Blog Archives

Run-of-the-Mill God

05
Feb 2010
By Andy

Scripture:

Exodus 40:38 “So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.”

Observation:

When I initially read this, I thought “How could this nation walk away so frequently with God’s presence in such plain sight – especially as a cloud of fire.” Then I remembered a post that Seth Godin made a couple days ago titled something like “Expected and Amazing” regarding the things that were once amazing, but now expected, and now replaced by other temporarily amazing sights. I wonder if this happened? As awe inspiring as this is to me, did the Israelites become so accustomed to the cloud that it was a run-of-the-mill pillar of God?

Application:

There are things in my life that are awe-inspiring, but I’ve become so accustomed to them, that I hardly pay attention. Some things I can think of offhand … two sets of parents with strong enduring marriages, an engaging and thriving church, and a Christian community of friends

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for all of these, please help me make the most of them.

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Summary Sentence

03
Feb 2010
By Andy

Scripture:

Acts 10:1-2 “In Caesarea there lived a Roman army officer named Cornelius, who was a captain of the Italian Regiment. He was a devout man who feared the God of Israel, as did his entire household. He gave generously to charity and was a man who regularly prayed to God.”

Observation:

What a sentence to be remembered by. I would be honored to have this description attached to my name. It reminds me of a post Michael Hyatt posted recently about establishing life goals – something I would like to do.

Application:

First, I need to find that post again – there was a book he recommended too… then, I really would like to write a sentence like this for my life – how do I want it summed up when I’m gone?

Prayer:

Thank you Lord for Seth – I appreciate his friendship. I pray that we are intentional about leading each other to lead the kind of lives that leave honoring summaries of our lives.

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Fear and Comfort

02
Feb 2010
By Andy

Scripture:

Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”

Observation:

I’ve never heard or noticed these two accompanying each other – the fear of the Lord and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.  Placing them together gives better context to them each.

Application:

I need to be increasingly aware of these in my life.

Prayer:

Thank you Lord for being a dynamic God

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Abandoning God

01
Feb 2010
By Andy

Scripture:

Exodus 32:1 “When Moses failed to come back down the mountain right away, the people went to Aaron, ‘Look,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. This man Moses, who brought us here from Egypt, has disappeared. We don’t know what has happened to him.’”

Observation:

Everyone has circumstances under which they’ll abandon God on one level or another – sometimes it leads to sin, sometimes it leads to finding a different god all together.

Application:

What are my circumstances? Would I leave as the rich man did – if God asked me to sell everything? Would I leave as the Israelites did here – when I ceased to see God’s presence? Would I leave if persecution resulted from staying?

Prayer:

Lord, I want to stay – please develop in the the passion and perseverance to do so.

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Acts 5 Splatter

29
Jan 2010
By Andy

Today I’m getting lots of little impressions from various verses…

Scripture:

Acts 5:30 “The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by crucifying him.”

Observation:

It struck me that even at this point, Peter didn’t even fully understand God’s plan for Christ, nor did he understand his culpability. Peter was just as guilty as the pharisees, and just as guilty as me.

Scripture:

Acts 5:38-39 “So my advice is, leave these men alone. Let them go. If they are planning and doing these things merely on their own, it will soon be overthrown. But if it is from God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You may even find yourselves fighting against God!”

Observation:

I like this guy (Gamaliel, an expert on religious law and popular with the people) – he’s level headed, and seems to have a “wait and see” attitude.

Application:

Those qualities remind me of Rick – they’re qualities I admire. Just a couple days ago I journaled about the vastness of God’s plan vs the blip of my life. My tendency is to gather the troops and raise the torches – if I’m viewing life and time from God’s perspective, “wait and see” is really a better reaction.

Scripture:

Acts 5:42 “Every day, in the Temple and in their homes, they continued to teach and preach this message: ‘The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.’”

Observation:

That really is a great message, it’s still relevant, and it’s true for everyone. We’re all looking for a savior, we all have a sense of inadequacy. And the message is no less relevant to Christians – we’re not “saved” once when we make that first commitment – it’s really the start of an entire life humbling itself to be rescued over and over and over again.

Application:

I can think of personal situations and situations of friends to which we must remember: “The Messiah you are looking for is Jesus.”  I would do well to apply it more frequently.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for speaking to me today, thank you for meeting me. Please help me be less like me, and more like you.

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