Tuesday, January 31, 2006

The Reality of a War

For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14 (New American Standard Bible)


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What if they gave a war and no one came?
Then the war will come to you!
He who stays home when the fight begins
And lets others fight for his cause
Should take care: He who does not take part
In the battle will share in the defeat.
Even avoiding battle does not avoid
Battle, since not to fight for your own cause
Really means fighting on behalf of your enemy's cause.

Bertolt Brecht, as printed in March 9, 1984, National Review magazine.

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A spiritual war is taking place (2 Corinthians 10:3-6); you are the target (1 Peter 5:8); stand firm against the Enemy (Ephesians 6). "What if they gave a war and no one came? Then the war will come to you!"


Good series on Spiritual Warfare presented by David Jeremiah just starting on WLPE (7 am, 91.7 FM).

What is Spoiling Your Appetite?

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

I want to ask the parents, how many times have you fixed a good meal for your kids and when they came to the table, they said "I'm not hungry." And then you discover that just before the meal they ate potato chips or ice cream. No wonder they're not hungry for your well-balanced, nutritious meal. They spoiled their appetite with junk food.

Well, let me ask you: Have you been spoiling your appetite for God with the world's junk food? As God's children we often do that, and of course, we are the ones who suffer for it because we are not nourished by the wonderful table our Lord has prepared for us through His Word, p ray er, fellowship, etc.

What's spoiling your appetite? Could it be that television spoils your appetite for God? A friend in my Sunday school class shared with us how she had been spoiling her appetite by watching a soap opera everyday. She taped it while at work, and first thing every evening, watched that soap opera. She knew is was not edifying or uplifting, but she had allowed herself to become addicted to this particular program.

She began to p ray Romans 12:1 and 2 into her life on a daily basis, and shortly thereafter the Spirit of God convicted her about this worldly junk food which she was pouring into her mind. It was spoiling her appetite for God. However, as she began seriously p ray ing that God would accept her body as a living sacrifice and help her not to be conformed to this world but to be transformed by a renewed mind, she had the power to break that obsession and she was freed from that junk food. Now, her appetite for God is stronger because she's not filling up her mind and her spirit with that junk.

Another listener wrote that God was helping her to break her dependency on television by turning on Christian radio as she got home each evening and listening to a wonderful program of classical Christian music instead of watching television. She now reads and gets other things done while listening to that good music, and it has increased her appetite for the things of God. Why? Because she's not filling up on junk food.

Someone said recently they watched Friends and programs like that so they would be aware of what's going on in the world. I think that is unbiblical thinking. You don't have to rob someone to know that robbery is wrong. And when you allow the junk on television to invade your mind regularly, you're spoiling your appetite for God.

Well, I know I've "quit preaching and gone to meddling," as they say, but I really believe there are many of us who need to check up on ourselves in this area. If you and I are ever going to know God in meaningful ways, we must hunger and thirst for Him and stop spoiling our appetites on the junk that is all around us.


Program Transcript, The Christian Working Woman, Mary Welchel.

A New Thing

For I am about to do a brand-new thing. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness for my people to come home. I will create rivers for them in the desert! Isaiah 43:19 (New Living Translation)

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"The gospel message says: "You don't live in mechanistic world ruled by necessity; you don't live in a random world ruled by chance; you live in a world ruled by the God of Exodus and Easter. He will do things in you that neither you nor your friends would have supposed possible. He is not limited by anything you think you know about him; he is not boxed into the cramped dimensions of your ignorance or your despair. As Isaiah says, 'I am about to do a new thing.'""

Five Smooth Stones

"Ruled by God", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene H. Peterson (Countryman Press).

Monday, January 30, 2006

Ark of God

From yesterday's sermon:

The ark of God reminds us of: God's provision (jar of manna), God's power (aaron's rod blooming), God's precepts (commandment stones) . Overall: God's presence.

2 Sam 6:1-11

Trust

Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; ...
Job 13:15 (New International Version)

Years ago a military officer and his wife were aboard a ship that was caught in a raging storm at sea. Seeing his wife’s fear, the man tried to comfort her. Suddenly she grasped his sleeve and cried, "How can you be so calm?"

He stepped back and drew his sword. Pointing it at her, he asked, "Are you afraid of this?"

"Of course not!" she answered.

"Why not?" he inquired.

"Because I know you love me too much to hurt me," she said.

He replied, "I also know the One who holds the winds and the waters in the hollow of His hand,
and He loves us too much to fail to care for us!"

Job had that same trust. He had lost his children, his wealth and his health. Even his wife had turned against him. He had only one more thing to lose—his own life. Yet Job declared that even if it were to come down to that final loss, he would continue to trust that God had a purpose in everything that happened to him. In Job’s eyes, the important issue was not what was happening but whose hand was behind it. If God did it, Job knew he could trust it.

