Monthly Archives: May 2012

2012 Day 142 – Galatians 1

21 Monday May 2012

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Who do I really care about in my life? When it comes to pleasing one person over another or please a group of people over another we usually pick a favorite. For example, if I choose between my work and family I will always choose family. If I choose between my wife and my kids I will always choose my wife. The same thing is true with God and the things of this world; I will always choose God… Or do I? The truth is I really need to consciously remember what is the most important thing in my life (or should be) and that is my relationship with God. In verse 10 Paul makes the statement Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ. Pleasing God and having a relationship with Him should take precedence over anything else in my life. I need to remember this daily, which is why spending time in the Bible is so crucial to building and maintaining that relationship.

2012 Day 141 – Psalm 1, 132

20 Sunday May 2012

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It wasn’t until later in my life that I realized the importance of the company I keep. I always figured as long as I went to church and most of my friends were believers, it would be enough. What I’ve found as I’ve grown older is I need people who lift me up and, more importantly, are positive influences in my life and in the lives of others. Psalm 1:1 starts the Psalms with a powerful description; Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. This is one of those verses that cause me to weigh different influences in my life. For example, you may think this is funny, but I use Twitter on a daily basis (that’s not the funny part). One of the things that has caused me to stop following people on Twitter who I consider personal friends is negativity. While I know there is little to no weight in a tweet, I simply don’t enjoy listening to people, who are believers and who have experience God’s love and grace in their lives, choose to use a public forum to tear other people down(even public figures who do stupid things). It bothers me down to my soul and breaks my heart. I don’t make it a public spectacle and announce to the world that I’ve stopped following someone, but I consciously choose to not participate in their shenanigans and not sit in the seat of mockers.

2012 Day 140 – Acts 16

19 Saturday May 2012

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Lately I have been trying to think more in terms of eternity when it comes to the circumstances of my life. It is easy for me to be frustrated with a lot of things in my life whether it’s work, family, or even friends. But when I allow myself to digest the individual issues of my life and I try to weigh it against eternity, I realize that most things in this life are temporary and have no impact on the things that God really cares about. When we get hung up on the things that frustrate us, we lose site of the bigger picture. With Paul, he didn’t take the opportunity to run when the prison doors broke open. He saw it as an opportunity to be used by God and in the end he was able to reach the jailer and his family. I hope and pray I look past my present circumstances and allow God to use me for a bigger impact though the circumstances of my life.

2012 Day 139 – Acts 15

18 Friday May 2012

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Working our way into heaven does not work, but somehow we feel compelled to continue to put obstacles in front of people prior to allowing them into relationship with God. Paul ran into this very thing in this chapter and he questions the wisdom of attempting to allow it to continue. Verses 10 and 11 says, 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” It is only through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved. We need to be careful to not confuse growing in Christ Jesus and striving toward perfection with making Jesus the perfecter of our lives.

2012 Day 138 – Psalm 38, 51

17 Thursday May 2012

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A few years ago I was struggling with what my relationship with God was supposed to be. I had a hard time believing that a perfect God could ever want to look at me, much less have a relationship with me. Then one day I decided to take the time and read the Bible cover to cover. Once I got through the tedious task of reading through books like Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, I was excited to read about amazing characters like Joshua, Saul, and David. But it wasn’t until I got to the stories of David, a man after God’s own heart, that I realized there really are no perfect men in the Bible. In fact, I realized God doesn’t even expect us to be perfect. Actually, He does expect perfection, but He knows we cannot attain it on our own. This is where David’s life spoke to me so powerfully. David, a man after God’s own heart, made mistakes… he made a lot of mistakes. Sometimes he made multiple mistakes in a single try (when he committed adultery with Bathsheba he committed murder in an attempt to cover it up). But what made David a man after God’s own heart was he realized he needed God to make him clean and presentable for His presence. Psalm 51:10 and 11 says, 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Even David, a man after God’s own heart, wasn’t perfect and needed God to renew him and purify him. It was the first time in my life I realized that God doesn’t expect perfection. He expects obedience and a real relationship with Him that acknowledges our 100% reliance on Him. Yes, God is perfect, but He is also merciful and His plan is perfect!

2012 Day 137 – James 5

16 Wednesday May 2012

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It is hard to wait on God sometimes. We want Him to provide us with what we want and when we want it. It’s easy to get bogged down in the waiting and not be productive. In verse 7 it says, Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. This verse is specifically talking about Christ’s second coming, but the verse also applies to waiting on the Lord in general. Whether we are waiting on healing, our finances to get better, or that relationship; we must still be patient and wait on God’s timing! Further, there is plenty of work that still needs to be done and we don’t need to sit around doing nothing. We should still be productive!

2012 Day 136 – James 4

15 Tuesday May 2012

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We all love to act like we will make it to a ripe old age. We plan our careers, our retirement, and our lives as though we were guaranteed to be around until the day of our choosing. We also act as if our lives, in and of themselves, and our action will be remembered by all generations to come. Verse 14 reminds us what our lives really are, Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We must remember that our lives are limited but they are meant to have purpose. The key is to remember that the purpose is designed by God and to be executed for His eternal glory, not ours. In Francis Chan’s book, “Crazy Love”, he reminded me that in 50 years after my death no one but my direct descendants will even remember that a guy named Dino ever even lived here. However, the influence of my life through the power of God can have a significant impact in the world I leave behind, especially in the lives of those I directly influence to future generations.

2012 Day 135 – James 3

14 Monday May 2012

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The tongue is the basic reflection of our human nature. Verses 9-12 says, 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11 Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12 My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. Our tongue should be a reflection of our changed heart.

2012 Day 134 – James 2

13 Sunday May 2012

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Ahhh, I just love the book of James… Did I mention that already? Anyway, in James 2 there are some powerful words about faith and works we Christians love to wrestle with. There are some of us who like to believe that faith alone is sufficient. Then there are those of us who think works are necessary for either salvation or proof of a changed heart. My humble opinion is there is more to the story. Verses 17 – 19 bring a lot to the discussion, 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder. Faith alone implies that belief is sufficient and in verse 19 it clearly states that “even the demons believe”. Our faith and our belief should lead us into relationship with God, which in turn should compel us into action and to serve Him. We simply can not take Jesus’ sacrifice and accept it as the end of our responsibilities when He clearly commanded us to be His hands and feet. Remember Matthew 25:44-45?? 44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ 45 “He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ If we are not producing action and following His commands based on our faith then as verse 17 says it is dead. For some reason there are Christians who believe that works somehow cheapens Christ’s sacrifice for us. I believe that our actions reinforce the power of a changed heart that can only come from His sacrifice and perfect love for us.

2012 Day 133 – James 1

12 Saturday May 2012

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So, today we start one of my favorite books in the Bible, the book of James. There are a lot of people who do not like this book because it tends to get under our skin and convict us. This book also has my favorite verse in the Bible; James 1:12, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. This verse reminds us that we will all have trials. It’s hard to accept, but the reward James is talking about may not come in this lifetime. However, when we have a meaningful and growing relationship with God, we know that this life is nothing but a blink in the light of eternity.