365 Days with God - Day 14: The difference between knowing & believing

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 14, January 3, 2014

Readings: Psalm 13, Genesis 14, 1 Chronicles 14, Luke 8:22-56

 At this moment, more than any time in history, we are a world that knows many things. We know details about infinitely small things like atoms. We know intricacies of other planets, and we are daily discovering new things. It was only a few hundred years ago that someone could be considered a "renaissance man" - someone who knew much about all the things of the world - math, science, arts, philosophy.

Nowadays that is impossible. The knowledge that we have is vast, the brainpower required to contain it has necessitated the invention of computers, and the increase in their power to bring us more and more knowledge. But for all our knowledge, intelligence and progress, we are lacking in an area that our forefathers excelled at: belief.

For in our society, we have come to accept that with our ever expanding knowledge, we never truly know anything. We are both blessed to be discovering new things constantly, and cursed in that we can never be grounded in infallible facts. And I believe that we need a solid foundation. Something that we can have faith in, something reliable. Something that we do not merely know with our minds, something that we believe with our hearts. That we base our reality on, and that defines our actions.

Jesus' disciples experienced the need for a belief such as this in a very real way, as they were faced with death:

One day, he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. And they went and woke him, saying "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?" (Luke 8:22-25)

Many of his disciples were fishermen on this very lake. All their lives, probably from birth, they had grown up sailing and battling nature in boats. They were experts, with knowledge of the sea. But as the wind and the waves grew, they knew they were overcome. They saw their lives ending, the way friends and family of theirs had probably ended - at the hands of a vicious storm. They were afraid.

At this point, they didn't have any more answers. Their knowledge and expertise had been exhausted. But rather than trusting Jesus (who was still sleeping) they awoke him in distress. Despite all that they had seen following Jesus - lepers, lame, blind healed, death defeated, they still questioned the truth of Jesus' authority and power. They were convinced that unless they woke him, he would sleep right through the storm - well, right up until they perished!

I don't know what they expected at this point. They awoke Jesus in a panic, as if a man who had defeated death, disease and demons would be afraid of a storm. Jesus rebukes the storm, and all becomes calm. And then he asks a simple question: "Where is your faith?" Where indeed? For all their head knowledge, for all the examples and miracles he had performed in their midst, when it came down to brass tacks, they had no faith, no belief, in their hearts. 

And aren't we the same? We gloss over God's provision, his blessings, his saving grace in our lives, knowing he is good in our heads, but never believing it in our hearts. Our faith is comprised of knowledge, but knowledge fails in the face of adversity. True faith comes from the heart. True belief knows the goodness and faithfulness of God no matter the situation.

When I face trials, tribulations, and even death, I want to have a heart-based faith. One that believes in God and what he's doing in and through me. And when I am rescued, I want to be thankful, resting in the truth of who God is.

365 Days with God - Day 13

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 13, January 2, 2014

Readings: Psalm 12, Genesis 13:2-18, 1 Chronicles 13, Luke 8:4-21

It's only the second day of the new year, and already, I've been supremely dismayed by humanity. I suppose this shouldn't be a surprise. But nonetheless, it's sad. If you hear one thing from me today, hear this: I am, at my core, selfish, depraved and lost without God.

I need Him. Without Him, it's all about me. Without Him, we are all selfish, depraved and lost. Every. Last. One. And I was reminded of this by the oddest thing - an inspirational quote from Rhonda Byrne that someone posted:

"Do whatever you can to feel good, because when you feel good, life will be good. The better you feel, the better life will get! Think about, talk about, and focus on the areas of your life that make you feel good, and temporarily keep off the subjects that don't make you feel good. When you do this one simple thing, everything in your life will get better, whether that's better relationships, health, money, or better circumstances with your job. Nothing in your life can ever improve until you feel better, and when you feel better, everything will improve. Make feeling as good as you can your number one priority for 2014, and it will be the best year of your life!"

Do whatever you can to feel good? While not often directly stated, that is the message of modern philosophy and relativism. Jesus addresses this very simply in the parable of the sower.  

"And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature." (Luke 8:14)

Thorns. Cares, riches, pleasures of life - doing what makes you feel good! are defined by Jesus as thorns that choke. Thorns that prevent growth, fruit and goodness. Friends, if you call yourself a follower of Jesus, know that you and I are not called to chase earthly riches and pleasures. They will choke the life out of us, and those around us. 

Another example of this arrived in my inbox just after Christmas, from a certain retailer whose logo is a bitten fruit...and whose products I own. The title? "There's one last gift to get: Yours"

Get yours. Do what makes you happy. Live your best life now. Get rich quick, be satisfied, be secure, love the skin you're in, whatever it happens to be, do you notice the one common factor? It's all about you. And if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that when I live my life all for me, I'm a jerk. I don't help other people. I don't give. I don't have joy. I take and I use others for my own personal gain. I'm revolting when I live for me.

Jesus calls us to something different. We have been given the gift of life, the Good News of the gospel that saves. That heals. That restores brokenness. And all we are asked to do in return is love God and love others. I'm not in that, other than in the giving. My best life? It's when I give. It's when I am selfless. It's when I refuse to hide. And Jesus addresses this too, in the same parable:

"As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.