Often our trust is based on the "what" rather than the "who." We focus on the event rather than the One who controls that event. Consequently, when trials and tribulations come crashing down upon us, our faith is shaken. We can’t understand why a loving Heavenly Father would allow such grief to enter our lives. Yet if we truly believe that He is loving, we can say with Job that even though He slay us, we will believe He intends it for our good. In His infinite wisdom and goodness, He will take the most difficult circumstances and use them for our good.

When you are facing life’s most severe trials, focus on the character of God. Build your trust on who God is, not on what is taking place. When you know who He is, you never have to worry about what He will allow to happen.

Trust is based on character, not circumstances.

Woodrow Kroll

Praise God the Creator

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Nehemiah 9:6 (New International Version)

Too Full?

Jesus felt genuine love for this man as he looked at him. "You lack only one thing," he told him. "Go and sell all you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Mark 10:21 (New Living Translation)

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"It may come as a shock, but we are often too full of ourselves, too preoccupied with our own activities, and too full of our own plans and desires. Even our activities on behalf of others can often reflect much of our own need for fulfillment or recognition. And our relationship with God frequently pivots around our own prayers, needs, and projects. We are therefore persons without space and room, and consequently we lack flexibility and maneuverability.

We therefore need to be, as it were, pried loose from ourselves. Nouwen, in speaking of prayer as a way to solitude, challenges us to be willing to open our tightly clenched fist and "give up [our] last coin." So often we receive nothing from our spiritual exercises because we have not created any open spaces in our lives. We are too full. We may want to receive, but we certainly do not want anything to be taken away.

God can hardly fill our hands with the good things of His love and grace while our hands are full with our own things. Therefore, in our search for inner peace and strength, we need to learn the gentle but difficult art of relinquishment as much as we need to seek God's empowerment."

"Too Full: Learning to Become Empty", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma (Pinon Press).

Are You Spoiling Your Appetite?

Monday, January 30, 2006

Did your mother ever tell you, "Now, don't eat that right before dinner. You'll spoil your appetite." Of course she did; every mother says it hundreds of times while her children are growing up. I want to ask you: What's spoiling your appetite?

Of course, I'm talking about your spiritual appetite. Just as we can spoil our appetite for the right kind of food by filling up on junk food, we can also spoil our appetite for God and the things of God by filling up on the world's junk food. And oh my, it is so easy to do that.

Now, just think what happens when your children spoil their appetite by eating sweets and snacks before dinner. They are satisfied with the junk food and don't have room for the nourishing food you've prepared–right? And you know they will be much better off eating that nourishing, well-balanced meal you are cooking than filling up on the junk.

Well, the same is true in our spiritual lives. As children of God, we often spoil our appetites for God with things that are not good for us, and that keep us from the spiritual food which we really need. Jesus told us that He was the bread of life and anyone who comes to Him would never go hungry. (John 6:35). He told us that He had water to give us which would be a like a spring of water welling up inside us to eternal life, and we would never thirst again (John 4:13 -14).

In other words, He has a table prepared for us with good, nourishing food and water. And we are invited to eat at His table. The Psalmist said, "O taste and see that the Lord is good." Have you tasted the Lord's table prepared for you lately? Do you have a hunger for God–an appetite that can only be satisfied by Him and His Word?

What are some symptoms of a hunger for God? When you're hungry for God, it is obvious by the way you talk and how you spend your time, money and energy. Reading your Bible and going to church are not hard to do. P ray er is natural and important. Your radio dial is often on the Christian station because it feeds your hungry soul. The books you read are nourishing things that satisfy that heart hunger for God. You choose friends who talk about the Lord and encourage you in your quest for God. Your conversations are edifying and often revolve around things of God.

Are you hungry for God? Do people around you know that more than anything else you want to know God and the power of his resurrection in your life? If not, perhaps it's because you're spoiling your appetite with the world's junk food.

Program Transcript, The Christian Working Woman, Mary Welchel.

Obedience and Faith

Trust and obey,
for there's no other way,
to be happy in Jesus,
but to trust and obey.
(Classic Christian Hymn)


OBEDIENCE=to do that which is commanded or required by an authority, or to abstain from doing that which is prohibited.

FAITH=an entire confidence or trust in God's character and declarations, and in the character and doctrines of Christ, with an unreserved surrender of the will to his guidance, and dependence on his merits for salvation. In other words, that firm belief in God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation.

FRUITFULNESS=The quality of producing fruit in abundance; productiveness; fertility; as the fruitfulness of land. Exuberant abundance. Productiveness. The quality of being prolific, or producing many offspring.

POWER IN PRAYER=


POWER=the faculty of moving or of producing a change in something; ability or strength.
The primary sense of the verb is to strain, to exert force. The exertion of power proceeds from the will, and in strictness, no being destitute of will or intelligence, can exert power. Power in man is active or speculative. Active power is that which moves the body; speculative power is that by which we see, judge, remember, or in general, by which we think. Power may exist without exertion. We have power to speak when we are silent. Influence; that which may move the mind;
as the power of arguments or of persuasion. Christ is called the power of God, as through him and his gospel, God displays his power and authority in ransoming and saving sinners.

