Category: Scripture

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Knowing God – The Beginning

This is the beginning of a series of postings on the topic of knowing God. As Christ-followers we are called to be “imitators of Christ.” Matthew 5:48 says we should “be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Reading this in context, I don’t think it is as much about our perfection as it is about being imitators of God. If we are to reflect God’s characteristics then it stands to reason that we need to know what they are and how we can live them out.

Let me step back for a moment and talk about my motive for knowing God. My life is driven by a number of key passages of scripture. One of these passages if found in Matthew 22. Here we have an interaction between Jesus and the Pharisees around the question “What is the greatest commandment?” The answer was simple – Love God with all you are & love others as well. To love God with all I have I need to know who God is. As I get to know God better, I grow to love him more. As I love Him more, I want to get to know Him even more… It just goes on – know, loving, loving,know. Don’t forget as we are getting to know and love God, we are also to getting to know and love our neighbors.

As I begin this adventure of know God better, I reflected on the first couple of chapters of Genesis and picked out three characteristics to ponder on – God as creator, God as authority, and God as relational.

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created…” What did God create? He created order out of chaos. Out of nothing He created all things and “it was good.” As I reflect on this characteristic the question that comes to my mind is “How can I create order out of chaos?” How is it that I can be a calming force in troubled times? In crisis or conflict am I a voice of reason or do I add fuel to the fire? As a Christ-follower I can bring the message of HOPE that can be found through a relationship with God through Jesus. In a time of crisis I can stand confidently on the promises of God. I can be that calm voice in anxious times. How can you create order out of chaos in your own life’s circumstances?

Early in Genesis 1 we also see God’s authority – He spoke and it was so. When God speaks His authority is evident. People don’t always listen and as a result stumble and tumble through life. When we speak about our relationship with God, about the truths of scripture, and our life as Christ-followers we too need to speak with authority and boldness. This is not our own authority, rather it is our positional authority as one of God’s adopted children. That said, when you speak about God and the Truths found in the Bible, speak them boldly and with authority.

The third characteristic is that God is relational – that is He lives in community. First, there is the Divine community with Father, Son, and Spirit. The Trinity. The book The Shack painted and interesting picture of what this Divine community looked like. God also values an intimate relationship with us. In Genesis 2 we have God walking in the garden, interacting with Adam & Eve. Adam & Eve knew His voice and the sound of His steps. Before they ate of the fruit it appears they drew close to God, but after their disobedience the hid from Him out of shame or fear. In the last chapter of Revelation, we see this intimate relationship finally restore as God once again walks among His people. The chapters and books between Genesis 3 and Revelation 21 spells out the story of the restoration of this intimate relationship. This restoration was made possible by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ – our Savior, our Reconciler. Relationships matter to God. Community matters to God. Relationships – with God and others – is our greatest commandment from Jesus – Love God, Love Others (Matthew 22:34-40). Paul in his New Testament writings refers to the body of believers, the church in Acts was about community, the gifts and talents we have are not for ourselves, but for use in community. What I need to do is live a life where God and others truly do matter.

These are the first three of many characteristics of God that I will be exploring though out this coming year. At times I will drill down to see at how I can apply them to my life. At other times, I will simply marvel in the awe and wonder of who God is and deepen my love for Him by simple getting to KNOW Him.

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James 4: Submit & Resist

These words submit and resist are opposites. One can not both submit to and resist something. We need to pick and choose what we submit to and what we resist. The choices we make in this matter can be either beneficial to us or detrimental to us.

If I choose to submit to eating healthy or if I choose to resist eating junk food the result will be beneficial to my health. On the other hand if I choose to submit to eating junk food or resist eating a healthy diet my overall health will suffer. I try to submit to eating healthy, watch my saturated fats, smaller portion sizes, and get my daily intake of veggies and fruit. There are times where I just can’t resist taking a couple extra cookies or a handful of M&Ms. Eating healthy for me is a work in progress.

