e-breaks

The Gospel

2012-02-01T06:36:00.003-08:00

Window of Grace

2012-01-23T08:26:00.001-08:00

Jesus and Sin

2012-01-18T08:43:00.001-08:00

Satan's Leash

2012-01-12T10:54:00.001-08:00

Chuck Swindoll Christmas - Part 4

2011-12-19T07:29:00.001-08:00

Chuck Swindoll Christmas - Part 3

2011-12-16T10:21:00.001-08:00

Chuck Swindoll Christmas - Part 2

2011-12-12T08:37:00.001-08:00

Christmas Series from Chuck Swindoll - Part One

2011-12-08T16:34:00.001-08:00

David Platt

2011-11-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

Reminders from His Holiness

2011-11-06T09:41:00.001-08:00

It Happened to Me-3 from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Martin Luther

2011-10-31T12:25:00.000-07:00

A Promise for “Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness”

2011-10-23T09:27:00.000-07:00

The true servant of God possesses an insatiable appetite for what is right, a passionate drive for justice. Spiritually speaking, the servant is engaged in a pursuit of God . . . a hot, restless, eager longing to walk with Him, to please Him. That's who Jesus referred to when He said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness" (Matthew 5:6).

Eleventh-century Bernard of Clairvaux expressed it in this way in his hymn, "Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts":

We taste Thee, O Thou living bread,
And long to feast upon Thee still;
We drink of Thee, the fountainhead,
And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.¹

Bernard's pen dripped with that insatiable appetite for God.

But there is a practical side of this fourth beatitude as well. It includes not just looking upward, pursuing a vertical holiness, but also looking around and being grieved over the corruption, the inequities, the gross lack of integrity, the moral compromises that abound. The servant "hungers and thirsts" for right on earth. Unwilling simply to sigh and shrug off the lack of justice and purity as inevitable, servants press on for righteousness. Some would call them idealists or dreamers.

Another teacher, the great seventeenth-century preacher and Bible expositor, Matthew Henry, offers an eloquent assessment of this concept. He points out that true righteousness grows in humility, through patient acceptance of whatever life may throw at us. Whether life brings us poverty or wealth, sickness or health, or just normal day-to-day existence, the deeper rewards of the Christian life come through patient and obedient dependence upon God. Henry writes:

Those who contentedly bear oppression, and quietly refer themselves to God to plead their cause, shall in due time be satisfied, abundantly satisfied, in the wisdom and kindness, which shall be manifested in the appearances for them.²

The idea of hungering and thirsting for righteousness may sound a bit strained to our modern ears, but Matthew Henry tells us that those who seek God's blessings will naturally desire to experience genuine righteousness. And righteousness, he says, grows out of a deep and abiding love for Jesus Christ. The blessings of heaven are purchased for us, not by our own holiness or piety but by the righteousness of Christ.

And what will happen when this passionate appetite is a part of one's life? What does Jesus promise? "They shall be satisfied" (5:6). What a picture of contentment! Contented in soul and satisfied within, the servant with an appetite for righteousness will be filled. It's comforting to hear that promise.

Normally, one would think such an insatiable pursuit would make one so intense there would be only fretfulness and agitation. But, no, Jesus promises to bring a satisfaction to such hungry and thirsty souls . . . a "rest" of spirit that conveys quiet contentment.

by Charles R. Swindoll

The Cause

2011-10-14T17:41:00.000-07:00

Es 4:12 So they told Mordecai Esther's words. 13 And Mordecai told them to answer Esther: "Do not think in your heart that you will escape in the king's palace any more than all the other Jews. 14 "For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

Is that a great answer or what? Is this a great woman? She's had only a few moments to consider what Mordecai had told her, a brief slice of time to weigh his counsel. It was all she needed. She is determined to make a difference, no matter what the consequences to her personally: "If I perish, I perish. If a guard drives a sword through my body, I die doing the right thing." She has changed from fear to abandonment and faith, from hesitation to confidence and determination, from concern for her own safety to concern for her people's survival. She has reached her own personal hour of decision and has not been found wanting.

Do you recall when young David was asked by his father to leave the sheep and take some food and supplies to his brothers who were fighting the Philistines at the valley of Elah? When he got there, he found the giant Goliath roaming the battlefield, taunting and blaspheming the God of Israel. When he learns what is going on, he says, in effect, "Let's do something about it." And his older brother, Eliab, laughs and says sarcastic stuff like, "Oh, so you're going to be the big-time hero, huh? How are all those little woollies doing while you're out here on the battlefield with us?" Remember young David's answer? "Is there not a cause?" (1 Samuel 17:29 KJV). Shortly thereafter he whips out his slingshot and downs Goliath with one smooth stone.

"Of course there is a cause!" David implies, if not in words, at least in his actions: "What are you doing sitting around in your tents with your knees knocking? There is a giant out there who hates the cause of the living God! What are you men doing standing here? Our God will fight for me. And if I perish, I perish."

Esther realized the same thing. She realized there was an enemy out there, not only of her people, but more importantly, of the living God. And as soon as that realization seized her awareness, the softness of the palace became uncomfortable.

"Enough of the easy life," said Esther. "It's time to put my name on the line. I am Jewish, and I believe in the living God. I'm ready to stand alone for my people. And if I perish, I perish."

"Is there not a cause" in your heart and mind?

by Charles R. Swindoll

Chuck Smith - Part Three (Final Part)

2011-10-03T11:15:00.001-07:00

Chuck Smith - Part Two

2011-09-26T08:48:00.001-07:00

Chuck Smith - Part One

2011-09-21T17:46:00.001-07:00

The God of Impossibilities

2011-09-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

1Ki 17:24 Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in your mouth is the truth."

All over this world, around us every day, are people who are looking for the truth to be lived out in the lives of those who claim it. Just as the widow watched Elijah, there are people watching you. They hear what you say you believe, but they are watching to see what you do.

Remember, you are here by God's appointment, you are in His keeping, you are under His training, for His time. Give Him the corpse of your life, and ask Him to revive those lifeless areas that need to be revived. If the situation calls for it, trust Him for a miracle, in His time, if it be His will, for your life.

On the bed of your life place the remains of your broken and scarred past; the emptiness of your poor character traits; the habits, even the addictions that have so long controlled you; the limited vision that continues to characterize you; the slight irritation that nags or the large one that looms; the anger or violence or lust or greed or discontentment or selfishness or the ugliness of pride. Lay all these before the Father, and stretch yourself out under His shadow as you ask Him to bring about remarkable, even miraculous changes in your life.

Is He able? Get serious! I'm referring to "the God of impossibilities," the One who has limitless power, who has never—and will never—meet an intimidating obstacle He cannot overcome, an aggressive enemy He cannot overwhelm, a final decision He cannot override, or a powerful person He cannot overshadow.

Because Elijah believed in "the God of impossibilities," not even death caused him to doubt. He learned his theology of faith in the secret hiding place at Cherith. He was given the opportunity to develop it during his advance training at Zarephath. But it was not until he stared death in the face, literally, that he personified it. And he did it all standing in the shadow of God.

And so must I. And so must you.

by Charles R. Swindoll

Scripture Memory

2011-09-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

Into the Shadows

2011-08-22T09:57:00.000-07:00

1Ki 17:2 Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying,3 "Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.4 "And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."5 So he went and did according to the word of the LORD, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan.6 The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.

Any recruit who has been through boot camp can tell you that every hour of the day someone is ordering you where to go, when to be there, what to do, and how to survive. That's a vital part of basic training. And God did the same for His prophet. He told Elijah exactly where he was to go, what he was to do when he got there, and how he would manage to survive. How strange the plan must have seemed to Elijah.

The first thing he was to do was hide.

"Hide myself? I'm a prophet! I'm a palace man. I'm out there in public proclaiming your Word. You seem to forget, Lord, I'm called to preach."

No, God told Elijah. Not this time. "Hide yourself," God said.

The Hebrew word here suggests the idea of concealment, of being absent on purpose. "Conceal yourself, Elijah," God said. "Absent yourself in secrecy."

One of the most difficult commands to hear, and one of the hardest commands to obey, is the command to hide. The admonition to go off and be alone, to get away from the public spotlight, to drop back and deliberately remain hidden. This is especially true if you are comfortable in the limelight, an up-front kind of person, one who is obviously gifted with leadership abilities. It's also true if you are a doer. A get-the-job-done kind of person.

You may be a capable woman, whether homemaker or career woman. Then, suddenly, you are snatched from your world of endless activity and effective involvement. God says, in no uncertain terms, "Hide yourself. Get alone. Get out of the limelight. Get away from all those things that satisfy your human pride and ego, and go live by the brook."

Sometimes sickness forces such a change. Sometimes we reach the peak of our energy output and begin to burn out, or we are about to do so. Sometimes God, without explaining Himself, simply removes us from one place and reshapes us for another.

God had two reasons for commanding Elijah to hide himself. First, He wanted to protect Elijah from Ahab; and second, He wanted to train him to become a man of God. When God says to us, almost out of the blue, "Hide yourself," He usually has both purposes in mind: protection and training.

by Charles R. Swindoll

3 Reasons to fear God - Final segment

2011-08-16T15:24:00.001-07:00

MacArthur - Part 3

2011-08-08T12:35:00.001-07:00

MacArthur - Part Two

2011-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

3 Reasons to Fear God by John MacArthur - Part 1

2011-07-18T17:34:00.001-07:00

Short but powerful

2011-06-27T17:42:00.001-07:00

Hey what about him?

2011-06-13T10:17:00.001-07:00

Keep Your Eye on the Ball from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

Times of Trouble

2011-05-31T08:17:00.001-07:00

The End IS coming...

2011-05-17T09:14:00.000-07:00

George Muller

2011-05-13T10:35:00.001-07:00

The less we read the Word of God, the less we desire to read it, and the less we pray, the less we desire to pray.

More from Francis...

2011-05-01T16:59:00.001-07:00

Prayer - Francis Chan

2011-04-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

The Millenium...

2011-04-11T13:05:00.001-07:00

Trials - Part 6

2011-04-04T13:56:00.001-07:00

Hope you have enjoyed this little series on trials...

Trials - Part 5

2011-03-28T12:36:00.001-07:00

Trials Part 4

2011-03-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

Trials - Part 3

2011-03-14T09:28:00.001-07:00

Trials - Part two

2011-03-07T09:36:00.000-08:00

Trials - Part One

2011-03-02T09:29:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this series of ebreaks on trials... this is part one

For Personal Integrity

2011-02-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought [David]

To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands.
—Psalm 78:71–72

Father, personal purity is never automatic or easily produced. Integrity doesn't flow from our flesh naturally or freely. In fact, many of us have lived too many days of our lives in hypocrisy and deception. That's why we need You so desperately. We don't know how to unravel the mess of our bad habits or untie the knots of our past, so we're tempted to continue ignoring Your convicting voice and living lives of regret. But enough is enough! We are determined to ignore it no longer. We refuse to wade any longer in shallow pools of carnality. Beginning today, we are determined to live lives of integrity. We ask You to honor our decision to walk with You, to cease our life of duplicity, to stop compromising our integrity. Give us Your strength, dear Father, Your help, Your courage, Your wisdom. Forgive our foolish and hypocritical ways. Deliver us from the dangerous and deep quicksand of deceitful sin and establish us on the solid rock of vulnerability and integrity.

May Your grace keep us from a judgmental spirit toward others, Lord. Give us the encouragement we need to be all You have called us to be as Your obedient children, so that we, like David with the sheep, might guide others skillfully and well.

In the strong name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

by Charles R. Swindoll

Christ Call - Part 2

2011-01-31T09:51:00.001-08:00

Christ's Call by K.P. Yohannan - Part 1

2011-01-24T09:35:00.000-08:00

Living An Organic Life

2011-01-19T12:49:00.000-08:00

Organic is usually a word associated with "food grown without chemical-based fertilizers or pesticides, organic is also used to describe a lifestyle: simple, healthful and close to nature.

Those are all things I desire in my relationship with God. A hunger for the simplicity. A desire to approach God with a childlike faith, wonder, and awe. A longing for more than just spiritual life, but spiritual health-whereby my soul is not just renewed and restored but becomes a source of refreshment for others. There should be a desire to be close to nature, not mountain ridges and shorelines as much as God's nature working in and through our life. Such a God-infused lifestyle requires us to step away from any insta-grow shortcuts and dig deep into the soil of spiritual formation found only in God through His Word. It's Natural. Pure. Essential."

