MOMS...the WORD

Crazy time...

2008-05-21T04:45:00.000-07:00

As most of you, we are getting ready for graduations, end of the year school parties, Summer vacations and just the overall business that accompanies this time of the year. I have David's and Jessica's birthdays next week and settling Kaity into her new college apartment.

Because of that, I won't be posting for a while...there have been fewer visits here also, so I am assuming you are all just as busy.

Let's truly enjoy this time of the year with our families...Summer is a great time to just sit and chat...don't forget you quiet time and most of all time in God's word.

I will return as soon as I can...

Enjoy looking back at the book we have read...the highlights are worth reading again.

Blessings!

Teach your children about money...

2008-05-19T06:11:00.000-07:00

With the economy as hard hit as it is, kids maybe asking "Why can't we buy this, Mom?" I am so reminded that it is never to late to teach our kids fiscal responsibility. Everyday there is a "teachable moment" to use to instruct our children as to how we spend the resources God has given. To instill in them as early as possible, that we "own" nothing...that everything we have is for us to steward for God takes a disciplined plan. Here are some great ideas on how to get started. They were posted on Titus2 blog.

1. Teach your children to love Christ more than anything else by loving Christ more than anything else.
2. Teach your children that every good thing comes from God and not because Daddy has a job.
3. Teach your children that Daddy has a job because God has given him a job.
4. Teach your children to be thankful for all that they have by being thankful for all that you have.
5. Continually thank God with your children for all that you have.
6. Continually thank God with your children for all that you do not have because Christ is better by far.
7. Pray with your children for those who do not have.
8. Give to those who do not have.
9. Teach your children to be good stewards by looking after property, clothes and toys.
10. Teach them not to worry about what they will eat or wear by trusting God for all that you need.
11. Don't spend what you do not have.
12. Share what you do have.

David and I have been planning a trip to Sweden to see my family. The economy being in the state it is, has postponed our purchasing the tickets. We have prayed and waited for flight travel cost to go down. Last week, we knew we had to make a decision, so David asked me to gather the kids and go over some ideas. So I gathered the kids at dinner and told them of the difficulty we where having, but we thought maybe we could "charge" the tickets and then pay for them later. What great comfort we received when they responded with this question" If you put the tickets on a credit card, that is still money we don't have...right Mom?' and I said "that is true...but we can take this opportunity to go with the rest of our family and trust we would pay it later" Two of the girls responded, "That would not be a good steward of what God has given us now...would it mom?" And I had to say that it would not be. So we decided now is not the time...It would be testing God to presume on Him that the money we don't have we would have later. What a great lesson that was to walk with the kids. They showed great Biblical understanding of "do not spend what you don't have" I thank God that they are learning this at a young age...I had many years of heartache because I did not live by that Biblical principle.

Who would have thought that all those years of "saying no...we don't have it" has payed off (excuse the pun) in such a wonderful blessing? God is faithful to remind our kids of His trustworthy principles if we teach them.

More tomorrow
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DON'T FORGET TO SEND ANY QUESTIONS OR THOUGHTS YOU HAVE ABOUT THE BOOK: PRAYING BACKWARDS.
WE WILL POST THEM LATER

WOW...

2008-05-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

I received this video from Rachel a few weeks ago...it caused me to think many things...let me know your thoughts. Most important are you ready?

Have a wonderful weekend.

Also a note of thanks to everyone who has participated in the "Book Club". We can all say we have encouraged and sharpened each other. Thanks especially to the "Naples Girls" for the sweet brunch yesterday...it was a morning of tears, laughter and much prayer.

Next week the last Chapter from our Book "Praying Backwards". Gather your thoughts and let me know how it has impacted you. Some of you have read it on line, so please free free to share also.

Praying in the Holy Spirit

2008-05-14T07:02:00.000-07:00

John Piper has this very insightful sermon on "How to pray in the power of the Holy Spirit" He beautifully expounds the same principles we have been talking about these weeks.....

"What Is "Praying in the Spirit?"
The best brief statement I have found of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit goes like this: It means "so to pray that the Holy Spirit is the moving and guiding power."The key words there are "moving" and "guiding." In other words, when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "moving" you to pray. That is, he is the one who motivates and enables and energizes your prayer. And when you pray in the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God is "guiding" how you pray and what you pray for. So, to pray in the Holy Spirit is to be moved and guided by the Holy Spirit in prayer. We pray by his power and according to his direction.
The Power of the Spirit
Let's see where this interpretation of praying in the Holy Spirit comes from in the Bible. The first thing to notice is the very close parallel passage in Ephesians 6:18, where Paul says, "With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit." The reason this is important is that it shows that "praying in the Spirit" is not a special form of prayer – like speaking in tongues. We can tell this is so because Paul says in Ephesians 6:18 that we should pray "at all times" in the Spirit. In other words, all prayer should be "in the Spirit." Praying in the Holy Spirit is not one form among several. It is the way all prayer is to be offered.
The second thing to see is the parallel in Romans 8:26 where Paul says, "The Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words." Here it is plain that one thing the Holy Spirit does for us is help our weakness when we need to pray but can't the way we should. So it is natural to take "praying in the Holy Spirit" to mean praying with the help of the Holy Spirit – with the strength and enablement of the Spirit to make up for our weakness.
A third parallel would be Romans 8:15-16 where Paul says, "You have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God." The point here is that the Spirit of God helps us have assurance that we are children of God by causing us to cry out from the heart (to pray!), "Abba, Father." In other words, the Spirit moves our prayers. He motivates, enables and energizes our prayers. That's a key part of what "praying in the Holy Spirit" means.
The Guidance of the Spirit
The other part of what it means to pray in the Holy Spirit is that when we do so, our prayers are not only "moved" by the Spirit, but also "guided" by the Spirit. This is no surprise, because if the Holy Spirit is prompting and enabling and energizing our prayers, it would natural to think that he does so in a way that accords with his nature and his Word. We would not want to say, The Spirit moves our prayers, but they are not according to God's will. If the Spirit is moving us to pray, then he would move us according to his will and Word.
So praying in the Holy Spirit would mean not only experiencing the power of the Spirit to help us pray when we are weak, but also experiencing the guidance of the Spirit to help us when we are foolish or confused or selfish. For example, James 4:3 says, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." That would not be praying "in the Holy Spirit." That would be praying "in the flesh" or in your own sinful nature.
How Do I Pray in the Holy Spirit?
So now the question is the practical one: How do you pray in the Holy Spirit? Don't fail to see how utterly unusual it is to be told to do something by the power and guidance of another. It is God telling me to do it – pray! And yet telling me that it is a work of the Holy Spirit when I do it. It is just like other things in the Christian life: Galatians 5:16, "Walk by the Spirit." Romans 8:13, "Put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3, "Say Jesus is Lord by the Spirit." Philippians 3:3, "Worship by the Spirit." In all these things we are supposed to do something. But we are to do them in a way that it is the Spirit who is doing them through us.
This is the way human life is, since God is sovereign and we are responsible. We act. We are responsible to act. But God is the decisive actor. Our action is dependent. So when we are told to "walk" (Galatians 5:16), or fight sin (Romans 8:16), or confess the Lordship of Jesus (1 Corinthians 12:3), or worship (Philippians 3:3), or pray (Jude 1:20), we are told to do it "in the Holy Spirit."You do it so that it is the Holy Spirit who is doing it in and through you.
So how do I pray so that it is really the Holy Spirit prompting and guiding the prayer?
Trusting God to Give His Spirit
I think there are two basic answers. The first is faith. We pray "in the Holy Spirit" when we take our stand on the cross of Christ (which purchased all divine help) and trust God for his help by the Spirit. In other words, when you admit that without the help of the Spirit you cannot pray as you ought, and then you consciously depend on the Spirit to help you pray, then you are praying "in the Holy Spirit." So the first answer to the question, How?, is by faith – by trusting God to give you the Holy Spirit to help you pray.
You can see this from the New Testament in several ways (see, for example, Galatians 3:1-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13). One is that in Philippians 3:3 it says, "We worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh." Here, worshipping "in the Spirit of God" is explained by "put no confidence in the flesh." I think that means, instead we put confidence in the Spirit, that is, in God's blood-bought mercy to help us worship as we ought by his Spirit. So I take it that the way to "pray in the Holy Spirit" is the same as the way to worship "in the Spirit of God," namely, by not putting any confidence in what we can do in our own nature, but instead looking away from our own resources and trusting in the mercy of God to help us pray by his Spirit.
That is what we should do this year in all our praying. Trust God for the help we need to pray. When you are too weak or too confused or too depressed or too angry or too dull to pray, at that moment do not assume that you can't pray. Instead, consciously look away from yourself to Christ and to the mercy of God in Christ, and trust him to help you – even if it is only to produce groanings too deep for words (Romans 8:26). Learn to distrust yourself and to trust God in prayer. Learn that without him you can do nothing and cast yourself on him at all times for all you need in order to pray.
Let Your Prayers Be Shaped by God's Word
The other answer to the question of how to pray "in the Holy Spirit" is to bring all your praying into conformity to the Word of God which the Spirit inspired (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). Right here is where God's call to be in the Word every day and his call to pray at all times in the Spirit become intertwined. If you live in the Word of God, meditating on it day and night by reading it every day and memorizing portions to carry with you all day and savoring them hour by hour, then your prayers will be shaped by the Word. Which means they will be shaped by the Spirit. And that is what it means to pray "in the Holy Spirit." Not only to be moved by the Spirit in prayer, but to be guided by the Spirit in prayer. And since this is something we are called to do ("pray in the Holy Spirit"), our role is to take what we know about the Spirit's will from the Word and saturate our prayers with it."

To read the full sermon go to:
http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/2001/43_Learning_to_Pray_in_the_Spirit_and_the_Word_Part_2/

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NAPLES GIRLS
BRUNCH TOMORROW AT 10:00
WE WILL FINISH DICUSSION OF THE BOOK!

More Q & A

2008-05-13T06:35:00.000-07:00

This e-mail came from a sweet friend:

"Hi Janet,
Hope you are well. And Yes, I am still around, and coming along. I have no doubt that God is in control of things because I know I certainly am not. I find myself eager to rush ahead of him, to sort things out for myself , but what stops me is the fact that I know that if I force things it will not work out the best for me. Patience is a very hard thing, I guess that is why it is a virtue.
Here is a question. When we want something from God, is it "right" to keep praying .. bugging him like the biblical story of the woman and the judge, or am I to ask once then leave it with God to demonstrate"faith"?"

Response:

It sounds from your letter that God continues to grow you and draw you to Himself. There is nothing greater than to "wrestle" for a clear understanding of who He is. As far as prayer goes...Jesus gave us the illustration of the woman who keeps asking the judge to help her until he did. There is also many instances in Scripture where we are admonished to pray without ceasing. If you are praying for something in particular that would bring God honor..."salvation"..."comfort" ..."perseverance through a difficult trial"...."understanding of His character and Word"..."peace that surpasses understanding" I believe the Bible tells us that we pray and pray and pray. Now sometimes we pray for our comfort...desires....and God can choose to respond... but if He does not...again we go back to Scripture and understand that "God works all things out for our good" and we trust Him saying "No" or it may be "Not now". When that happens, we can rest that even though we have stopped praying, if it is for our "good" God will bring it about in due time. He does not forget...He does not catch-up to us...we don't even have to remind Him. When he says "No" then we have to trust that it is for our good. So to answer your question pray as long as you can...and when you stop, know that the Holy Spirit will continue your prayer in accordance to God's will.

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Looking at Chapter 9 : "Praying in God's Wisdom" we read:

"...we pray in accord with God's will when we ask Him to make us conscious of and submissive to the principles in His Word that apply to our situation." As Mr. Chapell writes Christian prudence is the second fence that lines up with the first one of Righteousness. These two fences guide our prayers. Christian prudence involves prayerfully seeking from God's Word, biblical counsel from peers and asking the Holy Spirit to guide us.
The distinction is made between the two fences that guide our prayers: "The fence of righteousness determines whether our prayer is moral; the fence of Christian prudence helps us determine if our prayer is wise"

Questions we should ask ourselves when determining if our prayers are wise are:
1--Is it loving? Are we considering others interests above our own (Phil. 2:3-8). Biblical priorities will not allow us to place our priorities first. We need to think how our prayer would affect others....family, friends, co-workers.

2--Is it legitimate? Legitimate prayers place God's priorities above ours. (1 Cor. 10:31) An example would be how we choose to use our spiritual gifts. If we choose to use them for our own gains and acclaim, we neglect God's priorities to serve Him first, even it means no personal fame, wealth or power.

3--Is it responsible? Responsible prayers pursue our own interests submitted under the authority of the Scriptures. (Matt 6:33). That means what we pursue should not discredit our witness for Christ. There are certain cear responsibilities given to fathers, mothers, children, workers and bosses. If we pray in any way that would hinder our witness before the people God has entrusted to us or with, then we are not praying in accordance to God's will. Mr Chapell says "integrity is more important than success, family security trumps personal desires and Christian testimony outweighs life itself. The order in each of these couplings is not reversible. We can not pray according to God's will and prioritize according to ours."

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Do these set of questions help you pray according to God's will? Does keeping these two fences "Righteousness and Christian Prudence" help guide your emotions and prayer life?
Any thoughts? more questions?
Tomorrow "The Internal Witness"

Q & A time...

2008-05-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent questions being asked in light of what we are reading about prayer...

Thanks to those of you who e-mail me...your questions are often what many are thinking...

From Yvette:

"Hi Janet, Your post this week really spoke to me, and I just want to be sure that I am understanding you correctly. I don't personally ask God for signs in my life, but I do ask to be led according to His will. I also pray that all other doors would close (is that asking for a sign indirectly?) I understand that I am to meditate on God's Word daily and his plan for me will just unfold as I am being obedient in his Word. Is that right? I am not sure I understand......as a woman I am dependent on how situations make me feel, for example, my husband and I looked at a house a few weeks ago that needs a lot of work, but because I felt so comfortable in the home, it's a home we are now considering regardless of the work that needs to be done. Should I not go with my feeling or gut? Is it wrong to ask that God close all other options? Do I just rely on just praying and meditating on God's Word and letting Him gently guide me? I tend to question is it rely God's will? Or what is God's will? I want to do what He wants me to do in my life, but I am not always sure if He is leading me or my family. How does one know for sure? I love and miss you dearly, I am so thankful for your daily posts. Love,Yvette"

Reply:

Dear Yvette,

How precious is your heart. You are not alone when you wrestle over such things as a home to buy. I hope this gives you some comfort and relief. We have been talking about that in matters where we are not going against God's revealed will in the Scriptures, we do not need to burden ourselves and at times even immobilize our lives, thinking that we are going against God's will. We have seen that God has revealed enough in Scripture to outline for us a course of living...He has "Holy fenceposts" that guide us. What we need to ask ourselves are three basic questions: First, you must obey the moral will of God as it is revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, your decision is easy: don’t do it. Likewise, if one of the options in your choice causes you to neglect something God specifically commands you to do, you are required to make the choice that will allow you to fulfill your biblical obligation. Something we can ask ourselves when processing a decision: Does this choice bring us closer to righteous living? or would this choice cause us or anyone we are accountable for ( weaker brother or sister) to sin. So as you are looking at your choices, remember these two protective fencepost.

Often choices, if they do not lead us or others toward sin, are really a blessing. We thank God for the choices and we can make a decision confidently knowing that it is in God's will. It is the analogy of the apples in the basket. Choosing one does not make the others bad...we rejoice that God gives so richly.

Second, good decision-making requires that you exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God’s Word, coupled with God’s generous provision. James encourages those who lack wisdom to “ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you need to gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and then choose the option that is most sensible (Proverbs 2:1-11).

Finally, you need to consider your own desires. If the Bible is silent about your decision, and if one choice is not clearly wiser than the other, then do what you want. You have the freedom to do so, and God sovereignly works out His plan through your desires (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).

When looking at the house..just some practical ideas...will the extra expenses of "fixing up" the house add undue burden for you and your husband? It is already a lot to be settling into a new city...financially speaking will this be something you two can carry through at peace or will it cause division? Also I know you are looking at the neighborhood...how is it for raising children? How far are you from your Church? Godly friends? Things like that could guide us to make the decision.

Think through these things...trust God with your decision once you make it enjoy God's provision! Love your heart...and I thank God for what He is doing in you.

Janet

More Q & A tomorrow

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A couple of Mother's Day pictures....

Smile it is Friday!

2008-05-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

My friend Nancy sent this and I thought it was perfect for our study in prayer...it also broughht a smile to my day!

Have a great Mother's day...I would love to hear what your Mother's Day celebration was like...send pictures or stories!

Praying with humility

2008-05-08T04:41:00.000-07:00

In the last section of Chapter 8, Mr. Chapell writes:

"Humbly praying for the wisdom to apply God's Word to our circumstances is more important than praying for miraculous signs. While it may seem very spiritual to pray for God to make a flock of birds fly East if His answer is "yes" and West if the answer is "no". Scripture will not endorse such a request. Jesus said 'A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a miraculous sign' (Matt 16:4). The Bible says that God has already provided sufficient guidance in His Word for our decisions. (2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4)...We did not have to wait for mysterious intervention to make good decisions. If we pray for Godly wisdom to apply Biblical principles, we can make choices with the confidence of having God's approval."

Making Godly decisions is a matter of everyday living for us. As we have learned if we keep Godly "fence posts" we are free to move about within God's protection and believe that we are moving through His will. It is when our desires, emotions, worldly thinking override the clear directives God gives us, that we sin and as we saw, are guilty of blasphemy. When we continually ask for more signs and more signs, we are suggesting to God that He has not given us enough guidance in His Word. When we hear clearly in His Word and still demand more verification, we are like the Pharisees in Jesus time who kept asking for more miracles. In reality their heart was already given to another "husband". They never wanted to "know Christ" they wanted to affirm their adulterous hearts as they had chosen another love...themselves. How sad that we can do that at time...we ask God for a sign but in reality we are asking for Him to affirm our own feelings...often it is wordily affection that has come in our hearts and minds to usurp God's place.

I remember when one of my daughters was liking a young man in school. Talking to her week after week about "what would be the most God honoring relationship she could have with this young man?" As we talked over and over and read God's Word, she knew, that young man did not know Christ and the most God honoring relationship was one that would exhibit a saving relationship to him. She witnessed to him for the next two years. She knew what God's Word said "Do not be unequally yoked"...Today she is in a relationship with a godly young man and she is so grateful to have waited for what God had for her. Discipline, guarding her heart and a continually submission to God's revealed Word helped her walk through those years in God's will.

We walk in God's will when we submit humbly in prayers, we redirect our thoughts and affections towards His revealed Word and live with a confidence that says He will never forsake us.

Mr. Chapell ends this chapter:
"If our prayers involve a choice between alternatives, we should not pray for what the Bible disapproves or label as unrighteous what the Bible does not condemn. We discern God's will, by praying for Him to provide us with the wisdom and courage to abide by His Word and then we move forward with the confidence that He will rightly bless prayers offered in Jesus name."

What are your thoughts regarding this insight? Is there an area of your life, you are waiting for God to give you one more sign even though you know God has clearly spoken to you? Are you seeking first God's Word as you make decisions or are you letting your heart lead?

Next week...praying in God's Wisdom

In all things give thanks...

2008-05-07T16:30:00.000-07:00

"Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.
Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God,
you who have done great things.
Who, O God, is like you?
Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
you will again bring me up."

Psalm 71:18-20

Are there day's that you feel "older" than the previous day? When we say to ourselves, "I need time for myself" or "If I was just younger...I would do different" Many times I have heard women say..."If I only could have known the things I know about God earl er...I could have taught my kids better"

What great condemnation we live when we think like that. But God is not like that His mercies are new every morning. His grace carries us into our old age. God never discards us...He has something for us to do... "declare your power to the next generation". That is the duty of a Christian and it is the joy of a Christian mom...grandmother. We never can retire. If you are sensing that there is not much to do now...can I encourage you to find and "adopt". If you have no one in your household...there is someone in your neighborhood, church even "golf" circle who needs to hear about the power of our God. Let's not be silent...there is much still to do.
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Today's post on the Pulpit magazine reinforces much of what we talked about earlier in the week. I share it with you as additional comfort and encouragement to enjoy the freedom of God's protection in His Word to make wise decisions.

"How can Christians make God-honoring decisions?
Decision-making can be a daunting task for anyone, but Christians have the unique advantage of making decisions that are informed by God’s Word. To do so, there are at least three factors to consider.
First, you must obey the moral will of God as it is revealed in Scripture. If Scripture prohibits the action in question, your decision is easy: don’t do it.
Likewise, if one of the options in your choice causes you to neglect something God specifically commands you to do, you are required to make the choice that will allow you to fulfill your biblical obligation. For example, if God requires you to be an active part of a local church — Hebrews 10:25 indicates that He does — any decision that prohibits you from that is against God’s revealed will. In order to uphold God’s moral will in your decision making, ask yourself, “What does God’s Word say about it?” If it says anything, obey that (1 John 5:3). If it says nothing, you have freedom and do not need to fear missing God’s will or sinning against Him (Romans 14:2-6, 22).
Second, good decision-making requires that you exercise biblical wisdom. Such wisdom comes from a diligent study of God’s Word, coupled with God’s generous provision. James encourages those who lack wisdom to “ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To make wise decisions, you need to gather necessary information, consider all the options carefully, seek godly counsel, and then choose the option that is most sensible (Proverbs 2:1-11).
Finally, you need to consider your own desire. If the Bible is silent about your decision, and if one choice is not clearly wiser than the other, then do what you want. You have the freedom to do so, and God sovereignly works out His plan through your desires (Psalm 37:4; Philippians 2:13).
The above process presupposes that you are submitted to Christ and filled with the Spirit. Otherwise you won’t be able to make biblical decisions, as sin blinds your ability to understand and apply God’s Word to your life. However, if you do have a vital relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and are walking in the Spirit — as opposed to the flesh — you are free to make decisions so long as they don’t violate God’s revealed (moral) will. You shouldn’t be concerned that your decisions will somehow derail God’s sovereign will for you life, because He routinely works through your decisions to accomplish what He purposes."

For more on decision-making and the will of God, see this transcript from Grace to You.

Obeying God's standard

2008-05-06T12:05:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder as you are seeking God's direction "Lord, if you could just let me know...I will do as you show" A few months ago I was sensing that God was moving my life into a "new" phase. My youngest was no longer in elementary school, my eldest was in her third year of college and my Kaity was going to start college. Needless to say, as many of us have transitioned from one phase of schooling to another, we get "growing pangs" from a mom's perspective. Letting go is always difficult...but yet you would not have it any other way.

As I contemplated all these changes, I knew my time would be freed up. I confess, I have a tendency to love fun...I love getting up with no demands to the day and just letting either David or friends "take me away!". But I also know that this is a very selfish and self-serving, so I needed to "know" what to do with my time.

As I prayed God began to show me in His Word that time is not mine but His. He is the creator of it...He ordains the days and He desires for us to "make disciples". My heart was preparing for what He had, and just as He prepared He provided an avenue in which to serve and honor Him. There were lots of choices...which one to choose was a bit hard but ultimately it lead to this blog and our "Girl's Book Club" ...now He has moved again. I am excited where He has lead me and His confirmation continues.

I love what Mr. Chapel says in this chapter... "Only through obedience can we know God's will---and pray for it" It is true...we can not predict the future. We live in obedience to God's revealed Word and often there can be choices within these parameters.

The question to ask is "What does God's revealed Word tell us about what He desires for us?" Scripture tells us "it is God's will that you be sanctified." 1 Thess 4:3. God's revealed Word tells us He wants us to be like His son, Jesus. So because God's will is clearly stated in Scripture we can make choices and decisions based on "does this provide an environment for me to grow in Christ-likeness?" If the answer is "Yes" then we can move with confidence that it is God's will. God does not increase our holiness in any other way than through obedience and dependence on Him.

Mr Chapell puts it this way..."Prayers for our sanctification ask God to strengthen our understanding of the requirements given in His Word---and to give us the strength to do them."

He goes on to say, " We often ask God to guide us between alternatives that seem equally righteous. If no options clearly oppose Scripture, how do we determine God's will? First do not claim anything you do not know. If God has not addressed the issue in the Bible, do not pretend He has. Only God's standards have moral authority--the right to determine right and wrong....Christians usurp the Bible's authority when they force varying moral values into legitimate options the Lord provides. "

Knowing God's clear teachings of what He accepts and rejects provide "fence-posts" that guide us through God's will. "The first problem with labeling right or wrong that which the Bible does not, is the creation of choice paralysis. The fear that some choice might be wrong lends some people never to make a choice....the second problem with assigning moral status to legitimate options is ingratitude for multiple blessings. " emphasis mine.

He goes on to illustrate: "If we saw our choices like apples in a basket, we would not worry that the selection of one of those apples was good and all the other apples were evil. We would simply be glad we had so many apples to choose from. In the same way, it's better to rejoice that God gives the blessing of multiple right choices than to condemn any as evil without the warrant of God's Word."

I love that...if we are living under the clear guidance, direction and teaching of God's Word, we are free to make choices that will honor Him. As long as we operate with the wisdom that His Word provides, we do not need to fear operating outside of His will. We can be grateful for the many choices He gives...for the blessings. When I view my decisions that way, I know He will order the events of my life, even when I don't immediately see results, I know that all will work for my good because my heavenly Father will accomplish His will in me. How about you?

Praying Backwards Chapter 8

2008-05-05T06:03:00.000-07:00

It is great to be getting back to our Book Club reading. I apologize to those of you who have been keeping up with the book via this blog. The last two weeks seem like blur to me with so much going on here at home. But I was once again refreshed with Mr. Chapell's teaching. Chapter 8 is titled "Praying God's Will" and even though I believe we have touched on this subject many times before, he gets down to some good specifics and practicality of "How to pray God's will" or "How to know God's will".
He begins...
"How can we know God's will? No question has been asked more often...There's good reason for this question...Even the apostle Paul did not always know God's will. Paul acknowledged 'We do not know what we ought to pray for' (Rom. 8:26)...
Our humanity limits our knowing many specifics of God's will. Still the Bible teaches us to pray according to His will. How do we do that? The fence posts in the snow help explain.
To pray in accord with God's will, we do not need to pretend to see all the details of the road into the future. Instead, we determine if our prayers are heading in the right direction by steering between two spiritual fence rows: the fence of biblical righteousness and the fence of Christian prudence. On this prayer journey we may without shame confess we do not know what to ask for , but if our prayers are kept between these fences, we can be confident that they are within God's will."

So the two questions we always need to ask before we pray: Is what I am praying for righteous? And also is it guided by Christian prudence? It is important to note that prayers outside these parameters are not in His will. Mr. Chapell goes on to give some very practical and common illustrations of what constitute these requests.

