Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
1 Timothy 4: 7-8, NIV
"Spiritual growth and spiritual greatness demands developing habits that deliver grace to our lives." Chip Ingram
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Spiritual Journals
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Chronicle of a Soul
I kept a five-year diary from high school through college, and began spiritual journals during my senior year in college (1948), which I continue to keep. These are chronicles of growth: mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is astounding to go back through them and learn things I had completely forgotten. It is wonderfully faith-strengthening to see that indeed "all the way my Savior leads me," hears my prayers, supplies my needs, teaches me of Himself. As God said to Israel, "Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led these forty years in the wilderness."
My memory is poor. A journal is a record of His faithfulness (and my own faithlessness too--which teaches me to value His grace and mercy). If you decide to begin recording your pilgrimage, buy yourself a notebook (or one of those pretty flowered cloth-bound blank books available in gift and stationery stores) and begin to put down (not necessarily every day):
Lessons learned from your reading of Scripture.
(If you put these in a journal instead of marking up your Bible, you will find new things each time you read the Bible instead of reading it through the grid of old notes. Worth a try?)
Ways in which you intend to apply those lessons in your own life. (Reading your journal later will reveal answers to prayer you would otherwise have overlooked.)
Dialogues with the Lord. What you say to Him, what He seems to be saying to you about some problem or issue or need.
Quotations from your spiritual reading other than the Bible.
Prayers from the words of hymns which you want to make your own.
Reasons for thanksgiving. (Caution: when you get into the habit of recording these, the list gets out of hand!)
Things you're praying about. You might choose to have a separate notebook for this, or an "appendix" in another section of the same book--date on which a prayer was prayed; date on which answered, with space for how the answer came in some cases.
If you have a family, I would strongly urge you as a family to keep a prayer notebook together.
This will help everybody first of all to learn to pray about everything, instead of merely talking or worrying or arguing. It will also help you to be specific, to hold your requests before the Lord together, and then to note the answers and give thanks together (especially when the answers weren't the ones you were looking for).
As George MacDonald wrote, "No gift unrecognized as coming from God is at its own best: therefore many things that God would gladly give us, things even that we need because we are, must wait until we ask for them, that we may know whence they
come: when in all gifts we find Him, then in Him we shall find all things."
"Where I found Truth, there I found my God, the Truth itself, which since I learnt, I have not forgotten.... Too late I loved Thee, O Thou Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! too late I loved Thee! And behold, Thou wert within, and I abroad, and there I searched for Thee... Thou calledst, and shoutedst, and burstest my deafness. Thou flashedst, shonest, and scatteredst my blindness. Thou breathedst odors, and I drew in breath and pant for Thee. I tasted, and hunger and thirst. Thou touchedst me, and I burned for Thy peace."
Title: Chronicle of a Soul
I kept a five-year diary from high school through college, and began spiritual journals during my senior year in college (1948), which I continue to keep. These are chronicles of growth: mental, emotional, and spiritual. It is astounding to go back through them and learn things I had completely forgotten. It is wonderfully faith-strengthening to see that indeed "all the way my Savior leads me," hears my prayers, supplies my needs, teaches me of Himself. As God said to Israel, "Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led these forty years in the wilderness."
My memory is poor. A journal is a record of His faithfulness (and my own faithlessness too--which teaches me to value His grace and mercy). If you decide to begin recording your pilgrimage, buy yourself a notebook (or one of those pretty flowered cloth-bound blank books available in gift and stationery stores) and begin to put down (not necessarily every day):
Lessons learned from your reading of Scripture.
(If you put these in a journal instead of marking up your Bible, you will find new things each time you read the Bible instead of reading it through the grid of old notes. Worth a try?)
Ways in which you intend to apply those lessons in your own life. (Reading your journal later will reveal answers to prayer you would otherwise have overlooked.)
Dialogues with the Lord. What you say to Him, what He seems to be saying to you about some problem or issue or need.
Quotations from your spiritual reading other than the Bible.
Prayers from the words of hymns which you want to make your own.
Reasons for thanksgiving. (Caution: when you get into the habit of recording these, the list gets out of hand!)
Things you're praying about. You might choose to have a separate notebook for this, or an "appendix" in another section of the same book--date on which a prayer was prayed; date on which answered, with space for how the answer came in some cases.
If you have a family, I would strongly urge you as a family to keep a prayer notebook together.
This will help everybody first of all to learn to pray about everything, instead of merely talking or worrying or arguing. It will also help you to be specific, to hold your requests before the Lord together, and then to note the answers and give thanks together (especially when the answers weren't the ones you were looking for).
As George MacDonald wrote, "No gift unrecognized as coming from God is at its own best: therefore many things that God would gladly give us, things even that we need because we are, must wait until we ask for them, that we may know whence they
come: when in all gifts we find Him, then in Him we shall find all things."
"Where I found Truth, there I found my God, the Truth itself, which since I learnt, I have not forgotten.... Too late I loved Thee, O Thou Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! too late I loved Thee! And behold, Thou wert within, and I abroad, and there I searched for Thee... Thou calledst, and shoutedst, and burstest my deafness. Thou flashedst, shonest, and scatteredst my blindness. Thou breathedst odors, and I drew in breath and pant for Thee. I tasted, and hunger and thirst. Thou touchedst me, and I burned for Thy peace."
What Do You Magnify?
Christian Working Woman Transcript
Monday, October 30, 2006
What do you magnify in your life? The Psalmist said, "Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." But how many of us magnify the Lord above all else in our lives?
Magnify, of course, means to exalt, to enlarge, to make important. Let me mention some things we tend to magnify, that cause us real problems.
First, many Christians magnify their past, the things that have happened to them in previous days–in their childhood perhaps, or maybe a past as recent as yesterday. By magnifying the past, the pains and hurts that you have suffered become even larger and take on a much greater significance. I can think of many I know who talk about their past all the time, who are struggling to live with events from the past, to understand why things happened to them, and in the process, probably without realizing it, they have magnified their past.
Some people spend their lives living in their past, remembering the good things that happened to them and escaping from the present by magnifying the past. Those "good old days" get better and better, and are blown way out of reality as their past gets magnified.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians that they should forget the things which are behind and press on toward the goal of winning the prize for which God had called them. In Isaiah 43:18 it says "Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing."
If we magnify our past, we will not magnify the Lord as we should. If we magnify the Lord, our past will assume its rightful place, and we'll see a new thing start to unfold in our lives.
Have you been magnifying your past? Does it occupy a great deal of your thought life? Do you live in the glory of your past, with nothing happening in the present? Do you dwell on the despair of your past, letting it affect everything that happens to you now? If so, will you ask God to help you magnify the Lord and stop magnifying the past?
Monday, October 30, 2006
What do you magnify in your life? The Psalmist said, "Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together." But how many of us magnify the Lord above all else in our lives?
Magnify, of course, means to exalt, to enlarge, to make important. Let me mention some things we tend to magnify, that cause us real problems.
First, many Christians magnify their past, the things that have happened to them in previous days–in their childhood perhaps, or maybe a past as recent as yesterday. By magnifying the past, the pains and hurts that you have suffered become even larger and take on a much greater significance. I can think of many I know who talk about their past all the time, who are struggling to live with events from the past, to understand why things happened to them, and in the process, probably without realizing it, they have magnified their past.
Some people spend their lives living in their past, remembering the good things that happened to them and escaping from the present by magnifying the past. Those "good old days" get better and better, and are blown way out of reality as their past gets magnified.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians that they should forget the things which are behind and press on toward the goal of winning the prize for which God had called them. In Isaiah 43:18 it says "Forget the former things: do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing."
If we magnify our past, we will not magnify the Lord as we should. If we magnify the Lord, our past will assume its rightful place, and we'll see a new thing start to unfold in our lives.
Have you been magnifying your past? Does it occupy a great deal of your thought life? Do you live in the glory of your past, with nothing happening in the present? Do you dwell on the despair of your past, letting it affect everything that happens to you now? If so, will you ask God to help you magnify the Lord and stop magnifying the past?
First True Sign
"The first true sign of spiritual life, prayer, is also the means of maintaining it. Man can as well live physically without breathing, as spiritually without praying. It is by even ascending up to God, by rising through prayer into a loftier, purer region for supplies of Divine grace, that he maintains his spiritual life."
Dr. J. Louis Guthrie as quoted by D.L. Moody in Prayers of the Bible
Dr. J. Louis Guthrie as quoted by D.L. Moody in Prayers of the Bible
Monday, October 30, 2006
Shout
"Shout to the North and the South
Sing to the East and to the West
Jesus is savior to all
He's Lord of Heaven and Earth"
From Shout to the North, Passion Band (Martin Smith)
I like this song. I'm listening to a song right now that says "You and I were made to worship"
..................
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Revelation 5:12, NIV.
Have you ever thought about worship "postures"? By this I mean in Scripture we see examples of the physical posture of those worshipping God (of course, what matters most is our heart - see Isaiah 29:13, and we come to God with "gladness" (Psalm 100:1), with "joyful songs" (Psalm 100:1), with "thanksgiving" (Psalm 100:4) and with "praise (Psalm 100:4)), but we can allow our posture to reflect our heart.
Here are some postures I see in Scripture: "falling down" (Rev 5:14), "standing" (Rev 7:11, Nehemiah 9:3), "dancing" (Psalm 50:4, 1 Chronicles 15:29), "bowing down" (Psalm 95:6), "kneeling" (Psalm 95:6).
My challenge is this: be intentional in your worship posture. Be engaged. Don't be in "neutral" in your worship to God. Your worship "audience" is God. Respond to Him.
Sing to the East and to the West
Jesus is savior to all
He's Lord of Heaven and Earth"
From Shout to the North, Passion Band (Martin Smith)
I like this song. I'm listening to a song right now that says "You and I were made to worship"
..................
In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Revelation 5:12, NIV.
Have you ever thought about worship "postures"? By this I mean in Scripture we see examples of the physical posture of those worshipping God (of course, what matters most is our heart - see Isaiah 29:13, and we come to God with "gladness" (Psalm 100:1), with "joyful songs" (Psalm 100:1), with "thanksgiving" (Psalm 100:4) and with "praise (Psalm 100:4)), but we can allow our posture to reflect our heart.
Here are some postures I see in Scripture: "falling down" (Rev 5:14), "standing" (Rev 7:11, Nehemiah 9:3), "dancing" (Psalm 50:4, 1 Chronicles 15:29), "bowing down" (Psalm 95:6), "kneeling" (Psalm 95:6).
My challenge is this: be intentional in your worship posture. Be engaged. Don't be in "neutral" in your worship to God. Your worship "audience" is God. Respond to Him.
No Condemnation
Christian Working Woman Transcript from last Friday:
Living in a Performance Driven World
Romans 8:1 says "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus." If you're a Christian who constantly feels guilt-ridden and condemned, that condemnation is not coming from God because He said we are no longer condemned. Period.
If I am dead, as Paul says in Galatians 2:20, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, then who has to live my life? Me? No, I'm no longer required to perform. What I must do is allow Christ within me to have complete control so that He can live this new life through me.
I'm no longer surprised when I discover I am not performing up to what I know I should as a Christian. I'm certainly not happy about it, but I'm not shocked to discover that when I start to live this life in my own power, I'm going to sin. I have less and less faith in myself and my ability to perform. But I have more and more faith in Jesus and His power in me, and I'm learning to grow in this grace.
How do you feel God sees you right now? I could answer that question by saying: "God sees me as a very impatient person who speaks before she thinks." Or I could say: "God sees me as a woman who wasted ten years doing her own thing, and lived a life of disobedience for those ten years."
Is that how God sees me? No, never, but many of you are doing that today, whether you realize it or not. You see yourself as all your failures and all your inadequacies, and you think that's how God sees you, too. WRONG! If you're truly born from above, God sees you in Christ!
If I'm "in Christ" God sees me as righteous, because I've been given the righteousness of Jesus. I'm in line to inherit all of God's riches; I am co-heir with Jesus. I am seated in heavenly places. That's how God sees me.
God doesn't love me when I'm good and punish me when I'm bad. God will never love me more than He does right now. My performance will not change His love. His love for me is total. I don't get more of it by performing better. That's the way we humans are, but not God.
If you are bound up trying to perform to God's standards, you're living in legalism and that's a tough way to live. Jesus died and rose again to get you and me out of a performance-driven mode. Galatians 5:1 says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Living in a Performance Driven World
Romans 8:1 says "There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to those who are in Christ Jesus." If you're a Christian who constantly feels guilt-ridden and condemned, that condemnation is not coming from God because He said we are no longer condemned. Period.
