Oh how I love Christmas time! All of the lights, musics, smells, sounds.... and "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Our family loves to watch Charlie Brown - we have 3 of the holiday videos and it's a tradition. Obviously not a spiritual one but a warm memory one. Traditions are an important part of holidays, there is a sense of familiarity and continuity to them.
Imagine on that night that Christ was born how the shepherds were doing what was routine and familiar to them out in the fields keeping watch by night. The familiar sounds of the cattle lowing or the sheep bleating, the sounds of the animals bells tinkling as they grazed, maybe the wind was gently blowing or possibly the shepherds sang songs to bide the time. The sky must have been magnificent with all the stars in the sky especially the one great star that was to guide the wise men to the Messiah.
All of a sudden an angel of the Lord appears before them! Not only that but the glory of the Lord shone about them! Can you imagine? They were very afraid - I would be too! Then the angel speaks, telling them that great news of great joy - the Savior, Christ the Lord, has been born in the city of David. Suddenly an angelic host appears singing praises to God, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace on earth among men with whom He is well pleased."
What an amazing narrative! It is such an awesome thing that the angels brought the greatest news of all history to shepherds first. Their lives must never have been the same. Immediately they went to see the Christ child but they didn't keep it to themselves... they told everyone! Luke tells us in Luke 2:18 that "all who heard it wondered at the things that were told them by the shepherds." Maybe they had a tradition of recounting their story every year at the same time - celebrating the good news.
Isn't that what Christmas is about? Sharing Christ and His birth, why He came. Truly this season is one of great news of great joy!
I pray we would not get lost in the bustle so much that the simple beauty and wonder of Christmas is missed. "Today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11
Praise God for His Christmas gift!!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The heavens declare the glory of the Lord
"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in a pair of scales?...
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
"It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in....
"Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40:12,21-22,26
God spoke the heavens into place, calls all of the stars by name, and measures the universe with the span of His hand. As you gaze into the night sky, give praise and glory to the One Who is the Author of it all. He is worthy!
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
"It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in....
"Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing." Isaiah 40:12,21-22,26
God spoke the heavens into place, calls all of the stars by name, and measures the universe with the span of His hand. As you gaze into the night sky, give praise and glory to the One Who is the Author of it all. He is worthy!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
I'm back!!
Oh my! Has it really been that long since I've posted last??? Goodness me.
Well, I am working on getting my act together (anyone else in the boat with me?). Meanwhile the Lord and I have been working on the concept of loving the brethren. Not that I haven't loved them at all but expanding my ability (and understanding) to love them in the way He wants me to... especially the difficult ones. Now there's where the lesson comes in.
My girls and I have been doing an in depth study of I John which covers the concept of agape love quite deeply. Basically those who say they love God but don't love their brethren are liars (I Jn 4:20)... ouch. God commands that we love one another.
As I have been studying this I looked up LOVE in Vine's Expository Dictionary. Here is what it said for agape:
"Christian love has God for it's primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments.
"Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all and works no ill to any; love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,' Gal. 6:10"
The best picture of this love is the sacrifice God made when He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for my sins while I was yet a sinner. God loves me in spite of my unworthiness.
Agape loves expresses itself by doing what is best for the receiver regardless of what they want. It is sacrificial, unconditional, unselfish and requires no return. It is a love that I cannot begin to express outside of the power of Christ in me as I abide in the Word of God and press in to God daily.
Honestly I fall so short especially when I get too busy to abide in His word, when I have disconnected from the lifeline. How about you? Are you plugged in and loving as God would have you love? Praise be to God for His mercies are new every morning... let's make today a day of living in the light of God's love by loving others.
Well, I am working on getting my act together (anyone else in the boat with me?). Meanwhile the Lord and I have been working on the concept of loving the brethren. Not that I haven't loved them at all but expanding my ability (and understanding) to love them in the way He wants me to... especially the difficult ones. Now there's where the lesson comes in.
My girls and I have been doing an in depth study of I John which covers the concept of agape love quite deeply. Basically those who say they love God but don't love their brethren are liars (I Jn 4:20)... ouch. God commands that we love one another.
As I have been studying this I looked up LOVE in Vine's Expository Dictionary. Here is what it said for agape:
"Christian love has God for it's primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to His commandments.
"Christian love, whether exercised toward the brethren, or toward men generally, is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered. Love seeks the welfare of all and works no ill to any; love seeks opportunity to do good to 'all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith,' Gal. 6:10"
The best picture of this love is the sacrifice God made when He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for my sins while I was yet a sinner. God loves me in spite of my unworthiness.
Agape loves expresses itself by doing what is best for the receiver regardless of what they want. It is sacrificial, unconditional, unselfish and requires no return. It is a love that I cannot begin to express outside of the power of Christ in me as I abide in the Word of God and press in to God daily.
Honestly I fall so short especially when I get too busy to abide in His word, when I have disconnected from the lifeline. How about you? Are you plugged in and loving as God would have you love? Praise be to God for His mercies are new every morning... let's make today a day of living in the light of God's love by loving others.
Monday, November 3, 2008
HOLD THE FORT
"Hold the Fort"
Philip P. Bliss 1870
Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader's name we triumph over every foe.
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
This hymn was shared with us at a recent family camp we went to. It was shared in the context of it's being written during the Civil War. There was a battle over a critical fort, the men defending it were out of ammunition and strength but one man saw the signal of a coming general miles off telling them to "hold the fort", he was coming with reinforcements. The men of the fort held on and WON with the help of those reinforcements! The man who wrote this hymn saw the spiritual application and penned this hymn. I was so encouraged!
How often do we get discouraged? How often do we wonder if we are the only ones fighting in this war on earth? How easily do we forget Whose battle it really is? How timely a reminder that we do not fight by might nor by power but by His Spirit... the battle belongs to the Lord! Oh my friend, if you are weary in battle today, hold the fort, Jesus is coming! By His grace you will.
Philip P. Bliss 1870
Ho, my comrades, see the signal, waving in the sky!
Reinforcements now appearing, victory is nigh.
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty ones around us falling, courage almost gone!
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader's name we triumph over every foe.
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
Fierce and long the battle rages, but our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander, cheer, my comrades, cheer!
"Hold the fort, for I am coming," Jesus signals still;
Wave the answer back to heaven, "By Thy grace we will."
This hymn was shared with us at a recent family camp we went to. It was shared in the context of it's being written during the Civil War. There was a battle over a critical fort, the men defending it were out of ammunition and strength but one man saw the signal of a coming general miles off telling them to "hold the fort", he was coming with reinforcements. The men of the fort held on and WON with the help of those reinforcements! The man who wrote this hymn saw the spiritual application and penned this hymn. I was so encouraged!
How often do we get discouraged? How often do we wonder if we are the only ones fighting in this war on earth? How easily do we forget Whose battle it really is? How timely a reminder that we do not fight by might nor by power but by His Spirit... the battle belongs to the Lord! Oh my friend, if you are weary in battle today, hold the fort, Jesus is coming! By His grace you will.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Checking in
Hi friends!
What a busy time it is for me made obvious by the fact that I haven't posted in 10 days! My goodness! Over here at our house volleyball season is in full swing - practice planning, practices, games, get togethers. So much fun!
One thing the Lord has been whispering into my soul is that I've gotten away from praying about things and am just thinking, analyzing and planning things. Life gets rolling then my mind gets rolling, and before I know it I'm taking things into my own hands. This is a common battleground for me when life is busy - which happens to be most of the time! So again I find myself repenting of my self-sufficiency and getting back to the foot of the cross.
Praise God His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. He is so patient with me, He gently corrects me and places me feet back on the right path. I'm so grateful for His tenderness toward me. So I stop and pray for the grace to make it through another day by His strength and not my own.
What a busy time it is for me made obvious by the fact that I haven't posted in 10 days! My goodness! Over here at our house volleyball season is in full swing - practice planning, practices, games, get togethers. So much fun!
One thing the Lord has been whispering into my soul is that I've gotten away from praying about things and am just thinking, analyzing and planning things. Life gets rolling then my mind gets rolling, and before I know it I'm taking things into my own hands. This is a common battleground for me when life is busy - which happens to be most of the time! So again I find myself repenting of my self-sufficiency and getting back to the foot of the cross.
Praise God His mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness is great. He is so patient with me, He gently corrects me and places me feet back on the right path. I'm so grateful for His tenderness toward me. So I stop and pray for the grace to make it through another day by His strength and not my own.
Monday, October 6, 2008
The Love of God
On Sunday we took communion at church after an excellent message on Romans 8:31-39. The sermon title was "Secure in His Love". There were four points and I was so encouraged by them that I wanted to share a brief version of them with you as well as the last stanza of the hymn, "The Love of God".
1) If God is for us, who can be against us?
Answer: no one
Why? With the sovereign God Almighty on our side, who could prevail against us?
2) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Answer: The sacrifice of Christ is greater than all other things, God can and will follow through.
Why? God not only offered His Son but carried through with the offer when Christ was crucified to satisfy our sin debt which we could not pay.
3) Who will bring a charge against God's elect?
Answer: nobody- not Satan, not other people, not even our own conscience
Why? Because God is the One who justifies us, declares us righteous. Our security is grounded in the action of God's love.
4) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Answer: nothing, not life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing (Romans 8:38-39)
Why? Because our security rests in His ability to hold on to us not ours to hold on to Him.
"The Love of God" stanza 3
"Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho' stretched from sky to sky.
Oh love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forever more endure, the saints' and angels' song."
If you have been saved by the blood of Jesus then you can rejoice with me in the truth of the Word of God. If you are not sure of your position before God, let me know so I can share with you what the Word of God has to say to you about your life here and into eternity.
1) If God is for us, who can be against us?
Answer: no one
Why? With the sovereign God Almighty on our side, who could prevail against us?
2) He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
Answer: The sacrifice of Christ is greater than all other things, God can and will follow through.
Why? God not only offered His Son but carried through with the offer when Christ was crucified to satisfy our sin debt which we could not pay.
3) Who will bring a charge against God's elect?
Answer: nobody- not Satan, not other people, not even our own conscience
Why? Because God is the One who justifies us, declares us righteous. Our security is grounded in the action of God's love.
4) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?
Answer: nothing, not life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing (Romans 8:38-39)
Why? Because our security rests in His ability to hold on to us not ours to hold on to Him.
"The Love of God" stanza 3
"Could we with ink the ocean fill, and were the skies of parchment made, were every stalk on earth a quill and every man a scribe by trade; to write the love of God above would drain the ocean dry; nor could the scroll contain the whole, tho' stretched from sky to sky.
Oh love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong! It shall forever more endure, the saints' and angels' song."
If you have been saved by the blood of Jesus then you can rejoice with me in the truth of the Word of God. If you are not sure of your position before God, let me know so I can share with you what the Word of God has to say to you about your life here and into eternity.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Busy, busy, in a tizzy
Anybody out there busy and in a tizzy? Well, I am there and am seeking to level it all out. It takes more prayer than I have given it and more grace than I myself possess. It's amazing the pace that life can take... much like running downhill on a rainy day, the bottom of the hill flying at you, the scene on either side of you a blur, and your feet slipping all over the place! My goodness!
So many decisions to make every day and so many tasks to accomplish. There are a few things that I must remind myself to do and those reminders are VERY frequent (when I remember!).
~Focus on today - I don't know about you but I tend to borrow whatever tomorrow may bring and place it on my already full mental plate. My datebook is a good place for me to put tasks down that need to be done another day, if my datebook isn't near I use a paper to make a list so it doesn't rattle around in my brain.
~Good, better, best - Trying not to do it all but to start with what is the most important or beneficial for my family as well as myself. There are so many good things to do , even better things, but what is the best use of my time. This one really takes some thinking for me.
~You don't have to do it all and probably shouldn't - True confession... I really do think I can do it all sometimes and usually within an unrealistic time frame. Although recently I am more than happy to admit I cannot do it all! Learning to recognize what is being driven by a feeling of urgency and what is really necessary. Can it wait? Will the world stop spinning if I do not do this? What affect will "doing it all" have on my mood and attitude? That result will definitely affect my family. Is it worth it?
I hope that this post will be an encouragement and maybe even a gentle rebuke (it is to me) to those of you ladies who tend to struggle with finding the balance in life. One thing I know, it helps me to talk it out and I'm thankful for this blog because I'm having trouble finding the time to talk to another woman in person! LOL!!
Please share with me what works for you, I'd love the input.
~G
So many decisions to make every day and so many tasks to accomplish. There are a few things that I must remind myself to do and those reminders are VERY frequent (when I remember!).
~Focus on today - I don't know about you but I tend to borrow whatever tomorrow may bring and place it on my already full mental plate. My datebook is a good place for me to put tasks down that need to be done another day, if my datebook isn't near I use a paper to make a list so it doesn't rattle around in my brain.
~Good, better, best - Trying not to do it all but to start with what is the most important or beneficial for my family as well as myself. There are so many good things to do , even better things, but what is the best use of my time. This one really takes some thinking for me.
~You don't have to do it all and probably shouldn't - True confession... I really do think I can do it all sometimes and usually within an unrealistic time frame. Although recently I am more than happy to admit I cannot do it all! Learning to recognize what is being driven by a feeling of urgency and what is really necessary. Can it wait? Will the world stop spinning if I do not do this? What affect will "doing it all" have on my mood and attitude? That result will definitely affect my family. Is it worth it?
I hope that this post will be an encouragement and maybe even a gentle rebuke (it is to me) to those of you ladies who tend to struggle with finding the balance in life. One thing I know, it helps me to talk it out and I'm thankful for this blog because I'm having trouble finding the time to talk to another woman in person! LOL!!
Please share with me what works for you, I'd love the input.
~G
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Recognizing Truth
Recently I was in a group session at a Christian conference that was focused on "God". "God" took on many names - some Biblical and some from other religions. After writing out all the names on the chalkboard, we began to call out character traits that we attached to "God". The group had varied responses. I was genuinely curious to see how this session would turn out because the speaker was called a Christian. As it progressed the ideas about "God" presented by the speaker were not Biblically accurate although there was a bit of truth in there. My daughters and I sat in that room amazed at what we were hearing.
As I shared in an earlier post, we are studying through I John. John was writing to the church in response to the gnosticism that was infiltrating the church from within. What a timely study for us and how soon we were exposed to false teaching! With our I John study is a DVD to watch after each lesson - we watched that DVD 3 days after we had this experience. Several times we stopped the DVD and had quite animated conversations. How grateful I am that we have been in the Word together and that we recognized the errant things that we heard.
I share this because truth is from the Word of God and if we do not dig in to the Word of God, we will not know truth. We will be easily deceived. Our minds and spirits are quickened by the Holy Spirit as we meditate on the Word daily. It's a lot like training for a marathon: runners must run every day, eat the right diet, and stay on their training circuit in order to be able to successfully complete the marathon. As true believers we must run the race every day, feed on the Word of God, and stay on course (the narrow path) in order to successfully complete the race set before us. Let's put on our running shoes and diligently run after truth!
As I shared in an earlier post, we are studying through I John. John was writing to the church in response to the gnosticism that was infiltrating the church from within. What a timely study for us and how soon we were exposed to false teaching! With our I John study is a DVD to watch after each lesson - we watched that DVD 3 days after we had this experience. Several times we stopped the DVD and had quite animated conversations. How grateful I am that we have been in the Word together and that we recognized the errant things that we heard.
I share this because truth is from the Word of God and if we do not dig in to the Word of God, we will not know truth. We will be easily deceived. Our minds and spirits are quickened by the Holy Spirit as we meditate on the Word daily. It's a lot like training for a marathon: runners must run every day, eat the right diet, and stay on their training circuit in order to be able to successfully complete the marathon. As true believers we must run the race every day, feed on the Word of God, and stay on course (the narrow path) in order to successfully complete the race set before us. Let's put on our running shoes and diligently run after truth!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Set apart for His good purpose
This past Sunday morning in our adult fellowship group our teacher talked about how we have been chosen for a purpose (Ephesians 1:3-6). For what purpose? To be holy and blameless before Him, to be conformed to the image of His Son, and to bring Him glory.
While we are positionally sanctified in the eyes of God at the point of salvation because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, in order to accomplish His good purpose we who are His children go through practical sanctification in this life (I Peter 1:15, Heb. 12:14). According to Romans 12:1-2, it is presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, dying to our own will and be transformed into the image of His Son.
Webster's dictionary defines sanctification this way:
1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God.
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2Thess. 2. 1Peter 1.
God has chosen us (Eph. 1:4), God has redeemed us by Christ's blood (1:7), and God has sealed us by His Holy Spirit (1:13). His Holy Spirit is the sanctifier:
~He abides in us (John 14:17)
~He is the One who teaches us (John 14:26)
~He guides us in all truth (John 16:13)
~He reveals the things of Christ (John 16:14)
~He reveals the things of God (I Cor. 2:10-13)
Praise God for the Holy Spirit. Because of Him, practical progressive holiness is not left up to our own devices. Yes it is a constant yielding of our will, desires, and plans to God. Yes we must daily build altars upon which we burn those things that would draw our hearts away from our Lord. This is all made possible by the grace of God through the inner working of the Holy Spirit. We are more than conquerors as we fully rely on Him to take these weak vessels and affect change.
While we are positionally sanctified in the eyes of God at the point of salvation because of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, in order to accomplish His good purpose we who are His children go through practical sanctification in this life (I Peter 1:15, Heb. 12:14). According to Romans 12:1-2, it is presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, dying to our own will and be transformed into the image of His Son.