"God's Word is more authoritative than personal feelings or priorities. Mess with that order and you will pray outside of God's will. In praying to wed a non-Christian to whom they are romantically drawn, Christians give their feelings greater authority than God's Word".

I have to pause a minute here, because so often what we hear is "Doesn't God want me to be happy?" "Can it every be wrong to love like this?" or "I can witness to this person in a marriage and God will save them". Here, it is clear that we have let our personal feelings guide and even validate what we know to be contrary to God's will. What God desires is for us to be protected and content...happiness is just to arbitrary. What makes one person happy may not necessarily make the other. So God desires for us to live under the protection of His Word. God delights in the obedience of His children. When we see His Word as precious and good, we will gladly wait upon Him to bring us His good. That might be saying no to that relationship and waiting on Him even depending on Him.

Mr. Chapell gives some additional examples..."In praying for God to harm someone we refuse to forgive, we vent our anger in a heavenly direction but ignore the directions of God's Word. Praying for a house to sell while keeping buyers unaware of its problems make our relief more important that our testimony. Our feelings become our authority whenever they determine the priorities of our prayers. In essence we pray in the name of our comfort, or anger, our ambition or our lust. Imagine how that sounds to God. Praying in Jesus name requires that we give His Word authority over our desires. We can and must do this in faith that the Good Shepherd will always guide us in the path that is best."

This chapter takes us deep into conviction. It is not just opinion but conviction that God's Word is Truth and a requisite for Christians. God's Word calls us to take every thought captive under the authority of Christ. To let our feelings lead us in prayers is like sparking a wild-fire. It will lead us down wrong thinking, a wrong view of God and ultimately shows the world the ambiguity of God's revealed will. That is where relativism comes in...in today's culture there are no absolutes. Whatever you desire, just by simply wanting it, entitles you to it. But we must be careful to examine our desires and place them within the parameters of God's revealed Word.

Any thoughts or comments?

Tomorrow...obeying God's revealed will...how important is it?

Smile it is Friday...

2008-05-02T04:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the Naples Girls getting together yesterday. Thanks to Teresa's mentoring, we learned how to make apple pies! Great time and our hubbies were happy when they got home!

We also had time to discuss

chapters six through eight.

Also...received this e-mail earlier in the week.

Thought you'd enjoy...thanks Lynda.

Child's book report on the entire Bible

A child was told to write a book report on the entire Bible.

This is rather amazing. I wonder how often we take for granted that children understand what we are teaching??? Through the eyes of a child.

Children's Bible in a Nutshell:

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas.
The Bible says, 'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did. Then, God made the world. He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating 1 bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Not sure what they were driven in, though, because they didn't have cars.
Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. Pretty soon, all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something.

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat.

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent 10 plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then, he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. After Solomon, there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed upon the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them.

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of the New Testament. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn, too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?') It would be nice to say yes. During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. Jesus also had 12 opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the politicians and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. Any way's, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

Guides for our young adults

2008-04-30T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Glad to be back home. I am still processing so ,much of last week away...later I will share some of the great principles I learned. A friend sent these to me not to long ago...
Some of us have smaller children but many of us have children that are beginning the dating process or courtships. Here are some wonderful guidelines to begin to share and encourage them with. For those of you who are yourselves in this process, let me know your thoughts!

For girls...
1) A godly woman should allow the man to initiate the relationship. This does not mean that she does nothing. She helps! If she thinks there is a good possibility for a relationship, she puts him at east and encourages him as opportunities arise.
2) A godly woman should speak positively and respectfully about her boyfriend in his presence and absence.
3) A godly woman should give honest attention to his interests.
4) A godly woman should recognize the sexual temptations with which a single man will normally struggle and will avoid potentially compromising situations.
5) A godly woman will build up the man with God's Word and give encouragement to godly leadership. She should allow and seek biblical encouragement from the man she is dating.
6) A godly woman will make "helping" and "respecting" the watchwords of her behavior toward a man.
7). A godly woman will remember that the man is her brother in the Lord. She should not be afraid to end an unhealthy relationship but should seek to do so with charity and grace.

And for guys:
1) Commit to take the lead in the godliness of your relationship.
2) Decide before starting the relationship if you are willing to love a woman in the self-sacrificing, nurturing way the Bible describes.
3) Seek out her interests and spend time doing them with her.
4) Be willing to talk about the relationship. In fact, be the one to initiate honest dialog about it.
5) Pay attention to the cares and burdens of her heart. Be supportive rather than critical.
6) Do not be shy in ministering the Word to her. Do not preach, but exhort.
7) If something about her bothers you, seek to encourage her in that area.

Holding Hands, Holding Hearts, Phillips (P&R, 2006).

NAPLES GIRLS BOOK CLUB...
WE MEET TOMORROW TO DISCUSS CHAPTER 6-8!
ALSO A GREAT TREAT FOR OUR HUBBIES AND FAMILIES...WE WILL BE MAKING APPLE PIES WITH TERESA'S HELP. BRING ROLLING PIN, PIE PLATE, PASTRY CUTTER AND $5.
10:00-12:00. SEE YOU THEN!

Friday Insights:

2008-04-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Here is another wonderful article from the Archives at Pulpit Magazine:

Have a wonderful weekend!

One dynamic of Children’s Ministries at Grace Community Church is that most of the children we minister to come from Christian families. Many of them are blessed with the sound and systematic teaching from God’s Word both at home and in the church, and even sometimes in school. This is something to be grateful for, but it also presents a unique challenge to those of us in Children’s Ministries. While the world breeds rebels, the church can unwittingly breed hypocrites.
It is the sad testimony of church history that the works and expressions of sacrificial love and devotion of one generation of Christians can quickly turn into legalistic rules and regulations for the next. The convictions of the first generation become the caprice of the second. It is sad and shameful how quickly the Object of wonder and worship of a generation can become the boredom and betrayal of the next. Hypocrisy is an imminent and evident threat to the church of Jesus Christ.
Churched children are seldom given to outright defiance of authority; they are much more susceptible to the poison of Pharisaism. Hypocrisy in the heart is much more difficult to spot than disobedient behavior. The Bible gives us some definite character traits of the pretentious pietist, and here is what they may look like in a child:

His outward behavior and adherence to rules are driven by a desire to please men, not by a love for God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk. 12:30).

Doing good works and having them observed by adults is more important than the action itself (Mt. 6:5).

The child is openly obedient and responsive – asking to pray before bedtime with you – while maintaining a quietly deceitful and rebellious attitude (Gal. 6:7).

He scrupulously observes the letter of the law – like religiously bringing his Bible to church – but neglects the weightier spirit of the law – like sharing his favorite toys with his siblings (Mt. 23:23).

He craves the verbal praises and tangible rewards of his parents and teachers, but cares little for the approbation of God Himself (Jn. 12:43). Left unchecked by the grace and Word of God, by the time such a child reaches his teenage years, hypocrisy can have entrenched itself.

This teen prefers well-defined, black and white rules, for they give him a sense of certainty that God must surely reward those achievements (Lk. 18:12).

He adds a layer of rules to the Word of God (like not watching any movies, not listening to popular music, et cetera), giving the impression that he holds to a higher standard than Holy Scripture (Mt. 23:4).

He tends to propose personal preferences as, or elevate them above, divine imperatives (Mt. 15:2-3).

He pursues perfectionism (Phil. 3:6), not excellence (Phil. 3:12-14).

He separates himself from others he considers of lesser cultural morality – people whose table manners, courtesy of speech, and refinement of mannerisms do not match middle-class norms (Lk. 15:1-2).

He is judgmental – he excels at fault-finding, he loves to pick verbal fights – and the standard by which he condemns others is not primarily biblical, but personal, preferential, or traditional (Mt. 7:5). He fights against many people, against many issues, but he does not know who he is fighting for.

Hypocrisy is the pretense of virtue or piousness that is contrary to one’s real character. And make no mistake, hypocrisy spreads like an unseen cancer. Everything appears alive and spiritually vital, then suddenly, the person is dull –and soon dead. The Lord specifically warned His disciples, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.” (Lk. 12:1) Since hypocrisy is hidden deep within the recesses of the heart, it goes on unchecked and will hollow out its victim from the inside.

One of the dangers is that these outwardly compliant children receive much approval from parents and teachers. So they are encouraged to continue the duplicity unless anti-hypocritical measures are employed. We can certainly teach and militate against hypocrisy in the following ways:
Instead of just dealing with external behavior issues, we should seize every opportunity to help children understand that it is their hearts that generate their actions (Mt. 15:19). In His judgment of man, God looks at the heart (1 Sam.16:7). We should never equate occasions of good behavior (professions of love for Jesus, acts of compliance, et cetera) with saving faith in Jesus. We need to go beyond fixing wrong behavior to helping the child understand that his evil heart can only be changed by the Lord in regeneration.
Emphasize the affections of NT religion. Make sure that we are not just aiming at a young person’s understanding, but that we reach for the heart and its affections.

Do not encourage children to exhibit their talents and gifts to impress others. They should be reminded that all that they are and have are gifts of grace from God (1 Cor. 4:7), and they should not regard themselves more highly than they ought (Rom. 12:3).

Teach the truth about integrity – which comes from the word for “integer” or “whole.” For a child with integrity, whichever way you turn them, they look they same. Who they are at church, is who they are in school, is who they are at home. This is what our kids should be.

Do not be afraid to share our spiritual and moral failures with children in instances where they can identify with our shortcomings. This allows us to be authentic with them. It also allows us to demonstrate our response to God when we have done wrong, and our reliance on Him to continue molding our hearts.
Be authentic in your love for Christ. Genuine desire for Christ is not easily faked. Let your zeal be a barometer by which they measure their own affection for Christ.
Hypocrisy is an insidious danger in Children’s Ministries today. It also threatens each individual home. As parents, it is our job to honor the intention of Psalm 78:4-6:

We will not conceal [the Word of God] from their children, But tell to the generations to come the praises of the LORD, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done, that they should teach [the law] to their children, that the generation to come might know, even the children yet to be born, That they may arise and tell them to their children. emphasis mine

* Kurt serves as the Pastor of Children’s Ministries at Grace Church.
http://www.sfpulpit.com/2007/10/05/raising-pharisees/

Parenting Proverbs

2008-04-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

Today we had a great "Naples Girls Book Club" gathering. It was rich with God centered discussion and insight. We all thought this book "Praying Backwards" is one of the best we have ever read. If you have not purchased it yet, I highly recommend it for this Summer. Even though I have tried to highlight some of the passages here, it does not do the book justice.

For the next two weeks we will work through Chapters 6-8. However, I will be out of town next week, so there will be no postings. I will miss you all...this study and blog has been most enriching to my walk with the Lord. Thank you for questions, comments and encouragement. Please pray for me next week, as I will be in a "training time" for ministry next year.

For today...on the Pulpit blog were some insightful verses regarding parenting from Proverbs.

The book of Proverbs is a wonderful, intensely practical guide that contains much wisdom you can impart to your children as you train them in godly living. For your benefit, we’ve compiled ten lessons from Proverbs you should teach to your children. We’re convinced that, in the process of teaching those ten lessons, you’ll unearth many more principles from Proverbs that will serve your children well their entire lives.
Teach your children:
1. To have a healthy fear of God (1:7; 9:10; 10:27; 14:26-27; 15:16; 16:6; 19:23)
2. To guard their minds (4:23; 23:7)
3. To obey you (1:8; 4:1-4; 6:20-23; 30:17)
4. To carefully select their companions (1:11-18; 2:10-15; 13:20)
5. To control their sinful desires (2:16-19; 5:3-5; 6:23-33; 7:6-27)
6. To enjoy sexual fidelity (5:15-20)
7. To watch their words (4:24; 10:11, 19-21, 32; 12:18, 22; 15:1-2; 16:23; 20:15)
8. To pursue their work (6:6-11; 10:4-5; 22:29)
9. To manage their money (3:9-10; 11:24-26; 19:17; 22:9)
10. To love their neighbors (3:27-29; 25:21-22)

http://www.sfpulpit.com/

Praying Boldly...Chapter 5

2008-04-16T04:34:00.000-07:00

Today much of society's advances come about through the old saying "it's not what you know but WHO you know." In job interviews, school placements, advancements even social acceptance it is often aided by who we know. Their position and reputation can get us access to events and even people.

When we pray boldly, we pray not in our own confidence and identity, but on Christ's. In the book "Praying Backwards" Mr. Chapell explains " Our identity as sinful creatures, alienated from the Father has forever been eclipsed by our union with the son He loves."

Ephesians 2:13-22
"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

"We are now "in Christ" at the same time that He is in us. Through this on-going union, Jesus provides His righteousness for our sin, His strength for our weakness and His relationship with the Fatter to replace our alienation."

So we now have the privileges that are Christ's as the Father's Son. With that privilege and honor comes freedom to enter God's Throne of Grace and speak to the One who rules sovereignly over all things. Mr. Chapell mentions "types" of prayers that can now distinguish us as Christians.

1) Imposing Prayer. Prayer that can come at all hours and at all times. Prayer that has absolute assurance of our Father's care and do not hesitate to ask with confidence that He hears.

2) Pervasive Prayer. Mr. Chapell puts it this way "Despite the Bible's assurance that God listens to us...we may still be hesitant to pray. We avoid prayers that seem to impose on God, either because we perceive Him as harsh or because we perceive Him as so good that it seems ungrateful to ask more. Jesus addresses both concerns. He teaches us to pray for matters large and small without fearing that our prayers will offend the Father." It is important to remember that God is more interested to hear from us than to grade our prayers. We can now pray concerning great matters or small matters.

He ends the chapter "The confidence that we express in such bold prayer is not in the answer we desire but in God. " Again we can boldly and confidently petition God to be God. We can't presume to direct God's thoughts or actions as a due response to our prayers. But we can confidently and boldly ask to reveal His power and perfect will to us. We pray for strength to persevere, to find joy, to exalt the cross and to rest that His divine plan will work out for our eternal good.

A new affection...

2008-04-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

The Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals published this letter from Sinclair Ferguson. I thought his words and insights provide further direction and thought regarding praying for the Glory of God. He makes a wonderful point that the love of the world and the love of the Father can not dwell together. One will overide the other. Our first love, the world, can only be expelled by a new love and affection---for God and from God. That is so much of what we have been talking about....

Expelling Worldliness with a New Affection
By Sinclair Ferguson

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) was one of the most remarkable men of his time—a mathematician, evangelical theologian, economist, ecclesiastical, political, and social reformer all in one. His most famous sermon was published under the unlikely title: “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection.” In it he expounded an insight of permanent importance for Christian living: you cannot destroy love for the world merely by showing its emptiness. Even if we could do so, that would lead only to despair. The first world–centered love of our hearts can be expelled only by a new love and affection—for God and from God. The love of the world and the love of the Father cannot dwell together in the same heart. But the love of the world can be driven out only by the love of the Father. Hence Chalmers’ sermon title. True Christian living, holy and right living, requires a new affection for the Father as its dynamic. Such new affection is part of what William Cowper called “the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord”—a love for the holy that seems to deal our carnal affections a deadly blow at the beginning of the Christian life. Soon, however, we discover that for all that we have died to sin in Christ, sin has by no means died in us. Sometimes its continued influence surprises us, even appears to overwhelm us in one or other of its manifestations. We discover that our “new affections” for spiritual things must be renewed constantly throughout the whole of our pilgrimage. If we lose the first love we will find ourselves in serious spiritual peril.
Sometimes we make the mistake of substituting other things for it. Favorites here are activity and learning. We become active in the service of God ecclesiastically (we gain the positions once held by those we admired and we measure our spiritual growth in terms of position achieved); we become active evangelistically and in the process measure spiritual strength in terms of increasing influence; or we become active socially, in moral and political campaigning, and measure growth in terms of involvement. Alternatively, we recognize the intellectual fascination and challenge of the gospel and devote ourselves to understanding it, perhaps for its own sake, perhaps to communicate it to others. We measure our spiritual vitality in terms of understanding, or in terms of the influence it gives us over others. But no position, influence, or evolvement can expel love for the world from our hearts. Indeed, they may be expressions of that very love. Others of us make the mistake of substituting the rules of piety for loving affection for the Father: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!” Such disciplines have an air of sanctity about them, but in fact they have no power to restrain the love of the world. The root of the matter is not on my table, or in my neighborhood, but in my heart. Worldliness has still not been expelled. It is all too possible, in these different ways, to have the form of genuine godliness (how subtle our hearts are!) without its power. Love for the world will not have been expunged, but merely diverted.
Only a new love is adequate to expel the old one. Only love for Christ, with all that it implies, can squeeze out the love of this world. Only those who long for Christ’s appearing will be delivered from Demas-like desertion caused by being in love with this world.

How can we recover the new affection for Christ and his kingdom that so powerfully impacted our life-long worldliness, and in which we crucified the flesh with its lusts? What was it that created that first love in any case? Do you remember? It was our discovery of Christ’s grace in the realization of our own sin. We are not naturally capable of loving God for himself, indeed we hate him. But in discovering this about ourselves, and in learning of the Lord’s supernatural love for us, love for the Father was born. Forgiven much, we loved much. We rejoiced in the hope of glory, in suffering, even in God himself. This new affection seemed first to overtake our worldliness, then to master it. Spiritual realities—Christ, grace, Scripture, prayer, fellowship, service, living for the glory of God—filled our vision and seemed so large, so desirable that other things by comparison seemed to shrink in size and become bland to the taste. The way in which we maintain “the expulsive power of a new affection” is the same as the way we first discovered it. Only when grace is still “amazing” to us does it retain its power in us. Only as we retain a sense of our own profound sinfulness can we retain a sense of the graciousness of grace. Many of us share Cowper’s sad questions: “Where is the blessedness I knew when first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view of Jesus and his word?” Let us remember the height from which we have fallen, repent and return to those first works. It would be sad if the deepest analysis of our Christianity was that it lacked a sense of sin and of grace. That would suggest that we knew little if the expulsive power of a new affection. But there is no right living that last without it.
To read further:
http://www.alliancenet.org/partner/Article_Display_Page/0,,PTID307086%7CCHID560462%7CCIID1947798,00.html

Changed by God's Spirit through Prayer

2008-04-14T13:04:00.000-07:00

Finishing Chapter 4 in Bryan Chapell's book, we end this chapter with a confident look at God changing our affections when we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Before we can ever expect our lives to change and our desires for God's will to be supreme in our lives, I believe we must: 1) Know God's mind and character (that reveals what His will is for us in the sense that His will never contradicts His character and 2) as we know Him better we can discipline our minds to reject the allure of worldliness and seek the purity of fellowship with Him.
What I mean by the last statement is that we must value what is of God. I think why many wrestle so long with God's will is that we find it quite enjoyable and pleasurable to "have things go as we want and desire". There are many times when God's way just did not appeal to my flesh. To be honest, most of us see God's will as something we reluctantly go with thinking "it will work out and I will just suffer until it does" What a burdensome approach many of us take.
Mr. Chapell puts it this way:
"Many people pray ritualistically from release from destructive urges in the vain expectation that the LABOR will itself bribe God to unleash His power and eradicate sinful desire. Such persons discipline themselves to pray with the expectation that God will be moved to help them in response to the massive burden of prayer they have assumed to satisfy Him. They offer to God that which they don't want to do, to get what they want from Him. Yet when we pray in the Spirit, we are filled with wanting Christ. We delight to speak with the One whom we love, because we have no greater want than to discover His wants. The discipline of prayer may still challenge us, and our hearts may grow cold, BUT THE SPIRIT-FILLED HEART STILL YEARNS FOR NEARNESS TO GOD AND LONGS FOR PATHS BACK TO WARM FELLOWSHIP." (emphasis mine)

That's why I believe the more we know of Christ's character, His desires and His delights we will come to know the Father. "This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased" Matt. 3:17. To know His beloved Son pleases God the Father. It also changes us from the inside out because the Holy Spirit gives testament to Christ. The Holy Spirit affirms our new affections towards the Son and all that He is. The Holy Spirit also empowers us with the strength to replace our desires with God the Father's desires. So praying does not become something we have to do, because we want to ask...but rather, it becomes a dialogue where we just want to know more about Him. We find joy in time spent with Him for the sheer pleasure of it.
I can remember when David and I where dating. I would love to go on long drives with him just to get to know him better. There was no other reason I wanted to be with him than just to be with him. That is how a love grew between us and then a commitment. Today, I love to do things that will bring joy to him...not because I have to as his wife, but because I delight to delight him. Is that the way we approach our relationship with God? Could that be something we change?

We pray desiring all that God wills for us but also knowing that we are His children. It is the relationship we have towards Him that brings us to Him. The Holy Spirit affirms our fellowship with the Father. We pray as cherished children...the beloved of God...the Bride of Christ.

Mr. Chapell finishes the chapter with : "The eternal God listens to mere mortals like us. He grants His Holy Spirit to conform our will to His and to transform our prayers into His purposes...We should not have to know the precise ways that God will answer our prayers to be eager to speak to the One who loves us so much--and sovereignly rules all things."

May our love for Christ grow more and more as we spend time with Him in prayer, Bible study and meditations of His marvelous character.
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TOMORROW CHAPTER 5 "PRAYING BOLDLY"
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Naples Girls:
Thursday Brunch
10-12p.m.

Prayer that produces new affections

2008-04-10T04:45:00.000-07:00

Today, I leave with my girls for a road trip to take a look at a University. We've decided to all go and make it a "mom and her girls" weekend...I am looking forward to spending some time with them and watching them encourage Kaity with her college choice. Because I will be away from a computer, there will be no posting tomorrow. But those of you reading the book, continue through Chapter 5.

We left yesterday looking at the role of the Holy Spirit in our prayer. He prays with fervor and intercedes for us in accordance to God's will. (Rom 8:26-27) Lastly, we saw that the world distracts and challenges our affection to pray as we ought to. But we have a great "comforter", "counselor" whose divine power stimulates a preeminent love for Jesus. Bryan Chapell brings us to a great passage in scripture on the love of God. As we meditate on these verses, I pray that a vibrant, ever-growing and satisfying love for God would grow in each of us. You may ask, how can my love for Christ grow? Let these thoughts settle in your heart...

"...I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in you heart though faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ..." Eph.3:14-19

When I think of this kind of love for me, I am overwhelmed.
How wide is His love? Wide enough to bring all kinds of people together...wide enough to cross racial barriers, prejudices. Wide enough to include the outcast...those that are far off. God's love is wide enough to bring back that wayward child, the spouse that has left.
How long is His love? Long enough to remember the forgotten ones. Long enough to last for eternity. Long enough to redeem a lost generation and long enough to carry us through suffering and then into glory. Long enough for you to be not forgotten. Long enough to bring you back to Him...no matter how far you've gone.
How deep is His love? Deep enough to forgive even the vilest of sinners. Deep enough to see our heart and replace it with a heart for Him. Deep enough to heal emotional wounds caused by broken relationships. Deep enough to get you out of the pit of depression. Deep enough to do heart surgery in an unsaved spouse...child. Deep enough to change lives and marriages from the inside out.
How high is His love? High enough to secure a future in eternity for us. High enough to lift you out of suffering. High enough to give us a high-view of Himself. High enough to give you a place to reign with Him. High enough that all His promises are "yes". High enough to lift you out of that abusive job...relationship. High enough that nothing shall separate you from His love...

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword?...But in all things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth nor any other created thing shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:35-39

Discovering a love like this transforms us because it creates a closer more mature relationship with God. These affections overwhelm us and drive us to prayer that is God-focused, Christ exalting and Holy Spirit empowered.
A love like this brings new meaning to life...it does not cancel the difficulties of life, but it provides direction, comfort and power to live Christ-like. Old pursuits can still beckon us but they don't satisfy as they once did. Our prayers reflect more of His character than ours.

Bryan Chapell writes: "A heart formerly cold towards God does not become warm toward His purposes by a mere act of willpower. While we can will a change in behavior, we do not by an act of will change our estimation of the attractive, appealing and lovely. I do not suddenly find fudge brownies unappealing simply because I learn of their calorie content. My willpower may stop my eating but it does not stop my wanting. But the Spirit can reconstruct the affections of our heart. This is a supernatural work, aided by our prayers but not accomplished by them apart from the Spirit"

As we meditate on Christ's love, our love for Him will grow and with the power of the Holy Spirit as the old hymn goes "the things of the earth will go strangely dim,"
Are you filled with a clear, wondrous view of Christ's love? Do you desire to know more and more of Him? The discipline of prayer may still be a challenge, but when you stop and sit at the Throne of Grace, you long for more time with Him. Prayer grows cold and ritualistic when we dim His glory...it grows fervent and satisfying when we see Him in His fullness. I pray that for all of us.

Prayer designed by the Spirit

2008-04-09T04:27:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we looked at the Holy Spirit's fervor in praying on believers' behalf when we don't know how to pray.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for , but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words can not express. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit; because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance to God's will".

The word "weakness" does not necessarily refer to a certain weakness we may be experiencing, but the overall weakness of our humanness. We have a limited understanding and weak physical strength...just as the disciples when Jesus asked them to stay and pray the night He would be arrested, they fell asleep because of their physical weakness. Matt 26:36-43. But the Holy Spirit is not limited by anything...He knows the will of God because He is God...part of the Trinity.
Because of our imperfect perspectives, finite minds, human frailties we need the Holy Spirit who is continually praying on our behalf with God's perfect will as the end result. He molds the content of our prayers to fit the purposes of God.

As Mr. Chapell writes: "We know that God's will is to make us more Christlike (1 Thess 4:3) but apart from this goal we can rarely (if ever) know God's desires precisely. Were we with Joseph, we would have prayed for his rescue from his brothers plot to sell him into slavery...Were we at the cross, we would have cried for God to send His angels to the rescue. " When believers pray, we pray with confidence in the power of the Holy Spirit to mold our prayers in full accordance to God's will. We don't need to pretend that we have everything figured out. We have to acknowledge our dependency on the wisdom of God.

Yet, despite our limited vision, Spirit-filled prayer is a powerful force. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer changes life. We stand amazed as we look back and we see the very hand of God upon us and praise His handy-work. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer brings God into focus. Had it gone exactly as we had thought, we would take the credit and dim God's glory. Spirit-filled, God exalting prayer brings into our minds God Himself. We begin to see things with that eternal perspective.

Mr Chapell writes: "God knows that when our heart beats in rhythm with His, His greatest joys are ours. We are never richer than when we are emptied of earthly ambitions and fulfilled by Christ's desire. We are never more satisfied than when we are content with His plan for our lives. We know no greater peace than when we are confident His love hedges our lives so that nothing enters except that which makes us more like the Son whom the heavenly Father cherishes. In short when we have no greater desire than for Jesus to be glorified in us, He grants the desires of our heart."