This aptly put description to desire an authentic and "organic" walk with the Lord is what we should all desire. Margaret Feinberg goes on to describe our time reading the Bible like eating an orange; "peeling back the layers is sticky, sometimes messy, and time-consuming. But, it's really worth it. The nutrients feed our soul."

As one who enjoys organic produce and fresh food, I want to think about sitting down to read my Bible like waiting for our organic, coop produce delivery. Every other Thursday I get very excited to see what is in the cardboard box left on my doorstep. I look forward to my favorite staples like crunchy carrots, crisp lettuce and sweet apples. But, we never know if we'll have really juicy pears, ripe tomatoes, mangos or a few other veggies I've never heard of.

I pray that you receive the juiciest nuggets from God's Word as you open your Bible this week.

1Pe 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

May your time in God's Word be organic, filled with the nutrients you need.

Excerpts taken from "The Organic God" by Margaret Feinberg.

Stand in the gap

2011-01-10T10:00:00.001-08:00

If this doesnt move you - what will?

Now Don't Just Sit There!

2010-12-31T07:31:00.000-08:00

by Charles R. Swindoll

Psalm 108

An old year has completed its course. A new year is smiling at us with twelve months of the unknown. An entire ocean of possibilities, including both sun-drenched days and a few storms with howling winds and giant waves, stretch out across the uncharted waters. If we let ourselves, we could become so afraid of the potential dangers, so safety conscious, we would miss the adventure.

That's one option, of course—becoming a beach-dwelling couch potato, someone who looks toward the horizon, entertains a few thoughts that start with "Someday . . ." or "In a year or two I'm gonna . . ." but then leans back and just keeps looking. What if Christopher Columbus had been content to build sandcastles along the shores of Spain?

Now, admittedly, some go a little nuts when they decide a change is needed. Larry Walters did. The thirty-three-year-old truck driver had been sitting around doing zilch week in, week out, until boredom got the best of him. That was back in the summer of '82. He decided enough was enough; what he needed was an adventure. So, on July 2 of that year he rigged forty-two helium-filled weather balloons to a Sears lawn chair in San Pedro, California, and lifted off. Armed with a pellet gun to shoot out a few balloons should he fly too high, Walters was shocked to reach 16,000 feet rather rapidly. He wasn't the only one. Surprised pilots reported seeing "some guy in a lawn chair floating in the sky" to perplexed air-traffic controllers.

Finally, Walters had enough sense to start shooting a few balloons, which allowed him to land safely in Long Beach some forty-five minutes later. When asked why he did such a weird thing, Walters usually gave the same answer: "It was something I had to do . . . I couldn't just sit there."

Between doing nothing and trying something that ridiculous, there's a wide expanse worth probing. Think of the dozens of things God is going to teach us and the many ways we are going to see Him work in the coming year!

But I should warn you, you will have to change . . . and that won't come easily. Mark Twain was correct when he said, "The only one who likes change is a wet baby."

Breaking out of old, tired routines is one of the secrets for staying young and energetic.

Compassion in Slow Motion

2010-12-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

The timing is as critical as the involvement. You don't just force your way in. Even if you've got the stuff that's needed . . . even if you hold the piece perfectly shaped to fit the other person's missing part of the puzzle . . . you can't push it into place. You must not try.

You must do the most difficult thing for compassion to do.

You must wait.

Even if there is rebellion? Even if there's rebellion.
Even if sin is occurring? Yes, often even then.
Even if others are suffering and disillusioned and going through the misery of misunderstanding, heartache, and sleepless nights? Believe it or not, yes.

There are times (not always, but often) when the better part of wisdom restrains us from barging in and trying to make someone accept our help. The time isn't right, so we wait.

Even the Lord waits, as when Isaiah reported to the nation whom the Lord called "rebellious children" (Isa. 30:1). These people were rife with shame, reproach, unfaithful alliances, oppression, and a ruthless rejection of God's holy Word. Their unwillingness to repent added insult to injury.

But what was Jehovah's response? Hidden away in the first part of verse 18 is the incredible statement: "Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you."

Instead of storming into the dark alleys of Judah, screaming "Repent!" and shining bright lights to expose the filthy litter of their disobedience, the Lord tapped His foot, folded His arms . . . and waited. Not even the Lord pushed His way in. He waited until the time was right.

Our Lord would love to piece together the shattered fragments of your life. But He is waiting . . . graciously waiting until the time is right.

Until you are tired of the life you are living . . . until you see it for what it really is. Until you are weary of coping . . . of taking charge of your own life . . . until you realize the mess you are making of it. Until you recognize your need for Him.

He's waiting . . .

God's timing is always on time.

Charles Swindoll

REJOICE -OR- GRUMBLE

2010-12-13T10:39:00.000-08:00

REJOICE-OR GRUMBLE

I think all of us meet Christian men and women who always seem to look on the gloomy side and are never able to do anything with life's problems but grumble about them! I meet them often and when I do, I wonder: "Can these people be reading and trusting the same Bible I have been reading?" The Apostle Peter wrote to the tempted, suffering and persecuted believers in his day and noted with thanksgiving that they could rejoice because they counted God's promises and provisions greater than their trials! We do live in a sinful and imperfect world, and as believers in Christ we acknowledge that perfection is a relative thing now-and God has not really completed a thing with us, as yet! Peter testified that the persecuted and suffering Christians of his day were looking, in faith, to a future state of things immeasurably better than that which they knew, and that state of things would be perfect and complete! -Tozer

A.W Tozer - Part Four

2010-12-08T08:07:00.001-08:00

Tozer - Part 3

2010-11-30T13:47:00.001-08:00

I hope you are enjoying this special rare audio series... good stuff by one of my favorites and one of the greats.

Tozer - Part 2

2010-11-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

One of the Greats...

2010-11-16T13:59:00.001-08:00

Most of us have heard of or read A.W Tozer (most famous book The Pursuit of God) but have you ever heard him preach... here is part one of a short series of audio recordings from this great man. Stay tuned for more to come...

Wake Up!! - Con't

2010-11-08T07:25:00.000-08:00

WAKE UP!!! - Part one

2010-11-01T10:21:00.000-07:00

Coming Home

2010-10-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

Ruth 1

We must have resembled a family of Gypsies or a scene from Grapes of Wrath as we rambled along the highway. Several layers of redwood forest dust mixed with pine tree sap covered our car. The cartop carrier was loaded with miscellaneous stuff, including a bike wrapped in a blanket flapping in the air, piled on top of several boxes of "family fun stuff." We were homeward bound and glad of it.

As most of the family dozed, I hummed a tune from John Denver's best album, the main line of which says, "Hey, it's good to be back home again. . . ." Truer words were never sung!

Lake Tahoe had been crystal clear and beautifully therapeutic. Ten days out under the stars beside an open fire is good for what ails ya . . . but coming home is better!

Why? Why would anyone prefer the maddening pace, the freeways, the smog, the crowds, loads of laundry, stacks of mail (especially unpaid bills), a desk piled with a backlog of office details? What is so magnetic about coming home to all that? Why is the appeal of the familiar so powerful that we're always anxious to return?

I really have no profound answer. But consider this . . .

Home represents our point of identity, our base of operations, our primary realm of responsibility. Home gives life its roots, its sense of purpose and direction. Even with the hammer blows of pressure, stress, and struggles, home is the anvil used of God to forge out character in the furnace of schedule and demand. We count on it over the long haul and thereby develop security, stability, and consistency.

For me, coming home has an added benefit. It means returning to ministry. It means accepting the most exciting challenge life offers . . . one with eternal dimensions and incredible proportions. It means facing every new dawn with total dependence, living literally on the raw edge of reality.

To me, that's not an optional existence . . . that's the only way to live.

We are invariably drawn to come back home not because of where it is but because of what it represents.

by Charles R. Swindoll

Can a Christian Lose Their Salvation?

2010-10-17T17:11:00.001-07:00

Being Holy

2010-10-04T14:31:00.001-07:00

Psalm 42

Our fast-lane living these days does not lend itself to the traits we have traditionally attached to godliness. Remember the old hymn we sang in church years ago? "Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; abide in Him always and feed on His Word. . . . Take time to be holy, the world rushes on."
We read those words, believe them, and would even defend them, but we sigh as we confess that more often than not we are strangers to them. The idea of taking the kind of time "to be holy" that our grandparents once did is rather dated.

Does this mean, then, that we cannot be holy? Does an urban lifestyle force us to forfeit godliness? Must we return to the "little house on the prairie" in order to be godly?
Obviously, the answer is no. If godliness were linked to a certain culture or a horse-and-buggy era, then most of us would be out of luck! As much as we might enjoy a slower and less pressured lifestyle, God has not called everyone to such a role or place.

Which brings us to a bottom-line question I seldom hear addressed these days: What exactly does it mean to be holy . . . to be godly?

Godliness cannot be confused with how a person looks (hard as it is for us to get beyond that) or what a person drives or owns. As tough as it is for us to be free of envy and critical thoughts, it is imperative that we remind ourselves that "God looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7); therefore, whatever we may say godliness is, it is not skin deep.

Godliness is something below the surface of a life, deep down in the realm of attitude . . . an attitude toward God Himself.

The longer I think about this, the more I believe that a person who is godly is one whose heart is sensitive toward God, one who takes God seriously. This evidences itself in one very obvious mannerism: The godly individual hungers and thirsts after God. In the words of the psalmist, the godly person has a soul that "pants" for the living God (Ps. 42:1-2). What matters is the individual's inner craving to know God, listen to Him, and walk humbly with Him.

Godly people possess an attitude of willing submission to God's will and ways. Whatever He says, goes. And whatever it takes to carry it out is the very thing the godly desire to do.
The godly soul "pants" and "thirsts" for God.

The godly take God seriously.

by Charles R. Swindoll

Challenging!

2010-09-27T10:48:00.001-07:00

Francis Chan

2010-09-20T09:31:00.000-07:00

The Power of a Testimony

2010-09-09T11:23:00.001-07:00

Time to Toughen Up

2010-08-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

2 Corinthians 11-13

There are 1,130 frostbitten miles, mountain ranges, blizzards, hungry beasts, and frozen seas between Anchorage and Nome. This awful trek is the scene of the ultimate endurance test known as the Iditarod Sled Dog Race, where twelve huskies pull a sled and its driver through the most grueling, inhuman conditions one can fathom. One frequent champion was the late Susan Butcher, whose tough-minded fixation on winning earned her the nickname Ayatollah Butcher.

The secret, she would tell you, was her own mind-set and the training of those dogs, which gave new meaning to the word "serious." Her 150-dog kennel was a thing to behold. Shortly after each pup's birth, while it was still blind, she held it in her hands and breathed her breath into its nose. That way, she claimed, each one would associate her smell with comfort and encouragement. The rapport began with that breathing-into-the-nose routine. She personally fed, trained, massaged, and—on a rotation basis—slept with each dog. She personally nursed them to health when they were injured. She was infinitely patient with them, talked to them, believed in them, even sang to them (old folk songs by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, plus a few Irish lullabies). The objective? To bond with them. It paid. They saved her life on the trail more than once. Back in 1979, she led her dog team to the 20,320-foot summit of Mount McKinley. It took forty-four days.

What a woman! One reporter described her as having "a stiff spine . . . a stubborn mind-set," which was what she needed to endure moose attacks, blizzards so severe that one time for five hours she couldn't see the lead dog, and a sudden plunge into icy water (Granite and Maddie, the mushers, pulled her out).

The Christian life isn't an eleven-day race. It's a lifetime journey full of more dangers and pitfalls than a hundred Iditarods. So it's foolish to think we can enter it half-heartedly or sustain it easily. To survive it calls for help from above and toughness from within. If Susan Butcher was willing to give that kind of effort to win a race that is incredible in the eyes of the world, seems to me we should be capable of conquering the marathon from earth to heaven.

A combination of two ingredients is essential: the capacity to accept and the tenacity to endure.

I move that we toughen up. All in favor say, "Mush."

"We could never be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world" (Helen Keller).

by Charles R. Swindoll

Preach it!!