Webster's dictionary defines sanctification this way:
1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God.
God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. 2Thess. 2. 1Peter 1.
God has chosen us (Eph. 1:4), God has redeemed us by Christ's blood (1:7), and God has sealed us by His Holy Spirit (1:13). His Holy Spirit is the sanctifier:
~He abides in us (John 14:17)
~He is the One who teaches us (John 14:26)
~He guides us in all truth (John 16:13)
~He reveals the things of Christ (John 16:14)
~He reveals the things of God (I Cor. 2:10-13)
Praise God for the Holy Spirit. Because of Him, practical progressive holiness is not left up to our own devices. Yes it is a constant yielding of our will, desires, and plans to God. Yes we must daily build altars upon which we burn those things that would draw our hearts away from our Lord. This is all made possible by the grace of God through the inner working of the Holy Spirit. We are more than conquerors as we fully rely on Him to take these weak vessels and affect change.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Assurance of salvation
My girls and I just started an inductive bible study through the book of I John. We've only done one lesson but it is an awesome way to study the bible! Inductive bible study includes reading and re-reading the text to identify key words and phrases, book and chapter themes, what kind of literature it is (letter, prophetic, etc.), who wrote the book, as well as the historical setting. At first it is a lot to do but starting with prayer puts your feet on the right path. It's amazing how much information you can gather without any extra study tools.
What we have learned so far is that the book of I John is about assurance of salvation. In I Jn. 5:13 that purpose of the book is clearly stated, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."
The author gives us a measuring rod to test if we are truly saved.
Chapter 1: we can't be in fellowship with God and walk in darkness (1:6)
Chapter 2: we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments (2:3)
Chapter 3: we are born again if we do not habitually practice sin (3:9)
Chapter 4: we are His if we confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God (4:2)
Chapter 5: we have a witness living within us, the Holy Spirit (5:10)
Isn't that awesome? God has given us His Word to show Himself to us and to give us the tools we need to stand firm in our faith. The Word of God is truly living and powerful (Heb. 4:12); it is given by inspiration of God for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instructions in righteousness so we may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work (II Tim. 3:16-17). Dig in to the Word, taste and see that the Lord is good!!
NOTE: For further information and a clear understanding of inductive bible study, I would encourage you to read "How to Study Your Bible" by Kay Arthur.
What we have learned so far is that the book of I John is about assurance of salvation. In I Jn. 5:13 that purpose of the book is clearly stated, "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life."
The author gives us a measuring rod to test if we are truly saved.
Chapter 1: we can't be in fellowship with God and walk in darkness (1:6)
Chapter 2: we have come to know Him if we keep His commandments (2:3)
Chapter 3: we are born again if we do not habitually practice sin (3:9)
Chapter 4: we are His if we confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God (4:2)
Chapter 5: we have a witness living within us, the Holy Spirit (5:10)
Isn't that awesome? God has given us His Word to show Himself to us and to give us the tools we need to stand firm in our faith. The Word of God is truly living and powerful (Heb. 4:12); it is given by inspiration of God for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instructions in righteousness so we may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work (II Tim. 3:16-17). Dig in to the Word, taste and see that the Lord is good!!
NOTE: For further information and a clear understanding of inductive bible study, I would encourage you to read "How to Study Your Bible" by Kay Arthur.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Names of Jesus, the Messiah
As I looked through an old journal I found a list I had made of the names for the Messiah, Jesus. I found them to be encouraging so I thought I would share them with you. What an awesome Savior I have!
Wonderful Counselor Isaiah 9:6
Mighty God Is. 9:6
Everlasting Father Is. 9:6
Prince of Peace Is. 9:6
Son of Man John 6:27
Bread of Life John 6:35
Light of the World John 8:12
Door of the Sheep John 10:7
Good Shepherd Ps 23:1; John 10:11
The Resurrection John 11:25
The Way John 14:6
The Truth John 14:6
The Life John 11:25, 14:6
The True Vine John 15:1
The Lamb of God Rev. 5:8
The Root Rev. 5:5, 22:16
The Offspring of David Rev. 22:16
The Bright and Morning Star Rev. 22:16
The Son of God John 20:31
Wonderful Counselor Isaiah 9:6
Mighty God Is. 9:6
Everlasting Father Is. 9:6
Prince of Peace Is. 9:6
Son of Man John 6:27
Bread of Life John 6:35
Light of the World John 8:12
Door of the Sheep John 10:7
Good Shepherd Ps 23:1; John 10:11
The Resurrection John 11:25
The Way John 14:6
The Truth John 14:6
The Life John 11:25, 14:6
The True Vine John 15:1
The Lamb of God Rev. 5:8
The Root Rev. 5:5, 22:16
The Offspring of David Rev. 22:16
The Bright and Morning Star Rev. 22:16
The Son of God John 20:31
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Names of God
Have you ever done a study of the names of God? It's a pretty amazing study. Here are a few of the names of God found in scripture and what they mean. Hopefully this will be as much of a blessing to you as it is to me. What an awesome God!
Abba - Father Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6
Adonai - Lord, Master Num. 14:17; Deut. 3:24; Ps. 30:8
Jehovah Jireh - Jehovah Will See to it Gen. 22:14
Elohim - God Supreme
El Roi - God the Almighty, the God Who Sees Gen 16:13
Jehovah - self existent, eternal Lord Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isaiah 12:2, 26:4
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is my Barrier Ex. 17:15
Jehovah Rapha - God Who Heals Ex. 15:26
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is my Peace Judges 6:24
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is There, He is with us Ez. 48:35
Jehovah Tsidkenu - the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23:6
El Elohe Israel - God, the God of Israel Gen. 33:20
Eloi - My God Mark 15:34
Jah - sacred name, the Lord, most vehement Ps. 68:4
El Shaddai - God Almighty Gen. 17:1
I AM Ex. 3:14
Alpha - the First Rev. 1:8,11, 22:6,13
Omega - the Finality
Abba - Father Mark 14:36; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6
Adonai - Lord, Master Num. 14:17; Deut. 3:24; Ps. 30:8
Jehovah Jireh - Jehovah Will See to it Gen. 22:14
Elohim - God Supreme
El Roi - God the Almighty, the God Who Sees Gen 16:13
Jehovah - self existent, eternal Lord Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isaiah 12:2, 26:4
Jehovah Nissi - The Lord is my Barrier Ex. 17:15
Jehovah Rapha - God Who Heals Ex. 15:26
Jehovah Shalom - The Lord is my Peace Judges 6:24
Jehovah Shammah - The Lord is There, He is with us Ez. 48:35
Jehovah Tsidkenu - the Lord our Righteousness Jer. 23:6
El Elohe Israel - God, the God of Israel Gen. 33:20
Eloi - My God Mark 15:34
Jah - sacred name, the Lord, most vehement Ps. 68:4
El Shaddai - God Almighty Gen. 17:1
I AM Ex. 3:14
Alpha - the First Rev. 1:8,11, 22:6,13
Omega - the Finality
Thursday, September 4, 2008
An Interesting Exercise
In "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", the author challenged the reader to try a very interesting exercise. Look down the corridors of time and imagine yourself at a your own funeral. Picture the room full of friends and family, business acquaintances and school friends. Of those present, four people will stand up and share what they remember about you and your life.
Therein lies the exercise... imagine what they would say. Consider what you would want them to say. Here are some of the questions posed plus a few of my own:
What is it that you would want those people to say?
What character did they see in you?
What difference did you make in their lives?
What difference did you make within your sphere of influence?
What kind of friend were you?
What kind of daughter?
What kind of wife?
What kind of mother?
What kind of sister?
What kind of qualities were you remembered for?
What adjectives would they use?
If you were a business owner, how did you handle your business?
In what way is the world different because you were in it?
As you mull these questions over, write down your answers. For me it was very fascinating to look at life in the reverse. I spent some time journaling my thoughts and impressions. It was a mixed bag of course... there were some things that I did not want to hear at my "funeral", things I knew I wanted to change. Yet there were glimmers of things that I wanted to hone and further develop.
Purpose... that is the point... to live life with purpose. Looking at life with a definite plan - if you will - so that you can live effectively. How different would my life look if I consistently thought about the end result of my choices and the use of my time? This exercise sort of built some personal accountability into my life because I set the bar myself (especially since I wrote it down). Keeping that bar in front of me motivates me to strive to accomplish it.
Therein lies the exercise... imagine what they would say. Consider what you would want them to say. Here are some of the questions posed plus a few of my own:
What is it that you would want those people to say?
What character did they see in you?
What difference did you make in their lives?
What difference did you make within your sphere of influence?
What kind of friend were you?
What kind of daughter?
What kind of wife?
What kind of mother?
What kind of sister?
What kind of qualities were you remembered for?
What adjectives would they use?
If you were a business owner, how did you handle your business?
In what way is the world different because you were in it?
