365 Days with God - Day 101: Glory of the message

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 101, March 31, 2014

Readings: Psalm 101, Leviticus 8, Isaiah 6, 2 Corinthians 2:12-17, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18

Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters of stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of it's glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. (2 Corinthians 3:7-11)

Have you ever thought about the work of God in you being glorious? When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, having received the ten commandments, his face shone with God's glory, such that the Israelites could not look upon him. And we have something even more amazing! The law that Moses carried was due to pass away, but Christ will never pass away. The law that Moses carried brought death, but Jesus brings life. Jesus brings glory.

The gospel, the good news, is glorious, it is weighty, it is meaningful and significant. It is more than those words convey, but words are all I have. It is not small. it is not light. It is big. It is so big, that it means the difference between life and death for everyone that comes in contact with it. If you know Jesus, you know life. If you don't know Jesus, you face death. The glory of Jesus is the life he brings. The eternity he offers. That is heavy. That is glorious.

But we toss around the news as is it is nothing. As if it doesn't have meaning. As if it isn't life-changing. But the gospel is anything but normal. If you know the love of Jesus, you have the power to change lives. His Spirit, within you, wants to bring life to the lost. He wants to make your face shine with His glory. To show those around you that there is something different about you. Moses shined with glory because he saw the backside of the Living God. We have the Living God within us! What kind of unimaginable glory can we have if we merely let Him shine through us in our words and deeds?

The gospel, this glory, is more important than anything you or I will ever know, do or be. It is the most glorious thing we can aspire to. And we don't have to be smart, talented or born into it. We just have to be willing. Willing to love when it's hard. Willing to do the right thing when it would benefit us to do wrong. Willing to rely on God for our every need. Willing to live a life that strives to emulate Jesus. Do you want the glory of living the gospel?

365 Days with God - Day 100: Of Certainty

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 100, March 30, 2014

Readings: Psalm 100, Leviticus 6:8-30, Leviticus 7:1-38, Isaiah 5, 2 Corinthians 1:12-24, 2 Corinthians 2:1-11

So much in this life is uncertain. When we really stop and think about it, what is really certain? Can we guarantee that we'll live to see tomorrow?

It may sound morbid, or gruesome. But I say it to stress the importance, the gravity, of the things that we take for granted. Many of us even take our own lives for granted! I know I don't wake up every day thankful for my life. I trust that there will be food in the fridge. That my car will start. That I'll still have a job.

But none of that is certain. No matter how likely it is to keep happening, I can't guarantee it will stay. But I am willing to live my life as if it will. As if it won't fail me. So why can I not trust the One who is constant?

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:19-22)

Jesus is faithful. Jesus is constant. Jesus is the beginning and the end, the author and perfecter of our faith. My trust, my dependence, my obedience should be in Christ, the only thing that is guaranteed. The only one who will always be there when I wake up in the morning, providing my every need. When He says "Yes," He will follow through. There's nothing and no one else I can say that about with absolute certainty.

365 Days with God - Day 99: Of Comfort & Suffering

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 99, March 29, 2014

Readings: Psalm 99, Leviticus 5:14-19, Leviticus 6:1-7, Isaiah 3, Isaiah 4, 2 Corinthians 1:1-11

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2nd Corinthians 1:3-7)

I think we have missed the boat in America, and I think this passage is very telling:

who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Even in the midst of our suffering, God is preparing us for something! But take careful note of what we are to do with this: comfort those who are in any affliction. My suffering is not merely to strengthen my character. My suffering is so that I can support others when they suffer. Conversely, my comfort is not so I can bask in it myself, but so I can share it with others who need comforting.

God uses our suffering and our comfort to help those in need.

At one time I thought that the ideal living was a country life, with lots of land and peace. Removed from the stressors of the world, isolated from those who would interrupt my comfortable life. God is shattering that decidedly un-Christlike dream. For what good is my comfortable lifestyle if it doesn't benefit anyone but me? What good is any suffering I go through if I wallow in it alone, never learning how to support someone else who is going through the same thing?

At our highest highs, lowest lows, and everywhere in-between, God is calling us to be in community with one another. Loving one another. Serving one another. Learning from every circumstance God puts in our way so that we can learn to serve the world around us. Nothing we go through is merely for our good, it for is the good of those around us. But it's up to us to reach out, to meet their needs with what God has given us.

How can you use your suffering and comfort to serve your community?

