Emmaus is like Kindergarten

One of the pilgrims at Closing tonight equated the Emmaus Walk to being a kindergartner. You don't have any clue what time it is, nor do you have any reason to know. Your every need is being met - plenty of food, a warm place to sleep, an abundance of love.

Saddleback Church: How to Read the Bible With Your Ears

Prayer and Bible reading are not two separate activities, they are two parts of a conversation with God. You need two to hold a conversation, and both should be talking about the same thing! Let God start, because He's God and you're not! Let Him start it in the Bible.

Read for depth and not for distance. Don't use it like a medicine cabinet "I know what I'm looking for, God, don't bother me until I find it." Don't treat it like window shopping, either. When you find something that fits, don't turn away from it because of the cost. It's not a lottery, either. Don't gamble on which verse will open up first.

Not necessary to read chronologically. God will meet you wherever. Ask god to show you what to read today. Make yourself available to Him.

Start at the beginning of a book, and take all the time you need (as many days as necessary) to finish it. The same Holy Spirit that caused the Word to be recorded, now inspires every reading of it. Read for depth: stop and look down into the "water" (skipping rocks example). It's not how far and how fast, but how deep you can go.

Room-temperature water (sometimes when we come to the Word, we're not all fired up about it. We're just so-so. Lukewarm.). When a teabag is dipped in once (teabag is scripture), nothing. But let the teabag sit in the water and steep, and the water will receive the flavor, color, aroma, character of the tea. The heart will begin to absorb the nature, character, flavor, and aroma of Christ.

Read it, think about it, talk to God about it. May read several chapters at once, or may read same few verses day after day for a while.

Return to water - it's identity has changed - it's not water now, it's tea.

No longer an experience with a book, now an encounter with a friend. It is a letter to us. A friend.

Saddleback Church: Trusting God Through Trouble

Buddy Owens, Teaching Pastor – Aug. 8, 2010

Trust: to allow someone to do something without fearing the outcome

I have to trust God to do His will – to succeed on His own terms, in His own time.

Nahum 1:3 “The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet.”

The quickest way around the storm is through it.

You may not have done anything wrong – in the storm because you are obeying Him.

There are lessons that I have to learn about Jesus that I cannot learn anywhere else, under any other circumstances – it has to happen in a storm.

There are things we learn about ourselves, about God, and about Life that we can only learn when God takes us through a storm, when we are following Him, looking for the clouds, the dust of His feet, and we follow Him into the storm.

Psalm 56:11 “In God I trust, I will not be afraid.”

Trust: to run into a shelter or hiding place; to seek refuge.

Find some part of the Word of God and let it steep into your soul.

Create an atmosphere of worship by tuning out all the bad news, tuning into all the good news, and listening to worship music. Create an environment where you’re focusing on the  Lord.

Psalm 91:1-2 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

Psalm 57:1 “In You my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until the disaster has passed.”

Hide in the Lord until the disaster has passed.

Trust: to lean the weight of your soul on the faithfulness, reliability, integrity or friendship of another person.

Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (this was in my personal reading for today, as well. I guess I need to put more trust in Him.)

Trust: to take someone at his word.

Lord, you said you would meet my every need. I’m going to believe you.

When God asks “Do you trust me?,” you must set your heart and mind to follow and to find Him, to take refuge in His Word, to take Him at His Word.

Trouble will not go away when you give your life to Jesus. Your perspective on your troubles in life will change.

2 Cor. 4:16-18 “We do not lost heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Seeing the unseen: Eyes of your heart / gaze of your soul; seeing things the way God sees them

Ephesians 1:18 “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you…”

Moonflower: seed must be notched, buried, bud quivers before it opens to full glory

2 Cor 4:8-9 “We are: hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” – Which side of the comma do you live on – the troubled side or the trusting side?

Persecution = fertilizer – we all know where fertilizer comes from!

A seed can sit on a shelf for years, and produce nothing, until the transformation of dirt (trouble) happens. It may take days, weeks, months, or years for the transformation to happen. Can’t dig the seed up to see if it’s making progress, or you’ll start all over again. Allow God to take you through the transformation of trouble.

He is working all of these things for my good.

The seed of adversity, when it is planted in the soil of faith, and cared for by the Gardener, will bring forth life and beauty in its season.

My Gardener is overseeing the burying in the dirt, the darkness, and the struggle.  He knows it will produce glory.

God is in the business of bringing forth life.

God is at work in ways I cannot see.

He will grow joy out of my sorrow, peace out of troubles, patience out of adversity, kindness out of mistreatment, compassion out of pain, if I will surrender to the process, allow Him to do His Work, and not fear the outcome.

2 Cor. 5:7 “We live by faith, not by sight.”

This trouble will not last – it’s all in your perspective. It’s not the end, but the beginning of something beautiful. God will not make you go through it any longer than necessary. Can’t hurry the process, but can hinder it, by not cooperating with God.

Feed on the Word every day, even if it’s just a quick bite

Pray for the rain of the Holy Spirit to soften the ground of my heart and to quench my thirsty soul

Pull the weeds – get rid of anything that chokes out the Life of Christ – worry, bitterness, unforgiveness

Guard against bugs – habits, behaviors, lifestyles that deplete your energy and joy

Prepare for a harvest – weeping may endure for a night, but joy will come in the morning

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

The Bible tells us to comfort others with the comfort that we have received.

Lord, I’m at an end. I need Your help. I want to trust You with this. I can’t handle this trouble on my own. But Lord, I believe, and I’m taking You at Your Word when You said that You work all things together for our good, that You make all things beautiful in their time, that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, that You won’t let me go through something that You won’t give me the strength to endure. Lord, I’m taking You at Your Word, and I trust You today. Lord, I want to live on the trusting side of the comma. I pray that Your Will will be done in my life, and I want to lean all of the weight of my soul and my life in You. I want to hide in You, Lord, and find protection until this storm has passed, and I trust You, Lord, to bring life and beauty out of my troubles.