Overflowing

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Wednesday, November 26, 2008 - Overflowing With Thankfulness

Has anyone ever said to you, "You are just overflowing with thankfulness"? Honestly, that's never happened to me and probably not you either. Yet, the Bible tells us in Colossians 2 that we should overflow with thankfulness.

I do believe this, with all my heart - if you learn to practice thankfulness, people will notice. They'll notice your joyful spirit; they'll notice your words of thanks; they'll notice the smile on your face and the bounce in your step. You look different when you overflow with thankfulness. It softens the lines in your face; makes you look younger and gives a gentleness to your words. It lightens your load so you have a spring in your walk.

You don't believe me? Well, I challenge you to practice thankfulness and see if people don't notice the difference in you. I've given you five suggestions to help you practice being thankful. Here's one more:

5. Think about where you'd be without Jesus.

That will make you thankful. There's a song I like by Stephen Curtis Chapman entitled

"Remember Your Chains." The chorus says:

Remember your chains. Remember the prison that once held you

Before the love of God broke through.

Remember the place you were without grace.

And when you see where you are now,

Remember your chains, and remember your chains are gone.

For me, nothing makes me overflow with thankfulness as much as remembering what Jesus has done in my life and hearing what he has done in the lives of others. Each year some of my close friends get together at my home on New Year's Day, and one of our traditions is to re-tell our stories - to remember our chains are gone. What a great experience that is. We always overflow with thankfulness when we remember where we were before we met Jesus.

As you prepare for Thanksgiving tomorrow, have you stopped to truly have a thankful heart? Maybe you've been so busy with all the preparations that you've forgotten the purpose - to be thankful. In fact, there are very few people in our country who will celebrate thanksgiving tomorrow. Most will celebrate a big meal, a family gathering, a football game. But not too many will be primarily focused on having a thankful heart.

Don't miss this opportunity to develop the habit of overflowing with thankfulness. It is the only way to live.

Theology and Youth

Excerpt from Vintage Faith Dan Kimball post: Wonderful time at Youth Specialties in Nashville

I am heading home today after being at the wonderful as always Youth Specialties Convention here in Nashville. I taught this year about theological topics to address with youth prior to their graduating. ...

...

The first one I stressed was to be teaching on the importance of being able to address the trustworthiness and inspiration of the Bible, having a sense of how it was formed and put together, knowing what "inspired" means, and how to think about problematic passages and basic biblical hermeneutics. ...

The second issue that I suggested that we need to adequately prepare teenagers to be thinking through how to view and respond to world faiths and pluralism in a thoughtful, intelligent, and heartfelt way. Again, prepping them to be aware of the kind of questions and challenges that will inevitably arise and they will have to wrestle with.

The third topic I shared that I feel is important to adequately address with youth before a high schooler graduates is teaching about human sexuality and marriage. Not just about whether one should have sex before marriage or not. But a holistic look at human sexuality. ...

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Without Walls

A man without self-control
is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Proverbs 25: 28

Sharing

Excerpts from Vintage Faith |Dan Kimball post: New Network/Community: Passionate about Scripture, Innovation and Evangelism

I just spoke at Vintage Faith Church in our Clash series about the exclusive claims of Jesus and the New Testament in the midst of a pluralistic culture. ...

...

I fully believe that we can teach truths from Scripture that even go against cultural norm, yet how we do it makes all the difference. With global faiths I believe we need to not shy from speaking what the Scriptures say - but doing so with compassion, understanding, listening and studying. ...

At the end of the message, I brought up a UCSC (University of California Santa Cruz) student who is getting her PhD. She was raised in a very strong Buddhist family. She grew up mainly in the USA but also had some time living over in Taiwan. She shared her story of growing up Buddhist and knowing nothing about Christianity. But then someone who was a Christian took interest in her and eventually invited her to church and then she began hearing about the stories of the Bible and began wrestling with the claims of Jesus and Christianity, and she eventually became a Christian. One of the things she said which stuck in my mind and heart was how glad she was that a Christian took the effort to befriend her and introduce her to Jesus and the Bible. And how much her life now feels purposeful as she believes she is here to be living her life as a disciple of Jesus and sharing about the joy of knowing Jesus in this life. It was obvious she lives this out, as while she was speaking she mentioned that 6 of her non-Christian friends were there in the church gathering to support her as she shared. It was really a beautiful thing.

