The Journey

God In The Day To Day

2010-11-05T10:46:00.002-04:00

It’s easy as a newly married couple to get caught up in the business of life and forego taking the time to have purposeful conversations centered around God, where He’s working in your life and in what ways we can pray for one another. I’m so thankful for my husband who remembers this is a priority and initiates this. One thing I’ve discovered is if you don’t work at making the subject of God a regular part of your life and conversation, when you do try to talk about it, it can seem awkward and forced. Just like many areas of life, things take work and practice to become a habit. God intended for His people to encourage one another, pursue accountability and run this race together. What a sweet outlet we have in marriage to practice these things. To build up our spouse and be built up. Thanking God today for His wisdom in giving us people who magnify His love and care for us and praying I can grow in being a great source of encouragement and means of grace to all who know me.

- L

Life Update

2010-11-02T09:39:00.002-04:00

Life has been busy, busy, busy since being married on July 11th! After our honeymoon in Jamaica it was back to real life. Kev started his new job as a financial advisor and is LOVING it! What a blessing for him to have a job and one that he likes as well.

Our living situation has been ever evolving. We were in a condo which we found out was under contract as soon as we signed the lease in June. By early September we were told the closing date was set for mid October. The lady who owned that place has since let us move into one of her other condos for almost half the price! The Lord always provides. In the mean time we are trying to be patient as we try to find a house.

In other big news...my brother-in-law Kyle is marrying one of my dear friends and bridesmaids Candace this weekend! November 7th to be exact. This will be the second wedding this year for both his family and hers. I guess when it rains it pours. It will be wonderful to watch God's kindness to this couple manifested in their wedding and marriage to one another.

That's all for now. I'll post updates of the wedding after it happens.

- L

Christ is Message and Messenger

2009-08-27T10:18:00.002-04:00

Every word spoken by Jesus must be understood by the life of Jesus. The one cannot be separated from the other. If we attempt to understand what He said without reference to what He did, we do violence to God's revelation of Himself. Here are some examples:

"Give up your right to yourself." Can this mean self-destruction, masochism, obliteration of the personality? See the perfect Son of God, exercising his human will in the fullness of its God-given power, as He offers Himself, pours out his soul unto death. What life streams from that giving up. What strength springs from his weakness.

"The truth shall make you free" (Jn 8:32 AV)--words often wrested away from their context ("lf you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth and the truth will make you free") and also away from the Man who spoke them. His life, his every act, was perfectly free. It was free because He heard the Word of the Father, did what He saw Him do, and knew Him. His freedom was the result of his obedience. There is no shortcut to our freedom. We must live the life Christ lived--a life of faith, a will offered to the Father, daily obedience. - E.E.

2009-08-13T11:13:00.002-04:00

Patience and kindness. Not very powerful words. They don’t exactly strike fear into the heart. And yet, they are powerful weapons in the world today. To use them means to die to self. Think about the greatest victory in history that was overcome. The battle was won with love. Love displayed on a cross. The epitome of selflessness. When we choose to fight this world with God’s weapons, we can never fail. Living for myself is natural. Living for God and others can be a struggle. But with His help all things are possible. The Bible reminds us that showing kindness to the world is like heaping burning coals upon their head. So, today, with God’s help, I hope to show other’s kindness. Even if they don’t deserve it. Isn’t that what Christ did for us?

Weapons of Righteousness
“The means of conquering the world, spiritually speaking, are not weapons of violence or organized power. In fact they are not thought of in the world as "weapons" at all, but as pitifully ineffective for obtaining any kind of victory. They are patience and kindliness, gifts of the Holy Spirit, sincere love, declaring the truth and the power of God. They are weapons which we wield in both hands, right and left (2 Cor 6:6,7).

The object of our conquest not being power, position, property, or personal satisfaction, the weapons required are not such as would be used by men seeking those things. Our Captain had one aim in dying for us--that we should cease to live for ourselves (2 Cor 5:15). This is our aim. Therefore our weapons will seem to those whose aim is worldly (i.e., "natural," and selfish), a strange set to choose.” – E.E.

God Is Our Refuge, Strength And Mighty Fortress

2009-07-07T11:04:00.004-04:00

Hmmm, I think the Lord has an agenda in mind concerning what I've been reading lately. Yesterday my Morning and Evening entry was on fear. My Elisabeth Elliot devotional was on fear. Valley of Vision spoke of fear. The scripture I read in Psalms was concerning fear. Is God hinting at something? Yeah, I think so. How kind of God to be so intentional about addressing the state of our hearts. I think one reason God takes fear and worry so seriously, is because when we struggle with it, it often paralyzes us and makes us ineffective, not to mention it tells God we don't trust Him. When you are afraid, trust in the Lord and remind yourself of the truth of His word. He promises to never leave us or forsake us. We can trust that promise!

"What good has worrying ever accomplished? It has never made anyone stronger, helped anyone do God's will, or provided for anyone a way of escape out of their anxiety or confusion." - L.B. Cowman

“We must tread down our enemies, including all the nagging "what ifs" of our lives. To frightening possibilities Christ answers, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Let the very worst thing come to pass-even there, especially there, his hand will hold us. That's why He became a man. That's why He died. That's why He rose again. My Lord and my God--forgive my fears. Deliver me by the power of your resurrection."- E.E.

"Worry only destroys the effectiveness of lives that would otherwise be useful and beautiful."- L.B. Cowman

"God is our Refuge, our Strength, our Mighty Fortress. Nothing will get by the moat of his protection without his permission. To be afraid of what happens today or what may happen tomorrow is not only an awful waste of energy, it is not only useless, it is disobedient. We are forbidden to fear anything but the Lord Himself."- E.E.

Worry:"Can anything be gained by it? Don't we only make ourselves unfit for action and separate our minds from the ability to make wise decisions? We simply sink in our struggles when we could float by faith." - L.B. Cowman

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong,

and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

Psalm 27:1, 13-14

Covenant

2009-07-01T12:55:00.004-04:00

The past couple of days, the Lord has been overwhelming my heart with gratefulness for His constant care. For His tenderness to me when I'm breaking, His steadfastness when I'm failing. I love how His character and love doesn't change, even when my fickle emotions ride the waves. Thank goodness God is not like us! He has made a covenant with us that will never be broken and He is eternally faithful to this covenant. Am I? Will I love and follow Him in sickness and in health? In good times and in bad? God is drawing my heart to pursue more faithfulness and less fickleness. O God, bind my heart tightly to thee!

Lord, Jesus,

Grant me the favour of being lead by thee, under the directions of thy providence and thy word. Grant me the blessings with bitter things, to brighten and quicken me, not to depress and make me lifeless; Grant me, like Gideon of old, way-tokens, by removing things that discourage me; Grant me succour beneath the shadow of thy sympathy when I am tempted. Accept my unceasing thanks that I am not cast off from thy hand as a darkened star or rudderless vessel. Suffer not my life to extend beyond my usefulness; Cast me not under the feet of pride, injustice, riches, worldly greatness, selfish oppression of men; Help me to wait patiently, silently upon thee, not to be enraged or speak unadvisedly. Let thy mercy follow me while I live, and give me aid to resign myself to thy will. Take my heart and hold it in thy hand; write upon it reverence to thyself with an inscription that time and eternity cannot erase. To thy grace and the care of thy covenant I commit myself, in sickness, and in health, for thou hast overcome the world, fulfilled the law, finished justifying righteousness, swallowed up death in victory, and taken all power everywhere. Mark this covenant with thine own blood in the court of forgiving mercy; Attach unto thy name in which I believe, for it is sealed by my unworthy mortal hand. - The Valley of Vision (Puritan Prayer)

Ascend The Mountain

2009-06-25T12:30:00.003-04:00

I am currently reading a book titled, “In Christ Alone” by Sinclair Ferguson. It is helping me to “know whom I have believed”. To know more so I can love and trust more. To think deeply so I can feel deeply. In Morning & Evening, Spurgeon uses the example of our relationship with God being like ascending a mountain. The higher we go, the more we can see and delight in Him. Every truth learned, trial passed through and day lived, has the potential to take us further up the mountain. But we still have to make the climb. With His help, it’s possible!

“When we first believe in Christ we see but little of him. The higher we climb the more we discover of his beauties. But who has ever gained the summit? Who has known all the heights and depths of the love of Christ which passes knowledge? Paul, when grown old, sitting grey-haired, shivering in a dungeon in Rome, could say with greater emphasis than we can, I know whom I have believed, for each experience had been like the climbing of a hill, each trial had been like ascending another summit, and his death seemed like gaining the top of the mountain, from which he could see the whole of the faithfulness and the love of him to whom he had committed his soul. Get thee up, dear friend, into the high mountain.” – charles hadden spurgeon

Learning The Father's Love

2009-06-17T10:41:00.004-04:00

I thought it was so cool and so like God to reaffirm what I wrote about yesterday through Elisabeth Elliot's devotional today. "Whenever I have resisted Him, I have cheated myself. Whenever I have yielded, I have found joy."

-When my brother Dave was very small, we spent a week at the seaside in Belmar, New Jersey. In vain my father tried to persuade the little boy to come into the waves with him and jump, promising to hold him safely and not allow the waves to sweep over his head. He took me (only a year older) into the ocean and showed Dave how much fun it would be. Nothing doing. The ocean was terrifying. Dave was sure it would mean certain disaster, and he could not trust his father. On the last day of our vacation he gave in. He was not swept away, his father held him as promised, and he had far more fun than he could have imagined, whereupon he burst into tears and wailed, "Why didn't you make me go in?"

An early lesson in prayer often comes through an ordeal of fear. We face impending adversity and we doubt the love, wisdom and power of our Father in heaven. We've tried everything else and in our desperation we turn to prayer--of the primitive sort: here's Somebody who's reputed to be able to do anything. The great question is, can I get Him to do what I want? How do I twist His arm, how persuade a remote and reluctant deity to change His mind?

When the people of Israel were encamped in Pi-hahiroth and saw the Egyptians coming after them, they felt they were looking death in the face and it was all Moses' fault--"as if there weren't enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die!"

"Don't be afraid," said Moses. "Stand by. The Lord will fight for you if you'll just be quiet."
You know the story of deliverance--the sea was rolled back, Israel marched through it dry shod, and when the Egyptians pursued them the sea swamped their horses, their chariots, and the whole army. "Not even one of them remained." The song of victory Moses and Israel sang reveals their recognition not only of the strength, majesty and wonder-working of the Lord, but of His loving-kindness, immeasurably beyond anything they had dared to hope.

Poor Dave! His father could have forced him to come into the water, but he could not have forced him to relax and enjoy it. As long as the child insisted on protecting himself, saving the life he was sure he would lose, he could not trust the strong love of his father. He refused to surrender. In this simple story we hear echoes of the most ancient story, of the two who, mistrusting the word of their Father, fearing that obedience to Him would ultimately bar them from happiness, chose to repudiate their dependence on Him. Sin, death, destruction for the whole race were the result.

Learning to pray is learning to trust the wisdom, the power, and the love of our Heavenly Father, always so far beyond our dreams. He knows our need and knows ways to meet it that have never entered our heads. Things we feel sure we need for happiness may often lead to our ruin. Things we think will ruin us (the chariots of Egypt, the waters of the sea, or the little waves in Belmar!), if we believe what the Father tells us and surrender ourselves into His strong arms, bring us deliverance and joy.

The only escape from self-love is self-surrender. "Whoever loses his life for Me will find it" (Matthew 16:25, NIV). "Dwell in my love. If you heed my commands, you will dwell in my love, as I have heeded my Father's commands and dwell in His love. I have spoken thus to you, so that my joy may be in you, and your joy complete" (John 15:9-11, NEB). My father knew far better than his small, fearful, stubborn son what would give him joy. So does our Heavenly Father. Whenever I have resisted Him, I have cheated myself, as my little brother did. Whenever I have yielded, I have found joy.-e.e.

2009-06-16T10:08:00.002-04:00

So, I had a new thought this morning...well, maybe not a new thought, but at least a better Formed, better Informed one. Selfishness/self-seeking directly correlates with not trusting God. The result? God will often times let us have our way, but in the end we will be unsatisfied. The opposite of that is unselfishness/surrender which correlates with trusting God. The result? God will take our interests into His hands. He will take care of us. You would think that knowing that truth would make us never want to take things into our own hands again, but no, like foolish children we often grab for control again and again! God is so kind and patient with us though. I am hoping to continue grow in trusting God and giving all to Him...He always knows the best time to give and the best gifts to give.

“If you will devote yourself to God,

as making a sacrifice of all your own interests to him,

you will not throw yourself away.

Though you seem to neglect yourself and to deny yourself,

and to overlook self in imitating the divine benevolence,

GOD WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU;

and He will see to it that your interest is provided for,

and your welfare made sure…

If you are selfish,

and make yourself and your own private interests your idol,

God will leave you to yourself

and let you promote your interests as well as you can.

But if you do not selfishly seek your own,

but do seek the things that are Jesus Christ’s,

and the things of your fellow-beings,

then God will make your interests and happiness his own charge, and

He is infinitely more able to provide for and promote it than you are.”
-jonathan edwards

Responsible to Praise

2009-06-11T13:26:00.002-04:00

We cannot always or even often control events, but we can control how we respond to them. When things happen which dismay or appall, we ought to look to God for his meaning, remembering that He is not taken by surprise nor can his purposes be thwarted in the end. What God looks for is those who will worship Him. Our look of inquiring trust glorifies Him.
One of the witnesses to the crucifixion was a military officer to whom the scene was surely not a novelty. He had seen plenty of criminals nailed up. But the response of this Man who hung there was of such an utterly different nature than that of the others that the centurion knew at once that He was innocent. His own response then, rather than one of despair that such a terrible injustice should take place, or of anger at God who might have prevented it, was praise (Lk 23:47 NEB).

This is our first responsibility: to glorify God. In the face of life's worst reversals and tragedies, the response of a faithful Christian is praise--not for the wrong itself certainly, but for who God is and for the ultimate assurance that there is a pattern being worked out for those who love Him. - Elisabeth Elliot

The Master Gardener

2009-06-09T09:32:00.003-04:00

I have been thinking a lot about God's work of grace in my life lately. About instant justification upon accepting Christ and progressive sanctification over the course of life. About why some people seem to advance in sanctification more quickly than others? Why some fall away and some stand firm? God obviously knows all those things. I heard someone say once, that to be a Christian means that you better get comfortable with mystery. So true. It's not up to me to understand all the ins and outs of God's work of grace in our lives, but instead to trust and believe that He will complete the good work He began in each one of us like He promises. It may take time, just like cultivating a garden, but we can have confidence knowing we are being taken care of by The Master Gardener.

Often times what I think will help me grow and what the Lord KNOWS will help me grow look very different from each other. The longer I live, the more I see His unerring wisdom and perfect sovereignty. I see how He uses joys, trials, people, His word and so many other things to fashion me more into His likeness. I see how much I need Him to be apart of every aspect of my life and my need to stay near the cross. So, I guess all that is to say, that this morning I am praising God for His work of grace!

"For the most part, God's people are exercised with sharp trials and temptations; for it is necessary they should learn not only what He can do for them—but how little they can do without Him! Therefore He teaches them not all at once—but by degrees, as they are able to bear it." - john newton

What Makes God's Work Shine

2009-06-04T13:37:00.003-04:00

Brother Masseo asked St. Francis of Assisi why all the world should go running after him who was neither handsome nor learned nor even of noble birth. At this, Francis was overjoyed, and after kneeling to thank God, said, "Why me? Why me? The all-seeing God, looking down and finding nothing viler on earth, quite naturally fixed His gaze on me. For to make His work shine forth in men's eyes, the Lord takes what is learned, strong, and noble, so that the glory may go to the sole Author of all good." - elisabeth elliot

We are only pots--common ones of clay, so that the splendid power may belong to God and not to us (2 Cor 4:7 NEB)

Therefore We Will Not Be Afraid

2009-06-02T10:29:00.003-04:00

The Lord has been teaching me patience and joy through burdens and afflictions. It's hard for me to even call them by those names, because what I go through pales so greatly in comparison to what others endure and most importantly what Christ endured. The reality is that every believer on the face of the earth will at some point in their life encounter hardship. Whether it be a hard fight against sin, bearing burdens, a long term illness or just the trials of life. Sometimes we can think we don't have the strength to walk through another trials or defeat another sin and we would be right. The kind of strength needed for that can only come from God. Like I've said before, I see that sin and trials keep me on my knees and close to the cross. And like a speaker said at a recent conference I attended, "It's better to be tormented by Satan, than to be proud." The following quote encouraged me today...as well as the thought that God is able and willing to make perfect His strength in our weakness.

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble! Therefore we will not be afraid, though the earth trembles and the mountains topple into the depths of the seas!" Psalm 46:1-2

November 2, 1761

My dear sister,

Let us not be greatly discouraged at the many tribulations, difficulties and disappointments which lie in the path which leads to glory. Our Lord has plainly told us, that "in this world, you will have many trials and sorrows." Yet He has also made a suitable provision for every case we can meet with; and is Himself always near to those who call upon Him—as a sure refuge, an almighty strength, a never-failing, ever-present help in every time of trouble!

Jesus Himself was a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief for our sakes. He drank the whole cup of unmixed wrath for us! Shall we then refuse to taste a sip of the cup of affliction at His appointment; especially when His wisdom and His love prepare it for us—and He proportions every circumstance to our strength; when He puts it into our hands, not in anger—but in tender mercy—to do us good, to bring us near to Himself; and when He sweetens every bitter sip with those comforts which none but He can give." - john newton

Thank Goodness God Is Sovereign, Not Sentimental!

2009-05-28T10:16:00.005-04:00

Came across this today. I'm not even going to expound on it's content...it speaks so truthfully and directly. I couldn't agree more with these words!

“I want to celebrate unanswered prayer.

I want to … thank God for all the prayers

I have prayed sinfully motivated,

that the Saviour hasn’t answered.

I want to thank God that he is sovereign, not sentimental.

I want to thank God for all the times when …

I have approached the Saviour

demanding that he do for me whatever I ask, …

that the Saviour’s response was not simply,

“You don’t know what you are asking”,

but that he withheld an answer to that prayer.

I am grateful to God for unanswered prayers.

Here’s a question, though: how do you respond to unanswered prayer?

I believe how we respond to unanswered prayer

normally reveals our motive

and ultimately reveals the purpose of our prayers.

If I encounter someone who is bitterly declaring,

“I have prayed … and the Lord hasn’t provided”,

that is usually the voice of someone who wants to use God …

rather than serve him for his glory.

I find unanswered prayer purifies my motive,

and often alters the very content of my prayer as well. - c.j. mahaney

“My disappointment and doubt when my prayers are unanswered show what’s in my heart. I think that God should see things my way. I think that he exists to make my path smooth. But where in the Bible am I given such a small view of God — a God whose thoughts are, well, my thoughts (Isa 55:8-9)? Where am I promised that every stone and bump in the road will be leveled before my feet?

In his mercy, God doesn’t say “yes” to my petulant, childish demands. Like a loving parent, he says “no”. When I respond with whining self-pity, like a spoiled child declaring, “It’s not fair!”, my wise Father doesn’t give in. He gives me what is truly good — what makes me more like Jesus, what furthers his kingdom, and what brings glory to his Son — rather than what looks and feels good to me at the time.

God sees things from a very different perspective to me.He sees things from the perspective of inconceivable wisdom,infinite goodness and immeasurable love.He sees things from the perspective of his glory…

Praise God for the blessing of unanswered prayer." - jean williams

How Should I Walk?

2009-05-19T10:00:00.003-04:00

Trying to discern God's will has always been something I have struggled with. I over analyze, over spiritualize and am just plain scared to make decisions for fear of making a wrong one. But over the past several months God has been graciously helping me learn to think a little differently. Through words of wisdom from people in my life, books and the scriptures, my theology concerning God's will has been shifting. That's not to say I still don't have a difficult time sorting through decisions, but it's getting easier. I've been learning that when I am devoted to glorifying God in all I do, reading the scriptures and in healthy fellowship with other believer's, making wise decisions comes more easily. Yes, sometimes it's good not to rush into a decision and instead take sometime to think and pray about it, but I realize that I have made cowardice and procrastination into a spiritual matter. I need to love God, trust Him and make decisions in faith, knowing that our caring and sovereign God will redirect my steps if need be. I would recommend the book by Kevin DeYoung called "Just Do Something". It's a wonderful resource on this subject and challenged my thinking considerably. - The following from John Newton speaks perfectly about the importance of being lead by God and His word. Advice and reason can go a long way in making a choice, but ultimately, we are to be governed by God's word. He knows we need help and He is ready and willing to lead us...the leading just might look different than we think.

"No person can adjust and draw the line exactly for another. There are so many particulars in every situation, of which a stranger cannot be a competent judge, and the best human advice is mixed with such defects—that it is not right to expect others to be absolutely guided by our rules; nor is it safe for us implicitly to adopt the decisions or practices of others.

But the Scripture undoubtedly furnishes sufficient and infallible rules for every person, for whatever the circumstances; and the throne of grace is appointed for us to wait upon the Lord for the best exposition of His precepts. Thus David often prays to be led in the right way, "Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me." Psalm 25:4-5

By frequent prayer, and close acquaintance with the Scripture, and a habitual attention to the frame of our hearts, there is a certain delicacy of spiritual taste and discernment to be acquired, which renders a proper judgment concerning the nature and limits of questionable things. Love to Christ is the clearest and most persuasive factor; and when our love to Jesus is in lively exercise, and the rule of his Word is in our eye—we seldom make great mistakes!" j.n.

2009-05-15T13:40:00.002-04:00

- Christ's Preeminence

- Christ's Incarnation

- Christ's Life

- Christ's Death
- Christ's Resurrection
- Christ's Return

The above list are the title's of the message's that will be preached at the upcoming Next Conference (formerly known as New Attitude). I can't believe how excited I am about the fact that I will be hearing all of those teachings! To learn more of God, to have my heart and mind informed by His word, to be with thousands of other believers worshipping the Savior...besides spending eternity with the Lord, it can't get much better than that! I know God is moving on my heart to feel this way and I am praying that I, as well as, the others going will meet God again in a fresh way and remember that our purpose is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. Only one more week!

Falling Dice

2009-05-14T11:29:00.003-04:00

Worry hinders us from being as effective as we could be. We get caught up in Christ's business and end up neglecting our own. It's comforting to know however, that we have a God who sympathizing with our weaknesses. Who takes the time to draw us near to Him and remind us of His steadfast love. The following passage from Spurgeon was perfect to remind me of God's constant care.

