1-8 who ever wrote the book "the power of positive thinking" stole that idea from God. These are the directions on how to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ! "9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." How many of us could say this about our lives. I know I would not want someone to emulate me at this point. I know the good I aught to be doing but the truth of the matter is I don't do it very often. sure, by the world's standards I am a good person, but that standard is not very high. I really want to focus all my energy on seeking and saving the lost. Of course I believe that is the good I aught to be doing.
10-23 learn to be content! this is a challenge for some of us. we can sometimes feel like God owes us something, like life is not fair. Paul states that what ever was learned from knowing him put it into practice, then just after that he speaks of learning contentness. summery: 1-rejoice (see Rich's comment yesterday) 2-think about positive things 3-put it into practice emulation of Paul 4-be content AND FINALLY! 5-And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. So many times Gods plans are like math problems to me 1+2+3+4=5
January 4, 2008 11:49 AM
Rich wrote:
I am an anxious person. Anxious = full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried. Synonyms are: concerned, disturbed, apprehensive, fearful, uneasy. This describes me all too often. I am concerned about my wife, our relationship and her health, disturbed about my job and my finances, apprehensive about my kid's future and their spiritual well being, fearful of the future, and often uneasy about friendships and business partnerships/dealings. I do a good job of hiding my anxiety, but the truth is, I am an anxious person. But Paul tells me to not be anxious about anything. This is very challenging to me. I stuff my anxiety well, but I do not properly DEAL with my anxiety. How am I to do that? In EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present my requests (my desires to be free of anxieties) to God. Then I will have the peace of God.
I was just thinking about the PEACE of God. God created so much beauty. Two summers ago we were in Utah, driving through Zion National Park at 1:00 in the morning. All were asleep in the car, except for me (that was good since I was driving). The night was perfectly clear and the sky was full of stars. I stopped the car on the side of the road and climbed up onto the roof (was driving an SUV). Even though it was cold (about 35 degrees) and I did not have on a jacket, I was so amazed and mesmerized with the stars in the sky that I felt nothing but total and complete peace. That sky was the most beautiful thing that I ever saw. I can still picture and feel the peace as I write this. And that is just one example of the peace that God created. As I think about creation, I think I get a glimpse of the peace of God. And that is what God is offering to me. Not the anxiety that I often feel, but the peace of the stars in the Utah sky. The peace of the sound of ocean waves, the peace of a bird gliding through the air, the peace of a snow covered mountain, the peace of tidal pools I sat by in Maine when I was a kid, and on and on. As I think more about creation, I get even more amazed. God is the author of peace. He has surrounded us with glimpses of peace. Sure the world is full of crime and disappointment and all sort of crap (just saying it as it is), but this is not God. God and what he offers to us is peace.
The peace he offers to us "transcends all understanding." So even though I get a glimpse of the peace of God in nature, this is just a glimpse. The peace that God can give transcends (= to pass beyond the limits of; to be greater than, as in intensity or power; surpass; excel; to exist above and independent of) all understanding. That is amazing. It is even more, above and beyond anything that I can imagine.
I am going to pray and lay my anxieties before God. Why? Because it is something that I have to do or am supposed to do? No, because I want the PEACE of God!!! Reply to this
January 4, 2008 3:03 PM
Sam wrote:
Psalm 4.1(b).... "Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." It sounds like David is 'demanding' a response, but in reality has probably just completely given himself over to Him, and is pleading for some help. '...hear my prayer.", he says. Isn't it interesting how he asks God to hear him? We don't make it a habit of telling someone to whom we are talking to 'hear' us, as we would expect anyone within 'ear-shot' to do just that. Why didn't David expect God to hear him? Why would he plead for God to listen and hear? I think it has to do with US, not God. I think God 'hears' all the time, but I think we doubt that He does. When we don't get 'immediate' answers to our prayers, we figure God hasn't heard us, so we repeat our prayer next time, and the next and the next (kinda like the moral of the judge and the persistent widow). When in reality, God hears everything. He may choose to IGNORE our prayers for several reasons....the primary two being that we are in unrepentant sin and/or what we are asking for is something we don't NEED. My prayer life is terrible. I never get down on my knees. I never lay prone with my fact to the ground. I never lift my hands and head upward during prayer. I usually just sit and hang my head. I am glad Rich suggested (more than once) to get together to have prayer together. Maybe God will answer our prayers on Saturday when He hears us, or maybe he will choose to ignore us (for various reasons). However, if we never pray, then, for sure, God will never answer. See you guys at 8....if I don't answer the door, I am in the basement...you can enter at front door, or down back. Reply to this
January 5, 2008 12:50 AM
Rich wrote:
I have been gone at a business meeting since 1:00 pm today. I do not know how to get to Mac's house. I need an address or something that I can mapquest. Reply to this
true or false? 1+2+3+4=5
1-8 who ever wrote the book "the power of positive thinking" stole that idea from God. These are the directions on how to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ!
