Category: Good Life Journal

Scripture:

Luke 22: 32 – “But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

Observation:

Jesus is praying specifically for Peter not to lose his faith as he is soon to be arrested. Jesus already knows that Peter will deny him. Yet, Jesus tells Peter to repent, turn back to Him after his denial and use this lesson to strengthen the other disciples.

Application:

Our faith is not a one time commitment. Rather, our faith is a journey as we strive to follow Jesus. How encouraging is it to know that Jesus is pleading with God in prayer for us to keep our faith? There are times where we may be tested or have turned from God in our lives. Jesus knows we are going to struggle and fall but He offers Peter and us a second chance and more when we repent and come back to Him. Once we have repented from our sins, we should not keep this private. Jesus wants us to share our experience and life change to encourage others.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for your love and sending Jesus to die for my sins. Let your Spirit guide me to stay strong in the faith. Please help me to repent of my sin, turn back to you and use this to strengthen other believers.

Scripture:

Luke 20:2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”

Observation:

Jesus did things that others could not. There was no natural answer to his power so all they could question was the authority he performed his power in.

Application:

In life there is always more to the story. It’s not just about what is done, but also why, how and who for. In the life of Jesus, these answers were clear…

What- Miraculous
Why- Reveal His Glory/Meet needs
How- He is God
Who for- Father’s Glory

Are the answers to these questions clear in my life?

What- What am I doing/not doing?
Why- what is my motivation?
How- by what authority/ power am I operating in?
Who for- Who’s getting the attention/affection?

Prayer:

Father, may these answers be clear for me everyday.

Scripture:

Luke 17:3-4 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”

Observation:

Jesus makes it clear that temptation to sin will come and that witching relationships people mess up. However, when someone sins against you and repents, our response is to forgive.

Application:

The heart of Christian friendship is to seek forgiveness and restoration when sinful behavior seeks to disrupt the relationship. The key is a heart of repentance by the offender and a heart of restoration by the one offended. Both have to take their eyes of themselves and think about the other.

A few things:

-When I wrong someone, I can’t expect them to forgive me if I don’t repent. If I haven’t changed my attitude and behavior, why should I expect them to?

-When I am wronged, I must not dwell on the hurt or pain. I must instead give my time and energy towards healing through Jesus. I must remember that I wrong people as well. I must keep my expectations of others in check with reality.

-In the midst of conflict I must take my eyes off of me and place them of Jesus. I must think about how the conflict is impacting kingdom advancement and effectiveness. Not just how it is impacting my emotions.

Prayer:

Father thank you for your word and the words of your Son that give life and direction into very practical areas of my life. May my relationships be marked by grace and forgiveness.

Scripture:

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Observation:

Jesus uses the example of being invited to a party and instead of choosing the seat of honor and being asked to move from it, to choose the seat in the back and possibly be asked to move up. It’s hard for others to honor you when you are honoring yourself.

Application:

Our culture teaches us to get ahead, push our agenda, and care little for others along the way. If you want something, go for it at all costs. However, King Jesus teaches us the opposite. Instead of living a life climbing for the top, live a life of serving. Contentment is not found in accomplishing a level of popularity and honor, contentment is found in obedience and in humility. People who exalt themselves will
be humbled. It’s hard to exalt someone who is already doing it on their own. Yet we we find someone who is spending their life in humility, it is that person we want to promote and celebrate.

A couple things…

In what ways am I exalting myself today?
How am I humbling myself today?

Prayer:

Father forgive me when I exalt myself. If I truly know who I am in you, I would not seek a higher place of honor. There is no more honorable seat than that of a child of God and a servant of the Most High. Let me live knowing who I am and be freed up to serve others as you did King Jesus.

Scripture:

Luke 11

Vs.1 … his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.

Vs. 2 And he said to them, “When you pray, say …”

Vs. 27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 

Vs. 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Vs. 29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation. It seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.”

Vs. 37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. 38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. 39 And the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! 

Observation:

Jesus has many interactions in this chapter.

