Life. Faith. Jesus.

Today, I introduce a guest blogger, David Kreklau. David is a friend I met at our church, and he is a new blogger. He is posting as a guest today, not only because he is a friend, but more importantly he has a lot of good things to say. Be sure to stop by his blog and check out his content. Enjoy the following post!

I have been thinking about my home a lot lately. I am trying to sell it.

In fact, I have a showing today. Thus, I have been praying and praying… hoping and trusting in the Lord that it will sell.

But every now and then, a thought creeps into my mind… what if it doesn’t sell? And . . .

I begin to worry

What is worry? Why do we worry?

I think if any one of us were given the choice of whether or not to worry, we would all choose not to do so. But unfortunately, worry is a common part of our lives.

Jesus has this to say about worry: Read more

Focus is crucial to accomplishing any goal.

In the process of sorting the beans (pun intended) of life, we have to figure out which ones we spend more time focusing on.

Some slip through the cracks, while others we cannot neglect.

One of these we know we cannot neglect our focus on our relationship with Jesus.

In this relationship there are a few distinct aspects that every Christian ought to be focusing on.

They are like hinges to a door that need greased in order to stay free-swinging.

Some of the hinges a Christian should always be greasing are:

Of course there are more, but why should we focus on these?

The first in the list—Prayer—is something I have not the ability to speak with much authority.
Read more

Today I have written a guest article for Demian Farnworth on his website. This is Part 2 of a 5-part series on A Christ-Centered Approach to Bible Study.

The acronym we have been using as a study aid is T. H. I. N. C.

Part 1 was “Trust.” That’s where we begin.

What’s next?

Halting—The “H” in “T.H.I.N.C.”

Read the full article here.

—Jonathan

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Christians are the people who profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

They are the ones who believe that the Bible is God’s written word to mankind. They are the ones who think that everything we need to depend on for our existence is found in God and is from God. They are the ones who believe that sovereign grace is a blessing. They are the ones who believe that complete forgiveness is actually attainable in the Son of God: Jesus. Because of this, they have no condemnation (Rom. 8:1). Read more

So, I finally read a book that has been beckoning me for a while

A friend of mine, Don, gave me a book some time ago. Actually, it was like a year or more ago. It is the book The Cost of Discipleship, written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I just began reading it and am through the first chapter and half way through the second. So far, I love this book. I wonder why in the world did I wait so long to read it.

I would like to give you an excerpt of one of my favorite parts thus far, among many others. First, I will give you the Scripture passage that this excerpt follows:(I cannot find which translation this is, but it is closest to the American Standard Version, ASV)

“And they went to another village. And as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, ‘I will follow thee withersoever thou goest.’ And Jesus said unto him, ‘The foxes have holes, and the birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.’ And he said unto another, ‘Follow me.’ But he said, ‘Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.’ But he said unto him, ‘Leave the dead to bury their dead, but go thou and publish abroad the kingdom of God.’ And another said, ‘I will follow thee, Lord; but suffer me first to bid farewell to them that are at my house.’ But Jesus said unto him, ‘No man, having put his hand unto the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’” (Luke 9:57-62 ASV)

Says Bonhoeffer,

“The first disciple offers to follow Jesus without waiting to be called. Jesus damps his ardour by warning him that he does not know what he is doing. In fact he is quite incapable of knowing. That is the meaning of Jesus’ answer – he shows the would-be disciple what life with him involves. . . . The gulf between a voluntary offer to follow and genuine discipleship is clear.
But where Jesus calls, he bridges the widest gulf. The second would-be disciple wants to bury his father before he starts to follow. He is held bound by the trammels of the law. He knows what he wants and what he must do. Let him first fulfill the law, and then let him follow. A definite legal ordinance acts as a barrier between Jesus and the man he has called. But the call of Jesus is stronger than the barrier. At this critical moment nothing on earth, however sacred, must be allowed to come between Jesus and the man he has called – not even the law itself. Now, if never before, the law must be broken for the sake of Jesus; it forfeits all its rights if it acts as a barrier to discipleship. Therefore Jesus emerges at this point as the opponent of the law, and commands a man to follow him. Only the Christ can speak in this fashion. He alone has the last word. His would-be follower cannot kick against the pricks. This call, this grace, is irresistible” (60-61).

Wow, what a devotional commentary!

There are far more quotes that I have highlighted in this short 1 1/2 chapters I have read. But I thought this one may bless you today. So as I read this book, I cannot help but think of how great a discipleship book it is – that two or more people can get some good feedback with each other if they were to read it together.

Did you see it coming?

So, my question to you is if you would like to do some devotional writing on this. Would you? I understand that you probably don’t have the book, and I certainly cannot buy one for you, but I CAN highlight some significant thoughts of each chapter and write a brief commentary of those chapters here on SortingBeans. Then, we can discuss the ideas and have some devotional dialog. What do you think? If you think you would enjoy this, I will blog about it. There are like 31 chapters, but I don’t think it will take a long time to do the devotions.

This one’s up to you. The ball is in your court!

- Jonathan J.

Disclaimer: I do not fully know the theological supposition and framework of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Therefore, I cannot fully endorse all his views or words or theology as of now. Thus far, The Cost of Discipleship seems very solid. I will be certain to mention anything I have disagreements with in his exposition(s), as you are welcome to do the same. But remember, this is just a devotion.