VLP – 002 Is there anything more valuable?

Readings: Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 99; Philippians 3:7-14; Matthew 17:1-9

by Stuart Miles - freedigitalphoto.net
by Stuart Miles – freedigitalphoto.net

What do I value?  From what do I derive my value?

St. Paul’s perspective concerning all his efforts, success, and prestige is worthless when compared to having a relationship, knowing, the King of Kings.  It is more than know about Christ.  He wanted to know Christ in the power of His resurrection.  The power to bring death to life.  Paul also acknowledges that this knowledge will be accompanied with suffering.

  • Moses in Ex. 24 had a transfiguring experience with God.
  • Some of the Disciples of Jesus had a transfiguring experiences with God on a mountain.
  • St. Paul was transformed when he encounter Jesus on the road to Damascus
  • Consider who Paul (Saul) was before he encounter Christ.
  • Did Paul have cause to boast, put confidence, in his identity and heritage?
  • Paul punched all the right tickets…  However, compared to knowing Christ it is all worthless.
  • What does it mean to know Christ?
  • What is the difference between know about someone and having a relationship?
  •  Consider how we can misunderstand someone when we just know a little about them as opposed to knowing someone personally.
  • Just knowing about Jesus is not enough to bring a transformation of our heart and lives.
  • Experiencing the Power of His Resurrection.
  • “I press on.”
  •  I have not fully obtained, but what I do is lay it all aside.  I lay aside all that the world would consider “gain”.  I lay aside all that is behind me.  And I press on to know Jesus.
  • What is weighing us down?
  • Do we seek to know about Jesus?
  • Do we seek to know Jesus in our experiences?

VL 001 – Being Still In A Crazy World (Psalm 46)

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Readings: Exodus 17:1-7; Psalm 46; Romans 5:1-11; John 4:5-42

  • It all starts and ends in knowing that He is God!
  • Knowing about God…+knowing by relationship.  Know about God only gets us so far.  It is in a relationship that a deep trust is formed.
  • Fear does not need to dominate our lives or our emotions.
  • It is hard to be at peace, to be still, when we are playing God.
  • Even when nature goes crazy…. (Ps 46:2-3)
  • Even when nations go crazy…. (Ps 46:6)
  • God over creation and the nations.
  • Being still is not a lack of activity.  It is peace no matter what is going on.
  • Circumstances do not change God.

Psalm 131:2

  •  He is the Lord over creations and the Lord over the affairs of man!
  • When we have our hope placed in God we can learn to be still.
  • We can be nourished with the living whether, the same that he offered to the Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14.
  • Nourished by God’s love that “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)  God is always present with us.
  • In what, or who do we place our hope?  Do we place our hope in medicine, in our success, in our abilities, in our spouses, in our children…?
  • Practicing living our lives being still and know that He is God in the little things will help prepare us for whatever big events, like mentioned in this Psalm, that we may face.