Posted: February 27th, 2010 |
Filed under: life | Tags: grace |
7 Comments »
the well within her is deep
countless lovers leave her cheap
the goat wants to be a sheep
failure’s seeds. pain’s harvest reap
bundles stacked up in a heap
♥
she draws water for her tongue
like the kill she’s almost strung
her book of songs is unsung
lost from dreams to which she clung
once a child, but never young
♥
He’s here now, making her think
His glory, showing her stink
sin writes with permanent ink
He can tell she’s on the brink
from His well, offers a drink
♥
drink from me. thirst no more
I’ll transform the weeds you bore
you’re my daughter, not a whore
rest while I settle the score
beasts can growl, but I can roar
♥
♥
♥
♥
♥
inspired by the woman at the well in John 4.
Posted: February 26th, 2010 |
Filed under: life |
1 Comment »
Yesterday’s blog threw a few of you and as much as I like throwing people around, I actually had a message in there. I put this in a comment, but think it’s worth posting as today’s blog.
This is one of my more lyrical/poetic writings. Sometimes I feel like I’m chasing a ribbon of words and trying to nail it down. Interpretation is open, but I’ll give you my thought process.
The beginning is a play on a circus. Religion being the circus.
Stop juggling, stop the show boat tricks and get real.
You can be real because this whole thing, life, isn’t about you or me…
Now that you are real…what do you want? Do you want to cuss and spit just to try it? Do it.
God puts desires into our heart (‘He gives us the desires of our heart….’). If that’s true, then after you’ve taken inventory or what you ‘want’ then you can sift out the stuff that isn’t for you and explore the things that may not look like everything you’ve been taught in the circus, but are still a part of who you are.
When you have this ‘real’ internal exploration, you’ll find God there. You’ll find urges that you actually have the power to choose or dismiss. You’ll find unique gifts and a unique voice that you never would have found if you hadn’t stop the charade.
He set us free to find out how things work and in the ‘finding’ you’ll find Him.
When you set a group of people (who have the Spirit of God inside them) free to do as they please, they’re not going to run for Hell. They’re going to find their legs and run to Him.
I wrote this because of the overwhelming fear that resides in the hearts so many professed Christians. They’re afraid of what will happen if they ‘let go of the wheel.’ If they’re afraid, then they must not believe that He is actually driving.
Let go and find the truth. It’s beautiful. It’s laced with skinned knees and messy hair, but it’s real and it’s free and it’s where He wants you to be.
Picture an adult, racked with stress and discouragement. Now, turn that adult into a kid and watch him play, explore, get grass stains and a few new scars. See the sun freckle his face and twigs stick in his hair.
Some of my best childhood afternoons left me with a scar I can still see twenty-five years later. If a child is afraid of falling, he’ll never play. REALLY play.
I’m just saying, PLAY! He’ll take care of the ‘holy’, ‘pure’ and ’sanctified’ parts. He’s got you covered. Be free.
Posted: February 25th, 2010 |
Filed under: God | Tags: freedom |
6 Comments »
…set it free...
Let the balls drop and get off the unicycle. It’s time to go home and wash off the makeup. Leave the circus to the bearded ladies.
If this isn’t about you, then you can do what you want. Have you thought about what you want lately? I bet not. The circus is a time consuming act. Think about it. Sky’s the limit, you can’t mess this up. You’re free to eat what you want, drink what you want, say what you want, touch what you want. No punishment, no death.
What do you want?
Freedom is a purifier. Honesty is a starting point. Being real is the only way to get anywhere real.
Slaves don’t think about what they want because they don’t know what they want. Give them freedom and let them figure it out. Keep them slaves and they remain dehumanized. Fear is the only reason why you wouldn’t set someone free to do as they please. There is this corrosive belief that men, when left to their own devices, will conjure up an insurmountable evil. I have three things to say about that:
- Fear is the opposite of Love. So, it’s the opposite of God.
- Men are not left to their own devices. Has it not occurred to you that God is real?
- You project what is within yourself on to those around you. What you fear and try to control in others is only a reflection of what you see in yourself. You’re the one with the problem. Get the plank out of your own eye so you can see clearly.