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Waiting

John Waller While I'm Waiting

...

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

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Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!

Psalm 27:14

Broken and Marginal

Found at Reformissionary (Steve McCoy ) via Eitheror.org (Matt Grayson)

Jesus's teaching consistently attracted the irreligious while offending the Bible-believing, religious people of his day. However, in the main, our churches today do not have this effect. The kind of outsiders Jesus attracted are not attracted to contemporary churches, even our most avant-garde ones. We tend to draw conservative, buttoned-down, moralistic people. The licentious and liberated or the broken and marginal avoid church. That can only mean one thing. If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did. If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think.

Tim Keller in The Prodigal God, 14-15.

Just Thinking

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8

Showing the Grace of God

Excerpt from Improving Our Gospel Communications by Tony Reinke | Miscellanies

In the last post I wrote: “Showing people sin is the easy part. Showing people the grace of God is not so easy.”

A profound—but plagiarized—thought.

The simple truth is that convincing someone of personal sin is not hard. I remember reading the story of a horror film writer on opening night of his movie sitting in the front row and watching the ghastly evil on the screen and realizing that this entire movie had been born in his heart. It was a sort of Ah-ha moment of his own sin. He was no Christian and I’m not certain he ever became a Christian. Every sinner knows that they are sinful, this is a truth none of us can escape–we can only suppress its reality.

And for those of us who are Christians, who have openly and honestly looked into the eye of that heinous beast of sin residing in all our hearts, a preacher can convict us of sin with little trouble. But if we are more aware of sin than grace the conviction of sin can easily dominate and suffocate a more important truth of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In the last post, this led Tom post this comment: “As a pastor I desire to present Christ in all His goodness and glory in such a way that He is beautiful desirable, attractive and appealing, and yet I feel I so often fall short. You would think that it would be easy to present Christ in such a way that people would have a natural hunger and yearning for Him, yet I find it to be a great challenge and am frustrated that I fall so short of proclaiming Christ’s glory winsomely, fruitfully and effectively.”

Great thoughts, Tom. Its worth taking a moment to understand how we can better communicate the grace of the gospel.

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Multiplication

My prayer for you today is

"... may grace and peace be multiplied to you."

(1 Peter 1:2)

Trust

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

HOW FAITH AFFECTS OUR LIVES

Ephesians 2:8, 9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast

After Jesus claimed to be sent by God, some were seeking to seize Him, having come to the conclusion that He was not a good man. But others did believe in Him, "and they were saying, 'When the Christ shall come, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?'" (John 7:31). All the evidence was there. Some chose to believe; others chose not to. People do the same today. Faith is a choice. We choose to believe or not believe.

Faith is the operating principle of life. It is the means by which we relate to God and live our lives in freedom. Notice the variety of ways stated in Scripture by which faith affects our lives.

First, we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8, 9).

Second, we "walk by faith, not by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Third, being found faithful is a prerequisite for ministry: "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service" (1 Timothy 1:12). Paul then adds, "And the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). This is more than being reliable, since a person could be counted on to follow through on an assignment and not be a believer. The added ingredient in faithful people is that they know the truth and can be counted on to be reliable.

Fourth, the quality of any relationship is determined by faith or trust: "Many a man proclaims his own loyalty, but who can find a trustworthy man?" (Proverbs 20:6). The words faith , trust and believe are all the same word ( pistis ) in the original language. The man who has faith believes in something. The one who believes also trusts, or he doesn't truly believe. There is no concept that looms larger in life than faith because what we believe determines how we live.

Prayer:

Lord, I affirm that I cannot please You without faith. I choose today to believe in You and trust in Your name.

