Dear Naysayers, Shhh!

May 9, 2013 by 17 Comments
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Pure and genuine religion is this.

If the Lord wills, this fall we will be the parents and caregivers of eight children, 6 biological and 2 adopted.

We have heard all the criticism masked as concern. Ok well, maybe not everyone has had the guts to speak their “concern” but here’s a few I’ve heard already.

  • What if you run out of money?
  • What if the kids don’t get a long?
  • Can you handle it?
  • What if it all falls apart?
  • What if there are problems with their biological family?
  • It’s a big job.
  • That’s a lot of kids.
  • Is that too much responsibility?
  • How will you feed them and clothe them?

Well, I came across this line from the Christian Alliance For Orphans, who hosted an adoption summit in Nashville over the weekend.

“Taking on the characteristics of the Father to the fatherless…You’re not crazy and don’t back down…Uniting under the gospel to demonstrate the gospel.” 

When I read those lines up there, those “concerns” are dirt.  I am eternally motivated to take on the characteristics of my Father to the fatherless. I am roused to demonstrate the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ that saved me. I get to do that for the rest of my life to two children. Maybe it IS crazy but I want to do something the world thinks is crazy. And I want to do it in the name of Jesus, to show his power to perfectly  orchestrate and design my life.

And I wonder if the contemporaries of my heroes of faith thought they were crazy too.

Was it crazy for Moses to challenge the King of Egypt? Was it crazy for young David to challenge Goliath? Was it crazy for Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego to challenge the authority of a blood-thirsty King? Was it crazy for Mary to challenge the customs of her people and agree to open her womb to Immanuel?

Is it crazy for me to balk at my materialistic, selfish culture and raise 8 kids? I hope so.

When I look into they eyes of my two children who have lost their parents, their home, their life, honestly, money doesn’t matter. What are their lives in comparison to money? If we have to go with less, we will. If we have to sell our stuff, we will. If there are problems, we will deal with them.  And if it all falls apart, we will watch God rebuild it.

At the end of all my fears I find faith. Faith in the promises and truth of my Father. All those concerns melt when matched up to the truth of  God. The Book is filled with truth that cannot be undone, even in the face of fear and concern.

  • It is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35)
  • Defend the orphan. (Psalm 10:14)
  • Blessed are the merciful. (Mt. 5:7)
  • Do to others what you would like them to do to you. (Mt. 7:12)
  • Don’t worry about clothes and food. (Mt. 6:25-36)

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans…  in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. James 1:27

Today I choose pure and genuine religion. Today I choose to care for children in their distress. Today I refuse to let the world and its earthly thinking corrupt me. So if you are a naysayer, please… SHHH!

Filed Under: Adoption, Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff Tagged With: ,

Adopted As Sons and Daughters

May 2, 2013 by 2 Comments
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“Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:25

I may have said it here or somewhere else. I feel like this season of my life is less walking in the Spirit and more eyes- blindfolded-on- a-raft- down-a-river in the Spirit. Don’t get me wrong, my control issues pop up every now and then, but I am really learning to take my hands off the wheel and let my Father have his way.

That way has led us to an exciting and somewhat scary change for our family.

Through some pretty amazing circumstances, the Lord has placed 2 orphan children at our door and asked if we will let them in. We said yes.

In just a few weeks we will be adding a 10 year-old son and a 12 year-old daughter to our mix.

I have been asked if I think I’m up for it. Which is a fair question I guess. I realize I am still in a time of grieving. I am pregnant and expecting a newborn in November. But I also totally believe that God will give me the tools I need. In fact, he may have done it already.

And the truth is, when my fear rears up, and I question in myself if I am up for it, my next question to myself is, “Am I up for meeting God face to face and telling him that I wasn’t?”

Our family has been called to a mission of adoption.  How much more can we learn what God has done for each one of us as his people? I was once a homeless, wanderer, rebellions and proud. People used to look at me with a skeptical eye. Suspicion took the place of compassion. And my Father took me in, cleaned me up and made me part of his family. I am now a daughter of the Almighty.

Instead you receive God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

Now I get the chance to not just adopt two children in the DeGarmo family, but I get the chance to adopt them in the family of Yahweh. In this family they will they get to call call their Creator by  name… Abba. Daddy.

Filed Under: Adoption, Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Mama Stuff Tagged With:

All The Single Ladies: How Far Is Too Far?