…if it comes back it’s yours…
He set us free because He’s not afraid of where we’ll go. He is real. And He has really taken up residence in your heart, so He’s not afraid of an evil He has crowded out. When He projects what is in Him on to us, we glow. He trusts the ‘Him’ in us. This isn’t an arranged marriage and it’s not a duty. He knows that when you give a voice to what you want, you’ll want Him.
Because of that Cross, I have been crucified in relation to the world, set free from the stifling atmosphere of pleasing others and fitting into the little patterns that they dictate. Can’t you see the central issue in all this? It is not what you and I do—submit to …reject… It is what God is doing, and he is creating something totally new, a free life! -Galatians 6:15
He’s not afraid. He can sleep through the chaos of what terrifies you because He knows how this story ends. He had you figured out long before He created Eve’s womb. He’s been carrying you from the beginning and if you’d stop squirming long enough you’d realize that. No matter what you do, you’re still a child on the shoulders of the Father who saves you from drowning in your own flood.
I’ve been carrying you on my back from the day you were born, and I’ll keep on carrying you when you’re old. I’ll be there, bearing you when you’re old and gray. I’ve done it and will keep on doing it, carrying you on my back, saving you. -Isaiah 46:3-4
…if it doesn’t, it never was.’
Every person the Father gives me eventually comes running to me. And once that person is with me, I hold on and don’t let go. -John 6:35
Posted: February 23rd, 2010 |
Filed under: life |
11 Comments »
We’re launching an online (video chat) Bible Study on the ‘Grace Is For Sinners’ community website. If you’re interested, let me know so you can help pick the time and day of the week that works best for you.
The community website is private so you have to be a member to see what anyone says on there. We’ll be using the ‘Grace Is For Sinners’ curriculum that goes along with the book. It’s challenging and the conversations get deep!
If you’re interested in seeing what the Bible says about sin, grace, restoration and God’s sovereignty, then you’ll want to be a part of this.
Here is what others who have been through it have said:
“This has been a life changing six weeks for me! I feel like I’ve ‘got it’ or am at least ‘getting it.’ Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”
‘One of my favorite things you said was ‘God said, you were broken here. Here is where you will heal.’ I will never be the same after this class.’
‘My relationship with my sister is on the path of healing after I met your challenge to reach out to her. This class has restored by hope and renewed my faith. That’s saying a lot from a fifty year old woman. Thank you.’
‘I’ve been a Christian my whole life and have never been taught the simplicity of Gospel like this. It wrecked me and built me up in truth like I can never explain. Thank you.’
Let me know if you’re interested and if you have any questions.
Click here to check out/join the ‘Grace Is For Sinners’ community website.
Serena
Posted: February 22nd, 2010 |
Filed under: life | Tags: grace |
7 Comments »
Those who can’t seem to get it together are better off than those who think they have a good grip. I would rather sit next to the guy who smells like pot than the woman who looks down on him. I would rather talk to someone with a million questions than listen to someone who has it all figured out. Once you’ve lost the capacity to learn, you’re dead weight.
We all have weaknesses, addictions and tendencies. If you’re not being real, you don’t know what they are. If you can’t spot them, you can’t sandbag against them. The best way to find your weak points is to live without fear of failure while still aware that you’ll fail. When the bomb goes off, trace the wire back to the trigger. Your own sin can be a huge asset when you’re trying to choose where to stand.
Everyone has a tendency toward certain sins. Do you know what yours are? Instead of feeling defeated by your failures, be empowered by the knowledge.
An alcoholic will always be an alcoholic, but he doesn’t have to drink. He can find his triggers and make a plan. If he knows he’s an alcoholic who binges when stressed, he can refer to his escape plan and fight against his natural tendency. This doesn’t mean he’ll never slip. It means he’s got an extra rail between him and the fall.
I never knew I had the capacity to cheat until I cheated. I thought it would be a lot harder to cross that bridge. Before experiencing that failure, there were a lot of behaviors that I never would have seen as foreplay to the consummation of adultery. I knew I was a good person and I saw my behavior as harmless and innocent.
Now that I know where my weaknesses are, a lot of ‘innocent’ behavior doesn’t look as innocent to me. My boundaries are further out and I can spot danger quicker. I would be a fool to say I would never do it again. Not seeing my ability in the first place was one of my biggest mistakes. However, I can acknowledge that I’ve put more distance between me and that pitfall.
