Bible Reading:  Psalm 69

Thanksgiving

I probably should have written this devotion before Thanksgiving but I didn’t, so here it is -- three days after Thanksgiving.  The original Thanksgiving was instituted by the Pilgrims to give thanks to God for their survival.  That’s not just a legend.  It’s actually part of the official dictionary definition.  But what has it now become.  Mostly a day of eating and feasting, and a lot of people don’t even call it “Thanksgiving” any more, but call it “Turkey Day.”  Sure people say they are thankful for one thing or another, but you can be thankful without giving thanks to God.

Dictionary.com lists five definitions for thanksgiving.

1.      Grateful acknowledgement of benefits or favors, especially go God.

2.      An expression of thanks, especially to God.

3.      A public celebration in acknowledgment of divine favor or kindness.

4.      A day set apart for giving thanks to God.

5.      (initial capital letter)  Thanksgiving Day.

Interesting isn’t it that expect for number five, all the other four definitions reference God.  I wonder how many people even know that Thanksgiving Day is a day set apart to give thanks to God.  How many are actually giving thanks to God? 

Psalm 69:30-31 says “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.  This will please the Lord more than an ox, more that a bull with its horns and hoofs.” Of course this was written in the time when people who wanted to give thanks to the Lord brought an animal to be sacrificed.  But David is saying here that by praising God’s name and giving him thanks we can glorify him, which means to honor with praise, admiration or worship.  This will please the Lord more than bringing a sacrifice.   Translated into our time, it means that our heartfelt giving of thanks to the Lord pleases him more than anything we might sacrifice for him or anything we can do for him.

 “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Eph. 5:19-20.  What should we give thanks for?  Everything!! One of the most prevalent things people give thanks for is their family and of course there is nothing wrong with that.  But we shouldn’t stop with that, but go on and give thanks for – well, everything!! The chorus of an old song says:

            Count your blessings, name them one by one.

            Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

Even though Thanksgiving Day is past, we should not stop giving praise to God for all he has done and blessed us with.  Even in the midst of circumstances that we don’t like, we can find things to be thankful for.

Romans 1:21 is a sobering verse:  “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  I just mention above that we can glorify God by giving thanks to him.  This verse talks about people who neither glorify God or give thanks.  It sounds to me that giving thanks is a pretty important part of our worship of God.

Sit down, enumerate your blessings, and give thanks to God.  God will be glorified.

God is good all the time,

Naomi Brinkman

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Joshua 1

This past week I visited my family in Idaho for the Thanksgiving holiday. I love visiting and seeing my family however, I also always go away from these visits more concerned for my family than before. We have talked about certain bents before in Urban, which can be described as having a particular struggle with sin and/or temptation in a particular area. While one person may struggle with anger more than another person, but that other person may have a harder time struggling against lust. There is also what we call generational curses as well. These are cyclical sin issues that a family will struggle with generationally. An example from my own family is that of divorce. On both of sides of family you can see several generations of divorce. Another generational curse on my family is that of depression and also alcoholism. These are cycles of affliction that can be seen through the generations in my family. When I visit it becomes more apparent that there is a cycle that must be broken.

40 years the Israelites wandered around the wilderness. Can you imagine going around in circles for 40 years! Most of us cannot even stay in one place for three years much less 40. According to many scholars their trip should have only taken a couple weeks at the most. A pastor of mine once said that every time the Israelites would fail the test, God would have them take another trip around the mountain. When he said this it seemed so humorous, after all you would not think it would take a genius for the Israelites to figure out God good, idols bad and God faithful, people not faithful. There were other struggles mixed in there but that pretty much sums it up in an abbreviated version. It may seem funny when you look at it as the Israelites problem, but when you look at yourself and realize “wow, I’m doing the same thing,” it becomes not so funny. Maybe it is not even a generational issue…yet. What things are causing us to go another lap around the mountain, that if we do not pass our kids or our grandkids are going to be struggling with later?

The good news is that we can break the cycle. After 40 years of wandering Joshua broke the cycle. Joshua changed the course instead of stayed the course and because of that the Israelites crossed over into the promised land the Lord had given to them.

