Category: devotional

BB is Being Useful to God

These are the numbers for just the last seven days!

If you scan the list you’ll see the teaching ministry/witness is penetrating closed countries. A couple of months ago, we added “a translation button” that makes its way into the viewers own language. (We even got a visit from the Vatican!)

At this point we are averaging between 500-600 views each day.

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Top Views by Country for 7 days ending 10-08-12 (Summarized)

Country Views
United States FlagUnited States 2,379
Canada FlagCanada 180
United Kingdom FlagUnited Kingdom 176
Australia FlagAustralia 113
Philippines FlagPhilippines 79
India FlagIndia 75
Brazil FlagBrazil 49
Mexico FlagMexico 37
Netherlands FlagNetherlands 33
South Africa FlagSouth Africa 29
Indonesia FlagIndonesia 27
Singapore FlagSingapore 25
Sweden FlagSweden 21
Turkey FlagTurkey 20
Austria FlagAustria 17
Finland FlagFinland 17
Germany FlagGermany 16
Italy FlagItaly 15
Portugal FlagPortugal 15
Greece FlagGreece 15
United Arab Emirates FlagUnited Arab Emirates 14
France FlagFrance 14
Argentina FlagArgentina 13
Ireland FlagIreland 13
Thailand FlagThailand 13
Malaysia FlagMalaysia 12
Spain FlagSpain 12
Hungary FlagHungary 12
New Zealand FlagNew Zealand 12
Korea, Republic of FlagRepublic of Korea 12
Russian Federation FlagRussian Federation 11
Israel FlagIsrael 11
Pakistan FlagPakistan 9
Slovenia FlagSlovenia 8
Egypt FlagEgypt 7
Switzerland FlagSwitzerland 7
Poland FlagPoland 7
Malta FlagMalta 7
Denmark FlagDenmark 7
Peru FlagPeru 6
Ghana FlagGhana 6
Ukraine FlagUkraine 6
Kuwait FlagKuwait 6
Hong Kong FlagHong Kong 5
Croatia FlagCroatia 5
Colombia FlagColombia 4
Romania FlagRomania 4
Albania FlagAlbania 4
Serbia FlagSerbia 4
Taiwan, Province of China FlagTaiwan 4
Brunei Darussalam FlagBrunei Darussalam 3
Estonia FlagEstonia 3
Chile FlagChile 3
Japan FlagJapan 3
Guatemala FlagGuatemala 3
Haiti FlagHaiti 3
Puerto Rico FlagPuerto Rico 3
Azerbaijan FlagAzerbaijan 3
Bulgaria FlagBulgaria 3
Latvia FlagLatvia 3
Panama FlagPanama 2
Belgium FlagBelgium 2
El Salvador FlagEl Salvador 2
Maldives FlagMaldives 2
Jamaica FlagJamaica 2
Kenya FlagKenya 2
Moldova, Republic of FlagMoldova 2
Bangladesh FlagBangladesh 2
Jordan FlagJordan 2
Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of FlagMacedonia, the Former Yugoslav Republic 2
Viet Nam FlagViet Nam 2
Georgia FlagGeorgia 2
Slovakia FlagSlovakia 2
Zambia FlagZambia 2
Cambodia FlagCambodia 2
Nigeria FlagNigeria 2
Trinidad and Tobago FlagTrinidad and Tobago 2
Macao FlagMacao 1
Norway FlagNorway 1
Bolivia FlagBolivia 1
Costa Rica FlagCosta Rica 1
Mongolia FlagMongolia 1
Cyprus FlagCyprus 1
Sri Lanka FlagSri Lanka 1
Venezuela FlagVenezuela 1
Belarus FlagBelarus 1
Senegal FlagSenegal 1
Uganda FlagUganda 1
Bahrain FlagBahrain 1
Qatar FlagQatar 1
Oman FlagOman 1
Dominica FlagDominica 1
Barbados FlagBarbados 1
Saudi Arabia FlagSaudi Arabia 1
Lithuania FlagLithuania 1
Nepal FlagNepal 1
Zimbabwe FlagZimbabwe 1

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:58

ybic, Bryan

Back When We Were Grown Ups

 

“I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.”  Mark 10:15, CEV

“So Jesus called the children over to him and said, “Let the children come to me! Don’t try to stop them. People who are like these children belong to God’s kingdom.”   Luke 18:16, CEV

One of the essential tenets of real discipleship is Jesus’ insistence on his disciples becoming children.  It actually is the entry point for all believers.  Everyone who really believes begins here, at ‘childlikeness’.