If you deny your weakness or are unaware of it, then you will not know where the traps and triggers are and you will not have an escape plan. Those in denial will always be bruised because they’re more scared of labels than of constantly falling into the same hole.
It’s like a blind man refusing to admit that he’s blind. He claims to be able to see clearly, so when he destroys things in his path, he has no excuse and will get no help. If he can’t see clearly, then he won’t clean up his messes properly and will be despised for that, too. If he would realize and admit that he was blind, he would get more help, compassion and mercy. Those who claim to see clearly are expected to see clearly. Anything claiming to be perfect is judged against perfection.
“If you were really blind, you would be blameless, but since you claim to see everything so well, you’re accountable for every fault and failure.” -John 9:41
- Do you know where your weaknesses are?
- Do you have an escape route?
- What can you share with others that may help them learn from your mistakes?
Posted: February 18th, 2010 |
Filed under: life |
9 Comments »
I’ve made myself available to those who haven’t bothered to ask. I’m here, ready to be found by those who haven’t bothered to look. -Isaiah 65:1
This massive group of people walk around like they knew Him, but they don’t. They profess their love for Him to each other with a glazed over and detached look in their eyes. They do things on His behalf that He would never do. People base their opinions on Him from their interaction with them.
Meanwhile, there are people who hear bits and pieces of the truth and something stirs inside of them. The problem is, there is so much crap surrounding it that they don’t know what’s truth and what’s religion. They turn to each other and never to Him. The blind leading the blind.
I kept saying ‘I’m here, I’m right here’ to a nation that ignored me. I reached out day after day to a people who turned their backs on me. -Isaiah 65:2
When they hear things that don’t match what the others have taught them, they reject it. They guard their ideal so tightly that challenges are met by a sharp toothed tongue and haughty smirks. A cultish mentality that refuses to see the real Truth when it repeatedly tries to get their attention.
What’s worse, they think they’re on the right track. They lean on scriptures for ‘persecution’ when they know nothing of persecution. Or verses about being ‘hated by the world’ when the world doesn’t hate them, they just don’t want their flavor of religion.
People who make wrong turns, who insist on doing things their own way. They get on my nerves, are rude to my face day after day. Make up their own kitchen religion, a potluck religious stew. -Isaiah 65:3
You get to a point where your system works and anything that disrupts it is ignored. People aren’t looking for the Truth anymore because they’re content. Nobody wants to be wrong, nobody wants to be challenged, they just want comfort. They prefer tradition over Truth. They prefer shackles over freedom.
They hear the truth, but reject it. It seems too easy. They prefer to earn their way. Can’t take a ‘gift’ without feeling the obligation to even the scale. Disrespectful disregard surrounded by double talk and no capacity to be in debt to another. Debtors are less than.
They say, ‘Keep your distance. Don’t touch me. I’m holier than thou.’ These people gag me. I can’t stand their stench. -Isaiah 65:5
In church, were you taught to keep your distance from ‘sinners’? Were you taught to set yourself apart as ‘royalty?’ Did they teach you to ‘call out’ worldly behavior in hopes that they’ll feel condemned enough to convert to Christianity?
This mentality is repulsive and, apparently, it’s not just repulsive to the rest of us. It’s sickening to God.
Posted: February 17th, 2010 |
Filed under: life | Tags: faith |
7 Comments »
I think emotional hell is in the absence of hope. The product of perceived separation from God. With no God, there is no forgiveness of sins. There is an eternal weight of failure that you can never unload whether you want to or not. There is no sorry that is sufficient, there is no rebuilding, there is no remaining chance. There is no opportunity to reach the destination your entire awareness has been reaching for your whole life and hell is knowing you have more life to live.
Hell is being awake to feel the most dreadful things. It’s the cramping and convulsing of knowledge that you have gone too far.
It’s screaming from behind a sealed off room.
Hope hangs on if there’s a chance that nobody has heard your cries yet. However, if you are heard and still sealed away, then that is where hell is.
Hell is not in knowing that no one can save you. It’s knowing that no one wants to save you. It’s the belief that you are not worth saving.
Separation from God is found in your faith. You find the object of your faith when you find the reason for your hope.
- If you hoped in your capacity to succeed. Your god is your potential.