April 24, 2013 by 3 Comments
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“Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?” Proverbs 6:27

I just watched a little Youtube video that has fired up my passion for this topic. From the time I was a Christian single to now that I mentor Christian singles, the question has been asked hundreds of times. I’ve even asked it a few times myself.

How far is too far?

Holding hands? Kissing? French Kissing? Laying together? Snuggling with clothes on?  Body to body contact? What about just talking about what we want to do “someday” when we are married? What about flirty texts or pictures? Oral sex? How much CAN I do and not sin?

Let’s start with the heart of that question. I mean, do we ask the question, How close can I get to murder and not sin? Can I fight and beat them to a near death? Can I fantasize about murder?  Really.

Should the question be how close to sin can I get? Or should we be asking how can I get closer to God? How can I guard my heart and live a God-glorifying life? How can I guard my heart from sin? How can I be a woman of God who does everything she can to guard the hearts of men?

So let’s go on from here assuming that we know sin leads to death and we don’t want to die or cause someone else to die (Rom. 6:23).

1. Purpose in your heart what kind of woman you want to be.

The book of Proverbs describes two kinds of women:

My son, obey your father’s commands…their corrective discipline is the way to life. It will keep you from the immoral woman, from the smooth tongue of a promiscuous woman. Don’t lust for her beauty.Don’t let her coy glances seduce you... Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? Can he walk on hot coals and not blister his feet?  …He who embraces her will not go unpunished.

So she seduced him with her pretty speech and enticed him with her flattery. He followed her at once,like an ox going to the slaughter. He was like a stag caught in a trap,awaiting the arrow that would pierce its heart. He was like a bird flying into a snare. (from Proverbs 6-7)

Or

Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her,and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good, not harm,all the days of her life…She is clothed with strength and dignity…

When she speaks, her words are wise,and she gives instructions with kindness. Her husband praises her: “There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all!” Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done.Let her deeds publicly declare her praise. (from Proverbs 31)

There is no neutral. In your heart to have you determine and purpose to be “a woman who fears the Lord”? If not, you may be setting yourself up to be the “immoral woman.” Trust me.

2. Understand your body is the dwelling place of God.

But the body is not for sexual sin. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body… Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself. So I must never take what is part of Christ and join it to a prostitute! The Scriptures say, “The two people will become one.” So you should know that anyone who is joined with a prostitute becomes one with her in body. But anyone who is joined with the Lord is one with him in spirit… 

So if you commit sexual sin, you are sinning against your own body. You should know that your body is a temple for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don’t own yourselves. God paid a very high price to make you his. So honor God with your body. (1 Cor. 6)

When you sin with your body you are joining Jesus to your sin. The thought of that makes me nauseous. I hate that I did that.  I hate that I dishonored my Lord with my careless, selfish sin. Sin that he gave his life to ransom me from. He allowed men to spill his blood to purify me. All he asks is for me to honor him with this body in return.

3. Lust is the line you don’t want to cross.

Sometimes I think we want lines drawn so we KNOW what we can and can’t do. But the way of Christ isn’t like that. The way of Christ is a faith of the heart, purity and a desire to be holy. We do that not to be saved, but as a  response from the heart of one who has been saved.

One line I can draw is that where lust begins so does sin.

But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. (Mt. 5:28)

As a married woman who has a very honest husband, the lust line is a lot closer than most of think.

4. Make a purposeful sacrifice.

One day you may be married. The guy you are with may not be him.  So when you do present your body to your husband, do you want it to  have another man’s  hand prints all over it? What message does that send your husband? I will tell you what message it sent mine. As a young man he believed he wasn’t worth the sacrifice. Satan used that and spun a web of lies that held us in captivity for a long time. We started off with a tremendous hill of sin to climb because of me.

We are training our daughters to guard their heart and body so that they can give it over to the man God chooses one day, pure.

5. Plan Boundaries

If any situation leads to lust, which honestly doesn’t take long for sexually deprived singles, stop it!  Jesus said if you lust it’s better to cut off your offending hand and pluck out your eye (Mt. 5:29-30).

Paul said if it leads to sexual sin run away FAST! (1 Cor. 6:18). The point is we need to take radical steps to prevent sin or stop sin after it begins, which is a lot harder!

