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Tuesday, 03 November 2009
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Allen has been helping lead a Jr/Sr high Bible study and they have been talking about who God really is.......who Jesus really is......And are we worshipping the true God? ...I happened to read this article today by John Piper and it spoke so clearly to this issue.....I am posting a couple sections, but also the link if you want to read further........
People can have a great enthusiasm for Jesus, but the Jesus they’re excited about is not the real biblical Jesus. It may be a morally exemplary Jesus, or a socialist Jesus, or a capitalist Jesus, or an anti-Semitic Jesus, or a white-racist Jesus, or a revolutionary-liberationist Jesus, or a counter-cultural cool Jesus. But not the whole Jesus who, in the end, gives his life a ransom for sinners (Mark 10:45). And if your enthusiasm for Jesus is for a Jesus that doesn’t exist, your enthusiasm is no honor to the real Jesus, and he will leave you and go into the mountain.
Jesus Is Better
So what is Jesus doing in this miracle of taking five loaves and a few fish and feeding over 5,000 people? He is opening a window on who he is. He is manifesting his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father (John 1:14). And he is opening this window on his glory not that we might get excited about how useful he might be in getting what we already wanted, but that we might see that he himself is better than anything we ever wanted.
The point of making bread, as it were, out of nothing—like God making manna—is that the Son of God has come into the world not to give you bread, but to be your bread. And, since we are all sinners and do not deserve this bread, how will he give it to us? “The bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:51). When he gives his flesh on the cross, he becomes bread—all-nourishing, all-satisfying bread—for sinners who believe.
Friday, 30 October 2009
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Aubrey's encouragements
Aubrey shared these words with me yesterday and I wanted to share them with you all as well.............
It is much easier to “do” than to “be”. Ever since I can remember I’ve struggled with “being”. After failing my dad as a kid (countless times), I would go into “doing” mode to gain back his trust. On many occasions dad would take me aside, having witnessed all of my “doings”, and tell me that he didn’t just want me to “do” godly things, he wanted me to “be” godly. It is much easier to do than to be.
I thought this was hard as a child. I am finding myself, more than ever seeking to be approved by what I do, and not by who Christ has declared me to be. I quickly give away “godly awards” to those women who have children in rapid succession. This idol was recently revealed to me when one of Jeff’s fellow chaplains (who is also going to Ft. Bragg) found out he is being deployed in Jan. This may or may not have implications for Jeff. But with the possibility of him leaving so soon, I have been humbly struck at the deadliness of my own “godly” meter. It is a deadly thing. There is no freedom of joy in it. There is no breathing room, only unsatisfied wishful roaming.
There are so many other “doing” issues that we can look too, to find our worth in. Truly Christ has called us to be doers of the Word, and woe to us if we are not. But may we have the strength to do what He has called us to do, the wisdom to refuse what He has not, and the faith to trust in the righteousness of Christ. And so let us be imitators of Him. (Aubrey)
Sunday, 11 October 2009
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Patience
I am anything but patient. When people hear that I homeschool they say, "Oh, I could never do that. I am not patient at all. You must be so patient." Ha! Homeschooling has only revealed to me the depth of my impatience. When I am reading a book, I am very guilty of reading the ending first, so I will know how it all turns out. I pop up my toast before it is toasted. I drink lukewarm tea because the water is not heating fast enough. It's a good thing I don't live in NC or I would be leaving the gas station with a half tank of gas because the pump is too slow! (Beth! I feel your pain). So, there you have it.......the truth..............so, It was good when I read the following...................praying for patience (soon).........sandy
Patience In Growth
Posted by jerrywhite on Oct 8, 2009
Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
Philippians 3:12 (ESV)
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“In a culture that promotes instant gratification, it can be wearisome for us to wait patiently for God’s timing. Many of us are tempted to bypass grace and take matters into our own hands as we seek some method, technique, seminar, or experience that will give us the results we want when we want them. But we are as incapable of changing ourselves through our own efforts as we are of manipulating God to transform us more quickly.
