Aim to Please Him

Blog link has changed

2007-04-10T18:39:00.000-05:00

I have changed the link to my blog. The link is now:

www.aimtopleasehim.blogspot.com

Or, you can just click here, and it will take you right to it.

One reason I changed it is so both the link and the title to my blog would be the same. So, you can bookmark the new link.

The Knowledge of God

2007-04-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

I'm moving right along in A. W. Pink's The Attributes of God book, albeit rather slowly. I'm up to Chapter 3 now. There is just so much to take in that I don't want to read it too quickly.

"God is omniscient. He knows everything: everything possible, everything actual; all events, all creatures, God the past, the present and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth and in hell. "He knoweth what is in the darkness" (Dan. 2:22). Nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him. Well may we say with the Psalmist, "Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it" (Ps. 139:6). His knowledge is perfect. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in His sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13). Yes, such is the God with whom "we have to do!"

The definition from Webster's 1828 dictionary of omniscience is this:

Omniscience
OMNIS'CIENCE,

OMNIS'CIENCY, n. [L. omnis, all, and scientia, knowledge.]

The quality of knowing all things at once; universal knowledge; knowledge unbounded or infinite. Omniscience is an attribute peculiar to God.

That definition alone tells me that I am not God, nor will I ever be. I may become like Christ, but I am not Him, and will never have His attributes. Nor will I become fully like Him in this world. He was sinless, I am not, and never will be. That can be an overwhelming thought, that I will never be completely sinless, but what does encourage me is to know that it is God who works in me, both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 1:6).

It's a comfort to me to know that everything that has happened in my life up until now was known by Him because He ordained every single event in my life. I now see the world, and the events in my life, through new eyes because of this attribute. God is still on His throne, and is still ruling the world, and there is nothing to fear.

Next post will be on Monday

2007-03-31T20:28:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a chance to post today, but I will post again on Monday.

My husband has decided that, from now on, on Sundays, we will not turn the television on, nor the computer on. That was an answer to prayer, I've been wanting to do this for a long time.

The Decrees of God - Part Two

2007-03-29T13:44:00.000-05:00

This morning I finished Chapter 2, in A. W. Pink's book, The Attributes of God. This is a short book with only 92 pages, and it's taking me a long time to read. I hate to think how long it's going to take me to read Stephen Charnock's book, The Existence and Attributes of God, which has 524 pages. It's a good thing I started Pink's book first, I may not have gotten to it otherwise.

"Second, the decrees of God are wise. Wisdom is shown in the selection of the best possible ends and of the fittest means of accomplishing them. That this character belongs to the decrees of God is evident from what we know of them. They are disclosed to us by their execution, and every proof of wisdom in the works of God is a proof of the wisdom of the plan, in conformity to which they are performed. As the Psalmist declared, "O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! in wisdom hast Thou made them all" (Ps. 104:24). It is indeed but a very small part of them which falls under our observation, yet, we ought to proceed here as we do in other cases, and judge of the whole by the specimen, of what is unknown, by what is known. He who perceives the workings of admirable skill in the parts of a machine which he has an opportunity to examine, is naturally led to believe that the other parts are equally admirable. In like manner should we satisfy our minds as to God’s works when doubts obtrude themselves upon us, and repel the objections which may be suggested by something which we cannot reconcile to our notions of what is good and wise. When we reach the bounds of the finite and gaze toward the mysterious realm of the infinite, let us exclaim. "O the depth of the riches! both of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (Rom. 11:33)."

What struck me the most was this part:

"In like manner should we satisfy our minds as to God’s works when doubts obtrude themselves upon us, and repel the objections which may be suggested by something which we cannot reconcile to our notions of what is good and wise. When we reach the bounds of the finite and gaze toward the mysterious realm of the infinite, let us exclaim. "O the depth of the riches! both of the wisdom and knowledge of God" (Rom. 11:33)."

There are certain times of the month when my hormones seem to be out of whack. As a result, my soul feels heavy at times, for no apparent reason other than hormonal. For many years I gave into my feelings, and was pretty miserable during those times, which didn't make for very enjoyable times.

Nearly two years ago I learned of Nouthetic Counseling, but knew little about it until I took the Introduction to Biblical Counseling class at church about six months ago. Through that course, and through different reading materials, I became aware that following my feelings was a sin. Since then, I've been making the attempt to change that part of myself.

The class, and the books, have taught me to trust in God, and trust His Word, versus what I may be feeling inside. God is good, and wise, and His character is such that He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. On the other hand, my feelings are unreliable. And it is to His Word that I run to when I have those downcast feelings, or am irritable. I run to Him in prayer, and to the Scriptures. Regardless of how I may be feeling at any given moment, it is always right to praise Him, because He is worthy to be praised. Praising Him doesn't require me waiting until I *feel* like it, I am to praise Him because He is worthy, and deserves all praise.

Psalm 147:1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

Psalm 147:2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.

Psalm 147:5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.

Psalm 147:6 The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Psalm 147:7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!

Psalm 147:8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.

Psalm 147:9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.

Psalm 147:10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,

Psalm 147:11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 147:12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!

Psalm 147:13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.

Psalm 147:14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.

Psalm 147:15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.

Psalm 147:16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.

Psalm 147:17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?

Psalm 147:18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

Psalm 147:19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.

Psalm 147:20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!

There are so many Scriptures that are full of praise. My youngest daughter and I love to sing the old hymns. Lately, whenever I might have that heaviness in my soul, I pull out my hymn book and begin singing. After a few songs, my heart is lifted up.

The Decrees of God - Second Thoughts

2007-03-26T13:15:00.000-05:00

I posted this quote by A. W. Pink's book, The Attributes of God, earlier today:

"God did not merely decree to make man, place him upon the earth, and then leave him to his own uncontrolled guidance; instead, He fixed all the circumstances in the lot of individuals, and all the particulars which will comprise the history of the human race from its commencement to its close."

The words, "He fixed all the circumstances in the lot of individuals" are what caused me to think about my salvation. It was God who chose me (John 15:16), drew me to Himself (John 6:44), enabled me to believe by giving me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), and who gave me the faith to believe (Ephesians 2:8-9). There was nothing in me that caused God to save me, He saved me because of His great mercy and grace. I am grateful to God for plucking me out of the pit I was in, from my dead, lost state (Ephesians 2), and saving my soul. He was not obligated to save me, nor to save anyone else. But, the wonder of it all is that He did just that because of His mercy and grace.

On the other hand, if I were to say that I chose Christ, on whom would the gratefulness be placed? On God? Or, would the gratefulness go to myself for having made the right decision? It would seem like I would be grateful to myself because I was the one who made the decision to pluck myself out of that dead, lost state.

Just some food for thought there. I'm still not sure if I communicated that with what I'm trying to get across, but I do hope it makes us think.

The Decrees of God - Part One

2007-03-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

Last week was a trying week, with the death of a friend's son, and of the Mawxell's granddaughter. I don't know the Maxwell's personally but I have followed their ministry since 1998. Learning of God's attributes has given me peace, and the ability to trust Him during trying times.

This morning I read this in Chapter 2, of A. W. Pink's, The Attributes of God:

"God did not merely decree to make man, place him upon the earth, and then leave him to his own uncontrolled guidance; instead, He fixed all the circumstances in the lot of individuals, and all the particulars which will comprise the history of the human race from its commencement to its close."

Can you imagine what chaos there would be if this world was not controlled by God? It would be even more chaotic than it seems to be right now.

Think about these words "He fixed ALL the circumstances in the lot of individuals." ALL of the circumstances, not just part of them. Two things came to my mind when I read that. First, the deaths of Kent, and Susannah Joy didn't take God by surprise. He Himself, for reasons known only to Him, ordained that these two would be with him at the exact time of their deaths. Though it's a difficult time for the families involved, they know they can trust God because He is good.

