Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Thanks to our God for His unspeakable gift - Jesus Christ! I'm thankful that I'm saved; that God chose me to be a recipient of His salvation.
Compassion has a price!
“Compassion has a price. It does not come without a cost, the least of which is the pain that pierces our own hearts as we accompany one who is suffering.”
Joyce Rupp, The Cup of Our Lives: A Guide for Spiritual Growth.
Joyce Rupp, The Cup of Our Lives: A Guide for Spiritual Growth.
Psalm 22
“When Jesus echoed these words on the cross (my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?), total aloneness and full acceptance touched each other. In that moment of complete emptiness, all was fulfilled. In that hour of darkness, new light was seen. While death was witnessed, life was affirmed. Where God’s absence was most loudly expressed, God’s presence was mot profoundly revealed.”
'Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith' by Henri Nouwen
'Spiritual Direction: Wisdom for the Long Walk of Faith' by Henri Nouwen
Amusing Ourselves to Death
"We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. the roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another--slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984,Huxley added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave NewWorld, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us. This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right."
'Amusing Ourselves to Death' by Neil Postman
'Amusing Ourselves to Death' by Neil Postman
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Sins unchallenged
“The sins we avoid addressing from the pulpit are the sins that will thrive unchallenged in our culture. We must develop some backbone and speak the truth in love.”Read more: http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones/29512-is-it-ok-to-be-gay-and-christian#ixzz14tTemCbi
Monday, November 1, 2010
Falling short of Grace
"How many Christians are there yet who, after the profession of faith in Christ, come to a stand-still? So many rest contented with the thought that their sins are pardoned and that they are in the path of life. However, they know nothing of a personal attachment to Christ as their leader or of a faith that lives in the invisible and walks with God."
"With many, this is the consequence of hopelessness that came from failure of their utmost efforts to live as they desired. They struggled in their own strength, they did not know Christ as the secret of strength, and then they lost heart and went back. The profession of faith is not cast away and religious habits are kept up, but there is nothing to show that these men and women have entered or are seeking to enter the Holiest to dwell there. The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, the temptations of business and pleasure - all of these unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present."
Andrew Murray, 'The Holiest of All,' pg. 39
"With many, this is the consequence of hopelessness that came from failure of their utmost efforts to live as they desired. They struggled in their own strength, they did not know Christ as the secret of strength, and then they lost heart and went back. The profession of faith is not cast away and religious habits are kept up, but there is nothing to show that these men and women have entered or are seeking to enter the Holiest to dwell there. The power of the world, the spirit of its literature, the temptations of business and pleasure - all of these unite to make up a religion in which it is sought to combine a comfortable hope for the future with the least possible amount of sacrifice in the present."
Andrew Murray, 'The Holiest of All,' pg. 39
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Emotions
Regardless of what our emotions tell us, we need to learn to counsel our hearts according to the truth.
Nancy Leigh DeMoss 'www.reviveourhearts.com'
Nancy Leigh DeMoss 'www.reviveourhearts.com'
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Faith in God
Faith's focus is God, not an outcome. When you have enough faith to turn to Him, no matter the state of your feelings, then you have enough faith. Tell Him about your weak and wobbly faith. Only He can remedy it. Trying to chase doubt from your heart is a useless exercise. Just don't let your enemy convince you that you cannot come to the Father until all your doubts have been erased and you can bring Him perfect faith. That is the subtle lie that is the root of the argument, "You don't have enough faith." Do you see what that reasoning suggests? It means that your faith is your work. If only 'you' can come up with enough faith to trade in for God's favors, then you can determine the outcome. Then, when everything turns out as you thought it should, you can take a bow. After all, you had enough faith. But when things take a direction you did not anticipate, then hang your head in shame. You failed. You did not have enough faith. Don't have faith in faith, have faith in God!
'Fueled by Faith' by Jennifer Kennedy Dean
'Fueled by Faith' by Jennifer Kennedy Dean
Monday, September 20, 2010
Women of Prayer
In one year, Christianity lost three holy women of faith, Agnes Sanford, Corrie ten Boom and Catherine Marshall – as well as countless others whose names are unknown but who nevertheless did the work of God in this world. These are the women who knew what it meant to experience the presence of the unseen, who spent hours on their knees, who wept over the wounds of the world. For them, prayer was a second language. Who will take their place?
Frankly, there are very few candidates from our generation of women – those of us who have lavished hours in front of the television set, in the shopping plazas, in self-indulgence, in not developing a disciplined spiritual life.
Unless – unless, we begin to grow up spiritually. Unless we become convinced that we are the generation of Christian adults ultimately responsible for the spiritual condition of our nation. We must understand that there are increasingly few in that generation ahead of us left to pray over this world. We are coming of age. But are we coming to terms with our lack of spiritual depth and ability?
It is we who must learn the meaning of forbearing.
It is we who must develop the disciplines of spiritual perseverance, not shrinking back from growth but doing the will of God, having faith and keeping our souls.
It is we who must become women of faith and prayer and obedience and service.
It is we who must set a spiritual standard for the next generation.
It is time for us all to grow up.
‘Women of Prayer’ by Karen Burton Mains,
found in the ‘Women’s Devotional Bible’ pg. 1377
Frankly, there are very few candidates from our generation of women – those of us who have lavished hours in front of the television set, in the shopping plazas, in self-indulgence, in not developing a disciplined spiritual life.
Unless – unless, we begin to grow up spiritually. Unless we become convinced that we are the generation of Christian adults ultimately responsible for the spiritual condition of our nation. We must understand that there are increasingly few in that generation ahead of us left to pray over this world. We are coming of age. But are we coming to terms with our lack of spiritual depth and ability?
It is we who must learn the meaning of forbearing.
It is we who must develop the disciplines of spiritual perseverance, not shrinking back from growth but doing the will of God, having faith and keeping our souls.
It is we who must become women of faith and prayer and obedience and service.
It is we who must set a spiritual standard for the next generation.
It is time for us all to grow up.
‘Women of Prayer’ by Karen Burton Mains,
found in the ‘Women’s Devotional Bible’ pg. 1377
Friday, September 10, 2010
Teens and the Internet
Ephesians 5:8 "For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"
Don't be in the dark about how much time your kids are spending on the Internet, what they are looking at, who they are connecting with, and what they are sharing with the whole world (remember it's the 'world wide web'). Parents be aware!!! Check out these statistics via 'Norton Online Family,' www.onlinefamily.norton.com:
Kids spend an average of 40 hrs. a month online.
63% of teens surveyed admit they know how to hide what they do online from their parents.
52% of teens have shared personal information online - including private photos and/or physical descriptions of themselves - with someone they don't know.
22% of teen girls say they have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves online.
32% of teens surveyed said they'd been bullied, threatened or otherwise harassed online. Yet less than half of those teens reported it to their parents or another adult.
32% of teens clear the browser history to hide what they do online from their parents.
Don't be in the dark about how much time your kids are spending on the Internet, what they are looking at, who they are connecting with, and what they are sharing with the whole world (remember it's the 'world wide web'). Parents be aware!!! Check out these statistics via 'Norton Online Family,' www.onlinefamily.norton.com:
Kids spend an average of 40 hrs. a month online.
63% of teens surveyed admit they know how to hide what they do online from their parents.
52% of teens have shared personal information online - including private photos and/or physical descriptions of themselves - with someone they don't know.
22% of teen girls say they have sent or posted nude or semi-nude pictures or videos of themselves online.
32% of teens surveyed said they'd been bullied, threatened or otherwise harassed online. Yet less than half of those teens reported it to their parents or another adult.
32% of teens clear the browser history to hide what they do online from their parents.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Discipline
"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the accumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure." —Jim Rohn
Monday, September 6, 2010
Girls Gone Wise in a world gone wild
...the average woman will expose herself to 3,596 hours of mass media this year. That's seven full months of exposure! ... What's more, no one is forcing the mass media down her throat. She willingly indulges.
The ingestion of mass media starts at a very young age and continues year after year throughout a woman's life. If your daily intake of TV, Internet, radio, and women's magazines is about 'average,' by the time you are sixty-five, you will have spent forty solid years of all-day-every-day time sitting under the tutelage of worldly wisdom. Do you think you could possibly remain uninfluenced by its counsel.
The problem with popular media is that they constantly lie about the nature of truth, goodness, and beauty. They offer counterfeit versions of what womanhood, male-female relationships, romance, sexuality, marriage, and family are all about. They lie to a woman about who she is, what gives her significance, what she should do to be successful, and where she should spend her time and money. Mass media typically portray sin as natural and harmless. The things God calls the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the very things they uphold as highly desired (1 John 2:16). They twist truth. They call evil good and good evil, put darkness for light and light for darkness, put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20). They promote sin and mock godliness. I understand that not all media are bad. Some media are extremely good and do provide godly counsel. But few women exercise the necessary discernment and restraint to ensure that the media they expose themselves to are godly and not ungodly.
Where a woman gets 'counsel' on how to live is a point of contrast between a Girl-Gone-Wild and a Girl-Gone-Wise. A Wild Woman gets her instruction form the world. A Wise Woman gets it from the Word. A Girl-Gone-Wise does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sit under the instruction of those who scoff at God. Instead, she delights in the Lord's instruction, and constantly meditates on His counsel. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2).
'Girls Gone Wise in a world gone wild' by Mary A. Kassain
The ingestion of mass media starts at a very young age and continues year after year throughout a woman's life. If your daily intake of TV, Internet, radio, and women's magazines is about 'average,' by the time you are sixty-five, you will have spent forty solid years of all-day-every-day time sitting under the tutelage of worldly wisdom. Do you think you could possibly remain uninfluenced by its counsel.