Strong Tower

The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

Proverbs 18:10

Filled

Excerpts from How To Be Filled With The Spirit by John Piper

... Ephesians 5:18 says, “Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit.” I argued Sunday morning that verses 19-21 describe the effects of being filled with the Spirit. The effect in verse 19 is very musical. Clearly joy in Christ is the mark of being filled with the Spirit. But not only joy. Also gratitude in verse 20—perpetual gratitude, gratitude for everything. (Which obviously eliminates grumbling and pouting and self-pity and bitterness and scowling and murmuring and depression and worry and discouragement and gloominess and pessimism!) But not only musical joy and universal gratitude, but also loving submission to each other’s needs (v.21). Joy, gratitude and humble love—these are the marks of being filled with the Spirit. To this should also be added boldness in witness from Acts (see Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 13:9). No one can fail to be bold and eager in witness when the Spirit is producing in him overflowing joy, perpetual gratitude and humble love. O how we need to be filled with the Spirit! Let’s seek it! Pursue it!

...

So drinking the Spirit means setting our minds on the things of the spirit. And setting our minds on the things of the Spirit means directing our eager attention to the teachings of the apostles about God and to the words of Jesus. If we do this long enough we will get drunk with the Spirit. In fact we will get addicted to the Spirit. Instead of chemical dependency we will develop a wonderful Spirit-dependency.

One more tip: the Holy Spirit is not like wine because he is a person and is free to come and go where he wills (John 3:8). Therefore Luke 11:13 must be added. Jesus said to his disciples, “If you then who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” If we want to be filled with the Spirit we must pray for it. And that is just what Paul does for the Ephesians in chapter 3, verse 19. He asks his Father in heaven (v.14) that the believers “might be filled with all the fullness of God.” Drink and pray. Drink and pray. Drink and pray.

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Calling

Beginning thoughts from Rebranding Reflections by Mark Batterson | Evotional

Thought it might be worth sharing some rebranding reflections. For eight hours we drilled down on these questions: 1) What business are we really in? 2) What is our greatest passion? 3) What are our greatest strengths?

I think rebranding is really rediscovering your primal calling. And I think the genesis moment for me was a Willowcreek Conference. I remember feeling like Willowcreek gave me permission to do church differently. I think many of my core convictions trace back to that moment. Here are a few of them:

1) there are ways of doing church that no one has thought of yet.
2) the church ought to be the most creative place on the planet
3) we need different kinds of churches because there are different kinds of people

Even our core value, everything is an experiment, is an expression of that fundamental desire to do church differently. It's not about being different for difference sake. It's about reaching emerging generations. And that requires new wineskins.

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Wise and Intelligent

Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 17: 28

Gifts

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them ...
Rom 12:6a

I was listening to an orchestra the other day and watching the performance of the individual members and it occurred to me that if I were the trumpet player for a particular song, and for some reason I couldn't hear the other instruments, I would probably be pretty discouraged and think that my trumpet playing was not very worthwhile. I noticed in this one particular song the trumpet players were silent for most of the song and then would play for a few seconds and then silent for another long period and then play again for a short period. The trumpets made a beautiful combination of sounds when combined with the other instruments and was very enjoyable.

It may be that in playing the instrument God has gifted you to play you are not hearing the other instruments and therefore could come to believe that your contribution is not worthwhile or meaningful. I encourage you to not be discouraged. I believe that God "hears" a beautiful combination of gifts glorifying Him as we use his gifting for the body.

Needs

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

SAFETY, SECURITY AND BELONGING

Philippians 4:19
My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus

Not only was Adam given a significant, authoritative role at creation, he also enjoyed a sense of safety and security. All his needs were provided for (Genesis 1:29). Adam was completely cared for in the garden. He had plenty to eat and there was plenty for the animals. He could eat of the tree of life and live forever in God's presence. He lacked nothing.

When Adam sinned, he lost that sense of safety and security. Before, he was naked and unashamed. After, he wanted to hide from God and cover up. The first emotion expressed by fallen humanity was fear.

Safety and security is another facet of our inheritance in Christ. We have the riches of His kingdom at our disposal and His promise to supply all our needs.

Adam and Eve also experienced a sense of belonging in that perfect garden. Adam apparently enjoyed intimate, one-on-one communion with God before Eve was created. Then God said it was not good for man to be alone (Genesis 2:18). So He gave Eve to Adam--and Adam to Eve--to enrich his experience of belonging.

Before the Fall, Adam and Eve had a sense of belonging. But after the Fall they felt rejected, experiencing a need to belong. It is one of our greatest needs today. Notice that what were attributes before the Fall became needs after the Fall.

