4.30.12 honoring God

bible reading: 1 kings 8, 2 corinthians 2

reel thoughts:
I love how Solomon made it his focus to honor God with the building of the temple.  And then afterwards, praying "all these bold and passionate prayers" before the people to help them remember what it was all about. They were there to celebrate the fact that God had kept the promise He'd made.

Solomon's prayer is one of the longest found in the bible- i want to spend more time with this prayer making it my own b/c there are some good nuggets of wisdom contained in this prayer.

4.29.12 His gifts, His work

Bible reading: 1 kings 4-5, 2 Corinthians 1

reel thoughts:
God doesn't need perfect people to do His work.
God was more interested on what Solomon constructed in his heart, than the temple he was building.
Solomon took such painstaking efforts to build this temple unto God, what does that indicate about how much effort, care, and energy i should be putting into the things I do for God?

the coolest thing about being one of the artisans who worked on the temple, was that one day they could come back and say, "God used me to dream this up, and then build this."  that's the power of using your gifts and talents for God to create something.

Nowadays we talk about creating things and only think of commercial interest/gain.  But truly, anything created by, for, and with God's help has value in and of itself.  You don't have to market your talents/gifts.  A man's gift makes room for him (notice how Solomon sent for Hiram, and how David was instructed by God to leverage skilled artisans in His work).   God knows how to connect your gifts to His projects.

Remember Paul's advice to the Corinthian church- stand by your faith.  But also be willing to expand your faith with greater understanding of God and His will.

4.27.12 what you ask God for

Bible reading: 1 kings 3-5, 1 Corinthians 16

reel thoughts:
Did you notice what Solomon asked God for?  It wasn't fame, power, money or anything.  He recognized the moment, the need, and his limitations and he asked God to give him a God lead heart so that he could lead God's people.

4.26.12 don't waste grace

bible reading: 1 kings 1-2, 1 corinthians 15

reel thoughts:
God's given me the gift of grace and I'm not going to waste it.

4.25.12 you get what you expect

bible reading- end of 2 Samuel, 1 corinthians 14

reel thoughts:
Right now i'm listening to the Whitney Houston song "I go to the Rock" and i'm thinking about all the times in which i've literally been able to rely on God in the past few days and seen Him come through.  Imagine if i raised my expectations for what's possible?  David, a man who trusted and believed the best even when circumstances dictated otherwise- always expected the best- of both himself and what he was capable of and also what God was capable of.  I'd rather put my life in the hands and mercy of God than man.

Even now, listening to Mary Mary's song "I got it" is reminding me that whatever I need, God's got it.  Jesus promised us that in this world we'd have tribulation, but be of good cheer, because he's already overcome the world and everything in it on our behalf.  I've got to keep my expectation up there.

4.24.12 surprised to be loved

bible reading: 2 sam 20-22, 1 corinthians 13

reel thoughts:

coolest scripture from a song David sang to God:  "I stood there saved- surprised to be loved!"  How often do we find ourselves surprised to be loved by God?

4.23.12 a part of the body

bible reading: 2 Samuel 17-19, 2 Corinthians 12

Reel thoughts
A scripture from today's reading, "For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of."

4.22.12 traditions of faith

bible reading: 2 sam 14-16, 1 Corinthians 11

reel thoughts:
What are the traditions of faith you've been taught?

4.21.12 when God gets started

reel thoughts
...nothing can stand in the way.  Not even you or me.  But let's not be on our worst enemies.  Let's align with what God is doing.  Be on the winning side.

4.20.12 unto God

Bible reading: 2 Sam 11-13, 1 Corin 10

Reel thoughts:
Do everything heartily and freely unto God.  God wants us, all or nothing.  Everyone faces temptation, it's how you face it that matters.

4.19.12 finishing well

Bible reading: 2 Sam 9-10, 1 Corinthians 9

Reel thoughts:
Paul said, "but i'm running hard for the finish line."  Truth be told, it makes me reflect on how hard I run towards the finish line in my own life.  How can I show more of the tenacity that Paul displays, he's so focused and committed to his end goal.  God wired him for that specific role, I've got to better understand my own wiring, and in doing so I'll finish well too.

4.18.12 the conscience of others

bible reading: 2 sam 3-6, 1 Corinthians 8

reel thoughts:
read 1 Corinthians 8 again.  What does this tell you about how the consciences of other believers should take priority over your religious freedom in Christ?

4.17.12 while i'm waiting

bible reading: 2 Samuel 3-5, 1 Corinthians 6

reel thoughts:
It's amazing how long David waited for the fulfillment of God's calling.  It makes me think about how I should maintain perspective and perseverance as I wait for the evolution of what God has called me to do/be.