The last thing the spirit does through prayers is change our affections. The world is constantly wooing us away from godly things. The world challenges our affection as tries to get us to exchange the eternal for the temporal. Even this morning as I was praying, I asked forgiveness for that. When anything displaces God's exalted view that becomes an idol. Idols are not those statues we think of when we study history. Even then, the idols represented a desire, emotion or human characteristic that was raised to a level of a god. A good barometer of how idols have crept into our days is to ask ourselves...did I have a quality prayer/study time with God yesterday? If not, then as we look at our day all those things that kept us away were idols. We thought them more valuable, than time with God. (Yikes...that stings!) Sleep, a tv show, phone conversation, laundry even time with the kids. Part of that is also our human weakness, we spoke of earlier.

Did you know that we can pray in the Holy Spirit, and can ask Him to increase our love for God and His ways? "Thus when we pray in the Spirit, we ask Him to stir-up within us such affection for God that the affections of the world lose their grasp on our heart."
The Holy Spirit is powerful and with His fervor, His intercession and His changing our affections, our prayers are not only God pleasing but fulfill God's greatest desire for us. And His greatest desire for us is to love Him with all our heart, mind and soul.

Do we need to ask the Holy Spirit to stir-up in us a greater affection for God? If we would ask for that, I believe, that would be the start of a changed and Spirit-filled life. More of Him and less of me!

Tomorrow a look at Eph 3:14-19. How can we gain a greater view of God? It is by seeing how "wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ"

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Naples Girls:
Meet next Thursday for Book Club

Praying in the Spirit

2008-04-08T04:13:00.000-07:00

Chapter Four of Bryan Chapell's book "Praying Backwards" begins with a quote from C.S. Lewis's "The Magician's Nephew". In this part of the story Aslan, the lion, sends the two children on a mission and as they soon discover they have no food. Troubled, the children ask why didn't someone arrange for their meals? One of them answers "I'm sure Aslan would have, if you'd asked him." Then another child responds "Wouldn't he know without being asked?" The final thought is that they have no doubt that Aslon would know, but more importantly, he likes to be asked.
From this illustration, Mr. Chapell moves to reminds us that yes God is Sovereign and He knows our needs before we ask. But He delights in our asking. Yet the question that remains is, if God knows our needs before we ask, then is prayer a wasted effort?

How do we reconcile God's sovereignty in providing what is best and our petitions for what we believe to be best?

As Christians, we have prayer as a means to draw near God the Father and deepen our love and trust for Him. We have been looking at prayer as a way to discover God...glorify God. Prayer that is focused on God's work in us not so much as how we want Him to work for us.

But how can we pray confidently and purposefully as we draw near to God and seek His will for us? In Luke 11:11-13 Jesus speaks about the Father's ultimate goodness which is to give his children the Holy Spirit. We have been given a great gift...a good gift, in the sense that it is perfect and exactly what we need...the Holy Spirit.
"When we pray, Paul says, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans that words can not express and in accordance with God's will. These two vital ministries of the Holy Spirit make our prayers the most powerful force on earth"

The Holy Spirit who groans for our new life:
Have you ever fervently prayed for someone? There are times when friends and loved ones will ask me to pray for them. They are facing a difficult time and need prayer support. I will pray for them fervently and expectantly, but I can not know for sure what is in God's mind for them through that particular situation. I have a limited view and limited energy. Yet, the Holy Spirit prays for us with "groans" and prays in accordance with the purposes of God because He knows God's mind. That is an astounding thought!

Mr. Chapell writes: "Paul writes that the Spirit also groans, interceding for the Lord's purposes in our lives. With more fervor than we can express and with the urgency of a mother in childbirth, the Spirit cries before the Throne of Grace, "Holy God, bless your people. God of creation, bend the world to your glorious purposes for those seeking you. Heavenly Father, work all things together for your children's good.
The Spirit cries with the agonies of one birthing new life, because new life is being formed---a new world order....The Spirit becomes Christ's instrument of intersession for us. He pleads for God to order the temporal world for our eternal good. " (emphasis mine)

Can you and I rest in the understanding that we have the Holy Spirit who intercedes for us with such intensity that His groans and petitions become an instrument God uses to bring good out of all situations?
Quoted in the book is beloved Pastor, James Montgomery Boice. Dr. Boice addressed his congregation almost 8 years ago to inform them that he was diagnosed with cancer. Mr. Chapell quotes a very poignant part of his last words to his church:
"When things like this come into our lives, they are not accidental. It's not as if God somehow forgot what was going on, and something bad slipped by...God does everything according to His will... But what I've been impressed with most is something in addition to that. It's possible, isn't it, to conceive of God as sovereign and yet indifferent? God's in charge, but He does not care. BUT it's not that. God is not only the one who is in charge, God is also good. Everything he does is good....If God does something in your life, would you change it? If you'd change, you'd make it worse. It would not be as good. " (emphasis mine)

It is hard for me to get my heart around that last sentence...even when I am in the midst of a difficult situation. Even when I am suffering or hurting...if I were to change any of it, I would make it worse. It would not be as good. God is good...therefore all He does is good...and the Holy Spirit prays in our behalf that we would see the goodness. Today, I pray you see God's goodness in the midst of your trial...His goodness through the birthing pains.

Confronting with love?

2008-04-04T07:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterdays post on Pulpit Magazine was so powerful that I wanted to share it with you...

Have a great weekend!

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How do we know when to confront and when to quietly forgive and forget?
That’s a good question because most people seem to err on one side or the other. Some people think it is best to overlook every offense and take pride in their tolerance. However, Paul confronted the Corinthians for tolerating sin in the church and rebuked them for failing to deal with a man living in sin (1 Cor. 5).
On the other side of the issue are people who confront over any slight infraction and make themselves intolerable.
Are there any biblical principles to help us make the right choice? Yes! Here are six guidelines to help you know whether to quietly forgive or to lovingly confront.
1. Whenever possible, especially if the offense is petty or unintentional, it is best to forgive unilaterally. This is the very essence of a gracious spirit. It is the Christlike attitude called for in Ephesians 4:1-3. We are called to maintain a gracious tolerance (”forbearance”) of others’ faults. Believers should have a sort of mutual immunity to petty offenses. Love “is not easily angered” (1 Cor. 13:5). If every fault required formal confrontation, the whole of our church life would be spent confronting and resolving conflicts over petty annoyances. So for the sake of peace, to preserve the unity of the Spirit, we are to show tolerance whenever possible (see 1 Pet. 2:21-25; Mat. 5:39-40).
2. If you are the only injured party, even if the offense was public and flagrant, you may choose to forgive unilaterally. Examples of this abound in Scripture. Joseph (Genesis 37-50), David (2 Sam. 16:5-8), and Stephen (Acts 7:60) each demonstrated the unilateral forgiveness of Christ (Luke 23:34).
3. If you observe a serious offense that is a sin against someone other than you, confront the offender. Justice never permits a Christian to cover a sin against someone else. While we are entitled, and even encouraged, to overlook wrongs committed against us, Scripture everywhere forbids us to overlook wrongs committed against another (see Ex. 23:6; Deut. 16:20; Isa. 1:17; Isa. 59:15-16; Jer. 22:3; Lam. 3:35-36).
4. When ignoring an offense might hurt the offender, confront the guilty party. Sometimes choosing to overlook an offense might actually injure the offender (by allowing him to continue unwarned down a wrong path). In such cases it is our duty to confront in love (Gal. 6:1-2).
5. When a sin is scandalous or otherwise potentially damaging to the body of Christ, the guilty party should be confronted. Some sins have the potential to defile many people, and Scripture gives ample warning of such dangers (see Heb. 12:15; 3:13; 1 Cor. 5:1-5). In fact, Scripture calls for the church to discipline individuals who refuse to repent of open sin in the body, so that the purity of the body might be preserved (Matt. 18:15-20; 1 Cor. 5).
6. Lastly, any time an offense results in a broken relationship, confrontation of the sinner should occur. Any offense that causes a breach in relationships simply cannot be overlooked. Both the offense and the breach must be confronted, and reconciliation must be sought. And both the offended party and the offender have a responsibility to seek reconciliation (Luke 17:3; Matt. 5:23-24). There is never any excuse for a Christian on either side of a broken relationship to refuse to pursue reconciliation.
The only instance where such a conflict should remain unresolved is if all the steps of discipline in Matthew 18 have been exhausted and the guilty party still refuses to repent.

A vision worth grasping

2008-04-03T08:24:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks in our Sunday School class we have been discussing suffering vs chastening. We have looked at Proverbs 3:11-12
"My son do not despise the Lord's discipline
and do not resent His rebuke
because the Lord disciplines those He loves
as a father, the son He delights in"

Discipline is a central part of a Christian's life. We are called to "suffer with Christ". But Christians are partakers of a great exchange...the unrighteous for the righteous. This is something the world does not have. The world has the same suffering but it is without redemptive purpose...it is a consequence of sin. Sin is continually unwidding this earth. But for Christians, a sinner's life is exchanged for a godly life through the cross. I find myself constantly disciplining my mind to understand this great exchange...I have Christ and Christ took all of my sin and penalty. But there is still so much of the "old nature" in me that God must remove and that comes about through suffering, chastening and discipline. But in the midst of this, we have something greater than any "temporal suffering"... we have the promises of Christ to be fully grasped in eternity AND the joy of experiencing Him now presently. Jesus was just as committed to suffer in His Father's hands as He was to rejoice in His Father's hands. The hands that brought the suffering would also bring joy and relief.

Everyday for Christians should be a day that is eternally focused...I had a great pastor once tell me "every decision you make Janet, is either a temporal one or eternal. Choose the eternal"
I think about that often...being earthly bound but eternally focused. That perspective looks at everything from the High View of God. When we enjoy, meditate and move through life with that perspective we can move through the valley.

"Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly
Thou has brought me to the valley of vision,

where I live in the depths but see thee in the heights,

hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox

that the way down is the way up,

that to be low is to be high,

that the broken heart is the healed heart,

that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,

that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,

that to have nothing is to posses all,

that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,

that to give is to receive,

that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from the deepest wells,

and the deeper the well the brighter the stars shine:

Let me find thy light in my darkness,

thy life in my death

thy joy in my sorrow

thy grace in my sin

thy riches in my poverty

thy glory in my valley"

From The valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

I pray those of you who are in a valley to look up! Those who may be experiencing God's discipline or chastening to know it is because you are His! We all experince His chastening just as an earthly son experineces his father's discipline. Those who are suffering because of the sins of others, know the Lord Jesus suffered the same way...He will comfort you.

Spring Break

2008-04-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

Spring Break for me always means the start of easier, sunnier times. The end of school is not to far from now. Today I am taking Hannah across the state to her "bestest" friend in the whole wide world where she will spend a couple of days. So I am off but leave you with...

Some of my families favorite snacks and recipes. The "Oyster Crackers" can keep in a sealed container for two weeks (if they last that long) and the "B-B-Q Rub" can be used not only on salmon but chicken and pork chops. Enjoy!

OYSTER CRACKERS

1 bag of "Oyster Biscuit crackers" (plain in a 12 or 16 oz. bag)
1 package of powdered Ranch Buttermilk dressing
1/4 tsp of lemon/pepper seasoning
1/2 tsp of dry dill
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
3/4 cup of canola oil

Mix ranch with oil in a bowl until mostly dissolve. Add rest of seasonings.
Empty cracker bag in an ungreased baking sheet pan
Pour oil and seasoning over them and toss them well. I get my "clean hands" in there.

Bake 300 for 15-20 minutes. Keep an eye on them after 15 minutes so they don't burn.
Cool and enjoy with the kids.

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B-B-Q Oven salmon

Combine in a small bowl:
2 tbs of dark brown sugar
4 tsp of chili powder
3/4 tsp of cumin
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of cinnamon

Mix well and set aside. (This rub you can now make again and top chicken breast or pork chops before broiling)

For the salmon:
4 6 oz. salmon fillets
squeeze 1/2 lemon over them
Cover them with the rub. Pile it on because as it cooks it will form a sweet and spicy crust.

Bake salmon for 20-25 minutes at 400.

Enjoy.

Hope you try these this week. Let me know how you like them!

Spring Break

2008-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

David got home from London on Sunday night. he is just here two days and then off again while the kids are home all week for Spring Break. So because we know times with the kids are precious and before we know it will be gone, I will be posting some of my favorite articles on Family this week. I love to share found treasures and also saves me a bit of time.
I start with one of my favorite Pastors John Piper and his wife. It's a family worship... Enjoy:

God-centered worship is supremely important in the life of our church. We approach the Sunday morning worship hour with great seriousness and earnestness and expectancy. We try to banish all that is flippant or trivial or chatty.
Not all services are this way. Sunday morning is the Mount of Transfiguration—the awesome place of glory and speechlessness. Sunday or Wednesday evening is the Mount of Olives—the familiar spot for conversation with the Lord and each other.
In this article, we hope to do two things:
1) demonstrate that parents (or some responsible adult) should bring little children to the Sunday morning worship service rather than send them to a "children's church";
2) give some practical advice about how to do it.
We don't claim that our way of worshiping is the only valid way. Not all our ideas may fit with the way another church does it.
For example, we don't have a children's sermon as part of our Sunday morning service. It would be fun for the children, but in the long run would weaken the spiritual intensity of our worship. To everything there is a season. And we believe that, for at least one hour a week, we should sustain a maximum intensity of moving reverence.
The Biggest Stumbling Block
There are several reasons why we urge parents to bring their children to worship. But these arguments will not carry much weight with parents who do not love to worship God.
The greatest stumbling block for children in worship is that their parents do not cherish the hour. Children can feel the difference between duty and delight. Therefore, the first and most important job of a parent is to fall in love with the worship of God. You can't impart what you don't possess.
Togetherness
Worshiping together counters the contemporary fragmentation of families. Hectic American life leaves little time for significant togetherness. It is hard to overestimate the good influence of families doing valuable things together week in and week out, year in and year out.
Worship is the most valuable thing a human can do. The cumulative effect of 650 worship services spent with Mom and Dad between the ages of 4 and 17 is incalculable.
Catch the Spirit
Parents have the responsibility to teach their children by their own example the meaning and value of worship. Therefore, parents should want their children with them in worship so the children can catch the spirit and form of their parents' worship.
Children should see how Mom and Dad bow their heads in earnest prayer during the prelude and other non-directed times. They should see how Mom and Dad sing praise to God with joy in their faces, and how they listen hungrily to His Word. They should catch the spirit of their parents meeting the living God.
Something seems wrong when parents want to take their children in the formative years and put them with other children and other adults to form their attitude and behavior in worship. Parents should be jealous to model for their children the tremendous value they put on reverence in the presence of Almighty God.
Not an Excessive Expectation
To sit still and be quiet for an hour or two on Sunday is not an excessive expectation for a healthy 6-year-old who has been taught to obey his parents. It requires a measure of discipline, but that is precisely what we want to encourage parents to impart to their children in the first five years.
Thus the desire to have children in the worship service is part of a broader concern that children be reared so that they are "submissive and respectful in every way" (1 Timothy 3:4).
Children can be taught in the first five years of life to obey their father and mother when they say, "Sit still and be quiet." Parents' helplessness to control their children should not be solved by alternative services but by a renewal of discipline in the home.
Not Everything Goes Over Their Heads
Children absorb a tremendous amount that is of value. And this is true even if they say they are bored.
Music and words become familiar. The message of the music starts to sink in. The form of the service comes to feel natural. The choir makes a special impression with a kind of music the children may hear at no other time. Even if most of the sermon goes over their heads, experience shows that children hear and remember remarkable things.
The content of the prayers and songs and sermon gives parents unparalleled opportunities to teach their children the great truths of our faith. If parents would only learn to query their children after the service and then explain things, the children's capacity to participate would soar.
Not everything children experience has to be put on their level in order to do them good. Some things must be. But not everything.
For example, to learn a new language you can go step by step from alphabet to vocabulary to grammar to syntax. Or you can take a course where you dive in over your head, and all you hear is the language you don't know. Most language teachers would agree that the latter is by far the most effective.
Sunday worship service is not useless to children just because much of it goes over their heads. They can and will grow into this new language faster than we think—if positive and happy attitudes are fostered by the parents.
A Sense of Awe
There is a sense of solemnity and awe which children should experience in the presence of God. This is not likely to happen in children's church. Is there such a thing as children's thunder or children's lightning or the crashing of the sea "for children"?
A deep sense of the unknown and the mysterious can rise in the soul of a sensitive child in solemn worship—if his parents are going hard after God themselves. A deep moving of the magnificence of God can come to the young, tender heart through certain moments of great hymns or "loud silence" or authoritative preaching. These are of immeasurable value in the cultivation of a heart that fears and loves God.
We do not believe that children who have been in children's church for several years between the ages of 6 and 12 will be more inclined or better trained to enjoy worship than if they had spent those years at the side of their parents. In fact, the opposite is probably the case.
It will probably be harder to acclimate a 10– or 12-year-old to a new worship service than a 5– or 6-year-old. The cement is much less wet, and vast possibilities of shaping the impulses of the heart are gone.
Some Practical Suggestions from Noel
When our four sons grew to be young men, we assumed that the worship-training chapter of our life had ended. But God has wonderful surprises. Our youngest son was 12 when we adopted our daughter, who was just a couple of months old. So our experience with young children in the pew started more than twenty years ago and will continue a while longer.
Getting Started Step by Step
We discovered that the very earliest "school" for worship is in the home—when we help a baby be quiet for just a moment while we ask God's blessing on our meal; when a toddler is sitting still to listen to a Bible story book; when a child is learning to pay attention to God's Word and to pray during family devotional times.
At church, even while our children were still nursery-aged, I began to help them take steps toward eventual regular attendance in Sunday morning worship service. I used other gatherings as a training ground—baptisms, choir concerts, missionary videos or other special events that would grab the attention of a 3-year-old. I'd "promote" these to the child as something exciting and grown-up. The occasional special attendance gradually developed into regular evening attendance, while at the same time we were beginning to attempt Sunday mornings more and more regularly.
I've chosen not to use the church's child care as an escape route when the service becomes long or the child gets restless. I don't want to communicate that you go to a service as long as it seems interesting, and then you can go play. And I wanted to avoid a pattern that might reinforce the idea that all of the service is good, up until the preaching of God's Word—then you can leave.
Of course, there are times when a child gets restless or noisy, despite a parent's best efforts. I pray for the understanding of the people around me, and try to deal with the problem unobtrusively. But if the child won't be quiet or still, I take him or her out—for the sake of quick discipline and for the sake of the other worshipers. Then I have to decide whether we'll slip back into service or stay in the area reserved for parents with young children. It depends on how responsive the child seems and whether there's an appropriate moment in the flow of the service. If we stay in the "family area" outside the sanctuary, I help my child sit quietly as if we were still in the sanctuary.
By the time they are four years old, our children assume that they'll be at all the regular weekly services with us.
Preparation All Week Long
Your anticipation and conversation before and after service and during the week will be important in helping your child learn to love worship and to behave well in service.
Help your children become acquainted with your pastor. Let them shake hands with him at the door and be greeted by him. Talk about who the worship leaders are; call them by name. Suggest that your child's Sunday School teacher invite the pastor to spend a few minutes with the children if your church's Sunday morning schedule allows for that.
If you know what the Scripture passage will be for the coming Sunday, read it together several times during the week. A little one's face really lights up when he hears familiar words from the pulpit.
Talk about what is "special" this week: a trumpet solo, a friend singing, a missionary speaker from a country you have been praying for.
Sometimes you can take the regular elements of the service and make them part of the anticipation. "We've been reading about Joseph. What do you think the pastor will say about him?" "What might the choir be singing this morning?" "Maybe we can sit next to our handicapped friend and help him with his hymnbook so he can worship better too."
There are two additional and important pre-service preparations for us: a pen and notepad for "Sunday notes" and a trip to the rest room (leaving the service is highly discouraged).
What Happens During Service?
First, I let a child who wants a worship folder have one—it helps a child feel like a participant in the service. And quietly, before service begins, I may point to the different parts of the service listed in the folder.
During service, we all sit or stand along with rest of the congregation. I share my Bible or hymnal or worship folder with my little one, because use of these is an important part of the service.
The beginning of the sermon is the signal for "notetaking" to begin. (I want a child's activities to be related to the service. So we don't bring library books to read. I do let a very young child look at pictures in his Bible, if he can do it quietly.) Notetaking doesn't mean just scribbling, but "taking notes" on a special pad used just for service.
"Taking notes" grows up as the child does. At first he draws pictures of what he hears in the sermon. Individual words or names trigger individual pictures. You might pick out a word that will be used frequently in the sermon; have the child listen carefully and make a check mark in his "notes" each time he hears the word.
Later he may want to copy letters or words from the Scripture passage for the morning. When spelling comes easier, he will write words and then phrases he hears in the sermon. Before you might expect it, he will probably be outlining the sermon and noting whole concepts.
Goals and Requirements
My training for worship has three main goals:
That children learn early and as well as they can to worship God heartily.
That parents be able to worship.
That families cause no distraction to the people around them.
So there are certain expectations that I teach the young ones and expect of the older ones:
Sit or stand or close eyes when the service calls for it.
Sit up straight and still—not lounging or fidgeting or crawling around, but respectful toward God and the worshipers around you.
Keep bulletin papers and Bible and hymnal pages as quiet as possible.
Stay awake. Taking notes helps. (I did allow the smallest ones to sleep, but they usually didn't need to!)
Look toward the worship leaders in the front. No people-gazing or clock-watching.
If you can read fast enough, sing along with the printed words. At least keep your eyes on the words and try to think them. If you can't read yet, listen very hard.
Creating an Environment in the Pew
For my part, I try to create an environment in our pew that makes worship easier. In past years, I would sit between whichever two were having the most trouble with each other that day. We choose seats where we can see the front better (while seated, not kneeling on the pew; kneeling leads to squirming and blocks the view of others).
Each child has a Bible, offering money and worship folder at hand, so he doesn't have to scramble and dig during the worship time. During the prelude, if I notice in the bulletin something unusual for which we need to be prepared (a responsive reading or congregational prayers, for example), I quietly point it out to a child who is old enough to participate.
Afterward
When the service has ended, my first words are praise to the child who has behaved well. In addition to the praise, I might also mention one or two things that we both hope will be better next time.
But what if there has been disregard of our established expectations and little attempt to behave? The first thing that happens following the service is a silent and immediate trip to the most private place we can find. Then the deserved words are spoken and consequences administered or promised.
Closeness and Warmth
On the rare occasions when my pastor-husband can sit with the rest of us, the youngest one climbs right into his lap—and is more attentive and still than usual. What a wonderful thing for a young mind to closely associate the closeness and warmth of a parent's lap with special God-times.
A child gets almost the same feeling from being next to his parent or from an arm around the shoulder or an affectionate hand on the knee.
The setting of the tight family circle focusing toward God will be a nonverbal picture growing richer and richer in the child's mind and heart as he matures in appreciation for his family and in awe at the greatness of God.

Prayer...Ask and it will be given?

2008-03-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

We have been looking at prayer that is focused, birthed and enjoyed with God's glory in mind. Prayer that begins, rather than ends, "in Jesus' name" Praying with Godly priorities is expressly what Jesus meant when He said in Mark 11:24:
"Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.”

We have to look at this verse in the context of Scripture. Mark 11:20-24 gives us a fuller picture of the proper understanding of this familiar passage:
"Now in the morning as they passed by they saw the fig tree dried up from the root. And Peter, remembering said to Him, "Rabbi, look the fig tree which you cursed has withered away."
So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God, for assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be removed and be cast into the sea' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." NAS translation.

First we see that the fig tree that Jesus had cursed back in verse 14 had withered away "from the root". Interesting because the root is the source of life for a tree. Jesus judgement on the tree was for not providing what its appearance promised. It should have been full of fruit but it had none. The fig tree was often used in the OT as representing the Nation of Israel. (Hos 9:10; Nah 3:12; Zech. 3:10) Jesus' condemnation, here is for the "fruitlessness" on the nation of Israel and specifically those who were given the responsibility to teach and reveal the truth of the Scriptures (The law-keepers and teachers: Pharisees, Sadducees and High Priests). Jesus cursed the tree because it appeared to be bearing much fruit but coming closer found it to be barren. Appearances deceived. And this occurred at the root...it was at the very core.

Bryan Chapell tells us " ...Christ's promises to honor our requests come in the context of His demonstrating (through the cursing of a fig tree representing the Jewish leaders who rejected Him) how He will deny blessing to anyone who refuses to give preeminent glory to God (vv.11-23; See also Matt. 21:15-22). Jesus' promise to provide whatever we ask in prayer rests on the understanding that we will pray with godly priorities."

To pray with a godly priority, preparation and expectation should bring peace and joy to all our prayers because we understand that God's will is right. When we pray we should not fear or doubt the result of the prayer even when it is answered contrary than how we prayed.

First priority: Prayer should be a way of life for Christians. It should not be duty or another thing to check off our list. Spurgeon puts it this way:

"There are so many persons who complain that they don't enjoy prayer. They don't neglect it, for they dare not; but they would neglect it if they could, because they don't find any pleasure in praying. And don't we all have to admit, that sometimes when we pray, that it is very difficult work and seems to be almost drudgery? We spend the allotted time, but we rise from our knees unrefreshed, like a man who has laid on his bed but has not slept so hasn't really recovered his strength. When the time comes around again conscience drives us to our knees, but there is not sweet fellowship with God...there are many Christians, I think, who complain of this—that they pray not so much because it is a blessed thing that allows them to draw near to God, but because they must pray, because it is their duty, because they feel that if they did not, they would lose one of the sure evidences of being Christians."

Second is preparation: As we move through our day our minds and hearts are joined and gather our petitions. Our mind takes God's Word so that we see things before us with His perspective and then our hearts layer on great desire for God to hear our requests. We filter what we feel through the Word of God so we are not caught up with so much "me centered requests" but God centered. Again, I love C.H. Spurgeon's depiction of being prepared:

" You are like a man who goes to a store and doesn’t know what he wants to buy. He may perhaps make a good purchase when he is there, but certainly it is not a wise plan to adopt. And so the Christian in prayer may afterwards attain to a real desire, and get what he asked for, but how much better would it be if having prepared his soul by consideration and self-examination of his true needs, he came to God with specific requests. If we requested a meeting with a king or a president, we should expect to be able to answer the obvious question, “What do you wish to see them about?” We would not be expected to go into the presence of royalty or a great leader, and then to think of some petition after we came there. It is the same with the child of God. They should be able to answer the great question, “What is your petition and what is your request, and it will be yours?”