I believe that a true sense of belonging today comes not only from knowing that we belong to God, but also from belonging to each other. When God created Eve He established human community. It's not good for us to be alone. Aloneness can lead to loneliness. God's preventative for loneliness is intimacy--meaningful, open, sharing relationships with one another. In Christ we have the capacity for the fulfilling sense of belonging which comes from intimate fellowship with God and with other believers.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You that all my needs for safety, security and belonging are fully met in You.

Honor

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Proverbs 14:31, ESV

Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1, ESV

Freedom

Excerpt from Jon Bloom Do Not Be Afraid | Desiring God | Blog

...

So Jehoshaphat gathered the people of Judah in Jerusalem for a fast. They stood before the temple, and the king, in an act of great leadership, pleaded their case before the Lord and then said this:

“We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

Isn’t that a beautiful confession? It is so child-like in its humility and faith. It is, in fact, another Old Testament picture of the gospel. We are powerless to save ourselves. But when we look to God and call on him for deliverance from the impending judgment, he brings about a salvation beyond our wildest imagination.

The reason God orchestrated Jehoshaphat’s predicament is the same as his design in the tribulations and crises in our lives: he want us to increasingly find freedom from fear.

You see, real freedom is not the liberty to do what we want, or even the absence of distress. Real freedom is the deep-seated confidence that God really will provide everything we need. The person who believes this is the freest of all persons on earth, because no matter what situation they find themselves in, they have nothing to fear.

But the only way for sinners like us with a bent toward unbelief in God to find this kind of freedom is by experiencing repeatedly God’s delivering power and his faithfulness. That’s why we are to count it all joy when we meet trials of various kinds (James 1:2). They are making us free.

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Complete

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

COMPLETE IN CHRIST

Colossians 2:10
In Him you have been made complete

Colossians 2:6-10 reveals three levels in our relationship with Christ. If we are going to present every believer complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28), our discipleship must acknowledge the following order.

Level One ensures that our identity is firmly rooted in Him . This entails:

Leading individuals to Christ and directing them to their scriptural assurance of salvation; Guiding them to a true knowledge of God and who they are in Christ; Helping them see the ways they are still playing God or rebelling against God's authority; Breaking down their defenses against rejection by accepting and affirming them.

Level Two deals with the issue of maturity in Christ, which Paul alluded to as "being built up in Him" (verse 7). The second level of discipleship is to accept God's goal of sanctification and grow in Christlikeness. This entails:

Helping people learn to walk by the Spirit and by faith; Helping them get off the emotional roller coaster by focusing their thoughts on God instead of their circumstances; Encouraging them to develop self-control; Challenging them to resolve personal problems by forgiving others and seeking forgiveness.

Level Three reflects the issue of our daily walk in Christ, which is possible when our identity and maturity are in Christ. The third level of discipleship is to help believers live responsibly in Christ in their homes, on their jobs, and in society. The effective Christian walk involves the proper exercise of spiritual gifts, talents, and intellect in serving others and being a positive witness in the world.

Prayer:

Lord, I desire to be firmly rooted and built up in Christ today so I may walk in Him.

Satisfaction and Reward

Well-spoken words bring satisfaction;
well-done work has its own reward.

Proverbs 12:14 , The Message

Eye on the Goal

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

So let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision—you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.

Stick with me, friends. Keep track of those you see running this same course, headed for this same goal. There are many out there taking other paths, choosing other goals, and trying to get you to go along with them. I've warned you of them many times; sadly, I'm having to do it again. All they want is easy street. They hate Christ's Cross. But easy street is a dead-end street. Those who live there make their bellies their gods; belches are their praise; all they can think of is their appetites.

But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him.

Philippians 3: 12-21, The Message

Giving

Proverbs 11: 24-25

One gives freely, yet grows all the richer;
another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.

ESV

The world of the generous gets larger and larger;
the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.

