Blog Archives - Collaborative Transformation

Proberbs 12

9/29/2009

Proverbs 12:1 “To learn, you must love discipline; it is stupid to hate correction.”

We all want to learn and grow to know God’s word but are we willing to take the time to discipline ourselves to read it everyday? That is what makes the difference in our walk with the Lord. When we meditate on it and have that relationship with God daily we can gain understanding for right living. When we do that we can share our faith with passion and openness so people see actively the change in our lives.

In verse 14 it says, “Wise words bring many benefits and hard work brings rewards.”

I love that because the more wisdom we seek from God the more we will receive and when we share with people what we share is wisdom from God. To forget our busy days and give to God our best takes hard work and discipline and both will pay off in the end. We should not want anything else in our life than to work hard and do everything we can to learn what God wants us to know. We have so much to gain when we ask, seek, and knock. Knowing Jesus is not enough, we should want to be just like Him in all we do. Warren Wiersbe author of the “Expository Outlines on the New Testament states, “It is easy to be in the crowd but not so easy to carry the cross. After we “come in” and find salvation, we must “come to “Him for our cross, and then “come after” Him in obedience to His will.” He was sharing about Luke 14:25-26 (you need to read). Hard work and discipline are so important as we learn and grow to feel God’s love in our hearts. Open and grow everyday. Amen

Proverbs 5

9/26/2009

Proverbs 5:21-23 “For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sin; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self – control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.”

This warning of Solomon’s really made me think. We can’t tip toe around God and live like we can have secrets from Him. He sees everything we do and everything we struggle with. Work hard and let Jesus gives you strength to break the ropes that catch and hold us. Don’t put yourself in a situation that leads to death, keep yourself focused on Christ and living on the straight path to Him. Satan will make you think it is alright to look, but I say looking leads to fantasy and that clouds our vision for what is right. Never take your eyes off the prize and work every day to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Let your transformation shine and show people who you really are. Gary Thomas says in the book “The Beautiful Fight” “True transformation takes us beyond the limitations of traditional understanding about morality and expands it to indulge deep issues of the heart. Not only do I need to “behave” outwardly, but inwardly I must begin thinking like Christ.” Amen

Proverbs 4

9/25/2009

Proverbs 4:7 “Getting wisdom is the wisest thing you can do! And whatever you do, develop good judgment.”

It is so important to continue to read God’s word and pull from it the wisdom of living a godly life. God’s word is so helpful in all areas of our lives and teaches us to do what is right.

I love verse 13 which says, “Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life.”

See how important learning is? I really feel the more we fill ourselves with the right way to live we will act that way when we are challenged.

We are told in verses 20-22, “My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.”

We are so blessed when we truly understand God’s will, which is for us to live as Christ did; loving the Father so much that we do what He wants for our lives. We should glorify God in all we do and continue to learn so we can mature each day and truly become fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. This takes constant studying and praying because satan will put obstacles in our path everyday; things that we desire and that fuel our selfishness. When we stay focused on God we can continue to move toward Him and right living.

Verses 25-27 really stress the importance of looking at the prize. They say, “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet, stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

When we are focused and filling our hearts we can stay on that straight path which leads to life. When we dabble in selfish things and live for self we create struggles for ourselves and our path is not straight. Focus on what is right and true; work your hardest to go directly to God through our savior and King Jesus. Amen

Proverbs 3

9/23/2009

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.”

We need to trust the Lord no matter what; we can’t only trust Him when things are going good. I like that it says “seek His will.” Don’t sit back expecting everything to fall into place. We need to work hard and continue to fill our hearts with God’s word. Learning from God and living like Christ is what we need to do. When we fully devote ourselves to knowing Christ we can act like Christ and live a way that always is glorifying to God.

At the end of Acts chapter 13 verse 22 it says, “…I have found David son of Jesse, a man after My own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.”

