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SOUL
TREKKING PASTOR
STEVE |
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SEED THOUGHTS PART TWO |
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Page last updated
11-13-2008. |
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We are in a season of change. The warmer weather means that different
entertainment and work options are now available to us. We are trying to decide who our next
president will be. And the Classes of 2008,
from high schools and colleges, will be moving on to he next phases of their
lives. When we consider how we handle change, we might find
a clue about how to harmonize some of the seemingly contradictory passages in
the Bible. Parents of students in a
Class of 2008 probably are having mixed emotions right about now. They want their sons and daughters to go
out into the world and find their own ways.
They want them to continue along the path toward independence and
maturity. Yet there's a part of their
hearts which wishes that their children could stay young and live with them
at home forever. It's tough to say,
"Goodbye." But with tears in
their eyes and with hearts both breaking and swelling with pride, the parents
will do the right thing and let the young birds leave the nest. If we have conflicting desires and yet can choose to
do the right thing, how much more would a complex being like God have
conflicting emotions and thoughts, yet choose to do the right thing? For example, the scriptures teach us that
God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. And that is true at some level of God's
heart. But on another level, he is a
God who will justly punish evildoers and won't let people mock him and his
laws forever. The Bible tells us that
God desires that all men be saved.
Again, at some level of God's heart, this is true. But it's also true that another level, he
chooses who will find salvation in Christ.
Our all-wise God will always be able to choose the right thing to do
and will always know how to balance, and express, his emotions. I realize I'm using human language to describe the
indescribable and that much about God will remain a mystery to us. But these ideas, taken from Jonathan
Edwards and John Piper, have helped me.
And I hope they will help you, too. |
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Read Genesis
28:10-22
- Why do you think God chose to communicate with Jacob in a dream? How did Jacob know that this dream was
really a message from God and not just an ordinary dream? Read Isaiah 45:15 - Has God ever
been "a God who hides himself" in your life? In history?
What do you think Isaiah means in this verse? Read Matthew 13:1-8 - Pretend you are
hearing this parable for the first time.
Would you know what it meant and what Jesus was talking about? Read Matthew
13:9-15
- Jesus says that the purpose of parables was to hide truth from people! Why would God want to do that? Read Matthew
13:16-23
- The disciples had asked Jesus a follow-up question to the parable. And they were then privileged to learn the
meaning of the parable from Jesus himself. Read Daniel 2:1-23. |
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Mine
Eyes Have Seen The Glory Of The Coming Of The Lord Read Joshua 6:1-14 - How do you think
the people of Jericho viewed the parade that circled their city day after
day? If you were an Israelite, would
you be trusting God or wondering if your leader had gone crazy? This was certainly a strange battle tactic,
but the city would fall because of God's power, not humans'. Read Joshua 6:15-21 - When you read
such passages in the Old Testament, are you troubled at all? What do you make of God's people going to
war and utterly destroying their enemies? Read Judges 3:1-6 - Why was is
important for the Israelites to learn warfare? How does God teach us about warfare today,
and what kind of warfare is it? Read Judges 7:1-8 - Does our nation
thank God for its victories, or do we claim all of the credit ourselves? Did God help us in our victories? Read 1 Timothy
2:1-4
- How should a Christian view his or her country and its leaders? Read Zechariah
9:9-12. |
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Read Isaiah 44:1-5 - Has the Lord
ever poured water on your thirsty soul?
Do you believe that you belong to the Lord? Read Isaiah 44:9-11 - Why do you think
God calls people who make idols "nothing." If a "nothing" makes a god, how
powerful can that god actually be? Read Isaiah
44:12-20
- Here Isaiah builds a great logical case against idolatry. What are the main points of his
argument? Does idolatry make
sense? Why then do people worship
idols? Read 1 Corinthians
8:1-13
- Here Paul gives us his opinion of pagan gods. But, in the name of love, a believer may
choose not to eat meat that has been sacrificed to them. Read Revelation
22:12-15
- Idolaters are outside of the New Jerusalem.
Should this concern us? After
all, we don't bow down to statues! But
does idolatry creep into our lives in other ways? Read Isaiah 44:6-8. |
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The Presence Of The Lord in the World Today Read 1 Corinthians 12:27 - What does Paul mean
by calling The Church "the body of Christ"? What does it mean to you to be a part of
the body of Christ? Read Acts 2:1-4 - Today's scripture reading describes
how God came to the believers on the day of Pentecost. In what ways does God come to us today? Read Psalm 144:1-4 - Why is it that God
cares about humans? We know He does
indeed care because He sent Jesus to live among us and to die for us. How confident are you of God's care in your
life? Read Psalm 144:3-10 - From what does God
deliver us today? Who or what are our
enemies? Does God deliver us in
spectacular fashion or in quieter ways?
