11/04/2011

The Duck Pond: A long overdue post.

Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

We've all heard this verse right? No problem. It's a great verse that we should default ourselves to everyday.

Speaking of everyday,

Matthew 6:11-12:
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And what to do everyday?

1 Timothy 6:17
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy
So seek ye first the Kingdom and it's righteousness , go get DAILY bread, and God gives us what we need to enjoy Him.

Everyone got it? Good.

"But Professor, there's no commentary!!!"

Shush I'm coming to it. I had to throw some Scripture out there, some of which I've used before, to set this one up. Now roll with me for a moment here.

A few months back I had a friend talk to me about a guy she was interested in. She was concerned about the direction of where it was going. A legitimate concern. And I thought about a duck pond where she was living, and this is what I said to her:

"You see a duck pond. You like the duck. The duck entertains you. It pleases you. It's fun. You're having a good time watching the duck. But if you mess around worrying about 'Where is the duck going?' or 'Is the duck hungry?' or 'Is the duck looking for its baby ducklings?' or 'Where will the duck be in a day/week/month/2 months/year?', you KILL your experience by messing around worrying about it. So sit back, enjoy the duck, and get your nature on."

**I am not telling people to date ducks or fornicate with them (or other people)**

Matthew 6:34: Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

So today's issues are enough to be troubled about eh? Have YOU ever been in a courtship or relationship worried about what tomorrow will bring in it? No answers please, just think about it.

Philippians 4:6-7: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

And let's not forget Psalm 23:1 "The LORD is my shepherd I shalt not want." and Psalm 27:1 "The LORD is my light and my salvation; of WHOM shall I be afraid?"

Take "whom" and add "or what" to those verses. So where am I going with this? Well these concepts are not lost in any aspect of your life, but in courting/dating, it's best to not worry about tomorrow at the cost of today.

But Professor, what if the "duck" and I get along VERY well? I want to plan for tomorrow, right?
Deferring to God, yes. In your humanism? No.

Why? Because God's Comprehension is better than ours and He knows tomorrow today. He'll let you know what you need to know. But don't WORRY about it.

Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." (ESV)

But if you wanna know something and don't know what to do, first you must seek the Kindgom (Matthew 6:33), set your mind on things above where Christ is at the right hand of God (not earthly things (Colossians 3:1-2), and if you don't know something still...

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. (ESV)

God will give you direction toward what He wants you to do with that "duck" just like everything else in your business. Remember, God created both you AND your "duck" and He has the best thing for each of you.

The next section unit will talk about what happens when you DON'T plug into this model...and what you should do when you figure out that you aren't plugged in. Hope this helped! :)

A Solid Godly Church: What Do YOU Expect church to do for YOU?

What do you expect church to do for you? Is there an expectation level?

Remember when I talked about spiritual leadership? One of the requirements I mentioned was this:

2) Make sure the ministry message drives congregation to get God for themselves and is serious about doing it, and making sure that he doesn’t, either deliberately or accidentally, put himself on the throne reserved for Christ). (Genesis 2:26 (God’s default Model) Matthew 6:6-12, 33-34; Colossians 1:28)

Do you want God for yourself? No answers please…just think about how much you want God.

A while back in church we talked about in Deuterotomy 6:1-7 and how it applies to our Biblical Reasoning to lead our families. I’m going to put a slightly different spin on verse 1 (obey God’s Commandments) and verse 5 (love Him with everything that you have). Well how do we do that? Why do we do that?

First, the how: By sowing to the Spirit. When we get saved we get the mind of Christ and the sealing of the Spirit. We get it and it protects us from eternal damnation, but it also gives us the tools to grow in Him. This will be evidenced with us giving less of our fleshly nature (Galatians 5:19-21) and more of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our good works grow so that we can get what we need to represent and abound in Him.

Now, the why: Remember that John F. Kennedy quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”? Well the same thing applies. What we can do for the Kingdom is grow in Him so that his Image and Likeness be spread and we are the most powerful thing in any given situation we land in. (Genesis 1:28).

And on this day, I pray each of you follow Him so that He can grow you up for what He has planned for you.