2010-08-20T12:36:00.001-07:00

Francis Chan

2010-08-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

The Way God Speaks

2010-08-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Majestic

2010-07-26T09:25:00.000-07:00

What are the benefits of realizing God Incomprehensible? We no longer reduce Him to manageable terms. We are no longer tempted to manipulate Him and His will . . . or defend Him and His ways. Like the grieving prophet, we get new glimpses of Him "lofty and exalted," surrounded by legions of seraphim who witness Him as the "Lord of hosts" as they shout forth His praises in antiphonal voice (Isa. 6:1-2). All this gives new meaning to the psalmist's ancient hymn:

O Lord, our Lord,
How majestic is Your name in all the earth. . . .
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
What is man that You take thought of him?
(Ps. 8:1, 3-4)

"What is man . . . ?" What a great question!

In a world consumed with thoughts of itself, filled with people impressed with each other, having disconnected with the only One worthy of praise, it's time we return to Theology 101 and sit silently in His presence. It's time we catch a fresh glimpse of Him who, alone, is awesome yea, incomprehensible. He is our infinite, inexhaustible God. Any serious study of Him takes us from an unconscious to conscious awareness of our ignorance.

The One we worship defies human analysis.

by Charles R. Swindoll

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (Part Two)

2010-07-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

The following list is from volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.

Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God’s help, I do humbly entreat him, by his grace, to enable me to keep these Resolutions, so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ’s sake. Remember to read over these Resolutions once a week.

31. Resolved, Never to say any thing at all against any body, but when it is perfectly agreeable to the highest degree of christian honour, and of love to mankind, agreeable to the lowest humility, and sense of my own faults and failings, and agreeable to the golden rule; often, when I have said any thing against any one, to bring it to, and try it strictly by, the test of this Resolution.

32. Resolved, To be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that that, in Prov. xx. 6. ‘A faithful man, who can find?’ may not be partly fulfilled in me.

33. Resolved, To do always what I can towards making, maintaining, and preserving peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. Dec. 26, 1722.

34. Resolved, In narrations, never to speak any thing but the pure and simple verity.

35. Resolved, Whenever I so much question whether I have done my duty, as that my quiet and calm is thereby disturbed, to set it down, and also how the question was resolved. Dec. 18, 1722.

36. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any, except I have some particular good call to it. Dec. 19, 1722.

37. Resolved, To inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent,—what sin I have committed,—and wherein I have denied myself;—also, at the end of every week, month, and year. Dec. 22 and 26, 1722.

38. Resolved, Never to utter any thing that is sportive, or matter of laughter, on a Lord’s day. Sabbath evening, Dec. 23, 1722.

39. Resolved, Never to do any thing, of which I so much question the lawfulness, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, whether it be lawful or not; unless I as much question the lawfulness of the omission.

40. Resolved, To inquire every night before I go to bed, whether I have acted in the best way I possibly could, with respect to eating and drinking. Jan. 7, 1723.

41. Resolved, to ask myself, at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly, in any respect, have done better. Jan. 11, 1723.

42. Resolved, Frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism, which I solemnly renewed when I was received into the communion of the church, and which I have solemnly re-made this 12th day of January, 1723.

43. Resolved, Never, henceforward, till I die, to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God’s; agreeably to what is to be found in Saturday, Jan. 12th. Jan. 12, 1723.

44. Resolved, That no other end but religion shall have any influence at all on any of my actions; and that no action shall be, in the least circumstance, any otherwise than the religious end will carry it. Jan. 12, 1723.

45. Resolved, Never to allow any pleasure or grief, joy or sorrow, nor any affection at all, nor any degree of affection, nor any circumstance relating to it, but what helps religion. Jan. 12 and 13, 1723.

46. Resolved, Never to allow the least measure of any fretting or uneasiness at my father or mother. Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye; and to be especially careful of it with respect to any of our family.

47. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peaceable, contented and easy, compassionate and generous, humble and meek, submissive and obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable and even, patient, moderate, forgiving, and sincere, temper; and to do, at all times, what such a temper would xxii lead me to; and to examine strictly, at the end of every week, whether I have so done. Sabbath morning, May 5, 1723.

48. Resolved, Constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or not; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. May 26, 1723.

49. Resolved, That this never shall be, if I can help it.

50. Resolved, That I will act so, as I think I shall judge would have been best, and most prudent, when I come into the future world. July 5, 1723.

51. Resolved, That I will act so, in every respect, as I think I shall wish I had done, if I should at last be damned. July 8, 1723.

52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again: Resolved, That I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. July 8, 1723.

53. Resolved, To improve every opportunity, when I am in the best and happiest frame of mind, to cast and venture my soul on the Lord Jesus Christ, to trust and confide in him, and consecrate myself wholly to him; that from this I may have assurance of my safety, knowing that I confide in my Redeemer. July 8, 1723.

54. Resolved, Whenever I hear anything spoken in commendation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, that I will endeavour to imitate it. July 8, 1723.

55. Resolved, To endeavour, to my utmost, so to act, as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven and hell torments. July 8, 1723.

56. Resolved, Never to give over, nor in the least to slacken, my fight with my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.

57. Resolved, When I fear misfortunes and adversity, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it and let the event be just as Providence orders it. I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty and my sin. June 9, and July 13, 1723.

58. Resolved, Not only to refrain from an air of dislike, fretfulness, and anger in conversation, but to exhibit an air of love, cheerfulness, and benignity. May 27, and July 13, 1723.

59. Resolved, When I am most conscious of provocations to ill nature and anger, that I will strive most to feel and act good-naturedly; yea, at such times, to manifest good nature, though I think that in other respects it would be disadvantageous, and so as would be imprudent at other times. May 12, July 11, and July 13.

60. Resolved, Whenever my feelings begin to appear in the least out of order, when I am conscious of the least uneasiness within, or the least irregularity without, I will then subject myself to the strictest examination. July 4 and 13, 1723.

61. Resolved, That I will not give way to that listlessness which I find unbends and relaxes my mind from being fully and fixedly set on religion, whatever excuse I may have for it—that what my listlessness inclines me to do, is best to be done, &c. May 21, and July 13, 1723.

62. Resolved, Never to do any thing but my duty, and then, according to Eph. vi. 6-8. to do it willingly and cheerfully, as unto the Lord, and not to man: knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shall be receive of the Lord. June 25, and July 13, 1723.

63. On the supposition, that there never was to be but one individual in the world, at any one time, who was properly a complete Christian, in all respects of a right stamp, having Christianity always shining in its true lustre, and appearing excellent and lovely, from whatever part and under whatever character viewed: Resolved, To act just as I would do, if I strove with all my might to be that one, who should live in my time. Jan. 14, and July 13, 1723.

64. Resolved, When I find those ”groanings which cannot be uttered,“ of which the apostle speaks, and those ”breathings of soul for the longing it hath,” of which the psalmist speaks, Psalm cxix. 20. that I will promote them to the utmost of my power; and that I will not be weary of earnestly endeavouring to vent my desires, nor of the repetitions of such earnestness. July 23, and Aug. 10, 1723.

65. Resolved, Very much to exercise myself in this, all my life long, viz. with the greatest openness of which I am capable, to declare my ways to God, and lay open my soul to him, all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and every thing, and every circumstance, according to Dr. Manton’s Sermon on the 119th Psalm,. July 26, and Aug. 10, 1723.

66. Resolved, That I will endeavour always to keep a benign aspect, and air of acting and speaking, in all places, and in all companies, except it should so happen that duty requires otherwise.

67. Resolved, After afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them; what good I have got by them; and, what I might have got by them.

68. Resolved, To confess frankly to myself, all that which I find in myself, either infirmity or sin; and, if it be what concerns religion, also to confess the whole case to God, and implore needed help. July 23, and August 10, 1723.

69. Resolved, Always to do that, which I shall wish I had done when I see others do it. Aug. 11, 1723.

70. Let there be something of benevolence in all that I speak. Aug. 17, 1723

The Resolutions of Jonathan Edwards (Part One)

2010-07-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

The following list is from volume one of The Works of Jonathan Edwards.

1. Resolved, That I will do whatsoever I think to be most to the glory of God, and my own good, profit, and pleasure, in the whole of my duration; without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence.Resolved, to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved, so to do, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.

2. Resolved, To be continually endeavouring to find out somenew contrivance and invention to promote the forementioned things.

3. Resolved, If ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.

4. Resolved, Never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God, norbe, nor suffer it, if I can possibly avoid it.

5. Resolved, Never to lose one moment of time, but to improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, To live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life.

8. Resolved, To act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings, as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. Vid. July 30.

9. Resolved, To think much, on all occasions, of my dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.

10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.

11. Resolved, When I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. xxi

12. Resolved, If I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.

13. Resolved, To be endeavouring to find out fit objects of liberality and charity.

14. Resolved, Never to do any thing out of revenge.

15. Resolved, Never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.

16. Resolved, Never to speak evil of any one, so that it shall tend to his dishonour, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.

17. Resolved, That I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.

18. Resolved, To live so, at all times, as I think is best in my most devout frames, and when I have the clearest notions of the things of the gospel, and another world.

19. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour before I should hear the last trump.

20. Resolved, To maintain the strictest temperance in eating and drinking.

21. Resolved, Never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him.

22. Resolved, To endeavour to obtain for myself as much happiness in the other world as I possibly can, with all the power, might, vigour, and vehemence, yea violence, I am capable of, or can bring myself to exert, in any way that can be thought of.

23. Resolved, Frequently to take some deliberate action, which seems most unlikely to be done, for the glory of God, and trace it back to the original intention, designs, and ends of it; and if I find it not to be for God’s glory, to repute it as a breach of the fourth Resolution.

24. Resolved, Whenever I do any conspicuously evil action, to trace it back, till I come to the original cause; and then, both carefully endeavour to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it.

25. Resolved, To examine carefully and constantly, what that one thing in me is, which causes me in the least to doubt of the love of God; and so direct all my forces against it.

26. Resolved, To cast away such things as I find do abate my assurance.

27. Resolved, Never wilfully to omit any thing, except the omission be for the glory of God; and frequently to examine my omissions.

28. Resolved, To study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and frequently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive, myself to grow in the knowledge of the same.

29. Resolved, Never to count that a prayer, nor to let that pass as a prayer, nor that as a petition of a prayer, which is so made, that I cannot hope that God will answer it; nor that as a confession which I cannot hope God will accept.

30. Resolved, To strive every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before.

It's a Church

2010-07-05T18:05:00.000-07:00

It's a ChurchActs 20:25-38

A birth is always exciting. Yes, always. Whether it is your baby or someone else's, those first cries never fail to make our hearts flutter. Family ties are strengthened as new life extends the roots. Everybody moves in closer and smiles approvingly. What power little babies possess!

What frequently happens in a home occurs all too rarely in a church. Somehow the natural and beautiful drive to reproduce gets lost in the youthful busyness of church life. And if she's not careful, the church begins to grow old, brittle, and inbred, losing interest in giving birth.

The result is tragic: a selfish shell of activity where the talk of new life replaces the actual joy of birth. It's a disease, sort of a Laodicean lukewarmness, that causes the once-vibrant, attractive church to turn inward, to become a religious relic, an overweight body lacking vision, passion, and mission. And the terminal verdict (which nobody wants to admit) is ultimately whispered in the hallways of history: sterility.

Thankfully, some churches stand in contrast to such a scene, giving birth to new bodies.

Under the watchful eye of a mature church, a young body springs to life. For months the older body gives the baby great prenatal care, resisting the temptation to hurry the birth. They nurture each family member and keep the communication lines open. A teachable spirit coupled with a desire to cultivate its own identity and distinct style of ministry eventually enables the healthy new body to live and breathe on its own.

Then, finally, it's time to cut the cord and detach the new body from the "mother." Smiles brighten faces as the labor is ended . . . and as God witnesses the moment of delight and announces from heaven, "It's a church!"

Being a part of such new life, beginning life anew away from the security and the stability of the parent church, is courageous and, in some ways, sacrificial. But it is right. It is biblical. It is also exciting, as all births are. When I think of all this, I always think of the journeys of the apostle Paul and the delight he took in the various churches he saw come to life and maturity.

If you have not already witnessed such an event in your own church life, I hope you will have the opportunity sometime in the future. When the time is right, you will know it. "Cause you know how births are. You just can't delay them, even if you try.

