Home Study! August 23, 2009

Hey, Speakinginfaith Friends!!

Today we are launching the new Home Study pages on speakinginfaith!  I am so excited about this new addition to the speakinginfaith blog site!  This is a chance for those of you who attended a Bible study I have taught here in Nashville to take what we we’ve walked thru in a hour and go deeper on your own.  For those of you outside of Nashville, you can use this as a resource to go deeper into the Word and to follow what we are studying here in Nashville. 

In the upper righthand corner there is a page called “Hosea Home Study” which has directions on how to use the study. There is also a page called “Hosea 8″ which is the home Bible study guide for chapter 8 of Hosea.  Later today I will add guides for Hosea 9 & 10.  My prayer is that God will use these studies to refine us and deepen our relationships with Him! 

Love ya’ll!!

 

Faith Klein

“Go Big Red!” and other family traditions August 20, 2009

I love family traditions.  At Christmas time I love hearing people’s stories about their family traditions.  Some families serve at the soup kitchen every holiday, some have the same breakfast every Christmas morning, some have a specific order of events for Christmas day.  Traditions are as unique as the families that participate in them.  I’ve found that family traditions are definitely not limited to holiday events.  There are certain things I do, habits I have and foods I eat that I innately learned from growing up in my family.  Traditions and family characteristics are influenced by a variety of elements such as environment,  financial status, spiritual status, etc.  And many of us have no idea that the traditions our family practices would be seen as strange by someone else.  But these traditions  influence who we are.  Have you ever met a friend’s parents and immediately said, “Ahh, now I get it!”  After meeting one’s family, you begin to understand that person better than you ever had. 

My family doesn’t have as many hard and fast traditions as some, but we definitely have some things that are specific to our family.  One of the main categories that is unique to my family is the food we ate.  To this day salmon patties, fresh corn on the cob, mom’s strawberry pie, bubble loaf and chicken dumplings are favorites among my family.  Outside of food, we are all Nebraska Cornhusker fans!  We don’t just enjoy watching the games, but we LOVE the game!  One of my friends watched the Nebraska-Colorado football game last year with my family, and realized when everyone came to breakfast dressed in red, that this was more than a just a game to us.  Everyone from grandparents on down to babies and even dogs are dressed in Husker gear on any given game day.  We love the comradary that brings not only my family together, but an entire state together.   Many people don’t understand this tradition but nevertheless it is tradition I love.

There is another tradition I’ve learned in my family, specifically from my mom that is more valuable than any other tradition.  And that is praying the Scriptures.  She has taught me to use the Word of God as a guide to my prayers.  She taught me to put my name in the Scripture and pray it back to the Lord.  As a family we have prayed the Word of God  many times for many people, and we have seen God work in amazing way as He answered the prayers of His children.  And so today we are going to look at two simple verses from Psalm 25 that we can use to guide our hearts in prayer.

 

4     Show me your ways, O Lord,

teach me your paths;

5     guide me in your truth and teach me,

for you are God my Savior,

and my hope is in you all day long.

 

(The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 25:4-5)

 

This is a simple prayer that could have an overwhelming affect on our lives if we pray it honestly.  This prayer simply asks God to teach us His family traditions, so that we can walk in His ways.  Today, we’re going to keep this blog short so that you have time to pray this prayer.  I would encourage you to write these verses down on a note card and memorize them.  Begin to pray these precious words regularly, and please take time to listen to God’s response.  He will show you His ways.  Let Him teach you His truth.  And continue to hope in Him all day long!  Let’s pray.

Wishing and hoping and thinking and praying! August 14, 2009

Do you ever wake up singing?  I cherish the mornings that I wake up singing praise songs to Jesus.  I can’t think of a better way to start my day than to be humming or singing about my Savior, my greatest love, and my best friend!  I love when the song I wake up singing sticks in my head all day and reminds me of my love for Jesus and His love for me.  Sometimes we all need a reminder of how much we are loved.  Some days are so tough that we need to speak the name of Jesus out loud just to get the strength to take another step.  I love that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father!!!  (Phil 2:10-11)  He is Lord, and what a privilege it is to serve Him, to find our strength in Him, and to walk through life hand in hand with our Savior!    What a comfort it is to know that He isn’t there just on the good days, but He is faithful to see us through the difficult days, too.  Let’s read the first five verses of Psalm 40 and be encouraged by these words about our Lord!