The problem with popular media is that they constantly lie about the nature of truth, goodness, and beauty. They offer counterfeit versions of what womanhood, male-female relationships, romance, sexuality, marriage, and family are all about. They lie to a woman about who she is, what gives her significance, what she should do to be successful, and where she should spend her time and money. Mass media typically portray sin as natural and harmless. The things God calls the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life are the very things they uphold as highly desired (1 John 2:16). They twist truth. They call evil good and good evil, put darkness for light and light for darkness, put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter (Isaiah 5:20). They promote sin and mock godliness. I understand that not all media are bad. Some media are extremely good and do provide godly counsel. But few women exercise the necessary discernment and restraint to ensure that the media they expose themselves to are godly and not ungodly.
Where a woman gets 'counsel' on how to live is a point of contrast between a Girl-Gone-Wild and a Girl-Gone-Wise. A Wild Woman gets her instruction form the world. A Wise Woman gets it from the Word. A Girl-Gone-Wise does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly, stand in the path of sinners, or sit under the instruction of those who scoff at God. Instead, she delights in the Lord's instruction, and constantly meditates on His counsel. "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:1-2).
'Girls Gone Wise in a world gone wild' by Mary A. Kassain
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wrath of God vs. Love of God
"The most famous mutiny in history was the rebellion aboard the HMS Bounty in April 1789. That incident inspired five motion pictures and numerous books. Three weeks after the Bounty left Tahiti with a cargo of breadfruit trees (a cheap food source for Caribbean slaves), the crew mutinied. First Mate Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutineers, forced Captain William Bligh and eighteen loyal sailors into a small open boat and set them adrift.
"The mutineers took the Bounty back to Tahiti. Sixteen crewmen chose to stay there. But Fletcher Christian and eight other men took some Tahitian islanders with them and set out for a safe hiding place. They chose a lonely, uninhabited island called Pitcairn.
"One of the sailors made whiskey from the native plants, and the resulting drunken orgies quickly turned to violent brawls. Though the island looked like a paradise, the mutineers began to view it as a prison. One by one, the mutinous crewmen were either killed in fights or murdered in their sleep. Even Fletcher Christian died violently.
"Finally, only one of the mutineers was left alive, a sailor named Alexander Smith. As the last man living, he felt responsible to look after the women and fatherless children who remained. Smith regretted the sinfulness of his past, and he knew he lacked wisdom to care for the women and children. He needed guidance from beyond himself.
"Looking through a sea-chest, Smith found a Bible. Over the next few weeks, he read it from cover to cover. Then he asked God to take control of his life. He also taught the women and children to read the Bible. Fathered by various mutineers, those children grew up, married, and had children of their own.
"In 1808, the American whaling ship Topaz stopped at Pitcairn. The Americans were the first visitors to the island since the mutiny on the Bounty, eighteen years earlier. The sailors from the Topaz were astounded to find an orderly Christian society in which there was no crime, no disease, no alcoholism, and no illiteracy.
"Pitcairn had been hell on earth under the reign of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers. The people had suffered under something called "the wrath of God" - the inevitable result of human hearts filled with murder, envy, lust, rebellion, and drunkenness.
"But when the last man on Pitcairn turned his heart over to God, the wrath of God was replaced by the love of God, and Pitcairn became a paradise on earth. The transformation of that tiny island is just a glimpse of what could happen in our own society. If we would choose to receive the love and mercy of God, we would escape the wrath of God now being revealed against the godlessness and wickedness of our age."
'Reason to Rejoice: Love, Grace, and Forgiveness in Paul's Letter to the Romans'
by Ray C. Stedman
"The mutineers took the Bounty back to Tahiti. Sixteen crewmen chose to stay there. But Fletcher Christian and eight other men took some Tahitian islanders with them and set out for a safe hiding place. They chose a lonely, uninhabited island called Pitcairn.
"One of the sailors made whiskey from the native plants, and the resulting drunken orgies quickly turned to violent brawls. Though the island looked like a paradise, the mutineers began to view it as a prison. One by one, the mutinous crewmen were either killed in fights or murdered in their sleep. Even Fletcher Christian died violently.
"Finally, only one of the mutineers was left alive, a sailor named Alexander Smith. As the last man living, he felt responsible to look after the women and fatherless children who remained. Smith regretted the sinfulness of his past, and he knew he lacked wisdom to care for the women and children. He needed guidance from beyond himself.
"Looking through a sea-chest, Smith found a Bible. Over the next few weeks, he read it from cover to cover. Then he asked God to take control of his life. He also taught the women and children to read the Bible. Fathered by various mutineers, those children grew up, married, and had children of their own.
"In 1808, the American whaling ship Topaz stopped at Pitcairn. The Americans were the first visitors to the island since the mutiny on the Bounty, eighteen years earlier. The sailors from the Topaz were astounded to find an orderly Christian society in which there was no crime, no disease, no alcoholism, and no illiteracy.
"Pitcairn had been hell on earth under the reign of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers. The people had suffered under something called "the wrath of God" - the inevitable result of human hearts filled with murder, envy, lust, rebellion, and drunkenness.
"But when the last man on Pitcairn turned his heart over to God, the wrath of God was replaced by the love of God, and Pitcairn became a paradise on earth. The transformation of that tiny island is just a glimpse of what could happen in our own society. If we would choose to receive the love and mercy of God, we would escape the wrath of God now being revealed against the godlessness and wickedness of our age."
'Reason to Rejoice: Love, Grace, and Forgiveness in Paul's Letter to the Romans'
by Ray C. Stedman
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Spiritual Journey
In December 1911, Douglas Mawson, a twenty-nine year old Australian geologist and explorer, led a twenty-five man scientific team to the frozen and forbidding tundra of eastern Antarctica. The team established a base at Commonwealth Bay and sent out small expeditionary parties. After a brutal winter at base camp, Mawson decided to explore the interior with two companions, a dog handler named Belgrave Ninnis and world ski champion Xavier Mertz.
The three men planned to travel twelve hundred miles across the largely uncharted territory, but the conditions proved far more arduous than expected. After six weeks, the men and their dogs had covered only three hundred miles. They decided to turn back, but that very day Ninnis, along with the six strongest dogs and the food sled, vanished into a crevasse. Mawson and Mertz had just a week’s supply of food for themselves, no dog rations for their six remaining huskies, and a five-week journey ahead of them to return to Commonwealth Bay.
They set off, shooting the weakest dogs one by one for food as their hunger demanded. Mawson and Mertz noticed deep strips of their own skin peeling off, not realizing that the huskies’ livers were poisoning them with toxic amounts of vitamin A. After three weeks – and still a long distance from the base camp – Mertz died.
Mawson pushed on. He made it to Aladdin’s Cave, an outpost just five and a half miles from base camp, where fierce winds stranded him for a week. Finally the weather broke and Mawson made the steep hike down to camp. But he arrived too late. The ship sent to pick up his expedition had sailed away just six hours before. Remarkably, six men had waited in case Mawson returned, and they holed up in the camp with him until the ship came back for them – ten and a half months later.
We might marvel at such a story of courage, hunger, and survival. Yet those events a century ago reflect the spiritual journey for many of us. Just as Douglas Mawson could not be tied down to a mundane, ordinary life, many of us feel the same way about our spiritual lives. Surely God did not intend the abundant life to be drab, boring, empty, or tedious. We harbor deep suspicions that something deeper and vaster lies beyond our daily routines. We may not face howling winds and blistering cold or find ourselves stranded on the most desolate and isolated continent of the world, but many of us share the deep yearning to explore the spiritual realm more fully. We want to know the deep interior things of God. Along the way, we face a range of obstacles that stop some of us in our tracks. We find ourselves, at times, distracted – even poisoned – by things we thought were harmless. And then at the moment we feel like we’ve finally arrived home, we find that the ship has left with most of our friends.
The journey to know the heart of God can seem every bit as exhilarating and stretching as an Antarctic expedition. Thankfully, others have already explored and charted the territory. Christian men and women throughout the centuries have walked the Way ahead of us and left maps and markers, and Jesus has done it most clearly of all.
Not everyone wants to be an Antarctic explorer. It’s easier and more comfortable to sit at home and let life pass by. Many of us prefer entertainment to exploration. But for those with a spirit of adventure and hunger for the new, our heavenly Father invites you to an old journey. If you’re willing to pack only the essentials and pursue the wonderful interior places of faith, the Holy Spirit will be your constant companion as you get underway.
'Living the Lord's Prayer' by David Timms
The three men planned to travel twelve hundred miles across the largely uncharted territory, but the conditions proved far more arduous than expected. After six weeks, the men and their dogs had covered only three hundred miles. They decided to turn back, but that very day Ninnis, along with the six strongest dogs and the food sled, vanished into a crevasse. Mawson and Mertz had just a week’s supply of food for themselves, no dog rations for their six remaining huskies, and a five-week journey ahead of them to return to Commonwealth Bay.
They set off, shooting the weakest dogs one by one for food as their hunger demanded. Mawson and Mertz noticed deep strips of their own skin peeling off, not realizing that the huskies’ livers were poisoning them with toxic amounts of vitamin A. After three weeks – and still a long distance from the base camp – Mertz died.
Mawson pushed on. He made it to Aladdin’s Cave, an outpost just five and a half miles from base camp, where fierce winds stranded him for a week. Finally the weather broke and Mawson made the steep hike down to camp. But he arrived too late. The ship sent to pick up his expedition had sailed away just six hours before. Remarkably, six men had waited in case Mawson returned, and they holed up in the camp with him until the ship came back for them – ten and a half months later.
