When You’re Free, Live Free

(This is a follow-up from https://100fold.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/handicapped-with-god/).
When you are free, live free

Life is full of opportunity. And, life requires a little trying on your part.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
— Romans 12:2

What does it mean to “prove” what is good and acceptable and perfect? The word “prove” is “dokimazō“, which means “to test, examine, prove, scrutinise (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals” or “to recognise as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy”.

How would that look in your life? To me, I had an example of this, where God came through in an unexpected, but sensible way.

I used to be in a band and I put some energy and thought into bringing the band back together to produce an album of our “hits”. 🙂 I tried very hard, had some buy-in into the idea. But eventually nothing came of it. I was sad, but thought to myself (not sure I told anyone) This is the end of my music career. just “Point of fact”-ly.

But God had different plans.

My plan didn’t work, but what I learned is that what I’d done was really proving God’s will for myself. Was this God’s will? Maybe. Maybe not. How will you know? By proving God’s will. Testing it. Trying it. Scrutinizing it. Sounds like Romans 12:2, doesn’t it?

At the end of my trial, God did give me a gig singing, which I do now happily. Just because what I tried didn’t work, God saw my heart behind it and was able to find His Will in my attempt. I tried and was able to prove the G.A.P.

Good. Acceptable. Perfect. Will of GOD. Go for it!

Handicapped with God

Maybe you’re one of those who are still waiting for God to tell you what to do. Maybe you’re one of those who are waiting for God to tell you where to go today, who to talk to – maybe even what to eat. Had you ever considered – is that a handicapped?

I once heard someone say that – beside putting on socks and getting dressed – they checked in with God on every decision in their life. Whether this was literal or not, it made me think: Is this really how God envisioned our lives to look?

I’m drawn to Genesis, the beginning of… us. God’s call to us – during our perfection – wasn’t one of “play it safe” or “keep close to me at all costs”. (Have we bought into the lie?)

And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;
— Genesis 2:8, 15, 19, 20

This isn’t the picture of a “lifeless” reliance on God, but rather it’s the picture of permission to … go and live. Adam wasn’t created just so God could then run his life. Instead, Adam was created to enjoy life with God. A full sharing (versus, full control or ruling over):

Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
— 1 John 1:3b

Do you see the difference?
There are times in our lives where the best thing we can do is be lost without God and then respond by desparately clinging to Him. My own past includes me in that statement.

BUT when you are “created” just like Adam, living new and being transformed, what should your life look like?

Jonah and the Giant Self Centered Culture

The book of Jonah is one of a kind. There’s a prophet who runs from God. There’s a giant fish. There’s the reluctant-prophet-who-finally-does-God’s will prophet. It’s exciting to read and a short read too.

Have you ever thought what this book is actually trying to teach? Is there more to this story than the fish? I’m betting there is.

Islam Rising

If you are a Christian and not sure what to make of Islam, this short series by the folks at The Chapel is a good starting point. Very insightful and easy to understand. And accurate!

After viewing these videos, I trust you’ll be better able to engage Muslims and share the Gospel of Jesus the Christ.

Join My Church. Why?

My wife and I have been attending – admittedly causally – a local church for about the past two months, on-and-off, here-and-there. My son (who turned three in May) was able to attend their Vacation Bible School program, which was good for him to get some Christian friends and be surrounded by Christian teachers and fun things.

My wife has also been seeking help with “Mom” things, specifically examples of Godly women raising children around our age with our childs’ temperaments, etc.

And for myself, I’m looking to connect with the local congregation and give and serve where and how I can. I’m always looking to glean some Truth from those around me and look to quickly apply it to my own life. So, there’s a lot we are seeking. In a few words – essentially – we are seeking support from the local church. That’s what they are there for right?

But … we’re not members. And there’s the rub.

Easter, Bunnies and Christians

A Christian can easily be brought to his or her knees by a simple question from a child who is enjoying the Easter egg hunt of the season.

Mommy, what do Easter eggs have to do with Jesus?

Smack! Blank stare. Open mouth. Dry tongue. No answer. Uh, well, Honey… Depending on the age of this curious little Truth Seeker, your delayed response might be overlooked or might actually speak more to the argument against Christianity. Not your kid, but maybe someone else’s. 🙂

Good question, little kid. What is the relationship here?

Good Friday

I never liked Good Friday. It’s actually a very sad day. Right? We are celebrating Jesus death and everyone is wearing black and talking quietly. Very somber of a mood. Who wants that?

The Word of God is the Heart of God

If you carry a Bible around in your car or purse, know where at least five Bibles are in your house, cancan quote scripture verbatim, have a favorite book of the Bible, can name the books of the Bible, etc. – you are likely a Bible geek. This is a good thing.

They Found Fault

Are you a fault finder? Maybe you’re not a “fault finder”, but you do notice a lot of fault. There’s nothing wrong with wanting “good things” or, in another way of saying it, things to be “decently and in order”, but at what cost. There’s a record I was reading today about where the Pharisees and scribes were at and how they looked at Jesus in the gospels. Sometimes, we look at these characters and think What jerks! – but then we have to stop and do a self-check – are we any better? How far have we grown past their – human – shortcomings?

Characteristics of a Truth Seeker – Part 2

For those who have not met a Truth Seeker, you may not know what to look for in such a person. For those who wish to be Truth Seekers, you may not know what characteristics you need to possess to think of yourself as such. And for others, this post will help clarify where I am coming from in many of my posts and how I come to conclusions and have grown into this way of life. It’s not a bad thing, actually. 🙂

This is a completion of Part 1, which I had blogged about last week. My goal was to have a single post, but once I got into it, it was clear that was not going to happen. There’s so much to being a Truth Seeker, and what it looks like!