When you need to decide: Five scriptures to help

July 4, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 6 Comments

How many decisions do you make in a day?

You can breeze through many on autopilot.
But occasionally one will paralyze you.

When you get stuck—you want to make the God-honoring choice but you don’t know which it is!—what do you do next?

Let these five principles from scripture help:

1. Tune out distractions and tune in God

The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130

First turn down the noise—social media, TV, busyness—that may be drowning out a clearer answer to your prayers. Then press in hard to hear God.

If your hearing has gone bad from poor spiritual habits, build those back up. Search the scriptures for godly principles that apply to your dilemma. Look for God’s character in the stories you read and see how you can best mirror His character with the choice you need to make.

2. Seek godly counsel from others

Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future.
Proverbs 19:20

Look to see who God has already placed in your life you can consult. Who among your spiritual friends has walked this path? Is there a mature Christian in your family who can advise you? Are there experts in the field—in person, in print—that you’ve yet to meet who can give you additional information?

Notice threads of similar advice and principles you may have overlooked in your initial thinking.

3. Narrow down your choices

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17

Now lay out your options, crossing off ones least likely to honor God, and circling ones most likely to bring Him glory.

Humbly confront your motives: do certain choices appeal more to YOU than to Him (James 4:3)? Eliminate options more about saving face and keeping control than about pleasing the Father.

If certain choices are time-contingent, and the pace seems out of God’s timing—either too rushed or too prolonged—discard those as well. While waiting on the Lord may be difficult (Psalm 27:14), He can build up your strength during the wait (Isaiah 40:31).

4. Do something

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:22

On the other hand, if you’re only waiting because you’re too scared to act, set fear aside and step out in faith (Joshua 1:9).

If you’ve sought God through prayer, Bible study, godly counsel, and time, stop delaying the decision and just make it! Trust that God is true to His word—you ask in faith for wisdom; He generously supplies it (James 1:5-6).

5. Give thanks for the results He’ll bring

The LORD is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7

Instead of second-guessing the decision you’ve now made, give thanks for it. Look forward to how God will bless it. Believe He will work good out of your choice (Romans 8:28). Rest in the peace He’s sending to guard your heart and mind (Philippians 4:6-7).

As you enhance your spiritual sensitivity to God’s guidance, making decisions still won’t always come easily, but you can grow in your confidence that the Lord is leading you.

He will bless your obedience as you strive to honor Him with your choices.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

Do you have a hard decision you’re trying to make right now?
What helps you decide when you don’t know what to do?
Are there special scriptures you turn to? Please share!

revised from the archives

Remembering on the road: Memory verses for trips (and free printable)

June 13, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 12 Comments

Before you hit the road this summer, take these easy steps to make your trip more meaningful.

Through the intentional use of memory verses, you can discover God’s love in new ways everywhere you go.

1. Choose the right verse

Set yourself up for success—pick an easy one. Either concentrate on one you’re already learning, or pick a fresh one specifically for your trip [see suggestions here]. A mission trip might need a different scripture than a visit to Grandma’s.

The family might learn one verse together, or each member learn a separate verse.

2. Gather your supplies

Write out your verse on sticky notes ahead of time to place on the hotel fridge or the ice chest in your tent. Bring a pack of 4×6 cards and markers for your kids (and you!) to write out the verse or sketch a picture of it during travel time. Consider bringing a simple rewards chart with stickers for once-a-day (or every other day?) recitations.

3. Get creative

Take one picture a day where you see this verse in action—maybe in a colorful wildflower or a child’s toe dipping in the ocean. Collect physical mementos that remind you of the verse. Draw a picture; write a song; compose a poem.

Proactively make tangible connections between the truths in the verse and the God all around you.

4. Share it with others

If you stay plugged in on your trip, post a picture to Instagram or Facebook with your memory verse as text or with a link to the reference on Bible Gateway. Send a postcard about it to friends back home.

As you seek opportunities to share the words you’re learning, you’ll stay more aware of them yourself.

5. Collect in an album

Back home, gather your photos and 4×6 cards in a small album as a reminder of God’s faithfulness on your trip. Or turn your Instagram pictures into picture magnets.

Having visible reminders of the relationships you made between the written word and the Living Word will cement your memories even deeper in your heart.

Most of all, keep it delightful. Training ourselves to clearly see God’s beauty everywhere should be an exciting adventure, not a guilt-ridden drudgery. If you miss a day, don’t sweat it. Maybe you won’t totally memorize your verse word-perfect; that’s okay. Bask in God’s truths through new experiences, new people, and new memories.

Because every trip is far better when God travels with us!

Resources

FREE PRINTABLES:

Have you ever memorized on the road?
What theme scripture might describe your summer?
Is there a verse you’re learning right now?

Please share in the comments.

Bible study tools for vacation & travel season

June 4, 2013 by Julie 3 Comments

When temperatures rise, class schedules end, and daylight hours linger, most of us take time off from routines and work. Vacations call us to places of rest or adventure. The open road invites us to sigh deeply and hit our inner reset button.

If we’re honest, it can take a lot of work to get to those places of rest, but it’s worth it. Just one day of digging our feet in the sand, smelling crisp mountain air, or hearing unfettered laughter from those we love is enough to motivate us to do what it takes to go on vacation. After searching for the best deal for our budget, reserving our lodging, buying tickets or checking tires, making arrangements for the cat, stopping the mail, buying sunscreen, and more, we still hope and pray we haven’t forgotten anything. We might leave out what matters most.

