If you were not able to attend the Joshua Tree retreat you don’t have to miss any of the studies.  I hope these will help you to grow in the knowledge of your God and Saviour.

Joshua Tree Retreat
 “The Art of a Tender Heart”


Journal #1
Defining sin…

A popular argument by atheists against the existence of God is the existence of sin.  If a holy God exists and can never do anything evil how then can sin exist?  The Bible says that all things were created by God and for God so how does a holy God create evil?  I think it is important to understand that sin is not a substance or a thing.  Sin or evil does not exist on it’s own.  Rather it is a distortion or corruption of something good.  Let me give you an example, rust is like a parasite to a car.  Rust distorts or corrupts the good object (car) but it can not exist with out the car.  In the same way the Bible says that when God had finished the work of His creation, “It was good” Genesis 1:31.  God created man with a free will.  The ability to choose to follow Him or not.  By man choosing to disobey God he allowed himself to become distorted or corrupted.

My neighbor bought his boys brand new bikes for Christmas.  The bikes looked really cool they were decked out with Spiderman and Xmen flare.  Shiny rims, clean chain and a perfect seats.  The boys kept leaving their bikes outside in the rain and heat for months.  Now you can’t even tell it’s Spiderman or Wolverine.  The chain is rusty, the rims are pitted, and the seats are cracked.  It is a total distortion from what it was.  In fact the bikes don’t even resemble what they were before.

Humanity is much the same as the bikes except we chose to leave ourselves out in the rain.  We were made in the image of our creator.  We were holy like God but because we chose to sin we became corrupted and distorted.  Now we don’t even resemble what we once were.

The Bible has some very descriptive words to help us understand sin.  One term used is “to miss the mark”, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.  Sin is not being good enough.  Another term is “trespass” which means to act treacherously, to fall, to stumble, or to offend.  There is also the word “iniquity” which means morally wrong or unrighteous.  Of course the words “evil” and “wickedness” are also used which mean bad, harmful, wrong, and ungodly.  There are more terms used to describe sin but I think I’ve got you on the right track to defining sin.

Take some time now and read through the scriptures to understand the subject more fully.  Before you start pray and ask God to reveal His truths to you.

Let’s first define sin…
1. Read Romans 14:23, John 3:18, and Hebrews 11:6.  How do these passages define sin?

2. Read 1 Samuel 15:23, Proverbs 17:11, and Nehemiah 9:17.  How do these passages define sin?

3. Read 1 John 3:4, James 2:8-11, and Psalm 19:7-14 (transgression means to actively break the terms of God’s moral law).  How do these passages define sin?

4. Read 1 Timothy 3:6, Ezekiel 28:17 (speaking of Satan), 1 John 2:16, and Psalms 10:2-4.  How do these passages define sin?

5. Do you thinks it’s fair that God decides what is right and what is wrong?  Why?

6. Read Psalm 139:23-24.  Take a moment and pray this prayer and then be silent.  Write down the sin in your life that God is revealing to you.  This will remain confidential.

7. Pray and ask God to forgive you and prepare you to hear from Him this weekend.

Journal #2
The effects of sin…

consequence |ˈkänsikwəns; -ˌkwens|
noun
1 a result or effect of an action or condition

On July 4th, 1776 the continental congress of the thirteen colonies of Great Britain met together for the signing of a document that to this day every American is grateful for, the Declaration of Independence!  It is said that there are no greater or more potent words in American history than, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”  As strong as the language is and however right it seems each of the fifty-six men who signed their name to the declaration understood the consequences of their actions.  They were deciding to commit treason against the English crown.  The penalty for this crime was death.

What most people don’t realize was that the Declaration of Independence was two years in the making.  The First Continental Congress met in the fall of 1774.  Their goal at the time was not to declare independence but rather to convince England that the colonies should have fair representation within the English parliament and were capable of self government.  Even after fighting broke out in 1775 the colonies were looking for reconciliation with the crown.  The decision to declare independence from England was very heavy and the consequences were severe.  The colonies would be going to war against a professional army with a great Navy.  The colonies could not even afford to pay an army, buy guns and canons, or the powder and shot.  The battles would be fought around their homes and families. In their farms and cities.  They had everything to lose!

There is a saying that goes, “Life is Consequences”.  The idea is that for every decision we make in life there are consequences so decide carefully.  I think it would be good for us if we took the time to think  more carefully about the consequences of our moral decisions.  Think about how many families would still be together if spouses thought more carefully about the pain they were inflicting upon their children.  Think about how much pain your life would have been spared without the effects of sin (yours or someone else’s).

This morning you will be studying the effects or consequences of sin.  I know most of us think we have a pretty good grasp on the subject but I challenge you this morning to understand it deeper.

Before you start pray and ask God to reveal His truths to you.

1. Read Isaiah 59:2, Genesis 3:7-8, and John 3:3-7.  What do these passages say about the effect of sin in our lives?

2. Read Romans 5:12-14, Revelation 20:14-15, and John 11:26.  What do these passages say about the consequences for sin in our lives?