There is a second thing that I thought of, and I'm going to think on it more this afternoon, and write my thoughts on that part later this afternoon, nor evening. I haven't quite figured out how to word it.

I would also ask that you would pray for the Nathan and Melanie Maxwell, the parents of Susannah Joy, and also for the Maxwell's, and Melanie's family.

Sad news regarding Susannah Joy

2007-03-26T10:29:00.000-05:00

I didn't have an opportunity to turn on the computer this weekend, so I didn't read until today about Susannah Joy. Susannah Joy passed away on Saturday, March 24th. My heart is broken for the Maxwell family, and for Melanie's family, but I know that that Lord is faithful, and that He is good, and He has a plan and a purpose.

Urgent Prayer Request for baby Susannah Joy Maxwell

2007-03-22T19:56:00.000-05:00

I just came from the Maxwell's blog. If you are not familiar with the Maxwell's, they can be found here. They have a ministry called Managers of their Homes, and it's been a great help to me through the years.

Steve and Teri Maxwell's son and daughter in law, Nathan and Melanie, had a new baby on March 21st. Her name is Susannah Joy Maxwell, and she is in the NICU, and it is very critical. Here is the link to the blog, the information on her, and a picture, of the baby.

Please keep them in your prayers, this is a difficult time for them. This brings back memories because our youngest daughter spent three weeks in the NICU almost nine years ago.

A thank you to Heather

2007-03-22T19:41:00.000-05:00

My oldest daughter, who will be 14 yrs. old next month, made supper Monday through Wednesday night this week because I've been really sick with headaches all week. She is very creative, and did a wonderful job.

God has gifted her with many creative abilities. She can sew, which I cannot do. I taught her how to hand sew, but she learned how to sew with the sewing machine. She has made dresses for dolls, pillows. She even made a skirt for herself.

She taught herself how to play the dulcimer. She is also very good at drawing.

I do hope this is not coming across as boasting, because that is not my intent at all. I wanted to post encouraging words to her, and to thank her for her help.

She was such a help to me when I was sick. She also washed the clothes, besides making supper.

So, I wanted to publically thank her for all of her hard work.

Thank you Heather for all that you did when I was sick. I love you.

Thoughts during a funeral

2007-03-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

This morning I went to a funeral for the son of a couple from our church, and our pastor preached the sermon. Their son was saved, which does give great comfort during this time of their loss. Because of this, I decided to write about that today.

Before the service started, I came across the below verses from John 11:

John 11:25-26 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

When my mother died in April, 1991 it changed my life forever. Hers was the first real death I had dealt with of someone that I was very close to, and saw on a daily basis until I married, and moved away from home in 1982. In many ways I think it caused me to fear death, and the loss of those whom I love. At the time of her death, I claimed to be a believer, but in reality, I don't believe I was because nothing in my life had ever changed, I don't believe God had regenerated my heart, and given me a new nature. So, I didn't have Christ during that time in my life.

My father passed away in November, 1998, and I think that caused me to fear death even more, and to fear getting close to people I loved because it hurt too much to loose them.

When I read John 11:25-26 this morning before the service, it was like a light bulb went off in my head, and I had understood a bit more. What I'm about to say seems so simple, yet I could not grasp it until today. As a believer, I have nothing to fear, I don't have to fear death, whether it be my own, or my loved ones. Because when we pass away, we will be with the Lord. Our souls will be with Him. The verse below tells us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord:

2 Corinthians 5:8 "Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord."

Those verses gave me great comfort today, and I no longer have that fear. The death of a loved one is never easy, but when that loved one is a believer, it does make it easier. We know that, even though we miss our loved one, they are with the Lord, and we will see them again.

Death is much more difficult to handle when your loved one was not saved, or you don't know they were saved, as is the case with my parents. Even in that situation, we can trust God to do what is right. As difficult as that may be, we can surely trust Him.

First Day of Spring

2007-03-21T14:50:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot! This is the first day of spring! I think this is my favorite time of year because the flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping, and the weather is just right.

The Solitariness of God - Part Six

2007-03-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

I've been sick with a headache since Sunday afternoon, and when I get them, they're pretty bad, and leave me unable to function. The worst of it was yesterday, and though I still feel it a bit today, I'm feeling much better. I'm not sure if it was a sinus headache, or because of a lack of caffeine.

In the second to last paragraph of Chapter 1 of A. W. Pink's Attributes of God book he says this:

"Nor is God known by the intellect. "God is Spirit," (John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth) and therefore can only be known spiritually. But fallen man is not spiritual; he is carnal. He is dead to all that is spiritual. Unless he is born again, supernaturally brought from death unto life, miraculously translated out of darkness into light , he cannot even see the things of God (John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God"), still less apprehend them (1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned). The Holy Spirit has to shine in our hearts (not intellects) in order to give us "the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

This hit home with me because of a conversation I had with my oldest brother, a retired history teacher. He calls himself an atheist. He, my oldest daughter and I, talked for quite a long time about science, and evolution a couple of weeks ago. Right before our conversation ended, I began asking him if he had ever lied. I was trying to show him that we have all broken God's law, and there was a penalty to be paid for our sin. He couldn't understand that, which to me is simple. It's simple to me because the Lord has opened my eyes, and my ears, and has saved me. It's something I've been thinking about ever since our conversation. My prayer is that He would do the same for my brother, and my other lost family members.

The Solitariness of God - Part Five

2007-03-19T20:18:00.000-05:00

Going through A. W. Pink's Attributes of God book has been, so far, such a good study. I learn something new every day. Today, I read a paragraph where he quoted the below verse.

1 Timothy 6:16 "who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen."

In the last two sentences, he had this to say:

"Such an One is to be revered, worshipped, adored. He is solitary in His majesty, unique in His excellency, peerless in His perfections. He sustains all, but is Himself independent of all. He gives to all, but is enriched by none."

Reading that, and meditating on it, causes me to be so grateful to Him for saving me. He didn't save me based on anything I did, He choose me, I did not choose Him, (John 15:16). He did a work in my heart, and made me willing, and though I did repent and believe, apart from His working in my heart, I would never have done those things. And that's just one thing that causes me to be so grateful, and to stand in awe of Him. He doesn't need me, I need Him.

There is so much more I could say, but I've been coming down with a cold, and on top of that, my heart is heavy tonight. Some good friends of ours from church lost their adult son this afternoon. If the Lord brings them to your mind, please pray for this couple.

The Solitariness of God - Part Four

2007-03-18T04:37:00.000-05:00

I woke up early this morning, probably due to too much caffeine yesterday. It's not too bad because it enabled me to focus even more on the Attributes of God book by A. W. Pink.

In Chapter 1 of The Solitariness of God, Pink quotes Genesis 1:1, and then says this:

"There was nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for a day, a year, or an age, but "from everlasting." During a past eternity, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied; in need of nothing. Had a universe, had angels, had human beings been necessary to Him in any way, they also had been called into existence from all eternity. The creating of them when He did, added nothing to God essentially. He changes not (Malachi 3:6), therefore His essential glory can be neither augmented nor diminished.

God was under no constraint, no obligation, no necessity to create. That He chose to do so was purely a sovereign act on His part, caused by nothing outside Himself, determined by nothing but His own mere good pleasure; for He worketh all things after the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11)."

Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning"

Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change"

Ephesians 1:11 "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,"

God is not powerless, waiting for us to choose Him, nor is He powerless, waiting for us to do anything for Him. He doesn't need us, we need Him. We are dependent upon Him for every little thing, we can't even take a breath apart from Him giving us our next breath. It might be nice for us to think that He needs us, but the reality is that He doesn't. The truth is that we need Him, and apart from Him we can do nothing, and in Him we live and move, and have our being.

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing."

Acts 17:28 “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, "‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

If you have not read, nor studied Pink's book, I encourage you to do so because it is very thought provoking.