If I am dead, as Paul says in Galatians 2:20, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me, then who has to live my life? Me? No, I'm no longer required to perform. What I must do is allow Christ within me to have complete control so that He can live this new life through me.
I'm no longer surprised when I discover I am not performing up to what I know I should as a Christian. I'm certainly not happy about it, but I'm not shocked to discover that when I start to live this life in my own power, I'm going to sin. I have less and less faith in myself and my ability to perform. But I have more and more faith in Jesus and His power in me, and I'm learning to grow in this grace.
How do you feel God sees you right now? I could answer that question by saying: "God sees me as a very impatient person who speaks before she thinks." Or I could say: "God sees me as a woman who wasted ten years doing her own thing, and lived a life of disobedience for those ten years."
Is that how God sees me? No, never, but many of you are doing that today, whether you realize it or not. You see yourself as all your failures and all your inadequacies, and you think that's how God sees you, too. WRONG! If you're truly born from above, God sees you in Christ!
If I'm "in Christ" God sees me as righteous, because I've been given the righteousness of Jesus. I'm in line to inherit all of God's riches; I am co-heir with Jesus. I am seated in heavenly places. That's how God sees me.
God doesn't love me when I'm good and punish me when I'm bad. God will never love me more than He does right now. My performance will not change His love. His love for me is total. I don't get more of it by performing better. That's the way we humans are, but not God.
If you are bound up trying to perform to God's standards, you're living in legalism and that's a tough way to live. Jesus died and rose again to get you and me out of a performance-driven mode. Galatians 5:1 says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."
Quiet Time
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Hints for Quiet Time
Having a quiet time with the Lord every day is absolutely essential if you expect to grow spiritually. But you have to plan it. It won't "just happen." We're all much too busy. Early morning is best, and there are plenty of scriptural precedents for that (Jesus rose "a great while before day"; the psalmist said, "In the morning shalt Thou hear my voice").
If you meet the Lord before you meet anybody else, you'll be "pointed in the right direction"
for whatever comes. God knows how difficult it is for some to do this, and if you have a reason you can offer Him why early morning won't work, I'm sure He'll help you to find another time.
Sometimes the children's afternoon nap time can be quiet time for a mother. At any rate, plan the time. Make up your mind to stick with it. Make it short to begin with--fifteen minutes or so, perhaps. You'll be surprised at how soon you'll be wanting more.
Take a single book of the Bible. If you're new at this, start with the Gospel of Mark. Pray, first, for the Holy Spirit's teaching. Read a few verses, a paragraph, or a chapter. Then ask, What does this passage teach me about: (1) God, (2) Jesus Christ, (3) the Holy Spirit, (4) myself,
(5) sins to confess or avoid, (6) commands to obey, (7) what Christian love is?
Keep a notebook. Write down some of your special prayer requests with the date. Record the answer when it comes. Note, also, some of the answers you've found to the above questions, or anything else you've learned. Tell your children, your spouse, your friends some of these things. That will help you to remember them. You'll be amazed at what a difference a quiet time will make in your life.
Title: Hints for Quiet Time
Having a quiet time with the Lord every day is absolutely essential if you expect to grow spiritually. But you have to plan it. It won't "just happen." We're all much too busy. Early morning is best, and there are plenty of scriptural precedents for that (Jesus rose "a great while before day"; the psalmist said, "In the morning shalt Thou hear my voice").
If you meet the Lord before you meet anybody else, you'll be "pointed in the right direction"
for whatever comes. God knows how difficult it is for some to do this, and if you have a reason you can offer Him why early morning won't work, I'm sure He'll help you to find another time.
Sometimes the children's afternoon nap time can be quiet time for a mother. At any rate, plan the time. Make up your mind to stick with it. Make it short to begin with--fifteen minutes or so, perhaps. You'll be surprised at how soon you'll be wanting more.
Take a single book of the Bible. If you're new at this, start with the Gospel of Mark. Pray, first, for the Holy Spirit's teaching. Read a few verses, a paragraph, or a chapter. Then ask, What does this passage teach me about: (1) God, (2) Jesus Christ, (3) the Holy Spirit, (4) myself,
(5) sins to confess or avoid, (6) commands to obey, (7) what Christian love is?
Keep a notebook. Write down some of your special prayer requests with the date. Record the answer when it comes. Note, also, some of the answers you've found to the above questions, or anything else you've learned. Tell your children, your spouse, your friends some of these things. That will help you to remember them. You'll be amazed at what a difference a quiet time will make in your life.
Sermon: Washing Feet
Yesterday Andrew preached on John 13 and discussed the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the example Jesus set for us.
Physical.
1. Jesus, a leader, chose to be a servant.
2. Jesus did what other should have done, but didn't.
3. Washing feet was a physical, visual and personal service which exemplifies "love one another" of verse 34.
Mental.
1. Don't assume; don't wait for others to learn; point out the obvious.
2. Leadership can be demonstrated by service (servant leaders).
3. Kingdom is not about position.
Spiritual.
1. Source of our service is our relationship to God (see v. 1,2).
2. Purpose of service is to demonstrate Jesus in our lives to one another.
3. Jesus washed the feet of Judas -- even if you have problems without someone, still need to serve them.
Physical.
1. Jesus, a leader, chose to be a servant.
2. Jesus did what other should have done, but didn't.
3. Washing feet was a physical, visual and personal service which exemplifies "love one another" of verse 34.
Mental.
1. Don't assume; don't wait for others to learn; point out the obvious.
2. Leadership can be demonstrated by service (servant leaders).
3. Kingdom is not about position.
Spiritual.
1. Source of our service is our relationship to God (see v. 1,2).
2. Purpose of service is to demonstrate Jesus in our lives to one another.
3. Jesus washed the feet of Judas -- even if you have problems without someone, still need to serve them.
Friday, October 27, 2006
This Life of Salvation
Dear friends, I've dropped everything to write you about this life of salvation that we have in common. Jude 1:3(TM)
Rob Bell, founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, writes:
"The point is not me; it's God.
It is possible to be "saved" and not be a healthy, whole, life-giving person. It is possible for the cross to have done something for a person but not in them.
That's what happened to me. I realized I believed in Jesus and thought of myself as "saved" and "reborn," yet massive areas of my life were unaffected. I learned that salvation is for all of me. And for Jesus to heal my soul, I had to stare my junk right in the face.
It has only just begun for me, but a few things have become quite clear.
First, no amount of success can heal a person's soul. In fact, success makes it worse. I started a church and lots of people were coming to hear me speak, but I had things I had never dealt with and they were still there. . . Success doesn't fix our problems and compulsions and addictions.
. . . It is scary to hit the wall because you don't know what's going to happen. And you might get hurt.
. . . We put on the mask, suck it up, and keep going, like it's no big deal. But it is a big deal.
It's a sign that we are barely hanging on. And it is only when something deep within us snaps that we are ready to start over and get help. We have to let the game stop.
I realize this is not groundbreaking news, but when we get desperate and realize we cannot keep living this way, then we have to change."
Salvation is not a future reward it is a lifestyle - "this life of salvation we have in common."
(c)2006 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship
Rob Bell, founding Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church, writes:
"The point is not me; it's God.
It is possible to be "saved" and not be a healthy, whole, life-giving person. It is possible for the cross to have done something for a person but not in them.
That's what happened to me. I realized I believed in Jesus and thought of myself as "saved" and "reborn," yet massive areas of my life were unaffected. I learned that salvation is for all of me. And for Jesus to heal my soul, I had to stare my junk right in the face.
It has only just begun for me, but a few things have become quite clear.
First, no amount of success can heal a person's soul. In fact, success makes it worse. I started a church and lots of people were coming to hear me speak, but I had things I had never dealt with and they were still there. . . Success doesn't fix our problems and compulsions and addictions.
. . . It is scary to hit the wall because you don't know what's going to happen. And you might get hurt.
. . . We put on the mask, suck it up, and keep going, like it's no big deal. But it is a big deal.
It's a sign that we are barely hanging on. And it is only when something deep within us snaps that we are ready to start over and get help. We have to let the game stop.
I realize this is not groundbreaking news, but when we get desperate and realize we cannot keep living this way, then we have to change."
Salvation is not a future reward it is a lifestyle - "this life of salvation we have in common."
(c)2006 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship
"Follow Me"
Being a Christian means following one person:
"Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship; and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
"Christianity without the living Christ is inevitably Christianity without discipleship; and Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ."
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship.
Performance
Christian Working Woman Transcript
I truly believe that one of our greatest hindrances to a life of joy and victory as Christians is that after being saved by grace through faith, we then try to live the Christian life through our own efforts and we think God will accept us or reject us based on our performance.
Jesus didn't die to help us perform better. He died and rose again to live His life through us. That's what Galatians 2:20 is all about:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Let me tell you something: It's not hard to live the Christian life; it's impossible! Only Christ can live the Christian life, because the Christian life is living up to God's standards. Christ rose again to live His life in us. We don't have to do it because we can't do it. It is His resurrection life, inside of us, that enables us, empowers us, to be able to live the way God wants us to live.
That means I no longer have to live with this driving need to perform for God. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches...Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me...Apart from me you can do nothing."
If you cut a branch off the vine, can it continue to produce fruit? No, of course not. That branch is useless unless it's attached to the vine. Now, if it's attached to the vine, what does it have to do to bear fruit? Work hard at it? Can you hear a branch saying, "Oh, I really have to do a good job at bearing this fruit. I must perform better than the other branches in order to bear good fruit."
No, all that branch has to do is stay attached to the vine, so that the life-giving sap flows from the vine to the branch. The fruit then happens automatically. That branch is nothing more than a fruit hanger!
We are the branches. What's our job? Stay attached to Jesus. Get to know Him. Let His life flow from the vine into us, and then the fruit happens.
Have you been restfully abiding in Jesus, or have you been trying with everything in you to produce fruit all by yourself and win God's blue ribbons? The good news is you weren't saved by works, and you don't live your life in Christ by works. No, indeed, we live and grow in God's glorious, marvelous grace, just as we were saved by that same wonderful grace.
Jesus died and rose again to take you out of performance driven mode. Have you ever realized that, or are you still trying with everything in you to win God's approval through performance?
Living in a Performance Driven World
I truly believe that one of our greatest hindrances to a life of joy and victory as Christians is that after being saved by grace through faith, we then try to live the Christian life through our own efforts and we think God will accept us or reject us based on our performance.
Jesus didn't die to help us perform better. He died and rose again to live His life through us. That's what Galatians 2:20 is all about:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Let me tell you something: It's not hard to live the Christian life; it's impossible! Only Christ can live the Christian life, because the Christian life is living up to God's standards. Christ rose again to live His life in us. We don't have to do it because we can't do it. It is His resurrection life, inside of us, that enables us, empowers us, to be able to live the way God wants us to live.
That means I no longer have to live with this driving need to perform for God. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches...Remain in me and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me...Apart from me you can do nothing."
If you cut a branch off the vine, can it continue to produce fruit? No, of course not. That branch is useless unless it's attached to the vine. Now, if it's attached to the vine, what does it have to do to bear fruit? Work hard at it? Can you hear a branch saying, "Oh, I really have to do a good job at bearing this fruit. I must perform better than the other branches in order to bear good fruit."
No, all that branch has to do is stay attached to the vine, so that the life-giving sap flows from the vine to the branch. The fruit then happens automatically. That branch is nothing more than a fruit hanger!
We are the branches. What's our job? Stay attached to Jesus. Get to know Him. Let His life flow from the vine into us, and then the fruit happens.
Have you been restfully abiding in Jesus, or have you been trying with everything in you to produce fruit all by yourself and win God's blue ribbons? The good news is you weren't saved by works, and you don't live your life in Christ by works. No, indeed, we live and grow in God's glorious, marvelous grace, just as we were saved by that same wonderful grace.
Jesus died and rose again to take you out of performance driven mode. Have you ever realized that, or are you still trying with everything in you to win God's approval through performance?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Christ-follower
"The Indian leader Gandhi was once asked by a fried, "If you admire Christ so much, why don't you become a Christian?" And Ghandi supposedly said, "When I find a Christian who follows Christ, I will."
In America, the term "Christian" is applied to anyone who is not a Muslin, Jew, or atheist. It's a cultural label, not a label of personal faith. There are many so-called Christians in our world who are not followers of Jesus. And it is an personal indictment on those who are genuine Christians that the non-Christ-followers can't always be distinguished from those who claim to follow Christ.