In James 4 we see that in our spiritual life we have choices to make. In verse 4 we see that we can’t choose to be friends with both the world and God. This simply leads faith that as James talks about in chapter 1 is tossed about by the wind and waves. It leads to a life of incongruency where what we say we believe does not match what we do. James goes on to say in verse 7 that we should submit to God and resist the devil. Submitting to God brings friendship with God and grace. Resisting the devil bring freedom from sin’s hold on our life.

Like many practices we do to draw us closer to God, submission is not an easy thing to do. Let me rephrase that, total submission is something that is not easy to do. This act of submission is easy. What does James say in verse 6, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” We need to learn to let go of those things we continue to hold on to and try and control. Submitting to God is an ongoing process. As we learn to let go and humble ourselves in one area of our life, God will bring to our attention another area that we can begin to loosen our grip on.

As we humble ourselves to God we are also suppose to resist the devil. This can be difficult at times. You see as we submit to God Satin will do what he can to have us grab that piece of our life back a the first sign of trouble or struggle. If you are a Trekkie you know that one of the federations enemies is the Borg. There tag line is just give in to us because “resistance is futile.” With a life submitted to God, resistance is futile, resistance is freedom. The question then arises, How do we resist the devil?

I think that this comes from an intimate, healthy relationship with God. The areas of our life that we submit to God has to be more than a mental exercise, it has to be indicative of a true heart change, a change in a belief or value that is now biblically grounded and is being lived out in your life. Our ability to resist the devil comes be spending time in God’s word, looking at His promises to us and seeing how He has been faithful in the past. It is by spending time reflecting on your own life and seeing where God has been active and faithful and know that if God was faithful in the past He will be faithful in the future as well. Resistance is easier if you live it out in a community of like minded people who are also on same journey as you. The key to resisting the devil is spending time alone with God in prayer, talking to Him and listen for His voice as He speaks into your life. By knowing God’s voice , by knowing God’s will, by knowing God’s character you will be able to know when you are being tempted and will be equipped to resist the devil so he does flee from you.

Know this, submission to God is a process. Take it one step at a time. Ask God what area of your life you need to be working on right now. Ask if there is a belief or value that you need to change or adopt to live out your new life choice. Find a friend or community and ask them to hold you accountable to this change. This is a life long process. You will want to come back regularly to this process, review where you have come from and set your goals for the next change God has laid on your heart.

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Portable “Standing Stones”


I have always been fascinated with idea of standing stones, those rock towers we read about in the Old Testament where when something fantastic has happened God’s people will create this memorial so that when people pass the young can ask the old what they rocks mean and the story of God’s grace or provision can be passed along.

The Strand family has our own standing stone that we created while we shared those things that God has done for us. It’s a really cool idea that is part of one of our patios. However, it is not very portable and at times I need reminders of the things I believe and the awesomeness of God. To this end I have established a couple of portable standing stones. These “stones” are in fact not stone nor were they created initially for this purpose. They are however markers from a couple of significant God things in my life.
This first standing stone is the pendant I received when I first finish a personal journey of transformation that helped me to clarify my central beliefs and core values. This material has taken on even greater significance since I started working with men in the IFI program at Lino Lakes State prison. My central beliefs have expanded into my foundational beliefs (in my case made up of three biblical meta-narratives) and my operational beliefs. I carry this in my pocket so that when I slip my hand I and I feel the pendant I reflect on the things I say I believe and value and do a quick self assessment to see if at that moment I am in fact living them out. If I don’t keep reflecting on these beliefs and values they are doing me little good.
This second marker comes from a recent series at my church where we were give this “stone” to remember to pray for a specific person. I now us this stone to remember to pray about God. To be specific I pray about the attributes of God that make God God. This actually came out of one of my new belief and value to remember who God is. This was brought about by Malachi his proclamation that the Israelites had forgotten who God what and what He had done for them (Malachi 1:1-10).
Are there things that you do to keep God in proper alignment in your life?