Wouldn't you like to contribute to an event that is a part of Christ's own prediction, "I will build my church"?

by Charles R. Swindoll

Your God is a Good God

2010-06-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Your God is a Good God
by Max Lucado

Use your uniqueness to take great risks for God!

The only mistake is not to risk making one.

Such was the error of the one-talent servant. Did the master notice him? Indeed, he did. And from the third servant we learn a sobering lesson. “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground’ ” (Matt. 25: 24–25).

Contrast the reaction of the third servant with that of the first two.

The faithful servants “went and traded” (v. 16). The fearful one “went and dug” (v. 18).

The first two invested. The last one buried.

The first two went out on a limb. The third hugged the trunk.

The master wouldn’t stand for it. Brace yourself for the force of his response. “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest” (vv. 26–27).

Whoa. What just happened? Why the blowtorch? Find the answer in the missing phrase. The master repeated the assessment of the servant, word for word, with one exclusion. Did you note it? “I knew you to be a hard man” (v. 24). The master didn’t repeat the description he wouldn’t accept.

The servant levied a cruel judgment by calling the master a hard man. The servant used the exact word for “hard” that Christ used to describe stiff-necked and stubborn Pharisees (see Matt. 19:8; Acts 7:51). The writer of Hebrews employed the term to beg readers not to harden their hearts (3:8). The one-talent servant called his master stiff-necked, stubborn, and hard.

His sin was not mismanagement, but misunderstanding. Was his master hard? He gave multimillion-dollar gifts to undeserving servants; he honored the two-talent worker as much as the five; he stood face to face with both at homecoming and announced before the audiences of heaven and hell, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Was this a hard master? Infinitely good, graciously abundant, yes. But hard? No.

The one-talent servant never knew his master. He should have. He lived under his roof and shared his address. He knew his face, his name, but he never knew his master’s heart. And, as a result, he broke it.

Who is this unprofitable servant? If you never use your gifts for God, you are. If you think God is a hard God, you are.

For fear of doing the wrong thing for God, you’ll do nothing for God. For fear of making the wrong kingdom decision, you’ll make no kingdom decision. For fear of messing up, you’ll miss out. You will give what this servant gave and will hear what this servant heard: “You wicked and lazy servant” (v. 26).

But you don’t have to. It’s not too late to seek your Father’s heart. Your God is a good God

Time With God

2010-06-21T09:32:00.001-07:00

Time with God

by Charles R. Swindoll

Exodus 3

I was raised to believe in the importance of a "quiet time." To the surprise of some, that concept did not originate with the late Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators, but with the Lord Himself.

The Scriptures are replete with references to the value of waiting for the Lord and spending time with Him. When we do, the debris we have gathered during the hurried, busy hours of our day gets filtered out. With the debris out of the way, we are able to see things more clearly and feel God's nudgings more sensitively.

When David wrote, "Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD" (Ps. 27:14), he was intimately acquainted with what that meant. When he admitted, "I waited patiently for the LORD; And He inclined to me and heard my cry" (40:1), it was not out of a context of unrealistic theory. The man was hurting, in great pain.

Time with God? Who experienced its value more than Job after losing it all? Remember his confession? What makes it even more remarkable is that he stated it while surrounded by those who accused him: "But He knows the way I take; When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:10-12).

That's it! That is exactly what occurs when we remove ourselves from the fast track and keep our appointment with Him who made us. What great thoughts He has for us, what insights, what comfort, what reassurance!

And the best part of all is that such divine breakthroughs come so unexpectedly. Though you and I may have met in solitude with God morning after morning, suddenly there comes that one day, like none other, when He reveals His plan . . . and we're blown away.

Understand, those phenomenal moments are the exception, not the rule. If God spoke to us like that on an everyday basis, burning bushes would be as commonplace as traffic lights and ringing phones. Fact is, never again in all of time has the voice of God been heard from a bush that refused to be consumed with flames. You see, God is into original works, not duplicated recordings.

But never doubt it: He still longs to speak to waiting hearts . . . hearts that are quiet before Him.

Keep your daily appointment with God.
It's the one meeting you can't afford to miss. Don't be late!

Things I've Learned

2010-06-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

I love learning and gleaning from those who have been in ministry for a long time and John Piper is an elder in the faith and has such a strong passion for communicating the truth. Here is a list of some things he has learned:

Things I Have Learned

1. The right road always leads to the right place; therefore, get on the right road and go as far as you can on it.

My father was totally persuaded that wrong means do not lead to right ends. Or, more positively, he was persuaded that living in the right way—that is, doing the right things—are means that inevitably lead to where God wants us to be. This is why he told me, when I asked about God’s leading in my life, “Son, keep the room clean where you are, and in God’s time, the door to the next room will open.”

2. There is only one thing to do about anything; that is the right thing. Do right.

This is what one might say to a person perplexed by a difficult situation whose outcome is unknown. The person might say, “I just don’t know what to do about this.” It is not useless to be told: Do the right thing. That may not tell you exactly which good thing to do, but it does clear the air and rule out a few dozen bad ideas.

3. Happiness is not found by looking for it. You stumble over happiness on the road to duty.

My, my, my. How was John Piper born from this? I would never say this. The main reason is that the Bible commands us to pursue our joy repeatedly. “Rejoice in the Lord, and again I say rejoice.” “Delight yourself in the Lord.” I think what he meant was: 1) Joy is always in something. Joy itself is not the something. So we seek joy in Christ. Not just joy in general. 2) When duty is hard and we do not feel joy in doing it, we should still do it, and pray that in the doing it the joy would be given. But what we need to make plain is that duty cannot be contrasted with joy, because joy is a biblical duty.

4. The door to success swings on the hinges of opposition.

Remarkably, this saying implies that opposition is not just a natural accompaniment or antecedent of success, but that it is a means by which the door opens. One can think of many biblical examples. The opposition of Joseph’s brothers opened the door to his leadership in Egypt. The taxing of the empire opened the door to getting the Messiah born in Bethlehem, not Nazareth, and thus fulfilling prophecy. The betrayal of Judas opened the door to the salvation of the world.

5. God in the right place in my life fixes every other relationship of life (Matthew 6:33).

I wonder if this was tucked away in my mind so that unknown to me it controlled my analogy of the solar system to our many-faceted lives. If God is the blazing center of the solar system of our lives, then all the planets will be held in their proper orbit. But if not, everything goes awry.

6. It is never right to get the right thing in the wrong way—like good grades, wealth, power, position. Don’t sacrifice your principles.

Again, he hammers away at don’t use bad means for good ends. Be a principled, not a pragmatic, person. O how we need to hear this today. Churches need to be principled, not endlessly adapting to culture. Persons need to make a promise and keep it no matter how much it hurts.

7. It is a sin to do less than your best. It is wrong to do [merely] well.

“Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might” (Ecclesiastes 9:10 ). But be careful. Sometimes the “best” is a B+ sermon and spending time with your child. In other words, “best” always involves more decisions than the one you are making at the moment. That one means many other things are being left undone. So “best” is always the whole thing, not just the detail of the moment.

8. It is wrong to be yoked to one who refuses the yoke of Christ.

Don’t marry an unbeliever (1 Corinthians 7:39). Not all relationships with unbelievers are ruled out. Otherwise we could not obey Jesus’ command to love them and bless them. But “yoke” implies a connectedness that either governs where we go or constrains where they go. And you cannot constrain faith in Jesus. It is free.

9. The part of your character that is deficient is the part that needs attention.

This is the counterpoint to the advice: Go with your strengths. There is truth in both. Yes, be encouraged by every evidence of God’s grace in your life, and use your gifts and graces for his glory. But you will become smug and vain if you do not keep your deficiencies before you and work on them.

10. Don’t quit. Finish the job. God can’t use a quitter.

Warning: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Mark 13:13). Promise: “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

11. Anything you do that hinders your progress for God is wrong.

O how thankful I am that this was the dominant way my father pressed me to pursue my sanctification. He did not mainly impose lists of don’ts on me, though we had them. And they were clear. Mainly he said: Maximize your progress in knowing and serving God. That ruled out a hundred foolish behaviors, some bad and some uselessly innocent.

12. Beware of any society in which you feel compelled to put a bushel over your testimony.

This implies that you can go into a group of people who are evil if you are willing to open your mouth and take a stand for Jesus and righteousness. Nevertheless, 1 Corinthians 15:33 stands: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’”

13. It isn’t enough to be good. Be good for something. The essence of Christianity is not a passionless purity.

This is what I have meant in talking about a merely avoidance ethic. Don’t just think of righteousness or holiness in terms of what you avoid, but what you do. As my father said in another place: Don’t be a don’ter; be a doer.

14. Positive living produces negative effect[s].

This is wise counsel that affirmation of the good always implies negation of the bad. If you think you can live your life without negating anything, you have lost touch with reality. “Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good” (Romans 12:9). You cannot love without hating what hurts the beloved.

15. Learn to be sweetly firm.

This was what he said to my mother over the phone when she was exasperated with her one disobedient son: Be sweet and firm. I think she succeeded.

God is Cheering for You

2010-06-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

If your God is Mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that He is mighty enough to light your path?

God is for you. Not “may be,” not “has been,” not “was,” not “would be,” but “God is!” He is for you. Today. At this hour. At this minute. As you read this sentence. No need to wait in line or come back tomorrow. He is with you. He could not be closer than he is at this second. His loyalty won’t increase if you are better nor lessen if you are worse. He is for you.

God is for you. Turn to the sidelines; that’s God cheering your run. Look past the finish line; that’s God applauding your steps. Listen for him in the bleachers, shouting your name. Too tired to continue? He’ll carry you. Too discouraged to fight? He’s picking you up. God is for you.

God is for you. Had he a calendar, your birthday would be circled. If he drove a car, your name would be on his bumper. If there’s a tree in heaven, he’s carved your name in the bark. We know he has a tattoo, and we know what it says. “I have written your name on my hand,” he declares (Isa. 49:16). - Max Lucado

A New Kind of Hero

2010-05-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

A New Kind of Hero

by Max Lucado

I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep as the Father knows me. ~ John 10:14-15

BEHOLD A HERO of the west: the cowboy.

A thousand head of cattle pass behind him. A thousand miles of trail lie before him. A thousand women would love to hold him. But none do. None will. He lives to drive cattle, and he drives cattle to live. He is honest in poker and quick with a gun. Hard riding. Slow talking. His best friend is his horse, and his strength is his grit.

He needs no one. He is a cowboy. The American hero.

Behold a hero in the Bible: the shepherd.

On the surface he appears similar to the cowboy. He, too, is rugged. He sleeps where the jackals howl and works where the wolves prowl. Never off duty. Always alert. Like the cowboy, he makes his roof the stars and the pasture his home.

But that is where the similarities end.

The shepherd loves his sheep. It's not that the cowboy doesn't appreciate the cow; it's just that he doesn't know the animal. He doesn't even want to. Have you ever seen a picture of a cowboy caressing a cow? Have you ever seen a shepherd caring for a sheep? Why the difference?

Simple. The cowboy leads the cow to slaughter. The shepherd leads the sheep to be shorn. The cowboy wants the meat of the cow. The shepherd wants the wool of the sheep. And so they treat the animals differently.

The cowboy drives the cattle. The shepherd leads the sheep.

A herd has a dozen cowboys. A flock has one shepherd.

The cowboy wrestles, brands, herds, and ropes. The shepherd leads, guides, feeds, and anoints.

The cowboy knows the name of the trail hands. The shepherd knows the name of the sheep.

The cowboy whoops and hollers at the cows. The shepherd calls each sheep by name.

Aren't we glad Christ didn't call himself the Good Cowboy? But some do perceive God that way. A hard-faced, square-jawed ranch- hand from heaven who drives his church against its will to places it doesn't want to go.

But that's a wrong image. Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd who knows his sheep by name and lays down his life for them. The Shepherd who protects, provides, and possesses his sheep. The Bible is replete with this picture of God.

Eighty percent of Jesus' listeners made their living off of the land. Many were shepherds. They lived on the mesa with the sheep. No flock ever grazed without a shepherd, and no shepherd was ever off duty. When sheep wandered, the shepherd found them. When they fell, he carried them. When they were hurt, he healed them.

Sheep aren't smart. They tend to wander into running creeks for water, then their wool grows heavy and they drown. They need a shepherd to lead them to "calm water" (Ps. 23:2). They have no natural defense—no claws, no horns, no fangs. They are helpless. Sheep need a shepherd with a "rod and … walking stick" (Ps. 23:4) to protect them. They have no sense of direction. They need someone to lead them "on paths that are right" (Ps. 23:3).