Notice that the responses of the one delivered is praise. Read Psalm 144:11-15 - Is material
property a sign that God is blessing us?
How do people today know that God is with them? How does the world know that God is with
The Church? |
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Read Matthew 21:28-32 - People who have
lived disobedient lives, yet repent and change, enter the Kingdom of
God. But people who pay only lip
service to God do not. Do these words
of Jesus comfort or challenge you or both? Read Luke 15:11-12 - The younger son in
this parable is basically saying to his father that he was impatient for his
father's death! He wanted the money
now that he would normally get after his father had died. How do you think the father felt? Read Luke 15:13-16 - Not only did the
younger son take his inheritance prematurely, but then he left the family and
its land and way of life behind and squandered everything he had been
given! Jesus means for us to
understand, especially given the culture of his time, that this kid was a
real jerk. Read Luke 15:17-24 - Can you relate to
how the Father in the story is feeling here?
Do you think the younger son was surprised by the Father's actions? Read Luke 15:25-32 - Can you relate to
how the older brother felt? The Father
is throwing a party for the jerky younger brother who had to come crawling
back because he had blown it so badly.
Who do the Father, the younger son, and the older son each stand for
in this parable? |
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Read Isaiah 55:6-8 - God urges us to
come to him when we have failed him and He will forgive us. He's not like humans who hold grudges. Read Isaiah 55:9-13 - For what purpose
does God send his word into the world?
Will that purpose ultimately succeed or fail? Read Isaiah 56:1-8 - These verses put
an emphasis on doing good works and obeying God's laws. How do these verses fit in with the
emphasis on grace that the previous chapter in Isaiah had? Read Isaiah 57:14-20 - In these verses,
God not only calls for repentance, but promises that He himself will bring it
about! Do you have the peace in your
life that verse 19 talks about? Read Isaiah 58:6-12 - How we treat
those in need is extremely important to the Lord! In fact, our relationship to him depends on
it! Read Isaiah 55:1-5 |
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Read
Psalm 80-1-7 - Have you ever felt as the Psalmist does in these
verses, as though God was against you?
How did you snap out of it? Or
have you been able to snap out of it? Read 1
Samuel 23:15-18 - What people have helped you find
strength in God? How can you help
others find strength in God? Read
Mark 9:14-29 - Does Jesus seem somewhat weary and
maybe even discouraged in this passage?
Could Jesus ever be weary and discouraged? Is it a sin to be weary or discouraged? Read Mark
6:30-31 - How important is rest for our
Christian lives? Do you get enough
rest? Read 2
Corinthians 1:8-11 - Have you ever
gotten to the point of "despairing even of life?" How did God deliver you? If you are at that point right now, do you
believe that God is able to deliver you? Read 1 Kings 19:9-18 |
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Read Genesis 1:24-26 - God not only created
the animals, but gave humans the power to rule over them. Think about that the next time you drive
past a farm. Read 2 Kings 2:1-12 - There was a popular
movie years ago named Chariots Of Fire. But in today’s scripture reading,
there are also horses of fire.
Chariots and horses represented military might and nobility. The strong Lord came and took Elijah
away. The Lord, the general of his
army, can move us around where He wants us. Read 2 Kings 6:8-23 - Here is another
mention of horses and chariots of fire.
The Arameans had their own chariots and horses. But why should Elisha’s servant be
scared of them when the Lord has chariots and horses made of fire? Read 2 Kings 13:10-19 - Why does Jehoash call
Elisha, “My Father?” And
why does he mention the chariots and horsemen of Israel? What is he referring to? Read Psalm 20 - Today if we were
writing this Psalm, instead of saying, “Some trust in chariots and some
in horses…,” we might say, “Some trust in automatic
weapons, missiles, smart bombs, and tanks, but we will trust in the name of
the Lord our God.” Horses and
chariots were instruments of war in the ancient world. Read Job 39:19-25 and
Revelation 19:11-16. |
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Read Jeremiah 15:10-11 - Jeremiah is often called "the weeping
prophet." And, indeed, he knew his
share of sorrows, some of them stemming from the fact that he was called by
God to stand against his nation, and his own people didn't understand
him. So, God had to give him
encouragement along the way. Read Jeremiah 20:1-6 - Jeremiah brought an unpopular message of judgment
to his country and because of this he was persecuted, even by the religious
leaders. God didn't spare Jeremiah
from suffering, but he always ultimately delivered Jeremiah from the hands of
his enemies. Does he ultimately
deliver us from our enemies too? Read Jeremiah 20:7-18 - Jeremiah is really depressed in this
passage! He goes from accusing the
Lord, to feeling used and abused by the Lord, to trusting in the Lord, to
praising the Lord, to despairing of his life!
