Treasuring God’s Word in 2009

I enjoyed the movie, “National Treasure” with Nicholas Cage. In it Benjamin Franklin Gates (Nicholas Cage) seeks to unearth a hidden treasure that has been concealed for centuries as he follows baffling clues that ultimately lead him to discover this lost treasure that has been hidden beneath an ancient church. As I have reflected upon this film I cannot help but think we have the greatest treasure right before our eyes. It’s called, “The Bible.” Nothing on earth is more valuable than God’s Word. I wonder what would happen to us in 2009 if we would seek to discover the truth of God’s Word with the same relentless passion that Gates sought to discover his lost treasure.

With the turn of each New Year we are given an opportunity to think about how we want to make our life count. Let me assure you there is not a greater treasure on the face of this earth than the Bible. If we are going to make our life count than count on sinking into God’s Word this year. Yes, become a Bible saturated Christian and watch what God does with your life. Here is a thought I want you to consider—the Bible wasn’t given merely for it’s own inspiration, but for your inspiration. The Bible is meant to awaken our senses to the greatness of God. If we want God to be the blazing center of our life than we need to plunge into the treasure of God’s Word.

I will never forget the statement my Bible College professor once said while I was taking his class. It was one of those off the cuff remarks that shot right through my heart. He said, “The Bible is an organism, it’s the only book that you read that reads you.” Oh how that statement sunk into my soul! Hebrews 4:12 reminds us, “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” As you read this verse can you feel it reading you? Can you sense the heat from the blade of God’s Word? It’s sharp. More than that, it cuts and it cuts deep.

R.C. Sproul the famous theologian was once approached by someone who said to him, “R.C. you make the Bible come alive.” R.C. quickly responded by saying, “No the Bible makes me come alive.” That statement belongs on shouting grounds. It’s a morsel worth digesting. No, we don’t make the Bible come alive—the Bible makes us come alive. So this year let me encourage you to take one lofty challenge you will never regret—the challenge of treasuring God’s Word by reading through the entire Bible this year. I assure you I have never met one person who said, “Man Bobby, I wish I didn’t read so much of the Bible.” No, I have never met such a person. But I have met plenty of people, including myself who have said, “I wish I read the Bible more.” Why? Because God’s Word is a treasure! If we want our lives to be marked by the treasure of God’s Word in 2009 than we need to start marking God’s Word. This is a great year to start. Thankfully, we don’t have to go treasure seeking, just treasure reading. Will you take the challenge? I promise you it’s one resolution you won’t regret.

Treasure reading with you,

Bobby

Making Sense of Christmas

As far as I can remember Christmas has always been my favorite season of the year. We all have our fond December memories don’t we? The taste of hot chocolate, peanut brittle and marshmallows roasting on an open fire. The smell of Gingerbread houses, homemade hot fudge and cinnamon dolce lattes. The sounds of Christmas carolers, holiday bells and our favorite seasonal hymns, the sight of homes decorated with Christmas lights, nativity scenes and garland wrapped staircases. And of course, there is the first touch of that long awaited for gift that sat under the tree tempting you to open it a few days early. Oh how I loved getting those Legos!

There is no doubt that Christmas touches the chord of all our senses. However, as great as that Turkish delight may be, let us never forget that nothing compares to the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas is and always will be about King Jesus. That is WHO this season is about.

-Christmas is about the birth of the great I AM.
-It’s about the birth of the God Man.
-It’s about God’s passionate love for His glory and how He showed His glory off by sending His one and only Son Jesus to die on old rugged cross.

Christmas time puts the memory stick in action. Let us never forget that…

-Christmas is a time to remember that God became man so that man could be one with God.
-Christmas is a time to remember that God came to earth so that man could go to heaven.
-Christmas is a time to remember that Light came into the world of darkness so that a world of darkness could enter into an everlasting world of Light.

Yes, Christmas is a time to remember that Jesus is “the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one gets to the Father except through Him.” Nothing should move us so deeply as seeing what Jesus did on our behalf. Nothing should humble so sweetly as tasting the joy of His unconditional forgiveness. Nothing should smell so savoring as a whiff of our newfound freedom. Nothing should sound so good to our ears as Jesus great statement “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” And nothing should excite us more greatly than knowing that someday you and I will reach out and touch His nail scared hands.