So do we. We, too, tend to be swept away by waters we should have avoided. We have no defense against the evil lion who prowls about seeking who he might devour. We, too, get lost. "We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way" (Isa. 53:6).

We need a shepherd. We don't need a cowboy to herd us; we need a shepherd to care for us and to guide us.

He's not a cowboy, and we aren't cattle. He doesn't brand us, and we're not on the way to the market. He guides, feeds, and anoints. And Word has it that he won't quit until we reach the homeland.

Brook Besor

2010-04-15T14:31:00.000-07:00

Tender Words to the Tired Heart
by Max Lucado

Brook Besor. Don't feel bad if you've never heard of the place. Most haven't, but more need to. The Brook Besor narrative deserves shelf space in the library of the worn-out. It speaks tender words to the tired heart.

The story emerges from the ruins of Ziklag. David and his six hundred soldiers return from the Philistine war front to find utter devastation. A raiding band of Amalekites had swept down on the village, looted it, and taken the women and children hostage. The sorrow of the men mutates into anger, not against the Amalekites, but against David. After all, hadn't he led them into battle? Hadn't he left the women and children unprotected? Isn't he to blame? Then he needs to die. So they start grabbing stones.
This could be his worst hour.
But he makes it one of his best.

David redirects the men's anger toward the enemy. They set out in pursuit of the Amalekites. Keep the men's weariness in mind. They still bear the trail dust of a long campaign and haven't entirely extinguished their anger at David. They don't know the Amalekites' hideout, and, if not for the sake of their loved ones, they might give up.

Indeed, two hundred do. The army reaches a brook called Besor, and they dismount. Soldiers wade in the creek and splash water on their faces, sink tired toes in cool mud, and stretch out on the grass. Hearing the command to move on, two hundred choose to rest. "You go on without us," they say.
How tired does a person have to be to abandon the hunt for his own family?
The church has its quorum of such folks. Good people. Godly people. Only hours or years ago they marched with deep resolve. But now fatigue consumes them. They're exhausted. So beat-up and worn down that they can't summon the strength to save their own flesh and blood. Old age has sucked their oxygen. Or maybe it was a deflating string of defeats. Divorce can leave you at the brook. Addiction can as well. Whatever the reason, the church has its share of people who just sit and rest.

And the church must decide. What do we do with the Brook Besor people? Berate them? Shame them? Give them a rest but measure the minutes? Or do we do what David did? David let them stay.

He and the remaining four hundred fighters resume the chase.
David and his men swoop down upon the enemy like hawks on rats. Every Israelite woman and child is rescued. Every Amalekite either bites the dust or hits the trail, leaving precious plunder behind. David goes from scapegoat to hero, and the whooping and hollering begin.
And what about the two hundred men who had rested?

You might feel the way some of David's men felt: "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children" (1 Sam. 30:22).

A Molotov cocktail of emotions is stirred, lit, and handed to David. Here's how he defuses it: "Don't do that after what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and given us the enemy who attacked us. Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the one who stayed with the supplies as for the one who went into battle. All will share alike." (30:23-24 NCV)

Note David's words: they "stayed with the supplies," as if this had been their job. They hadn't asked to guard supplies; they wanted to rest. But David dignifies their decision to stay.
David did many mighty deeds in his life. He did many foolish deeds in his life. But perhaps the noblest was this rarely discussed deed: he honored the tired soldiers at Brook Besor.
Someday somebody will read what David did and name their church the Congregation at Brook Besor. Isn't that what the church is intended to be? A place for soldiers to recover their strength?

If you are listed among them, here is what you need to know: it's okay to rest. Jesus is your David. He fights when you cannot. He goes where you cannot. He's not angry if you sit. Did he not invite, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest" (Mark 6:31 MSG)?
Brook Besor blesses rest.

Brook Besor also cautions against arrogance. David knew the victory was a gift. Let's remember the same. Salvation comes like the Egyptian in the desert, a delightful surprise on the path. Unearned. Undeserved. Who are the strong to criticize the tired?
Are you weary? Catch your breath. We need your strength.

Are you strong? Reserve passing judgment on the tired. Odds are, you'll need to plop down yourself. And when you do, Brook Besor is a good story to know.

Are you walking on dry land?

2010-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Reading through Scripture we can see God working in some amazing ways. Time and time again there are some vivid pictures and lessons teaching us that God desires to ultimately grow and strengthen us, all the while aligning us more and more to Him. I came across a passage of Scripture this morning that I had read many times... but it hit me differently this morning. In the book of Joshua, we see God getting ready to lead the nation of Israel into the Promised Land. But there was an obstacle: more water. 40 years earlier they had a similar issue at the shores of the Red Sea. And now, the next generation, here they stand... at the edge of all that God has for them, and they are at a loss and helpless because of the Jordan River.

And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites: Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan. Now, therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe. And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap." Joshua 3:10-13

The obstacle before Joshua and the nation of Israel is overcome by putting the ark of the covenant of the Lord first. By putting God at the forefront and allowing God to go before us we see that He desires to overcome obstacles for us. What's interesting is that God didn't snap His fingers and everyone was on the other side of the river, He didn't bring them to a place where there would be no obstacle, He didn't just make a miraculous bridge appear ... He desired to help His people but in His way and through His process. Once the priests feet hit the water, we read that "the waters which came down from upstream stood still and rose in a heap very far at Adam ... the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground..." [Joshua 3:16-17]

This is just one example, but I love the way it speaks to our role in God's plan. We are to simply trust and obey. We will all face difficulties. We will all face brick walls in our life. We need to know and trust that God desires to break through the walls and bring us through darkness and adversity, but it may not be in the way we expect. The reason? Right at the beginning of verse 10: By this you shall know that the living God is among you. It's all for His glory. It's all for us to realize He is a living God who is working in our life. The very process of God's plan screams out that He is diligent and focused on our needs - forcing us to redefine what our needs are! He doesn't necessarily operate with a wave of the magic wand and a poof of smoke, rather God requires something from us... obedience by taking a first step. The nation of Israel doesn't just sit on the banks of the Jordan and wait for the God Ferry to take them across. They do their end of the work and send the ark into the river and start walking across and watch God do the rest. He is growing them in that moment. We often think what we need in times of difficulty is www.ImmediateObstacleRemoval.com/PleaseGod/RightNow. If we went there, what we would get is a feeling of being impressed by God, not a growing, teaching moment that would sustain and deepen our faith.

So whatever river is before you this week, know that God is ready, willing, and able to bring you across it on dry land. Put Him first. Be willing to be obedient to the ways in which He is working in your life. And possibly the most important: be open to Him growing you, and allow Him to show you His glory, and know that He is alive and among us.

Wake Up Call

2010-04-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I remember traveling with my family on vacation, and whenever we'd stay in a hotel my dad would always get a wake-up call from the front desk (before the days of cell phones or having an alarm clock in every room). What sticks with me - to this day - is the harsh, rude, piercing sound of that wake-up call when you're dead asleep. A phone ringing has never sounded louder or more insubordinate than when it wakes you up out of a nice sleep. I remember my eyes would POP open, my head launched off the pillow ... almost more scared awake than anything.

As Jesus drew close to the cross, He reminded His disciples, and all of us, that we need to have a faith that is strong, and that does not sleep. If we are fading into a spiritual nap, or if we are dead asleep to Christ and His will for us, then Jesus begs us to wake up! And get things going in the right direction.

...He went to the Mount of Olives, as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. When He came to the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter into temptation." And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done." Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven; strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. Then He said, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation." Luke 22:39-46

Twice here Jesus says we should be wary of entering into temptation. When we are tempted our eyes are taken off Jesus and onto ourselves and our own worldly needs and desires. Jesus knew that His disciples' hearts were filled with sorrow and that they were all tired. What better time for the enemy to pounce on us? Defenses are down, willpower is weak. If Satan is a shark swimming around looking for prey ... surely a sad, tired disciple is blood in the water for him. Luke tells us the disciples were sleeping from "sorrow". Jesus earlier commands them to pray - but they let their sorrow get the better of them and sleep. The same sorrow that, in John, we are told "you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." Jesus knew what the disciples needed. And He knew the consequences of being overwhelmed by grief or stress or tiredness. If Jesus tells me to pray, and I am within a stone's throw of Him, how do I not just fall down and start praying? How could they just fall asleep? Because they had lost hope. They had allowed sorrow to overcome them. Weak, weary, and void of hope they crumbled.

But Jesus says "rise and pray"... the wake-up call. Rise. Pray. Look around. Take some inventory of what you're doing and the situation you're in, and respond appropriately - in prayer. We can get over our stress and get over our sorrow when we bring it to the Lord. And He desires to turn it into joy... if we allow Him to. He desires to fill our void back up with hope ... if we allow Him to. He desires to strengthen and encourage us ... if we allow Him to. Jesus demonstrates that so brilliantly here. He takes His issue to God - no doubt the shadow of the cross weighing heavy on His heart - and what is the result? Verse 43: "Then an angel appeared from heaven; strengthening Him"; God did it to His son - and He desires to do it to us.

There are often weeks where I don't get much sleep - between a teething baby and deadlines I rarely operate on a nice full night of rest. We've all been there. Tired. Defeated. Worn down. Exhausted. Stressed. Not much joy in those times. Not much energy. Not much enthusiasm for anything other than crawling over to pour yourself the next cup of coffee. But I am encouraged that even in my weakness... even in my unconscious dismissal of the order to "pray without ceasing" Jesus comes and shouts into my soul. Rise!!! Pray!!! WAKE UP!!!!! And we need to respond, because the alternative is a destructive path that drives a wedge between us and God.

This week if you are slumbering in your faith... if you've hit the wall of your prayer life... if you feel you're being pulled into temptation and your defense is weak or just plain obliterated... if you've lost hope... I encourage you to look at this picture of Jesus and His disciples and know that He desires to encounter us in the same way.

The Choice

2010-03-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

The Choice
by Max Lucado

He placed one scoop of clay upon another until a form lay lifeless on the ground.
All of the Garden's inhabitants paused to witness the event. Hawks hovered. Giraffes stretched. Trees bowed. Butterflies paused on petals and watched.

"You will love me, nature," God said. "I made you that way. You will obey me, universe. For you were designed to do so. You will reflect my glory, skies, for that is how you were created. But this one will be like me. This one will be able to choose."
All were silent as the Creator reached into himself and removed something yet unseen. A seed. "It's called 'choice.' The seed of choice."
Creation stood in silence and gazed upon the lifeless form.
An angel spoke, "But what if he ... "
"What if he chooses not to love?" the Creator finished. "Come, I will show you."
Unbound by today, God and the angel walked into the realm of tomorrow.
"There, see the fruit of the seed of choice, both the sweet and the bitter."

The angel gasped at what he saw. Spontaneous love. Voluntary devotion. Chosen tenderness. Never had he seen anything like these. He felt the love of the Adams. He heard the joy of Eve and her daughters. He saw the food and the burdens shared. He absorbed the kindness and marveled at the warmth.

"Heaven has never seen such beauty, my Lord. Truly, this is your greatest creation."
"Ah, but you've only seen the sweet. Now witness the bitter."
A stench enveloped the pair. The angel turned in horror and proclaimed, "What is it?"

The Creator spoke only one word: "Selfishness."
The angel stood speechless as they passed through centuries of repugnance. Never had he seen such filth. Rotten hearts. Ruptured promises. Forgotten loyalties. Children of the creation wandering blindly in lonely labyrinths.

"This is the result of choice?" the angel asked.
"Yes."
"They will forget you?"
"Yes."
"They will reject you?"
"Yes."
"They will never come back?"
"Some will. Most won't."
"What will it take to make them listen?"

The Creator walked on in time, further and further into the future, until he stood by a tree. A tree that would be fashioned into a cradle. Even then he could smell the hay that would surround him.

With another step into the future, he paused before another tree. It stood alone, a stubborn ruler of a bald hill. The trunk was thick, and the wood was strong. Soon it would be cut. Soon it would be trimmed. Soon it would be mounted on the stony brow of another hill. And soon he would be hung on it.