Six things that Joshua did that helped him change the course are as follows:

1. Joshua submitted to and obeyed his authority. (Ex. 17:9) In this passage Moses tells Joshua to go out and get some men to go fight Amalek. Moses then tells Joshua, “oh by the way I’m not going with you, rather I’m going to stand on the hilltop here and hold my God stick and as long as I hold up my hands you are good and will win.” If I was Joshua I would probably think Moses was off his rocker. After all Moses would be up on the hill safe from harm and I would be the one fighting. However, thankfully I was not Joshua. Joshua was obedient to his authority they were able to overwhelm and defeat Amalek that day.

2. Joshua stayed in the presence of God. (Ex. 33:7-11) Moses would take a tent and pitch it outside the camp so he could meet with God. When he did this he would go into the tent and meet with God and God would speak with him. While he did this the people would stand at the doors of the tent and worship, when Moses left the tent of meeting, the people would leave with him and head back to camp. However, Joshua would not depart from the tent. Instead Joshua would stay in the presence of the Lord.

3. Joshua had someone to both instruct and encourage him. (Deut. 1:38, Num 11:26-30) Not only was Joshua obedient to his authority, but because of his obedience and submission to authority God was able to use Moses in Joshua’s life both to encourage him and to instruct him in the way he should go. Then when it was time for Joshua to take over he would be able to lead the Israelites into their promise. While Moses was to encourage Joshua, he was also there to correct Joshua. In Num 11:26-30, two guys went into the tent of meeting and came out prophesying. Joshua went to Moses and told Moses to have them stop. Instead Moses rebukes Joshua and tells him that rather this is good and in fact to be desired. Now I’m not sure what Joshua’s reaction was initially to this, I do know that when I’m corrected it can hurt at the moment, but how I react to the correction is much more important that my feelings of being corrected. Since Joshua knew how to submit and obey in other circumstances it is a safe bet to say he responded to Moses with submission and obedience to correct what was rebuked. It shows that though Joshua was not perfect he knew how to respond to chastening and the Lord was able to use him because of it.

4. Joshua trusted in the Lord not himself. (Num 14:5-9) Moses sent out spies to the promised land to see what they were up against. When the spies returned they gave an account of being already defeated. However, Joshua and Caleb saw something different, they saw the victory. If Joshua had trusted in himself for victory his account would probably be that of the other spies, instead Joshua put his trust in the Lord. He knew if the Lord was for him no one could be against him.

Joshua changed the course of the Israelites because he knew how to obey and submit to the Lord, whether it was an earthly or spiritual authority. He knew how to stay in the presence of the Lord and therefore had direction and knew where the presence of God was leading him and he had a mentor that he was able to learn from, be corrected and encouraged by. Finally because he trusted in the Lord and not in himself God was able to use him because of his faith to cross over into the land that the Lord had given him.

You too can break the cycle. I am breaking the cycle because there is too much at stake for me not to. If I don’t who will? Not only that but I am determined to see my children and my children’s children walk in freedom that comes only from Christ and trusting in him to do what I cannot.

Will you change the course and break the cycle?

Live Life Extraordinary,

Alayna

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 Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 42-43

 What Do You Do When You Don’t Like What the Bible Says?

That’s kind of a long title for today’s devotion, but I think it’s a question that needs to be asked.  We are living in a society that sort of picks and chooses what parts of the Bible they believe and what part they argue away, what part they ignore and what part they will flatly deny has been inspired by God.  For instance, Romans 1, 1 Cor. 6:9-12, etc.

The Scripture says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  Sometimes I wonder, what part of “all” don’t people understand.  Every part of Scripture is God-breathed, God-inspired. 

It will help to review Jeremiah 41 to get the background of Jeremiah 42.  Judah had been taken captive by Nebuzaradan, commander of the Babylonian army.  But they left some of the poor people in Jerusalem and appointed a man by the name of Gedaliah to govern them.  They were to stay in the land and farm it.  But Ishmael, son of Nethaniah, who was of royal blood, didn’t like that and assassinated Gedaliah. Ishmael was really an evil man.  Read Jeremiah 41 to see all the things he did.  He made captives of all the people that he hadn’t killed and decided to take them all to the Ammonites, another heathen nation.  Then comes along Johanan and frees the people but Ishmael and eight of his cohorts escaped to the Ammonites.  (Who says the Bible is a dull book??) 

