The Redemption Blog

Finding Her in the Fog...

"Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the markets she raises her voice..."If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you."
-Proverbs 1:20,23 (ESV)

Each day, each of us are faced with the burden of decisions.  Some are small and seemingly insignificant and some are big and carry great weight for our lives. We face decisions from, "Where should we go for dinner?", all the way to, "Should I marry this person?", or "Should I take this job?", or "Should we by this house?"  Whether we like it or not we all faced with the burden of decisions.

I have always been intrigued by King Solomon in the Bible.  His story is recorded in the book of 1 Kings and I find the beginning of his story particularly interesting.  Solomon is a new king and God comes to Him one day and says, "Ask what I shall give you." (1 Kings 3:5)  Imagine your having your quiet time one day and God says, "You can ask me for anything you want and I'll give it to you."  How would you respond?  What would you ask Him for? 

Maybe money...

Maybe a new house, or a new car...

Maybe a husband or a wife...

Maybe kids...

Maybe that your choice for presidential candidate would win...

This is the opportunity we see Solomon faced with yet we don't see him request any of the things you and I would probably ask for.  Solomon, standing before an almighty God who has offered to grant him anything he wants, humbly and simply asks for WISDOM.  In verse 9 he says, "Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?

You may back up and go, "What in the world was this guy thinking?  He could have had anything and he asks for wisdom?"  But then we see this:

"10 It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, 'Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days."

-1 Kings 3:10-13 (ESV)

Our prayer must echo the heart of Solomon.  We can't make decisions in pursuit of money, fame, fortune, or honor.  We have to humbly ask God for the wisdom and discernment necessary to make wise decisions, both big and small.  Our heart should be one of desiring to responding to the sovereign grace of God by humbly asking Him to help us be wise as we steward the lives He has blessed us with. 

Even still it can be hard to make wise choices when the outcome seems foggy, so how do we find lady wisdom crying in the street when the street is filled with fog?  When we don't know what we should do?  When we don't know which direction to turn?  As we look to Solomon we see a few questions we can ask ourselves as we fight our way through the fog in pursuit of wisdom. 

1.  What will most bring glory to Jesus?

Solomon's request wasn't about him, it was ultimately about being the best king he could be for the glory of God.  When you look at both the big and small decisions of your life, what will most bring glory to God in the decisions you make?

2.  What will be best for people in your life? (spouse, kids, ect.)

Solomon wanted to be able to lead well, both for the glory of God and the good of God's people.  We must always keep our priorities strait and live for God first, your spouse second (if you have one) and your kids third.   Everything else comes after God and family, so what is best for your relationship with Jesus and your relationship with and well being of your family?

Reminder:
We are prone to forget that God is sovereign and in control of all things.  God is still in control when we make poor choices.  He is still gracious and loving and nothing will ever change that.  Even when there are negative consequences  to our decisions God's love for us is unchanging and He will never leave us, nor forsake us. Therefore, we should not be paralyzed by the fear of making mistakes.

All of us are faced with the burden of decisions, both big and small.  Like Solomon, may we seek the glory of God and the good of God's people as we pursue wisdom together, even in the fog.

Free Audio Books...

I love to read, but I also love to listen to books being read as well.  Maybe I'm lame, maybe it's because my dad read to us like crazy when I was a kid, but I love listening to books about as much as I love reading them...I am lame.

I just found out about this site on the Desiring God blog, so I thought I'd pass it along if you're interested.  If you sign up for a free account you can download a featured audio book each month for free.  This month it is "All of Grace" by C.H. Spurgeon.  I started it last night and it's excellent.  This is great if you have a long commute, don't read well or don't enjoy reading.  I highly recommend you swing by and sign up...enjoy!

You can find it here...

The Fight for Joy...in Exhaustion

Series: The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Exhaustion

Text:  Philippians 3:12-4:1 (ESV)

Big Idea:  "An Eternal Perspective Yields An Enduring Perseverance"

Overview: Enduring with Joy in Exhaustion

1.  Endure...by Grace (3:12)

2.  Endure...by Forgetting the Past (3:13-14)

3.  Endure...by Thinking Clearly (3:15-16)

4.  Endure...by Imitating Maturity (3:17-19)

5.  Endure...with Eternal Perspective (3:20-21)

Here's my preaching note from Sunday if anybodies interested!  Thanks...

Download ffj_8_exhaustion.doc

The Fight for Joy...in Conflict

Series:  The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Conflict

Text: Philippians 3:1-11 (ESV)

Big Idea:  "Compared to knowing Christ, Everything Else is Meaningless"

Sorry I was late posting this, but here's the notes from yesterday...

Download ffj_7_in_conflict.doc

You can find the podcast here in the next couple days...