365 Days with God - Day 98: The Last Days

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 98, March 28, 2014

Readings: Psalm 98, Leviticus 4:1-35, Leviticus 5:1-13, Isaiah 2, 1 Corinthians 16

Sometimes the Bible gives us a glimpse into the unknown, or even the future. Just a small glimpse. One that could have a profound effect on our lives, impacting the things we do, even today. What is God telling you through this passage?

In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold,

which they made for themselves to worship,

to the moles and to the bats,

to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs,

from before the terror of the LORD,

and from the splendor of his majesty,

when he rises to terrify the earth.

Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath,

for of what account is he? (Isaiah 2:20-22)

This passage says a lot in it's simplicity.

1.) Mankind will realize that worshipping created things (idols of money & possessions) is worthless.

2.) We will be so desperate that we leave them behind in our search for relief.

3.) Why are you waiting for the end times to turn to God instead of stuff?

A day is coming when all the money and possessions in the world won't help us. A day when the true God is returning to earth to reclaim what is His. This is no secret, it's readily apparent throughout the Bible. But along with every prophecy of the last days comes an admonition about the present. A call to something more than what we're currently experiencing. A call to follow God differently.

If everything earthly (possessions, fame, fortune, etc) is going to pass away, why do we spend so much time chasing after it? Why do we worry about making more, being more, having more? God is not saying that possessions are bad, but the idolization of possessions is! Letting our lives rise and fall based on our income, or our stuff, is foolish.

God promises that He will return to lay low the proud, to establish once and for all his reign and rule, with no others standing before him. Will you be someone that chooses to bow, or someone that He must topple? 

365 Days with God - Day 97: Tragic Beauty

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 97, March 27, 2014

Readings: Psalm 97, Leviticus 3, Isaiah 1, 1 Corinthians 15

Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates;
they have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers, I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD:
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white as snow;
though they are red like crimson,
they shall become like wool.
If you are willing and obedient,
you shall eat the good of the land;
but if you refuse and rebel,
you shall be eaten by the sword;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 1:14-20)

Don't miss the heart of God for His people in Isaiah's opening salvo: Despite everything, despite the sin and evil, God still longs to be reunited with His people. He wants them to come to him, humbly and honestly seeking to do His will. He doesn't want rituals. He doesn't want "religion." He wants repentant hearts.

God's love for Israel, God's love for us, is amazing. He knows that we're screwups! He knows we don't deserve it! And he knows that it's our tendency to try and fix it through ritualistic traditions - that we have turned the worship traditions God designed as reminders into the thing we look to for salvation. As if they could save us. As if that's the only thing we need to be free from death. To be free from separation from God.

God longs for a relationship with us that is untainted by our sin and rebellion. He has taken the first step, He has offered reconciliation if only we are willing. If we can lay down our pride. If we can give up our desire to be "god" - in control of our own destiny (as if we have any control at all!)

This is what God asks of us. How can you begin to repent and seek Him?

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.

365 Days with God - Day 96: Sharing His Glory

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 96, March 26, 2014

Readings: Psalm 96, Leviticus 2, Esther 9, Esther 10, 1 Corinthians 14

I want you to try something. Imagine this as a request from God, instead of a song. Imagine what it would look like if you were to try and carry this out. What would you change? Who would you tell? How would you live this Psalm out in your life?

Oh sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD all the earth!
Sing to the LORD, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous works among all the peoples!
For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
he is to be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
but the LORD made the heavens.
Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering, and come into his courts!
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;
tremble before him, all the earth!

Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved;
he will judge the peoples with equity."

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness. 

365 Days with God - Day 95: Love

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 95, March 25, 2014

Readings: Psalm 95, Leviticus 1, Esther 8, 1 Corinthians 13

Yeah, you probably saw this coming. I can't not write about this. You might even be able to discern what my first question is going to be.

How do you demonstrate love? What is love? What makes you feel like someone is showing you love?

What would make you stop and say, with absolute certainty, that something was, indeed, true love?

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on it's own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends. (1 Corinthians 13:4-8a)

Read those words. Then read them again. Now read them a third time.

Does that sound like the love you have for anyone or anything?

