Seek Wisdom And Apply Humility

Moses' father-in-law replied, "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you.

Exodus 18:17-19

One of the ways God speaks to us is through the wisdom and advice of other Christians. Of course, the Bible holds precedence over any word somebody might offer, but in cases where the offered words of encouragement or direction line up with Scripture, we would do well to pray fervently over the advice and discern whether it is truly of God, and if yes, to act accordingly. God can speak through anyone (or anything) He wishes, but He will most often use the people who are close to us and know us best, because they are the ones we are most likely to pay attention to.

Take a look at this example from Exodus 18– Moses has just led the people of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness. Moses has seen God’s power at work: the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the provision of manna, the water from the rock, etc. At this point in history, Moses probably knows God better than any other man ever has. Every day, Moses presides as judge over disputes between the people and acts as the voice of God on their behalf. Then, Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, shows up. After Moses tells Jethro all that God has done for the people of Israel, Jethro believes in God, saying “Now I know that the LORD is greater than all the gods; indeed, it was proven when they dealt proudly against the people.” The following day, when Jethro sees Moses acting as judge among the people, he says to Moses, “The thing that you are doing is not good. You will surely wear out, both yourself and these people who are with you, for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you.” Jethro goes on to outline a plan for more effectively governing the people. And Moses does exactly as Jethro suggests.

We must take a moment here to admire Moses’ humility. Keep in mind that Moses is about 80 years old at this point, and his father-in-law, who just heard about God for the first time about 24 hours prior, is trying to give him advice on how to handle the people of Israel. Why should Jethro know better than Moses how to lead the Israelites? Even though Jethro was a “new believer,” if you will, God used him to speak to Moses. God had been speaking directly and audibly to Moses for awhile, so it would seem that if God wanted the people governed as Jethro suggested He could have just told Moses, but I believe God does it this way to humble Moses. And indeed Moses proves himself to be humble.

Now, we may think: “Obviously Moses could see that Jethro’s advice was reasonable and beneficial, so of course he listened and did as he was advised.” To that I ask: how many times have you been given advice that you knew was solid and Biblically accurate, and yet you did not follow it because of the person whom it was spoken through, or because of your own pride in thinking that you knew better, or any other reason?

We want to love God with heart, soul, mind, and strength? Then we need to Humble ourselves before Him and listen for Him speaking to us. When we are having difficulty discerning God’s will for a particular struggle or decision, seek the counsel of parents, pastors, mentors, and friends with a humble heart, willing to listen. It may also take humility to confess our own inability to understand a situation, or to cope with a struggle, but as we are faithful to do so, God is faithful to speak and to further our sanctification in the process. God’s part here is to speak truth into our lives, to direct us and guide us. Our part is to actively seek that direction and then to follow it diligently for His ultimate glory!

What Does Zeal Look Like?

According to J.C. Ryle in his book Practical Religion:

“Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature—which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted—but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called “zealous” men… A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit. He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God. Whether he lives, or whether he dies—whether he has health, or whether he has sickness—whether he is rich, or whether he is poor—whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offense—whether he is wise, or whether he is thought foolish—whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise—whether he gets honor, or whether he gets shame—for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all. He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory. If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it—he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him. Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal. If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray… if he cannot fight in the valley of Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill (Exodus 17:9-13). If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of “zeal” in religion.”

Once one reads this, one must ask, are you zealous for God? If not, what is keeping you from being on fire, zealously and passionately in love with God, living your Christian faith with joy and contagious enthusiasm… think about it!

The Lord Is Good

If we believe that the Bible is true in every regard, we must acknowledge goodness as one of God's most notable attributes. These verses below are a mere glimpse into the vast collection of Scripture which speaks of God’s goodness. He is good when He pours out abundant blessing. He is good when He comforts in the midst of suffering. He is good when He answers prayer. He is good when He provides strength in weakness.

• I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; I have no good besides You.” Psalm 16:2
• Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way. Psalm 25:8
• I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Psalm 27:13
• O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! Psalm 34:8
• Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart! Psalm 73:1
• But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. Psalm 73:28
• Indeed, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its produce. Psalm 85:12
• For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:5
• Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 106:1
• But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake; Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me; Psalm 109:21
• The LORD is good to all and His mercies are over all His works. Psalm 145:9

Let us first see that God is always good to us. In Psalm 109 we see that His love for us is good. In Psalm 100 we read that His love is everlasting. Therefore we may conclude that His goodness towards us is indeed everlasting. There is never a moment when the Lord is not good. Regardless of circumstances, know that God is good to His people. When you are dry spiritually, God is good to you. Meditate on this thought. In Psalm 73 we see that the nearness of God is to be our good. Even when you don’t feel Him, and when you don’t hear Him, He is good to you and He is near to you.