PRAYER=
In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor from God, and particularly with earnestness.
In worship, a solemn address to the Supreme Being, consisting of adoration, or an expression of our sense of God's glorious perfections, confession of our sins, supplication for mercy and forgiveness, intercession for blessings on others, and thanksgiving, or an expression of gratitude to God for his mercies and benefits. A prayer however may consist of a single petition, and it may be spontaneous, written or printed in advance.


IXTHEUS CHRISTIAN GROWTH DEVOTIONALS

Remember and Receive

And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. ... And he said to them, "This is my blood, poured out for many, sealing the covenant between God and his people." Mark 14:23-24 (New Living Translation)


"The eucharistic meal .. is the primary way that Christians remember, receive and share in the meaning of our salvation: Christ crucified for us, his blood shed for the remission of our sins. This is where we affirm the action of our salvation.

The many-dimensioned reality of salvation is preserved not by a truth that we must figure out, or by an ethical behavior that we must carry out, but in a meal to eat. Not everyone can comprehend a doctrine; not everyone can obey a precept; but everyone can eat a piece of bread, drink a cup of wine, and understand a simple statement -- my body, my blood."

Reversed Thunder

"Remember and Receive" by Eugene H. Peterson, God's Message for Each Day (Countryman).

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You'll remember, friends, that when I first came to you to let you in on God's master stroke, I didn't try to impress you with polished speeches and the latest philosophy. I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did--Jesus crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:1-2 (The Message)

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Compassion

This is the kind of love we are talking about--not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they've done to our relationship with God. 1 John 4:10 (The Message)

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"We are good at criticizing others and even better at giving advice. We assume that we know what is best for others, particularly the more unfortunate members of our society. But we are not so good at compassionate participation. We often fail to draw close. We are afraid of involvement, for we know that we may not be able to control the demands that may be made of us.

Yet compassion asks us precisely to take such a risk. In the words of Nouwen, "compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into places of pain."

Going there does not mean barging in with easy answers and quick solutions. It means learning to listen for what, initially, cannot be expressed. It means being honest about our own needs and struggles so that we can listen more carefully. It means journeying with people in their attempts at resolution and healing. It means being there, but not controlling or crowding others. It means reaching out without taking over. It means holding without withholding, giving without looking to receive, and entering a partnership that releases others to pursue their own dreams and aspirations."

"Drawing Close: True Compassion Enters the Places of Pain", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma (Pinon Press).

Friday, January 27, 2006

Repetition

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 (NIV)

"Thoughts, positive or negative, grow stronger when fertilized with constant repetition."
Come Before Winter, p. 239.

Belief

Belief, Not Understanding
by Mrs. Charles E. Cowman

"Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?"
(John 11:40).

Mary and Martha could not understand what their Lord was doing. Both of them said to Him, "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." Back of it all, we seem to read their thought: "Lord, we do not understand why you have stayed away so long. We do not understand how you could let death come to the man whom you loved. We do not understand how you could let sorrow and suffering ravage our lives when your presence might have stayed it all. Why did you not come? It is too late now, for already he has been dead
four days!"

And to it all Jesus had but one great truth: "You may not understand; but I tell you if you believe, you will see."

Abraham could not understand why God should ask the sacrifice of the boy; but he trusted. And he saw the glory of God in his restoration to his love. Moses could not understand why God should keep him forty years in the wilderness, but he trusted; and he saw when God called him to lead forth Israel from bondage.

Joseph could not understand the cruelty of his brethren, the false witness of a perfidious woman, and the long years of an unjust imprisonment; but he trusted, and he saw at last the glory of God in it all.

Jacob could not understand the strange providence which permitted the same Joseph to be torn from his father's love, but he saw the glory of God when he looked into the face of that same Joseph as the viceroy of a great king, and the preserver of his own life and the lives of a great nation.

And so, perhaps in your life. You say, "I do not understand why God let my dear one be taken. I do not understand why affliction has been permitted to smite me. I do not understand the devious paths by which the Lord is leading me. I do not understand why plans and purposes that seemed good to my eyes should be baffled. I do not understand why blessings I so much need are so long delayed.

Friend, you do not have to understand all God's ways with you. God does not expect you to understand them. You do not expect your child to understand, only believe. Some day you will see the glory of God in the things which you do not understand.--J. H. McC

"If we could push ajar the gates of life,
And stand within, and all God's working see,
We might interpret all this doubt and strife,
And for each mystery could find a key.


"But not today. Then be content, poor heart;
God's plans, like lilies pure and white, unfold.
We must not tear the close-shut leaves apart--
Time will reveal the calyxes of gold.

"And if, through patient toil, we reach the land
Where tired feet, with sandals loosed, may rest,
When we shall clearly know and understand,
I think that we shall say, 'God knew best."'


