Receiving Generosity
Sometimes God does amazing things in such a way that you can’t help but be in awe of the way in which he handles the situation.
He’s done just that in my life recently.
I’ve been hearing some road noise in my car for the past few days. Sounded like I needed my tires rotated. So I headed to the tire shop down the road from the church to see what I could get.
After looking at my car, the guy determined that I had one tire with a belt that was separating. I would need to replace a couple of tires. Fortunately, he had a couple of used tires that would fit my vehicle. I wasn’t too thrilled about buying them used, but $75 for both was way better than $125 apiece.
As the mechanic removed the wheels from my car, he noticed that my brake pads were in dire need of replacement as well. That would cost me another $200, for pads and rotors. But the brake guy was off that afternoon; I’d need to come back the next day.
Before I could make it back to the tire shop, I happened to mention the situation in passing to a few guys at the church. In the space of a few moments, I received a gift of new brakes and four new tires.
I was floored!
Memorize Scripture – Week 23
I’ve read and heard the story of Jonah countless times in my life. It’s a familiar tale.
Very familiar.
But recently, while reading the book again, I was surprised by a verse that I’d never really noticed before.
Look at it for yourself in Jonah 2:8:
I’ve been reading a lot recently about idols. Tim Keller has an excellent book on the subject called Counterfeit Gods. And I’m currently in the middle of Pete Wilson’s Empty Promises.
But as excellent as both of those books are, neither one of them have impacted me as heavily as these thirteen words have.
Jonah sums it up succinctly: grace can’t flow into where idols dwell.
In order to experience the fullness of God’s grace, the prerequisite is to break my grasp on worthless idols.
I know that this is going to be a topic I wrestle with a lot this week. Because I know my propensity to depend on myself, or my stuff, or my paycheck, instead of God.
And, as good and necessary as those things are, Jonah calls them worthless.
That kind of hurts.
But missing out on the grace that I could be experiencing hurts more.
What are you clinging to in place of God? What are you doing to stop clinging to this? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Leadership Is Inspiration
Book Review – Loving God With All Your Heart by Susie Hobson
Not too long ago, a friend of mine with Nordskog Publishing gave me a copy of Susie Hobson’s book, Loving God With All Your Heart.
It’s a short book, easily read in a couple of hours, examining Jesus’ Greatest Commandment to love God with all our heart.
I wasn’t that impressed with the book overall. While there were places here and there that stood out as somewhat insightful, overall the book is not very challenging for spiritual growth.
I usually read with a pen and highlighter handy. This book simply offered nothing of significance for me, and the margins of this book remain blank.
In my opinion, there are other resources addressing the command to love the Lord with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, such as Primal, by Mark Batterson.
What is your favorite book or article on this topic? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
Disclosure of Material Connection:
I received this book free from Nordskog Publishing in order to read and review on my blog. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.“
Trusting God With Everything
God has been working on me lately.
Let me state that I know he works on me all the time, as Paul wrote to the people of Philippi:
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. – Philippians 1:6
But he seems to be focusing on deepening my trust in him.
This verse stood out to me in my reading this morning:
This passage from Proverbs is one of the most often quoted for trust. I know this.
I’ve memorized it. I return to it frequently.
Jeff Moody wrote a catchy tune based on this passage several years ago.
I’ve even used it to show others that they need to trust.
But this week, it’s been on my mind a lot. And today, it showed up in my reading.
Memorize Scripture – Week 22
One of the recurring themes in the Psalms is the idea of needing God to save. You find this idea over and over. David, and the other psalmists, cry out for God to rescue them from their enemies, their dangers, their circumstances.
Psalm 86 carries the same idea. Take a look at verse 2:
After reading Psalm 86, you get the idea that this is a personal pray of David. And it lends itself to that idea well. But there are a few commentators who suspect that there may be more here than just a personal plea for God’s provision of an undivided heart. Some scholars seem to think that this is a prayer written at the national level.
If so, it seems like a good prayer for America today.
Written with great fervor and passion, this psalm cries out for God to restore David and the nation of Israel into a right standing before God. And written with great confidence, this passage conveys just how great this need is.
So, both personally and nationally, this passage is worth committing to memory. That way, we can cry out to God with the same passion and confidence.
In your life, what keeps you from having an undivided heart towards God? And what do you see as the greatest barrier to this in a national scope? You can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.