‘Twelve Ways Your Smart Phone Is Changing You’ by Tony Reinke is available on audiobook download for FREE for the month of January. (Link below) I’ve listened to the first couple of ch’s and really enjoying it. Btw—yes, I’m listening to it on my smartphone AND typing this post on my smartphone. Leave my hypocrisy outta this! 😅 The book isn’t a call to discontinue the use of smartphones, but rather some thoughts on being careful not to misuse them. 😉
Sure there’s more to ppl’s lives than social media highlights. There’s also more to their stories than the rumor mill lowlights. We are at our best when we’re a friend to folks thru the happy and the crappy. Glad for them when their up, and there for them and praying when their down.
The Lord tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice. Not be jealous or cynical about others good fortune. He also says to weep with those who weep. Not kick them when their down or talk bad about them.
I’m not sharing this bc I’m perfect. Far from it. I’m sharing bc I needed this reminder. Thought my friends might need it too.
#LoveYall #LookUp
Happy New Year friends! I thought you might be encouraged by this as you begin a new year. I’m kind of a worrier by nature. But worry robs life of its many joys. We gotta fight against worry and fight for joy. If you know me, you know I love ice cream, especially Rocky Road. What you might not know is that Rocky Road ice cream has a special significance to me because it represents something I learned years ago (~2003) about worrying and enjoying life from a book by Pastor Tommy Nelson, a study of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes.
Here’s an excerpt from Tommy’s book:
“Solomon (in Ecclesiastes ch 3) wants to tell us that even when we don’t understand everything God is doing, we cannot let what we cannot know destroy what we can enjoy. You can’t be God and control circumstances. There’s nothing you can do about that. So don’t let it negate your present enjoyment of life. Every week I counsel Christians who are upset because they are not God. I see the torment they experience because they can’t deal with their helplessness and confusion. But the truth is that they’ve never been able to understand everything that was occurring, good or bad. So what should we do? Solomon tells us not to get cynical and unhappy; instead, we should do good in our lifetime. In this short life you have to trust God and do good. And in verse 13, Solomon says life does not have to be meaningless.
Moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the gift of God. (Eccl 3:13)
John Piper wrote a great book called Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist. That title may make you nervous, but I love it. I love it because there is a blessedness in seeking pleasure the way God intended. We are to enjoy pleasure. Everyone is going to die. As you read this book, the clock is ticking. The twenty-four-hour virus is waiting on you. There are germs on your teeth that will cause cavities. One day you’ll have to have a root canal. All of those things are bad and they are coming. So today, while everything’s OK, go get a double dip of Rocky Road ice cream (or whatever flavor you favor) in a waffle cone. Take some friends with you, lick your ice cream slowly, and just enjoy being together. Call an old friend you haven’t spoken to in six months and get caught up. Rent a movie you’ve wanted to see and curl up on the sofa with some hot popcorn. Jesus put it like this: “Do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself” (Matt. 6: 34). Enjoy today—trust God and have fun. We all know that you’ll eventually have that virus, and that root canal is so certain that it may as well already be scheduled, and one night you’ll receive a phone call telling you your father has passed on. So today you need to go get your two dips of Rocky Road.”
(A Life Well Lived: A Study of the Book of Ecclesiastes, ch 3 By: Tommy Nelson)
I hope and pray that 2018 is a year that we worry less, trust God more, and when we get the chance, enjoy the heck out of some good times, good friends and Rocky Road ice cream.
“It’s my belief pride is the chief cause in the decline of the number of husbands and wives.” -Brooks and Dunn, Husbands and Wives
Man ain’t that the truth? Married or not, relationships are tough, and unchecked pride makes them nearly impossible. And if we’re thinking we’re one of the very few ppl who doesn’t struggle with pride, it might be bc we are too prideful to see it 😳. Fact is there’s two deeply flawed ppl in every relationship.
This verse has challenged and encouraged me a lot lately. Maybe it’ll do the same for you:
Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” -Paul (1 Cor 11:1)
That’s a pretty bold statement isn’t it? In this verse, the Apostle Paul is effectively saying, look to ME for an example as I look to Jesus for mine. It’s hard to deny an example that is lived out right in front of us, good or bad. What kind of example are you to the people around you? Would you like to be an example of Christlikeness to others? If you are a Christian, that is EXACTLY what God has called you to be.