May your Lord's Day be blessed today.

The Solitariness of God - Part Three

2007-03-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

Here are more verses from A. W. Pink's book, The Attributes of God, found here:

Isaiah 40:12-18

12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and marked off the heavens with a span,
enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure
and weighed the mountains in scales
and the hills in a balance?

13 Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord,
or what man shows him his counsel?

14 Whom did he consult,
and who made him understand?
Who taught him the path of justice,
and taught him knowledge,
and showed him the way of understanding?

15 Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,
and are accounted as the dust on the scales;behold, he takes up the coastlands like fine dust.

16 Lebanon would not suffice for fuel,
nor are its beasts enough for a burnt offering.

17 All the nations are as nothing before him,
they are accounted by him as less than nothing and emptiness.

18 To whom then will you liken God,
or what likeness compare with him?

When you read those verses, what comes to your mind? What do you think of? Matthew Henry had this to say:

Let us see how great our God is, and fear before him; for,

I. His power is unlimited, and what no creature can compare with, much less contend with, Isa_40:12. 1. He has a vast reach. View the celestial globe, and you are astonished at the extent of it; but the great God metes the heavens with a span; to him they are but a hand-breadth, so large-handed is he. View the terraqueous globe, and he has the command of that too. All the waters in the world he can measure in the hollow of his hand, where we can hold but a little water; and the dry land he easily manages, for he comprehends the dust of the earth in a measure, or with his three fingers; it is no more to him than a pugil, or that which we take up between our thumb and two fingers.

2. He has a vast strength, and can as easily move mountains and hills as the tradesman heaves his goods into the scales and out of them again; he poises them with his hand as exactly as if he weighed them in a pair of balances. This may refer to the work of creation, when the heavens were stretched out as exactly as that which is spanned, and the earth and waters were put together in just proportions, as if they had been measured, and the mountains made of such a weight as to serve for ballast to the globe, and no more. Or it may refer to the work of providence (which is a continued creation) and the consistency of all the creatures with each other.

God's power is unlimited, and there is none like Him. We may think that we have even a tiny bit of power to do something, when in reality, we have none at all. As believers, whatever we do is Christ working through us. We can't even take a breath without His help. He holds our lives in His hands.

When I think of God's power, and how it is unlimited, it gives me reason to fear Him, knowing that He has the power to cast the lost into hell. It causes me to be thankful that He now deals with me as a daughter, because He is my Heavenly Father. His unlimited power gives me great comfort as well because I know that whatever happens in my life, it has come through His hands, and is for my good, and His glory. It isn't always easy, in fact it's painful at times. But I know that all I go through He is using to conform me into the image of His Son.

The Solitariness of God - Part Two

2007-03-13T20:37:00.000-05:00

Our son and daughter in law were here this afternoon, and showed us the first ultrasound of the baby they are expecting in the fall. This is such an exciting time for them, and for us.

In keeping with my focus on the attributes of God, here is another verse about the Solitariness of God, from Nehemiah.

Nehemiah 9:5-6

5 Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah, said, "Arise, bless the LORD your God forever and ever!
O may Your glorious name be blessed
And exalted above all blessing and praise!

6 "You alone are the LORD
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.

God is the only living, and true God. He is self existent, and independent. He does not need us for anything. It's the other way around, we need Him, we depend on Him for every breath we take.

As much as I would like to continue with this post, I am very tired and will have to finish it tomorrow. I do pray that the little bit I posted will be of some encouragement to you.

I took my daughter outside this afternoon, and we were out there most of the afternoon, and into the evening, and that's why I'm so tired.

The Solitariness of God

2007-03-12T16:03:00.000-05:00

I've been studying the Attributes of God for the past few days, from the book, Attributes of God, by A. W. Pink, which can be found online here. It has been a wonderful study so far, and an important one. If you don't know the character of God, it is more difficult to trust Him, and to believe what He says in the Scriptures.

Today I was reading about the Solitariness of God. Here are one of the Scriptures that was given in the book:

Exodus 15:11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?"

Think about that! There is NONE like God, no one else who is majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, and doing wonders. It is nearly breathtaking to think about.

And, look at this from Malachi:

Malachi 3:6 “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed."

James 1:17 "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."

We change from day to day, we can be moody one day, or joyful one day, and be depressed the next. But God is not like that. He never changes, He is the same, which brings to my mind this verse from Hebrews:

Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

It's comforting to know that God does not change like we do. He can be trusted to be the same, day after day after day. He can be counted on, He can be trusted, and His promises can be relied upon. His Word is truth.

I will post some more of the Scriptures from that chapter tomorrow.

2007-03-11T23:06:00.000-05:00

This has been a very enjoyable day. I was surprised today by a visit from my middle brother, and his wife. I was expecting my oldest brother because he was bringing my daughters home after they spent the weekend with him and his wife. Before today, it had been over two years since I had seen my middle brother and his wife.

My oldest brother had to leave early because his wife is going out of town on business tomorrow. Because my middle brother and his wife drove their own car, they were able to stay later. I made lasagne and garlic bread for supper, and after we ate, we sat and looked at some old pictures that I had of my brothers and I when we were growing up.

My middle brother did some cleaning up on my computer, and he did a great job.

2007-03-11T02:07:00.000-05:00

We have had a very busy couple of days. My brother picked our daughters up on Friday so they could spend the weekend with him and his wife. I thought this was a good opportunity for me to get some much needed things done.

I will post again tomorrow, or rather later this afternoon, since it is after 3 AM right now. I stayed up to mop the floor, and then had to wait for it to dry. Now, I am off to bed.

The Sovereignty of God

2007-03-08T18:38:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking more about God, and his Omniscience, and about His Omnipresence as well .

Three years ago this month, we had a health scare involving our youngest daughter, who was 5 yrs. old at the time. She had a stomach virus, and became very sick. We took her to the doctor that night, and he did some blood work on her. He told us that her blood platelet count was low, and that he wanted her to come back a few days later to check it again. That was alarming to me because my mother, who passed away in 1991, had a platelet problem when she was in the hospital just before she died. Because my mother seemed to have a fear of doctors, and had not been to one since I had been born, we don't know how long she had this platelet problem.

We took our daughter back to the doctor, and her platelet count was still low. After a few weeks with her pediatrician checking her platelet count, meaning sticking her with a needle, he finally sent here to a hematologist, because of my persistence. During the time she had this low platelet count, I praise God that her platelets have never been dangerously low for that entire six months.

At the time, I was not a believer in reformed theology. During those first few months, when the doctors had no idea what was wrong with her, I read the book of Job. I had read it before, but somehow I missed the sovereignty of God throughout the book, especially chapters 38-42.

The clincher came with these verses:

Job 42:1-6

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

2 “I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.

3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.

4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;

6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes."

God can do all things and no purpose of His can be thwarted. We see that in Ephesians 1:11 too:

11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Reading Job gave me peace, and I knew then that God can be trusted, and that He was in control of all things. He knew what was wrong with my daughter even when the doctors did not. I was comforted so much, knowing that my daughter's life was in His hands. That is when God began revealing His truths to me, summed up by this acronym:

Tulip

T - Total Depravity

U - Unconditional Election

L - Limited Atonement

I - Irresistable Grace

P- Perserverance of the Saints

I was not looking for Scripture so that I could believe in Calvinism. It was quite the opposite. I said many times that I would never be a Calvinist. I was looking for Scriptures that would help me understand why this was happening to my daughter. As I searched the Scriptures, God revealed those truths to me, through Scripture, little by little. And, I found the comfort and peace that I was looking for.

My daughter was diagnosed with Chronic ITP, which is Thrombocytopenia. Today, she is 8 yrs. old, and seems to have outgrown it. She no longer bruises easily, is no longer tired, and is a happy, cheerful, little girl. She has been through a lot in her young life. She was premature, spent three weeks in the NICU, and then came home with an apnea monitor that she wore until she was six months old.

