Reverse Engineering (just interesting)

For the last 3 weeks, I've been writing a lot of computer code. (That's part of my job)

Today I needed to get the computer to do something I had never done before. I downloaded a sample of computer code from the internet that does exactly what I want and then some.

You say "what does this have to do with God?"

I wouldn't use the code the way it was. I needed to understand what it was doing and scale it back.

So I did a bit of reverse engineering. I made connections between IFs and THENs and drawing lines here and there. As I'm picking through the words getting to the core of how this ticks it dawned on me that I'm doing exegesis.

Cool.

A good pair

Two posts that are greater than the sum of their parts.

Read this first.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/you-matter.html

(Be great)

Then this.

http://www.dougwils.com/index.asp?Action=Anchor&CategoryID=1&BlogID=6653

(how do you want to be great)

Frenzied, Shallow Life

What is the greatest hindrance to cultivating community in the American church?

The first thing that comes to mind is frenetic western-culture busyness...

...We have families that will show up at our church on Sunday morning with the boys dressed in their little league outfits, and I know what's going to happen. They're going to leave the service early. Now what a value message to that little boy! Do I think little league is bad? I don't think it's bad at all. I think it's great. But they're telling him what's important as they do that.

-Paul Tripp

In addition to showing that child what's important, it's saying "You can have it all, without discriminating."
Doesn't this make life more shallow and mediocre?

Any bait being used on you?

I love the Bible. I see more that I love the Bible when God reveals how it applies to my life.
Behold, the story of Jacob and Leah. (she's the the "Switch" in Bait-and-Switch) Ask yourself: What bait am I after?

"No matter what your hopes for a project, no matter what your hopes for marriage, no matter what your hopes for love, no matter what your hopes for a career, no matter what you have hopes in, in the morning it will always be LeahNo matter what your hopes for a project, no matter what your hopes for marriage, no matter what your hopes for love, no matter what your hopes for a career, no matter what you have hopes in, in the morning it will always be Leah"

Tim Keller,
The Girl nobody wanted

Do we follow?

My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me

  John 10:27

Do we follow like these sheep?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw

Must remember this

The following two posts I reference bring life and problems into focus and I must not forget the truth in them.

From Nouthetic.org

The word torah (usually translated “law”) means to thrust out the finger (thus pointing the way). Like many Hebrew terms, it is a picturesque word. It has to do with pointing in the direction that God would have you go.

God is not One to allow us sinners to decide which course of life we should pursue. He knows we’d go astray. So, He laid it out in plain terms in His Word and then points us to the way He designated—again, in the Scriptures.

From the beginning to the end, the Scriptures are to be the Christian’s guide to life. How is it that a believer fails to do know the will of God in any given situation? He doesn’t know because he doesn’t know the Scriptures.

How is it that he gets into serious difficulties that he might otherwise have avoided? He failed either to see or to obey the finger of God pointing to peace and safety.

How is it that a Christian girl marries a non-Christian boy and their marriage becomes a near hell on earth? She failed to heed the finger pointing in the opposite direction.

In other words, while God has pointed out the way for us to go, we ignore His gracious directions. It is no wonder, then, that we soon find ourselves in the soup!

If only we were always to observe, rather than turn away from the Bible finger that gives such clear directions, we would live in inner peace and joy.

But, sadly, we often wake up too soon. Yet, think a moment, even when you find yourself swimming in the soup—doesn’t the finger continue to point?

Of course it does. It points to confession repentance and forgiveness.

Takeaway:  1) Trust with all your power in Grace.  2) Cling tenaciously to the scriptures for guidance.

From DesiringGod.org

Be joyfully, brokenheartedly, shaped by the death of Christ for you.

Do you both feel the fearfulness of how the death of Christ witnesses to your unspeakable unworthiness to be loved—that it took this much suffering and indignity to the Son of God for you to be saved. And do you both feel the wonder of being forgiven owing to nothing in you?

If you do, it will profoundly shape your patience with each other's shortcomings (which you will find to be more than you ever dreamed).

Get really clear the meaning of headship and submission.

Husband, tremble at the implications of Ephesians 5:25-30.

Wife, tremble at the implications of Ephesians 5:21-24.

Understand this and glory in the greatness of the calling to be married for the sake of showing the world the covenant faithfulness between Christ and his church.

Takeaway: Seeing the breathtaking sacrifice and love of Christ for me will revolutionize my marriage.

Please God may it be, may it be so.

Mercy, Contempt and Pity

Psalm 51:1 Have mercy on me O God...

In small group we discussed contempt vs. pity.   Pity came out to be feeling sorry for another.  Contempt came out to be a feeling superiority.  True enough.

In the telling of the parables in Luke 15 you can feel the contempt of the pharisees contrasted with the pity of the father in parable of the lost son.  The father's mercy points out God's  immense mercy (pity) toward us.

But consider,  shouldn't God feel contempt toward us.  He, after all, IS superior to us.