Posts Tagged ‘ Daniel Klem ’

Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 3

Continue preparing your heart for wisdom by reading the thoughts over at Proverbial Thought!

It is now the second week of Advent! (See the last two weeks’ devotional thought here and here.)

Again, Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return.

So, let us prepare hearts for encountering the Lord!

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
    for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us
    in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old“

. . .

“for my eyes have seen your salvation
    that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and for glory to your people Israel.”
Luke 1:68-70, 2:30-32, ESV

The first part of the quote is from Zechariah, John the Baptist’s dad, at John’s birth. The second part of the quote was said by Simeon, an old and devout man, when he saw the baby Jesus at the Temple.

These two men knew that the Lord’s salvation was at hand. If you read all of chapters one and two of Luke, you can see that even they did not understand His plan of salvation. They were on the right track, but they were not aware of how things would unfold.

The Lord had come, Emmanuel, God with us, and he brought salvation. It was first brought to Israel, the Jews in Jerusalem in particular, and then it spread to “all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8) over the past 2,000 years.

What most everyone then did not know was that first the Lord would bring spiritual salvation, the forgiveness of sins and the repairing of the relationship with God and humanity; the physical redemption from all enemies is still to come.

Let us remember that salvation has come, but we await our salvation from the pain and evil of this world (see Romans 8). We do not understand fully how it will all happen, but we know Jesus will return!

May we not get caught up in the knowledge we have and miss the signs of His coming. May we remember that we are not home yet, and we await our coming Savior. May we bring as many as we can to all of this knowledge of the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of the Father!

2014
12/16
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Birth of Jesus
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 12/14/2014

Find the wisdom of He who found you, and get started at Proverbial Thought!

Todays poem was actually written today! I typed it straight into this page while worshipping with my local church family.

It is rather fitting for this third week of Advent!

God and i, me and God

God and i are great
for He came to earth
to demonstrate
His love for a sinner.

me and God need work
for i frequently
fail to show His worth
in my life daily

Fortunately
He works in my life
to take my eyes off me
to see that God and i
are something holy
and by His design
for eternity
through the power of Christ

2014
12/14
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Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 2

Continue preparing your heart for wisdom by reading the thoughts over at Proverbial Thought!

It is now the second week of Advent! (See last week’s devotional thought here.)

Again, Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return.

So, let us prepare hearts for encountering the Lord!

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-14, ESV

It is important for us to remember that God’s people, the Israelites, those who painstakingly preserved the written Word of God and pursued righteousness, failed to recognize Him when he came to them quite literally in the flesh.

Jesus said just three chapters later, “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” (John 4:23). Our culture today is largely spiritually dull, even in many churches.

Ask yourself, “Would I recognize God if He approached me today?” Seek His face in prayer, Bible reading, and the fellowship of believers. Ask God to reveal Himself to you. Too many missed Him the first time around. Seek the living Lord!

2014
12/09
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 12/07/2014

Change your understanding and find wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2, ESV

 

you          me

Let us change,             and
(written with Kendra Page)

 

Let us change the world,

you and me,

with the help of God

for His Glory.

Let us change a life,

you and me,

by sharing His Love

with somebody.

Let us change our hearts,

you and me,

and focus back on the One

Who set us free

Let us change our thoughts,

you and me,

and rid them of anger, lust,

envy and greed.

Let us change our actions,

you and me,

by standing strong for God,

not being lazy.

Let us change our minds,

you and me,

by realizing God

is all we need.

2014
12/07
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Prepare Your Heart – Advent Week 1

Prepare your heart for wisdom over at Proverbial Thought!

It is the first week of Advent!

Advent is a time to remember our Lord’s first coming as we look forward to His imminent return. Continue reading →

2014
12/02
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/30/2014

A little birdie told me to tell you to find some wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

I remember seven years ago, I was sitting on Arizona State University’s main campus waiting for some friends to get out of class. We were going to meet up for a quick dinner (I was not a student, but they were … in fact, I was practically homeless at the time!), and then go to the weekly Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) meeting. I was sitting in the middle of the watery area near the Union reading my Bible, specifically Matthew 26 (verses 25-27, in the NIV):

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?“

Immediately after reading this, I looked up to see a bird flying overhead, performing all sorts of aerial acrobatics.