"We may throw the dice—but the Lord determines how they fall." Proverbs 16:33
If the fall of the dice is under the Lord's control—then whose is the arrangement of our whole life? If the simple casting of the dice is guided by Him—how much more the events of our entire life—especially when we are told by our blessed Savior, "The very hairs of your head are all numbered! Not a sparrow falls to the ground without your Father!" It would bring a holy calm over your mind, dear friend, if you were always to remember this. It would so relieve your mind from worry—that you would be the better able to walk in patience, calmness, and cheerfulness, as a Christian should. When a man is anxious—he cannot pray with faith, or serve his Master. When you worry and fret about your lot and circumstances, you are meddling with Christ's business, and neglecting your own! You have been attempting "providing" work—and forgetting that it is yours to "obey". Be wise and attend to the obeying—and let Christ manage the providing."- charles hadden spurgeon

More Than Watchmen For The Morning

2009-05-06T13:31:00.006-04:00

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."-Hebrews 11:1-3

I have been reading through Hebrews in my devotions and was extorted afresh from chapter 11 concerning "faith". The writer is reminding the readers about the past examples of demonstrated faith. He speaks of Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab...and mentions so many moments of the believer's faith in the faithfulness of their God.

"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect."

What the Christians of old walked through was not easy, but they trusted that God had a plan and so they had faith. My trials and difficulties are so insignificant in comparison, but I am called to have faith as well. Like the apostle said, faith "conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight." Who wouldn't want that kind of faith?! Well, we can have it. God desires us to have it and we need to have it. What a comfort to know our lives are in the hands of a faithful God.

Out of the depths, O Lord, I cry to You

When I am tempted to despair

Though I might fail to trust Your promises

You never fail to hear my prayer

And if You judged my sin

I’d never stand again

But I see mercy in Your hands

So more than watchmen for the morning

I will wait for You, my God

When my fears come with no warning

In Your Word I’ll put my trust

When the harvest time is over and I still see no fruit

I will wait, I will wait for You

The secret mysteries belong to You

We only know what You reveal

And all my questions that are unresolved

Don’t change the wisdom of Your will

In every trial and loss

My hope is in the cross

Where Your compassions never fail

God, My God

2009-04-28T10:53:00.003-04:00

Prayer is a weapon, a tool, a life line. I know that I often want instantaneous results when I pray. Sometimes prayer may seem ineffective and like a mere charade. But God’s word tells us time and time again that He hears ours prayers and is at work even when we can’t see it. He is at work preparing the “good” things that were promised to us. “If you, bad as you are, know how to give your children what is good for them, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him?" -Matthew 7:11

“Are you as often tempted as I am to doubt the effectiveness of prayer? But Jesus prayed. He told us to pray. We can be sure that the answer will come, and it will be good. If it is not exactly what we expected, chances are we were not asking for quite the right thing. Our heavenly Father hears the prayer, but wants to give us bread rather than stones.” – Elisabeth Elliot

I know that I sometimes feel guilty for continually going to God for needs and wants, but God has been so kind to remind me through His word and gentle prompting that He desires us to come to Him. I read once that it is stranger how little use we make of spiritual blessings, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God himself. We apply ourselves little to him and we ask little of him.

Spurgeon says, “How seldom do we ask counsel at the hands of the Lord! How often do we go about our business, without seeking his guidance! In our troubles how constantly do we strive to bear our burdens ourselves, instead of casting them upon the Lord, that he may sustain us! This is not because we may not, for the Lord seems to say, I am thine, soul, come and make use of me as thou wilt; thou mayst freely come to my store, and the oftener the more welcome. It is our own fault if we make not free with the riches of our God. Then, since thou hast such a friend, and he invites thee, draw from him daily. Never want whilst thou hast a God to go to; never fear or faint whilst thou hast God to help thee; go to thy treasure and take whatever thou needest--there is all that thou canst want. Learn the divine skill of making God all things to thee. He can supply thee with all, or, better still, he can be to thee instead of all. Let me urge thee, then, to make use of thy God. Make use of him in prayer. Go to him often, because he is thy God. O, wilt thou fail to use so great a privilege? Fly to him, tell him all thy wants. Use him constantly by faith at all times. If some dark providence has beclouded thee, use thy God as a sun; if some strong enemy has beset thee, find in Jehovah a shield, for he is a sun and shield to his people. If thou hast lost thy way in the mazes of life, use him as a guide, for he will direct thee.”

I have been sustained and upheld many times recently by taking hold of the gift of prayer. To be able to go to our caring Father and pour your heart out and receive the strength that He offers is such a sweet blessing. I know that I don’t always pray perfectly and that my motives are often mixed, but we serve an understanding and merciful God who does not treat us as our sins deserve and lavishes us with His steadfast love. So, whatever cares may be burdening your heart, cast them on your Heavenly Father. He loves to be our friend, help and support. He is able when we are not.

“Whatever you are, and wherever you are, remember God is just what you want, and just where you want, and that he can do all you want.”

Don't Believe The Lie

2009-04-23T10:32:00.004-04:00

He's keeping something from me! He doesn't want what's best for me...he's not giving me the best! Yes, he's given me lots of good things, but not the thing I want most.

I would imagine that Eve struggled with all of those thoughts in the Garden before she decided to take matters into her own hands. She began by breaking the first commandment and that was to start loving something more than God. She wanted her own happiness and desires fulfilled more than she loved God and wanted to obey Him. She craved something that wasn't hers. A lie was presented to her and instead of choosing to believe God, who had given her every good thing, she chose to believe the serpent. Eve was content in her fellowship with God and in what He had given her. But than she began to question God's goodness. She began to believe the lie that God didn't have her best interest at heart...that He was withholding something from her.

I don't know why God decided to have one tree in the Garden that was off-limits to Adam and Eve, but God knows. We sometimes imagine that God might eventually "sit us down" and "explain" His mysterious ways to our satisfaction. But being a Christian means getting comfortable with mystery. I read an example once about the possibility of a person never having seen a skyscraper. If we were to to happen upon a fenced in area where there was construction going on. Huge earth movers are at work; hundreds of men in hard hats are busy at mysterious tasks; cranes are being moved into place; truckloads of pipes and cement are being unloaded. What on earth is happening? There is nobody around to answer our questions. If we wait long enough, nobody will need to. When we see the finished building, all the incomprehensible activity becomes comprehensible. "Oh! So this is what that was for." It's the same way with God's plans.

Sometimes, we know exactly what a skyscraper looks like. It's big and beautiful and was made with our own hands. We can't imagine anything making us happier than the dream that lays before us. But God often times has other plans.

"When God shatters dreams, He rebuilds them into something beautiful. Perhaps not beautiful by worldly standards but more akin to what is captured in Isaiah, when God says He will give His people "a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair" (Isaiah 61:3)."- Suzanne Hadley

It's hard to trust that what the Lord chooses to give us or not to give us is His best. It's takes faith and daily surrender. It takes the practice of immersing ourselves in God's word and learning the character of who He is. The character that promises to never leave us, nor forsake us. The character that freely pours out steadfast love and forgiveness. The character that gave us the best gift we could ever imagine...His Son. Faith is holding out your hand to God and saying "I trust You". How comforting to know, we can trust our faithful Father.

"Sometimes when I was a child my mother or father would say, "Shut your eyes and hold out your hand." That was the promise of some lovely surprise. I trusted them, so I shut my eyes instantly and held out my hand. Whatever they were going to give me I was ready to take. So it should be in our trust of our heavenly Father. Faith is the willingness to receive whatever He wants to give, or the willingness not to have what He does not want to give. I am content to be and have what in Thy heart I am meant to be and have. From the greatest of all gifts, salvation in Christ, to the material blessings of any ordinary day (hot water, a pair of legs that work, a cup of coffee, a job to do and strength to do it), every good gift comes down from the Father of Lights. Every one of them is to be received gladly and, like gifts people give us, with thanks. Sometimes we want things we were not meant to have. Because He loves us, the Father says no. Faith trusts that no. Faith is willing not to have what God is not willing to give. Furthermore, faith does not insist upon an explanation. It is enough to know his promise to give what is good--He knows so much more about that than we do." - E.E.

2009-04-21T11:20:00.003-04:00

His grasp?

Ah, what a mercy it is that it is not YOUR hold

of Christ that saves you, but HIS hold of you!

What a sweet fact that it is not how you grasp His hand,

but His grasp of yours that saves you.
-Spurgeon

What sweet truth and comfort today and everyday. My soul finds rest in God alone.

The author and perfecter of my faith.

Slow But Sure

2009-04-16T09:30:00.003-04:00

There are hard lessons to learn in life. An important one concerns the evil of our own hearts. I know some about it, but I need to know more. I see through scripture that the more I know of myself, the more I will love Jesus and His salvation. The more I know Him-the better I will trust Him. The more I trust Him-the more I will love Him. The more I love Him-the better I will serve Him. I am not called to buy, but to beg; not to be strong in myself, but in the grace that I receive through Christ. He is continually working in me and teaching me...and I know He will to the end. I love the following quote by John Newton. It's so full of honest facts about ourselves and unbelievable truths about God.

"I hope what you find in yourself by daily experience, will humble you—but not discourage you. For if our Physician is almighty—our disease cannot be desperate. Our sins are many—but His mercies are more. Our sins are great—but His righteousness is greater. When our sins prevail, remember that we have an Advocate with the Father, who is able to pity, to pardon, and to save to the uttermost! Think of the names and relations which Jesus bears to us. Does He not call Himself—a Savior, a Shepherd, a Friend, and a Husband? Has He not made known unto us His love, His atoning sacrifice, His righteousness, His promises, His power, and His grace—and all for our encouragement? It is better to be admiring the compassion and fullness of grace which is in our Savior—than to dwell and pore too much upon our own poverty and vileness."

My sins are many, but "HIS MERCIES ARE MORE"! My sins are great, but "HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IS GREATER"! I have to remember that holiness isn't instantaneous. Yes, the power of sin was broken from our lives the moment God saved us, but growing to be like Christ is a process. Justification is immediate...sanctification takes time. Knowing this encourages me and gives my sinful soul hope for the future. I can be sure Christ is at work in me, even when it's hard for me to see. I'll leave you with the last part of the above quote.

"Remember, the growth of a believer is not like a mushroom—but like an oak, which increases slowly indeed—but surely. Many suns, showers, and frosts, pass upon it before it comes to perfection. And in winter, when it seems to be dead—it is gathering strength at the root. Be humble, watchful, and diligent in the means, and endeavor to look through all, and fix your eye upon Jesus—and all shall be well. I commend you to the care of the good Shepherd."

God's Story Tellers

2009-04-15T14:18:00.003-04:00

The spiritual mind, fond of soaring through nature in quest of new proofs of God's existence, and fresh emblems of His wisdom, power and goodness, exults in the thought that it is his Father's domain he treads!

He feels that God, his God, is there.
And the sweet consciousness of His all pervading presence, and the impress of His great perfections which everywhere meets his eye, overwhelm his renewed soul with wonder, love, and praise.

O the delight of looking abroad upon nature, under a sense of pardoning, filial love in the soul when enabled to exclaim, "this God is my God!" - Winslow

"The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world." Psalm 19:1-4

My Rest In Weariness

2009-04-13T09:21:00.004-04:00

It's so evident to me how unworthy I am of God's care and grace, and yet I am desperate for it everyday I live and breathe. I know with my mind the fact that no matter what we do or how long we live, we will always belong to the Lord...but yesterday I was struck again with the realization that nothing can separate us from the love of God and He will continue the good work He began in us, like He promised. It was comforting to think that God will be my friend no matter what happens. He is the one constant I can always count on. Though my flesh and my heart may fail, He is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. The following words reaffirmed my thoughts and feelings this morning. How kind of God.

All I Need
Oh, my precious Savior! You are all I need for time and for eternity. You are . . . my rest in weariness, my ease in pain, my strength in weakness. Is anything too hard for the Lord? Is anything too small for the Lord? Is anything too great or heavy for the Lord? No! My beloved and my adorable Lord, I fall into Your arms for support, guidance, and blessing.

Indeed, I am unworthy of the least of Your mercies, and I feel it. But Your mercies are free! Oh, the wonders of Your love, that can bear with such weakness and wanderings as mine! I worship and adore You, and would joyfully sink into Love's unfathomable abyss, where sins and self are lost! Oh! my precious Savior, how blessed is Your presence amidst the storms of this weary land! How does all that is of earth recede before the overshadowings of Your presence! Precious Lord, draw me more and more into Your secret chamber, where worldling never came, where the flesh was never fed. - ruth bryan

The Trouble Tree

2009-04-10T11:27:00.003-04:00

This little story someone sent me reminded me of the verse,

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you."

God is always faithful to take care of our troubles when we release them into His capable hands. The very act is freeing and we are then able to continue through our day with peace and thanksgiving, knowing our loving Father has everything under control.

The Tree

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had

just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an

hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start.

While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me

in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly

at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands.

When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation... His face

was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his

wife a kiss.

Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got

the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

'Oh, that's my trouble tree,' he replied 'I know I can't help having

troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong

in the house with my wife and the children.. So I just hang them up on the

tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in

the morning I pick them up again.' 'Funny thing is,' he smiled,' when I come

out in the morning, they don't seem nearly as bad as I remembered the night before.

The tree that matters most is the one Christ died on. In the shadow of the cross, everything else pales in comparison. It's good to remember that God rescued us from our sin by sending His own Son. Why then would He deny us help with our troubles? He loves to be consulted and leaned upon for support. He's the best friend we have.

God Knows

2009-04-08T10:36:00.004-04:00

It's comforting to know that God is ever mindful of His children. For every task, big or small, He provides the strength to accomplish it. It's so true that the Lord does not give us grace for our imaginations of tomorrow, but grants us enough for one day at a time. Knowing this truth helps me to become more and more dependent on Him. There is nothing better than to be completely dependent on God. If I need strength, I can be sure I will have it. That is the nature of the God we serve. Even when I am overwhelmed, He knows my path.

When my spirit was overwhelmed within me,

then Thou knewest my path. psalms 142:3

DO not yield to the temptation of looking at everything at once,
as if everything would happen at once,
and all the events of the day be crowded into an hour.
Do not thus forecast,
but take each thing as it comes to you,
and look upon it as the present expression of the will of God concerning you;
then regard the next in the same way,
and thus receive your day piece by piece
from Him who will remember always
when He gives you work to do,
that you need strength to do it.

…if you need more strength,
you will have it, be sure of that;
or the call to greater exertion may never come to you.
Your business is with the present;
leave the future in His hands
who will be sure to do the best,
the very best for you.
priscilla maurice

My Need For God Is Great

2009-04-07T09:52:00.000-04:00

The following quotes encouraged me greatly today. I am deeply aware of my need for God's guidance and for His grace. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am not perfect and fail miserably day after day. But God in His mercy, reaches down and picks me up when I fall. It's hard sometimes trying to be obedient to God. I know God is aware though and when I stagger or stray or become too weary to go forward, He takes me by the hand and leads me on. It's hard sometimes to understand God's plan and the paths He leads us on. He isn't always asking me to understand though, but to be faithful. God knows my proneness to wander, but by His grace, He is helping me seek His will above my own. Not living perfectly, but living for a perfect God.

Walking with God by J. R. Miller

"Direct my footsteps according to Your Word; let no sin rule over me." Psalm 119:133

This is a prayer which should always be on our lips. We should get our direction from God, not once in our life only, when we first give ourselves to Him; not at the opening of each day only, as we go forth to the day's task; not merely at the beginning of each new piece of work or of each fresh task—but every moment, for each step. That is what "walking with God" means. We may make this so real, that we shall look up into God's face continually, asking, "What next, dear Lord? What shall I do now? Which course shall I take today? How shall I do this duty?" If we can but have God's guidance and help for the little short steps—we need not fear for the long miles—the great stretches of road. If each step is of His directing—the long miles will be paths of His choosing.

"Direct my footsteps according to Your Word; let no sin rule over me." Psalm 119:133

"Believers err in many things, falling many ways, and sin is mixed with all they do; but in the tenor of their lives all believers are faithful, seeking the will and glory of God in all things and above all things. As we become increasingly aware of our personal sinfulness and corruption, as we are humbled by the depravity of our hearts, nothing is more comforting, cheerful, and reassuring to God’s saints, than the knowledge of the fact that in the eyes of Christ we stand perfect in the beauty of his righteousness, the beauty which he has put upon us."-Don Fortner

My Having Been His Murderer

2009-04-03T11:02:00.002-04:00

A great multitude of the people followed Him, including women who mourned and wailed for Him." Luke 23:27

Amid the rabble crowd which hounded the Redeemer to His doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought vent in wailing and lamentations--fit music to accompany that march of woe!

When my soul can, in imagination, see the Savior bearing His cross to Calvary--she joins the godly women, and weeps with them. They bewailed . . .

innocence--maltreated,

goodness--persecuted,

love--bleeding,

meekness--dying!

But my heart has a deeper and more bitter cause to mourn: MY SINS were the scourges which lacerated those blessed shoulders! MY SINS were the thorns which crowned that bleeding brow! MY SINS cried, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!" and laid the cruel cross upon His gracious shoulders! His being led forth to die, is sorrow enough for one eternity--but MY having been His murderer--is more, infinitely more grief, than one poor fountain of tears can express! Those women who loved and wept--could not have had greater reasons for love and grief--than my heart has!

The widow of Nain saw her son restored--but I myself have been raised to newness of life!

Peter's mother-in-law was cured of the fever--but I myself have been cured of the plague of sin!

Mary Magdalene had seven devils cast out of her--but a whole legion of devils were cast out of me!

Mary and Martha were favored with visits from Jesus--but He dwells with me! I am not behind these holy women in debt to Jesus--let me not be behind them, in gratitude or sorrow.

"Love and grief my heart dividing,

With my tears His feet I'll lave;

Constant still in heart abiding,

Weep for Him who died to save!" - c.h.s.

Walking By Grace Not Guilt

2009-03-31T11:45:00.003-04:00

As someone who struggles with guilt and how to balance having a "God glorifying" type of guilt, but not a self-absorbed/condemnation kind, I found this article very helpful and encouraging. I hope you do as well.

Grace In Guilt by David Barshinger

That haunting memory. The boil of regret. Lashing out on the wall. Sitting paralyzed. Wasting away. I'm too often drawn back into my memory, reliving the past and remembering verbal blows exchanged. And some of the worst recollections involve careless or harsh words. One friendship was ruined by a single phrase misunderstood. In another memory my angry outburst wounded my family.

I remember one particular conversation my wife and I had with another couple from a former small group that got so heated and personal, it altered our relationship from that day forward. At the time I felt we were victims of injustice. Looking back, I realize much of the break stemmed from misunderstanding, suspicion, lack of trust and the need to be right — on their side, yes, but more importantly, on my side.

As I've thought back on that engagement, I've seen that my words contributed significantly to the degeneration of the relationship. But I'm caught. If only I could go back and change what I said. But that's one thing I can't do. If only I could make things right. But the damage seems irreparable. Apologies were made, but trust had been broken.

Words pack a punch, and the bruises they leave are not easily erased. How many of us wish we could change what we said in the heat of the moment? Words have sparked wars, broken marriages, destroyed friendships, and severed parents and children. Yet the damage from foolish words lay not only in those initial divides, but in the days of living with that memory emblazoned on our minds. The memory is real. The pain is real. And the guilt is unrelenting.

The Good in Guilt

When I remember the foolish, harmful things I've said to another person, I often dwell on how my words made them resentful. My mind can become so absorbed with the memory that I can think about nothing but my own failure and misery. It's a crippling feeling, stopping me from walking forward in life.

How do I get out of it? I often get stuck in it. Some say, just think happier thoughts because, what good does it do to get dragged into the dumps by something you can't change? But I can ignore it for only so long, pretending the guilt vanishes when it actually just hides in a dark corner of my heart.

I sometimes try to suppress it by watching a film to get my mind off the guilt. Combine that with a bowl of Breyers, and the distraction works for a time. But you can't ease guilt by shoving aside its reality. Rather, the pangs prick my spirit to make me aware of where I really stand in relation to our perfect, good Creator.
Guilt is a gift, a form of God's grace to expose me to my true self and force me to take seriously my sin, whether it's a lashing tongue, a lustful thought or a lingering pride. God wants to break through my distractions, pull off my rose-colored glasses and show me the truth about myself and my future. The festering guilt can function for good, turning me to see my state before a holy God.

The psalmist David captures this feeling well. In Psalm 38:3-8, David writes of the psychosomatic effect of sin: There is no soundness in my fleshbecause of your indignation;there is no health in my bonesbecause of my sin.

For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me. My wounds stink and fester because of my foolishness, I am utterly bowed down and prostrate; all the day I go about mourning. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no soundness in my flesh. I am feeble and crushed; I groan because of the tumult of my heart.

In this passage, David describes the reason for his inward turmoil: his sin (see also Psalm 31:10). David's guilt had built up in him to the point that he could no longer bear it. That weight led him to cry out to God.
Too often I want to feel better about the wrong things I've done too quickly, but assuaging guilt prematurely makes matters worse. If freedom from guilt is based on a faulty foundation, it remains a lie — a lie that emboldens me to increase sin. And in the end the frame comes crashing down, leaving me on the ground stuck in guilt.

C. S. Lewis describes a skewed view of God that redefines "goodness" as passing over the ill in our lives. Lewis explains: What would really satisfy us would be a God who said of anything we happened to like doing, "What does it matter so long as they are contented?" We want, in fact, not so much a Father in Heaven as a grandfather in heaven — a senile benevolence who, as they say, "liked to see young people enjoying themselves," and whose plan for the universe was simply that it might be truly said at the end of each day, "a good time was had by all."

But God is not a "senile benevolence." He's unwilling to sit by and let us run ourselves over a cliff, all in the name of "a good time." He's actively working to draw people to grace, using our inward languishing to bring us to the point of repentance, and so to heal our bones and quicken our spirits.

God's Transcendent Mercy

In Psalm 32, David again describes his "groaning all day long" because God's hand was "heavy" upon him "day and night" and his "strength was dried up as by the heat of summer" (Ps 32:3-4). But, he says, "I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" (Ps 32:5). Thus he could rejoice in God's mercy and proclaim, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered" (Ps 32:1).

Instead of wallowing in guilt, I can rise again when I come clean with God about what He already knows: my sinful words. I must dwell on His holy Word that speaks hope into my life, reorienting me to the truth about myself and God. Scripture says that in the midst of our guilt, "God shows his love for us"; we can, indeed must, approach God from that state, for "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8).

Guilt forces us to face our reality, that we are "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1). But God's rich mercy out of His great love transcends our guilt and gives us true freedom from anguish. He pulls me up from my immobile, lifeless state, stuck in the memory of my guilt-ridden speech, raising me to a place of life and movement (Eph 2:4-7). God takes my piercing words that draw a crimson flow and makes them white as snow (Isa 1:18). That is the beauty and mystery of forgiveness.

How can this be? Only through Christ, who unlike us bore no guilt in His body (John 18:38; 19:4, 6). And on the basis of Christ's work I can call to God, "Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!" (Psalm 25:7). In other words, see me not in my sin, but see me in Your love, in Your mercy, in Christ.

God's transcendent, overflowing mercy is the basis for me to deal with guilt. I can stand in Christ's eternal forgiveness and walk ahead free from guilt's weight. For Jesus states emphatically that "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36).