Whew! Why do you think a
passage like this is in the Bible?
Have you ever felt the ways Jeremiah felt? Read Lamentations 1:1-16 - Jeremiah is also called "the weeping
prophet" because he mourned over the fall of Jerusalem and expressed his
thoughts about it in the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah knew Jerusalem was being punished
for its sins, but still was deeply affected by, and sorry for, its fall. Jeremiah hated the sins and the
consequences of those sins, but still ultimately loved the sinners. Read John 6:53-69
- Jesus knew what it was like to have friends and followers desert him. He knew what it was like to experience
loneliness. When you are feeling
lonely, turn to Jesus and you'll find a sympathetic ear. Read Jeremiah 15:15-21 |
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Read
Matthew 8:1-4 - There are two amazing things in this
passage. First, Jesus is able to cure
leprosy. But second, Jesus reaches out
and touches a leper! Jesus touches
someone that society had labeled “unclean.” Read
Matthew 8:5-13 - When reading this story, it’s important to
remember that a Roman centurion would have been hated by the Jews. Yet Jesus praises his faith and heals his
servant! Read Mark 2:1-12 - Why do you think Jesus
forgives the man’s sins before healing him? Why didn’t Jesus move straight to the
healing? Read Mark 5:1-20 - What sort of life and
future did the demon-possessed man have before he met Jesus? What did society think of this man before
he met Jesus? Read Mark 5:25-34 - The woman may have been
afraid to approach Jesus because her medical condition made her
“unclean” to the Jews. But
when someone “unclean” touches Jesus, he or she gets cleansed. Jesus doesn’t become
“unclean.” Read Isaiah 56: 1-8 |
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Read
Genesis 12:1-5 - God says that He will make a great nation out of
one individual, Abram. And Abram
obviously believes this promise, because he
acts on what God told him. Why do you
think Abram believed God? Read
Genesis 15:1-6: - What is it that the Lord required from Abram? What does He require from us? Read
Deuteronomy 30:1-10 - Even after the Jews turned
against the Lord and He punishes them by sending them into exile, they can
still turn back to God in repentance.
And the Lord will turn back to them. Read
Revelation 6:12-14 - Some branches of science tell us
that the end of our world and our universe is inevitable someday. But the Bible tells us that this, too, is
under God’s control. Read
Revelation 20:11-21:4 - Does such a passage fill you with
joy, awe and expectation, or with dread? Read
Isaiah 51:1-6 |
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To Be Truly Rich Read
Psalm 73:1-5 - Why would envying prosperous people cause the
Psalmist’s
faith to slip?
In our culture, isn’t it common to envy the prosperous? How can we make sure that our
faith doesn’t slip? Read
Psalm 73:6-11 - Because rich, prosperous people are so well off,
they don’t
believe they have a need for God. And they don’t think God is very concerned
with how they are living because they always seem to get away with whatever
they are doing. This certainly
describes many famous people in our world today. Read
Psalm 73:12-14 - The Psalmist believes that he has been good for nothing, in other words, that serving God has been of no benefit to him. He expected to be blessed. Instead, he is always in trouble. Have you ever felt the way that the Psalmist
does? Read
Psalm 73:15-17 - The Psalmist was getting depressed, but didn’t share his thoughts with anyone, lest they be tempted to abandon the faith. But then when the Psalmist went to worship
God, he realized that all was not the way it appeared to be. The rich don’t get away with
murder. God is indeed watching
them! Worship often helps us put
things in the proper perspective. Does
worship help you in this way? Read
Psalm 73:18-28 - The Psalmist realizes that the blessings which the rich have and that cause them to snub God are actually traps that will lead them
to God’s
judgment. God is
always faithful and just. And God held
on to the Psalmist, even when the Psalmist wasn’t sure he wanted to hold on to God. |
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Thoughts About Choices Read
Revelation 9:17-21 - You can almost hear the incredulous tone in John's voice as
he writes these words. Why wouldn't humanity repent and turn from false
gods and wicked deeds during the time of the plagues? Wouldn't we expect that
a time of disaster would lead people to turn to God? But this isn't
always the case. Why? Read John
3:19-21 -
Some people will choose darkness instead of light so that they won't be
exposed. But notice that John doesn't go on to say that people who come
to the light do so because they are so great. They come because God is
working within them. Read
Proverbs 2:12-15 -
There are people in this world who "delight in doing wrong and rejoice
in the perverseness of evil." We can see them when we turn on the
television. Maybe we see them everyday at work or at school. What
is it that you rejoice in? Read Hebrews
11:24-28 -
Sin does indeed offer pleasure. But it is only temporary. We can
say, "No," to sin by having faith that the pleasures of God are
coming and that they will be eternal. Read
Matthew 27:15-26 -
Like the people of ancient Jerusalem, we are faced with a choice.