Third is expectation: Kaity, our second daughter is in Greece today. For the last six months we have expectantly looked at her upcoming trip. We thought and talked about it everyday. We prayed for good weather, her safety and we talked about the privilege to go and see first hand where Paul traveled. To stand on Mars Hill and imagine what it was like to hear Paul speak to the citizens of Athens. Great expectation went into our preparation. And now we can see how God will answer our prayers.
That is but a minor way to illustrate how expectantly we should be about God answering our petitions. “Cold prayers,” says an old Christian, “ask for a denial.” When we have in our hearts and minds our petitions, our souls must become so possessed with the value of that request, and our own excessive need for it, we are compelled to plead as a man pleads for his life. We plead and persevere and keep asking but always under the authority and submission to God's will.

"We must have such a desire for the thing we want, that we will not stop praying until we have it—but always in submission to his divine will, nevertheless. Feeling that the thing we ask for cannot be wrong, and that he himself has promised it, we have resolved it must be given, and if not given, we will plead the promise, again, and again, until heaven's gates will shake before our pleas will cease. No wonder that God has not blessed us much lately, because we are not fervent in prayer as we should be. Oh, those cold-hearted prayers that die upon the lips—those frozen supplications; they don’t move men's hearts, how should they move God's heart? They don’t come from our own souls, they don’t well up from the deep secret springs of our inmost heart, and therefore they cannot rise up to him who only hears the cry of the soul, before whom hypocrisy and formality are clearly seen. We must be earnest, otherwise we have no right to hope that the Lord will hear our prayer." Spurgeon

How can we resolve to pray God's will and still put our requests forward.? Again, I can't put it in better words or perspective than Spurgeon did back in 1860. Timeless words that intertwine God's sovereignty and our privilege to pray our needs and requests to the Father.

"Our prayers are God's decrees in another shape. The prayers of God's people are but God's promises breathed out of living hearts, and those promises are the decrees, only put into another form and fashion. Don’t say, “How can my prayers affect the predetermined will and plan of God?” They cannot, except in so much that your prayers are decrees, and that as they come out, every prayer that is inspired of the Holy Spirit to your soul is as omnipotent and as eternal as that decree which said, “Let there be light, and there was light;” or as that decree which chose his people, and ordained their redemption by the precious blood of Christ. You have power in prayer, and you stand today among the most potent ministers in the universe that God has made. You have power over angels, they will fly at your command. You have power over fire, and water, and the elements of the earth. You have power to make your voice heard beyond the stars; where the thunders die out in silence, your voice will wake the echoes of eternity. The ear of God himself will listen and the hand of God himself will yield to your will. He commands you pray, “Your will be done,” and your will, will be done. When you can plead his promise then your will is his will. " emphasis mine.

Amen! Amen!

Have a blessed weekend and Lord's Day.

Praying without Doubting, II

2008-03-26T06:01:00.000-07:00

Charles Spurgeon once said "Prayer is never futile but powerful. You may not always get what you ask for, but you will always have your need supplied. When God does not answer according to the letter, He answers according to the spirit...let faith and patience have their perfect work"

I received an e-mail yesterday from Melanie, a dear friend, who had this godly perspective:

"Once again I'm compelled to respond to the “unanswered” healing prayer. I prayed without ceasing for my precious husband to get well as he courageously battled his multiple myeloma. True to God’s character He answered my prayer with His gracious ultimate healing for my husband. The Word says in Revelation that there will be not more

disease in heaven. I’ve learned that indeed God does answer healing prayer in one of 3 ways. Immediately, gradually or ultimate. I’ve come to believe my sweet husband got God’s best! "

We see Jesus pray "Yet, Lord not my will but your will be done" Can it be said that Jesus had doubts? Absolutely not. He asked for deliverance with such intensity that He sweat drops of blood. He offered His petition but it was His Father's will to do as He saw best. As He prayed there in the Garden, He was comforted and strengthened through His prayers , to be able to endure what was ahead. God The Father supplied what the Son needed to persevere. So it is with us. Prayer unleashes God's power for us to persevere and find strength to endure. He may not remove the situation, but He gives us the strength to move through it and endure. It is through situations such as that, that we intimately encounter God. When we discover His sufficiency to carry us through, we encounter the glorious Lord.

Mr. Chapell writes : "We affirm similar faith when we pray, 'Lord, I know that you can do all things'. In my human wisdom I make this request, but you know the end from the beginning. Hear my prayer and do what you know is right."

God is right all the time. His goodness towards us is not based on our faith or our devotion...but on His character. All that He does is good and right and just. As Melanie discovered, her prayer was answered, ultimately and immeasurably better than she could have asked for. As we believe in God's sovereignty, we can ask but must understand we have a limited view.

Exodus 15:11 says "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

Psalm 71:19 "Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you?"

"Father, there is no one like you! You alone are God...your ways are not our ways. You alone are worthy of all our praise and trust. You set the boundaries and know the end. You have purposed to bring glory to yourself from the weakest vessels and catastrophic events. Yet you have not abandoned your people. You promise to never leave or abandon us. Though at times we feel burdened and overwhelmed, your have promised that is we cast our burdens on you, you will carry them. What a gracious promise from a heavenly King. Who are we that you should even respond? But you delight in showing yourself to us. Your great pleasure is mercy and justice. We cling to that regardless of what we see...by faith we trust in your wisdom and plans. May we plead our case at the Throne of Grace and rest in knowing that you work all things for good for those that love you and are called" Amen.

Praying without Doubting

2008-03-25T06:17:00.000-07:00

For those who are keeping up with our "Girls Book Club" or those who are moving through these thoughts via these posts, we have begun Chapter 3 : "Praying without Doubting". I can certainly relate to the title...often as I pray doubts of what I am praying creep in and I think if it hasn't happened by now it will never. Mr. Chapell points out "The basic problem with all definitions of believing prayer that make God the servant of our will is that the object of belief is misplaced. Proper belief is not unwavering confidence that something we want will happen, nor is it doubtless trust that WE know what is best. Our trust is NOT on the thing we want or in our sufficient faith. The success of our prayers does not lie in exceptional confidence that WE have pumped enough of our faith into our prayer (and extracted enough doubt) so that now God must respond. Our belief must be in God. HE, NOT OUR DESIRE, is the object of our faith."

He continues...""We pray believing that God is all-powerful, all-wise and infinitely loving--and we are not. We tell God our desires, for matters large and small, but always our greatest desire is that His will be done. We yield to God's will, because we BELIEVE that the Good Shepherd will provide only the absolute best. Thus when Jesus teaches us to ask and we will receive (Luke 11:9-10) he does so only after telling us that those who believe in Him ask for the will and purpose of God above all things (vv. 2-4). Praying in Jesus' name requires seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness with the absolute trust that God will then add all that is best for us (Matt. 6:31-33). "

Last week when we met to discuss Chapter 1 and 2, many tough questions were brought up. If we pray for a loved one to be healed and they are not...was it God's will for them to die? Where we not praying God's will?

We will look further at this questions this week...we will look at God's character...because it is in HIM that we find maybe not the answer but the rest in the uncertainty. Our limited mind can not comprehend the limitless. Our perspective is marred by selfishness and sin. But His ways are good...always.

If you have any thoughts or comments...please post them or e-mail them to me. This is a time for a rich look at God's Word.

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Hope you had a blessed Easter. Talk to you tomorrow!

Smile...it is Good Friday!

2008-03-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

John Piper posted this beautiful depiction of Christ's Resurrection on Desiring God.
Enjoy...

"The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16). If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love. “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”
Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was. Consider these five ways of seeing Christ’s intentionality in dying for us.
First, look at what Jesus said just after that violent moment when Peter tried to cleave the skull of the servant, but only cut off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52-54)
It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’ death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.
That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the Word of God.
A second way this intentionality is seen is in the repeated expressions to go to Jerusalem—into the very jaws of the lion.
Taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.” (Mark 10:32-34)
Jesus had one all-controlling goal: to die according the Scriptures. He knew when the time was near and set his face like flint: “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).
A third way that we see the intentionality of Jesus to suffer for us is in the words he spoke in the mouth of Isaiah the prophet:
I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard;I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting. (Isaiah 50:6)
I have to work hard in my imagination to keep before me what iron will this required. Humans recoil from suffering. We recoil a hundred times more from suffering that is caused by unjust, ugly, sniveling, low-down, arrogant people. At every moment of pain and indignity, Jesus chose not to do what would have been immediately just. He gave his back to the smiter. He gave his cheek to slapping. He gave his beard to plucking. He offered his face to spitting. And he was doing it for the very ones causing the pain.
A fourth way we see the intentionality of Jesus’ suffering is in the way Peter explains how this was possible. He said, “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).
The way Jesus handled the injustice of it all was not by saying, “Injustice doesn’t matter,” but by entrusting his cause to “him who judges justly.” God would see that justice is done. That was not Jesus’ calling at Calvary. (Nor is it our highest calling now. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord, Romans 12:19.)
The fifth and perhaps the clearest statement that Jesus makes about his own intentionality to die is in John 10:17-18:
For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.
Jesus’ point in these words is that he is acting completely voluntarily. He is under no constraint from any mere human. Circumstances have not overtaken him. He is not being swept along in the injustice of the moment. He is in control.
Therefore, when John says, “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16), we should feel the intensity of his love for us to the degree that we see his intentionality to suffer and die. I pray that you will feel it profoundly. And may that profound experience of being loved by Christ have this effect on you:
The love of Christ controls us . . . . He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) "

HAVE A BLESSED EASTER AND MAY YOU THE ENJOY THE FULLNESS OF OUR LORD'S RESURRECTION!

What is sin...

2008-03-20T11:44:00.000-07:00

We had our second Book Club gathering today. Great discussion on the book "Praying Backwards"
We talked about how to pray for the full glory of God. How when we pray in Jesus name we pray that His character is exhibited in us and to others. Talked about forgiveness and the fullness of God's forgiveness in Christ on the cross. We shared that an unforgiving attitude is a sin that impedes our prayers.
The girls wanted me to post Susan Wesley's definition of sin. This is what she told John Wesley when he asked her to define sin...
"Son, whatever weakens your reasoning, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away your relish for spiritual things; in short, if anything increases the authority and power of the flesh over the spirit, then that to you becomes sin, however good it is in itself."

What a wonderful definition to give our own children. We are told, that definition became the guiding beacon for John. Oh...that we as mother's would so imprint this , not only in our own minds, but in the minds and hearts of our children. That sin is anything that would rob God His due place in our hearts...regardless of how good it may appear.

Hope you have a blessed Easter. May all our hearts be filled with the majesty of our risen Lord!

Forgiveness...

2008-03-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

"Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing" Luke 23:34

This was Jesus' first cry from the cross. When He was able, in the midst of pain and suffering at an unbearable level, this is what He said. True forgiveness is not in our nature, but it is in God's.
Forgiveness sounds like a wonderful idea until it is us who have to do it. How can we forgive someone who keeps hurting us? Breaking a promise? Must we forgive when someone is out to destroy us? Or when we are the wronged party? Nowhere are those answers seen more clearly than at the cross. Now as Easter approaches, my hope is to look at the cross with the fullness of what it represents and offers...forgiveness from the One who never wronged and extended freely to all who have.

All through Jesus' ministry we see Him as one who forgives, heals, restores. Paralytics, mutes, demon-posses all seek out Jesus for healing and ultimately Jesus forgave their sins.
Erwin Lutzer in his book, "Cries from the Cross' explains it this way...
"Jesus explained that He had the right to forgive sins because He had the credentials of deity." He goes on to say: "Now at the cross, He did not exercise this divine prerogative. He asked the Father to do what He had previously done. Sacrificed as the Lamb of God, He refused the role of deity. He was God to be sure, but chose to suspend His divine rights. He so completely identified with us that He temporarily withdrew Himself from a position of authority. Yet His heart was burdened for those who had instigated and committed history's greatest crime. He prayed that the unforgivable might be forgiven."

One of the first things I notice in His cry is that relationship "Father" He says. When it is impossible for us to forgive, that is what we who have a heavenly Father must cry out also. It is as we realize how difficult it is, maybe impossible in our own strength, that we ask for the strength to forgive. When man had done his worst, Jesus prayed, not for justice but for mercy. He called out to His Father and pleaded that His enemies would be exempt from the rightful, just punishment they deserved. And He prayed not after His wounds had healed but while they were yet open. Can we cry out "Father" when our wounds are clearly exposed? When our sorrow is at it's greatest? Can we pray for forgiveness for those who are out to hurt and destroy us? What about hurt our kids? Often I can say hurt me all you want but don't touch my children! Yet here was the Son of God crying out for mercy for His and the Father's enemies.
Roman's 12:19 "Do not take revenge...but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay' says the Lord"

Here, on the cross, Jesus who has all right and power to judge and destroy chose instead to ask forgiveness on the behalf of those who deserved it. And just so we don't remove ourselves to far from this scene...our names are included in this scene. He is pleading to the Father to extend forgiveness that goes beyond that moment. Jesus often prayed that way.

John 17:20 Jesus prayed " My prayer is not for them alone, I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one."

Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes
"Now we stand as sinners at the foot of His cross, and now a puzzle difficult to understand is solved: Jesus Christ, the innocent one, prays as God's vengeance on the godless is fulfilled...the one who bore the vengeance, He alone was allowed to ask for the forgiveness of the godless."
That is you and me...what a wonderful example for us to live by. Love is at it's greatest when forgiveness is extended. The lowly are exalted when retribution is set aside. But a question still lingers...
Should we forgive those who do not ask for forgiveness? Yes...when we grant forgiveness we release our bitterness to God and commit our adversaries to Him. The goal of forgiveness is always reconciliation, but if the other party does not forgive then we must release them to God. We will find freedom and we can trust God with the outcome.
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Naples Girls meet tomorrow
10-12 pm
Brunch and discussion of chapter 1 and 2

Prayer and forgiveness

2008-03-18T04:42:00.000-07:00

My family is a boating family. David had a boat as a young man and he taught us to fish, ski , snorkel and just enjoy a day out in the ocean. We now share a boat with his brothers, but often we all daydream if we had a boat what would we name it? That is always fun hearing and reading the names of so many boats...we have seen names like "Just for Fun", "Splash", "Sea Legs" and the name we have thought for our boat is "4-given" Yes we have four children but the implication is that we have been forgiven. There is such peace, joy and rest in fully understanding that forgiveness has been granted to us through Christ.

Bryan Chapell talks about forgiveness and prayer:
"Jesus teaches us to pray 'Forgive our sins'. These three words open the door to the vast storehouse of heavens mercy. To give us the right to utter these words, Jesus gave His life. He shed His life to pay the penalty for the sin of all who trust in Him. Now, whoever asks for pardon in His name receives God's mercy forever...Jesus' willingness to teach these words as a regular patterns for our prayers greatly encourages us, because we know that we will not exhaust His mercy."
Forgiveness marks the character of a Christian. As a Christian when you fail to forgive someone else you set yourself up as a higher court than God. For God infinitely forgives. If you hold back forgiveness, that’s idolatry for you’re worshipping yourself as if you were God. You’ve usurped His place. In Ephesians 4:32 it says that we are to forgive one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven us. None of us have endured what Christ has endured and He forgave us all. He set the pattern and the example so Christians are to forgive because Christ has set up that pattern and we are to follow Him.
When we forgive we get rid of guilt and guilt can destroy a person. Unforgiveness also hinders prayers...why? Because it is sin. Where there is an unforgiving spirit there is sin. And where there is sin there is also chastening. And every son that the Lord loves He scourges and chastens, Hebrews 12 says.

But the most important reason we are to forgive is because we are forgiven. When we think of all the hundreds of offenses we stand guilty of before God, how little we are asked to forgive in comparison. Yet it is often not easy to forgive. We have been deeply hurt. Can I suggest a couple of steps we can take to express forgiveness and live in the peace that it brings. First...forgiveness is a decision. Even more, we are commanded to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. So it must be a choice. We have to say "I forgive you". And every time that resentment and hurt rises up in us, we have to say again "I have forgiven". So we need to remind ourselves, that we have forgiven.
Second, don't let emotions lead. What I mean by that, our heart can take over what our mind tells us. If we know we have forgiven, we have to tell our heart also. That means we stop our emotions from digging up all those old feelings. We "take very thought captive under the authority of Christ" We say to ourselves "I have forgiven because I have been forgiven for greater things".
So we make a conscious choice to forgive and every time afterwards, when those hurt feeling rise up again, we remember we have forgiven and let go.
And third we take our emotions and mind to the cross and pray that God would cause us to forget the pain. We can make a conscious choice to forgive but God is the one who will help us forget. So we move to the cross. Scripture tells us "as far as the East is from the West" He has forgiven us and will not remember our offenses anymore. I find it so comforting as we look at the Old Testament against the New. In the Old Testament we see godly men and women depicted in the fullness of their lives. They sin, make wrong decisions. We see Abraham and his lies. We see Lot and his lure towards worldliness, Jacob and his deceit and so many others. God did not spare to show us their rebellious nature. Yet when we move to the New Testament their sins are not replayed for us. They are now depicted in the full grace and forgiveness of the Cross. That is the way we are seen after the cross. Sins forgiven and recalled no more.
God can do that for us. As we choose to forgive He will cause us to remember no more. This does take time, as we discipline our thoughts taking them directly to the cross.
Mr. Chapell tells us :
"Jesus teaches us to approach our heavenly Father with the humility to ask 'Lord, let me not only know your forgiveness but radiate it' "

Is there someone, as you have been reading this, God has placed in your mind? Do you need to extend forgiveness? Have you ever made the choice to forgive? Or do you need to take that thought captive under the authority of Christ?
Today could be the day to life in peace and joy and guilt-free.

The Lord's Prayer...keep from temptation

2008-03-17T06:04:00.000-07:00

We are making our way through Bryan Chapell's book "Praying Backwards". One of the first thoughts that impressed me is his instruction was that if we put the person of Jesus Christ first in our prayers there is change in our heart, mind and even petitions. As we focus on Christ...His power, compassion, love and truth ignite a fervency for His glory in our lives and diminish a self-seeking approach to prayer.
In his section sub-titled "Keep from temptation" he explains why we ask God for our "daily bread" and he uses Solomon's petitions to provide great insight why our dependency on His provision daily (sometimes minute by minute) is a way to keep us from the temptation to become self-sufficient:
"Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. OTHERWISE, I may have too much and disown you and say 'Who is the Lord?' or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God" Proverbs 30:8-9.
Here is the divine balance we seek from God...don't give me to much or too little for in both of these I will turn away from you and be satisfied in my own efforts. Temptation to sin can come when you have too much or even to little. So therefore, the request to give "us our daily bread" establishes our need to be dependant not just for bread but for Him every day.

"Thus the prayer for daily bread naturally flows into the petition 'Lead us not into temptation' . By granting the earlier petition, God provides the means to fulfill the latter one. And in combination , both petitions guard the spiritual health of believers and orient their lives toward fulfilling God's will.
Jesus does not pray with the expectation that God would ever tempt us. The Bible teaches 'When tempted, no one should say 'God is tempting me.' For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. (James 1:13) Instead we we are tempted when selfish priorities and evil desires cause us to forsake the will of God. (v14) The trials God uses to build up our faith, Satan tries to hijack and use as temptation to tear down our spiritual commitment. In this sense, the very same circumstance can be a nurturing instrument from God's heart and a injurious temptation in Satan's hand. Ultimately, the key to whether a circumstance is a trial or a temptation is not found in its features but in our heart. The Lord's prayer teaches us to pray that God, who knows the capabilities of our heart, would keep us from anything that satan could use to overpower our ability to do God's will." (page 42)

What a great admonition to us...that God would keep us from being to satisfied in our own efforts because in that position or thought is the very temptation to dishonor Him. If ever we think "I will do" or "I will accomplish this" or even "I will take this" apart from God's provision, we dishonor Him and place ourselves in a position to be tempted by satan.
Is there an area in you life where you are talking to yourself this way? Are you taking before it is given? Have we have become so self-sufficient that we no longer see God's grace? Remember that one sin is what cause satan to be cast out of heaven ....
Isaiah 14: 12-15
How you have fallen from heaven
O morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to earth
you who one laid low the nations!
You said in your heart,
"I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly
on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.
But you where brought down to the grave
to the depths of the pit."
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Pray for humility.... that is when Christ is most exalted. Be satisfied in Him and He will give you the desires of your heart because they are His.

Smile it is Friday!

2008-03-14T05:01:00.000-07:00

If you have not caught up with the past few posts, take a look. Kim left a great comment with additional insights on yesterday's post...
Those that are reading along in "Praying Backwards" what are your thoughts on the Civil War soldier's prayer? (page 37-38)

"I asked God for strength that I might achieve,
I was made weak that I might humbly learn to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do great things.
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy.
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything that I hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
among all men I am most richly blessed"

The discovery of true blessing always depicts the journey that God's desire is always to give us more fully, graciously and suitably the very things we want but mistakenly seek elsewhere.

ETERNITY WAS PUT IN OUR HEART...WE WILL NEVER BE SATISFIED UNTIL WE ARE SATISFIED IN CHRIST. ALL THE LONGINGS WE HAVE FOR THINGS ARE MEANT TO LEAD US TO CHRIST, WHERE WE CAN FIND FULL SATISFACTION.

THOUGHTS?

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have a great weekend!

How to pray the will of God

2008-03-13T05:14:00.000-07:00

On a personal note:
I have to say that this little blog started out as a "note of encouragement" to some of the ladies that attend my local church. It was a way that we could keep in touch and my hope was that they would find something helpful to their lives in these short little posts. I knew them and they knew me, and with that would come "forgiveness" for typos or run-on sentences because I tend to write slower than my mind gives it to me. And also, because often, I write very early in the morning when the coffee has not kicked in and the senses are not in full attention.
So I must apologise to you all, who stop by and read these posts. Lately, my typos have been many. I noticed this, because as you send me e-mails and tag the post, I re-read what I wrote and say "oops!". I hope to improve on this and I hope you still come to the full understanding of what is being said. Thanks for your patience. If you can offer any insight, let me know.
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We have been discussing "prayer" in the name of Jesus and for a believer. How to pray God's will is always something that comes up. I ran into this Question and Answer session John MacArthur gave and once again, why try and re-write what is so clear and Biblical ? Hope this adds to your understanding and provides clarity.
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He starts...
"How do I know the Will of God?" "I'm trying, I'm praying, I'm asking how do I know if its me or if its God, and so forth and so on?" How can I know the Will of God? Here is a simple plan...

The first thing you do is to go to the Bible. Sound reasonable? You go to the Bible and find out what the Will of God is. Good, let's look very quickly.

1Timothy 2:3-4
"God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." The first thing that God wills, is that you be what? Saved. You be saved. Do you want to do the will of God? Then get saved, come to Christ.

Second thing, Ephesians 5:17 "So then, do not be, Foolish." Can you think of a word that means the same and starts with "S"? Right. Don't be Stupid. "But understand what the will of the Lord is."

Now, let me ask you a question, if you don't know what the will of God is, what are you? What are you? You say, "Is that in the Bible?" It says, "Don't be stupid, know the will of God. If you don't know the will of God then you are stupid. You say, "Well, now wait a minute, it should say, 'Don't be foolish, but try to find the will of God.’" No. You say, "I'm looking, I'm looking."

Well, don't look too far its in the next verse, "Do not get drunk with wine for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit." The first thing God wills is that you be saved, the second thing He wills is that you be Spirit filled.

"Spirit filled," what does that mean? Controlled by the Holy Spirit. That's God's will. That's God's will. 1Thessalonians 4:3 you know it is amazing to me, people running around looking for God's will. I have seen this through the years, "You know I am trying to find God's will. I am searching for God's will, you know." And they get real mystical, they think they are going to run down the street, slip on a banana peel and land on a map of Argentina. You know, that's a missionary call. They are waiting for God to say something out of heaven.

Look, verse 3, "This is the will of God, your," what? "Sanctification." God wills that you be saved; God wills that you be Spirit filled; God wills that you be sanctified. What do you mean by that? "That you abstain from," what? "Sexual immorality." That's God's will. Stay away from sexual immorality.

You see God's will is very, very specific. Look at 1Peter, chapter 2, verse 13, "Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether to a King as one in authority, or to governors as sent by Him for the punishment of evil doers, and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God, that by doing right, you may silence the ignorance of foolish men."

Fourth thing, be submissive. Submit to the authorities, be a model citizen, do right, that's the will of God, that's the will of God. Very basic, that's God's will. God's will is that you be saved; God's will is that you be Spirit filled; God's will is that you be sanctified; God's will is that you be submissive.

And then would you notice in chapter 3, verse 17, "It is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer, for doing for what is right." How committed are you to doing what is right?

Five things, Saved; Spirit filled; Sanctified; Submissive; willing to Suffer for doing what is right. You say, "That doesn't help me to know God's will." Sure it does. Let me tell you something. If you are saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and doing right to the degree that you would even suffer, do you know what the next step in God's will is? Whatever you want!

You say, "You are kidding." No, because, who is controlling your desires? Do you know what it says in Psalm 37:4? "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you," what? "The desires of your heart." Do you know what that means? That doesn't mean, "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you what you want." What it means is, "Delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." He will put His desires in your heart.

People say, "Well, why did you go to Grace Church?" And I say, "I wanted too." "Oh! You wanted too! That's not very Spiritual." Well, it is if you are saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, and suffering, because who is in control of my wants? God leads through your desire, beloved. But don't trust you desire unless the things you know of God's will are true.

Simply, this is the system: If I am doing what is already revealed as God's will, then I am not going to have any trouble with the part that isn't revealed. Right? He's going to lead me to the right place; lead me to the right people; lead me to the right relationship.

Guys always say, "How do I find the right wife?" Very simple, be the right husband. You be all that God has called you to be, you be living in the will of God, saved, Spirit-filled, sanctified, submissive, suffering if need be for what is right, and if you are the person that God has designed you to be then God will lead you the next step and give you the desire of your heart for the woman that he wants you to marry.

God moves through desires in the heart of the person that is committed to Him.

Prayer..."I will not let go!"

2008-03-12T03:53:00.000-07:00

There is an old saying that goes "When it is hardest to pray, pray harder". How true this is. But why is it so hard to pray? If you've been a believer very long, you know that serious prayer is hard work. You know it's a simple privilege we have to come and talk with God as our Heavenly Father and commune with Him. But you also know there's something in this physical body of ours, there is something in me as a fallen being - redeemed though I am - that resists and fights against that privilege. As you contemplate your life, you wonder why is it so hard to find time to spend with God in prayer? Think back over the past week. How much time did you seriously, intently pray in a way that would be described as hard work? When I get done with my prayer time, am I really tired? That is hard work.
You know, we use the excuse that we're busy. Martin Luther's observation was that his days were so busy he could not start the day with less than four hours of prayer. When you stop and think about it, that makes sense, doesn't it? The busier my day is going to be, the more I have to talk over with my God. But instead my thought is that my day's too busy. I have to clip my prayer. "Lord, it's going to be a busy day. Bless me in all I do. Thanks." Out the door. But how much more I would have resolved the difficulties of that day if I had just said, "Lord, this day is awful busy. We've got some things to talk about." Struggling in prayer is intense labor.
We sometimes get disheartened. We don't see change...our loved ones still continue in unbelief, rebellion. Our circumstances don't seem to change.