No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. " (Luke 8:15-16)

Live for others, bear fruit, share the good news, the light with others. That's what will make the best 2014 for me. And you, and anyone else who knows that only Jesus saves. Only he can bring joy. And his gift, freely given for all, is the only thing I need. 

365 Days with God - Day 12

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 12, January 1, 2014

Readings: Psalm 11, Genesis 12, Genesis 13:1, 1 Chronicles 12, Luke 7:36-50, Luke 8:1-3

A repentant heart. Not something that our society discusses much. In fact, in my experience, I can't say I've heard the word repentance used outside of the Church. There is plenty of talk, and arguments, and chatter surrounding topics such as tolerance, acceptance, co-existence, but there is very little talk about repentance.

I think this is because repentance has a rider attached to it - one that people aren't very ready to accept. And that is humility. Tolerance/acceptance/co-existence has basically been accepted as not bashing somebody's opinions. Live and let live. Agree to disagree. Something like that.

Repentance is admitting wrong, and a wrong that has hurt someone else. Repentance is pledging to change. Not only owning up to past mistakes, but committing to change future actions. As a Christian, God asks me to live a certain way. The best way - His way. He is the God of the universe, after all. And it is not up to me to pick and choose what I like and don't like. It my responsibility to obey.

But I'm not perfect - and no one else is either. We make mistakes. We live lifestyles of sin before we bow before Jesus, and we certainly sin after we have committed to him as well. Christianity is not a call to be perfect, it is a call to surrender to God, knowing His way is better. Repenting when we choose not to follow Him. Jesus demonstrates this very clearly as he ministers to some big "sinners" of his day:

One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which one of them will love him more?"  

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:36-47)

This woman understands repentance. Simon does not. She knows that she has done wrong, and she is weeping at Jesus' feet. Simon is relying on his good to outweigh his bad - he is proud of himself and his righteous accomplishments. What Jesus makes clear in his story is that both owe a debt. Yes, the woman who is weeping at his feet is the one who owes 500 denarii. But Simon is also a debtor - and he is not repentant.

I am a debtor, forgiven and free. Jesus' love, his sacrifice, paid my debt. The message of this story is that we are all in need of a repentant heart. Our debt to pay is all the same. A life is owed for the sins we commit, whether ten sins or ten million.

A repentant heart is grateful for the debt forgiveness. A repentant heart understands the depth of the grace given to us. A repentant heart has no pride in accomplishments, or quantity of good deeds, or lack of sins. A repentant heart understands the need that we have for Jesus, and weeps at his feet for the grace he has extended. I want to start this year, and continue this year, and every year, with a repentant heart.

365 Days with God - Day 11

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 11, December 31, 2013

Readings: Psalm 10, Genesis 11, 1 Chronicles 11, Luke 7:1-35

Tomorrow begins a new year. And each new year, thousands, perhaps millions of people, create resolutions to do something different. To make their life something more. However, there is one who needs no resolutions. Nothing that He needs to be more committed to, no laps to run or diets to maintain. You see, if I make a resolution, it's to change things. It's a statement of faith.

But our resolutions don't stick around long, do they? My faith in a diet falters when I gain a pound. My faith in my ability to run a certain distance fails when I want to sleep in. Honestly, I don't have faith in myself. I can't stick to diets, I'm not good at exercising... so I just don't make any resolutions. That way I can't break them.

Honestly, that's why I don't ask things of Jesus either. I think he's like me. I don't have faith in him to do what I ask. Often, that's because what I ask is self-centered, but I don't see it that way. But what if I spent time seeking what he wanted? What if I asked for that? And what if I had faith that he would see it through? Jesus has an encounter with a man who does just that:

After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him. When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant. And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, "He is worthy to have you do this for him, for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue." And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, "Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed. For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, "I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith." And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (Luke 7:1-10)

The centurion had faith. He knew that if Jesus had the supernatural power to heal, then he had the power to heal from a distance. He had true authority - so much more than just a title. He was not merely a prophet, a speaker of words. He spoke, and action was taken. Lives were changed. Orders were carried out. Demons fled, storms calmed, sickness healed - worlds made, universes expanded, the heavens and the earth are at his command.

Jesus needs no resolutions. He will do what he has set out to do. If I ask, and he is willing, it will happen. Nothing else in life has that certainty. There are too many variables, obstacles, unseen circumstances. So when I face challenges, troubles, misery in my life, and I return to God and His promises - I can know that He is faithful to them. That when everything else falls apart, He is in control. I must give up my illusion of control to his reality.

365 Days with God - Day 10

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 10, December 30, 2013

Readings: Psalm 9, Genesis 9:20-29, Genesis 10:1-32, 1 Chronicles 10, Luke 6:1-49

Technology has brought us an unprecedented level of personal communication. Call, text, tweet, email and more. If you're connected, there are infinite ways to get your word across. As a result, there are nearly an infinite number of people willing to share their views. Willing to share their advice, on every subject under the sun.

