Building a Wall

I am reading the book of Nehemiah. I am strongly encouraged and challenged by it because it tells me that responding to injustice is possible. Nehemiah hears about the wall of Jerusalem in need of rebuilding and he starts taking steps to repair it. We don't see him making excuses, "I am busy at work.", "I need to get my affairs in order.", "I just don't have the time, with my kids in soccer and all.".

Nehemiah sees a need and starts toward fixing it. It is amazing to see the influence he has with the king. Not only did he get permission to go, he requested the king for various letters to make the journey more possible. Of course there will always be nay-sayers. There always is. In fact we read about them twice in the first few chapters.

It is inevitable to experience opposition when you are producing change for the betterment of the Kingdom.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Resist

1 Peter 5:8-9

Peter begins wrapping up his thought about being responsible, submissive, humble and casting your anxiety to God with more character traits necessary to live this Christian world. He says to be self-controlled and alert. If you stop right here you may read over the reason or dismiss the thought entirely. We are to be self-controlled and alert because we have a very real enemy that is looking daily for someone to devour. I fall in the camp that not all the things that are uncomfortable or difficult are attacks from Satan. However, we can't ignore what scripture says about how our story has a villain that is bent on destroying our relationship with God and us in the process. So be alert.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Anxiety

1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)
⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

I love this verse. I have used it in many lessons, shared it in many times of council and read it over myself in seasons of stress and worry. But today I read it in a different light. I was exposed to these words in the scope of what was just being said as opposed to just a random thought from a man that was bouncing all over the place. Peter has placed this thought while telling the Elders to lead and the young men to be submissive. Then, Peter, instructs everyone to clothe themselves with humility. After that we find ourselves in verse 7.

I can imagine that being a leader in the early church could have been quite stressful. Not just making something out of nothing, but the threat of persecution, being misunderstood and friction from inside the church (people may have been fighting for the spot you were holding.) I could see how worry could keep these men from responding to the call God had placed in their lives to lead. I think that is why Peter decided to throw them a bone in the form of a verse that could fit in their wallet. It was a reminder that we are not alone in the great task. That God cares for us and knows our limits and protects us.

What a beautiful reality to live in, when the love of our Father lives in our hearts.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Suffering

Peter wraps chapter 4 up with some views on how we can view suffering. I wonder sometimes if what I view as suffering though is not really what Peter was talking about. I wonder if "my suffering" is really not more than minor to major inconveniences. At the time of his writing the church was still facing persecution. Not the kind of persecution that we view from the media but literally life and death persecution.

But I don't think that we are totally disengaged from Peter's words. Our choice to remain faithful in difficult circumstances develops perseverance and creates deeper intimacy. So regardless if it is suffering or not. When we experience discomfort or trials, we can know that how we choose to trust in Him makes a big difference.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Submissive and Considerate

Peter 3:1-7

As Peter wraps up his thoughts about submitting to authority, he takes is home. The relationship between a husband and a wife has been under attack from the beginning of our story. Imagine the first couple of fights that Adam and Eve had. The fruit incident, Eve weakness and Adam not protecting her. The first relocation, moving from the garden to the desert had to be quite the adjustment relationally as they lay on the hard floor after working in the fields all day and Eve is experiencing the discomfort of growing a child in her belly. Then of course the difficulty of losing a son. How do you deal with the burying a child, especially when he was murdered by his very own brother?

Needless to say, marriage has been on attack for a long time. Peter lends us insight into how the two partners are to treat each other. Though this isn't all of Peter's marriage advice, I believe it is a great place to start. Wives are to be submissive. It is important to note that Peter is writing at the time when arranged marriages were prevalent. It would make sense to tell the wives to submit and tell the husbands to be considerate. They aren't necessarily the kind of relationships that form in the fairy tales.

God always calls us to work through authority. Peter tells wives to be submissive not to make their husbands feel good about themselves but that in so doing they would bring glory to God. Husbands will eventually be called to go a step further than just being considerate. They will be called to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church.

Bottom line... marriage has been under attack for as long as our story has been going on. It is important that we as believers set the example instead of blending into a society that has missed the mark.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Trust

1 Peter 2:23 (NIV)
²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

There is a great possibility in this world you will be misunderstood. You may be unfairly attacked. You may be beaten both physically and emotionally. This is nothing new. In fact the one whose mark we bear modeled this kind of reality in the life He lived. However, He did it in a radically different way than we tend to. When we are attacked by others there is a tendency to equate the attack as fair or unfair. The challenge with this kind of thinking is that we are dealing with imperfect people. They can attack or judge based on the emotion of the moment and not the reality of the situation.

