Tuesday, February 13, 2007
2007 Discipleship
Welcome to the 2007 Blog for Brentwood Church of the Nazarene. The goal of this site is to help us mature in our faith. Please let us know what the Spirit is teaching you as you study the Word and read "My Utmost for His Highest."You can also post prayer requests on this site and find sermon outlines. Check in daily and see what others in our community are learning as we study together and grow to become a mature body that is pleasing to the Lord.Ephesians 4:13"until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."Read the daily devotional from "My Utmost for His Highest" and let us know what the Lord is teaching you. You can access the devotional from links on our website or from http://www.rbc.org/utmost/index.php Encourage us by letting us know about your progress.
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17 comments:
I am looking for a devotional for next year that we can read and blog about. Any ideas?
That was a beautiful devotional today. Lord, give us the "gift of tears." I had never heard that before. We need to have a heart of repentance.
Utmost is the only "page-a-day" year-long devo I've ever done so I don't really know any off the top of my head, but what if we just did straight-up Scripture instead? We could do a psalm a day and that'd get us through like half the year...
P.S. Do people remember the resolutions they made when we started this in January? How are you doing on those now? I'd be interested to hear what God's done. He's definitely fulfilled some of mine!
Hey Alan, isn't todays devotion interesting after our conversation yesterday? It's shameful the number of devotions I've missed but to come back tothis one in light of all that has gone on lately sure puts a Godly spin on things. By the way, thanks for yesterday, it meant the world to me. Help me find that person we were talking about.
Angi,
Yes. That was a tremendous lesson yesterday. Today is phenomenal too. It's awesome to have people that put us back on track when we seem to be tottering. I have already started the search.
Stina,
I've almost made my resolution. I wanted to get through a year of "My Utmost...." We can do it. My goal was to use this devotional to become more consistent. What about yours? (Can't wait to see you next week at the Fireside Christmas Celebration.)
I get the feeling I'm missing out on a secret...
Haha well don't laugh, but one of my resolutions (after some encouragement from you!) was to stop biting my nails, and I've been a no-biter for 6 months!! That probably sounds really silly, but seriously, I've bitten my nails since I was about 5. It was something I basically thought I was doomed to live with forever. Call me cheesy, but now I have a cool reminder of God's faithfulness everytime I look at my hands.
My other big one was actually time management, and here the progress has been much slower, but it's still been progress. I feel like I can't really say that now seeing as I'm blogging instead of writing the 19 pages worth of papers that still have to get done before I go home. :(
My third resolution was to become less critical of others and to learn the difference between discernment and judging people. I'm having a harder time evaluating that one, it's less concrete and also the one I thought about the least over the course of the year.
What about resolutions for 2008? I've been working on mine for awhile...
Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.
That is a tremendous quote from today's lesson. Father, help us to base our faith on reality.
The devo is today is horribly confusing though, don't you think? What exactly does he mean by experience? He doesn't seem to mean the same thing everytime he uses the word. The distinction is very muddy because every moment of our lives is "an experience". When God's truth is revealed to us, it *is* an experience. I believe what he's trying to say is that we shouldn't get attached to the events or the feelings we experience, but rather to the One who creates them. And because of that, I think experience *is* part of faith. Didn't God teach the Israelites to *remember* how He brought them up from Egypt when they were slaves? Didn't Jesus tell the disciples to share Communion in remembrance of Him, and His sacrifice? Weren't these things also experiences? I don't believe God says, "Just *believe* this." We can't believe anything if we haven't *experienced* the touch of the Holy Spirit consuming us. Then He says, "Believe what I have done, and now believe also in what I will do." And if this is true, there is nothing wrong with talking about experiences - in fact, they are our greatest witness! The point is simply that we are attached to the One who allowed us to have that experience, rather than to the experience itself. We'll always be disappointed if we come looking for specific "experiences" from God, but not if we come genuinely desiring to encounter Him and to please Him.
I think that today's lesson brings the same confusion. In the time that Chambers lived a lot of denominations were appearing that were very worship experience based. This is very common today too but we will focus on him first. Denominations were being formed where speaking in tongues was the ultimate evidence of faith and a relationship with God. Falling out in a fanatical rage was common for many religions and those who did not join in were not considered to be real Christians. Chambers is reacting to a very experience driven theology in his time.
In Biblical times the past experience with God is the faith that held the Hebrews together. They constantly told the story. They looked back at God's redemption and rescue from Egypt, Babylon, etc. God's deeds were told constantly and every week they were taught to their children. This is not the same as basing your faith on a personal experience. The Biblical experience is a coorporate experience but the experiential faith that Chambers is talking about is very individualistic.