 

1     I waited patiently for the Lord;

he turned to me and heard my cry.

2     He lifted me out of the slimy pit,

out of the mud and mire;

he set my feet on a rock

and gave me a firm place to stand.

3     He put a new song in my mouth,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear

and put their trust in the Lord.

4     Blessed is the man

who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not look to the proud,

to those who turn aside to false gods.

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ps 40:1-5

 

This Psalm has such a raw progression that it is extremely relatable.  We can all recall a time when we had to be patient.  A time when life didn’t go our way, and we had to wait for God to show up.  Some of us are there today: waiting, hoping, trusting.  During this trusting time we feel like we are stuck in a huge pit of mud and mire knowing Jesus is our only hope!  Some of us have just been lifted out of this pit and are getting our feet settled on the Rock of our Salvation!  Some of us are singing a new song of praise to our God! 

I love that the Psalmist reminds us that our trials and our reactions to our trials can affect not only our lives but the lives of others around us.  The Psalmist explains that as we cling to the hope of our Savior saving us, others will see what God has done and is doing in our lives and will trust Him.  Wow!  Your trial, your time of waiting patiently could be what it takes for someone else to see the faithfulness of our God!  Your life could be what God uses to draw someone into His arms!  Isn’t that encouraging! 

It can be encouraging to step back and see the big picture, but that doesn’t immediately stop the hurt and pain that we are experiencing today.  When I am hurting I can often turn to a temporary “fix” to try to ease the pain.  But verse four exhorts us trust in the Lord, “Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust.”  David goes on to encourage us not to take our eyes off of the Lord.  Don’t look to other people who are proud and who trust in false gods. Rather trust in the Lord because God has proven Himself faithful!  David continues:

 

5     Many, O Lord my God,

are the wonders you have done.

The things you planned for us

no one can recount to you;

were I to speak and tell of them,

they would be too many to declare.

 

God is faithful!  And His works are wonderful…they are full of wonder!  Do you need to cling to the hope today that God can do something wonderful with your mess?  Dear Friend, not only has He been faithful in the past, but the Psalmist says we can’t even begin to count the amazing things He has planned for our futures.  He says if we tried to speak them “they would be too many to declare.”  Can anybody get excited about that?  Too many to declare!!!!!!  He has more great things in store for your life than you can even count.  Don’t give up hope.  Continue to wait.  Continue to hope.  Continue to trust.  He has great things planned for your life!  Many are the wonders He has done, and many are the wonders He has yet to do!  Hold on!  Hold on with both hands and all your strength!  He is coming to pull you out of your pit!  Praise the Lord! 

Today as you reflect on the words of Psalm 40, Take a few minutes to reflect on God’s faithfulness in your life.  You may want to grab a sheet of paper and a pen, and begin to list all the ways God has been faithful in your life in the past.  As you praise Him for His faithfulness in the past, I pray He gives you the strength and the courage to continue trusting Him with your future.  Please feel free to use the comment section of this blog to share how God has been faithful in your life.  When you share of God’s faithfulness to you, God can use that story to bring hope to others.  So let’s share of the faithfulness of our Father. 

 

Father,

Thank you that you are faithful.  We praise you for what you have done in our lives thus far, and we are excited to know that you have great things planned for our futures.  Lord, I pray that today we would place our trust in You and You alone.  God, I pray we won’t turn to the wisdom of proud men for advice, but that we would hold on to the hope that comes in Christ alone.  Lord, we look forward to the day that we are singing a new song of hope and of joy and telling of the wonders of Your love!  We are excited to see how You use our stories to bring others into a relationship with you.  Praise you Father for Your faithfulness and for the hope You alone can give.  We love you!

Amen.

Hide & Seek August 10, 2009

Hide and Seek.  What a classic game!  Did you ever play the youth group version of this game?  We called it “sardines.”  It was reverse Hide and Seek.  In this game whoever was “it” hid and everyone else would seek him.  When someone found the original “hider” that person would hide there with that person.  As more and more people discovered this hiding place, they would stay there and hide.  The group would get larger and larger.  Everyone would cram into one small hiding spot until everyone was found, hence the name “sardines.”  We played this for hours and hours in my church youth group.  We have many fun memories of hiding in a broom closet or the back corner of a Sunday school classroom.  What fun memories!