If weighing luggage is part of your preparations, you carefully decide what goes and what stays. If children are part of your plans, you pack every crevice of a mini-van with tricks for every potential over the miles, and then you drive all night. With so much to think about to make a vacation all we dream it can be, all we pray it will be … it’s not hard to see why we might forget something that’s part of our routine lives, but still needs to be part of our time away. How can we keep up holy habits when we’re on the road and away from home?

Vacations are not only times for adventure, rest, and relationship. Vacations are also opportunities for a fresh infusion of truth into our tired lives.

While we probably don’t have room to take our study Bibles, prayer notebooks, concordances, and prayer partners, there’s an alternative to just leaving truth out of our time away. This month we invite you to open up your beach bag or backpack and pack some tools designed to help you make the truth a fresh and functional part of your travel plans. We’ll share some ideas for individuals and even for family. After all, Jesus beckons us to get away from our burdens and find rest … in Him.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” ~ Matthew 11:28

The Do Not Depart team looks forward to taking a deep breath, closing our eyes, and enjoying a rest from work and routines. It’s not only a great chance to catch up on sleep, read good books, eat seafood, try a paddle board, sleep on the beach (Can you tell we really want to go on vacation?), or play games late into the night. It’s also a sweet time to quench our thirst with the Living Water and enjoy Him apart from the usual things of our days.

Will you join us? It’s time to get away for a little vacation together!

Click to tweet this post and share about the June theme at Do Not Depart.

Almost-Grown: How to Keep the Faith

May 16, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 17 Comments

Maybe your child is about to graduate. Or already away at college or on their own.

Or maybe you just want to get ready now for what’s to come later.

“Let the children come” (Matthew 19:14) isn’t just for your little ones. Help your children of all ages continue coming to the Lord.

How can you assist their transition from pizza party youth groups to an authentic working faith of their own?

Not by old strategies. What worked at nine won’t work when they’re nineteen. You no longer choose their bedtime Bible stories. You can’t drag them to Sunday school each week. No more gold stars for Bible chapters read.

So what can you do to help your older children stay in the Word?

HERE ARE 8 GUIDELINES:

1. Emphasize the Living Word (John 1:1)
Remember the goal isn’t to keep your child in the Bible; it’s for your child to abide in Jesus. Your kids may know the stories about Him; now help them discover how they fit into His story. Talk with them about how God is working in them and their circumstances. Bridge the written words in the Bible to the Living Word in their lives.

2. Invite them deeper into your world
When they’re home for a weekend, invite them to go with you to your adult spiritual gatherings. Suggest more mature Christians books for them to read. Share new things you are learning in scripture and get their opinions on it.

3. Go with them into their world
If they have their own church home, visit with them when invited. Look for positives there, withholding criticisms on non-essential differences. If they’re experimenting with gatherings different than your own or drawing opposing conclusions, discuss your views honestly, but don’t argue or dictate what they should believe.

4. Give them growing room
But what if they’ve left behind all things spiritual? Practice grace. Don’t show shock or fear if they open up to you about their doubts or new worldviews. You’re in relationship for the long haul—keep the communication lines open. Pray, influence when you can, and show them unconditional love (even if that means tough love for a season). Remain hopeful in the God who can transform.

5. Let them teach you
This can be a time of growth for you, too. Show excitement as they share what they’re learning, and incorporate that into your own spiritual walk. Be open about your doubts and be willing to change your beliefs if you’re wrong. Allow them to question your traditions, mindful to keep the dialogue respectful in both directions.

6. Keep up on current events
Stay abreast of hot issues relevant to your children and their friends, such as gay marriage, immigration reform, abortion. Pay attention to what interests them and others in their peer group. Equip yourself for godly and intelligent conversations about cultural changes.

7. Be their encourager
Don’t nag. Don’t lay guilt trips. Don’t transfer your anxieties onto them. Instead, remind them of God’s promises from His Word and offer prayers of encouragement. Send scriptures of hope in a card or a text. Point out how you see God as present and active in whatever they’re going through.

8. Release them (again) to God
Even if you gave them to God when they were tiny, you’ll find that you again want to hold tightly after they leave your nest. But remember God has more power, wisdom, and love to guide them in His steps than you do. Trust in His grace, not your parenting. He’ll be glorified when you depend more on Him than your own schemes of child protection.

BENEFITS

As your children grow and struggle and eventually make their faith their own (we all pray!), your faith will continue to grow as well. Lean harder than ever on the God of grace. And as you get closer to Him, you’ll learn more how to love your child even better in this next phase of life.

What a great reward to have your son or daughter become a very special brother or sister in Christ, a true soul friend!

Please also read Teri Lynne’s 5 Guidelines for Helping Your Teenager Abide in the Word.

What advice would you give parents of college-age children? What’s a struggle you’re having or anticipating for that age? What helped (or hindered!) your faith after you turned 18? Please leave us your thoughts below.

Your Moment of Surrender – 5 Little Things to Give Up

April 11, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 21 Comments

I dream that in a moment of dramatic testing, I’d make the big sacrifice. You know the one—gun to the head, demanding me to deny Jesus, my very life at stake. And I boldly proclaim, “Jesus forever!”, giving up my earthly life.

Yet I can’t give up my place in line at Walmart?

Do you also experience these smaller tugs of war to die to self and live for Christ? Afraid that if you loosen your grip, the situation will spin out of control or a treasure will slip through your fingers? I want to hand over all my concerns and plans to the Lord, but I don’t do it as fully as I’d like.

