DEBT FREE for the time being.

All my adult life I have been in and out of debt. My most recent step out of it was just last week. We sold our house and moved into a hotel for a few weeks. The equity we made on the sale has gone to pay off the credit cards, overdraft protection, my wife's vehicle, and my mother who gave us a loan a couple of years ago to try to get out then, but due to some financial pressures we got back in trouble right away again.

This time we intend to stay out. I have all the best intentions, but my intentions are really not very good considering my past history. Everytime I go into something with good intentions it always fails. That is why I am glad that God does not look at my intentions for saving me. He sent his son to die so that I don't have to rely on my intentions to save me. Where my intentions are good, my will gets in the way and subverts my intentions. But Jesus died for me despite my intent and will.

Only with God's help can we expect to stay on top of our spending habits. We can't rely on our good intent to keep us out of debt. Sooner or later we will fail on our intentions if we allow our will to do what it pleases.

Luther's small catechism says it best when explaining the third article of the Apostle's creed

I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.

I think this says a lot about how we can't do it without him. We need him for everything.
Don't rely on your intentions even when they are good ones. You will fail and that is guaranteed. Rely instead on Christ.

Proverbs 3:5-6 say: 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Moving out of a house is physically and mentally exhausting!
The last few days my wife and I have been packing all our belongings in a big trailer and throwing out almost as much as we packed. We are now testing our family resolve in a small hotel room for the next few weeks. If we can live in a 150 sq foot hotel room for that long we will be able to stand the test of seminary life.

I pray that God will bring a job to my wife so that we can move soon.

Amen!

Tagged by Dan the Protoevangel on the Bible Meme

1) How many Bibles in your home?

Well we are packing things away, but I would say 6 or 7.

2) What rooms are they in?

Well right now I have two in my truck and one in a box in the basement and the rest are packed away ready for our move.

3) What translations do you have?

Mostly NIV, but I do have my Baptismal bible which is a KJV.

4) Do you have a preference?

Actually I would like to pick up an ESV and a Becks if they are still around.

5) Nominate an interesting verse.

That is tough because I have a whole bunch of favorites

I think the one that intrigues me most is Galations 2:20 which reads

20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Equally intriguing is the next verse: 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

these two verses explain how the life we live now is totally because of Christ in us and that Grace trumps law.

I learned this verse about 20 years ago when I was going through an identity crisis. It helped identify with Christ as my Lord and savior. Now I pass it on.


I tag SandraO of Madre's Missives

Up to this point I have been blogging primarily about the process that we (my family and me) have been going through in selling our home and the direction that God is guiding us and especially me towards the seminary.

I will still blog occasionally on this, but I am going to direct my blogs toward sharing God's word with people who may come to read my blog.


One of the things I was able to pick up at the bookstore on the campus of CTS was a new edition of Luther's Small Catechism. One of the areas that I have been drawn to is the section on "Daily Prayers". Each time that I went to Chapel during my visit, depending on the time of day, we said the Daily Prayer for that time. The morning prayer goes like this.

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ,
Your dear Son, that you have kept me this night from all harm
and danger; and I pray that you keep me this day
also from every sin and evil, that all my doings and life
may please you. For into Your Hand I commend myself,
my body and soul and all things. Let your Holy angel be with
me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen

The Evening Prayer is similar to the Morning Prayer

I thank you, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ,
Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day;
and I pray that You will forgive me all my sins where I have
done wrong, and graciously keep me this night.
For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul and
all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may
have no power over me. Amen.

Luther gives these prayers to us (men/father's particularly) to teach our children.


Being that I am Lutheran, I grew up with this table prayer:

Come Lord Jesus, be our guest and let these gifts to us be blest, Amen.

Luther's Small Catechism has us learning this prayer instead

Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these your gifts which we receive
from Your bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ , our Lord. Amen.

Sounds like the prayer that my Roman Catholic friends grew up saying. Of course they crossed themselves before and after the prayer. Over the past few years, I have taken to crossing myself in the name of the Triune God. With the sign of the cross I am reminded of what was done for me on the Cross by Christ and then I also am reminded of one God existing in three persons.

Crossing oneself is not a requirement it is an adiaphoron (ah dee ah fron) the root of this word is "Adiaphora" and it mean something that is neither commanded, nor forbidden by scripture.

Also praying does not mean that we have to recite a specific prayer, but if you look at these prayers you will see the model of the Lord's prayer being used. You can pray these prayers or you can just pray to God ex corde' (from the heart) but at all costs Pray!