gdp's Comments

MyFellowshipJournal : Ecclesiastes 7:20-26

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:04:05 +0000

25 I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more bitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. I love this kind of conversation or path of realization Solomon has with himself. Here he seeks wisdom and to avoid folly and foolishness, but finds the seduction of a woman in the midst. As he is continually finding, it is not what we pursue, but why we pursue it. If we do not have God's purposes on our heart, than anything we pursue is worthless. Lord, continue to remind me of Your purposes for my life as I seek to follow You daily.

MyFellowshipJournal : Ecclesiastes 4:12-5:2

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:33:58 +0000

Jeff, you are so right about being teachable. It is foolish to think that we have so much knowledge that we cannot learn from young and old alike. God continually uses different ways to teach us about Him and ourselves. I know that watching my wife, my children, and my reactions to them have taught me so much than I could have ever imagined before I was a husband and father.

MyFellowshipJournal : Ecclesiastes 2:11-17

Wed, 4 Aug 2010 17:20:01 +0000

I love how he has this debate and analyzation with himself. I love politics and follow the news daily (I strive for wisdom and knowledge). After the last election, the results were not what I desired and with the build up it would be natural for me to be discouraged and lashing out because of the impending change, etc. Fortunately, at that moment I had a tremendous peace.... not because the results or my candidate or political point of view won, but because I knew that God was in control and that His purposes in my life were not determined by how much I knew or who was in office. Lord, help me to continually look away from my own understanding to to seek Your peace and purpose daily in my life!

MyFellowshipJournal : Ephesians 6:10-24

Tue, 18 May 2010 00:14:19 +0000

I love how Paul takes the situation he is in, surrounded by soldiers in prison and uses it to make one of the most powerful analogies in scripture. He was only able to accomplish this by meditating on the word and seeking God every minute of every day. Only when we are engulfed by the grace and power of God and seeking the filling of the Spirit throughout our day can we be in a place to experience His divine revelation in the smallest and largest battles of this war with satan. Sorry for the late post, but it is 5:45 in New Delhi, India right now, so this is my morning devotion. I have not been as faithful in the journal this past week and a half and have missed it. I have been meditating on some scripture and reading up on discipleship, but there is something to be said about keeping up with daily discipline with the body!

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 25

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:59:29 +0000

It is pretty awesome how Paul is continuing to experience divine appointments to share the good news with others. It is only when we walk with Christ daily and allow the word and the Spirit to guide our choices and words in the quest to be holy and set apart, that we can experience these types of opportunities to talk about how God is the Lord of our life. Lord, guide my thoughts, words, and actions, so that as I am transformed by you, more and more each day, I will not be able to share about my life without You being the main topic of conversation.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 20:17-21:16

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:28:14 +0000

Good word Ray! I love my oldest daughter Evynn and her heart for giving. My son knows it too and he always asks for a piece of cookie or toy and even though we try to admonish him for always asking, my sweet daughter usually just smiles and says, "here you go Bowden." It is definitely more blessed to give Lord, give me a child's heart of giving and serving others.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 14

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 17:40:07 +0000

I don't expect to be stoned while being a witness or discipling others like Paul, but how powerful would it be if this was what our community groups were like? Too often we think that walking with God is doing things like going to church and attending a community group, but that is not what we see in Acts. Paul and others were sharing their lives and the gospel with others, equipping them in a discipling relationship and then they would come back and share and celebrate what God was doing in their "community group." Lord, help me to look for opportunities that you have for me to disciple others and then join with a group of believers doing the same> When we come together, let that it is not for our own sake but to celebrate and encourage each other in what God is going with us in His kingdom.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 13

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:28:46 +0000

42 As they went out, the people begged that these things might be told them the next Sabbath. 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. How often do we feel led by God, but get distracted or hold onto things too tightly when others are led to join us or we are in need of help. The Jews wanted to keep hearing the good news, but only if it involved them. Lord, help me to recognized each and every day, that, "we, who are many, are one body in Christ, each individually members, one of another." This is a blessing from you and no cause for jealousy or worry of loosing control, because You are in control of all and deserve all the glory regardless of my role or efforts!

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 10:1-11:18

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:06:55 +0000

A modern day example of Peter's perspective before this revelation is our sense of justice. We feel that when someone who has done something horrible (rape, child abuse, etc.) is arrested or gets killed, that they got what was coming to them and often desire more horrible things to happen to them. This is not reflecting the heart of Jesus. He and the disciples preached a message of good news that all would repent and come to a saving relationship with Him. This does not mean that there are not consequences on earth regardless of repentance and those eternally if repentance does not occur, those are all too real realities. The point is our hearts should break for those who are lost in sin and desire repentance and restoration, not our own sense of justice on them. Lord, help break my heart for the lost and reveal to me when I put my own ideas of who deserves Your grace ahead of Your character of love.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 9:1-31

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:51:40 +0000

How great is Barnabas! He stands up and vouches for a man who used to seek out and murder his friends and brothers in Christ. Only reliance on Christ power could lead to such bold confidence. Lord, help me to a "son of encouragement & exhortation" like Barnabas and lift those up who are seeking You!

