Living the Godly Life

"His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
-2 Peter 1:3-11

Wow. I don't know about you but I found this passage to be amazing! It has so many deep truths packed into a few short verses! I'm pretty sure these verses appealed to me because the spoke comforting words to my perfectionist nature, as well as satisfied my "student" side by giving direct instructions. I just love it when the bible gets specific, and yet remains universally relevant through the ages!

1) God equips us to live a godly life.

This passage begins by stating that God enables us all to live a godly life when we are in intimate relationship with him. This should silence any legalistic whispers in your heart and mind! I don't know about you folks, but growing up I found myself emphasizing good works as a means to impress God. Living a works-based faith is tiresome, worrisome, and highly unsatisfying--and it's no wonder!-- a works-based faith will always end in failure!

However, a faith that starts with relationship will automatically end up in a godly life! Close relationship with God allows our hearts and actions to be changed miraculously because we allow God to have a direct impact on our lives. We don't have to try to live a "good life" because we have allowed God to have such an intimate role in our lives that our actions will automatically be good.

Think of it this way:  In works-based faith I try to do good things because I want to "manipulate" God to love me. In love-based faith, I do good things because I love God so much!

2) Faith is built, step-by-step, with the end result being perfect LOVE

Love is a rare virtue in our world. I'm not talking about "Rom-Com" love or infatuation. I'm talking about love that sacrifices until it hurts, even for people who will never return the favor. The perfection of the Christian faith is to be like Christ, which is to love sacrificially. However, this passage points out that we do not spontaneously learn to love in this manner. There are stages of growth and maturity that we need to go through to get to the point where we can love and these stages will require effort.

a) Faith: -first comes the miracle we have been called to--belief in the grace God has offered us through Christ. However, we shouldn't stop here! After we recognize the truly amazing gift God has given to us by calling us to faith, it is now our job to continue to grow.
b) Goodness: -our actions should reflect our faith.
c) Knowledge: -our faith should be intelligent and informed. We shouldn't be drifting through life on "good feelings". Our faith has a legacy of wisdom and history, we should know the story (Bible) so that we can be assured of our place within that story.
d) Self-Control: -our faith, goodness, and knowledge should now enable us to see others as God sees them. We should be able to control our own impulses because we see the "big picture". We can be patient with people and circumstances.
e) Perseverance: -because of our patience, we can persevere through the tough times because we have hope in the end result.
f) Godliness: -persevering through tough times, with God at our side, increases our faith and understanding of God and his ways, enabling us to be more like him.
g) Mutual affection: -we are able to treat others with respect and kindness.
h) Love: -we are able to serve others without concern for ourselves.

I think that where we land in this process has a lot to do with where our relationship is with God. If I haven't put any effort into my relationship with my heavenly Father, sometimes all I am able to do is simply believe. However, the more I get to know Him, the more He enables me to reach the next "level" of faith. The key is we should not attempt to work on fostering these qualities in ourselves without God. We need to maintain and deepen our intimate relationship with Christ throughout the whole process, and it will be God who equips us, rather than our cheap counterfeit version.

3) Never Stumble Again

Well, I imagine it would be quite obvious to you all why this phrase stood out to me. The fact of the matter is, I get stuck trying too hard to "be good", that I forget to love God. I will never grow past a very weak faith and will always be tripping over myself and back into sin if I insist on creating my own faith separate from relationship with God. I need to stop trying to manipulate God into "liking" me and start getting to know Him and start falling madly in love with Him...everything else will fall into place if I can cultivate a deep and meaningful relationship with Him.

It's no wonder people fail to see the "appeal" of the Christian "religion"... so many Christians live their faith as a rule book of "To Dos" and "Do Not Dos." Instead, Christianity should be a vibrant, satisfying, and joyful personal relationship with the God of the Universe! What could possibly be more exciting that that?!

How to Read the Bible Everyday

As I write this post, I must admit--being the ever-stumbling Christian I am--I have not done well enough with my Bible reading over the summer to claim I now read it EVERY day, but I have gotten better!

My last two blog posts explored why it's important to read the Bible often and consistently, as well as what the Bible is all about. Today, far overdue, is my final installment which is meant to explore how to read the Bible everyday.

As with anything, I find that the only way I can stick to anything is if I actually have a plan. When I "dabble" in the Bible I find it easier to be drop off and be inconsistent in my reading. Right now I have the YouVersion Bible app on my iPhone and tablet and I use the "Reading God's Story: One-Year Chronological Plan". It prompts me to read 6 days a week and tells me which passages to read. The fact that I have the Bible on my phone and tablet leaves me no excuse when it comes to reading. I carry my phone on my all the time. I should be able to pick it up and explore the Lord's letter in any idle moment! If I lapse in my reading, the app will automatically email me and encourage me to get back at it! (Isn't it amazing when technology is used for something holy?)