It gives me such comfort to know that is working in my life, and that He can be trusted, and that He has all things under His control.

Soli Deo Gloria

A Covenant Keeping God

2007-03-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

I woke up this morning feeling anxious, with no good reason, though there really never is a good reason to be anxious. Lydia, over at the Purpler Cellar, had an excellent post today on Philippians 4:5-7, which were the verses I turned to this morning. I won't comment on that because she had a wonderful post on it. And I wanted to post on something else that had caught my attention. In case you are not familiar with that passage, this is what it says:

Philippians 4:5-7

5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have several verses highlighted in my Bible, and this morning I came across the below verses. I have only verse 12 highlighted (until this evening when I plan to highlight verse 13).

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

What particularly caught my attention was verse 13. NO creature is hidden from God's sight, none of us, not one. This includes believers, AND non-believers. I knew that God is omniscient, and here is the definition of that word from Merriam-Webster:

Main Entry:: om·ni·scient
Pronunciation:: \-shənt\
Function:: adjective
Etymology:: New Latin omniscient-, omnisciens, back-formation from Medieval Latin omniscientia
Date:: circa 1604

1 : having infinite awareness, understanding, and insight 2 : possessed of universal or complete knowledge

Even though I had known that already, it just seemed to hit me this morning full force. I am naked and exposed before God, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. He sees everything I do, the good and the bad. I find that to be a sobering thought. It has caused me to fear God in a way that I may not have ever done.

Even though He sees everything I do, the amazing thing is that He still loves me. His love for me is not based on what I do, or what I don't do. His love for me is based on His covenant, and that He is a faithful, covenant keeping God.

What a mighty God we serve.

God Our Father - Part Two

2007-03-06T21:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I wrote some thoughts that I had about the words, God Our Father, which you can read here. I had been reading Ephesians 1:1-2.

Ephesians 1:1-2

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

When I think about the word Father, it brings to mind what a father does, or should do. I realize that not all have had earthly fathers who treated them well. An earthly father provides for our needs, he provides a roof over our heads, food on the table, clothes, a bed to sleep in.

As a child of God, adopted by Him, the best thing He has done for us is to save us. Do we really realize the impact of that? Read this from Ephesians 2:1-10:

Ephesians 2:1-10

2:1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins

2:2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

2:3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,

2:9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

He could have left us dead in our trespasses and our sins, as it says we were in verse 1. We were lost, and without hope in the world, and He could have left us in that state. But He didn't! Look at verse 4, it says BUT GOD! BUT GOD! Think about that! Mediate on those words, BUT GOD!

2:4 BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

2:5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

2:6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

2:7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

BUT GOD, was rich in mercy towards His elect, because of the great love with which He loved us! EVEN while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, He made us alive together with Christ! It it by grace we are saved! It is all God's work!

I'm sure that many already know this, but it is something we should never forget. And, it is something that we should forever be grateful for.

SOLI DEO GLORIA!

God Our Father - Part One

2007-03-05T23:16:00.000-05:00

I read Ephesians 1:1-2 the other day, and have been thinking about it ever since.

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

1:2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Specifically, I've been thinking about the phrase "God our Father." I am his adopted daughter because of His grace towards me. That is a humbling thought, especially when not all can call Him Father because not all belong to Him.

Ephesians 1:4-5

4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love

5 he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,

Imagine that! If you are His child, He has adopted you too, and you have the privilege of calling Him Father.

I think I will stop right here, and continue my thoughts on this tomorrow. Meditating on those three words alone, God our Father, are enough to think on for now.

Today's Sermon

2007-03-04T18:00:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted recently because I have had some other things I needed to focus on, and hopefully I am back on track with posting.

It has been such an enjoyable day today. It was a little cool, but I have enjoyed watching the Robins out in one of the trees in our backyard.

This morning, our pastor was at a missions conference, and so we had someone else preach. He is a Chaplain in the Army, and he attends our church. He always does such a good job when he preaches. This morning he preached on God's faithfulness from this text in Deuteronomy 7:6-9:

6 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.

7 "The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,

8 but because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

9 "Know therefore that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

He preached on the fact that God was faithful:

1) Concerning his GRACE: GRACE means that God is giving to us what we don't earn or deserve. In our sanctification, God gives us His grace. And He sustains us through His grace in sanctification.

2) Concerning His MERCY (or LOVINGKINDNESS IN SOME VERSIONS): MERCY means withholding what we deserve and giving us GRACE instead.

3) Concerning His LOVE: In verse 7, He is saying that no matter how you treat me, I am still committed to you. It's living out that love, and that is how God loves us, and how we are to love others. God showed His love by sending Jesus to make atonement for our sins. If you are a Christian, you ARE loved, whether you feel like it or not, for your highest good, and for HIS glory.

As Christians, we should not live by our feelings, but rather by the truths of God's Word. I might not want to do the laundry one day, but I do it whether I feel like it or not. Many people wait until they FEEL like doing something, rather than doing that thing out of obedience to the Lord. When you DO whatever it is that you don't want to do, the feelings will follow. When you do what is right, the feelings will follow.

4) Concerning His COVENANT: In verse 9, He says that when He makes a covenant, He keeps His end of it up. He is faithful to the covenant, even when we are not. He is a covenant making, and a covenant keeping God. Even when we don't keep up with our end of the covenant, He is faithful to keep His end of it up. God says "I'm in it with you forever. I'm right there with you."

5) Concerning His BLESSINGS: In verse 13, God is the God of math, He blesses us, and our blessings multiply. Any blessing that we get from God is an undeserved blessing. We don't deserve anything, not even the smallest of blessings. Our Bibles, spouse, children, the people who love us, are all by His grace, and we are undeserving of them.

6) Concerning His WORD: He is faithful to His Word, the Scriptures, we can count on it. He is faithful 100%, what He says He will do, He will do.

7) Concerning His FORGIVENESS: In 1 John 1:9 He says:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and ^(B)to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Confessing our sins means to say the same thing about sin that God does. His faithfulness, and His justice causes Him to forgive all of our sins. No matter what you have done, how often, or to who, He is still faithful to forgive.

He preached on so much more, so that was just part of it.

We closed the service with the hymn, Great is Thy Faithfulness, found here:

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS

Great is thy faithfulness, O God my father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee:
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not;
As thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.

"Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!"
Morning by morning new mercies I see:
All I have needed thy hand hath provided—
"Great is thy faithfulness," Lord unto me!

Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.

—Thomas O. Chisholm

Copyright 1923, renewal 1951, Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. If you wish to print, copy, cut/paste or duplicate these lyrics you must obtain permission from Hope Publishing Company, 380 South Main Place, Carol Stream, IL 60188 (800/323-1049).

Testing of the Picture

2007-02-26T17:03:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to access my blog all day, and I thought it may have had something to do with the picture I have on it.

I have put the picture back up temporarily, and will be taking it back down again sometime this evening.

So basically, this post is just a test.

Anchors Aweigh

2007-02-23T19:33:00.000-05:00

We have had a very busy day today. We made a trip to Walmart to replace one daughter's broken glasses, and a trip to the library.

This evening my husband and oldest daughter went to Winter Jam, while our younger daughter and I stayed home, and had a lot of fun together. We baked brownies, sat outside in the beautiful weather, played dolls, ate pizza, and read a little bit of poetry together.

My younger daughter and I love poetry, and I read to her this lullaby poem bye Eugene Field.

This poem touched my heart because I'm the daughter of a man I was very proud of, who served in the Navy, and was himself a sailor at one time. He didn't see me until I was five months old because he was serving overseas at the time. Maybe it's nostalgia, but tonight my daughter and I listened to the Anchors Aweigh song. Before I post the poem, I am posting the lyrics to Anchors Aweigh, plus a link found here, that provided music to go along with the song.