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 8

Tue, 13 Apr 2010 17:02:25 +0000

I too love the willing obedience of Philip. He did not make excuses or think, "that person is not ready or will reject me." I also think about healing that occurred in the early church and wonder why those "signs" do not happen today. Then I thought, what is the breaking of addiction, restoring of relationships, experiencing God's peace in crisis? These are ways that God heals the afflicted. The need of the time of the early church was survival for most, so healing paralysis or banishing unclean spirits restored a person to be able to lead a productive and relational life. In our culture the afflictions are not always centered around survival, but often involve anxiety and addiction and we can offer the healing power of Christ everyday to those around us. Lord, help me to be sensetive to those around me and help introduce them to Your healing power.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 4

Fri, 9 Apr 2010 17:04:06 +0000

Will, good word! No need to worry about bristling people about socialism or communism. I was a Political Science major in college and herd all about the greatness of these 'ism's from some of my professors. Some even compared them to the early church and Jesus' teachings. What they never understood is that a political system imposed on others will always fall short and eventually fail. The early church was communal because everyone surrendered to Christ's leadership and became part of His body and Kingdom (not relying on a government program). They put other's needs above their own and understood that true contentment did not come from possessions or power. You cannot force this type of selflessness and giving onto someone. Only a transformative relationship with Jesus can cause such a change and desire in a person and throughout a body of believers. Lord, continue to break my heart for those who are lost and don't know you. I know that true contentment only comes from You and serving others. Continue to humble and empower me to use my gifts and resources to serve Your purposes in Your Kingdom here on earth.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 3

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 17:28:44 +0000

I too was struck by Peter's declaration of, "don't look at me, Jesus is the reason for this man walking and your need for him not this man's walking is the point you missed while He was among you!" God has blessed me with a job of training other, but even more has blessed me with the ability to do this in ministry as a mentor with S.T.E.P. and training for The C.A.L.L. Yesterday, I received very positive evaluations from a training session I did for The C.A.L.L. last month. I naturally felt proud of my abilities, but really just smiled at the fact that God had opened the door for me to use my gifts to equip others in His kingdom work. The reason I did well is because He has broken my heart for children in foster care and as a result I point to Him throughout the training. Lord, thank you for blessing me with gifts and the opportunity to use them professionally and in ministry. I seek to always point others to You with those gifts and when receiving praise for them.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 2:14-47

Wed, 7 Apr 2010 17:06:32 +0000

If you are interested in seeing some of what was happening in the signs at the time of Jesus' death, a great website is bethlehemstar.net. There is a DVD that you can buy and this is a link to an excerpt that details out what Peter was potentially speaking to in this section of scripture (http://bethlehemstar.net/day/day.htm#peter). I love how our all powerful God humbled Himself to death on a cross, rose from the dead, and assended, so that the Holy Spirit could come to be our Helper and give us His power here on earth! And even more how this was orchestrated and detailed from the beginning of time.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 2:1-13

Tue, 6 Apr 2010 16:56:27 +0000

I know it seems silly, but I love how Luke includes the reaction by some in verse 13. You wonder what those who mocked really thought of what was going on; indifference, hatred, or perhaps fear. How often the world mocks faith or trust in the Bible. How often do we get defensive about things we do not understand or feel will threaten our world view? Lord, give me the strength not to feel threatened by other points of view, but the discernment to interact and listen for Your voice speaking through others and the confidence to stand on Your truth when other speak against it.

MyFellowshipJournal : Acts 1

Mon, 5 Apr 2010 17:39:12 +0000

Good word Will! I love to see the transition of Peter from defeated to leader. How awesome is it that when Jesus was resurrected He sought out Peter and gave him the opportunity to declare his love for Him three times for each of the denials he had made the night of His arrest. Our God is a loving and compassionate God who seeks to break us when necessary, not just to humble us into dependence, but to restore us in His power!

MyFellowshipJournal : Luke 13:10-35

Mon, 22 Mar 2010 17:25:15 +0000

14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” All I have to say to this is WOW! But then I think how so much of my life is determined by my schedule and my timing. Lord, help us as Your body seek your timing and your compassion and that I as a member of that body would look for opportunities to minister to others and not see those in need as an interruption or something I can put as a block on my planner.

MyFellowshipJournal : Luke 11:37-12:12

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:32:37 +0000

Linda, I too wish that I was a bold as Jesus sometimes. What is so great about the example Jesus set is how He differentiated between the lost and the self-righteous. He had (and has) a love and compassion for the lost that is direct, but so gentle and loving. On the other hand, He calls out the self-righteous in a way that counters the power they feel from their self-promotion and convicts them to their sole. I agree with you that He was always motivated by love, and was perfect in how He applied that love while discerning between those with soft and broken hearts and those with prideful and hardened hearts. Lord, please help me to have a gentle heart for the lost and not one of privilege or superiority. Also allow me to let others continually speak into my life so they point out wrong motivations or blind spots that I may not be aware of.

MyFellowshipJournal : Luke 11:1-36

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:15:30 +0000

27 As he said these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!” 28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” This is a great example of a time when even the most humble a person could have the light shown on them by another. Mary was a humble servant of the Lord, a tool He used to bring about His perfect will. She was blessed, but never sought to raise herself up as anything more than a willing servant. Jesus does a great job of keeping the focus on his Father and not allowing Mary to be elevated to a place of worship. We have seen that others throughout history have made the same mistake this woman made that day and missed the greater message. Lord, I desire to always remain humble and remind others that anything I do is only possible through your grace and power.

MyFellowshipJournal : Luke 9:51-10:24

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:30:20 +0000

53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 54 And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them. How often do we try to enact God's justice on a situation. The disciples had returned from their trips of casting out demons and healing and instead of allowing their hearts to be broken for those that were not experiencing God in their life, their first response was to use "their power" to rain fire down on those that did not receive them. Lord, help me to have compassion that turns to a desire to share you and reflect your love to those that do not know you.