The Message

Battle for the Mind

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

THE WAY OF ESCAPE

1 Corinthians 10:13
No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it

First Corinthians 10:13 is the shining good news in the midst of our fears and concerns about temptation. Where is the escape hatch that Paul is talking about here? In the same place temptation is introduced: in your mind. Every temptation is first a thought introduced to your mind by your own carnality or by the tempter himself. If you ruminate on that thought and consider it an option, you will eventually act on it, and that's sin. The first step for escaping temptation is to apprehend every thought as soon as it steps through the doorway of your mind.

Once you have halted a penetrating thought, the next step is to evaluate it on the basis of Paul's eightfold criterion for what we should think about in Philippians 4:8. Ask yourself, "Does this thought line up with God's truth? Is it suggesting that I do something honorable? Right? Pure? If this thought becomes action, will the outcome be lovely and contribute to excellence in my life? Will other believers approve of my actions? Is it something for which I can praise God?" If the answer to any of those questions is no, dismiss that thought immediately. Don't have anything more to do with it. If it keeps coming back, keep saying no. When you learn to respond to tempting thoughts by stopping them at the door of your mind, evaluating them on the basis of God's Word, and dismissing those which fail the test, you have found the way of escape that God's Word promises.

In contrast, if a thought enters your mind and it passes the Philippians 4:8 test of truth, honor, righteousness, etc., "let your mind dwell on these things" (verse 8) and "practice these things" (verse 9). "And the God of peace shall be with you" (verse 9), which is an infinitely better result than the pain and turmoil which follows when we yield to tempting thoughts and become involved in sinful behavior.

Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for providing a way of escape from all my temptations. I am determined to win the battle for my mind.

King Jesus

"My kingdom," said Jesus, "doesn't consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn't be handed over to the Jews. But I'm not that kind of king, not the world's kind of king."

Then Pilate said, "So, are you a king or not?"

Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice."

John 18: 36-37, The Message

Marriage

New marriage blog by Joe Beam

Boasting

Lyrics from Paul Baloche "I Will Boast"

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom
Or the strong man boast in his strength
Let not the rich man boast in his riches
But let the humble come and give thanks
To the One who made us, the One who saved us

CHORUS
I will boast in the Lord my God
I will boast in the One Who's worthy
I will boast in the Lord my God
I will boast in the One Who's worthy, He's worthy

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Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

Jeremiah 9: 23-24

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart."

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord."

1 Corinthians 1: 18-31

Goal

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

FERTILE SOIL FOR GROWTH

1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith

Perhaps the greatest service performed by trials and tribulations in our lives is to reveal wrong goals. It's during these times of pressure that your emotions raise their warning flags signaling blocked goals, uncertain goals, and impossible goals which are based on our desires instead of God's goal of proven character.

People say, "My marriage is hopeless," then "solve" the problem by changing partners. But if you think your first marriage is hopeless, be aware that second marriages are failing at a far higher rate. Others feel their jobs are hopeless. So they change jobs, only to discover that the new job is just as hopeless. People tend to look for quick-fix solutions to difficult situations. But God's plan is for you to hang in there and grow up.

Is there an easier way to being God's person than through enduring tribulations? Believe me: I've been looking for one. But I must honestly say that it has been the dark, difficult times of testing in my life which have brought me to where I am today. I thank God for the occasional mountaintop experiences, but the fertile soil for growth is always down in the valleys of tribulation, not on the mountaintops. Paul says, "The goal of our instruction is love" (1 Timothy 1:5). Notice that if you make that your goal, then the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy (instead of depression), peace (instead of anxiety), and patience (instead of anger)(Galatians 5:22, 23).

How would you give hope to a woman whose husband just left? "Oh, we will win him back," you say. Great desire; wrong goal. Trying to manipulate that husband or the circumstance is probably why he left in the first place. It is better to say to the woman, "If you haven't committed yourself to be the wife and mother God has called you to be, would you now?" According to Romans 5:3-5, our hope lies in the proven character that come through perseverance.

Prayer:

Father, enable me today to persevere through the trials of life and thereby develop strong character and hope.

Email

Now you may think this is a strange link on a blog that is meant to encourage you spiritually, but I don't really think it is a stretch:

How to Get Your Email Inbox to Zero

Work Principles

Christian Working Woman Transcript

Friday, November 07, 2008 - Work Principles from Daniel – II

Proverbs 27:4 says, “Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?” If you’ve ever had to face jealousy—people who were jealous of you simply because you did the right thing—then you can relate to this proverb. Who can stand before jealousy? That green-eyed monster is ferocious.