Anchors Aweigh

Stand Navy down the field, sails set to the sky.
We'll never change our course, so Army you steer shy-y-y-y.
Roll up the score, Navy, Anchors Aweigh.
Sail Navy down the field and sink the Army, sink the Army Grey.

Get underway, Navy, decks cleared for the fray,
We'll hoist true Navy Blue o Army down your Grey-y-y-y.
Full speed ahead, Navy; Army heave to,
Furl Black and Grey and Gold and hoist the Navy, hoist the Navy
Blue

Blue of the Seven Seas; gold of God's great sun
Let these our colors be till all of time be done-n-n-ne,
By Severn shore we learn Navy's stern call:
Faith, courage, service true, with honor over, honor over all.

My father passed away on November 13, 1998, and I miss him so much. Because my mother passed away in 1991, the passing of my father left my brothers and I adult orphans. Sadly, I don't know whether he, or my mother, were saved or not. I do pray that one day I will see them in Heaven.

So in keeping with Rebecca's children's poetry month for the month of February, here is the song that so touched my heart tonight.

Swing High and Swing Low

Swing high and swing low
While the breezes they blow----
It's off for a sailor they father would go;
And it's here in the harbor, in sight of the sea,
He hath left his wee babe with my song and with me;
"Swing high and swing low
While the breezes they blow!"

Swing high and swing low
While the breezes they blow____
It's oh for the waiting as weary days go!
And it's oh for the heartache that smiteth me when
I sing my song over and over again:
"Swing high and swing low
While the breezes they blow!"

"Swing high and swing low----
The sea singeth so,
And it waileth anon in its ebb and its flow;
And a sleeper sleeps on to that song of the sea
Nor recketh he ever of mine or of me!
"Swing high and swing low
While the breezes they blow----
'Twas off for a sailor they father would go!"

This poem was from The Classic Treasury of Best-Loved Children's Poems, which I bought here.

If by chance a veteran, or a member of the Armed Forces reads this post, I want to thank you for the job you are doing. I want to thank you for making the sacrifices you are making for our country. You are putting your lives on the line for us here in America.

What some people fail to realize is that the families of those in the Armed Forces make sacrifices too. There are mothers left behind, who are raising children alone, holding down the fort on the home front while their husbands are out fighting for our freedoms, and to you, I want to say thank you as well.

More Thoughts on Trials

2007-02-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Until recently, I never understood the verses in the Bible that talked about suffering, and trials. I still don't understand it all completely, and I probably won't until I get to Heaven, but I have a better grasp of it now than I did before.

About ten years ago we were members of, and attended regularly, an Assemblies of God church. During that time I did a lot of praying, and searching the Scriptures. The Lord did bring us out of there, and I have since learned to how to pray in a way that honors God. I also wasn't searching the Scriptures to learn about God, but rather I was searching them to get my needs met. I highlighted many verses that I believed were promises that specific prayers would be answered in a favorable way, as in my way. I won't post the verses, but there were many from Isaiah, as well as Jeremiah, and the Psalms.

When I didn't see those favorable results, and the trial continued year after year, I began to get discouraged. I began to doubt God, believing that He was not going to answer my prayers. He is answering them, but in a very different way than I originally had believed He would.

I've been reading James 1, and 1st Peter lately. Look at these verses in 1st Peter 1.

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the
Spirit to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace
be yours in the fullest measure.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you.

5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,

7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

What I am beginning to understand now is that God has been answering my prayers from so long ago, just not in the way that I thought He would. He had, and still has, a higher purpose for them.

I can rejoice knowing that the proof of my faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor. And when will that be? As it says in verse 7, at the revelation, or the appearing of Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

Why should we make it our aim to please Him?

2007-02-19T11:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday in my Biblical Education class we discussed 2 Corinthians 5:9-10. It really made me think about the reasons why I try to make it my aim to please God. In case you don't know what the verses say, here they are:

2 Corinthians 5:9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

I had to think again about what it is that motivates me to please Him. Do I make it my aim to please God because I love Him, and am grateful for what Jesus did for me? Or, do I try to please Him because of the benefits that might come as a result of my obedience?

Suppose your trials come in the form of needing a physical healing, and you aren't healed. If your motivation for pleasing Him were for the benefits you would receive, a complete physical healing, you might possibly get discouraged if you don't see the results of that physical healing. You could lose hope, and become angry with God for not healing you when you believe you have done all the right things. You might think you have a right to be healed. So, if your motivation is for the benefits you will receive, that would be a wrong motive.

Our motivation to serve Him, and to be pleasing to Him, should be out of love for Him, and because we are commanded to. Our motivation should not be for what we can get out of when we do love and serve Him. All that we do should be done for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

What about you? What motivates you to do the things that you do?

The Library

2007-02-19T11:17:00.000-05:00

In keeping with the theme for children's poems as Rebecca suggested, here is one called The Library, by Barbara A. Huff. This was out of the book, Favorite Poems Old and New, by
Helen Ferris, which can be purchased here.

The Library

It looks like any building
When you pass it on the street,
Made of stone and glass and marble,
Made of iron and concrete.

But once inside you can ride
A camel, or a train,
Visit Rome, Siam, or Nome,
Feel a hurricane,
Meet a king, learn to sing,
How to bake a pie,
Go to sea, plant a tree,
Find how airplanes fly,
Train a horse, and of course
Have all the dogs you like,
See the moon, a sandy dune,
Or catch a whopping pike.
Everything that books can bring
You'll find inside those walls.
A world is there for you to share
When adventure calls.

You cannot tell it's magic
By the way the building looks,
But there's wonderment within it
The wonderment of books.

Unsettling Happenings

2007-02-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to post something at least every couple of days since I began blogging. I haven't posted since Wednesday because of something unsettling that I discovered was happening.

I frequent a voice chat program, and found out a few days ago that someone has been cloning my nics, and they have been doing this for a long time. Not only cloning my nics, but pretending to be me to those who know me. And that has weighed heavily on my mind since then.

If the Lord brings you to my mind, please pray not only for me, but for my family as well.

I hope to get back to posting tomorrow, or Monday at the latest.

An update on the cake story

2007-02-14T21:56:00.000-05:00

No, I didn't attempt to try to bake the cake again tonight. I'm saving that for tomorrow when I will try again. I did, however, attempt to make supper.

We were going to have fish filets, so I turned the oven on, and let it get hot. While I was spraying the cookie sheet, my oldest daughter came into the kitchen. She looked into the oven, and said "Mom! The oven's on fire!." I opened the door of the oven, and blew on the flames, and they went out.

The funny side of this is that my husband was taking a shower at the time. I told my daughters that if we had actually had a fire, he would have had to run out of the house naked. That just made my little 8 yr. old daughter just giggle, and giggle.

I do give praise to the Lord for bringing my daughter into the kitchen at the time He did. I had not been paying attention to the oven at all. I praise the Lord for His protection.

Happy Valentine's Day

2007-02-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

Since today is Valentine's Day, I had plans to bless my family by baking them a chocolate cake from scratch, which I did. I'm sure it would have tasted good, but unfortunately, we'll never know. Prior to today, I bought a new cake pan, a heart shaped one. I got my mixer out, and my ingredients together, mixed it all up, and then before I put it into the pan, I tasted the spoon. From the taste of the spoon, I just knew it was going to taste really good, and it would have. Except, yes that one little word.......except. Except after I added it to the pan, and put it into the oven, something happened. My daughters and I began to smell something burning right before the timer went off. I looked in the oven, and there was the cake overflowing into the bottom of the oven. And it's still sitting there as I type, since it's too hot to take out. Unfortunately, the pan did not come with instructions on how much of the batter I needed to fill the pan with. And all I was thinking about was the fun we were going to have decorating it. It was very disappointing to have spent three hours on something that didn't come out right. But, after I got over the initial upset, I thought about these verses, and that helped to keep my focus where it should be, on the Lord:

Psa 37:23 The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way;

Psa 37:24 though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.

