Christian ponderings from an old redneck

[sprewett]

Matthew 28:18-20
"Therefore as you go make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Teaching them all things I have taught you and Remember I will be with you till the end of the age."
Literally this is our purpose in life as a Christian!
This weekend while at deer camp it was Enzley's first time as the triggerman. One evening as we sat together in the stand about 30 minutes before dark a behemoth walked out. I saw him first seriously a giant whitetail. He was 40 yards and broadsided a chip shot for the rifle, I whispered to Enzley to make a good shot. He didn't shoot or even raise the rifle, I asked are you gonna shoot but he couldn't see him. The buck was on a mission to find a hot doe and kept cruising and we saw him through small openings through the thick bottom. Enzley never shot and when the buck was in the wide open I was proud of him for not taking a pop shot at him.
As I sat there I thought about how many times I looked to the large field behind me for a perfectly present opportunity in full. However the purpose animal was presented in windows through small openings.
I believe many times we stare at the fields for this big elaborate purpose for God to reveal in full, while He shows us moment by moment through glimpses of the big picture. All He really ask of us is to fully surrender to Him and share with others as we go along in life moment by moment.

 

[sprewett]

Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus commands us to not store up treasure on earth. Why? First it is because it can very easily become an idol. Jesus' states "where your treasure is there your heart will also be" Secondly, it can become a distraction. Think about all the stuff we have and how much maintenance it requires to keep functional even if it isn't our treasure. Is it not Biblical to have some nice things, I would say no. After all, in our society some "stuff" is required to fulfill God's design for our lives. Men are to work and we need a vehicle to get there as an example. Hunting not only provides fun but provision. The issue is when distraction sets in and the secondary becomes the primary leading to idolatry and sin.
Yesterday morning as I took my son out with his new to him (90 year old deer rifle) to see if he could punch a hole in a deer I thought about distractions. The squirrels were not only rustling the leaves but full on having WWE wrestling matches. It was fun to watch. The birds were chirping and singing beautifully. I was there for deer hunting but was mesmerized by the secondary. Honestly, a deer could have walked by and we wouldn't have noticed we were so distracted with the bushy tail bandits.
There are plenty of squirrels running around in life both tangible and mentally to distract us from what's most important. Jesus crucified and being empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life otherwise unattainable is the primary.
God bless men.

 

[sprewett]

Luke 9:23
"Then he said to them all,"If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me."
Today as Enzley and I were cruising down bankhead hwy through Atlanta for work. We were talking about how terrible it would have been to be born into that area. For those of you who don't know 78 or bankhead is riddled with crime of all kinds, drugs, prostitution, lots of gangs, filth, and abundant homelessness. Any boy that was/is born and raised there is cutting against the grain if he doesn't want to be in a gang. The young man needs someone to have his back because the sad reality is most are fatherless. So in order to gain a sense of protection and "brotherhood" they most often join a gang. The initiation to most gangs is accomplished by the completion of two events.
1. Jumped in. (Basically the other members beat the prospect within an inch of their life)
2. Compete some kind of prearranged crime to prove your all in.
As we talked about how sad it was to volunteer for that. I thought for just a second about the real cost of joining our brotherhood. I'm not talking about attenders of a congregation or giving lips service when Jesus is far from your heart but on the contrary a true member of the church. We also have an initiation, what is it? Die to self! In order to become a member of our "gang" Christians we must daily die to ourselves.
My question is have you died to yourself?
The second question do we as members of the church have each other's back?
I believe it would be easier if our devotion to Jesus was determined by a single or couple events but our devotion to Jesus is shown by our surrender moment by moment of our lives.

 

[sprewett]

As I was doing my study in 3 John.
V2. Can provide some very a poignant question.
"Dear friend, I pray that you are prospering in every way and are in good health, just as your whole life is going well".
Apparently Gaius the recipient of the letter was having some health issues and John prayed that his physical health would mimic his spiritual health.
The literal translation from Greek of the later part of V2 is "as your soul prospers". The use of just as is a comparative word.
So as I studied and there was a question that arose from the commentary I used.
What if someone prayed that your physical healing would be like your spiritual health, and God answered?
Would you be fit, sick in bed, or nearly dead? Would a rushed ER visit take place?
The question isn't meant to be answered in public just an opportunity to think and pray about our own spiritual health.
God help us! Spiritual growth doesn't lie in simply doing more but rather surrendering more and as Luke 9:23 states," deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me".

 

[sprewett]