3. Read Matthew 13:15, Revelation 3:15-20, and Ephesians 4:18-19. What do these passages say about the consequences of sin in our lives?

4. Read Isaiah 64:6, and Matthew 15:18-20.  What do these passage say about the effects of sin in our lives?

5. What are the effects that you personally have experienced from sin in your life?

6. Take some time and pray.

Journal #3
The effects of salvation

salvation |salˈvā sh ən|
noun Theology
deliverance from sin and its consequences through faith in Jesus Christ

When the popular television show “Lost” debuted in it’s first season it was an instant success.  With an average of 16 million viewers weekly ABC knew it was a touchdown series.  The premise of the story is a passenger jet flying from Sydney, Australia to Los Angeles crashes on a remote island somewhere in the south pacific.  Aboard the plane are individuals all with a unique story leading up to their plane crashing.  Each week the TV series would explore the history of a different castaway as they faced the obstacles of being stranded on an island.  As the stories would unfold the audience would discover how diverse the groups history was.  You had some characters that were basically good people while others were evil to the core.  The list of people included a drug addicted rocker, a doctor, an Iraqi Republican Guard, a pregnant mother, a lottery winner, a con-man, a mobster, and many more.

What fascinated me the most about the show was that you had good people, bad people, some in between but they all had the same essential need, to be rescued!  No matter how different their individual pasts or far apart their moral compasses they all were stranded.  To me the show premise is a great illustration of the human condition.  In humanity we have basically good people, we have evil people, and of course we have those in between. All essentially needing the same thing and that is reconciliation with God, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23.

What amazes me about our creator is rather than casting us off God goes to great lengths to rescue us.  The Bible tells us that it is not the threat of hell that scares us toward God but rather “God’s loving Kindness leads us toward repentance.” Romans 2:4.  God loves humanity and it is His desire for us not just to have life, but have an abundance of life.

For this journal entry we will be looking at the effects of salvation.  What changes in our lives once we accept this gift of life given to us in Christ Jesus.  I hope it will encourage you, move you, and give you a deeper understanding.  Please take a moment and speak to God and ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

1. Read 1 Corinthians 6:11, Hebrews 10:22, and Ezekiel 36:25-27.  What are the effects of salvation through Jesus Christ?

2. Read Titus 3:4-6, John 1:12-13, John 3:3-7.  What are the effects of salvation through Jesus Christ?

3. Read 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7, and Acts 26:15-18.  What are the effects of salvation through Jesus Christ?

4. Read Romans 5:10-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20, and Col 1:21-22.  What are the effects of salvation through Jesus Christ?

5. Take a moment and sum up in your own words what you’ve learned?

6.  Talk to God

Journal #4
“Cultivating a tender heart”

Recently I started gardening in my backyard because I thought it would be a fun activity to do with my two girls.  I dreamed  of walking out into a perfectly tilled garden picking vegetables and fruit at will.  In my mind I thought about how much fun it will be during summer barbecues to walk to the garden and pick fresh zucchini and corn to throw on the grill.  Or to gather up the perfect combination of peppers and tomatoes for a fresh salsa.  Of course come fall we’ll harvest pumpkins for Halloween and I’ll save a bunch of money.  There was only one problem with my perfect and hazy dream sequence and that was that I had no understanding of the hard work reality of growing your own food.

After digging up and tilling a large portion of the backyard I was ready to plant.  Irrigation was an after thought because what originally was going to be a small box garden became a 500 square foot farm (with a windmill).  Unfortunately gardening is not as easy as the Ronco Rotisserie infomercial you can’t just “set it and forget it”.  You have to continually work the garden.  The most important task is to turn the soil and keep weeds out.  By turning the soil you are adding oxygen to it and making it easy for roots to grow producing better fruit.  If you don’t prevent the weeds they steal the nutrients away from the plants eventually choking them out.

You know, I think our hearts are very similar to soil.  In order for us to be spiritually healthy we need to keep them soft and sensitive but it is so easy to let our hearts become calloused and hard to spiritual things.  When we sin or distance ourselves from God we lose our sensitivity and begin to make our path rather than letting God lead us.  We begin to determine what is right and wrong based in our own thinking rather than in the word of God.

Take a minute and look at the desert.  Can you imagine trying to walk home with nothing to guide you?  I bet most of us wouldn’t make it.  If we had a compass some of us would have a better chance.  Living life without the word of God is very much the same.  The Bible is our tool or handbook on the purpose of life and how to live it to the fullest.

Take a moment and talk to God before you start this devotion time.

1. Read Matthew 13:1-30.  What was the meaning of this parable (story)?

2. Which seed do you desire to be?

3. What do you think it takes to be this kind of seed?

4. Read 1 Corinthians 2:12-3:3.  What are three types of men listed in this passage?

5. What do you think it means, “…we have the mind of Christ”?

6. Read Galatians 5:16-17.  How can you apply this passage to your life?

7. Take some time and talk with God.