More Than Bread

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In Luke 8, Jesus tells a story that in many ways sums up James 3. He shares a parable about seeds and soils and a 100 fold return in the harvest. But really it's all about words, and hearts, and a great return on investment in the lives of peole. It's about having the kind of heart that overflows with life on the people around us. 

So I can't help but ask the question, what is the texture of a good heart? That's wht this episode is all about.

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What if I told you, that I am a stock guru? And if you will invest $100 using my method you will gain $10,000 by year end, a 100 fold increase.  What would you say? The promise of a 100 fold return on investment seems almost too good to be true.  But if it's true -- it's good.  Isn't it? Apply that to any area of your life, education, exercise, a 100x return on investment sounds too good to be true. But if's true, it would be good, right?

In this episode we are looking at a story that Jesus told about 100x gains on investment. An investment of His Word into your heart; are you looking for a 100x return? 

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It's something we desperately need today, a wisdom that comes from above. We are living in a time when much of our culture is living by a wisdom that comes from below, filled with a me-first selfish-ambition. But a wisdom that comes from above is peace-loving and willing to yield. It's graciously humble and generously compassionate. It's a wisdom that is from above and we desperately need it today!

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If I declare to you, "We need a radical heart-revolution!" what would you think I mean? I have a sneaky suspicion that James would say that it's all about humility. We need a radical heart-revolution that takes us out of the center of the world, even out of the center of our own world. One of the key characteristics of God's way--is described by James as "Doing good works with humility."  

This humility thing is so illusive.  What does humility look like?  We’ve talked about this before, even recently, but I got to believe it’s good for us, or at least good for me to hear it again. James says that we can't hear God, we can't follow God and we can't find life, without humility.  So what we need is a radical heart-revolution.

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When I was a kid, my mom would often challenge me with this phrase, "Garbage in, garbage out." GIGO. It was her way of saying, you can't control your tongue, but you can control what's at the source. Sooner or later what's at the source, what's in your heart and mind is going to come out of your mouth. 

And how do we clean up the source? We let God's Words saturate our souls, our hearts and our minds? We let God's Words into our hearts, before our words go out our lips. So what's at the source of what comes out of your mouth?

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There is power in words. We know it because we’ve been on the receiving side of words that encouraged and words that destroyed. There are times when you've been so impacted by words, that in your heart of hearts you know what Solomon meant when he wrote in Proverbs 15:4, "The tongue the brings healing is a tree of life, but a lie  crushes the spirit." Words can hurt. Words can give life. Words can seem to be heaven-sent and words can burn like hell.

And sometimes, we just need a button for our mouths!  :)

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We are back to the book of James. In this episode we will review James 1-2 a bit, and then in the next episode we dive into chapter 3. You know in reality the book of James is all about wisdom, practical wisdom, not just philosophical wisdom, but how to live life right. Wisdom that works.  James says a lot about prayer, but he also says a lot about the Word. No spiritual practices are more important than the Word and prayer. It's that breathing in and breathing out. 

We listen to the Word and learn from the Word, but if our listening and learning doesn't end with leaning...leaning into the Word, the Word won't work. Wisdom begins in knowing, but if it doesn't end in doing, it doesn't work.  So not long from now, we’ll hear James say in 3:13, "If you are wise and understand God’s ways,  prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom."

Prove it.  It's not enuf to say that you are wise.  Prove it by how you live. God's wisdom has a certain look to it. So prove it.  

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This is my last Psalm Pause. I know, if you read the notes, I said that about the last one, but catch-up from vacation is...well...full. The next episode gets us back to the book of James and a life of prayer. 

I've been taking a bit of a break after 100 downloads and during my vacation. I've been reposting some Psalms that specifically hit some themes from our current series, "A Life of Prayer." The themes include scripture, prayer, trusting God, and thriving.  

In Psalm 51, David wants more than forgiveness.  Way more.  I hope you do too.  The grace of God is not just a forgiving  grace.  The grace of God is a healing grace.  The grace  of God is a joy-restoring grace.  The grace of God is a renewing, sustaining, strengthening grace.  The grace of God brings an unstoppable tsunami of transformation.  And it's available for you!

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I've been taking a bit of a break as a reward for 100k downloads and as a pause during my vacation. But during this week+ break, I'm reposting some Psalms that I've chosen, specifically to hit some themes of our current series, "A Life of Prayer." The themes include scripture, prayer, trusting God, and thriving. This is the last Psalms Pause...next episode is James 3.

As I look around us, as I look among us, and as I look within me, I would say that a sin-soaked heart is life's greatest problem. We would prefer to highlight other issues. At least in part because when we talk about sin, sooner or later it's going to come back to me. Because here is what I know, my sin-soaked heart is my greatest problem. My own heart is the dominant problem of my life. My heart is my problem. But Psalm 51 gives me hope that God has a solution for my problem!

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I'm taking a bit of a break as a reward for 100k downloads and as a pause during my vacation. But during this week+ break, I'm reposting some Psalms that I've chosen, specifically to hit some themes of our current series, "A Life of Prayer." The themes include scripture, prayer, trusting God, and thriving. 

If you are anything like me, reading the book of James brings some stuff to the surface of my heart that brings conviction of my mess. Psalm 51 takes us into the heart of a deeply personal prayer of confession and repentance. It’s a prayer prayed by David when he was caught in sin. David’s heart was pierced with conviction and burdened by guilt and Psalm 51 is a heartfelt response to  that sin. It’s a raw and vulnerable cry for mercy. David doesn’t justify or minimize what he did, he simply lays his soul bare before God.