He felt the wood rub against a back he did not yet wear.
"Will you go down there?" the angel asked.
"I will."
"Is there no other way?"
"There is not."

"Wouldn't it be easier to not plant the seed? Wouldn't it be easier to not give the choice?"
"It would," the Creator spoke slowly. "But to remove the choice is to remove the love."
He looked around the hill and foresaw a scene. Three figures hung on three crosses. Arms spread. Heads fallen forward. They moaned with the wind.
Men clad in soldiers' garb sat on the ground near the trio. They played games in the dirt and laughed.

Men clad in religion stood off to one side. They smiled. Arrogant, cocky. They had protected God, they thought, by killing this false one.
Women clad in sorrow huddled at the foot of the hill. Speechless. Faces tear streaked. Eyes downward. One put her arm around another and tried to lead her away. She wouldn't leave. "I will stay," she said softly. "I will stay."
All heaven stood to fight. All nature rose to rescue. All eternity poised to protect. But the Creator gave no command.

"It must be done ... ," he said, and withdrew.
But as he stepped back in time, he heard the cry that he would someday scream: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34) He wrenched at tomorrow's agony.
The angel spoke again. "It would be less painful ... "
The Creator interrupted softly. "But it wouldn't be love."

They stepped into the Garden again. The Maker looked earnestly at the clay creation. A monsoon of love swelled up within him. He had died for the creation before he had made him. God's form bent over the sculptured face and breathed. Dust stirred on the lips of the new one. The chest rose, cracking the red mud. The cheeks fleshened. A finger moved. And an eye opened.

But more incredible than the moving of the flesh was the stirring of the spirit. Those who could see the unseen gasped.

Perhaps it was the wind who said it first. Perhaps what the star saw that moment is what has made it blink ever since. Maybe it was left to an angel to whisper it:
"It looks like ... it appears so much like ... it is him!"
The angel wasn't speaking of the face, the features, or the body. He was looking inside—at the soul.

"It's eternal!" gasped another.
Within the man, God had placed a divine seed. A seed of his self. The God of might had created earth's mightiest. The Creator had created, not a creature, but another creator. And the One who had chosen to love had created one who could love in return.
Now it's our choice.

What holds us together...

2010-03-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

In Flight...

2010-03-08T08:30:00.001-08:00

As I am cramped, in an aisle seat (thank goodness), I think every child that can be on one airplane is on my flight from Phoenix to Dallas. The flight attendants are trying to sell me a $12 meal-in-a-box that actually has a dried meat stick in it. Amidst all of this noise and lack of personal space, it occurred to me that I am part of a large captive audience, in mid air. We can be marketed to or subliminally sent messages that we cannot ignore (or we’re so bored that we don’t want to).

The 23 or so isles, of three rows of people on each side of the plane, are trying to find something to do. These days, flying is more hectic than ever and to fill the time, we all either work on our laptops, listen to our iPods, read, or, if you’re on my flight, you’re trying to keep your children quiet so the business traveler (me) doesn’t go insane. In this fast paced life, I must admit that being “in-flight” is the only time I really have to just sit, and not be bothered (when I have my noise reduction headphones on and there is no child next to me asking me how old I am). No one can call me and I can’t “veg” out in front of the TV, unless I pay $6.

Sequestered, with nothing but my thoughts and pretzel snacks, my mind begins to drift to my spiritual barometer. It is a good practice to take spiritual inventory every so often when there are no distractions and it’s just you and Lord at 30,000 feet in the air. While David Crowder Band is playing in my ear phones, and I tap my foot to “How Great Your Love For Us,” I reflect on the fact that this is my 5th week in the last two months of traveling for business. For those of you Road Warriors out there, I “get” you; especially those of you ladies who are working women and have to be away from your family as part of your job. While these are only short stints of time in the year for me, I know there are more frequent Road Warriors out there.

In the Body of Christ, working women are often misunderstood. At 30,000 feet in the air I can feel the Lord’s refreshment washing over me as I sit and praise Him through the worship songs in my ears, lifting up those women I know who put on a suit, heels, and go out into Corporate America every day. Like me, these women are often tired, even more so if they have children they leave behind every day with either a husband, nanny or a relative. It’s as though you’re leaving your heart behind while you step out into one of the most difficult places of the “world”; one that is so often in great opposition to the things of God.

Working women can only attend church bible studies in the evenings and church functions on the weekends. A working woman’s schedule is decided often, by her job. We have mobile devices that keep us connected to people who can sometimes become a higher priority than our families. We think about things 6 months to a year in advance based on what is required. There is a “thickness” to our emotional “skin” because so often, there isn’t a place for emotion in business. We know how to navigate corporate politics and in the working-world, we learn how to quickly read people to determine agendas.

It takes a compassionate and understanding church leadership team to reach out to working women, to be considerate of their hectic schedules that include balancing family, work, travel and church involvement. Just an e-mail letting them know that they are loved and that they are being prayed for is a blessing and an encouragement.

1Th 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Morning and Evening

2010-03-02T15:59:00.000-08:00

“Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”

Ephesians 3:8
The apostle Paul felt it a great privilege to be allowed to preach the gospel. He did not look upon his calling as a drudgery, but he entered upon it with intense delight. Yet while Paul was thus thankful for his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes, the deeper it sinks in the water. Idlers may indulge a fond conceit of their abilities, because they are untried; but the earnest worker soon learns his own weakness. If you seek humility, try hard work; if you would know your nothingness, attempt some great thing for Jesus. If you would feel how utterly powerless you are apart from the living God, attempt especially the great work of proclaiming the unsearchable riches of Christ, and you will know, as you never knew before, what a weak unworthy thing you are. Although the apostle thus knew and confessed his weakness, he was never perplexed as to the subject of his ministry. From his first sermon to his last, Paul preached Christ, and nothing but Christ. He lifted up the cross, and extolled the Son of God who bled thereon. Follow his example in all your personal efforts to spread the glad tidings of salvation, and let “Christ and him crucified” be your ever recurring theme. The Christian should be like those lovely spring flowers which, when the sun is shining, open their golden cups, as if saying, “Fill us with thy beams!” but when the sun is hidden behind a cloud, they close their cups and droop their heads. So should the Christian feel the sweet influence of Jesus; Jesus must be his sun, and he must be the flower which yields itself to the Sun of Righteousness. Oh! to speak of Christ alone, this is the subject which is both “seed for the sower, and bread for the eater.” This is the live coal for the lip of the speaker, and the master-key to the heart of the hearer. - Spurgeon

Victory of Obedience

2010-02-10T06:59:00.000-08:00

From Intouch Ministries
(Charles Stanley)
The Victory of Obedience
JUDGES 7:9-25

God providentially orchestrated each element of His plan for Israel's success. However, if Gideon had disobeyed even one divine command, his army would have suffered instant defeat. Although the Lord's ways may seem risky or illogical, we can always trust His indisputable wisdom and rely on His mighty power.

God encourages the fainthearted. When the Lord commanded Gideon to attack the enemy, He also provided a way to relieve the leader's fears. By following God's directions, Gideon was led to the exact location where he would hear an encouraging message that caused him to bow in worship and arise with great faith.

God removes the things we depend on. Gideon was marching to war with only 300 men armed with trumpets, pitchers, and torches. Their manpower seemed pitiful, and their weapons useless for battle. With traditional means of victory removed, they could rely only upon the Lord.

God works in the other camp on our behalf. Everything is perfectly timed when God is in control—even the parts we cannot see. While Gideon was obeying each divine command, the Lord was working behind the scenes in the enemy camp to ensure victory for Israel. In the confusion and fear of darkness, their panic led to self-destruction.

The key to a victorious Christian life is obedience. The Lord will faithfully supply you with instructions for each step as you follow Him. His way may not be the easiest or the most comfortable, but it is always the best. As you rely on Him, He will lead you to victory.

MY KING!!!

2010-02-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard this YOU WILL BE BLESSED BY THIS!!!

The Glory of God

2010-02-03T14:02:00.000-08:00

2010-01-28T10:01:00.000-08:00

WHAT A FRIEND WE HAVE IN JESUS
Joseph Scriven, 1819–1886

A man that hath friends must show himself friendly: And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24 KJV)

A true friend loves and accepts us just as we are, stays close to us in good or in bad, and is always ready to help in time of need. Because the author of this hymn text found just such a friend in his Lord, he decided to spend his entire life showing real friendship to others.
Joseph Scriven had wealth, education, a devoted family, and a pleasant life in his native Ireland. Then unexpected tragedy entered. On the night before Scriven’s scheduled wedding, his fiancée drowned. In his deep sorrow, Joseph realized that he could find the solace and support he needed only in his dearest friend, Jesus.

Soon after this tragedy, Scriven dramatically changed his lifestyle. He left Ireland for Port Hope, Canada, determined to devote all of his extra time in being a friend and helper to others. He often gave away his clothing and possessions to those in need, and he worked—without pay—for anyone who needed him. Scriven became known as “the Good Samaritan of Port Hope.”

When Scriven’s mother became ill in Ireland, he wrote a comforting letter to her, enclosing the words of his newly written poem with the prayer that these brief lines would remind her of a never-failing heavenly Friend. Sometime later, when Joseph Scriven himself was ill, a friend who came to call on him happened to see a copy of these words scribbled on scratch paper near his bed. The friend read the lines with interest and asked, “Who wrote those beautiful words?”
“The Lord and I did it between us,” was Scriven’s reply.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged—Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness—Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Savior, still our refuge—Take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer; in His arms He’ll take and shield thee—Thou wilt find a solace there.

Like Joseph Scriven, we too can find relief from our burdens when we turn to our Lord as a friend

Todays Devotion from: Osbeck, K. W. (1990). Amazing grace : 366 inspiring hymn stories for daily devotions (19). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Kregel Publications.

Comforting

2010-01-19T08:02:00.000-08:00

Psalm 73 is comforting.

"For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men." (Psalm 73:3-5)

When I read that this is the way David felt it brought great relief. To know that a man after God's own heart looked out and envied the prosperity of the wicked, and worldly possessions and riches is good to know. Or, to borrow from a Billy Joel lyric: "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints ... the sinner's are much more fun." Good to know that it's normal. That it's part of human nature. And that even the most passionate heart for God can stumble into a worldly way of thinking. In our culture today we are bombarded with constant comparisons between us and others. Every commercial on the TV, every new gadget that comes out, every new car ... all designed to have us take inventory on where we are in life and how much better would our life be if we only had this new product, or that home, or those shoes, or more hair, or smaller jeans, or on - and on - and on ....

Comforting. I'm not alone... I fall into the trap more likely than I'd like to admit.

David felt it. So much that he looked at these people who had so much more than him and thought, "They must not have a care in the world. They are strong, and powerful." David said he was conflicted and torn by these feelings. He could not make heads or tails of it. Why does evil prosper?!

Comforting. I'm not alone ... I often wonder the same thing.

Then the illusion of their prosperity starts to unravel. Not by David's (or our) own comprehension, but David says "When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me - until I went into the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their end." (Psalm 73:16-17)

God illuminated the situation for David. Left to our own understanding we will be utterly frustrated. When we view life through the prism of eternity, things are skewed in such a different manner, and we see that what we deem important and prosperous in this life from a worldly perspective is not what God is calling us to focus on. David goes on to say that surely God sets them in slippery places, and casts them down to destruction ... and since their security is in finite and worldly things, they are brought to desolation in a moment ... and they are utterly consumed with terrors.

Comforting ... to look at culture through God's eyes and not through my own.

God's ways are just and true. And we all fall prey to the tug and pull of envy and vices of this world. We get caught in the trap of defining our successes by comparisons to others. Or worse yet, letting others define our success for us. But it is only when we come to God, seeking His wisdom, that our thoughts are turned from envy of the wicked to humbleness before God, and trusting in His loving care. David goes on to say:

"I was so foolish and ignorant, I was like a beast before You. Nevertheless, I am continually with You; You hold me by my right hand. You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish ... but it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works." (Psalm 73:22-28)

Comforting.

Thank You God for illuminating our thoughts and our outlook on life. Though we may stumble and be swayed by this world, we strive to draw closer and nearer to You - for You are the strength of our hearts and the One who loves our souls. May we hold dear to what You hold dear, and may we value what You value. Amen.

Video Break

2010-01-13T17:11:00.001-08:00

Enjoy a Message from Alistar Begg.