Christ or the world? What is your answer? |
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Read Luke
18:9-14 -
Do you think the Pharisee was lying about the good things he did and about his
moral character? Why is it that God would justify the tax collector and
not the Pharisee? How can we pray prayers that are pleasing to God? Read Joel
2:23-32 -
The blessings in this passage are blessings that will come after the people
have repented of their sins and after the Lord has disciplined them.
The purpose of discipline is not to destroy, but to get people to realize
their failings and make changes. God's great love always abides with
his people and though He may have to discipline at times, it is only to
prepare us for future fellowship with him and for service in his Kingdom. Read Psalm
51 - This
famous prayer of confession is attributed to David after he had been
convicted of having adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband.
Notice that David makes no excuses for his sin and is relying on God's mercy
and not his own merits. It is only after David receives forgiveness and
cleansing and power from God that he will once again be a witness for the
Lord. He doesn't say, "I'll praise You and teach sinners to fear
You and after I have done all those good things, then I'll have made up for
my sins and You'll have to forgive me." No, for David it is,
"You have forgiven me and so now I will live for You." David
would have made a good Reformed Church member! He knows all about
Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude - in that order! Read Mark
4:35-41 - Jesus
has authority over nature! And He also has the power to calm storms
that are raging in our hearts because of fear, doubt, and sin. May Jesus
continually come to us and say, "Quiet! Be still!"
Because we are awfully good at stirring up storms. Read Jonah 2
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about feeling overwhelmed by your problems and your sins! Jonah was
literally drowning in his! But he turned to the Lord in prayer and
found deliverance. May we always turn to God when we feel like we're
sinking. |
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Read Acts
17:10-12 - We
belong to a church in the Reformed theological tradition. Part of what
this means is that we as individuals, our congregation, and our denomination
should be like the Bereans. We should be searching the scriptures to
see if what we believe is true. And if we need to reform our beliefs
and practices to bring them in line with God's Word, we shouldn't be afraid
to do so. Read Romans
3:21-26 -
Martin Luther had tried to make himself acceptable to God by doing all that
he could do. He made a pilgrimage to Holy Rome. He became a
monk. He scrupulously tried to confess absolutely every sin he could
remember. He spent hours in prayer. Yet he still wondered if he
had done enough and how he really stood with God. But when he studied
the book of Romans, his spiritual eyes were opened to salvation by faith and
to the fact that we are righteous in God's sight, not because of what we do,
but because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. Praise
His name! Read
Habakkuk 1:1-4 - Every
day we see all kinds of evil in this world via newspapers, magazines, and
television. Is our response only to shake our heads at it and to
sigh? Or is our response the same one Habakkuk had - to cry out to God
about it? Read 2
Thessalonians 1:3-4 and 11-12 - In these verses we once again come up against
the mystery of the partnership between God and Man. Paul boasts about
the Thessalonians' perseverance and endurance, but at the same time he thanks
God for these qualities because he knows they ultimately come from the
Lord. He prays that the Thessalonians will be found worthy of God's
calling, but he knows that it is God's power that will fulfill all the good
works they try to do. This is good news for us! Your growth as a
Christian doesn't depend on how strong a Christian you are, but on how strong
God is! Read 1 Peter
4:1-4 -
The World won't understand Christians and will try to pressure you to conform
to its ways. But we are called to be willing to suffer the abuse the
World will heap on us in order to live according to the will of God. |
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Read Psalm
127:1 -
Humans can put in their best efforts on a project, but the ultimate success
or failure of the project is in the hands of the Lord. So let us pray
for our building project. Let's pray for our nation. Let's pray
for our families. Let's not allow a lot of effort in many areas to be
done in vain. We need the Lord's blessings. Read 1
Corinthians 3:10-15 - A foundation is so important for a building. Without
a strong foundation, a building collapses. Of course, as a building is
going up, we hope that the walls, roof, doors, etc. will also be strong or
else a disaster may be looming. When it comes to our spiritual lives,
Paul makes it clear that the foundation must be Jesus Christ. Without
Him, everything crumbles. But then he implicitly urges us to keep using
"good building materials" as we build up our lives. Things