Johanan decided to take the people he had freed to Egypt to live because they were afraid of the Babylonians.  In Chapter 42 the people approached Jeremiah and asked him to seek the Lord for them and ask Him where they should go and what they should do.  A remnant of the people had been left in Judah and now there were only a few left.  This is what they said to Jeremiah.  “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.” Verse 3. 

So Jeremiah sought the Lord and the Lord told them, “Do not go to Egypt.”  His instruction was for them to stay in the land and the Lord would rebuild them.  They were not to be afraid of the king of Babylon.  The Lord was going to work on his heart and he would have compassion on them.  He told them if they went to live in Egypt they would die by the sword, famine and plague and none of them would survive. 

Instead of adhering to what they had promised –We will obey the Lord – they accused Jeremiah of lying and denied what God had told Jeremiah.  They all disobeyed what the Lord had commanded and went to Egypt.  God was going to allow Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon to invade and conquer Egypt and the people who disobeyed what God told them were caught in the middle of it.

We wonder how those people could have been so stupid.  They said they would obey whatever God told Jeremiah but when the word came that they didn’t agree with, they did what they wanted anyway, to their destruction.  But how many today to the same thing?  They find things in the Bible they disagree with or don’t fit with the way of life they want to live, so they just ignore it and do what they want.  And I might say, to their destruction.  God isn’t out to make us miserable and lay down unreasonable laws and rules.  He came that we might have life to the full – abundant life.  (John 10:10)  He knows that if we follow our own sinful desires we will end up making ourselves miserable, so he has set guidelines and principles in Scripture for us to follow. 

Let’s not be like these people of Judah.  Listen to what God has to say.  And obey it.

God is good all the time,

Naomi Brinkman

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 Ready, Set, Rest...Go!

Exodus 31

Rest. It might as well be a foreign language because rest is not in my vocabulary and
it is something I know nought of. One of my psychology classes in college talked about
the two types of people and how they receive energy. There is the person that receives
energy by coming home. Then there is the person that receives energy through going
out and doing things. Can you guess which one I am? If you couldn’t I am the definitely
the one that receives energy by going out. I loathe not having anything to do. I have one
speed and that speed is go.

This morning I woke up early. My first thought was “it’s time to run.” I am in Santa Cruz
visiting family and the last time I was here I ran six miles every morning because it was
just too beautiful not to run. The run along the coast here is beautiful, the cliffs drop of
to craggy rocks and the tumultuous ocean beneath churning out large glistening waves
that mimick the thunder as they meet the rocks. As I began to get out of bed excited
to run I realized that I would not be running because tomorrow I am running a half
marathon and alas I am supposed to be resting.

Exodus 31 talks about the Sabbath. God designed a time of rest into the equation and
modeled it for us. It says in verse 17 that, “in six days the Lord made heaven and earth
and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.” God is God yet he took a day
to be refreshed and to rest. That verse alone makes my mind hurt. Jeremiah 17: 21
says, “take care for the sake of your lives, and do not bear a burden on the sabbath
day...” Which for me gives greater understanding to Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all
who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

If I did not rest today then my race would be affected tomorrow. My performance
would be sub par tomorrow because my body would be fatigued by the unnecessary
expenditures from today. God desigates rest for us not because he wants us to miss
out but because he doesn’t want us to miss out. If we do not grasp the concept of the
Sabbath the plans and purposes that God has for us will be affected by our lacking
performance.

The Sabbath is not just a day. Jeremiah 6:19 says, find the good way, walk in it and
you will find rest for your souls. When we walk according to God’s Word we will find
rest. When we come into God’s presence and spend time in his Word we find rest and
refreshing. Unfortunately many of us fill our time with unnecessary expenditures of our
energy. I would list different examples but most of us know for ourselves what this is in
our own life. Keep the Sabbath holy and you will accomplish all that God has for you
and many people will be reached because you took the time to refresh and recharge in
God’s Word so that when the light goes green you can run the race God has appointed
for you.

Today I challenge you to find rest. Free time up daily to spend time in God’s Word and
in His presence.

Live Life Extraordinary,

Alayna

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Bible Reading:  Isaiah 40

Comfort

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I just feel like I need some comfort.  Not the kind of comfort where you get comfortable, but the kind where you feel someone understands you, and will put their arms around you, will accept you where you are, warts and all. 