Then this poem came into my head.

It is rather fitting considering we just celebrated Thanksgiving in the good ol’ USA, as it is a reminder to focus on how God provides for us.

O birdie

O birdie in the air,
flying to and fro and everywhere,
what is it that you think about?
Do you worry about the clouds?
Is God a concern of yours?
That He is your real food source?
Do you contemplate people?
Do you wonder if they are real?
If God made you, then He made them,
so do you think about heaven?
Of all the cares that you have,
is it where you get your next bath,
or just maybe … perhaps …
that this world will not last?
But why should you care about that?
Do you know God controls your path?
O birdie flying oh so free,
Will you please share your thoughts with me?

2014
11/30
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Birds of the Air
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/23/2014

Do not lose sleep over foolish choices, and get a taste of wisdom from Proverbial Thought!

Whether it is the book of Ecclesiastes or Proverbs chapter 6 or many other passages, the Bible talks a lot about what distracts us and takes up our time. These things cost us rest and sleep.

The poem today was written after a few days not being able to sleep inside a building. I was tired, but I had been kept busy during my days.

When I was able to get back to … not even a bed, but a futon that had recently been acquired from others by a friend I was staying with, I was ready to fall fast asleep. Instead, I wrote this poem for God.

He is always worth a little less sleep.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

losing sleep

people lose sleep for various reasons

whether for work or for recreation

to read a good book or be with a person

but if i am losing sleep for anything

whether for all that mentioned or nothing

as long as i lose sleep seeking my King

if i can lose sleep for things here on earth

i should be able to for Him Who deserves

the very Creator in Whom i find my worth

2014
11/23
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Myths and Endless Genealogies?

Discover the everlasting wisdom of God through some of the thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

If you have followed my blog for a while, or read up recently, you probably know that I fall under the category of “Young-Earth Creationist”. I have plenty of scientific, philosophical, and biblical reasons for holding this view.

Today I want to focus for a brief moment on something that is more of a theological food for thought.

Science, Myth, or Something Else?

The funny thing about Evolution, specifically Darwinian evolution, is that we are generally taught as fact that the Universe is about 14 billion years old, the earth is about 4 billions years old, life on earth has existed and been evolving for about 2 billion years, we evolved from an ape-like creature which evolved from something else that evolved from something else that evolved all the way back to the first single-celled organism.

Yet, we have no definitive proof of any of this. There is a lot of evidence for a lot of things, but since a lot of it has not been and currently can not be directly observed (i.e. how the Universe came to be, the origin of life, one animal kind becoming another animal kind) it all comes down to worldview and faith.

On all sides.

The thing Christians have is a book (or, technically, a collection of books) with the claim that God inspired the very words (a debate for another time) in which He claims to have not only seen how all things happened but caused them to happen and in which He made claims about the future, most of which have come true and the rest are yet to happen.

Instead, we find many churches and Christians listening to atheistic scientific theories full endless cosmological and biological connections with little or no need for a Creator.

It might sound like a call to blind faith, but I encourage you to study the evidence and the arguments. Then look again at this question:

Who do you trust: men who were not there and have to keep changing their theories, or a God who claims to have been their and caused it all and does not change?

. . . so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
1 Timothy 1:3b-7

2014
11/18
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Weekend Words & Sunday Stanzas – 11/16/2014

Never grow weary of seeking wisdom, and find some thoughts at Proverbial Thought!

Just for the record, I was a little busy and forgot to prepare one of my poems for last week. Oops!

You could say I was tired, and so it slipped my mind. There is something that it has become increasingly more difficult to forget: thinking about God. Even when I am so tired I can barely see straight or hold a coherent thought, I find my mind wandering to the Bible, God’s attributes, and simply talking with Him.