As you mull these questions over, write down your answers. For me it was very fascinating to look at life in the reverse. I spent some time journaling my thoughts and impressions. It was a mixed bag of course... there were some things that I did not want to hear at my "funeral", things I knew I wanted to change. Yet there were glimmers of things that I wanted to hone and further develop.
Purpose... that is the point... to live life with purpose. Looking at life with a definite plan - if you will - so that you can live effectively. How different would my life look if I consistently thought about the end result of my choices and the use of my time? This exercise sort of built some personal accountability into my life because I set the bar myself (especially since I wrote it down). Keeping that bar in front of me motivates me to strive to accomplish it.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Fellowship
It is interesting how much I enjoy time with friends and how little time I actually make for them. With that in mind, I decided to invite some women from church to join me at a popular walking place a couple of times a month. We've been meeting about twice a month for the past three months.... the main reason is fellowship, the sneaky reason is exercise! It's much easier to walk (gradually) uphill for 2 1/2 miles then back down again if you have someone pleasant to talk to and walk with. Along the way I've made some new friends as well as deeper ones.
Isn't that how it is in life? When joys arise, they are much sweeter when we have someone to share them with. In the same way, when the trials of life bear down on us, the presence of friends helps to lift that burden. Along the path of life these experiences serve to deepen relationships and build new ones, that is if I let them.
So often I get so busy that I don't make time for those people that I love to be with. I just muddle along in life moving from one thing to the next and before I know it months have passed! To be fair, life is busy but is it maybe too busy? Fellowship is a God-given lifeline that we all need. We are relational creatures who were created to interact with one another and sharpen one another.
My life is so much richer because of the people God has brought into my path. Hopefully this blog will be one way that I can meet new people and deepen relationships already in place. I do hope you enjoy the time you spend here with me... and thanks for taking the time to hald my hand and walk a while : -)
Thursday, August 28, 2008
New view of trust
The Lord allowed me the privilege to serve at an Easter Seals camp this summer alongside my daughters and friends. What a fantastic experience that was! One of the most powerful things I witnessed was seeing handicapped campers on the zipline. We placed the campers in a harness then hoisted them up to the zipline platform about 40 feet up. Once they arrived at the platform, two men would pull them onto the platform, sit them on a chair, unhook them from the first line and connect them to the zipline. Once the camper was securely attached to the zipline cord, they would be set down on the edge of the platform, then gently pushed off of the platform in order to fly down the zipline. What made this so amazing to me - someone not too fond of heights- is that some of these campers were paraplegics... they had no way of helping themselves or hanging on to the ropes. They were completely at the mercy of those handling the zipline and then the zipline itself! They exhibited complete trust. Some campers cried, some yelled, some rode silently, but they all courageously trusted the staff to bring them safely to the platform, down the zipline, and off at the other end.
How little I trust God sometimes in much less scary or potentially dangerous situations. But in the zipline of life God has got the ropes firmly in hand. How trustworthy and faithful is He? Great is His faithfulness! He will not ever leave or forsake His children; from the beginning of the zipline (of life) to the end, we are firmly in His grip.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
"The Deeps" - Valley of Vision
LORD JESUS~
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of it's approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.
Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself
as saviour, master, lord, and king.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.
Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.
I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.
Give me a deeper repentance,
a horror of sin,
a dread of it's approach;
Help me chastely to flee it,
and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be thine alone.
Give me a deeper trust,
that I may lose myself to find myself in thee,
the ground of my rest,
the spring of my being.
Give me a deeper knowledge of thyself
as saviour, master, lord, and king.
Give me deeper power in private prayer,
more sweetness in thy Word,
more steadfast grip on its truth.
Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action,
and let me not seek moral virtue apart from thee.
Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman,
that my being may be a tilled field,
the roots of grace spreading far and wide,
until thou alone art seen in me,
thy beauty golden like summer harvest,
thy fruitfulness as autumn plenty.
I have no master but thee,
no law but thy will,
no delight but thyself,
no wealth but that thou givest,
no good but that thou blessest,
no peace but that thou bestowest.
I am nothing but that thou makest me,
I have nothing but that I receive from thee,
I can be nothing but that grace adorns me.
Quarry me deep, dear Lord,
and then fill me to overflowing with living water.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Whatsoever things are lovely...
Lovely is word that conjures up thoughts of lush, inviting gardens or a serene lake surrounded by trees at sunset; lovely reminds me of sweet tempered, servant-hearted women I know that I can't help but be drawn to. What does it remind you of? Lovely is a picture painting word isn't it?
I am grateful for "lovely", it cheers, brightens, and beautifies the world around me; it is winsome.
Just so, our thoughts are to be lovely - friendly towards others, with love toward others, agreeable. Our thoughts have the potential to reflect beauty and love drawing others to Christ. How do they do that? The Word of God tells us that what is in our hearts/minds will overflow into our lives (Matt. 12:35).
Thoughts full of the love of Christ, compassion, tenderness, mercy, and sweetness. Lovely thoughts have no room for bitterness, anger, malice, envy, jealousy, self-pity, or the like. These are not passive, enabling thoughts, unwilling to face the sinfulness of others but thoughts that are for their best interest, willing to reflect true Biblical love in a winsome way... they are thoughts that are purposeful, carefully chosen, and resonant of pure Christlike love for others.
How can we begin to think on whatsoever things are lovely? By filling our hearts and minds with the living word of God... hide God's word in your heart and that will be what flows out of it.
I am grateful for "lovely", it cheers, brightens, and beautifies the world around me; it is winsome.
Just so, our thoughts are to be lovely - friendly towards others, with love toward others, agreeable. Our thoughts have the potential to reflect beauty and love drawing others to Christ. How do they do that? The Word of God tells us that what is in our hearts/minds will overflow into our lives (Matt. 12:35).
Thoughts full of the love of Christ, compassion, tenderness, mercy, and sweetness. Lovely thoughts have no room for bitterness, anger, malice, envy, jealousy, self-pity, or the like. These are not passive, enabling thoughts, unwilling to face the sinfulness of others but thoughts that are for their best interest, willing to reflect true Biblical love in a winsome way... they are thoughts that are purposeful, carefully chosen, and resonant of pure Christlike love for others.
How can we begin to think on whatsoever things are lovely? By filling our hearts and minds with the living word of God... hide God's word in your heart and that will be what flows out of it.
Pure thinking
Philippians 4:8-9
"Finally brethren ,whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, meditate on these things."
We have begun a journey investigating our thought lives from a Biblical perspective. Along our journey so far we have visited true, noble, and just thoughts. Today we're going to take a look at pure thoughts.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines pure this way:
"Free from moral defilement; without spot; not sullied or tarnished; incorrupt; undebased by moral turpitude; holy."
Vine's Expository Dictionary defines the word from the Greek as "pure from defilement, not contaminated". It can also be translated chaste meaning "pure from every fault, immaculate".
One good picture of purity is newly fallen snow... have you ever awakened to a world of freshly fallen snow? It's one of the most amazing and beautiful visual experiences! Being a sunny California girl, it's a rare treat for me to see that. But it only took once to leave an indelible imprint on my mind... the hush, the crispness, the awe inspiring beauty of untouched, undisturbed snow. Oh how I wish my mind had the constant quality of freshly fallen snow - without spot, unsullied, pure white, faultless.
Unfortunately, my mind is battlefield where even if the "snow" falls pure, there is my enemy close at hand to sully that "snow" with dirty boots meant to contaminate the tranquility and purity. But this I know, that even with an enemy so fierce and determined, my God is greater and I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Praise God that His word is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; it pierces even to the division of joints and marrow, soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The word of God is a purifier (Ps. 119:9), as I press into Him, read and memorize the Word of God - it cleanses my heart and mind convicting, correcting, instructing me (II Tim. 3:16-17).
My dear friends, pure thoughts can only come through the Word of God. As we find our thoughts becoming sullied or tarnished to any degree, we must put off those thoughts and put on the mind of Christ by replacing them with the Word of God. Find verses that speak to your struggle and write them down on a 3X5 card, place them where you can see them (mirror, steering wheel, inside of front door, etc). Keep it before your eyes because the Word of God is our sword. Let me encourage you to pick up your sword and slice through those impure thoughts. Then the victory will be sure time and time again.
"Finally brethren ,whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, meditate on these things."
We have begun a journey investigating our thought lives from a Biblical perspective. Along our journey so far we have visited true, noble, and just thoughts. Today we're going to take a look at pure thoughts.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines pure this way:
"Free from moral defilement; without spot; not sullied or tarnished; incorrupt; undebased by moral turpitude; holy."
Vine's Expository Dictionary defines the word from the Greek as "pure from defilement, not contaminated". It can also be translated chaste meaning "pure from every fault, immaculate".