The disciples, a woman, the crowd, and a Pharisee  … and He is blunt with each.

A woman compliments His mother and Jesus corrects her perception of “blessing”.

The crowd asks Him to prove His supernatural power, and Jesus calls them “evil”.

The Pharisee invites Jesus to his home for dinner … and Jesus promptly calls him a “fool”.

 Only The disciples ask something of Jesus humbly: “Teach us to pray.”

And Jesus promptly does it.

Application:

I love Jesus’ response to the disciple’s question.

It’s a question Jesus could have easily brushed aside.

“Teach you to pray?! … Ha! … You just talk to God!”

But no, Jesus takes their question seriously and gives them a sincere response we’re repeating to this day.

I love that Jesus answers honest questions gently and with loving instruction.

The crowd asks for a “sign” and they are called “an evil generation”!

 So … when I ask Jesus questions,  am I asking like the disciples, to gain a deeper communion with God?

Are my questions of God like the crowd, a test of who He is?

Are my questions of God like the Pharisee, wanting God to conform to my expectations of what He should do?

I need to remain humble and honoring and grateful for the grace of God that the Holy Spirit helps me discern God’s answers and even prays for me.

Now, if I want to be blessed, I need to “hear the word of God and keep it!”

Prayer: 

Thank you again God for your word.

Help me hear it and keep it.

But also help me know when and what questions to ask.

Keep me humble, in Jesus name.

Amen

Scripture:

Luke 8:15 – As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience.

Observation:

Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower to the disciples and how people respond to God’s word (seed).  Every time the Gospel is preached there is response demanded.  In three of the four responses, the Gospel does not flourish. You can hear the word only to have the devil take it away. The word can be received but only superficially or the word can get muted by things of this world. Only when the word is truly in our heart will it take hold and grow over time.

Application:

Let me never get over the Gospel and respond to it daily!  My response should always be one of love and praise for what God has done for me. Intellectually, we have to understand the sacrifice God made for us.  Beyond that, God wants our heart to be changed through the power of the Spirit.  As a believer following Jesus, I must be in the word to keep it in my heart.  Through the Spirit, we can be changed, have strength to serve and grow in our walk.

Prayer:

Father,

Thank you for your love and your Gospel.  Let me remember and never get over what you did for us.  May my response always be love from a spirit filled heart for others. 

Scripture:

Luke 5:5 And Simon answered “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.”

Observation:

Go into the deep meant he had to go far into the water and not just throw his nets closer to shore. Sometime we are called to do hard work. Not all of the tasks God has in store for us are easy or glamorous.

 We often whine first before doing what God asks us to do. Jesus asked Peter to go back and work. He had worked all night, instead of sleeping. I am sure he was tired, smelly and hungry. But he obeyed Jesus and was rewarded.

Application:

 I am similar to Simon Peter. I will question God’s “ask”. I often whine and want to settle for a compromise. I often look for the easy way out. This passage helps to remind me that Jesus could have just asked Peter to throw his nets out right where he was and it would have been filled with fish. But he didn’t. He asked him to go back to work. Go do hard work. Go do work that wasn’t glamorous.

Some people are called to ministry that may be hard. It may even put them in harm’s way. But there is a reward for all of us if we are obedient to His word, His way, and His calling. We may not initially be successful in what we are doing but if we are obediently following Christ, we will be rewarded.

Prayer:

Father give me the strength, courage and wisdom to live a life devoted to you. A life that doesn’t waver and stays true to your word, obedient to your calling. Help me to realize when my life and actions don’t match the type of fruit that you want to me to produce. Give me the patience to stay true to you. To honor you with my works and be obedient to your call.

Scripture:

(multiple references) “…and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:18-19

“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel…and the Holy Spirit was upon him…” Luke 2:25-26

“And there was a prophetess, Anna…She did not depart from the Temple worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day…” Luke 2:36-37 (all punctuation changes mine)

Observation:

Three people; confronted in various degrees of the coming of the Savior; responding in much the same way in principle. Why? How? And why is this an important example for me to deeply consider?