Thursday, January 26, 2006

God's Promises

" ... I am watching over My word to perform it."
Jeremiah 1:12 (New American Standard Bible)


"The almond tree is one of the earliest trees to bloom in Palestine. Before it puts forth leaves, it puts forth blossoms, white and snowy. While the land is still chill from winter, the warm blossoms, untended and unforced, surprise us with a promise of spring. Every spring it happens again. ...

The blossom is a delight in itself, ... fragrant to smell. But it is more. It is anticipation. It is promise. Like words. ... God's words. ... They are promises that lead to fulfillment. ... God does what he says."

Run With The Horses


January 25, "God's Promises", God's Message for Each Day, Eugene H. Peterson (Countryman).

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"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11 (The Message)

Resiliency

Scott Peck says, "It is in meeting and solving problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. Wise people learn not
to dread, but to welcome the pain of problems." Sociologists who study resiliency (the ability to bounce back) tell us that people handle trauma in two ways: they either give up because they are afraid, or they grow up by developing the capacity to handle it.

Those who give up act like victims, while those who grow up are resilient people who:
1) assert control and take charge of their lives
2) refuse to relinquish their values
3) find God's purpose in the problem
4) refocus on their goal.
During their famous expedition, Lewis and Clark faced incredible hardships. On reaching the Missouri River they thought the worst was over - then they saw the Rockies! Instead of the easy ride downstream they had expected, they faced their biggest challenge - go back or start climbing. They started climbing and the rest is history. Looking back, they realized it was conquering the Missouri River that gave them the confidence they needed for what they faced later.

Tony Evans says, "Challenge is a dragon with a gift in its mouth. Tame the dragon and the gift is yours". Quitting is always simpler than enduring. It is always easier to stop for a doughnut than run another lap, but it produces a pattern that's hard to break. So today if you're thinking, "This relationship's too hard, I want out", or, "This class isn't what
I expected", remember, you develop resiliency by remaining faithful in situations you don't like and can't change.
Today, don't give up! There awaits "... great honor to those who endure."
(c)2005 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship

God Is

He is the First and Last,
The Beginning and the End!

He is the keeper of Creation and the Creator of all!
He is the Architect of the universe and the Manager of all times.
He always was, He always is, and He always will be ...
unmoved, Unchanged, Undefeated, and never Undone!

He was bruised and brought healing!
He was pierced and eased pain!
He was persecuted and brought freedom!
He was dead and brought life!
He is risen and brings power!
He reigns and brings Peace!
The world can't understand him,
The armies can't defeat Him,
The schools can't explain Him, and The leaders can't ignore Him.
Herod couldn't kill Him, The Pharisees couldn't confuse Him, and
The people couldn't hold Him!
Nero couldn't crush Him, Hitler couldn't silence Him,
The New Age can't replace Him, and "Oprah" can't explain Him away!

He is light, love, longevity, and Lord.
He is goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and God.
He is Holy, Righteous, mighty, powerful, and pure.

His ways are right,
His word is eternal,
His will is unchanging, and His mind is on me.
He is my Savior,
He is my guide, and He is my peace!
He is my Joy,
He is my comfort,
He is my Lord, and He rules my life!

I serve Him because His bond is love,
His burden is light, and His goal for me is abundant life.

I follow Him because He is the wisdom of the wise,
the power of the powerful,
the ancient of days, the ruler of rulers, the leader of leaders,
the overseer of the overcomers, and is to come.
And if that seems impressive to you, try this for size.

His goal is a relationship with ME!
He will never leave me,
never forsake me,
never mislead me,
never forget me,
never overlook me and
never cancel my appointment in His appointment book!

When I fall, He lifts me up!
When I fail, He forgives!
When I am weak, He is strong!
When I am lost, He is the way!
When I am afraid, He is my courage!
When I stumble, He steadies me!
When I am hurt, He heals me!
When I am broken, He mends me!
When I am blind, He leads me!
When I am hungry, He feeds me!
When I face trials, He is with me!
When I face persecution, He shields me!
When I face problems, He comforts me!
When I face loss, He provides for me!
When I face Death, He carries me Home!

He is everything for everybody everywhere,
every time, and every way.

He is God, He is faithful. I am His, and He is mine!

My Father in heaven can whip the father of this world.
So, if you're wondering why I feel so secure, understand this...

He said it and that settles it.
God is in control, I am on His side,
and that means all is well with my soul.

Everyday is a blessing for GOD Is!


-- Jimmy Turner

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Consumer-Driven

The following is from Scotty Smith, author and pastor.


"One of my favorite authors is J.I. Packer, who wrote the classic volume Knowing God. Being from Great Britain, he was asked, "Dr. Packer, what do you think of American piety?" In a very humble, loving, and tender way he said, "Well, certainly there are a lot of wonderful things to be encouraged about; but by and large, I see it as three thousand miles wide and three inches deep."

Certainly that metaphor can be defined and understood in many ways. I see American spirituality being superficial and not very deep in the "consumer spirit" of our day. We are a consumer-driven culture, and I find many times in our churches, Christian literature, and Christian media an unspoken assumption tht God exists to make my life more enjoyable. He exists to make my life more cope-able. He's there to come through for me. Consumerism basically asks the question, "What's in it for me?"