such as prayer, acts of service in love to God's children, biblical truth and
a striving for holiness. If we don't add these "materials,"
maybe we'll still be ultimately saved because of our foundation, but it will
be as though our lives were wasted and meaningless. Let's not waste our
lives! Let's build our lives to last - eternally! Read I
Corinthians 3:16-17
- Church buildings are tools that God's people use to carry out the ministries
He gives them. But God's Spirit lives within the corporate body of
believers. While we take care to make sure our new building project is
going just right, let's also be working to make sure our congregation is
strong in Truth, Love, Godliness, and Fellowship. Read 1 Kings
8:10-13
- May our new building be a place where God is glorified and as we gather to
worship and fellowship in it, may the glory of the Lord fill us, His church. Read 1 Kings
8:22-30
- Solomon knew that God wouldn't really be dwelling in the temple. But
he still asked that the temple would be used by God to bless His
People. God certainly doesn't dwell within our current church building
and won't live in our new addition, but we can pray that He will use them to
bless His people and that He will give special attention to what goes on in
the buildings owned and used by the American Reformed Church. |
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Read Isaiah
12:1-3
- Has the Lord become your salvation? Does He put a song in your
heart? Are you drawing "water" from the "well" with
joy? Have we grasped how amazing and wonderful salvation really is? Read Isaiah
12:4 -
What does Isaiah mean when he talks about the Lord's name being
exalted? Part of what he means may be tied in to the way kings and
rulers were addressed in his day. Someone approaching a king might have
said something like, "Oh Great And Mighty One Who Has Conquered Your
Enemies And Who Reigns With Wisdom And Compassion." When we
address God or speak to others about Him, we should be mindful of who He is
and what He has done for us. Isaiah may also mean that we should take
care how we use God's name. It's special. It's not to be used as
a curse word or as a common exclamation of surprise. Read Isaiah
12: 5-6
- In what ways is the Holy One of Israel among us today? How is He in
our world, our church, your family, your life? How can we become more
aware that He is indeed with us? Read Luke
21: 5-19
- Every time we turn on the news we see signs like those Jesus talked about
in Luke, Chapter 12. But notice that Jesus told his followers not to
worry ahead of time about what would happen to them when they were
arrested. They were to trust him for the words to say. And He
told them if they stood firm in their faith in him, they would gain eternal
life. As we watch the news, let's not panic, but remember who we are
trusting in and what lies ahead for us.
Read Luke
12:13-21
- When we think of preparing for the future, we usually think of such things
as making sure we'll have enough money to live on or whether we'll have the
education and training to get us the jobs we want, or where we will be
living, etc. But Jesus let us know that it's important to plan for the
future by making sure we are rich toward God. |
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Read
Jeremiah 23:5-6 -
The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is, of course, Jesus Christ.
And notice His name is "The Lord Our Righteousness." No
wonder the Jewish people, who had a history of being punished for their sins,
longed for the coming of such a king. And no wonder we who sin everyday
are thankful that such a king came. We depend on the Lord's
righteousness and not our own. Read
Colossians 1:9-13 -
In these verses, Paul gives us good reasons to thank God regardless of what
sort of day we're having and whether things in life seem to be going well or
badly for us. We can always thank God because He has qualified us to
share in the inheritance of the saints, rescued us from the kingdom of
darkness, brought us into Christ's Kingdom, and redeemed us from our
sins. Wow! Read Luke
1:5-25 -
The Lord's people in the Bible are called on to believe some pretty
incredible things. In today's scripture reading, Zechariah had to
believe that he and his wife would have a son, though they were both
old. The Lord still calls on us to believe some pretty incredible
things today - that the grave is not the end; that a man dying on a cross two
thousand years ago was God and that He took away our sins; that God is at
work in us transforming us into images of Jesus. May we believe the
incredible more willingly than Zechariah did! Let's remember that these
things come from our incredible God. Read Luke
1:39-45 -
The Holy Spirit was working in John the Baptist even while he was still in
his mother's womb and caused him to praise the Lord after a fashion!
It's never too soon to pray that God will begin to work in the hearts of your
children and grandchildren and the children of our church. Read Luke
1:57-66 - When
Zechariah could speak again; the first thing he did was to praise God.
Are God's praises and/or edifying words always the first things out of our
mouths? |
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