Daniel was the victim of the jealousy of his peers. They were so jealous that they devised a plan to get him killed, a clever plan which would make them look good to the big boss and get rid of their hated rival.

Don’t be surprised what jealous people will do, and how cleverly they will try to disguise their jealousy. Daniel was not able to “stand before jealousy,” as it turns out. He was not able to out-maneuver these malicious co-workers who were out to destroy him. They got that decree signed by Darius, that anyone who prayed to any god or man for the next thirty days would be thrown into the lions’ den—and it was an irrevocable decree. Even Darius couldn’t undo it once he recognized their evil scheme.

So, at this pressure point Daniel is faced with a choice: to compromise his faith and abandon his daily practice of praying to his God three times a day, with his windows open toward Jerusalem for all to see, or face those hungry lions. Did you realize that he didn’t even have to worship the king? The decree simply said you couldn’t worship anyone else for this thirty day period. So, he could have shut the windows and prayed privately, or just figured, Hey, thirty days is nothing; God will understand. It’s a small thing, after all. I’ll show these guys they can’t catch me in their evil scheme. I just won’t pray openly for thirty days, and I’ll beat their plan that way. Isn’t it interesting that his co-workers must have been certain that he would not compromise his commitment to his God. They knew he would choose the lions’ den!

Daniel never pleaded his case with Darius. He never bad-mouthed his evil co-workers. He never protested. He simply refused to change his prayer schedule; he refused to let their jealousy cause him to compromise. He was fearless.

None of us have or ever will face lions or threatened death for standing firm to our faith. But we could face the death of a job, the death of a relationship, the death of a career plan. That’s about as scary as it gets for us, after all, because so much of our security and identity is tied up in what we do!

I hope you will take time to read again the first six chapters of Daniel and see how he stayed true to his God in the midst of a very secular and pagan society, in the face of very jealous and evil co-workers.

Faithful

I was listening to the lyrics from the David Crowder Band "Never Let Go" this morning:

When clouds veil sun
And disaster comes
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
When waters rise
And hope takes flight
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul
Oh, my soul

Ever faithful
Ever true
You I know
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go
You never let go



Reminds me of these promises:

Romans 8: 37-39

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Ephesians 1: 13-14

In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Evangelicals

Excerpt from What We Evangelicals Do Well by Scot McKnight | Out of Ur

I’m proud to be an evangelical. I think we do many things well.

Some will roll their eyes at those first two statements. Why? Criticizing evangelicalism is fashionable and evangelicals have joined the fashion, sometimes with apocalyptic fervor. I wonder if the relentless critique of (sometimes hardheaded) evangelical pastors, theologians, and authors--not to mention blogs and internet sites--is not the place we ought to urge the beginnings of reform. I’m sure that most critics have their heart in the right place: they want evangelicalism to be more biblical and more robust. (I hope those are my motivations in my own critiques.) But there sure are a lot of critics. This is what I mean:

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Let People See God In and Through Your Body

Since the Master honors you with a body, honor him with your body! God honored the Master's body by raising it from the grave. He'll treat yours with the same resurrection power. Until that time, remember that your bodies are created with the same dignity as the Master's body. You wouldn't take the Master's body off to a whorehouse, would you? I should hope not. There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body.

1 Corinthians 6: 13-20, The Message

Porn Again Christian

Free Online E-book by Mark Driscoll

Looking for a Savior

Excerpt from In God We Do Not Trust post by Mark Driscoll:

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This election season which has dominated the cultural conversation for many months has been particularly insightful regarding the incessant gospel thirst that abides deep in the heart of the men and women who bear God’s image. Without endorsing or maligning either political party or their respective presidential candidates, I am hopeful that a few insights from the recent election season are of help, particularly to younger evangelicals.

First, people are longing for a savior who will atone for their sins. In this election, people thirst for a savior who will atone for their economic sins of buying things they did not need with money they did not have. The result is a mountain of credit debt they cannot pay and a desperate yearning that somehow a new president will save them from economic hell.