It is true that NOTHING should disturb the true way meaning of Christmas. Year after year the world will shout out “NON-SENSE” but our God absorbed hearts can lovingly reply back and say, “ALL SENSE.” As foolish as it may sound, I guess what I am trying to say is only Jesus can make sense of Christmas.

Till next time,

Bobby

Unlocking The Crazy Cycle

Important Tips for Interpreting The Old Testament Prophets...

Have you ever started off the New Year with a vision to read through the entire Bible in a year and then watched your goal quickly dissolve as you became vexed by the tedious repetition of the Old Testament Prophet books? If so, I guarantee you’re not alone. Reading the Old Testament major and minor prophet books (note: major and minor due to the size of the book not the size of the prophet) demands patience to say the least, but it must be stressed these books are loaded with life changing truths even for today.

I assure you, the prophets are not the problem—the problem is we need a tool to help us unlock the crazy cycle that is found in the prophets. What is the crazy cycle? As I was having my quiet time yesterday in the book of Hosea I began to see a similar pattern emerging that I have seen in other prophet books as well. What I noticed was a similar repetitive theme that I have witnessed throughout the Old Testament prophets. By recognizing the pattern that I call “The Crazy Cycle” you can begin to appreciate what God is doing instead of skipping forward to the New Testament. I know it’s tempting, but you can do it—hang in there! The next time you approach the Old Testament prophets be on the look out for the crazy cycle. It goes something like this…

1. SIN—God’s people reject God’s ways and plunge themselves into deep sin.

2. WARNING—God mercifully raises a prophet up to confront their sin and warn them of coming judgment if they fail to repent.

3. REJECTION—God’s people reject the prophet’s message due to their own sin and deception.

4. RETRIBUTION—God brings forth judgment as He forewarned.

5. REPENTANCE—God’s people repent of their sin.

6. RESTORATION—God graciously spares a remnant and their hope is restored in God once again.

7. REPETITION—The crazy cycle repeats itself all over again!

Look familiar? It’s there! After reading through about four or five of these cycles you can find yourself going a bit—well—“crazy.” More often than not you will find this cycle. Sure there are exceptions. Jonah went to Nineveh and preached repentance and they heard the warning and repented immediately (see Jonah 3:6-10). Thankfully, they were spared from judgment. However, it would only take another century before Nineveh soon got back on the crazy cycle and this time they would be judged for their idolatry, violence and arrogance (see Nahum 3:1-4). It is painstakingly true that more often than not God’s people are stiff necked and stubborn and usually have to experience retribution before repentance and restoration.

When it comes to the crazy cycle in the prophets God was very intentional in keeping these books in the Bible so the question is: what can we learn in today’s world from the crazy cycle? Two primary truths come bursting forth from this tough Scriptural terrain and it’s this—God is faithful and often we are not! Thankfully, God continues to pursue us even when we fail to pursue Him. God chases our heart even when we ditch His. So the next time you are reading through the Old Testament prophets and find yourself going crazy don’t miss this poignant point. Rather, be humbled. Be shocked. Be amazed. Yes, even be transformed.

God wants us to see that He is the ultimate heart-hunter. In spite of our sin He chases us and returns our hearts to His. The Old Testament prophets show us that God’s heart bleeds with grace and He will do whatever it takes to get our attention back where it belongs—on Him. So let me conclude with one final question? Where are you on the crazy cycle? If your heart is wandering skip on down to step five and take a spiritual bath and then watch God return your joy through His amazing gift called, “Restoration.”

Till next time, Bobby

One Short Phrase That Can Change Your Life

Thank God it doesn’t take a dissertation for something to have a life changing impact us. Sometimes less is more. It’s true. I know in my own life I have been changed by certain short phrases. Phrases like:

“Lord Jesus save me.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife”
“It’s a girl”
“It’s a boy”

Each of those short phrases meant incredible life change for me. Did you know there is a short little phrase nestled away in Scripture that can change your life forever? In fact, it’s one of the shortest verses in Scripture. Curious? The verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says,“Pray without ceasing.” Now don’t just skip over that phrase. Look at again. Let it soak into your heart as you ponder the meaning. Turn it in all directions. Let it invade your heart. It’s a petite little phrase, but don’t underestimate it. It’s pregnant with meaning. Let me go even one step further, this phrase can change your life today! If we read our Bible literally this means that we are to NEVER STOP PRAYING. So what are the ramifications of this brief verse?

