09.30.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 6:39 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 Theme: God’s wisdom can only be known by God’s servants. Key verses: “No, we speak of God’s wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (v. 7-8) “‘…no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him,’ but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” (v. 9-10) What God said to me: Dwayne, there is so much unlimited wisdom and knowledge just waiting to be discovered in me. I long to show you deeper truths from my Word. You have only scratched the surface of the vast supply of wisdom that is contained within my mind and heart. While I love this world of yours dearly and sent my Son to die for every person, the spiritually dead can and will never grasp my wisdom. They have not the capacity to understand spiritual things since they themselves are not spiritual. This places great responsibility on you and on all my children. You should both seek out my wisdom through diligent prayer and Bible meditation, and you should look for every opportunity to share the simple truth of my salvation with those who don’t know me, so that they too can embrace and discover the hidden wisdom found only in me. What I said to God: Precious and awesome Lord, You are alone worthy of all our praise. Thank You for wanting to reveal such amazing wisdom and truths to Your children. I can live my entire life searching every moment and not discover even a small part of all there is to be known about You and about Your ways and will. Forgive me when I approach Your Word with apathy and routine. Truly, You hold the Words of life. They should never be dull or old hat to me! I want to say like David, ”Oh how I love Your law. It is my meditation day and night.” I accept my responsibility to keep searching and growing in Your wisdom and to keep sharing Your Good News with everyone I can.Â
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09.29.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 6:13 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Theme: Paul never “put on aires”; rather, he simply trusted God to work through him as he focused on Christ and the cross. Key verses: “When I came to you…I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom…For I resolved to know nothing…except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear…with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power…” (v. 1-4) What God said to me: I would love to say something to you, Dwayne, but I cannot and will not until you repent of your actions and thoughts from yesterday. Do you think I don’t remember your rebellious ways? Might I just sweep them away in the dawn of this new day? True, my mercies are new every morning, but you still must confess and forsake your sins. I am more than ready to cleanse you and meet with you this morning, but the ball is in your court… Now, Paul’s message is quite simply, yet startling. He was one of the most learned and brilliant men of his time. He could successfully debate anyone on any topic of religions. Yet, he choose to “know nothing, but…” Such words should put you on the edge of your seat awaiting the completion of that statement. What was so important — so powerful – that he would discount everything else he ever knew? Why, it was Jesus and the message of the cross. And it was Paul’s confidence that the Holy Spirit was much more capable of delivering that message through him than through any smarts and human tactics of his own. What I said to God: Thank You, holy God and Father, for loving and forgiving me for my stupidity and rebellion. I love You most of the time. Why can’t I show You I love You all the time? I long to focus my thoughts on You 100% of my days — for only as my mind is stayed on you do I find perfect peace and joy and fulfillment. Thank You for using Paul’s words to remind me of the priority of humility and trust as I stand before others to sing and teach. This principle also applies to blogging and writing. You are the persuasive One! Please persuade through me. Lead me across someone’s path today who needs to hear Your persuasive message of hope and healing. And watch over my family that they too depend on Your Holy Spirit for their help and power today. I (really and truly most of the time) love You — and long to love You more.
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09.23.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 10:45 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 Theme: God designed us to bring glory to His Son. Key verses: ”But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty…the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God — and righteousness and sanctification and redemption — that, as it is written, ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.’” (v. 27 - 31) What God said to me: Dwayne, be very careful not to think to highly of yourself. I’m glad you work hard and smart and try to think ahead and scheme your way. And it’s gotten you far down the road. Many people are and will be impressed by your accomplishments and abilities. Just don’t let that go to your head. Everything you have and are and will be is because of my grace and for my glory. Remember where you came from. Remember that you were one of those “nothings” that the world discounted as insignificant. In the future you may be hailed as important and significant according to some worldly standards. But you are still that same nothing, whom I took and made something. Warning: If you ever start thinking you did this or you did that on your own and for your own, I will bring your little kingdom crashing down. I will allow no one to steal my glory. My Son lives in you and has imparted to you all you need to live holy, healthy and happy in this world. I designed it that way because I love you and those you will impact for me. As long as you stay humble and surrendered and constantly aware of my grace and goodness, I can afford to continue to exalt you — all for the glory of my Son. What I said to God: Holy Lord, You see my going in and my going out. You know my deepest thoughts and my most secret actions. Please search me, O God, and show me any wrong motives or ill-devised plans. Please help me to let people’s compliments roll right off my back, rather than let them go to my head. I want you to trust me that every good statement that is made I will only count and send up as praise to my Father and Lord and Savior and Provider. I really am nothing without You. I acknowledge that reality. I see my desperate state and know I can do (and have done) nothing without You. I want to glory. In fact, I say, please bring on the glory — so I can point it all to You, who is the only One deserving of it.
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09.22.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 10:40 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 Theme: World’s wisdom vs God’s Key verses: “For the mesage of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (v. 18) “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (v. 20b) “but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness” (v. 23)Â ”Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.” (v. 25) What God said to me: Son, be very careful not to lean on your own understanding. My ways are much higher than yours. Who can know my mind or discern my ways? From the very beginning men have sought to be like me, knowing good and evil. I made man and gave him intelligence and reasoning powers. Yet, with those very powers many would reason me right out of thier lives! Nevertheless, my wisdom will always prevail. I revel in confounding the so-called wisdom of the wise. Those who are truly wise will admit their inability to fully understand my ways. They will humble themselves before the One who created them and acknowledge me as much smarter than they could ever be. True wisdom begins with knowing me and surrendering to my will. True wisdom starts with bowing at the cross of Christ and accepting His free gift of life. Seek true wisdom, Dwayne. Don’t settle for your own understanding. What I said to God: Father, thank You for speaking to me this morning. Forgive me that I was a bit sleepy to start with. I know it is a grand privilege to meet with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords for a one-on-one Father/son time. I do acknowledge You as the only wise One. You alone created the heavens and the earth. You formed us from the dust of the ground. I will never comprehend Your ways or Your thoughts. Thank You for sending Your Son to die and rise again. Truly I know Him to be the power of God! I am so thankful You have chosen the weak things of this world to confound the wise. Jesus came meek and lowly. He was not at all what the “wise” were expecting and hoping for. Yet, Jesus is the Savior of this world. Who knew? Oh, the amazing love and far-reaching wisdom of You, my God!