"9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." How many of us could say this about our lives. I know I would not want someone to emulate me at this point. I know the good I aught to be doing but the truth of the matter is I don't do it very often. sure, by the world's standards I am a good person, but that standard is not very high. I really want to focus all my energy on seeking and saving the lost. Of course I believe that is the good I aught to be doing.
10-23 learn to be content! this is a challenge for some of us. we can sometimes feel like God owes us something, like life is not fair. Paul states that what ever was learned from knowing him put it into practice, then just after that he speaks of learning contentness.
summery:
1-rejoice (see Rich's comment yesterday)
2-think about positive things
3-put it into practice emulation of Paul
4-be content
AND FINALLY! 5-And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
So many times Gods plans are like math problems to me 1+2+3+4=5
answer: true! God is Good
Reply to this
I am an anxious person. Anxious = full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried. Synonyms are: concerned, disturbed, apprehensive, fearful, uneasy. This describes me all too often. I am concerned about my wife, our relationship and her health, disturbed about my job and my finances, apprehensive about my kid's future and their spiritual well being, fearful of the future, and often uneasy about friendships and business partnerships/dealings. I do a good job of hiding my anxiety, but the truth is, I am an anxious person. But Paul tells me to not be anxious about anything. This is very challenging to me. I stuff my anxiety well, but I do not properly DEAL with my anxiety. How am I to do that? In EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present my requests (my desires to be free of anxieties) to God. Then I will have the peace of God.
I was just thinking about the PEACE of God. God created so much beauty. Two summers ago we were in Utah, driving through Zion National Park at 1:00 in the morning. All were asleep in the car, except for me (that was good since I was driving). The night was perfectly clear and the sky was full of stars. I stopped the car on the side of the road and climbed up onto the roof (was driving an SUV). Even though it was cold (about 35 degrees) and I did not have on a jacket, I was so amazed and mesmerized with the stars in the sky that I felt nothing but total and complete peace. That sky was the most beautiful thing that I ever saw. I can still picture and feel the peace as I write this. And that is just one example of the peace that God created. As I think about creation, I think I get a glimpse of the peace of God. And that is what God is offering to me. Not the anxiety that I often feel, but the peace of the stars in the Utah sky. The peace of the sound of ocean waves, the peace of a bird gliding through the air, the peace of a snow covered mountain, the peace of tidal pools I sat by in Maine when I was a kid, and on and on. As I think more about creation, I get even more amazed. God is the author of peace. He has surrounded us with glimpses of peace. Sure the world is full of crime and disappointment and all sort of crap (just saying it as it is), but this is not God. God and what he offers to us is peace.
The peace he offers to us "transcends all understanding." So even though I get a glimpse of the peace of God in nature, this is just a glimpse. The peace that God can give transcends (= to pass beyond the limits of; to be greater than, as in intensity or power; surpass; excel; to exist above and independent of) all understanding. That is amazing. It is even more, above and beyond anything that I can imagine.
I am going to pray and lay my anxieties before God. Why? Because it is something that I have to do or am supposed to do? No, because I want the PEACE of God!!!
Reply to this
Psalm 4.1(b)....
"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." It sounds like David is 'demanding' a response, but in reality has probably just completely given himself over to Him, and is pleading for some help. '...hear my prayer.", he says. Isn't it interesting how he asks God to hear him? We don't make it a habit of telling someone to whom we are talking to 'hear' us, as we would expect anyone within 'ear-shot' to do just that. Why didn't David expect God to hear him? Why would he plead for God to listen and hear? I think it has to do with US, not God. I think God 'hears' all the time, but I think we doubt that He does. When we don't get 'immediate' answers to our prayers, we figure God hasn't heard us, so we repeat our prayer next time, and the next and the next (kinda like the moral of the judge and the persistent widow). When in reality, God hears everything. He may choose to IGNORE our prayers for several reasons....the primary two being that we are in unrepentant sin and/or what we are asking for is something we don't NEED. My prayer life is terrible. I never get down on my knees. I never lay prone with my fact to the ground. I never lift my hands and head upward during prayer. I usually just sit and hang my head. I am glad Rich suggested (more than once) to get together to have prayer together. Maybe God will answer our prayers on Saturday when He hears us, or maybe he will choose to ignore us (for various reasons). However, if we never pray, then, for sure, God will never answer. See you guys at 8....if I don't answer the door, I am in the basement...you can enter at front door, or down back.
Reply to this
I have been gone at a business meeting since 1:00 pm today. I do not know how to get to Mac's house. I need an address or something that I can mapquest.
Reply to this
to rich....I left message on your cell
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How am I tired to work!
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