One good picture of purity is newly fallen snow... have you ever awakened to a world of freshly fallen snow? It's one of the most amazing and beautiful visual experiences! Being a sunny California girl, it's a rare treat for me to see that. But it only took once to leave an indelible imprint on my mind... the hush, the crispness, the awe inspiring beauty of untouched, undisturbed snow. Oh how I wish my mind had the constant quality of freshly fallen snow - without spot, unsullied, pure white, faultless.
Unfortunately, my mind is battlefield where even if the "snow" falls pure, there is my enemy close at hand to sully that "snow" with dirty boots meant to contaminate the tranquility and purity. But this I know, that even with an enemy so fierce and determined, my God is greater and I am more than a conqueror through Christ Jesus my Lord.
Praise God that His word is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword; it pierces even to the division of joints and marrow, soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). The word of God is a purifier (Ps. 119:9), as I press into Him, read and memorize the Word of God - it cleanses my heart and mind convicting, correcting, instructing me (II Tim. 3:16-17).
My dear friends, pure thoughts can only come through the Word of God. As we find our thoughts becoming sullied or tarnished to any degree, we must put off those thoughts and put on the mind of Christ by replacing them with the Word of God. Find verses that speak to your struggle and write them down on a 3X5 card, place them where you can see them (mirror, steering wheel, inside of front door, etc). Keep it before your eyes because the Word of God is our sword. Let me encourage you to pick up your sword and slice through those impure thoughts. Then the victory will be sure time and time again.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Just thinking...
"whatsoever things are just"
Was I just thinking or was I thinking just (ly) ???
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines just this way:
"Conformed to truth; exact; proper; accurate; as just thoughts; just expressions; just images or representations; a just description; a just inference."
Accurate thoughts, thoughts that are not exaggerated one way or the other... is that the way I think? Well, if the truth be told, my thoughts can easily be influenced toward injustice.
Proverbs 18:13 tells us, "He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and a shame to him."
Unfortunately I can tell you from experience that this is true. I am not always careful to investigate things before I form an opinion. This careless habit has caused me much shame and regret. The beauty of this learning opportunity is that it can teach me to be more just in the future if I am willing to be taught by the experience.
How can I be more just in my thought life?
~Extend grace - give others the benefit of the doubt (The Lord knows we all need grace!)
~Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative - think in positive terms first as a regular habit
~Consider the facts objectively - step back and look at the situation with an open mind
~Seek God's insight - ask God for wisdom to see things His way
~Recognize my own sinfulness - I am not perfect and will fail, miserably at times, putting me "in their shoes" quite literally
~Be humble- admit I'm not God, I don't know all the facts much less the heart of the person or people involved, only God knows that
~Pray - be a part of the solution and take the person or situation to the throne of grace- Prayer is the key that unlocks all the other actions above.
Just thinking is
Unbiased,
Shaped by grace, and
Truthful
Was I just thinking or was I thinking just (ly) ???
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines just this way:
"Conformed to truth; exact; proper; accurate; as just thoughts; just expressions; just images or representations; a just description; a just inference."
Accurate thoughts, thoughts that are not exaggerated one way or the other... is that the way I think? Well, if the truth be told, my thoughts can easily be influenced toward injustice.
Proverbs 18:13 tells us, "He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and a shame to him."
Unfortunately I can tell you from experience that this is true. I am not always careful to investigate things before I form an opinion. This careless habit has caused me much shame and regret. The beauty of this learning opportunity is that it can teach me to be more just in the future if I am willing to be taught by the experience.
How can I be more just in my thought life?
~Extend grace - give others the benefit of the doubt (The Lord knows we all need grace!)
~Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative - think in positive terms first as a regular habit
~Consider the facts objectively - step back and look at the situation with an open mind
~Seek God's insight - ask God for wisdom to see things His way
~Recognize my own sinfulness - I am not perfect and will fail, miserably at times, putting me "in their shoes" quite literally
~Be humble- admit I'm not God, I don't know all the facts much less the heart of the person or people involved, only God knows that
~Pray - be a part of the solution and take the person or situation to the throne of grace- Prayer is the key that unlocks all the other actions above.
Just thinking is
Unbiased,
Shaped by grace, and
Truthful
Monday, August 4, 2008
Noble Thinking
I thought it might be fun to work through each of the virtues we looked over in Philippians 4:8 one at a time.
Last time we talked about "whatever things are true". Today we'll turn our attention to "whatever things are noble".
In Greek noble looks like this: venerable, worthy of reverence.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines noble this way:
NO'BLE, a.
1. Great; elevated; dignified; being above every thing that can dishonor reputation; as a noble mind; a noble courage; noble deeds of valor; 8. Ingenuous; candid; of an excellent disposition; ready to receive truth.
I don't know about you but the word noble reminds me of knights and fair maidens... almost like a fairytale word... you know the knight rides up on his noble steed and saves the day! Let's have some fun with that word picture. Noble thoughts will be the knight, the damsel in distress will be our minds, and our ignoble thoughts will be the villain.
In a small village outside of a great kingdom, a villain (ignoble thoughts) takes a fair maiden
(mind) captive and hides her away in a lonely castle tower. The maiden cannot see how she will ever get free as she ponders the wickedness of the villain. These thoughts begin to cause her great distress draining her of any hope. In the distance there is the faint sound of hoof beats. At first she does not give thought to the sound, she continues to wrestle with her fearful thoughts. But soon the sound is much closer and coming very rapidly so she looks out the window to see what it might be. Lo and behold it is a knight on a beautiful horse coming to rescue her! Oh how her thoughts turn from hopelessness to hope, from fear to courage, from a focus on captivity to a focus on freedom. As she is rescued from her prison, the damsel (mind) is overcome with thankfulness and awe at the unexpected change in her situation that she could not dream of yet has experienced. The knight (noble thoughts) takes her to safety within the walls of the great kingdom.
The knight's appearing changed the maiden's perspective and chased away the fear, distress, and hopelessness she was drowning in. As we turn our thoughts to noble things, things worthy of reverence and worship, we will begin to have victory over thoughts that are fearful, hopeless, defeating, and distressing. Noble thoughts are those that are focused on our Redeemer, the One Who rescued us from our captivity and transferred us into His kingdom. Ride on to victory fair maidens!
Last time we talked about "whatever things are true". Today we'll turn our attention to "whatever things are noble".
In Greek noble looks like this: venerable, worthy of reverence.
Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines noble this way:
NO'BLE, a.
1. Great; elevated; dignified; being above every thing that can dishonor reputation; as a noble mind; a noble courage; noble deeds of valor; 8. Ingenuous; candid; of an excellent disposition; ready to receive truth.
I don't know about you but the word noble reminds me of knights and fair maidens... almost like a fairytale word... you know the knight rides up on his noble steed and saves the day! Let's have some fun with that word picture. Noble thoughts will be the knight, the damsel in distress will be our minds, and our ignoble thoughts will be the villain.
In a small village outside of a great kingdom, a villain (ignoble thoughts) takes a fair maiden
(mind) captive and hides her away in a lonely castle tower. The maiden cannot see how she will ever get free as she ponders the wickedness of the villain. These thoughts begin to cause her great distress draining her of any hope. In the distance there is the faint sound of hoof beats. At first she does not give thought to the sound, she continues to wrestle with her fearful thoughts. But soon the sound is much closer and coming very rapidly so she looks out the window to see what it might be. Lo and behold it is a knight on a beautiful horse coming to rescue her! Oh how her thoughts turn from hopelessness to hope, from fear to courage, from a focus on captivity to a focus on freedom. As she is rescued from her prison, the damsel (mind) is overcome with thankfulness and awe at the unexpected change in her situation that she could not dream of yet has experienced. The knight (noble thoughts) takes her to safety within the walls of the great kingdom.
The knight's appearing changed the maiden's perspective and chased away the fear, distress, and hopelessness she was drowning in. As we turn our thoughts to noble things, things worthy of reverence and worship, we will begin to have victory over thoughts that are fearful, hopeless, defeating, and distressing. Noble thoughts are those that are focused on our Redeemer, the One Who rescued us from our captivity and transferred us into His kingdom. Ride on to victory fair maidens!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Right Thinking
Philippians 4:8
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."