I long for my heart, the hearts of our church members, and the hearts of this generation to experience revival. Revival would get us back to the notion held by the Christians in the eighteenth century, those who put together the Westminster Shorter Catechism and framed the first great question: "What is the chief aim of man?" Their response was, "The chief aim of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever." I would love to see my heart and the hearts of our church and this generation brought back to an other-centered experience of the gospel -- an experience in which we can truly say with joy, "I exist just to bring glory and pleasure to God. I enjoy it, and I get great benefits out of it; but those things are secondary to the joy I have of simply being His son, His daughter, being involved in the advancement of His kingdom."

Compare that to the modern attitude that basically says, "You know, God owes me. He didn't answer my prayers because I prayed for a spouse, and here I am, forty-eight and still single." I fully identify with anyone who sits in the brokenness and longing of unanswered prayer. But the point is that this culture has a consumer-driven nature that concerns me. I pray that God would be pleased to arrest this drive and bring us to a place of real freedom in Him."

Secrets of a Faith Well Lived by Christopher Coppernoll (Howard).

Obedience

.. So then, everyone who hears my words and puts them into practice is like a wise man. He builds his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 (New International Reader's Version)

... Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. Matthew 28:20 (New Living Translation)

We Fall Down

Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,


"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty--
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come."

Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne, the one who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one who lives forever and ever. And they lay their crowns before the throne and say

"You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created everything,
and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created."

Revelation 4:8-11 (New Living Translation)

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Lyrics for "We Fall Down" by Chris Tomlin

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus
The greatness of
Mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
We cry holy, holy, holy
Is the lamb

Please, No More Doing Church for 'Them'

Interesting post from BlogBlog (see link after this short excerpt)

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I just received a question from an associate that asked how to start a service to attract people from outside the church. I encouraged her to give up on this idea.

But what is wrong with starting a relevant church for seekers?

Relevant churches are rarely even closely relevant. Most Christians don't even like them. They might be better than Mom and Dad's morning service, but they usually are quite irrelevant to the outsider. The church person cannot 'guess' what the seeker wants, undoubtedly getting it wrong. What Christians need to do is create meaningful worship through bringing their very own lives to God.

To read the rest of this posting




Tuesday, January 24, 2006

A Single Passion

"God created us to live with a single passion to joyfully display his supreme excellence in all the spheres of our life. The wasted life is the life without this passion. God calls us to pray and think and dream and plan and work not to be made much of, but to make much of him in every area of our lives."

John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life, p. 37 (Crossway).

Live Freely Motivated by God's Spirit

The lyrics below say "just praying today will be the day I go Free. ... I want to live like there's no tomorrow .. dance like no one's around .. sing like nobody's listening."

Freedom. The text from Galatians 5 (see below) puts freedom in perspective. Freedom doesn't mean indulgence. In fact freedom grows through serving others.

"Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness." How will we know we are living free motivated and led by the Spirit? There will be Spirit produced fruit. At the same it is something we are to desire and pursue by working "out its implications in every area of our lives."

I pray that today you will "be the day you go free and dance like no one's around" because we have been set free by the Son we are free indeed. You are an original.


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Chris Tomlin | The Way I Was Made to Be

Caught in the half-light, I'm caught alone
Waking up to the sunrise, and the radio
Feels like I'm tied up, what's holding me?
Just praying today will be the day I go Free.

Chorus:
I want to live like there's no tomorrow
I want to dance like no one's around.
I want to sing like nobody's listening.
Before I lay my body down

I want to give like I have plenty.
I want to love like I'm not afraid.
I want to be the man I was meant to be.
I want to be the way I was made.

Made in Your likeness, made with Your hands.
Made to discover who You are and who I am
All I've forgotten help me to find.
All that You've promised let it be in my life.


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The Life of Freedom | Galatians 5 (The Message) | Emphasis added
1Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

2I am emphatic about this. The moment any one of you submits to circumcision or any other rule-keeping system, at that same moment Christ's hard-won gift of freedom is squandered. 3I repeat my warning: The person who accepts the ways of circumcision trades all the advantages of the free life in Christ for the obligations of the slave life of the law.

4I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. 5Meanwhile we expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the Spirit. 6For in Christ, neither our most conscientious religion nor disregard of religion amounts to anything. What matters is something far more interior: faith expressed in love.

7You were running superbly! Who cut in on you, deflecting you from the true course of obedience? 8This detour doesn't come from the One who called you into the race in the first place. 9And please don't toss this off as insignificant. It only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate an entire loaf of bread. 10Deep down, the Master has given me confidence that you will not defect. But the one who is upsetting you, whoever he is, will bear the divine judgment.

11As for the rumor that I continue to preach the ways of circumcision (as I did in those pre-Damascus Road days), that is absurd. Why would I still be persecuted, then? If I were preaching that old message, no one would be offended if I mentioned the Cross now and then--it would be so watered-down it wouldn't matter one way or the other. 12Why don't these agitators, obsessive as they are about circumcision, go all the way and castrate themselves!