So how do we learn to let go of our will and grab hold of God’s?

HOW DID JESUS DO IT?

In coming to earth—trading in the Taj Mahal for a shack—Jesus turned Himself inside out, laying down all the privileges of royalty, living in the skin of a servant instead.

Who, though he was in the form of God, [Jesus] did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:6-7

How could He? Because He wanted to please the Father more than He wanted to please Himself (Luke 22:42). And because He understood the joy to come would exceed the cost of the moment (Hebrews 12:2).

So He surrendered to the moment (Luke 23:46).

YOUR MOMENT OF SURRENDER

Which moment is your grand moment of surrender? This one.

Maybe you’re not asked in this moment to physically die for the cause, but you are daily called to numerous symbolic deaths. Consider these five practices to help surrender a little thing today.

5 LITTLE THINGS TO GIVE UP

1. Give up the last word
In that discussion with your man or a co-worker, eliminate a few of your own words and instead listen to more of theirs. Giving up your demand to be understood and have the last word makes a difference in the climate of your home or office. Jesus was amazing at this (Mark 15:3-5).

2. Give up your place in line
That harried mom with the whiny toddler? Let her cut in line at the grocery store. Or make room for that speeding maniac to merge in front of you in traffic. By surrendering your place in line—literally and figuratively—you practice putting others before yourself, exactly what God did for you (Romans 8:32).

3. Give up doing it alone
Winning the prize for “Ms. Independent” isn’t a trophy you want. Practice humility by accepting help from others and learn selflessness by giving help to others. Even Jesus did nothing by Himself (John 5:19).

4. Give up a dollar
If your finances allow, add an extra dollar above your normal tip to the waitress. Or toss some cash to the guy collecting money for a good cause outside the mall. Small sacrifices are big practices for storing less treasure here and releasing more into the Kingdom (Matthew 6:19-21).

5. Give up the clear answer
Sometimes we hesitate and wait for overwhelming confirmation and safety before we’ll step out in faith. And while Jesus says count the cost, he also says follow him (Matthew 8:22). Peter didn’t have time to analyze the water temperature and buoyancy levels before he walked on the water to Jesus. Surrender your desire for perfect clarity and instead depend more on God’s grace.

LITTLE IS BIG

Every surrender is an offering to God that can bring Him glory, no matter its size. And maybe the little things are really big after all. Because when we surrender to Jesus, we lose nothing of value, but we gain an eternity of joy.

What “little things” are hard for you to surrender on a daily basis? What helps you give them up? Do you have a favorite scripture about surrendering? Please leave a comment below.

Touch the dead. I dare you.

March 14, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 17 Comments

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.”
John 11:25

I went to my great-uncle’s funeral last month. During the visitation period, I saw his young granddaughter suddenly rush in, touch the casket, then run away.

Her mom immediately demanded an explanation. The daughter replied she had been dared to do it. Her cousins challenged and she accepted.

Can we take a dare and touch the dead, too?

Yes, if we’ve been touched by Jesus first. Because when Jesus touches the dead, the dead come to life. Only the living can touch the dead.

During these remaining weeks leading to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection on Easter morning, may we who’ve been brought back to life commit to touching others who haven’t been. While we can’t wake the dead—only God can do that—we can love them in ways that attract them to Jesus.

How? What can the living do that the dead cannot? How can those resurrected into light shine brightest to those in the darkness?

Here are six ways you can touch the dead.

1. Tell of your own resurrection
Only those who’ve died to self and now live in Christ can witness to what that feels like. New life is great news. The best news. Be a living testimony to Jesus’s resurrection by telling of your own (Romans 8:11).

2. Give grace generously
Grace is not natural. The only way to give it abundantly is if you’ve received it abundantly (John 1:16). As a child of God, you have (1 Peter 4:10). Wake up to your reality and bestow it on those who’ve not seen it. May it inspire them to seek its Source.

3. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven
Being born again gave you a fresh start. Your sins, debts, offenses against God were totally forgiven. If you likewise forgive others the debts they owe you (Matthew 6:12), you witness to a living power greater than yourself (Ephesians 4:32). Who doesn’t want to be forgiven?

4. Love in unexplainable ways
You’ve been loved back to life; now let it overflow onto others. Demonstrate the love of God that is more penetrating, more abundant, more lasting than anything you could conjure up on your own (1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

5. Be last in a “me-first” world
If you put others before yourself (Philippians 2:3-4), they’ll know something is different inside you. Only those who’ve experienced death and then life anew can consistently be selfless in a self-centered world. Put those around you first to point to Jesus’s humility and ultimate exaltation.

6. Treat everyone with respect
The dead aren’t accustomed to being treated well. Show them differently (Romans 12:16). Remind them of their specialness—they are made in God’s image!—by honoring them as such.

There are plenty of walking dead around us. What they need—and we all need—are more Spirit-revived people who breathe life everywhere they go, reflecting the heartbeat of Jesus. Let’s live like the resurrected people we are.

Touch the dead today.
You’ve been brought back to life to do it.
I double-dog dare you.

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.
1 John 3:14a

What else can the living do that the dead cannot? Do you have a favorite scripture about life? How are you preparing for Easter?

10 Tips for Making the Most of Online Community

February 14, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 29 Comments

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Ephesians 4:29

Maybe we’re in our pajamas. Maybe it’s 3 a.m. Maybe we’re not even in town.

But in our new world, these are no longer limitations.

For example, in this little corner we gather any time, from many different countries, to memorize scripture together. We come to encourage or share a photo or ask a question (what does “portent” mean in Psalm 71:7?).