To my family,..........Happy Valentine's Day. I love you guys. And, thank you for the cards, and the flowers, the huge stuffed animal, and the cookie. As far as the cake goes, I hope you remember it's the thought that counts, lol.

I wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day.

James 1:2-4

2007-02-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

Everybody goes through trials in life, and I have certainly had my share of them. It seems there has been one trial after another for the past several years. It's only been in the past 18 months that I am beginning to understand the purpose that trials have in our lives. This morning I was meditating on the below verses in James.

James 1: 2-4 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Look at the first part of those verses - consider it all joy. We are to consider, and to think about the trials we go through, all of them, with joy. Much to my shame, I can't honestly say that I've counted any of my trials with joy.

Below is just a bit of what Matthew Henry had this to say about verse 1:2:

"One Christian grace to be exercised is joy: Count it all joy, James 1:2. We must not sink into a sad and disconsolate frame of mind, which would make us faint under our trials; but must endeavor to keep our spirits dilated and enlarged, the better to take in a true sense of our case, and with greater advantage to set ourselves to make the best of it. Philosophy may instruct men to be calm under their troubles; but Christianity teaches them to be joyful, because such exercises proceed from love and not fury in God. In them we are conformable to Christ our head, and they become marks of our adoption. By suffering in the ways of righteousness, we are serving the interests of our Lord's kingdom among men, and edifying the body of Christ; and our trials will brighten our graces now and our crown at last. Therefore there is reason to count it all joy when trials and difficulties become our lot in the way of our duty. And this is not purely a New Testament paradox, but even in Job's time it was said, Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth. There is the more reason for joy in afflictions if we consider the other graces that are promoted by them."

I have to remind myself daily that there is a purpose behind every trial I go through. Knowing that God is working them out for my good, and His glory does make them easier to go through. It doesn't make it easy, but it does make it easier.

Romans 8: 28-29 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren.

I long to have that joy in the midst of these trials, and I'm thankful that it is God who works in me both the willingness, and the doing of His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13 for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

The Land of Story-Book Poem

2007-02-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

I haven't been feeling well since Thursday, so I have decided to post another favorite children's poem of mine in keeping with Rebecca's theme of the month.

THE LAND OF STORY-BOOKS

At evening when the lamp is lit,
Around the fire my parents sit;
They sit at home and talk and sing,
And do not play at anything.

Now, with my little gun, I crawl
All in the dark along the wall,
And follow round the forest track
Away behind the sofa back.

There, in the night, where none can spy,
All in my hunter's camp I lie,
And play at books that I have read
Till it is time to go to bed.

These are the hills, these are the woods,
These are my starry solitudes;
And there the river by whose brink
The roaring lions come to drink.

I see the others far away
As if in firelit camp they lay,
And I, like to an Indian scout,
Around their party prowled about.

So, when my nurse comes in for me,
Home I return across the sea,
And go to bed with backward looks
At my dear Land of Story-Books.

By: Robert Louis Stevenson

A Thought Provoking Poem

2007-02-08T11:35:00.000-05:00

My pastor's wife sent this poem to me, and it reminded me of something my mother used to say. She frequently told me never to make fun of people, especially those who were older, because they were somebody's mother, or loved one. We wouldn't want others to make fun of us, or one of our loved ones, and we shouldn't make fun of others either.

Poem

When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital
near Tampa, Florida, it was believed that he had nothing left of
any value.

Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.

One nurse took her copy to Missouri. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the St. Louis Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.

And this little old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this "anonymous" poem winging across the Internet.

Crabby Old Man

What do you see nurses? What do you see?
What are you thinking......when you're looking at me?
A crabby old man,.....not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .......with faraway eyes?

Who dribbles his food.......and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice....."I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do.
And forever is losing a sock or shoe?
Who, resisting or not...........lets you do as you will, With
bathing
and feeding ....... the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse......you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am...as I sit here so still, As I do at
your
bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of Ten......with a father and mother,
Brothers and
sisters ......who love one another

A young boy of Sixteen with wings on his feet Dreaming that
soon now.
..........a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at Twenty my heart gives a leap.
Remembering the vows........that I promised to keep.

At Twenty-Five, now .....I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide, and a secure happy home.
A man of Thirty, my young now grown fast, Bound to each other
with ties that should last.

At Forty, my young sons have grown and are gone, But my
woman's
beside me........to see I don't mourn.
At Fifty, once more,.......... babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we
know children......... my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me .......... my wife is now dead.
I look at the future I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .young of their own.
And I think of the years......and the love that I've known.

I'm now an old man.........and nature is cruel.
Tis jest to make old age ......look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles..........grace and vigor, depart.
There is now a stone........where I once had a heart.

But inside this old carcass .....a young guy still dwells,
And now and
again my battered heart swells.
I remember the joys..........I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living.............life over again

I think of the years .all too few......gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact........that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people..open and see..
Not a crabby old man. Look closer....see.........ME!!

Remember this poem when you next meet an older person who you
might brush aside without looking at the young soul within.....we
will all, one day, be there, too!

PLEASE SHARE THIS POEM

I don't know whether the story of this poem happened or not, but it really doesn't matter. It doesn't matter because it's one that reminds us that older people are to be valued, and not to be treated as though they are burdens.

Lock and Key Poem

2007-02-06T10:47:00.000-05:00

Rebecca, at Rebecca Writes, has made the theme for February children's poetry. Here is my favorite children's poem, and with this poem, it is crucial to read it aloud with someone, and alternate reading each line:

LOCK AND KEY

"I am a gold lock."

"I am a gold key."

"I am a silver lock."

"I am a silver key."

"I am a brass lock."

"I am a brass key."

"I am a lead lock."

"I am a lead key."

"I am a don lock."

"I am a don key."

I hope you enjoy this poem as much as my youngest daughter and I did. She and I share a love for poetry. I tried to center it, but it didn't work. I decided the poem was worth posting, whether it was in the center or not.

This poem is from The Real Mother Goose book.

Romans 5, Limited Atonement

2007-02-04T19:26:00.000-05:00

My pastor preached on Romans 5 this morning. He talked about the sufficiency of Christ, and that when we are regenerated, and born again, we are saved through His blood, and His blood alone.

He went on to say that we must understand why we are sinners, and that we're all born in original sin. This sin nature was imputed to us through Adam.

Romans 5:17 "For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ."

We also must understand the depths of sin, Jeremiah 17:9 exposes our sinful hearts:

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

As Dr. Belcher said this morning, Christ bore the fulness of God's wrath that I, or we, should have had. And, it's only the blood of Christ that can satisfy His wrath that burns against us.

As I was following along in Romans 5 with him, I noticed these verses:

Rom 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.

Rom 5:16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.

Rom 5:17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Rom 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Rom 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

I believe in a limited atonement, and this morning I saw it so clearly in the above verses. Lorraine Boettner had this to say:

Let there be no misunderstanding at this point. The Arminian limits the atonement as certainly as does the Calvinist. The Calvinist limits the extent of it in that he says it does not apply to all persons...while the Arminian limits the power of it, for he says that in itself it does not actually save anybody. The Calvinist limits it quantitatively, but not qualitatively; the Arminian limits it qualitatively, but not quantitatively. For the Calvinist it is like a narrow bridge that goes all the way across the stream; for the Arminian it is like a great wide bridge that goes only half-way across. As a matter of fact, the Arminian places more severe limitations on the work of Christ than does the Calvinist. (Lorraine Boettner, The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination (Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1932) p. 153.)

If you want to read an excellent post on limited atonement, read James White's piece on "Was Anyone Saved at the Cross?"