Application:

I have been taken with thinking about the idea of devotion lately. What does devotion look like and with what does it entail? There are self-examination questions to consider: Am I devoted? If so, what does devotion look like in me? If not: what do I need to change? So there are two questions obviously cascading from the main point: What is devotion generally and what is it specifically?

 Devotion probably isn’t a disciplined keeping of the Spiritual Disciplines only (if you don’t have this book by Donald Whitney, get it. It is a must have for our personal library). Continuing: Devotion probably cannot be reduced to what can be a “checklist of daily action” although such a checklist can certainly help in producing reflexive Christian actions and attitudes.

 Devotion may be described as a result of “continual improvement” through maturity; the result of the process of “pressing in”; of being fierce and vigorously pursuing Jesus and His Word. Three example of conduct to imitate are:

* Mary: She TREASURED what she heard; She PONDERED them in her heart.

* Simeon: He CULTIVATED not only his CONDUCT (righteous and devout) but also his FOCUS (looking for the consolation of Israel) and the PURSUIT OF GOD (the Holy Spirit was upon him).

* Anna: She PERSERVERED daily on certain devotional actions (fasting, prayer, worship)-and that no matter where the sun was in the sky (night and day).

How do I do these things? I am hardest on myself because I think I do badly. But as I look at the guy in the mirror I am reminded that this is part and parcel of pressing into Christian maturity. I don’t get a “one and done” pass. God says in His Word that He “is conforming me into the Image of the Son.”(Romans 8:29) With that fact firmly in the crosshairs the question now will be: Shall I be passive about devotion or active?” I don’t think “passivity” brings the Holy One pleasure…

 Prayer:

O Holy Spirit: Bluntly I ask: Keep me from passivity concerning You. Help me to treasure and cultivate You, Your presence, and the knowledge of You through Your Word. Please let that Joy exult in my heart and mind. Help me to ponder Your Gospel and all of its marvelous implications and facets all the days of my life. AMEN.

Scripture:

Proverbs 28

2 … with a man of understanding and knowledge, (the land’s) stability will long continue.

5 Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.

7 The one who keeps the law is a son with understanding,
but a companion of gluttons shames his father

9 If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.

16 A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor, but he who hates unjust gain will prolong his days.

Observation:

Understanding can bring stability for the long term.
But the understanding must be of the ways of God.
These are understood by seeking God and hearing His word.
This will bring about a concern for others, for their well being, for justice … in other words “keeping the Law”.
Which will bring about a long term stability.

Application:

There’s a famed quote that the “long arch of the universe bends toward justice”.
Well, if it does, this is not a natural bend.
Human nature, my nature, is sinful. It will bend toward me!
The natural order of things bend toward chaos, not order.
Injustice, not justice.
I must every day, all of my life, seek an influence outside of myself.
In my day to day activity, do I consider the long term?
Do I think about the “prolonging of my days”?
If I want them to “long continue” with “stability”, then I better gain understanding.
Problem is there is every kind of “understanding” i could ever dream of right at my fingertips.
I can even take Ivy League classes online for free if I wanted to.
I can “understand” virtually anything I could imagine with a few instructional YouTube videos. There’s a video for anything I want to “understand”!
Sure, I could watch 100 documentaries on justice, but how will I “understand” justice?
There is only one way … “seek the Lord”.
I must seek the Lord’s understanding.
And how will I seek the Lord? … “hear the Law”.
And how will the reality of justice come about? … “keep the Law”.
So, seek the Lord … hear the Law … keep the Law … and stability in the land may continue.

Prayer:

Thank you again God for you Word.
Keep me thirsty for seeking You.
Help me crave your understanding.
Prompt me to keep your word.
Help me prolong stability in my family and in whatever corner of Your Kingdom you have for me.
Thank you in Jesus name.
Amen.

Scripture:

Proverbs 23:5 When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Observation:

Wisdom speaks again here concerning wealth and the pursuit of it. This time the writer focuses on how quickly riches fade, or in this case, how quickly they “fly away”.