It’s online community. It’s relatively new to us all. And it’s quite an opportunity.

With only a keyboard and screen, we can type out love for God and others from wherever we are to any person with internet connectivity. While online encounters should never replace in-person ones, they are legitimately useful in our modern lives, a positive addition to our global neighborhood.

Here are ten tips to make the most of your online community:

1. Be you
Whether you’re an introvert or extrovert, have lots to say or little, you now have a turn to talk. Your voice—be it quiet or loud—has never had greater opportunity to be heard as widely as now. So be authentic and give what only you can—you and how you are seeing the Lord in our world. Stay within boundaries of comfort, safety, and appropriateness when you share, but do be real.

2. Genuinely listen
Turn up the volume to hear what others have to say. It’s tempting to quickly scan what others write, but tune in to their stories. Listen to their comments. Hear their hearts. Just because they can’t see whether or not you’re paying attention, read thoughtfully anyway.

3. Talk back
One-way communication doesn’t create community. If you want to establish relationships, leave a grateful comment after reading an encouraging post. Answer a question on Twitter. Message a Bible verse that would be helpful. Skype for back and forth conversation.

4. Pray
And don’t just say you will; do it. If an online friend shares a prayer request on a forum, pray as you read so you won’t forget. Or type out your prayer and email it out to them as well as up to God.

5. Go deep
Invest in a handful of online friends that you truly connect with by giving them extra attention. Nurture a smaller community within a larger one, such as the small groups of six in the Soli Deo Gloria community. Stick with the same blogger’s link-up for several weeks until you recognize who’s who.

6. Spread wide
Just as with face-to-face friends, you can only go deep with a few, but you can say a kind word to many—a quick “like” or “Happy Birthday” on a Facebook page keeps connections alive. I communicate with just a few words to many Spanish-speaking friends in El Salvador (thanks to Google Translate).

7. Accept limits
Monitor your time online; don’t sacrifice in-the-flesh companions because you’re tied to your iPhone. Don’t publish what you might regret; online words are documented and permanent. Slow down to respond; just because you can reply immediately doesn’t mean you have to. Honor confidences shared privately. Create appropriate boundaries with opposite-sex relationships.

8. Take it offline
Surprise an online friend with a card in your handwriting or a small gift via snail mail. If you’ve established a trusted relationship, and an opportunity arises, meet in person at a conference or restaurant or church. Talking online is good, but worshiping side by side—hearing each other sing praises or praying together—brings you even closer.

9. Be a resource
Recommend relevant sites, software tools, Pinterest boards to others who can benefit from them. Retweet helpful links. Welcome newbies to an online group you’re already in. Post helpful book reviews on sites like Amazon or reading groups like Goodreads.

10. Above all, love
The greatest command applies online as well as off—love God, love others (Matthew 22:36-39). Let this question be the final one you ask before you hit send or publish: “Am I loving God and loving others with these words?”

Our advancing technologies continue to provide new mediums to nurture friendships and build faith. Now that we’re online, let’s stay connected . . . for God’s glory and each others’ good.

Share your experience with online community. What social media do you use for community? Have you met online friends in person? Please leave a comment below.

Let’s Mean It – “God Bless You!”

January 17, 2013 by Lisa Burgess 9 Comments

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26

My daughter Jenna sneezes in pairs.

Jenna: Achoo!
Me: God bless you.
Jenna: Achoo!
Me: God bless you.

I don’t think twice about my response either time. If you were to sneeze behind me at Kroger, I’d give you a “God bless you,” too. You’d do the same for me, yes?

Are we practicing a spiritual discipline when we say those words? Probably not, if we’re only offering “God bless you” out of cultural habit.

But can offering blessings be an exercise in spiritual discipline? Most definitely. Something as simple as a “God bless you” can be redeemed for His glory. If exercised intentionally, blessing others brings you closer to God as you partner with Him to spread the love of Jesus.

Yet let’s not limit our verbal blessings to sneezing fits when we have so much more to offer.

God offered the first blessings (and continues to go first! Ephesians 1:3) on Adam and Eve with, “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:22). He promised big blessings to Abraham as well as promised to make Abraham a blessing (Genesis 12:2-3).

Later we see Rebekah’s family blessing her (Genesis 24:60), Isaac blessing Jacob (Genesis 27:28-29), Jonathan blessing David (1 Samuel 20:13), and the psalmists routinely blessing God Himself (Psalm 103:1). From then to now, blessings are routinely offered in orthodox Jewish homes from parent to child.

In the Middle Ages, the simple “God bless you” phrase was to ward off the plague. Or to refill a supposed emptied body with good instead of evil spirits, having just sneezed out its soul.

But why and how should we bless others today?

1. To draw us nearer to the heart of God

When we consciously choose to speak God’s blessings into the lives of our friends, we press in closer to hear His heart so we’ll know what to offer. Listen to His blessings the apostles’ wrote:

“May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”
1 Peter 1:2

“May the God of peace equip you with everything good to do his will.”
Hebrews 13:20-21

We can use theirs as well as create our own blessings based on truths we’ve learned from the Lord:

“May the love of the Father awaken you; may the presence of the Son enliven you; may the breath of the Spirit empower you, to hope in His grace and to follow His will today.”

2. To exercise our priestly duties

But who are we to offer God’s blessings? Most of us aren’t ordained ministers or official church officers. Are we qualified for this? Yes! We are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9), uniquely positioned to remind others of the gifts prepared for them by our good Father (James 1:17).

