My God is Emotional; Sorry About Yours.

I was listening to a local Christian Radio station today, instead of my normal sports talk, because I really want to make an effort to figure out why everyone is always talking about how awesome modern Christian music is and how good it is for you; and how much God likes it.  

You see, I am pretty much tone deaf, due to my brain injury, and I get sick listening to most music, especially if the bass is heavy or its harmony is in need of help.  I frequently have to leave for the first 20 minutes of church, for example, because my church has invested in LOUD and respects the need for bass.  I'm from the Beatles generation and I remember the Stones when they were young, so its not that I don't like rock; its that I can't deal with music that is not really music.  

Worse, have you really listened to modern Christian Music? Some of it does not even make sense.  It is either humanistic rather than biblical, or just the same thing, said over and over again.  Yet, my whole church thinks it is necessary, even to the point of being one of the fruits it seems, and my wife and daughter like it, so I wanted to give it a shot.  I turned the station to Christian, and it was ok.  I droned the stuff I understood. I listened to make sure it was actually biblical, and I was starting to get into it. 

Then, the D.J. came on and said something else that sounded really good.  Covered all the bases.  Didn't go against common sense and made God sound like he was really awesome and someone I wanted to know.  I was digging it.  Wow, this station had really changed.

She was extolling the virtues of a relationship with Jesus, and how he could bring peace into your life.  I need peace, so I was listening. She then cautioned us that he would not change our circumstances, but would change how we looked at them, and that would bring us peace. That sounded like a rational approach to prevent another common thought in the Church today that I call "God is a Genie." In fact, this "will not change your circumstances" attitude is so popular now I have heard it in the halls of church and I think I heard it from the pulpit. It fits in with what we hear from today's psychologist as well.  You can't expect God to change your circumstances, the theory goes.  That's up to you. Be calm.  Accept life as it is.  Change your attitude and you will live longer.  It is what it is.  You don't have to take everything emotionally.  It's not personal. Approach it with logic and the scientific method.

Wait a freaking minute.  When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, that was PERSONAL and EMOTIONAL. But back up a second.  It also had the chance of ending a very large CHANGE to Abraham's circumstances.  He was old.  His wife was old.  Way to old to have children, and she was barren.  Yet, GOD CHANGED THAT. He did have a son.  Now he was supposed to kill him.  

What about Moses.  One minute he was a prince of Egypt, the next minute a fugitive.  That's pretty bad stuff.  How do you come back from killing the most powerful king in the world's soldiers?  You don't. You run away.  Moses did that.  Yet, God CHANGED THAT TOO. Moses becomes one of the greatest leaders in the world.  It was VERY PERSONAL and VERY EMOTIONAL for him too.  So much so, God had to give him a helper just to do it.

What about Peter?  He was an uneducated fishermen in the poorest part of the middle east.  Three years latter he is the leader of the largest religious movement the world has ever seen.  That's a pretty big change in circumstances.

What about Joseph?  He was being killed by his brothers.  God steps in and CHANGES EVER THING.  The next thing you know, he is as powerful as the king of Egypt, and actually running the country for the king.  Remember how he felt when he was reunited with his family?  VERY EMOTIONAL. VERY PERSONAL.

But that's just us.  Surely God is not EMOTIONAL or PERSONAL, right?

We are made in his image, so this is an important question. Fortunately, it is also a simple one.  God is LOVE.  That's emotional. And, God hates. God can be happy and angry too.  GOD IS EMOTIONAL, that is one of the gifts we were given from God. 

Plus, he wants a personal relationship with you, so much so, that it is free. No matter how bad you have been.  No matter what you have done.  He still wants a relationship with YOU.  Amazing. Amazing Grace.

So, don't buy into the logic and philosophy of the world.  Even if you hear it at church.  Even if you hear it on the Christian Radio. 

God is AWESOME, as in LARGE and POWERFUL, and the entire history of his relationship with his human creations, the whole of the bible, is example after example of God changing circumstance of his people.  And don't be ashamed of your emotion.  And NEVER think that it is not personal.  He wants a PERSONAL relationship with YOU.  

Don't make him small. 

DON'T MAKE HIM SMALL.

We can't know his will with certainty   We can only read the bible, listen for the spirit, get advise from our Christian friends, pray, and walk our walk the best we can.  God is there, and he is not just watching.  He can and does change things.  You can NOT invoke him, because he is not a genie, but you can beg, plead and expect it to work out. That's called faith. 

Why should you have faith that it will work out? Because he said it does.  All things work together, we are told ,for those who love the Lord, and are called, according to his purpose.  You have been called.  He will make it work.  It will be emotional, if you allow it to be; if you live it out loud.  It will be personal. God is God.

God is Good.

All the time.

All the time.


Ephesians 2:8-9 - (NIV) - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast."

Day 9 - Stand Tall - Daily Inspirational Verses from Real Life

1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV1984)

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong."

Do you believe in Satan?

Do you believe that he has the ability to put stumbling blocks in your way?

I never did.  My education is in physics, and I have spent my academic life and the remainder of my life since then, solving problems.  The basis of all that is observation.  If you can measure it, you can duplicate it, and it is real.  If you can not, you either lack knowledge, or it is not real.

