According to Lilies

The Blog of Joshua Hughes, Worship Minister at Four Oaks Community Church.

April 26, 2009

Kevin DeYoung - His Way is Wisdom

Obsessing over the future is not how God wants us to live, because showing us the future is not God’s way.  His way is to speak to us in the Scriptures and transform us by the renewing of our minds.  His way is not a crystal ball.  His way is wisdom.  We should stop looking for God to reveal the future to us and remove all risk from our lives.  We should start looking to God - His character and His promises - and thereby have confidence to take risks for His name’s sake.

Kevin DeYoung
Just Do Something, page 41

 

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posted by Joshua Hughes

April 14, 2009

Spiritual Disciplines and Gerber Puffs

Reagan, our eight month old, just started on solid foods recently.  Her favorite things are Gerber puffs.  If you are unfamiliar with these little wonders, they are like tiny cereal bites that dissolve quickly in baby mouths.  They are small enough for her little uncoordinated fingers to pick up and eat.

She hasn’t quite gotten it down yet.

Last night I watched with rapt attention as time after time she took the puffs in her hand only to lose them between the high chair tray and her little mouth.  Our dog enjoys this very much as she is the benefactor of Reagan’s many failed attempts.

In Luke 4 when Jesus is tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting to turn stones into bread, he famously quotes Deuteronomy 8:3 “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  The word as food is a powerful illustration for obvious reasons.  As the human body cannot be sustained without food, so the Christian soul cannot be sustained without God’s word. 

The Bible is to be treasured, consumed and sought after like the very food that keeps us alive.  But sometimes it’s just not so simple.  Certainly, there are seasons when I do take in the word as easily and consistently as I do my daily bread.  But sometimes, I am like my sweet little Reagan, struggling to put hand to mouth, battling my inability to achieve what I desire, laboring to obtain my reward.

In those times when it’s difficult, I want to be encouraged by my daughters example.  Reagan is not deterred by her failures; she keeps at it until the tray is empty and every puff is either in her mouth or on the floor.  And every time she does it, there are a few less puffs on the carpet (much to the dog’s chagrin).  She is getting better.  Eating solids is becoming more of a lifestyle for her.  And so it is for us as God’s children; the more we discipline ourselves to fight through the discouragement, to talk to ourselves more than we listen to ourselves, the more Scripture comes alive to us as fewer and fewer of God’s words end up on the carpet next to us, but rather find their way into our souls… 

...Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O Lord, God of hosts.
Jeremiah 15:16

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posted by Joshua Hughes