We’re not called to spectate as others give blessings; we’re called to participate. To bless and be blessed (1 Peter 3:9).

3. To feed a world hungry for God

By deciding to bless others as a spiritual discipline, we become more aware of those around us needing our Savior’s sweet touch.

Who could use a blessing from you this week?

A teacher: “May the Lord bless your work as you pour knowledge into the minds of children.”
A friend traveling: “May your presence be light and salt in every city you enter.”
A troubled sister: “May the Lord grow your peace by leaps and bounds and fill you with strength to endure every trial with hope.”
Your child: “May you grow in wisdom and understanding to see God’s love for you through my love for you.”
Your parents: “May you be richly replenished throughout your golden years for giving me life and teaching me to love the Lord.”

Say it. Pray it. Write it. Type it.
In person, in a card, in an email, over the phone. Just do it.

Friends don’t let friends live unblessed. Don’t let yours go until you bless them (Genesis 32:26).

May you be blessed by the Lord as you bless others through the Lord, with or without a sneeze for prompting.

When have you received a blessing from someone? Is there someone you can bless this week? Do you have a favorite scripture of blessing? We’d love to hear from you.

For more on how to give blessings, including and beyond the spoken word, I recommend The Blessing by John Trent and Gary Smalley.

Love like Him: Love Isn’t Resentful

June 25, 2012 by Lisa Burgess 10 Comments

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:18

Ouch. What a week to be studying 2 Corinthians 5:14-21. (Do you ever wonder how God pinpoints our tender spots with each study?)

God knows I needed this one. I’ve recently signed off a chapter of my life. But remaining behind are many mixed emotions. Including some leftover resentment.

The more I think about it, the more I think I’m due payment on some outstanding debts. I deserve some apologies. Definitely more respect. And quite a few opportunities, not just for me but for many.

Oh, it sounds so ugly, yes? Yes. And rightly so. Can you imagine Christ saying those things? Nope, me neither.

On the contrary, not only did He not call in the debts owed Him (and we know He could have!), He paid off everybody else’s. Including mine.

And including the few I think are owed me. They’re no longer mine to cash in. When I became a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17), I handed them over—the few dollars’ debt owed me in exchange for the release of trillions I owed Him. And I paid no broker’s fee.

That means I’m free to travel light. I can liquidate my inventory. No resentment to hold on to. No bitterness to fester. No grudges to grow interest.

And I’m to spread that message to others.

God invites my participation in publicizing this debt-elimination plan (2 Corinthians 5:19). To let others know they, too, can live debt-free. They, too, can trade in balancing the books each month for a journey of grace and peace instead.

It’s the great exchange.

So what will I do with the supposed debts owed me? With grace from God, I’ll rip them up, then fall on my knees in praise to Him for doing the same with mine.

Easy? No. But possible? Yes. Not because I have great character or willpower, but because the love of Christ is to control me (2 Corinthians 5:14). The more amazed I am at His grace given me, the more grace I can show others.

That’s an investment I can’t resist. And the dividends will grow into eternity.

Is there a debt someone owes you? What are you waiting for before you forgive it?

Is there a verse in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 that hits a tender spot with you?

Love Like Him: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

June 4, 2012 by Katie Orr 2 Comments

I’ve shared this before over on my personal blog, but I saw so many of these great, personal versions of 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 this week shared in the #LoveLikeHim stream on Twitter, I thought I would share mine again.

IF I AM FULL OF LOVE…

I will persevere the offenses of others.

I will show kindness to those who have offended me.

I will not boil with envy.

I will not put myself on display.

I will not put my desires above the needs of others.

I will not demand my own way.

I will not be irritable towards those that I love.

I will not resent those that I love.

I will not enjoy sin, but take joy in what is right.

I will be a protective covering over those around me, as we weather together the storms that come our way.

I will choose to believe the best of those I love.

I will keep a confident expectation for good things to come

I will remain and not run away, even when the unthinkable happens.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 — as how I want this passage to be made true in my life

I would LOVE for you to share yours as well! Just leave a link to your post, or copy out your “re-write” of these verses in the comments.

What is God teaching you about LOVE through your studies?

Love Like Him: 1 Corinthians 13:1-3

May 28, 2012 by Guest Post 10 Comments

“Love is not affectionate feeling, but a steady wish for the loved person’s ultimate good as far as it can be obtained” C.S. Lewis

The breeze blows in as the sun sags low on the horizon. Dinner’s still unmade and words twist tangled in a mess in my head and my heart. I’m dying for some peace and quiet to try to undo the knots that have accumulated throughout this day. They’re all hanging on me this this late hour and emotionally I love them but my actions speak another emotion.

Annoyance. Frustration. Irritation.

When it comes down to it it matters little to them if I make their favorite pumpkin-chocolate-chip muffins, or those stuffed peppers he’s been begging for. That’s nice of me. It makes them smile and their smiles make me feel good, but those are just actions.

Anyone can make them muffins. A restaurant could deliver the craved stuffed peppers.

Who cares?

If I just move through the motions of loving my family but don’t actually love them with the selfless love of Christ, it’s all meaningless.

In 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Paul says,

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

I’ve read and re-read this scripture repeatedly–with each reading I stand convicted.

Our motives matter. Obedience out of obligation is worthless.

Obedience on the outside is easy compared to obedience of the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 reminds us that God looks at our hearts. Christ commands us to love one another, not just for their benefit, but for our own as well (John 15:11). Paul says when we crash through life, gongs banging, we are nothing and we gain nothing. We make ourselves irrelevant by acting apart from love.