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09.17.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 10:31 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 Theme: Paul wanted the Church to focus on God and not on their own opinions and preferences. Key verses: “I appeal to you…that all of you agree wih one another so that there may be no divisions among you…” (v. 10) “One of you says, ‘I follow Paul’; another, ‘I follow Apollos’…” “Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?” (v. 12-13) “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel — not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” (v. 17) What God said to me: So much confusion and dissention in my Church would dissolve away if my children would simply acknowledge me and seek my face. Often all they need is apply some common spiritual sense in a matter to realize the fallacy in their thinking and in their disagreements. Paul hit their divisional reasoning head on by asking some obvious questions that the leaders at Corinth had obviously failed to ask themselves. Who is this whole church thing about anyway? Is it about some person, some mere mortal, with mortal wisdom and mortal depravity? My Son is Lord of the Church. My Son died for the Church. How dare His body not consider the Head. How dare they fight among themselves, as though the hand has anything exclusively intelligent to say to the foot. Oh how I long for my people to live in unity and be in peace. It’s not a dream. It’s not some utopic pie in the sky. It can and should be reality for the Church of God on the earth. I designed it that way. Dwayne, keep the peace. Be a peacemaker. Don’t comprimise your convictions or my Word, but on areas that are gray or non-essential, don’t argue or fuss. Don’t loss your focus — and thus your power, the power of the cross of Christ. What I said to God: Holy Lord, I bow before You and humble myself. I acknowledge You as Lord of all and Lord of me and Lord of the Church. Thank you for reminding me today to keep my eyes and mind focused on You and on things that really matter – lost people, that’s what matters to you — Your church, shining Your light to those precious lost sheep, that where we should be passionate and concerned. Praise You.
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09.16.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 9:28 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 Theme: Jesus will confirm his children as holy and spotless in the end. Key verses: “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus.” (v. 4) “so that you come short in no gift, eagerly awaiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful…” (v. 7-9) What God said to me: Son, even as Jesus was confirmed in you when you were a child of six years old, so you will be confirmed when you reach my heaven and take on immortality. I am determined to conform you, or form you over time, into the image of my dear Son. I am the author and the finisher of your faith. And I always finish what I start. Yes, I grow frustrated with you. Yes, you have disappointed me time and time again. Frankly, if it were not for my Son interceding for you and showing me his blood covering over you, I might have abandoned you by now. But I cannot abandon myself and my promises over my children. And whether you always please me or not, you are and forever will be, my dearly loved child–and I your Father. Paul started this thought with thankfulness for my grace. You too should be very thankful. For it is only through my grace given you by my Son that you are not doomed to an eternity separated from me and my paradise. What I said to God: O holy Lord, thank You and praise You for reminding me this morning so powerfully of Your love and mercy and grace in my life. I deserve hell, yet I get heaven! I get You forever! I’m forever grateful to You. May my lifesong sing to You today in all I say and do. May it be for my family as well.Â
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09.15.08
Posted in 1 Corinthians at 10:38 am by Administrator
Text: 1 Corinthians 1:1-3 Theme: Paul knew he was in God’s will to be an apostle and underscored the calling of holiness on the church. Key verses: “Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…to the church of God…to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy…” (v. 1,2) What God said to me: Dwayne, welcome back. I’ve missed these personal times of Q&A with you. Be careful to stay consistent with your journaling as you go through 1 Corinthians. I have much to show and teach you. Prepare to be challenged and convicted and changed. Paul declared up front that he was in my will, implying that I appointed him to be an apostle. Every Christian should be so confident of his place. I don’t leave my children in a lurch, wondering around aimlessly. I want to show them my will and my direction for each of their lives. Furthermore, the Church at Corinth was called to be holy. They were positionally santified. Paul was saying that that was their standard and their privilege and my expectation for them. Through my Son, they were in fact set apart to holiness. So it is with all who call on the name of Jesus. You are to live up to the calling wherewith you have been called–to be and act and live like my dear Son. This letter to the Corinthians will show you how and point out the rough edges in your life and in my Church. What I said to God: Thank You, precious God. I feel like I have returned to an old friend as I sit here journaling with my laptop after so many months away. Help me stay faithful to this very important discipline. No matter how busy I am, I must always make time to hear from You through Your Word. I look forward to all You have to teach me in 1 Corinthians! Praise You!
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Posted in Random Thoughts at 9:46 am by Administrator
I took a sabatical from online journaling over the summer because I felt I was getting into a rut. It was becoming too much of a routine to me. As they say, familiarity can breed contempt. Instead I used some devotional books, listened to audio Bible readings from Daily Audio Bible, and simply read from God’s Word and prayed.
While that was a good change of scenery for me, looking back I can see that I was not as challenged and helped as when I journal. And journaling online brings me accountability from those who might be reading this blog.
So I’m back to what I know and love and need the most! I pray my musings and occasional insights and my honest responses before the Lord will encourage and help you in your spiritual journey.
–Dwayne
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