It’s interesting to note that ‘religion’ moves in the opposite direction– a level of sophistication is cultivated.  One becomes intellectual, emphasising the ‘academics’ over gentleness and goodness or love.

I think that there is an excessively high appreciation for broad-mindedness, but it is a cultivated, savoir-faire that is really is nothing but an embarrassment to the Kingdom of God.  It seems our discipleship is strongest when it is simplest.  Humbling ourselves is what makes us incredibly authentic– at least from His point-of-view.

And maybe–  just maybe, ‘becoming small’ is exactly what ‘the doctor has ordered’.  We need this, it needs to be imbedded into our hearts, and altering the way we encounter life.  If we are going to be real, then we must become children.  Becoming a child is an imperative.

Who do we think we are?  Often, we start out ‘broken’.  We esteem gentleness and brokenness.  We understand that the most valuable possession we can possess is a ‘childlikeness’. This can be understood by everyone we encounter– especially believers.  But this is only our starting point, we do not outgrow this, never.

Christians are set apart by their childlike heart.

“But I am calm and quiet,
like a baby with its mother.
I am at peace, like a baby with its mother.”

Psalm 131:2

ybic, Bryan

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Correction for Christ Followers

“For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”  

Prov. 3:12, NLT

Interesting.  Some people get a double-dip.  If you are a loved son/daughter you have the tremendous honor of being loved and also of being disciplined.  My own son is disciplined because I love him so much.  He’s my boy and I love him even more than my own life.  When I do need to correct him, it is that love that makes it possible.  If I didn’t really love him, I would let him do his thing without any discipline at all. It would be easier.

To be left alone, with no correction or discipline is to be in a difficult place.  It smacks of abandonment.  Or of being cast-off or sent away.  It can be worse then abuse.

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said,

   “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline,
      and don’t give up when he corrects you.
  For the Lord disciplines those he loves,
      and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.”

Heb. 12:5-6

The connection between a loving and caring Father, and you will require you to cooperate with His correction.  The writer of Hebrews knew the frail nature of people.  The writer knew that people would be tempted to quit– it is so hard.  “Don’t give up” in verse 5.  That means we will be tempted do so, to walk away and quit.  People do it all the time. It is easy.

“As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?”

Heb. 12:7-9

God loves you.  God loves you so much that He wants to change you.  Understanding that you are a son or a daughter in His family makes life worth living.

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ybic, Bryan

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To Envy A Green Olive Tree

Planted in the Kings Courtyard

“But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God. I trust in the steadfast love of God, forever and ever.” 

Psalm 52:8, ESV

It is important that we can properly identify ourselves.  The psalmist knows what he is.  There is no confusion in his thinking, and he has a zero vacillation factor.  “I am like–the comparison, to a green olive tree, –the reality.”  FYI, he isn’t talking about green olives (my fridge has a jar or two), but a tree that is green (full of fresh life).  He marks himself, identifying himself of being a flourishing and productive tree.  This makes sense when we compare possibilities of what the many types there are.

He puts himself in “the house of God”.  “Planted”–the idea of being fixed in a spot.  And living, “growing, lush and green”.  He is not your “run-of-a-mill” olive tree.  He is planted, and positioned, in an incredibly rich place, right in the temple, God’s house.  Now it is one thing to flourish– but another thing to be that way in the ultimate prime spot.  It is good to see this. There is a generousness about having a place in God’s house.  It is as good as it gets!

There is a “trust” that we can see that the psalmist has.  It has to do with love.  Not so much of my love for Him, but His love for me.  It takes confidence to think this way.  I confide, and then settle myself in His love.  He loves me! (and I know it!)

The psalmist emphasizes a love that has an eternal understanding, “forever and ever”.  Now most of us are aware of a love that has limits and distinctions.  But His kind of love for me is the “firehose” kind of love.  (When it blasts, it can peel paint off a car.)

A fresh olive tree.  A desirable thing of beauty.  But planted right in the middle of God’s house.  That is an amazing thing!  We have the soil, and it’s a rich soil.  And we have the location, right in a wonderful spot.  This is as good as it gets!  We have the most envious spot in the garden.  As a clinically depressed person, this comes as a terrifically great news!

 

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ybic, Bryan

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