It sounds ideal. It sounds like what I want my marriage to be. It sounds like how I want to love my kids. But I'm impatient. I can be unkind. I am envious of my wife's attention, I want to boast about me, I feel superior and have been rude often. I always want my own way, I get irritated and resentful. I may not feel like I rejoice at wrongdoing, but sometimes I scheme to get my way and I'm happy when that succeeds. Only through God's intervention can I bear, believe, hope and endure all things. My love is finite.

And so, if I'm honest with myself, my love looks nothing like what true love is. What an ideal love is. What God says love is. Which leaves me with the impossible task of living out a love that I can't even begin to succeed at. Instead, I seem to be failing at all of them, often.

Which leaves me at one place - on my knees. Asking God to daily bring me back to Him. To the only one who can love in the way that we all long to be loved. Who loves so much that He would endure all things, even unto death, to make the love never ending. I want to know a love like that. I want to emulate a love like that. I need God for both.

365 Days with God - Day 94: Knowing Ourselves

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 94, March 24, 2014

Readings: Psalm 94, Exodus 40, Esther 7, 1 Corinthians 12

Understand, O dullest of the people!
Fools, when will you be wise?
He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who teaches man knowledge - 
The LORD - knows the thoughts of man,
that they are but a breath. (Psalm 94:8-11)

How often am I striving for stuff and things for myself? How often do I overlook God's sovereignty, justice and omniscience? For my own personal gain (which is fleeting), for my own glory (which is insignificant)? He knows what I have done, what I am doing, and what I will do. When will I figure this out?

When will I be willing to put down my pride and acknowledge the truth of who God is? That he's bigger, wiser and more powerful than me - that no matter what my scheme, His will is the one one that prevails. Who am I to question Him? How could I hope to have a better plan than he does? While I am ready and willing to admit that I'm not the smartest person on earth, why am I willing to challenge God?

If I am willing to set down my plans, my assumptions and expectations, I can see the truth of who God is. I can give Him all the glory, and acknowledge His wisdom and power. I can be content in any circumstance because I know that He is not overcome, overwhelmed or fooled by anything. He is sovereign, and I am in His hands.

365 Days with God - Day 93: Honesty in Relationship

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 93, March 23, 2014

Readings: Psalm 93, Exodus 39, Esther 6, 1 Corinthians 11:2-34

Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't let the sun go down on your anger."?

Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgement on himself. That is why many of you are weak and  ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:27-32)

This is an interesting passage. But again, we are coming back to the relationship we have with God (or can have), not a list of rules we need to follow. When I am at odds with a person, it is very difficult for me to sit across from them at a table and be at peace. I can't continue to grow in our relationship until the issues are resolved.

God is asking us to think the same way about our relationship with Him. When we have wronged God, when we have sinned, He wants us to come back to Him. To restore and renew the relationship. It's not about confession, God knows what we have done. It's about being honest with ourselves, overcoming our pride. It's about working things out.

Since God is perfect...it's really about me working things out. Me learning what I need to fix in my life. Understanding how God wants me to change.  But if I am unwilling to come and ask God to fix my brokenness, to fix our relationship, we can't move forward until I change. Until I judge myself truly, judge myself against a perfect God who gave the ultimate sacrifice - living the perfect life and then paying my debt by death.

What do you need to be honest about?

365 Days with God - Day 92: The Law of Christ

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 92, March 22, 2014

Readings: Psalm 92, Exodus 38, Esther 5, 1 Corinthians 10, 1 Corinthians 11:1

What does it mean when the New Testament says, "The Law has passed away"?

What rules do we follow now? What is required of us for salvation? How are we supposed to live? Or, if we ask the question that was asked of Jesus, "What must I do to gain eternal life?"

The truth is, we're looking for a checklist. Despite claims that we don't want to be bound by rules, that we want our freedom, our individuality, our rights, we want assurance. We want to know that if we do x, y and z, we get our ticket. To eternal life, heaven, paradise, whatever.

And we've been asking that question for a long time.

"All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. For "the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof." If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. But if someone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience - I do not mean your conscience, but his. For why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to the Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:23-33)

A common phrase amongst the Corinthian people in Paul's day was "All things are lawful." And interestingly enough, Paul does not refute this. He doesn't stop them and say "No, wait, there's a list of rules!" He says, "Not all things are helpful. Not all things build up." "Do everything to the glory of God." "Seek the good of your neighbor."