The problem with a one-year plan is that it can be very overwhelming and daunting to a person just starting in on their bible. One-year plans often require a person to read 4-6 chapters of the bible per day. If you're new to the daily bible reading thing, I would suggest starting where you can. It's more important that you're consistent and getting a bit each day than it is to be reading the whole thing through in a year. When I was younger my first steps into reading the bible involved reading the New Testament, little-by-little, each day. I've also thoroughly enjoyed reading a Psalms or Proverbs per day. These areas of the Bible are full of relevance and hope! They are a great place to start! (But don't forget to expand out and move on later on! Always challenge yourself!)

As with most reading plans, mine has had me starting in the Old Testament. I always find my foray into Leviticus is especially difficult. It brings up all kinds of tough ideas and cultural norms that are entirely foreign to me and often offensive to me! (But I suppose that's a post for another day!) However, I know that being challenged by the bible is a good thing. It has opened the dialogue daily with God and it has pushed me to truly try and understand Him.

As a wise pastor once told me, the thing to remember in reading any part of the bible is to read with the joy Christ's grace has given us. The bible points to Jesus' redemption. The "heavy", difficult parts of the bible are there to remind us of the legalism we've been freed from, thanks to Christ's sacrifice.

So, however you choose to start, remember to:
a) have a plan and stick to it daily
b) reflect on what you read and talk to God about it. What are you thankful for in this passage? What confused you or angered you about this passage? Seek further understanding.
c) remember that all you read points towards Christ's grace. Read with the freedom of hope/forgiveness, not the guilt of legalism.

Honestly, fellow Stumblers, reading the Bible on a daily basis makes all the difference in my life. It's like exercise for the soul. It strengthens my faith "muscles" and keeps my spirit healthy. I have always been able to trace the darkest times in my life to a non-existent devotional life. I refused to read God's word, and often my prayers also ceased in those times. A life without God's Words becomes hopeless and lonesome and meaningless.

God created our bodies with the essential need for daily maintenance--food, water, exercise, rest-- what makes us think that our souls are any different? Remember to tend to your hungry soul. Nourish with God's word daily. Feed your spirit. Don't deprive your soul of a conversation with your Maker.

What is the Bible all About?

Last week my blog post explored the "Why" of the Bible---as in, "Why should I read this massive book? Why should I read it everyday?"---so this week I thought I'd do my due diligence and  explore the "What" of the Bible (to be closely followed with the "How"). If you've grown up reading the Bible, you should be fairly familiar with what the Bible is all about and how it's structured, but it can be a very intimidating and confusing tome to someone who's cracking it open for the first time (or even if you're cracking it open for the first time in a while!)

Some of the "what" questions that came to mind for me were:
-What's the Bible about? What's it's overall "theme"? (That's the English teacher in me coming out...)
-What's in the Bible? What topics does it cover?
-What's the Bible's purpose?

Bible 101:


If the Bible is something you've only really heard of and never read yourself, let me give you a quick overview. The Bible is believed to be the inspired Word of God. That is, God didn't write it with his own hand and leave it for people to discover, but he did tell his followers what to write and record. These records were then compiled about 1700 years ago into the single, large volume we know today.

Many, many people authored the Bible and it was written over the course of thousands of years. It is split up into an "Old Testament" (pre-Christ) and a "New Testament" (post-Christ). I don't claim to be a Bible historian or scholar by any means, so, please, I would encourage you to do further research and get information from people much smarter than I am on this topic!

Theme of the Bible: 


This was a difficult one for me to pin down to a single cohesive statement. I've heard the Bible referred to as a "love letter", as instructions, as rules, and as prophesies. I guess all of the above are correct, but I would have to say that I would say the theme of the Bible is "Redemption: A Work in Progress".

I see the Bible as a book full of screw-ups--- "Stumblers" like me. I also see the Bible as a book chronicling God's dealings with these screw-ups. While, on an individual basis, He chose to deal with people in very different ways---everything from utter destruction to complete transformation--on a whole the Bible shows the over-arching story-line to be one of redemption. God is trying to get his children, his creation, to stop being stupid and to return to Him. He is trying to repair the brokenness of our souls.

Topics of the Bible:


Wow... there are entire books written on this subject, so I don't think I can address all the topics here! The Bible goes in-depth on many topics, touches on countless others, and is frustratingly silent on some. I think the key here is to remember to not treat the Bible as a "FAQ" to life's big questions, or as an index of solutions to our problems. The Bible has incredible wisdom, inspiration and, yes, answers. However, the Bible also requires careful reading and re-reading. You can't just do a topic search and read a single verse that pops up. Every verse has a chapter, every chapter a book, every book a Testament---context is everything. Understanding the whole is just as important as finding a few poignant parts.