This has only come after years of deliberately – and very often with Heavenly reminders! – seeking our Lord and reading His Word.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you want to seek His face, to be filled with a passion for His Word, His presence, to the point of falling asleep while thinking of Him.

tired devotion

i am so devoted to You
that even tired i will praise
my last moment that i have
the last moment i am awake
i spend reaching out for You
i fall asleep as i pray
and i will continue so
each and every day
You deserve what i have
and i will gladly pay
You said to love You with all
my heart and mind and soul and strength
so i will do as You have asked
even tired i will do as You say
my praise You will receive
whether at work or at play
my tired devotion You will get
even if i come to faint

2014
11/16
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Back from the Dead: Remembrance of Veterans

Find reminders of the source of wisdom at Proverbial Thought!

Two years ago I typed up this little post. I re-post today with only a few edits (to account for the change in date and add a couple sentences).

Remembrance of Veterans

This past day saw celebrations in many nations for those who have served in the military. Whether it is called Veterans’ Day, Armistice Day, or Remembrance Day, this is a time to recall those heroes who have served, fought, and even died in the service of country and/or freedom.

This is good. We should remember those who have gone before and fought for freedom. We should thank those who have served in the military, for it is a great sacrifice for most who do serve. It can mean the loss of time (doing preferred tasks, with family and friends, pursuing a career), limbs, and/or family. Soldiers have often given much and deserve to be remembered.

But, dear Christian, there are more who are at least as deserving if not more deserving of remembrance.

Hebrews 11 reminds us of some heroes:

  • Abel
  • Enoch
  • Noah
  • Abraham
  • Isaac
  • Jacob
  • Joseph
  • Moses
  • Gideon
  • Barak
  • Samson
  • Jephthah
  • David
  • Samuel
  • the Prophets

These were people who stood firm for God and laid the framework for the coming Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth.

Yet, there are more!

The New Testament has a list of heroes:

  • John, the Baptizer
  • Simon Peter
  • Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother
  • James, son of Zebedee
  • John, James’ brother
  • Philip
  • Bartholomew
  • Thomas
  • Matthew
  • James
  • Thaddeus
  • Simon the zealot
  • Matthias
  • Mary
  • Paul
  • Stephen
  • Barnabas
  • Mark
  • Luke
  • Philip
  • Procorus
  • Nicanor
  • Timon
  • Parmenas
  • Nicolas
  • Lydia
  • Priscilla
  • Aquilas
  • Phoebe
  • And many, many more!

Notice there are even women listed! If we dug through the Old Testament we would find more women, such as Ruth, Esther, and Deborah, to name but a few.

We need to also remember history since the end of the First Century, those who have carried the Church forward:

  • Augustine
  • Eusebius
  • Tertullian
  • Jerome
  • Origen
  • Pelagius
  • Francis of Assisi
  • Martin Luther
  • John Calvin
  • Loyola
  • Joan of Arc
  • John Wesley
  • C.S. Lewis
  • Martin Luther King, Jr.
  • Mother Teresa
Just to name a very few.
We need to remember these names and so many others for the work they have done to push the Gospel further into the world, deeper into our hearts, and on into the future until the return of our Lord.
Church history is important. We need to know about the ancient past, the past 2000 years, and recent leaders. We need to know why so many things are important.
Too much of recent Church history was resolved in the first few hundred years of Church history, but we have turned our backs on these giants of the faith.
Many recent Church problems have arisen largely due to an ignorance of what has come before.
Some of the time our ignorance of what has been discussed leads to problems.
Some of the time our ignorance of what has been done and why leads to problems.
Most of the time our ignorance of each other leads to problems.
Every time our ignorance of God leads to problems.
We get so focused on our differences that we lose focus of what has come before and who God is.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
Hebrews 12:1-8

2014
11/11
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Remember
Veterans' Day/Remembrance Day
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