Reed Mueller

This hit me this morning (and by the way, I won’t always post such thoughts daily)…

Proverbs 4:18-19 – In these verses I am reminded of the Dimmer Switch principle (Larry Osborne in “Contrarian’s Guide to Knowing God“). His point is this: the path (as guided by the heart) of those who ignore God’s promptings in their life gets darker and darker over time…so much so that over time it becomes hard to move forward because the path seems so dim and unclear. On the other hand, the path of the righteous becomes brighter and brighter because they become more attuned to God’s light in their life and heart. And so…each time a right choice is made, making right choices in the future becomes easier! After quoting these verses, he writes:

…the longer we walk in obedience, the clearer the spiritual picture becomes. Subtle distinctions that were once indiscernible become obvious; things we would ahve never noticed at first suddenly can’t be missed. I find this to be incredibly encouraging. It means I don’t have to worry about all the things I don’t know. I just ahve to respond to the light I have, and the rest will come in God’s time. It means that God-pleasing spirituality can happen instantly – the moment I start the journey! Maturity and spiritual depth take time. But I can please god right away because it’s not a matter of how much I know or how long I’ve been at it. It’s a matter of what I do with what I already have that matters most.

For me, here’s how I will personalize it: My path gets a little darker (that is, less clear) every time I turn from God’s lead but my path gets a little brighter (that is, more clear) every time I follow God’s lead.

Lord, I invite you to guide me through this day. As you do, please help me to follow in the direction you lead me. I trust that day by day you’ll bring me closer to you and make my path brighter and brighter so that I can walk for you! Amen

Psalm 3:1-6 – Sometimes I’ve got worries and troubles…which makes me wonder just how near God is. But then, through verses like these, I realize that He is, and the proof is in his sustaining grace. When I lie down at night I need to remember that it is He who sustains me when I sleep. And when I awake in the morning, I must remember to thank Him for doing so.

We forget the everyday grace of simple things – at least I do. David remembered this and was aware of God’s grace upon each new dawn. We would do well to remember this, too.

As promised in this entry, I’m posting my favorite online resource for helping you read God’s word to you in a more consistent manner. It is www.bibleplan.org and I have used/recommended it many times in developing bible reading plans that fit one’s desire for the coming year. They have 13 plans to choose from ranging in time commitment from just a minute or two a day to about 15 minutes per day. And the great part is that they’ll send out daily reminders to you via email with links to the very part of scripture you’ll be reading for the day! It couldn’t be easier…so take that next step in hearing from the God who loves you and walks beside you!

Psalm 2:7 – Christ truly is the one to whom every knee will bow and in whom we have our hope (see Paul on this verse at Acts 13:26-33).

Proverbs 2:1-5 – Want to develop more reverence toward the Lord? Here’s the recipe: focus on his word (v1), soak up its wisdom (v2), pray for insight (v3), seek all this as a treasure to be enriched by (v4). This has the benefit of helping us walk in the path with righteousness, justice, and equity (Proverbs 2:9).

This year I’ll be reading the bible throughout again and thought it would be a good discipline for me if I made a few comments on how God was speaking to me as I read through this year. So along the way that’s what I’ll be doing, in very short form. By the way, this idea came from this site.

Genesis 1:3-5: These verses hit me hard in light of what I preached on this past week. At the end of the sermon I mentioned that we have a power to follow through on both our proclamation to the world (”Jesus Christ is Lord”) and our position in the world (”Servants for Jesus’ sake”). That power? Our hearts, illuminated by God’s gift in the nearness of Jesus Christ. It is in him that we hope, and move, and have power to move. The same God who spoke and light illuminated creation, speaks and illuminates our hearts with the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5-6).