4.16.12 timing

Bible reading: 2 samuel 1-2, 1 corinthians 6

reel thoughts:
Timing is in God's hands.  It's not a matter of "if" but "when".  Get in God's timing, and find your rest.

4.15.12 our responsibility

bible reading: 1 samuel 28-31, 1 Corin 5

reel thoughts:
God has given us a clear path, we can either take it or not.  However, we will be held accountable for doing what we know is right.

4.14.12

reel thoughts:
Believe in God, believe in what God says about you, and you'll go far.

4.13.12 not just talk

bible reading: 1 samuel 25-27, 1 corinthians 4

reel thoughts:
"for the kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk, it is living by God's power."

4.12.12 doing the right thing

bible reading: 1 samuel 22-24, 1 corinthians 3

reel thoughts:
Sometimes doing the right thing is inconvenient, however when you make the decision to do the right thing you won't regret it when you look back on the life of integrity that you've built.

4.11.12 the secrets God whispers

bible reading: 1 samuel 19-21, 1 Corinthians 2

reel thoughts:
what are we supposed to do with the secrets God whispers to us?  Live them out.  He's already finished everything, He declares the end from the beginning.  The secrets are a peak into our future, so have peace and joy and embrace through faith what's happening.  Live out what God says.

4.10.12 the david difference

bible reading: 1 samuel 14-16, 1 corinthians 1

reel thoughts:
David and Saul were so different, and the biggest one was confidence.  David had no fear and was confident.  Saul, despite having God's blessing initially and God's spirit initally, never was able to fully tap into the confidence that comes with being chosen by God.  We've got to be more David's willing to confront and slay the giants in our lives, than Saul, unconfident in our God given talents and abilities.  Here's another thing: David's gifts and talents made room for him before the king, and again, he was best when he was his natural self.  I don't know if we ever saw that with Saul.

4.9.12 the message of the cross

bible reading: 1 Samuel 13-15, Mark 16

reel thoughts:
I heard a man say today, "you can't accept the teachings of Jesus, if you won't accept the story of redemption that comes from Him dying on the cross."  The two are inextricably linked.

4.8.12 that day

bible reading: 1 Samuel 10-12, Mark 15

Reel thoughts:

isn't it interesting how on the day Jesus was crucified, while all his "followers" fled, and others mocked Him, it was a Roman solidier, a religious "outsider" who noticed at Jesus's last breath that "this man is the Son of God."  I wonder why he noticed and the "insiders" didn't...

4.7.12

reel thoughts:

what a week.  reading about the "good" friday, when Jesus labored in the garden of Gethsamane and then was publicly mocked, beaten, and finally hung has helped me keep this Easter holiday in perspective.

4.6.12 Jesus is real

bible reading: 1 Samuel 6-9, Mark 14

reel thoughts:
After spending the evening reading some of the biblical account of what happened before Jesus was crucified, I started wondering, what would it be like to not believe in God or Jesus?  Since I was raised in the church, it's like this is all I've ever really known, though I have made the concsious decision as an adult to believe, it certainly was a path paved easily for me to do so.  But as I started to ponder, it occured to me that the same things would still draw me to Him.  I just believe that humans are created with a purpose, by a purposeful Creator.  And I just believe that this Creator has designated a path to knowing and being in relationship with Him through Jesus, a story which by the way, only makes since in the context of the entire bible.  Jesus is how I connect with God, (and the path I'll share with my children) and that's what matters most to me.  My life then should be an open book of how this relationship is real.

4.5.12 the word of the Lord was rare

Bible reading: 1 Samuel 3-6, Mark 14

Reel thoughts:
At the beginning of Samuel's ministry, it took him some time gaining experience recognizing God's voice.  And the word of the Lord was rare in those days.  How fortunate are we that this isn't the backdrop of our experience with God?  We can literally hear from Him anytime we want, by picking up our bibles or spending time in prayer.  But how often do we choose to do so?  Is the word of the Lord still rare, at a time when it should be more accessible than ever?

SDW3

4.4.12 stay watchful

Bible reading: 1 Samuel 1-2, Mark 13

Reel thoughts:
Jesus's words of warning and encouragement to all generations: stay watchful and be prepared for His return.

4.3.12 did what they felt like

Bible reading: Judges 19-21, Mark 12

Reel thoughts:
What is it that leads people to thinking that it's ok to do whatever they feel like doing?  And how far does our society have to sink before it's something that we take notice of?

4.2.12 right in their own eyes

Bible reading: Judges 17-18, Mark 11

Reel thoughts:

A common refrain in the book of Judges is, "and in those days there was no king in Israel.  So the people did what was right in their own eyes."  How many things are wrong with this scenario?

4.1.12 KOG

Bible reading: Judges 15-16, Mark 10

Reel thoughts...

The Kingdom of God isn't about you.  It's about Him.