One thing it never is, nor can it be, is outside of rational thought, or supernatural.

Yet, if you are a Christian, as I am, you already acknowledge the supernatural.  Nothing ordinary or explainable in Jesus' life, your salvation or Grace.  For no reason, other than love, you sins have been forgiven.

So if you believe in God, Jesus and Grace, then you believe in Satan.  Since you are God's now, he can't attack you directly, but he can and does throw things into your way, to break your spirit, your will and your faith.

This verse wants you to be aware that the attack is coming.

This verse says it will not be easy to stand in the storms in your life, but do it anyway.

This verse tells you to live lives of courage.

Why does he tell you this?  Because sometime God does not stop the storm.  He lets it pass, and instead he calms you.  This verse is the calming spirit of God, reaching out to you to tell you that you ARE strong enough to stand.  So Stand.  Be Strong.  Have Courage.  God has made you strong enough to do it.

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For information on be certain of your Status with God, overcoming your actions that keep you from God, and allowing you to accept his free gift of eternal life, Click Here.

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8 Rules for Work and Business

Used with permission: www.GoodJobNotes.com

My wife and daughter have run a karate school for nearly 20 years now, and we have taken our share of lumps, bumps and terrors, both business and personal.  During that time period, I came to the foot of the cross, and accepted Christ as my Lord, and that complicated everything.

Now, most if not all of the advise we are freely and commercially  given is worldly, and follow simple dictates like:

1) Business is Business
2) If it is going to be, its up to you.
3) If you help enough other people get what they want, you will get what you want.

The problem with number 1 is that if Business is outside of the grasp of God, and you are allowed to act in worldly manner to succeed in business, because it is business, then you are outside of the will of God by choice.

If you have chosen one of the biggest parts of your life to NOT follow God, it is hard to maintain the attitude that you are indeed a Christian.  We discovered that early, so we sought help and advise on how to deal with that important issue.  The most common answer we got was: The Parable of the Unjust Stewart - Luke 16:1-9. Seems pretty clear when Jesus says, "And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings. (ESV).  It is wise, it seems, that we plan for failure by tricking people in business.  See, Jesus said so.

Here is the problem.  You can't read the entire bible 1 verse at a time, and without looking at the context, from time to time.  When Jesus talks about worldly wise people, it is always in the context that God has little use for them, because worldly wisdom is foolishness to God. Jesus is slamming the worldly wise.  He is telling us that we are to use God's wisdom as well as the unrighteous use worldly wisdom with respect to money.  In other words, this is NOT licence to cheat people.  Rather and example of being shrewd with the wisdom of God.  Money is not even part of the real message.

SO #1 IS WRONG. Business is just another mission field, and is to be treated as such.  God is a 24/7 life style.

The last 2, I deal with in How to Successfully Spiritualize Greed.  What it comes down to is that business is God's just as much as Church is, and he can not be envoked or used as a reason or method to harm any of God's creatures.

That caused a big problem for us.  How do you deal with the commands of God in the Business World?  How does one follow Jesus there?

And that brings us to the card shown above, and again here.  8 simple rules for the business world, drawn from the word of God, and solid within the context of each rule.  God is everywhere, even in business.

1. Always work Hard, even if you are not being treated fairly. - Colossians 3:23 We are told over and over again, that we are to work hard, as if it is for the Lord, and not complain.  The extreme example is even given those who are in servitude.  God wants us to be a good example for him to use.
2. Pay your debts. - Psalm 37:21 - hard to argue this one.
3. Pay your taxes. - Romans 13:6 - it surprises me that I know dozens of Christians who cheat on their taxes, or claim that they do, because they are unfair, and not Godly.  Hey, there are lots of things my government does that I deplore, but Jesus is pretty clear about taxes.  Pay them.
4. Treat all people fairly; be obvious about it - 2 Corinthians 8:21 - Again, pretty direct.
5. Don't do what everyone else is doing, just because everyone else is doing it. - Romans 12:2 The actual context of the verse is a tad more direct.  It says NOT TO DO WHAT THE WORLD IS DOING, as the world IS EVIL.  That old addage, don't re-invent the wheel simply does not always apply.  Sometimes, the wheel is just plain wrong, and you need to do it God's way.
6. Pride comes before the fall.  Be humble at all times. - Proverbs 16:18 There is a fine line between competitive drive and bragging.  This verse is about that line.  I have fallen on this very point in my life so many times, I begin to think I am hard wired to fail in it.  Yet, I force humility to come out of my mouth as appology for the error.
7. Even if it seems too hard and pointless, do it as if it has already worked. - I Corinthians 9:24  All things work together for those who have answered God's call.  Work like you actually believe the path you are on is of value to God, because it is. If you have run your work life for God, that is the promise - run like you have already won.  That is called faith.  Let God make it happen for you.  You just do the work.
8. Take risks. - Ecclesiastes 11:4 - With number 7 in mind, and realizing that God does not want you to be foolish, it is in fact hard to win, if you do not play.  We are not born to fear, but joy.

If you mission field is owning a business, act like you are of Christ, because you are.  If you work for someone, act as if your work matters to Jesus, because it does.

Out into the world of God we go, to help others come to the peace and joy of grace, which we have ourselves already partaken.

-peace