13It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. 14For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. 15If you bite and ravage each other, watch out--in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?

16My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. 17For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. 18Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence? 19It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; 20trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; 21the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

22But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard--things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, 23not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. 24Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good--crucified.

25Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. 26That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.



Continue in Prayer

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2 (NIV)
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It is interesting to remark how large a portion of Sacred Writ is occupied with the subject of prayer, either in furnishing examples, enforcing precepts, or pronouncing promises. We scarcely open the Bible before we read, 'Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord;' and just as we are about to close the volume, the 'Amen' of an earnest supplication meets our ear.

Instances are plentiful. Here we find a wrestling Jacob-there a Daniel who prayed three times a day -and a David who with all his heart called upon his God. On the mountain we see Elias; in the dungeon Paul and Silas. We have multitudes of commands, and myriads of promises.

What does this teach us, but the sacred importance and necessity of prayer? We may be certain that whatever God has made prominent in His Word, He intended to be conspicuous in our lives. If He has said much about prayer, it is because He knows we have much need of it. So deep are our necessities, that until we are in heaven we must not cease to pray.

Dost thou want nothing? Then, I fear thou dost not know thy poverty. Hast thou no mercy to ask of God? Then, may the Lord's mercy show thee thy misery! A prayerless soul is a Christless soul. Prayer is the lisping of the believing infant, the shout of the fighting believer, the requiem of the dying saint falling asleep in Jesus. It is the breath, the watchword, the comfort, the strength, the honour of a Christian.

If thou be a child of God, thou wilt seek thy Father's face, and live in thy Father's love. Pray that this year thou mayst be holy, humble, zealous, and patient; have closer communion with Christ, and enter oftener into the banqueting-house of His love. Pray that thou mayst be an example and a blessing unto others, and that thou mayst live more to the glory of thy Master.

The motto for this year must be, 'Continue in prayer.'

Charles Spurgeon

Monday, January 23, 2006

Where is Your Center?

"Whereas in the past my Christianity was focused on work and effort and striving, I can honestly say that the center from which my spiritual life flows today is the time I set aside daily to be silent in the presence of God, emptying my mind as best I can of words and thoughts, and simply inviting God to fill that open space. Every time I do this I feel as if I fall into a well of love -- a love that centers me, calms me, and heals me on deeper levels than my conscious mind understands.

Paradoxically, it is out of this quiet resting that I hear God's call to compassionate action in the world, but it is a very gentle thing. In it is none of the trauma and anxiety I experienced in the past. This is a radically different way to do ministry. It's ministry that flows out of fullness and joy and gratitude for life -- what Frederick Buechner describes as that point where "your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." It's the kind of ministry -- the kind of life -- I believe God calls all of us to, but it has to be grounded in a true, daily experience of God's love."

Nice Girls Don't Change the World by Lynne Hybels, pp. 42-43 (Zondervan).

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At about that same time he climbed a mountain to pray. He was there all night in prayer before God. The next day he summoned his disciples; from them he selected twelve he designated as apostles:

Luke 6:12-13 (The Message)

Fear

Lyrics to "Brave" by Nichole Nordeman
She will be at First Presbyterian this Friday, January 27, at 7:30 pm.


"The gate is wide
The road is paved to moderation
The crowd is kind and quick to pull you in
Welcome to the middle ground
It's safe and sound and
Until now it's where I've been

Cuz it's been fear
That ties me down to everything
But it's been love, Your love
That cuts the strings

So long, status quo
I think I've just let go
You make me wanna be brave

The way it always was
It's no longer good enough
You make me wanna be brave
Brave, brave

I am small
And I speak when I'm spoken to
But I am willing to risk it all
To say Your name
Just Your name, and I'm ready to go
Even ready to fall

Why did I
Take this vow of compromise
Why did I
Try to keep it all inside

I've never known a fire that didn't begin with a flame
And every storm will start with just a drop of rain
But if You believe in me
That changes everything"

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Fear ties us down. God's love cuts the strings.

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?"
Romans 8:15 (The Message)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 (New Living Translation)

End of the Spear

This is a great movie and a testament to the love of God. I encourage you to see it.



End of the Spear

Friday, January 20, 2006

Abiding

A long passage, but worth the time to read.

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"If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (John 15:7) The whole secret of prayer is found in these words of our Lord. Here is prayer that has unbounded power: "Ask WHAT YE WILL, and it shall be done unto you."

There is a way then of asking and getting precisely what we ask and getting all we ask. Christ gives two conditions of this all- prevailing prayer:
· 1. The first condition is, "If ye abide in Me."
What is it to abide in Christ?

Some explanations that have been given of this are so mystical or so profound that to many simple-minded children of God they mean practically nothing at all; but what Jesus meant was really very simple.