• Do we quit our jobs in order to pray more?
• Do we forsake sleep to fulfill this verse?
• Do we break off all meaningful relationships so we don’t neglect our time with God?

Absolutely. Just kidding. No, no, no! I’ll slow down a bit for you so you can swallow this verse with one sweet bite. What Paul was teaching the Thessalonians in this simple little verse was a very loaded concept. He wanted them to live every waking moment of their life in an attitude of prayer! He knew that no single person can just pray at all times. In fact, even Paul did other things besides pray. He wrote letters, he ate food, he preached the gospel, he slept, and he constructed tents and much more. However, in everything he did he was God centered.

So the question is, “how can this one little verse change your life?” Paul invites us through these three simple words to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer. It’s his desire for us to live with a sense of God-consciousness. To be stuffed with a sense of God. This verse exhorts us to pray about our job decisions, to pray over our marriage struggles, to pray about which school our children should attend, to pray about how we should spend our money. This verse invites us to bath every area of our life in God soaked prayer. In summary, this verse invites you and me to be changed forever by one short phrase. So go ahead and give it a shot, “Pray without ceasing.” Here come the prayers Lord!

Half the Truth is a Full Lie

I wish I could remember all the great “sayings” I’ve learned through the years, but unfortunately that’s not the case. However, one pithy little quote has stuck with me ever since I heard it and it goes like this, “Half the truth is a full lie.”

This quote is sadly what is taking place in much of the church world today. People hear half the truth and the net gain is a full lie. We lie to people when we only teach about God’s grace, love, mercy and forgiveness. This is what I call, “A Lopsided Gospel.” There is no doubt that the world needs to know about God’s omni-benevolence, but the world also needs to know about God’s wrath, justice and other not so “seeker friendly” topics such as: hell, sin and repentance.

Like two sides of a coin, on the one side you have truth and on the other side grace. All grace churches and no truth slip into heresy, whereas all truth churches with no grace slip into dead orthodoxy. We want the paradox of grace and truth married together. I fear in today’s culture we are losing truth in the name of abusing grace. When grace gets stripped of truth grace no longer becomes grace, but fluff. What makes grace beautiful is placing it against the backdrop of God’s truth. When these two pillars are taught expect to see two reactions: deep brokenness and or radical resistance. Know this—both reactions are better than the non-reaction of complacency that we see taking place today.

In fact, I recently thought about teaching a series in the future called, “An Unpopular Series” with the message titles as follows:

Week 1 Judgment Day is Coming
Week 2 Homosexuality is a Sin
Week 3 Hell is Real
Week 4 Abortion is Murder
Week 5 The Doctrine of Election is Mysterious, yet Biblical
Week 6 Money Can Destroy
Week 7 Suffering is Good For Us
Week 8 No Fruit, No Jesus

Yeah, I know what you are thinking, “Great series to run a bunch of people off.” I assure you that would not be my heart, but I do believe God’s Word must be presented without apology. If you ever want to discover who God’s true disciples are it comes when grace PLUS truth is taught. What we need today more than ever is not a Lop-Sided Gospel, but a Fully Orbed Gospel. One that doesn’t leave out half the truth, rather one that declares the “whole counsel of God.” One of the great benefits of teaching through books of the Bible is it forces pastor’s to face issues they may be tempted to skip over. By never teaching through a book of the Bible it can make you wonder, “pastor do you really believe ALL of God’s Word?” So next time you’re given an opportunity to share the truth, remember the Gospel is not lopsided, rather it’s fully orbed and drenched with both truth and grace.

How To Respond The Day After Election

After several months of campaigning the election has come to an end. Now that the vote is over some of you may be happy with the results and others not so happy. My word is for those of you who are not so happy. I want to share some biblical advice on how every Christian should respond during this time.

1. We Need To Respond With Prayer

As I mentioned in my last email concerning the election it is every Christian’s responsibility to pray for those in authority. The Bible says, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). Barack Obama is stepping into a volatile time in America and we need to be pouring our hearts out in prayer for him that God would give him bucket loads of wisdom for leading our country (James 1:5).

2. We Need To Respond With Hope

Our true joy should never be determined by who sits in the Oval Office. Rather, our true joy comes from Him who rules the universe. When we respond in a hopeless and desperate manner we forget that the true Oval Office is in heaven and He who resides there is King Jesus. Let us not forget to be heavenly minded. When Christians fall into despair they lose their testimony. We must celebrate God’s sovereignty and His rule. He reigns and nothing, that’s worth repeating, NOTHING can take that away. So let us stay hopeful. One sure way to never lose a sense of hope in life is for us to remember that God can strip everything away from us, but He never strips Himself from us.