Second, people are longing for a king who will keep them safe from terror in his kingdom. In the Old Testament the concept of a peaceable kingdom is marked by the word shalom. In shalom there is not only the absence of sin, war, strife, and suffering but also the presence of love, peace, harmony, and health. And, this thirst for shalom is so parched that every election people cannot help but naively believe that if their candidate simply wins shalom is sure to come despite sin and the curse.

The bottom line is obvious to those with gospel eyes. People are longing for Jesus, and tragically left voting for mere presidential candidates. For those whose candidate wins today there will be some months of groundless euphoric faith in that candidate and the atoning salvation that their kingdom will bring. But, in time, their supporters will see that no matter who wins the presidency, they are mere mortals prone to sin, folly, and self-interest just like all the other sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. To help extend naïve false hope as long as possible, a great enemy will be named and demonized as the one who is hindering all of the progress to atone for our sins and usher in our kingdom. If the Democrats win it will be the rich, and if the Republicans win it will be the terrorists. This diversionary trick is as old as Eve who blamed her sin on Satan rather than repenting. The lie is that it’s always someone else’s fault and we’re always the victim of sinners and never the sinner.

Speaking of repentance, sadly, no matter who wins there will be no call to personal repentance of our own personal sins which contributes to cultural suffering and decline such as our pride, gluttony, covetousness, greed, indebtedness, self-righteousness, perversion, and laziness. And, in four years we’ll do it all again and pretend that this time things will be different. Four years after that, we’ll do it yet again. And, we’ll continue driving around this cul de sac until Jesus returns, sets up his throne, and puts an end to folly once and for all.

In the meantime, I would encourage all preachers to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and repentance of personal sin. He alone can truly atone for our sins. He alone can deliver us from a real hell. He alone is our sinless and great King. And, he alone has a Shalom kingdom to offer.

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Why You Are Here

"You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

"Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

"Let me tell you why you are here. You're here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You've lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.

Matthew 5: 10-16, The Message

First Thing - Pray

The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.

He wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we've learned: that there's one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus, who offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free. Eventually the news is going to get out. This and this only has been my appointed work: getting this news to those who have never heard of God, and explaining how it works by simple faith and plain truth.

1 Timothy 2: 1-7, The Message

Day After

Excerpt from The Hansen Report: The Day After | Out of Ur

The view of America from Manhattan was pretty bleak on the morning after November 2, 2004. New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, typically a levelheaded observer of world affairs, watched America become "two nations under God."

"We don't just disagree on what America should be doing; we disagree on what America is," Friedman wrote about the "Christian fundamentalists" who helped propel President Bush to reelection against Sen. John Kerry. "Is it a country that does not intrude into people's sexual preferences and the marriage unions they want to make? Is it a country that allows a woman to have control over her body? Is it a country where the line between church and state bequeathed to us by our Founding Fathers should be inviolate? Is it a country where religion doesn't trump science? And, most important, is it a country whose president mobilizes its deep moral energies to unite us—instead of dividing us from one another and from the world?"

The view north of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, was even more ominous. Northwestern University adjunct history professor Garry Wills declared November 2, 2004, "the day the enlightenment went out." No longer did America take after France, Britain, Germany, Italy or Spain. No, Bush's America harbored "fundamentalist zeal, a rage at secularity, religious intolerance, fear of and hatred for modernity." In short, the new America shared more in common with Al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein's Sunni loyalists. Christian fundamentalists, still fuming over the embarrassment of the Scopes trial in 1925, had finally enacted a jihad Wills dubbed "Bryan's revenge." Now these Christians would be able to impose their irrational, bigoted opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage. Thinkers like Wills could only ask: "Can a people that believes more fervently in the Virgin Birth than in evolution still be called an Enlightened nation?"

Four years later, perhaps Wills can answer this question more to his liking. If Sen. Barack Obama defeats Sen. John McCain on Tuesday, does that mean the Enlightenment's flame has been rekindled? Has science won the tug-of-war with religion? Would Friedman conclude that two Americas have become one again?