We might marvel at such a story of courage, hunger, and survival. Yet those events a century ago reflect the spiritual journey for many of us. Just as Douglas Mawson could not be tied down to a mundane, ordinary life, many of us feel the same way about our spiritual lives. Surely God did not intend the abundant life to be drab, boring, empty, or tedious. We harbor deep suspicions that something deeper and vaster lies beyond our daily routines. We may not face howling winds and blistering cold or find ourselves stranded on the most desolate and isolated continent of the world, but many of us share the deep yearning to explore the spiritual realm more fully. We want to know the deep interior things of God. Along the way, we face a range of obstacles that stop some of us in our tracks. We find ourselves, at times, distracted – even poisoned – by things we thought were harmless. And then at the moment we feel like we’ve finally arrived home, we find that the ship has left with most of our friends.
The journey to know the heart of God can seem every bit as exhilarating and stretching as an Antarctic expedition. Thankfully, others have already explored and charted the territory. Christian men and women throughout the centuries have walked the Way ahead of us and left maps and markers, and Jesus has done it most clearly of all.
Not everyone wants to be an Antarctic explorer. It’s easier and more comfortable to sit at home and let life pass by. Many of us prefer entertainment to exploration. But for those with a spirit of adventure and hunger for the new, our heavenly Father invites you to an old journey. If you’re willing to pack only the essentials and pursue the wonderful interior places of faith, the Holy Spirit will be your constant companion as you get underway.
'Living the Lord's Prayer' by David Timms
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Take Sin Seriously
Understanding what the Bible teaches about sin is essential to understanding what the Bible teaches about everything else. And if we do not understand what the Bible teaches about sin, we certainly will not be able to understand God. In particular, we will never be able to figure out what makes God angry.
Besides not being able to understand God, if we do not understand what the Bible teaches about sin, we will never be able to understand ourselves - why we behave in an adverse manner to some circumstances, react unkindly to certain situations, have problems in our relationships. We have to understand what the Bible has to say about sin.
To take it a step further, we have to understand what the Bible teaches about sin in order to understand the world itself. Scattered across the globe are scholars, philosophers,and activists who are all trying to identify the source of our problems in the world today. They usually blame the world's problems on circumstances, economic conditions, poor parenting, or a lack of education. After years of research, they tell us things like: "Want to stop war? Make the nations prosperous." Or: "Want to wipe out crime in the inner city? Make sure kids get a proper education." Sorry, but these k9ins of solutions do not cut it. They fall for short because they fail to deal with the root of the problem. They do not take into consideration what the Bible teaches about sin.
Quite frankly, the Bible will be one long, confusing book if we do not understand sin. Salvation, God's judgement, hell, heaven, death, punishment, justification, propitiation, and redemption make no sense apart from sin.
Considering that, what doctrine might Satan want to attack most? It is no surprise that Satan is relentless in his attack on what the Bible teaches about sin. By simply tampering with the doctrine of sin, he has us where he wants us. He knows that if we have a wrong understanding of sin, we will have a wrong understanding of everything else.
I am convinced that many problems in the church today can be traced back to a wrong understanding of sin. Churches are filled with individuals who are self-righteous and who are trusting in their own good works for salvation. Many people believe they are Christians because they are nice people, because they grew up in a Christian family, or because they go to church. Why is this? It is because they do not have any idea of the seriousness of their sin. If they could understand sin's seriousness, they would also quickly understand the folly of trusting for salvation in being baptized, going to church, or being born into a Christian family.
Our churches are filled with Christians who are not growing spiritually. Show me a Christian who is not growing and I will show you a person who does not take sin seriously. Many people say that they want to grow, but really do not mean it - at least not enough. Mostly, they just like to say they want to grow. That way they can appear to be holy while continuing to indulge in the very things that keep them from being holy. They like the benefits of a godly life, but they do no want to make the sacrifices required in order to experience those benefits. They want to be godly, but they do not really want to be godly. They love their sin too much, and they will not deal with it until they grieve over it.
Although every true Christian has, at one point in his life, at least caught a glimpse of the seriousness of sin, it is easy to forget just how terrible it really is as we continue in our Christian walk. When that begins to happen, we can be sure that we have wandered far from God; for the more we get to know God, the more we will hate sin. When men see God for who He really is, they see themselves for who they really are. And when they see themselves for who they really are, their cry is the same: "Woe is me!"
It is certainly not the most pleasant experience in the world to have the darkness of our own hearts exposed. If we are willing to turn on the light of God's Word, however, we will see things about Jesus Christ that we have never seen before. When we think of ourselves adoringly, we think of Christ sparingly. But when we stop boasting in ourselves and begin to admit the truth about us, we become smaller in our own eyes and Christ becomes greater and more precious to us.
'A Fight to the Death' by Wayne Make
Besides not being able to understand God, if we do not understand what the Bible teaches about sin, we will never be able to understand ourselves - why we behave in an adverse manner to some circumstances, react unkindly to certain situations, have problems in our relationships. We have to understand what the Bible has to say about sin.
To take it a step further, we have to understand what the Bible teaches about sin in order to understand the world itself. Scattered across the globe are scholars, philosophers,and activists who are all trying to identify the source of our problems in the world today. They usually blame the world's problems on circumstances, economic conditions, poor parenting, or a lack of education. After years of research, they tell us things like: "Want to stop war? Make the nations prosperous." Or: "Want to wipe out crime in the inner city? Make sure kids get a proper education." Sorry, but these k9ins of solutions do not cut it. They fall for short because they fail to deal with the root of the problem. They do not take into consideration what the Bible teaches about sin.
Quite frankly, the Bible will be one long, confusing book if we do not understand sin. Salvation, God's judgement, hell, heaven, death, punishment, justification, propitiation, and redemption make no sense apart from sin.
Considering that, what doctrine might Satan want to attack most? It is no surprise that Satan is relentless in his attack on what the Bible teaches about sin. By simply tampering with the doctrine of sin, he has us where he wants us. He knows that if we have a wrong understanding of sin, we will have a wrong understanding of everything else.
I am convinced that many problems in the church today can be traced back to a wrong understanding of sin. Churches are filled with individuals who are self-righteous and who are trusting in their own good works for salvation. Many people believe they are Christians because they are nice people, because they grew up in a Christian family, or because they go to church. Why is this? It is because they do not have any idea of the seriousness of their sin. If they could understand sin's seriousness, they would also quickly understand the folly of trusting for salvation in being baptized, going to church, or being born into a Christian family.
Our churches are filled with Christians who are not growing spiritually. Show me a Christian who is not growing and I will show you a person who does not take sin seriously. Many people say that they want to grow, but really do not mean it - at least not enough. Mostly, they just like to say they want to grow. That way they can appear to be holy while continuing to indulge in the very things that keep them from being holy. They like the benefits of a godly life, but they do no want to make the sacrifices required in order to experience those benefits. They want to be godly, but they do not really want to be godly. They love their sin too much, and they will not deal with it until they grieve over it.
Although every true Christian has, at one point in his life, at least caught a glimpse of the seriousness of sin, it is easy to forget just how terrible it really is as we continue in our Christian walk. When that begins to happen, we can be sure that we have wandered far from God; for the more we get to know God, the more we will hate sin. When men see God for who He really is, they see themselves for who they really are. And when they see themselves for who they really are, their cry is the same: "Woe is me!"
It is certainly not the most pleasant experience in the world to have the darkness of our own hearts exposed. If we are willing to turn on the light of God's Word, however, we will see things about Jesus Christ that we have never seen before. When we think of ourselves adoringly, we think of Christ sparingly. But when we stop boasting in ourselves and begin to admit the truth about us, we become smaller in our own eyes and Christ becomes greater and more precious to us.
'A Fight to the Death' by Wayne Make
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Disappointments
No matter what church you attend you will eventually find quarrelsome, contrary, controlling people who will eventually drive you out of the church, and if you allow it, drive you away from your faith. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said that the church is the place where our dreams are shattered - he's right. New believers often enter the church expecting to find a little bit of heaven on earth. We all think and hope and expect that our brothers and sisters in Christ will treat us better than the people in the world. But sooner or later we discover that the saints are not always saintly, and the people of God are not always godly. Sometimes they can be cantankerous, mean-spirited, unkind, and sometimes downright cruel. The church - local and universal - routinely disappoints us. When that happens, our faith is shattered and sometimes our hope is destroyed. It takes a lot of courage to face the imperfect people of the 'church,' some of whom say and do outrageous things, and disappoint us again and again, and to keep believing deep in your soul and to stay with this movement called the 'Christian Church.'
Ray Pritchard http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/pritchard/11635791/
Ray Pritchard http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/pritchard/11635791/
Friday, August 6, 2010
Fight to the Death
In Romans 8:13 the apostle Paul was inspired to write, "If you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live (nasb)." Also, in Colossians 3:5, believers are commanded: "Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry." Following that command, we are reminded of the importance of obedience and the seriousness of not putting sin to death: "For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience: (Col. 3:6). In other words, failing to put sin to death is serious business. The apostle Paul was saying that either we destroy sin or it will destroy us.
Some time ago, a friend of mine told me about a man who introduced himself to a group as a hired killer. As you can imagine, the other people in the group were quite shocked (and perhaps a bit uneasy) to have someone in the midst who was so bold in announcing to the world that he was a hired killer. Fortunately, their concern was eliminated as the man went on to explain that he worked for a company that exterminated insect and animal pests.
According to the Bible, every believer should devote himself to being a killer - not of people or animal pests, but of sin. Put sin to death or it will destroy you and others.
'A Fight to the Death' by Wayne Mack
Some time ago, a friend of mine told me about a man who introduced himself to a group as a hired killer. As you can imagine, the other people in the group were quite shocked (and perhaps a bit uneasy) to have someone in the midst who was so bold in announcing to the world that he was a hired killer. Fortunately, their concern was eliminated as the man went on to explain that he worked for a company that exterminated insect and animal pests.
According to the Bible, every believer should devote himself to being a killer - not of people or animal pests, but of sin. Put sin to death or it will destroy you and others.