3. We Need To Respond With Love

When I watch Fox News or CNN it grieves my heart to see the bitterness that people express towards each other. Sadly, too often Democrats and Republicans treat each other with hate and if we as Christians are not guarded and Spirit-filled we can respond with the same immaturity. Jesus still showed love to those whom He disagreed with. In fact, the Bible teaches us that it is easy to show love to those we like, it is a much greater act of faith to show love towards those we dislike or disagree with (see Matthew 5:46-47). I believe these three pillars of prayer, hope and love will carry us till our dying day or His returning day. So be encouraged Christians we have a great opportunity before us to respond in prayer, hope and love.

Till next time,

Bobby

The Art of Family Worship

Could you use a few tips for maximizing the art of family worship in your home? I cannot express how critical it is that we as families put life on pause “often” in order to invest our time GODWARD. We need to be frequently reminded as a family unit that God is majestic, glorious and that He is “pause-worthy.” Family worship is a time for us to gather our families together in order to spiritually recalibrate. It is the place where God takes the heart of a family and gives them His heartbeat, His passions and His character.

First and foremost, family worship has to become a family priority. It is so easy to get side tracked if we don’t guard this time with our lives. I have been guilty of it myself. We must understand the importance of pulling our children together for a God-centered conversation. Without it being a priority it will never happen. Time is flying by and our children are growing fast and we must not let the busyness of our daily schedules stop us from feeding them spiritual truth. Before I offer a few suggestions for how to do family worship let me say this: All families should have set times with God and spontaneous times with Him. From morning to evening we want to be breathing the life of God into our families.

1. We need set times. In our home, for example, these set times take shape each day starting in the morning. Before the kids go to school Heather does a “word of the day” with Dawson and Haley and then prays over them. Like most families we aren’t able to sit at the table every night for dinner, but four to five nights a week we have dinner as a family with the television turned off. It’s conversation and family time. Following that time is when we do our family worship, which I will discuss in a moment. The last set time is when we tuck them in we make sure to pray over them. Sometimes this is very brief and other times we have a more extended time of prayer. These are set times of gathering to God throughout our day.

2. We also need spontaneous times with God as a family. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7 it says, “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” In these two verses we see that we are commanded to instill spiritual truth in our children, but these verses call us to something more than just set times with God, rather God is calling us to a lifestyle of spilling spiritual truth into the souls of our children. This only happens when we as parents sit at the fountain of God’s Word and drink deeply that we can in turn pour spiritual truth into the hearts of our children.

Spontaneous opportunities take place when our children ask us questions about God, it takes place when we learn that someone needs prayer and we pause to pray, it takes place while driving in our mini-vans together, while singing praise music and praying to God, it takes place before road trips while praying for safety during the drive. You get the picture. By having these times of spontaneous worship we teach our children that Christianity isn’t a religion or a mere pit stop, rather it is enjoying an ever-present life-changing relationship with our eternal God.

*Now the final question remains: how do we have set times of family worship?

The nice thing about family worship is we don’t have to complicate it. In fact, it is rather simple. For example, in our home following our dinner I simply open the Bible and spend a few minutes reading a certain passage from God’s Word. I ask my children questions that have surfaced from our study time. I want them involved in the process so I let them know before we start, “Pay attention kids because Daddy is going to ask you a few questions.” I do this because I want them to learn how to interact with God’s Word. After spending a few minutes or so in Bible study and conversation about the passage we always drive for application (see James 1:22). I will ask them, “How does this passage of Scripture apply to our lives today?” Kids have a way of catching some great insights. They often become our teachers! Following this time we spend a little time in prayer and I love when we include a song for us to sing as a family. Well, that’s it! Nothing fancy. I am sure there are better ways to do family worship. We certainly don’t have it all figured out, but this approach has worked for our family and hopefully this can be helpful for you as well.

Here are a few extra tips you may want to consider for your family worship:

• First, commit to a time. I would encourage you to do it each night following dinner. Just reserve ten to twenty minutes to enjoy spiritually enriching one another.

• Get a hymnal and teach your kids how to sing out of a hymnbook or print off your favorite worship songs online and create your own family songbook.