That doesn't erase my careless words or the hurt they caused. And surely Christ's mercy doesn't diminish the seriousness of my sin. Rather, my sin, a horrific affront to the purity and holiness of God, underscores the preciousness of the blood Jesus spilled for the sins of the world. His death and resurrection offer reconciliation and call me to change. And as the Spirit's work of grace makes me more like Christ, I will learn to control my tongue and sin less, meaning fewer and fewer reasons for added guilt.

I don't need to rehash my past verbal collisions if I've confessed them and pursued reconciliation, because Christ's mercy covers my failures. Instead, I must accept God's forgiveness and refuse to live defeated because Christ extends both eternal freedom for the future and enabling grace for today.

To take hold of this freedom, I pray, asking God to show me what is true today, what can and can't be done, and how real His forgiveness is. And I read and meditate on God's Word, allowing those words of life to renew my soul in Christ's transcendent mercy. I'll sometimes fail, letting loose my tongue and hurting others, but as Scripture says, "the righteous falls seven times and rises again" (Prov 24:16).

As a Christian, I don't sit paralyzed by guilt. I walk by the grace of God.

Contemplating God's Greatness!

2009-03-30T14:24:00.005-04:00

by charles spurgeon

"Lift up your eyes, behold the heavens, the work of God's fingers-- behold the sun guided in his daily march; go forth at midnight, and behold the heavens; consider the stars and the moon; look upon these works of God's hands, and if you be men of sense, and your souls are attuned to the high music of the spheres, you will say,"What is man that you are mindful of him?" My God! when I survey the boundless fields of ether, and see those ponderous orbs rolling therein, when I consider how vast are your dominions-so wide that an angel's wing might flap to all eternity and never reach a boundary- I marvel that you should look on insects so obscure as man. I am so little that I shrink into nothingness when I behold the Almightiness of Jehovah- so little, that the difference between the molecule and man dwindles into nothing, when compared with the infinite chasm between God and man. Let your mind rove upon the great doctrines of the Godhead; consider the existence of God from before the foundations of the world; behold Him who is, and was, and is to come, the Almighty.Let your soul comprehend as much as it can of the Infinite, and grasp as much as possible of the Eternal, and I am sure if you have minds at all, they will shrink with awe. The tall arch angel bows himself before his Master's throne, and we shall cast ourselves into the lowest dust when we feel what base nothings, what insignificant specks we are when compared with our all-adorable Creator. Labor, O soul, to know your nothingness, and learn it by contemplating God's greatness.

Perfect Blueprint

2009-03-27T11:02:00.002-04:00

The Lord Keeps Faith
When trouble comes, we are tempted to think we are being punished or that God has forgotten us. He never forgets. He keeps faith--that is He keeps his promises, is faithful to his word, even when it appears that we are forsaken.

Joseph suffered one disaster after another. When, because of the vicious lie of a rejected woman he was put in prison, the Lord was with him there, keeping faith (Gn 39:21). Perhaps Joseph wondered why Almighty God could not have prevented the woman's triumphing over him--or prevented his ever having been victimized by his brothers in the first place and thus being at this woman's mercy. But we are given the complete picture which Joseph did not have while he was in prison--the amazing purpose of God for his chosen people, Jacob and all his family, who because of Joseph's long-drawn-out sufferings, were saved. God keeps faith--He has a perfect blueprint, and He is building according to its specifications. - e.e.

Fixity Is A Rare Thing

2009-03-26T11:11:00.002-04:00

It's amazing how quickly I can run after the things that don't matter as much as God and how slowly I pursue Him at times. We can often be like a heard a wild horses, either following the crowd or running after the next thing. It's hard to "be still and know that God is God" and to trust Him completely. Peace can be found in abundance when we stay near the Shepherd. I have been learning that fact. When we are so in love and dependent on God, that to go more than an hour without entering into His presence seems unbearable...well, that is the sweetest kind of pain we can ever know. God, by His great mercy and kindness, is helping me to be still before Him and find strength in His presence. It's in a wild stallion's nature to always be on the run, but it takes great strength to stand still and allow yourself to be lead. God has been gentle in His breaking of me, bridling of me and leading of me. But I still have a long way to go!

"There is no end to the new methods offered for success, self-realization, fulfillment, understanding, and happiness. Seminars, conferences, and workshops abound. Go to so-and-so, get counseling, a new exercise program, a new diet, another degree, job, husband, house, color scheme. If it's new, it's good. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. "Do not be swept off your course by all sorts of outlandish teachings; it is good that our souls should gain their strength from the grace of God" (Heb 13:8,9 NEB). Fixity of heart is a rare thing and probably always has been. It is easier to follow after the world in its futile pursuit of happiness, simply because we are like sheep and we go astray. To stay quietly by the Shepherd seems harder, but in the end we find there (and nowhere else) our soul's real strength. Pascal wrote, "I have discovered that all the unhappiness of man arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own chamber." Try spending a half hour in a room alone, without music, without television, without even reading. Can you find any peace or happiness there? If not, perhaps you have not begun to learn what is truly important." - e.e.

Lots of Questions...One Answer

2009-03-24T09:34:00.005-04:00

Christ is the answer. Most definitely. Yes. But hmm...what was the question?

The question I suppose doesn't matter as much as the answer. All questions come under one of three headings, says Elisabeth Elliot.

1. Way: we need Guidance

2. Truth: we need a norm

3. Life: we need sustenance

I have seen in my own life, that I have a habitual record of over complicating things. I pray for guidance and as soon as I'm done praying, I make myself crazy trying to figure out how to solve whatever the situation may be. I do believe that a person needs to balance trusting in God's sovereignty, with their own responsibility, but I see how I often put more of the responsibility on myself. God doesn't hide his will from us. We just sometimes have a hard time learning to discern what he is saying. I know failing to sit quietly before the Lord and listening can be a big hindrance to me knowing God's will.

*I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you. - psalm 32:8

*Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. - psalm 143:8
*Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. - isaiah 48:17
*That the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should. - jeremiah 42:3

I once heard it said that by using the letters in the word "listen", you can spell the word "silent". To be able to effectively listen to the Lord, we have to find a place of silence and also silence our hearts before God. Christ isn't just our answer for salvation, or for that sin we're struggling with. He is our answer to every single question in life, from the biggest to the smallest. When I look at life that way, a whole new aspect of joy, peace and understanding presents itself. Now I just need to apply what I know!

"Jesus said, "I am" all of these things (the way, truth and life). Let us bring everything that baffles us into his presence, holding it up before Him by faith. In that Light, the look of things will slowly begin to change, and as we humble ourselves to receive the true answer, our eyes will be opened. We learn to know Christ, then, as we walk in his way, obey his truth, and live his life. He Himself, a living, loving Person, is our answer." - elisabeth elliot

Who Are You To Judge?

2009-03-20T10:42:00.002-04:00

Shame: the painful feeling arising from the consciousness of something dishonorable, improper, ridiculous, etc., done by oneself ...

This morning I felt that way. I realized I had been harboring judgments and even anger toward people I know nothing about. Not really anyway. What I do know is what I have heard. What I don't know, is their side of the story. Even if what I've heard is true to the very last grain, who am I to judge? By now you're probably wondering what and I am talking about. Well, I am speaking of AIG. I'm sure everyone has heard about the billions of dollars the government gave them to keep them afloat and then about the "bonuses" the employees were still receiving. AIG has quickly become the object of America's hatred. Here are some things you may not have heard or thought of. The following expert if from piece in the Washington Post.

"A solitary flat-screen television hangs on the back wall of the trading floor inside the headquarters of AIG Financial Products here. Wednesday afternoon, the most-talked-about employees in America huddled around it to find out just how despised they have become. They watched quietly as members of Congress referred to them as greedy and incompetent. They heard more than one demand that their names be released to the seething American public. They heard the chairman of American International Group, Edward M. Liddy, tell lawmakers that people, in e-mails sent to AIG-FP, suggested that the firm's leaders "should be executed with piano wire around their necks."

People are actually calling for employees of AIG to be killed! And not just shot, but killed with piano wire. Can you imagine being the target of death threats just for working at a financial company? Pasciucco told the team to remain professional and keep working hard to extricate Financial Products from its more than $1.6 trillion in outstanding derivative contracts....

"In reply, they told him that they worried mostly about getting shot, despite the guards now patrolling the parking lot, the front door and some of their homes. A sense of fear hung in the room -- the palpable, unsettling kind that flashes across people's eyes. But there was anger, too. No one would express it publicly, of course. Who wants to hear a wealthy financier complain? And yet, within those walls off Danbury Road lies a deep sense of betrayal -- first by their former colleagues, now by their elected leaders."

What people may not realize is that most of the people responsible for AIG's real problems are long gone. Those who remain to handle the mess, never even lost money for the company. The bonuses and payments some of the employees are just now getting were actually offered to them when the former president of the company was getting ready to leave early last year. AIG was becoming unstable and people were thinking of leaving. The president offered them the money since the year ahead looked grim and they needed all their employees to stay and keep working to fix the problems. From what they say, a lot of them never even saw any of that money.

"People are trying to do the right thing," the same Financial Products executive said. "Guys have worked their [tails] off to try to get value for the taxpayer. This isn't money that's being advanced to us. People have performed the work and done it exactly as we asked them to do." Pasciucco cringed at the notion, articulated by many lawmakers and even President Obama, that Financial Products is a firm of nearly 400 reckless and greedy derivatives traders. In actuality, he said, nearly all the troublesome sectors of the business -- namely, the risky credit derivatives written on mortgage-backed securities -- are now out of the equation, as are the people who worked on them."

Most of the people who received $100,000 or more in bonuses were asked by their bosses to return at least 50% of it. From what I understand a lot of them already have. I also, understand that a lot of the employees who were genuinely working hard to get AIG out of this mess will be leaving the company. Who can blame them. Relentless work, death threats and much more. The public continue to be livid with AIG. Suggestions to kill the employees as well as blow up the AIG headquarters is unending. AIG workers houses are being staked out and one man has already relocated his family after his address was leaked to the public.

So, my point? Whether these people have done ever despicable thing they've been accused of or are really trying to do the right thing at the risk of their lives, doesn't matter. They are sinners just like me. They make mistakes just like me. They are made in God's image just like me. Yes, certain decisions and actions have consequences, but surely we are not the ones to pass judgement upon them.

"Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?" - James 4:11-12

The Great Mystery Of God's Patience

2009-03-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

Thoughts have been freshly sparked recently concerning the GREAT patience of God toward His creation. Imagine creating something and loving your creation beyond comprehension, and yet they curse you, deny you, rebel against you and act like they are sufficient in and of themselves. The world does that with God...I do that with God. Even though we are dependent on Him for our next breathe, we can choose to declare that He doesn't exist or to disobey Him. We live in the earth He created. Enjoy the sun, moon, ocean and mountains, which He created. Experience many joys and pleasures having been manifested by His hands, and yet, we often act as though all we have is a right and that we need no interference from the One who gave them to us. When I really, truly think about the minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years that God endures His creations self-sufficient attitude and sin, well, that is when I understand His love for me a little better. In spite of our failings, He draws our cold, proud hearts to Him and waits for us to recognize our need for Him and call Him Lord.

So, the next time I find myself grumbling against God for being slow to accomplish something in my life and give me something, I hope I take a moment to bow down and THANK Him for His attribute of "slowness". Without that slowness, which is really patience, He would have had every reason in the world to pour out His wrath upon me time and time again. I hope that as we ponder God's patience with us from day to day, our hearts will swell with greater love for our Heavenly Father! Elisabeth Elliot's words seal my thoughts exactly.

"I can, by the power mysteriously granted me by my Creator and Redeemer, declare myself master of my fate, captain of my soul, and say, "My will be done." That the Lord should expose Himself to this effrontery in a million forms, for millions of days and nights, is the mystery of love and grace. Still He draws us with cords of love, calls us to come, waits (amazing grace) for us to bow and say, "My Lord and my God!"

To Gaze Upon The Lord

2009-03-13T12:54:00.003-04:00

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus." Hebrews 12:2

"The secret of peace and power - Do not be so often considering how much you love Jesus--but how much He loves you. Your love is but the effect; His is the cause. And the more you have to do with the cause, the more fully will the effect flow from it. Just so with faith. If you would have it grow, it must be by looking at Jesus--not by looking at your faith. The more you "consider Him," and are continually coming unto Him--the more lively and healthy will be the graces of the Spirit in your soul. And you will rejoice--not in your fruitfulness--but only in Him and in what He has done and suffered. If the Holy Spirit opens this to you, you will find the secret of peace and power. It is all in Christ! He says, "Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, and come away!" Away from self, away from all besides--to be absorbed in Him!"- Ruth Bryan

There is truth in the fact that fixing our gaze upon Jesus gives us strength to walk out our days, overcome sin and grow in holiness. It also helps maintain our peace when our focused is anchored upon Him. I know that I am prone to look at myself and either my progress or failures, instead of looking to Christ. It's so true that my love for the Savior is the effect, but His love is the cause of that effect! What a gift to be able to look to the Lord! To stand before Him justified and free of spot and blemish. I am praying that my eyes will look to the Lord more with each passing day.

"One thing have I asked of the Lord,that will I seek after:that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple." - Psalm 27:4

A Look Through The Window Of Desultory Exploits and Happenings

2009-03-12T10:51:00.008-04:00

So, I have some random updates and thought I would share. Randomness is fun sometimes!

* I made my very first rubber band ball the other day. We were having a new server installed at work and were not able to use our computers all day. When I ran out of highly productive things to do, I turned to the mildly productive. Tons of rubber bands just laying there in the bottom of my drawer waiting to be made into a perfect sphere. I was quite proud of myself! It's a lot nicer to look at then a mound of messy bands, keeps things organized and well it's just plain terrifically diverting. So, anyway, enough about that.

* I went to my women's accountability last night. It seemed like it had been forever since we had met. What a refreshing and wonderful time! I love the ladies in my group and so appreciate their humility, wisdom and desire to grow in holiness and love for the Savior. We are currently going through a book called Face to Face that speaks about friendship and hospitality. We always joke about how we go off on "rabbit trails" in our discussions, but it ends up being such wonderful conversations and biblical fellowship. It's also a fun time due to the yummy food we always have and the babies we are able to hold, cuddle and play with. Four out of our eight ladies have recently had babies! God is so kind to bless us with women in our lives to encourage us and be a means of grace in spurring us on in our walk with God.

* Our women's blog for Grace Covenant Church, A Cup of Grace, has a new website! It's a .com address now and will be a little easier to access and work with. The new site is www.acupofgrace.com

* Also, going in tomorrow to have an mri done on my shoulder to try and determine what is going on. I would so appreciate your prayers for wisdom for the doctor's and for clear understanding concerning what is wrong and what needs to be done. And that I won't be a baby when they inject the dye! I've never even had blood drawn before, so I don't really know what to expect. =)

Well, that is the best I can do for now. I'm just trying to live one day at a time. Like a quote says...live for two days. Today and "that" day. "That" day when we shall see Him face to face! Let me leave you with a expert by Elisabeth Elliot. It was very encouraging...as always.

A Fine Thing
There is nothing fine in brooding on the pain itself and how sorely we have been put upon. The fine thing is for God so to occupy our thoughts that it is really nothing to us whether others treat us well or ill. Think on Christ: how was He treated? How do your sufferings compare with his? that will give a different perspective, I think. Let's not be surprised at our difficulties, even if--no, especially if--we encounter them when we are truly seeking to obey the Lord. There are two kingdoms in deadly opposition to each other. If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road--abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow.

Growing Worse?

2009-03-11T10:40:00.003-04:00

I thought this quote from John Angell James was very helpful and encouraging in connection to my sin. I sometimes struggle with condemnation and feel as though I'm only getting worse instead of better. Mr. James points out that it is most likely you are just becoming more aware of your depravity, which is an evidence of God's work in your life. So, the next time I am overwhelmed with my sin and feel as though I am growing worse, I will try to thank God for the evidence of grace in being able to see my sin and for strength to overcome it.

"One of the last lessons we effectually learn, is that true godliness is a constant conflict in a believer's heart--between sin and holiness.

Some sincere believers mistake a clearer view, and deeper sense of their depravity, for an actual increase of sin. The Christian seems sometimes to himself, to be growing worse, when actually it is only that he sees more clearly what in fact he really is!

In the early stages of our Christian life, we have usually but a slender acquaintance with the evil of our sinfulness, and the depravity of our heart. The mind is so much taken up with pardon and eternal life, that it is but imperfectly acquainted with those depths of deceit and wickedness, which lie hidden in itself.

At first we seem to feel as if the serpent were killed. But we soon find that he was only asleep--for by the warmth of some fiery temptation, he is revived and hisses at us again!

Nothing astonishes an inexperienced believer more than the discoveries he is continually making of the evils of his heart. Corruptions which he never dreamt to be in him, are brought out by some new circumstances.

It is like turning up the soil, which brings out worms and insects, which did not appear upon the surface.

Or to vary the illustration, his increasing knowledge of God's holy nature, of the perfect law, and the example of Christ--is like opening the shutters, and letting light into a dark room, the filth of which, the inhabitant did not see until the sunbeams disclosed it to him."

LOOK UP!

2009-03-10T10:41:00.005-04:00

by Octavius Winslow

"My voice shall You hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto You, and will look up." Psalm 5:3

"The first thing I do when I awake in the morning," remarks an aged saint of God, "is to ask the Holy Spirit to take possession of my mind, my imagination, my heart, directing, sanctifying, and controlling my every thought, feeling, and word."

What profound spiritual wisdom is there in this

conception! "In the morning will I direct my prayer

unto You, and will look up."

Look up!

Ah! here is the true and befitting attitude of

the spiritual soul.

Looking up for the day's supply....

of grace to restrain,

of power to keep,

of wisdom to guide,

of patience to suffer,

of meekness to endure,

of strength to bear,

of faith to overcome,

of love to obey,

and of hope to cheer.

Jesus stands at the Treasury of Infinite grace, ready

to meet every application, and to supply every need.

His fullness is for a poor, needy, asking people.

He loves for us to bring the empty vessel.

Dear reader, let your first thought be of God, and your

first incense be to Jesus, and your first prayer be to the

Holy Spirit, and thus anointed with fresh oil, you will

glide serenely and safely through the day, beginning,

continuing, and ending it with God!

Let us not sleep, as do others. - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

2009-03-06T11:27:00.003-05:00

"Christians who isolate themselves and walk alone, are very liable to grow drowsy. Hold Christian company, and you will be kept wakeful by it, and refreshed and encouraged to make quicker progress in the road to heaven. But as you thus take sweet counsel with others in the ways of God, take care that the theme of your converse is the Lord Jesus. Let the eye of faith be constantly looking unto him; let your heart be full of him; let your lips speak of his worth. Friend, live near to the cross, and thou wilt not sleep. Labour to impress thyself with a deep sense of the value of the place to which thou art going. If thou rememberest that thou art going to heaven, thou wilt not sleep on the road." - charles hadden spurgeon

*******

Christian and Hopeful, as they journeyed towards the Celestial City, said to themselves, "To prevent drowsiness in this place, let us fall into good discourse." Christian enquired, "Brother, where shall we begin?" And Hopeful answered, "Where God began with us." Then Christian sang this song--

When saints do sleepy grow, let them come hither,

And hear how these two pilgrims talk together;

Yea, let them learn of them, in any wise,

Thus to keep open their drowsy slumb'ring eyes.

Saints' fellowship, if it be managed well,

Keeps them awake, and that in spite of hell.

First Aid Kit = Strength & Life

2009-03-03T09:33:00.004-05:00

Have you ever played a video game where your character's life was drained dangerously low and the only hope you had to make it to the end of the level was to pick up a first aid kit or whatever source of strength or life giving power that was available? Your life bar fills back up and you are suddenly renewed and refreshed to fight on through the excitement and struggles of the game. - I know it's a silly example, but God brought it to my mind none the less, concerning the day by day experiences we walk through. It made me ask myself how often I go to God for "life giving strength"? Do I try to make it through my day on my own? Do I fall into bed at night exhausted and heavily burdened? Yes, I do sometimes. But that isn't how it's meant to be. God has granted us access to "first aid kits" throughout our day. He hasn't put a lock on the door where they are stored or given us a limit of one per day. He will give us as many as we need. Only pride and self-sufficiency would force a player onward without "first aid" to try to make it to the end of a level on their own. O, how often I do the very same thing without even realizing it! Just like the creator of the game you play knows what's in store at each level of the game and has strategically placed strength aids at points along the way, so does our Heavenly Father. He is sovereign over every moment and circumstance of our lives. He knows when we'll succeed and when we'll fail. He knows when we'll be strong and when we'll need help. He is more than willing to give us all the help, strength, comfort and support we need, all we have to do is claim it! God created our lives and set forth the steps we should take. He is faithful to provide us with all the help we need to accomplish what He has called us to.

God's Help for God's Assignment - Elisabeth Elliot
Sometimes a task we have begun takes on seemingly crushing size, and we wonder what ever gave us the notion that we could accomplish it. There is no way out, no way around it, and yet we cannot contemplate actually carrying it through. The rearing of children or the writing of a book are illustrations that come to mind. Let us recall that the task is a divinely appointed one, and divine aid is therefore to be expected. Expect it! Ask for it, wait for it, believe that God gives it. Offer to Him the job itself, along with your fears and misgivings about it. He will not fail or be discouraged. Let his courage encourage you. The day will come when the task will be finished. Trust Him for it.

He Gives What He Knows Is Best

2009-02-27T09:53:00.007-05:00

“The Lord bestows grace and glory;

no good thing does He withhold from

those whose walk is blameless.”psalm 84:11

The Lord delights in the prosperity of His people;

therefore withholds no good thing from them.

Yet, it is not our erring judgment

— but His unfailing wisdom —

which must determine what is best for us.

We would pray to be in the height of earthly comfort

—and on the pinnacle of worldly joy.

But in love, God answers

by keeping us in the safe valley of humility and self-abasement.

Granting our requests, is not always the effect of love.

So kind and gracious is our dear Savior

—that He crosses our wills, and denies our requests —

when they are contrary to our spiritual interest.

Thus in love, He answers our prayers —

by withholding what we ask for!

He gives what He knows is best for us.

william mason

“Those who seek the Lord will not

lack any good thing.”psalm 34:10

Hidden Away In An Abbey...

2009-02-26T10:19:00.004-05:00

I use to be slightly offended when people would call me naive to the ways of the world. "I'm not naive!", I would indignantly think. "I know plenty of things concerning worldly ways and wisdom." Now that I look back, I realize how humbled and happy I should have been to have been told that. Sadly, I am not as naive as I would like to be. The ways of the world are pervasive and my flesh all too eager to participate.

I use to think that if I were hidden away in some secret Abbey in the country as a nun, I would be much better at this Christian thing. I've realized that moving away to the wilderness and living in isolation would not be the answer to avoiding sin. Sin lives within me and therefore, has to be dealt with head on. It's true that God wishes us to be pure and I suppose naive in a sense, but He also calls us to be wise as serpents. In Matthew 10: 16 it's explained a little better. "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves."