Application:

It’s hard to take advice from a wealthy man who says money shouldn’t be the focus of life. My thoughts are always, let me get rich and then I will tell everyone how unimportant money is. However if we stop for a second, the best people to listen to on the subject are those that have much. Kings, rulers, the top 1%. For it is them that know if all of the “stuff” truly satisfies. You don’t have to look far in our world to see a true vacancy of joy at the top. We had another suicide from another front man of another popular band this week. You can’t help but think, if stuff truly satisfied, would rich people be so hopeless?

The Father doesn’t want us wasting our lives chasing and acquiring riches. Here are three reasons…

⁃ He knows they don’t satisfy. He knows that there will still be a vacancy and a void. He doesn’t want us wasting our lives going down the wrong road.
⁃ He knows they are temporary. The eternal God knows a thing or two about time, about what is forever and about what passes away. He doesn’t want us spending our energy on things that pass away.
⁃ He has a better alternative. Jesus taught about eternal treasure, where moth and rust don’t destroy and thieves don’t break in and steal. Eternal treasure is stored up as we walk in obedience to His commands and choose His kingdom over the pursuit of another one.

Prayer:

Father forgive me for allowing my gaze to be fixed on lesser things and lesser goals. Forgive my foolishness. I need you and whatever you say I need. Everything else is a distraction.

Scripture:

Proverbs 21

Vs. 3 To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Vs. 12 The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;

Vs.15 When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.

Vs. 21 Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness
will find life, righteousness, and honor.

Vs. 26 All day long (the sluggard) craves and craves,
but the righteous gives and does not hold back.

Observation:

There are many many thoughts discussed in this Proverb, but the theme of “righteous” is touched on throughout, from beginning to end.
Interestingly, it’s discussed as a category of people, “the righteous”, or even more broadly, “whoever”.
But there is a specific and unique distinction given to God … “The Righteous One”!
So, while the “righteous” may be a descriptor of many, the many have a source of their “righteousness”.
Whoever is “righteous” must get their “righteousness” from “The Righteous One”.

Application:

In each of the references to a righteous person, there is an indication of how we know they’re righteous.
There is an external expression of it.
You “do” righteousness.
Justice is “done”.
Righteousness is “pursued”.
The righteous “gives and does not hold back”.

In modern Christianity, we love to hold up the grace of God, and rightfully so.
But I do so at the risk of diminishing the importance of action. Actually living it out!
You know … that word that the faithful so often fear to speak of … “works”.
But James was right. Faith without works is dead.
And as I work to “do and pursue” justice and righteousness around me, I just have to remember that this is not what makes me righteous.
I do not do these things FOR righteousness.
I do them FROM righteousness.
And the Lord finds them even “more acceptable than sacrifice”.
I often think of “good works” as sacrifice.
But what was sacrifice back then? It was religious ritual.
So is this diminishing the importance of religious ritual?
No. “Sacrifice” and ritual were vital to these people.
So, if “pursuing righteous” is “more acceptable” than religious ritual (worship gathering, corporate prayer, etc.), it is not meant to diminish the importance of “Sunday morning stuff”.
It is meant to elevate the importance of everyday stuff!
I must live out righteousness.
And as I do them, I will … “find life”!

Prayer:

Thank you, again, God for Your Word.
It reminds me always that your ways are better than my ways.
Help me pursue righteousness today.
Help me see those opportunities you place in front of me.
And give me the courage to act.
In Jesus name.
Amen.

Scripture:

Proverbs 18:21 – Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits

Observation:

What we say has eternal consequences, so we must be careful with our choice of words. A fool will just say something without thought that will lead to destruction. A wise person chooses his words and speaks from character. Jesus says this in Matthew 12:36-37, “I tell you, on the day of judgement people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified or condemned.”

Application:

You can’t read Jesus words and just shrug your shoulders and say it was only words. What we say really matters and for that we will be held accountable. I must choose my words carefully and refrain from quickly blurting something that can be harsh and not deliver the intended response. Thinking before I speak, asking the Spirit to guide me in my conversation can have a positive life giving potential. When we are faced with a situation, how we communicate has the power to encourage or bring someone down.