Purpose of the Bible:


I believe the Bible's purpose is multifaceted. I believe it is meant to give us context and purpose (i.e. How did we get here? What's life all about? What happens after death?). I believe it's meant to be a starting point in our relationship with God, as it establishes who He is, what He's done, and how we are to know Him. I believe it is meant to give us answers, as it acts as a spiritual "litmus test", helping us know right from wrong.

However, as many answers as the Bible gives us, I think God left it a little murky and mysterious on purpose. He wants us to seek him and to ask him questions. He wants us to go to him for answers too. This is why I believe people find continued inspiration and new perspectives when they read the Bible over and over. I believe God uses the simple passages of the Bible as an introduction to him, but once we draw close to him, he uses his Spirit to help us understand the Bible on a deeper level.

It's kind of like Facebook, in a way. You can Facebook "stalk" someone to a certain extent without being their "friend". Often you'll get basic information about them---their hometown, their interests, their profile picture--but that's about it. However, you learn more about them when you seek a relationship with them. Once you "friend" them, a whole plethora of information becomes open to you---other photo albums, their status reports, their links. However, there are always some things their Facebook page never tells you. You need to seek a true relationship with them and be continually cultivating it. Spend time with them. Do things with them. Once this happens, their Facebook page takes on new meaning---suddenly, you understand the context of those photos! You share in the "inside jokes" that you missed before! Your life is intertwined with theirs. There is deeper meaning to the information that was only superficially interesting to you before you actually got to know them.

While it's a simplified analogy, the Bible is God's "Facebook". The overall "theme" (his "About Me" section) is that God wants to fix the world. The topics (like wall posts) are numerous and various, but by no means comprehensive. The purpose is to enable you to get to know Him on your terms. Are you going to be forever a "Facebook Stalker" --only getting to know the basics about Him? Or are you going to dig in deeper? Are you going to take the time to get to know the Person behind the "statuses"?

It's our choice.

Today I Stumbled Upon...

...1 Corinthians 15

Today I thought I'd try a new approach to my Bible reading. Prior today, I usually approached my blog writing with a theme, question, or idea in mind and I'd search for Bible verses to help me answer/back up what I wanted to write about. Today I decided that I'd reverse the process. As I sat down with my Bible in one hand and my laptop in the other, I prayed that God would guide my reading and that His Spirit would speak to my heart as my eyes fell upon whatever reading presented itself. Now, this can work fine for quiet times, but I do not suggest you try this technique to answer questions like a Magic 8 ball... the Bible should be studied closely and purposely when seeking answers to specific questions, however if you're just wanting to explore God's word and let it "wash over you", sometimes random passages are refreshing.

Anyway, now that I have that prologue and disclaimer out of the way, why don't I share with you my thoughts on what I read today?

I let my Bible fall open to a random passage, which in this case happened to be 1 Corinthians 15. I read verses 1-33 and, let me tell you, there are some profound statements in this passage. The passage is basically Paul (formerly Saul) talking about the resurrection of Christ and what that means for the Christian faith. Without believing in the resurrection of Christ there is no faith. Our faith is pointless.

The verses that stood out to me most were the final few verses in the passage:

"...if there is no resurrection, "let's feast and drink, for tomorrow we die!". Don't be fooled by those who say such things, for "bad company corrupts good character." Think carefully about what is right, and stop sinning. For to your shame I say that some of you don't know God at all."

1 Corinthians 32-34 (NLT)

Paul was writing this to people who proclaimed to be believers in Christ. But these "believers" often questioned the validity of Christ's resurrection. For people who do not believe in an afterlife, there is no hope. Their hope lies completely in obtaining as much happiness as they possibly can in this life before they die and "fade away into nothingness"--or so they think. Christians should have a different kind of hope--a hope of life after death. We should be living our lives day by day to emulate Christ because of that hope. 

All too often we live like non-Christians---like people without hope. We get fooled into taking part in sinful pastimes because we get caught up in the "party hard while you can" mentality. We gossip, we fight, we booze and schmooze, we waste our money on material possessions, we become self-centered. We attempt to fill the void in our souls with empty pursuits... and I think anyone with half a brain can say that you can't fill emptiness with emptiness. 

Christians should be different! It should be obvious from the way we live that we have a Hope. We should live a life that reflects the love and joy of our faith. It is so very sad when people have to ask or are surprised to find out we're Christians. Paul makes it clear when he says that it is to their shame that he questions whether or not the "believers" he's writing to are actually believers at all. 

I don't want there to ever be a doubt in anyone's mind as to Who I put my faith in. I want to live my life so that there is no question that I believe in Christ and that my life has hope, by His grace. 

God,

Give me the strength and teachable heart necessary to live my life out loud for you. May I radiate your love. God I would be absolutely devastated and ashamed if someone was surprised to find out that I was a Christian. I want my life to be a reflection of your Son. 

Thank you,
Me