Hearing God Speak...

My life is full of noise and my assumption is that yours is as well.  With the increased pace of our culture and our personal lives it is hard for us to find time to just experience silence.  Think about the last time you sat in silence...

No TV

No iPod

No talking

No traffic

No screaming kids

Just QUIET...

Can you even think of the last time you experienced this?  For most of us, it can even be awkward to sit in silence because we have become so conditioned for chaos.   The major problem with the constant noise of life is that it becomes increasingly difficult to hear God.  The major problem with not hearing God is that is impossible to have your affection for God stirred if you're not hearing Him speak to you. 

This raises the question, "How do we hear God speak?"

1.  Through His Scriptures
God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His Word.  The problem with much of our current popular theology is that it uses means in place of God's revelation of Himself through His Word to define who God is and how He works.   We then tend to rely on our experiences, our opinions, cultural perspectives, philosophy and the rest, to determine who God is how we are to relate to Him. 

God is God over Philosophy, Sociology and Psychology and all of these different disciplines must be subject to God's revelation of Himself through His Word.  Scripture must be our highest authority.   So we can learn about God through other means, but the minute that one of these other means contradicts what God has said in His Word, Scripture must win! This means the first place we must go to hear from God is His Word. King David said, "Blessed is the man... [whose] delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night." (Psalm 1:1a-2)  We hear God speak through His Scriptures.

2.  Through His Holy Spirit
As we read the Scriptures it is the Holy Spirit who imparts to us the gift of "illumination". Illumination is the theological term used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit by which He open our eyes to see what God would show us in His Word and opens our ears to hear what He would say to us through His Word.  I do believe that Holy Spirit still speaks to us through dreams, prophecy, visions and our conscience, however I also believe these things are very subjective and must be checked with God's Word.  There are many hyper-charismatics who think that whatever crazy thought they think or "word" they get from God should be the highest authority, but there are two things to keep in mind here.

First, we are fallen people and are sinners by nature and by choice (Eph 2:3; Rom 5:12) .  While we are set free from the power and control of sin, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, we still have a sin nature that is prone to sneak up on us (2 Cor 5:17; Rom 7:15-18).  We must then be aware of this sin nature and take it into account when think God has spoken to us. 

Secondly, we must remember that God does not contradict Himself.  That means that when we think we have heard God speak we must check it with His Word and make sure that they are the same.  If I were to think the Holy Spirit told me I should rob a bank I would be wrong because that action would contradict Scripture and God does not contradict Himself.  So, while I do believe the Holy Spirit speaks to me, I'm always cautious because it's amazing how often God's voice sounds a lot like whatever I want it to, but God does speak to us through His Holy Spirit.

3.  Through Other People
One of the most common ways that God speaks truth into my life is through other people in my life.  I'm blessed to be surrounded by people who love me and love Jesus and He uses them regularly to speak into my life, correcting me, encouraging me, challenging me and shaping me.  Again, we must always check this with Scripture, but God frequently speaks to me through the people He has placed in my life.

One of the things I have been trying to make habit in my life is to take at least one or two days a month and devote them to Scripture, silence, solitude, prayer and fasting.  That means I find myself in the woods, in the park or some quiet spot with my Bible and journal trying to hear what God wants to say.  I take this time to try and get quiet and hear what God wants to say to me through His Word concerning Himself, my life, my marriage, my parenting and my pastoring.  Not everyone may have a schedule that is conducive to this amount of time, so what is important is that you go before God and find a way to get quiet and alone with Him. 

Is there a time daily you can carve out to read your Bible, pray or maybe journal? 

Is there one day a month you might be able fast lunch and spend time praying instead of eating?

Is there one day a week that is your "Sabbath" or day set apart for God?

God wants to speak to us and we can hear what He has to say, but it requires that we get away, get alone, and get quiet.  Open your Bible, ask God to open your heart, mind and eyes and then simply listen!

The ESV Study Bible...

My copy of the ESV Study Bible came today and it's as good as I have heard.   Again, if you are in the market at all for a new Bible I would say you really should get this one.  I just got it here for $28.49!!

The ESV Study Bible boasts:

• 2,752 pages
• 20,000 notes
• 80,000 cross-references
• 200-plus charts
• Over 200 full-color maps
• Over 50 articles

If you end up getting one let me know what you think!

Here's a promo video about it as well...

True Evidence of God's Grace

It was a sad day in the Huguley house when my coffee maker broke last week, but once again God has provided!! Thank God for Birthday money because now I'm blessed to pour coffee from this beautiful work of God each day...all at the push of a button!

It was a long week last week, but now all is well! 

Thank You...