• Go to joshuaproject.net and pray for the unreached people groups in our world as a family together, thereby giving your family a heart for God’s globe.

• If your children are really young get a pictorial Bible so they can learn through viewing pictures of the story. Your format may need to be adjusted according to their age range.

• If they are older perhaps take turns leading the devotions and give them an opportunity to learn how to facilitate.

• If you don’t have any children or they are raised already try this approach with your spouse for marital worship.

In the end, just have fun and learn to enjoy God together. Hey, that sounds like a good definition for family worship, “The place where we learn to enjoy God together.”

Till next time,

Bobby

Let’s Not Be “PC” but “PC”

Might I be so bold as to say, "The Gospel was never intended to be “politically correct!’” I know this goes against the cultural motto that says, "At all costs keep everyone happy.” We must have a God-sized burden that is large enough, big enough and passionate enough that we are willing to share the Gospel without compromise. Frankly, I am growing more concerned with being BC (i.e. Biblically correct, not Bobby Conway) than PC (politically or socially correct).

Paul the apostle modeled a BC passion through his life and writings. He warned us that the Gospel wouldn’t be PC. In fact, he said, "…the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). You see God never intended for us to preach a clever Gospel, rather He wants us to teach and preach the correct Gospel and that Gospel is "folly to those who are perishing." In fact, it's a biblical crime to make the Gospel say something God never intended it to. When we as a Christian culture try overly hard to make the Gospel PC we can fall into several traps:

• We begin to compromise God’s Word, by picking and choosing what we like and treating God’s Word like a buffet to be picked at verses an entire meal to be digested.

• We begin relying on our own creativity verses the Spirit of God to work in and through us.

• We begin worrying more about what people think, rather than what God thinks.

Therefore, let us avoid the traps of being PC and let’s be BC. Yes, let us ALWAYS speak the truth in love, but for God’s fame-sake let us speak the Gospel truth, the whole Gospel truth and nothing but the Gospel truth, while trusting in God’s Spirit to lead those to the cross whom He is drawing.

Speaking the Gospel truth with you for His fames-sake,

Bobby

Six Essentials To Remember Before You Cast Your Vote

1. Remember to vote on principles over personality

In the end, principles trump personality. The election isn’t a personality contest, rather it is a principle contest. Our motto as Christians should be, “He with the best principles wins.” Since we are Christians, we should vote for the person whose values best represent our Biblical convictions. Therefore, take the major issues and do your best to measure them against what the Scriptures teach. By doing this you can have confidence that you are seeking to honor God with your vote.


2. Remember that no one enters the voting booth alone.

Before you vote, ask HWJV? You might be thinking, “What are you talking about?” That’s a fair question. HWJV stands for, “How Would Jesus Vote?” We need to ask this question because when we go into the voting booth we don’t go alone. Rather, Jesus goes into the booth with us. He said, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20). This should really prick our conscious and make us want to vote in a way that pleases Him as our Savior. So we need to ask questions like: would Jesus vote for someone that is willing to abort babies that He as the Creator is shaping in the womb (see Psalm 139)? That is just one question, but you get the point! So let’s remember to take our values through the “Jesus Grid” because Jesus goes with us into the voting booth.


3. Remember that no matter who rules the earth God still rules the universe.

This principle is so encouraging because it reminds us that ultimately God is still in control. The Bible says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD; like channels of water He directs it wherever He wishes” (Prov. 21:1). We can take confidence in knowing that God will still accomplish His purposes on earth no matter who is in office. God will not be caught by surprise on voting day and He certainly will not throw His hands up in the air in defeat. Therefore, let us not be alarmists, but God glorifiers who praise His magnificent name because no matter what comes against us He is still in control. We can say with confidence: “Our God Reigns.”


4. Remember to enter the voting booth prayerfully and to pray for your leaders continuously.

Paul the apostle instructed young Timothy by writing, “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior” (1 Tim. 2:1-3). These verses are vitamin packed with spiritual nutrition. In three short verses we learn that God wants us praying for our leaders. We learn that our prayers are indeed effective and that praying helps us live “peaceful and quiet lives.”

5. Remember to pick up a voters guide so you are fully informed on the issues of the candidates that you know nothing about.