Gary Thomas shares in his book “The Beautiful Fight,” “Did you catch that last line? He will do everything I want him to do. My prayer for my son, my daughter, myself and you is that we will do everything God wants us to do.” Think about what Gary is praying. The people that really made a difference for Christ didn’t try and do things for themselves; they surrendered to God and did what He wanted. We can do this by seeking understanding and wisdom from God.

Proverbs chapter 3 verses 13-15 says, “Joyful is the person who finds wisdom, the one who gains understanding. For wisdom is more profitable than silver, and her wages are better than gold. Wisdom is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”

When we understand that God wants us to love Him and our neighbors and drop all of our selfish ways and live fully to know Him we will be able to say as Jesus did, “not my will be done but yours.” Learn and live to be a light and continue to get your strength from Christ. Amen

Proverbs 2

9/22/2009

Proverbs 2:3 “Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.”

We need to read God’s word for a reason not just to check off a box. Truly ask God to reveal to you something you can use to help people and help yourself.

I love verse 7, it says, “He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.”

It is integrity that makes us appealing to others as we walk with Christ. When you don’t have integrity nobody will listen to what you say.

Verse 9-10 says, “Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair and you will find the right way to go. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.”

We need our hearts to be changed and filled. God is love and He wants us to love Him and people, and that comes from a loving heart. Our we seeking wisdom and understanding so we can go into the world and live it and teach it? Don’t get caught up wondering if you are doing enough or what God wants, fill yourself with God and let Christ poor out of you.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Don’t put pressure on yourself by thinking you need to do more. Open His word and fill up all you need to Glorify God in all you do. This will make the world a different place and we will all see the power of Jesus working through us.

In Proverbs 2:20-21 it says, “Follow the steps of good men instead, and stay on the paths of the righteous. For only the godly will live in the land, and those with integrity will remain in it.”

Don’t take short cuts learn from God how to live and live it?

Proverbs 3:1 says, “My child, never forget the things I have taught you, store my commands in your heart.”

When your heart is full of God, God will come out. Amen

Proverbs 1

9/20/2009

Proverbs “Solomon has so much to offer on simple living and what our focus needs to be on.

In chapter 1 verse 7 he say, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

I think this fear is so important as we understand God as our Father. We should understand that God’s word is here to teach us and for us to use to help teach others. All we need to know is in the Bible, are we willing to take the time to learn and put into action what it says.

Verse 3 says, “Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair.”

We need to realize God’s word isn’t there to be a burden to give us something we have to do. We should be thankful that we have a God so loving He has given us all we need with His Son, His word and the Holy Spirit.

The very last verse in chapter 1 is verse 33 and it says, “But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear and harm.”

Open God’s word with the prayer of learning and using what it says to help go through life. Really believe that we truly go through a transformation as we become like Christ, the perfect example of right living. In the book “The Beautiful Fight” by Gary Thomas he states, “True transformation takes us beyond the limitations of traditional understandings about morality and expands it to indulge deep issues of the heart. Not only do I need to “behave” outwardly, but inwardly I must begin thinking like Christ.” Amen

Matthew 3:8

9/19/2009

Matthew 3:8 “Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.” This is so important for us to figure out, we must live a way that resembles Christ not just talk about it. John the Baptist says “prove by the way you live”, this can be done when we turn to God for everything and forget what we feel is best for us. In chapter 4 verse 4 Jesus says something to Satan that really got me thinking. “But Jesus told him, ‘No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” For us to understand all God wants and to “prove by the way we live” we need to open God’s word and read and pray. Don’t just read but ask God to show you something that can help you. That can be any Scripture anytime. As we are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 “all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.” If you have questions or problems give them to God, open the Bible and see what He says. There is no better way to feel and understand God’s love. If you are struggling with something in your life and you have not turned to God, try and fill yourself with God and see what you feel. I say it again don’t just read it like a book, read it like an owners manual or something you are following to the specific word like a cook book or the directions for something to build. We look to be so precise on every other aspect of our lives but we want to take short cuts when it comes to understanding God’s love and the amazing sacrifice He gave. I say we should work harder on that than anything else we do. God promises us peace of heart and mind; I say open God’s word everyday and learn everything we need to so we can have true peace that comes from Him. I was reading in Job and this just stood out to me; Chapter 41 verse 11 says, “Who has given Me anything that I need to pay back? Everything under heaven is mine.” With that said we need to understand it is all God’s and we need to obey and manage His creation to glorify Him and live our lives to please Him not ourselves. Amen