Then, see that God Himself is good. “O taste and see that the Lord is good.” In pouring out goodness to us, He is offering us the very essence of Himself. To be anything but good to us would be to go against His very nature, and we know that “He cannot deny Himself” (2 Timothy 2:13). All that He does is good. All that He is, is good. “For the Lord is good.”

And only He is good. Psalm 16:2 says, “I have no good besides You.” We certainly are not good. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Though God made us good in His image, we have all rejected Him and turned our own way. But in His goodness, we “are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

Look now to the fact that we can hope in His goodness. “I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.” Because His goodness is everlasting, let us ever look to that goodness as the source of our hope. Believe that even if you do not see it now, in the midst of trials and pain, in the midst of spiritual dryness, you will see the goodness of the Lord! He will deliver you into the land of the living where you will experience His goodness poured out in its fullness.

Know, also, that the “Lord is good to all.” There is not one who is exempt from the goodness of God! “Good and upright is the LORD; Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.” All of us are sinners, and in His goodness, He guides us in truth. He leads us on the path of righteousness so that we might be “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29). In His goodness, so that we might spend eternity with Him, He even “gave His one and only Son” (John 3:16) so that by believing in Him we might gain eternal life! Is there any greater proof of His goodness toward us, than “that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)?

How then shall we respond? “Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!” Respond with praise and thanksgiving. Respond with a life that reflects eternal gratefulness and worship toward a good God. Respond by giving Him your all, and “finding out what pleases the Lord” (Ephesians 5:10). The Lord is good!

Jesus Loves Radical Faith

Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this 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 it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

Matthew 8:5-13

Jesus loves radical faith. When we read this account, we must see it as more than just another miracle of healing. While we now know the full extent of Jesus’ ministry, and we know that Christ is capable of anything, consider the situation from the perspective of the centurion. Obviously he had heard of Jesus’ works, but he was asking Christ to do something that, as far as we know, had not yet been done. Up until this point, all of Christ’s healing had been done in direct contact with the afflicted. This centurion had the faith to believe that Christ could do something huge, something unheard of. It is worth noting, however, that he asked for something that lined up with what he did know about Jesus.

If we then apply this concept of radical faith to modern Christianity, we must first think about how much more we know of Christ. We are told even that He “is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). Christ Himself promises that with great faith “nothing will be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20). Discern first whether your request lines up with biblical truth, and then ask in faith for God to do big things.

Ask for something so crazy and seemingly impossible that the only way it could possibly succeed is for God to make it happen. Stretch the limits of your faith so that through you God may accomplish much. This is where human responsibility and divine intervention meet: as you increase in faith, God will increase His work in and through you, and ultimately His glory will increase.

You Will Not Be Replaced—Hope Of Glory

I recently was listening to Matt Maher’s latest CD, titled “Overflow.” The bridge says simply this:

“You will not be replaced.

You will not be replaced.

You will not be replaced, Hope of Glory."

Every time this part of the song comes around, I think of how often we try to replace God with other things. We need to realize how prevalent the sin of idolatry is in our lives. We are prone to the sin of idolatry that there are very few things we do not try to elevate above God at one point in our lives. Our flesh is so opposed to the idea of God being first in our lives that there is nothing we will not try to live for more than living for the risen Christ.

By grace we can say that we have devoted our lives to God, but still at times find that we are faced every day with the temptation to forget the truth of Colossians 1:17-18. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” I do not mean that I am ever consciously thinking: “With what or whom can I replace God today?” The sin of idolatry takes a more subtle approach, by directing my attention and my affections ever more and more to the things of this earth rather than to the things above, than to Christ above.

