Truth

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:34

Since mid-December I have been rising each weekday morning before the sun comes up to spend some time with God, praying and reading his Word. I joined the 5:16 AM club for some accountability, and we recently began studying the book of 1 John together. It has been such an incredible blessing to really dissect the verses and reflect on their truth.

That is, until today. Today's verses were like a punch in the gut:

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions — is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. I John 2: 15 - 17

This sounds pretty obvious and straightforward for a Christian.  But when I stopped to really look at the verses and apply them to my life, they stung in their honesty.  I started thinking about my shopping trip yesterday and how excited I was.  I thought about what I have been spending most of my time on lately, and I realized how shallow most of it is at its core.  

John tells us not to love the world, but he doesn't say not to enjoy it.  I believe that God gave us many good things to enjoy.  That isn't the problem.  I enjoy the things I got for Brennan's room yesterday, but I don't love them.   The problem isn't the stuff.  It's "the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions...."  When I started really examining my motivations, I realized how mixed up I am.  I wasn't excited about those purchases because they will bring Brennan pleasure; I was excited because I will be able to use them to create a fabulous room that will make other people think I'm awesome.  Deep down, I'm looking for a pat on the back!  So much of what I do is for self-promotion, and those things are "not from the Father but (are) from the world.  And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever."

It is extremely difficult to write this blog post because it's hard to face myself in the mirror and see the ugliness and then display it for total strangers.  But I ultimately want to do it because I don't want to hide behind a facade of perfection or allow myself to get caught in the trap of focusing on anything more than my heavenly Father.  I want everything I do to be all about Him.  I want to give Him all the honor and glory for all of the great things He has done for me.

I'm still excited about the airplanes and cars, but I have a new perspective on them.  I am excited about them because they gave me food for thought and an opportunity to write this post (one that I had inner turmoil about writing).  I will enjoy them because they will bring Brennan pleasure and give him a comfortable retreat where he can spend time getting to know and love God.  And I will enjoy them because they will make this temporary rental home a more enjoyable place to be for everyone, allowing us to feel safe and relaxed and able to grow and flourish in Christ.  But beyond that, they're worthless.

Lord, may I only treasure the things that point to you.  Help me to focus on pleasing you and to worry less about my own selfish ambitions and pride.

As I have discussed this with several people over the past few days and have had some good discussions about it, I decided to post information about the daily Bible reading I will be doing this year.

In 2007, I did (most of) the NET Bible's daily Bible reading schedule.  Overall, there are some things that I really like about the NET translation, web site, tools, and notes, but there were also some things that I didn't love and had me looking for a different reading schedule and translation before 2007 was up.

I found the reading schedule to be a bit too long on certain days with just too much to digest.  I realize that there is the same amount of text to be read no matter how you slice it, so I guess that particular plan wasn't the one for me.  The bigger thing, though, is that what I really wanted was a good chronological reading schedule.

With regards to the translation, like the NIV, I find the NET to be a bit more interpretive than I would like.  I recall several instances where I thought the translation choice was "interesting," and the provided tn (translator's note) did little to lower — and in some cases lifted higher — my raised eyebrows.  No, I don't remember any specific references; I am not trying to start any debates.  Suffice it to say, that in reading the vast majority of the NET, I didn't find it to be my cup of tea for my primary, daily use.  That's cool...it's OK.  The same can be said of most translations for each and every individual.  I do still use it frequently for study and research.

So, here we are several days into 2009, and, yes, I am several days into my new chronological daily bible reading.  This time around, I am using the newly-released ESV Study Bible.  I have been watching and waiting for the release of this study Bible for well over a year, and Lissa got me one for Christmas.  I like its more literal translation and have been happy with the study notes for the most part. What I have especially liked about the ESV Study Bible is that when you buy a printed copy of the book, you get free access to an online version that includes all of the study notes, articles, pictures, maps, etc.  This has been great!  When I use my hard copy, I (obviously) have access to all of the study materials, but now I can also get to them at any time from any computer.  This was a big selling point for me.

As for the reading plan I am using, there is an online ESV version, or you can check out the schedule itself and use other translations on the Chronological Reading Guide page.  This schedule was created by Back to the Bible, and they have several other reading plans available, including historical, beginning-to-end, and more.  I am not that far in yet, but I have enjoyed the reading schedule thus far.

So, since I have put this out there, you can all hold me accountable.  ("All" is a relative term, since I have no idea who, if anyone, will actually see this.)  If you have any questions or comments on the translation/schedule I'm trying or want to do the reading with me, e-mail, IM, or comment.  I'd love to know!

We attended [weblink:http://familylife.com/]'s Rekindling the Romance marriage conference this past weekend at Reunion Arena. It was a great time to get away from the rush of life, spend some time together, and focus on God's intentions for marriage.

We enjoyed a performance by Steven Curtis Chapman (without any band/backup unfortunately). We and 5499 other couples also got to dance a slow dance and eat a picnic lunch. (Apparently they consulted Lissa when planning the event.) At the end, everyone had a chance to say renewed vows to their spouse. The more troubled couples then had an opportunity to present a rose to their mate, signifying a recommittment to their marriage. Still in complete wedded bliss ourselves, we used this time to pray for all of those couples and for each other.