Marriage Is Super, Duper, Yuugely Important To The Bible

For the past month or so I've been reading through the book of Matthew with hundreds of my closest friends, and it couldn't be better! If you're looking to grow in your understanding of God's word this year Join The Journey just might be right for you. Check it out here.

Matthew has been challenging me at every turn and expanding my view of Jesus. New things are jumping off the page daily. Things I haven't noticed before and things that stand out in new ways because of the way my life and the world have changed since I last swam through Matthew's gospel. Some of these things are small details and some are big, concepts that rock my world like the fact that Jesus is a freaking B.A. in so many ways! I mean, that guy had it going on in a real way!

Before I let this thing go off the rails too much, let's get back to last week because its important.

Marriage is a really, really big, super important, huge, special, amazing, part of the story of the Bible, and thus God's plan.

Don't let the crazy extravagant Trump like use of superlatives throw you. The concept and understanding of marriage is vitally important. 

Case in point, Matthew 9:15. On the surface this is a crazy place to go if you're going to set forth the argument I just suggested above but as we dig a little deeper, perhaps it's a great place for us to go.

"And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast." (Matthew 9:15)

See what I mean? Crazy place to go right?

As with any passage of scripture, it is helpful to read more than one verse and maybe mix in a little context. You know, so we don't take verses some place they weren't intended to go.

So what's going on in Matthew 9?

So far in Matthew 9 we've seen Jesus completely blow people's minds by healing a paralyzed guy in dramatic fashion. For more detail on this miracle see Luke 5:17-24. Then we see Jesus calling Matthew and putting the Pharisees in their place again. Which brings us to 9:14, where the disciples of John the Baptist are criticizing the disciples of Jesus for not observing several fasts that were not required by the Mosaic Law but had been added in addition by the religious rulers of the day. Jesus uses some great illustrations in reply.

Which brings us back to verse 15.

Jesus refers to himself as "the bridegroom", which is the concept I want to sit in today.

What does this phrase mean / represent?

Here's what Dr. Tom Constable has to say:

The Old Testament used the groom figure to describe God (Ps. 45; Isa. 54:5- 6; 62:4- 5; Hos. 2:16- 20). The Jews also used it of Messiah's coming and the messianic banquet (Matt 22:2; 25:1; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:23- 32; Rev. 19:7, 9; 21:2). When Jesus applied this figure to Himself, He was claiming to be the Messiah, and He was claiming that the kingdom banquet was imminent.

So this idea of God (Christ) as the groom is not unique to Matthew 9 but is part of the larger story of scripture. That's pretty remarkable when you stop to think about it. God calls himself the groom and his people the bride.

Another way to look at this is that marriage is the primary analogy / picture God uses to tell us about Himself and our relationship to Him. (Ephesians 5:32)

If this is the case, then the entire concept of marriage must be a BIG deal.

God gave us marriage so that we would have a means by which to understand and grasp what He is up to. He created marriage so that we could later understand the gospel.

That simply blows my mind!

All the more reason to hold marriage in high regard.

Marriage is serious business and shouldn't be treated lightly. If I'm honest, I treat my own marriage lightly far more often that I'd like. Reflecting on truths like this one, help me get back on track and love my wife the way I should and I hope it does the same for you as well.

How To Send Emails Straight To Folders In Gmail

How many of us receive hundreds of emails each day that clog our inbox or perhaps we just have a desire to better organize how we process email. I have written previously on this topic, but one area of automation that could be a complete game changer for you.

Wouldn't it be amazing if you could send some emails directly into a designated folder and never see them sitting in your inbox?

You're in luck, there is a handy little way to do this with most email clients.

Outlook does this especially well with what they call "rules". Back when I used Outlook, I had a rule for just about every type of email that came through my inbox. It was extremely helpful to me and my productivity at the time. Since making the switch to Gmail as my primary work email client, I have missed using rules for organization.

But I recently learned that you can do the exact same thing in Gmail!

It is easy and simple and can change your life in just a few short clicks. Below is a quick little guide to help you out.

Step 1: Open the email you want to send to a specific folder

Step 2: Click on the upside down arrow 

Step 3: Select "Filter messages like this" from the dropdown menu

You should see this screen next.