Yet there is hope in this simple statement: You will not be replaced, Hope of Glory. Our attempts to replace God do not come anywhere close to accomplishing their intent except in our own heart. We may seek to replace Christ in our lives, but that does not change the truth that He is before all things. Though we say to God with both our words and actions, “You are not my God in this moment,” His sure reply is: “I AM.” He is still the hope of glory, which is the assurance that He is going to be glorified, if not by us than by the rocks, by the stars, and by all of creation. If these know that God will not be replaced, how much more should this truth be the starting point of our every day? When we wake in the morning, let our first declaration be one that recognizes God’s position: “Today, you will not be replaced in my heart, hope of glory.”

Matching Our Will With God’s Will

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:11-12

There is a point in every person’s life at which we must make a decision about life. Or rather, there are many such points, but whenever we get to them, it feels like there cannot possibly be or have been a more important decision to make. And that is also true, for in that moment there is no more important decision save the one that must presently be made.

No specific examples of such decisions are needed, for as you read this expect that these points in your life, past, present, and future, will bring themselves to mind. When you think about these decisions, your mind runs over all the possible repercussions of the decision. In past decisions, you think of what has been, or might have been; in future decisions, what might yet be. You think of what your life could look like, of all that could change, because of a mere thought, a conclusion formulated in the inner workings of your conscious mind.

And yet even now we all are at one such point in my lives, and verily do we feel that no point before has held such significance, and our minds are filled with thoughts of the future unknown, we cannot help but think that this decision is not going to be the defining factor in that future, but rather a point from which a series of new decisions will be birthed. Deciding upon one thing is not going to transport us automatically to that destination which we envision past the door of this decision. It will, however, allow for us to make those decisions each day of our lives which will indeed bring us to that desired end.

There is no intention to downplay the importance of such big decisions in life as previously mentioned, but we need to caution ourselves against the danger of being caught up in the vision of where we want this decision to bring us and lose sight of the truly significant and difficult decisions that we must make tomorrow, and the day after, and each day forthcoming. These are the decisions that are going to carry us to the place, and the person, we want to be.

In this day, dream of who you want to be, and tomorrow you will still be you. But when you put a decision into practice an unending series of future decisions which will ultimately shape you into the person whom you have now decide you want to become, will take shape. Though your resolve may and will at times fail, learn from it and continue to move on becoming that person that is Christ-like for the praise of His glory.

So it is with great fervor and determination that we now dive into this decision. In prayer we ask the power of the Spirit of God, dwelling in us as the gift of Christ, will strengthen us to make the decisions that will complement, and not counteract, that decision which we now make—matching our will with God’s will. In prayer we seek to rely not on our willpower, but on Christ, and the knowledge that it is not only our will, but God’s, which we are now pursuing, and we acknowledge that it is by grace alone that the two now coincide.

Letting Go

Heartbreak has the influence to destroy a person. Losing someone you love can take away all the reasons to go on living—it can most certainly feel that way. Until you start seeing the real reasons to go on living, then you get back on track and become motivated to go on living as God leads.

When your mind tries to keep holding on to something, it keeps playing back the memories over and over. This is what depression is, the mind playing back memories—good or bad—that happen in your life to the point that you become numb to the life around you. So by holding on to those memories, you are stuck in a prison within your mind. A prison of your creation and the only way to get out of that prison is to start letting go.

Let go of the past and let go of your mistakes. Start learning from those mistakes, and let go of the person(s) no longer in your life. The following are a few thoughts on letting go:

• To let go does not mean to stop caring.
• To let go is not to deny, but to accept.
• To let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.
• To let go is not to cut myself off, but it is the realization I can't control another.
• To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.
• To let go is to admit powerlessness, but means the outcome is not in my hands.
• To let go is not to try to change or blame another, but it's to make the most of the situation.
• To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.
• To let go is not to arranging all the outcomes, but to allow others to make their own choices.
• To let go is not to be protective, but it's to permit another to face reality.
• To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but instead to search out your own shortcomings and correct them.
• To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.
• To let go is to fear less, to love more, and trust God fully.

We've all lost loved ones, either through death or the ending of a deeply meaningful relationship. Whatever the case may be, at times we feel as though we are left hanging, unable to function and move ahead into the future when we experience this form of loss. Although it was by God's grace that we are able to finally move on, there is a need for closure. For many people, closure is very important, and almost essential, as part of the letting go process.

Without being able to move forward, we risk the chance of missing out on something that could truly change our lives—blessings from God! It takes time and it takes wanting to move on. The survival rate is high! Knowing that God is in control, whatever happens, it will be okay. The hardest thing in life is letting go and trusting the One who knows for sure. You will be astounded at the amount of and depth of love that God has placed in your heart and has for you. Just when you think you have lost the ability to love again, God reveals to you a far greater love than one could ever imagine.