I love what Peter says here about Jesus. Jesus entrusted Himself to the smile of one person, that being His Heavenly Father. When we follow in Jesus' footsteps here there is no guarantee that other's will not attack. But, I believe in the moment when we do face an unfair attack that the Holy Spirit comes in during that time of weakness and lends support. Sometimes that is in a strengthening whisper, in boldness, in clarity. This brings me hope.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Chosen, Royal, Holy, Taken

1 Peter 2:9 (NIV)
^"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

Knowing what we are helps us know what is expected of us. Peter describes who we are as believers and in return challenges us in how we live. God has chosen us above all other creation. He loves us that much to choose us! He has called us into a royal priesthood. This applies to all the believers regardless if they are committed to full time ministry. We are to carry out the duties and commands of the Lord each day of our lives. He has made us into a holy nation. This goes so much deeper than just a conservative or liberal outlook on life. If studies are accurate there are millions upon millions of us world-wide. I think it's probably a good time to awaken from our slumber and start standing for the right things.

Peter wraps up this verse with giving us direction for living. We are to declare the praises of God for what He did for each of us. I love the imagery because it is both figurative and literal. We have been called out of the darkness by the light of the Father. What a wonderful light this indeed is.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Crave

1 Peter 2:2 (NIV)
"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,"

A thought occurred to me this morning while reading this verse about babies and milk. Newborns are suppose to get all their nutrients from milk for a large part of their first year of life. In fact that is all they know. It is all that exists for them... and they know it.

Peter challenges us to crave God's spiritual nutrition the same way a newborn craves milk. I think this is beautiful poetry and application. If God is all we knew was there to supply our needs, we would be more apt to coming only to Him for nutrition. The challenge we face is that we convince ourselves that He (in our own minds) is not the only source of fulfillment. So we go searching for it. We taste other gods thinking they taste the same but knowing down in our hearts there is something lesser, weaker about what we are tasting.

What would happen if today you and I lived as if God's supply was everything? Peter tells us the answer lies in that when we taste, we will see that the Lord is good.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Taking God at His Word

1 Peter 1:23 (NIV)
²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

For we have been born again---- this is the great rescue that God has made possible to all who believe in Him. We who had no hope have been given hope through Jesus Christ.

Not of perishable seed---- because of sin this perishable seed is not only death, but a separation from a beautiful relationship with our Heavenly Father.

But of imperishable---- but God in His infinite knowledge and love saw because of our choice in sin that we were without hope and made possible a way for us.

Through the living and enduring word of God---- here is where faith plays such and important role. We literally have to take God at His word. We can have confidence in that what He is saying is the truth but to stake your life on it is a different subject all together. He promises us so many things and we would be wise to explore the possibilities of what He is speaking into our hearts. The more we realize that He has been honest with us the more willing we are to trust in Him in future situations.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Sincere Love

1 Peter 1:22 (NIV)
²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

Peter leads us to believe that we pursue purity because it leads to love. He instructs us to go even further in saying that we should have sincere love for our brothers and a deep love for everyone. This morning the word "SINCERE" is the center of my focus. It is very easy to show respect without love. To show care without love. To show tolerance without love. Peter tells us that we are suppose to show our brothers a kind of love that is selfless, sacrificing and attractive. When we show love without an agenda that is always attractive. If you show love with conditions there is a tendency to only display love when it is of benefit to you. That is where God comes into the picture. He displayed for all of us the greatest act of love. Making it possible to accept us while we are living in sin. This reality is so easy to push into the back of the mind (we kind of do that with all of life's mysteries, like how the microwave works). Sincere love comes from a heart that has been redeemed. It is a reactionary love.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Self-Control

1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)
^...be self-controlled; ...

Peter writes the statement as if it is as simple as that. Just control yourself!!! For me this is a constant battle. yesterday I was determined to do this, but faster than I decided to pursue self-control a series of events outside my control seemed to launch an attack. After reacting in a way that I was sure wasn't under self-control this thought occurred to me. I am not sure who said it but I am confident this is not an original thought bouncing in the head of BAG:

I can not fully control the actions of others. I can only control the actions of myself. This is self-control.

Because I can not dictate others emotions and desires, I must pre-decide much of my responses. Self-control can save us from many challenges down the road.

The good news is, even though yesterday was a challenge and I may have failed in my pursuit. Today is a new day. I will choose to have control over my actions, my emotions and my desires.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Preparing Your Minds For Action

1 Peter 1:13 (NIV)
¹³ Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Prepare your minds for action...
I am wondering what Peter was talking about when he instructs us to prepare our minds for action. I am curious as to why he wouldn't us the word "heart" here. So much in Jesus' teaching deals with the heart and how important preparing and protecting the heart is for us believers. Instead Peter challenges us to prepare our minds for action.

If the heart holds the emotion, the mind holds the knowledge and the strategy. This section of scripture is shared after Peter talks about the eminent return of Jesus. He is telling us how to live as we anticipate the second coming. I think he may be telling us to prepare our minds so we can pre-decide our actions. By doing this we are less likely to fall into the traps of the evil one and our own selfish desires. Preparing our minds is important because not all logic is bad.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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Pursuing Holiness

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV)
"Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

There is a lot to unpack in these few verses. I feel a leading to camp here this week. Peter is challenging us in how we follow God. I know for me that it is easy to get comfortable in my desire to draw closer to God. I think that is kind of what happens when we know that He will never walk away. However, just because He will not walk away doesn't mean we should treat Him as if we do not take the mission He has given us for granted.