As we take a look at God’s word today, we will see Him encouraging us to engage in a similar act to this ever-popular game of Sardines.  Let’s look at today’s Scripture together found in Hosea 10:12.

 

Sow for yourselves righteousness,

reap the fruit of unfailing love,

and break up your unplowed ground;

for it is time to seek the Lord,

until he comes

and showers righteousness on you.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ho 10:12

 

As I’ve spent time wading thru the intense dialog in Hosea, I am encouraged by this verse.  I encourage you to read through Hosea this week; I think you will find that your reading will make this verse come alive.  We are in the tenth chapter of Hosea, and it has been a long journey here.  God’s people have become wicked, rebellious and arrogant.  They no longer obey, and have broken their covenant with God.  In the previous chapters and in chapter ten, Hosea is communicating the word of the Lord to God’s children, and it is not a pleasant message.  They are learning about the wrath of God that is about to take place because of their disobedience.  But tucked into this grim passage is one verse of hope!  Even though they have been disobedient, even wicked, God calls them back.  He offers a promise to them:  If you sow righteousness, then you will reap unfailing love!  God never gives up on His people.  He has to discipline them, but even in the midst of telling them that they are about to be taken into captivity by Assyria, there is still hope.  He uses a very clear word picture in His plea for their hearts. 

“Sow for yourselves righteousness” Sowing or planting is an active verb.  It is something you and I have control over.  Here God is asking His children (you and me) to do something.  He says plant righteousness.  In other words, be active and intentional in the way you live.  Pursue a right relationship with God and with man.  This is our responsibility!  This is our call. 

God is amazing that He often includes a promise with His instruction.  Here He says if you pursue a right relationship with Him and with His children, then you will reap the fruit of unfailing love.  Couldn’t we all use an extra dose of unfailing love?  I would love to be able to love others as God loves them, and I would love for others to love me the same way.  It is possible.  This passage is a doable passage.  It is not a lofty ideal, but a practical how-to guide.  If we desire to love unfailingly, we can begin by pursuing a right way of living with others and with God.  Is that encouraging to anyone!?!?!  I love it!!!

The next part of the Word picture is actually the first step in the process.  Here’s how it breaks down.  If we want unfailing love, then we must pursue righteousness.  But before we can pursue righteousness, we must “break up the unplowed ground,” in other words, “REPENT.”  If you have ever planted anything, you know you don’t just walk outside and throw some seeds on the ground.  First you have to prepare the ground, break it up so that it is soft and ready for roots to grow.  Spiritually, we can’t just jump into the act of right living.  First we must deal with the reality of our sin.  We must repent.  We must have a change of mind…we must turn 180 degrees away from our sin and walk in a new direction toward God our Father.  Repentance is the first step to sowing righteousness and reaping unfailing love.

As we keep reading we realize that we can’t wait for the right time to come along to make changes in our lives, but rather the time is NOW!!  God’s children are told, “It is time to seek the Lord, until he come and showers righteousness on you.”  NOW is the time!  Don’t wait for tomorrow to come, or until you get back to church on Sunday.  Make the choice today to deal with sin and to pursue righteousness.  Seek the Lord.  Not just today, but just like His word says, seek Him “until he comes and showers righteousness on you.”  As you prepare your heart and deal with will, and as you begin to pursue a life of right living, HE will show up in mighty way and rain down His unfailing love on you! Amen?!?!  You are His precious child, and He longs to shower His righteousness on you!

Just like we sought out the “it” person in Sardine’s many years ago, let us commit to seeking the Lord, and let us do it TODAY!!!  To begin, let’s take time to reflect on these questions:

What sin do I need to deal with in my life? 

What choices can I intentionally make today that move me forward in my pursuit of righteousness?

What practical steps can I take today to seek the Lord?

As you honestly answer these questions, take time to write a letter to your heavenly Father, expressing your heart’s desire to Him, and asking Him to reveal the sin in your life that you might deal with it and pursue righteousness.