'A Fight to the Death' by Wayne Mack
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The Word of God is Truth
"Anytime you come across siomething that is contrary or contradictory to the Word of God, you can know immediately that you do not have the truth. Whoever wrote it, said it, or taught it was wrong. You are deceived if you believe something that is contrary to the Word of God or that in principle or precept contradicts the Bible. If you embrace anything that contradicts or is contrary to God's Word, you have chosen to believe man above God. You have made the wrong choice! It doesn't matter what it has done for you or for others, nor does it matter what supposed proof you have that the Word of God is wrong. I must tell you, you are simply deceived. Either God's Word is what God says it is, or it is all a lie."
'Lord, Heal My Hurts' by Kay Arthur
'Lord, Heal My Hurts' by Kay Arthur
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Making a Difference by Being Different
"Contrary to what we've been hearing, our greatest need as 21st century churches is not structural but spiritual. Our main problem is not that we're culturally out of touch; it's that we're theologically out of tune. We need to remember that God has established His church as an alternative society, not to compete with or copy this world, but to offer a refreshing alternative to it. When we forget this, we inadvertently communicate to our culture that we have nothing unique to offer, nothing deeply spiritual or profoundly transforming. Tragically, this leaves many in our world looking elsewhere for the difference they crave."
'Unfashionable' by Tullian Tchividjian
'Unfashionable' by Tullian Tchividjian
Monday, August 2, 2010
the uplands of God
"Not many of us are living at our best. We linger in the lowlands because we are afraid to climb the mountains. The steepness and ruggedness dismay us, and so we stay in the misty valleys and do not learn the mystery of the hills. We do not know what we lose in our self-indulgence, what glory awaits us if only we had courage for the mountain climb, what blessing we should find if only we would move to the uplands of God." Dr. J. R. Miller
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Americanized Church
“What would things look like if Satan really took control of a city? Over a half century ago, Presbyterian minister Donald Grey Barnhouse offered his own scenario in his weekly sermon that was also broadcast nationwide on CBS radio, Barnhouse speculated that if Satan took over Philadelphia, all of the bars would be closed, pornography banished, and pristine streets would be filled with tidy pedestrians who smiled at each other. There would be no swearing. The children would say, “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am,” and the churches would be full every Sunday ... where Christ is not preached.
“It is easy to become distracted from Christ as the only hope for sinners. Where everything is measured by our happiness rather than by God’s holiness, the sense of our being sinners becomes secondary, if not offensive. If we are good people who have lost our way but with the proper instructions and motivation can become a better person, we need only a life coach, not a redeemer. We can still give our assent to a high view of Christ and the centrality of his person and work, but in actual practice we are being distracted from “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). A lot of the things that distract us from Christ these days are even good things. In order to push us off-point, all that Satan has to do is throw several spiritual fads, moral and political crusades, and other ‘relevance’ operations into our field of vision. Focusing the conversation on us – our desires, needs, feelings, experience, activity, and aspirations – energizes us. At last, now we’re talking about something practical and relevant.
“I think that the church today in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself. Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups.
“As provocative as Barnhouse’s illustration remains, it is simply an elaboration of a point made throughout the history of redemption. Wherever Christ is truly and clearly being proclaimed, Satan is most actively present in opposition. The wars between the nations and enmity within families and neighborhoods is but the wake of the serpent’s tail as he seeks to devour the church. Yet even in this pursuit, he is more subtle than we imagine. He lulls us to sleep as we trim our message to the banality of popular culture and invoke Christ’s name for anything and everything but salvation from the coming judgment. While undoubtedly stirring his earthly disciples to persecute and kill followers of Christ (with more martyrdoms worldwide in an average year now than in any previous era), Satan knows from experience that sowing heresy and schism is far more effective. While the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, the assimilation of the church to the world silences the witness.” 'Christless Christianity' by Michael Horton
“It is easy to become distracted from Christ as the only hope for sinners. Where everything is measured by our happiness rather than by God’s holiness, the sense of our being sinners becomes secondary, if not offensive. If we are good people who have lost our way but with the proper instructions and motivation can become a better person, we need only a life coach, not a redeemer. We can still give our assent to a high view of Christ and the centrality of his person and work, but in actual practice we are being distracted from “look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:2). A lot of the things that distract us from Christ these days are even good things. In order to push us off-point, all that Satan has to do is throw several spiritual fads, moral and political crusades, and other ‘relevance’ operations into our field of vision. Focusing the conversation on us – our desires, needs, feelings, experience, activity, and aspirations – energizes us. At last, now we’re talking about something practical and relevant.
“I think that the church today in America today is so obsessed with being practical, relevant, helpful, successful, and perhaps even well-liked that it nearly mirrors the world itself. Aside from the packaging, there is nothing that cannot be found in most churches today that could not be satisfied by any number of secular programs and self-help groups.
“As provocative as Barnhouse’s illustration remains, it is simply an elaboration of a point made throughout the history of redemption. Wherever Christ is truly and clearly being proclaimed, Satan is most actively present in opposition. The wars between the nations and enmity within families and neighborhoods is but the wake of the serpent’s tail as he seeks to devour the church. Yet even in this pursuit, he is more subtle than we imagine. He lulls us to sleep as we trim our message to the banality of popular culture and invoke Christ’s name for anything and everything but salvation from the coming judgment. While undoubtedly stirring his earthly disciples to persecute and kill followers of Christ (with more martyrdoms worldwide in an average year now than in any previous era), Satan knows from experience that sowing heresy and schism is far more effective. While the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church, the assimilation of the church to the world silences the witness.” 'Christless Christianity' by Michael Horton
Friday, April 23, 2010
Exciting Weekend
Good Morning, all you Kingdom Seekers,
Just a few minutes here to let you know about the exciting weekend I had. I had mentioned in a post or two ago that my very favorite Bible teacher was coming to my home church. Well, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum did come and held a three day conference absolutely free of charge. He taught on the book of Zechariah and if you've every read Zechariah you know that you need someone to help you understand all those visions and all the symbolism. Dr. Fruchtenbaum is a Messianic Jew and because of his Jewish background teaches the Bible like no other. It was such a privilege to see him in person and I had him sign every book that I own which he has authored; and that's quite a few. I encourage you to visit his website (http://www.ariel.org/) and take advantage of his free teaching under the 'Come and See' link; and then order any of his teaching - you will be blessed and edified in the Word of God.
Here's a couple of pictures from the weekend:
This is myself (on the end closest to the center aisle), my best friend Tracie, my niece Angie, and my sister Carol listening to Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What studious Bible scholars we are!!! Notice we are right up front!!!
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Here is a picture of myself with Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What a privilege to hear this awesome man of God. I wanted my picture taken with him because I may not see him again until we are in heaven and then we will all sit at the feet of 'The Master' and let Him teach us. My hair looks absolutely horrible in this picture; it must be from all the learnin' we did. My brain was about to explode from all the information Dr. F taught us and my head was little lopsided from it. The way my hair is in this picture, I look like a conehead.
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Gotta run, be blessed today,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,
Just a few minutes here to let you know about the exciting weekend I had. I had mentioned in a post or two ago that my very favorite Bible teacher was coming to my home church. Well, Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum did come and held a three day conference absolutely free of charge. He taught on the book of Zechariah and if you've every read Zechariah you know that you need someone to help you understand all those visions and all the symbolism. Dr. Fruchtenbaum is a Messianic Jew and because of his Jewish background teaches the Bible like no other. It was such a privilege to see him in person and I had him sign every book that I own which he has authored; and that's quite a few. I encourage you to visit his website (http://www.ariel.org/) and take advantage of his free teaching under the 'Come and See' link; and then order any of his teaching - you will be blessed and edified in the Word of God.
Here's a couple of pictures from the weekend:
This is myself (on the end closest to the center aisle), my best friend Tracie, my niece Angie, and my sister Carol listening to Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What studious Bible scholars we are!!! Notice we are right up front!!!
Here is a picture of myself with Dr. Fruchtenbaum. What a privilege to hear this awesome man of God. I wanted my picture taken with him because I may not see him again until we are in heaven and then we will all sit at the feet of 'The Master' and let Him teach us. My hair looks absolutely horrible in this picture; it must be from all the learnin' we did. My brain was about to explode from all the information Dr. F taught us and my head was little lopsided from it. The way my hair is in this picture, I look like a conehead.
Gotta run, be blessed today,
Your Kingdom Seekin' Mama,
Monday, April 12, 2010
Hi, all you K.S. gals,
Just a quick post to say 'Hi' and let you in on what's new. I started a new college class last night on the book of Romans. I'm not taking this class for credit as I am already working on my Doctorate through another college; but since this was offered at my home church (via Tyndale Theological Seminary - good, solid school; I highly recommend it, check it out) and I'm doing Romans for my Doctorate degree (which is via Internet) at this time, I thought it would help me to sit in a classroom with a live professor to whom I can ask questions (a disadvantage to doing college online, but I'm grateful for online schooling, it definitely works with my schedule).
Anyway, the class last night was so interesting and I thought I would share with you some of the things that we learned that a lot of people may not know. Here goes:
Did you know that the gospel or the 'good news' has not always been the same message throughout the dispensations of time? The 'good news' of the coming Messiah, in the OT, was definitely different than the gospel message we hear today. And the time period that Christ was on earth the message was different from both OT and NT (NT meaning the church age or the dispensation of grace). OT message was the law and the prophets which pointed to the coming Messiah, who would solve their 'sin problem' and usher in the Kingdom upon their acceptance of the Christ (however, as you know, they rejected their Messiah and the legitimate offer of the Messianic Kingdom; so the offer was withdrawn and will be made again at a future date).
