Prayer for Today

Blessed be our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ;

and our God and Father--the God Most High.

You are the Most High as Your throne is

standing in the heavens and the train of Your

robe fills the temple.  Majestic in Holiness,

there is none like You.  Amen.

Whose You Are

Speaking of God

We can speak no better of God,

than He has spoken of Himself.

For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

nor are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are My ways higher than your ways

and My thoughts than your thoughts.

For as the rain and the snow come down from

heaven, and do not return there without watering

the earth and making it bear and sprout, and

furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

so will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

it will not return to Me empty without accomplishing

what I desire, and without succeding in the matter

for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:8-11



Christian Maturity

Those who have the Spirit, and who therefore come to grips with the message of the cross (I Cor.2), are expected to mature rapidly.  Such maturation will disclose itself in a growing ability to take in more and more Christian truth (3.2).  It will also show itself in a large-hearted attitude that avoids quarreling and jealousy, and refuses to sink into narrow factionalism.  If some who have the Spirit are slow to display this rising maturity, the kindest interpretation is that they are "worldly."  In these matters they are acting like "mere men" instead of like Christian men and women, men and women empowered by the Spirit of God.  They are wretchedly, unacceptably, spiritually immature.

Don Carson
The Cross and Christian Ministry
Pages 74-75

Speaking of God

We can speak no better of God,

than He has spoken of Himself.

Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

but to Your name give glory

because of Your lovingkindness,

because of Your truth.

Psalm 115:1

Speaking of God

We can speak no better of God,

than He has spoken of Himself.

Now to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible,

the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.

Amen.

I Timothy 1:17

Whom Shall I Please?

 

Those who are servants of Christ, those who are entrusted with the secret things of God, do not see themselves winning popularity contests--not even within the church's borders....There is only one Person whose "Well Done!" on the last day means anything.  In comparison, the approval or disapproval of the church means nothing. 

It is not even your own estimate of your service that is important.  Feeling good about your ministry may have some limited utility somewhere, but surely it has no ultimate significance.  You may think more highly of your service than God does; you may think less of your service than God does.  But if you are constantly trying to please yourself, to make self-esteem your ultimate goal, then you are forgetting whose servant you are, whom you must strive to please.

Don Carson

The Cross and Christian Ministry

Page 97

Galatians 1:10

For am I now seeking the favor of men,
or of God? If I were still trying to please
men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
(This includes seeking to please ourselves)

A Christian's Devotion

As Christians, our devotion to Christ

must come before our devotion to our

church or our denomination.  We must

not substitute devotion to church or devotion

to denomination for devotion to Christ; nor

should we assume that devotion to these is

the same as devotion to Christ.

This should be particularly true for pastors.

Making Sunday the focus of Your Church Meetings

See the attached post by Derek Thomas.  Good food for thought.

http://www.reformation21.org/blog/2011/07/on-the-multiplication-of-extra.php

Compassion

Active compassion is birthed out of the union of love and mercy.



Who Me?

"God chooses whom He chooses in order that

He might receive the glory.  He chooses weak

instruments so that no one will attribute the

power to human instruments rather than to God,

who wields those instruments."

John MacArthur

Twelve Ordinary Men

Page 13

Yes, you!



Our Fears and the Adequacy of God

Whence comes the nervous, dithery, take-no-risks mood that mars so much of our discipleship?...

One reason, it seems, is that in our heart of hearts we are afraid of the consequence of going the whole way into the Christian life.  We shrink from accepting burdens of responsibility for others because we fear we should not have strength to bear them.  We shrink from accepting a way of life in which we forfeit material security because we are afraid of being left stranded.  We shrink from being meek because we are afraid that if we do not stand up for ourselves we shall be trodden down and victimized, and end up among life's casualties and failures.  We shrink from breaking with social conventions in order to serve Christ because we fear that if we did, the established structure of our life would collapse all around us, leaving us without a footing anywhere.

It is these half-conscious fears, this dread of insecurity, rather than any deliberate refusal to face the cost of following Christ, which make us hold back.  We feel that the risks of out-and-out discipleship are too great for us to take.  In other words we are not persuaded of the adequacy of God to provide for all the needs of those who launch out wholeheartedly on the deep sea of unconventional living in obedience to the call of Christ....This, at bottom seems to be what is wrong with us.  We are afraid to go all the way in accepting the authority of God, because of our secret uncertainty as to his adequacy to look after us if we do.

J.I. Packer
Knowing God
Pgs 269-270

Speaking of God

We can speak no better of God

than He has spoken of Himself.

I, even I, am the one who wipes out

your transgressions for My own sake,

and I will not remember your sins.

Isaiah 43:25

Let the wicked forsake his way

and the unrighteous man his thoughts;

and let him return to the Lord,

and He will have compassion on him,

And to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.

Isaiah 55:7

Hunger and Satisfaction

God is, at once, our continual hunger and our complete satisfaction.

Steady Love

We need not suppose that God's love for us

 is as fickle and undependable as our own emotions.

Numbers 23:19, Malachi 3:16, James 1:17

Dying for Certainty

Without election there is only the potential for salvation,

not the certainty of salvation.  So would Christ die for

those who might possibly be saved, or would He die

for those whom He knew for certain would be saved?

If He died for all to be saved, and all are not saved,

then His dying on the cross for their sin was a failure.

If He suffered for their sin, and they are not saved,

then His suffering for them was in vain.  And if
God is omniscient, then why would He impose the penalty
of sin upon Christ for those whom He knew would not come to faith?

II Thessalonians 2:13, I Peter 1:1-2, Isaiah 53:10-11

Seeing the Measure

We see the measure of love in what it gives.

We see the measure of mercy in what it withholds.

In salvation, love and mercy are inextricably linked.

Romans 5:8, I John 4:10, Ephesians 2:4, Isaiah 53:4-11

Why NOT the NIV

As many know, I have had a long bias against the NIV, as I feel it has dumbed the Scriptures down, and numbed the reader from the punch that is provided in the Greek language.  Yes, I know for some it is easier to read, but making something easier to read should not be the litmus test for any translation of the Scriptures.  Accuracy and communicating as close as possible what the author really said should be the litmus test for any and all translations.  And that is the problem with the dynamic equivalency method of translation. 

Dr. Jim Hamilton gives a wonderful example of the difference between the dynamic equivalency and the formal equivalency methods, and why the dynamic equivalency is inferior.  See the link below.

http://jimhamilton.info/2011/06/29/dynamic-equivalence-the-method-is-the-problem/

Speaking of God

We can speak no better of God

than He has spoken of Himself.

Remember the former things long past,

for I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

declaring the end from the beginning,

and from ancient times things which

have not been done.

Saying, My purpose will be established,

and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.

Isaiah 46:10-11

God's Giving

God's giving to us, His free favor towards us,

 did not stop at the cross.  In fact, it began

before the cross, and will continue for all eternity.

Ephesians 1:3-6; 2:4-8