The Greek word Paul uses here for love is agape. This is not an emotional love. Agape is the love that went to the cross for us. Agape love says “I love you no matter what you do, whether you love me back or crucify me, I will love you”.

When I love selfishly, with my hand out waiting for my reward and acknowledgement, it’s worthless.

Galatians 5:22 names love as the first fruit of the spirit. 2nd Peter chapter 1, he says to add to our faith, (among other attributes) unselfish love. Peter goes on to say in verse 8, “for if these things are really yours and continually increasing, they will keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of knowing our Lord Jesus Christ more intimately.” To Paul’s point, when our motivation for our actions and behaviors is love, we are no longer clanging cymbals–ineffective, noisy nothings. Offering nothing, gaining nothing.

This term Paul uses for love is used roughly 228 times in the New Testament.

Love matters.

1 Corinthians 13:13 names love as the greatest gift. Christ demonstrated what that love looks like, as He made His way to the cross and bore our sins.

We are called to love like Christ–to love unselfishly. In John 13:34 Christ says,

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another”.

Christians are to make Christ known to the world not by flaunting their spiritual gifts, but rather by demonstrating the sacrificial love of Christ that places others before self and willingly bends low to raise another up.

Apart from this we’re just noisy–just hollow clanging, banging emptiness with no purpose, with no effectiveness.

We make our way from yard to kitchen, kicking off shoes and lumbering a dusty-sweaty trail of half-pints upstairs to the tub, these words press hard at my heart and I catch myself before I open my mouth. I must love them, even when I am tired and aching for quiet. I must love them because that’s Christ in me. Learning to love as He loves is no simple task. A thousand opportunities present daily and love becomes a choice to be made.

If you aren’t yet, consider joining us for the Love Like Him bible study? You are welcome to jump in any time!

What did you learn from the passage this week? What is God showing you about the way you love?

Kris is just a girl who loves Jesus with her whole heart. She is a stay at home mom, MOPS Coordinator and an Advocate for Compassion International. Kris winds through her days, homeschooling 4 kids, and playing wife to her amazing husband.The floors are covered in crumbs and the washing machine never stops running (never!) but she counts each day as a gift! In her spare time (ha!) she writes, reads and plays with her camera.

I Praise Because He is Worthy (Run to Him – Psalm 148)

April 14, 2012 by Katie Orr 2 Comments

We’ve been in Psalm 148 this week. Everytime I read it, I get this Seeds Family Worship song stuck in my head. (Click here if you can’t see the video.) It’s my daughter’s favorite Seed’s song, and she asks for it almost every time we get in the car. So I’ve listened to it…a lot.

Praise the Lord!

There is no mistaking the main command in Psalm 148! We are to praise the Lord.

I looked at the Hebrew word for praise this week; it is halal. I love the insight looking at the original language gives:

…to shine…to make a show, to boast; and thus to be (clamorously) foolish; to rave…celebrate, commend…glory, give (light)…(sing, be worthy of) praise…renowned, shine. (Strong’s Concordance via eBible)

How to Praise the Lord

One fun Bible study tool is to insert these synonyms into the verses, to get a fuller meaning of the text. Let’s try it together!

Shine the Lord!
Make a show about the Lord!
Boast about the Lord!
Be clamorously foolish about the Lord!
Rave about the Lord!
Celebrate the Lord!
Commend the Lord!
Give glory to the Lord!

Doesn’t this give a better idea of what it means to praise the Lord?

Let them praise the name of the Lord!

What can you praise God for today? Share it in the comments below!

Oh sing to the Lord a new song;
sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised!
(Psalm 96:1-4 ESV)

(And by the way, the picture above is the perfect dimensions for a free Facebook cover. To download it for free, just right click the picture to download!)

I Obey Because He Instructs Righteousness (Run to Him – Psalm 119)

March 31, 2012 by Katie Orr 2 Comments

Obedience.

It’s hard for my four year old. (It’s also hard for that four-year-old’s momma.)

Though I long to live a life of obedience to His commands, I struggle daily to keep my feet on the narrow path.

Obedience is not simply a choice of the will, as our efforts will only bring us so far. Our beliefs come in to play as well.

When I disobey I am ultimately saying that I know better—just like my four year old. Now, I might never say so with my mouth—that I know better than God—but I say it daily when I choose my own way.

You do too.

Disobedience, even in the smallest of choices, is at its core rebellion against the God of those commands.

When I choose selfishness instead of sacrifice, I sin. When I “vent” my frustrations about a difficult person instead of holding my tongue, I disobey. When my thoughts drift to discontentment and dwell in an attitude of ungratefulness, I rebel.

In each of these situations, I say “Katie knows best.”

Obedience is saying “God knows best.”

Holiness is not a series of do’s and don’ts, but conformity to the character of God and obedience to the will of God. – Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

The Beliefs of the Psalmist

Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them. (Psalm 119:129)

The psalmist was not some super-Christian, who had more ability to obey than you or me. We have all been given everything we need for godliness (2 Peter 1). We just need to figure out what hinders us. Oftentimes it is because we don’t believe that God and His commands are good. The psalmist saw God’s commands as wonderful, and I fully believe that had all to do with his commitment to obedience.

Here is more of what the psalmist believed:

God’s words gives light and understanding. (Psalm 119:130)
His rules are forever right and faithful. (Psalm 119:138, 144)
God righteousness is everlasting. (Psalm 119:137,142)
His Word is very pure. (Psalm 119:140)
His law is truth and well tried. (Psalm 119:142)

Because of these beliefs, the writer of this Psalm had a resolved commitment to the Word of God, and the God of those words. This commitment flows naturally into obedience.