Wrestling With Business And Ministry

In Business as a Calling, Nelson Cooney helps young men and women wrestle with their life calling and encourages them to consider glorifying God in business. Many read this message and find that their thinking is completely changed in the area of business. Most have always thought of business as something you do to make money, and church as the place you really glorify God. Now, obviously serving in your local church is a great way to glorify God. But, Nelson Cooney says, so is pursuing business. And Cooney’s passion is infectious. Yet, the message doesn’t just point you to business. Instead, Cooney points young adults to pursue whatever vocation God has called them to with a passion that glorifies their creator.

Here is something to ponder, using business is a viable way of bringing the gospel to many countries in the world, and business is a great way to model lives of integrity and discipleship. We can look to the apostle Paul as one who lead in this area by example. He sometimes accepted support from other churches (See Philippians 4:10-20), but he also worked as a tentmaker. In Corinth, he chose to work in order draw a distinction between him and the false teachers, who lived off of those to whom they preached. In Thessalonica, Paul worked day and night in order not to be a burden to any of the Thessalonians while he preached the gospel to them (See 1 Thessalonians 2:9). Paul was able to pack up shop—so to speak—and go into all the world to minister and preach while using his skill as a tent maker.

Why should Christians be involved with business? There are many good reasons for doing business and certainly we will not do justice to this topic. But here are a couple thoughts:

First, business glorifies God. Wayne Grudem, for example, has written Business for the Glory of God, which is a good primer on how we can use business to worship God. Grudem’s thesis is that we can glorify God through business since we can imitate His character in how we conduct ourselves and the operations of a company.

Second, Christians should work in business because that’s most of where the world lives—the world in which Christ calls us to be salt and light. Mark Greene has written a helpful book called Thank God it’s Monday: Ministry in the Workplace. There he discusses many ways in which we as believers should be looking at the workplace as a mission field of its own, in which we can live out our faith and share the Gospel.

Yes, business can be terribly misused—just as can anything God created for good. But, even in our fallen world business can and should glorify the One who created it. Grudem uses scripture to show that what we think of as “secular” tasks like ownership, production, and employment glorify God as they reflect His character.

So be encouraged to share in Paul’s joy in taking the Gospel to parts of the world where it has not yet gone so that God can be glorified in those new places:

It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.' Romans 15:21

Let it be understood that business done unto the Lord is valid ministry in and of itself. Business done unto the Lord will change lives and economies at the same time, and there doesn't need to be a distinction between business and church planting. If the Kingdom business is done correctly, then church planting will be a natural result.

Go Into All The World

And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

Mark 16:15-16

It’s 3,000,000,000 and more—it is huge. That’s nine zeros plus digits. We can’t even think about that many people in one location. Two-thousand people in a church is huge, but three billion is more than enormous. It’s Massive.

Sitting Around

That number represents how many have not heard the gospel today. What have we done to bring this number down? Not much. What have we done to share the gospel? Not much. What have we done to save our friends, neighbors, and co-workers from eternal punishment in hell? Not much. In fact, we would daresay that we all have not done much in the mission that we have been commanded to accomplish. In fact, not much might be an understatement in describing our efforts. It seems that we have decided to sit in our own churches, perhaps give money to missions, and feel that we are doing our part in the mission of sharing the gospel around the world. Some may believe that they have not been called to missions or evangelism—that’s for others. Yet how can we be so blind? How can we believe we have been “called” to apathy, or “called” to not share the gospel, or “called” to sit at home while we pray God doesn’t send us into the mission field?

What Are We Doing

Why are we not all praying as believers that God would send us out into all the earth? Why do we not understand the command—not “call”—that Jesus Christ has given us? It is a call to “go into all the world” and to share the gospel and “make disciples”? What have we missed? How can we sit satisfied in our church pew while over 3 billion people have yet to hear the gospel? There are those here in the United States who have not heard the gospel—what are we doing? We need to start sharing the gospel to the lost in the world around us, right where we are.