It’s easy to vote a straight ticket, but we may be voting for people out of assumption. It takes a little extra effort, but I would encourage you to pick up a voters guide to help fill in the gaps. I have been told that you can find these by Big Al’s and KW cafeteria on #73 near Jetton Road. By perusing through these we are able to cast a vote based on principal not partisan politics. Also, for you reading junkies: if you are looking for a few good resources to help you better understand voting, moral issues and the government I would encourage you to get:

-How Would Jesus Vote, by Dr. James D. Kennedy
-God and Government, by Chuck Colson
-Legislating Morality, by Norman Geisler and Frank Turek

And last, but not least, but the greatest…


6. Remember that as Christians, we can rejoice when we enter the voting booth because there is coming a day when Jesus will set up His kingdom and there will be no more need to vote (see Revelation 21:1-5).

I am so thankful that when I was nineteen years old by God’s grace He enabled me to vote for Jesus by asking Him to be the King and Ruler of my life. As Christians, Jesus is our Supreme Ruler and authority and our sole purpose in this life is to make much of Him. We are to declare His fame to all people for His glory. We are to be the most satisfied people on this planet because we know that Jesus has already been “elected” as King of the universe. So while you’re out on the campaign trail this voting season charging people to vote for an earthly ruler, let us not forget that there is something far more important than deciding who is going to rule the United States, but who will rule our hearts. Our greatest honor as Christians is we get to campaign for Jesus by calling a lost and broken world to a gracious and healing Savior. So tell the people to vote next week, but more importantly tell them to vote for Jesus.

Voting with you,

Bobby

A Christians Job Description: “He Must Increase”

Before I stand up to share God’s Word on Sunday mornings one verse I often find myself praying to God are the words John the Baptist uttered concerning Jesus when he said of Him, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). With one verse John the Baptist highlighted every Christian’s job description. God has given us a mission of making much of Jesus and less of ourselves. God designed each of us with one overarching purpose: to spread the fame of Jesus.

John the Baptist was a person whose heart was utterly and completely swollen for God’s glory. He was a champion for God’s majesty. Life for John wasn’t about John, but Jesus. No wonder Jesus said concerning him, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” What a compliment. John the one who acknowledged Jesus as the greatest of all, received in turn the words from Jesus, “no one born greater than John.” John became the least in Jesus’ presence and Jesus saw that as greatness.

What would make Jesus say such a statement? I believe it was because John rightly saw himself in light of God. He knew he was nothing without God. Shockingly, John the Baptist would have a hard time finding a job in today’s local church. Why? Because he doesn’t fit the mold! He’s not professional enough. We want passion we say, “but keep it tamed.” We want the Word taught, “but keep it in a box.” John the Baptist was an out of the box kind of guy. He wasn’t neat and he certainly wasn’t worried about being PC. However, his heart burned for the glory of God. He had one white-hot passion and that was to point people toward King Jesus. He rejected typical man-centered living and became a God-centered, Spirit-filled preacher who rightly understood his job description: “He must increase, but I must decrease.” Well said, John! Guess what? John’s job description is your job description and my job description. “To increase Jesus through our lives.” So the next time your tempted to think, “It’s all about me” remember that our true job description is boiled down into one simple phrase, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

"Lectio Divina"

Are you bored with reading your Bible? Do you find yourself reading it more out of duty than devotion? Is your study time a little rusty lately? It’s okay to say “yes” you’re not alone. In fact, I have been there myself and so has every other honest Christian. You know the routine don’t you? We loathingly rise up early in the morning after winning what Rick Warren calls, “the battle of the blankets” and off we go with our Bible in one hand and a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee in the other. Into a quiet room we go hoping to get spiritually fine-tuned and we get tuned alright, we get “tune-out!” The head starts nodding as we fight sleepiness, the yawning kicks in and before we know it we are either asleep on our Bibles or off to hit the day because we’ve been distracted once again.

Have you been there? Of course you have. Don’t worry, there’s a solution. It’s called, “lectio divina.” Inspired? Probably not, more than likely you’re scratching your head wondering to yourself, “What in the world is lectio divina?” It has to do with our approach to reading the Bible. It's a Latin phrase that simply means, “Divine Reading.” It’s what one person described as “the kind of reading in which the mind descends into the heart.” It’s reading the word in search of the WORD. It’s not only you going through the Bible, but it’s the Bible going through you. The Bible is an organism. It’s alive. It’s the only book that you read that reads you. While we search the Scriptures, the Scriptures search us. It’s not only reading the Bible for information, but transformation. It’s you getting inside the Bible so the Bible can get inside you.