- If you hoped in your license to be forgiven. Your god is your worth.
- If you hoped in your ability to earn back your standing. Your god is your appeal.
I think God lets us feel hopelessness because it’s the ultimate purification of faith.
When you are at the very end of yourself and all of the things that gave you hope are gone. What if everyone washes their hands of you? What if the mountains, after seeing you, pick up their skirts and walk away from you? What if the stars stop glimmering and blooming flowers lose their smell? Where does your hope come from then?
No one to remind you, nothing to look forward to, no songs sang for you, no letters written to you. Nothing giving you value or, even, evidence of your existence. You’re the ashes of a burned picture, the footprints from an estate sale, an empty crematory incinerator.
Where does your hope come from then?
Have you ever been so lost that your own thoughts are a startler to the otherwise ‘nothing’?
Don’t be afraid to doubt what you thought you knew and question your faith. Doubting everything is the precursor to finding the authentic Truth. Don’t fear questions about what you believe. If the Truth is true, then no question can unravel it.
In all of your doubting, questioning and thinking, it must, at some point, occur to you that you do exist. If you exist, then there must be more. If there is more, then there must be hope.
If hopelessness purifies faith, and mature faith is the goal, then were you put in this place for that reason? You can say that your own failures got you here, but since when was Jesus death not enough to put an end to sin as the end? If sin isn’t the deciding factor regarding you, then it has lost its power.
He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. -Matthew 3:12
Where do they go from here? They’ve lost their good name, their faith in themselves and now sin can’t even define them.
He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned. -Matthew 3:12
The only thing left is hope because this time as an outcast has proven to be crucial. If you hadn’t gone through the dark, you would not know what you know. If you had no reason to doubt and question, you wouldn’t have found the answers that changed everything. There is always hope because not only does your failure say nothing about you, but it’s actually sovereignly used to make you real. And we need more real.
Let the Truth breathe new life into your death. When what you thought should have ruined you didn’t, then what is there left? Nothing but hope that your own personal hell has a purpose. Your faith has been purified and made mature.
Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way. -James 1:2-4
Posted: February 16th, 2010 |
Filed under: life |
11 Comments »
the plot:
Their feet pound as they make their way across the terrain. They are the chosen. They’re His children.
Long journeys make them bored and tired. They get on each other’s nerves. Their stumbles bruise and scrape the people closest to them. It’s tempting to separate yourself from the failures of others.
They’ve been promised something better, but the promise fades when the journey drones.
They bring souvenirs. They take travel advice from the locals. They find ways to make their journey easier, only to find that it makes it harder.
Empty backpacks, abandoned egos and a transient disposition is required, but surely there is something for the ‘self.’ When reward doesn’t come for their hard work or justice for their wounds, they rely on their own interpretation and bring their own repayment.
the conflict:
The ‘hard to come by‘ becomes the goal and soon it’s dog eat dog. Survival of the fittest is a blood bath. Fend for yourself and leave the weak behind.
Their feet pound as they make their way across the terrain. Spread apart and split off. Little ants scattering to find shade from the desert sun. Hunters lost in the woods. Spiraling in circles while a predator watches them, waiting for them to get tired.
If they could have stuck together, they could have fought off the attack. But they didn’t. They’re being drug off, one by one. They’re used against each other. Their desires and what they feel they deserve become the weapons.
Wedges are forged in the lives the chosen. Rivers rage a separation between sickness and healing. They’re designed to be united, but when they’re too far apart to hold each others hands, their sickness lingers.
They have one Source of Blood and the blood ties them together. You can’t get rid of your family because every time you sit down to eat, you have to sit with ‘them’ because when He ‘raised us up with him’ and He ‘seated us with Him.’ (Eph2:6)
They’ve made each other enemies and it takes two to build a bridge over the raging river between them.
The predator seduces and makes you remember the sin. ‘Don’t walk with them, they did you wrong. Don’t trust them, they’ll hurt you again. Don’t forget the sin.’
The predator seduces and makes you feel justified. ‘You’re a good person, it doesn’t have to make sense. You need this. You deserve this.’
The predator tells you whatever you need to hear, whatever you’ll listen to, to separate you from the group. ‘You’re the only one who ‘gets it.’ The others are dragging you down. Dust your feet off and go off on your own. Forge your own path. Be the hero.’