Copy the email address in the "From" field and paste it into the "Has the words" field. This should help also direct emails you send into that folder in the future.

Then click "Create filter with this search" and you will see the following menu.

Step 4: Select what you want to do with these messages when they hit your inbox. If you want it to skip your inbox and go straight into a specific folder, click "Skip the Inbox" and then "Apply the label". On the dropdown menu next to "Apply the label" you can select the folder you want it to go into or create a new folder for it.

You can also select to apply this "filter" to other messages or conversations in your inbox. This will process those emails you have already received according to this new "filter."

After you have selected all you want to do with these types of emails, click "Create filter"

Success! You have now set up your very first email filter!

Mortimer Adler Can Show You How To Skim A Book Better

If you have been a reader of this blog for anytime, you know how much I value and enjoy reading. I believe it to be one of the most important habits we can develop and that the books we read shape who we become.

As a result of the incredibly high regard in which I hold reading, I spend a great deal of time thinking about the topic and seeking to sharpen my reading skills and habits. As a guy with this much of a love for reading, I am an incredibly slow reader.

Enter, Mortimer Adler.   

In his modern classic, How To Read A Book: The Classic Guide To Intelligent Reading, Adler offers up helpful rules for reading, including skimming a book. Like so much of what I learn, I wish I'd learned what Adler shares on skimming sooner. Oh how it could have transformed my college career! How much time could better book skimming skills have saved you in college? If you're anything like me, it amounts to hours and hours of time.

Not only will Adler's suggestions for skimming save you time, they will help you extract and retain more of what you read. If you follow the six steps below you will be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and discern the author's main points quickly.   

Adler's Suggestions for Skimming a Book

1. Look at the title page and if the book has one, at its preface.

2. Study the table of contents.

3. Check the index, if the book has one. Make a quick estimate of the range of topics covered and of the kinds of books and authors referred to. When you see terms listed that seem crucial, look up at least some of the passages cited.

4. Read the publisher's blurb.

5. Look now at the chapters that seem to be pivotal to its argument. If these chapters have summary statements in their opening or closing pages, as they often do, read these statements carefully.

6. Finally, turn the pages, dipping in here and there, reading a paragraph or two, sometimes several pages in sequence never more than that...Above all, do not fail to read the last two or three pages, or, if these are an epilogue, the last few pages of the main part of the book.

What To Do When Sorrow Attends Your Life

It is barreling down the road like a Mack truck bent on destroying your dreams, your hope and your faith and grinding it into dust. It wants to plow you over and leave you gasping for air in the road side ditch. Good luck calling for help, your cell phone just got crushed as well. While you lay in the grass hemorrhaging blood and gasping for breath thoughts race through your mind. You can hardly believe you’re here, and that this happened to you. Heck you may not even know what hit you.

What is it?

Suffering and sorrow.

No matter your age, where you are from, or your station in life the dark night of the soul is coming for you. You might as well buckle your chin strap and brace for impact. It has you in its sights and you can't do anything to avoid it.

Money, position and power might insulate you from some of it, but in the end it catches up with us all.

You will be attended with grief at some point in your life.

What do you do when that day comes?

Remember truth

In the face of what you don't know or fully understand, cling to what you do know. There are at least three things to cling to when that day darkens your door.

I. God is good. God's character displays His goodness. History and His word show Him to be loving (Romans 5:8, 1 John 4:7-11, John 3:16), faithful (Deut 7:6-9, 2 Timothy 2:13, Psalm 33:4) and gracious (Exodus 34:5-7, Psalm 86:5, 15, Ephesians 2:8-9, Matt 9:27).  

II. God is in control. Another way of saying this would be to state that God is sovereign. When we think about God's sovereignty we primarily think of three attributes of God. Omnipotence, all powerful and able to do as He chooses (Psalm 135:5-6, Job 42:2, Philippians 3:20-21). Omniscience, knowing all things past, present and future (Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 46:10, Hebrews 4:13). Omnipresence, always and completely present everywhere (Jeremiah 23:24, Proverbs 15:3, 1 Kings 8:27, Psalm 139:7-12).     