What should be the focus that compels us to pray? Look at Romans 11:33. These two words are used - wisdom and knowledge. "Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" Jesus Christ is God. In Him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. And He is the One in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. So because in Him is all wisdom and knowledge, then that is why we persevere in prayer.

In Genesis there is a great passage where Jacob is wrestling with God. Genesis 32:24-29:
"Then Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh, so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said "let me go for the dawn is breaking", But he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me" And he said "what is your name?" And he said "Jacob". And he said "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed."

At this time, Jacob was in fear of meeting his brother Esau. You know the story...Jacob had tricked his father and literally "stolen" a blessing that was meant for Esau. Esau had wanted to kill Jacob, and now years later they are about to meet. And fear grips Jacob. And when he was left alone, a man came to him and they wrestled all night. This man, we are told in verse 28 is God. And Jacob would not let God go until he had received a blessing. He knew in his mind how the day would turn out to be. He would not go and meet Esau without a blessing from God. All night this "wrestling continued" Physical pain came from it as his hip bone was separated. There was agony. Determination. Perseverance. And in the end...at daybreak...Jacob received his blessing. His name was changed to Israel. And a blessing came with that name..Israel means "a man of prayer" Jacob who in his past was a man of trickery...deceit...manipulation...taking control of his own destiny and life was now a man of prayer.
Jacob was now about to face the complete result of all those years of manipulation and treachery...his brother Esau...Prayer with God and seeking God's favor was all that he could rely upon. God changed his name after this night and changed his future forever!

Prayer is like that. We wrestle with our pride, our self-conceived notion of how our life should be. We wrestle with God in confusion...fear....doubt. Not only for our sake but for the sake of others.

I want us to notice that Jacob would not let go until God answered. Do you and I pray like that. Do we "let go" to quickly and then return to a life ruled by "self-will and self-determination"? What blessing are we missing for lack of perseverance?
Prayer is hard work. It often costs us...time...sleep...even physical pain (knees hurting from kneeling to long) But what a blessing would we receive if we "hung on" just like Jacob? What if you and I said as Jacob "I will not let you go until I receive a blessing" And we would hang-on...and keep praying...at all times...in all situations.

Praying for God's glory demands prayer like that. When God answers prayer like that it is for His glory and for His people's good. A blessing is not necessarily removing a situation...Jacob still meat Esau, but the result was totally unexpected...peace. God did not remove Jacob from that meeting...but changed Esau's heart and Jacobs heart...enough that they separated in peace. Jacob's fears were grounded in the flesh and guilt of what he had done in the past. But through prayer and perseverance, God restored and refreshed him in ways he could not have foreseen.
This is what prayer can do...why don't we overcome those hard times with more prayer? Why do we sell out way before the time? Can you and I this week, commit to persevere and "don't let go" until God answers?

Praying Backwards

2008-03-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

The privilege of Jesus' name...

What is in a name? Today much care is given as we name our children. We try to think about what the name means...often we pick a name because it was "in the family", it highlights a special relationship...it reminds us of a dear loved one. Is Jesus' name any different?

Matthew 1:21 tells us of the choosing of the name of Jesus...
"And she will bear a son and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is Him who will save His people from their sins"

This was Jesus' "human" name. It means Savior. Notice it was not Mary and Joseph who chose His name...it was God Himself...The Father...who chose His Son's name. And in that name is Jesus' purpose. He would save His people from their sin.

Matthew 1:1 tells begins the Gospel of Matthew with a genealogy. It begins: "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ..."

First of all, the word "Christ" comes from "christos", a Greek word meaning "anointed". It is the equivalent of the word "moshiach", or Messiah, in Hebrew. So, to be the Christ, or Messiah, is to be "the anointed one of God". Christ is His title...Jesus is His name. Put them together and we have "Jesus Christ: The Savior who is the Messiah or the Anointed one"When we pray in His name we pray to the Savior who came to save His own and He alone is the anointed One who can.

Brian Chapell says: "Our prayers are not more powerful because we chant our Savior's name like a magic spell...Behind Christ's instruction to use His name is the understanding that He makes it possible for us to approach God." In His name we can come confidently to the Throne of Grace.

Hebrew 4:14-16: "Therefore since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are--yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need"

What a great promise this is for those who believe in the full name of Christ. This is a promise to claim. Most people seem to think that God is far-off and removed from their experiences or unreliable with their feelings. That is so untrue. Jesus was the very son of God and as He was fully divine He was also fully human. In prayer we seek the One who will sympathize with our weakness but yet the One who triumphed over them. Our great High Priest not only is perfectly merciful but also powerful to walk us through it. The one who understand us perfectly will also provide for us perfectly. And we can come confidently to Throne of Grace and wait on His answer...knowing that He hears and understands. God's Throne of Judgement is now a Throne of Grace because we enter in the name of Jesus...the one who has saved us and the one who carries us.

John MacArthur puts it this way... "The Bible speaks so much of God's justice. But how terrible for us if He were only just and not also gracious. Sinful man deserves death, the sentence of justice; but he needs salvation, the gift of grace...How can anyone reject such a high priest, such a Savior--who not only permits us to come before His throne for grace and help, but pleads with us to come in confidence? His Spirit says "Come boldly all the way to God's throne that has been turned into a throne of grace because of Jesus." Come all the way up, receive grace and mercy when you need it--before it is to late and your heart is hard and God's 'today' is over"

Mr Chapell goes on in Chapter 1: "Thus prayer in Jesus name is not an incantation to make US worthy of divine attention; it is a confession that we are unworthy of even approaching God apart from the mercy and merits of our Savior. We pray in the name of Jesus to profess our need of Him and to proclaim our trust in the provision of righteousness He made for us."

Today is the day of grace...a day to believe in the fullness of Jesus Christ. The Savior...the Anointed one who can to save His people from their sin. Can you boldly and confidently approach the Throne? Has God's throne of judgement become the God's throne of grace for you? If not...the today is the day. Call on the Savior...He will save.

BOOK CLUB BEGINS...

2008-03-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

Short post today...

Today the "Naples Girls" met and we chatted about our new selection "Praying Backwards".
Some of the questions we answered were:
"What is your greatest hindrance to pray?"
"If you could ask God anything, what would you ask?"

I ask you the same questions...

"What hinders you from praying"
and
"What would you ask God if you could ask Him anything?"
Let me know...

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Assignment for those that are doing the Book Club:

Read the first two Chapters in the next two weeks...
There will be some thought provoking questions in the days to come...
Please feel free to join the discussion
through e-mail or by posting.

Next "Naples Girls" get together
Thursday March 20th
to discuss Chapter 1 and 2

Praying Backwards?

2008-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Bryan Chapell's book "Praying Backwards" caught my attention a few weeks ago for reasons I still can't explain. The title is a bit intriguing. The subtitle-- "Transform your prayer life by beginning in Jesus' name" That expresses it a bit better so it keeps my attention further.
Once I opened the book his introduction begins...
"How would your prayer change if you began where you normally end?
We habitually end our prayers with the phrase "In Jesus' name, amen."
The amen means "truly" or even "I really mean this".
But what are we actually saying?
We are supposed to be saying that everything we prayed for was offered "in Jesus name"---for His honor and purposes.
When we pray "in Jesus name" we pray for His sake more than ours"....
Yikes! he has me now. "We pray for His sake more than ours" Is that really how I am supposed to pray? Let me see...I ask..I ask again...and most of what I ask is for relief, for comfort, for direction. Is that for His sake or mine? I think when I really began to let these words settle in my heart, I realized how much of what I pray is for me and how little is for Him.
When we looked at the prayers in the Bible ( Feb 4-21 posts) I think it was clear that these prayers were focused on God's purposes, God's riches, God's merit, God's full authority to judge our sins and His faithfulness to His promises. Quite different prayer life than most of us can claim.

Mr. Chapell goes on to say ...
"Often we focus on asking God to ease our worries and satisfy our wants before adding "in Jesus' name" as an obligatory seasoning to make our petitions palatable to God. Some of us may even have been taught to use the name of Jesus to "claim the desires of our heart". Such teachings encourages to end our prayer "in the name of Jesus" to get whatever we want."

I am so thrilled to begin this book. Already it has challenged my prayer life.
He finishes his introduction with...
"Praying backwards simply ensures that He (Jesus) comes first in our thoughts so that we are prompted to make Him first in our priorities. Such Christ-centered prayer is no great sacrifice; for when He is first in our priorities, our needs are first in His heart...When we pray "all for Jesus", He makes our life a candle that lights this present darkness and burns for His glory forever."
I hope you will find this book heart-changing and prayer-stimulating. Prayer is our dialogue with God. It is how we elevate our minds and hearts so that when we look at our earthly circumstances we say "it is all for His glory". Does your prayer life need such a change?
If so, it is not too late to join us.
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A couple of questions to think about...
Who is the focus of my prayer?
Do I seek God's glory as I pray?
Am I challenged by this thought..."Praying Backwards"?

Further clarification...

2008-03-04T16:22:00.000-08:00

I received this e-mail from a wonderful friend and I thought our conversation might add additional light to yesterday's post...

"But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? "

Hey my precious friend,

I hope you are feeling better. I so appreciate your posting yesterday and there still remains some confusion out there on whether the believing spouse who has been abandoned can initiate the divorce. I have heard Christian counselors justify "the unbelieving spouse's departure", not forcing divorce, but separation (sometimes for years because they don't want to be married and don't want to be financially responsible either) is grounds for the believing wife to initiate divorce. I personally in my S.S. class years ago had this situation happen twice. One husband just disappeared for years. She was finally encouraged by her Christian counselor to divorce. Another situation the departing husband had an affair and after years of his departure and she was encouraged by her lawyer to divorce and she felt she had biblical grounds, from the adultery not necessarily the abandonment.
Kim

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Hi Kim...

This is hard stuff but I think Biblically speaking is never right to initiate divorce unless there has been marital infidelity. I think that because of the covenant relationship , whether one is wayward and rebellious, who is to say that the wayward spouse is beyond reconciliation? I believe here, it becomes a matter of conscience and heart search. It is hard to say when a relationship is beyond God's intervention. I look at my own life...how rebellious and wayward was I towards Him? Many would have given up on me but He never did.
Again, I think while the spouse is still unmarried and alive, reconciliation is still Biblically possible. As I have heard it said "It is hard to now when to condone a step that decisively cuts "asunder" what God meant to be permanent and still can be made permanent (1 Corinthians 7:10-11). "
That being said, there are some who do permit abandonment as a reason for divorce. Many believe that 1 Corinthians 7:15 ("If the unbelieving partner desires to separate, let it be so, in such a case the brother or sister is not bound.") gives freedom to a Christian to remarry if abandoned. Also, denying remarriage can put a strain on the chastity of the divorced person who may not believe he or she has the gift of celibacy ( Matthew 19, 1 Corinthians 7:7).
Many sound Biblical churches believe divorce may be permitted when a spouse deserts the relationship, commits adultery, or is dangerously abusive (1 Cor. 7:15; Matthew 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:11).
I think we have to go back to what Jesus says why Moses granted divorce... "the hardness of heart" (Matthew 19:8; Mark 10:5). So, as we seek Biblical counseling there is room to move about...always checking our conscience and motive. If a spouse has done all he or she can do to be reconciled and has prayed much and even struggled with this hard decision and God gives release...then I think it is OK. So I don't know if I answered your question or not...I think divorce should always be the last resource.
Our response should always be gracious and loving. God has forgiven us all much...I remember that "God hates Divorce" (Mal. 2:16 )but He does not hate the divorcee.

God's Word directs in tough situations...

2008-03-03T06:37:00.000-08:00

Last week we talked about "knowing God's will and our conscience" Scripture reveals God's will for us...sometimes it is hard to hear Him speak because of confused hearts and minds. This past week there have been a lot of questions regarding "marriage...divorce and re-marriage" I myself continue to learn what Jesus is telling us in Matthew 19. Here is a part of a Q&A session John Piper had at his Church. I am just sharing it with those who are struggling with this. My prayer is that it provides clarity and direction. As always, we can ask God for His grace to walk through such times humbly and obediently. For those who are not in such times, we need to love and offer grace just as God freely gives it. But we must start with God's Word...

"If a divorced person has already married again, should he or she leave the later marriage?
The reason this question comes with such force is that Jesus speaks of the second marriage as committing adultery. Luke 16:18, “Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.”
My answer is that remarriage, while a divorced spouse is still living, is an act of unfaithfulness to the marriage covenant. In that sense, to remarry is adultery. We promised, “till death do us part” because that is what God says marriage is, and even if our spouse breaks his or her covenant vows, we will not break ours.
ButI do not think that a person who remarries against God’s will, and thus commits adultery in this way, should later break the second marriage. The marriage should not have been done, but now that it is done, it should not be undone by man. It is a real marriage. Real vows have been made and sexual union has happened. And that real covenant of marriage may be purified by the blood of Jesus and set apart for God. In other words, I don’t think that a couple who repents and seeks God’s forgiveness, and receives his cleansing, should think of their lives as ongoing adultery
There are several reasons for why I believe this:
1) First, back in Deuteronomy 24:1-4, where the permission for divorce was given in the law of Moses, it speaks of the divorced woman being “defiled” in the second marriage so that it would be an abomination for her to return to her first husband, even if her second husband died. This language of defilement is similar to Jesus’ language of adultery. And yet the second marriage stood. It was defiling in some sense, yet it was valid.
2) Another reason I think remarried couples should stay together is that when Jesus met the woman of Samaria, he said to her, “You have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband” (John 4:18). When Jesus says, “The one you have now is not your husband,” he seems to imply that the other five were. Not that it’s right to divorce and marry five times. But the way Jesus speaks of it, it sounds as though he saw them as real marriages. Illicit. Adulterous to enter into, but real. Valid.
3) And the third reason I think remarried couples should stay together is that even vows that should not be made, once they are made, should generally be kept. I don’t want to make that absolute, but there are passages in the Bible that speak of vows being made that should not have been made, but were right to keep (like Joshua’s vow to the Gibeonites in Joshua 9). God puts a very high value on keeping our word, even where it gets us in trouble (“The godly man] swears to his own hurt and does not change,” Psalm 15:4). In other words, it would have been more in keeping with God’s revealed will not to remarry, but adding the sin of another covenant breaking does not please God more.
There are marriages in this church that are second marriages for one or both partners which, in my view should not have happened, and are today godly marriages—marriages which are clean and holy, and in which forgiven, justified husbands and wives please God by the way they relate to each other. As forgiven, cleansed, Spirit-led followers of Jesus, they are not committing adultery in their marriage. It began as it should not have, and has become holy.

If an unbelieving spouse insists on leaving a believing spouse, what should the believing spouse do?
Paul’s answer in 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 goes like this:
"To the rest I say (I, not the Lord which I think means, I don’t have a specific command from the historical teachings of Jesus, but I am led by his Spirit) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him. For the unbelieving husband is made holy because of his wife, and the unbelieving wife is made holy because of her husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy. "

Which I take to mean that marriage is such a holy union in God’s eyes that a believer, a child of God, is not defiled by having sexual relations with an enemy of the cross; and the children are not born with any kind of special contamination because the father or mother is an enemy of Christ. They’re not saved by being married to a believer or born to a believer, but they are set apart for proper and holy use in the marriage.
But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace. For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife? "

So the answer of this passage is that if divorce is forced on a believer by an unbeliever, the believer should not make war on the unbeliever to make the unbeliever stay. The reason Paul gives for this is in verse 15b, “God has called you to peace.” I do not believe this text teaches that we are free to remarry when this happens. Some take the words, “In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved,” to mean: “is free to remarry.”
There are several reasons why I don’t think it means that:
1) When Paul says in verse 15, “In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved (or bound),” I think he means, “not enslaved to stay married when the unbeliever over time insists on leaving and sues for divorce.” He’s not saying, “The brother or sister is not enslaved to stay single—and thus free to remarry,” because Paul, the lover of singleness, would not have spoken of singleness as a state of slavery or bondage. It is very unlikely Paul would talk like that.
2) The second reason I don’t think he is saying the abandoned spouse is free to remarry is that he just pointed us in the opposite direction in verses 10-11, “To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce his wife.” With a statement like that in front of me (“if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband”), I am not inclined to think Paul is supporting remarriage four verses later.
3) The third reason I don’t think he is supporting remarriage when he says, “the brother or sister is not bound,” is that Paul’s argument in the next verse (v. 16) doesn’t support that. It supports freedom to accept divorce peacefully, not freedom to remarry. Verse 16 says, “For how do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?” In other words, you don’t know, and therefore you can’t use that as an argument to create an ugly fight to stay married. So the words in verse 15, “In such cases the brother or sister is not enslaved,” mean you are not enslaved to this marriage when your unbelieving spouse demands out, because you have no assurance that fighting to stay in will save him.
4) And a fourth reason for believing Paul upholds Jesus’ ideal of no remarriage after divorce while the estranged spouse is alive is verse 39: “A wife is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord.” So it seems to me that Paul and Jesus are of one mind that followers of Jesus are radically devoted to one husband and one wife as long as they both shall live. This ideal tells the gospel truth most clearly: Christ died for his bride and never forsakes her. "

Today there is so much "brokenness" within the Church.
I believe today is a day of grace and if we "confess our sins He is faithful to forgive us".
Today is also a day of promises...God's mercies are new everyday.
For those that are struggling and suffering, my prayer is that you find joy and peace in the love of the Savior. Live today in the full forgiveness and restoration God provides us in His Son.
God will never leave you or abandon you...
Those who are struggling with past decisions...come to rest in the forgiveness of Christ and find joy today.

How to equip our conscience

2008-02-27T04:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post produced some questions.

How can I make sure my conscience will guide me correctly?

How can I build-up my conscience?

Those are great questions and I want to offer 5 ways to build up your

conscience so it will be quick to protect and warn us.

1-Saturate your mind with the Word of God.

It goes without saying..."What goes in is what comes out". The more you saturate ourselves with the way "God Thinks" the more we will think like Him and see the world the way he does. It all begins here. The Scriptures will become your "sphere of influence" if that is what is in your mind.

2-Be quick to apply principles from your study of God's Word.

We learn by application...not just head knowledge. Take what you have read and purposefully look for an opportunity to apply it. God delights in the quick obedience of His children. In Scripture we can see faithful example of quick obedience...Isaiah, Abraham, the disciples. These men heard God and the wasted no time to obey and apply what God had said.

3-When you learn a Biblical truth...don't budge.

Keep absolutes and build on them. Where God has spoken clearly and definitively stand on those principles and DON'T move. Don't try and rationalize your way out ("That can't apply for today"..."Maybe just this one time" or "No one will see") The second we excuse our way out of obedience we have "short circuited" our conscience.

4- Have a plan to get out.

If you find yourself in a situation that will lead to a fall...look for a quick way out. If you make a plan ahead of time, when the need arises for you to "flee" it will be automatic. Practice makes perfection here. As Nike says "Just do it". Your conscience will lead you out once you have established a pattern of escape.

5-Be accountable to another.

Godly friendships are key. If you have a weakness for spending money, let your friend know and ask her to "call-you out" when she sees a leading towards it. Have someone pray for you in these weakness and trials. Often I call friends just to say "pray" when I am facing a difficult decision. Knowing I have someone praying become like a "trigger" to know God is with me and my conscience is made sensitive to that.

Hope that helps everyone. It's a short post today... I have caught that nasty "flu bug" so I am back to bed!

BOOK CLUB UP-DATE:

NEXT WEEK WE START "PRAYING BACKWARDS"

Posts on Monday (MARCH 10TH) will start an overview of the discussion and Chapters. I am really looking forward to it.

Decision-making questions...

2008-02-27T02:21:00.000-08:00

I hope yesterday’s post was in someway beneficial to you. All the time we hear “I don’t know if that is God’s will for me” or “I am waiting on God to show me”.

I totally understand that there are some decisions we need to wait and weigh heavily with God's Word…these decisions require prayer and often fasting and very wise counsel.

More often, it is just day-to-day decisions we must make. In these cases we get bogged down and burdened. I freeze or if I move forward there is guilt. Whether we watch TV or do sports on Sunday even worship on Saturday…Christians differ on these issues.
In addition to the “Three Lighthouses” approach to discerning God’s will, I want to suggest a series of questions we can ask ourselves to discern what is God’s will for us.

These questions are taken from a sermon by John MacArthur at his Grace Community Church.

1-Will it be spiritually profitable?
1 Cor 6:12 says “All things are lawful, but not all things are beneficial” Paul here is talking about the things Scripture does not explicitly warn us to keep away from. The warning we receive in Scripture we are to obey. What he is speaking of here, are the “non-moral” issues, the things Scripture is silent about. So, I ask myself the question that Paul is posing right here, will my doing this enhance my spiritual life? Will it cultivate godliness? Will it be profitable to me? Will it be to my spiritual advantage? In other words, I'm not looking at life from the standpoint of--Boy, can I do this and get away with it? I'm looking at life--Can I do this and have it increase my godliness? 1 Cor 14:26 “Let all things be done unto edification”

2- Will it slow me down in my spiritual race?
Paul often refers to his life as a race. (1Cor 9; Hebrews 1:12) We are exhorted to putt off things that would weigh us down. The idea is things that would distract us from finishing the race. It is something that weighs us down, diverts our priorities, takes our attention, sucks our energy, dampens our enthusiasm for the things of God. Often it is more a matter of taking things out of our lives that are draining our energies and dimming our focus. Often we begin our day with a caffeine jolt in the hopes that we get everything in! Then at the end of the day, we see we had no quiet time or time to pray. We have been distracted.

3-Will it bring me into bondage?
This is one we have to be careful about. It is looking at choices from the view is this my weakness? Would this be a crack that the adversary could come in and destroy? I think right away of the wicked temptation that the Internet can be…so many catch just a glimpse of pornography and they are hooked. They think it begins innocently enough and before you know it…you are hooked…in bondage. Marriages are broken, children are seduced and lives are destroyed…all from one innocent look…and then a second…and then….
I think also of prescription drugs…we begin taking them to relieve pain and then many combine and self-prescribe and soon addiction. Sports, cooking…eating can quickly control us. There are many things that can enslave us that come from creation which God designed to be ruled by us. How many people could have avoided the dreadful circumstances they are in, had they just avoided that first inclination.

4-Will this cover-up my sin?
1 Peter 2:16, "Don't use your freedom for a cloak to cover your evil."
Ask yourself, is this really something that benefits me spiritually. Is it for my spiritual profit? Is this something that builds me up? Is this something that is not unnecessary bulk but something helpful? Is this something that will not lead me into bondage? Or am I really cloaking over my evil desire? Look at your motive. Having an excuse to "buy" because of a special event or because "I deserve it" can cover up an addiction to shopping. Lack of hospitality can cover-up the sin of laziness. Eating can deceive us when we are eating to fill an empty void...whether it is lack of time with God or lack of affection. A neglected friend can be a cover-up for a hurt she may have inadvertently committed.

5-Will it violate my conscience?
Our conscience is a very valuable tool that God has designed and given us for protection. We tell our kids all the time, listen quickly to your conscience because if you don’t and you suppress it soon does not function properly. Once in a while, our second daughter will come home from a High School party early and say “They started to drink so I left” Now she was not drinking, but her conscience told her, something could happen here so “get out!” and she listened. Another time a group of band members went on a trip and she said “I don’t think I should go” We supported her insight and found out later that the trip’s highlight was sneaking out and getting drunk. Several kids were put in probation and the band’s next trip was canceled. Her conscious warned her and she responded.

Our conscience when properly guided by the Holy Spirit is a great warning mechanism. We must respond quickly and NOT suppress the thoughts.

In 1984 an Avonca Jet crashed in Spain. As always after a crash like that, investigators study the accident scene looking for the black box. The black box was found and they reconstructed the conversation to determine why the accident happened. When the found the black box and they played it, it showed that several minutes before the plane crashed a computer voice from the plane's automatic warning system told the crew repeatedly "pull up, pull up, pull up, pull up." The pilot sarcastically snapped back "shut up gringo!" and flipped off the switch. Minutes later the plane smashed into the mountain and everybody was killed.

Our conscience often tells us "Get out"..."Don't go there"... how much pain and destruction could we avoid if we listened and obeyed.

Tomorrow a couple more questions to think about.

Making decisions

2008-02-26T09:20:00.000-08:00

Making decisions can at times be daunting. This past week I have sought God for wisdom regarding a decision I had to make. As I wrestled with God and my own ideas and emotions it became painfully aware to me, that God gives wisdom to His children. God does not like confusion…He is a God of order and revelation NOT chaos and NOT concealment. His delight is to show Himself to us. Now there are great mysteries about God that He reserves the right to conceal but in regards to our lives He loves showing us the way.
What happens to us is that we hear too many other “voices” and do not have the “ear” to hear His distinct voice.
How does God give wisdom when we are asking for a specific direction? How can we confidently and joyously discern God’s will for our lives? How does God answer our plea for direction?

I have found in the past years three “lighthouses” as I have heard them called. I have come to seek direction by looking for the “lighthouses” There are three distinct ways that light up the way to go. I hope you find these encouraging and maybe even timely…

First: I have to begin with my view and understanding of who God is. He is sovereign. That means He is independent…He rules over His creation…He not only oversees it but actually purposes events so that His Glory may be displayed. There is nothing in my life or yours that God has missed and is playing catch-up! So because He is sovereign and purposeful, I can begin to look at circumstances around me as in His total control. I gain insight as I observe patterns in my life with the perspective that God is at work. I glean from my children…their conversations…my husband and his countenance, his demeanor. I watch situations that are totally out of my control and wonder is this a clearing to walk through? I survey my relationships…are they God-centered or self-centered…is God removing or adding friends? So you begin by looking at circumstances and asking the question… Am I to go this way?

Second: As God is sovereign in all things: circumstances and events-- He is also sovereign in the details. So I begin to look at what am I learning in His Word? What am I reading? Where am I studying? Is God warning me there? Encouraging? Comforting? Telling me to wait? In God’s purposeful sovereignty, He will have me where I need to be in His Word so I am hearing from Him. It is no coincidence that you maybe in a chapter in Scripture which speaks right to you heart. That is God speaking through His word to you. His Word is always relevant and always a revelation.