If you are isolated, then you are weak. If you’re afraid, then you’re in the dark. If you have to focus on the sin, then you’re using your pain to feed your actions.
the climax:
If one member suffers, all suffer together…-1 Corinthians 12:26
When you fall down, you have to see it for what it is. You’ve been seduced by the enemy and your weaknesses were used to trip you. Get back up, do your best to fix the mess and keep walking.
If you’ve been hit by a Christian in a tailspin, you have to see it for what it is. You’re walking a rough terrain and tripping is inevitable. I know it hurts, but they’re your family. Help them to their feet and help them pick up the pieces. The sooner the two of you can walk again, the better. You’re connected, so if they’re left behind, so are you. If you try to move forward you’ll find that you can’t because a piece of you is within them.
You have one option when dealing with others. The one option is segmented in two. You either see others as though you’re seeing yourself or you’re seeing others as though they were Jesus. It’s tangled and inseparable. You’re incapable of separating yourself from yourself, so when you refuse to walk with a fellow believer, you’re refusing Jesus.
[Jesus] said, “That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself.” -Luke 10:27
“He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone …that was me—you failed to do it to me.’ -Matthew 25:45
Empty backpacks, abandoned egos and a transient disposition is required. Everyone is either you or Jesus. If you love Him, you’ll love all of them. If you want to walk with Him, you have to walk with the ‘them.’
Are you trying to figure out the godly thing to do with a person? Are you struggling with keeping yourself safe and giving up your right to self? It’s likely that the person you’re holding the furthest from you is the very antibody for what is causing your pain.
The prescription has and will always be Love. Do your part and help build the bridge.
the impressions:
- Do you think it’s important to set aside differences for the sake of the bigger picture?
- What is the bigger picture?
- When you’re sitting at home in your pajamas and you’re not trying to impress anybody, what is that one thing/person/circumstance that is ‘undone’ in your life?
the challenge:
- What can you do today to start being a link for reconciliation?
coming out of the dark
Posted: February 11th, 2010 |
Filed under: life |
7 Comments »
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. -Psalm 119:105 ESV
I think that when this life is over and we are let in on the mystery, our biggest regret will be not trusting God more. If you think about it, everything boils down to trusting God, so maybe it will be our only regret.
Imagine you’re a name in a completed book (because you are) and you’re only a few chapters in. Books have authors and you’re not your own. It’s hard to imagine an existence that is bigger than ours. It’s mind twisting to imagine being subject to something (Someone) more powerful than us.
Mostly people want to reject the idea that they’re not in control. It takes the ego away. I wouldn’t say these things if I made them up. The scriptures are clear and I’ll never apologize for what they take away from you. Especially if you consider what they give to you. Your loss is your gain.
Doom to you! You pretend to have the inside track. You shut God out and work behind the scenes, Plotting the future as if you knew everything, acting mysterious, never showing your hand. You have everything backward! You treat the potter as a lump of clay. Does a book say to its author, ”He didn’t write a word of me”? Does a meal say to the woman who cooked it, ”She had nothing to do with this”? -Isaiah 29:15-16
The instructions I wrote about are clear and simple. They help us navigate an existence we can’t see. They’re our guide while we walk around in this strange territory. They’re our ‘light for the path‘. You know, ‘a lamp unto [our] feet.’
He says ‘don’t worry,’ ‘don’t be afraid’ and all of these other things and we wonder how to carry it out. I say, you can carry it out if you know that He knows what He’s talking about. He has seen what’s ahead and His words are coming back to tell us not to worry and not to be afraid. He’s looking at the outcome when He tells us that. He’s the best ally in life because He’s in eternity and telling us the secrets of life and time. (More complex than a time traveler, but if you need something really simple to mentally grab, try that one.)
He’s this whisper in your spirit telling you that making a friend out of an enemy will lighten your load or that giving your coat to a shirt thief will make you like Him.
I can understand why Jesus used metaphors and similes (parables) so often. This ‘Kingdom’ stuff is cheapened by trying to explain it in plain language. It doesn’t make sense and doesn’t cover it quite right. Take my examples as an artist rendered sketch. I’m constantly trying to improve my ability to paint word pictures so I can show you what I see. I may not be the best artist, but I can see the most amazing things. It drives me crazy when I can’t get my ‘painting’ quite right, but when I do, …there’s nothing like it.
