JohnnyBGamer

Seek God First

³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. – Matthew 6:33

God has been really hammering home with me that I need to focus on Him first, then everything else will fall into place. So hard when we want to be in control, skip God, and do things for ourselves.

Last night, I taught a Bible study on the Book of Joshua, chapter 24. A chunk of Joshua 24 is about the Israelites recommitting themselves/ renewing their covenant to follow God. Towards the end of the chapter, right after the people have agreed to the covenant, Joshua exhorts the people to:

²³“Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.” (NIV)

This got me thinking about the “foreign gods” that I allow into my own life. One of my daily routines, when I wake up, is to check:

My email
Twitter
Facebook
WordPress (for blog stats)
and the weather

I do all of these things before ever engaging in a conversation with my wife, let alone spending time with God. In a way, I have let social media become a god. So, today I didn’t go through my morning routine. Instead, I read my Bible for a bit (had trouble focusing) and then prayed for awhile. My time of prayer was awesome! I’ve been learning not to beat around the bush but to tell God exactly what I am thinking (even though He already knows). In an act as simple as putting down social media as the first thing I engage in, in the morning, I have “yielded my heart to the Lord”.

What foreign gods do you need to throw away? What is keeping you from yielding your heart to the Lord?

The Babysitter

Awhile back, my brother-in-law came over and watched my son for the evening. Here is what my wife and I found on the driveway the next day…

Chalk Drawing 1 — Uncle Mike drew some ships...

Calk Drawing 2 — Even my son got a ship.

Chalk Drawing 3 — My wife had written me a note on the driveway the day before. My brother-in-law took credit for it. 🙂

Chalk Drawing 4 — To cap it all off, my brother-in-law left my wife stranded at the very end of the driveway.

What God Has Been Teaching Me

All I have to do is look to you
And I will never be the same
My lifes been changed
And like a child, I will play despite the rain

– Between Thieves

God has been really working on me lately. Teaching me that:

I need to be faithful in the little things (¹⁰ “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10): Practically, on a daily basis, this looks like showing up for work on time and having a good attitude about it. Also means being excited about the opportunity to actually teach a Bible study versus bumming over having to study for it. Perspective is everything.
That God fulfills His promises ( ⁴³ So the LORD gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. ⁴⁴ The LORD gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the LORD gave all their enemies into their hands. ⁴⁵ Not one of all the LORD’s good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.” – Joshua 21:43-45): With all of life’s challenges, knowing that I am not alone. That God is with me and isn’t going to forsake me and leave. Knowing that He is with me is comforting.
That God works in His own time (the entire book of Haggai): Even when it feels like I am stuck in life, that no answers are being given, that God is still working in the background. Orchestrating my life’s story.
To focus on Him, not worry, and everything else will fall into place (²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]? ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. – Matthew 6:25-34): Worrying about everyday life is a huge thing for me. Will I ever have a job where I can support my wife? Will we ever be able to own a house? God says not to worry. I should take Him at His word.

What has God been teaching you?

Just Pass The Offering Plate!

As a kid, I grew up in a Baptist church. This meant that hymns were sung, nice clothes were worn, and traditions were observed. I don’t remember at what age exactly (I think I was still in elementary school), but my parents decided to leave our church. After some searching, our family ended up at a non-denominational Calvary Chapel.

Side Note: Now for those of you who are not familiar with Calvary Chapel, Calvary Chapel was born out of the 1960’s Jesus Movement. Think of it as the perfect blend of hippies and the Bible. Which is to say Calvary Chapel was about as far from my traditional Baptist upbringing as possible.

Now, each Calvary Chapel is different. Each church has it’s own unique blend of people and culture. For instance, some of the churches pass the offering plate; others have “Agape Boxes” at the back of the sanctuary to place your tithe in. I say all of this to show that I have come from both sides of the tithing/offering spectrum (I currently attend a Southern Baptist Church that passes the plate weekly).

Tithing — I have never thought of tithing or passing the offering plate as a cover charge to enter the church.

Today I came across an article by Shane Raynold entitled “Losing the Offering Plate“. For some reason this post really bothered me. Perhaps it was the “if you are still passing an offering plate you are guilty of using the crutch of tradition” tone the post takes. Doesn’t matter. I believe that passing the offering plate:

Allows the giving of tithes and offerings to become a part of the worship service. For me, I’m not looking around at what others are and are not giving. I am simply giving a portion of the money that God has chosen to bless me with back to Him.
Also allows for the church community as a whole to obediently give to God together. Not in secret. Not in the church lobby using credit/debit card kiosks to conveniently swipe in secret if at all (talk about enabling people who are already in debt). The plate, for me, often is a gentle reminder as to whether I (read: my wife) have written the tithe check or not.

Ultimately, I believe that this is a matter of personal church preference that has nothing to do with the core Gospel message. Whether you have “debit kiosks” or a traditional plate, neither is a crutch or somehow more holy. Giving to God is giving, period. No matter what the method.