By far, the clearest evidence of God's grace in my life is the fact that He saw fit to bless me with the wife that He did.  When God looked at Adam in Genesis 2:18 He said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."  All men everywhere should answer with a hearty "AMEN" to this verse. 

Tami has been and is my closest friend, greatest support, amazing wife and also an incredible helper to me.  One of the things that I love in Tami is how she knows just how to speak into my life.  Whether it be encouragement or to challenge me and tell me to "man up", God gives her the the discernment to know how and when to speak into my life. 

We had a conversation recently where she very lovingly and respectfully told me that I need to do a better job at following through with things I commit to.  My brain goes a mile a minute and I'm tend to say "yes" to and commit to more things than I can remember to do.  It is not the first time I have been told this, but there is something different about hearing it from her.  God spoke through her and challenged me in that moment.

What I appreciate about Tami is HOW she goes about helping me with this stuff:

1.  Her goal is to help me become a better Christian, husband, father and pastor

2.  Her tone is always sincere and respectful (1 Peter 3:1-2)

3.  Her timing tends to be God's timing

Because of this approach Tami helps me in these areas.  I feel increasingly blessed when I'm out and about and observe the wives other men have.  In defense of the wives, I firmly believe that there are a lot of disengaged and deadbeat husbands and also on the other end of the spectrum there are domineering and disrespectful husbands in our culture and in our churches.  Unfortunately, this causes many wives to react in one of three ways:

1.  They say nothing to their husbands about anything because they do not think their husbands listen, probably because they often do not  (which is wrong and is not loving on behalf of us as husbands)

2.  They say nothing to their husbands about anything because their husbands are so domineering they are not given a voice (which is also wrong and sin on behalf of us as husbands)

3.  They say things in a way that comes off as disrespectful or nagging (which is wrong because God has called on wives to be respectful and to help their husbands be more like Jesus)

What I appreciate about Tami and where I see evidence of God's grace in her life is that if I'm being an idiot, as my helper she finds a way to help me see that without being nagging or disrespectful.  This is no small task and I've had a front row seat in watching God work this transformation in her life more and more.  Because of this God has continued to grow me through her in so many ways.

In short, thank you God for giving me an amazing wife and thank you Tam for obeying God and helping me be more like Him!

The Fight for Joy... in Temptation

Series: The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Humility

Text: Philippians 2:12-30 (ESV)

Big Idea:  "Joy in Temptation is found in Transformation by the Grace of God through the Word of God."

In case you missed yesterday, here's the preaching notes...

Download ffj_6_temptation.doc

You can grab the podcast later today here...

Here's a link to the ESV Study Bible I mentioned...

Here's a link to the NIV Study Bible...

Join us next week as we look at the fight for joy in conflict!

The Fight for Joy...in Humility

Series:  The Fight for Joy - Philippians

Title:  In Humility

Text:  Philippians 2:1-11 (ESV)

Big Idea:  "Joy is found when we forfeit what we deserve and fight to be people who serve."

Yesterday at The Crossing we looked at...

5 Hallmarks of Humility

1.  Humility...is Found In Christ (Phil 2:1a,5)

2.  Humility...Forgets Self-Interest (Phil 2:2-4)

3.  Humility...Forfeits what is Deserved (Phil 2:5-7)

4.  Humility...Forces Obedience (Phil 2:8)

5.  Humility...is For God's Glory (Phil 2:9-11)

As promised I wanted to provide more practical ways to cultivate humility in our lives and also combat pride.  Many of these are from C.J. Mahaney's great book called, "Humility".  You can and should buy it here...

Practical Opportunities to Cultivate Humility and Combat Pride
1.  Reflect on the wonders of the cross
2.  Study the doctrines of Sin and Grace
3.  Begin each day acknowledging your dependence upon and need for God
4.  Bless someone anonymously
5.  Do something to serve your neighbor
6.  Serve at The Crossing with your kids
7.  Identify evidences of grace in others
8.  Husbands, do something your wife has been asking you to do
9. Husbands, if you have kids give your wife a night off, if you don't have kids take her out where she wants and to a movie of her choice
10.  Bring your Bible and notebook on Sundays and commit to leaving with own practical application each week
11.  Do something God has been asking you to do that you have as of yet refused to do
12.  Study the attributes of God
13.  At the end of each day, transfer the glory to God
14.  At the outset of each day express specific gratefulness to God
15. Practice the Spiritual Disciplines
16. Seize your daily commute as an opportunity to meditate on and memorize Scripture
17. Throughout your day cast your cares upon God
18. Before falling asleep acknowledge the purpose of sleep

The challenge for us would be to pick one or two of these things and try and put them into daily action, praying that by God's grace, He would cultivate a heart and life of humility in each of us.

If you missed the message yesterday, you can find the podcast here...