[Valarie is taking another turn this Sunday since Ron and Jeri are doing their Gideon thing again... She's chosen Chapter 29: How Do I Know If I've Found the Right Person?]
Your life has been full of people coming and going out of it. Some stay for awhile while others are in and out in the blink of an eye. This chapter is based on marriage, but let's also take it a different direction...
What about close friends? They are there for you as much as family and spouses. They know you in and out. They are your other half. Well, how do you know they are the right person for you? Are they making you a better person? Are you making them better? Or are you simply in each other's lives out of habit and convenience? Is this person someone God wants you to be with? Are they the "right" person?
Page 164 broke down the story of Isaac and Rebekah into steps of action (see the text). Using yourself and a close friend, or your spouse, have you followed these steps? The author of our book had made of list of traits he wanted in a wife. Surprsingly, this list is not far off a list you would want from a friend. What is on your list?
I think this is a great lesson that can take all aspects of our class member's lives and make them relate. What type of person do you desire to be friends with or marry. Is this type of person someone you would have thought of as a friend or spouse earlier in your life? Is this the person God wants you to be with forever? God doesn't want us to be alone and friends are just as important as a spouse.
That's how I see it and now it's YOUR TURN... post your comments and then come to Sunday School ready to discuss these matters together. Seeya on Sunday!
.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
Nehemiah's Nemesis - Is Your Life Fallow or Plowed?
I know what you're thinking... too much "Farmville" on FaceBook for ol' Rongo! While that's probably true (Jeri's nodding her head) the title question is the right one to open our discussion this week. You weren't raised on the farm you say? You don't hold an Ag Management degree from THE Ohio State University? Okay, let's explain what we'll be talking about as we explore chapter 24: "Any Room Left in Your Margins?"
In Paths to Power, A.W. Tozer (go ahead - Google him) writes: "The fallow ground lies protected from the shears of the plow... safe and undisturbed... never does it see the miracle of growth." On the other hand, the plowed field has been "upset, turned over, bruised, and broken... all over the field the hand of God is at work in the... ever renewed service of creation." So, which are YOU, fallow or plowed?
Now let's enlarge the question of fallow or plowed to include a consideration of margins. You see, even Christians get caught up in a performance-driven society; we often seem to struggle with busyness. John Ortberg, former teaching pastor at the Willow Creek mega-church near Chicago (no Googling required), said in The Life You've Always Wanted: "I was afraid if I declined opportunities, they would stop coming, and if opportunities stopped coming, I would be less important, and if I were less important, that would be terrible... I didn't want to admit that I have severe limitations. I didn't want to admit my need for things like rest. I didn't want to admit that I wasn't Superman." So, are YOU trying to be Superman (or Superwoman)?
The "Seasoned Advice" for this lesson comes from Richard A. Swenson, MD. Dr. Swenson seemed to have the perfect life--a successful career, a wonderful family, a great church, involvement in the community. But he says "somehow, unexpectedly, everything had become a burden." He was suffering from constant headaches and his wife was always crying. Both were the result of an undeniable illness: OVERLOAD! Well now... does that sound familiar?
It's YOUR life, right? Sure it is. But,since God created us with human limitations, it is NOT the limits that are the enemy... OVERLOAD is the ENEMY! Our author (Colin Creel, remember?) tells us "if overload is the diagnosis, MARGIN is the TREATMENT." He defines margin as "the space between our load and our limit." He goes on to say that exceeding our limits will result in frustration, disorganization, and exhaustion. Have we touched a nerve yet? Getting a bit too personal, are we?
I wouldn't want to leave you in that state of agitation, my friends, so here's a hugely serious question to ponder: When nature (that's really God, by the way) presses the "pause" button are you relieved or frustrated? If you're relieved it's a sure bet that you "get it" and know to reduce the overload. And if you're frustrated (it is YOUR CHOICE, you know), well... you get to experience that frustration until you too "get it" and decide to see it God's way.
What's God's way, you ask? Let's acknowledge first that He certainly DOES ask us to walk that second mile, to carry others' burdens, to witness to His truth at any opportunity, and to teach our children to lead God-honoring lives. But doing this in a booked-full, exhausting, and overloaded manner is NOT God's way! We must have margin in our busy lives, for it is in that margin that we become available for His purposes. And that brings us to our last question: How will YOU create margin so that YOU are neither too idle (fallow) nor too busy (plowed)?
.
In Paths to Power, A.W. Tozer (go ahead - Google him) writes: "The fallow ground lies protected from the shears of the plow... safe and undisturbed... never does it see the miracle of growth." On the other hand, the plowed field has been "upset, turned over, bruised, and broken... all over the field the hand of God is at work in the... ever renewed service of creation." So, which are YOU, fallow or plowed?
Now let's enlarge the question of fallow or plowed to include a consideration of margins. You see, even Christians get caught up in a performance-driven society; we often seem to struggle with busyness. John Ortberg, former teaching pastor at the Willow Creek mega-church near Chicago (no Googling required), said in The Life You've Always Wanted: "I was afraid if I declined opportunities, they would stop coming, and if opportunities stopped coming, I would be less important, and if I were less important, that would be terrible... I didn't want to admit that I have severe limitations. I didn't want to admit my need for things like rest. I didn't want to admit that I wasn't Superman." So, are YOU trying to be Superman (or Superwoman)?
The "Seasoned Advice" for this lesson comes from Richard A. Swenson, MD. Dr. Swenson seemed to have the perfect life--a successful career, a wonderful family, a great church, involvement in the community. But he says "somehow, unexpectedly, everything had become a burden." He was suffering from constant headaches and his wife was always crying. Both were the result of an undeniable illness: OVERLOAD! Well now... does that sound familiar?
It's YOUR life, right? Sure it is. But,since God created us with human limitations, it is NOT the limits that are the enemy... OVERLOAD is the ENEMY! Our author (Colin Creel, remember?) tells us "if overload is the diagnosis, MARGIN is the TREATMENT." He defines margin as "the space between our load and our limit." He goes on to say that exceeding our limits will result in frustration, disorganization, and exhaustion. Have we touched a nerve yet? Getting a bit too personal, are we?
I wouldn't want to leave you in that state of agitation, my friends, so here's a hugely serious question to ponder: When nature (that's really God, by the way) presses the "pause" button are you relieved or frustrated? If you're relieved it's a sure bet that you "get it" and know to reduce the overload. And if you're frustrated (it is YOUR CHOICE, you know), well... you get to experience that frustration until you too "get it" and decide to see it God's way.
What's God's way, you ask? Let's acknowledge first that He certainly DOES ask us to walk that second mile, to carry others' burdens, to witness to His truth at any opportunity, and to teach our children to lead God-honoring lives. But doing this in a booked-full, exhausting, and overloaded manner is NOT God's way! We must have margin in our busy lives, for it is in that margin that we become available for His purposes. And that brings us to our last question: How will YOU create margin so that YOU are neither too idle (fallow) nor too busy (plowed)?
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)