Isaiah 40 is such a chapter.  It was written for the people of Jerusalem but also for everyone who comes to the Lord.  Check out verses 4 and 5.  “Every valley will be raised up, every mountain and hill made low and the rough ground will become level, the rugged places plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see.”  God can smooth out situations and reveal his presence to you.  If you are experiencing great difficulty in your life and you know that Christ is your Savior, you can pray for God either to deliver you from such trouble or to be with you and help you in the midst of it.

2 Cor. 1:3 tell us that God, the Father, is the God of all comfort and comforts us in all our troubles.  That sounds to me like he is an expert in giving comfort.  “The God of all comfort.”  Jesus was sent to bind up the brokenhearted.  Isa. 61:1. 

“He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.” Verse 11.  The Lord is revealed as one who is both strong and tender.  Do you ever feel that you just want to be carried close to the Lord’s heart?  I do.  This verse describes the Lord as one who picks you up and does just that.  “Although God is all-powerful and he regards the nations as dust (v. 15), he still cares for each of his own in a personal way.  We must never think that God is so majestic that he ignores the needs and problems of the individual believer.”  (Footnote from Life In the Spirit Study Bible).

If you think about what a shepherd does for his sheep, it will give you a picture of how caring the Lord is for his people.  The shepherd leads the sheep into pastures where there is plenty for them to eat and drink.  He protects them from ravenous animals that would prey on them. He brings them into the sheepfold at night.  Tradition tells us that shepherds would lie down in the doorway of the sheepfold so that anything trying to get in the fold at night would have to cross over him.  This is what Jesus was referring to when he said that he was gate for the sheep (John 10:7)  In John 10:11 Jesus said “I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  Also read Psalm 23 with these thoughts in mind.

In need of comfort?  Run to Jesus and throw yourself into his arms and let the God of all comfort minister to you.

God is good all the time,

Naomi Brinkman

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A Student Forever

2 Tim 2

            I love school! If I could be a student forever I might just do that. It has been four years since I’ve been out of school and I hadn’t realized how much I missed it until I started taking the Covenants class with Urban School of Ministry. When I was in school I remember older students telling me how hard it was to get back in the habit of studying and doing school work. I would go away from these conversations thinking that it could not be that hard after all it was just reading and doing the homework which could easily be accomplished by paying attention in class and just putting in the effort. Now I would be lying if I said that my views were not judgemental at all, but at the time I thought it was pretty simple. Now four years later I’ll be the first to say it is hard to readjust to school work and I’m only taking one class, not to mention it’s study that I love doing, but it’s still tough. The desire or hunger to learn is there, but it was hard to figure out how to put the spoon to mouth after so long.

            As I’ve been adjusting to the process of being a student I began to think about our walk as Christ followers. 1 Corinthians 3:1 talks about Paul addressing church in Corinth. When they were new believers or baby Christians Paul fed them with milk because that was what they could handle and digest, but now they should be ready for solid food, yet they are still going around acting like infants in Christ. If we never graduated from kindergarten but kept taking kindergarten over and over again we would never grow in our intelligence but would always stay at the same level. Instead they graduate us from one grade level to the next. Each grade level adds a new level of challenge by adding homework, study and material to keep us growing until we graduate and begin the process of learning again in a new area or venue.

            As I studied 1 Timothy 1 last week it was apparent that the false teachers being addressed didn’t necessarily set out to be false teachers they just didn’t know how to handle the truth. I began thinking how many Christians do not know how to handle the truth. We know how to be fed, but not how to feed ourselves. Last night I was listening to a sermon and the preacher said that God only feeds you proportional to your hunger. I would say that while true, God only can feed you according to the utensils you know how to use.

            2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” This was one of the first scriptures I memorized and until a couple years ago I hadn’t quite grasped what this meant for me as a believer. There are several grade levels that we go through.

1.) Go to Church. In church we are challenged, edified and encouraged by the Word. Our series at Urban are not just chosen at random based on a good idea but rather are chosen based on what God is speaking to Pastor Ben and prayed upon as well. The pastor is simply a mouthpiece of what God wants to speak to you both individually and corporately!