Some are good, some are not. Who will you listen to? More importantly, whose advice will you act on? For it's not the listening that is the danger, it's the action. If we act on bad advice, if we base our well being or the well being of others on something that is not solid, we are responsible for putting our faith and trust in something that cannot stand.

This also applies to actions we take based on something that we value. Too many things, which are good, become ultimate things. And so we take action on our ultimate things. We put our job, family, security, prestige and time above all else - and ultimately, it fails us. Our job doesn't satisfy, our family makes mistakes, we lose our savings, someone else gets the glory, and we never have enough time.

God calls us to something different. And it's really important. More important than anything else. And the beauty of it is, it's meant to be the ultimate thing. It's the only thing that can handle our dependence and deliver, 100% of the time. It's God. He's the ultimate - and He's calling us to serve Him in that way. Two passages stuck out to me today:

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (1st Chronicles 10:13-14)

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)

Jesus is the ultimate thing, the Lord we are called to follow. When storms come and break against him, he will not falter. If I asked you to name ways right now that the things you value could fail - you could easily name 5 or more weak spots. Jesus has none. My job has many. My family has many. My security has many. Jesus has none. He is the one I need to rely on, depend upon, call on for guidance. My actions should rely entirely upon him. Not because of the wrath that he would bring to bear upon me if I didn't. But because he is the only deserving, only capable, only reliable source.

365 Days with God - Day 9

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 9, December 29, 2013

Readings: Psalm 8, Genesis 8:20-22, Genesis 9:1-19, 1 Chronicles 9, Luke 5:1-39, 6:1-16

Jesus broke the rules. For someone whose "religion" has been characterized as a bunch of rules that make life no fun, Jesus sure didn't follow the rules of his day. In fact, he regularly flouted them in front of the very people who followed them the most...religiously.

But Jesus didn't break the rules for the sake of breaking them. He also didn't break them to serve himself. Jesus broke the rules to illustrate a point - and always for the sake of others. And instead of pacifying those who hated him for breaking the rules, it made them even more angry. They were so caught up in the power of the rules that they couldn't see the heart behind them. There's nothing wrong with rules. Rules help keep our lives ordered and safe. We need them, because, well, we make a lot of bad decisions. And rules help us stay in line.

But sometimes rules need to be broken. Jesus confronts the Pharisees with this truth in a very direct way:

On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or destroy it?" And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. (Luke 6:6-11)

This is the stuff of legend. A man, whose hand is withered and useless, is healed in seconds, at the word of Jesus. But the Pharisees are furious instead of amazed. They look right past the miracle and immediately return to the letter of the law. No work on the Sabbath. Now, it doesn't look like Jesus had to do much work to heal this guy. "Stretch out your hand." That's it. Done. Healed. That's amazing. But the Pharisees are so caught up in their religion, they can't see the reason behind the rules.

The Sabbath was made for rest. For reflection. A time to stop being busy, to stop working at the tasks of life. Don't busy yourself with the harvesting, and the cleaning, and the everyday, mundane tasks. Take time to be with others, and to focus on who God is and what His heart is. His heart is certainly for the sick. His heart is certainly for those who need a savior. If anything, the Sabbath is a day for us to stop all the earthly work and focus on the heavenly.

What Jesus doesn't tell the Pharisees is that this "work" he's doing is just as much for their edification as for the healing of the man's hand. The religious rule followers also need his saving grace. They need to be free from the oppression that rules have made upon their lives. Earlier he says to them "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath." (Luke 6:5) God knows our hearts. He knows what we, and the world, need. He cares for our physical and our spiritual needs. All we need to do is follow Him. Is Jesus the Lord of your religion? Of your rules? Is your heart for the lost becoming more like His?

365 Days with God - Day 8

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 8, December 28, 2013

Readings: Psalm 7, Genesis 8:1-19, 1 Chronicles 8, Luke 4:14-44

One week out of 52 done. Such a long road to go, but so excited for what will continue to come from this dedication to the Word of God. He promises deliverance and a refuge for my soul. Amidst all the chaos of work, two small children and the rest of what life throws my way, I could use some of that. And I know that others could as well. This time with God (and know that it is not always peaceful or interruption-free!) is a reprieve. And we need God to provide us with relief.

King David calls out for rest in Psalm 7:

Oh LORD my God, in you do I take refuge;
save me from all my pursuers and deliver me,
lest like a lion they tear my soul apart,
rending it in pieces, with none to deliver. (Psalm 7:1-2)

And that reprieve for the people of Israel does come. But it doesn't come in the way they think it will, nor does it come on their time line. Surely, minor rests come from time to time. However, these are always linked to the good kings, those who follow God. When they find themselves lusting after foreign gods, they find themselves in chaos. But God is faithful through his Son:

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, 
because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. 
He has sent met to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  (Luke 4:18-21)

Jesus is the rest & refuge for our soul. He came to meet every need. But like King David and the Israelites, we must wait for His coming. He fulfills us on Earth, but the ultimate rest & refuge for our soul will be when He returns. In the meantime, He has called us to follow Him - to set aside our personal preferences and seek Him daily.