Prayer:

Father,
Thank you for your words speaking life into us and your grace through the Gospel. Let your Spirit guide me to be someone who choose my words to build others up and give life. Forgive me when I have spoken carelessly and hurt others.

Scripture:

Proverbs 13:20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,
but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Observation:

Who you spend your time with and “walk with” will determine who you become and how your life turns out.

Application:

The people I hang out with influence me. They influence the way I communicate, how I act, what I think is funny, what I listen to, what I desire/value, and how I spend my time. Everybody in my life is either influencing me in a positive way or a negative way. Specifically, either they are helping me draw near to God or draw near to something or someone else.

A few things:

-Run through my friends and the people I spend the most time with. How are they influencing me?

-Consider the people I influence and how I am influencing them. Am I leading them well or foolishly?

-Find wise friends. If I look around the table and can’t find people who are making me better, I need to change tables.

Prayer:

Father, thank you for Godly friends who have developed me in wisdom. Forgive me for spending too many hours with fools. Forgive me for leading others into folly in the past. May I love today with clarity in how my life impacts many others.

Scripture: “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” Prov 12:1

Observation: I don’t have any particular insight about this scripture other than what it baldly says.

Application: “I wonder what God means by that?”

This question is persistently the beginning of trying to interpret a particular scripture or passage.
“I wonder what that means?” Or: “I wonder who He is talking to?” However the question is phrased it is getting to the same core value: “Now that I read this, how should I respond?”

 I have shifted my reading and study emphasis from “interpretation” to “analysis.” “Analysis” sounds way cooler and more objective than “interpretation.” In interpreting a passage of scripture there is that personal, experiential, subjective aspect we cannot help but injecting. “It has to mean [so and so] because it is unreasonable to expect anything else…” Maybe not in all applications but has been to me.

But in “analysis”: Whoo boy-are we stuck or what? “What does it say?” “It says [so and so].” “What does it mean?” “It means what it says…” From there we can go and unpack a verse/passage and dig deeper BUT we start at a foundational premise “It means what it says…”

 In Proverbs 12:1: Loving discipline is DIRECTLY equated to loving knowledge. Pretty direct I would say. But, diving deeper, we can see that Knowledge directly doesn’t follow Discipline nor vice versa: Discipline is not the precursor to Knowledge. I can love knowledge for all the wrong reasons. I can do discipline for all the wrong reasons. Somehow I have to do both-step out and intentionally and determinedly LOVE discipline; LOVE knowledge—make intentional time to do these things.

 What about reproof? Reproof; correction; and any other synonym that means “Somebody is going to talk to me about changing my ways.” If I get this and hate it (dislike, resist, etc.”) the Scripture tells me in oh so spiritual language: “You are stupid.” I hate comments directed to me? “Stooopid!” Again: the analysis rather than the interpretation-it means what it says.

Doesn’t mean the speaker is right. Doesn’t mean the speaker has the “word of the Lord” in this. What it primarily reveals is the attitude of our heart in receiving correction/reproof. If we cannot receive it from a brother, are we training ourselves out of receiving it from our Lord? Yeah, kind of…

Here is where the tools of our growth come into effective play: “In the multitude of counselors there is safety”; “Confess your faults to one another…”; Exhort (encourage) one another day by day…less they fall in the deceitfulness of sin…”; “Be thankful for ALL things, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…”; etc. (paraphrases all mine) Also: Plan my growth (discipline) in particular ways toward objectives (knowledge). Confess sin and invite correction. Avoid being stupid. I do not want to be an old Christian but a MATURE Christian-pursuing You with all my life and time on this earth.

 Prayer:

O’ God: Mature Christian? Stupid Christian? What do I want to be? Please do not let dumbness reside in my heart. I want to pursue you with all I am and all that I have and even more past that as You provide. Hear my prayer, O’ Lord, hear my prayer. AME