This is our checklist. Not specific enough? Good. Then you need God to show you how to do it. Then you can't rely on yourself. Then you can't just check a box. God did it this way on purpose! He wants a relationship with you, not a list of rules! What if your spouse gave you a checklist to make them happy? Would that really seem like a relationship? Or would it seem controlling? While it might sound nice to feel like you could just do xyz and be fine, the reality is, life and relationships are so much more than a checkbox. So much more than a list of rules. Who is God asking you to be?

365 Days with God - Day 91: Sacrifice

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 91, March 21, 2014

Readings: Psalm 91, Exodus 37, Esther 4, 1 Corinthians 9

What would you risk to save lives? How far would you go? What if they were the lives of people you didn't know, and had never met, and probably would never meet? What if you didn't have to?

In the story of Esther, a young Jewish woman who has become the queen of King Artaxerxes, she is faced with this question. Her people are facing extinction. Through mere greed, Artaxerxes has been lured into allowing one of his men with a vendetta against Esther's uncle (Mordecai) to carry out genocide against the Jews.

Understandably,  Mordecai is distraught, and begs his niece to help her people however she can. She, above all others, is in a position to petition the king for mercy, for deliverance.

But it comes with risk.

Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, "All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law - to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days."
And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish." (Esther 4:10-16)

Esther was willing to risk her life for the Jewish nation. Many might say, "Of course, she did it for the greater good, many lives were at stake, blah blah blah..." but can you put yourself in her shoes? Could you go through with it? Could you risk your own life, not knowing if you would merely die and then everyone else would as well?

Of important note as well, I think, is that Mordecai asks Esther with faith that deliverance is coming, no matter her answer. "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place" - He is not afraid, even when faced with the wholesale slaughter of his people. Concerned? Yes. Distraught? Of course! But he believes in God's promise to His people. He believes that God will rescue them. But he wants to be a part of the plan.

Many Christians around the world are facing death - and they have faith that God will save them - either in this life or the next. But what about those who don't know God? Who don't have faith in Him? We are all under the curse of death - it will come for every one of us. God made a way to be free from that curse, God has given us deliverance through His son Jesus. Are you willing to face something unpleasant so that others don't have to suffer and die? Are you willing to do as Esther did, and petition others to come to know the love and saving work of Jesus? You have the ability to offer life to others - and while it may come at your expense, it may also save lives. Can you be like Esther?

365 Days with God - Day 90: A Heart of Wisdom

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 90, March 20, 2014

Readings: Psalm 90, Exodus 35:30-35, Esther 3, 1 Corinthians 8

It's been "pop wisdom" for a long time. Songs that say "If today was your last day" and others like it - all asking the question: "What would you do if your time on earth was limited? And what if that limitation was very short?"

This is nothing new. In fact, it has been part of cultures for thousands of years.

"You sweep them away as with a flood; they are like a dream,
like grass that is renewed in the morning:
in the morning it flourishes and is renewed;
in the evening it fades and withers.

So teach us to number our days
that we may get a heart of wisdom.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love,
that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. (Psalm 90:5-6, 12-14)

Profound in it's simplicity, Psalm 90 brings us right back to the roots.

Our lives are short. As short as a day.

A heart of wisdom recognizes the scarcity and brevity of life.

A heart of wisdom is satisfied by the love of God.

We spend so much time chasing pleasures on Earth, pleasures that last only a day. We experience anguish over suffering and afflictions that only last a day. We can be so much more than this. We can have a heart of wisdom.

While our lives may seem long, they are not. While our concerns and dreams may seem long-term, or insurmountable, or important, they are not. Life is short. And true wisdom is knowing that, and living a life that demonstrates that wisdom.

What would you do differently? Not if today was your last day - but if you viewed your life as a day? How would you live? How would you love? How would you cope? How quickly would you move on? Where would your dreams and passions lie?

365 Days with God - Day 89: Adoration

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 89, March 19, 2014

Readings: Psalm 89, Exodus 35:1-29, Esther 2, 1 Corinthians 7

Sometimes I have a hard time adoring God in my prayers. He is worthy, of course - but I'm not a person who will lavish verbal praise on people - just ask my wife, she'll tell you the same thing. Psalm 89 was a good reminder for me...a good list of who God is and what He's done.

1 I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;

with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.

 

2For I said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever;

in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”

 

3You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;

I have sworn to David my servant:

 

4‘I will establish your offspring forever,

and build your throne for all generations.’” 

 

5Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord,

your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!

 

6For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?

Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,

 

7a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones,

and awesome above all who are around him?