Christians have earned the reputation for being ‘detached’, but not for the same reasons that Jesus has the reputation. Christians, in general, don’t check out what they’re swallowing. Jesus was intensely intelligent. It takes an unbelievable amount of mental strength to not be distracted by everything human when trying to stay focused on the Truth. Imagine driving down a winding country road in the middle of the night with fog and a cartoonish amount of wildlife skirting your path at every moment. That’s what our ‘here and now’ life is like.
Jesus never bought into the same things that the others did. He was like a sane man in a mental institution. We, non-God’s, all have an understanding. We all have our own ‘medication.’ He gets it because He’s spent time in our world, but He’s trying to get us to get Him and His world.
‘Don’t worry, don’t fear.’ We think those are ‘pie in the sky’ notions, but they’re direct instructions from someone who’s been there and knows what He’s talking about. When He says something, drop everything and listen. We’re ‘here’ and ‘now’, He’s eternal. We’d be idiots to not risk everything on Him.
artist rendered sketch
Posted: February 8th, 2010 |
Filed under: God |
10 Comments »
God’s will supersedes ours. He wins every time and we don’t even have to know what His will is to play our part in this Story of His creation.
How can we sum this up? All those people who didn’t seem interested in what God was doing actually embraced what God was doing as he straightened out their lives. -Romans 9:30
We have free will and make plans, take steps, set goals and graph progress, but it’s all meaningless smoke if it’s not what God is doing. You can do nothing and it’s done. You can do everything opposite and it’s done. Nobody is taking your will away from you, because your will is useless. You have a will because you’re made in His image, but unless your will is plugged into His, it’s a cheap squeaky toy. The ride is free and it’s going whether you want to take it or not. Your only choice is to take the blinders off or leave them on.
Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. -Proverbs 16:1
Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place. -Proverbs 16:3
God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included…-Proverbs 16:4
We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it. -Proverbs 16:9
We humans keep brainstorming options and plans, but God‘s purpose prevails. -Proverbs 19:21
Our actions are responses to His action.
What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative. -Romans 9:13
There is nothing that we can do to mess up His plan. It’s all written in black and white yet, we still find ways to exert our control and explain it away. He’s kept no secrets about having a plan for us, but we keep believing alternate messages that take the power from Him and attempt to put it back in your hands.
Think about this. Wrap your minds around it. This is serious business, rebels. Take it to heart…I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have— incomparable, irreplaceable—From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, All along letting you in on what is going to happen, Assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do,’ … I’ve said it, and I’ll most certainly do it. I’ve planned it, so it’s as good as done. -Isaiah 46:8-11
With these verses, we can assume that there is more to what is going on than what we can sense. His purpose envelopes us. Bad and good. We can watch things work out in spite of themselves. We can witness perfectly constructed plans fail. Again and again, things defy common sense with no explanation.
The Bible tells us that we don’t know what’s going on, but we still behave as though we do. Assume, for a moment, that you don’t have the glasses needed to see things the way they are. Can you even imagine how ridiculous all of your strutting and declaring looks to those who can see clearly?
Your fears are unwarranted and a waste of time. People who are led by fear are dead weight. Your scrambling and grasping is bizarre and embarrassing. Getting offended is evidence of no assurance. People with no faith look backward and never see what’s right in front of them.
God gives us very clear and simple guides to keep us from running all over each other like sewer rats. His orchestra of creation is playing with or without your cooperation, but it absolutely sends Him through the roof with joy when you catch sight of The Maestro and join in.
Let go of your shortsightedness and know that you know nothing.
Don’t talk so much, it shows your ignorance.
Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut, they’re smart. -Proverbs 17:28
Don’t be quick to get angry, it shows how blind you are.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools. -Ecclesiastes 7:9 ESV
Be quick to forgive and quick to restore. These are evidences of your faith.
If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. -Galatians 6:1
The most intelligent people know that they don’t have it all figured out.
We know only a portion of the truth, and what we say about God is always incomplete…We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. [So,] for right now,… we have three things to do to lead us…: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love. -1 Corinthians 13:9-13