In spite of all that we've done, seen or heard, we can still be pure before the Lord. Because of Christ' sacrifice on our behalf we have been washed as white as snow! King David was by no means a stranger to the world, but even after failure, he chose to trust in God and pursue the path of righteousness. I have been meditating on his words on this matter for several weeks now and God is continually strengthening my desire to "ponder the way that is blameless and walk with integrity of heart within my house".

"I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil." -Psalm 101:1-4

The four verses above are not passive poetry. It's desire for holiness put into action.

David is actively:

"singing" to the Lord.

"pondering" the way that is blameless.

"walking" with integrity of heart.

Not "setting" his eyes on worthless things.

"hating" the work of those who fall away.

"knowing" nothing of evil.

He's not saying he won't be aware of sin and temptation, but he will choose to walk the path of integrity and choose righteousness instead of evil. I've realized that it's not enough to abstain from sin. That can only last for so long. To really grow in purity and holiness, we have to "put on" righteousness. Whatever sin we are putting off, has to be replaced by something we are putting on. This isn't always easy, but God is faithful to strengthen us and give us grace to pursue the things he has called us to. By God's grace we can all walk with integrity of heart in this dark world.

The True Woman

2009-02-24T12:05:00.001-05:00

“The unquestionable authority of God’s Word must be our standard. When we deviate from God’s truth,we lose touch with what is real…

The true woman must push everything through the grid of God’s Word. She must develop a biblical apologetic, or explanation, for every aspect of her life. She must think theologically in order to live faithfully. There is no room for carelessness.

The true woman will theologize rather than psychologize her life. There are three basic theological themes that need to be applied…forming the bedrock for being a true woman: the sovereignty of God, the covenant of grace, and redemption.” - Susan Hunt

The Golden Key! The Golden Thread!

2009-02-23T10:49:00.004-05:00

by Octavius Winslow

Jesus is the one great theme both of the Old Testament and the New. The whole Bible is designed to testify of Christ, "You search the Scriptures because you believe they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to Me!" In Christ the Messiah, in Jesus the Savior, in the Son of God the Redeemer, all the truths of the Bible center. To Him all the types and shadows point! Of Him all the prophecies give witness! While all the glory of the Scriptures, from Genesis to Revelation, culminates at the cross of Christ. The Bible would be an inexplicable mystery apart from Christ, who unfolds and explains it all. He is the one, the golden Key which unlocks the divine treasury of revelation! Until He is seen, the Bible is, in a sense, a great conundrum. But when He is found, it is a glorious revelation; every mystery opened, every enigma explained, every discrepancy harmonized, and every truth and page, sentence and word, quickened with a life and glowing with a light flowing down from the throne of the Eternal God. Christ is the substance of the Gospel. All.... its divine doctrines, its holy precepts, its gracious instructions, its precious promises, its glorious hopes, meet, center, and fill up their entire compass in Jesus. He is the Alpha and the Omega of the Bible, from the first verse in Genesis to the last verse in Revelation. Oh, study the Scriptures of truth with a view of learning Christ.

Do not study the Bible as a mere history.

Do not read it as a mere poem.

Do not search it as a book of science.

It is all that, but infinitely more.

The Bible is the Book of Jesus!

It is a Revelation of Christ!

Christ is the golden thread which runs through the whole! The Old Testament predicts the New; and the New fulfills the Old; and so both unite in testifying, "Truly, this is the Son of God!" Blessed Lord Jesus! I will read and study and dig into the Scriptures to find and learn more of You! You, Immanuel, are the fragrance of this divine box of precious ointment. You are the beauteous gem sparkling in this divine cabinet. You are the Tree of life planted in the center of this divine garden. You are the Ocean whose stream quickens and nourishes all who draw water out of this divine well of salvation. The Bible is all about You!

To see scripture as Octavius Winslow did is a dream of mine. To connect every word to the cross and every sentence to eternity is how it should be. To see Christ in every page. To fall more in love with Him upon every reading. "O, Lord, help me to love Your word more each day! Open the eyes of my heart and help me to see You."

Fireflies In The Darkness

2009-02-19T11:01:00.003-05:00

Trials make the promise sweet;

Trials give new life to prayer;

Trials bring me to his feet,

Lay me low, and keep me there.

The words above were so sweet and encouraging to me that I just had to share them. I sometimes shudder to think how self-absorbed, shallow and ungodly I would be without divine trials and hardships in my life to help keep me near the Savior. I'm not saying I want trials all the time, but I see the present and eternal value of them. They are life shapers and faith strengtheners. They make God's promises sweeter and my prayers deeper. Like Paul, I hope to one day have the attitude of,

"So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.-2 Corinthians 12:7-9"

Perhaps, O tried soul, the Lord is doing this to develop thy graces. There are some of thy graces which would never be discovered if it were not for thy trials. Dost thou not know that thy faith never looks so grand in summer weather as it does in winter? Love is too often like a glow-worm, showing but little light except it be in the midst of surrounding darkness. Hope itself is like a star--not to be seen in the sunshine of prosperity, and only to be discovered in the night of adversity. Afflictions are often the black foils in which God doth set the jewels of his children's graces, to make them shine the better. It was but a little while ago that on thy knees thou wast saying, Lord, I fear I have no faith: let me know that I have faith. Was not this really, though perhaps unconsciously, praying for trials?--for how canst thou know that thou hast faith until thy faith is exercised? Depend upon it, God often sends us trials that our graces may be discovered, and that we may be certified of their existence. Besides, it is not merely discovery, real growth in grace is the result of sanctified trials. God often takes away our comforts and our privileges in order to make us better Christians. He trains his soldiers, not in tents of ease and luxury, but by turning them out and using them to forced marches and hard service. He makes them ford through streams, and swim through rivers, and climb mountains, and walk many a long mile with heavy knapsacks of sorrow on their backs. Well, Christian, may not this account for the troubles through which thou art passing? Is not the Lord bringing out your graces, and making them grow? Is not this the reason why he is contending with you? - Charles Hadden Spurgeon

Where Have All The Theologians Gone...

2009-02-17T08:54:00.005-05:00

I don't know why I'm ever surprised that at the same time a theme of thoughts is running through my mind on a certain subject matter, I somehow encounter words in written or spoken form concerning the same thing. God is good like that. That is why the following quote I read this morning freshly provoked and challenged me.

“[As] a matter of plain fact every Christian is a theologian!… By virtue of being born again we have all begun to know God and therefore have a certain understanding of his nature and actions. That is, we all have a theology of sorts, whether or not we have ever sat down and pieced it together. So properly understood, theology is not for a few religious eggheads with a flair for abstract debate—it is everybody’s business. Once we have grasped this, our duty is to become the best theologians we can to the glory of God, as our understanding of God and his ways is clarified and deepened through studying the book he has given for that very purpose, the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16)…[G]etting doctrine right is the key to getting everything else right…[A]t every point right living begins with right thinking.” - Bruce Milne

You see, the reason this was so timely for me, is because I've been thinking A LOT about my generation. Why does it seem that this generation of believers so struggles with getting deep into God's word and staying in love with the Savior? I'm speaking about myself included. And I'm not saying that this is absolutely across the board, but it does seem like our generation is having to fight for faith harder and more often then ever before. I really have been fighting fear recently when thinking about where the churches of our nation will be in twenty years. I've had to lean hard on God and trust His promise to complete the good work in those He has redeemed. Following our flesh comes easy to us. It's following God that is hard. But His grace is sufficient and His burden is light. The earthly pleasures of this world will all be gone one day...it will all be dust. Why then is it so hard to get our lives to reflect our knowledge? Well, for me I do believe the above quote, that "getting doctrine right is the key to getting everything else right...at every point right living begins with right thinking". Even though I've grown up reading God's word and other books on Christian living, I see how I've also squandered precious time that I could have used to immerse myself in "right doctrine". I have failed to fully apply Psalm 1.

"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

So, all this is to say that I have been: pierced with conviction over not being the theologian God has called me to be; filled with hope that I can grow in that area with God's help; encouraged to be a generation that delights in God's word and inspired to grow into a woman who lives rightly, because I think rightly. Amazing grace, how sweet it is!

Where Dreams Come True!

2009-02-10T11:17:00.005-05:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posting over the last few days. My sister and brother-in-law are in town and well, we have been busy. It's wonderful to have them here and spend time with them. Unfortunately, the blog will have a few more days of emptiness. My family is going down to Orlando today and we'll be going to The Magic Kingdom tomorrow! It's so funny how I have been there over and over and over again and yet it never gets old. To be incredibly cheesy...I still feel the magic when I'm standing at the gates and beholding "The Kingdom". The sights and smells all create a nostalgic experience that is unexplainable. I honestly think most of my feelings about the whole thing relate to the times spent there while growing up. My parent's would take my sister, brother and I there quite often and the time spent together and memories made have left a lasting impression. Anyway, sorry to ramble on about my childish excitement, but it's just so fun! So, off I go. I hope everyone is experiencing God's great faithfulness and grace so far this week. Back soon!

Magical . . . . . . . . FUN

Princesses . . . . . . . . . Kingdom

........................... MEMORIES

MiCkEy MoUsE

......................Cotton Candy

....................CASTLE..............................

Music ...............................FOOD

PIRATES .........................................PRINCES

fAMilY

Unload Your Burdens

2009-02-05T11:16:00.006-05:00

Whether sin, trials, difficulties, needs, anxieties, fears or whatever the situation, I can say with absolute conviction that all will be well when I place them at the feet of my Heavenly Father. "Lord, thank you for Your unfailing faithfulness. In a world that is either mistrusting of everything or places it's trust in the wrong things, may I place my trust in the only true source of security. Thank you for Your constant kindness to us and for sustaining Your people by Your grace. May I seek to glorify You always. Amen"

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and he shall sustain you" - Psalm 55.22

Is SIN your burden?

What a mighty sin-bearer is Jesus.

“Jehovah has laid on Him the iniquities of us all.”

Cast this burden on Jesus.

Though He bore it all once,

He bears it all afresh in every sin we confess at His feet,

and in every trace of guilt we bring to the renewed cleansing of His blood.

Attempt not to carry your sin a single moment, or a single step–

take it at once in penitence and faith to Jesus;

confess it unreservedly,

and wash afresh in the fountain still open and still accessible to you.

Is TRIAL your burden, O my soul?

Jesus is a ‘tried stone,’

and is, therefore, in all respects equal to yours.

He has sent, or has permitted, this trial to befall you,

that you might learn more of this precious tried stone.

The Lord tests the faith of the righteous,

that they might test His faithfulness.

Test His wisdom to guide,

test His strength to sustain,

test His love to bring you through this trial,

even as gold, to the glory of His great name.

Perhaps your burden is a DIFFICULTY

which, like a huge stone, stands in your path…

“Is anything too hard for me? says the Lord.”

He can unravel your perplexity,

disentangle you from all your difficulties,

and roll the stone from your path.

Cast this burden upon Him.

Is NEED your burden?

What need cannot the Lord supply?

All the resources of Infinity are at His command…

Does He provide for the fowls of the air?

then do you think that He will starve the children of His love?

…whatever your burden, cast it in the prayer of faith on the Lord.

Peculiar and heavy though it may be,

His strength and grace and love will sustain you.

Encircled by His almighty arm,

aided by prayer,

upheld by the promises,

strengthened by His grace,

soothed by His sympathy,

and comforted by His Spirit,

you shall not sink, for it is written,

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.”

octavius winslow daily needs, divinely supplied

Glorious Shade

2009-02-04T11:21:00.002-05:00

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. - Psalm 121:5-8

Though I have not spent as much time with the Lord lately as I would have liked, I have been overwhelmed with the feeling that I cannot get enough of Him. When the heat of daily life or trials exhausts me, I have been longing for the refreshing shade that can only come from God. God's faithfulness has been bombarding my thoughts and I have often been moved to tears when I consider all He has done for me. I have been convicted that I am not going to God as I ought to be and accepting the provision He has provided. He has been showing me that He longs for His children to take refuge in His shadow. He promises to keep us and be our shade. When we allow Him to be our refuge, the sun will not strike us by day, nor the moon by night. I am hoping to be able to take more advantage of God's kind provision in the days to come. I'm thankful for days when I'd rather be in His presence then anywhere else. It is evidence that there is a God working in this wretched heart of mine! How kind of God!

Not What I Once Was

2009-02-02T10:46:00.003-05:00

I am a person who struggles with sin. I am a person who struggles with feelings of condemnation after I sin. I am a person who is not all that I should be. I am a person who is not all I want and hope to be. But...by God's grace, I am not all that I used to be. Though my imperfect walk as a Christian often brings me grief and frustration, I still see God's hand of mercy and grace at work in my life. I am so thankful for God's promise to continue the good work he begins in his children. That promise always gives me courage at the beginning of another day and hope for the future.

I am not what I once used to be! by J. C. Ryle

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Hebrews 12:14

The regenerate man is a holy man. He endeavors . . . to live according to God's will, to do the things that please God, to avoid the things that God hates. His aim and desire is to love God with heart and soul, and mind and strength--and to love his neighbor as himself. His wish is to be continually looking to Christ as his Example as well as his Savior; and to show himself Christ's friend, by obeying whatever He commands. No doubt he is not perfect. None will tell you that sooner than himself. He groans under the burden of indwelling corruption cleaving to him. He finds an evil principle within him constantly warring against grace, and trying to draw him away from God. Yet, in spite of all short-comings, the average bent and bias of . . . his ways is holy; his doings holy; his tastes holy and his habits holy. In spite of all his swerving and turning aside, like a ship going against a contrary wind, the general course of his life is in one direction--toward God and for God. He will generally be able to say, with old John Newton, "I am not what I ought to be. I am not what I want to be. I am not what I hope to be in another world.

But still, I am not what I once used to be! By the grace of God, I am what I am!"

"Let none conclude that they have no grace, because they have many imperfections in their obedience. Your grace maybe very weak and imperfect, and yet you may be truly bornagain, and be a genuine son of God and heir of heaven."

There is heaven in the depth of that word ............Father

2009-01-26T11:10:00.008-05:00

Last night at our singles meeting we listened to a message on fighting the fight of faith with God's word. At one point in our discussion after, the truth was brought up that God is not just God, but Father. He loves for His children, whom He adopted, to approach Him as as "Father", just as He approaches us as sons and daughters. I thought it was so kind of God to reiterate that fact through this mornings devotional by Spurgeon. We serve a kind and faithful God!

Your heavenly Father.Matthew 6:26

God's people are doubly his children, they are his offspring by creation, and they are his sons by adoption in Christ. Hence they are privileged to call him, Our Father which art in heaven. Father! Oh, what precious word is that. Here is authority: If I be a Father, where is mine honour? If ye be sons, where is your obedience? Here is affection mingled with authority; an authority which does not provoke rebellion; an obedience demanded which is most cheerfully rendered--which would not be withheld even if it might. The obedience which God's children yield to him must be loving obedience. Do not go about the service of God as slaves to their taskmaster's toil, but run in the way of his commands because it is your Father's way. Yield your bodies as instruments of righteousness, because righteousness is your Father's will, and his will should be the will of his child. Father!--Here is a kingly attribute so sweetly veiled in love, that the King's crown is forgotten in the King's face, and his sceptre becomes, not a rod of iron, but a silver sceptre of mercy--the sceptre indeed seems to be forgotten in the tender hand of him who wields it. Father!--Here is honour and love. How great is a Father's love to his children! That which friendship cannot do, and mere benevolence will not attempt, a father's heart and hand must do for his sons. They are his offspring, he must bless them; they are his children, he must show himself strong in their defence. If an earthly father watches over his children with unceasing love and care, how much more does our heavenly Father? Abba, Father! He who can say this, hath uttered better music than cherubim or seraphim can reach. There is heaven in the depth of that word--Father! There is all I can ask; all my necessities can demand; all my wishes can desire. I have all in all to all eternity when I can say, Father. - Charles Hadden Spurgeon

Alas! Alas! Wise men pass a dressy lass

2009-01-22T11:02:00.004-05:00

There is an article by an old Puritan author called "Before You Marry!". Yes, the exclamation point is actually included in the title. It gives some very good counsel to men and women before they marry and after, but for the most part the header I found funny. Each header has a short excerpt beneath it with either witty sayings or rhymes concerning the topic or just has some plain text to get to the point. Anyway, all that to say, I'm didn't post the article, but i did include a few of the headers. You sometimes can't tell by the title what the topic will be on until you start reading and then you understand why he worded the header the way he did.

-Before you marry, have a house wherein to tarry.

-Marriage is either kill or cure.

-Marry in haste, and repent at leisure.

-Right mixture makes good mortar.

-He who ‘courts in sport’ may be caught in earnest.
-He who marries a fool is a fool.
-A rich man may make a poor husband.
-Alas! Alas! Wise men pass a dressy lass.
-The house is the woman's dominion.
-Buttons all right are husbands’ delight.
-Expensive wife makes pensive husband.
-If your husband is a dog, don't be a cat.
-A fair face may be a foul bargain.
-The wife that loves the looking-glass hates the saucepan.

Always Finding Something To Annoy Us

2009-01-21T12:07:00.003-05:00

I thought the following piece by John MacDuff was a fresh challenge to my heart about contentment. It is true that no matter how great of a situation or place I am in, my sinful eyes would be able to find at least one thing that would annoy me, but with God's help He can train my eyes to be content even in the worst of circumstances. Psalm 73 is a great reminder to me of where true joy and contentment is to be found. "God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever".

On a side note, the Grace Covenant Church women's blog is doing a series on Titus 2. This week's posts are on Loving Your Husband and I have already been provoked and encouraged by what I have read. You can read along at http://acupofgracegcc.blogspot.com/

We shall be sure to find something to annoy us! by John MacDuff

"But godliness with contentment is great gain."-1 Timothy 6:6

The believer is frequently exhorted to cultivate contentment, and there are many considerations by which the duty may be enforced. One thing is very evident—that there is no condition in the present world, which is free from trouble! Let us pitch our tent wherever we may—we shall be sure to find something to annoy us! And if there is no situation without some inconvenience—had we not better make up our minds to be satisfied with that condition in which we are now placed?We are too much in the habit of judging by outward appearances. But things are often very different in reality—to what they appear to be. If we judge according to appearance, we shall be led to regard the most prosperous—as the happiest individuals. But we are assured by universal experience—that to be great is one thing, and that to be truly happy is altogether another thing! Under the glittering robes of the proudest nobilities—there are hearts pierced with anguish, and wrung with grief! In splendid palaces—there are manybroken hearts to be found. To sit upon thrones may seem to be something very fascinating; but, "uneasy lies the head—which wears a crown!" This is a truth which receives fresh confirmation, from every passing year. Let us not then, regard those who occupy the high places of the earth, with feelings of envy. Instead of envying them—it befits us rather to pity them and pray for them! Reader, learn to distinguish between things that differ; and be well assured that things as they appear outwardly,and as they really are—do often differ, and that very substantially! Such knowledge will tend, under God's blessing—to make you more contented with your present lot, notwithstanding its trials and privations. It is not unusual—to be exposed to things which are grievous and hard to be borne. This is not some strange thing which is happening to us alone. Let us lay aside, therefore, all murmurings and complainings—and ever remember that God's arrangements are the wisest and the best!

How To Have Peace

2009-01-16T10:36:00.004-05:00

I found the following definition of peace so helpful. It is easy to have "peace" when all within our lives is calm, but what about when storms around us rage? A lack of peace in my life is evidence that I'm at conflict with the will of God.

The peace of God means the absence of conflict with the will of God. It means harmony within, concord with his purpose for our lives.

Elisabeth Elliot shares about an elderly woman her and her family knew for a long time and how she always exuded peacefulness. If you had asked her what her secret was, Elliot says she would no doubt have given a little shrug and a little chuckle. The sweet old wrinkled face would have looked up quizzically. She would not have known what to say. She simply did what the Christians of Philippi were told to do: "Don't worry over anything whatever; tell God every detail of your needs in earnest and thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which transcends human understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds as they rest in Christ Jesus."

Colossians 3:15 suggests that the peace of Christ is the "arbiter" of our hearts, ruling out all faithless response to trouble, all distress, anxiety, fretfulness, frustration, and resentment. It establishes order. Those who accept the grace of this gift know tranquillity which can withstand all assaults, a stillness unbroken by the world's noise, and a repose in the midst of intense activity--repose which a nerve-racked world cannot possibly give. For only Christ himself, who slept in the boat in the storm and then spoke calm to the wind and waves, can stand beside us when we are in a panic and say to us Peace. It will not be explainable. It transcends human understanding. And there is nothing else like it in the whole wide world. - E.E.

Peace that guards our hearts and minds, as well as transcends understanding can only come from one place...Christ. And even though it is a precious peace, it is a gift the Lord loves to give His children. He is more ready to give than I am willing to ask. He has already given us His blood, so why would He withhold peace when we earnestly seek it? He wouldn't. So, I am hoping to follow the example of Elisabeth Elliot's friend Mrs. Kershaw and have an absence of conflict with the will of God. Only then can I have PEACE!

Mountain Of Fear

2009-01-15T10:44:00.003-05:00

It's easy for me to allow fear to invade my life if I'm not faithful to guard against it. The really sad thing is that my fears are often unfounded and conjured up out of a million possibilities but not probabilities. I'm sure most of you have heard the saying to not make a mountain out of a mole hill. Meaning, don't make something big out of something small. Well, fear often has a way of making something big out of things that don't even exist.

Puritan John Flavel comments on this habit: “The rules of fear are not like the rules in arithmetic, where many nothings make nothing, but fear can make something out of nothing, yea, many things, and great things out of nothing at all. Take Psalm 53:5 for example, 'There they are, in great terror, where there is no terror!' Here was a great fear raised or created out of nothing at all; had their fear been examined or hunted home to its original, it would have been found a pure creature of fancy. In the written word are found all sorts of refreshing, strengthening and heart-reviving promises prepared by the wisdom and care of God for our relief.”

One great way to fight fear is with the truth of God's comforting words and promises found in scripture. When I let fear and doubt rule my life, I am calling God a liar. I'm saying that He can't be trusted. Can't work all things together for good. Can't love me enough to actually lavish His grace and blessings upon me. I honor God when I trust Him. And He IS so worthy of trust!

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Is. 41:10).

He Leads Me

2009-01-13T09:59:00.003-05:00

by William S. Plumer

"The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I lack. He lets me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters." Psalm 23:1-2

He leads me. I certainly need someone to lead me. I am so poor, so blind, so weak, so foolish that, if left to myself, I would fatally err. Lord, never leave me nor forsake me, lest I be undone. My Shepherd leads me gently and wisely. He makes no mistakes. He knows the way I ought to go. He knows how much sweet and how much bitter, are best for me. He understands me fully. Oh, how He mingles mercy with judgment! True, He leads me often in a mysterious way. I see not the end from the beginning. I cannot see afar off. His footsteps are in the sea; clouds and thick darkness surround Him. He gives account of none of His matters. His judgments are a great deep. But He never does wrong. He leads me in the paths of righteousness. He leads me always--in prosperity and in adversity; in joy and in sorrow. If He left me even for an hour I would be undone. When I sleep, You, Lord, keep vigil over me. When I awake, I am still with You. On the land and on the sea, I am kept by Your mighty power. He leads me--and I will follow Him. I will put my hand in His--and go wherever His prudence shall direct.

"Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path." Psalm 27:11
"From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2

I thought this piece by Plumer was so encouraging. It really blessed me this morning and helped to give me fresh perspective on God's goodness and leading. It is true that I may not be able to see the beginning from the end concerning a lot of things, but He is Always faithfully guiding me. How comforting! It's up to me to trust.

What should move God to love us?

2009-01-09T12:23:00.003-05:00

by Thomas Brooks

The free favor and love of God, the good will and pleasure of God--is the true ground and cause of God's bestowing of Himself as a portion upon His people. There was no cause,nor loveliness, nor desirableness in them--which could move God to bestow Himself upon them. God, for the glory of His own free grace and love, has bestowed Himself as a portion upon those who have deserved to have theirportion among devils and damned spirits--in those torments which are endless, ceaseless, and remediless. But what should move God to love us, who were so unworthy, so filthy, so empty, so beggarly? The question may be resolved in these words--He loves us because He loves us. The root of all divine love to us, lies only in the bosom of God.

Certain Paths

2009-01-08T11:22:00.003-05:00

"You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy."-Psalm 16:11)

This morning as took my usual tour around my morning websites I visit, I pulled up the Boundless site as is my custom. The article today was titled "The Emmaus Road Adventure" by Elisabeth Adams and the tag line underneath it read, "If you're a detective-story fan, you may also have noticed that sometimes the smallest of facts becomes the most important of clues."

For whatever reason it didn't sound very interesting to me, but somehow I still felt compelled to open the article even though I didn't want to and had no idea what it was about. I'm glad I did. You see, discerning the will of God has always seemed like one of the most difficult challenging things for me. I know I make things way more intense and complicated than I should and over the years God has been helping me grow. Once again in His kindness, He provides yet another means of instructing me how to walk out daily life and decisions concerning His will through the very article on Boundless that I almost passed by. Here are some excerpts from the article, but it is definitely worth reading the entire thing!

"I used to think that guidance would come like a lightning bolt: one day (or even moment) I wouldn't know God's will for me, and the next, I would. Well, yes and no. The Hebrew word translated "acknowledge" in the above verse actually includes seeing, recognizing, making myself known to and intimately knowing my God. His guidance is often much slower than I'd wish, but it is certain.

Have you ever read a detective novel? As the story progresses, clue piles upon clue, until the last puzzle piece is finally fitted into place, and the conclusion is unmistakable. That's the adventure of seeking God's will.

But what does it look like in everyday life? It often means praying, and then using my God-given common sense: I set my sails towards His wind, and assume He is blowing me in the right direction. For weightier decisions, taking a day of fasting can be a great help. The point isn't to make myself miserable, but to acknowledge that only one of us in this relationship is omniscient – and it isn't me. It also gives me time to ask God questions and to quiet my heart for His reply.

Often I won't receive an answer right away, but if I stay tuned in during the next hours, days and weeks, I begin picking up clues. In the pages of the Bible. In the middle of a church service. Through the advice of a mentor or friend. By unfolding circumstances. With an inexplicable, but unshakable peace in my heart. Sometimes, though much less often than I'd like, through His voice. (I imagine that's because He would rather I had another chance to practice trusting Him)."

-Read full article at http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001938.cfm

View Of Faithfulness

2009-01-07T10:49:00.004-05:00

It's the beginning of another year and my thoughts inevitably go to the previous one. Sadly, my mind first recounts all the dark spots. All of my sin, the trials, frustrations and the list could go on. I say sadly, because even though there were deep and dark times that pain and grieve me, my thoughts SHOULD automatically go to the truth of God's faithfulness. Like the words of a favorite song say, season by season I should be amazed and in awe of the mystery of God's perfect ways. Yes, I can hope that this year I can watch my life and doctrine more closely, that I experience more victories than defeats, more joys than sorrows, but though I have no idea about the outcome of any of these things, there is one absolute that I can count on...God's faithfulness. I know that it honors God far, far more when I dwell on all He's done, rather than on all I've failed in, endured and suffered through (which has been small). I have regrets about last year and things I did or didn't do...I think everyone could say that in some way or form, but there are also times when I have no memories of regret and that's when I chose to follow God and trust in His hand. I'm praying for more of those moments this year! So, remembering last year as being bad or good isn't dependent on what did or didn't happen, it's dependent on a right perspective. With a perspective focused on God and the gospel, we will always be able to say that even the worst day was great or at least, better than we deserve.

"O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?" - Psalm 89:8

Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Morning by morning I wake up to find

The power and comfort of God’s hand in mine

Season by season I watch Him, amazed

In awe of the mystery of His perfect ways

All I have need of, His hand will provide

He’s always been faithful to me.

I can’t remember a trial or a pain

He did not recycle to bring me gain

I can’t remember one single regret

In serving God only, and trusting His hand

All I have need of, His hand will provide

He’s always been faithful to me.

This is my anthem, this is my song

The theme of the stories I’ve heard for so long

God has been faithful, He will be again

His loving compassion, it knows no end

All I have need of, His hand will provide

He’s always been faithful, He’s always been faithful

He’s always been faithful to me.

Suck The Honey Out Of It

2009-01-06T09:32:00.007-05:00

One of the things that God has been impressing upon my heart as of late is the importance of immersing myself in His word. I can become discouraged with what little growth I see in my life at times and wonder why my road of sanctification seems to be on a conveyor belt in reverse. But then God, with His gentle Holy Spirit, reminds me that one bit of scripture applied to one bit of life can transform ashes into beauty! Have I been doing that? Not really. I see that it's time for me to get serious about growing into a woman after God's own heart and applying myself to that task. It's more than a task...it's a life.

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. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. - Psalm 1:1-3

While reading Psalm 1 was brought to my attention again. It is such a clear picture of what happens when we make God's word apart of our daily lives. When a person delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on it day and night, he will yield fruit and prosper. That is my hope and prayer right now. To bear fruit and prosper in godliness. To never stop producing fruit, but strive to delight in God's word so that I do not wither. There is no negative outcome that can occur by diving into the scriptures. Blessings greater than we can imagine await us there. - I love the following quote below. It has motivated me anew and God in his unending kindness has moved upon my heart with fresh passion to pursue godliness and a deeper communion with Him. All I can say is that I'm excited and God is good!

Suck the honey out of it! by Spurgeon

It is wonderful the effect of a single verse of Scripture

when the Spirit of God applies it to the soul.

What power would come upon the soul,

if we would grasp a single line of Scripture

and suck the honey out of it till our soul

is filled with sweetness.

Hope Is A Fixed Anchor

2009-01-05T10:48:00.005-05:00

I love how E.E. ties occurances of daily life to the truth of scripture. Her wise and godly words are always a means of grace to me. I found encouragement, convictions and inspiration in this article...even though it's lengthy!

by Elisabeth Elliot
My friend Miriam is herself a walking miracle, having recovered more than twenty years ago from cancer. Her case was so serious that the doctors told her husband not to expect her home from the hospital. The cure was so miraculous that one doctor described it this way: "If you parked your car on a hill and the brakes let go, would you expect it to roll to the top of the hill? That's how incredible this is. This cancer was supposed to travel in one direction and kill her. It went the opposite way and quit."

Miriam was the only one who could talk like a Dutch uncle to my husband when he had cancer. He would listen to her when he did not want to hear a word out of the rest of us. His hope, of course, was that he would be cured as she had been.

The more hopeless my husband's case appeared to be, the more faithfully Miriam called to remind me, "Our hope, Elisabeth, is not in radiation or surgery or chemotherapy. Our hope is not in the doctors. Our hope is in God."

One night when I went to bed I found a card on my pillow. My daughter Valerie, still a teenager, had made it, intertwining the letters with tiny colored flowers. It said HOPE IN THE LORD. With all my heart I did that. With all my heart I prayed. It has been eight years now since Add died, and the card is before me tonight as I write. I am still hoping--but for what?

Christian hope is a different sort of thing from other kinds. The Greek word used in the New Testament for hope was one which in classical literature could mean expectation of good or bad, but was used by Christians to mean that in which one confides, or to which one flees for refuge. The real essence of the word is trust.

When Lazarus died, the hopes of his two loving sisters, Mary and Martha, were dashed. Jesus, hearing the news, did not hurry to the house but stayed where he was for two more days. When he finally got to Bethany both sisters greeted him with the same words: "If only you had been here, Lord!" Martha remembered the fact of the resurrection. She knew Lazarus would rise again on the last day, but that wasn't really good enough. She wanted her brother now, and her brother was dead. The terrible thing was that he might have been alive if only Jesus had been there. Jesus said to her, "I myself am the resurrection."

This is our hope. It is a living thing. It is, in fact, Christ himself. It is also something to live by. When our hopes for healing or success or the solution to a problem or freedom from financial distress seem to come to nothing, we feel just as Martha did. Jesus might have done something about it but he didn't. We lie awake thinking about all the "if onlys.'' We wonder if it is somehow our fault that the thing didn't work. We doubt whether prayer is of any use after all. Is God up there? Is he listening? Does he care?

The Lord might very well have healed my husband's disease as wonderfully as he healed Miriam's. The simple fact is that he didn't.

HOPE IN THE LORD, says the little card. How am I to do that now? By placing my confidence in the God who promises faithfulness. He has far better things up his sleeve than we imagine. Mary and Martha had envisioned his coming and raising a sick man from his bed. He came too late. Unfortunately Lazarus was dead--so dead, Martha pointed out, that decomposition would have set in. It had not crossed their minds that they were about to see an even more astonishing thing than the one they had hoped for--a swaddled corpse answering the Master's call and walking, bound and muffled, out of the tomb.

The only difference I see in the Lazarus story and our twentieth-century stories of disappointed hopes is the matter of time. Jesus did arrive at Mary and Martha's in a matter of a couple of days, and in perhaps an hour or so after his arrival he raised Lazarus. It looks very quick and easy as we read the story, but of course the two sisters experienced all that those who love a sick person experience, and all the agony of bereavement. Sorrow ran its course. They suffered what humans always suffer, albeit for a very short time.

The truth of the story is that God knew what was happening. Nothing was separating the grieving women from his love. He heard their prayers, counted their tears, held his peace. But he was faithful, and he was at work. He had a grand miracle in mind. The Jews who saw Jesus weep were baffled, and said just what we would have said: "Could he not have kept this man from dying if he could open that blind man's eyes?"

God's timing of the events of our world is engineered from the eternal silence. One time he heals a sick man, such as the paralytic who was lowered through a roof. Another time he lets a sick man die. Miriam's cancer receded. Add's cancer grew. Was God paying attention in the one case but not in the other? So it seemed to Mary and Martha at first. Their prayers for healing were not answered. Jesus did not come. Lazarus died. But what a glorious ending to their story! And ours? What about ours?

"Did I not tell you," Jesus asked, "that if you believed, you would see the wonder of what God can do?" Here is the clue to the lesson: It is faith he is looking for, a quiet confidence that whatever it is he is up to, it will be a wonderful thing, never mind whether it is what we have been asking for.

The usual notion of hope is a particular outcome: physical healing, for example. The Christian notion, on the other hand, is a manner of life. I rest the full weight of my hopes on Christ himself, who not only raised the dead but was himself raised, and says to me in the face of all deaths, "I myself am the resurrection." The duration of my suffering may be longer than that of Lazarus's sisters, but if I believe, trust, flee to God for refuge, I am safe even in my sorrow, I am held by the confidence of God's utter trustworthiness. He is at work, producing miracles I haven't imagined. I must wait for them. The Book of the Revelation describes some of them. The intricacies of his sovereign will and the pace at which he effects it ("deliberate speed, majestic instancy") are beyond me now, but I am sure his plan is in operation.

HOPE IN THE LORD. Doctors, chemotherapy, surgery, radiation might very well have been a part of God's plan, methods he might have used to answer our prayers for a complete cure for my husband. They evidently were not. But that was not where our hopes really lay. They lay then, as they lie now, on the faithfulness of the One who died for us and rose again.

What God promised to Abraham ("Surely blessing I will bless thee") he promises to us. We have two "utterly immutable things, the word of God and the oath of God, who cannot lie," according to the Book of Hebrews. Therefore we who are refugees from this dying world have a source of strength. We can grasp "the hope he holds out to us. This hope we hold as the utterly reliable anchor for our souls, fixed in the innermost shrine of Heaven, where Jesus has already entered on our behalf" (6:19, 20 PHILLIPS).

I don't know, when I'm asking for something here on earth, what is going on in the innermost shrine of Heaven (I like to think about it, though). I am sure of one thing: it is good. Because Jesus is there. Jesus loves me. Jesus has gone into that shrine on my behalf. The hope we have is a living hope, an unassailable one. We wait for it, in faith and patience. Christ is the resurrection and the life. No wonder Easter is the greatest of Christian feast days! No wonder Christians sing!

The powers of death have done their worst,
But Christ their legions hath dispersed:
Let shout of holy joy outburst. Alleluia!

The three sad days are quickly sped,
He rises glorious from the dead;
All glory to our risen Head! Alleluia!

Lord! By the stripes which wounded thee,
From death's dread sting thy servants free,
That we may live and sing to thee. Alleluia!

God Is SLOW To Anger

2009-01-02T10:52:00.005-05:00

This morning I was overwhelmed with thoughts of God's patience toward me and all of mankind. I know I have taken His patience for granted time and time again, but He is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Throughout my life He has been patient with me through my constant sin, times of unbelief and slow growth in sanctification. It makes me love Him all the more. I know I don't deserve His care and love and yet I know I never want to live without it. Today I am loving God for His patience.

"The God of Patience." Romans 15:5

There is no more wondrous subject than this- "The Patience of God." Think of the lapse of ages during which that patience has lasted. Think of the multitudes who have been the subjects of it- millions on millions, in successive climates and centuries. Think of the sins which have, all that time, been trying and wearying that patience-their number- their heinousness- their aggravation. The world's history is a consecutive history of iniquity, a lengthened provocation of the Almighty's forbearance. The Church, like a feeble ark, tossed on a mighty ocean of unbelief; and yet the world, with its cumberers, still spared! The cry of its sinful millions at this moment enters "the ears of the God of Sabbath," and yet, "for all this," His hand of mercy is "stretched out still!" And who is this God of patience? It is the Almighty Being who could strike these millions down in a moment; who could, by a breath, annihilate the world- no, who would require no positive or visible putting forth of His omnipotence to effect this, but simply to withdraw His sustaining arm! Surely, of all the examples of the Almighty's power, there is none more wondrous or amazing than "God's power over Himself." He is "slow to anger." "Judgment is His strange work." He "shows mercy unto thousands [of generations]." God bears for 15OO years, from Moses to Jesus, with Israel's unbelief; and yet, as a writer remarks, "He speaks of it as but a day." "All day long have I stretched out my hands to a disobedient and gainsaying people." What is the explanation of all this tenderness? "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord!" Believer, how great has been God's patience towards you! In your unconverted state, when a wanderer from His fold, with what unwearied love He went after you; notwithstanding all your waywardness; never ceasing the pursuit "until He found you!" Think of your fainting and weariness since being converted- your ever-changing frames and feelings- the ebbings and the flowings in the tide of your love; and yet, instead of surrendering you to your own perverse will, His language concerning you is, "How can I give you up?" For a lifetime, your Savior-God has been standing knocking at your door; and His attitude is still the same- "Behold, I stand!"

"But fainter than the pole-star's ray

Before the noontide blaze of day,

In all of love that man can know-

All that in angels' breasts can glow

Compared, O Lord of hosts! with thine.

Unwearied! Fathomless! Divine!"

How should the patience of Jesus lead me to be submissive under trial! When He has so long borne with me, shall not I "bear" with Him? When I think of His patience under a far heavier cross, can I murmur when He murmured not! No, I will check every repining thought, and looking up, in confiding affection, to "the God of all patience," "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

-John MacDuff

Plunge Into This River

2008-12-30T11:02:00.003-05:00

O man, plunge into this river!
by Charles Hadden Spurgeon

"I have loved you." Isaiah 43:4.
Come, heir of heaven, listen a moment. God has loved you eternally. Before the stars began to shine, and before the sun knew his place and poured forth his oceans of light, God loved you in particular! He has loved you actively and effectually, giving the unspeakable gift of His Only Begotten Son for you! He has given you everything in Him; a boundless ocean of love! He has loved you supremely, better than the angels. He has loved you unchangeably, never less, and never more. In all your sin the same; in all your sorrow still the same. He has loved you immeasurably. You can never know the heights and depths of your God's love to you.

O man, plunge into this river!

If you have hitherto gone wading into it up to the ankles, now get heart high into it! Yes, commit yourself to the fathomless stream, and swim in it as in a sea of bliss! "I have loved you." Let that dwell richly in your heart, and ring out celestial music for your comfort and delight!

Lean Hard

2008-12-29T10:31:00.009-05:00

from Winslow's, "The Burden Cast upon God"

"Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain you."

Psalm 55:22.

It is by an act of simple, prayerful faith we transfer our cares and anxieties, our sorrows and needs, to the Lord. Jesus invites you come and lean upon Him, and to lean with all your might upon that arm that balances the universe, and upon that bosom that bled for you upon the soldier's spear! But you doubtingly ask, "Is the Lord able to do this thing for me?" And thus, while you are debating a matter about which there is not the shadow of a shade of doubt, the burden is crushing your gentle spirit to the dust. And all the while Jesus stands at your side and lovingly says, "Cast your burden upon Me and I will sustain you. I am God Almighty. I bore the load of your sin and condemnation up the steep of Calvary, and the same power of omnipotence, and the same strength of love that bore it all for you then, is prepared to bear your need and sorrow now. Roll it all upon Me!"

"Child of My Love! Lean hard! Let Me feel the pressure of your care. I know your burden, child! I shaped it- I poised it in My own hand and made no proportion of its weight to your unaided strength. For even as I laid it on, I said I shall be near, and while she leans on Me, this burden shall be Mine, not hers. So shall I keep My child within the circling arms of My own love. Here lay it down! Do not fear to impose it on a shoulder which upholds the government of worlds! Yet closer come! You are not near enough! I would embrace your burden, so I might feel My child reposing on My breast. You love Me! I know it.

Doubt not, then. But, loving me, lean hard!"

The Ocean of Divine Love

2008-12-26T10:37:00.002-05:00

by Octavius Winslow

The love of God to His people was as eternal as the eternity of His being, as everlasting as His uncreated nature. "I have loved you with an everlasting love." It panted, it yearned for an outlet. It sought and found it in Christ. Nowhere in the heavens above, or in the earth beneath, or in the waters under the earth; no star, no flower, no creature, so reveals, expresses, and embodies the love of God as the gift of His dear Son to die for our sins! Oh, what love is this! "God so loved the world!" So loved, that He gave Jesus! Jesus is the most precious exponent of God's love: Jesus descends from the bosom of His love; Jesus draws aside the veil of His love; Jesus is God's love expressed, God's love incarnate, God's love speaking, laboring, dying, redeeming! Beyond this it would seem impossible that love could go. Jesus is the channel through which the ocean of Divine love washed the shores of this earth, its soul healing waves spreading like a sea of life over our sin tainted, curse blighted, sorrow stricken humanity. Oh, let every affection of our heart, every faculty of our soul, every power of our mind, every action of our life, embody as its grateful response the words of the adoring apostle, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift!"

His Reservoir Of Grace Will Never Dry Up

2008-12-22T10:34:00.004-05:00

There is no reason for God to be good to me, yet He is so patient and gentle with me, the worst sinner I know. No one could love me like He loves me and forgive me like He forgives me. Though the cares of this world and my sin sometimes seems insurmountable, the Lord promises to strengthen us and will never leave or forsake us. His boundless reservoir of grace can never be exhausted! Taste and see that the Lord is good.

I will strengthen thee. Isaiah 41:10

God has a strong reserve with which to discharge this engagement; for he is able to do all things. Believer, till thou canst drain dry the ocean of omnipotence, till thou canst break into pieces the towering mountains of almighty strength, thou never needest to fear. Think not that the strength of man shall ever be able to overcome the power of God. Whilst the earth's huge pillars stand, thou hast enough reason to abide firm in thy faith. The same God who directs the earth in its orbit, who feeds the burning furnace of the sun, and trims the lamps of heaven, has promised to supply thee with daily strength. While he is able to uphold the universe, dream not that he will prove unable to fulfil his own promises. Remember what he did in the days of old, in the former generations. Remember how he spake and it was done; how he commanded, and it stood fast. Shall he that created the world grow weary? He hangeth the world upon nothing; shall he who doth this be unable to support his children? Shall he be unfaithful to his word for want of power? Who is it that restrains the tempest? Doth not he ride upon the wings of the wind, and make the clouds his chariots, and hold the ocean in the hollow of his hand? How can he fail thee? When he has put such a faithful promise as this on record, wilt thou for a moment indulge the thought that he has outpromised himself, and gone beyond his power to fulfill? Ah, no! Thou canst doubt no longer.

O thou who art my God and my strength, I can believe that this promise shall be fulfilled, for the boundless reservoir of thy grace can never be exhausted, and the overflowing storehouse of thy strength can never be emptied by thy friends or rifled by thine enemies.

Now let the feeble all be strong, And make Jehovah's arm their song.

-charles hadden spurgeon-

Dark Clouds

2008-12-19T11:10:00.002-05:00

"Are you about to enter some dark cloud? Do you ‘fear to enter the cloud?’ Take courage! It will be with you, as with the disciples on their Mount of Transfiguration, unexpected glimpses of heavenly glory —unlooked-for tokens of the Savior’s presence and love await you. If your Lord leads you into the cloud follow Him. If He ‘constrains you to get into the ship,’ obey Him. The cloud will burst into blessings. The ship will conduct you (it may be over a stormy sea)to a quiet haven at last. It is only the surface of the ocean that is rough. All beneath is a deep calm, and in every threatening wave there is a ‘needs-be.’ Oh! trust Him who is emphatically ‘the wisdom of God’. “…the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love…” - John MacDuff

His Love Stories

2008-12-18T10:44:00.006-05:00

I know the following article is long, but I found it very helpful and encouraging, as well as convicting. There is no need to struggle with fear, doubt and imptaience concerning relationships or any area of life when we have such a loving and faithful God, and yet this article tells stories of real people struggling with those very things and how God changed their hearts and lead them to walk out their lives for their good and His glory. This article and many others can be found at www.boundless.org.

His Love Stories by Elisabeth Adams
At age 24, my sister Rachel was anything but looking for romance. Previously disappointed by a long-distance relationship, she longed for patient strength, laughter and bear hugs. "I guess what I'm asking," she wrote, "is for pigs to fly."