Some boundaries/lack of boundaries that I know have led Christians into sin:

  • Getting serious too fast
  • Watching movies in the dark
  • Extended time alone
  • Late nights alone
  • Spending the night together
  • Sexual jokes
  • Kissing
  • Road trips
  • “Innocent” physical contact (sitting on his lap, massaging, tickling, etc)
  • Drinking

You might think those are crazy. Jesus said a walk with him is crazy.

6.The Stakes are eternal.

Sexual impurity will keep you from heaven.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men… (1 Cor. 6:9)

Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. (Heb. 13:4)

“Choose this day whom you will serve.” Will it be the god of your flesh? Or the God of holiness?

Previous post: Can Christians Date?

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Marriage, Singlehood Tagged With: , ,

The Truth About Prom

April 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

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Chaperons don’t enforce morality; they force immorality to be discreet.  ~Judith Martin

My Facebook feed has been buzzing with response to a timely piece, “But It’s the Prom” by Steve Higginbotham.

So I figured, I might-as-well weigh in with another perspective.

Twenty years ago… oh that makes me feel not so youthful… I was a brand new Christian straight out the world. My first two years of high school were spent immersed in wickedness. My life was full of drunkenness, violence, vulgarity and sexual immortality. I associated with drug dealers and criminals.

Even though I knew better I was trapped. I sunk deeper and deeper into the pit of guilt and shame. I was hurting, broken, hopeless and helpless.

Then I found the Healer.

He picked me up off the ground. He covered me. He spoke life, “Now go and sin no more” (John 8:1-11).

I was rescued. I was redeemed. I was changed. I was also quickly convicted of how much I owed my new Master. My life was now indebted to a cause and to a Man much greater than myself.

He changed my life with these words:

As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.”
But Jesus replied:

“Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”

He said to another person: 

“Come, follow me.”

The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.”
But Jesus told him: 

“Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.”

Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.”
But Jesus told him: 

“Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”

I was now a teenage girl on mission. I unashamedly spoke the same truth that had just saved me. Instead of getting into fights in the hallway I got into bible studies. Instead of cursing, my lips spoke praise. I stumbled but I believed Jesus’ promises to be worth getting back up for.

I was honored to join the ranks of teens who desired to serve God in biblical proportions.

  • Joseph- 17 years old who fled sexual sin
  • Daniel- 15 years old who rejected the delicacies of the King
  • Mary- 14 years old who carried the Savior in her womb

So what’s that have to do with going to the prom?

Well, I’m just about there.

I wasn’t interested in dancing. I was interested in following Jesus. I wasn’t interested in high school drama.  I was interested in preaching the Kingdom of God. I wasn’t interested in loud, worldly music. I was interested in setting my hand to the plow and not looking back.

I didn’t spend my final days of high school planning my outfit for prom. I did spend my last days of high school planning for my first missionary trip to the Philippines.

Even more, with my new-found faith I had no desire to go and watch my friends and classmates drive the nails deeper into the hands of my Lord. I knew what most people would be doing there. There would be girls offering their bodies to boys. There would be girls experimenting with girls and boys with boys. There would be lust. There would be drunkenness. There would be drugs. Their would be filthy talk.

I had no desire to hear filth pour from the hearts. I had no desire to watch their lewd and lustful behavior. I had no desire to keep on participating in the sin that I had so recently been set free from. There are times that I had to be in the world, Prom night was not one of them.

I had enough of sin.

You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols. 1 Pet. 4:3

There is no go-to Bible verse that declares an eternal truth, “Thou shalt not go to the prom.” It’s not carved on a stone tablet some where. Prom doesn’t make the glossary of the New Testament.

 But all the stuff that goes with it does sure does.

Surely you know that people who do wrong will not get to enjoy God’s kingdom. Don’t be fooled. These are the people who will not get to enjoy his kingdom: those who sin sexually, those who worship idols, those who commit adultery, men who let other men use them for sex or who have sex with other men, those who steal, those who are greedy, those who drink too much, those who abuse others with insults, and those who cheat. In the past some of you were like that. But you were washed clean, you were made holy, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:9-11

Let’s remember this prom season, whether you are a teenage or the parent of one, our kids in Christ have been washed clean and made holy by the blood of Jesus. Let’s honor that as holy and sacred. Let’s not justify sin by saying we can be a good example in the middle of Sodom. Let’s keep our hearts, our hands and our eyes pure before a righteous God who sacrificed a lot to make you his.

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Kids and Beyond, Parenting Tagged With: ,

Can I Trust the Bible?