While Jesus was on earth the Kingdom offer was made available to the Jewish nation. It was a genuine offer, but was not accepted. The Jews did not want a king that was a suffering servant, but they wanted a conquering King. And so the 'good news' or gospel message was different from OT and NT in that it was the message of the 'Kingdom of God.' Jesus said in Luke 16:16, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
Since the time of Christ's death, which purchased our salvation, the 'good news' is the message of grace for all men.
Here are the notes from the class about this topic:
It's important that we don't confuse the uses of the word 'gospel' in the Scriptures.
Dr. C. I. Scofield identifies 4 different messages of good news:
1) The Gospel of the Kingdom - This is the good news that God purposes to set up on the earth, in the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7), a kingdom, political, spiritual, Israelitish, universal, over which God's son, David's heir, shall be King, and which shall be, for one thousand years, the manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs... (there are two preaching of this gospel - one past, one future).
a) Beginning with John the Baptist, continued by our Lord and His disciples and ending with
the Jewish rejection of the King.
b) During the great tribulation and immediately preceding the Lord's return (Matt. 24:14).
2) The Gospel of the grace of God - This is the good news that Jesus Christ, the rejected King, has died on the cross for the sins of the world, that He was raised from the dead for our justification, and that by Him all that believe are justified from all things (this is the gospel of God described in Romans 1:1).
3) The everlasting Gospel - (Rev. 14:6) This is the good news to be preached to the earth-dwellers at the very end of the great tribulation and immediately preceding the judgement of the nations (Matt. 25). It is neither the gospel of the Kingdom, nor of grace. Though its burden is judgement, not salvation, it is good news to Israel and to those who, during the tribulation, have been saved.
4) That which Paul calls 'My Gospel' - (Romans 2:16) This is the good news of the grace of God in its fullest development, but includes the revelation of the result of that Gospel in the out-calling of the church, her relationships, position, privileges, and responsibility. It is the distinctive truth of Ephesians and Colossians, but inter-permeates all of Paul's writings.
Whew!!! That's a lot to wrap your mind around. I pray that you will consider this and pray for all truth. Pray for all truth in all things. You will be abundantly, spiritually blessed for it!!!
Be blessed today sweeties,
Your Kingdom Seeking' Mama,
Just a quick post to say 'Hi' and let you in on what's new. I started a new college class last night on the book of Romans. I'm not taking this class for credit as I am already working on my Doctorate through another college; but since this was offered at my home church (via Tyndale Theological Seminary - good, solid school; I highly recommend it, check it out) and I'm doing Romans for my Doctorate degree (which is via Internet) at this time, I thought it would help me to sit in a classroom with a live professor to whom I can ask questions (a disadvantage to doing college online, but I'm grateful for online schooling, it definitely works with my schedule).
Anyway, the class last night was so interesting and I thought I would share with you some of the things that we learned that a lot of people may not know. Here goes:
Did you know that the gospel or the 'good news' has not always been the same message throughout the dispensations of time? The 'good news' of the coming Messiah, in the OT, was definitely different than the gospel message we hear today. And the time period that Christ was on earth the message was different from both OT and NT (NT meaning the church age or the dispensation of grace). OT message was the law and the prophets which pointed to the coming Messiah, who would solve their 'sin problem' and usher in the Kingdom upon their acceptance of the Christ (however, as you know, they rejected their Messiah and the legitimate offer of the Messianic Kingdom; so the offer was withdrawn and will be made again at a future date).
While Jesus was on earth the Kingdom offer was made available to the Jewish nation. It was a genuine offer, but was not accepted. The Jews did not want a king that was a suffering servant, but they wanted a conquering King. And so the 'good news' or gospel message was different from OT and NT in that it was the message of the 'Kingdom of God.' Jesus said in Luke 16:16, "The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it."
Since the time of Christ's death, which purchased our salvation, the 'good news' is the message of grace for all men.
Here are the notes from the class about this topic:
It's important that we don't confuse the uses of the word 'gospel' in the Scriptures.
Dr. C. I. Scofield identifies 4 different messages of good news:
1) The Gospel of the Kingdom - This is the good news that God purposes to set up on the earth, in the fulfillment of the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7), a kingdom, political, spiritual, Israelitish, universal, over which God's son, David's heir, shall be King, and which shall be, for one thousand years, the manifestation of the righteousness of God in human affairs... (there are two preaching of this gospel - one past, one future).
a) Beginning with John the Baptist, continued by our Lord and His disciples and ending with
the Jewish rejection of the King.
b) During the great tribulation and immediately preceding the Lord's return (Matt. 24:14).
2) The Gospel of the grace of God - This is the good news that Jesus Christ, the rejected King, has died on the cross for the sins of the world, that He was raised from the dead for our justification, and that by Him all that believe are justified from all things (this is the gospel of God described in Romans 1:1).
3) The everlasting Gospel - (Rev. 14:6) This is the good news to be preached to the earth-dwellers at the very end of the great tribulation and immediately preceding the judgement of the nations (Matt. 25). It is neither the gospel of the Kingdom, nor of grace. Though its burden is judgement, not salvation, it is good news to Israel and to those who, during the tribulation, have been saved.
4) That which Paul calls 'My Gospel' - (Romans 2:16) This is the good news of the grace of God in its fullest development, but includes the revelation of the result of that Gospel in the out-calling of the church, her relationships, position, privileges, and responsibility. It is the distinctive truth of Ephesians and Colossians, but inter-permeates all of Paul's writings.
Whew!!! That's a lot to wrap your mind around. I pray that you will consider this and pray for all truth. Pray for all truth in all things. You will be abundantly, spiritually blessed for it!!!
Be blessed today sweeties,
Your Kingdom Seeking' Mama,
Friday, April 2, 2010
Catching Up
Hey, all you Kingdom Seekers,
Whew! My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. My precious 83 year old mother just spent 15 days in the hospital with an ailment that had the doctors baffled until they did exploratory surgery. Once the problem was discovered and remedied, the recovery began only to have new issues pop up one after another. Her entire hospital stay should only have been 6 or 7 days, however she was released on day 16. She is still very weak and I solicit your prayers. But, our God is faithful in all things and so our trust is in Him that she will make a complete recovery and quickly return to her old self.
The only good thing that has come out of my mom's hospitalization is that I've lost 7 1/2 lbs. - WooHoo!!! I'm going to try and keep this weight-loss going - pray for me!
Here in southwestern Ohio it has been in the 80's. Absolutely beautiful outside! Everything is blooming and how appropriate since Easter is only 2 days away. Myself, Bob, and the boys sat around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows after the sun went down last night. I so enjoy our family times together. The boys and myself will be coloring our eggs today and what beautiful weather to be outside for an Easter egg hunt.
I'm so excited because in a couple of weeks my very favorite Bible teacher is coming to my home church for a 3 day conference. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (www.ariel.org) will be at Grace Baptist Church, Mason, OH on April 16 - 18 and will be doing a verse by verse teaching on the book of Zechariah. If you have never heard Dr. Fruchtenbaum please visit his website; there is a lot of free material for your spiritual edification. He is Jewish and because of his up-bring in Judaism, has an advantage in teaching us the Bible like no other Bible teacher I know. He is a great scholar and theologian and if you are in the area I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to hear Dr. Fruchtenbaum and be blessed.
I want to leave you with a quote from a book that I am reading right now from Dr. Paul Tripp:
We all live on the continuum between slavery and freedom. The Bible warns about he deceitfulness of sin and its bondage. It is full of promises of the freedom we have in Christ. But our culture has its own warnings and promises of freedom, false solutions promised in various theories of change. These alternative theories seem appealing. They promise us that we can avoid chaos, live in freedom, and keep our own agenda and pride intact.
Christians have always faced these problems. We have always had to sift through false promises and theories of change. Even in the first century, Paul had these words for fellow believers:
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus our Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col. 2:6-8niv).
Paul is concerned that we not allow ourselves to be taken "captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy." The Greek word translated "taken captive" is actually closer to "abducted" or "kidnapped.'' Paul's point is that we can be abducted by falsehood when we least expect it. He urges us to live with our eyes open to the culture influences that seek to gain our allegiance when we are not really paying attention. Don't be fooled. Don't think that Paul's advice applies only to big decisions and major doctrines. It is in the little moments of life that battles are lost or won.*
Gotta run, be blessed today and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,
*Paul Tripp, 'How People Change,' New Growth Press, Greensboro, 2006, pg. 23.
Whew! My life has been a bit of a whirlwind lately. My precious 83 year old mother just spent 15 days in the hospital with an ailment that had the doctors baffled until they did exploratory surgery. Once the problem was discovered and remedied, the recovery began only to have new issues pop up one after another. Her entire hospital stay should only have been 6 or 7 days, however she was released on day 16. She is still very weak and I solicit your prayers. But, our God is faithful in all things and so our trust is in Him that she will make a complete recovery and quickly return to her old self.
The only good thing that has come out of my mom's hospitalization is that I've lost 7 1/2 lbs. - WooHoo!!! I'm going to try and keep this weight-loss going - pray for me!
Here in southwestern Ohio it has been in the 80's. Absolutely beautiful outside! Everything is blooming and how appropriate since Easter is only 2 days away. Myself, Bob, and the boys sat around our fire pit and roasted marshmallows after the sun went down last night. I so enjoy our family times together. The boys and myself will be coloring our eggs today and what beautiful weather to be outside for an Easter egg hunt.
I'm so excited because in a couple of weeks my very favorite Bible teacher is coming to my home church for a 3 day conference. Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum (www.ariel.org) will be at Grace Baptist Church, Mason, OH on April 16 - 18 and will be doing a verse by verse teaching on the book of Zechariah. If you have never heard Dr. Fruchtenbaum please visit his website; there is a lot of free material for your spiritual edification. He is Jewish and because of his up-bring in Judaism, has an advantage in teaching us the Bible like no other Bible teacher I know. He is a great scholar and theologian and if you are in the area I encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to hear Dr. Fruchtenbaum and be blessed.