Last Christmas, my entire family spent a few weeks together in Jerusalem. Whether the 10 of us piled into two tiny rental cars, went on walking tours or decorated the house, I kept busy snapping pictures. And somehow, Rachel figured in more photos than anyone else, always with a megawatt smile on her face.

It wasn't hard to guess that she had found someone special.

When Rachel met Gabe, she did her best to scare him away. He should have been scared: After all, he had weathered his own heartbreak. But somehow, he just couldn't resist finding out what would happen if he took the time and effort to break through the defenses Rachel had built around her heart. And in spite of herself, Rachel let Gabe hang around because he was endearing: just an ordinary guy who embarrassed himself sometimes — but courageously insisted on being open with her, anyway. Oh, and the patient strength, laughter and bear hugs? Gabe spoke that love language fluently.

Before long, they fell in love. Past heartbreaks vivid in their minds, they were, quite frankly, scared. What gave them the courage to go forward? They looked for providences — and found them.

In Rachel's view, rather than a big thundering yes from heaven, it was more of a step-by-step being led. Gabe agrees:

In all our talking, and getting to know each other and her family ...

every time I have asked God if it's His will to let it happen, He has

[made it happen]. Somehow, there has always been a way.

Even a way to get engaged, when Gabe's job kept him anywhere but where Rachel was. Instead of fighting their circumstances, they allowed God to write a unique twist in their story. Inspired by her grandfather, who had to pop the question in a letter, he asked Rachel to marry him over the phone — and arranged for her best friend to deliver the ring. There was joy, laughter, tears.

Recently, I spoke about Rachel's engagement with a lady I had just met. After we savored all the girly details, she asked, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Good question. I am, after all, the older sister. Shy and unsure of where she was with God, I decided to go with the short answer. "No," I said. "Maybe someday."

Now I wish I'd had the courage to tell her the truth: God's goodness to Rachel does not leave me crushed or jealous, just hope-filled!

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. I like to think that, in a small way, each of us is also the Word made flesh; that each of us has a story in which the kindness of God is made visible to the world. Think how clear His kindness is in your salvation story. And when you listen to the salvation stories of others, don't you see how unique is the way He captures each of our hearts?

That's why my favorite love stories are true ones. In fact, I've probably read or heard the stories of nearly 150 Christian couples, each one as unique as a fingerprint. Some couples called it "courtship," some called it "dating," and some met and married long before the terms acquired their present meanings. God's kindness is evident in them all.

Jason and Heather
Jason and Heather had been inseparable for a year. Not surprising, considering the fact that they taught in adjacent classrooms, attended the same church, and worked with the same youth group. But it wasn't until Jason left for a three-month mission trip that Heather realized she was in love with him.

Not wanting to lose their friendship, she chose not to mention or even show her feelings. Instead, she began praying — hard — and leaning hard on Jesus.

A second year went by. Prompted by a big decision he had to make about his job, Jason embarked on a three-day fast, and Heather joined him. As they compared notes over the phone, Jason asked, "Is this a good time to talk about us?" He knew, he said, that they'd be perfect together, but he didn't know why he just didn't have any feelings for her.

Once she recovered from her shock, Heather replied, "Well, if you ever do get feelings for me, you might as well just propose, because dating wouldn't look any different from the way we are right now." Knowing that Jason had made a commitment not to date until it could end in marriage, she suggested that he "try to think of her 'in that way.' After all, it had been seven years since he'd had a girlfriend, and he was used to not thinking of women 'in that way.'" Heather had no idea if she'd been crazy, or Spirit-led! But three and a half weeks later, Jason celebrated her 25th birthday by calling her to the front of the church — and asking her to be his wife.

Jeremy and Trina
At 19 years old and 5'9" tall, Trina had just two things she wanted her future husband to be: godly and taller. However, the man who came knocking on her door was godly ... and shorter. Encouraged by God's reminder that while "man looks on the outward appearance ... the LORD looks on the heart," Trina grew to love him for his heart.

After a few months, however, the relationship came to an unexpected end. Despite her pain, Trina felt the time had not been wasted. "I was now more convinced than ever that whoever the Lord brought for me as a mate, He would also provide the grace for me to love and respect him — no matter what his age, height, background, or personality."

Time passed. When her pastor's son began working closely with her dad, she discovered that Jeremy was talented, personable, and funny ... as well as shorter. You guessed it: They fell in love and were married.

Trina writes, "My experience has been that as I was open to the Lord's leading, making His will my deepest desire, He led me into a relationship with more compatibility and fulfillment than I could have ever dreamed." It's true that she once believed this stand would also protect her from a broken heart. She learned that "sometimes God's perfect plan includes heartbreak.... When Jeremy and I look back, we see how God shaped our hearts for each other through the trials we went through."

Anthony and Tracy
As a cancer survivor, Anthony agonized over this question: Was it fair for him to pursue marriage?

When he learned that Tracy had lost her boyfriend to cancer, he had to know what she thought. Grieved to think he was questioning his "right" to love, Tracy felt compelled to reassure him that the right woman would think it a risk worth taking! As they talked about the deeply painful lessons they had learned, their friendship grew.

Anthony was the first to say "I love you." Though she felt the same, love had meant pain to Tracy, and at first she simply could not respond. Anthony patiently waited for her, and soon God changed her fear into deep peace that He had brought them together.

"It just seemed more clear than ever," she says, "that God was reigning in every single moment of our relationship." Anthony felt the same.

Eager to share their news, they met with all four parents, and there they learned that Anthony was an answer to Tracy's parents' prayers, and she to the prayers of his parents. Tracy writes, "Our relationship has shown us more than ever how God delights in us and in doing wonderful things in our lives, and how He gives us his peace and rejoices in our happiness."

Telling His Stories
I could tell you so many more stories! Stories about people I know and love. There's Michael, who waited for Bethany five years. When she finally realized she was in love with her best friend, she flew to Israel to find out if it could work. (It did!)

There's my grandma Connie, who couldn't decide whether or not to marry John, who was 10 years her senior. They ended up being the kind of married couple whose kids hear them late at night, talking and talking.

There's Everett, who needed his sister's help to even notice Liz ... but fell in love with her all by himself.

There's Jonathon, the older widower who had to ask never-married Dorothy three times — but persisted until she said yes.

And Nathan, who told God he had given up on marriage, unless He brought someone to his doorstep. This is just how Julia came into his life, when she arrived to care for his elderly parents.

Before My Story Begins
In my house is a small pottery jar imprinted with two potentially life-changing sentences:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord.

"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you hope and a future."

I say "potentially life-changing" because there is a choice involved. First, to believe that my Heavenly Father is the source of all that's good. Second, to believe that His plans for me are good. And third, "to present my body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God ... that by testing I may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

If there is one Biblical way to "do" relationships, this is where it always begins.

I may be willing to risk my time, my affections and my emotional well-being with a reckless approach to relationships — but if I have given myself to Jesus, I don't have that right. I am not my own; I am His. Conversely, I may not be willing to risk my time, my affections, and my emotional well-being by committing to a relationship with a fallible human being. But these are not my own to hoard; I belong to Jesus.

I give the control to Him, not because it will make things easier, but because He has won my heart.

It was only because of the mercies of God that, after years of wrestling, I finally relinquished control of my love life to Him. Contrary to my expectations, it had nothing to do with ceasing to care about marriage. Instead I learned to become a living sacrifice: regularly, trustfully pouring out all my longings before Him.

And I am certain He hears. After all, God is "the best maker of all marriages," and I'm convinced that He loves to do it! He brought Eve to Adam. He prompted Eliezer's prayer for guidance, and then answered it by matching Rebekah with Isaac. He arranged for Ruth to "accidentally" bump into Boaz, inspired Naomi when she counseled Ruth to consider this man who seemed so beyond her grasp, and fueled Boaz's determination to finish the matter that very day.

This is a picture of God's heart. This is what He wants to do for all His children. This is what He wants to do for me.

If someday I live out my love story in light of the gospel, who can help seeing the pure and unconditional love of Jesus? That's an exciting thought!

But regardless of whether I marry or stay single, I deeply desire to make the kindness of God visible to the world. And I can, because the One who lives inside me now is the source of all that's good.

I asked the Lord that I might grow...

2008-12-17T12:00:00.004-05:00

by Arthur Pink
"Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me." Psalm 25:4-5

There are two ways of learning of Divine things. The one is to acquire a letter knowledge of them from the Bible, the other is to be given an actual experience of them in the soul, under the Spirit's teaching. Many suppose that by spending a few minutes in a concordance, they can discover what humility is; that by studying certain passages of Scriptures, they may obtain an increase of faith; or that by reading and re-reading a certain chapter, they may secure more love. But that is not the way those graces are experimentally developed. Humility is learned by a daily smarting under the plague of the heart, and having its innumerable abominations exposed to our view. Repentance is learned by feeling the load of guilt, and the heavy burden of conscious defilement, bowing down the soul. Faith is learned by increasing discoveries of unbelief and infidelity. Love is learned by a personal sense of the undeserved goodness of God to the vilest of the vile. Patience cannot be learned from books—it is acquired in the furnace of affliction! It is thus with all the spiritual graces of the Christian.

Ah, my reader, we beg the Lord to teach us—but the fact is, that we do not like His method of teaching us! Fiery trials, storms of afflictions, the dashing of our carnal hopes—are indeed painful to flesh and blood; yet it is by them that the heart is purified.We say that we wish to live to God's glory—but fail to remember that we can do so only as SELF is denied and the Cross be taken up. God's ways of teaching His children are, like all His ways, entirely different from ours!

I asked the Lord that I might grow,

In faith and love and every grace,

Might more of His salvation know,

And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,

And He I trust has answered prayer.

But it has been in such a way,

As almost drove me to despair!

I hoped that in some favored hour,

At once He'd answer my request.

And by His love's constraining power,

Subdue my sins and give me rest!

Instead of this, He made me feel,

The hidden evils of my heart.

And let the angry powers of hell,

Assault my soul in every part!

Yes, more with His own hand, He seemed,

Intent to aggravate my woe.

Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,

Blasted my gourds, and laid me low!

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried.

Will You pursue Your worm to death?"

"This is the way" the Lord replied,

"I answer prayer for grace and strength."

"These inward trials I employ,

From self, and pride, to set you free;

And break your schemes of earthly joy,

That you may find your all in Me!"

—John Newton

Submit To The Appointments Of Our Maker

2008-12-15T10:30:00.005-05:00

By John Newton
How highly does it become us, both as creatures and as sinners, to submit to the appointments of our Maker! and how necessary is it to our peace! This great attainment is to often unthought of and overlooked; we are prone to fix our attention upon the second causes and immediate instruments of events; forgetting whatever befalls us is according to His purpose, and therefore must be right and seasonable in itself, and shall in the issue be productive of good. From hence arise impatience, resentment, and secret repinings, which are not only sinful but tormenting; whereas if all things are in His hand, if the very hairs of our head are numbered, if every event, great and small are under the direction of his providence and purpose; and if he has a wise, holy, and gracious end in view, to which everything that happens is subordinate and subservient; then we have nothing to do, but with patience and humility to follow as He leads, and cheerfully to expect a happy issue. The path of present duty is marked out; and the concerns of the next and every succeeding hour are in His hands. How happy are they who can resign all to Him, see His hands in every dispensation, and believe that He chooses better for them then they possibly could for themselves!

Heavenly Father, You know the state of my heart this morning. Your know the darkness, doubt and fears I am struggling with. Help me to remind myself of the truth of Your word and Your promises. Help me hold fast to the fact that You are the "blessing of peace". You hold my past, present and futures days in Your hands. Thank you for the gift of perfect and complete atonement You have given. Help me to fully embrace that truth. Lead me down the path I should go. The path that will be for Your glory. Continue Your sanctifying work in my life and make my love for You grow into deeper and greater depths. Amen

Waiting On The Dawn

2008-12-12T12:42:00.004-05:00

"Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you…And therefore He exalts Himself to show mercy to you.…blessed are all those who wait for Him…Isaiah 30:18"

I read the following excerpt from Spurgeon today. God is so kind to remind me of His promises. He waits to be gracious to us! God's sovereign hand and workings can be traced in every detail of our lives. It seems as though God has been constantly pointing my focus to not doubting His goodness and to never cease in my prayers. I was also reminded that waiting is not always easy. Jacob didn't get his desired blessing from the angel until the dawn of day...he had to wrestle all night for it. Paul, asked God several times to remove the "thorn in his flesh", but God kept him waiting so that He learned that He was enough and would sustain him. Who can pass up an offer from God to make requests of Him, trust Him and wait for Him to be gracious to us? Our prayers are not sitting in a trash can in heaven, but they have been carefully and lovingly filed. No matter how long the night seems, the dawn will always come.

“God often delays in answering prayer…Our Father has personal reasons for keeping us waiting. Sometimes it is to show His power and His sovereignty, so that we may learn that God has a right to give or to withhold. More often the delay is for our benefit…You are perhaps kept waiting in order that your desires may be more fervent. God knows that delay will quicken and increase desire, and that if He keeps you waiting, you will see your need more clearly, and will seek more diligently, and that you will treasure the mercy all the more on account of the wait.
Your prayers are all filed in heaven, and if not immediately answered they are certainly not forgotten, but in a little while they will be fulfilled to your delight and satisfaction. Do not allow despair to make you doubt, but continue to present your requests to God.” - charles haddon spurgeon

Everyone is that in reality, which he is at home.

2008-12-11T10:46:00.008-05:00

It is easy for me to go from day to day and not have put any thought or effort into growing better in any specific areas. Okay, well maybe I have put some thought, but rarely any effort. I can often become discouraged and see no good end. But God is so kind to often bring inspiration from His word, encouragement from others or just motivating grace to me just when I need it most. So, one thing I am desiring to work on is to honor God more at home. To grow in unselfishness, diligence and piety. The home is a place I have daily access to. If I am living for God's glory at home, then I will most likely live for His glory outside the home. God is so kind to give me new mercy and new opportunities every morning.

"He does not deal with us according to our sins,nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west,so far does he remove our transgressions from us." -Psalm 103:10-12

"Devils in their homes!" by Thomas Brooks

A true Christian will endeavor to obey God in relative duties. He will not only hear, and pray, and read, and meditate, and fast, and mourn--but he will labor to be godly in domestic relationships. Remember this forever--everyone is that in reality, which he is at home. Many make a great profession, and have great abilities and gifts, and can discourse well on any pious subject--whose homes are not little heavens, but little hells. Some are very much like angels in public, saints in the church, and devils in their homes! Domestic graces and duties do better demonstrate true piety and godliness, than public or general duties do. For pride, vain-glory, self-ends, and a hundred other outward carnal considerations, may put a man upon the general duties of religion. But it argues both truth and strength of grace, to be diligent and conscientious in the discharge of domestic duties.

Killing Unbelief

2008-12-10T13:05:00.004-05:00

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”-Matthew 7.7-11

“If all these things are available by simply knocking at mercy’s door then, my soul, knock hard this morning, and make large requests of your generous Lord. Do not leave the throne of grace until all your wants have been spread before the Lord and until by faith you are confident that they will all be supplied. You need not be shy about taking Jesus up on His invitation. No unbelief should hinder when Jesus promises. No coldheartedness should restrain when such blessings are to be obtained!”

"All God's gifts are prepared gifts laid away to meet wants He has foreseen. He anticipates our needs; and out of the fullness that He has treasured up in Christ Jesus, He provides from His goodness for the poor. You may trust Him for all the necessities you may face, for He has infallibly known every one of them…God is aware of all the requirements of His poor, wandering children and when those needs occur, supplies are ready. It is goodness that He has prepared for the poor in heart, goodness and goodness only. ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ ‘As your days, so shall your strength be.’ You will never come into such a position that Christ cannot help you. You will never arrive at a place in your spiritual affairs in which Jesus Christ will not be equal to the emergency, for your history has all been foreknown and provided for in Jesus.”

charles haddon spurgeon morning and evening

Today the words of scripture accompanied by the words of Spurgeon drew my heart once again to God's faithfulness and goodness. I realized a long time ago, that my lack of going to God in prayer and petition stemmed from unbelief and pride. I didn't think I deserved anything I would ask for, which was not believing that I stood before God justified...just as if I had never sinned. But God, who is rich in mercy helped me to see that I was viewing Him as a stingy, tyrannical God. Over the years He has only continue to change my heart about this and I could not be more grateful. My communication with the Lord is one of my favorite and most cherished things. - "Father, continue to break down walls of unbelief and pride in my heart. May my prayers be pleasing to You and my motives honoring. Grant me the kind of faith that could move mountains. Help me to unselfishly ask great things of a great God. You have given us a key to Heaven's door...may I daily use it. Amen"

In Need Of Mercy

2008-12-09T09:27:00.004-05:00

MERCY! by J. C. Philpot ("The Lord's Merciful Look Upon His People")

"Look upon me, and be merciful unto me." Ps. 119:132

When shall we ever get beyond the need of God's mercy? We feel our need of continual mercy . . .as our sins abound, as our guilt is felt, as our corruption works, as our conscience is burdened, as the iniquities of our heart are laid bare, as our hearts are opened up in the Spirit's light. We need . . .mercy for every adulterous look; mercy for every covetous thought; mercy for every light and trifling word; mercy for every wicked movement of our depraved hearts; mercy while we live; mercy when we die; mercy to accompany us every moment; mercy to go with us down to the portals of the grave; mercy to carry us safely through the swellings of Jordan; mercy to land us safe before the Redeemer's throne! "Look upon me, and be merciful unto me. "Why me? Because I am so vile a sinner. Because I am so base a backslider. Because I am such a daring transgressor. Because I sin against You with every breath that I draw. Because the evils of my heart are perpetually manifesting themselves. Because nothing but Your mercy can blot out such iniquities as I feel working in my carnal mind. I need . . . inexhaustible mercy, everlasting mercy, super-abounding mercy. Nothing but such mercy as this can suit such a guilty sinner!

This morning Philpot's words echo my own heart and thoughts. Though I believe God wants us to focus on Christs' work on our behalf far more then our sin, I think it's appropriate to remember why we need a Savior. Today I am tempted to feel condemned by my sin and overwhelmed with the truth of how unworthy I am, but instead I want to humbly go before the throne of grace, plead for mercy, and embrace that mercy. I know that the "evils of my heart are perpetually manifesting themselves", but I also know that God is working in me to make me more like Christ. This morning I need mercy and I know I will receive it from our merciful God. "God, have mercy on me a sinner". ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner! And Lord, I ask have the humility of the tax collector. Grant me the tears of a broken heart and the smile of a recipient of mercy. Amen’

Be Real...

2008-12-04T10:44:00.006-05:00

This morning as I read the following quote by Spurgeon, I was provoked afresh with the desire to be "real". First and foremost I want to be real because that is what God has called me to be. To be real, honest, trustworthy and walking out my life in a worthy manner. The second reason, is because I don't want to bring reproach on God by living a hypocritical life and turn unbelievers off to the gospel. I know I have been hypocritical many, many times and I know I still am, but by God's grace there is hope to grow in becoming "real" for His glory. I can also struggle with the temptation to not be "real" for fear of getting hurt. It's true that without risk the potential to be hurt goes down, but so does the potential for blessing. Plus, God often uses all hurts as well as blessings to mold us into who we are suppose to be. - Another thing I was particularly convicted by was through Spurgeon's words about not flirting with Christ, but being married to Him. I know that there are areas in my life where I have not completely surrendered to Him or haven't been giving the attention that is needed. But God is faithful to continue His work in His children and I love how He stirs our hearts to desire greater holiness. God is good!

Be real! From Spurgeon's sermon, "Religion- a Reality"

Oh! you who profess to be Christians, do not live so as to make worldlings think that your religion is a trifling thing! Be cheerful, but oh! be holy! Be happy, for that is your privilege; but oh! be heavenly-minded, for that is your duty. Let men see that you are not flirting with Christ, but that you are married to him. Let them see that you are not dabbling in this as in a little speculation, but that it is the business of your life, the stern business of all your powers to live to Christ, Christ also living in you.

Nevertheless, I am continually with you...

2008-12-02T09:29:00.005-05:00

"But for me it is good to be near God..." - Psalm 73:28

I woke up late this morning. There was no time for devotions as I hurried out the door for work. I was so exhausted my eyes were almost swollen shut and the cold air was not as welcomed as usual. But in spite of how the morning started, I was unexplainably filled with joy, peace and an overwhelming desire to be near to God. The awareness that God was ministering to my tired soul made me feel so grateful and undeserving. In the world's eyes, nothing has happened today that would merit the feelings I am having, but to me, a lot has happened. I, who am the worst of sinners, have been redeemed. God, who is Holy and Righteous in all His ways, has cloaked my heart and mind in a peace that surpasses my understanding. Even though He is God, He still takes time to relate to His children. He is ready and willing to comfort us, convict, encourage, guide and provide. The least I can do in return, should be to offer Him my heart, mind, strength, time, praise...my life.

Also, if I woke up tomorrow and didn't feel any of these things, it doesn't mean God is any less active and near, but after having tasted of the sweet presence of God, it would make me want to seek Him all the more.

God, thank you for Your kindness to me this morning. I have been blessed by Your presence, with the joy of Your salvation, Your peace and with a greater hunger for You and Your word. Thank you for stirring all of these things up in my heart. May I never stop being thankful and aware of the work You are doing. Help me always strive to love You better. I have tasted and seen that You are good...in any and every circumstance. Amen

Seemingly Unimportant Tasks

2008-12-01T11:35:00.004-05:00

The other day I read a story from Elisabeth Elliot about a Sunday she remembered when she was a little girl. Her father, who was a pastor, had already left for church early and her mother had the task of getting six children ready for church. She then lists a number of things that were going wrong, but how in the midst of it all, her mother was ready, calm and got them all put together and to church on time. Her point in sharing this story was how on Sunday mornings or ordinary days, when we are trying to complete “ordinary or necessary” tasks, it can seem very unspiritual and unrelated to God. But she writes that is not the case!

“But everything in this scene (the Elliot’s getting ready for church) is the King's Business, which He looks on in loving sympathy and understanding, for, as Baron Von Hugel said, "The chain of cause and effect which makes up human life, is bisected at every point by a vertical line relating us and all we do to God." This is what He has given us to do, this task here on this earth, not the task we aspired to do, but this one. The absurdities involved cut us down to size. The great discrepancy between what we envisioned and what we've got force us to be real. And God is our great Reality, more real than the realest of earthly conditions, an unchanging Reality. It is His providence that has put us where we are. It's where we belong. It is for us to receive it--all of it--humbly, quietly, thankfully.

Sunday morning, the Lord's Day, can be the very time when everything seems so utterly unrelated to the world of the spirit that it is simply ridiculous. Yet to the Lord's lovers it is only a seeming. Everything is an affair of the spirit. Everything, to one who loves God and longs with a sometimes desperate longing for a draught of Living Water, a single touch of His hand, a quiet word--everything, I say, can be seen in His perspective.