Christianity is not a demographic label. It is not a religion. It is not a set of religious practices and precepts. It is none of those things the world thinks it is. Nor is Christianity preaching, performance, praising, or proselytizing, as many Christians think it is. Christianity is a relationship with a person. Christianity is Christ and Christ alone.
Jesus' words to Peter are His words to us. "Follow me" is a reminder that He is to be our focus and leader. "Follow Me" means that we are to turn our backs on everything else that might compete for our interest so that we can follow Him. That's what it means to be a Christ-follower."
David Jeremiah, "Knowing Who You Are", Ready!Set!Growth!
In America, the term "Christian" is applied to anyone who is not a Muslin, Jew, or atheist. It's a cultural label, not a label of personal faith. There are many so-called Christians in our world who are not followers of Jesus. And it is an personal indictment on those who are genuine Christians that the non-Christ-followers can't always be distinguished from those who claim to follow Christ.
Christianity is not a demographic label. It is not a religion. It is not a set of religious practices and precepts. It is none of those things the world thinks it is. Nor is Christianity preaching, performance, praising, or proselytizing, as many Christians think it is. Christianity is a relationship with a person. Christianity is Christ and Christ alone.
Jesus' words to Peter are His words to us. "Follow me" is a reminder that He is to be our focus and leader. "Follow Me" means that we are to turn our backs on everything else that might compete for our interest so that we can follow Him. That's what it means to be a Christ-follower."
David Jeremiah, "Knowing Who You Are", Ready!Set!Growth!
Essence of Faith: Jesus Trusted and Valued Above All
God's Undeserved Gift to the World: Christian Sufferers by John Piper
...
Hebrews 11:27-38 describes some of this Christian suffering and how the world does not deserve it. “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy.” These last words mean that the world does not deserve the gift of these suffering Christians. But God keeps on giving them.
How are these suffering saints a gift to the world? The answer lies in their faith. These all were “commended through their faith” (v. 39). That is, they were approved by God. Their suffering was not owing to lack of faith. Rather, the worth of their suffering lay precisely in their faith. How so?
Notice in Hebrews 11 that sometimes God works miracles of rescue through suffering (Hebrews 11:27-35a). And sometimes he gives the faith to endure misery and death (Hebrews 11:35b-39). The common denominator in the faith that escapes and the faith that endures is that in both God is treasured above liberty and life. The one who escapes says, “Jesus is better than what I gain.” The one who dies says, “Jesus is better than what I lose.” That is the essence of faith: Jesus trusted and valued above all.
...
...
Hebrews 11:27-38 describes some of this Christian suffering and how the world does not deserve it. “They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy.” These last words mean that the world does not deserve the gift of these suffering Christians. But God keeps on giving them.
How are these suffering saints a gift to the world? The answer lies in their faith. These all were “commended through their faith” (v. 39). That is, they were approved by God. Their suffering was not owing to lack of faith. Rather, the worth of their suffering lay precisely in their faith. How so?
Notice in Hebrews 11 that sometimes God works miracles of rescue through suffering (Hebrews 11:27-35a). And sometimes he gives the faith to endure misery and death (Hebrews 11:35b-39). The common denominator in the faith that escapes and the faith that endures is that in both God is treasured above liberty and life. The one who escapes says, “Jesus is better than what I gain.” The one who dies says, “Jesus is better than what I lose.” That is the essence of faith: Jesus trusted and valued above all.
...
Joy and Peace
Do you see what this means -- all these pioneers who blazed the way. ...? It means we'd better get on with it ... -- and never quit!
Hebrews 12:1, The Message
"My job as a pastor is not to solve people's problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives. It's hard to do, because our whole culture is going the other direction, saying that if you're smart enough and get the right kind of help, you can solve all your problems. The truth is, there aren't very many happy people in the Bible. But there are people who are experiencing joy, peace, and the meaning of Christ's suffering in their lives."
The Contemplative Pastor
God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson
Hebrews 12:1, The Message
"My job as a pastor is not to solve people's problems or make them happy, but to help them see the grace operating in their lives. It's hard to do, because our whole culture is going the other direction, saying that if you're smart enough and get the right kind of help, you can solve all your problems. The truth is, there aren't very many happy people in the Bible. But there are people who are experiencing joy, peace, and the meaning of Christ's suffering in their lives."
The Contemplative Pastor
God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Performance
Christian Working Woman Transcript
Let me ask you: If you stopped the average person and asked them what it takes to be a good Christian, what would they tell you? I guarantee you nine out of ten would say, "Live a good life; be a good person; don't commit any crimes; be nice to your neighbor," or something along those lines.
That's because we all live in a performance-driven world, and therefore we think we earn our way into God's favored circle by performing well, or at least better than the next person. The most difficult thing for people to accept in coming to God is that they can never impress Him with their performance nor perform up to His standards.
Paul wrote to the Romans: Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God's sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin (Romans 3:20).
Recently I was reading the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which is just one legal requirement after another. And as I read it I began to think about what living under law is like. It is burdensome; it is impossible. The one word which pops up all through that book is GUILT! Every time the Israelites broke one of those laws, they were reminded that they were guilty. And how did they know they were guilty? Because they had all these laws.
So why did God give the law? He had to know we couldn't live up to it. Be sure you understand this: God did not try out the law to see if it would work, and then discovering that we were incapable of keeping the law, come up with Plan B. No, God knew from the beginning that we could never keep the law and earn a relationship with Him through performance. The law was given to show us how far short we fall in our performance, no matter how good we think we are or how hard we work.
I look at the standard and I know I have never fully kept it and I never will. Without the law, I might think I was okay by comparing myself with others, etc. But as Paul puts it, through the law I become conscious of sin and realize that I'm a sinner.
But never did God intend for me to earn favor with Him by performing to His expectations, because He knows I can't do that. Therefore, if I'm going to have a relationship with God, it has to come some other way, not through performance. If I'm going to be accepted by God, I can't do it by being better than the next person. The good news is, I don't have to keep trying to perform.
come after Me
If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him ... take up his cross.
Matthew 16:24
"To pick up the cross daily means to acknowledge every day that we belong to God. As a result of this acknowledgement we stop doing our own thing and, instead, live daily to please our heavenly Father. That may seem a costly sacrifice, but it's nothing compared to the riches of the inheritance we have in Christ, both now and in eternity."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Matthew 16:24
"To pick up the cross daily means to acknowledge every day that we belong to God. As a result of this acknowledgement we stop doing our own thing and, instead, live daily to please our heavenly Father. That may seem a costly sacrifice, but it's nothing compared to the riches of the inheritance we have in Christ, both now and in eternity."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Thankful
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Thanksgiving for What is Given
Some people are substituting "Turkey Day" for
Thanksgiving. I guess it must be because they are
not aware that there's anybody to thank, and they
think that the most important thing about the
holiday is food. Christians know there is
Somebody to thank, but often when we make a list
of things to thank Him for we include only things
we like. A bride and groom can't get away with
that. They write a note to everybody, not only
the rich uncle who gave the couple matching BMWs,
but the poor aunt who gave them a crocheted
toilet-paper cover. In other words, they have to
express thanks for whatever they've received.
Wouldn't that be a good thing for us to do with
God? We are meant to give thanks "in everything"
even if we're like the little girl who said she
could think of a lot of things she'd rather have
than eternal life. The mature Christian offers
not just polite thanks but heartfelt thanks that
springs from a far deeper source than his own
pleasure. Thanksgiving is a spiritual exercise,
necessary to the building of a healthy soul. It
takes us out of the stuffiness of ourselves into
the fresh breeze and sunlight of the will of God.
The simple act of thanking Him is for most of us
an abrupt change of activity, a break from work
and worry, a move toward re-creation.
I am not suggesting the mouthing of foolish
platitudes, or evasion of the truth. That is not
how God is glorified, or souls fortified. I want
to see clearly what I have been given and to
thank Him with an honest heart. What are the
"givens"?
Thankless children we all are, more or less,
comprehending but dimly the truth of God's
fathomless love for us. We do not know Him as a
gracious Giver, we do not understand His most
precious gifts, or the depth of His love, the
wisdom with which He has planned our lives, the
price He pays to bring us to glory and
fulfillment. When some petty private concern or
perhaps some bad news depresses or confuses me, I
am in no position to be thankful. Far from it.
That is the time, precisely then, that I must
begin by deliberately putting my mind on some
great Realities.
What are these "givens"? What do I most
unshakably believe in? God the Father Almighty.
Jesus Christ His only Son. The Holy Ghost, the
holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the
body, the life everlasting. Not a long list, but
all we need. "The necessary supplies issued to
us, the standard equipment of the Christian." We
didn't ask for any of them. (Imagine having
nothing more than we've asked for!) They are
given.
Take the list of whatever we're not thankful for
and measure it against the mighty foundation
stones of our faith. The truth of our private
lives can be understood only in relation to those
Realities. Some of us know very little of
suffering, but we know disappointments and
betrayals and losses and bitterness. Are we
really meant to thank God for such things? Let's
be clear about one thing: God does not cause all
the things we don't like. But He does permit them
to happen because it is in this fallen world that
we humans must learn to walk by faith. He doesn't
leave us to ourselves, however. He shares every
step. He walked this lonesome road first, He gave
Himself for us, He died for us. "Can we not trust
such a God to give us, with Him, everything else
that we can need?" (Romans 8:32, PHILLIPS). Those
disappointments give us the chance to learn to
know Him and the meaning of His gifts, and, in
the midst of darkness, to receive His light.
Doesn't that transform the not thankful list into
a thankful one?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Put On
The Bible says, "Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity" (Colossians 3:14).
Notice those two little words "put on." Love is something we can choose to have.
If it were a feeling, we could not command it. But we can command a choice, and love is a choice.
It is controllable.
From God's Power to Change Your Life
by Rick Warren
Remind Us of God
"You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests."
Exodus 19:6, NKJV
"Embarrassingly forgetful of the God who saves us, and easily distracted from the God who is with us, we need priests to remind us of God, to confront us with God. And we need a lot of them. God, knowing our need, put us in a kingdom of priests. For the most part they're priests who don't look like priests, priests who don't take on the airs of priests, priests who don' t dress like priests, priests who don't talk like priests. But they're priests all the same."
Leap Over a Wall
God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Exodus 19:6, NKJV
"Embarrassingly forgetful of the God who saves us, and easily distracted from the God who is with us, we need priests to remind us of God, to confront us with God. And we need a lot of them. God, knowing our need, put us in a kingdom of priests. For the most part they're priests who don't look like priests, priests who don't take on the airs of priests, priests who don' t dress like priests, priests who don't talk like priests. But they're priests all the same."
Leap Over a Wall
God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Risk
From Risk and the Cause of God by John Piper:
...
...
What happens when the people of God do not escape from the enchantment of security? What happens if they try to live their lives in the mirage of safety? Do you remember the time it happened? It is recorded in Numbers 13 and 14.
It is less than three years since the people of Israel came out of Egypt by the power of God. Now they are on the borders of the promised land. And in 13:1 the Lord says to Moses, "Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I give to the people of Israel." So Moses sends Caleb, Joshua and ten other men.
After forty days they return with a huge cluster of grapes hung on a pole between two men. In verse 30 Caleb says, "Let us go up at once, and occupy it; for we are well able to overcome it." But in verse 31 some of the others said, "We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we."
Caleb is unable to explode the myth of safety. The people are gripped by the enchantment of security. They murmur against Moses and Aaron in 14:2 and decide to go back to Egypt—the great mirage of safety.
So Joshua tries to free them from their stupor in verses 7-9,
The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey. Only, do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.
But not even Joshua could explode the myth of safety. The people were drunk in a dream world of security. And they tried to stone Caleb and Joshua. And that was wrong.
It is wrong not to take risks for the cause of God.
Is that because God promises success to all our ventures in his cause?
No. There is no promise that every effort for the cause of God will succeed, at least not in the short run. John the Baptist risked calling a spade a spade when Herod divorced his wife to take his bother's wife, Herodias. And John got his head chopped off for it. And he had done right to risk his life for the cause of God.
Paul was beaten and thrown in jail in Jerusalem and shipped off to Rome and executed there two years later. And he did right to risk his life for the cause of God.
And how many graves are there in Africa and Asia because thousands of young missionaries were freed by the power of the Holy Spirit from the enchantment of security, and then risked their lives for the cause of God among the unreached peoples of the world!