He had been comparing Himself to a vine, His disciples to the branches in the vine. Some branches continued in the vine, that is, remained in living union with the vine, so that the sap or life of the vine constantly flowed into these branches. They had no independent life of their own. Everything in them was simply the outcome of the life of the vine flowing into them. Their buds, their leaves, their blossoms, their fruit, were really not theirs, but the buds, leaves, blossoms and fruit of the vine. Other branches were completely severed from the vine, or else the flow of the sap or life of the vine into them was in some way hindered. Now for us to abide in Christ is for us to bear the same relation to Him that the first sort of branches bear to the vine; that is to say, to abide in Christ is to renounce any independent life of our own, to give up trying to think our thoughts, or form our resolutions, or cultivate our feelings, and simply and constantly look to Christ to think His thoughts in us, to form His purposes in us, to feel His emotions and affections in us. It is to renounce all life independent of Christ, and constantly to look to Him for the inflow of His life into us, and the outworking of His life through us. When we do this, and in so far as we do this, our prayers will obtain that which we seek from God.

This must necessarily be so, for our desires will not be our own desires, but Christ's, and our prayers will not in reality be our own prayers, but Christ praying in us. Such prayers will always be in harmony with God's will, and the Father heareth Him always. When our prayers fail it is because they are indeed our prayers. We have conceived the desire and framed the petition of ourselves, instead of looking to Christ to pray through us.

To say that one should be abiding in Christ in all his prayers, looking to Christ to pray through Him rather than praying himself, is simply saying in another way that one should pray "in the Spirit." When we thus abide in Christ, our thoughts are not our own thoughts, but His, our joys are not our own joys, but His, our fruit is not our own fruit, but His; just as the buds, leaves, blossoms and fruit of the branch that abides in the vine are not the buds, leaves, blossoms and fruit of the branch, but of the vine itself whose life is flowing into the branch and manifests itself in these buds, leaves, blossoms and fruit.

To abide in Christ, one must of course already be in Christ through the acceptance of Christ as an atoning Savior from the guilt of sin, a risen Savior from the power of sin, and a Lord and Master over all his life. Being in Christ, all that we have to do to abide (or continue) in Christ is simply to renounce our self-life--utterly renouncing every thought, every purpose, every desire, every affection of our own, and just looking day by day and hour by hour for Jesus Christ to form His thoughts, His purposes, His affections, His desires in us. Abiding in Christ is really a very simple matter, though it is a wonderful life of privilege and of power.
· 2. But there is another condition stated in this verse, though it is really involved in the first: "And My words abide in you."
If we are to obtain from God all that we ask from Him, Christ's words must abide or continue in us. We must study His words, fairly devour His words, let them sink into our thought and into our heart, keep them in our memory, obey them constantly in our life, let them shape and mold our daily life and our every act.

This is really the method of abiding in Christ. It is through His words that Jesus imparts Himself to us. The words He speaks unto us, they are spirit and they are life. (John 6:33) It is vain to expect power in prayer unless we meditate much upon the words of Christ, and let them sink deep and find a permanent abode in our hearts. There are many who wonder why they are so powerless in prayer, but the very simple explanation of it all is found in their neglect of the words of Christ. They have not hidden His words in their hearts; His words do not abide in them. It is not by seasons of mystical meditation and rapturous experiences that we learn to abide in Christ; it is by feeding upon His word, His written word as found in the Bible, and looking to the Holy Spirit to implant these words in our hearts and to make them a living thing in our hearts. If we thus let the words of Christ abide in us, they will stir us up in prayer. They will be the mold in which our prayers are shaped, and our prayers will be necessarily along the line of God's will, and will prevail with Him. Prevailing prayer is almost an impossibility where there is neglect of the study of the Word of God.

Mere intellectual study of the Word of God is not enough; there must be meditation upon it. The Word of God must be revolved over and over and over in the mind, with a constant looking to God by His Spirit to make that Word a living thing in the heart. The prayer that is born of meditation upon the Word of God is the prayer that soars upward most easily to God's listening ear.

George Muller, one of the mightiest men of prayer of the present generation, when the hour for prayer came would begin by reading and meditating upon God's Word until out of the study of the Word a prayer began to form itself in his heart. Thus God Himself was a real author of the prayer, and God answered the prayers which He Himself had inspired.

The Word of God is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works, it is the sword of the Spirit in more senses than one; and the one who would know the work of the Holy Spirit in any direction must feed upon the Word. The one who would pray in the Spirit must meditate much upon the Word, that the Holy Spirit may have something through which He can work. The Holy Spirit works His prayers in us through the Word, and neglect of the Word makes praying in the Holy Spirit an impossibility. If we would feed the fire of our prayers with the fuel of God's Word, all our difficulties in prayer would disappear.

How To Pray by R. A. Torrey - Public Domain

God or Madman?

A somewhat famous quote from C.S. Lewis, but still as good as ever.

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"I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people
often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort
of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this Man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse .... You can shut Him up for fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to."