Third: Because of His sovereignty, I can look at circumstances and gain clarity through studying His Word. And this is where the third “lighthouse” goes. This last “lighthouse” is a peace that surpasses all understanding. Because I know His sovereignty and because His Word is affirming what I see or am experiencing, I have peace that is not dependent on anything physical…just simply in knowing He is guiding me. That peace can not be “mustered-up” or “brought-on” by anything or anyone…it is the peace of God Himself drawing us near to Him. It is the peace that says…”I am in control…do not be anxious for anything”

A word of caution here for all of us…we do have an adversary that can influence circumstances and our own emotions can often deceive us. We need to be careful that all three are present…and the most important “lighthouse” is the Word of God. If we are moved only by circumstances and a temporal peace that is not enough to move confidently. It is only by God’s Grace that we don’t get in bigger trouble! But when we line up the three: Sovereign circumstances, His Word and the peace that surpasses all circumstances, we can move confidently and joyously! God desires for His own to live in a joyous manner…seeking Him.

I hope that encourages you…more on that tomorrow.

The Word...

2008-02-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

I went this weekend to a "Casting Crowns" concert...I am trying to get back to the routine of the day...needless to say those of you who know what it is like to get back to "life" understand that it takes a few days to do that...groceries...laundry...Hannah and Josh had no lunch for school so I need to get it to them...So please enjoy this video from the group...tomorrow we can look at "The Word"...
If you 'd like:...take a look back at past posts on prayer...submission...joy or other topics we have covered...(just scroll down the bottom left side) Also there is a new "Verse of the Week" and a new Poll for you to participate in...enjoy!

SMILE IT IS FRIDAY!

2008-02-22T04:26:00.000-08:00

As we have been talking so much abour prayers here is a funny little story someone sent me.

A mom was concerned about her kindergarten son walking to school.
He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence but yet know that he was safe. So she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her. She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway,
it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.
The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor girl he knew.
She did this for the whole week.
As the two walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs,
Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following
them as she seemed to do every day all week.
Finally she said to Timmy,
'Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her?
'Timmy nonchalantly replied, '
Yeah, I know who she is.'The little girl said,
'Well, who is she?''That's just Shirley Goodnest,'
Timmy replied, 'and her daughter Marcy.
''Shirley Goodnest? Who is she and why is she following us?
''Well,' Timmy explained, 'every night my Mom makes me pray the 23rd Psalm in my prayers, 'cuz she worries about me so much.
And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life',
so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!'

Have a great weekend!

Pray always..even "arrow prayers" count

2008-02-21T04:45:00.000-08:00

We have looked a some of the prayers in the Bible...by no means are these the only ones. All throughout Scripture we find the God honoring prayers of men and women in very difficult circumstances and in joyous times when their prayers were simply filled with praise and thanksgiving. Scripture tells us to pray...at all times:

"Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. " Luke 18:1
"I want men [and women] everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer." 1 Timothy 2:8
"Pray for those who persecute you." Matthew 5:44
"Pray continually. " 1 Thessalonians 5:17

There is no doubt that we are called to times when we need to separate ourselves from the distractions of the world and pray. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer is dialogue, not monologue. Prayer is listening as well as speaking to God. Prayer expresses our dependence upon God. It is God’s ordained means for unleashing His power in our lives and in the world around us.
Often we pray spurred on by the moment. Some people call these "arrow prayers"...short prayers through the day "shooting up" to the Throne of Grace in heaven. Often we find ourselves lost for words as we pray and we just kneel there, quietly and let God's Spirit minister to us. We may be driving or busy at home and God's Spirit reminds of us someone...we stop for a moment and pray. We can be in a moment of depair and cry out to God...that is also praying. The disciples showed us that, in one of the shortest prayers in Scripture...

"Then He got into the boat and his disciples followed him.
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake,
so that the waves swept over the boat.
But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying,
"Lord, save us! We're going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?"
Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves,
and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked,
"What kind of man is this?
Even the winds and the waves obey him!" (Mat.8:25).

How often we "feel like we are drowning". The storms of life have swept our emotions and as we look out, all we see are the waves of confusion or disappointment. Our mind is tossed about by winds of emotional anguish...anxiety. ...what is there to do but cry out "Lord, save me! I am going to drown" In this short prayer we have called out to the only one who can calm our fears, change the circumstances (should that be His will) or get in the boat with us and strengthen us. I often think of this passage when I face difficult situations. This storm was a surprise for everyone BUT Christ. He was sleeping...at rest. If you look at a similar passage in Mark 6:45-53 when Jesus sent the Disciples into a boat and another storm broke out. Jesus watched the Disciplines from the top of a mountain...and what did he go to do up there? Pray. I find great comfort in knowing that, as God allows storms in my life. In both these incidents Jesus came in or was there in the boat. Storms are no surprise to God. And Jesus is praying me through and He is even there with me, (in the boat).

Jesus prays for us. He shows us that very truth when He talks to Peter in Luke 22 . Here Jesus is responding to the Disciples discussion about who was the greatest of them. And Jesus says to Peter "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers"
Whenever we begin to think of ourselves to highly, we need to be careful because a fall is soon to come. Jesus knew what was coming for Peter...just as he knew the storm was coming as the disciples got on the boat...and He had already prayed for Peter to come through. It's also interesting to see that Jesus says "Satan has asked to sift you as wheat" Satan's schemes to persecute and destroy God's own have to be approved by God Himself. As I once heard a Pastor say..."satan is God's satan" God has set clear boundaries where he is allowed to work in...and he may not go further. (Job is a good picture of this also)

So what comfort can we draw from this as Christians?
First, arrow prayers go straight to the Throne of Grace. They are quick but powerful!
Second, Jesus is interceding on our behalf. The Father allows the circumstances and Jesus prays for us to persevere and come through so our faith will not fail, but be stronger!
Third, when we come through, we are to encourage one another.
Suffering is never wasted, when we can grow in faith and encourage others.

How can we apply these three thoughts to our lives today?
Pray at all times.
Pray for our children and loved ones to not waste the suffering.
Teach them, when them come through to encourage those who may be going through the same thing. That's part of God's plan for them.
Pray that their faith increases through difficult times.
Praise God for knowing and placing His boundaries on you and them so that the enemy will not prevail!

Arrow prayers are effective prayers...they are our cry out for God's help. We take the right "position" as one in need looking up to the One who can rescue us. It is the lowly calling out to the heavenly.

Next week we will take a look at what to pray when we don't know exactly how to pray.

---------------
Don't forget to take a look at the survey on the left.
And order your book if you want to do the Book Club with us!

A prayer from Daniel...one last thought!

2008-02-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

Before we move unto the next prayer I wanted to share what Spurgeon preached about this prayer of Daniel...

"Prayer makes the darkest cloud withdraw,

Prayer mounts the ladder Jacob saw,

Gives exercise to faith and love,

Brings every blessing from above.

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;

Prayer makes the Christian armour bright;

And Satan trembles when he sees

The weakest saint upon his knees."

He goes on to say...

"The motive is this, "Oh! that God could be glorified,

that Jesus might see the reward of his sufferings!

Oh! that sinners might be saved,

so that God might have new tongues to praise him, new hearts to love him!

Oh! that sin were put an end to,

that the holiness, righteousness, mercy, and power of God might be magnified!"

" This is the way to pray; when thy prayers seek God's glory,

it is God's glory to answer thy prayers.

When thou art sure that God is in the case,

thou art on a good footing.

If thou art praying for that which will greatly glorify him, t

hou mayest rest assured thy prayer will speed.

But if it do not speed, and it be not for his glory,

why, then thou mayest be better content to be without it than with it.

So pray thou, but keep thy bowstring right;

it will be unfit to shoot the arrow of prayer

unless this be thy bowstring,

"God's glory, God's glory"--

this above all; first, last, and midst; the one object of my prayer."

I know we are not used to the "thou" or the "Thy" but read his words to extract the message...when we pray if our focus is the glory of God then our prayers bring forth the glory of God.

If you are interested in reading the full sermon go to http://www.biblebb.com/files/spurgeon/danpat.txt

See you tomorrow!

A humble prayer

2008-02-19T04:54:00.000-08:00

Daniel identifies with sinners, Paul identifies with sinners. He said, “I am the chief of sinners”. What are we guilty of? Same thing the Israelites are guilty of:
“We have turned away from your commands and laws”
“We have not listened to your servants the prophets”
“All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you”. “We have sinned against you”
“We have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth”.

This is a seething judgment…all of us can take one of these sentences an apply them to our lives.
But here is redemption….
“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving,”
What great mercy is this…that even though we have sinned, He has forgiven us.
One thing we always must remember sinnning has a cost.
First there is the consequence of sin. We see that in Israel….as she is judged and punished.

"Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster.”

The final cost or payment for sin was fully laid on and paid by the Lord Jesus Christ.
God's love for His own does not negate justice. Just as God disciplined Israel, he disciplines His own.
Scripture tells us:
“And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:6

“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined?” Hebrew 12:7

“Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness by his father?” Hebrews 12:10

How many of us wish we did not have to discipline our kids? But we know that as we do, we are building godly character in them. The same holds true for God and His children. As He disciplines us, He is building Christ-like character.
Daniel understood that…As Christians we must see that also.
Can you and I see God's discipline in our own lives? How about our children's lives? How often do we want to run as mom's and get our kids out of a situation that they have gotten into? There are great lessons to be learned while we are being disciplined. To avoid them is just to prolong the learning. Instead, what if we prayed like Daniel prayed?
"Oh Lord listen!" Oh Lord forgive!"Oh Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay because your city and your people bear your name!"

Danile saw God's ultimate goal in disciplining His people. When God was done correcting His people, they would gloriously bear His name to all the other nations. God's reputation was as stake here...and when He was done His people would be a testimony to God's power, forgiveness and faithfulness.
Can you and I wait and let God have the time He needs to purify and restore those He is disciplining. Could He be doing that to you or me? Pray for strength that we may learn quickly! That our loved one would learn quickly...so the discipline would last for a while but the result a lifetime!

There is a story of a little boy who found two little cocoons in his backyard. He put them on his desk and day after day he watched for the butterflies to come out. The first one broke free within just a couple of days and when he woke up one morning the butterfly was flying around his room. So he eagerly waited for the second one. One afternoon he saw something within the cocoon breaking out. It was a struggle...it was messy and in his little mind that butterfly needed help. He could see part of the beautiful orange and black wing bent and it appeared crushed. So he took his little knife and gently tried to make a larger opening for the buttrefly to come out. Finally the butterfly broke free but it lay flopping on the desk. Kind of sad looking. He waited and at every attempt the butterfly could not staighten out. It could not fly but instead just flipped flopped from one side to the other.
Later the little boy found out in the process of the butterflies breaking out of the coocon the friction and pressure to get out builds the intricate wings and gives then srtength. By cutting the cocoon, which is where the friction and pressure comes from, the butterfly never developed those strong wings. the pushing its way out of the cocoon is literaly what strengthens the wings into their full measure.
That is what we try and do sometimes. Pull our loved ones out before full maturity. As our children stuggle and break through exerting great faith that pressure they are under is what builds their faith. Daniel understood that for Israel and he prayed in accordance to that.

What a great example to us.

Are you enjoying this look at prayers in the Bible? Which one has impacted you the most? Is there one you would like to cover? Let me know.

Heavenly Father...Just and righteous are your ways always. You dicipline those you love just for a while so we may bless your name. I thank you that your dicipline penetrate the hardest heart...only you can change our hearts. Help us to pray for those we love, whom you may be disciplining...that they would humble themelves and learn quickly. Thank you for your grace that is sufficient to carry us through. Thank you that the fullness of our sin's guilt and punishment fell on our Lord Jesus. Thank you that by His stripes we are healed. I pray for a Godly focus as I am disciplined.
I pray when the time is finished that we, your people would resonate your Glory. That we who bear your name would testify to your loving kindness towards us. You alone are worthy of all our praise. Amen

Tomorrow another look.

A prayer from Daniel's heart to God's

2008-02-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

One of the most wonderful gifts we have in Scripture, a part from the revelation of Jesus Christ, is to be able to hear the prayers of godly men and women. Daniel, a prophet of God during the Israel’s captivity in Babylon, gives us a glimpse of a prayer that is rooted in God’s Word and empowered by a deep longing for God’s revered name. It is rooted in God’s promises and literally “holds God at His word”

Daniel’s prayer not only gives us another model of prayer, it again shows us how to pray with a Biblical perspective and motivation while encouraging us to pray God’s promises. Today we are only going to look at the first part of Daniels prayer; Daniel 9:1-14

“In the first year of Darius son of Ahasuerus (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed:

"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
"Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.”

First thing I notice here is that Daniel’s prayer comes after he has studied the Scriptures. Look what he said , “I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet…” here is great wisdom for us as mothers and wives…hear from God first then pray! How else is God going to speak to us, unless we study and understand what He has already said? Often we pray and put our pettition forth and then we look in God's Word how they will match. What a different perspective that Daniel has. Read and study the Word, THEN gear your prayer in accordance to what God says. Daniel says “he understood from the Scriptures” Specifically, he was reading the book of Jeremiah which told of Israel’s captivity and judgments.
What are you, right now, studying in the Scriptures? What did you read this week? Take those words and pray in that light...put the Word of God over your mind and heart and let it scrutinize you emotions and thoughts. Look at your children under that light. How can you pray this comfort?...How can you warn them? Can you pray softer hearts? A repenting heart? Can you pray one of God's promises for them?

Dr. James Boice in his commentary on Daniel says “Daniel did not have our Bible. But he had some of it, and he studied what he had. Then after he knew what the promises of God given in Scripture were, he prayed about them, asking God to do what he had promised”
Some of us do not have the Biblical understanding that others might, BUT we have enough. It is not that we need more understanding it is that unless we apply and believe what we do know, God can not add more. I have heard over and over, “If I just knew more…” “I just don’t get it and I don’t know how to apply it…or teach it” Let me encourage you that YOU DO KNOW enough. Daniel did not have all the Scriptures but what he had, he studied and pulled out God’s promises and then he pleaded those promises before God. What promises do you know of God? Even if you only know one or two…claim them…pray them…take God at His word and wait on Him fulfill those promises.

Second thing I notice is that after Daniel studied he had the right perspective to pray. Always we begin with a “God-view”. He starts “Great and awesome…” “Who keeps His covenant of love...” Once God’s presence is established he moves into man’s position under God’s Holiness. The only position we can take under God’s eminence is a lowly one. But what I love about Daniel here is not that he sees Israel’s sinful rebellion against God, but it is that he includes himself. He does not say ‘Those people” or “Your people” but he says “we”. If I counted correctly, Daniel uses the inclusive word “we” 11 times…He also uses the word “us” 6 times. He does not see himself as one “above” God’s reproach but one who is a part of His covenant Israel. He did not distance himself from God’s people but rather identifies himself intimately with them through his confession.
How often when I confess sin, do I have a tendency to confess the sins of others or even when I am confessing my sins I do it in a manner that excuses my sin rather than repenting of it? If there is anyone who could have removed himself from this group of “sinners” would be Daniel. Nothing in the Scripture is ever said about Daniel except that he was an example of godly ways. He never compromised. He never forsook God’s ways while living in wicked Babylon for 67 years. Yet here I find him identifying himself with sinful Israel. We need to be careful not to distance ourselves so much from sinners that we become pious. When we pray for our children and husband, let us remember that the same temptations that fall on them fall on us. Their sins are not unknown to us. When we loose sight of that, we can’t plead for them. Personal identification with sinners is what makes God’s grace so magnificent. When we pray for those we love to come to Christ, we can pray “If me, why not them”

Daniel had a clear view of God after he had studied the Scritures. From there he proceeded to a fervent prayer which included God's indictment and just dealings with his people and His promises to bring them out. Each of us as Christians are the temple of the Lord. And it was the Lord in Isaiah 56:7 and then Jesus in the Gospels who said "My house will be a house of prayer" God speaks through His word and we must respond in prayer.

Heavenly Father, You are righteous and Holy. Your glory is expressed all around me. Your Word reveals your character, your promises, your will. I may not understand it all, but I understand enough. Help me to apply your Word to my circumstances. Add to my understanding faith to believe all you have said. I confess my lack of unbelief. I confess my doubts, my fear, my anxiousness. I covet what you have not given me, forgive me. I have been selfish with my time, forgive me. You alone can restore. Give me an undivided heart that I may pursue all of you… that I may stand on your promises for me and my family. I pray for my little one’s restless heart now…bring her peace. I pray for our children’s heart that they may flee evil and not rebel against your Word. Be merciful to them. Thank you for your promises…that if we confess our sins you will forgive and recall them no more. Thank you that you promise that in our weakness your strength is made perfect. Thank you that you comfort us so we may also comfort others. Thank you that you never leave us or forsake us. Amen

Smile it is Friday!

2008-02-15T06:50:00.000-08:00

Here is a short little clip...and if any of you want to join the search just follow the instructions. Let me know.

Also take a look at our Poll on the left...take a moment to fill...it is totally anonymous.
We will continue on prayer next week taking a look at Daniel's prayer.
Have a wonderful weekend...be a blessing!

Prayer focused on God's love

2008-02-14T03:29:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine’s Day…A day all of us will try and celebrate with loved ones. Some of us will make a wonderful dinner, others will go out to eat. Chocolate or flowers may well be part of the day…chocolate in this house for sure! Today is a specialday set out to express love towards one another…Can I suggest something totally different? How about a prayer focused on the source of love?….God Himself. God is the one who first expressed love. He is love. He is where love began and flows from. And the Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect expression of love. His life was based on love and our future is secure in His love.

Yesterday we looked at the book of Ephesians. In chapter 1 we found right away a prayer from Paul to the Church at Ephesus asking God to reveal more of His wisdom, more of His hope for their calling and more of His power. As we read just a bit further there is a second prayer. In this one Paul is asking for the Church to discover more of God’s love for them:

“For this reason I kneel before the Father,
From whom His whole family
In heaven and on earth derives its name.
I pray that out of His glorious riches
He may strengthen you with power
Through His Spirit in your inner being
So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.
And I pray that you being rooted and established in love,
May have power together with all the saints
To grasp how wide and long
And high and deep
Is the love of Christ
And to know this love that surpasses knowledge
That you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Eph. 3:14-19

Here gain Paul begins with the confidence that he can pray because of his relationship to God…the Father. And he can pray with confidence again for these people that he loves because they derive their name “Christians” from Him. God’s people cross the whole creation from heaven to earth…there is only One Father and God’s family lives in both kingdoms, heavenly and earthly.
Then Paul, once he establishes whom he is praying for (God’s family) and to who he is praying (God the Father), he asks that these beloved ones would be strengthened with power derived from His glorious riches. And he asks that this strength, based on His riches, through the Holy Spirit, would be deposited in their inner beings…that means way down deep…their heart and mind and will. Then he says “so that Christ may dwell in your hearts” Paul knows that strengthening comes about by a change in the inner man. As one yields more and more to the Holy Spirit sin decreases and we have more of God’s riches. When we pray this way for our loved ones, we are asking God to “plug them into the full power source”. Notice he is not asking for God to fill them but for THEM to come to the full understanding of what they have. That is why he says in verse 19 “and that they may KNOW”. Paul asks that they may be reminded of this great power that God has given them. And that it may dwell in their hearts. The heart back in this time was the seat of intellect, and being, and affections. It was the whole man not just like we think of the heart today…the seat of emotion. That is why he says “your inner being”.
Then he says…”So that Christ may dwell in your hearts”. You can think of it like this….that they may be strengthen with power, through the Holy Spirit in their inner being so that Christ may “settle down” in you. So Christ would dwell…make a home…have His way…be at ease…in their hearts. That is when the fullness of God’s power is manifested…when Christ is at home in our hearts.

Can you imagine praying this way for our loved ones? That Christ may dwell, be at rest, settle down in their hearts! That’s when they will realize the glorious riches and the power given to them. They won't live a deafeted life. Is that a prayer you need?

Then the second half of his prayer asks God that now once they are “rooted and established in love” (that is because Christ has settled in their hearts…that is the greatest love available to us) that they would grasp “how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge” This goes back to what we talked about yesterday….the difference between knowing Christ intellectually and knowing Christ intimately. To know Him intimately you must experience His love. Knowing Him this way surpasses knowledge of Him. So how can we know Him intimately? By knowing how wide (His outstretched bleeding hands) and long ( His pierced feet and bleeding thorny crown) and high and deep (from the pit of the earth to the highest heaven)…that is the Cross. To know Him intimately we must know Him through the cross…that is how the greatest love was expressed. And knowing Him this way surpasses any head, intellectual understanding of Him.
Then Paul finishes by this statement “ that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”. His prayer and desire for these loved ones is that they would be filled with the “full measure “ of God . Christ, the Cross…is the full measure of God! God held nothing back!

Our desire, as we pray this way, is for those we love to live a life that matched the fullness of the Cross. We are all to live not a beggars but with the full power and grasp of the love of Christ. His fullness in full measure given to us in our inner being.

This is a prayer rooted in love….the love of God the Father through His Son.

Heavenly Father…no greater love has ever been expressed that in your Son. Lord Jesus no greater love has ever been demonstrated than your death for us who are undeserving. You express this love with outstretched hands that forgive as far as the East is from the West. Oh! that those I love would know this love! I pray for my friends who are living like paupers…forgetting the richness of this truth. I pray for David and the kids, that their hearts would be filled beyond measure with this great truth. Lord, that you would settle down, be at home in their hearts. That they would live to appropriate the infinite fullness of your power. That they would not feel defeated or overwhelmed but that through your Spirit and by faith, they would face this day with the power and love found in the Cross. That they would know your love in its wonderous fullness...
Amen

A prayer for those who need encouragement

2008-02-13T04:10:00.000-08:00

“For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His (calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might “ Ephesians 1:15-19
What is one of the greatest things you can pray for someone? I believe it is for them to know God…not know about him but know him. Many people know my husband, David. He coaches Little League, he is involved in our church, he runs a small company and if I went anywhere in our old home town, lots of people would say they know him. But they really don’t KNOW him like I do. We have spent 28 years together…23 of them married and 5 dating. I KNOW him…I know for example that he loves chicken and dumplings, I know his favorite movie is “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly”. I know when he hit his first home run, what makes him cry, what his secret aspiration is and so many other wonderful details that make David ... David.
The focus of this prayer is the same…in a sort of way…Paul’s greatest desire for the people at the church in Ephesus is for them to “know” Jesus Christ.

He begins this prayer affirming that this prayer is for believers. He says “Having heard of the faith of the Lord Jesus which exists among you”. Being a Christian does not exempt you from suffering, wavering or doubting. It is then, most important, that we come alongside those who maybe weakening and pray for them. When my kids were younger and they were just getting to know God, they had questions…they were very young in their faith. Praying that God would reveal more and more of Himself was a common prayer for me. I still pray that for them. In this prayer Paul is focused on three things: For them to have a fuller knowledge of God, a deeper understanding of their salvation and and awareness of the power available to them to live their calling through the Lord Jesus Christ.
I noticed it says “do not cease giving thanks for you, while mention of you in my prayers”. Some translations say “mentioning you by name”. Paul made this prayer very personal. He knew each recipient of this letter. He prays that “their eyes of their heart may be enlightened” He wants God to open their eyes to see all that has been secured and given to them…hope, riches and power.

First the hope of their calling….hope in Scripture is never “pie-in-the-sky” hope as if it may happen. But hope is always secure and anchored because it is in the work of Jesus Christ. So it is not a “I hope it works out” but instead is I am assured and convinced that this is your calling. God purposed it, brought it about and will achieve it. Would that be a great way to pray for someone who is uncertain of their job, ministry or place in life?
Second is the riches of their inheritance. When we are saved we are adopted into the family of God. All that is the Son’s we partake in. In salvation we become heirs! There is a scope of great blessings God has for us. It may look like we have nothing or we may feel like we have nothing…but our great hope (the work of Jesus Christ) assures us of a wealth of blessings. Some of us may look like paupers but we are co-heirs of God's kingdom! He has given us NOW everything we need for a life that is set apart for Him.

Dr. James Montgomery Boice says “Some critics charge that a concern for what is to come make Christians of little earthly use. The opposite is the case. We know what we are to become and therefore we live differently here. It is the citizens of heaven who make the greatest difference on earth” Expositional Commentary on Ephesians.
Some of the blessings we have know are prayer, Christian fellowship, the study of his Word, worship. But how much more will we have in heaven…we will have the fullness of his Word, the fullness of Him in fellowship and so much more.
Third the power given to those who believe. Just think, that same power that brought Christ out of the grave is the same power that lives in us today! The same power that saves us is the same power that keeps us and sanctifies us and will one day usher us into glory! Most of us live in a “half-empty” mentality…the glass is not even half-full it is overflowing! What an encouraging way to pray for someone feeling defeated and weak...pray for their recharge and power-boost!

What a wonderful triple-tier prayer! More knowledge of him, more understanding of the great blessings here and to come and then more appropriation of His power. That word "power" in the Greek is where we get the word dynamite! We have available to us power to break emotional chains, power to diffuse fear, power to accomplish the work-load for the day, power to face tragedy and power to carry us through suffering.
Praying like this goes right to the source…God Himself. It is not just an intellectual understanding of Him but a personal, lived-out, longed-for and lasting relationship where we can know Him intimately.

Heavenly Father,
You are the source of all wisdom…who is like you? Who spread out His hand and told the waters where to stop? Who placed every star and named it? You are majestic…powerful…all knowing. And Lord Jesus, I pray for Jessy, Hannah, Kaity, Josh and David….that they may know you deeper and deeper. That they may understand fully the joy of their calling and the full equipping you have provided. That they would not grow weary but finish so your great name would be glorified. Give them wisdom beyond their years so that they may walk worthy your calling. Guide them, protect them so that they would be diligent in study and understanding. Give them a longing for heaven and a steadfastness to serve you here on earth. Thank you for them!
Amen

PRAY AT ALL TIMES, FOR ALL PEOPLE, IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES

2008-02-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry about not posting yesterday. I was at the BSf Retreat in Jacksonville where 25,000 attended a wonderful weekend of teaching, singing and visiting friends. We got back late Sunday night and yesterday was just a typical Monday...grocery shopping, laundry and planning dinner for everyone. I had "leaders training" at 5:00 which pushed everything early. So the day was full and now I have the family back in order (as only Moms can do!). (If you are not familiar with BSF let me encourage you to find a class in your area. To do so you can go to http://www.bsfinternational.org/ )

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Also thanks for the encouraging words on "Prayer 101". I hope you all will find this look at praying refreshing and that it encourages you to pray more...I know it is already doing that for me.

Have you ever thought of prayer as a privilege? I know we are repeatedly told in Scripture to pray…we are even commanded to do so…but have you ever thought of it as a privilege? It really is…to have access to the Living God is something many don’t have. Since time began, men and women have been raising their voices in the air to Sun-gods, Mother-gods, Mother-earth and so many countless false gods that really their words went up into the air and came flat down! It is only the one true and Living God who can hear the prayers of His people. It is like those old telephone circuits where a woman sat and could hear the voices of hundreds of people but it was not until the connection was made that the people were able to hear and speak to one another. What a privilege it is to speak to God, not only on our behalf but on the behalf of others.