 

8O Lord God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O Lord,

with your faithfulness all around you?

 

9You rule the raging of the sea;

when its waves rise, you still them.

 

10You crushed Rahab like a carcass;

you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.

 

11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours;

the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.

 

12 The north and the south, you have created them;

Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.

 

13You have a mighty arm;

strong is your hand, high your right hand.

 

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;

steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.

 

15Blessed are the people who know the festal shout,

who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,

 

16who exult in your name all the day

and in your righteousness are exalted.

 

17For you are the glory of their strength;

by your favor our horn is exalted.

 

18For our shield belongs to the Lord,

our king to the Holy One of Israel.

 

19 Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said:

“I have granted help to one who is mighty;

I have exalted one chosen from the people.

 

20 I have found David, my servant;

with my holy oil I have anointed him,

 

21so that my hand shall be established with him;

my arm also shall strengthen him.

 

22The enemy shall not outwit him;

the wicked shall not humble him.

 

23I will crush his foes before him

and strike down those who hate him.

 

24My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,

and in my name shall his horn be exalted.

 

25I will set his hand on the sea

and his right hand on the rivers.

 

26He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,

my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’

 

27And I will make him the firstborn,

the highest of the kings of the earth.

 

28My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,

and my covenant will stand firm for him.

 

29I will establish his offspring forever

and his throne as the days of the heavens.

 

30 If his children forsake my law

and do not walk according to my rules,

 

31if they violate my statutes

and do not keep my commandments,

 

32then I will punish their transgression with the rod

and their iniquity with stripes,

 

33but I will not remove from him my steadfast love

or be false to my faithfulness.

 

34I will not violate my covenant

or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

 

35Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;

I will not lie to David.

 

36His offspring shall endure forever,

his throne as long as the sun before me.

 

37Like the moon it shall be established forever,

a faithful witness in the skies.” 

365 Days with God - Day 88: Yes, Even Lawsuits

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 88, March 18, 2014

Readings: Psalm 88, Exodus 34, Esther 1, 1 Corinthians 6

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brothers, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? (1st Corinthians 6:1-7)

I guess I'm glad I've never been part of a lawsuit. Especially against fellow Christians. But why does Paul speak so strongly against this?

I suppose there are a few reasons - after all, for a religion proclaiming peace and goodwill towards men, having lawsuits between it's members seems a bit like hypocrisy, doesn't it? And if we supposedly trust God to handle all things, and to be working in our hearts and lives through the holy spirit, what are we doing asking non-Christians to judge right and wrong between us?

I think the most important message here, though, is unity! The language is very clear - we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Should you take your family to court? Or should you love them dearly? Should you be able to work everything out without involving outsiders? Wouldn't that be amazing? If Christians solved every dispute between Christians? Not as a way to exclude the outside world, but to be an example of how things could really be. How Christ's family goes beyond even suffered wrong and fraud!

And even to that end, Paul says it is better to suffer wrong! To be defrauded! Not so that we can present a fake front, but so that Jesus is well represented. That His amazing love and grace is played out in our lives. This is not merely an admonishment, it is the gospel carried out in our lives. Can you think of someone that you need to make amends with?

365 Days with God - Day 87: The Wrong Idea

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 87, March 17, 2014

Readings: Psalm 87, Exodus 33, Nehemiah 13, 1 Corinthians 5

What does the Bible say about sin in the Church?

Oh, I just opened a can of worms.

For the casual reader, I will say this: These are my thoughts and observations. I do not claim to be the authority, or even an authority on this stuff. I'm just another person, doing his best to understand God's word. I'm going to have to stand before God and make an account of all the things I've done - and so do you. So your actions...are worthy of consideration.

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgement on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven (yeast) leavens the whole lump?

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler, not even to eat with such a one. (1st Corinthians 5:1-6, 9-11)

There's a lot here - but I'll try to cover the important parts. One, I don't see anything that says to avoid, or shun, or antagonize sinners. In fact, it says we would have to remove ourselves from the Earth for that to be possible. So unless you're a one-man NASA program....

It does say, however, some things that seem difficult to decipher.  Delivering "Christian" sinners over to Satan? That sounds...strange. It echos some other things Paul has said though - relating to this very same issue. For someone that is completely ensnared in sin, in depravity, God will give them over to the lusts of their heart. I think these are one and the same. If someone is unwilling to give up their lifestyle of sin, it is going to destroy them. Sin does nothing but destroy.