And now what about you? Are you caught in the enchantment of security, paralyzed from taking any risks for the cause of God? Or have you been freed by the Holy spirit from the mirage of Egyptian safety and comfort? Do you men ever say with Joab, "I'll try it! And may the Lord do what seems good to him!"? Do you women ever say with Esther, "I'll try it! And if I perish, I perish!"?
...Obsession
We usually think that obsession is a bad thing. After all, we don't want to go overboard with this stuff; stay in control. I like these lyrics.
This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession
Lyrics from Stephen Curtis Chapman, Magnificent Obsession
This is everything I want
This is everything I need
I want this to be my one consuming passion
Everything my heart desires
Lord, I want it all to be for You, Jesus
Be my magnificent obsession
Lyrics from Stephen Curtis Chapman, Magnificent Obsession
Monday, October 23, 2006
Sermon
Yesterday Aaron preached his "walking the line" sermon. Now it wasn't exactly about that, but if you were there then you know how the "only one song" scene in the movie prompted this sermon.
His sermon was based on Acts 2 -- Peter's 3 point sermon:
1. Jesus: the historical Jesus was a real man and he lived among us. (v. 22)
2. Christ: Jesus was the Christ, the long awaited Messiah and was crucified. (v. 31-33)
3. Lord: He is risen. Someone is in charge. The resurrected Jesus is Lord. (v. 36)
His sermon was based on Acts 2 -- Peter's 3 point sermon:
1. Jesus: the historical Jesus was a real man and he lived among us. (v. 22)
2. Christ: Jesus was the Christ, the long awaited Messiah and was crucified. (v. 31-33)
3. Lord: He is risen. Someone is in charge. The resurrected Jesus is Lord. (v. 36)
It Came to Pass
“Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life.” Ecclesiastes 5:18(TM)
Most things, good or bad, are not permanent. No wonder the phrase “it came to pass” shows up hundreds of times in Scripture because life is a continuum of change. Accepting that will not only help you handle the bad times but stop you from clinging so tightly to the good ones.
Here are three principles to help you get the most joy out of the journey:
1) Treat every day as a gift
“…have a good time…for as long as God gives you life...” Even though you will always be moving toward another goal or objective, learn to squeeze every ounce of joy out of the present. Don’t let life slip away while you are waiting for the next big event.
2) Appreciate the little things
They are all around you – the delight on a child’s face, the love of a friend, a good night’s sleep, a kind deed, a fresh insight. When you appreciate what you have, it multiplies. So be grateful for the little things and God will give you even more to appreciate. (see Matthew 25:23).
3) Don’t buy the “forever” and “never” lies
There are two lies you should never buy into. One is the “forever” lie which says your situation will never improve. The other is the “never: lie which says that if things get worse, you will never be able to handle them. Both are distortions. Remember that oft repeated phrase in God’s Word: “it came to pass”: “To every thing there is a season…” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 AMP). Endings bring new beginnings!
Keep trusting God even if you are under a cloud right now – it will eventually give way to sunshine!
(c)2006 Timothy L. Hudson, UGA Christian Campus Fellowship
An Old Prayer
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: An Old Prayer
Christians in the Orthodox Church use a prayer
called the Jesus Prayer. Sometimes they pray it
in the rhythm of breathing, learning in this way
almost to "pray without ceasing." The words are
simple, but they cover everything we need to ask
for ourselves and others: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son
of God, have mercy on us."
The Lord did not say we should not use
repetition. He said we should not use vain
repetition. A prayer prayed from the heart of the
child to the Father is never vain.
The Very Reverend Kenneth R. Waldron, a priest of
both the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and of the
Anglican Church, wrote to me of his having had
surgery. "The last moment of consciousness before
the anaesthetic took over, I heard my surgeon
repeating in a whisper GOSPODI POMILUY, GOSPODI
POMILUY, GOSPODI POMILUY [Dr. Waldron put the
Russian words into phonetic spelling]--Lord, have
mercy on us.... It is wonderful to drift off into
unconsciousness hearing these words on the lips
of the man whose hands you trust to bring you out
of your troubles. It is great to have a surgeon
who knows how to pray at such a time. Think of
the comfort and help that this simple prayer has
brought to thousands through the years, a prayer
that was a big help to me in January 1982. Some
of my hospital friends thought they would not see
me alive again, but the good Lord had a bit more
work for this old priest to do."
The Jesus Prayer was one my husband Add and I
often used together when he was dying of cancer,
when we seemed to have "used up" all the other
prayers. I recommend it to you.
Complete Freedom
The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distress.
Psalm 25:17
"Unlike our day-to-day emotions, which are the product of our day-to-day thought life, emotional baggage from the past becomes deeply embedded in our memory. Let alone, this baggage will accumulate and can end up controlling you. It's only as you face the pain, forgive from your heart those who have offended you, and release them to the Lord that you can know complete freedom."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Psalm 25:17
"Unlike our day-to-day emotions, which are the product of our day-to-day thought life, emotional baggage from the past becomes deeply embedded in our memory. Let alone, this baggage will accumulate and can end up controlling you. It's only as you face the pain, forgive from your heart those who have offended you, and release them to the Lord that you can know complete freedom."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Fellowship
Biblical joy is the shared joy of fellowship. Jesus said, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete"
(John 15:11).
The apostle John wrote his first epistle to those he loved in order "to make our joy complete" (1 John 1:4). In his third epistle, John couldn't get any clearer: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 4).
(John 15:11).
The apostle John wrote his first epistle to those he loved in order "to make our joy complete" (1 John 1:4). In his third epistle, John couldn't get any clearer: "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 4).
God shaped our souls in such a way that we become more complete in fellowship. Sin usually leads to isolation. The Spirit of God, by contrast, moves us toward others. Even an introvert such as myself finds his truest happiness and satisfaction in shared living.
From Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls
by Gary L. Thomas
From Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls
by Gary L. Thomas
Active Participants
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might.
Ephesians 6:10
"Notice in Ephesians 6:10 that God requires us to be active participants in the spiritual defense that He has provided for us. He says, "I've prepared a winning strategy and designed effective weapons, but if you don't do your part by staying on active duty, you're likely to become a casualty." Choose to stand strong in the Lord ... today."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Ephesians 6:10
"Notice in Ephesians 6:10 that God requires us to be active participants in the spiritual defense that He has provided for us. He says, "I've prepared a winning strategy and designed effective weapons, but if you don't do your part by staying on active duty, you're likely to become a casualty." Choose to stand strong in the Lord ... today."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Gift of Work
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: The Gift of Work
The principal cause of boredom is the hatred of work. People are trained from childhood to hate it. Parents often feel guilty about making children do anything but the merest gestures toward work. Perhaps the children are required to make their beds and, in a feeble and half-hearted fashion, tidy up their rooms once a month or so.
But take full responsibility to clear the table, load the dishwasher, scrub the pots, wipe the counters? How many have the courage to ask this of a ten-year-old? It would be too much to ask of many ten-year-olds because parents have seriously asked nothing of them when they were two or three. Children quickly pick up the parents'
negative attitudes toward work and think of it as something most sedulously to be avoided.
Our Lord and Savior worked. There is little doubt that He served in the carpenter shop under the instruction of His earthly father Joseph, putting in long hours, learning skill, care, responsibility, and above all, the glory of work as a gift to glorify His heavenly Father. He did always those things that please the Father. Later He chose almost all His disciples from those who labored with their hands. Even the apostle Paul, a man of brilliant intellect, made tents.
Booker T. Washington, an African-American who grew up in the South when members of his race were expected to do the hardest and dirtiest jobs, learned his greatest lesson from the example of a Christian woman. A New Englander, the founder of the Hampton Institute, she herself washed the windows the day before school started, so it would be nice for those children who had been born slaves.
Is work a necessary evil, even a curse? A Christian who spent many years in Soviet work camps, learning to know work at its most brutal, its most degrading and dehumanizing, testified that he took pride in it, did the best he could, worked to the limit of his strength each day.
Why? Because he saw it as a gift from God, coming to him from the hand of God, the very will of God for him. He remembered that Jesus did not make benches and roofbeams and plow handles by means of miracles, but by means of saw, axe, and adze.
Wouldn't it make an astounding difference, not only in the quality of the work we do (in office, schoolroom, factory, kitchen, or backyard), but also in our satisfaction, even our joy, if we recognized God's gracious gift in every single task, from making a bed or bathing a baby to drawing a blueprint or selling a computer? If our children saw us doing "heartily as unto the Lord"
all the work we do, they would learn true happiness. Instead of feeling that they must be allowed to do what they like, they would learn to like what they do.
St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will." As I learn to pray that prayer, I find that there are many more rewards that come along as fringe benefits. As we make an offering of our work, we find the truth of a principle Jesus taught: Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice.
Title: The Gift of Work
The principal cause of boredom is the hatred of work. People are trained from childhood to hate it. Parents often feel guilty about making children do anything but the merest gestures toward work. Perhaps the children are required to make their beds and, in a feeble and half-hearted fashion, tidy up their rooms once a month or so.
But take full responsibility to clear the table, load the dishwasher, scrub the pots, wipe the counters? How many have the courage to ask this of a ten-year-old? It would be too much to ask of many ten-year-olds because parents have seriously asked nothing of them when they were two or three. Children quickly pick up the parents'
negative attitudes toward work and think of it as something most sedulously to be avoided.
Our Lord and Savior worked. There is little doubt that He served in the carpenter shop under the instruction of His earthly father Joseph, putting in long hours, learning skill, care, responsibility, and above all, the glory of work as a gift to glorify His heavenly Father. He did always those things that please the Father. Later He chose almost all His disciples from those who labored with their hands. Even the apostle Paul, a man of brilliant intellect, made tents.
Booker T. Washington, an African-American who grew up in the South when members of his race were expected to do the hardest and dirtiest jobs, learned his greatest lesson from the example of a Christian woman. A New Englander, the founder of the Hampton Institute, she herself washed the windows the day before school started, so it would be nice for those children who had been born slaves.
Is work a necessary evil, even a curse? A Christian who spent many years in Soviet work camps, learning to know work at its most brutal, its most degrading and dehumanizing, testified that he took pride in it, did the best he could, worked to the limit of his strength each day.
Why? Because he saw it as a gift from God, coming to him from the hand of God, the very will of God for him. He remembered that Jesus did not make benches and roofbeams and plow handles by means of miracles, but by means of saw, axe, and adze.
Wouldn't it make an astounding difference, not only in the quality of the work we do (in office, schoolroom, factory, kitchen, or backyard), but also in our satisfaction, even our joy, if we recognized God's gracious gift in every single task, from making a bed or bathing a baby to drawing a blueprint or selling a computer? If our children saw us doing "heartily as unto the Lord"
all the work we do, they would learn true happiness. Instead of feeling that they must be allowed to do what they like, they would learn to like what they do.
St. Ignatius Loyola prayed, "Teach us, Good Lord, to labor and to ask for no reward save that of knowing that we do Thy will." As I learn to pray that prayer, I find that there are many more rewards that come along as fringe benefits. As we make an offering of our work, we find the truth of a principle Jesus taught: Fulfillment is not a goal to achieve, but always the by-product of sacrifice.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
All Honor to Him
Psalm 23:3
He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.
Amplified
---
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
New Living Translation
---
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
NIV
He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him--not for my earning it, but] for His name's sake.
Amplified
---
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
New Living Translation
---
he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
NIV
Substance not Form
When you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
Matthew 6:7
"Holding to Christian practices in a hypocritical manner is repugnant to God. We cannot please Him with our external actions when we ignore the state of our hearts. Examine first the substance of your faith, not the form. God seeks children who pursue spiritual renewal rather than the mere fulfillment of religious obligations."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Matthew 6:7
"Holding to Christian practices in a hypocritical manner is repugnant to God. We cannot please Him with our external actions when we ignore the state of our hearts. Examine first the substance of your faith, not the form. God seeks children who pursue spiritual renewal rather than the mere fulfillment of religious obligations."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable
Count your troubles, name them one by one--at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature but it might burn a few calories.
Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.
Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon. After all, a man's gotta live.
Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do it.
Stay away from absolutes. It's what's right for you that matters. Be your own person and don't allow yourself to get hung up on what others expect of you.
Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people's. You have your life to live, they have theirs.
Don't fall into any compassion traps--the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own.
Don't let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what's really relevant--things like TV and newspapers. Invisible things are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones--they're where it's at now.
Title: Several Ways to Make Yourself Miserable
Count your troubles, name them one by one--at the breakfast table, if anybody will listen, or as soon as possible thereafter.