III. God is trustworthy. God can be trusted upon to keep His word, and promises (Hebrews 10:23, Titus 1:2). In light of His goodness and sovereignty we can trust Him. While we often do not understand many of the events that attend us in this life, we can entrust ourselves in to the arms of a good, loving Father who not only cares for us more deeply that we can imagine, but who is in control of the universe and has promised that nothing we here endure is without plan, purpose or design.  

When you cling to these truths found in God's word, it will buoy you in the sea of life. It will keep you afloat though the waves dash about and sink you with regularity. You will return to the surface by God's grace.

Process with others

One of the greatest gifts God has given us is each other, the church. When disaster strikes we are not left alone to figure things out. We have the amazing opportunity to half our burdens by sharing them with others. But other people can't help you if they are unaware of what is going on in your life. Open up and share honestly about your life. I know it can be a scary thing. You wonder what other people will think and what they will say. You will be pleasantly surprised at how many other people have experienced similar things and most importantly you will be deeply touched by their compassion and support as you walk through a trying season. The church is made up of crazy, mixed up people like me and you, but there is no better place to be when you're blindsided by disaster.

Here is a picture of what this looked like recently in a neighborhood not to far from here when tornados ripped through Garland and Rowlett.  

Remember things will not always be so

This world is touched by the curse. A result of our sin and rebellion. But this will not always be the case. This world is full of many sorrows and in this life we are promised trouble, but God's grace is greater than the storm and just as He calmed the one upon the sea, so also will He calm this one. You are buoyed by the words of God and His promises that no suffering you here endure is without meaning and that great promise that He will soon make right all that has gone awry because of sin.     

At the end of the day we desire to say as the saints of old that, "blessed is the name of the Lord" and "it is well with my soul."

If ever there was a man who's life had been hit the full force of the Mack truck of sorrow, it was Horatio Spafford. In the midst of difficult suffering and tragic circumstances he authored this beautiful hymn. Below is a video from Desiring God with Jimmy Needham singing "It Is Well" and John Piper telling the moving story behind it. It is my prayer that your soul would be buoyed by the truth that is found in these lyrics and that you would bookmark these truths for when your own day of trouble comes.

5 Proven Steps That Will Transform Your Bible Study

Twitter might be a gigantic time waste to some but it changed my life. Several years ago I responded to a tweet from Brandon Barker who was on staff at The Village Church. He had asked if there were any men looking to be discipled. I quickly shot Brandon a reply and a few weeks later met Matt Hummel. Over the next year and a half Matt would fundamentally transform how I studied God's word. 

I knew daily bible reading was important and sought to make it a daily habit but wasn't always sure what to do when I opened my bible. I needed direction and help in going deeper in God's word, and Matt was who the Lord used to help me do so.

Each Monday we would gather around Matt's kitchen table to discuss what we read, the things that stood out and to learn a ton of new skills. Today I want to share a few of the tools I learned regarding studying the bible. I hope you find them as helpful as I did and that they help you swim deeper this year. 

1. Read the book all the way through several times.
2. Put together a broad outline of the book.
3. Study the background of the book. Think authorship, audience and purpose.
4. Observe the text. Ask yourself, "What do I see?"
   1. Underline all verbs
   2. Circle key words or phrases
   3. Highlight repeated words or phrases
   4. Box connecting words
   5. List primary themes
   6. Make at least two observations about what you're seeing in each verse
   7. Ask interpretive questions
5. Interpret the text.
   1. Use the context
   2. Compare multiple translations
   3. Look up keywords
   4. Study cross references
   5. Look up background information
   6. Tackle tough questions step by step
      1. List all the options
      2. List pros and cons for each option
      3. Choose the most likely option
      4. Decide on your certainty level

That year spent gathered around Matt's table is one I look back on with great fondness and am so grateful I had the opportunity to do. I learned a great deal as a result and can barely scratch the surface on the difference this approach to studying the bible has had in my life.

If you are looking to go deeper in God's word in 2016, I hope you apply these five steps to your study and that they serve as real game changers for you.

For additional resources I can not commend the bible study tools and resources produced by Grace Bible Church in College Station, TX strongly enough. They provide great instruction on how to develop the above skills.