Luke 18:10-14
Paraphrased Shawn version:
Two ole boys went to church one was a deacon (I might add not all deacons are terrible for the record) the other a drunkard and swindler. As they went in the drunkard was pouring his heart out to Jesus begging for restoration and transformation. All the while the deacon said, "my gosh what is that man doing here thank you Lord I am not like him".
Obviously the deacon was chastised for his blackened heart.
In this picture who do we associate most with?
I would say an honest evaluation for the majority of us is we are the deacon.
While I don't have social media in the past I found myself asking Rebekah could I look at marketplace while there I would almost always type in a certain name. The fellow was a friend of mine in the past and is a professing Christian but has strayed away.
Why do we scroll,search, and acknowledge others failures? The issue is we seek justification through the action of comparison in contrast to the justifiable work of Jesus' blood shed on the cross. In our lives we recognize we come up short and are depraved consequently instead of embracing our shortcomings so that we hold Grace and Mercy in High esteem we attempt to alleviate our distress with the comparison of other.
"Look at him Lord and how he is blowing his life up thank you I am not like him"
I saw the celebration of failures a lot at the fire department especially as I helped train recruits. The candidates that struggled the most were targets from those who were supposedly on the same team including trainers.
While breaking company with someone is Biblical after a process and still no repentance. Restoration is the objective and plain and simply comparison is the antithesis to the brother/sister's restoration
While I most certainly associate more with the deacon, I pray that God gives me a constant view of my inability to accomplish anything worthwhile apart from His transformative work in my life.
Where sin abounds grace and mercy abound but may I go on sinning to increase grace, may it never be.
Again Shawn a phrased from Romans
Who are you the deacon or sinner?

 

[sprewett]

Philippians 4:6-7
" Don't worry about anything instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."
New Living Translation
First we must realize that God's peace is constant and not determined by emotion or circumstance. In Essence there is no ebb and flow to God's peace, however; there are peaks and valleys in our experiencing that peace.
Let me explain....
In the scripture there are requirements outlined in order to experience God's peace.
1. Don't worry
While easy enough to talk and text about the task of not worrying is a giant of an ask! One so big in fact that we are unable to relinquish the reign of control without help from the Holy Spirit. Worry begins when we are helpless and unable to control the outcome of situations.
Surrender is the anecdote. Realizing that we were/are never really in control and that those of us which are in Christ will be taken care of. We are promised to receive exactly enough for what He has for us to accomplish in this life. (Matt. 6.33) We can also give it to him because He cares. (1Peter 5:7).
2. Pray about everything
God asks us to pray about everything. The things that concern us, needs, and well everything!
Prayer not only is communication with God but also a vital step in taking the focus off us.
Foundationally when we pray it demonstrates the inability to accomplish or fix an emotion or circumstance. Prayer is showing we need Christ.
3. Lastly, Give thanks
Yet another difficult task when you're in the storm. The wind, rain, and waves can drown out all thoughts of God's goodness toward us from the past and even currently.
Why would God want us to give thanks in our most vulnerable times? It would seem kind of a narcissistic move yet in contrast it is for our good. (Romans 8:28) Again, let me explain. While God does want to be praised and lifted up, after all He is worthy of it, when we thank God and begin to think about past victories it redirects our minds. (Romans 12:2)
In psychology they have a principle called grounding. Basically in the midst of an anxiety attack you begin to speak out loud obvious things. (i.e. it is Saturday, it is raining, I have in a blue flannel shirt, my cat is sleeping, etc..)
What this does is overrides the side of your brain that processes emotions and stimulates the side that is logically based. Through this process it will alleviate symptoms of an anxiety attack by removing the fuel from that area of the brain.
Well God is the author of not only Christian Psychology but our very bodies. Giving thanks to God is good for us because it allows us to have a spiritual grounding. When we panic about situations and we audibly begin to thank God for what he has accomplished it takes our focus off us and helps squash the worry.
In NLT it is written "then" and CSB "and" you will experience the Peace of God. Showing that the experience is dictated by the former.
God's peace is supernatural! It isn't something we just create to struggle through a situation. Is a derivative of the Holy Spirit living in us and the previous listed requirements.
It is bigger than us just stating "ah, it will get better" or "it's gonna be ok" It is a peace to know no matter what lemons life throws God has me, and ultimately my best is on His mind regardless of how that looks.
This is bigger than me and not something I can just conjure up. It is a gift from the Lord.
Rebekah showed me this verse the other day and it just really stood out to me for the first time in my Christian life. Understanding that because we are sinful we can't accomplish this all the time so I will not always experience God's Peace. But it is always available for me if I will just be obedient to His Word.

 

[sprewett]

Jesus approached us knowing every single skeleton in our closet. He still had/has a deep desire to fellowship, commune, and most importantly wash away our unrighteousness by His blood for those which believe and surrender.
Basic enough but always good to revisit and be encouraged.

 

[sprewett]

Exodus 19:3
"Moses went up the mountain to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain"
Obvious speaking before the ascension of Christ the Holy Spirit didn't inhabit His people instead He would rest on a certain person(s) for a period of time. So at times folks would have to travel to be in the presence of the Lord.
So we see Moses climbing Mt Sinai to be with the Lord, a proverbial mountain top experience.
Those mountain top experiences in our life are great! However, we must not put the experience in a place of worship instead of the author of the experience. My point is this:
Many times after we have a certain experience we will do everything we can to duplicate the same experience. If I will just read more, pray harder, and do better then I can replicate that experience. We allow the experience to become an idol instead of Christ. We must completely cling to Christ and understand as we study and spend time that those mountain top experiences will happen, after all quality moments happen in quantities of time. We must never forget because we aren't experiencing certain feelings that we are far from God. He has promised to those of us which belong to Him that he will never leave us or forsake us.
Our feelings do not dictate truth, only the Living Word of God is truth.

 

[sprewett]

The absolute highlight of my week!
I got to baptize my son today! He is 17 and it has been a blast to see what the Lord has been doing in him the past little bit.
@Dan DeBord