Grasp the Gospel

Sadly, this number of 3 billion is not overwhelming to us. The mission does not seem urgent. Three billion lost souls does not seem serious in our comfortable state. What is wrong with us? Why is it that the church here in the United States is not exploding as the church in China is? Perhaps it is simply this: we have decided that we no longer need to hear the gospel each and every day. Just think of the early Christians. A small group— smaller than any megachurch—they changed their world not through television, or radio, or the internet. I’m not saying those are bad in any way, but if we just think—they changed the world because they went. They were commanded to go and go they did. They transformed their Judea, their Jerusalem, their Samaria, their world. We can do the same by starting here in the hardest region on earth by sharing with those who we will see on a daily basis. We need to have a passion for seeking and saving the lost. It starts with being a student of God’s Word and grasping the truths which are found on the pages as we read them and apply it to our own lives. Then going out—as we are called to—preaching the gospel to others and around the world.

WORSHIP—the Lord

DISCIPLE—the saved

SERVE—others

REACH—the

Give Journaling A Try

Perhaps you've tried to keep journals in the past—prayer lists, irregular accounts of your spiritual failures and victories, letters to God about your deepest dreams. But while journaling can be an amazing tool to help us record God's transforming work in our heart, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the process or just not set aside time to journal. However, there some creative journaling techniques that have the ability to renew joy and intimacy within our relationship with God. So whether you're tired of your own humdrum attempts to journal, or if you've never given it a try because you don't think of yourself as a "writer," think again. Here are some fresh journaling ideas and you never know when you will come up with your own journaling idea!

Quotes Journal

Collecting quotes and thought-provoking observations from our favorite Christian writers is a powerful journaling technique that boosts our spiritual morale.

Look for quotes that illustrate the subjects you cover while studying the Bible. Began copying important quotes from readings into a reference journal. For example, when you read a chapter from the Bible, underlined the passages that stood out to you. Then on the left-hand side or page of your journal, copy the passages, and on the right-hand side or page, list the times in your life this same passage was true in your life.

If you're more of a reader than a writer, a quotes journal is a wonderful way for you to meditate on some of the amazing things you're learning in your spiritual walk. Whether you love Christian poetry, fiction, or theology, your journal can become a special repository for your favorite quotes and thoughts.

It's also been helpful to illustrate each quote in a memorable way. For example, for a sermon on Jesus' teaching that it's more difficult for a rich man to enter heaven than it is to squeeze a camel through the eye of a needle (See Matthew 19:24), you can glued a thin silver needle to the page to drive the point home.

After a few weeks of journaling this way, you'll find yourself at unexpected times of the day dwelling on the ideas and Scriptures you've copied into your journal. A quotes journal allows you to reinforce spiritual concepts and record inspirational ideas from the great minds of our faith.

Prayer Journal

Began to challenge yourself to examine your prayer life and to ask God to do things that are more in scale with His glory and power than our human thinking.

Write down some requests in your journal about everything from the speedy spiritual growth in you or those you know and care about, for a godly spouse, to lead 20 people to Christ. God will answer each prayer in an amazing way!

1 John 5:14-15 says, This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. It's incredibly energizing to pray according to God's will and ask Him to do what He plans and promises.

God’s Creation Journal

If you enjoy the beauty of God's creation, one way to enjoy his handiwork even further is through a creation journal. Find pictures that express all kinds of natural elements, press leaves and flowers, or snap photos of different seasons and types of weather. Whether you gravitate to photographer Ansel Adam's black-and-white portraits or to colorful faces from every nation and tribe, a journal of awe-inspiring sights can drive your thoughts to the grandeur and glory of their Creator. Under each illustration, write down reasons why these scenes inspire you. You also can incorporate Scripture that speaks about God's workmanship.

Gratitude Journal

If you don't have a ton of free time, this is one of the easiest journals to keep. All you have to do each day is list three to five things for which you're thankful.

You may have seen this journaling concept on The Oprah Winfrey Show, but no one has more to be thankful for than a Christian! There's a huge difference between feeling "lucky" for your good fortune and realizing that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17).

Whether you want to remember the results of your faith, expand your prayer life, express your admiration of creation, or give thanks, there's a journaling style for you. So forget any daunting notions of what a journal is supposed to be. And once you find a way to journal that feeds your relationship with God, stick with it and share your ideas with others!

Faith Beyond Borders

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

A friend once explained it to me that the Japanese wear red on Easter—Resurrection Day to them—to honor Christ's shed blood. We need to realize that Christianity is not limited to America, but in fact has and is spreading out far beyond our borders.

