Guest Blogger

My brother's girlfriend doesn't realize this, but she is my guest blogger today.  I read this and was floored by this young woman's description of worship in the valley. 

Please read Shelby's post today.

P.S. Patrick take care of this girl because we all think she's fantastic.

Psalm 130

I'm going to be honest; I didn't spend time today in the Word until now (10:00 p.m.).  When I don't spend as much time in the Word as I should, I usually flip to the book of Psalms.  Many of the Psalms are quick reads and great for encouragement.  Tonight I flipped to Psalm 130.

"Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord;
O Lord, hear my voice.
Let your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.

If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
and in His Word I put my hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.

O Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with Him is full redemption.
He Himself with redeem Israel
from all their sins."

Thank God for His unfailing love.  Fear the Lord because with Him there is forgiveness.  There is no one else in all the universe worth fearing because God is the only one who holds the key to forgiveness.  Wait on the Lord today.

Solid Food- Hebrews 5

Take time to read Hebrews chapter 5.

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn.  In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's Word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!  Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness.  But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."  Hebrews 5:11-14

Due to stubbornness or complacency, the Jewish Christians that are being written to in Hebrews are being told to grow in maturity.  They were not advancing in their knowledge.  They should have been teaching at this point, but were stuck in spiritual infancy by choice.

Is this passage speaking to you?

I'll admit, many times I'm comfortable right where I am.  I don't want to move from milk to solid food, or from chicken nuggets to steak.

There are three things I think we can learn from this passage:

1) Theology is not just for pastors.

I'm not saying that all of us need to go to seminary, but theological study is important to a maturing Christians (all of us should be maturing Christians).  Theology is not pointless study.  Theology, instead, is the most purposefully study in the world.  What could possibly matter more than what we know about the creator and ruler of the world?  Theological study can be found in a pew on Sunday, in a Bible study on Tuesday or in reading a book by A. W. Tozer on Friday.  Theology is for all of us because all of us were created to worship our God, and theological study is an awesome form of worship.

2) Growth in knowledge leads to growth in righteousness.

"Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness."  If we are studying theology and Biblical truths correctly it will not lead to eggheadedness, it will lead to righteousness because our knowledge will enable us to live wisely.  Biblical knowledge without the pursuit of righteousness is nearly pointless.  I only say nearly because God Himself can use the knowledge to intervene in your life and make you want righteousness even if you didn't enter the pursuit of knowledge wanting that.

3) We grow in maturity by putting knowledge into practice.

This point is like the one before. Growth in knowledge does lead to growth in righteousness, but if you truly want to grow you need to be active in this process.  When study of God's omniscience floors you, put into practice trust based on this knowledge.  When study of God's kindness knocks you off your feet, put into practice being His kindness to the woman in need down the street.  When study of God's sovereignty expands your mind, put into practice submission to His will.

Don't get stuck on milk when our Heavenly Father wants to feed you solid food.  Theology is not just for your pastor.  Bible study is not just for the Sunday School teacher.  Knowledge of the Father is for all His children.  Pursue it.  Grow in righteousness and maturity today.

An Immeasurably Good Plan

"'No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him.'

but God has revealed it to us by His Spirit." 1 Corinthians 2:9-10

God has an immeasurably good plan for those who love Him.  Do you believe that?

We can't understand or even see this plan fully, but the Holy Spirit reveals it to us.  I have not seen His whole plan yet, nor do I expect to see His whole plan until I reach perfection.  But the Holy Spirit is teaching me to see more of His plan as He instructs me.  Beyond that, the Holy Spirit is teaching me to accept that God has an immeasurably good plan for those who love him; a plan for even me.

Later on in this chapter, in verse 12 specifically, it says "that we may understand what God has freely given us."  Much of understanding God's plan for us is understanding what He gave us on Calvary.  He gave us justification and adoption into His family.  That is much of what the Holy Spirit is revealing to us.  First, that we are justified from sin and reconciled with the Almighty.  And second, that we have been adopted by the Almighty and can call Him Father.

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love Him."

God prepared justification from sin and adoption for us.  Amen!

Thank God for His immeasurably good plan for you, today.

Praying for your Church

This morning at church Pastor Brian spoke about the power of prayer, in particular the power of praying for your local church.  Pastor Brian pointed out that there are 650 prayers in scripture, therefore prayer must be important.  He pointed out that Paul prayed often for the churches, therefore prayer must be important.  He pointed out that Jesus prayed, so prayer must be important.

We are called to pray for our local church family.  Here are some strategies for praying for your church:

1) Make your prayers simple.  I.e. pray for mercy, strength and awareness of God's presence.  As Martin Luther said about prayer, "The fewer words the better."

2) Make prayer for your church a routine.  As Corrie Ten Boom said, "Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it."

3) Make a prayer list.  Put names and families on it and try to be specific in your requests if you can.  This will give you another reason to get to know your church family, all of it.  Specificity also gives us a unique connection with and investment into those in our church.

4) Make your prayers known.  Tell people you're praying for them.  This can be done in person, e-mail, phone or just tag them in a post on Facebook saying that you are praying for them.  This provides both encouragement for them and accountability for us.

5) Don't forget the power of praying in person with hands laid.  Praying in any location is great, but there is something special about face-to-face with a church family member.

So, pray for your church family.  We're called to do it.  We should want to do it.  Pray for your church family today.

More Snow Truths

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,'

'As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flurish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
so is my Word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
You will go out in joy
and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
will clap their hands.
Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree,
and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord's renown,
for an everlasting sign,
which will not be destroyed."
Isaiah 55:8-13

God's Word will not return void just as this snow will not return to the sky without first watering the ground and eventually making Iowa's corn grow.  God's Word will accomplish what He desires.  It will make us go out in joy and with peace, for the glory of God.

I'm not going to write much more, but please reflect on the awesomeness of this passage today.

Winter Wonderland

I woke up this morning to a winter wonderland.  Here in Waverly we received five inches of bright, white, fluffy snow.  School was cancelled and plows were working hard.  I got the fun job of announcing on air that kids could go back to sleep because all schools were either closed or had late starts.  This morning was a winter wonderland.

In past years I had confidently declared that I hated snow. I hated pushing it.  I hated getting stuck in it.  I hated snow.  And then I met Christine.  My fiance Christine loves snow.  She prays for snow to come.  She wants a snowy 30 degree day and that's what we have today.  Now, I kind of like snow because I know it will make Christine happy.

I love that she loves snow and nature because I asked God to give me someone that is moved by nature.  Christine sees "little" blessings and in doing so reminds me to see them as well.  Now I look for "little" blessings so I can talk with her about them.  I'm glad God gave me someone to help me appreciate more fully the beauty of creation.

Today, Waverly is blanketed in snow and I think it is beautiful.  Don't get me wrong, I want Spring to come quickly, but I'm loving the beauty of today.

In chapter 38 of the book of Job, God challenged Job to answer some questions.  These questions were all rhetorical and pointed toward God's awesome holiness.  One of them stuck out to me today.

"Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail...?" Job 38:22

Have you thought about the volume of snow that is covering planet Earth today.  It's unbelievable, unfathomable... we can't even begin to comprehend that much snow.  I'm just talking about what we have here today, let alone what the East Coast got recently.  The Bible says that God has control over all of nature.  All of this snow is God's.  By God's design an unfathomable volume of snow was dropped on Waverly.  I'm not talking about inches, I'm talking volume.  That's tons of snow... literally!

So, look out your window.  Play in the snow.  Instead of complaining about the snow, sit back and think about how the snow is a testimony to our great God.  Be in awe of the "little" blessing of snow today.