The pursuit of holiness can be a tricky one to say the least. It is one where you never arrive and once you think that you do then you really need to take a step back. We pursue holiness because we serve a Holy God. Actually pulling that off is dependent on how determined we are to reflect the attributes of our Him who created us.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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2 Kings Seventeen

There was one verse that resounded in my spirit this morning as I was reading about the nations exile.

It is a part of verse 15....
"They followed worthless idols and
themselves became worthless."

What an intersting description of who these people became because of what they were pursuing. As they pursued worthless idols they inherited the traits of worthless idols.

I believe this principle rings true still in our lives.
If we pursue hate we become people of hate.
If we pursue apathy, we become people of apathy. If we puruse hope, we become people of hope.
If we pursue love, we become people of love.

Pick a single quality this week of something you wish to pursue and put this theory to the test. Though a week isn't necessarily a long amount of time, I believe you will start seeing some effects of it.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Twenty - Two

There is a lot of things happening in this chapter, though one stood out above the rest. The messenger who went to collect Micaiah instructs him to give a favorable report since all the other prophets were doing the same. However, Micaiah knew that his responsibility and allegiance lied with God and not the opinion of man. Then, in that moment when he had the opportunity to say what was wanting to be heard instead of what was right Micaiah spoke from principle.

Ahab places him in a prison cell to be held until his safe return. Because I don't remember the rest of Micaiah's story at this point it seems that becasue his prophecy came true that he will be in that cell for a long time.

It is easy in life to tell people what they want to hear even if it is not the truth. I believe a large part of the test in character is being able to speak the truth regardless of the circumstance. Especially when the truth comes from God.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Twenty - Two

I couldn't believe what my eyes were reading this monring. Ahab wants a vineyard that isn't his. Naboth says that he is unwilling to give it or sell it to the king because it was part of his inheritance. Ahab goes back to the palace and throws a good ol fashioned hissy fit that would make any two year old proud (I am speaking now from experience). Jezebel (the name just sounds evil) develops what she had to think was the only option. Eliminate Naboth.

Take a step back and realize what happened here.
A man was killed so another man can plant potatoes. Be aware of what is going on in your heart and how your emotions are effecting you. You do not want to sacrifice something menial today for something special tomorrow.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Twenty

And then there was war. What I found most interesting was verse 28. God declares that He is not only the God of the hills but also of the valley. he is stating that there is nothing He is not capable of, a feat which is greater than that of the imaginary gods the Arameans serve.

I love it in scripture when God refocuses people's attention to His majesty. I wonder though, how many times is God revealing His splendor to us but we are too concerned with our own situation to acknowledge it?

God is always at work. We need to open our eyes and our heat to experience His glory.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Nineteen

Elijah following a moment where God reveals Himself with fire from the sky has now hit the road in fear for his life. Over the course of a few days he goes from bold prophet to not wanting to live any longer. It is amazing how a few days of focussing on your challenges can change your perspective.

But God had a greater plan...

As Elijah is wishing for death, he falls asleep, only to be awakened by God's provision. As I read this today I couldn't help but think that when possible rest is necessary to gain perspective. Eventually we find Elijah strengthened and God reveals that He is not done with His prophet. In fact, God directs Elijah to find invest in the life of Elisha and teach him how to pass on this torch.

In the midst of our storms and our fears, it is true that death seems like a tempting option. That is why faith and hope and love is so important.
Our faith gives us persistence to continue on in the journey. Our hope is what gives us a goal to shoot for. Love, as the apostle Paul says in Colossians, is what binds us all together in perfect harmony.


Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Fifteen

It is so easy to get confused with chapters like this. Reading about so many kings as they overlap each other. Keep this in mind. You are reading about to two different kingdoms. Israel is comprised of twelve tribes (or smaller kingdoms). Judah is one of those tribes/kingdom.

The reason we continue to read about who is leading Judah is because of Jesus. The risen King comes from this tribe. What we are reading here is His family tree in Judah and the history of God's people in the other.

Now that that is cleared up,
I hope you have a great day.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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1 Kings Fourteen

I find it disappointing that all that is mentioned with the stewardship of Rehoboam was that he allowed Egypt to take the treasures of the temple. Instead of going after them, it appears that they replaced gold shields for bronze ones. I believe this marked a deeper issue for the nation. Rehoboam was willing to settle instead of being drawn to action.

There are times in life when we should fight for what is precious to us. There is a reason that what matters most should actually matter the most. I would hate that, at the end of my life, the only thing said about me was that I settled for less than the best God was offering me when the world was on attack.

What do you hope is said about you? The best way for that to be said is either record it and play it at your funeral or live it and have others say it.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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