Worry every day about something. Don't let yourself get out of practice. It won't add a cubit to your stature but it might burn a few calories.
Pity yourself. If you do enough of this, nobody else will have to do it for you.
Devise clever but decent ways to serve God and mammon. After all, a man's gotta live.
Make it your business to find out what the Joneses are buying this year and where they're going. Try to do them at least one better even if you have to take out another loan to do it.
Stay away from absolutes. It's what's right for you that matters. Be your own person and don't allow yourself to get hung up on what others expect of you.
Make sure you get your rights. Never mind other people's. You have your life to live, they have theirs.
Don't fall into any compassion traps--the sort of situation where people can walk all over you. If you get too involved in other people's troubles, you may neglect your own.
Don't let Bible reading and prayer get in the way of what's really relevant--things like TV and newspapers. Invisible things are eternal. You want to stick with the visible ones--they're where it's at now.
Worship is Affirming
And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 5:14, RSV
"Amen means "yes." It is the worshiping affirmation to the God who affirms us. God says "yes" to us. We respond to his yes by saying, "Yes, amen." Worship is affirming.
The end result of the act of worship is that our lives are turned around. We come to God with a history of nay-saying, of rejecting and being rejected. At the throne of God we are immersed in God's "yes," a "yes" that silences all our "no's" and calls forth an answering yes in us."
Reversed Thunder
"Worship is Affirming", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Revelation 5:14, RSV
"Amen means "yes." It is the worshiping affirmation to the God who affirms us. God says "yes" to us. We respond to his yes by saying, "Yes, amen." Worship is affirming.
The end result of the act of worship is that our lives are turned around. We come to God with a history of nay-saying, of rejecting and being rejected. At the throne of God we are immersed in God's "yes," a "yes" that silences all our "no's" and calls forth an answering yes in us."
Reversed Thunder
"Worship is Affirming", God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Sermon
Yesterday Aaron preached on Samson and Delilah. Judges 16.
He was a Nazirite. "Anyone can take a vow, but sometimes the vows don't take"
Why Samson? What went wrong?
Two answers:
1. "was tired to death" -- Samson gave up; let down his guard; tired and not thinking clearly.
2. "did not know the Lord had left him" -- Samson suffered from minimalist thinking; had taken many small steps away from God without any visible consequences; didn't think this next small step -- cutting his hair -- would be the one that then separated him from God.
Ending. "but hair began to grow" -- God can restore us or as Aaron said "God can regrow hair" -- Samson in his death did more than in his life.
He was a Nazirite. "Anyone can take a vow, but sometimes the vows don't take"
Why Samson? What went wrong?
Two answers:
1. "was tired to death" -- Samson gave up; let down his guard; tired and not thinking clearly.
2. "did not know the Lord had left him" -- Samson suffered from minimalist thinking; had taken many small steps away from God without any visible consequences; didn't think this next small step -- cutting his hair -- would be the one that then separated him from God.
Ending. "but hair began to grow" -- God can restore us or as Aaron said "God can regrow hair" -- Samson in his death did more than in his life.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Lazy Co-Worker
Christian Working Woman: Lazy Co-Worker | Friday, October 13
As they eat lunch, Joyce pours out her story of trying to make ends meet because her ex-husband is very negligent in paying child support and the day care center is threatening to refuse to take her son because Joyce is behind in her payments. As Joyce brushes away tears, Fran says to her, "Oh, Joyce, I truly understand how you feel. There's nothing more important than your son and his care while you work. How much money do you owe the day care center?"
"I'm one month behind—$400. And Fran, I just don't have any money," Joyce replies.
"What about your family?" Fran asks, "Can they help you?"
"Family? Are you kidding? My family..." her voice trails off. It's obviously too painful for her to even talk about.
Jesus whispers to Fran, "What about your church's emergency fund to help people?"
"What a good idea, Lord," Fran says and turns to Joyce. "Look, Joyce, I have a suggestion. Our church has a fund to help people who are in financial trouble. As a member, I can request help for you. Would it be okay if I submit a request that they help you pay what you owe the day care center?"
Joyce looks at Fran in bewilderment. "You'd do that for me? But why?"
"Why? Just because you need help, and I want to help you. I'd pay it myself if I could, but my funds are a little tight, too. Now, I can't guarantee they'll do it, but at least I can ask. Okay?"
"Yeah, okay..." Joyce puts her head in her hands and can no longer hold back the tears. She sobs quietly.
Jesus nudges Fran, and she reaches across the table and takes her hand. "You know, Joyce, I don't believe that anyone is in our lives by accident. And I'm sure it's not an accident that I decided to invite you to lunch today. I believe it's God's way of showing you He loves you and is going to take care of you."
Joyce looks up. "I'm not sure I even believe there is a God, Fran, but I appreciate your help. Sorry I'm so emotional; it's just that....well, I've been so worried about Toby. I was ready to run away, but where would I go? You've at least given me some hope."
Back at the office, Fran makes a call to the church and gets the ball rolling. She says to Jesus, "Lord, I can't believe how my feelings about Joyce have changed in a short 24 hours. Thank you so much for helping me see her the way You do. I hope I can help her."
Jesus says, "You have already. And I think you've learned some valuable lessons about loving people you don't like, right Fran?"
"Right, Lord," she answers.
Maybe there are some unlikable people in your life, and you need to learn that lesson, too.His Glory
John Piper, God Created Us for His Glory
...
"But this means that when God says he made us for his glory, he does not mean he made us so that he could become more glorious in himself. Instead what Isaiah 43:7 means is that he created us to display his glory, that is, that his glory might be known and praised. This is the goal of God with which we must be aligned in our hearts and actions if we hope to escape his wrath at the judgment."
...
Isaiah 43
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
...
"But this means that when God says he made us for his glory, he does not mean he made us so that he could become more glorious in himself. Instead what Isaiah 43:7 means is that he created us to display his glory, that is, that his glory might be known and praised. This is the goal of God with which we must be aligned in our hearts and actions if we hope to escape his wrath at the judgment."
...
Isaiah 43
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
Complaining
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Where Will Complaining Get You?
When we were in Dallas for a visit, we were the guests of our dear friend Nina Jean Obel. As we sat one morning in her beautiful sunshiny yellow and pale-green kitchen, she reminded us of how, in the story in Deuteronomy 1, when the Israelites were within fourteen days of the Promised Land, they complained. Complaining was a habit which had angered Moses, their leader, to the point where he wished he were dead. "How can I bear unaided the heavy burden you are to me, and put up with your complaints?" he asked. They headed for Horeb, but when they reached the hill country of the Amorites they refused to believe the promises and insisted on sending spies to see what sort of a land it was. The spies came back with a glowing report, but the people didn't believe that either. Never mind the lovely fruit the land offered. There were giants in the land; they'd all be killed. There were huge fortifications towering to the sky. How would they ever conquer them?
It was the neurotic's attitude. No answer would do. No solution offered was good enough. The promises of God, the direction of Moses, the report of the spies--all unacceptable. The people had already made up their minds that they didn't like anything God was doing. They "muttered treason." They said the Lord hated them. He brought them out only to have them wiped out by the Amorites. O God, what a fate. O God, why do you treat us this way? O God, how are we going to get out of this? It's your fault. You hate us.
Moses hates us. Everything and everybody's against us.
Nina Jean said she made up her mind that if complaining was the reason God's people were denied the privilege of entering Canaan, she was going to quit it. She set herself a tough task:
absolutely no complaining for fourteen days. It was a revelation to her--first, of how strong a habit it had become, and second, of how different the whole world looked when she did not complain.
I get the impression when I'm around Nina Jean that the fourteen-day trial was enough to kick the habit. I've never heard her complain.
It's not just the sunshine and the colors that make her kitchen a nice place to be. It's that Nina Jean is there. I'd like to create that sort of climate for the people I'm around. I've set myself the same task.
Title: Where Will Complaining Get You?
When we were in Dallas for a visit, we were the guests of our dear friend Nina Jean Obel. As we sat one morning in her beautiful sunshiny yellow and pale-green kitchen, she reminded us of how, in the story in Deuteronomy 1, when the Israelites were within fourteen days of the Promised Land, they complained. Complaining was a habit which had angered Moses, their leader, to the point where he wished he were dead. "How can I bear unaided the heavy burden you are to me, and put up with your complaints?" he asked. They headed for Horeb, but when they reached the hill country of the Amorites they refused to believe the promises and insisted on sending spies to see what sort of a land it was. The spies came back with a glowing report, but the people didn't believe that either. Never mind the lovely fruit the land offered. There were giants in the land; they'd all be killed. There were huge fortifications towering to the sky. How would they ever conquer them?
It was the neurotic's attitude. No answer would do. No solution offered was good enough. The promises of God, the direction of Moses, the report of the spies--all unacceptable. The people had already made up their minds that they didn't like anything God was doing. They "muttered treason." They said the Lord hated them. He brought them out only to have them wiped out by the Amorites. O God, what a fate. O God, why do you treat us this way? O God, how are we going to get out of this? It's your fault. You hate us.
Moses hates us. Everything and everybody's against us.
Nina Jean said she made up her mind that if complaining was the reason God's people were denied the privilege of entering Canaan, she was going to quit it. She set herself a tough task:
absolutely no complaining for fourteen days. It was a revelation to her--first, of how strong a habit it had become, and second, of how different the whole world looked when she did not complain.
I get the impression when I'm around Nina Jean that the fourteen-day trial was enough to kick the habit. I've never heard her complain.
It's not just the sunshine and the colors that make her kitchen a nice place to be. It's that Nina Jean is there. I'd like to create that sort of climate for the people I'm around. I've set myself the same task.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Failure and Learning
A book called Art and Fear shows how indispensably failure is tied to learning. A ceramics teacher divided his class into two groups.
One group would be graded solely on quantity of work—fifty pounds of pottery would be an "A," forty would be a "B," and so on.
The other group would be graded on quality. Students in that group had to produce only one pot-but it had better be good.
One group would be graded solely on quantity of work—fifty pounds of pottery would be an "A," forty would be a "B," and so on.
The other group would be graded on quality. Students in that group had to produce only one pot-but it had better be good.
Amazingly, all the highest quality pots were turned out by the quantity group. It seems that while the quantity group kept churning out pots,
they were continually learning from their disasters and growing as artists. The quality group sat around theorizing about perfection and worrying about it—but they never actually got any better. No pot, no matter how misshapen, is really a failure. Each is just another step on the road to an "A." It is a road littered with imperfect pots, but there is no other road.
From If You Want to Walk on Water,
You've Got to Get Out of the Boat
by John Ortberg
they were continually learning from their disasters and growing as artists. The quality group sat around theorizing about perfection and worrying about it—but they never actually got any better. No pot, no matter how misshapen, is really a failure. Each is just another step on the road to an "A." It is a road littered with imperfect pots, but there is no other road.
From If You Want to Walk on Water,
You've Got to Get Out of the Boat
by John Ortberg
Free to Create
Live creatively, friends.
Galatians 6:1, The Message
"I believe that we are made in the image of God and that because God is a creator, we are creators.
Our early experience often does not encourage that. We are instructed to stay within the lines. In school and church, at home and at work, we are handed someone else's outline and told to learn, pray, play, work -- whatever -- within it. The intimidation is appallingly successful.
In Christ we are set free to create. He sets us free to live -- toward God, with people, in the world -- as artists, not as copiers. He sets us free to use the stuff that God gives us to live something original."
Traveling Light
Free to Create, God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Galatians 6:1, The Message
"I believe that we are made in the image of God and that because God is a creator, we are creators.
Our early experience often does not encourage that. We are instructed to stay within the lines. In school and church, at home and at work, we are handed someone else's outline and told to learn, pray, play, work -- whatever -- within it. The intimidation is appallingly successful.
In Christ we are set free to create. He sets us free to live -- toward God, with people, in the world -- as artists, not as copiers. He sets us free to use the stuff that God gives us to live something original."
Traveling Light
Free to Create, God's Message for Each Day by Eugene Peterson.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Today
"... be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:7-8
1 Peter 4:7-8
Deep Affection for Each Other in Christ
Romans 16: 5-16
John Piper: Carry My Love to My Beloved
...
John Piper: Carry My Love to My Beloved
...
"The foundation of Paul’s profound affection for these people is that he knows that he stood with them on the precipice of the wrath of God called hell, where he and they deserve to be today, and that he and they were snatched to safety by the Son of God as he went over that precipice. And they stand trembling, happy, hugging on solid ground, namely, in Christ. That’s why he says in Christ and in the Lord eight times. That’s where Paul lives with them.