Recently I have been pondering (again) how to change the way I think. This verse in Philippians is one that I refer to often because it's a clear "how-to" verse. When I'm struggling I can say it to myself quickly as a instant check-up on my thoughts. Studying the words of a passage like this can be very helpful to me, making it very practical to apply so I took the time to do that. Here is what I learned using The Complete Word Study New Testament by Spiros Zodhiates.
true: one who cannot lie, true in character
noble: one who owes his modesty to that higher citizenship which is also his, being one who inspires not only respect but reverence and worship; due appreciation of such things as produce a noble seriousness
just: conformable to right; one who acts conformably to justice and right without any deficiency or failure
pure: purity in all things; used to express freedom from defilements or impurities
lovely: friendly towards, acceptable
good report: well spoken of, winning, attractive
virtue: excellency; being pleasing to God; the excellency of God being revealed in the work of salvation
praise worthy: commendable thing
meditate: reason, occupy oneself with reasonings and calculations; careful reflection
Here's my version of this verse to remind me of what my thoughts are to be about:
Finally, brothers in Christ (according to the work of our Savior and our love thereby),
~whatever things are true in character - not lies,
~whatever things inspire not only respect but reverence, worship, and noble seriousness, ~whatever things that are conformable to justice and right without any deficiency or failure, ~whatever expresses freedom from defilement or impurity,
~whatever is friendly, acceptable, and winsome,
~whatever things are well spoken of and attractive,
~if there is anything excellent and pleasing to God (e.g. the glorious gospel),
~if there be anything commendable, worthy of praise,
~occupy yourself with careful reflection and reasoning regarding these things.
There's a challenge if I ever saw one just in the first quality! Do you ever find yourself believing lies about yourself? I know I have stumbled down that road getting a few bumps and bruises along the way. Satan is the father of lies and when we believe those lies we are thinking in his territory. We are not thinking right.
May I challenge you (as well as myself) to reflect on where your thought life dwells? Does it dwell within the boundaries of the verse above or does it dwell elsewhere? Let's think on truth today and everyday... the Word of God is truth. God's word will spring that trap of lies and put your feet back on the freeing path of truth.
Please drop me a comment - I would love to hear how God has worked or is still working in your life in this area.
Love, G
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things."
Recently I have been pondering (again) how to change the way I think. This verse in Philippians is one that I refer to often because it's a clear "how-to" verse. When I'm struggling I can say it to myself quickly as a instant check-up on my thoughts. Studying the words of a passage like this can be very helpful to me, making it very practical to apply so I took the time to do that. Here is what I learned using The Complete Word Study New Testament by Spiros Zodhiates.
true: one who cannot lie, true in character
noble: one who owes his modesty to that higher citizenship which is also his, being one who inspires not only respect but reverence and worship; due appreciation of such things as produce a noble seriousness
just: conformable to right; one who acts conformably to justice and right without any deficiency or failure
pure: purity in all things; used to express freedom from defilements or impurities
lovely: friendly towards, acceptable
good report: well spoken of, winning, attractive
virtue: excellency; being pleasing to God; the excellency of God being revealed in the work of salvation
praise worthy: commendable thing
meditate: reason, occupy oneself with reasonings and calculations; careful reflection
Here's my version of this verse to remind me of what my thoughts are to be about:
Finally, brothers in Christ (according to the work of our Savior and our love thereby),
~whatever things are true in character - not lies,
~whatever things inspire not only respect but reverence, worship, and noble seriousness, ~whatever things that are conformable to justice and right without any deficiency or failure, ~whatever expresses freedom from defilement or impurity,
~whatever is friendly, acceptable, and winsome,
~whatever things are well spoken of and attractive,
~if there is anything excellent and pleasing to God (e.g. the glorious gospel),
~if there be anything commendable, worthy of praise,
~occupy yourself with careful reflection and reasoning regarding these things.
There's a challenge if I ever saw one just in the first quality! Do you ever find yourself believing lies about yourself? I know I have stumbled down that road getting a few bumps and bruises along the way. Satan is the father of lies and when we believe those lies we are thinking in his territory. We are not thinking right.
May I challenge you (as well as myself) to reflect on where your thought life dwells? Does it dwell within the boundaries of the verse above or does it dwell elsewhere? Let's think on truth today and everyday... the Word of God is truth. God's word will spring that trap of lies and put your feet back on the freeing path of truth.
Please drop me a comment - I would love to hear how God has worked or is still working in your life in this area.
Love, G
Monday, July 28, 2008
Eternity awaits
Oh my, what a life we live. What a gift each day is that comes our way and how often do we cherish it? One major event has brought this to the forefront of my mind. A dear friend of mine (and of many others) has slipped into the arms of Jesus after a long and courageous battle with breast cancer this past Saturday morning. She was an amazing woman, loved deeply by her husband, children, and friends. She did not publicly complain about all of the negative effects of treatment, she just privately endured what came her way. She loved her Lord and His name was on her lips whenever we spoke. What an example of humility and perseverance, longsuffering and grace she was. To know her more was to love her more... I am grateful to have known her.
I don't think we can say "I love you" enough to those we truly love.
I don't think we can hold hands too much, smile too much, or laugh too much.
Sing when you feel like it , dance in the rain often, and love like there's no tomorrow.
For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we need to live recklessly abandoned to hope- the blessed hope of Christ's return and the bodily resurrection of those who have gone on before.
For those of you who do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, let me share with you the hope that lies within me ( and my dear friend Linda) from God's Word. You see, this life is not all there is... eternity is our destination.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
You and I need a Savior because we cannot meet God standards of holiness.
Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned."
Because Adam and Eve sinned, all men share in the fallen condition of sin.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Death is the consequence for sin but God sent His own Son to die on the cross for sinners.
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Christ willingly paid the penalty for your sin and mine, He was the perfect spotless Lamb. On the third day He rose again victorious over sin and death then ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven.
Romans 10:9-10 "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
We cannot reach up to God but He reached down to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It's not enough to believe in God or heaven. We must surrender our lives and hearts through faith in Jesus Christ. At this point our lives are no longer our own, we have given over the "controls" to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Friends, there is no greater joy that to live a life that is dead to sin and alive to God! No one knows what day or time they will pass away. Do you know where you will be spending eternity? I know I will be seeing Linda again and praising God with her in heaven one day.
Won't you surrender to the Lord Jesus today?
I don't think we can say "I love you" enough to those we truly love.
I don't think we can hold hands too much, smile too much, or laugh too much.
Sing when you feel like it , dance in the rain often, and love like there's no tomorrow.
For those of us who know Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we need to live recklessly abandoned to hope- the blessed hope of Christ's return and the bodily resurrection of those who have gone on before.
For those of you who do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, let me share with you the hope that lies within me ( and my dear friend Linda) from God's Word. You see, this life is not all there is... eternity is our destination.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
You and I need a Savior because we cannot meet God standards of holiness.
Romans 5:12 "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned."
Because Adam and Eve sinned, all men share in the fallen condition of sin.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Death is the consequence for sin but God sent His own Son to die on the cross for sinners.
Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Christ willingly paid the penalty for your sin and mine, He was the perfect spotless Lamb. On the third day He rose again victorious over sin and death then ascended to the right hand of the Father in heaven.
Romans 10:9-10 "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
We cannot reach up to God but He reached down to us through His Son, Jesus Christ. It's not enough to believe in God or heaven. We must surrender our lives and hearts through faith in Jesus Christ. At this point our lives are no longer our own, we have given over the "controls" to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Friends, there is no greater joy that to live a life that is dead to sin and alive to God! No one knows what day or time they will pass away. Do you know where you will be spending eternity? I know I will be seeing Linda again and praising God with her in heaven one day.
Won't you surrender to the Lord Jesus today?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Birds for Thought
II Corinthians 10:3-5
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."
Thoughts... mine have a tendency to pop up, run rampant, confuse, distract, and keep me awake at night. Thoughts direct our actions and attitudes. Good thoughts can lead to great benefit but those not so good thoughts (negative, discontentment, envy, jealousy, criticism, anger, bitterness, self pity, to name a few) can lead to destruction.
Imagine that you are in a room with a large bird cage in the center of it and inside of that birdcage there are a hundred birds. If all of those birds were to get out of the cage, the room would quickly become chaotic. The birds would panic, squawk, run into things, create a mess, maybe even damage curtains and furniture as you try to capture them and put them back into the cage. The job would be quite a challenge wouldn't it? Can't you just imagine a person thinking, "Why did I let those birds out? I wouldn't have had all of this trouble if I would've left the cage door closed!"
Our minds and thoughts are just the same. How often do we let our birds (thoughts) out of the cage (mind) so that they are running rampant in our heads creating havoc, confusion, damage- among other things - just like those birds. How much better would it be if we were to take those thoughts captive by shutting the cage door?
How do we shut the cage door? By replacing unbiblical thinking with Biblical thinking - memorizing scripture and thinking on it OR opening up our Bible, finding a verse that speaks to our struggle and reading it out loud as often as we must to keep that "bird" caged! It is a conscious choice to stop the flow of thought and deliberately redirect it. It is understanding that this is a battle that can be won by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit - the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God! This verse in I Corinthians has been a great tool in my own personal battle with unbiblical thinking.
Let's carry this analogy just a little further... with all of those birds in one cage, that cage is going to need to be cleaned periodically. The birds will be healthier if they are cared for properly as well. Our minds - like the cage - can get dirty and smelly if we do not keep it clean. If we procrastinate, the job only gets harder to do and our thoughts can start to get unhealthy. Routine maintenance on our "cages" is a good habit to get into.
Philippians 4:8 is a great cage cleaner: "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."