April 10, 2013 by 1 Comment
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Hold firmly to the word of life… Phil. 2:16

In American schools we teach the works of Aristotle as authentic. Did you know there are 49 copies of his work in existence today? The closest one dates 1,400 years past his original writing.

How about Homer? His work is mandatory for most high school students in the United States. There are 643 copies of his work dating 500 years after his original work.

The authenticity of the Bible is often under a much different microscope.

Did you know there are 5,686 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament in human hands today? Those manuscripts date just 100 years from the original texts.

God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone… 2 Tim. 2:19

The Bible is actually quite an amazing collection of writings. The word bible comes from the Greek work biblos, which means book of many books. That’s a better description of what the Bible really is. It’s one book that contains many books, 66 to be exact.

Those 66 books were authored on three different continents (Africa, Asia and Europe) by 40 different authors. Those 40 authors penned the books over 1,500 years in 3 languages (Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic). And there are no contradictions within those books.

All scripture is given by inspiration of God… 2 Tim. 3:16

In these diverse writings there is a common theme- the creation and fall of man. God’s redemption of his people and is unfailing love for humanity. Throughout the book, the promise of  salvation is declared to all who obey the word of the Lord.

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. 1 John 2:5

There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus in the New Testament, centuries later. Those prophecies concern his place of birth, mother, home town to his manner of death. MIT conducted a study to determine the odds of one man fulfilling just eight prophecies. You want to take a guess on the odds? 1 in 1 trillion.

The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
    that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently.  Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”  Luke 4:17-21

What about the apostles who wrote the New Testament? Were they reliable witnesses? Did they really believe what they saw to be true? Did you know that most of the apostles were martyred for their beliefs? They were so convicted by what they saw and what they wrote that they were willing to face prison, their own crucifixion and beheading.

After the scriptures were collected and translated into Latin, a period of time came when the common man did not have access to the scripture. Then a radical and fatal restoration of the word took place among the best scholarly men of the day. Beginning with John Wycliffe of Oxford University in the 1380′s to William Tyndale in the early 1500′s, these men risked heresy.  These “heretics” were exiled and burned at the stake to make sure that the Holy Scripture could be accessible and understood in a common language. They did it so I could have a Bible.

The simple fact that nearly everyone who paved the way for the Bible to be in my hands was persecuted or killed for it tells me something very important. Some one doesn’t want me reading it. And the cost to overcome that opposition was the blood of many men.

I trust the Bible with all my heart. I will walk by its statues. I will commit to its way. I will honor its God. And I will face every challenge of my day, knowing there is a Creator who orchestrated a beautiful story of redemption to pass on to me. And my spiritual ancestors believed in that story so deeply they paid the ultimate price to pass that life-giving message on to me. Amazing.

Now, are you too busy to read it?

I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws. Psalm 119:59

Previous posts: We Revere the Bible But We Don’t Read It and Overcoming the Barriers to Bible Study

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life Tagged With: ,

“We Revere the Bible But We Don’t Read It”

April 9, 2013 by 2 Comments

“We revere the Bible but we don’t read it.” – George Gallup

 

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During a Facebook conversation, one of my friends said, “Too many Christians — or people claiming the title — are largely Biblically illiterate, unloving, lacking tact, and even boorish.”

Biblically illiterate. Whoa. Why are we known to the world as unloving, lacking tack or boorish in our beliefs? Because we are largely biblically illiterate. We don’t read the book. We don’t know the teachings of the Master. We may wear the name, but we haven’t really become a disciple or a follower of Jesus the Christ.

Did you know?

  • 92% of American own a Bible.
  • 75% believe it is the word of God.
  • 64% of Americans do not read the Bible because they are too busy.
  • 80% Think it is too hard to understand.

From Gallup to USA Today, National Studies show:

  • 50% Don’t know the 1st book of the Bible.
  • 1/3 of Americans know who preached the Sermon on the Mount. Some credit Billy Graham.
  • More Americans can name the 4 Beatles over recounting one single commandment.
  • 50% of high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were married.
  • Most Americans can not chronologically order Adam, Moses, David and Jesus.

Christians, those are dismal statistics. Maybe you fall into those stats somewhere. That’s OK. It’s Ok to start there, but it’s not OK to stay there.

Our ignorance is leading us to social decay, immorality, the destruction of family and ultimately separation from a Holy God.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now he commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to him.” Acts 17:30

God now expects us to repent. Do we know of what? Do we even know what sin is anymore? We are supposed to turn to him. But how?