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Faithful

Neil Anderson Daily in Christ

SHOWING YOURSELF FAITHFUL

1 Timothy 1:12
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service

When D.L. Moody found his life in Christ, he looked for some opportunities to teach at a church, but no one wanted to use the uneducated man. He started his own Bible study in a shoe store, and it wasn't long before kids were coming out of the woodwork. People couldn't help but notice him because he was bearing fruit, and few have left such an imprint as his upon the world.

Paul said, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service" (1 Timothy 1:12). Show yourself faithful by exploiting the opportunities around you. The needs of people are everywhere so what are you waiting for?

A man in my church often expressed his frustration with his job. For 20 years he'd been working as a construction worker and he hated it! Frustrated with his career, he wondered why God wouldn't call him out of it.

I asked him if he had ever expressed dissatisfaction about his job with his fellow employees who weren't Christians. He said, "Oh, sure. I complain right along with the rest of them."

I continued, "What do you suppose that does to your witness?" He was a little startled by my question. I added, "Do you realize that God has you exactly where He wants you? When you assume your responsibility to be the person God wants you to be as a construction worker, He may open a new door for you."

The Holy Spirit must have brought conviction because this man became a missionary at work. He displayed concern for the needs of his coworkers and their families and soon had a series of witnessing experiences to share. Within six months an opportunity arose and he left construction work. And all because he started to bloom where he was planted.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, help me see the needs of my coworkers, friends and family, and enable me to be Your ambassador to them.

Trust

A few verses for today:

... The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."

In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

Job 1: 21-22

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Psalm 20: 7

Pray

A Prayer for the Election by John Piper

Father in heaven, as we approach this election on Tuesday, I pray

1) that your people will vote,

2) and that they will vote with a sense of thankfulness for a democratic system that at least partially holds in check the folly and evil in all our hearts so that power which corrupts so readily is not given to one group or person too easily;

3) that we would know and live the meaning of

• being in the world, but not of it,
• doing politics as though not doing them,
• being on the earth, yet having our lives hidden with Christ in God,
• rendering to Caesar the things that are Caesars, and to God the things that are God’s;

4) that we would discern what truths and values should advance by being made law and which should advance only by the leavening of honest influence;

5) that your people would see what love and justice and far-seeing wisdom demand in regard to the issues of education, business and industry, health care, marriage and family, abortion, welfare, energy, government and taxes, military, terrorism, international relations, and every challenge that we will face in the years to come;

6) and above all, that we will treasure Jesus Christ, and tell everyone of his sovereignty and supremacy over all nations, and that long after America is a footnote to the future world, he will reign with his people from every tribe and tongue and nation.

Keep us faithful to Christ’s all important Word, and may we turn to it every day for light in these dark times.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Participate

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
1 Cor 2:2

"There is only one Gospel way to participate in Jesus' work -- live a sacrificial life in Jesus' name." Eugene Peterson

Sent

Excerpts from "Back to momma to talk about mission" post by Dan Kimball

I spent last night and today speaking at Santa Cruz Bible Church at their Saturday night gathering and two Sunday morning ones. Santa Cruz Bible Church is the church I was on staff with for many years as high school pastor, and then young adult pastor. Santa Cruz Bible Church planted Vintage Faith Church in 2004. So it was quite fun being back. They are our mother church, so to speak.

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My main thrust was showing from the Scriptures that the very first thing Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 4:18-19 was "Come, follow Me and I will send you out to fish for people." He didn't say "Come follow Me, and I will keep you huddled with other Christians singing songs feeling safe together" or "Come follow Me, so you can hang out with primarily Christians and complain about how terrible the world is getting. or "Come follow Me so you can have nice theological discussion with other Christians and deconstruct the church". From the very first time we see Jesus talking to and calling His disciples, it was all about being be sent out (not inward) to make new disciples. So the first impression He gave His disciples was emphasizing that following Him meant being focused on other people who didn't know Him yet.

I also shared that the very last words of Jesus to His disciples was focused on the same exact thing - being in the world making new disciples. I walked through His last words in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 1:8-9. So His first words to his disciples were about being others focused on mission and His last words to them were about being others focused on mission.

I then focused on how in the USA it is easy to develop a Christian sub-culture, even when you have a "missions" department or program of the church, but not be a missional church. We can also be living in a Christian sub-culture and send missionaries to other countries, but not think of ourselves as missionaries here in our own local community.

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