 

God,
You are so amazing to allow us to have a personal relationship with you.  Lord, I pray today You will begin to reveal areas of sin that we need to turn from.  I pray that as You reveal those areas, we will repent, not next week, not in a month or a year, but today!  And that today, we will pursue a right relationship with You knowing that You will fulfill Your promise and rain down righteousness and unfailing love on us.  Thank you for being a God of unfailing love.  Let us press on to know You that we may look more and more like You each day and that the world will see Jesus in us and be drawn to You. 

In your amazingly awesome name we pray!  Amen.

The Morning Dew August 3, 2009

Every morning, I wake up and immediately take the puppies outside. I’m half awake when I step outside, but by the time I come inside I’m ready to face the day. The puppies are always very anxious to get outside, and seemingly just as anxious to come back in…but I’ve noticed something about the early mornings. When I let the pups out, their paws are nice and dry, but when the puppies come back in their little paws are completely soaked. It doesn’t matter if it has rained or not the night before EVERY morning the grass is covered and dew, and so every morning, my puppies come back inside with their wet paws leaving paw prints on all over my floors. The interesting thing is that if I sleep in late enough on Saturday (which doesn’t happen often enough), the dew is gone and I can let the puppies out without getting their feet wet. The dew doesn’t stay on the lawn very long, especially in the summer heat. In Hosea 6:4, God is a very honest tone, related the Israelite’s love for him to the morning dew.

 

“What can I do with you, Ephraim?

What can I do with you, Judah?

Your love is like the morning mist,

like the early dew that disappears.

The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ho 6:4

This verse is not a warm fuzzy verse. If you read Hosea, you’ll see God’s honest thoughts about his children. He likes them to an unfaithful wife. Here we see God convicting His children of being before Him one moment, but in the next vanishing…no where to be found. When I read this I was deeply convicted. I began to think of all the mornings that I have woken up early to spend time with the Lord, and by the time I sit down at my desk, I can’t even remember what I read or what He and I talked about. Or all the Sundays that I sat in church half listening and half making my to do list for the day…or listening and walking away unchanged…maybe even criticizing someone that I saw a church by the time I reach my car. This same experience can happen on retreats or in small group…we have an amazing time, feeling like we’ve gone deeper in our faith, but then when we return to the “real” world we immediately fall back into our old routine. A routine that we have created in such a way that we can fulfill all our duties without the assistance of our Heavenly Father. A routine that includes sinful habits that we don’t care to break. God has become a check mark in our to-do list rather than the Father of our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.

I know I can relate to the Israelite children here. There are sins that I’ve become so numb to in my life that I don’t notice them anymore. My time with the Lord can even become routine. One challenge I face is reading God’s word and finding what I can teach from it rather than reading it and asking Him to change my heart and my life through it. As I read this passage, I pray that I will not just engage my mind in the moment, but the God would help me engage my heart for a lifetime pursuit of Him! I pray that I as spend time with Him, we would have two-way conversations…that our time together wouldn’t be consist only of my telling Him my agenda for my life and asking Him to accomplish it, but for me to really stop and listen and to surrender my life to Him. To take the time to listen to His voice, and to be quiet enough to hear it. With that said, I want to leave you with time to reflect on your day. Has your relationship with God become more of a business relationship, where you only meet to discuss agendas, or is it a love relationship between the faithful Father and His beloved child? Is your heart fully engaged when you are with Him? If not, what are some practical ways you can practice listening and becoming fully engaged? Are there sins that you’ve become numb to that you need to repent of and ask God to bring to light and develop a sensitivity to? These are questions you can think about as you go about your day, and questions that may require a journal, your Bible and a quiet spot to reflect. So, as we close today, I pray this prayer for you and for me.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you that you are faithful. You are faithful even when we are faithless. Lord, thank you that you long to have a deep intimate relationship with us, not because we’ve earned it by being good, but because you are our Father. Lord, I pray today that you begin to stir up the fire with us that we may each choose to go deeper in our walks with you. I pray that as we spend time with you that you will engage our hearts; let us not settle for an intellectual relationship. But rather, engage our hearts for an intimate loving relationship with you, the King of kings! I pray that today as we spend time with You that we will walk away changed for eternity and looking more like Jesus whom we love and serve. Thank you for Your Word. Thank you for conviction that leads us into a deeper relationship with you. I love you, Father. Amen.