Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Road to Mercy
"Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old." - Psalm 25:6
There is always tension, difficulty, and suffering on the growing edge of our relationship with God. That's where the change is going on, where we are learning to trust God. Those difficulties start a series of steps on the road to mercy:
The bigger the trial gets, the more I know I need God.
The more I need God, the closer I am drawn to Him.
The closer I get to Him, the more I sense His holiness.
The more I sense His holiness, the more I realize my own sinfulness.
So the closer I get to God, I think, "Whoa! I really haven't been on the program. There are things in my life that are not pleasing to God." Could you think of some things in your life that are not pleasing to God? You're not better than anyone else. If by God's grace you have progressed through the years to a deeper level of holiness - even that's not because of you - it's only because of God's grace in your life. So the closer you and I get to God, the more we have a sense of our own sinfulness.
No wonder David says, "Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love." Actually in the Hebrew, the words for "mercy" and "love" are both plural. The verse means, "Remember Your merciful acts, God. Remember Your acts of chesed, of steadfast loving-kindness." David is not referring to the word "remember" as in, Did You forget? He's saying, "Remember the stuff that You always do, God. Do Your stuff! Do it for us! God, You were merciful and loving to Abraham and Moses. You were merciful and loving to Your people. This is who You are, God! Do it in our generation. Be to me as You have always been. Advance Your reputation, God. Be here today as You have been through thousands of years. Be merciful to me, God. Be loving." He goes on: "for they have been from of old." "Lord, You've always been like this. Be it again!"
If you know God's holiness, you also know how badly you need His mercy.
- James Mcdonald
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Profound.
Freedom is found in dying to self.
THAT'S WHY JESUS TOLD US TO DO SO!! John 8:31-32!!!!!
Luke 9:23 (New International Version)
23Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.
In other words, know the TRUTH (JESUS IS TRUTH) and the TRUTH will set you FREE!
Insecurity, self - pity, self-mutilation, suicidal.. are all pride in disguise. They are chains to our very souls. They cannot liberate us or even give us a taste of what's good. If we choose to hold onto pride, we will definitely self-destruct and in the end lose our souls. Everyone of us will be standing before the judgment throne of God.. either we are perfect (through Jesus Christ) or we drink the cup of God's wrath.. as a result of rejecting the very one that lived a perfect life.
Obedience to God is where one's soul is liberated.
Self-pity is from the devil. It is pride in disguise.
I'm sure this leaves many of you confused since we live in a world that all about what you deserve! The bible tells us what we deserve as sinful men, is eternal damnation because GOD is HOLY. We were objects of wrath. HAHA! So yes, the bible is indeed upside down and inside out of what this world thinks.
Here is my explanation of how self-pity.. depression.. all that dark stuff is a form of pride.
The expectations have not been met and so we hurt ourselves to punish our lack of ability to accomplish those things. We place ourselves in a higher position than God... telling him, " You're not just.. so I'm going to bring justice unto myself." or even "I'm too bad that You can't help me.. so I'm going to wallow in my self pity." We get caught up in focusing on ourselves and our performance more than the one that has lived in perfection. JESUS will carry us through. JESUS' blood is powerful enough to cleanse me and help me to stand with the robe of righteousness just like Adam and Eve before they fell. This is what it means to believe in Jesus as Lord. Believing in the power of His Life, Blood, and Resurrection!
It was because of PRIDE, Lucifer fell from Heaven. I know for sure that I don't want to be like Lucifer. Judgment is waiting for him and he knows it.
So in Conclusion: Repent! Be humble. Cling to God in admittance that you cannot save yourself and that only God can. Be no longer chained to the patterns of this world but with the renewing of your mind, walk with God daily.
Friday, April 23, 2010
FEEDING SHEEP OR AMUSING GOATS?
FEEDING SHEEP OR AMUSING GOATS?
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) gave the following admonition to the Church in the late 1800s. Yet, while Spurgeon died nearly 120 years ago, his words apply just as much to the Church today as they did then - perhaps even more so. The problem is not that Christians enjoy themselves (who wants to go to a boring, dry, dull church?) but that too often amusement is offered at the expense of preaching the Gospel and telling people the truth.
-Chuck Missler
Feeding Sheep... or Amusing Goats?
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.
From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.
Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.
Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.
In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.
Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892) gave the following admonition to the Church in the late 1800s. Yet, while Spurgeon died nearly 120 years ago, his words apply just as much to the Church today as they did then - perhaps even more so. The problem is not that Christians enjoy themselves (who wants to go to a boring, dry, dull church?) but that too often amusement is offered at the expense of preaching the Gospel and telling people the truth.
-Chuck Missler
Feeding Sheep... or Amusing Goats?
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.
From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.
Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.
Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.
In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.
Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Liberated Life
The LIBERATED LIFE
-David Wilkerson.
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy:
"And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised... This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21).
Jesus was telling the whole world, "My mission on earth is to liberate every bruised life." To liberate means to set free from all bondage; to release from all slavery; to do away with everything that oppresses. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, "I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free."
Paul also preached that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1)
Paul preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace - life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression - life in the presence of a loving, gentle Savior who cares about all our needs.
This may sound too good to be true but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children - but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it!
-David Wilkerson.