Dear friends, this task is not one that we can do on our own... we need the living Word of God to wash our minds and renew it. In order for that to happen we must pick up the Word daily, read it (even if it is only a few verses), think on it, pray over it, and let it cleanse our "cages" (minds) and bring health to our "birds" (thoughts).
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ..."
Thoughts... mine have a tendency to pop up, run rampant, confuse, distract, and keep me awake at night. Thoughts direct our actions and attitudes. Good thoughts can lead to great benefit but those not so good thoughts (negative, discontentment, envy, jealousy, criticism, anger, bitterness, self pity, to name a few) can lead to destruction.
Imagine that you are in a room with a large bird cage in the center of it and inside of that birdcage there are a hundred birds. If all of those birds were to get out of the cage, the room would quickly become chaotic. The birds would panic, squawk, run into things, create a mess, maybe even damage curtains and furniture as you try to capture them and put them back into the cage. The job would be quite a challenge wouldn't it? Can't you just imagine a person thinking, "Why did I let those birds out? I wouldn't have had all of this trouble if I would've left the cage door closed!"
Our minds and thoughts are just the same. How often do we let our birds (thoughts) out of the cage (mind) so that they are running rampant in our heads creating havoc, confusion, damage- among other things - just like those birds. How much better would it be if we were to take those thoughts captive by shutting the cage door?
How do we shut the cage door? By replacing unbiblical thinking with Biblical thinking - memorizing scripture and thinking on it OR opening up our Bible, finding a verse that speaks to our struggle and reading it out loud as often as we must to keep that "bird" caged! It is a conscious choice to stop the flow of thought and deliberately redirect it. It is understanding that this is a battle that can be won by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit - the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God! This verse in I Corinthians has been a great tool in my own personal battle with unbiblical thinking.
Let's carry this analogy just a little further... with all of those birds in one cage, that cage is going to need to be cleaned periodically. The birds will be healthier if they are cared for properly as well. Our minds - like the cage - can get dirty and smelly if we do not keep it clean. If we procrastinate, the job only gets harder to do and our thoughts can start to get unhealthy. Routine maintenance on our "cages" is a good habit to get into.
Philippians 4:8 is a great cage cleaner: "Finally brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy- meditate on these things."
Dear friends, this task is not one that we can do on our own... we need the living Word of God to wash our minds and renew it. In order for that to happen we must pick up the Word daily, read it (even if it is only a few verses), think on it, pray over it, and let it cleanse our "cages" (minds) and bring health to our "birds" (thoughts).
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
God's gifts to me
As my children grow and mature I am amazed at the gifts and abilities God has given them. It is such a joy to watch them develop as young women and creative artists. This drawing by Brooke is one that I just love - the detail is amazing to me and she expresses herself so beautifully in this particular drawing. In an earlier post from July 9, the lovely photo of the ring on the hymnal was taken by my other daughter Amber.
Amber's Heart
"I believed in the Lord,
Though I did not see nor understand.
He kept me through all the hard times,
He preserved me, He led me.
My God is a loving, caring, powerful God.
He showed me, He opened my eyes at the right time.
He knew, my amazing Lord,
Though I was blind, now I can see!"
Amber Farrar, July 2008
Though I did not see nor understand.
He kept me through all the hard times,
He preserved me, He led me.
My God is a loving, caring, powerful God.
He showed me, He opened my eyes at the right time.
He knew, my amazing Lord,
Though I was blind, now I can see!"
Amber Farrar, July 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Discontentment - the silent joy killer
As I've been "cleaning house" spiritually, discontentment has been revealed in my heart. You know, that general feeling of unhappiness and disquietude? Webster's 1828 Dictionary defined discontent, dissatisfaction, and disquietude this way:
DISCONTENT, n. [dis and content.] Want of content; uneasiness or inquietude of mind; dissatisfaction at any present state of things.
DISSATISFACTION, n. [dis and satisfaction.] The state of being dissatisfied; discontent; uneasiness proceeding from the want of gratification, or from disappointed wishes and expectations.
DISQUIETUDE, n. [dis and quietude.] Want of peace or tranquility; uneasiness; disturbance; agitation; anxiety. It is, I believe, most frequently used of the mind.
The Lord gently convicted me of how easily I come to this place in my heart. You know what He showed me? Discontentment is really ungratefulness toward my Provider. If I am totally honest this is sin in my heart - it stems from lust and envy. That sentiment is revealed in the definition above : dissatisfaction is an "uneasiness proceeding from the want of gratification". How small and ridiculous my heart and mind can be!
The remedy? Take every thought captive (II Cor 10: 4-5) and stand on the truth, God's Word (John 17:17). The truth is:
~God has blessed me with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3);
~God has given me EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3);
~God has LAVISHED His love upon me (Rom. 5:5).
Emphasis mine
Do I deserve any of this? A resounding NO is the answer~ God does it because of His mercy and grace. He is the initiator and completor of this gift... God's Word tells me that my salvation is a gift of God and not of works lest I should boast (see Eph. 2:4-10).
Psalm 116:5 reminds me, "Gracious is the LORD and righteous; yes, our God is merciful."
I am a great sinner, prone to wander and be ungrateful. Praise God His mercies are new every morning and that His faithfulness is great (Lam. 3:22-23)! Again I confess my sin and He is faithful to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness... isn't that enough to be grateful for for the rest of my life? Yes, yes it is.
DISCONTENT, n. [dis and content.] Want of content; uneasiness or inquietude of mind; dissatisfaction at any present state of things.
DISSATISFACTION, n. [dis and satisfaction.] The state of being dissatisfied; discontent; uneasiness proceeding from the want of gratification, or from disappointed wishes and expectations.
DISQUIETUDE, n. [dis and quietude.] Want of peace or tranquility; uneasiness; disturbance; agitation; anxiety. It is, I believe, most frequently used of the mind.
The Lord gently convicted me of how easily I come to this place in my heart. You know what He showed me? Discontentment is really ungratefulness toward my Provider. If I am totally honest this is sin in my heart - it stems from lust and envy. That sentiment is revealed in the definition above : dissatisfaction is an "uneasiness proceeding from the want of gratification". How small and ridiculous my heart and mind can be!
The remedy? Take every thought captive (II Cor 10: 4-5) and stand on the truth, God's Word (John 17:17). The truth is:
~God has blessed me with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3);
~God has given me EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness (II Pet. 1:3);
~God has LAVISHED His love upon me (Rom. 5:5).
Emphasis mine
Do I deserve any of this? A resounding NO is the answer~ God does it because of His mercy and grace. He is the initiator and completor of this gift... God's Word tells me that my salvation is a gift of God and not of works lest I should boast (see Eph. 2:4-10).
Psalm 116:5 reminds me, "Gracious is the LORD and righteous; yes, our God is merciful."
I am a great sinner, prone to wander and be ungrateful. Praise God His mercies are new every morning and that His faithfulness is great (Lam. 3:22-23)! Again I confess my sin and He is faithful to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness... isn't that enough to be grateful for for the rest of my life? Yes, yes it is.
COME TO ME
Author unknown
When you are hurting, come to Me and I will bind your wounds.
When you need to be assured, come to Me and I will give you My embrace.
When you can no longer go on, come to Me and I will carry you.
When you need comfort, come to Me and I will wipe your tears.
When you are uncertain of My love, come to Me and I will speak My heart to you.
Always remember that in your need you are coming to the One who came for you.
Today may you be confident of God's presence,
Certain of His promises and assured of His love.
Author unknown
When you are hurting, come to Me and I will bind your wounds.
When you need to be assured, come to Me and I will give you My embrace.
When you can no longer go on, come to Me and I will carry you.
When you need comfort, come to Me and I will wipe your tears.
When you are uncertain of My love, come to Me and I will speak My heart to you.
Always remember that in your need you are coming to the One who came for you.
Today may you be confident of God's presence,
Certain of His promises and assured of His love.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Housecleaning and sin
This week my girls are away at camp and I am trying to be diligent to take care of those little (or not so little) housecleaning jobs that I have been putting off. You know the ones... reorganizing the cupboards so you can actually know what in the world is up there or wiping down a rolling laundry cart (YUK!), hemming curtains that have been hung unhemmed for longer than I want to admit, cleaning the grout in the kitchen, and on and on. Since I am alone, I find that I am thinking without interruption - for the most part. Today my thoughts wandered to the comparison between housecleaning and sin as I was wiping down my kitchen surfaces. When I got to the sill between my kitchen and living room, the amount of dust was, well, graffiti material! As I moved things to clean the built up dust I began to ponder how things can build up in my heart. Then I started to clean the grout... more build up there. Funny how I didn't notice the build up because it happened gradually. Hmmm.... what things have been building up in my heart that I haven't noticed because it has been happening so gradually?