Face to Face

2010-01-04T14:11:00.000-08:00

Men worship, not when they listen to preaching, not when they are attentive to the form and fashion of music, not when they are thinking of a table upon which the emblems are spread; but when they pass through the preaching, and when they pass beyond the emblems, and when they are face to face with God.~Dr.Campbell Morgan

Let us come “face to face with God” as we bow before Him in silent, directed prayer:

Let us beseech God to cleanse us from our unrighteousness, to purify us from the sins which possess us, to overrule our failures, our shortcomings, our faithlessness.

Let us offer ourselves to God, wholly acceptable unto Him, that He may use us more completely as channels of His grace.Â Let us look straight into the eyes of Jesus Christ and see there what it means to be made whole, to be made perfect, to become complete in Him.

Let us remember His broken body and His shed blood that God’s throne of grace may be made accessible to each of us, that being imperfect in our efforts, we may become perfect through our faith in him

Worth it!

2009-12-21T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is much longer than any previous e-break but Chuck Swindoll is (in my humble opinion) one of the greatest preachers out there today. A true expositor of the word as well as applicationally relevant. This video is from the Preach the Word Conference in 2008, even though pointed towards pastors and teachers the message is a blessing to all, it is worth the time. Enjoy. (If you like it let me know and ill post a few more like this.)

The Facts of Light

2009-12-14T09:02:00.000-08:00

Inside each cell in green plants are microscopic worlds called chloroplasts. These trap and convert some of the energy in light, mix it with water and carbon dioxide, and turn it into a simple sugar. It is this sugar that plants use to grow, flower, and set seed. That sugar is also what we and other animals harvest from some plants to power our own activities.

The best light for plant growth is sunlight. The sun produces growth, energy, and life. You may be surprised to know that there is enough light shining on the earth each hour to supply all the energy needs of the world for a day.

There are three ways to control light
1. Block it
2. Refract it (or Bend it)
3. Reflect it

There is more power in the sun than we have been able to tap into. So too the power found in the Son of God is an underutilized resource in the life of every believer. For just like the sun in the sky the Son in heaven gives us all the energy we need and supplies what we need for growth, energy and life. If we were to fully allow the power of Christ to shine in and through us imagine what could be done. We have three choices when it comes to the Sons light in our life we can either block it, refract it (bending it or distorting it), or Reflect it. Which one do you suppose we are to do?

We are not to be like a three way bulb, one day we shine at 30 watts, one day 60 watt and then the next 100 watts. Every day we are to be shining at 100% as bright as we can for God.

Mt 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

When we look at Jesus and how He worked and the miracles He performed, people left His presence glorifying the Father. When people are around us the things we say and do should so Glorify God that people leave our presence glorifying God in Heaven.

As newsman Clarence W. Hall followed American troops through Okinawa in 1945, he and his jeep driver came upon a small town that stood out as a beautiful example of a Christian community. He wrote, "We had seen other Okinawan villages... down at the heels and despairing; by contrast, this one shone like a diamond in a dung heap. Everywhere we were greeted by smiles and dignified bows. Proudly the old men showed us their spotless homes, their terraced fields... their storehouses and granaries, their prized sugar mill."
Hall said that he saw no jails and no drunkenness, and that divorce was unknown in this village. He was told that an American missionary had come there some 30 years earlier. While he was in the village, he had led two elderly townspeople to Christ and left them with a Japanese Bible. These new believers studied the Scriptures and started leading their fellow villagers to Jesus. Hall’s jeep driver said he was amazed at the difference between this village and the others around it. He remarked, "So this is what comes out of only a Bible and a couple of old guys who wanted to live like Jesus."

Let us live lives that reflect the Son, for when we do the world around us will be changed, people will glorify God, and they will grow in the knowledge of Him.

A devo from Spurgeon...

2009-11-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

"The forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."
Ephesians 1:7

Could there be a sweeter word in any language than that word "forgiveness," when it sounds in a guilty sinner's ear, like the silver notes of jubilee to the captive Israelite? Blessed, for ever blessed be that dear star of pardon which shines into the condemned cell, and gives the perishing a gleam of hope amid the midnight of despair! Can it be possible that sin, such sin as mine, can be forgiven, forgiven altogether, and for ever? Hell is my portion as a sinner-there is no possibility of my escaping from it while sin remains upon me-can the load of guilt be uplifted, the crimson stain removed? Can the adamantine stones of my prison-house ever be loosed from their mortices, or the doors be lifted from their hinges? Jesus tells me that I may yet be clear. For ever blessed be the revelation of atoning love which not only tells me that pardon is possible, but that it is secured to all who rest in Jesus. I have believed in the appointed propitiation, even Jesus crucified, and therefore my sins are at this moment, and for ever, forgiven by virtue of his substitutionary pains and death. What joy is this! What bliss to be a perfectly pardoned soul! My soul dedicates all her powers to him who of his own unpurchased love became my surety, and wrought out for me redemption through his blood. What riches of grace does free forgiveness exhibit! To forgive at all, to forgive fully, to forgive freely, to forgive for ever! Here is a constellation of wonders; and when I think of how great my sins were, how dear were the precious drops which cleansed me from them, and how gracious was the method by which pardon was sealed home to me, I am in a maze of wondering worshipping affection. I bow before the throne which absolves me, I clasp the cross which delivers me, I serve henceforth all my days the Incarnate God, through whom I am this night a pardoned soul.

Is God Your Co-Pilot?

2009-11-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

Too many times I have seen a bumper sticker that reads: GOD IS MY CO-PILOT. It's an interesting statement. And I understand the sentiment - that God is with you every step of the way. But I have news for you: God is no one's co-pilot. He doesn't want, and will not accept, a co-pilot seat in your life. The problem is too often that is exactly how we look at our faith... as if God was our co-pilot ... thinking we have things under control and can steer this life just fine. We take comfort in knowing that if we mess up or lose our way, that God is there to take the controls and right the ship. But what is keeping us from fully allowing God to be in control during all times and all aspects of our life? What is it that we hold on to, thinking we know how to deal with it better than God? What is keeping us from giving God the position of pilot, and not just co-pilot, in our life? I suggest that the answer is faith... or, rather, a lack of faith.

Let's look at the passage from Genesis about Noah and the ark:

Make yourself an ark of gopherwood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.

And this is how you shall make it: The length of the ark [shall be] three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

You shall make a window for the ark, and you shall finish it to a cubit from above; and set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it [with] lower, second, and third [decks]. (Gen. 6: 14-16)

I heard a very interesting comment that challenged me rigorously. God is so specific about this ark. It is fascinating that He makes no mention of a rudder, or a sail, or some sort of steering mechanism. The window, door, decks, dimensions, type of wood, everything else very important. But the actual steering of the ship doesn't seem to be Noah's responsibility. As if God is saying to Noah, "Be obedient to what I am asking you to do, and I will take care of getting you where you need to be." That takes faith. To build a ship with no sail. A boat with no oars. To live our live without steering it. It seems foolish... but time and time again we see God calling us to live our life according to His purpose and His will and walk by faith in the plans He has for us.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (Matthew 16:24)

And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. (John 10:4)

Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. (Pslam 119:35)

God desires for us to equip ourselves ... to make the ark ... but what's it all for if we do not let Him who designed the ark take control of it? There are times that I would like to take control of my life, and reduce God to the role of safety net. Simply put, that's my lack of faith peeking out. I am not trusting that in all circumstances God is my advocate. I am trusting on my own understanding of the situation and not leaning on God. But Noah shows us that even in the most seemingly absurd situations, God has the direction we seek.

We are all Noahs. We are all building an ark, but we need to combine that with the desire to be obedient to God's commandments and His will. I pray that we have faith that is strong, that will allow us to put control in God's hands, and promote God from co-pilot to pilot in our life.

Over this next week let's think about what is our ark? What are we "building" for the Lord? And are we putting Him in a position of authority in our life for His glory?

Helpful reminders...

2009-11-09T10:57:00.001-08:00

This is great advice for couples but the principles of forgiveness extend to all relationships.

Prophecy

2009-10-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

Prophecy is one of the strongest proofs for the validity of the Bible. The Bible is attacked from all sides in today's world but in the area of prophecy it stands out as being a divinely inspired book. Below is a small list of prophecies found in the bible (it is estimated that there are over 1800 prophecies found in the bible), these deal directly with Jesus Christ and His first coming. Perhaps you have heard to illustration of the probability of one man fulfilling just eight of these prophecies: It would be the same as filling the state of Texas three feet deep with silver dollars placing a red "X" on one of them blindfolding a man placing him somewhere in the state of Texas and giving him one chance to pick the silver dollar with the "X" on it. Jesus not only fulfilled eight He fulfilled over 100 prophecies just in His first coming and will fulfill even more in His second coming. What a powerful proof to the authority of the Bible no other book in all the world can make such a claim. Add this list to your resources!

Born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) 792-722 B.C Matt. 1:18-25
To be the Son of God (Ps. 2:7) 1,000 B.C. Matt. 3:17
Descendant of Abraham (Gen. 22:12) 1, 872 B.C. Matt. 1:1
Descendant of Isaac (Gen. 21:12) 1,892 B.C. Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:34
Descendant of Jacob (Num. 24:17) 1,452 B.C. Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:34
From Tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10) 1,689 B.C. Matt. 1:2, Luke 3:33
From Family of Jesse (Isa. 11:1) 740 B.C. Matt. 1:6, Luke 3:32
From House of David (Jer. 23:5) 589 B.C. Matt. 1:1, Luke 3:31
Born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2) 722 B.C. Matt. 2:1
Herod kills children (Jer. 31:15) 627-585 B.C. Matt. 2:16-18
To be called Immanuel (Isa. 7:14) 792-722 B.C. Matt. 1:23
Spirit of the Lord upon Him(Isa 61:1) 792-722 B.C. Luke 4:16-21
Preceded by a messenger (Mal. 3:1) 450-400 B.C. Matt. 11:10
Called out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1) 710 B.C. Matt. 2:15
Would do miracles (Isa. 35.5-6) 792-722 B.C. Matt. 11:2-5
Rides in Jerusalem on donkey (Zech. 9:9) 520 B.C. Matt. 21:5-9
Betrayed by a friend (Ps. 41:9) 1,000 B.C. Matt. 10:4
Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zech 11:12) 520 B.C. Matt. 26:15
Money thrown in God's house (Zech. 11:13) 520 B.C. Matt. 27:5
Price given for Potter's field (Zech. 11:13) 520 B.C. Matt. 27:7
Forsaken by disciples (Zech. 13:7) 520 B.C. Matt. 26:31
Wounded, bruised, scourged (Isa. 53:5) 792-722 B.C. Matt. 27:26, Luke 22:63
Hands and feet pierced (Ps. 22:16) 1,000 B.C. John 20:25
Garments divided (Ps. 22:18) 1,000 B.C. John 19:23-24
Lots cast for clothing (Ps. 22:18) 1,000 B.C. John 19:24
Given vinegar to drink (Ps. 69:21) 1,000 B.C. Matt. 27:34
"Why hast Thou forsaken me?" (Ps. 22:1) 1,000 B.C. Matt. 27:46
"Into Thy hand I commit my spirit" (Ps. 31:5) 1,000 B.C. Luke 23:46
Messiah's side pierced (Zech. 12:10) 520 B.C. John 19:34, 37
Messiah's bones not broken (Ps. 34:20) 1,000 B.C. John 19:32-36
Buried in rich man's tomb (Isa. 53:9) 740 B.C. Matt. 27:57-60
Three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17) 760 B.C. Matt. 12:40
Resurrected from dead (Ps. 16:10, 30:3) 1,000 B.C. Acts 2:31, 13:33-35
Ascends into heaven (Ps. 68:18) 1,000 B.C. Acts 1:9, Eph. 4:7-10
Messiah is light to the Gentiles (Isa. 49:6, 42:6) 740 B.C. Luke 2:32, Acts 13:47, 26:23

v-break

2009-10-18T19:23:00.000-07:00

What a challenge for us today. Lord help us to live in such a way that we esteem others greater than ourselves and this is one way. I hope it challenges you as it does me.

Blessed Insurance?

2009-10-12T10:13:00.000-07:00

There's a wonderful hymn by Frances Crosby called Blessed Assurance. If you don't know anything about Frances Crosby, you will be blessed to read about her. After you read about her lot in life, and then how she could pen such amazing songs of faith... it is truly humbling and gives her songs all the more power. The Holy Spirit used her mightily and she was open to it all the way.