The Actions of the Psalmist

Here are just a few actions I saw of the psalmist:

He longed for God’s commandments. (Psalm 119:131)
He prayed for God to teach him His statues, and direct his steps by the Word (Psalm 119:133, 135)
He loved the Word. (Psalm 119:140)
He delighted in God’s commands. DELIGHTED. (Psalm 119:35, 143)
He was determined to walk in obedience to God’s Word. (Psalm 119:33,34,57)

The psalmist understood the relationship between God and His commandments. They could not be separated. If He wanted to be near to God, He must walk in His commands. He saw God and His commandments as good, right, and trustworthy. That made all the difference in his obedience.

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds on our way!

While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,

and with all who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet,

or we’ll walk by his side in the way;

what he says we will do,

where he sends we will go;

never fear, only trust and obey.

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

–John H. Sammis

What did you see in the verses you studied this week? Come and share with us what you learned!

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The Most Powerful List You Can Make :: Run to Him :: Psalm 77

March 9, 2012 by Do Not Depart 8 Comments

We make lists. To do lists. To read lists. To buy lists.

We live in a fast paced society that is all about getting things done. Go. Go. Go. Our culture sees the power in movement. But in all that getting ahead, we miss the power of remembering.

Sometimes? At the end of a day, I make a list of the things I accomplished simply so I can check them off. Yes, I’m one of those people. But there is a certain power and momentum in remembering what we’ve done.

Photo credit

Apparently, the Psalmist was a list maker too. But he didn’t make a list of all the things he has or hasn’t done. Instead, he made a list of all the things God has done. And wow what a difference it made!

In Psalm 77, the writer was having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

…I would not be comforted… (v. 2)

I was too troubled to speak. (v. 4)

Ever had one of those days? Ever wonder how to change the course of one of those days? Here’s how he did it:

Starting in verse 13, he began to simply list the wonders God has done.

Your ways, God, are holy. What god is as great as our God? You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. (v. 13)

The change in tone, attitude and hopefulness of the passage is simply remarkable from verse 13 onward.

With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph…You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron. (vv. 15, 20)

He may not have immediately felt different, but he immediately spoke different and that changed everything.

He took his eyes off of himself and what he could or couldn’t do. Instead put his eyes on God and what He has already done and will do again.

You see, God doesn’t change. He has been faithful to do wonders and He will be faithful to do wonders. Our greatest times of struggle are simply when we forget to remember.

Make a list

Keep a journal of the things God has done in your life. When troubles come your way, fight them with remembrance of the wonders He’s done.

What is one thing He’s done that you can remember today?

What did you learn from your study of the Psalms this week?

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Kat blogs at Inspired To Action, a site dedicated to helping moms develop the habits and skills they need to effectively manage their homes and raise children who are prepared to change the world. Kat and her husband live in the great state of Texas and have 3 children ages 7, 5 and 2.

Top Ten Android Apps for Spiritual Growth

February 29, 2012 by Do Not Depart 33 Comments

Heather’s “Top 10 iPhone Apps for Spiritual Growth” post was great, but I am an Android user. (I did send it to all my iPhone-owning family members and friends who found the post useful though.)

So, below you will find some Droid apps that I have found to be helpful for my spiritual growth. (Some are the same as on iPhone, but links are to Android apps.)

Best Bible Study Apps

Christian Droid Apps 1. YouVersion Bible (FREE)
*Read/listen to the Bible with over 150 Bible versions and almost 200 Bible reading plans to help you read the Bible and track your progress.
*Easily search the Bible for either a reference or a keyword.
*Connect Twitter and Facebook accounts to easily share Bible verses.
*Bookmark your favorite Bible verses and sync them with YouVersion.com.
*Make public or private notes on your bible reading.

Christian Droid Apps 2. Daily Bible (FREE)
*Daily Bible Verse with daily notification
*Daily Bible Reading Plan
*Easy & Fast Search any Bible verse or topic: Easily search any verse of any topic.
*Daily Bible devotionals: Choose from a huge list of podcasts. Read or listen from devotions. Save a podcast and listen to it offline.
*Save or share Bible verse or plan or devotions easily on Facebook, Twitter, email, text etc.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 3. Logos Bible Software (FREE)
*Thousands of books and tools for Bible study
*Easy to read, verse preview, footnotes, and easy navigation.
*Includes powerful study tools: Passage Guide, Text Comparison, and Bible Word Study.
*When you download the app you get access to all features and more than 30 resources. When you sign up for a free Logos account, you get access to an additional 30 resources as well as access to over 16,000 resources for sale from the Logos and Vyrso libraries.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 4. MySword Bible (FREE)
*Multiple off-line Bibles, Commentaries and Dictionaries
*Bible version verse comparison
*Highlighting
*Bookmarks
*Type your personal notes and insights
*Search (concordance) for Bible, Commentaries and Personal notes
*Dictionary, Commentary and Journal/Book picture support
*Paragraph or Verse mode for the Bible view

Scripture Memory Apps

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 5. RememberMe Bible Verses Memory (FREE)
*Listen to verses
*Study flashcards and play word puzzles
*Obfuscate a passage and fills in the gaps
*First letter and placeholder methods
*Line by line practice
*Daily reminders
*Flashcard widget for your home screen
*Numerous Bible translations
*More than 100 verses preloaded