We were in as much danger as we could possibly be in—together. And now, we are as safe in Christ as we can possibly be—together. This was so real for Paul he could still smell the flames. He could feel still feel the ice in this thighs as he looked over the edge of the abyss into the wrath of God. And now, rescued by Christ, and living in Christ, nobody looks the same anymore. Everybody here in Christ is blood-bought and safe.
If we don’t feel a kind of trembling, deep affection for each other in Christ, it’s probably because we don’t feel very deserving of hell and we don’t feel amazed at our rescue. And, therefore, the safety we enjoy together doesn’t feel very precious. It’s as though nobody was ever buried in the mine. And there were no all-night vigils, and no heart-rending prayers. And, therefore, no brothers or fathers or husbands emerging from the elevator shaft. And so no hugging. If we want to understand and experience the warmth and preciousness of Paul’s relationships in this chapter, we have to experience again what it means to be rescued from wrath by the blood of Christ and to be eternally safe in Christ—together."
...
Fran & Jesus: Lazy Co-Worker
Christian Working Woman: Fran & Jesus on the Job -- Lazy Co-Worker
(Tuesday)
(Tuesday)
Today Fran is rushing to get a proposal revised, and her assistant, Joyce, tends to be lazy and less than helpful. Expecting a negative reaction, Fran heaves a sigh and heads to Joyce's desk. "Joyce, here's the last changes to the Walton proposal. Please make those changes and re-print it for me. I'll need it before you leave today if you don't mind," Fran says, trying to sound pleasant.
"If I don't mind?" Joyce replies. "Well, I do mind. It's 4:00 and I leave here at 4:30. Why did you wait so late to give it to me?" Joyce snatches it from Fran's hand as she slowly puts down the magazine she was reading.
"Joyce, I just got the changes from Marilyn. You know it has to be done today. Sorry, but that's the way it is," Fran says with irritation in her voice.
Jesus nudges Fran's arm. "Remember, sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." Jesus brings a verse from Proverbs to her mind.
"But, Lord," she replies, "all I'm asking is for her to do her job. If she'd get busy, she could have it done in less than an hour. I just don't feel like babying her; she doesn't deserve it."
"If you run on your feelings, Fran," Jesus reminds her, "you'll never be able to love people you don't like. Love is an action. Do the right thing, whether you feel it or not."
Fran turns to Joyce again, and with great effort says, "Look, Joyce, I know it's late; I wish I could have gotten it to you sooner. But I really would appreciate your help. I don't think you'll have to work much past 4:30. I'll be in my office if you have any questions."
"Much better," Jesus whispers to Fran. She says, "Well, I said it through clinched teeth."
"That's okay," He replies, "you acted the way love should act, not the way you felt."
"Well," she whispers back, "I would never have done it if You hadn't been here."
"That's the whole idea, Fran," Jesus says to her. "That's why I'm with you all the time–to give you the power to do what you could never do by yourself."
Fran's heart is touched as Jesus reminds her of this incredible truth. "Thanks, Lord. Please don't give up on me. I know I'm a slow learner in this area, but help me to learn how to love like You do."
Joyce's voice almost startles Fran. "Okay, well, yeah–okay, I'll try to get it done." Fran can see a slight change in her attitude. "Thanks, Joyce," she says.
Loving people you don't like isn't easy, but it's whole lot easier than the other way.
Submission
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: What Do You Mean By Submission?
People are always asking me this. What is this
business of "submission" you're always talking
about? We're not really very comfortable with
this. Seems kinds of negative. Sounds as though
women are not worth as much as men. Aren't women
supposed to exercise their gifts? Can't they ever
open their mouths?
I wouldn't be very comfortable with that kind of
submission either. As a matter of fact, I'm not
particularly comfortable with any kind, but since
it was God's idea and not mine, I had better come
to terms with what the Bible says about it and
stop rejecting the whole thing just because it is
so often misunderstood and wrongly defined. I
came across a lucid example of what it means in 1
Chronicles 11:10, NEB: "Of David's heroes these
were the chief, men who lent their full strength
to his government and, with all Israel, joined in
making him king." There it is. The recognition,
first of all, of God-given authority. Recognizing
it, accepting it, they then lent their full
strength to it, and did everything in their power
to make him--not them--king.
Christians--both men and women--recognize first
the authority of Christ. They pray "Thy will be
done." They set about making an honest effort to
cooperate with what He is doing, straightening
out the kinks in their own lives according to His
wishes. A Christian woman, then, in submission to
God, recognizes the divinely assigned authority
of her husband (he didn't earn it, remember, he
received it by appointment!. She then sets about
lending her full strength to helping him do what
he's supposed to do, be what he's supposed to
be--her head. She's not always trying to get her
own way. She's trying to make it easier for him
to do his job. She seeks to contribute to his
purpose, not to scheme how to accomplish her own.
If this sounds suspiciously like some worn-out
traditionalist view, or (worse) like a typical
Elisabeth Elliot opinion, test it with the
straightedge of Scripture. What does submission
to Christ mean? "Wives, submit yourself to your
husbands, as to the Lord." Compare and connect.
Title: What Do You Mean By Submission?
People are always asking me this. What is this
business of "submission" you're always talking
about? We're not really very comfortable with
this. Seems kinds of negative. Sounds as though
women are not worth as much as men. Aren't women
supposed to exercise their gifts? Can't they ever
open their mouths?
I wouldn't be very comfortable with that kind of
submission either. As a matter of fact, I'm not
particularly comfortable with any kind, but since
it was God's idea and not mine, I had better come
to terms with what the Bible says about it and
stop rejecting the whole thing just because it is
so often misunderstood and wrongly defined. I
came across a lucid example of what it means in 1
Chronicles 11:10, NEB: "Of David's heroes these
were the chief, men who lent their full strength
to his government and, with all Israel, joined in
making him king." There it is. The recognition,
first of all, of God-given authority. Recognizing
it, accepting it, they then lent their full
strength to it, and did everything in their power
to make him--not them--king.
Christians--both men and women--recognize first
the authority of Christ. They pray "Thy will be
done." They set about making an honest effort to
cooperate with what He is doing, straightening
out the kinks in their own lives according to His
wishes. A Christian woman, then, in submission to
God, recognizes the divinely assigned authority
of her husband (he didn't earn it, remember, he
received it by appointment!. She then sets about
lending her full strength to helping him do what
he's supposed to do, be what he's supposed to
be--her head. She's not always trying to get her
own way. She's trying to make it easier for him
to do his job. She seeks to contribute to his
purpose, not to scheme how to accomplish her own.
If this sounds suspiciously like some worn-out
traditionalist view, or (worse) like a typical
Elisabeth Elliot opinion, test it with the
straightedge of Scripture. What does submission
to Christ mean? "Wives, submit yourself to your
husbands, as to the Lord." Compare and connect.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Success
Add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.
"Your primary role in life is to diligently appy the character goals listed in 2 Peter 1: 5-7. Peter promises that, as these qualities increase in your life through practice, you will be useful and fruitful, and you will never stumble (verses 8-11). That's success!"
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
"Your primary role in life is to diligently appy the character goals listed in 2 Peter 1: 5-7. Peter promises that, as these qualities increase in your life through practice, you will be useful and fruitful, and you will never stumble (verses 8-11). That's success!"
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
The Answer
"In order to be free to be faithful to this sacred man and his dream, to others and to ourselves, we must be liberated from the damnable imprisonment of self-hatred, and freed from the shackles of projectionism, perfectionism, moralism/legalism, and unhealthy guilt. Freedom for fidelity demands freedom from enslavement.
It is a tired cliche', a battered bumper sticker, an over-used and often superficial slogan, but it is the truth of the gospel: Jesus is the answer. Is there any price too exorbitant, any cost too extravagant to pay for the privilege of being able to make your own personal response to his haunting question: Who do you say that I am?
So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Hebrews 13:6"
Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning
It is a tired cliche', a battered bumper sticker, an over-used and often superficial slogan, but it is the truth of the gospel: Jesus is the answer. Is there any price too exorbitant, any cost too extravagant to pay for the privilege of being able to make your own personal response to his haunting question: Who do you say that I am?
So we say with confidence,
"The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?"
Hebrews 13:6"
Reflections for Ragamuffins by Brennan Manning
Monday, October 09, 2006
Bitterness
"Bitterness is a form of hate. It is anger facing backwards. ... When we embrace bitterness, we reject grace. ... Bitterness destroys our relationships, impairs our judgment, skews our perspective, and distorts our memories."
Erwin McManus, Uprising.
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, .. forgiving each other as in Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4: 31-32
Erwin McManus, Uprising.
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, .. forgiving each other as in Christ God forgave you."
Ephesians 4: 31-32
Enjoying God Is Not A Means But An End
John Piper, "The Supremacy of Christ and Joy in a Postmodern World"
...
...
The enjoyment of God above all else is the deepest way that God’s glory is reflected back to him. The enjoyment of God terminates on God alone and is not performed as a means to anything else. It is the deepest reverberation in the heart of man of the value of God’s glory.
We can do good works as a means to many things. We can speak good words as a means to many things. We can think good thoughts as means to many things. But we cannot enjoy God as a means to anything. We don’t choose joy in God as an act for the sake of something beyond joy in God. That’s not the way joy works. You don’t enjoy your wife so that she will make your supper. You don’t enjoy playing ball with your son so that he will wash the car. You don’t enjoy a sunset so that you can become a poet. There are no so thats in the experience of joy.
It’s the very nature of joy to be a spontaneous response to something that you value. Joy comes to you. It rises spontaneously as witness to what you treasure. And therefore, it reveals more authentically than anything what your treasure is. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Joy is unique in its capacity to witness to what we treasure.
...Lord of All Seasons
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Lord of All Seasons
A few years ago I spoke to a group of women in
Florida about Jesus Christ being "Lord of All
Seasons." The topic was their choice, and I found
myself, as usual, tested along the very lines on
which I was going to speak. During the previous
week, Lars and I had learned that all
twenty-eight of the nice new (and very expensive)
windows we had installed in our new house leaked.
I was anxious about many things--my mother's
health, my coming grandchild, a new word
processor which I wasn't sure I was smart enough
to learn to use, and (alas!) a tooth which seemed
about to fall out. What a list of varied things
to worry about.
But Jesus died for me! He's risen and coming
again! He has given me an inheritance that
nothing can "destroy or spoil or wither" (1 Peter
1:4, NEB) and a Kingdom which is unshakable
(Hebrews 12:28). That's the gospel. Has it
anything to do with leaking windows, computers,
grandchildren, teeth? Well, I told myself, if it
hasn't, you've got no business getting up in
front of those women and opening your mouth at
all. If I can't give thanks, trust, and worship
the Lord in every "season," in the face of any
set of facts which may touch my life, I am not
really a believer. It is here, in my corner of
God's earth, that I am assigned my lessons in the
School of Faith.
P.S. Later: They fixed the windows for us, but
then we found that all four of the outside doors
needed to be fixed. God hadn't finished with us
yet.
Title: Lord of All Seasons
A few years ago I spoke to a group of women in
Florida about Jesus Christ being "Lord of All
Seasons." The topic was their choice, and I found
myself, as usual, tested along the very lines on
which I was going to speak. During the previous
week, Lars and I had learned that all
twenty-eight of the nice new (and very expensive)
windows we had installed in our new house leaked.
I was anxious about many things--my mother's
health, my coming grandchild, a new word
processor which I wasn't sure I was smart enough
to learn to use, and (alas!) a tooth which seemed
about to fall out. What a list of varied things
to worry about.
But Jesus died for me! He's risen and coming
again! He has given me an inheritance that
nothing can "destroy or spoil or wither" (1 Peter
1:4, NEB) and a Kingdom which is unshakable
(Hebrews 12:28). That's the gospel. Has it
anything to do with leaking windows, computers,
grandchildren, teeth? Well, I told myself, if it
hasn't, you've got no business getting up in
front of those women and opening your mouth at
all. If I can't give thanks, trust, and worship
the Lord in every "season," in the face of any
set of facts which may touch my life, I am not
really a believer. It is here, in my corner of
God's earth, that I am assigned my lessons in the
School of Faith.
P.S. Later: They fixed the windows for us, but
then we found that all four of the outside doors
needed to be fixed. God hadn't finished with us
yet.
Sermon: Hearing
Aaron preached yesterday from James 1:19-27 on "hearing"
Hearing is intentional.