Am I making sense?

While I was in seminary in Dallas Prof. Hendricks described “Lectio Divina” in a way that clicked. Though he didn’t use those words, he was on to something that he called “The 40/20 Principle.” He spoke about how we should read for forty minutes and reflect for twenty. If you read the Bible fifteen minutes per day than the 40/20 principle would mean you read for ten minutes and reflect for five. I like that! Read and reflect. The difference is you are prayerfully reading and reflecting in search of God verses passively reading in search of God knows what. You see I believe the missing link between merely study and sanctification is meditation. When we reflect and meditate over God’s Word we take it from our head to our heart. It’s how we move from information to integration, from frustration to jubilation. It’s the key to throwing JOY back into our devotional life.

In fact, I believe it is because of “lectio divina” that God called David, “A man after My own heart.” David was more than a warrior, he was also a worshipper. He was more than a man’s man, he was God’s man. He had both a brave heart and a broken heart. He was a man with an appetite: an appetite for God’s Word. In his famous Psalm 119 he wrote in verse 97, “Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.” What made David a man after God’s own heart? The missing link of meditation! He read for renewal, not ritual. He worshipped from a heart of purity, not piety. He wasn’t merely reading, he was “Divine Reading.” He was looking for God in the Scriptures, not a check box on his daily planner.

Want a white hot heart for God again? Want to sense the overwhelming power of His presence in your study? Want to feel His glow in your heart like you once did? Want to enjoy reading the Bible verses enduring it? Than “lectio divina” is your answer. Don’t just read; Divine Read. Here is a simple closing application: start your reading off next time with David’s prayer, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalm 119:18) and you’ll find more than print on a page, but a Savior in your midst.

Till next time, bC

A Journey Towards Dependency

If someone was to ask you, “What is our greatest need in life” what would you say? Before you answer this question stop for a moment and ponder it. Okay, what did you come up with?

• A slimmer waistline?
• A new lipstick red 325 BMW?
• A six-digit income?
• Or for you techies, a new Mac-Air book?

Perhaps it’s no surprise that our culture will offer us the bait of power, prestige and possessions as our greatest human need. However, those pursuits lead to a dead end. They are empty, void and lifeless. Before I answer this question let me say that when we are unsure of our greatest need or fail to live in light of it we become restless spirits trying to find pleasure in the words of Blaise Pascal, by “licking at the earth.”

Since the genesis of time mankind has been on a vigorous quest to answer this question. The ancient sage king Solomon was a restless wanderer in search of meaning through the disparities of life. At the end of his search to discover his greatest need he perplexingly penned the words, “So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after the wind.” You can still feel the sting of those ink written words as he desperately shares the depression that branded his heart and soul.

So are you ready for the answer to this question? It’s costly. Okay, here it is: our greatest need is to worship God through living a God-dependant life. That’s not easy in a culture that prides itself on being independent. Frank Sinatra’s famous song, “I did it my way” could be the new American motto. Forget the old and true motto E pluribus unum, “one out of the many” in speaking of the dream of the United States.

Since the beginning of time people have sought to do things their own way and the results have been devastating. The difference between living independent and dependant is chillingly clear from Scripture. From Adam’s fall in the Garden of Eden, to the construction of the Tower of Babel, to Jonah running from the call of God on his life we discover one clear truth: we aren’t meant to live apart from God.

The result of the independent life is paved with consequences and creates in us a restless heart! Nothing creates more unrest than trying to live detached from our Creator. I have personally known this restlessness in my own life, but lest I bore you with musings from my own restless heart let me share with you a life changing quote from Augustine, the great theologian of the past who gave birth to words that have echoed throughout the generations and still ring true in our hearts today. He said in his Confessions, “Thou has formed us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless till they find rest in Thee.” We don’t find rest in God until we first learn to depend on God. Are you tired of being anxious, worried, fearful and restless? If so, I highly recommend God’s antidote to a restless heart: It’s called “dependency!” Just as the eye is useless in and of itself, it needs natural light to complete its ability to see. So too, we as humans need God to be fulfilled and complete. Jesus said, “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will bear much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Jesus taught us in those simple choice words that the independent life is a fruitless life. This was His clarion call to a life of dependency, more than that to a fruit bearing life. So lean into God today. Rest in Him. That is our greatest need. It is our act of worship. And remember learning dependency is a journey, not a destination. Join me in the journey.

Till next time, bC