2.) Read the Bible. Reading the Bible for yourself will illumintate things in a new way. The book is simply incredible and is timeless. It was written for those living 2000 years ago, for yesterday for those living in the future and for you now. Check it out and you’ll know for yourself.

3.) Meditate on Word. Meditating is simply thinking upon what you’ve read for a period of time. It’s as if you are marinating the Word and as you do so it develops better flavor. It allows you to know both the simplicity and the complexity of God’s Word.

4.) Study the Word. Read it. Reread it. Underline or highlight parts that stick out to you. Journal why those parts are sticking out to you and what you feel as you read them. As you do so God can teach you what he wants to speak to you through the Word. As you develop this habit add Bible commentary into the rotation to better understand context and intent of the Word. This is something I’ve started to develop more in my life and honestly it is amazing how much more I get from the Bible and how much more sensitive I am to hearing God through His Word.

In school you don’t simply erase what you’ve already learned when you move on to the next grade level rather you simply add on to the learning you’ve already had and the same principle applies here.

My hope and prayer is that as you continue to walk out your salvation you would have a greater hunger for the Word and would be able to present yourself as one approved, a student of the Word, rightly handling the word of truth.

Live Life Extraordinary,

Alayna

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 Bible Reading:  Jeremiah 36

What Do You Do with God’s Word?

Jeremiah 36 contains an interesting story.  Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon was laying siege to Jerusalem.  God had been telling the people through Jeremiah, the prophet, that they should surrender.  He was giving Jerusalem into the hands of their enemy because of their sin and idol worship, but at the same time he promised that eventually he would bring them back to Jerusalem if they surrendered.  The people weren’t listening, especially King Jehoiakim.

So God told Jeremiah to call his scribe and have him record all the prophecies the Lord had given to him.  So Jeremiah did this.  Then he told Baruch, the scribe, to take it to the temple and read it to the people from Jerusalem and other towns in Judah who had assembled there for a fast.  The Lord said “Perhaps they will bring their petition before the Lord and each will turn from his wicked ways,”  (Verse 7)

One of the officials heard the words that were being read and alerted the other officials.  They asked for a private reading and were filled with fear at what they heard.  They told Jeremiah and Baruch to hide themselves as they felt they had to take the scroll to the king.  King Jehoiakim was in denial that the disaster that had come upon them was from the Lord. 

So the king got the scroll and had the secretary read it to him.  Instead of listening and taking heed to what the Lord said, he did an interesting thing.  Whenever three or four columns were read, the king cut them off and threw them into a firepot.  He did this until the entire scroll was burned up even though some of officials urged him not to.  Then he ordered that Jeremiah and Baruch be arrested, but the Lord hid them.  And

the Lord had Jeremiah dictate another scroll to Baruch with all the words of the original scroll.

It seems ridiculous that King Jehoiakim thought he could nullify the word from God by burning it.  But how many people today ignore parts of the Bible that they don’t like or try to reason it away by various interpretations.  God doesn’t change and his word does not change. Mal. 3:6 says “I, the Lord, do not change.”  And Psa. 119:89 says, “Your word, O lord, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.”  NIV.  The ESV reads “Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”  God doesn’t change his word or waver from it just because people ignore it or try to reason it away, no more than he changed his message because the King burned his word.  His word is one of the absolutes in this world. 

It appears to me that King Jehoiakim thought if he could get rid of what Jeremiah’s scribe had written that it would just go away.  That’s like sticking your head in the sand.  If you don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.  The whole reason the Lord had Jeremiah dictate the message was one of redemption.  “Perhaps they will turn from their wicked ways.”  Instead King Jehoiakim showed contempt for the word from God. 

When we read or hear God’s word and don’t act on it we too are showing contempt.  A sobering thought.  How many people sitting in church are just ignoring what they hear and read and thereby show contempt?  Ignoring something doesn’t make it go away.  The same message the Lord gave the people then – turn from your wicked ways – is the same message he is giving the world today.

What do you do with God’s word?

God is good all the time!

Naomi Brinkman

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 Bible Reading:  Isaiah 2

Do You Have An Idol In Your Life?

I recently purchased a new Bible in the ESV (English Standard Version) as this is the version that Pastor Ben preaches from.  I started reading the book of Isaiah in this Bible.  I enjoy reading the Bible in different translations, and sometimes gain new perspectives that way.