In his grace, the Lord invites us to cooperate with the formative work of his Holy Spirit in our lives by engaging in the disciplines of faith, repentance, and obedience and by trusting in his ways and in his timing. Inevitably, God’s timing will seem painfully slow to us, but as we grow in wisdom, we learn to be more patient with the divine process, knowing that he alone knows what we need and when we need it. Thus spiritual formation is nourished by years of disciplined fidelity to the sovereign call of God. Indeed, we will fail and disobey and do many foolish and grievous things throughout the process, but fidelity means that we get up and return to Jesus each time we fall. ‘Each day has enough trouble of its own’ (Matthew 6:34). May we allow the ordinary demands of everyday living to drive us to the grace of Jesus, to the love of the Father, and to the fellowship of the Spirit (2 Corinthians13:14).
Kenneth Boa
Conformed to His Image, 258-259
~~~Dear Christian reader, press on persistently to know the Lord Jesus; seek His face regularly that your heart may gaze upon Him; exercise discipline habitually so that you fully cooperate with Him in your transformation; and love Him passionately so that your heart stays close to Him. Be settled in your heart: This is a lifelong process.
Thursday, 08 October 2009
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Don't fret
I was much struck by these words this morning..........such a good reminder.
Title: Don't Fret
Author: Mrs. Charles E. Cowman
Devotion: Streams in the DesertTitle: Don't Fret
"Do not begin to be anxious" (Phil. 4:6, PBV).
Not a few Christians live in a state of unbroken anxiety, and others fret
and fume terribly. To be perfectly at peace amid the hurly-burly of daily
life is a secret worth knowing. What is the use of worrying? It never made
anybody strong; never helped anybody to do God's will; never made a way of
escape for anyone out of perplexity. Worry spoils lives which would
otherwise be useful and beautiful. Restlessness, anxiety, and care are
absolutely forbidden by our Lord, who said: "Take no thought," that is, no
anxious thought, "saying what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or
wherewithal shall we be clothed?" He does not mean that we are not to take
forethought and that our life is to be without plan or method; but that we
are not to worry about these things. People know you live in the realm of
anxious care by the lines on your face, the tones of your voice, the minor
key in your life, and the lack of joy in your spirit. Scale the heights of
a life abandoned to God, then you will look down on the clouds beneath
your feet. --Rev. Darlow SargeantIt is always weakness to be fretting and worrying, questioning and
mistrusting. Can we gain anything by it? Do we not unfit ourselves for
action, and unhinge our minds for wise decision? We are sinking by our
struggles when we might float by faith.Oh, for grace to be quiet! Oh, to be still and know that Jehovah is God!
The Holy One of Israel must defend and deliver His own. We may be sure
that every word of His will stand, though the mountains should depart. He
deserves to be confided in. Come, my soul, return unto thy rest, and lean
thy head upon the bosom of the Lord Jesus. --Selected"Peace thy inmost soul shall fill
Lying still!"
Monday, 21 September 2009
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Currently
Untitled Hymn (Come To Jesus)
By Made Popular By: Chris Rice
see relatedMom's birthday
Tomorrow would have been my mom's birthday. She would have been 80. That's really hard for me to picture, since she died at age 55. So in my mind, she is forever young. Forever beautiful. Not that the cancer didn't take its toll on her...........but to me, she was always the most beautiful person in this world. Especially as she lay in a hospital bed, bowing her head to give thanks for her italian ice.......the only thing she was able to eat because of her terrible mouth sores and nausea from the chemo. And that didn't usually stay down anyway. But she would always say, "I have my peace and my joy," and it was true. Because it was the peace and joy that comes from Christ, and not from this world. So I rejoice in her short, beautiful life.............I give thanks for every day I had with her and I rejoice in the hope of spending eternity together when I am finally home too....
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/song/Untitle_Hymn_Come_To_Jesus_/1462994
fightingforjoy
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- Name: fightingforjoy
- Gender: Female
- Member Since: 9/30/2008