Does He watch? Yes, "Thou God seest me" (Genesis 16:3). Is His love surrounding us? "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" (Jeremiah 31:3). "I will never leave thee or forsake thee" (Hebrews 13:5). May I offer to Him my feeling of the dislocation between reality and my ideals, that great chasm which separates the person I long to be, the work I long to do for Him, the family I struggle to perfect for His glory--from the actuality? I may indeed, for it is God Himself who stirs my heart to desire, and He can easily see across the chasm. He enfolds all of it, He is at work in me and in those I pray for, "to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). I may take heart, send up an instant look of gratitude, and--well, get that beloved flock into the van and head down the freeway singing! Sir Thomas Browne wrote, "Man is incurably amphibious; he belongs to two worlds--to two sets of duties, needs, and satisfactions--to the Visible or This World, and to the Invisible or Other World".

I confess that I have often battled with conflicting feelings over reality and my ideals. I have desires I have of the person I long to be or things I long to do, while still having to hash out the daily duties I am called to. But it was so encouraging to read that God is desirous for us to bring those thoughts, feelings and struggles to Him, for He is the one who has stirred those things in us in the first place. Whatever desires God may fulfill and call us to in the future, the truth of the matter is that we aren’t doing anyone any good if we’re trying to live in that “future”. Today is what we have been called to. Everything, even the most boring, menial task is an affair of the spirit. I pray that I will follow the example of Elisabeth Elliot’s mother and accomplish today’s duties with gratitude and joy. Whether we realize it or not, God is fulfilling His sovereign future plans for us at every step and turn….I just have to make sure I’m being faithful with present plans He has called me to.

The Blowing Of A Grain Of Dust...

2008-11-26T11:13:00.006-05:00

Lord, help me to not be anxious today, but to trust wholeheartedly in Your purpose and providence. It's amazing that You have numbered all the hairs on our head and are concerned with the smallest detail of our lives. Your predestination in working out those details truly is fatherly, wise and kind. How great is Your love. Amen.
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Purpose & Providence! by Charles Spurgeon

"Everything is in the Divine purpose, and has been ordered by Divine wisdom. All the events of your life- the greater, certainly; and the smaller, with equal certainty. It is impossible to draw a line in Providence and say this is arranged by Providence and that is not. God's Providence takes everything in its sweep- all that happens. Divine Providence determines not only the movement of a star, but the blowing of a grain of dust along the public road. God's Providence knows nothing of things so little as to be beneath its notice, nothingof things so great as to be beyond its control. Nothing is too little or too great for God to rule and overrule. All that a man undergoes is also ordained of Heaven. God ordained....when we would be born; where we would be born; who our parents would be; what our lot in infancy would be; what our path in youth would be; and what our position in manhood would be. From the first to the last it has all happened according to the Divine purpose, and ordained by the Divine will. Not only the man but all that concerns the man, is foreordained of the Lord- "The very hairs of your head," that is to say, all that has anything to do with you, which comes into any kind of contact with you and is in any sense part and parcel of yourself, is under the Divine foresight and predestination. You shall neither die before your time, nor live beyond it. All that concerns you, from first to last, all that is of you and in you and around you, is in the Divine purpose. Fate is hard and cruel, but predestination is fatherly and wise and kind. When we see that all things are arranged by Him who orders all things according to the counsel of His own will, then we bow our heads and worship. Our happiness lies very much in our complete submission to the Lord our God. Oh, it is a blessed thing when we know that God is ordering all the events of Providence. Then we dissolve our own will into the sweetness of His will and our sorrow is at an end! Since even the very hairs of our head are all numbered; since everything is really ordained by the Most High concerning His people, let us rejoice in the Divine appointment, and take all as it comes, and praise His name, whether our allotment is rough or smooth, bitter or sweet. Let us cheerfully say, "If the Lord wills it then we will it, too. If He has purposed it, even so let it be, since all things work together for good to those who love God, even to those who are called according to His purpose."

Just One Little Day...

2008-11-25T13:41:00.004-05:00

"As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,and its place knows it no more." - Psalm 103:15-16

I remember when I was little, people would always tell me that the older you became, the quicker time would seem to pass. I can testify that their words seem to have come true. So, when days seem to pass more quickly then I can grasp them...when two days ago are a distant memory and a month a time long past, it makes me see how precious the time we've been given is. Days not to be spent in worry, anger, selfishness, or laziness. They aren't to be days full of regret over things we can't change or have been forgiven for. They are to be beautiful days lived for God's glory. Days full of the grace that He has given to sustain us until the next rising of the sun, when His mercies are poured out anew. When I worry about tomorrow, I'm giving up today. When I think I can't make it through another trial, I have to remind myself that I have enough grace to make it until tomorrow. " Life does not come to us in lifetimes, it comes only one day at a time." So, though there are days I sometimes wish would just be over, I am all too aware that all my days that make up my lifetime will be at an end before I know it. Days are important to me...how I live my days is important to God. The following quote by Miller is one of the most beautiful and inspiring pieces I've ever read concerning the topic of "days". I hope it provokes you as much as it did me.

Just One Little Day by J.R.M.

"Give us today our daily bread." Matthew 6:11
One secret of sweet and happy Christian life—is in learning to LIVE BY THE DAY. It is the long stretches which tire us. We say that "we cannot carry this load until we are eighty—or that we cannot fight this battle continually for half a century." But really, there are no long stretches. Life does not come to us in lifetimes; it comes only a day at a time. Even tomorrow is never ours—until it becomes today; and we have nothing whatever to do with it—but to pass down to it a fair and good inheritance in today's work well done and today's life well lived. It is a blessed secret—this of living by the day. Anyone can carry his burden, however heavy—until nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard—for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, quietly, patiently, lovingly, and purely—until the sun goes down. This is all the life which we really ever have—just one little day. God gives us nights to shut down the curtain of darkness on our little days. We cannot see beyond—and we ought not to try to see beyond. Short horizons make life easier, and give us one of the blessed secrets of noble, happy, holy living. We ought not to be content to live otherwise—than beautifully. We can live our life only once. We cannot go over life again—to correct its mistakes or amend its faults. We ought therefore to live it well. And to do this, we must make every day beautiful, as it passes. Lost days must always remain blanks in the records; and stained days must carry their stains. Beautiful days make beautiful years, and beautiful years make a beautiful life!"

As your days—so shall your strength be."-Deuteronomy 33:25

Engraved!

2008-11-24T10:43:00.003-05:00

by John MacDuff

"Behold! I have engraved you on the palms

of My hands!" Isaiah 49:16

"Behold," says Immutable One, "I have engraved

you on the palms of My hands." Not on the mountains,

colossal as they are, for they shall depart; on no page

of nature's vast volume, for the last fires shall scorch

them; not on blazing sun, for he shall grow dim with

age; not on glorious heavens, for they shall be folded

together as a scroll. But on . . .

the hand which made the worlds,

the hand which was transfixed on Calvary,

the hand of might and love;

I have engraved you there! No corroding power

can efface the writing, or obliterate your name!

You are Mine now, and Mine forever!

"Behold! I have engraved you on the palms

of My hands!" Isaiah 49:16

Oh, magnify the Lord with me...

2008-11-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

I think Psalm 34 is going to be my new endeavor to memorize. There is so much wealth of wisdom, conviction, encouragement and praise in this psalm. It brought me to tears as I read it this morning. Taste and see that the Lord IS good.

Psalm 34

1 I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. 3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together! 4 I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. 5 Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. 7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. 8 Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 9 Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! 10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. 11 Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is there who desires life and loves many days, that he may see good? 13 Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. 14 Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous and his ears toward their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. 20 He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. 21 Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 22 The Lord redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

This & That...

2008-11-20T11:13:00.005-05:00

Ricky and Jenn’s Wedding: The trip to Baltimore was great. We arrived late Friday afternoon and rushed over to the rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner was at an Italian restaurant and was quite comical and fun. The wedding was wonderful and was such a testimony of God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. The bridesmaids looked pretty in their gray dresses and red shoes, while the groomsmen looked…well, let’s just say they all looked good until you reached the feet. Just kidding, the converse shoes were a fun touch. The reception was a couple hours after the wedding and about an hour away at a manor. It was beautiful! My favorite part of the wedding just might have been my brother, Landon’s best man speech. For those of you who may not know, he really is quite witty. He had everyone laughing as he slammed Ricky…I mean encouraged the bride and groom. I also loved being able to see my sister and brother-in-law. Though it was a quick trip, we were able to enjoy our time together. There were lots of funny moment (mom/rain/bags ordeal =), and many wonderful memories made. So, that is my brief overview!

The Girltalk blog has been doing a series on “A Mother’s Faith” and it has been very good! But since I am not a mother, God has been using this series to speak to me in a different way. This faith they are speaking of is not just for mother’s. It could be applied as a father’s faith, a daughter’s, brother’s, man’s, grandmother’s…it’s a faith for everyone. In one of the posts, Carolyn Mahaney was remembering a time when her and her husband were at a parenting conference and being interviewed. The moderator asked them, “If you could parent your daughters all over again, what you would do differently?" Carolyn said that although there are many things she wishes she had done differently, there was one thing that stood out among them all… "I wish I had trusted God more."

“For every fearful peek into the future, I wish I had looked to Christ instead. For each imaginary trouble conjured up, I wish I had recalled the specific, unfailing faithfulness of God. In place of dismay and dread, I wish I had exhibited hope and joy. I wish I had approached mothering like the preacher Charles Spurgeon approached his job: ‘forecasting victory, not foreboding defeat.’” – C.M.

This concept should be applied to every area of life. God is aware that we sometimes, or often times, struggle with trusting Him. But He is more than willing to help us grow. Just as Carolyn said that successful mothering doesn’t begin with hard work, sound principles or consistent discipline (as necessary as these are), neither should the daily tasks of our lives. “It begins with God: His character, His faithfulness, His promises, His sovereignty. And as our understanding of these truths increases, so will our faith…” in whatever we are being called to do.

“The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Fear is sin. And as my husband has often graciously reminded me—God is not sympathetic with my unbelief. Why? Because fear, worry, and unbelief say to God that we don’t really believe He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ps. 86:15. We are calling God a liar.” – C.M.

None of us would outwardly call God a liar, but when I don’t trust Him and His faithfulness, that is exactly what I’m doing. Everything I do, whether big or small, important or seemingly insignificant, should be laced with faith. If our practices are not motivated by faith, they will be fruitless. Having strong, unwavering faith is one of the best ways we can honor the Lord. That kind of faith crushes fear, increases fruitfulness and most importantly glorifies our Father. So, as always, I am praying that I will have less regrets, BECAUSE I trusted God more.

Nothing Escapes His Notice!

2008-11-19T10:55:00.005-05:00

by Arthur Pink

What a wondrous Being is the God of Scripture!

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight.

Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the

eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:13

God is omniscient.

He knows everything:

everything possible,

everything actual,

all events,

all creatures,

of the past, the present, and the future.

He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the

life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell.

Nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be

hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him.

His knowledge is perfect.

He never errs.

He never changes.

He never overlooks anything.

God not only knows whatever has happened in the past in every part of His vast domains; and He is not only thoroughly acquainted with everything that is now transpiring throughout the entire universe—but He is also perfectly cognizant of every event, from the least to the greatest, that ever will happen in the ages to come! God's knowledge of the future is as complete as is His knowledge of the past and the present; and that, because the future depends entirely upon Himself. God has Himself designed whatever shall yet be, and what He has designed, must be effectuated. God's knowledge does not arise from things because they are or will be—but because He has ordained them to be! Yes, such is the God with whom we have to do!"You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue—You know it completely, O Lord!" Psalm 139:2-4

Our Personal Phone Booth

2008-11-18T10:26:00.003-05:00

Prayer has always been one of my most cherished gifts from God, but it has become even more precious over the last couple of months. To know that I am able to go to my best friend and Father with any fear, any troubling circumstance, any joy or praise at any moment of any day makes my heart fill with gratitude. God constantly tells us in scripture to bring our praises and petitions to Him. There is even the parable of the persistent widow in scripture about continuing to be constant in prayer and even when you think your prayers are not being answered, Jesus instructs us to keep praying. He is more then ready and willing to hear anything we have to say to Him. Prayer is a faith builder, a relationship strengthener, a peace giver and is one hundred percent beneficial. I never have to fear investing time and emotions in prayer and being disappointed with the outcome…because our faithful and sovereign Father is always at the other end of those prayers. God loves when we simply come before Him just to talk. I’m so thankful He never tires of my going to Him with all my, often times, silly prayers. God has given each of us our personal phone booth to go to whenever we want. And best of all, it's free and there will never be a line we have to wait in! “Lord, thank you for the gift of prayer. Without it, I would be lost.”

“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” – Romans 12:22

“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer.” – Psalm 66:19

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” – Matthew 21:22

God arranges the smallest things…

Take little troubles as they come,

and remember them to your God

because they come from Him.

Nothing that concerns His people is small to God.

Your little anxieties are not too small for His notice,

for the very hairs of your head are all numbered (matt 10.30).

You may pray to Him about your smallest grief.

If not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will,

then you have reason to see that He arranges the smallest events in your career.

So accept them with joy.

This is a truth on which you may implicitly rely.”

“He knew all that would happen and all that you would do.

Nothing is a surprise to Him.

Known to the Lord from the beginning were all your trials

and all your sins.

Nevertheless, He still loved you.

In the foresight of all that was to happen,

do not think that He will now or ever forget you.

He will not!

If He so loved you, even when you were dead in sins,

will He deny you anything that is for His glory and your good?

If He loved you when you were a mass of corruption,

will He not answer your prayers now that He has made you an heir of heaven?

Beloved, be of good comfort!"
CHS

A Woman's Best Ornament

2008-11-17T13:39:00.004-05:00

by J. C. Philpot

("Every Man's Work to be Tried with Fire")

"Don't be concerned about the outward beauty
that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive
jewelry, or beautiful clothes. You should be
known for the beauty that comes from within,
the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is so precious to God." 1 Peter 3:3-4

This "beauty that comes from within" is that . . .
meekness,
quietness,
gentleness,
brokenness of heart,
contrition of spirit,
humility of mind,
tenderness of conscience,
which are fitting to the children of God.

A gentle and quiet spirit is a woman's best ornament.

As to other gay and unbecoming ornaments, let those
wear them, who wish to serve and to enjoy . . .
the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life.

Let the "daughters of Zion" manifest they have other
ornaments than what the world admires and approves.
Let them covet . . .
the teachings of God,
the smiles of His love,
the whispers of His favor.
The more they have of these, the less will they care
for the adornments which the "daughters of Canaan"
run so madly after; by which also they often impoverish
themselves, and by opening a way for admiration, too
often open a way for seduction and ruin.

Lord, let this be my practice and my prayer. Let me have a gentle and quiet spirit, which is to walk humbly before You and man. Help me to covet You and Your favor above all others. Develop in me these qualities, which are so precious in Your sight. Amen

Ricky & Jenn + November 15 = A Wedding!

2008-11-13T13:35:00.006-05:00

Tomorrow my family is leaving for Baltimore for a wedding of a close family friend. It should be a fun and unique wedding! All the groomsmen are wearing converse shoes and I "Heard" that the bridesmaids were too, but that has yet to be validated. Anyway, this wedding is yet another example of God's faithfulness and sovereignty. I know Ricky and Jenn sought to walk out their relationship in a God glorifying way and I'm sure they would both agree that everything was worth the wait and occurred in God's perfect timing. Maybe I'll post some pictures when I get back...maybe.

"Love Is Waiting"

Brooke Fraser

In the autumn on the ground, between the traffic and the ordinary sounds

I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through

I watch as lovers pass me by

Walking stories - whos and hows and whys

Musing lazily on love

Pondering you

I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell

When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

Chorus: I'll be waiting for you baby

I'll be holding back the darkest night

Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right

Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold

there's no other hand that I would rather hold

the climate changes, im singing for the strangers about you

dont keep time, slow the pace

Honey hold on if you can

the bets are getting surer now that you're my man

I could right a million songs about the way you say my name

I could live a lifetime with you and then do it all again

and like I can't force the sun to rise or hasten summer's start,

neither should I rush my way into your heart

Random Thoughts...

2008-11-13T10:44:00.003-05:00

I thought the following Spurgeon excerpt was encouraging and once again praises God's sovereignty and provokes me to place complete trust in Him. We can rest securely in the fact that though trials and hardships may come, they come with God's permission. They come for His glory and our good. Our "troubles" have already been weighed for us in the scales of His love. God is faithful.

Your Future? by Charles Spurgeon

Your future path has all been marked out in the great decrees of God's predestination. You shall not tread a step which is not mapped out in the great chart of God's decree. Your 'troubles' have been already weighed for you in the scales of his love. Your 'labour' is already set aside for you to accomplish by the hand of his wisdom. Remember, you are not a child of chance. If you were, you might indeed fear. You will go nowhere next year except where God shall send you. You shall perhaps be thrust into the hot coals of the fire, but God shall put you there. You shall perhaps be much depressed in spirit, but that heaviness shall be for your good, and shall come from your Father. You shall have the rod, but it shall not be the rod of the wicked--it shall be in God's hand. Oh! how comfortable the thought that EVERYTHING is in the hand of God, and that all that may occur to me during the future years of my life is foreordained and overruled by the great Jehovah, who is my Father and my friend!

Also, Boundless posted an article yesterday called "Caution and Courage" concerning people's fears about pursuing relationships due to worrying over finding "the one", because then, they think they will have a perfect marriage and no problems. It helped me see that in all areas of life, I often lean more on my understanding then I trust God and I like to have all the details worked out before I "step out in faith". This article was a good reminder that we are not in control of every detail of our lives and God calls us to be courageous people governed by wisdom. How strong is our trust and faith in God? For myself...their is much room to grow!

Teach Me Your Paths

2008-11-11T09:37:00.006-05:00

Discerning the will of God has always been an area I can sinfully stress over. Through the years I have often worried about failing to make the right decisions, take the right fork in the road and follow God where He was leading. Would I be able to hear His voice? To sense His leading?

I have come to see that a possible reason for this continuing to be a battle is because I sometimes look to others to help me see God’s will in a matter instead of exercising faith and trust on my own. When I have to make a serious decision and I don’t know what to do, I want someone to tell me what to do. Anxiety can begin to rise up in me and that is always my first signal that I am not trusting God and am trying to be self-sufficient. This has always been a struggle for me and still is, but God in His kindness is helping me learn that I often make things WAY more complicated then they need to be. Like so many authors have said before, God is our Shepherd and is far more willing to show His sheep the path than the sheep are to follow. Knowing what I know of God and His character, I realize that it is ridiculous to think of God not faithfully leading us when we humbly go to Him.

I am reminded that discerning the will of God starts first and foremost with having a right relationship with God. Pursuing time with Him, praying and reading scripture. Every day of our lives we are called to do His will. I am to honor my parents…that’s God’s will. I am to be faithful at work…God’s will. Yes, things come along that we have to stop and consider what decision to make, but it’s in the ordinary duties that He is helping us learn to walk out His will effectively.

I think a lot of the time I am more aware of already knowing the answer to a decision then I readily admit. I go through the process of examining every detail and possible outcome and then fearfully worry about making the wrong decisions. That is a bold faced statement to God of my lack of trust in His sovereignty and faithfulness. This quote by Elisabeth Elliot helps me to see things more clearly.

“It's alluring to think of our own situation as very complex and ourselves as deep and complicated, so that we waste a good deal of time puzzling over "the will of God." Frequently our conscience has the answer.”

Even though I would like to imagine God audibly speaking to me as He did Moses and Abraham and Samuel…He most often speaks to us through conscience, His written word, through other people and through events.

“Events themselves, the seemingly insignificant happenings of every day, reveal the will of God. They are the will of God for us, for while we live, move, and have our being here on earth, in this place, this family, this house, this job, we live, move, and have our being in God. He "pulls strings through circumstances," as Jim Elliot said, even the bad circumstances (see Genesis 45:8, 50:20).”- Elliot

Elliot also poses three questions in helping to discern God’s will in a matter:
(1) Have I made up my mind to do what He says, no matter the cost?
(2) Am I faithfully reading His word and praying?
(3) Am I obedient in what I know today of His will?

"Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.” – Psalm 25:4-5

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.” – Psalm 37:23-24

“Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. – Psalm 143:8

Learning To Be Still...

2008-11-10T11:13:00.007-05:00

Stillness by Elisabeth Elliot

"Stillness. Perfect stillness. It is a very great gift, not always available to those who would most appreciate it and would find joy in it, and often not appreciated by those who have it but are uncomfortable with it.

I think it is possible to learn stillness--but only if it is seriously sought. God tells us, "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10, NIV). "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" (Isaiah 30:15, KJV).

The stillness in which we find God is not superficial, a mere absence of fidgeting or talking. It is a deliberate and quiet attentiveness--receptive, alert, ready. I think of what Jim Elliot wrote in his Journal: "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."

This is not so difficult, perhaps, for a sports fan, eyes riveted on the game. For me, however, this quietness in the presence of God, this being "all there" for Him, though I treasure it and long for it, is not easy to maintain, even in the beautiful place where I live. I am easily distracted, more so, it seems, as soon as I try to focus on God Himself and nothing else. Why should this be?"

Elliot then quotes C.S. Lewis as saying a main reason for this being difficult is because of all the noise going on in the world. People are uncomfortable with silence. Lewis references noise as a grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless and virile.

I know for myself I am often quick to move on when I’ve been in silence for too long and am not hearing anything. But part of being still is waiting. The psalms tell us to “be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him”. I have to remind myself that silence is a form of worship. Silence is a way to honor God. Even in heaven when the seventh seal was broken there was silence for a brief time. With such a world full of noise we have to be intentional about being still and getting comfortable with silence. It’s a perfect time to be still before him and trust Him to know the perplexities of our hearts that even we can’t put into words. As I was reading Elliot’s words above, I was reminded about the story of Samuel. It was in the stillness of the night that the Lord spoke to Samuel and then when he kept going to Eli thinking he had been the one calling him, Eli told him to go lie back down and wait for the Lord to speak to him. Then Samuel said to God, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” Being still before the Lord is a constant area I am trying to grow in and with His help and by His grace it is possible. I know I’ve posted the lyrics to the following song before, but I often read these words to help inform my heart and it always gives me fresh excitement for being “still”.

The more I get alone, The more I see I need to get alone more, Cause just when I think that I'm alone, Your Spirit calls out to me, And even silence has a song, Cause that's when you come, Sing over me

Still, let me be still, Let me be OK, With the quiet in my heart, Still, I want to be still, I'm so quick to move, Instead of listening to you, Shut my mouth, Crush my pride, Give me the tears, Of a broken life, Still

Oh this world, it falls around me, And flutters all it's beauty in my eyes, But let me choose the solitude, Simplicity has always simply changed my life, Cause even stillness makes me move, Cause that's when my heart, Learns to dance with you

Still, let me be still, Let me be OK, With the quiet in my heart, Still, I want to be still, I'm so quick to move, Instead of listening to you, I'm your child, Tame my heart, Obedience To me impart, Still

Hold me, Cleanse me, Change me, Oh God, Change me while I am, Still, let me be still, And know that you are God, And you are always enough, Still, I want to be still, To take all that I am, And simply lift it up

Life Is Hard For Most People

2008-11-07T10:53:00.003-05:00

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2We should train ourselves to such regard, to such respect for others, that we shall never hurt the heart of one of God's creatures, even by a disdainful look!Our love ought also to be patient. Our neighbor may have his faults—but we are taught to bear with one another's infirmities. If we knew the story of men's lives, the hidden loads and burdens which they are often carrying, the unhealed sore in their heart—we would have most gentle patience with them. Life is hard for most people; certainly hard enough withoutour adding to its burdens by our censoriousness, our unkindness, our jeering and contempt.

