Rhema Cafe

Not just sheep.

2010-11-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Matthew 10:16 (New International Version)

¹⁶ “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

Proverbs 2:1-11 (New International Version)

Proverbs 2

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

¹ My son, if you accept my words
   and store up my commands within you,
² turning your ear to wisdom
   and applying your heart to understanding—
³ indeed, if you call out for insight
   and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴ and if you look for it as for silver
   and search for it as for hidden treasure,
⁵ then you will understand the fear of the LORD
   and find the knowledge of God.
⁶ For the LORD gives wisdom;
   from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
⁷ He holds success in store for the upright,
   he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless,
⁸ for he guards the course of the just
   and protects the way of his faithful ones.

⁹ Then you will understand what is right and just
   and fair—every good path.
¹⁰ For wisdom will enter your heart,
   and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹ Discretion will protect you,
   and understanding will guard you.

-----

Wisdom

1. the ability or result of an ability to think and act utilizing knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight

Understanding

1.	the ability to learn, judge, make decisions, etc; intelligence or sense
2.	personal opinion or interpretation of a subject: my understanding of your predicament

Knowledge

1. the facts, feelings or experiences known by a person or group of people

Insight

1.	the ability to perceive clearly or deeply; penetration
2.	a penetrating and often sudden understanding, as of a complex situation or problem

Discretion

1.	the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid social embarrassment or distress
2.	freedom or authority to make judgments and to act as one sees fit

:)

2010-10-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

Lord,

Thank you for the smile on my son's face last night.

Proverbs 19:20-21

2009-10-10T06:50:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 19:20-21
“Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails.”

Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) NIV. All Rights Reserve

I posted the passage above from Bible Gateway's verse of the day today, and then I read this post from the blog Letters from Kamp Krusty and they just seemed to go together.

Isaiah 26:3

2009-08-27T17:28:00.000-07:00

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

-Isaiah 26:3

2009-07-12T17:34:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 6:4

from Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day

“Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

Still Timely words in uncertain times

2009-03-06T04:52:00.001-08:00

Isaiah 25:4-8

⁴ You have been a refuge for the poor,
a refuge for the needy in his distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat.
For the breath of the ruthless
is like a storm driving against a wall

⁵ and like the heat of the desert.
You silence the uproar of foreigners;
as heat is reduced by the shadow of a cloud,
so the song of the ruthless is stilled.

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare
a feast of rich food for all peoples,
a banquet of aged wine—
the best of meats and the finest of wines.

⁷ On this mountain he will destroy
the shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the sheet that covers all nations;

⁸ he will swallow up death forever.
The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears
from all faces;
he will remove the disgrace of his people
from all the earth.
The LORD has spoken.

Turbulent times are not new to the world and neither is God's word. As we see worldly wealth vaporize we can have comfort in knowing that what we entrust with the Lord is safe and secure.

Follow His steps

2009-03-02T05:05:00.001-08:00

Job 23:10-11

¹⁰ But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.

¹¹ My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside.

Wow, I wish I were this sure that I was following God's steps. To the contrary I am more certain that I am not most of the time.

Lord thank you for your patience and the means to follow your footsteps through your Spirit of love, power, and self dicipline (2 Tim:1:7)

Are we...?

2008-11-16T19:38:00.001-08:00

1 Peter 2:15-16

from Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day

“For
it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant
talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a
cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

As I watch the images of protesters to California's Proposition 8 throwing a cross to the ground and stomping on it, I am not offended by the symbol being desecrated. I'm not even terribly disturbed by the fact that they took it from an elderly woman's hand. I do wonder though what she was thinking, and what she had hoped to accomplish. That is a serious question on my part and not a judgment. I also wonder; are we as the corporate church doing something wrong to give folks who support the gay community that sort of anger and disdain for Christians and by association Christ?

Or should I wonder; what are we doing right?

Are we silencing ignorant talk by doing good?

Are we living as free men?

If we are living free, are we using that freedom for evil?

Are we being servants of God?

Familiarity

2008-08-10T13:02:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading The Shack by William P. Young, and I thought it was a wonderful book. I read books like this and wish I had such a grasp of the nature of God. I'm not saying it is 100% accurate, but is anything we mere mortals do 100% accurate? I finished reading it and thought; wow can we really be that familiar with God? Can we really be that close in relationship with him? Does he really want to hang out with me? And then I read a scripture like this from Luke, and it seems to reinforce that God is that familiar with us. Jesus is speaking of God the FATHER not just Jesus or the Holy Spirit but the complete fullness of the trinity knows me and knows every sparrow so why wouldn't he want us to be familiar with him too?

6Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. -Luke 12:6-7

And then I think; can the relationship really be as free and open and easy as is depicted in the book? Isn't it, now that I know Jesus and my eyes have been opened, now I see how bad the world is? Now I have the huge responsibility to keep in step, and doesn't God expect me to walk the straight and narrow? Yes I am fully aware that we all make mistakes and when we do stumble off the path Jesus is forgiving, but still don't we have to second guess everything so we don't, heaven forbid, do something worldly! There is an excellent exchange in the book between Mac, the book's protagonist, and the Holy spirit about how we have taken relationship's response and expectancy and turned them into the responsibility and expectations of rules. You may not agree, but I found it to be an eye opening perspective.

I read a little farther in Luke 12.

8"I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God. 9But he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God. -Luke 12:8-9

Pretty simple and straightforward. Everything in this wold is getting increasingly more complex, but God has always been the same. I want that simple relationship with him, not the responsibility and expectations we put on ourselves in the name of freedom.

2008-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10)

Thank you Lord that you are with me. I will NOT be dismayed for you ARE my God, and you WILL strengthen me and help me. You WILL uphold me with your righteous right hand.

It is great to know that even when I am having a selfish, introspective, crummy day for NO good reason and feel like not a single thing is in my control that you are with me, and you comfort me, and you hold me up. I hope I can show that grace and mercy to others some day.

Believe in your heart not your head

2008-07-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

“Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.” (Jeremiah 32:17)

Even before I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior I believed in God. I found it harder to look around me and see the wondrous beauty and complexity and believe it was all a cosmic accident. It was obvious to me even before my eyes were opened to the Lordship and saving grace of Christ that there was an awesome, intelligent and deliberate creator behind it all.

I was even cool with Jesus being God's son, coming to earth, dying, and being resurrected. If I even knew all of that, I'm not sure. I'd say I had head knowledge about him, but didn't "believe in him". I mean I did not really believe in him like a belief you have in someone you really admire and trust. A belief like you have when you put your hand on some one's shoulder, look them in the eye and say it. "I believe in you." "I believe you can do what you say you can do." "I believe in what you stand for." "I agree with you and put myself totally behind this thing you are about to do." I think that is the belief God means when He says:

"that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16b

The undeniable signs are all around us revealing God wherever you look, but knowing it in your head isn't enough. Believing it in your heart is what makes the difference.

Whatever shall we do?

2008-06-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Ecclesiastes 5:18 (New International Version)

18 Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot.

I have been watching the news a lot lately, and now that the primary elections here in the states are finally over, and we have our presumptive nominees, the big story is big oil. Prices of oil and gas and food and everything derived from or influenced by the price of petroleum are at record highs. So basically everything is getting more expensive as petroleum is in every ting from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. It is in your cosmetics and the rubber soles of your shoes. It takes gas to power machinery to grow corn to feed you and to feed pigs and cows which feed you, but oh wait we are not going to feed you with that corn. We are going to turn it into a different kind of gas to power machinery to grow corn to not feed you. This makes perfect sense right?

And who is to blame? Many say big oil. Many say stock market speculators. Many say the countries that produce the oil. Many say we are for using too much. Many say our government for not allowing us to drill domestically to become energy independent. They are all right in part as there is most likely no one single cause, but I'm sure that in the American tradition of knee-jerk reactions we'll get some cool new legislation out of this. Hopefully some of it will be effective.

Being the good Christian that I am while watching Fox news the other day a comment struck me as so totally out of touch that I couldn't believe I was hearing it. The host of the show obviously felt likewise as he tried to point out to the "expert" he was talking to, but it was to no avail. I'm paraphrasing, but basically the host asked: What is the person working at the local 7 - 11 to do about these skyrocketing gas prices? He was obviously using this as an example of someone working paycheck to paycheck trying hard just to make ends meat. The response was something like: Well, the first thing I'd do is sell my car and get a new one that gets great gas mileage. Oh sure like everyone can just get up in the morning and say "Oh gas prices are going up, I' think I'll get a more fuel efficient car. Yep here is the $30,000 I tucked away in my sock drawer for just such an occasion. I'll just stop by the dealership on the way to my minimum wage job and pick me up a hybrid." If you are that person at 7 - 11 or that single mom who is just lucky to have transportation to your two jobs, or you know someone who is, you immediately see how ludicrous this sounds. It did however start me on a mental journey that lead me to Ecclesiastes.