Read his letter to you.

Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11

Tomorrow I’m going to talk about “Can I Trust the Bible?”  Til then you can check out “Overcoming Barriers to Bible Study.”

 

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life Tagged With: ,

City of Grief

April 4, 2013 by 3 Comments
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They drew near to the gates of death. Psalm 107:18

Since my son died, I have been granted access into a sacred world. The world of parents that bury their children. I always knew before that I lived on the outside of the gates. I felt it with every interaction I had with a mother who lost her child. I wasn’t in that world. And I really didn’t want to be.

But now, in my short time as a citizen of this community I have learned, we don’t want words of comfort from people who fain understanding.  We don’t want to be told what we “should” do or how we “should” feel. We don’t want people who don’t live here to say “I can’t image your pain.” The truth is we can’t imagine the pain either. But it is where we dwell. This is where our citizenship now lies.

And so, since divine authority granted me access into this world, as a fellow citizen, I feel I must speak divine  truth to its people.

Since I have been in this world I see mothers who boldly reject the idea of loving God. I have met mothers who run into the bed of a man rather than into the arms of a holy Jesus. I have met mothers who serve themselves and feed their whims rather than see the pain in their husbands or their children. I have met mothers who give lip service to Jesus and beg for his healing while rejecting his call to give up everything and follow him.

I have met you face to face. I have cried with you. I have held you in my arms.  I have agonized with you. I have brought your name to the throne of God even when you didn’t want me to.

And today, I tell you with all the life and love that is my body, you will never heal apart from your Creator. You will never find peace in your quiet moments without serving the God of the Holy Scriptures. Your pain will only multiply the longer you run from him.

Today, stop worshiping your fear, your anger, your doubt, and your grief. Yes, you live in the City of Grief. I do too. And what I have seen with my own eyes, is God lives here too.

His arms are out stretched. His voice is calling. Drop what you are doing. And run. Run to him.

 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Death and Dying Tagged With: ,

Naked And Not Ashamed

March 25, 2013 by 31 Comments

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This weekend our family took a much needed weekend get-a-way to an indoor water park… or so I thought.

Friday was relatively uneventful, but as the park filled up on Saturday I was struck by something… a lot of naked people. Now, you might not call them naked. But from what God says, they were naked.

After Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, notice the exchange that happens between God and his children.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Genesis 3:7-10

Did you notice that? Even after they sewed together some “loincloths” they were still naked. Now I know that part of that was because the sin was still there, but that’s another point for another day. The point for today is that  they tried to cover their “loins” and it was still called naked.

So I as I sat in the hot tub with my t-shirt and shorts, I noticed the influx of nakedness and planned the escape for my family. What were they wearing you ask? Loincloths. Or their modern day equivalent- the bikini. Even the more conservatively dressed one-piece wearers showed their share of cleavage and butt cheeks.

Then  my old days back to the King James bible popped into my mind. These people lack “shamefacedness.”

In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness… 1 Tim. 2:9

Before sin, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed. After sin, shame flooded them and forced the to hide from their Maker.  Today, I notice a lot of these women have no shame. They lack shamefacedness. They don’t even know they are naked. They are naked and have no shame.

Which leads me to the picture above… there were a few Muslim families at the park. The women were dressed from full burkas, to calf length pants with longs sleeves and veils, to just below the knee swimwear and no veils. But one thing I can say for all of them is that I could identify those women and their faith by their style of dress.

Now, in that park of 1,500 people I wondered how many of those people would identify themselves as “Christian” but I couldn’t tell by their attire. I couldn’t tell because even though they may claim to where the name of Christ, they look more like the world than a follower of Jesus the Messiah.

That is a shame.

So, ladies here’s the challenge, take your modesty seriously. It will point people to your Savior or it will lead them in the opposite direction. You are called to a holy standard of dress. You  are called to glorify God in your body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

Gentlemen, speak up for your women. Demand a higher standard than the world expects. Encourage the women in your life to cover their bodies and glorify their God with with their modesty.

 

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture Tagged With: ,

Overcoming Barriers to Bible Study

March 14, 2013 by 3 Comments

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Great blessings belong to those who live pure lives. They follow the Lord’s teachings.Great blessings belong to those who follow his rules! They seek him with all their heart. Psalm 119:1-2

You must obey all his laws and commands that I give you. If you do this, you will have a long life in that new land. Israelites, listen carefully and obey these laws. Then everything will be fine with you. You will have many children, and you will get the land filled with many good things—just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, promised.