The two words that I noticed were the all and many in Romans 5:18-19. I hear often from others that all always means all, but that isn't true, because you must look at the context. If all always meant all, then all men would be saved, and justified, and we know that not all men are not saved, nor will all men be saved.

Rom 5:18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

Rom 5:19 For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous.

I love it when God opens up the Scriptures to me like that. I encourage you to go over to James White's site, and read his post on "Was Anyone Saved at the Cross?"

The Heart Changer - Chapter 4

2007-02-02T22:21:00.000-05:00

Okay, I cheated.........sort of. I did read Chapter 3 in Idols of the Heart, but haven't done the study questions yet, nor studied it in depth, meaning I haven't looked up the Scriptures. I read Chapter 4 this morning instead, and what a powerful chapter it was.

The focus of the chapter is that it's the Holy Spirit who changes our hearts. Here is one paragraph from the chapter:

"When we fail to believe the truth about who Jesus is and miss the impact of His astounding work in suffering and dying for our sin, it will be impossible to resist the allurement of the gods of this earth as they whisper their promised pleasures to us."

There are so many things that compete for our attention, that compete with our putting God first in our lives. If we could only grasp what Christ did on the cross for us, and the riches we have in Him, what a difference that would make in our lives. It would be so much easier not to give in, and yield to whatever stronghold, or bad habit that we struggle with. We look at the pleasures of this world and they do their best to entice, and allure us. The problem is, they don't satisfy, nor can they because we can only be fulfilled, and satisfied through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Psalm 81:16 But he would feed you with the finest of the wheat, and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.

Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

Psalm 91:16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

May we, as Elyse Fitzpatrick says in the title of the Idols of the Heart book, learn to long for God alone. He alone can satisfy us.

Pharoah

2007-02-01T16:29:00.000-05:00

This morning it snowed. It wasn't very much, but enough for my children to make a tiny snowman, and a tiny bird.

While it was snowing, I was reading Exodus 7 - 9. The main thing I noticed was that it was God who hardened Pharoah's heart first. I read that same thing yesterday in Exodus 4:21:

Exodus 4:21 The LORD said to Moses, "When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all ^(A)the wonders which I have put in your power; but ^(B)I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.

God hardened Pharoah's heart for one reason, for HIS power to be displayed. To me, it shows clearly the sovereignty of God. We may think we are in control of things, but the truth is that we are not. I take great comfort in that, especially today when our van broke down on my husband this morning while he was on his way to work, and it costs more than what we have to fix it.

I take comfort in the fact the Lord protected our family last night when we went to church, and allowed the van to break down with only my husband in it. And, I thank the Lord for His protection.

Psa 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah.

Thank you Lord for daily bearing us up, and for carrying our burdens.

Motivation - Why Do We Do the Things We Do?

2007-01-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

I read something on a discussion list today, and someone was talking about weight loss. This woman said she struggled with losing weight until she came to the point where she wanted to lose the weight so that she would be living when she has grandchildren. I've heard others say that same thing before, and today it made me think. What should our motivation be for the things that we do?

I've written about this once before, in talking about what our aim in life should be. It's so easy to forget that the reason we do anything is to glorify God.

Col 3:17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1Co 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

My posts have been on this topic lately because it's what I've been meditating on lately. I hope they will cause others to ask themselves what drives them, or what motivates them to do the things they do.

A few days ago, I was explaining something about sin to my children. I made a Y, and in the middle of that Y, I put a circle that stood for their decisions, or choices. On the left side, I put GOD, and on the right side, I put SELF. I explained that every day we make choices, and with each choice we have to make, we choose whether we're going worship God with our choice, or worship ourselves. We have sinful habits in our lives that we need to break, that we need to put off, and replace them with biblical ways of doing whatever bad habit we have. It's easy to sin, it seems so natural to our flesh, but each time, it gets harder and harder because the way of a trangressor is hard.

Pro 13:15 Good understanding giveth favor: but the way of transgressors is hard.

On the other hand, if we choose to obey God in our choices, it's hard at first, but it gets easier and easier each time we do. It will never be easy, but it will get easier.

Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

I will leave you with this though, something that I've heard a pastor say. Sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, and keep you longer than you wanted to stay.

Some thoughts

2007-01-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

I finished chapter two this morning from the book, Idols of the Heart, by Elyse Fitzpatrick. I am reading slowly so that I can grasp the truths and retain them. I've already addressed a little of what the chapter was about in an earlier post here.

The next chapter will be focusing on the Ten Commandments. I've read a little bit of the first chapter, and like the previous two chapters, it looks like another good chapter.

Rom 15:4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

The above verse tells us that everything written in the Scriptures, all of the stories, good and bad, were written so that we would learn from them, as well as to encourage us, and give us hope. The Bible isn't a boring Book, as I have heard some people say. According to Hebrews 4:12, it is living, and active, and sharper than a two-edged sword:

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

That, my friends, is powerful.

The Scriptures also say this:

2Ti 3:16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

2Ti 3:17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

What is it that we are feeding ourselves with today? Are we feeding ourselves with the very words of God?

Mat 4:4 But he answered, "It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

Take a look at some verses from Psalm 119:

Psa 119:9 Beth. How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

Psa 119:11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.

Psa 119:15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.

Psa 119:16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.

Psa 119:18 Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.

Those are just a few verses that show the importance of reading, and studying the Scriptures. What importance do you place on reading, and studying the Scriptures? At the end of the day, what have you filled your mind with? The television, or the computer, or some other form of entertainment? Or, like Martha has your focus been on your work, and have been so busy you forgot to read the Scriptures?

Let us be people of the Book, the Holy Bible, that is able to make us wise unto salvation.

2Ti 3:14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it

2Ti 3:15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

EXCITING NEWS!

2007-01-23T20:26:00.000-05:00

Our son was here a little while ago with some exciting news!

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE GOING TO BE GRANDPARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!

Security in Christ

2007-01-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

Last night, I posted something about Peter, and his pride. What a surprise I had this afternoon when I pulled out Oswald Chamber's devotional, "My Utmost for His Highest." Now, this is not a devotional I regularly use, I haven't picked it up in over two weeks because I prefer Spurgeon. Prior to that, it had probably been more than a year since I had last read it. The date the marker was at was January 5th, but I went ahead and read it anyway, even though today is the 23rd . The title of it was "The Afterward of the Life of Power," which you can read here. He was talking about Peter, and used John 13:36 as his passage to expound on. This is when Jesus tells Peter to follow Him.

Here is a little of what Oswald Chambers had to say:

"Between these times Peter had denied Jesus with oaths and curses, he had come to the end of himself and all his self-sufficiency, there was not one strand of himself he would ever rely upon again, and in his destitution he was in a fit condition to receive an impartation from the risen Lord."

I liked what he had to say in the first line of the last paragraph:

"All our vows and resolutions end in denial because we have no power to carry them out."

That sentence is a reminder that we have no power in and of ourselves to do anything. The only power we have is Christ working through us. We can't even be born again without the power of the Holy Spirit drawing us, and God's giving us a new heart, enabling us to receive Him. Salvation is all of God, and it is Jesus who is not only the Author, but the Finisher of our faith. Knowing that we are kept by the power of God, and not by we ourselves, and walking in that truth is freeing. One who has previously believed they could lose their salvation, and then has understood the truth, can relax, and breathe a big sigh of relief once they have grasped that wonderful truth that they have been justified by faith through what Jesus Christ DID, and not what they themselves can do. What wonderful peace there is in knowing that, and living it out.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Pride

2007-01-22T23:16:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning during my quiet time I read this in Matthew:

Matthew 26:33 Peter answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away."

Matthew 26:34 Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times."

Matthew 26:35 Peter said to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all the disciples said the same. "

This passage was one that was discussed in the Idols of the Heart book that I am studying. I thought about it as it relates to the pride of man.