Verse 20 says “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.”  I know I’ve read this verse before but it just never impressed me like it did that day.  So, the moles and bat are going to get the idols that people have worshipped!!  In other words, they are going to cast them away into caves, ditches and holes in the ground as worthless, which of course they are. 

Now we in America don’t worship idols per se, but in actuality an idol is anything that comes between us and God.  So American idols might not be tangible things that can be set on an altar or shelf, but there are plenty of things that come between people and God. Entertainment, television, sports, careers, children, houses, recreation and recreational vehicles, etc., etc.  There is nothing wrong with any of these things but when they consume a person’s life and prevent a person from reading God’s word, praying and attending church, they become a god or an idol. 

When people stand before God they will realize how really worthless all those pursuits were.  But unless people have repented and abandoned their idols before they stand before God on that day, it will be too late.  Reading through Isaiah and Jeremiah I have been impressed how God pleaded with Israel over and over to turn from the idols that they had substituted for him.  Although he planned punishment for them, he was just waiting for them to get rid of the idols and turn their hearts back to him. 

God has not changed.  He pleads with the people of this generation to turn to him, to abandon the idols in their lives and give him first place.  Some people might not realize they have replaced God with something else in their lives, that’s why God has given pastors, prophets, evangelists and apostles (Eph. 5:11) to the church and to the world, to raise awareness of God and his desire for fellowship and communion with us. 

Do a priority check.  Is there anything in your life that has slipped in between you and God?  Now’s a good time to get it out of your life. It’s destined for moles and bats!!

God is good all the time,

Naomi Brinkman

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1 Tim 1

            I come from a family of talkers. This Mills/Burk crew can do some serious talking. Any time our family gets together for holidays, events or just because it becomes a dull roar wherever we are and tends to grow louder. We don’t even wait to talk until our turn but tend to all talk over each other which has become the running joke with those that have had the opportunity to get to know my family. This phenomenon is not just limited to when we are together either. All my life I’ve been embarrassed by my dad because wherever we are at he’ll find someone to talk to whether in a gas station, at our school or a sporting event. I’m not talking about chit chat, but he would literally tell his whole life story with strangers. My sisters and I could recite what he was saying because it happened so often. Even though my sisters make fun of my dad for this they are not much better either. When Tristen was young she was the chatty one. If you gave her the time of day that would be permission for her to talk to you about whatever her little heart   desired. Sarah my other sister has quickly taken her place as the talkative sister. I was on the phone with her the other day and an hour into the conversation she was still carrying the majority of the conversation and I had not gotten a word in edgewise.

            Though I would not say I am the talker in the family I definitely have an appreciation for wordiness. My main issue with Twitter is that I only have 140 characters, while Facebook on the other hand just took away their 400 character limit which made me love Facebook that much more. While hanging out with a friend a couple days ago we began to talk about writing and then on to word choice specifically talking about the word “like” in conversation. When you start to think about what you are saying it becomes apparent how useless and meaningless certain words are that you speak over and over again. One of my professors in college would make us read our papers and highlight words that were used more than 3 times to help us pay attention to our word choice yet the worst part was when he handed back a paper and entire paragraphs would be crossed off marked with “unnecessary” written in red pen beside it.

            In 1 Timothy 1, Paul is instructing Timothy on dealing with some unnecessary conversations and words going around in the church at Ephesus. There were people saying things that were irrevelant to the aim or purpose of the church which was love (vs 5). They had swerved away from that purpose into idle talk. KJV translates idle talk into vain jangling which comes down to the idea of meaningless babble. 1 Timothy 6:20-21 states, “Guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge.’” Again 2 Timothy 2:16-17 says, “Avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene...” Apparently this was a big issue in the church. James talked about the power the tongue has. It has the ability to direct and steer the body. Did you know that Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36 that we will be held accountable for every idle/careless word that we speak.

            This week pay extra attention to your words and what you are talking about. Is it edifying, encouraging and exhorting? What purpose is your conversation serving? If it does not serve a purpose or it’s purpose is not promoting our charge of love coming from a pure heart and a good concience and sincere faith, cut it out. Pay attention and you’ll be surprised at what comes out of us when we do.

Live Life Extraordinary,

Alayna

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