The chorus of Blessed Assurance goes like this: "This is my story, this is my song / Praising my Savior all the day long." Even just typing those words makes me pause and think, "Is that really my story? If someone were to write a biography about me, would it be called 'Praising His Savior'? Would even one chapter be called that? Would even just a sentenced be mentioned about praising my Savior at all?"

It is imperative we grab hold of the difference between blessed assurance and blessed insurance. Do we embrace Christ for all He is and all He's done for us, and allow His love to transform us? Or do we just merely look to the cross and acknowledge that a distant, unknowable, entity died on there so I wouldn't have to go to hell. Paul, many times, refers to life as a race, and when we have assurance - when we hold fast to the truths and promises of our Savior, we become changed... and we play to win the race.

ACTS 20:24
But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:24
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

When we hold on to the idea of blessed insurance... we just play so as not to lose the race. No real passion to rise above and win, just a desire to not be dead last. Which begs the question, why even be in the race at that point?

"Blessed assurance/Jesus is mine/Oh what a foretaste of glory divine/Heir of Salvation, purchase of God/Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood."

Let us pray for strength and focus to hold tight to the promises of God ... to be obedient to all He commands of us ... and to allow ourselves to be transformed by who He is, so that we may run the race well ... and win it. Let every page of our story be drenched in praise for our Savior, Jesus Christ. When we think about all He's done for us, it demands nothing less than our full devotion, surrender, and obedience to Him.

v-break

2009-10-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Pure Gold...

2009-09-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

Are you a 24 Carat Christian?

We are facing uncertain times.

Health: Some of us do not have good health and the decisions and treatments consume our daily life. Even if we have good health now, there are decisions being made that may greatly affect the access to care we will have in the future.

Wealth: Some are out of work. If we are older and have labored to build up a large retirement fund, for many of us it was cut by more than half.

Relationships: Two things that are to be avoided in conversation to avoid conflict are religion and politics. These days they form the basis for most of our news and are unavoidable points of contention between friends and family.

CRISIS. If we are not currently facing a crisis in our lives right now, someone we know probably is. What does the Word of God tell us about coping with crisis?

James’ letter was written to people who were in crisis. The Jewish believers who fled Palestine after Stephen was martyred had lost everything. They left their financial security, many had to sever ties with family over their new belief and all that had been their identity in life was stripped from them. James opens his letter by instructing them to “count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”

What does this really mean?

First, “joy” does not mean a shallow emotion of being happy necessarily. The Greek word, χαρὰ in the New Testament is used in Luke 15 where Jesus tells parables about lost being found, or salvation. John 15 uses it to describe what Jesus has in His relationship with the Father and what we can have in our relationship with Him, as branches connected to the vine, receiving all that we need from Him and abiding in Him.

So, a faked smile and ignoring the crisis, pretending to be happy is not what is called for. James is saying that a deep sense of peace and eternal security can override the angst, sadness or pain you feel now. If your faith is in Christ alone for your every need, you will be able to have joy no matter what the world throws at you. The testing of your faith is the term used to test the purity of metals. Trials help us to realize where we are placing our faith. If our faith is in our finances for security, when we lose all of our money, we must now place our faith in God. If we get sick and are putting faith in ourselves being healthy and able to meet our own needs, we have to now put our faith in God. If we put our faith in our relationships to fulfill us, when we lose a close one, we must now turn to God in faith to fulfill our deepest needs. Faith in God produces patience, we can endure whatever the world throws at us and as we are purified, we become more mature.

Gold is measured in carats. A carat is 1/24 of the makeup of metal. 18 carat gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts something else. God wants our faith be 100% in HIM. The way to cope with any crisis in our life is to examine where we place our faith. Recognize that when our faith is placed in Christ alone, not even facing death can take away our joy.

When Jesus is all we have left, we realize that Jesus is all we ever need.

See crisis as your path to becoming a 24 carat Christian!

Trouble

2009-09-21T08:41:00.000-07:00

God has blessed us with relationships,
but when those relationships comes to an end that loss brings hurt.

I am reminded of when Jesus heard of the death of his close friend Lazarus and as He arrived in the town of Bethany where he was buried, we have the short but powerful verse

JESUS WEPT

Jesus knew and loved Lazarus but the interesting thing is that Jesus knew that in a few moments He would bring Lazarus back to life. His death still brought out the great compassion and distress of Christ.

Jesus only a few chapters ahead gives us the comfort we so often look for in times like these…

John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

Let not your heart be troubled… You might be saying, “That’s a hard one today” so many things may be troubling you, the world situation, the countries economy, loss of a loved one, separation, divorce, finances and the list goes on.

Peace can cut through the storms of life. It can quiet the raging sea. How? Peace works because it is secured to an unchanging immovable ever present God.

We have all probably been in the car either driving or with someone who was driving and then you realized that you were lost. That is not a comforting thought… It can actually even bring fear or panic into the situation…
Many wives are agreeing with me at the recollection of some driving story when the husband was lost and refused to ask for directions.

God wants you to know how to never get lost, never to have fear, never need to wonder where you are and where your going in life. Jesus came to seek and save the Lost

4 "And where I go you know, and the way you know." 5 Thomas said to Him, "Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.

Through our belief and continued relationship with Christ we can have peace even in the hardest storms of life and be confident that we will never get lost

2009-09-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

We are all very good at saying the right words. Saying we want to be more like Jesus. Saying we want to surrender our hearts, minds, and lives to Him. Saying we want God to have all authority and control in our life.

But when it comes down to it... what do our prayers say? What do our actions divulge about us? How hard is it for us to die to self? To put our ego away and let Christ reign in us? Bottom line is: it's easy to say, and tough to mean. Tough to do. Tough to live out.

Remind ourselves of Ephesians 4:21-24:

"If indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

If we know Jesus, if we have learned His truth, if we have truly heard him, we will shed our former selves and take on the "new man" ... take on the richness of a new life that has been designed by God specifically for us, and tailor-made in His righteousness.

This week, let us remind ourselves what it truly means to let God be Lord of our life. Ask God, that by the Holy Spirit, He would reveal to us the ways in which we are falling down, and the ways in which we are still controlling our own lives. By His strength, His goodness, and His mercy He will chisel away at us ... chipping off things that are not of Him .... and making us into a Masterpiece. Even if we don't see it or feel it now. Know that if we ask, and if we truly want the change God can bring, if we truly want to submit our role as the clay to the Potter, then His hand will be upon us now and forever.

Empowered to Praise

2009-09-07T09:52:00.000-07:00

“Why do I exist?” “What is the purpose of life?” “What’s it all about, Alfie?”

Through all of history, man has asked and tried to answer these questions. Philosophers, film makers, self-help gurus, and religious leaders alike have spewed forth hundreds, if not thousands of ideas, plans, so-called “answers” to life.

As Bible-believing, born again Christians, we have the answer. We have likely heard it expressed in sermons, pastoral counseling sessions, books. Go to your Bible and read the first chapter of Ephesians. Paul is telling us that God chose us, predestined us before He even created us, He loves us, He adopted us into His divine family which means being blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. Three times in fourteen verses used to explain who we are in Christ and why we are redeemed, the purpose given is this: “to the praise of His glory.”

Now read the famous passage on salvation, Ephesians 2:8-9. Yeah, Yeah. I know, saved by grace, not by works. But what does verse 10 say? It tells us what to do about it, or WHY we have been saved. “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” The way we fulfill our purpose to the praise of His glory is by determining which good works He has prepared for me, personally, and to walk in them. It sounds so simple. But it demands a change in us. We must not do “for God” what we think is good. We must discover “from God” what He desires us to do and how we are to do it. Semantically there is one letter that is different in those two phrases, for God and from God. Practically, the difference can change your life!

Paul prays for revelation for believers in chapter 1:17-21. He wants our eyes to be opened to the hope of His calling and the exceeding greatness of the power He gives us to carry out our calling. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to us to carry out the calling He has for us. What if we really believed this truth and lived out of it? Nothing this world could throw at us would be able to depress us, frustrate us, or hurt us for very long.

The reason that this is NOT as simple as it sounds is the fact that we are immersed in the final stages of a cosmic battle that has raged since before the earth was created. We have a spiritual enemy whose sole purpose is to keep us from living out our purpose which is to do everything we do to the praise of His glory. 2 Chronicles 12:14 speaks of Judah’s King Rehoboam saying, “and he did evil, because he did not prepare his heart to seek the Lord.” We prepare by praising, first and foremost, and He gives us the power to resist doing evil.

Michael Youssef has written a book called Empowered by Praise and I highly recommend it. The tag line is How God responds when you revel in His glory. No matter what you face in life, praise God and remember that His power to overcome is available to you. The study guide at the back of the book gives you the opportunity to experience how to live in the power of praise.

A War on Truth...

2009-08-25T07:53:00.001-07:00

Love verses Pride

2009-08-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

“If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet. These and other such commandments are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Romans 13:9

If we are all honest, we don’t “love at all times” (Prov. 17:17). We also don’t always love our neighbor, but instead, we point out how often others fall short. Sometimes our desire to be “right” gives rise to a critical spirit within us.

It has been said that love is an action, not a feeling. How true that is. It occurred to me this week, that loving my neighbor is hard. It’s hard when you feel like you’re dying the death of a thousand expectations. It’s hard to love when someone has wronged you or someone else. It’s hard to love when you see all the flaws. Jesus saw all of our flaws and yet, out of obedience, He went to the cross; and it wasn’t just for the righteous because the Bible tell us in Romans 3:10 that “none is righteous, no, not one.” “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” Now that is love.

I Corinthians 13: 4 – 7 is right, we should not rejoice when someone falls. We should not resent a brother or sister who has wronged us. We should not insist on our own way. Love truly does cover a multitude of sins, trespasses or wrong-doing (I Peter 4:8).

Are you willing to give up your pride and your desire to be right, and love you neighbor, even when you see their flaws? More than likely, the flaws that you see in others are exactly what God sees in you. Remember Paul’s words to the church in Rome regarding people who aren’t exactly like you:

“Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. For instance, one person believes it’s all right to eat anything. But another believer with a sensitive conscience will eat only vegetables.” “…So why do you condemn another believer? Why do you look down on another believer?” “…Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
Excerpts from Romans 14: 1 - 12

Be encouraged today to put aside the old nature that would tell you to point out all of the flaws of others in the Body of Christ, and put on love. Focus on what the Lord is requiring of you and let God do His perfect work in the Body. If love keeps no record of wrongs, ask Jesus for a changed heart that has no room for pride and a critical spirit. It’s not about being right. Rather, it’s about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself. (Luke 10:27)

The Art of Communication

2009-07-26T20:40:00.000-07:00

In the past few months I have been getting to know a man who communicates often through stories. Now, I have to admit that during many of his stories I would have to consciously calm the voice inside my head in order to hear the whole story. I find myself thinking, “Do I really need all these details?” or, “Get to the point already.” So often we are in such a rush when we are with other people. At times it is difficult to be patient because we want to throw in our opinion or change the subject to something we are more interested in. Other times we want to just move on because we are bored with the other person. Our lifestyle today seems to include less and less fellowship. We can have one-way conversations through e-mail, Facebook, leaving voice mails, even texting. The art of conversation where interest and input volley back and forth, enriching both parties is dying a slow death. Social events revolve around TV programs or movies that draw our attention away from our companions.

Relationships appear to have lost intimacy. And so it is with God. Religion seems to be more comfortable and more sought after than one’s intimate relationship with God. And what about the long stories full of details that I was barely tolerating? It occurs to me that I often read the Word of God with the same attitude. Most of the Bible is written in narrative form, filled with stories and historical data that I am inclined to skip over, thinking, “Do I really need all these details?” or, “I’m ready to get to the point.”

I believe God chose to inspire the stories the way He did in order to develop a relationship with us. When we barely give Him a few minutes a day with a lukewarm interest in the details of His Word, we are missing out on developing the wonderful relationship He wants with us. If we can slow down and have the attitude of asking what God is communicating, rather than rushing through looking for a quick point, we just might hear some things that would surprise us.

Let’s make it a point to change our prayer life from a one-sided communication to a volley between the Lord and us. He has many things He wants us to hear and His long stories are the road to relationship intimacy.