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 6. Fighter Verses ($2.99)
*Over 520 verses included
*Add ANY VERSE using “My Verses” and optionally define topics for topical memory.
*SIX Bible translations – ESV, NIV, NASB, HCSB, KJV, LBLA
*Fill in the blank QUIZ
*SONGS to help you learn verses (ESV only)
*TOPICAL index for topical memory
*Configurable SCHEDULE for weekly memorization
*REMINDERS to memorize daily or weekly

Best Prayer Apps

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 7. Prayer Journal ($0.99)
*Keep a running list of topics that you are praying about
*Share entries or the entire journal with friends (email/text messaging)
*Set notifications to remind you to pray for the topic.
*Upload journal to Google Docs.
*When you feel you have reached an answer to your prayer topic(s), mark them as answered and keep them available for later viewing, to remind yourself of God’s goodness to you in those requests.

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 8. Prayers to Share (FREE)
*Share your prayers with people around the world
*Pray along with others
*Write out your prayers
*Keep track of those you pray for
*Share your prayers anonymously with others who can pray along on our Social Prayer Network
*…or just keep them private
*Receive inspiration from reading everyone’s prayers

Best Worship Apps

9. Pandora (FREE)
*Personalized radio streams music to your phone.
*Type in the name of a favorite artist, song, or composer and a station will be created to play their music and music like it.
*Here are some of the stations on my Pandora app:
Casting Crowns, Addison Road, Nichole Nordeman,
Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, and Brooke Fraser.
If you use Pandora, what stations do you have for your worship times?

Christian Droid Apps Christian Android Apps 10. 1000 Gifts (FREE)
*Quotes on awaking to the joy-filled power of grace and gratitude at your fingertips … to get you started
*Photo and video stream, texts, and voice recordings of your gifts … to keep you going
*A one-tap option to instantly share captured gifts to Twitter, Facebook, and Flickr … to keep friends and family inspired on their way to their one thousand gifts

Thanks Heather, for reminding me about this one!

11. And I have to sneak one more in here: KLOVE Positive & Encouraging (FREE). Commercial-free contemporary Christian music.

Which apps for spiritual growth would you add to the list?

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Joyce is a business major turned PreK teacher turned stay-at-home mommy to 2 little girls (ages 5 and 2.5.) She likes to dabble in a little bit of everything, from writing newsletters (for our family and for MOPS) to crafting to trying out new recipes…basically just trying new things.

She loves God, family and friends, date nights, board games, books, and blogging. You can visit her over at Keeping Up with the Moys.

How to Live the Successful Christian Life

January 30, 2012 by Katie Orr 14 Comments

I want to be prosperous and successful. Don’t you?

Specifically, I long to see success in my spiritual life. I want to experience spiritual growth and abundant fruit. I want to look different next month than I do today—I desire for more of Christ to be seen in me.

My assumption is that you do too!

How to Live the “Successful” Christian Life

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. -Joshua 1:8

Prosperity and “good success” is the promise in this passage. It is a conditional promise, and the condition is that we do according to all that is written in the Book of the Law, God’s Word. So if we are intentionally obedient to God’s Word, then we are promised a prosperous way.

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If you have been a Christian for more than a week, you know that obedience is a struggle. We cannot go out and just “be good”—it doesn’t work. There is a way and a purpose for which God has designed our growth to occur, and we learn His way in His Word. That is why the promise hinges on the first part of this verse, where we see the command. Do you see it?

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. -Joshua 1:8

The direct command is not to be obedient, though that is certainly an expected by-product. The command is in the first part of the verse. At first glance it looks like two commands:

This Book shall not depart from your mouth
You shall meditate on it day and night

I believe this is actually one command, restated. Let me explain how I got there.

How to Meditate

The Hebrew word for meditate is “hagah” which is also translated in a variety of ways, including speak, imagine, study, mutter, utter, roar, talk. To meditate is not something to be done quietly in your head. What we meditate on should be on our mouths. Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks! (Matthew 12:34) Like the movie you can’t stop talking about because it was that good; or the giddy teenage girl in the midst of a huge crush where everything reminds her of him (and she is going to let everyone know about it!)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall SPEAK it (MUTTER it, STUDY it, UTTER it, TALK it) day and night…

So, it is the same command: Meditate on the Word. As we meditate on it, it will not be able to leave our mouths, because when the Word of God penetrates our hearts it will affect the rest of us. It is only then we will have the ability to be obedient, because we will know His way, His plan—and we will want to do it. It is then we will make our way prosperous, and then we will have success.

I’ve seen this hold true in my own life, haven’t you? The more I understand God’s ways, through the studying of His Word, the better equipped I am to live out this life as He intends for me to, and the more my heart longs to be right in the middle of His plan for me. And as I am obedient to follow His Word, I see fruit. I see life change. I see Christ in me!

This is the success we are promised.

An Invitation to Abide

Joshua 1:8 is just one of the many passages in the Bible which communicate this truth; that the Christian life is best lived as we center our lives on the Living Word of God. Transformation happens as we remain; as we abide in Christ; as we do not depart from the one who loves us most.

Do Not Depart exists to encourage and equip you to abide the Word. Our desire is to give you the inspiration and tools you need to spend time in the Bible in such a way that you (like that giddy teenage girl) can’t help but see Him everywhere you go—so much so that you just can’t stop talking about Him.

Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. -Psalm 119:97

What are you meditating on? What can’t you stop talking about?

What encourages you to meditate on the Word of God?

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