I want to leave you with a quote from a book that I am reading right now from Dr. Paul Tripp:
We all live on the continuum between slavery and freedom. The Bible warns about he deceitfulness of sin and its bondage. It is full of promises of the freedom we have in Christ. But our culture has its own warnings and promises of freedom, false solutions promised in various theories of change. These alternative theories seem appealing. They promise us that we can avoid chaos, live in freedom, and keep our own agenda and pride intact.
Christians have always faced these problems. We have always had to sift through false promises and theories of change. Even in the first century, Paul had these words for fellow believers:
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus our Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col. 2:6-8niv).
Paul is concerned that we not allow ourselves to be taken "captive by hollow and deceptive philosophy." The Greek word translated "taken captive" is actually closer to "abducted" or "kidnapped.'' Paul's point is that we can be abducted by falsehood when we least expect it. He urges us to live with our eyes open to the culture influences that seek to gain our allegiance when we are not really paying attention. Don't be fooled. Don't think that Paul's advice applies only to big decisions and major doctrines. It is in the little moments of life that battles are lost or won.*
Gotta run, be blessed today and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,
*Paul Tripp, 'How People Change,' New Growth Press, Greensboro, 2006, pg. 23.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Another Jesus
Hi, all you Kingdom Seekers,
Ran across this article from Henry Morris and wanted to share it with you. Mr. Morris is the founder of an organization called 'The Institute for Creation Research.' He was a great scholar and theologian. Mr. Morris has gone on to be with the Lord, but his legacy lives on through his many writings and 'The Institute for Creation Research.' Check out the ICR on the web at http://www.icr.org/. Here's the article:
Another Jesus
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Corinthians 11:4)
The verses following our text contain an enlightening warning about false teachers. One should not carelessly follow a personable religious leader merely because he "preaches Jesus" or urges audiences to "receive the Spirit."
"Jesus" is quite popular among worldly people today, but not the true Jesus. The popular Jesus may be the baby Jesus in the manger at Christmastime, or the buddy Jesus of Nashville "gospel" music, or the success-counseling Jesus of the positive thinkers. He may be the romantic Jesus of the Christian crooners, the rhythmic Jesus of Christian rock, or the reforming Jesus of the liberals, but none of these are the Jesus preached by the apostle Paul, and therefore not the real Jesus who saves men and women from their sins.
Jesus in reality is the Lord Jesus Christ, the offended Creator of the universe (Colossians 1:16), who had to die as man on the cross to redeem us through His shed blood (Colossians 1:14, 20), and who then rose from the dead to be set "far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Ephesians 1:21). Finally, it is this Jesus "who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1).
The Lord Jesus, as He really is, is not the popular Jesus of T-shirts and bumper stickers, politicians and entertainers. He was "despised and rejected of men" (Isaiah 53:3) so they "crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8).
He is the mighty God, the perfect man, the only Savior, the eternal King, and Lord of lords. God-called teachers will not preach an imaginary Jesus who appeals to the flesh, but rather the true Christ of creation and salvation. HMM
http://www.icr.org/article/5187/
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,
Ran across this article from Henry Morris and wanted to share it with you. Mr. Morris is the founder of an organization called 'The Institute for Creation Research.' He was a great scholar and theologian. Mr. Morris has gone on to be with the Lord, but his legacy lives on through his many writings and 'The Institute for Creation Research.' Check out the ICR on the web at http://www.icr.org/. Here's the article:
Another Jesus
by Henry Morris, Ph.D.
"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him." (2 Corinthians 11:4)
The verses following our text contain an enlightening warning about false teachers. One should not carelessly follow a personable religious leader merely because he "preaches Jesus" or urges audiences to "receive the Spirit."
"Jesus" is quite popular among worldly people today, but not the true Jesus. The popular Jesus may be the baby Jesus in the manger at Christmastime, or the buddy Jesus of Nashville "gospel" music, or the success-counseling Jesus of the positive thinkers. He may be the romantic Jesus of the Christian crooners, the rhythmic Jesus of Christian rock, or the reforming Jesus of the liberals, but none of these are the Jesus preached by the apostle Paul, and therefore not the real Jesus who saves men and women from their sins.
Jesus in reality is the Lord Jesus Christ, the offended Creator of the universe (Colossians 1:16), who had to die as man on the cross to redeem us through His shed blood (Colossians 1:14, 20), and who then rose from the dead to be set "far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named" (Ephesians 1:21). Finally, it is this Jesus "who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1).
The Lord Jesus, as He really is, is not the popular Jesus of T-shirts and bumper stickers, politicians and entertainers. He was "despised and rejected of men" (Isaiah 53:3) so they "crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8).
He is the mighty God, the perfect man, the only Savior, the eternal King, and Lord of lords. God-called teachers will not preach an imaginary Jesus who appeals to the flesh, but rather the true Christ of creation and salvation. HMM
http://www.icr.org/article/5187/
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama,
Monday, February 15, 2010
Woman of Influence
Hello all you Kingdom Seekers,
Wanted to pass on an article from a local newspaper about a woman, in the city where my family resides, who is doing a great work for the Lord. Makes ya wonder what kind of rewards Jesus has stored for her in heaven. Check it out:
Woman of Influence: Cope’s hope for the North End
By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer
Updated 9:16 AM Monday, February 15, 2010
HAMILTON — Barb Cope is a visionary who sees things other people can’t. And she hears things that no one else does.
“People think I’m nuts because I say God talks to me so much, but he really does,” Cope says. “I walk with him every day of my life.”
It’s not what Cope sees or hears that sets her apart so much as the fact that she spends her life doing things that a lot of other people don’t. Or won’t.
The 68-year-old Cope has dedicated her life to helping others. She has run a nursing home ministry, a jail ministry, a street ministry and a women’s ministry.
And she has traveled the world on mission trips to Egypt, Israel, Trinidad, Honduras, Brazil and Africa.
“I’ve been to all of those places, but God brought me right back here to this corner,” Cope says, referring the intersection of Seventh and Heaton streets in Hamilton’s north end.
That’s where eight years ago Cope opened Kelly’s House of Love, an outreach ministry named for an abuse victim who committed suicide.
Kelly’s caters to children ages 6 to 18, featuring activities such as crafts, singing, dancing, basketball, junior police academy, face pointing, animal balloons and puppets.
“It’s a place where kids of all ages can go to have a great time in a positive way,” Cope says. “We tell them we love them and let them know how important they are to Jesus and that there’s a better way of life to encourage them.”
Cope’s vision for a playground across from Kelly’s came to fruition last spring, and she has dreams of opening a teen center once she comes up with the funds.
She’s a positive force in a neighborhood with plenty of negatives, and you don’t have to be a visionary for that to be plain to see.
‘Not a bit afraid’
Cope is not wealthy, but that doesn’t prevent her from giving something valuable to those who need it most.
That something is hope.
“I see the people walking by here,” Cope says of the corner of Seventh and Heaton streets, where she runs Kelly’s House of Love on a modest monthly Social Security check and donations.
“You’re supposed to have a sparkle in your eye, and so many of these people don’t,” she continues. “And it’s not the drugs or alcohol. They’ve just lost all hope. I want to give these people something to dream about, something to hope about.”
An acquaintance of Cope’s, Kelly was a woman in her mid-20’s who had been sexually and physically abused her whole life until she ended it with a gunshot through her heart.
A survivor of abuse herself, the 68-year-old Cope has dedicated herself to helping other people, whether it be children through Kelly’s House of Love or adults through one of the many ministries she has run.
She is intent on making both her neighborhood and its people better, and she gets that done in ways that are both gentle and fierce.
One day she might be dropping off groceries at the home of someone who is down on his luck or buying a meal at McDonald’s for a homeless person. The next day she’s charging across the street to get in the face of a man 40 years younger who dared to bring a beer can onto the playground she worked so hard to have built.
“If they’re drinking or doing drugs around my kids, I will run them out of there,” she says. “I’m not a bit afraid to go over there, and if I have to jerk them by the hair or the collar, I will.”
Cope has carried a soft spot for young people in her heart for 38 years, ever since a miscarriage and the subsequent news that she would never be able to have children.
“I remember driving in my car and there was a preacher on the radio who said, ‘There’s a woman out there who feels like she has failed because she can’t have children,’ ” Cope recalls. “God said to tell you that he has a higher purpose for you to help children all over the world.”
And that is exactly what she’s done. In addition to giving the children of Hamilton a place to come and have fun while learning about God, Cope has helped children in countries all across the globe through her mission trips.
And within the past year, she has found someone who calls her “mom.”
Stephanie Brown moved in with Cope in November after her mother passed away.
“I call her mom because that’s what she is to me,” says Brown, who has lived a difficult 33 years.
“I never knew anybody could care this much about me and not want something,” Brown continues. “I’m learning so much from her.”
One of Cope’s favorite sayings from the Bible is “Trade your title for a towel,” referring to the story where Jesus picked up a towel and started washing the disciples’ feet following the last supper.
“That never leaves me,” she says. “That’s all I think about. Don’t get caught up in who you are. It’s all about servanthood.
“When you believe in something and you know that it’s the right thing to do, you can’t give up,” Cope continues. “You’ve got to push forward. You have to have hope.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/woman-of-influence-copes-hope-for-the-north-end-548530.htm
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama
Wanted to pass on an article from a local newspaper about a woman, in the city where my family resides, who is doing a great work for the Lord. Makes ya wonder what kind of rewards Jesus has stored for her in heaven. Check it out:
Woman of Influence: Cope’s hope for the North End
By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer
Updated 9:16 AM Monday, February 15, 2010
HAMILTON — Barb Cope is a visionary who sees things other people can’t. And she hears things that no one else does.
“People think I’m nuts because I say God talks to me so much, but he really does,” Cope says. “I walk with him every day of my life.”