Centuries before Christ was born, Isaiah prophesied that God would send a deliverer who would liberate mankind. Jesus himself stood in a Jewish synagogue one Sabbath and reminded the world of this prophecy:
"And when he had opened the book, [Jesus] found the place where it was written [by Isaiah], The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised... This day is the scripture fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 4:17-21).
Jesus was telling the whole world, "My mission on earth is to liberate every bruised life." To liberate means to set free from all bondage; to release from all slavery; to do away with everything that oppresses. If you believe Christ is telling the truth, then you must believe he is saying to you and me, "I am sent to liberate your life, to release you from all oppression and bondage. I come to set your spirit free."
Paul also preached that Christ came to call every believer to a liberated life. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage" (Galatians 5:1)
Paul preached about "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Romans 8:21).
If Christ came to liberate us from a miserable life, why do we go on living the same old miserable way? We think a life totally free of fear and guilt is too incredible. We cannot imagine life with 24-hour-a-day rest and peace - life without a heavy burden of condemnation or depression - life in the presence of a loving, gentle Savior who cares about all our needs.
This may sound too good to be true but this is exactly the kind of liberated life Christ wants every one of his children to enjoy. Not just a few of his children - but all! This life is not just for those who break some kind of theological code, but it is for all who simply trust him for it!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
SOAP
Scripture:
Numbers 14:17-24
17 "Now may the Lord's strength be displayed, just as you have declared: 18 'The LORD is slow to anger, abounding in love and forgiving sin and rebellion. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation.' 19 In accordance with your great love, forgive the sin of these people, just as you have pardoned them from the time they left Egypt until now."
20 The LORD replied, "I have forgiven them, as you asked. 21 Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, 22 not one of the men who saw my glory and the miraculous signs I performed in Egypt and in the desert but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times- 23 not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their forefathers. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. 24 But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.
Observation:
As the Lord has promised through Moses about the promise land, twelve men were selected to go and check it out. When the twelve returned, ten of them were impressed by the size of their enemies. This caused the rest of the israelites to doubt God. They started to grumble against God and Moses and Aaron. They hated the fact that they were stuck in the desert and blamed God for bringing them out of Egypt. Two men, Caleb and Joshua were the only men who were impressed by the size of their God and knew it could be accomplished with God's power. Even though God showed them through many many many miracles, the people refused to believe that God was able to. The israelites then wanted to stone the two and moses and aaron for bringing them out of Egypt.... the very thing they prayed for.....
Application:
Application is to be like Caleb. Wholeheartedly trusting in God through this desert. By trusting in God, He provides the best and fastest way out. By going with the spirit, there's more freedom. The Israelites did not believe that God can do it and because of their doubt they were stuck in the desert for 40 years.
Prayer:
Father, a lot of us are caught in this cycle of blaming you for everything. Help us to remain faithful and to see that you are not the one at fault. You have done nothing wrong. The only one at fault is I. The fact you have saved us from eternal damnation is enough me to surrender all that I have... which already belongs to you in the first place. Your grace is enough for me to follow and to obey. Your love on the cross and taking the eternal punishment that I deserve for my sins, is enough for me to give my life to you.
I don't expect blessings. I don't expect miracles or healings or even manna falling from the sky. I don't expect you to use me powerfully. I don't expect you to make me rich or famous. I don't expect anything but to walk with you without expectations. To love you without condition just as you love me unconditionally.
Starting today.
Starting today til eternity,
Give me the grace to know more of You.
Give me the unyielding burden to love the lost like You do.
Give me the strength to stand for You as I become captivated by Your beauty each day.
I desire to seek Your face more than Your hand.
I desire to know what's on Your mind and heart.
I desire to be faithful to You so that others may know of Your goodness and give You praise.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Love.
Jesus, you have me completely.
I am yours forever.
All of me surrenders, because I am absolutely in love with you.
♥
Your Beloved.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Mind of Christ
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5).
In this exhortation the apostle Paul is telling the people of God, “Let the mind that is in Christ—the very thinking of Jesus—be your thinking also. His mindset is the one we all are to seek.”
What does it mean to have the mind of Christ? Simply put, it means to think and act as Jesus did. It means making Christ-like decisions that determine how we are to live. It means bringing every faculty of our mind to bear on how we actually can have the mind of Christ.
Every time we look into the mirror of God’s Word, we’re to ask ourselves: “Does what I see about myself reflect the nature and thinking of Christ? Am I changing from image to image, conformed to Jesus’ very likeness by every experience that God brings into my life?”
According to Paul, here is the mindset of Christ. “(He) made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7).
Jesus made a decision while he was still in heaven. He made an agreement with the Father to lay down his heavenly glory and come to earth as a man. He was going to descend to the world as a humble servant. And he would seek to minister rather than be ministered to.
For Christ, this meant saying, “I go to do your will, Father.” Indeed, Jesus determined ahead of time, “I am laying down my will in order to do yours, Father. I subjugate my will so that I may embrace yours. Everything I say and do has to come from you. I’m laying down everything to be totally dependent upon you.”
In turn, the Father’s agreement with the Son was to reveal his will to him. God said to him, in essence, “My will won’t ever be hidden from you. You will always know what I am doing. You will have my mind.”
When Paul states boldly, “I have the mind of Christ,” he is declaring, “I too have made myself of no reputation. Like Jesus, I have taken on the role of a servant.” And Paul asserts that the same can hold true for every believer: “We [all can] have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16).
-David Wilkerson
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