the chronicles of sarnia
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A good friend of mine recently said: ”God is the loving Father who lavishes good things on us.”
I want to wholeheartedly embrace that reality every second of every day. It’s an overwhelming thought when we realize that not only does “God so love the world” but he actually LIKES the people in it! It’s not just a heroic swoop in to save the day. He gets a kick out of us! We bring unspeakable joy to God’s heart.
So often it’s easy to go overboard in our mental exercises about God that we miss out on the first hand experience of these realities. Being cut off from the emotional connection with God for the sake of theology is at best an exercise in critical thinking. But when we taste and see that God is good, we’re not just smarter for it–we’re changed, renewed, transformed.
Thanks friend, for that encouraging word!
Talking back to the devil
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Sometimes I feel like Samwise from The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I’m sure you remember at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, Samwise overhears Gandalf and Frodo frantically discussing “a ring of power and some dark lord who wants to take over the world.” Not knowing what he got himself into, Samwise was volunteered to protect Frodo on the journey. He began as cautious and timid. As the story progresses, he gets more courageous, bold and even daring–all in the spirit of defending Frodo. Sam was gutsy. He put himself out there with his life on the line. He could have stood idly by, but he knew he had a specific purpose in destroying the ring of power. By joining forces with good, he automatically became a target.
Just recently, in the past week I’ve sensed God strongly at work in my life—which in turn promises spiritual adversity (and not the bad karma kind) for those who dangerously resist darkness. Any lead worshippers are automatically made targets. It shouldn’t be a surprise.
In response to the crud the devil has tried throwing my way, God turned me to Ephesians and 1st John. But I read it in an urgent, “I-need-this-like-I-need-to-get-out-of-a-building-that’s-on-fire-and-about-to-come-crashing-down” kind of way.
Once I heard Gordon Fee speak at a theology conference. He co-wrote “How to read the Bible for all it’s worth.” His main point was to read a book of the bible 1) in it’s entirety, 2) in one sitting and 3) out loud as it’s original hearers received it.
“We may approach God with freedom and confidence through faith in him.” – Eph 3:12
So I naturally took it one step further. I read God’s word in my outside voice at…what must have been 12:30pm. Nothing instills more confidence in spiritual warfare than to take God’s actual words and shout them. Check it out:
Ephesians 6
“10 BE STRONG IN THE LORD AND IN HIS MIGHTY POWER! 11 PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD SO THAT YOU CAN TAKE YOUR STAND AGAINST THE devil’s SCHEMES! 13 THEREFORE PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD! 14 STAND FIRM THEN! 18 BE ALERT AND ALWAYS KEEP ON PRAYING!”
So now I try to read my Bible outloud. And when necessary, I read it in my OUTSIDE VOICE!
