Change is Hard

One thing I think a lot of us are working through right now is a lot of changes, especially when it comes to church. And yeah, a lot of things are kind of up in the air right now. We have the same people and leaders, but everything else is just... different.

And believe me, I've lived through a lot of "different" times when it comes to church. That's what happens when you're old like me (and just because change happens).

Enter this passage from Isaiah. I try to keep it in mind when there is a lot of change happening.

Isaiah 43:18-19 NIrV

[18] “Forget the things that happened in the past. Do not keep on thinking about them. [19] I am about to do something new. It is beginning to happen even now. Don’t you see it coming? I am going to make a way for you to go through the desert. I will make streams of water in the dry and empty land."

God doesn't want us to keep dwelling on the things that are keeping us back. There are new things for us. One translation of verse 18 is:

“But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do."

The crazy thing comes when you look at verses 11-17. God lists off just some of the things He has done for Israel (notice I said "for" and not "to"); and not a single one is a bad thing. God lists the ways He has saved them and how He will continue to do so. 

We aren't called to forget the bad stuff of our past - but to not hang onto even the good stuff. Should we dwell on the bad? No of course not.

When we are comfortable we don't want things to change. And why would we? Things are good!

We have to remember:

Different doesn't equal bad.

Different doesn't equal good.

Different is just different.

Will we miss some of the things from before? Sure. But holding onto the old means we don't have our hands open for the new.

So let go of the past so you can fully embrace the new things. Because God's new things are kind of awesome.

Goodness of God -CeCe Winans

sometimes we just need a nap and a snack

I. Am. Tired.

Yes, I know it's Monday. And yes, I know I had a long weekend because of the holiday. But still. I'm tired. And hungry.

Now there is a difference between being tired and being weary. Tired is temporary, and probably more to do with being hungry.

But weariness...that's a whole other thing. Weariness is like at a soul level. You have been pushing and pushing and trying and have reached a point of just "can't". It's not that you don't want to, it's not that you don't see the benefit. You just can't.

That's where Elijah was in 1 Kings. Elijah was a prophet sent by God because the people of Israel were let's just say going in the wrong direction, because the kings of Israel kept forgetting that they were supposed to be led by God and not their own egos. Elijah had been dealing with King Ahab and his wife Jezebel and through God had prevented it from raining for three years, and Jezebel made it well known she would kill Elijah for his part in the drought. Elijah was rightfully scared and just bone weary so he ran. (That is the most basic description of the events of 1 Kings so please go back and read it!)

Which brings us to 1 Kings 19:4-7 :

4 while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” 5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.

All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you"

Today's lesson: Sometimes we need a nap (or two) and a snack before we can continue God's work. Was Elijah done with his calling? No. But as they say, you can't pour from an empty cup. 

Like I said, there is a difference between being tired and being weary. We can (and should, to some extent) push through tired. But when in doubt: nap, snack, repeat...then get back to work!

Rest - Matt Maher

How do we study the Bible?

Good question! There are a lot of methods, just like there are a lot of ways you can study for a math test. Is there one right way? Not really. Is there a wrong way? Well...yes? Sort of? Maybe not wrong as much as "less right"? No...incomplete. Incomplete is better.

Incomplete way #1:

Keeping your Bible on the shelf and never looking at it or opening it. And also never going to church or youth group or listening to church services online (which yes, is a valid way to "go to" church, but that's a whole other blog post). You can't study the Bible or learn about God just by being in the same room as his Word. 

But, owning a Bible is a good first step. You don't have one? Message me your address and I will send you one from Amazon. Or there are MANY Bible apps that allow you to carry around different translations in your pocket. Personally I do enjoy the app as my favorite translation to study from happens to weigh several pounds in print and is definitely not practical.

Incomplete way #2:

Relying on other people to study for you. Let's stay with the math test metaphor. Assuming your math teacher did at some point study math and know what they are talking about, they then tell you, maybe even show you, how math works. Is listening to your math teacher bad? No. Just like listening to a pastor/youth leader/Sunday school teacher/etc. isn't bad. You should listen to these people (again, assuming they know what they are talking about). But only listening to other people tell you about the Bible doesn't give you the whole picture, just like only listening in class and never taking notes or doing your homework probably won't get you an A. Side note, you should also ask these people questions when they say something you don't understand or maybe don't agree with. I'm not saying you should stand up in the middle of the sermon and yell "I THINK YOU'RE WRONG" next Sunday, but maybe after the service approach the preacher/teacher with respect. A good one will answer. Beware of the ones that either don't answer or just say "because I/the Bible says so." But again....different post.

Incomplete way #3:

Reading straight through a passage, thinking "go me, I read my Bible today," then putting it back on the shelf and picking your phone back up (or, if using the app, just going back on [insert your favorite app here]). Remember how I said the Bible wasn't written in English? Some of it is straight foward and not up to much interpretation. BUT even those passages are surrounded by context and require further study to actually get the full meaning. Like I said, it isn't wrong. Reading your Bible is good! It is simply incomplete.

What, then, is a complete way? Like I said, there are many. I'm going to teach you one because it isn't complicated or hard to remember, and is a good starting point. You don't need a notebook or something to write in, but it does make studying a lot easier (again, just like math class 😂). And yes, a phone note app works fine. BUT if you are also using your phone for the Bible, it can get a little complicated. It also makes distractions very easy...

All you gotta do, is use some SOAP.

S - Scripture

O - Observation

A - Application

P - Prayer

Let's do it together using a verse you probably know, John 3:16.

S: Write out the scripture 

"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life." - John 3:16

O: What do you observe about the passage? Who wrote it? What does it tell us about God, or about ourselves? What is the context (surrounding verses - context is ALWAYS very important)? What questions does it bring up?

Who wrote it: John (duh). The passage comes during John's Gospel, and tells of a conversation between Jesus (the speaker of the passage) and Nicodemus (a Pharisee/Jewish ruler). Nicodemus had questions about what he had heard Jesus teach about, specifically the concept of being "born again". Jesus share that God loves the world and sent His Son (Jesus) to save the world through him, and that belief in this concept allows the believer to be born again and have eternal life. The following verses go further into the idea of believing and the consequences of not believing.

note: "judged" means a guilty verdict - condemned to eternal death (Hell)

A: How can we apply this passage to ourselves/our lives? 

For God so loved ME that he gave his one and only Son. If I believe in Jesus and trust his as my savior I will live with Him for eternity.

P: Pray to thank God for his teaching and to help you apply it to your life

God, I know I am not always the easiest to love, but you do it anyway. If I was the only person on the planet you still would have sent your Son to save me. Help me believe in this truth and to live my life according to your purpose. Amen

See, that wasn't so hard, right? One way I like to "level up" my study is to use different translations. For ease of reading I will often use the NIrV (New International Reader's Version - what I will probably pull the majority of the scripture references from in the blog). When I study myself I like the use the Amplified Bible, which is kind of like a Bible with a thesaurus built in. I'll use others to, but those are the two most common for me. 

And for today's song...you might even hear this one in church at some point. It was new to me but it's a good one!

God so Loved - We the Kingdom