As I said this "expert's" comment highlighted how out of touch many Americans are with the majority of the people in this country that ride the crests of economic turbulence, and also have to row the hardest in times of economic tranquility. I also realized that even most of these are far "better off" in regard to tangible things than are many around the world. Not to differentiate by lines on a map, there are people here in America and in every country of the world that don't know where their next bite of food is going to come from let alone how much the next tank of gas is going to cost for their Hummer or their 1995 Geo Metro. As much as that "expert" was out of touch with the working class in this country our country as a whold is out of touch with living conditions in a large part of our world where hunger war and opression threaten your very existence.

A variation of the verse above is found in several places throughout Ecclesiastes which I know many people find to be a rather depressing book. I on the other hand find it quite liberating. I know it is easier for me to say that I am not so troubled by what the media wants me to be troubled about because I'm not that person working at 7-11, and I'm not that single mom, but there are a lot of people much more well off than I who are concerned. This verse says to me to enjoy this day and what God has given to you however much or little and be happy with what God has given you to do. For everything else is pretty much meaningless and a distraction. I'd encourage you to read through the book as well. You'll be surprised how much of what we see going on around us today is addressed in there. As verse 1:9 says:

What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.

And don't read it from the perspective "oh well if most everything is meaningless then it is hopeless and why bother", but rather read it from the perspective of "if most everything is meaningless then it is not something I need to be concerned about and enslaved by". We can then focus our energies on those relatively few but eternally important things in life.

Seldom still

2008-06-11T04:33:00.000-07:00

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

I know it isn't news to anyone. We hear it on the news and from the pews, but we are seldom still these days, and often when we are it is not of our own choosing. Often it is something that comes at us in life that causes us to be still. Often unpleasant things. Whether or not you believe those things come from God or are allowed by God or are just fate just life, in the still times we can fix ourselves on one thing....He IS God.

Whether you are so angry with him that you are doubling both fists and pounding on His chest, or not on speaking terms with him at all and leave the room when you see Him, or whether you are collapsed in his strong arms exhausted from the days, He IS God, He IS always there, and He IS the constant thread throughout every second of every minute of every day.

Prayers in the Bible

2008-06-06T20:02:00.000-07:00

“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:17-19)

I love the prayers that actually made it into the Bible. I think they are my favorite scriptures. They show the truest picture of the heart of the author and the heart of God. That is why I think my favorite passage is Jesus' very own prayer for all of us.

John 17:11-19 (New International Version)

11I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. 12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. 13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. 15My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. 16They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. 17Sanctify^[a] them by the truth; your word is truth. 18As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. 19For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

I mean, wow, to her Jesus talking to the Father and sharing His heart for us. Telling Him that He wants us to be unified (at peace), safe, powerful in His name, joyous, keepers of the Word, and set apart as something special. Just as Jesus is something special to God we are something special to Him. Sounds like a God who really loves and cares for us and thinks we are pretty great.

The world still hates us because they don't understand. We seem foolish to them, but He looks on us with love as brothers, sons, and servants. And apparently the evil one will still try and harm us since Jesus says we need protecting.

I don't claim to understand it all, but I have assurance in a risen savior who loves and cares about me. His very words are recorded to tell me so.

2008-06-04T04:18:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger (NIV)

Boy ain't that the truth. I find myself too often lately with my children giving a curt, or sarcastic, or demeaning answer to what seems like the hundred-thousandth unnecessary question in a row. No one comes away from that feeling happy, content and good about themselves.

Lord, please help me to have peace and patience in my heart especially toward my family. Give me pause and help me to see from their perspective. Help me to answer with gentleness; to build them up and to teach them to solve problems and make decisions with godly wisdom.

Thank you my ever-loving, patient, and gentle God.

Be

2008-05-28T18:02:00.000-07:00

Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."

This was the Bible Gateway verse of the day today and for some reason this short and to the point scripture is giving me great pause. Even reading the entire chapter in context doesn't give any more insight. Not that any should is needed I guess.

I guess it is simple. Be engaged with those around you. Enjoy them. Be happy with them in times of joy and be sad with them in times of sorrow. Allow yourself to be a part of them. Allow yourself to be passionate to feel extremes of joy and sorrow. Don't be a monotone stoic. Don't always "put on a happy face", or don't always drag around like a worthless slug. Just BE! and be NOW. God made this day good or bad. You are allowed to be happy and you are allowed to be sad. Be as God has made you and experience what He has put around you.

Oh God, thank you for your freedom to Be. Help me to be engaged. Free me from anxiety and the lie of isolation. Help me to regain my confidence, my joy for life as it should be even greater now that you have set me free, given me the gift of abundant life now and forever. Help me to live successfully in every moment you give me. Thank you my God, my Lord, my Father, my Brother, by Life.