What keeps us from hearing?
1. Must have a "teachable" heart.
2. Sin interferes with our hearing (v. 21).
3. Action is the evidence of having heard (v. 25).
... information doesn't make disciples; obedience makes disciples ...
Hearing is intentional.
What keeps us from hearing?
1. Must have a "teachable" heart.
2. Sin interferes with our hearing (v. 21).
3. Action is the evidence of having heard (v. 25).
... information doesn't make disciples; obedience makes disciples ...
Friday, October 06, 2006
Power of Fragrance
Joni's Devotional
Today's Devotional
Today's Devotional
“Thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other the fragrance of life.” — 2 Corinthians 2:14-16
The wind shifts in October, carrying on the breeze the scent of a seasoned wood-fire from a neighbor’s chimney. Lean out your window, draw a deep breath, and you can smell the scent of pine from a nearby woods. Or someone baking an apple pie next door. I love this time of year because of the wonderful new aromas in the air. It’s amazing how a scent — even a fragrance — evokes powerful feelings.
Today’s verse speaks of the power of fragrance. It’s another way of saying, “I want to live in a way that will perpetually remind God of the obedience, sacrifice, and devotion of the Lord Jesus. I want my words and deeds to bring to God’s mind fragrant memories of the earthly life of his Son.”
What’s more, our godly words and deeds not only remind God of his Son, but remind others of him, too — whether they believe in Jesus or not. To be obedient among the fellowship of believers is to carry with you the fragrance of Christ. To be obedient in a wicked world is to remind others of the stench of death. But that’s not bad! Sometimes the wicked need to face their own mortality to be awakened out of their spiritual slumber. No matter how others interpret it, just be certain to waft Jesus their way.
The smell of hot apple pie brings to mind deep-rooted memories. A wood fire or the scent of pine will do the same. In the same way, your life of obedience can please God with an aroma that reminds him of Jesus. Be fragrant. Be a sweet smelling savor. Be obedient and, thus, be God’s memory of his Son.
* * * * *
May my life give off the scent of Christ to all those around me. And, Father, may my obedience bring a smile to you, today, reminding you of your precious Son.
The Incarnation is a Thing Too Wonderful
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: The Incarnation is a Thing Too Wonderful
Some things are simply too wonderful for
explanation--the navigational system of the
Arctic tern, for example. How does it find its
way over twelve thousand miles of ocean from its
nesting grounds in the Arctic to its wintering
grounds in the Antarctic! Ornithologists have
conducted all sorts of tests without finding the
answer. Instinct is the best they can offer--no
explanation at all, merely a way of saying that
they really have no idea. A Laysan albatross was
once released 3,200 miles from its nest in the
Midway Islands. It was back home in ten days.
The migration of birds is a thing too wonderful.
When the angel Gabriel told Mary, "You will be
with child and give birth to a son," she had a
simple question about the natural: How can this
be, since I am a virgin?!
The answer had to do not with the natural but
with something far more mysterious than the
tern's navigation--something, in fact, entirely
supernatural: "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke
1:35, NIV). That was too wonderful, and Mary was
silent. She had no question about the
supernatural. She was satisfied with God's
answer.
The truth about the Incarnation is a thing too
wonderful for us. Who can fathom what really took
place first in a virgin's womb in Nazareth and
then in a stable in Bethlehem!
At the end of the book of Job, instead of
answering his questions, God revealed to Job the
mystery of Who He was. Then Job despised himself.
"I have uttered what I did not understand,/
things too wonderful for me, which I did not
know" (Job 42:3, RSV).
In one of David's "songs of ascents" he wrote,
"My heart is not proud, O Lord,/ my eyes are not
haughty;/ I do not concern myself with great
matters/ or things too wonderful for me./ But I
have stilled and quieted my soul; / like a weaned
child with its mother,/ like a weaned child is my
soul within me" (Psalm 131:1,2, NIV).
A close and fretful inquiry into how spiritual
things "work" is an exercise in futility. Even
wondering how "natural" things are going to work
if you bring God into them--how God will answer a
prayer for money, for example, or how your
son-in-law is going to find a house for eight in
southern California (on a pastor's salary) is
sometimes an awful waste of energy. God knows
how. Why should I bother my head about it if I've
turned it over to Him? If the Word of the Lord to
us is that we are "predestined according to the
plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with his purpose" (Ephesians 1:11,
NIV), we may apprehend this fact by faith alone.
By believing that God means just what He says,
and by acting upon the word (faith always
requires action), we apprehend it--we take hold
of it, we make it our own. We cannot make it our
own by mere reason--"I don't see how
such-and-such an incident can possibly have
anything to do with any divine 'plan.'"
Why should we see how! Is it not sufficient that
we are told that it is so? We need not see. We
need only believe and proceed on the basis of
that assured fact.
Mary's acceptance of the angel's answer to her
innocent question was immediate, though she could
not imagine the intricacies and mysteries of its
working in her young virgin body. She surrendered
herself utterly to God in trust and obedience.
Do you understand what is going on in the
invisible realm of your life with God? Do you see
how the visible things relate to the hidden Plan
and Purpose? Probably not. As my second husband
Addison Leitch used to say, "You can't unscrew
the Inscrutable." But you do see at least one
thing, maybe a very little thing, that He wants
you to do. "Now what I am commanding you today is
not too difficult [other translations say too
hard, too wonderful] for you or beyond your
reach. It is not up in heaven.... nor is it
beyond the sea.... no, the word is very near you;
it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may
obey it" (Deuteronomy 30:11-14, NIV).
Let it suffice you, as it sufficed Mary, to know
that God knows. If it's time to work, get on with
your job. If it's time to go to bed, go to sleep
in peace. Let the Lord of the Universe do the
worrying.
Title: The Incarnation is a Thing Too Wonderful
Some things are simply too wonderful for
explanation--the navigational system of the
Arctic tern, for example. How does it find its
way over twelve thousand miles of ocean from its
nesting grounds in the Arctic to its wintering
grounds in the Antarctic! Ornithologists have
conducted all sorts of tests without finding the
answer. Instinct is the best they can offer--no
explanation at all, merely a way of saying that
they really have no idea. A Laysan albatross was
once released 3,200 miles from its nest in the
Midway Islands. It was back home in ten days.
The migration of birds is a thing too wonderful.
When the angel Gabriel told Mary, "You will be
with child and give birth to a son," she had a
simple question about the natural: How can this
be, since I am a virgin?!
The answer had to do not with the natural but
with something far more mysterious than the
tern's navigation--something, in fact, entirely
supernatural: "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke
1:35, NIV). That was too wonderful, and Mary was
silent. She had no question about the
supernatural. She was satisfied with God's
answer.
The truth about the Incarnation is a thing too
wonderful for us. Who can fathom what really took
place first in a virgin's womb in Nazareth and
then in a stable in Bethlehem!
At the end of the book of Job, instead of
answering his questions, God revealed to Job the
mystery of Who He was. Then Job despised himself.
"I have uttered what I did not understand,/
things too wonderful for me, which I did not
know" (Job 42:3, RSV).
In one of David's "songs of ascents" he wrote,
"My heart is not proud, O Lord,/ my eyes are not
haughty;/ I do not concern myself with great
matters/ or things too wonderful for me./ But I
have stilled and quieted my soul; / like a weaned
child with its mother,/ like a weaned child is my
soul within me" (Psalm 131:1,2, NIV).
A close and fretful inquiry into how spiritual
things "work" is an exercise in futility. Even
wondering how "natural" things are going to work
if you bring God into them--how God will answer a
prayer for money, for example, or how your
son-in-law is going to find a house for eight in
southern California (on a pastor's salary) is
sometimes an awful waste of energy. God knows
how. Why should I bother my head about it if I've
turned it over to Him? If the Word of the Lord to
us is that we are "predestined according to the
plan of him who works out everything in
conformity with his purpose" (Ephesians 1:11,
NIV), we may apprehend this fact by faith alone.
By believing that God means just what He says,
and by acting upon the word (faith always
requires action), we apprehend it--we take hold
of it, we make it our own. We cannot make it our
own by mere reason--"I don't see how
such-and-such an incident can possibly have
anything to do with any divine 'plan.'"
Why should we see how! Is it not sufficient that
we are told that it is so? We need not see. We
need only believe and proceed on the basis of
that assured fact.
Mary's acceptance of the angel's answer to her
innocent question was immediate, though she could
not imagine the intricacies and mysteries of its
working in her young virgin body. She surrendered
herself utterly to God in trust and obedience.
Do you understand what is going on in the
invisible realm of your life with God? Do you see
how the visible things relate to the hidden Plan
and Purpose? Probably not. As my second husband
Addison Leitch used to say, "You can't unscrew
the Inscrutable." But you do see at least one
thing, maybe a very little thing, that He wants
you to do. "Now what I am commanding you today is
not too difficult [other translations say too
hard, too wonderful] for you or beyond your
reach. It is not up in heaven.... nor is it
beyond the sea.... no, the word is very near you;
it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may
obey it" (Deuteronomy 30:11-14, NIV).
Let it suffice you, as it sufficed Mary, to know
that God knows. If it's time to work, get on with
your job. If it's time to go to bed, go to sleep
in peace. Let the Lord of the Universe do the
worrying.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Day of Trouble
"... call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you,
and you will honor me."
Psalm 50:15
I will deliver you,
and you will honor me."
Psalm 50:15
The Supremacy of Christ and Joy in a Postmodern World
John 17:13
But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
Condensed version of this message by John Piper:
That’s the condensed version of this message: 1) Jesus’ greatest joy is in the glory of his Father, and 2) he shares this joy with us by means of understandable propositions about himself and his Father and his work, which the Holy Spirit illumines and ignites as the kindling of our passion for Christ. Or, another term for these propositions is Bible doctrine.
The point is to simply affirm precious truth of doctrinally based joy over against the postmodern debunking of propositional revelation and biblical doctrine and expositional preaching—as though there were some other way to attain Christ-exalting joy.
Perception Does Not Equal Reality
Christian Working Woman Transcript
Perception Does Not Equal Reality
All day long, everyday, we are all in the process of forming impressions of other people, and of course, other people are forming impressions of us. Those impressions may or may not be accurate, but frequently we act and react as though our perceptions about people are fact, when we haven't stopped to think that many times they are simply wrong impressions.
When you find you are forming a negative impression of someone for whatever reason, remind yourself that you could be wrong. Remember that there have been other times when you have formed the wrong impression about someone. Ask yourself, "Could it be that this is my problem, not theirs? Do I bring some prejudicial thinking into this situation? Have I jumped to conclusions? Do I have enough reliable input to form a negative impression?"
In many cases, we blow small things out of proportion, or we simply don't take the time to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes and give that person a break.
The American way is that we're all innocent until proven guilty. It's also the biblical way. Love—God's kind of love—doesn't expose; love covers up. Proverbs 10:12 says that love covers over all wrongs. Love assumes the best of someone, not the worst. It doesn't gravitate toward the bad reports, but rather looks for good reports.
I remember placing a call to a Christian businesswoman at her office to talk with her about a possible speaking engagement. As I hung up the phone my perception of her was not favorable. She sounded abrupt to me, she sounded rushed, and I was starting to form a negative impression.
In the middle of that thought process, I said to myself, "Mary, give this woman a break. She was at work; she wasn't expecting your call. Who knows what was on her desk to be done, what crisis she was facing at that moment. She was not rude to you; she simply wasn't as friendly as you would have liked." So, I simply dismissed my first impression of her and told myself that I did not have nearly enough input to form a negative impression.
When we talked a couple of weeks later, she was extremely helpful and went out of her way to try to assist me, and I found her to be delightful. My first perception was not reality, and had I allowed that perception to take root in my mind, I might never have talked with her again, or would have gone into that conversation with such a negative mindset that nothing she could have done would have made me change my impression.
I imagine you've had similar experiences. We need to keep reminding ourselves that our perceptions may not be reality.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Liberating Word
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human institution.
1 Peter 2:13
"Submission is not a dirty word; it is a liberating word. We are all under God's protective authority, and we can only be free if we seek it and submit to it. Coming under authority is your protection. Living free is your opportunity to be all that God created you to be."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
1 Peter 2:13
"Submission is not a dirty word; it is a liberating word. We are all under God's protective authority, and we can only be free if we seek it and submit to it. Coming under authority is your protection. Living free is your opportunity to be all that God created you to be."
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Relationships of Grace
The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people.