Men, I’d like to invite you to join me on Tuesday mornings, 6-7am, beginning next Tuesday 8/8, for a study of the life of Paul. Paul is one of the most interesting and influential people in the Bible. He was a man of grace and grit who lived a life of reckless abandon for Jesus Christ. Our objective for this study is simple, but not easy: To learn more about the life of Paul, draw closer to Jesus, and become a more faithful example of Christ to others. Doing this study as a group will bring us encouragement and confidence because we are not doing this alone. Because this is a men’s group, we’ll be discussing some things that are unique to men and our walk with Christ.
Men, none of us will be a perfect example. But by God’s grace, we can all be a FAITHFUL example. Join me on Tuesday mornings. Make this study, Sunday worship, and daily time with God a priority, and a part of your routine. You wont regret it.
For this study we’ll be using a study guide from the ministry of Chuck Swindoll. I already have a number of copies, so no need to buy one. Just bring a Bible and show up on Tuesday morning, 6am, south hallway classroom at Grace Bible.
So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son then an heir through God. Galatians 4:7
Sunday, August 13th at Grace Bible, we’ll begin a new series ‘No Longer Slaves’ working through the book of Galatians.
For a few years now, we have primarily gone through books of the Bible on Sundays. We have gone through Ecclesiastes, Romans, and most recently John to name a few. While a book of the Bible may not have a catchy name or seem as “relevant” I assure you God’s word is ALWAYS relevant (See Isaiah 40:8). Our ambition in our worship services is to make much of Jesus, and God’s Word definitely does that.
For more on the advantages of preaching through books of the Bible, check out this great post by Jared C. Wilson 8 Reasons To Preach Through Books of the Bible
Galatians has been called “The Magna Carta of Christian Liberty.” Here’s what a few notable voices have said about this awe inspiring book of the Bible:
“While we live here on earth, we will be accused, exercised with temptations, oppressed with heaviness and sorrow…Because of this, Paul sets out in this letter of Galatians to teach us, to comfort us, and to keep us constantly aware of this Christian righteousness.” -Martin Luther
“Galatians is all about the gospel. The gospel all of us need throughout all of our lives.” -Tim Keller
“Perhaps more than any other book of the Bible it shows with utter clarity that the gospel is not only the message that saves us, but the message that underlies and empowers all of the Christian life.” -Tim Challies
Some especially notable verses/passages from Galatians:
1:3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
2:16 …we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.
2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
3:11 Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.”
3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
3:23 Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. 24 So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.
4:4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
4:8 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods.9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
5:1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
5:5 For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness.
5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.
5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
6:7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
6:14 But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
Check it out GBF Fam!
This past Sunday we looked at Romans 8:15-17 and discussed how, through faith in Christ, we are justified before God, but we are also adopted as sons and daughters of God.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. – Romans 8:14-17
We ended our time with 5 things that we know, When God is our father….
1. When God is your father your more than forgiven, you’re family
2. When God is your father he’s going to give you what’s best for you
3. When God is your father your future is secure
4. When God is your father your identity is set
5. When God is your father there’s no such thing as a fair fight against you. In Christ, He IS on our side. That doesnt mean that every outcome will go the way we want it to. But it does mean that God will ultimately give us what is BEST for us.
“If God is for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
“…no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed…” (Isaiah 54:17)
For further reading, here’s a great post from Desiring God on the subject of God as Father: Worship God As Father
Are you concerned that our use of technology may be hurting our families? Do you feel like you, or your kids spend an inordinate amount of time in front of device screens or in isolation tied to a phones? It’s something we are all dealing with and it is relatively new at some level to most of us. Technology is here to stay, that’s for sure. But how do we as Christians approach technology from a biblical perspective? What are the risks associated with it’s use? This podcast episode from The Village Church, Higland Village Texas on using technology biblically is timely, and much needed. Check it out at the link below:
Pastor Roy Layman 