Listen, people of Israel! The Lord is our God. The Lord is the only God. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.  Always remember these commands that I give you today.  Be sure to teach them to your children. Talk about these commands when you sit in your house and when you walk on the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up.  Tie them on your hands and wear them on your foreheads to help you remember my teachings.  Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. Deut. 6:2-9

If you wear the name Christian, in that description, you declare yourself to be a follower of the Christ, his Father, and his ways. But the more I observe fellow Christians, the more I see they don’t know how to follow because they haven’t read the book.

A recent study found that 80% of church goers don’t read their Bibles regularly. WOW!! Why aren’t we in the book?

The psalms say that we will receive great blessings by following his teaching. Moses told the people to teach them to their children and to talk about the commandments of God in every part of daily life. Is that how you would describe your daily life?

There are some barriers to Bible study that I think discourage people from even beginning their journey into the good book.

1. I Can’t Understand It

Most translations of the Bible are written at a 4th grade reading level. Some religious elite have made us believe that we need them to understand. But it’s not so. God intended for all his people to cherish his word.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote a majority of the New Testament, said,

This is my prayer for you:that your love will grow more and more; that you will have knowledge and understanding with your love. Phil. 1:9

If you have trouble understanding, start with prayer. Then make sure that you have a translation of the Bible that you can read fluently. Go to your local bookstore and hit the shelves to find a Bible that is a match for you.

2. I Don’t Have Time

The God of the Universe penned a love letter, a story of a great battle in which he sacrificed his son to rescue you. Make time for him.

“The Lord, the Mighty One, is God, and he has spoken” (Psalm 50:1)

3. I Have To Read a Whole Book At a Time

When I first became a Christian, over 20 years ago, I knew so little that I believed the whole book to be written in one-liners, like Proverbs. I didn’t know that there was a story or context to the verses. There is value in knowing the context of the story, but there is also value in reading just one verse at a time and savoring each word.

Break it down in to parts that you can digest. It’s like they say, How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

4. I Don’t Have Alone Time

If you are a mom, you are probably right, you don’t have alone time. I don’t have much either. But I have made my children part of my Bible study. I sit with them and share the words of life together. I do also demand time that they do not disturb me. Years ago an older mom told me that she had a special chair in front of a window in her home. Her children were trained to not disturb her when she sat in that chair because that was her time with the Lord.

5. I Don’t Know Where to Start

Picking up a Bible for the first time can be intimidating. Trying to figure out which end is up can be overwhelming at first. Don’t let that stop you.

I suggest starting with the life of Jesus, which is found in four books we call the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. There was a king in the Old Testament, David, who penned some of the most intimate prose to the Lord ever recorded. We call them The Psalms. Whatever you are going through, the psalms will speak to your heart. The Book of Genesis tells us about the beginnings: the beginning of the world, God’s promises to his people, the nation of Israel and the future of our salvation.

6. Our Hearts Don’t Desire It

As human beings, we do what we want to do. Maybe your lack of Bible study boils down to a heart that doesn’t desire to know God. Ask him to change your heart.

“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment” (1 Pet. 2:2).

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life Tagged With:

Can Christians Date?

February 22, 2013 by 4 Comments

A couple weeks ago my husband and I took our 7 year-old daughter out to dinner, per her request, to Olive Garden. She wanted us to get dressed up and take just her. When we got to the restaurant she wanted Daniel and I to sit together and her across from us. As she smiled and sparkled she said, “Mommy, Daddy was the first one you ever kissed right?”

My heart sank. Shame sparked like fire in my spirit. As I stumbled on my words, not knowing how to answer my innocent child, my husband said, “I’m the first one that mattered.”  Again, my husband, my Christ-figure (Eph. 5) covered my sin, the sins of my youth.

If you are a teenager, raising a teenager, will ever be raising a teenager or know a teenager, watch this. Open your heart and consider this truth.

 

 

Marriage is hard. The process of becoming one flesh is tedious and painful. When you add the baggage of previous relationships and sexual sin marriage is only harder. If you are single my plea to you is please don’t give your body, your heart, your commitment or your dreams to anyone until marriage is your intention… and theirs.

Filed Under: Christ-followers & Culture, Christian Life, Marriage, Matters of the Heart, Singlehood Tagged With: , , ,
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