1 John 4:21, The Message
"We are faced, daily, with the reality that something has gone wrong with our families. Our children fight and quarrel; our parenting misfires. We are involved in failure, and we feel guilty.
Something has, of course, gone wrong, with the family, but it went wrong long before we came on the scene. It is futile to complain or feel guilty. We can, though, go to work and nurture family life on the new grounds provided by the Holy Spirit. Blood relationships are transformed into relationships of grace. Our natural families are informed and redeemed by the same principles that are foundational in the community of the Holy Spirit, the church."
Like Dew Your Youth
Eugene Peterson, God's Message for Each Day
1 John 4:21, The Message
"We are faced, daily, with the reality that something has gone wrong with our families. Our children fight and quarrel; our parenting misfires. We are involved in failure, and we feel guilty.
Something has, of course, gone wrong, with the family, but it went wrong long before we came on the scene. It is futile to complain or feel guilty. We can, though, go to work and nurture family life on the new grounds provided by the Holy Spirit. Blood relationships are transformed into relationships of grace. Our natural families are informed and redeemed by the same principles that are foundational in the community of the Holy Spirit, the church."
Like Dew Your Youth
Eugene Peterson, God's Message for Each Day
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
New Every Morning
I think about this often:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)
God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.
(Lamentations 3:22-24, The Message)
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(Lamentations 3:22-23, NIV)
It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, Amplified)
God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He's all I've got left.
(Lamentations 3:22-24, The Message)
Habits and Patterns
Those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
"When you became a Christian, your old fleshly habits and patterns weren't erased; they are still a part of your flesh, which must be dealt with daily. Thankfully, however, you are not just a product of your past; you are a new creature in Christ. There is a war raging for your mind, but you are on the winning side, for in Christ, we are more than conquerors!"
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
"When you became a Christian, your old fleshly habits and patterns weren't erased; they are still a part of your flesh, which must be dealt with daily. Thankfully, however, you are not just a product of your past; you are a new creature in Christ. There is a war raging for your mind, but you are on the winning side, for in Christ, we are more than conquerors!"
Neil T. Anderson, Freedom in Christ.
Don't Forfeit Your Peace
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Don't Forfeit Your Peace
It would not be possible to exaggerate the
importance hymns and spiritual songs have played
in my spiritual growth. One of the latter,
familiar to most of you, has this line: "O what
peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we
bear, all because we do not carry everything to
God in prayer" (Joseph Scriven). Prayerlessness
is one of many ways by which we can easily
forfeit the peace God wants us to have. I've been
thinking of some other ways. Here's a sampling:
Resent God's ways.
Worry as much as possible.
Pray only about things you can't manage by
yourself.
Refuse to accept what God gives.
Look for peace elsewhere than in Him.
Try to rule your own life.
Doubt God's word.
Carry all your cares.
If you'd rather not forfeit your peace, here are
eight ways to find it (antidotes to the above
eight):
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and
nothing shall offend them" (Psalm 119:165 KJV).
"Circumstances are the expression of God's will,"
wrote Bishop Handley Moule.
"Don't worry about anything whatever"
(Philippians 4:6, PHILLIPS).
"In everything make your requests known to God in
prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the
peace of God... will guard your hearts"
(Philippians 4:6,7, NEB).
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me... and
you will find rest" (Matthew 11:29, NIV).
"Peace is my parting gift to you, my own peace,
such as the world cannot give" (John 14 27, NEB).
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts"
(Colossians 3:15, NIV).
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing" (Romans 15:13, KJV).
"Cast all your cares on him for you are his
charge" (1 Peter 5:7, NEB).
"Grant, O Lord my God, that I may never fall away
in success or in failure; that I may not be
prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity.
Let me rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow
only in what separates us. May I strive to please
no one or fear to displease anyone except
Yourself. May I seek always the things that are
eternal and never those that are only temporal.
May I shun any joy that is without You and never
seek any that is beside You. O Lord, may I
delight in any work I do for You and tire of any
rest that is apart from You. My God, let me
direct my heart towards You, and in my failings,
always repent with a purpose of amendment."
--St. Thomas Aquinas
Title: Don't Forfeit Your Peace
It would not be possible to exaggerate the
importance hymns and spiritual songs have played
in my spiritual growth. One of the latter,
familiar to most of you, has this line: "O what
peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we
bear, all because we do not carry everything to
God in prayer" (Joseph Scriven). Prayerlessness
is one of many ways by which we can easily
forfeit the peace God wants us to have. I've been
thinking of some other ways. Here's a sampling:
Resent God's ways.
Worry as much as possible.
Pray only about things you can't manage by
yourself.
Refuse to accept what God gives.
Look for peace elsewhere than in Him.
Try to rule your own life.
Doubt God's word.
Carry all your cares.
If you'd rather not forfeit your peace, here are
eight ways to find it (antidotes to the above
eight):
"Great peace have they which love thy law: and
nothing shall offend them" (Psalm 119:165 KJV).
"Circumstances are the expression of God's will,"
wrote Bishop Handley Moule.
"Don't worry about anything whatever"
(Philippians 4:6, PHILLIPS).
"In everything make your requests known to God in
prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the
peace of God... will guard your hearts"
(Philippians 4:6,7, NEB).
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me... and
you will find rest" (Matthew 11:29, NIV).
"Peace is my parting gift to you, my own peace,
such as the world cannot give" (John 14 27, NEB).
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts"
(Colossians 3:15, NIV).
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing" (Romans 15:13, KJV).
"Cast all your cares on him for you are his
charge" (1 Peter 5:7, NEB).
"Grant, O Lord my God, that I may never fall away
in success or in failure; that I may not be
prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity.
Let me rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow
only in what separates us. May I strive to please
no one or fear to displease anyone except
Yourself. May I seek always the things that are
eternal and never those that are only temporal.
May I shun any joy that is without You and never
seek any that is beside You. O Lord, may I
delight in any work I do for You and tire of any
rest that is apart from You. My God, let me
direct my heart towards You, and in my failings,
always repent with a purpose of amendment."
--St. Thomas Aquinas
Monday, October 02, 2006
To Stand Upon the Mountain of God
Here are some of the lyrics from "Mountain of God" by Third Day
"Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God"
"Even though the journey's long
And I know the road is hard
Well, the One who's gone before me
He will help me carry on
After all that I've been through
Now I realize the truth
That I must go through the valley
To stand upon the mountain of God"
The Dignity of David's Life
Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? ... Fix my eyes on God -- soon I'll be praising again.
Psalm 42:5, The Message
David, who lived exuberantly, also lamented fiercely. ...
Seventy percent of the Psalms are laments. These laments either originate or derive from the praying life of David. David repeatedly faced loss, disappointment, death. But he neither avoided, denied, nor soft-pedaled any of those difficulties. He faced everything and he prayed everything. David's laments are part and parcel of the craggy majesty and towering dignity of his life."
Leap Over a Wall
Eugene Peterson, God's Message for Each Day
Psalm 42:5, The Message
David, who lived exuberantly, also lamented fiercely. ...
Seventy percent of the Psalms are laments. These laments either originate or derive from the praying life of David. David repeatedly faced loss, disappointment, death. But he neither avoided, denied, nor soft-pedaled any of those difficulties. He faced everything and he prayed everything. David's laments are part and parcel of the craggy majesty and towering dignity of his life."
Leap Over a Wall
Eugene Peterson, God's Message for Each Day
Moonless Trust
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: Moonless Trust
Some of you are perhaps feeling that you are
voyaging just now on a moonless sea. Uncertainty
surrounds you. There seem to be no signs to
follow. Perhaps you feel about to be engulfed by
loneliness. There is no one to whom you can speak
of your need.
Amy Carmichael wrote of such a feeling when, as a
missionary of twenty-six, she had to leave Japan
because of poor health, then travel to China for
recuperation, but then realized God was telling
her to go to Ceylon. (All this preceded her going
to India, where she stayed for fifty-three
years.) I have on my desk her original
handwritten letter of August 25, 1894, as she was
en route to Colombo. "All along, let us remember,
we are not asked to understand, but simply to
obey.... On July 28, Saturday, I sailed. We had
to come on board on Friday night, and just as the
tender (a small boat) where were the dear friends
who had come to say goodbye was moving off, and
the chill of loneliness shivered through me, like
a warm love-clasp came the long-loved lines--'And
only Heaven is better than to walk with Christ at
midnight, over moonless seas.' I couldn't feel
frightened then. Praise Him for the moonless
seas--all the better the opportunity for proving
Him to be indeed the El Shaddai, 'the God who is
Enough."'
Let me add my own word of witness to hers and to
that of the tens of thousands who have learned
that He is indeed Enough. He is not all we would
ask for (if we were honest), but it is precisely
when we do not have what we would ask for, and
only then, that we can clearly perceive His
all-sufficiency. It is when the sea is moonless
that the Lord has become my Light.
Title: Moonless Trust
Some of you are perhaps feeling that you are
voyaging just now on a moonless sea. Uncertainty
surrounds you. There seem to be no signs to
follow. Perhaps you feel about to be engulfed by
loneliness. There is no one to whom you can speak
of your need.
Amy Carmichael wrote of such a feeling when, as a
missionary of twenty-six, she had to leave Japan
because of poor health, then travel to China for
recuperation, but then realized God was telling
her to go to Ceylon. (All this preceded her going
to India, where she stayed for fifty-three
years.) I have on my desk her original
handwritten letter of August 25, 1894, as she was
en route to Colombo. "All along, let us remember,
we are not asked to understand, but simply to
obey.... On July 28, Saturday, I sailed. We had
to come on board on Friday night, and just as the
tender (a small boat) where were the dear friends
who had come to say goodbye was moving off, and
the chill of loneliness shivered through me, like
a warm love-clasp came the long-loved lines--'And
only Heaven is better than to walk with Christ at
midnight, over moonless seas.' I couldn't feel
frightened then. Praise Him for the moonless
seas--all the better the opportunity for proving
Him to be indeed the El Shaddai, 'the God who is
Enough."'
Let me add my own word of witness to hers and to
that of the tens of thousands who have learned
that He is indeed Enough. He is not all we would
ask for (if we were honest), but it is precisely
when we do not have what we would ask for, and
only then, that we can clearly perceive His
all-sufficiency. It is when the sea is moonless
that the Lord has become my Light.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
No Other Way
Elizabeth Elliot Devotional
Title: There Is No Other Way
In order to get to a place called Laity Lodge in
Texas you have to drive into a riverbed. The road
takes you down a steep, rocky hill into a canyon
and straight into the water. There is a sign at
the water's edge which says, "Yes. You drive in
the river."
One who has made up his mind to go to the
uttermost with God will come to a place as
unexpected and perhaps looking as impossible to
travel as that riverbed looks. He may glance
around for an alternative route, but if he wants
what God promises His faithful ones, he must go
straight into the danger. There is no other way.
The written word is our direction. Trust it. Obey
it. Drive in the river and get to Laity Lodge.
Moses said to Israel, "I offer you the choice of
life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life and
then you and your descendants will live; love the
Lord your God, obey him, and hold fast to him:
that is life for you."
When you take the risk of obedience, you find
solid rock beneath you--and markers, evidence
that someone has traveled this route before. "The
Lord your God will cross over at your head... he
will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake
you. Do not be discouraged or afraid"
(Deuteronomy 30:19, 20; 31:3, 8, NEB). It's what
the old gospel song puts so simply:
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.
--John H. Sammis
Title: There Is No Other Way
In order to get to a place called Laity Lodge in
Texas you have to drive into a riverbed. The road
takes you down a steep, rocky hill into a canyon
and straight into the water. There is a sign at
the water's edge which says, "Yes. You drive in
the river."
One who has made up his mind to go to the
uttermost with God will come to a place as
unexpected and perhaps looking as impossible to
travel as that riverbed looks. He may glance
around for an alternative route, but if he wants
what God promises His faithful ones, he must go
straight into the danger. There is no other way.
The written word is our direction. Trust it. Obey
it. Drive in the river and get to Laity Lodge.
Moses said to Israel, "I offer you the choice of
life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life and
then you and your descendants will live; love the
Lord your God, obey him, and hold fast to him:
that is life for you."
When you take the risk of obedience, you find
solid rock beneath you--and markers, evidence
that someone has traveled this route before. "The
Lord your God will cross over at your head... he
will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake
you. Do not be discouraged or afraid"
(Deuteronomy 30:19, 20; 31:3, 8, NEB). It's what
the old gospel song puts so simply:
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.
--John H. Sammis
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