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience." Colossians 3:12

J.R. Miller

A Letter Of No Regrets...

2008-11-06T11:14:00.009-05:00

I think every person on this planet has at some point or another struggled with regrets. Some struggle more than others. I confess that regret is something I often battle. So, when I read Elisabeth Elliot’s devotional yesterday, I was freshly convicted and encouraged. She features a letter from her grandfather to her grandmother who was struggling with regret over an incident that had occurred several years prior. I was reminded that when we let regret take over our thoughts and emotions we will not be able to be affective in the now. “None of us could be alive to the pressing needs of today if we should carry along with us the dark heaviness of any past, whether real or imagined.” I’m not saying we should never be grieved over our failures and sin, but after we have “briefly” grieved, move on. Regret is a burden God has never asked us to carry. We are to forget what lies behind and strain forward to what lies ahead. The other thing I loved about Elliot’s excerpt was how her grandfather was encouraging and speaking truth to his wife. He then references how he sometimes battles regret and depression and how his wife is always reminding him to “look up”. They are going back and forth in uplifting each other. Ephesians 4:9-10 speaks of the advantages of having someone to be there for you, “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!” This provokes me to want to be a greater source of encouragement to others with whatever they may be struggling with. There is nothing sweeter than when someone comes alongside us to gently speak truth to our hearts and lift us up. - Regrets are things of the past and God calls us to live in the present. No matter what we have regrets over, we can be confident that God is sovereignly working it all out for our good and His glory. With God as our Shepherd, nothing ever enters our life that He has not allowed. I am praying to honor God with regret free days and a hope filled heart.

"Regrets" by Elisabeth Elliot
When my father was twelve years old he lost his left eye through disobedience. He had been forbidden to have firecrackers, but he sneaked out early in the morning of July 4, 1910, and, with the help of a neighboring farmer, set off some dynamite caps. A piece of copper penetrated his eye. Four years later my grandfather wrote this letter to my grand-mother:
Dearest:
I am not one bit surprised that after all our experiences of the past four years you should suffer from sad memories, but I really do not believe for a moment that you should feel you have any occasion to let remorse bite into your life on account of Philip's accident. Surely we cannot guard against all the contingencies of this complex life, and no one who has poured out life as you have for each one of your children should let such regrets take hold.
None of us could be alive to the pressing needs of today if we should carry along with us the dark heaviness of any past, whether real or imagined. I know, dearest, that your Lord cannot wish anything of that sort for you, and I believe your steady, shining, and triumphant faith will lead you out through Him, into the richest experiences you have ever had. I believe that firmly.
I have had to turn to Him in helplessness today to overcome depression because of my failures. My Sunday School fiasco at Swarthmore bears down pretty hard. But that is not right. I must look ahead, and up, as you often tell me, and I will. I know how sickening remorse is, if anyone knows; yet I also know, as you do, the lift and relief of turning the whole matter over to Him. We must have more prayers and more study together, dearest. I haven't followed the impulses I have so often had in this.

Lovingly, your own Phil.

“But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:13, 14

Seeing Things As They Should Be...

2008-11-05T11:48:00.007-05:00

As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what this meant. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” And he cried out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Jesus stopped and commanded him to be brought to him. And when he came near, he asked him, “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me recover my sight.” And Jesus said to him, “Recover your sight; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him, glorifying God. And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. - Luke 18:35-43

Yesterday I received an email with a story that in essence spoke about sacrifice, gratefulness and complaining. It also, spoke about the truth of our human nature to forget where we have come from and what we’ve been saved from. How often have I been struggling with a sin in my life, been delivered from it and then had judgmental thoughts about someone else who is struggling with a sin? How many times have I had little, been given much and demanded more? How many times have I forgotten about the wrath and judgment I’ve been saved from and walk through my day in pride and self-righteousness? How many times has a friend or family member laid down their life for me and I only return the same kindness when it’s convenient? Here is part of the story from the email I received…

“There was once a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her. She told her boyfriend, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.

He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?' The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life led her to refuse to marry him.

Her boyfriend left in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: 'Take good care of your eyes, my dear, for before they were yours, they were mine.'”

This story reminded me of the great potential there is for me to take advantage of the people God has placed in my life, but more importantly of the potential to take advantage of Christ’s sacrifice for me. You see, the boy in the story gave his girlfriend his eyes because he loved her above all else. There was no sacrifice too great. But as soon as she had been set free from her blindness, she went her own way, forgetting about where she had come from and who had truly loved her. Christ loved us so much that he gave his very life. How many times have I chosen my own path and desires and forgotten about the one who died for me? When I consider His sacrifice, I should love Him all the more. This should also produce a heart of gratefulness, not complaint. A heart of humility, not pride. God has called us to praise and thankfulness, which honors Him, not complaining which is self-centered. He has not called us to die for the sins of all the people we know, but to die to our flesh. He has called us to cherish, love and serve those he has placed in our life and to love the lost souls of this world with the gospel. I know I can’t do any of these things on my own, but I have hope and faith that I can grow in these practices with God’s help and strength. “Lord, teach me how to truly love You and others in a way that glorifies You. Help me to see who I can sacrifice for today. Give me a heart of gratefulness for You and others. Keep complaining far from my lips and may I overflow with praise and thankfulness. Help me to not be blind to the things that really matter and to see things the way You see them. Amen”

Second part of the email…with a few edits.
Ways To Help Battle Complaining:

Today before you say an unkind word - Think of someone who can't speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food - Think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife - Think of someone who has lost theirs or is crying out to God for a companion.

Today before you complain about America, elections and government - Think of someone in another country who has none of the freedoms we have and who are persecuted, tortured and killed for being a Christian.

Before whining about the distance you drive - Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

When you are tired and complain about your job - Think of the unemployed, the disabled, and those who wish they had your job.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down - Put a smile on your face and think: you're alive and Christ died in your place.

Secure In The Unchanging

2008-11-04T09:34:00.002-05:00

With so much going on with our country right now, it could be easy to become anxious about the future. Things are in a constant state of change and not always for the better. As Christians, the truth that God never changes should comfort us and secure our hearts. Though to us things may seem uncertain, they never are to God. Nothing ever happens that catches Him off guard. He has sovereignly ruled over this earth since the beginning of time and He will continue to do so until He calls us home. So today, lets put our trust in God and not man and lets praise God for being our constant anchor that never changes.

“It is just as well for us that in all the variableness of life there is One whom change cannot affect, One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow inconsistency can make no furrows…The delight that the sailor feels when, having been tossed about on the waves, he steps again upon the solid shore is the satisfaction of a Christian when, in all the changes of this distressing life, he rests the foot of his faith upon this truth —‘I THE LORD DO NOT CHANGE.’”

“The stability that the anchor gives the ship when it has at last obtained a solid hold is like that which the Christian’s hope provides him when it fixes itself upon this glorious truth. With God ‘there is no variation or shadow due to change.’ Whatever his attributes were in the past, they are now; His power, His wisdom, His justice, His truth are unchanged. He has forever been the refuge of His people, their stronghold in the day of trouble, and He is still their sure Helper. He is unchanged in His love.”
~ Charles Spurgeon ~

“He is unchangeable… what He desires, that He does.For He will complete what He appoints for me.”job 23.13-14

Stringing Our Days Together

2008-11-03T11:14:00.004-05:00

"Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action and purpose." Lance Armstrong (1971 – )Cyclist, seven-time Tour de France champion and cancer survivor

I have heard it said, that when we set the Lord before us, we can’t help but to live life without being shaken. Though it may offend my finite mind, the goal and purpose of my life is not to be comfortable and have everything turn out just the way I want, but instead it is to be godly, fulfill the calling and pursuits God has called me to and to make an impact our dying world. Though the pursuits of Lance Armstrong are probably not the same things we are called to, he has an insightful perspective on life. Having cancer taught him that life is short and every moment important. One wouldn’t think someone would need to be told that they need to “live” their life, but I know I need to be reminded of that. Yes, I’m still breathing so technically I’m living, but am I “living”? Am I living my days to the fullest? Am I doing all I know I can and should do? I know for myself, I can become comfortable with life. I get use to routines and schedules. Even to the point where I can have sinful reactions when plans or desires are delayed or undone. But when I was recently reading through Esther, God reminded me that His plans and purposes are far greater then my own. She was taken out of her normal life to be considered by the king as a new queen. As if being taken away from all she knew wasn’t enough, she had to wait an entire year before she was even presented to the king. Once chosen queen, she was soon presented with another “hard thing” to do. She was being asked to risk her life in order to obey God and save her people. She was being called to action…called to a purpose. Read Mordecai’s words to her as she was trying to decide what to do.

“Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

Mordecai knew that God wasn’t just limited to using Esther to save his people, but God was calling her to do that very thing. What is God calling me to in my life? God hasn’t made mistakes in where He has each of us right now. He has a purpose and a calling on every single one of our lives…will we rise to the occasion? Esther did and God used her to save an entire people. So, I am praying for God’s help to actually “live” my life and live it with action and purpose.

Psalm 138:8 "The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands."

John 12: 25-28 “Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.”

Acts 11:23 “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.”

I have much to learn...

2008-10-31T11:16:00.003-04:00

The following quote from puritan author John Newton was very convicting. He is obviously superior in character, godliness, knowledge and every other thing and yet he still humbly sees that he "has no right" to have a lowly view of others. To ever be impatient, or angry, or bitter toward them, because he himself sees his own need of grace. Lord, give me a heart like that!

"I am not to expect others to see with my eyes! I am deeply convinced of the truth of John the Baptist's aphorism in John 3:27, "A man can receive nothing--except it be given him from Heaven." I well know, that the little measure of knowledge I have obtained in the things of God--has not been owing to my own wisdom and teachableness, but to God's goodness. Nor did I learn everything all at once--God has been pleased to exercise much patience towards me, for the past twenty-seven years--since He first gave me a desire of learning from Himself. He has graciously accommodated Himself to my weakness, borne with my mistakes, and helped me through innumerable prejudices, which, but for His mercy, would have been insuperable hindrances! I have therefore no right to be angry, impatient, or censorious to others, especially as I have still much to learn, and am so poorly influenced by what I seem to know!" - John Newton

Because I am one of God's most impatient servants...

2008-10-30T10:22:00.005-04:00

I know I've been writing about the discipline of "waiting" a lot lately, but it seems as though God in His kindness is still not done with me. This morning as I pulled up Elisabeth Elliot's new devotional that they post every day, I smiled as I read the title. Of course! God is good and E.E's wise words helped to give me fresh perspective, encouragement and peace once again. I can't even explain it, but the Lord has actually given me excitement at the thought of continuing to learn to wait on Him. God truly is faithful in all His ways, has never failed us and is worthy of all our trust and confidence. I know for me, waiting can feel like I'm on a windless sea going nowhere, but God is always sovereignly moving me toward the destination He has for me. I know the following quotation below is a bit long, but so worth reading.

Waiting by Elisabeth Elliot
"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry" (Psalm 40:1, NIV).

The tests of our willingness to wait patiently for the Lord come almost daily for most of us, I suppose. Probably I am among the Lord's most impatient servants, so the lesson has to be renewed again and again. A tough test came when my daughter's family (of ten) was searching for a house. Southern California is not a place where one would wish to conduct that search. It's a long story, but at last, all other possibilities having been exhausted, a house was found, an offer made. That night word came that two other offers, of unknown amounts, had also been made. Dark pictures filled my mind: the others would surely get the house, the Shepards would be reduced to renting and we'd been told that rentals start at about $2000 per month (imagine an owner willing to rent to a family with eight children!).

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:14, NIV).
I lay awake in the wee hours ("when all life's molehills become mountains" as Amy Carmichael said), repeating Scripture about God's faithfulness, trusting, casting all cares, waiting. I had to keep offering up my worries and my impatience. At four I was up reading the story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham called the place where he had offered up Isaac "The Lord Will Provide." I took that as the Lord's word to me that morning.

Before nine o'clock, my son-in-law Walt called to say "Offer accepted. Other offers, both higher, turned down." No explanation. It was the Lord's doing.

Waiting requires patience--a willingness calmly to accept what we have or have not, where we are or where we wish we were, whomever we live or work with.

To want what we don't have is impatience, for one thing, and it is to mistrust God. Is He not in complete control of all circumstances, events, and conditions? If some are beyond His control, He is not God.

A spirit of resistance cannot wait on God. I believe it is this spirit which is the reason for some of our greatest sufferings. Opposing the workings of the Lord in and through our "problems" only exacerbates them. It is here and now that we must win our victories or suffer defeats. Spiritual victories are won in the quiet acceptance of ordinary events, which are God's "bright servants," standing all around us.

Restlessness and impatience change nothing except our peace and joy. Peace does not dwell in outward things, but in the heart prepared to wait trustfully and quietly on Him who has all things safely in His hands. "Peace I leave with you; I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27, NEB). What sort of peace has He to give us? A peace which was constant in the midst of ceaseless work (with few visible results), frequent interruptions, impatient demands, few physical comforts; a peace which was not destroyed by the arguments, the faithlessness, and hatred of the people. Jesus had perfect confidence in His Father, whose will He had come to accomplish. Nothing touched Him without His Father's permission. Nothing touches me without my Father's permission. Can I not then wait patiently? He will show the way.

If I am willing to be still in my Master's hand, can I not then be still in everything? He's got the whole world in His hands! Never mind whether things come from God Himself or from people-- everything comes by His ordination or permission. If I mean to be obedient and submissive to the Lord because He is my Lord, I must not forget that whatever He allows to happen becomes, for me, His will at that moment. Perhaps it is someone else's sinful action, but if God allows it to affect me, He wills it for my learning. The need to wait is, for me, a form of chastening. God has to calm me down, make me shut up and look to Him for the outcome.

His message to me every day

Is wait, be still, trust, and obey.

And this brings me to the matter of counseling. Upon our return from a trip to England I found a pile of mail, so many letters asking me what to do about things, for example: a wife's critical spirit, unemployment, a wife who has abandoned husband and children, a single mother doing a job she hates, an unfaithful husband, a woman (who tells me she is Spirit-filled) having an affair with her pastor, a farmer who'd like a wife, a mother-in-law who is nasty to her daughter-in-law, a stepson who is angry because "we don't spend enough money on his children," a wife who snaps at her husband each time he tries to snuggle up, and a husband who "drinks like a fish, curses like a sailor, and says he loves God."

I wish I could write the same letter to everybody: Wait patiently for the Lord. He will turn to you and hear your cry. It is amazing how clear things become when we are still before Him, not complaining, not insisting on quick answers, only seeking to hear His word in the stillness, and to see things in His light. Few are willing to receive that sort of reply. "Too simplistic" is the objection. One listener to my radio program, Gateway to Joy, wrote, "I got so upset at what you were saying I ripped the earphones out and aid, 'I'll do what I want to do!'" But there are those who can say, "This is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Isaiah 25:9, KJV). Here are two testimonies:

"I've lost my mother, my brother, my husband, and my baby. My song is More Love to Thee, O Christ."

"God picked up the scraps and pieces and made us whole--a whole woman, a whole man, a whole marriage."

Learning To Pray

2008-10-29T11:10:00.004-04:00

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. - Matthew 6:9-13As I was reading in Morning & Evening this morning, the entry from Spurgeon was on the Lord's prayer. It struck me how beautifully deep and yet simple this prayer is and how it should inform our hearts and minds every morning. "O Lord, thank you for adopting us and that we can call You Father. Thank you for Your Holiness. Thank you that Your kingdom will come and Your will be accomplished. Thank you for always providing for our needs. Thank you for justification and sanctification. Thank you for providentially reigning over all the earth. Teach me Your ways...teach me to pray."

"This prayer begins where all true prayer must commence, with the spirit of adoption, Our Father. There is no acceptable prayer until we can say, I will arise, and go unto my Father. This child-like spirit soon perceives the grandeur of the Father in heaven, and ascends to devout adoration, Hallowed be thy name. The child lisping, Abba, Father, grows into the cherub crying, Holy, Holy, Holy. There is but a step from rapturous worship to the glowing missionary spirit, which is a sure outgrowth of filial love and reverent adoration--Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Next follows the heartfelt expression of dependence upon God--Give us this day our daily bread. Being further illuminated by the Spirit, he discovers that he is not only dependent, but sinful, hence he entreats for mercy, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors: and being pardoned, having the righteousness of Christ imputed, and knowing his acceptance with God, he humbly supplicates for holy perseverance, Lead us not into temptation. The man who is really forgiven, is anxious not to offend again; the possession of justification leads to an anxious desire for sanctification. Forgive us our debts, that is justification; Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, that is sanctification in its negative and positive forms. As the result of all this, there follows a triumphant ascription of praise, Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever, Amen. We rejoice that our King reigns in providence and shall reign in grace, from the river even to the ends of the earth, and of his dominion there shall be no end. Thus from a sense of adoption, up to fellowship with our reigning Lord, this short model of prayer conducts the soul. Lord, teach us thus to pray." - Charles Spurgeon

Everyday's A Day To Celebrate...

2008-10-28T10:16:00.004-04:00

As I was driving to work this morning I heard a story about a woman, who after being sentenced to three years in prison for being a Christian, exclaimed that it was the happiest day of her life to be able to suffer for Christ and be found in Him. The person then went on to ask, "What do we think will be the happiest day of our lives? The day we graduate? Our wedding day? The day our child is born?" He wasn't saying any of these things were wrong to find joy in. They are all blessings and ones God loves to bestow upon us. The story did make me think however about where I find my true joy. When the foundation of our joy is found in Him, we will then be able to enjoy the other blessings in life as He intended. With God as number one, all other things will be secondary, but sweeter than we can imagine.

“It is sad to see a Christian pursuing joy in coarse and earthly pleasures when he has more noble and angelical delights, second only in degree and manner of enjoyment to heaven itself. Our faith takes us to the third heaven. We roll and tumble our souls in beds of roses, that is, our meditations of justification, sanctification, and salvation through Christ. No day should pass without these enjoyments. Should not our soul have her due drinks, breakfasts, meals, snacks, and desserts, as well as our body? Cannot such meditations make pleasant work of our daily tasks? They would make time pass by like a boat with full wind and tide, needing no oars. They would make all of our days like holidays and celebrations.” - Tony Reinke

Preparation

2008-10-27T13:16:00.003-04:00

The Lord has really been impressing on my heart as of late the fact that He is always providentially working in my life. Specifically, He has been teaching me the truths about His character and how He sovereingly works through trials, delays and disappointments to prepare us. The word "preparation" has also been coming up a lot over the past couple months. It seems to be in everything I hear or read. On Sunday two separate people spoke about preparation, some scriptures I was reading today spoke of God's high view of preparation and a blog post I came across had the following quote about none other than preparation.

"Like an astute coach or a gifted teacher, God prepares his saints for the tasks to which he has appointed them before he uses them. Moses, for example, spent forty years in the desert, herding sheep, before God called him to lead his people out of Egypt. What better preparation in patience could there have been for his assignment of leading an equally stubborn flock of people through wilderness for forty years? Similarly, David learned courage from his own experience as a shepherd. Later the one who had learned how to take on wild animals in the defense of his flock would be called upon to take on the biggest wild animal of all, mighty Goliath, in the defense of God's flock. God knows how to prepare his people for the tasks to which they are assigned" (from Living in the Gap Between Promise and Reality by Iain M. Duiguid).

It encourages me when I consider that everything I am going through and will go through has a purpose. It encourages me when I read story after story in the Bible and see God's detailed preparations and beautiful outcomes. It encourages me to know that God loves me enough to use His word and others to speak into my life in order to help me direct my gaze to Him more completely. It encourages me to know that even through present circumstances, He is using it as a tool to conform me to the image of Christ and make me more useful for what He has instore. So, we have to ask ourself, "What task is God calling me to today?" What herd of sheep are you called to look after today? Maybe it's a wearisome task such as a full work or school schedule, backed up chores at home, serving someone in need in the midst of your own busy calendar. It's preparation for a task. Or what about a wild animal like Iain Duiguid spoke of in his quote? Is there a prowling trial in your life? Physical, relational or something else? It's preparation for a task. I thank God for His care in preparing me for the tasks He will call me to.

Our astute AND loving Coach has us in training. Let’s look to Him in faith and meet our task with courage.

The Journey

God In The Day To Day

Life Update

Christ is Message and Messenger

God Is Our Refuge, Strength And Mighty Fortress

Covenant

Ascend The Mountain

Learning The Father's Love

Responsible to Praise

The Master Gardener

What Makes God's Work Shine

Therefore We Will Not Be Afraid

Thank Goodness God Is Sovereign, Not Sentimental!

How Should I Walk?

NEXT

Falling Dice

More Than Watchmen For The Morning

God, My God

Don't Believe The Lie

Slow But Sure

God's Story Tellers

My Rest In Weariness

The Trouble Tree

God Knows

My Need For God Is Great

My Having Been His Murderer

Walking By Grace Not Guilt

Contemplating God's Greatness!

Perfect Blueprint

Fixity Is A Rare Thing

Lots of Questions...One Answer

Who Are You To Judge?

The Great Mystery Of God's Patience

To Gaze Upon The Lord

A Look Through The Window Of Desultory Exploits and Happenings

Growing Worse?

LOOK UP!

Let us not sleep, as do others. - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

First Aid Kit = Strength & Life

He Gives What He Knows Is Best

Hidden Away In An Abbey...

The True Woman

The Golden Key! The Golden Thread!

Fireflies In The Darkness

Where Have All The Theologians Gone...

Where Dreams Come True!

Unload Your Burdens

Glorious Shade

Not What I Once Was

There is heaven in the depth of that word ............Father

Alas! Alas! Wise men pass a dressy lass

Always Finding Something To Annoy Us

How To Have Peace

Mountain Of Fear

He Leads Me

What should move God to love us?

Certain Paths

View Of Faithfulness

Suck The Honey Out Of It

Hope Is A Fixed Anchor

God Is SLOW To Anger

Plunge Into This River

Lean Hard

The Ocean of Divine Love

His Reservoir Of Grace Will Never Dry Up

Dark Clouds

His Love Stories

I asked the Lord that I might grow...

Submit To The Appointments Of Our Maker

Waiting On The Dawn

Everyone is that in reality, which he is at home.

Killing Unbelief

In Need Of Mercy

Be Real...

Nevertheless, I am continually with you...

Seemingly Unimportant Tasks

The Blowing Of A Grain Of Dust...

Just One Little Day...

Engraved!

Oh, magnify the Lord with me...