Scripture is full of prayers and we are going to look at many of them. There prayers for spiritual wisdom; Col 1:9-14…

to ask for mercy and grace in time of need: Heb 4:14-16; Ps. 86; Ps 88: Ps 102…

Intercessory prayer : John 17:1-26, Daniel 9:3-16…

Prayer for salvation: Ezekiel 11:19; Ps 85:7; Ps 119:41; Ps 51:12…and prayers of petition. These are just but a few. There is also the “model” prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples when he was teaching them how to pray. This prayer had been recited over and over the centuries…some say it almost as a “mantra” with little thought to the words. Others have made it the prayer of their hearts…

“Our Father, in heaven,
Hallowed be your name,
Your kingdom come,
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts,
As we also forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from the evil one.” Mat 6:9-12

Jesus sets up this prayer in verses 5, 6, and 7, of Matthew by saying “And when you pray…” Here is the command…He does not say to us…”if you pray” or “may you pray” He tells us to pray and then to He tells us “how to pray” verse 8. Isn’t just like our Lord, when he gives a command He gives us clear direction on how to obey the command.

And Jesus begins by saying “Our Father”. We have to acknowledge a relationship with Him. Jesus begins to show us to pray to God you must have a relationship with Him. And this relationship is unlike any other here on earth…it is a Divine relationship…one that supersedes all others. We are told to “love the Lord YOUR God” above all others. It is the first Commandment. This relationship is one of tenderness, closeness, approachability. BUT before we make this relationship more cozy than it ought to be, Jesus says “Hallowed be your name”…there is the perfect balance. Before we get to comfy with our Daddy, let’s remember who He is…hallowed. Yes He is our Father BUT He is also our Creator and the Holy One. There must be a reverence for Him…a sense of awe before His presence. When we “hallow” His name we praise Him above all things. We see His holiness...his separateness from all creation. We see Him in His Glory…as Isaiah saw Him “Seated on the throne, high and exalted and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Isaiah 6:1. Or as Psalm 97:2-6 says “Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne…the mountains melt like wax before the Lord…the heavens proclaim His righteousness” Once again what seems to be a paradox is in complete harmony…Yes we have this loving relationship with The Father BUT He is to be praised...He is Holy. Acknowledging that He is hallowed underscores His supremacy in greatness.

Then Jesus goes on again to lead us in prayer by reminding us it is God’s kingdom which will prevail and if we are His child that should be our desire. He tells us to pray for His kingdom to advance here on earth. “ Thy kingdom come, thy will be done” Again the focus continues to be on God Himself. We delight in His way and desire more than anything for His Glory to be preeminent here on earth. And that leads us to “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is not our will but His. Just as He rules the heavens, He rules the earth. We must desire for God’s will to be our will…to exchange the temporal for the Eternal…the flesh for the spiritual.

I noticed that we are half way through this model prayer and our focus has been exclusively on God Himself, His Holiness, His kingdom and His will. It is only with that proper focus that we can then begin to ask for ourselves. Jesus has reminds us to pray for the “bread of Life” before we even can think of any other form of sustenance. When Jesus tells us to pray asking God to “give us our daily bread” we ask for the immediate need...daily…often meal to meal…that is dependency. Sometimes when we ask God for a long term provision it moves us from dependency to independence. It is like the manna which the Israelites received every day and at the end of the day it spoiled and fresh manna was given the next morning. Our focus moves from the spiritual, which we also depend on every moment, to the physical which must also be a seeking daily.

So we move from our vertical relationship (Us towards God) and then the first thing Jesus asks us to do with our horizontal relationships (us towards others) is to forgive. Interesting we could not have this vertical relationship with God as our Father UNLESS we had been forgiven. How else can we have a relationship with anyone unless it also begins there. Jesus says “Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors” Forgiveness begins with confession. We confess our sins to God the Father who forgives and we also confess our sins to one another so forgiveness can take place. Notice it is in the past tense…we can’t even pray before we have offered forgiveness or asked for forgiveness. For true prayer to happen we must be sure we have “made it right” with others.
Matthew 5:23 says “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother, then come an offer your gift.” Notice it says “if you know your brother has something against you” It is not if “you have something against someone”…It is our responsibility as children of God to seek forgiveness whenever we know someone may have something against us. Later in this same passage verse 14 Jesus says “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sin, your Father will not forgive your sins.” We saw last week unconfessed sin hinders prayers…unforgiveness is a sin.

Finally Jesus ends the prayer with “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one”
We tell our children to flee evil and pursue good. It is only through God’s protection can we do that. Oh that we may see the evil one’s schemes and flee! That we may know our weakness and ask God to reinforce them so the evil one would have no means to come in. That we also would see the weakness in our children and pray for God’s strength and power.

Praying this way is God glorifying. Praying this way is God-centered. We begin in the height of heights…the heaven of heavens and move down to the lowly. We understand that our position comes from Him…our dependency is in Him.
Can we ask ourselves the hard question…How often do we pray this way?

Why is the willingness to ask or extend forgiveness an essential part of an effective prayer?

Is there someone in our lives that we must seek out to forgive or ask to be forgiven?
Do we know our own weaknesses? Have we taken them to Christ for protection? Have we done that with our children? Loved ones?

Father in heaven,
Who is like you? Who knows our comings and our goings? You are worthy of all praise and honor. Your majesty fills the earth…your mercy upon me is evident everyday. May your Word go out today to save those lost. May your kingdom advance through me. Show me ways that I may encourage others, warn loved ones, declare your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are perishing. Spend me in ways that would last for eternity. Give me a heart for your divine ways…make your Word present in every thought or utterance so your kingdom would be manifested here.
I pray for your provision. For your Word to be fresh in Jessica’s, Kaity’s, Hannah and Josh’s mind. May they be faithful to obey and flee evil. Replenish me with your Spirit… Give David favor today in his business attempts and work. Bring others around him that he may share your Word.
Forgive me of laziness, when I have trusted men more than you. Forgive me of fear…for that is not of you. Increase my faith so I may be fearless. Show me whom I may have offended and give me a quick heart to humbly go and ask forgiveness.
I pray for your protection over those I love…over those who are being persecuted right now for your name. Grant them rest and peace as they are in the front-line. Help me to know how to pray for the kids…give me special insight into their struggles and expose their hearts so I may seek your power on their behalf. Protect me and this family from the evil one…I am your servant who asks because apart from you I do nothing.
Amen

Tomorrow a look at a prayer of Thanksgiving from Ephesians 1

Prayer 101

2008-02-07T14:35:00.000-08:00

What would you do if you had the President of The United States' ear? What if we were able to call him directly and plead our case for economic reform? How about the welfare of our loved ones? World affairs? How quickly would you access him?

There is a story of such a man in Scriptures. He may not have had access to the rulers on earth but he had access to the King of Kings, the Creator. His name was...Moses. He spoke to God directly..."face to face" when he went up the Mountain. He spoke so intimately with God, that God changed him...God's desires and Glory became Moses’ whole life, purpose and prayers. He pleaded, interceded and rejoiced with God. He had complete confidence in God's faithfulness to accomplish all He had purposed for His people. Moses had God's "ear".

In Exodus we also learn that God heard the crying out of the Israelites in bondage (Ex. 3:7).
God hears His people.

This is what prayer is...humbly speaking with God and He hearing us. Hebrews talks about us coming to the “Throne of Grace”...We can enter the Heaven of Heavens with confidence because we are ushered and announced by Christ. Christ gives us access to the Father and prayer is the means of communication with Him.
What does Scripture say about prayer?
The first thing is that we are instructed and admonished to pray.
Paul tells us to “pray without ceasing”. 1 Thess. 5:17
Is. 55:6 tells us:
“Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near”
We are told to “pray everywhere” in 1 Tim 2:8.
Paul exorts us to :
“Be anxious for nothing, BUT in everything BY prayer and supplication WITH thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Emphasis mine.

Prayer is not the end but the means to the end. It is through prayer that we find strength, direction, wisdom and power to persevere. Prayer changes us…it gets us refocused on God. Prayer also takes our eyes of our circumstances and sets them on Christ.

Who can pray?
Everyone can pray, but only when we are in Christ, do we have assurance that God will respond to our prayers.

Ps. 10:17
“Lord you have heard the desires of the humble,
You will prepare their heart,
You will cause Your ear to hear”
In Revelation 5:8, we see a beautiful picture of The Lamb opening the scroll. Those in attendance there have golden bowls filled with incense “which are the prayers of the Saints” We who are in Christ are called saints. Do you ever think that all your prayers for redemption are being stored up in heaven? God hears every one of those prayers and keeps them. The aroma of incense is often a picture of our prayers rising to heaven. (Ps. 141:2) It please God to hear from us...it shows our dependence on Him and our desire for Him

What hinders prayer?
We are told to pray with confidence and boldness but Scripture also tell us to come humbly and cleansed.
David in Psalm 66 recognizes that if he had held sin in his heart God would not have heard him. He needed to confess his sin to God before God would even hear him.
Is.1:15-16 says rebukes the Israelites:
“When you spread your hands
I will hide myself from you
Even though you make many prayers
I will not hear…
Wash yourselves clean,
Put away the evil of your doings…
Cease to do evil,
Learn to do good.
Seek justice
Rebuke the oppressor
Defend the fatherless
Plead for the widow”
Later in 59:2 he once again warns:
“But your iniquities have separated you from God.
And your sins have hidden His face from you.”

Often we hear the question, does God hear the prayers of those who have not put their faith and trust in Christ? I will let Scripture speak for itself.
John 9:31
“Now we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God and does His will, He hears him.”

Two thing we understand from this passage: God does not hear sinner. And He hears only worshippers who hear and do his will" What sets apart a true follower/worshipper of God? One who does His will. If Christ's obedience to the Father is what we are to follow, that must be our distinct way of life.

So why do we pray? First, it honors God. Second, prayer is a source of power for growth and perseverance in our spiritual lives. Third, it aligns our mind and will to God's. Prayer is not easy...it takes diligince, purpose and a plan. What more could the enemy want than to keep God's people discouraged, confused and ineffective?

Ravi Zacharias tells a story of a young man fighting in the Koren War. He was with his troop and some of the soldiers were out in an open field. The bullets were flying and many of his friends were wounded. His officer commnaded him to go out to bring back to the shelter the wounded men. The young man looked at his watch. Again, the commander ordered him to go out. He paused and looked at his watch again. A third time he was commanded and this time he looked at his watch and immediately darted out into the open field to retrive his wounded friends. One by one he brought every single wounded soldier back. He weaved his way through bullets to bring the last one in...safely. His commander asked him why he did not move out at the first command? He responded that his mother, before he left, had told him at what hour of the day she would be praying for him and he was waiting for that very minute to begin! Prayer goes before our children, our husbands and our loved ones to seek God's best for them. Prayer often is a protective covering over them...it is our secret weapon against the enemy who wants to destroy. Can we begin this weekend to have a disciplined time for prayer? Let's not forget the preparation for prayer...confession. Let's commit to the three P's...Prepare, Pray and Persevere!

------------------

I am going out of town this weekend and will leave EARLY Friday morning (4:00 a.m.) So I appologize for no post on Friday. I covet your prayers for me and so many others who will be gathering for a BSF Retreat. Pray for safety as we travel and for God's rich equipping.

Praying God's Word

2008-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest tools we have as moms, wives and friends is to pray for our loved ones. Prayer brings us to the Throne of Grace. Prayer changes hearts...changes lives. In the next few days, we are going to look at prayers in Scripture and how to pray God's Word back to Him. David was a man of prayer...the Psalms depict the fullness of his prayers...he pleaded for forgiveness, comfort and praised God for His faithfulness. Paul's prayers were for believer's growth, sanctification and understanding of the depth of Christ's power. Daniel prayed for God's glory to be revealed in His people. Jesus prayed for us and for the Father to preserve us and strengthen us.

Spurgeon says "Prayer is never futile but powerful. You may not always get what you ask for, but you will always have your need supplied. "
Prayer supplies what we need and satisfies our soul.

Psalm 23 is a beloved Psalm for many. A prayer many of us have recited at times of uncertainty...

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHER ---that's our relationship!
I SHALL NOT BE IN WANT---He is our supplier!
HE MAKES ME LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES---that's the rest He gives!
HE LEADS ME BESIDE QUIET WATERS---that's His refreshment!
HE RESTORES MY SOUL---that's His power!
HE GUIDES ME IN PATHS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS---that's His leading!
FOR HIS NAMESAKE---that's His glory!
EVEN THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH---that's testing!
I WILL FEAR NO EVIL---that's His protection!
FOR YOU ARE WITH ME---that's His faithfulness not to abandon those that are His.
YOUR ROD AND THE STAFF, THEY COMFORT ME ---that's the loving discipline of the Father!
YOU PREPARE A TABLE BEFORE ME IN THE PRESENCE OF MY ENEMIES---that is Him picking us back up!
YOU ANOINT MY HEAD WITH OIL---that's consecration!
MY CUP OVERFLOWS---that's His abundant love lavished on us!
SURELY GOODNESS AND LOVE WILL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE---that's His promises fullfilled!
I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD---that's the blessing!
FOREVER---that's eternity!

Amen!

A Prayer by John Newton

2008-02-05T05:17:00.000-08:00

John Newton is best known for writting one of our most beloved Hymns: "Amazing Grace". There have been countless tears shed while singing this great hymn...I have cried some of those tears. How can someone write such God-glorifying words? How is it possible to capture so much of God in one small hymn? I would have to say the heart of this man is contantly meditating and enjoying God Himself.
I found this prayer recently, and thought here is another insight into this man's heart...his total dependance on God. If this is what he earnestly prayed...then no wonder such praise came from him. It isn't until we get to the end of ourselves that we can see the majesty of God. I believe it is John Piper who said, "God is most satisfied in us when we are most satisfied in Him"

“I asked the Lord that I might grow
in faith and love and every grace;
might more of his salvation know,
and seek, more earnestly, his face.
I thought that in some favoured hour
at once he’d answer my request;
and by his love’s constraining power,
subdue my sins and give me rest.
Instead of this, he made me feel
the hidden evils of my heart,
and let the angry powers of hell
assault my soul in ev’ry part.
‘Lord, why is this?’ I trembling cried,
‘Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?;
‘Tis in this way’ the Lord replied,
‘I answer prayer for grace and faith.
These inward trials I employ
from self and pride to set thee free,
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
‘That thou may’st seek thy ALL in me!”
-- John Newton

THE VALLEY OF VISION : A COLLECTION OF PURITAN PRAYERS AND DEVOTIONS

2008-02-04T09:38:00.000-08:00

If you have never heard of the Puritans, let me encourage you to get to know who they were...here is just a sample of their God-glorifying thoughts and perspective from the Book : "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions"
I highly recommend it.

"The Gift of Gifts

O SOURCE OF ALL GOOD,
What shall I render thee for the gift of gifts,
Thine own dear Son, begotten, not created
My redeemer, proxy, surety, substitute
His self-emptying incomprehensible
His infinity of love beyond the heart's grasp.
Herein is wonder of wonders:
He came below to raise me above
Was born like me that I might become like him.

Herein is love:
When I cannot rise to him he draws near on wings on grace
To raise me to himself.

Herein is power:
When Deity and humanity were infinitely apart
He united them in indissoluble unity, the uncreated and the created

Herein is wisdom;
When I was undone, with no will to return to him,
And no intellect to devise recovery,
He came, God-incarnate, to save me to the uttermost,
As man to die my death
To shed satisfying blood on my behalf,
To work out a perfect righteousness for me.

O God, take me in spirit to watchful shepherds,
and enlarge my mind;
Let me hear good tidings of great joy,
And hearing, believe, rejoice, praise, adore,
My conscience bathed in an ocean of repose,
My eyes lifted to a reconciled Father;
Place me with ox, donkey, camel, goat,
To look with them upon my redeemer's face,
And in him account myself delivered from sin;
Let me with Simeon clasp the new-born child to my heart,
Embrace him with undying faith,
Exulting that he is mine and I am his.
In him thou hast given me so much that heaven can give no more"

Smile it is Friday...

2008-02-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

I am not feeling very well today...

bit of a headache.....

So please take time today to go over this wonderful Proverbs 31 woman.

I will keep the questions from yesterday going through the weekend so you can post a comment.

Have a blessed Lord's Day...Rest.

Janet

2008-01-30T19:17:00.000-08:00

(As I was looking over the whole study I realized I had left out verses . I have added them to the study and are posted on January 23. I had accidentaly left that section as a draft as I was writting and I guess I thought I had posted. So if you want to take a look, you need to scroll all the way down and click older posts...then look for January 23.)

For today...

I so appreciate your words of encouragement towards this study. My hope is that all of us have not only heard from God's Word but also understood it and most important begun to apply it. So here are a few questions, for you to think about.

What was most challenging to you from this look at the Proverbs 31 Woman?

What encouraged you the most?
Is there an area you can commit to prayer to ask God to help you?
If already you have applied some Truth, can you share some of the results?

This is really a chance for us to encourage one another.
I know it can be hard to leave a comment (aside from the fact that you have to go through all that stuff on the computer!) .

Thanks for stopping by for the study. Not sure what to do next...if you have any ideas, let me know!

Proverbs 31: 28

2008-01-30T15:12:00.000-08:00

Our final look at this Proverbs 31 woman ends with verse 28

"Her children rise up and bless her,

her husband also,

and he praises saying,

"many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all"".

I don't know about you, but these past few days studying the Proverbs 31 Woman has been challenging ,encouraging and a true blessing. This standard that God has displayed for us is definitely the Gold Standard. It is , however, one which we can look at and feel totally inadequate and incapable of attaining. And I think to feel that is accurate and OK. Over and over in Scripture we see pictures of men and women who rise up and set a standard that all of us hope to one day attain. Paul, Esther, Moses...are great ones. But most of us know, that God takes mere, fragile, imperfect men and women and makes something extraordinary through them. They are not the object of our desire, but instead it is their close walk to God Himself that we desire...and that is truly attainable. It is their obedience to follow Christ at all costs that makes them great...but it is also Christ working in them that provides all they need to follow. As we all know, we can not live this Christ-centered life part from Him. It is Him in us the does the "good work". So please , lets not feel defeated but be encouraged that with Christ all things are possible!
The goal is high but the means to it is Glorious!

I think what I most appreciate about this verse as we end our study is that it is a blessing...one which all of us ,as mothers, desire.

What does it mean "her children rise up and bless her"? She has given everything to her husband and family and what does she get back? They honor her, they hold her in the highest esteem. There are some, who right now, are in trying times with children...disciplining is not easy. Often, we get weary of the duty of being a Mom, but can I encourage all of us to know that at the end there is a great blessing. We may not see the fruits of our labor yet, but if we keep Christ the focus we WILL persevere and in the end we will see Godly fruit in our children. We must remember that our role as a Moms is to "train-up". Training takes diligence, consistency, gentleness at times and a firm hand at others. And it is training with an "upward" focus. That means a Bible-centered, Christ exalting focus. So many times we use contemporary experts as our guide, when we ought to take our guidance and instruction from God Himself.
John MacArthur states it this way :
"She is constantly before their eyes. Her tender guidance, her wise counsel, her loving discipline, her holy example, her HARD work...all of these things never cease to fill the memories of her children. They then, begin to fill the lives of their children and that's how righteousness is passed from generation to generation."

That's our legacy. That's our inheritance for our children. And it does take the LORD.
And one last thought...notice her husband praises her. That's what a life-long marriage produces. An appreciation for one another.
Can we commit our lives, our children, our marriages to God and His perfect ways? Can we find strength to live as the "Excellent Wife" as we look to Christ Himself to provide all we need? I believe we can.
Tomorrow...just some questions to ponder.

Proverbs 31:25;30

2008-01-29T08:16:00.000-08:00

I am really interested to know what you all thought of yesterday's post...Has it been eye opening looking at this Proverbs 31 woman? What has been the most challenging for you?

Today, I just want to look at two small verses which pack a punch!

Proverbs 31:25

"Strength and honor are her clothing,

she shall rejoice in time to come"

Proverbs 31:30

"Charm is deceitful,

beauty is passing,

but a woman who fears the LORD shall be praised"

To continue the thoughts from yesterday....her beauty does not come from external adornment. Yes, she does purchase fine linen and makes beautiful clothing for herself and her family, but the key point here is that it is not her focus. Here, these verses clarify it more beautifully...she is clothed in "strength and honor". In the NAS it says "strength and dignity". We already saw that the word "strength" comes from the Hebrew word chayil denoting a military term "might, power, valiant, army" The Excellent Woman finds her strength IN the LORD. And the word "dignity" in the NAS denotes "the recognition belonging to a person of honor, renown." In the Greek language it is doxa and "it is not so much the outside appearance attracting attention to the person or thing, but that glory shown from within reflecting in the appearance which attracts attention." So this woman shines from within and therefore she has strength and dignity.

And look what it says next..."she shall rejoice in time to come".
The NAS says "she smiles at the future"
How can she smile? Because she knows her life is right with God and that secures her for the future. If your life is right with God the promises of God are an unfolding blessing. She knows in Whom she trusts. She is clothed in spiritual character and her life is secure in God. She is faithful and pure and therefore has nothing to fear.
What brings fear? Sin and the consequences of sin bring fear. There have been times in my life when I have feared what tomorrow had...usually it was because of my sin in the present. Whether I did not confess it or I tried to cover it up...fear always was present. If we live in guilt then we will fear discipline in the future. Years ago I read and article called "Are you a repenting repenter?" This woman must have been a repenting repenter...daily confessing and repenting of her sins.

Finally in verse 30 we get to the foundation for her excellence as a wife, homemaker, woman and mother.
"Charm is deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD she shall be praised"
Charm in the Hebrew means " gracefulness of form, it relates to her shape" And "beauty" has to do with the face...both of those can be deceitful. Everything on the outside can look so good, but it can be a cover up for what is inside. As a nation we have such a pre-occupation with appearance yet our hearts are wicked. Some of us are broken inside. What does it matter if we all just look the part if we have not been cleansed inside? Sooner or later charm and beauty will fade.

Not only does this woman know The LORD but she also she fears Him. That is her true beauty...not passing with wordly measures but constant and radiant. Notice the word LORD is in all caps that is "Jehovah". A noted Jewish commentator, Moses Maimonides, says in regard to this name, "All the names of God which occur in Scripture are derived from His works except one, and that is Jehovah; and this is called the plain name, because it teaches plainly and unequivocally of the substance of God" LORD is the one who has always been and will forever be. All the other names of God express some form of relationship... Elohim, Adonai...but Jehovah is separate...Jehovah is the Master, Ruler, He is the Covenant Keeper. Totally separate and independent. In HIM is where the Excellent Woman finds her strength and dignity. Why does she not fear tomorrow? She "fears" Him...this does not means fright but instead a reverence not to sin against. All she does, she does before Him...with reverence and a worshipful heart.
This verse ends with a glimpse on how does her family, friends and loved ones respond to her. They praise her. That is God's mark of approval on her. She is praised. When we live a life in reverence to God, set apart for Him and to Him there is praise among God's people. That is the blessing of her life of obedience.

NEXT: we will see how she is remembered and valued.

References today came from:
The "Key Word Study Bible"; Lexical aides to the New and Old Testament.
"The Names of God" by Nathan Stone
John MacArthur Study Bible
I list these if anyone would like to study further.

Proverbs 31:22; 25

2008-01-28T16:35:00.000-08:00

Beauty is a hot topic today. At every check out counter there is a magazine cover exalting beauty. Over and over we are told what it takes to be beautiful...face-lifts, extreme exercise routines, diet, work out, sexiness, make-up or the right clothes are what sets the standard for beauty. Every year People Magazine does an article on "the Most Beautiful People"...wecovet beauty as a nation...we must look good at all cost.
What does the Bible consider beauty? I know many of us know Godly beauty is different than physical beauty. Is there a warning for us as women?

Proverbs 31:22 says:

"She makes coverings for her bed;

she is clothed in fine linen and purple"

And verse 25 states:

"She is clothed with strength and dignity"

So what can be understood by the phrases in Proverbs 31? Doesn't it appear that she does pay attention to her appearance? We have to look at Scripture as a whole...Scripture will verify Scripture. We can see that this excellent woman takes care of her appearance BUT within the context of Scripture, we see that it is NOT her focus. Yes, she does care how she looks, BECAUSE it benefits her husband. There is a sense that she cares for herself BECAUSE she cares of her husband's and family's reputation.
When it speaks of her coverings for her bed and purple linen clothing, it can be inferred that she seeks for the best quality. She probably does not have a closet-full but instead what she has is of good quality and beauty.
But just a quickly as we learn that she pursues quality, we are told that what is most valuable is her strength and dignity. What this means is: Don’t focus our main attention and effort on how we look on the outside; focus it on the beauty that is inside. Exert more effort and be more concerned with inner beauty than outer beauty.
That is what Peter is telling us in 1 Peter 3:4...

"Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear—but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.

Isaiah warns us of a false beauty...in Isaiah 3:16-26:

"Moreover the Lord says:

'Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,

and walk with outstretched necks and wanton eyes,

walking and mincing as they go,

making a jingling with their feet,

Therefore the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,

and the Lord will uncover their secret parts.

' In that day the Lord will take away the finery:

the jingling anklets, the scarves, and the crescents;

The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;

The headdresses, the leg ornaments,

and the headbands; the perfume boxes, the charms,

and the rings; the nose jewels, the festal apparel, and the mantles;

the outer garments, the purses, and the mirrors;

the fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.

And so it shall be: instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;

instead of a sash, a rope;

instead of well-set hair, baldness;

instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;

and branding instead of beauty.

Your men shall fall by the sword, and your mighty in the war.

Her gates shall lament and mourn,

and she being desolate shall sit on the ground."

What a difference these women are from the Excellent one in Proverbs.
What a warning to us...notice than when there is a preoccupation on external beauty that begins the fall of a nation...When we are consumed by temporal, fleshly things and forget the eternal and godly, God begins to judge a nation.

Let me ask...from these verses, do you think we are heading there?
Tomorrow we will look at true beauty again.

Smile it is Friday

2008-01-25T05:02:00.000-08:00

Irene sent this funny clip...I am reallly not sure if it is true or maybe I have my wires crossed!

Have a great weekend! Thanks Irene!

Proverbs 31:20-24

2008-01-24T05:09:00.000-08:00

As we have been moving through this description of the excellent wife we have looked at her devotion to her husband/home and her character as a wife. Today these verses I have grouped together because they show us her attentiveness to others. We pick up in verse 20:

"She opens her arms to the poor,

and extends her hand to the needy,

when it snows she has no fear for her household

for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

She makes coverings for her bed,

she is clothed in fine linen and purple

Her husband is respected at the city gate

where he takes his seat among the elders of the land"

I am going to save verse 22 for next week (She makes coverings for her bed. She is clothed in fine linen and purple) and group it with her discretion for beauty. For today we will look at her relationship to others and how that impacts those around her.

