevere purposely.

Application:

 I have been focused on two things lately: God’s Sovereignty and my Human Responsibility.

Our God is a God of power and might, full of Grace and Mercy, able to more than adequately sustain me in whatever issue I am in.  None is like our God.

That’s the amazing side of things.  There is also that piece that says “uh, Yeah! That’s why He is God and I am not.”  If I dwell on the fact that He “upholds me with His right hand”, etc., could I lapse into apathy?  Good possibility.  Add my tendency to coast with my indwelling sin towards resisting God and I come up with adequate reasons to coast.  Sinfully coast, but coasting all the same.

That is why this Psalm (and in fact all of the Scriptures) are peppered with functional imperatives; those declarative Noun/Verb pairings like “I will” or “I shall” and statements like that.  “I have” is past tense and means the same thing.

So, what?  And…?  In the scriptures there are examples and statements that plainly indicate Christians are to “endure to the End.”  That does not mean “suck it up and grit it out.”  It means that I (and we) are to “pursue God all of our days, to the End of Days.”  If I ask “does that mean I can lose my salvation if I don’t or I slip?” I am missing the point-by a wide margin.

Our calling is to pursue God: with all of our heart, mind, and soul.  All of our being.   God wants us to do that too.  That is why He gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us to do this simple and oh, so difficult thing.  Look how hard the Psalmist says it is: My heart has been tried; woke me up to short sleep; tested me.  For my part I have: Purposed to shut my mouth to not transgress; avoided violent ways; held my feet firmly to the Paths; kept the ways of the Lord.

Did you happen to notice this is hard?

And yet, we are to rest in Him.  Somehow, in some mysterious way, pursuing hard with strenuous effort after Jesus is parallel to a supernatural rest. Think about that some…

Prayer:

Lord God.  How majestic and mysterious are Your Ways.  Keep me plugging along after You.  Steady plodding reaps results; it is the marathoner not the sprinter that reaps this prize.  Help me to persevere to the End.  AMEN.

Scripture:

Psalm 14:1-2 – The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the children of man, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God.

Observation:

Paul tells us in Romans 1:20, “For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.” It is a very foolish person who in his heart thinks there is no God. That person has a hardened heart and is unable or unwilling to see the truth. This is not what God wants from us. In verse two, we see God looking down at His creation to see who gets it and seeks a relationship with Him!

Application:

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy one is insight.”(Proverbs 9:10) Let me be someone who seeks after God not things of this world. I need to be in the word to have the truth of God’s word speak to me. I must communicate regularly through prayer in order to build our relationship and listen carefully for His direction. As I seek to follow God, I have to submit all of my life to Him. Worship and praise to God for sending Jesus to save me from my sin should be my daily response. The same love that God offered through Jesus on the cross that saved me is available to an atheist when the Spirit convicts them.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for loving us so much. Let me be someone who understands my role in your play. Help me to seek you and give you the glory!

Scripture:

Psalm 11:7
For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.

Observation:

The psalmist states that The Lord is righteous and that he loves when people act righteously. Those who walk in righteousness will see his face.

Application:

Righteousness is natural to God. What He says, thinks and does is always right. Righteousness is not natural to me. Actually my nature is far from righteous. Naturally I act in selfishness and in impurity. As a believer I have been given a new heart, a new way of life, and a new Spirit. I am deemed righteous by Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection. I am able to act in righteousness because His spirit lives in me.

A few things…

-The Lord is always right. I must remember that when it seems like He is missing something in my life.

-The Lord loves when I act like Him. Acting in righteousness can be overlooked in our society. Righteousness seems lame or old fashioned. However, knowing that God is pleased can motivate me to keep walking in righteousness.

-Because Jesus has made me righteous I will one day see His face. My righteousness is because of Him and I owe it all to Him.

Prayer:

May I live and walk in righteousness today because you have already made me righteous.

Scripture:

 Psalm 9:15 The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. Higgaion Selah.

Observation:

David is giving thanks and praise to God for who He is and what He does. He urges others to join him in his praise of God. In this verse, David is thankful for God’s judgement. He judges us fairly and judges by our beliefs. Our beliefs are consistent with our actions and it is our actions that serve as the trap and basis for God’s judgement. David adds a couple of words to the end of this verse. Higgaion Selah. This is to be interpreted as “meditate, pause.”

Application:

Often my plans and actions come back to haunt me. What I thought would happen doesn’t or the opposite of what I intended sometimes occurs. It is the same with the world. What the world does or wants to happen is often what will trap the world. They are trapped in their sin. Whether they have good intentions or not, our sin will trap us.

 David is urging us to praise God because He is just and He will judge the wicked. I don’t have to judge people. God will judge them so I should just let the judging come from God. This is hard. I want people to get what’s coming. I want things to be “right”. That is not up to me to determine. God is more patient than I am and I need to learn that God’s timing is not my timing. His ways are not my ways. I should be aware of what I am doing and not worry about whether God will judge or when He will judge.

Peoples actions will be known. Their good deeds, their beliefs but also their sin, wickedness, and true heart. Just like the Miranda rights, everything I do can be and will be used for me and against me in God’s “court”. God will use my actions to judge me fairly. While David was praising God for his judgement on his enemies, there is a magnitude of reality that David suggests needs to sink in. God judges us all. He will judge me and you. My actions need to match my beliefs.

Prayer:

Father, I praise you for who you are and what you have done for me. You have provided your son as a sacrifice so I may have a life with you in Heaven. Thank you for your righteous judgement.

Scripture:

Psalm 4:7
You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Observation:

David explains the security of the righteous in God. He describes lying in bed in peace though the world is in turmoil. Praising God, though circumstances seem rough. In this verse he describes the joy found in God as exceeding the joy that others find in material possessions.

Application:

Joy. This same man will write years later, “restore me to the joy of your salvation”, after failing morally. David understood the joy of the Lord. It was a state of happiness that was not easily robbed by pain and problems. It was a spirit of contentment, even when pressure and circumstances weighed heavy. It was satisfaction with position, even when others climbed higher.

The joy David had is the same joy I can have. It comes from having peace with God and knowing my greatest need has already been met. It comes when I trust He is in control and I stop carrying burdens that are not my own. It’s when I lay my head down and even though the
world isn’t as it should be, my world is in His Hands.

A few things…

-The joy of the Lord is mine. He gave it to me at salvation. It is mine to claim and enjoy.

-The joy of the Lord is above circumstances. Happiness comes when stuff goes well. Joy comes every morning. I choose joy.

-I need to remember that what I have is lasting and better. It is easy to think others have it better and that others have more. However there is nothing better or more than the joy of Jesus.

Prayer:

I know that your joy is my portion. It is enough. May I Iive in it, rest in it and share it today.
Restore to me the joy of my salvation!