As I moved the mixer, blender, and fruit bowl I found those hidden areas were in need of a good cleaning. What could be compared to those hidden places? I thought of hidden sins like resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, jealousy, self-pity, anger just to name a few. The interesting thing about hidden sins is that they don't stay hidden - just move something or change something and POW! Out pops the "hidden sin" knocking over whomever happens to be in it's path at that moment. It's kind of like the closet that everyone crams stuff into and then quickly closes the door. "Don't open it!" you warn, "We'll never get it shut again!" Someone didn't get the memo and opens it only to be taken out by years of stuff tumbling down on their head! Then you mutter to yourself, "Someday I've got to clean out that closet."
Proverbs 4:23 tells us to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life."
Our hearts can very well be like that closet if we are not diligent to watch over them. All of that clutter and stuff are things that are out of place, unneeded, sometimes useless; stuff that creates visual confusion, frustration, and overwhelming feelings. Why do we do that? Why do we stuff those things in a closet or cupboard or under a bed only to have to avoid them again and again? It reminds me of the proverbial elephant under the rug... you can only ignore it for so long before someone trips over it.
I John 1:9 reminds us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Let's consider doing a little spiritual housecleaning today - as we do let's remember:
"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.
"They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
" 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."
Lamentations 3:23-25
As I moved the mixer, blender, and fruit bowl I found those hidden areas were in need of a good cleaning. What could be compared to those hidden places? I thought of hidden sins like resentment, unforgiveness, bitterness, pride, jealousy, self-pity, anger just to name a few. The interesting thing about hidden sins is that they don't stay hidden - just move something or change something and POW! Out pops the "hidden sin" knocking over whomever happens to be in it's path at that moment. It's kind of like the closet that everyone crams stuff into and then quickly closes the door. "Don't open it!" you warn, "We'll never get it shut again!" Someone didn't get the memo and opens it only to be taken out by years of stuff tumbling down on their head! Then you mutter to yourself, "Someday I've got to clean out that closet."
Proverbs 4:23 tells us to "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flows the springs of life."
Our hearts can very well be like that closet if we are not diligent to watch over them. All of that clutter and stuff are things that are out of place, unneeded, sometimes useless; stuff that creates visual confusion, frustration, and overwhelming feelings. Why do we do that? Why do we stuff those things in a closet or cupboard or under a bed only to have to avoid them again and again? It reminds me of the proverbial elephant under the rug... you can only ignore it for so long before someone trips over it.
I John 1:9 reminds us that "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
Let's consider doing a little spiritual housecleaning today - as we do let's remember:
"The Lord's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail.
"They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
" 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'Therefore I have hope in Him.'
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him."
Lamentations 3:23-25
Spurgeon's morning devotional
July 9
"Forget not all His benefits."
- Psalm 103:2
It is a delightful and profitable occupation to mark the hand of God in the lives of ancient saints, and to observe his goodness in delivering them, his mercy in pardoning them, and his faithfulness in keeping his covenant with them. But would it not be even more interesting and profitable for us to remark the hand of God in our own lives? Ought we not to look upon our own history as being at least as full of God, as full of his goodness and of his truth, as much a proof of his faithfulness and veracity, as the lives of any of the saints who have gone before? We do our Lord an injustice when we suppose that he wrought all his mighty acts, and showed himself strong for those in the early time, but doth not perform wonders or lay bare his arm for the saints who are now upon the earth. Let us review our own lives. Surely in these we may discover some happy incidents, refreshing to ourselves and glorifying to our God. Have you had no deliverances? Have you passed through no rivers, supported by the divine presence? Have you walked through no fires unharmed? Have you had no manifestations? Have you had no choice favours? The God who gave Solomon the desire of his heart, hath he never listened to you and answered your requests? That God of lavish bounty of whom David sang, "Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things," hath he never satiated you with fatness? Have you never been made to lie down in green pastures? Have you never been led by the still waters? Surely the goodness of God has been the same to us as to the saints of old. Let us, then, weave his mercies into a song. Let us take the pure gold of thankfulness, and the jewels of praise and make them into another crown for the head of Jesus. Let our souls give forth music as sweet and as exhilarating as came from David’s harp, while we praise the Lord whose mercy endureth for ever.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Weary in battle?
This prayer is taken from "The Valley of Vision - A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions". It really spoke to me when my heart was heavy in battle - my prayer is that it speaks to your heart the victory we have in Jesus as we put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:12-20).
Romans 8:37 reminds us, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." What are "all these things" in the passage? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword. Then the passage goes on to remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 38-39).
THE SERVANT IN BATTLE
O LORD,
I bless thee that the issue of the battle between thyself and Satan
has never been uncertain,
and will end in victory.
Calvary broke the dragon's head,
and I contend with a vanquished foe,
who with all his subtlety and strength
has already been overcome.
When I feel the serpent at my heel
may I remember him whose heel was bruised,
but who, when bruised, broke the devil's head.
My soul with inward joy extols the mighty conqueror.
Heal me of any wounds received in the great conflict;
if I have gathered defilement,
if my faith has suffered damage,
if my hope is less than bright,
if my love is not fervent,
if some creature-comfort occupies my heart,
if my soul sinks under pressure of the fight.
O thou whose every promise is balm,
every touch life,
draw near to thy weary warrior,
refresh me, that I may rise again to wage the strife,
and never tire until my enemy is trodden down.
Give me such fellowship with thee that I might defy Satan,
unbelief, the flesh, the world,
with delight tha comes not from a creature,
and which a creature cannot mar.
Give me a draught of the eternal fountain
that lieth in thy immutable, everlasting love and decree.
Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble,
my sword never rest, my shield never rust,
my helmet never shatter, my breastplate never fall,
as my strength rests in the power of thy might.
Romans 8:37 reminds us, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." What are "all these things" in the passage? Tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword. Then the passage goes on to remind us that nothing can separate us from the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord (v. 38-39).
THE SERVANT IN BATTLE
O LORD,
I bless thee that the issue of the battle between thyself and Satan
has never been uncertain,
and will end in victory.
Calvary broke the dragon's head,
and I contend with a vanquished foe,
who with all his subtlety and strength
has already been overcome.
When I feel the serpent at my heel
may I remember him whose heel was bruised,
but who, when bruised, broke the devil's head.
My soul with inward joy extols the mighty conqueror.
Heal me of any wounds received in the great conflict;
if I have gathered defilement,
if my faith has suffered damage,
if my hope is less than bright,
if my love is not fervent,
if some creature-comfort occupies my heart,
if my soul sinks under pressure of the fight.
O thou whose every promise is balm,
every touch life,
draw near to thy weary warrior,
refresh me, that I may rise again to wage the strife,
and never tire until my enemy is trodden down.
Give me such fellowship with thee that I might defy Satan,
unbelief, the flesh, the world,
with delight tha comes not from a creature,
and which a creature cannot mar.
Give me a draught of the eternal fountain
that lieth in thy immutable, everlasting love and decree.
Then shall my hand never weaken, my feet never stumble,
my sword never rest, my shield never rust,
my helmet never shatter, my breastplate never fall,
as my strength rests in the power of thy might.
Monday, July 7, 2008
You CAN do it!
A friend of mine sent me this video link - AMAZING! If you're feeling like you want to quit or you can't accomplish something... click on the link below, watch the video then get up and persevere. You can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens you - Phil 4:13.
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513
Here is the background to this amazing story:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=4e7679f8a731d6cce58a
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=8cf08faca5dd9ea45513
Here is the background to this amazing story:
http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=4e7679f8a731d6cce58a
Encouragement
Lately the sovereignty of God has been foremost in my mind. It was the topic of our women's retreat in May and even though I knew God was sovereign, my memory was refreshed anew. I had a sense of needing to have God speak to my heart about some things and He did in such a gentle and tender way... as if He whispered in my ear. Oh how I needed that!
There are many things in life that I can't wrap my mind around, things that aren't fair or right or that just don't make sense. My friend's cancer, another friend's struggling marriage, broken homes, rebellious children, intentionally mean people to name a few. Ultimately I come to the place where I have to recognize that I cannot grasp it and in spite of it all, God is in control. We live in a fallen world where sin and death are daily reminders of how temporary life is. Unless I fix my gaze upon Him and drink in His Word, I would become hopeless... but thanks be to God that while I was yet a sinner Christ died for me. One life that is surrendered to Him can make a huge difference. Are you surrendered to Him today?
There are many things in life that I can't wrap my mind around, things that aren't fair or right or that just don't make sense. My friend's cancer, another friend's struggling marriage, broken homes, rebellious children, intentionally mean people to name a few. Ultimately I come to the place where I have to recognize that I cannot grasp it and in spite of it all, God is in control. We live in a fallen world where sin and death are daily reminders of how temporary life is. Unless I fix my gaze upon Him and drink in His Word, I would become hopeless... but thanks be to God that while I was yet a sinner Christ died for me. One life that is surrendered to Him can make a huge difference. Are you surrendered to Him today?
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