I believe what Paul is saying is to not be an enabler. If someone won't give up their sin, don't continue to save them from their inevitable destruction. You can't! Your only hope is that they will hit rock bottom hard enough that they can see they need to change. If you let them continue to live in sin by postponing the consequences of sin, they won't ever see the need to be free from the sin.

But there is hope, even in this. For if there was no hope, why include "so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord."? If that person was irredeemably doomed, what purpose would this passage have? I believe it exists because God wants to work in that person's life to rescue them. To restore them. To make them whole. God hasn't written them off - but their stubbornness, their sinful heart means they have to travel a harder path.

So where does this put the rest of us? It's pretty simple.

1.) Don't be an enabler. Sin is destructive. Rescuing people from the consequences of sin can't rescue them from sin itself.

2.) Take part in redemption and restoration. God does not desire that any should perish. We are His hands and feet on earth. In the way that Christ set an example for us, we must follow Him - loving others right where they're at - with truth (not enabling, acknowledging the destructive nature of sin) and grace (not rejecting, but loving the one who is sinning.)

As Jesus said to the prostitute: "Go forth, and sin no more." He knew her history, her sin. But he loved her and forgave her first. And then called her to something better. A life free from the shackles of sin and death. How can you be like Jesus in your relationships?

365 Days with God - Day 86: The Appearance of Leadership

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 86, March 16, 2014

Readings: Psalm 86, Exodus 32, Nehemiah 12:27-47, 1 Corinthians 4

What do you think of when you think of a leader? What about a leader in the church? Are they well dressed? Well spoken? Well liked? Do they have high social standing and wealth?

Who did Jesus pick to be the leaders of the early church? What did they look like?

For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure, when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.

I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. (1st Corinthians 4:9-14)

Does this fit your picture of a leader in the Church? Many today who call themselves leaders are flashy showmen, who look great to the world around them but do not reflect the nature of Christ. Note that this is not a leadership guide - it does not say "All leaders of Christians must be xyz." But it is something to note. Something to examine when choosing whose advice to follow. Do they model Christ? Do they seek His kingdom first? Or do they seek their own?

And what does this say about the rest of us? What if we aspire to lead? Who would we become? What would we say and do? How would we present ourselves to the world? How would we respond to many challenges that might come our way - challenges like homelessness, persecution, being the "scum of the world?"

Make no mistake, being a leader in the Church is not a call to wealth, to prestige, to earthly goods. It's a call to abandon all in the pursuit of Christ. To be willing and ready to take on whatever things may come your way, no matter how difficult. How can you be a better leader? How can you better support the leaders you have? 

365 Days with God - Day 85: Of Spiritual Growth

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 85, March 15, 2014

Readings: Psalm 85, Exodus 30, Exodus 31, Nehemiah 11:1-36, Nehemiah 12:1-26, 1 Corinthians 3

Think of your life. Everything you've experienced up until this moment. These things are what make you who you are. They have shaped your body, your mind, your perspectives. You would not be who you are today without them. And like the supposed "butterfly effect" - who knows who you would be if any of them were changed? What would be different?

But through all of those experiences you have grown. You have changed. Some for good, and some not so good. But throughout it all, there is the potential for growth. We all started as infants, helpless. We grew to children, still needing to hold our parent's hand, still needing support. As young adults, we began to explore and claim our identity. To establish the core of who we thought we were. And eventually, as parents ourselves, we help to begin the cycle again. To raise new infants, who become children, who become young adults, who become parents.

But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not being merely human?
What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gives the growth. (1st Corinthians 3:1-6)

If you believe that we are not only physical people, but spiritual people as well, then it stands to reason that our spiritual body grows - just as our physical body does. Think back again over your experiences. Do you have spiritual parents? People who guided you, raised you, taught you in your faith? Did you grow to new understandings? Did you change over time through your experiences?

What are you doing with it now? We were all given "milk," as it were, as spiritual children. We could not handle anything else. But we (theoretically) have grown. Or should be growing. But this growth is not linear, it is not ever marching along like my age. No, we need to be nurtured and we need to discover, explore and learn like children. We need to grow in our faith. But if we have not been guided, can we expect to be more than infants?

I want to keep this train of thought going, and will write more on the subject - so give some thought to it as well as the days go on. Are you a spiritual infant? Child? Young Adult? Parent? What are the characteristics of each?