There is no doubt in our minds that we live in a self-centered world. When relationships break we hear "He could not fulfill my needs" or "What can you give or do for me?" Children are taught that they will get everything they want from the most frivolous to the most costly. Parents buy, manipulate, go into debt and even steal to make their children happy. What this often creates is a self-centered world perspective. There is little empathy for those less fortunate. As a society we don't know how to give sacrificially...how to serve just for the simple pleasure of a sacrifice. We can see pictures and read of people who may be suffering, but few get out of their comfort to help.

This woman, we have been looking at for a couple of days, exhibits this quality of selflessness. We saw it with her husband and family and know we see it as she moves out of her main sphere of influence and into her neighborhood. The verse says

"She opens her arms to the poor, and extends her hand to the needy"

We are not told how far this act of service extends. We know she travels far to buy and sell. So we can assume that her sphere of influence is not just next door. What I love about this verse is the expression "she opens her arms". This phrase gives me the picture of holding nothing back. The expression "open arms" can go hand in hand with "open heart". She gives as she comes across those who have a need. I think of all the places she moves through and as she sees a need, she supplies freely towards that relief.

Thoughts like this make me think of how often do I run into someone in need but have no time to help. Often, where we used to live, on the way to school there would be homeless people selling newspapers out in the street. I would often even avoid the outside lane so they would not come right up to the window. How many of us have driven past someone at a stop light asking for help? This woman kept her heart open to those in need. She demonstrates compassion to the poor and the unfortunate who have needs. And it isn't that they come to her, but it is she that goes to them.
I can't help but think, as she did this on a regular basis that her family watched. There is no greater example we can set up for our children than to show them empathy for the less fortunate. To teach and model selflessness to our kids, gives them the right perspective of what they have. God is the giver and we are the custodian. If we have anything of value it is a mercy of God. So if that becomes the foundation, then we can freely release and give.
What a wonderful thing it is to teach our kids to give. To always be ready to let go and let others have. As we display this we teach them also that they are not the center of the world, but just instruments to be used by God to serve.
The words "she extends her hands" means she works...actually helping...physical work. She just doesn't give and then leave...she invests her energy , gets right in there and works. There are many ministries around us. How about reading to kids at a center for abused women. What about serving lunch at a homeless shelter? Mission trips? What a difference we can make if we "open our arms" to those less fortunate?

We see that her influence goes first to her home then outside her home. All of this "good" she does benefits her husband and family. So much so, that we see in verse 23

"Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land"

This is very interesting. All this influence she has in her home, neighborhood and community elevates her husband to a position of honor. In the Middle East at this time, at the gate of the city, men who would discern the law would judge disputes. This comes from Deut. 16:18 ""you shall appoint for yourself judges and officers in all your towns...they shall judge the people with righteous judgement" Here at the gate, is where the "seat of justice" was...where disputes where settled and only the most honored men could make such judgements. Her husband is now there...rendering righteous opinions to resolve disputes among the people of the town. The point is, this man has a great reputation among the leaders of the city and this reputation is undergirded by his wife, because she is doing everything to make him everything he ought to be. She contributes to his success by working behind the scenes so he is unburdened with distractions. She has done all she can to build his reputation...she speaks best of him to others, she does not tear him down publicly and she speaks of him with the highest respect and admiration. WOW!
So many applications here...How do we speak about our husbands to others? Even to our children? I once heard a woman say our children should think their fathers hung the moon! But how sad that often they hear the opposite.
That's the excellent wife...she is hard to find...but not impossible!
Tomorrow we will look at her discretion for beauty...inside and out.

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS SO FAR? I KNOW WE HAVE BEEN COEVERING A LOT...IT SURE IS QUIET OUT THERE!

Proverbs 31:13-19

2008-01-23T04:16:00.000-08:00

For some reason I never posted this part of our study...

I just kept it as a draft...

I am sorry...

I post it tonight so our study will be complete.

"She chooses wool and flax.

She loves to work with her hands.

She is like the ships of traders.

She brings her food from far away.

She gets up while it is still dark.

She provides food for her family.

She also gives some to her female servants.

She considers a field and buys it.

She uses some of the money she earns to plant a vineyard.

She gets ready to work hard

Her arms are strong.

She sees that her trading earns a lot of money.

Her lamp doesn't go out at night.

With one hand she holds the wool.

With the other she spins the thread."

Yesterday we read about the "Excellent wife" and her character. She is physically, morally and spiritually strong. Her husband puts full confidence in her. He trusts her with everything that is precious to him. She always seeks his best and does him good all the days of her life. She lives a life without reproach from him.

It is interesting that the author of this section, King Lemuel's mother, wanted him to know the value of finding a good wife. Women back then were thought of as property, almost slaves...definitely "second class". Very often men developed their friendships with other men and really only kept wives as servants. The King would probably have many wives but here, his mother is telling him to prize just one! And she begins telling him about her from the focus of her character. If women were thought of as servants, the qualities most desired was the ability to work hard. But his mother knows that real strength starts morally and spiritually.

She moves from an excellent wife's character to a her devotion as a homemaker. Lemuel's mother knew that her son duties would be as King and therefore would require someone who would be committed at home. She has established in his mind, the priority of a woman of character and now begins to explain she must also be devoted to her home.

She makes the transition from depicting her as a woman of virtuous character to a woman who works with her hands. Even with all the wisdom she has, she is not above hard work. Verse 13 begins by describing her as one who selects the best possible for her family. In regards to clothing, food and taking care of everyone in her house, she looks for quality. She is willing to go a bit further to find the best quality and best price. We see that from her depiction as a "merchant ship" or "ships of traders" ... she is ready to go that extra mile.

She is also a planner. She squeezes the most of her day. She is the first to rise in the morning. In these times, there was always a light kept on in a home. It was the duty of the wife to make sure the light did not go out. Should it go out, animals may attack. The wife's duty was to rise and make sure the wick had not been extinguished or the oil ran out through the night. What a responsibility we have to keep the "light" in our homes. Do we rise early for prayer and a quiet time? Do we make sure there is enough oil in our spiritual light so that we can encourage our family through God's Word? If our light is dim, how can we direct or correct?

From her duties inside the home, we also see her entrepreneurial spirit. Many here say, "look, she works out of the home!" And it is true. She does work outside the home. The key here is that she works outside while still maintaining the energy she needs to run her household. Her primary focus is her home and if she does anything outside, she still saves her best for her family. Some of us work very hard outside our homes and at the end of the day, we have nothing left for our husband and kids. We have given our best (energy, creativity, words, temperament) to our co-workers and have nothing when we get home. Some women can manage both beautifully. I think if we struggle with this, we need to check our hearts and let God's Word filter out the truth.

We see that she works vigorously, both in and outside her home. She has physical strength and energy to accomplish this. How does she find her physical strength? She works! Often housework is the best workout! When I have mopped floors, carried laundry, stepped up ladders to dust at the end of a day like that, I have sweat and my muscles hurt. I have had a workout!
Who is this "Excellent Wife" ? So far we have seen she has moral, spiritual and physical strengths. Her primary focus is her husband and home. She puts all her energy, talents, skills at home. She is clever, energetic and spiritually grounded as she maintains the "light" in her home. She is a woman of virtue. No wonder it is said of her "she is worth far more than rubies".
I have a lot to think about. A lot to aspire towards...how about you?

Tomorrow...we continue to look at her generous heart.

Proverbs 31:10:12

2008-01-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

Picking up where we left off yesterday after the introduction to Proverbs we start looking at verses 10-12.
"A wife of noble character,
who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life"
These verses deal with the "Excellent Wife" and her relationship in marriage. This is her character as a wife. King Lemuel's mother begins to highlight to her son the character an excellent wife possesses. She first describes her as "noble" in the NIV . In in NAS she is described as "excellent". In the original Hebrew text Chayil , it means "might, strength, power. " The main meaning of this noun which occurs 244 times in the Heb. O.T. is "strength", "army" and "wealth" The same meaning is denoted for the entourage of the Queen of Sheba in 1 Kings 10:2 and II Chr. 9:1. (The key word Study Bible Lexical Aid to the O.T.)
This "excellent wife" has strength not only physically but also morally and spiritually. She is a substantial force and that is why she is prized. She has physical strength, that is how she is able to do all she does. We will see that as we move further down the text. She also has moral substance and that is why her husband has "full confidence" in her. He can trust her with all the matters of home life. It says that he "lacks nothing of value". Implied here is that all his possessions he securely entrust to her care. No separate bank accounts. No "this is mine and this is yours". He trusts her with all he has and therefore he can concentrate and put all his efforts on providing for her and his family. She is not a distraction in his mind while he is at work. In Proverbs 12:4 we saw that and excellent wife is her husband's crown. His thoughts rest in her care of what is precious to him. She is trustworthy and a good caretaker of what he brings home and therefore there is a great intimacy in their marriage.
This assumes that the woman is in charge of all domestic matters. Even finances! It is the same meaning as in 1 Timothy 5:14 "that the woman is to be the ruler of the house" Part of that is that she is to manage her home. Now, some of us have husbands managing finances. If that is how he choses to run his home, that is fine. If he runs the finaces because we can't manage it, then we need to find ways to correct our way. If managing the homes finances is something helpful to him, we need to pray for self-control and discipline in doing that.

Notice also that NOT much emphasis is given to her beauty. To often today we put much value on the physical beauty. We can even give special attention to those who are more attractive than others. As a society we dismiss virtue, character and substitute those qualities for personality, looks or education. Here, King Lemuel's mother wants to begin by exalting what is of true value, true beauty in a wife. She describes her as more "precious than rubies" The word actually describes precious stones of any kind. Some translations use the word "pearls" The point being, this is a very valuable woman--not easy to find.

The last part of this section ends with "she does him good and not evil all the days of her life" v12. She has his best interest always in her heart. She builds him up. Edifies. Encourages. She is devoted to his well-being... "all the days of her life" includes bad times, good times, prosperous time and lean times. It also includes when he is sad, mad, happy, discouraged or anxious. Her love is never measured by the circumstances but it is constant, dependable and perseveres. Her love must be deep and grounded in God's love for her to love this way. Later we will see that.

It is important to make a little side note here. Because she loves him so completely and desires his highest good, she can humbly and respectfully confront his sin. She can lovingly restore him. She tenderly confronts...always submissively and never unkindly. That is part of wanting him to be the best he can be before God. That is what loving our husband is about. Loving at all times...when it is difficult to love. Loving is seeking their best interest. Loving is doing all we can to encourage him in his walk with God. Being an instrument in God's hand for his sanctification requires patience, tenderness, godliness and most of all prayer.

Doing good is ultimately what prayer contains and achieves. When we pray for our husband our hearts grow tender...we release anger, anxiety and God can clarify our misconceptions. Prayer seeks God's good for our husband. Prayer corrects our thinking and actions. Prayer that is purposeful and centered on the best for our husbands will achieve much.

So the questions to ask ourselves as we begin to see this woman of substance and excellence are:
What can we do for our husband so when they leave home they can leave fully trusting everything to us?
How spiritually strong are you? Morally strong? Physically strong? And then what can we do to grow in those strengths?
Last, how are we praying for them? Do we pray desiring their good at all times?

Tomorrow we will look at her character as a homemaker.
Let me know your thoughts.

Proverbs 31 Woman: Introduction

2008-01-20T14:04:00.000-08:00

Today begins our study on the Proverbs 31 Woman. She has a wonderful reputation and she is synonymous with "Excellence" As we begin this look at her, may I just say to all... lets humbly look at ourselves under her light...not to be condemned if we see how short we come but to be encouraged that "with God all things are possible". Let's remember God would not give us this view if it was not something He desires for us. We are all a work in progress...but it is He who works IN us. Let's begin by praying and trusting God that "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ" Let's keep our eyes on Him the author and perfecter of our faith.

On a side note: as we begin to commit to the memorization of Scripture, our verse this week comes right from what we will be looking at. It is not exactly from this chapter, but from Proverbs which I would commend to all of you to read Proverbs at some time. Proverbs is a practical book filled with timeless words and truths that can easily be remembered and applied. It is also great to teach kids.

OK let's just do a quick overview of Proverbs. First the book begins with the descriptions of wisdom and states that "Blessed is the man who finds it" Wisdom is described as more precious than jewels...long life is in her right hand...she is the tree of life. As I was going through the book, I found so many truths:

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue" Prob 18:21

"He who gives and answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him" Prov 18:13

"By wisdom a house is built and by undersatnding it is established" Prov 24:3

"The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life" Prov 14:26

"Poverty and shame will come to him who neglects discipline" Prov 13:18.

DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITES?

Second, the subject of "women" is not uncommon in Proverbs. There is a "woman" mentioned at the beginning of Proverbs who is referred to as "adulteress". She is the opposite of the "excellent woman".

Her lips "drip honey" and she has a smooth tongue (Prov. 5:3)

She seduces (Prov. 7:15-21)

She flatters with lips (Prov. 7:5)

She forsakes her husband for another man and plans to take the life of innocent victims.

Along with the "adulteress" there are many other women depicted in Proverbs.
Chapter 7 verse 11 talks about a nagging woman, "It is better to live in a corner of the roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman"

Prov. 11:22 says "A ring of gold in a swine's snout, so is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion" Discretion here has to do with understanding or perception.

Prov. 21:19 says "It is better to live in a desert land that with a quarrelsome and bad-tempered woman"

And in Proverbs 12:5 a clear contrast is made "A excellent wife is the crown of her husband BUT she who shames him is as rottenness as his bones"

So the book of Proverbs has many things to say..about life, about relationships, friends, raising children and work standards. At the very end of this extensive treatise of life comes the excellent wife...it is as if after all this instruction, here at at the end, is the prize.
Proverbs tells us that as wives and mothers, we have a great deal of influence not only with our husband but our family. There is a great example of this in Scripture. 1 Kings chapter 21, tells us about Ahab's wife Jezebel. Ahab was incited to wickedness by his wife Jezebel..he brooded and pouted because he could not get a vineyard he wanted. Jezebel plotted and had the owner of the vineyard killed so Ahab could have his field. We may not "kill" someone so our husbands can have what they want, but how often do we kill someone's reputation by what we say about them? We can plot and scheme to "help" our husbands instead of praying and calling them to wait on the Lord.
There is nothing better than an "excellent wife" and nothing worse than the opposite. Tomorrow we will start looking at verse 10. But just as an introduction to this chapter, we know it is written by a mother to her son. These words are written in an acrostic style. That means every verse begins with the first letter of the Hebrew language. There are 22 verses from verse 10 to 31 and there are 22 characters in the Hebrew alphabet. Why would it be written that way? So it could be easily remembered. As mothers we know the things our children need as adults. Today we instruct them on money, washing clothes, good sportsmanship but how many of us with sons instruct them on finding an "excellent woman"? We may point out she is pretty but what about virtues? This mom knew, that more than anything her son would need was to find was a noble woman...and excellent wife. The insight and guidance she provided him becomes a timeless truth for us. The question we need to ask...how well do we instruct our children towards this?
These verses are not only a barometer to ourselves but great insight for instruction to our children or grandchildren. Proverbs 31 gives us a lot to look at and apply in the next weeks.

Smile it is Friday!

2008-01-18T05:09:00.000-08:00

So many enjoyed the clip from last week, I found this second one. Again this is from Covenant Life Church. If you are ever around Gaithersburg, MD please go visit.
Remember it takes a minute to download and sometimes you need to double click.

The final tally is in, and our next study will be on: Proverbs 31
God provides so much insight for us through this wonderful passage. Thanks to all who voted!
I also hope you enjoyed all the "Wisdom" shared this week by such godly men and women as John Piper, Noel Piper and John MacArthur.
Could you let me know:
Which excerpt inspired you the most?
Which one challenged you?

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND...BE A BLESSING!

http://covlifemedia.org/video/FamilyRoom/Ask_Fred_part2_finalcut.mov

Wise thoughts on saving faith and reason

2008-01-17T04:36:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite pastors, John Piper explains the difference between saving faith and any other faith. If you would like to read the full sermon go to http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/35/2016_Faith_and_Reason/
Here is just a precious nugget:

"... the Pharisees are asking for a sign when they have all the signs they need. They are asking for a sign to give the impression that there is not enough evidence that Jesus is the Messiah and so they are justified not to receive him, when the problem is really a spirit of adultery. They don’t want this bridegroom. They prefer another. But Jesus’ response is to show them that they have all the signs they need and they are perfectly able to use their senses and their minds to make valid judgments when they are trying to draw valid inferences about what they want. The explanation of their skepticism about Jesus’ is not lack of evidence or lack of rational powers. The explanation is: They are adulterous. They don’t want Jesus as their bridegroom. Their heart is evil, and their evil hearts disorder their rational powers and make them morally incapable of reasoning rightly about Jesus.
This is what Paul said in Ephesians 4:18 about fallen man in general: “They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.” In other words, at the bottom of human irrationality and spiritual ignorance is hardness of heart. That is, our self-centered hearts distort our reason to the point where we cannot use it to draw true inferences from what is really there. If we don’t want God to be God, our sensory faculties and our rational faculties will not be able to infer that he is God.
In 2 Corinthians 3:14, Paul says the mind is “hardened” (epōrōthē). In 1 Timothy 6:5, he calls the mind “depraved” (diephtharmenōn). And in Romans 1:21, he says that thinking has become “futile” (emaraiōthēsan) and “darkened” (eskotisthē) and “foolish” (asunetos) because men “by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). In other words, unrighteousness disorders the capacity to see the truth. The corruption of our hearts is the root of our irrationality....
Nevertheless, the New Testament speaks of the use of our minds everywhere in the process of Christian conversion and growth and obedience. For example, at lease ten times in the book of Acts, Luke says that Paul’s strategy was to “reason” with people in his effort to convert them and build them up (Acts 17:2, 4, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8, 9; 20:7, 9; 24:25). And Paul said to the Corinthians that he would rather speak five words with his mind to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19). He said to the Ephesians, “When you read this, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ” (Ephesians 3:4). In other words, engaging the mind in the highly intellectual task of reading and construing Paul’s language is a pathway into the mystery God has given him to reveal.
And perhaps most helpful of all is the word to Timothy about the relationship of reason and divine illumination. In 2 Timothy 2:7, he says, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” So many people swerve off the road to one side of this verse or the other. Some stress “think over what I say.” They emphasize the indispensable role of reason and thinking. And they often minimize the supernatural role of God in making the mind able to see and embrace the truth. Others stress the second half of the verse: “And the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” They emphasize the futility of reason without God’s illumining work. “The Lord will give you understanding.”
But Paul will not be divided this way. He says: not either-or, but both-and. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” The willingness of God to give us understanding is the ground of our thinking, not the substitute for our thinking. “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding.” There is no reason to think that a person who thinks without prayerful trust in God’s gift of understanding will get it. And there is no reason to think that a person who waits for God’s gift of understanding without thinking about his word will get it either.
Paul commands us to think about what he says. Use your mind. Engage your reasoning powers when you hear the word of God. Jesus warned what happens if we don’t and what blessing may come if we do. In the parable of the soils, he said concerning the seed sown on the path: “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart.” Understanding with the mind is not optional. Our lives hang on it. And concerning the seed sown on good soil, he says, “This is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty” (Matthew 13:23).
It is true that, as Paul says in Romans 10:17, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” But Jesus says that hearing without understanding produces nothing. When we hear the word of God, Paul says, we must “think over” what we hear. Otherwise, we will fall under the indictment of Jesus: “Hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand” (Matthew 13:13).
So, even though our natural minds are depraved and darkened and foolish, nevertheless, the New Testament demands that we use them in coming to faith and leading people to faith and in the process of Christian growth and obedience. There is no way to awaken faith or strengthen faith that evades right thinking.
Before we ponder how that can be, in view of how corrupt we are, we turn briefly from the focus on reason to consider the nature of faith.
The Nature of Faith
The only kind of faith that matters in the end is saving faith—the faith that unites us to Christ so that his righteousness is counted as ours in justification, and his power flows into us for sanctification. In other words, I am not interested in faith in general—the faith of other religions that is not faith in Christ, or the faith of science in the validity of its first principles, or the faith of children in their parents, or any other kind of faith that is not in Christ. I am only interested in the faith that obtains eternal life. The faith that saves. The faith that justifies (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16) and sanctifies (Acts 26:18; 1 Peter 4:11).
To get at the nature of that faith, it is helpful to ponder why faith alone justifies. Why not love, or some other virtuous disposition? Here’s the way J. Gresham Machen answers this question in his 1925 book, What Is Faith?
The true reason why faith is given such an exclusive place by the New Testament, so far as the attainment of salvation is concerned, over against love and over against everything else in man . . . is that faith means receiving something, not doing something or even being something. To say, therefore, that our faith saves us means that we do not save ourselves even in slightest measure, but that God saves us.2
In other words, we are justified by faith alone, and not by love, because God intends to make it crystal clear that he does the decisive saving outside of us and that the person and work of Christ are the sole ground of our acceptance with God. A hundred years earlier Andrew Fuller (the main rope-holder for William Carey in England) gave the same explanation.
Thus it is that justification is ascribed to faith, because it is by faith that we receive Christ; and thus it is by faith only, and not by any other grace. Faith is peculiarly a receiving grace which none other is. Were we said to be justified by repentance, by love, or by any other grace, it would convey to us the idea of something good in us being the consideration on which the blessing was bestowed; but justification by faith conveys no such idea.3
So, what sets faith apart from other graces and virtues is that it is “a peculiarly receiving grace.” That’s why Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, “By grace you have been saved through faith.” Grace from God correlates with faith in us. And the reason is that grace is God’s free giving and faith is our helpless receiving. When God justifies us by faith alone, he has respect not to faith as virtue but faith as a receiving of Christ. So it is the same as saying that not our virtue but Christ’s virtue is the ground of our justification.
Now the key question is: What does faith receive in order to be justifying faith? The answer, of course, is that faith receives Jesus Christ. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “To all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Faith saves because it receives Christ.
But we must make clear what this actually means, because there are so many people who say they have received Christ and believed on Christ, who give little or no evidence that they are spiritually alive. They are unresponsive to the spiritual beauty of Jesus. They are unmoved by the glory of Christ. They don’t have the spirit of the apostle Paul when he said, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8). This is not their spirit, yet they say they have received Christ.
One way to describe this problem is to say that when these people “receive Christ,” they do not receive him as supremely valuable. They receive him simply as sin-forgiver (because they love being guilt-free), and as rescuer-from-hell (because they love being pain-free), and as healer (because they love being disease-free), and as protector (because they love being safe), and as prosperity-giver (because they love being wealthy), and as Creator (because they want a personal universe), and as Lord of history (because they want order and purpose); but they don’t receive him as supremely and personally valuable for who he is. They don’t receive him as he really is—more glorious, more beautiful, more wonderful, more satisfying, than everything else in the universe. They don’t prize him or treasure him or cherish him or delight in him.
Or to say it another way, they “receive Christ” in a way that requires no change in human nature. You don’t have to be born again to love being guilt-free and pain-free and disease-free and safe and wealthy. All natural men without any spiritual life love these things. But to embrace Jesus as your supreme treasure requires a new nature. No one does this naturally. You must be born again (John 3:3). You must be a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15). You must be made spiritually alive (Ephesians 2:1-4).
Therefore, saving faith is a receiving of Christ for who he really is and what he really is, namely, more glorious, more wonderful, more satisfying, and therefore more valuable than anything thing in the universe. Saving faith says, “I receive you as my Savior, my Lord, my supreme Treasure; and I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” Which is why Jesus said, “Therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33). And again, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:37). And again, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44).
The infinite glory of Jesus makes him infinitely valuable and infinitely satisfying. Saving faith receives this Christ. Not that we experience the fullness of joy now, or the climax of satisfaction in this life, but we taste it (Psalm 34:8) and we know where it is found (John 6:35) and we “press on to make it [our] own, because Christ Jesus has made [us] his own” (Philippians 3:12)..."

More wise words...

2008-01-16T04:31:00.000-08:00

A few years back John MacArthur gave a sermon on the "Humiliation of Christ". As an introduction to his wonderful expository style preaching, he begins with a quote from C.S. Lewis' book "Miracles". It is a beautiful depiction of Christ...I hope you dive in and marvel at Christ' humility and deity.
John MacArthur begins:

"The title of the book is Miracles, its author C. S. Lewis.

He has a chapter in the book entitled "The Grand Miracle,"

it's a chapter on the incarnation. And in that chapter in his inimitable way

he draws some rich analogies for us by which we can view the incarnation.

Let me read you a somewhat extended portion of what he says

because it is so rich.

"In the Christian story God descends to reascend.

He comes down, down from the heights of absolute being

into time and space, down into humanity,

down further still, down to the very roots

and sea bed of the nature He had created.

But He goes down to come up again and bring the ruined world up with Him.

One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden.

He must stoop in order to lift.

He must also disappear under the load

before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off

with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders.

Or one may think of a diver,

first reducing himself to nakedness

then glancing in mid air,

then gone with a splash,

vanished, rushing down

through green and warm water

into black and cold water,

down

through increasing pressure

into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay.

Then up again,

back to color and light,

his lungs almost bursting

till suddenly he breaks surface again,

holding in his hand

the dripping precious thing that he went down to recover.

He and it are both colored now that they have come up into the light.

Down below where it lay colorless in the dark,

he lost his color, too.

In this descent and reascend,

everyone will recognize a familiar pattern,

a thing written all over the world.

It is the pattern of all vegetable life.

It must belittle itself into something hard, small and deathlike.

It must fall into the ground,

thence the new life reascends.

It is the pattern of all animal generation, too.

There is descent from the full and perfect organisms

into the spermatozoon and ovum and in the dark womb,

a life at first inferior in kind to that of the species which is being reproduced,

then the slow ascent to the perfect embryo,

to the living conscious baby and finally to the adult.

So it is in our moral and emotional life.

The first innocent and spontaneous desires have to submit to the deathlike process of control or total denial.

But from that there is a reascend to fully formed character

in which the strength of the original material all operates

but in a new way.

Death and rebirth go down to go up,

it is a key principle.

Through this bottleneck,

this belittlement,

the highroad nearly always lies,"

end quote."

OUR SURVEY CONTINUES THIS WEEK...

Please let me know the subject you are interested in ...

Parenting:

1-Disciple for small children.

2-Discipline for teens

3-Devotions time with kids

4-Teaching and modeling purity to our girls

5-Protecting our boys from worldly lust

Women:

1-Proverbs 31 Woman

2-Godly friendships

3-Home missions

E-mail your pick to girlschat@gmail.com