Revelation 12

9/15/2009

As I continue reading in Revelations I am very interested in what is said after each new chapter. While trying to understand or get some kind of wisdom from it one thing is clear and stands out. That is, what we need to do, and that we need to stand out in the way we live.

In chapter 12 verse 17 it says, “And the dragon was angry at the women and declared war against the rest of her children- all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.”

We need to open God’s word and fill our hearts with the wisdom from God and then work on living it so people can see our faith and “Testimony for Jesus.”

Then at the end of chapter 13 at the end of verse 10 it says “…This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently and remain faithful.”

This world and its trouble aren’t what we are concerned about; we must focus on God and being obedient to Him.

John continues with this in chapter 14 verses 12-13, “This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying His commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, write this down! Blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they are blessed indeed, for they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!”

I feel this means we truly are living for God and not our selfish desires. When we do this and are faithful we will have rest and people will see our good deeds. I want to finish with Chapter 16 verse 15 which say, “Look, I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for Me, who keep their clothing ready so they will not have to walk around naked and ashamed.”

Are we watching for Jesus, studying to be like Him faithful to what God wants? Or do we think we are owed something, living for our needs and hoping God makes our life easier? Jesus worked hard and we are asked to do the same, I say dig in and work. God’s love is amazing and we owe Him everything. Amen

Revelation 3:2

9/13/2009

Revelation 3:2 “This is to the church in Sardis. Jesus says in verse 2, “Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God.”

These are believers that are not learning or growing and they are not living what they have been learning in God’s word. It is so important for us to feed our hearts everyday with God’s word. This is how we can truly understand everything God is saying and we can live it out as we live like Christ.

In verse 3 Jesus says, “Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to Me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.”

Put into action what you have learned. Remember the time you were so excited about learning and growing. Turn back to the strength you get in Christ and be ready everyday for it to be the day He will return. Opening God’s word is so important to keep us strong and continually focused. Gary Thomas wrote this statement in the book “The Beautiful Fight.” “Is it possible to be a faithful disciple and not be a diligent student? No. Contemplative prayer, social activism, fellowship, and enthusiastic worship all have their place; but if Paul declares that transformation includes the renewal of our minds, I don’t believe it is possible for us to be serious disciples of Christ is we do not also become serious students of His truth.” We must open God’s word and learn it, fill our hearts so when we act it’s godly and holy, pleasing our God.

Let’s not be satisfied with our walk, let’s fight to be the best we can and work to never hear, as it says at the end of chapter 3:1, “…I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive- but you are dead.” Amen

Revelations 2:2

9/11/2009

Revelations: As I read in Revelations I take to heart all that Jesus is saying to the churches. To the people that are supposedly following Him. You can really see the Authority He has when He shares with each church.

In chapter 2 verse 2, He says, “I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.”

These are all acts of maturity and of constant growth learning from the Lord. But He shares one aspect that is very important for us to understand.

In verse 4 He says, “But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love Me or each other as you did at first!”

We need to grow everyday and challenge people to be fully devoted followers not letting them slip back. But we need to love Jesus first and love people no matter what. When we can take the word of God, open it, learn and act as Jesus did we will truly live a life of freedom and peace. Our growth needs to develop and our love needs to grow.

Jesus says in verse 7, “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying to the churches. To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.”

We need to work on being victorious, letting God lead us by His word and using Jesus as our strength. I want to receive fruit from Christ and I know it will not only take hard work but my loving God and my neighbors. Amen