We should, however, tell our story as much as possible because it is the testimony to the Gospel It is not the Gospel itself. The Gospel is the story of God's saving power through His Son.
Thanks Dawg, that makes a lot of sense. Makes me think of what Paul writes in Corinthians... I can't remember exactly where, but he talks about how speaking in tongues is great, but most important are the spiritual gifts that build up the body. See ya tomorrow!
Today's devo is something I have thought about many, many times and as hard as I try to find a place where I can be completely exposed I am always on guard because I know that someone is likely to interupt-Mitchell, Shelby, Dave, someone. I have been considering for a while now taking a few days off when I get my vacation time and going somewhere by myself. I know this isn't a one time deal but I just can't help but feel that I need to be alone with Him on His terms so He can show me what, where and who He wants me to be. I need to travel with Him to the deep recesses of my soul to see the things that hold me back and keep me from having the relationship with Him that He and I both want so very badly. Pray with me and for me that this will all come to fruition, that the clouds that are shading my soul from the Son will be blown away so every day wil be a Sonny day-haha that's a cute twist huh! I love you all and hope you had a very Merry Christmas.
I got to see the Rockettes show at the Opry House last night and it was wonderful, the most beaustiful thing was the living nativity at the end-IT WAS THE MOST INCREDIBLE THING I HAVE EVER SEEN ON STAGE!!! If anyone gets the opportunity to see it, GO!!!!
Hello everyone, Bueller...bueller...bueller...Anyone out there? I would like to comment, state an opinion, make a judgement call and/or enlighten myself (and maybe give you something to think about). Todays devotional.
"unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" —Matthew 18:3
After speaking with P. Diddy Alan today we shared a story related to this passage and I would like to share it with all.
My youngest son Keaton is 2 1/2 and has a way of looking at life that I believe is the way we all as adults should see this life. "become as little children"...Here is the situation, Keaton stands at the top of our wooden staircase (about 10 steps higher than myself) and yells to everyone within earshot..."Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump..." Of course I am at that moment in my own busy world of paying bills, juggling teen sports schedules, pretending to listen to my wife tell me about her day (completely unitentional:)..."Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump!..." As I continue to ponder all of my past, present and future daily issues I begin to pass the bottom stair when out of the corner of my eye what do I see-a flying 2 year old!
I drop my newspaper and cell phone, just as he is about to land face first I grab the 2 year old out of mid air and bring him to a safe landing...As I am thinking "what next"..."Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump..." he climbs back up the stairs.
I stop. I look. I listen...I smile.
The unwavering, unquestionable faith he showed me at that moment is how I believe our Father in Heaven wants us all to be him.
I see it this way, we are the little children and all God wants to hear is..."Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump, Daddy Jump...."
Scott it is so encouraging for me to have someone else associate the relationship between parents and children to the relationship we NEED to have with God. All 4 of my children have done countless things that I have made the same or similar assessments. Mitchell, on his own, has done many, many things that I can't help but feel that God was utilizing Mitchell's "abilities" to speak to me in a way that only He can. And Mitchell has said things to me that really made me feel as if the words of God were coming from his mouth. Really makes me wonder how many things have been said for my benefit that I missed!? More than a few I'm sure.
Love today's devotion! We are so much more blessed than we can even comprehend to have a loving God that not only forgives us but prepares us AND lays the path before us-I falter, slip, fall, crash, well you get the idea, but I know that each step I take in the RIGHT direction was paved especially for me and is more sturdy and secure than the best laid foundation.
Hey Alan, any progress on that project?
Progress? It is in full bloom. Check your emails. There is a sign up sheet inspired by your vision.
I love hearing about your relationship with your kids. Keep writing. Those last few blogs were priceless.
Funny, that! Right after I wrote that I checked my e-mail AND added my name below JoAnn's! I've said it before and I'll say it again-THIS CHURCH FAMILY ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF!!!!!!!! (;})
Pray for my nephew, Dylan-more trouble, he ran from his latest foster home and took all the cash they had in the house with him. No one has heard from him since night before last. His latest foster home was with my ex-sister-in-law and her husband and they jumped through hoops to get him and keep him out of the boys home. Don't know what is next. Add my Mom to that as she is devastated-on top of all the other stuff that has happened recently. Whew! This stinks and it's exhausting too.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!! and as far as New Year's Resolutions go I think today's devotion is where I want to start my list!
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