It’s not what Cope sees or hears that sets her apart so much as the fact that she spends her life doing things that a lot of other people don’t. Or won’t.
The 68-year-old Cope has dedicated her life to helping others. She has run a nursing home ministry, a jail ministry, a street ministry and a women’s ministry.
And she has traveled the world on mission trips to Egypt, Israel, Trinidad, Honduras, Brazil and Africa.
“I’ve been to all of those places, but God brought me right back here to this corner,” Cope says, referring the intersection of Seventh and Heaton streets in Hamilton’s north end.
That’s where eight years ago Cope opened Kelly’s House of Love, an outreach ministry named for an abuse victim who committed suicide.
Kelly’s caters to children ages 6 to 18, featuring activities such as crafts, singing, dancing, basketball, junior police academy, face pointing, animal balloons and puppets.
“It’s a place where kids of all ages can go to have a great time in a positive way,” Cope says. “We tell them we love them and let them know how important they are to Jesus and that there’s a better way of life to encourage them.”
Cope’s vision for a playground across from Kelly’s came to fruition last spring, and she has dreams of opening a teen center once she comes up with the funds.
She’s a positive force in a neighborhood with plenty of negatives, and you don’t have to be a visionary for that to be plain to see.
‘Not a bit afraid’
Cope is not wealthy, but that doesn’t prevent her from giving something valuable to those who need it most.
That something is hope.
“I see the people walking by here,” Cope says of the corner of Seventh and Heaton streets, where she runs Kelly’s House of Love on a modest monthly Social Security check and donations.
“You’re supposed to have a sparkle in your eye, and so many of these people don’t,” she continues. “And it’s not the drugs or alcohol. They’ve just lost all hope. I want to give these people something to dream about, something to hope about.”
An acquaintance of Cope’s, Kelly was a woman in her mid-20’s who had been sexually and physically abused her whole life until she ended it with a gunshot through her heart.
A survivor of abuse herself, the 68-year-old Cope has dedicated herself to helping other people, whether it be children through Kelly’s House of Love or adults through one of the many ministries she has run.
She is intent on making both her neighborhood and its people better, and she gets that done in ways that are both gentle and fierce.
One day she might be dropping off groceries at the home of someone who is down on his luck or buying a meal at McDonald’s for a homeless person. The next day she’s charging across the street to get in the face of a man 40 years younger who dared to bring a beer can onto the playground she worked so hard to have built.
“If they’re drinking or doing drugs around my kids, I will run them out of there,” she says. “I’m not a bit afraid to go over there, and if I have to jerk them by the hair or the collar, I will.”
Cope has carried a soft spot for young people in her heart for 38 years, ever since a miscarriage and the subsequent news that she would never be able to have children.
“I remember driving in my car and there was a preacher on the radio who said, ‘There’s a woman out there who feels like she has failed because she can’t have children,’ ” Cope recalls. “God said to tell you that he has a higher purpose for you to help children all over the world.”
And that is exactly what she’s done. In addition to giving the children of Hamilton a place to come and have fun while learning about God, Cope has helped children in countries all across the globe through her mission trips.
And within the past year, she has found someone who calls her “mom.”
Stephanie Brown moved in with Cope in November after her mother passed away.
“I call her mom because that’s what she is to me,” says Brown, who has lived a difficult 33 years.
“I never knew anybody could care this much about me and not want something,” Brown continues. “I’m learning so much from her.”
One of Cope’s favorite sayings from the Bible is “Trade your title for a towel,” referring to the story where Jesus picked up a towel and started washing the disciples’ feet following the last supper.
“That never leaves me,” she says. “That’s all I think about. Don’t get caught up in who you are. It’s all about servanthood.
“When you believe in something and you know that it’s the right thing to do, you can’t give up,” Cope continues. “You’ve got to push forward. You have to have hope.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.
Find this article at:
http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/woman-of-influence-copes-hope-for-the-north-end-548530.htm
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Your K.S. Mama
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Choices
Good Morning Kingdom Seekers,
Here's another 'devotional' that I sent out to the gals that I mentor. Hope it encourages you and prods you on to good works (it is unedited):
1/13/10
Hi Girls,
I talked with you a few days ago about ‘choice and time.’ I really want to focus on the topic of ‘the choices you make’ (or have made). It’s so important to our Christian maturity to make good God-honoring choices and decisions. Think about how many times in a day you have to make a choice or a decision about something. When I really get down to the nitty-gritty of it, I guess I make in a single day hundreds of decisions choices. What will my kids eat for breakfast, what will Caleb wear to school today and what is Josh going to wear out of the house today, what should I lay out in preparation for dinner tonight, what am I going to wear today, will I work on laundry today, work on Bob’s business paperwork, continue to get Christmas decorations put away, clean any room in the house that needs immediate attention (and they all do), go visit my mother, spend time studying God’s Word, etc. Hundreds of choices and decisions, minute by minute, have to be made everyday of my life. Some days for me it can get a little overwhelming; because no matter what I choose to give my time and energies to there are a dozen things that are being left undone. So, as part of my New Year’s goals I have to start making better choices with my time.
But, the things I just mentioned are everyday, mundane activities that we all have to make choices about. What I really want to talk to you about is making choices that are going to affect you long-term. Have you made decisions / choices in the past that you are still living with? What decisions / choices have you made and it is not only affecting you, but your kids and possibly your husband? Think back on some of your life choices and how they are affecting you now – either good or bad.
According to Dr. Paul Tripp we don’t make many ‘really big’ decisions in life, only about three or four – what will you pursue as a life-long career, who you will marry, how many children will you have, how will you prepare for your retirement. These are the biggies and from the time we decide what we want to do with these big decision they can have effects that will last a life-time. How important is it to make wise choices for ourselves; and maybe more importantly, for our children because everything we do affects them.
Stop and think about the bad decisions you’ve made and you’re still living with the effects of them. Maybe you chose to have pre-marital sex at a young age (and with a man that God did not intend to be your husband), produced one or two children and now the relationship is long over and your children are the victims of an absentee father and lack of good parenting from you because you have to work non-stop to support them. Or maybe you’ve spent money on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and paying off debt that was created due to bad choices and you have nothing to show for it, and now you’re financially busted and disgusted. You haven’t got enough money to ‘pay attention’ due to poor choices in your past. Think about who you’ve chose in the past to be your most intimate friends and all they’ve done is drag you down and have left you ‘high and dry.’ Think about who you hang around with now – are they an asset in your life, or a liability; are they someone who adds to your life or takes away?
Girls, as the New Year is getting underway, as adult, Christian women, we must make wise, godly choices for our lives and our families. I’m not telling you this in order to condemn you- Oh, no; never!!! The Bible tells us,”There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Only to prod you into becoming the wise, God-honoring woman that you were created to be. Trust me, I’ve made some bad decisions myself, and Oh, how I regret them.
But, you may be saying, ‘Charlotte, what can we do; it’s all in the past and I can’t make the decision over.’ True, but I want to tell you about something that I’ve done over my ‘bad decisions’ and I pray that you will take this bit of advise and incorporate it into your own life. The first thing I do when I realize that I have messed up is to ‘Repent’ before the Lord. Be very specific about what decision you made and the actions that followed that caused a negative effect in your life. For example, if you did not raise your children properly then tell God just that. Tell Him you messed up and it was not only a sin against Him, but against your children; because our children are a ‘major’ stewardship from God and we must make right decisions with this very precious commodity that God has entrusted into our care.
So, the first step is to repent! But, I know what you’re thinking, “Charlotte, that was all so long ago and I’ve accepted Christ since then. All my sins that have resulted from poor decision-making are under the blood of Christ and I have been forgiven. May sins have been cast into God’s forgetting sea, never to be remembered no more.” That’s true to the extent that God will not hold them against you concerning your salvation and your admittance into heaven. But, we still live with the affects of our sins even though we’ve been forgiven. It’s like giving your child enough money to get a good college education and they blow all the money on cars, vacations, and stuff. You may forgive them, but they will be flipping burgers instead of working in a high-rise office building, wearing a business suit, and making a 6 digit income. And what makes things like this so hard is when someone is not remorseful over their bad decision. We must, as we journey to Christian maturity and the heart of God, not be passive in this area and accept responsibility to our decisions and actions. We must repent; this is at the heart of true humility and humility is at the heart of the gospel.
We must in our pursuit of Christian maturity take responsibility for our sin even if it was before our salvation experience. Ask God to forgive you specifically for the bad choice you made and then there a second thing we can do... Our God is the God of yesterday, today, and forever. Did you see that – He is the God of yesterday!!! Our God has the ability to walk right into your past and redeem back to you what you messed up or foolishly gave away. Oh, how many times have I repented before the Lord in sack-cloth and ashes, and then asked Him for a do-over? How many times have I asked God to redeem back to me something I messed up due to a bad decision? More times than I care to admit!!!
Don’t ever forget that our God’s specialty is redemption. He can redeem back to you whatever is wrong, whatever needs to be straightened out, what needs to be fixed because of poor choices. Oh, let Him do it!!! I believe when we have come to the end of ourselves in this way, knowing that we cannot change the past, and we turn to Him in total repentance and dependence, He delights in ‘stepping up to the plate’ for one of His children. I believe that doing this sort of thing – taking responsibility of our sin, repenting of our sin, and then asking God to give us wisdom to make better choices the second time around (thank God, He’s the God of the second chance) is one of the most important ways to mature in Christ.
Also, from this point on, every decision must be bathed in prayer. No major decisions without prayer!!! I personally cannot navigate life’s rocky roads, the twists and turns, the ups and downs without a heavenly guide. I desperately need Someone who knows the road far better than I and can give me directions that will lead me on a smooth straight path. Oh, what peace can be found when we allow our blessed, heavenly Father to guide us through the decision-making processes of life. It’s like a divine GPS system.
