Who Do You Love Most?

It should be an easy question, "Who do you love most?" Of course, the "Christian" answer is God. I thought that would be my answer too, but now I'm not so sure.

In the men's Bible study group I attend on Thursday mornings we are studying Psalm 119 and the impact that God's Word should have on our lives. One thing that came up today was where we place our love for the Bible in our list of things that we love.

The quick response of course is that we love the Bible, God's Word, more than anything else. Really?! The reality check comes when I put it up against my wife. I love my wife. Do I love her more than I love the Bible? Would I rather spend time with her than in the Word? I'm not saying that we should choose one or the other, but I am saying that we need to make sure that our priorities are correct and that if a choice has to be made, we would choose wisely.

When life gets hectic and events and circumstances crowd your schedule, whose time gets reduced, time with your spouse, or time with God in His Word?

I honestly can't think of a time that I have ever told my wife to wait while I finish my time in the Bible. In fairness to myself, I don't know that the situation has ever come up, but I think that I would probably choose wrongly!

I love the Bible, and one of the greatest joys of my life is helping others to fall in love with it as well. My hope is that I fall in love with it more myself!

Two Minute Tuesday

How are you doing on your Route 66 daily reading? If you are behind, either make it a priority and catch up, or skip to today's reading and get going! It is so important to be in God's Word every day. How can you lead others toward Christ if you aren't drawing closer to Him yourself?

If we are going to "Lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ", don't we need to be fully devoted to Him ourselves? Doesn't being fully devoted to Him include spending time with Him, learning more about Him, and becoming more like Him?

I encourage you to spend time every day with God through His Word. I also want to encourage you to start journaling. We are using the SOAP method and it makes journaling so easy!

I made a commitment to start journaling at the beginning of the year when we started the Route 66 focus. I have never been one to journal, but I have come to love it. I love writing down what God is speaking to me through His Word and the Holy Spirit. I will be honest and say that I have missed a day or two hear and there, weekends are tough for me! But, I pick it right back up and don't let myself feel guilty for what I have missed, I just press on to become more consistent.

I challeng you to get into God's Word, expect to hear from Him every day, and journal what He is teaching you so that you can look back and reflect on it and celebrate!

Route 66 Update

I hope that you are doing the daily reading and keeping up with the www.pvcroute66.com blog. Paige and I are reading Scripture together for the first time in our 24 years of marriage (our 24th anniversary is on the 14th!). We have just had different times that we each studied and for no real reason, we just haven't studied together. I have to say that I love it! I love her and to now share this together is so awesome!

I have been journaling every day. This is my goal for the year, so I'm following through so far.

I love the way the One Year Bible lays out the daily readings!

I think I'm reading the passage about three or four times per day, so by the end I'll really have grown in knowing God's Word. Paige and I read at breakfast, I read alone in my office and journal, I read with staff each morning (Monday through Thursday), and I read ahead working on Home Team curriculum. It's not a burden, I'm having the time of my life spending this much time in the Bible! One of the cool things is that God shows me something different with nearly every reading.

If you haven't started, don't worry about getting caught up, just start! Then if you get time, go back and pick up what you missed. Start, and start now!

Route 66: The Journey Begins!

Route 66 begins at Jackson Blvd. and Lakeshore Dr. in Chicago, Ill. The actual beginning has moved around a bit over the years, but this is where our journey begins. This is at Grant's Park which borders Lake Michigan.

Things to see in the area:
Clarence Buckingham Fountain
Union Station
Sears Tower
The "L"
Wrigley Field
Chicago Water Tower
Lou Mitchell's Restaurant

On the road toward St. Louis:
White Fence Farm
Rialto Sq. Theater
Launching Pad Drive-In (With an GeminiGiant out front)
Polk-a-dot Drive-In
Odel - Standard oil station
Funks Grove - Maple syrup since 1891!
In Springfield:

1. Bill Shea's Gas Station
2. Cozy Dog Drive-In
3. Route 66 Drive-In
4. Route 66 Dream Car Museum
5. Abraham Lincoln (enough said!)

Ariston Cafe

Check these places out on-line, or go there!

Don't forget to go to www.pvcroute66.com to follow along the Bible reading blog as well!

Route 66 - The Best of Both Worlds!

In less than three hours 2007 will be over! I am so excited about what's ahead for 2008!

I grew up a car guy, and while I have never driven the entire Route 66, I've been on parts of it and am keenly aware of the heritage it represents. I love cars, old and new, and a broad variety of styles. I like trucks too, especially old ones that have been restored. I love racing (most types), and used to race (primarily endurance Karts). I like working on cars, though there's not a lot a guy can do on a newer car. The boys and I just changed the brakes on Caleb's car and on Paige's car. So, I'm totally into the Route 66 theme that Palm Valley Church has chosen for our "Year of the Bible.

I totally love the Bible! I am amazed every day that God reveals something new to me that I can immediately apply to my life. The power of the Holy Spirit to reveal God's truth is a certain drawing card. Think of the Bible as a collection of mentors who have written for us to gain wisdom for life, to teach us about God, and to provide a road map for us to follow as we enter and grow in our relationship with Him. It is a living document, though the words do not change. Sixty-six books. The Route 66 wasn't named for the number of books in the Bible, but the journey is the same.