C.S. Lewis
Case for Christianity

Thursday, January 19, 2006

Problems


Jesus said we would have problems (John 16:33). Nobody gets a free pass. Solve one problem and another is waiting to take its place. They are not all big, but they are all necessary to spiritual growth. How do you measure the strength of anything? By testing it: "...don't be shocked that you are going through testing. It will prepare you." (1 Peter 4:12-13 CEV).

David wrote: "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted." (Psalm 34:18 NLT). The most life-changing experiences will often come during the darkest days - when your heart is broken, you feel abandoned, you are out of options, your pain levels are through the roof - and you turn to God. That's when we learn to pray heart-felt, honest-to-God prayers. When we are in pain we don't have the energy for superficial ones.

God could have kept Joseph out of jail, Daniel out of the lions' den, Jeremiah out of the slimy pit and Paul from being shipwrecked, but He didn't. And the result? Every one of them was drawn closer to God - and impacted their world!

Our problems force us to look to God and depend on Him, instead of ourselves. This is especially hard on super-achievers like Paul: "We saw how powerless we were to help ourselves; but that was good, for then we put everything into the hands of God, Who alone could save us." (2 Corinthians 1:9 TLB). You will never know that God is all you need until God is all you have.

Today place all your needs into His capable, loving hands, and watch what happens.

(c)2005 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship

Changes in Your Life

Ten Guidelines From God

Effective Immediately, please be aware that there are changes YOU need to make in YOUR life. These changes need to be completed in order that I may fulfill My promises to you to grant you peace, joy and happiness in this life. I apologize for any inconvenience, but after all that I am doing, this seems very little to ask of you. Please, follow these 10 guidelines:

1. QUIT WORRYING:

Life has dealt you a blow and all you do is sit and worry. Have you forgotten that I am here to take all your burdens and carry them for you? Or do you just enjoy fretting over every little thing that comes your way?

2. PUT IT ON THE LIST:

Something needs done or taken care of. Put it on the list. No, not YOUR list.
Put it on MY to-do-list. Let ME be the one to take care of the problem. I can't
help you until you turn it over to Me. And although My to-do-list is long, I am
after all... God. I can take care of anything you put into My hands. In fact, if the truth were ever really known, I take care of a lot of things for you that you never even realize.

3. TRUST ME:

Once you've given your burdens to Me, quit trying to take them back. Trust
in Me. Have the faith that I will take care of all your needs, your problems and
your trials. Problems with the kids? Put them on My list. Problem with finances?
Put it on My list. Problems with your emotional roller coaster? For My sake, put
it on My list. I want to help you. All you have to do is ask.

4. LEAVE IT ALONE:

Don't wake up one morning and say, "Well, I'm feeling much stronger now,
I think I can handle it from here." Why do you think you are feeling stronger
now? It's simple. You gave Me your burdens and I'm taking care of them.
I also renew your strength and cover you in my peace. Don't you know that
if I give you these problems back, you will be right back where you started?
Leave them with Me and forget about them. Just let Me do my job.

5. TALK TO ME:

I want you to forget a lot of things. Forget what was making you crazy.
Forget the worry and the fretting because you know I'm in control. But there's one thing I pray you never forget. Please, don't forget to talk to Me - OFTEN! I love YOU! I want to hear your voice. I want you to include Me in on the things going on in your life. I want to hear you talk about your friends and family. Prayer is simply you having a conversation with Me. I want to be your dearest friend.

6. HAVE FAITH:

I see a lot of things from up here that you can't see from where you are. Have faith in Me that I know what I'm doing. Trust Me; you wouldn't want the view from My eyes. I will continue to care for you, watch over you, and meet your needs. You only have to trust Me. Although I have a much bigger task than you, it seems as if you have so much trouble just doing your simple part. How hard can trust be?

7. SHARE:

You were taught to share when you were only two years old. When did you forget? That rule still applies. Share with those who are less fortunate than you. Share your joy with those who need encouragement. Share your laughter with those who haven't heard any in such a long time. Share your tears with those who have forgotten how to cry. Share your faith with those who have none.

8. BE PATIENT:

I managed to fix it so in just one lifetime you could have so many diverse experiences. You grow from a child to an adult, have children, change jobs many times, learn many trades, travel to so many places, meet thousands of people, and experience so much. How can you be so impatient then when it takes Me a little longer than you expect to handle something on My to-do-list? Trust in My timing, for My timing is perfect. Just because I created the entire universe in only six days, everyone thinks I should always rush, rush, rush.

9. BE KIND:

Be kind to others, for I love them just as much as I love you. They may not dress like you, or talk like you, or live the same way you do, but I still love you all. Please try to get along, for My sake. I created each of you different in some way. It would be too boring if you were all identical. Please, know I love each of your differences.

10. LOVE YOURSELF:

As much as I love you, how can you not love yourself? You were created by me for one reason only -- to be loved, and to love in return. I am a God of Love. Love Me. Love your neighbors. But also love yourself. It makes My heart ache when I see you so angry with yourself when things go wrong. You are very precious to me. Don't ever forget......

From Jimmy Turner