Girls, we want to be mature, ‘wise,’ godly women. We want to possess something that we can pass on to the next generation. Let’s start by humbling ourselves before the throne of God in repentance, asking Him for His redemption, and then petitioning Him for His wisdom in making wise choices.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 niv
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Charlotte
Here's another 'devotional' that I sent out to the gals that I mentor. Hope it encourages you and prods you on to good works (it is unedited):
1/13/10
Hi Girls,
I talked with you a few days ago about ‘choice and time.’ I really want to focus on the topic of ‘the choices you make’ (or have made). It’s so important to our Christian maturity to make good God-honoring choices and decisions. Think about how many times in a day you have to make a choice or a decision about something. When I really get down to the nitty-gritty of it, I guess I make in a single day hundreds of decisions choices. What will my kids eat for breakfast, what will Caleb wear to school today and what is Josh going to wear out of the house today, what should I lay out in preparation for dinner tonight, what am I going to wear today, will I work on laundry today, work on Bob’s business paperwork, continue to get Christmas decorations put away, clean any room in the house that needs immediate attention (and they all do), go visit my mother, spend time studying God’s Word, etc. Hundreds of choices and decisions, minute by minute, have to be made everyday of my life. Some days for me it can get a little overwhelming; because no matter what I choose to give my time and energies to there are a dozen things that are being left undone. So, as part of my New Year’s goals I have to start making better choices with my time.
But, the things I just mentioned are everyday, mundane activities that we all have to make choices about. What I really want to talk to you about is making choices that are going to affect you long-term. Have you made decisions / choices in the past that you are still living with? What decisions / choices have you made and it is not only affecting you, but your kids and possibly your husband? Think back on some of your life choices and how they are affecting you now – either good or bad.
According to Dr. Paul Tripp we don’t make many ‘really big’ decisions in life, only about three or four – what will you pursue as a life-long career, who you will marry, how many children will you have, how will you prepare for your retirement. These are the biggies and from the time we decide what we want to do with these big decision they can have effects that will last a life-time. How important is it to make wise choices for ourselves; and maybe more importantly, for our children because everything we do affects them.
Stop and think about the bad decisions you’ve made and you’re still living with the effects of them. Maybe you chose to have pre-marital sex at a young age (and with a man that God did not intend to be your husband), produced one or two children and now the relationship is long over and your children are the victims of an absentee father and lack of good parenting from you because you have to work non-stop to support them. Or maybe you’ve spent money on drugs, alcohol, cigarettes, and paying off debt that was created due to bad choices and you have nothing to show for it, and now you’re financially busted and disgusted. You haven’t got enough money to ‘pay attention’ due to poor choices in your past. Think about who you’ve chose in the past to be your most intimate friends and all they’ve done is drag you down and have left you ‘high and dry.’ Think about who you hang around with now – are they an asset in your life, or a liability; are they someone who adds to your life or takes away?
Girls, as the New Year is getting underway, as adult, Christian women, we must make wise, godly choices for our lives and our families. I’m not telling you this in order to condemn you- Oh, no; never!!! The Bible tells us,”There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Only to prod you into becoming the wise, God-honoring woman that you were created to be. Trust me, I’ve made some bad decisions myself, and Oh, how I regret them.
But, you may be saying, ‘Charlotte, what can we do; it’s all in the past and I can’t make the decision over.’ True, but I want to tell you about something that I’ve done over my ‘bad decisions’ and I pray that you will take this bit of advise and incorporate it into your own life. The first thing I do when I realize that I have messed up is to ‘Repent’ before the Lord. Be very specific about what decision you made and the actions that followed that caused a negative effect in your life. For example, if you did not raise your children properly then tell God just that. Tell Him you messed up and it was not only a sin against Him, but against your children; because our children are a ‘major’ stewardship from God and we must make right decisions with this very precious commodity that God has entrusted into our care.
So, the first step is to repent! But, I know what you’re thinking, “Charlotte, that was all so long ago and I’ve accepted Christ since then. All my sins that have resulted from poor decision-making are under the blood of Christ and I have been forgiven. May sins have been cast into God’s forgetting sea, never to be remembered no more.” That’s true to the extent that God will not hold them against you concerning your salvation and your admittance into heaven. But, we still live with the affects of our sins even though we’ve been forgiven. It’s like giving your child enough money to get a good college education and they blow all the money on cars, vacations, and stuff. You may forgive them, but they will be flipping burgers instead of working in a high-rise office building, wearing a business suit, and making a 6 digit income. And what makes things like this so hard is when someone is not remorseful over their bad decision. We must, as we journey to Christian maturity and the heart of God, not be passive in this area and accept responsibility to our decisions and actions. We must repent; this is at the heart of true humility and humility is at the heart of the gospel.
We must in our pursuit of Christian maturity take responsibility for our sin even if it was before our salvation experience. Ask God to forgive you specifically for the bad choice you made and then there a second thing we can do... Our God is the God of yesterday, today, and forever. Did you see that – He is the God of yesterday!!! Our God has the ability to walk right into your past and redeem back to you what you messed up or foolishly gave away. Oh, how many times have I repented before the Lord in sack-cloth and ashes, and then asked Him for a do-over? How many times have I asked God to redeem back to me something I messed up due to a bad decision? More times than I care to admit!!!
Don’t ever forget that our God’s specialty is redemption. He can redeem back to you whatever is wrong, whatever needs to be straightened out, what needs to be fixed because of poor choices. Oh, let Him do it!!! I believe when we have come to the end of ourselves in this way, knowing that we cannot change the past, and we turn to Him in total repentance and dependence, He delights in ‘stepping up to the plate’ for one of His children. I believe that doing this sort of thing – taking responsibility of our sin, repenting of our sin, and then asking God to give us wisdom to make better choices the second time around (thank God, He’s the God of the second chance) is one of the most important ways to mature in Christ.
Also, from this point on, every decision must be bathed in prayer. No major decisions without prayer!!! I personally cannot navigate life’s rocky roads, the twists and turns, the ups and downs without a heavenly guide. I desperately need Someone who knows the road far better than I and can give me directions that will lead me on a smooth straight path. Oh, what peace can be found when we allow our blessed, heavenly Father to guide us through the decision-making processes of life. It’s like a divine GPS system.
Girls, we want to be mature, ‘wise,’ godly women. We want to possess something that we can pass on to the next generation. Let’s start by humbling ourselves before the throne of God in repentance, asking Him for His redemption, and then petitioning Him for His wisdom in making wise choices.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5 niv
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
Charlotte
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Self-Improvement - Not!
Hi my Kingdom Seekin' Sweeties,
I've sent another email to the girls that I mentor on Mon. evenings and thought you all would enjoy reading it. Here it is:
1/7/10
Hi Girls,
I was thinking about our scripture memory plan that I have encouraged you to do this year - memorizing scriptures that correspond with what your New Year's resolutions
might be. But, as I was thinking about this I want to make sure that you understand that this is not just another attempt at 'self-improvement'; although that is what hopefully will occur as you memorize God's word and meditate on it - you will constantly be reminded as you go over your specific scripture of choice what God has to say about your goals toward the 'Cross-Centered, Gospel-Driven life' and what He expects you to become. This is being 'transformed into the image of Christ.'
Just know that none of us wants to admit how depraved we really are. None of us has the ability to change ourselves. It's only God, His Word, and the indwelling Holy Spirit that should be counseling you everyday in your spirit that gives any of us the ability to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
We are all hopelessly helpless in our attempts at self-improvement. There have been thousands of books written on the subject and our society today proves that the self-help gurus / psychiatrists / sociologists who wrote those books have not accomplished their goal. It's the Gospel that changes lives. Preach to yourself the Gospel everyday. We all need to remind ourselves of the gross amount of help we need from our Lord at being like Him in our hearts and minds.
Think on the Cross everyday and the great price that was paid for your salvation. Let that simple statement be the driving force behind everything you do and say. Let the Cross motivate you to be the Christian wife, mother, employee, daughter, sister, etc. that you are meant to be through your devotion to our Lord. Remember if you're devoted to Christ and His Word, and you have a heart for Him, everything else will fall in place.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
In His Grip,
I've sent another email to the girls that I mentor on Mon. evenings and thought you all would enjoy reading it. Here it is:
1/7/10
Hi Girls,
I was thinking about our scripture memory plan that I have encouraged you to do this year - memorizing scriptures that correspond with what your New Year's resolutions
might be. But, as I was thinking about this I want to make sure that you understand that this is not just another attempt at 'self-improvement'; although that is what hopefully will occur as you memorize God's word and meditate on it - you will constantly be reminded as you go over your specific scripture of choice what God has to say about your goals toward the 'Cross-Centered, Gospel-Driven life' and what He expects you to become. This is being 'transformed into the image of Christ.'
Just know that none of us wants to admit how depraved we really are. None of us has the ability to change ourselves. It's only God, His Word, and the indwelling Holy Spirit that should be counseling you everyday in your spirit that gives any of us the ability to be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
We are all hopelessly helpless in our attempts at self-improvement. There have been thousands of books written on the subject and our society today proves that the self-help gurus / psychiatrists / sociologists who wrote those books have not accomplished their goal. It's the Gospel that changes lives. Preach to yourself the Gospel everyday. We all need to remind ourselves of the gross amount of help we need from our Lord at being like Him in our hearts and minds.
Think on the Cross everyday and the great price that was paid for your salvation. Let that simple statement be the driving force behind everything you do and say. Let the Cross motivate you to be the Christian wife, mother, employee, daughter, sister, etc. that you are meant to be through your devotion to our Lord. Remember if you're devoted to Christ and His Word, and you have a heart for Him, everything else will fall in place.
“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV
Be blessed today, and God glorified,
In His Grip,
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