Beginning tomorrow morning, we begin our adventure. I hope you will join us! You can follow along by going to http://www.pvcroute66.com/ . I'll be blogging here as well about where we are in the Bible, and where we are on the old Route 66. Come enjoy the ride!

"I, the Lord, am your God!"

As I continue my journey through Leviticus (Chapters 18 & 19), the purpose of "the Law" becomes clearer and clearer. I know that the Law is our "Tutor" which points us to Christ, but sometimes I forget that it was meant to set God's people apart from the rest of the world. We are to be holy as God is holy. We aren't to live as the world lives and value what they value. God's people are to be different. We are to be set apart. Today, my prayer is that I would not only do holy things, but that I would be holy, as He has called me to be.

Sin - We Get Off Easy!

In my personal devotions I am reading through Leviticus (and Acts) right now. I usually avoid this book, but God was telling me that I needed to study it, so I am. One thing that struck me today is just how easy we have it when it comes to forgiveness of our sins. 1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. A simple prayer and were done, or at least that's what we often reduce it to.

In the Law, receiving forgiveness was much more involved. It required a great cost and great effort. It also required time! I'm sure the Israelites took sin a lot more seriously than we do.

Now, I know that we are forgiven by the blood of Christ who became the one sacrifice for all. What I'm talking about is the fact that we don't always think about that cost when we ask God to forgive us, at least I don't. That's why I am wondering if, in some ways, forgiveness is too easy for us. We need something to remind us of the significance of our sin and the cost for it's forgiveness. What reminder do you use?

Understanding the Bible

Ryan and I were talking about the meaning of a word in Genesis this afternoon. I love discussions like this! We were looking at the Hebrew word and the English translations. It was interesting to see how it was translated in different places. It didn't impact the meaning if you looked at how the words were used throughout the Bible, but it might if you only saw it used in the one place.

That got us talking about the plain meaning of the Bible. In other words, what would the original hearer have understood the passage to mean. If it was originally intended for them, don't you think that the author would have written in a way that they would have understood? Word pictures, symbolism, idioms, etc. are culturally specific.

With that in mind, here are two important points to remember when you are studying the Bible:

1. What a word means in one place, it may mean something different in another. This can happen even within the same country and language. Take the word "cool" in English for example. To some it means somewhat cold, while to others it refers to a person's persona.

The Bible is no different. Before we dive into the theological discussions that often divide people, we need to ask what the writer's audience would have understood. From that we should derive the meaning of the passage. It usually means that we need to come back to a simpler reading of the text. Always look for the simpler meaning before looking for the complex. Most of the time you will be correct in your understanding.

2. We also need to look at the type of literature we are reading. For example, you wouldn't read the comics that same way that you would read the business section would you? Of course not. You shouldn't read poetry in the Bible the same way that you read history or prophecy either.

Anyway, that's a couple of tips to make your Bible study simpler. More than anything, just spend time regularly in God's Word!

Isaiah Update

As my journey through Isaiah continued this week, two things really jumped out of the text.

First, in Isaiah 20:2-3 it says, "2The Lord told Isaiah son of Amoz, “Take off the burlap you have been wearing, and remove your sandals.” Isaiah did as he was told and walked around naked and barefoot.
3Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been walking around naked and barefoot for the last three years. This is a sign—a symbol of the terrible troubles I will bring upon Egypt and Ethiopia."

That seems so bizarre! I'm sure even then it was uncommon to see someone walking around naked. I can't imagine having to live that way for three years. That includes winter! What a powerful object lesson. I'm glad that God didn't tell others (that we know of) to do that, and that He hasn't done it lately.

Second, in Isaiah 22:11 it says, "But you never ask for help from the One who did all this. You never considered the One who planned this long ago."

What an indictment of God's people. How can you fulfill God's plan if you never ask Him for help or for guidance in following His plan? This is a huge reminder that if we try to fulfill God's plan in our own power there will be severe consequences. We need to remember that we are His servants even when we are leaders.

Kaleidoscope

I love kaleidoscopes. As you turn them, they are ever changing. No two are alike, and once it is turned, it will never produce the exact image again.

God is like a kaleidoscope. There are many books about God. In fact, He wrote one that we call the Bible. In it there is much about Him. In the books about God, the authors work hard to describe His attributes, personality, and character. There is much about God in the Bible.

The thing is, we can't fully comprehend God! No matter how hard we try, no matter how much we read, we will fall far short. We could memorize the Bible cover to cover and yet still not fully comprehend God.

I think that's great! It makes life fun. I enjoy constantly discovering new things about God. I love discovering new things in the Bible, through other authors, and in nature. God is infinite and so are the things that we can discover about Him.

Like a great painting, there is something new to discover every time you examine it. Or a place, like the Grand Canyon, there is always something new to notice. That's why you can look at the same passage inthe Bible over and over and learn something new each time (of course the power of the Holy Spirit has a lot to do with that!).

Look every day to discover something new about God. You'll never be disappointed, and your life really will be filled with joy.