What caught my attention was Peter's pride, his boasting in himself, by saying that He would never fall away from Christ, nor deny Him. With those three "I" statements, he was depending on himself, his own good works.

When God regenerates a person's heart, and saves them, He gives them ETERNAL life. When a person is born again, they can never become unborn. Many professing believers today have the belief that they can lose their salvation. Yet Jesus tells us this in John 10:

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me,

John 10:26 but you do not believe because you are not part of my flock.

John 10:27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.

John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.

John 10:29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.

What they fail to grasp is that they don't stand before God based on their own good works, their own merits, but on what Christ DID. Our pride wants to believe that we can merit salvation by the things we do, but we cannot. I believe the Bible is quite clear on that. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. All of our righteousness is as filthy rags:

Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

We stand before God clothed in the righteousness of Christ. It is no longer we who live, but Christ who lives in us.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If we could do anything to merit salvation, to keep ourselves saved, Christ would have died in vain. I thank the Lord that He is the Author and the Finisher of my faith, and that I am kept by the power of God.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

A Change, Pleasing God

2007-01-20T13:33:00.000-05:00

I've decided to change the name of my blog, and will be keeping this title permanently. Although I really liked , 1 Corinthians 10:31, after meditating on 2 Corinthians 5:9 this past week, it has made an even greater impact on me, so I changed the title.

This morning as I was meditating on that verse in 2 Corinthians 5: 9, I began asking myself what does it mean to be pleasing to Him? Am I to please Him when I feel like it, or when I want to? Am I to please Him in some things, or in all things? Do I live part of my life for Christ, or all of my life for Him?

Let's look at this verse in Matthew 3:

Mat 3:16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;

Mat 3:17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Because our example is Jesus, and we are to be like Him, that means our aim in life should be to please God in all things. That means in our relationships at home, with our neighbors, with strangers, our aim in life should be to please Him at all times. What I envisioned in my mind this morning was a runner, with one goal in mind - to win the race. These verses from Hebrews 12 came to my mind:

Heb 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

What is our goal in life? What are we aiming for? Are we aiming to please Jesus? Is Jesus making a difference in our marriages, in our parenting? How about in the work place, or our neighborhoods? Here is a big one - is our walk with the Lord making a difference when we are driving, and someone pulls out in front of us?

What we profess with our mouths as Christians should be backed up by a life that shows we are His. Today let's make it our goal to be pleasing to Him.

Victories in our walk with the Lord

2007-01-19T19:27:00.000-05:00

There are days when certain sins we struggle with seem so hard to overcome. Some of the things we may struggle with are anger, gossip, worry, and fear. These sins can become a habit in our lives. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 12:1 to put off those sins that so easily entangle us. We don't just stop becoming angry, or stop gossipping, or stop doing those others things that the Bible calls sin. Instead, we replace those bad habits, the bad behavior, with right behavior. This is called the Put Off/Put On principle found in Ephesians 4:17-32. For instance, if we struggle with the sin of lying, we don't just stop lying, but rather replace it with speaking the truth. If our struggle is with anger, we replace that anger with kindness, and patience.

For many years I have struggled with trying to please God rather than man. I would avoid conflict just to appease someone because I didn't want anyone to think badly of me. I wasn't aware that it was an issue of sin in my life until today. While doing the Idols of the Heart bible study, I was confronted by what my life was characterized by. Was I pleasing man or was I pleasing God. The story was about Eli and his sons found in 1 Samuel 2. Eli was more interested in pleasing his sons, than he was with pleasing God. In the Idols of the Heart book, Elyse Fitpatrick says this:

"Honoring God means that the Lord's pleasure and glory come first. It means giving respect and deference to Him and to esteeming Him above the thoughts of those we love. It means that we are willing to suffer disrespect and even persecution in order to respect Him. We can detect the worship of false gods in our hearts when we honor anything above God."

I read that this morning, and had an opportunity to implement it this afternoon when I had to make an unpopular decision. He gave me the grace, and the strength to do what was pleasing to Him. God gets all of the credit because He gave me the power to do the right thing. I don't boast in myself, my boast is in the Lord. It is encouraging to see those victories when they come.

Although it was painful to see my sin, it was also freeing at the same time. To know what I am battling against gives me hope, and gives me the opportunity to work on pleasing the Lord, rather than pleasing man.

Idols

2007-01-17T09:52:00.000-05:00

I began a bible study on January, 1, 2007 from the book, Idols of the Heart, by Elyse Fitzpatrick, which can be bought here.

In Exodus 20:3, God commands us to have no other god's before Him. What comes to your mind when you hear the word idols? In the Introduction, Elyse has this to say about our view of what we believe idols to be:

"Idols are something outside of us; they're something foreign, something you take pictures of in far-off temples, something you wonder at."

Previously, what came to my mind were things like statues, those things that pagans bowed down to. As Elyse said, something that was outside of myself. Though it's true that those things are idols, idolatry goes beyond that. An idol is anything that we love more than we do God Himself, something that we say, like Rachel did in Genesis 30:1-3, "Give me children, or I shall die!" After examining my own heart, I do see idols that dwell there, things that I believe I have to have in order to make my life complete. In believing that, I err because my life is complete because of Jesus. I read this in Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional this morning:

"All you need to make you blessed, to be supremely blessed, is to be with Christ."

We are commanded in Matthew 22:37 to love the Lord with all of our heart, with all of our soul, and with all of our mind. This is a good verse to meditate on today, to ask ourselves what are we putting above the Lord? What is it that we feel we have to have in order to make our lives complete?

In reality, what we believe we must have in order to make our lives complete, or to be happy, is the opposite of what actually will make our lives happy, or complete. When we have been saved by the grace of God, through Jesus Christ, our lives are complete, because He is our life. And when our sins have been forgiven, and we are saved from the wrath of God, we can rejoice.

Being Spirit Filled

2007-01-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Our pastor was out of town today due to the death of his wife's sister, so we had another pastor come to preach. His text was on being Spirit filled, and the passage was on Ephesians 5:18-29.

He stressed how important it was that we have an intimate walk with the Lord daily. One way to do that is to saturate ourselves with the Word of God. Psalm 119 is an excellent Psalm to saturate ourselves with, and an excellent Psalm to memorize verses from. If we saturate ourselves with the Word of God, it will overflow into our families, our churches, our workplaces, and into every part of our lives.

What we fill our lives with will be what flows out of us, out of our hearts. Luke 6:45 tells us that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Rather than filling our minds with television shows, movies, and other things, we need to be filling, and saturating ourselves with Scripture, and with the Lord. We need to take to heart Romans 12:1-2, which tells us not to conform ourselves to this world, but to be transformed by the renewal of our mind.

We need that intimacy, and closeness with the Lord every day. Imagine what would happen if we spent the same amount of time with our families that we do with the Lord. Would we be able to say that we have a close, intimate relationship with them?

I hope you take the time to think about your relationship with the Lord, and evaluate how intimate you are with Him. Is He number one in your life?

Trials in Life

2007-01-12T13:20:00.000-05:00

How do we handle trials when they come into our lives? Do we have an unwavering trust in God, that He will work all things together for His glory and our good? Or do we become easily discouraged, depressed, and overwhelmed? I must admit that I fall into the latter category more often than I'd like to admit.

Romans 8:28-29 has been an encouragement to me in recent weeks.

Rom 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Rom 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Verse 28 tells us that all things work together for our good. God has a purpose for all that He does in our lives, and He works all things in a way to achieve that purpose. The verse talks specifically to a certain group of people, and those people are those whom He has called. We can cling to that promise, knowing that our lives are in His hands. The purpose of our trials, as this verse tells us, is to conform us into the image of his Son.

The trials in our lives should cause us to constantly cry out to God in prayer, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 4:14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.

Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

Heb 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

May we never forget that all that God does is for His glory and our good.