If God loves everyone, irrespective of political borders, then we need to do a better job of fellowshipping with our international brothers and sisters in Christ. But how can we get to know them?

1. Read A Different Newspaper- American television's "world news" offers little coverage of stories outside the U.S. And newspapers have limited space in which to display six continents' worth of news. So why not broaden your source of news coverage? Almost every nation has a newspaper or interest group devoted to covering its news. Hundreds of newspapers are a click away. You'll find many of them at www.world-newspapers.com. My favorite source for global politics is the International Herald Tribune at www.iht.com. If your interests are specifically Asian, try Asahi Shimbun's Asia Network at www.asahi.com/english/asianet.

2. Take A Personal Interest- Do you know the origins of the coffee you drink? Ugandans hope you do. Uganda's cash crop used to be tobacco—before Americans decided smoking was bad. Now their biggest export is coffee because Americans have decided drinking coffee is good. Did you know your daily Starbucks run had global implications? Now, whenever I see "Uganda" in a headline, I read the story. Why? I am consuming a product from there. Pay attention to the people around you; find out where they're from, where their roots lie, and take an interest. The next time they celebrate their culture, join them! Observe Chinese New Year. Take part in Scottish Highland Games. Eat your heart out at a Festa Italiana.

3. Vacation Somewhere New- Travel expands our knowledge as well as our world. Yet many of us vacation in the same place every year. Do you know at least enough Spanish to say "please" and "thank you"? Then most of South America is at your doorstep. With just English you can navigate Australia, New Zealand, the Bahamas, Singapore, or (surprise!) India. India now has the largest English-speaking population in the world. Or start closer to home by sampling the different cultures in North America. If you normally vacation in tropical Florida, head to the Southwest or the wild coasts of Maine.

4. Enjoy International Art And Music- If we don't have the time or money to travel; we can still explore foreign landscapes through art and music. For example, you may never appreciate Cézanne's landscape paintings until you visit southern France and have stood at the very places he'd painted. But once you visit you may discover that you disliked the paintings only because they are unfamiliar—art from other cultures can be very fascinating. From the elemental shapes in African sculpture to the detailed work of Asian printmakers, you can learn something about the world your brothers and sisters in Christ live in by studying their art. Visit a local cultural museum or go to a large city to see a traveling art exhibit. Similarly, people have always turned to music to express emotion. So what melodies do our brothers and sisters in Christ sing as they go about their day? What words do they whisper? Are the songs about freedom? Pain? Celebration? Visit Harmonia Mundi's online catalog at http://harmoniamundi.com/usa/catalogue for traditional music from European countries. Or visit World Music's website, www.worldvillagemusic.com/anglais/artistelist, for music from around the globe.

5. Check Out Foreign Books And Movies- Every time we read a foreign book or watch a foreign movie, our vision of the world expands. The word foreign comes from a Latin word meaning "on the outside." Reading a book or viewing a film is seeing the world from someone else's perspective. Most writers and film directors search for truth when they practice their craft. When they discover it—even in the mundane or the secular—they also discover God. And you can too.

Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Movies: Hotel Rwanda (South Africa/ Britain/Italy/Canada, 2004); Le Retour de Martin de Guerre (France, 1982); Maria Chapdelaine (Canada, 1983); Shall We Dance? (Japanese version, 1996); Babette's Feast (Denmark, 1987); Il Postino (Italy, 1995); Life Is Beautiful (Italy, 1997).

Books: The Little Prince by St. Exupery (French); Crow Lake by Mary Lawson (Canadian); The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukyama (Japanese); Polite Lies by Kyoko Mori (Japanese); Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (Iranian).

6. Practice A Hobby Internationally- A friend has committed to participating in one of her husbands hobbies so they can spend more time together. To her surprise, she found she actually enjoys golf as much as she appreciates a romantic dinner with just the two of them. They have now golfed on four continents. In so doing, they have had a glimpse of various lifestyles and cultures.

7. Picture Jesus- If Jesus were alive and here in human flesh today with the cultural references He had when He walked this earth, He'd probably feel more at home in Near Eastern cultures than He would in America. And He certainly wouldn't speak English. However, we know that all cultures radiate a part of God's image because they're comprised of people God created. When we explore other cultures, we gain a fuller portrait of our Creator.