December Quotes

One of these days lightning is going to fill the sky from the rising of the sun to its setting, and there is going to appear in the clouds one like a son of man with his mighty angels in flaming fire. And we will see him clearly. And whether from terror or sheer excitement, we will tremble and we will wonder how, how we ever lived so long with such a domesticated, harmless Christ.These things are written that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world. Really believe. 

-John Piper

The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.

-C.S. Lewis

When God writes our names in the "Lamb's Book of Life," He doesn't do it with an eraser handy. He does it for eternity. 

-R.C. Sproul

Through the blending blue in beauty will the heavenly host appear, / And the saints shall rise to meet Him, crying, “Jesus Christ is here!”

-W. Lomax Childress

Use every ounce of strength you have been given, both physical and spiritual. Something that is in my mind right now... we are given a once in a life time opportunity - YOUTH! Vitality, strength, opportunity, ability - lets take advantage of it! Live now so that when you are 80 years old you can look back on a youth packed to the hilt with an expense of energy and effort into whatever you got into. Whether it be baling hay till 1 in the morning, going street preaching every week witnessing to people late at night, counseling people at church, moving concrete, digging trenches, building relationships, taking people places at 1:30 in the morning, talking through night hours behind the wheel with the lights shining over the country fields, loving people, being there for them, demonstrating a testimony of godliness - be ALL there!!!! Run yourself ragged! It is SO worth it - and you only have one chance to do it! 

-Spencer O’Neill

Since it is so likely that children will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights & heroic courage, otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker. 

-CS Lewis

You shouldn't take your spiritual temperature every day. You need to look for progress over months and years, not by minutes and hours.

-Kevin DeYoung

You may not yet be what one day you shall be; but thank God you are no longer what you once were.

-Sinclair Ferguson

There's an argument for the sovereignty of God: Satan has to give an account to God. 

-Derek W.H. Thomas

Another year is dawning: 

Dear Father, let it be, 

In working or in waiting, 

Another year with Thee; 

Another year of progress,

Another year of praise, 

Another year of proving 

Thy presence all the days.

-Frances R. Havergal

Well, friends and readers, that is all for Facing the Waves! I pray that it's been a good journey. The archives will remain up, but please join me on my book review blog (click HERE) as I continue to share the stories and opinions of other authors' works. Here's to 2018 and what it holds!

In Christ,

Kaleigh

November Quotes

The Bible, as a revelation from God, was not designed to give us all the information we might desire, nor to solve all the questions about which the human soul is perplexed, but to impart enough to be a safe guide to the haven of eternal rest. 

-Albert Barnes

Only he who can say, “The Lord is the strength of my life” can go on to say, “Of whom shall I be afraid?” 

-Alexander Maclaren

If Pastor John Piper has coined the phrase, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him,” then I would like to (by way of complement) coin the phrase, “God is most satisfied in himself when Christ is most glorified in us.” 

-Mark Jones

If you kill Him, He dies to redeem. If you bury Him, He rises again to bring resurrection.

-Spurgeon

God loves you. His eyes are upon you every moment (2 Chronicles 16:9). You are never out of His thoughts (Isaiah 49:15). He loves you“with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3). And nothing will ever “be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). You did nothing to deserve His love. You don’t do anything to maintain it. You didn’t earn it, so you can never lose it. God has chosen to set His love on you, not because of who you are but because of who He is. He is your Father, and you are His child. 

-James MacDonald

The battle after the battle is real. 

-Nancy Leigh DeMoss

There is a wonderful wideness in God’s mercy. Meditate on the rich truth that God abundantly pardons. Take it personally.

-Joseph M. Stowell

It is enough that the man who refuses to assert himself, seeking no recognition by men, leaving the care of his life to the Father, and occupying himself with the will of the Father, shall find himself, by and by, at home in his Father’s house, with all his Father’s property his.

-George MacDonald, The Hope of the Gospel

The only hope for the sin-sick soul is the mortal wounds of the substitute Savior. 

-H.B. Charles, Jr.

Some unbelievers don't walk in Christianity because they don't accept their sinnerhood. Some Christians don't walk in victory because they don't accept their sainthood.

-Unknown

October Quotes

The gospel is like a caged lion; it does not need to be defended, it just needs to be let out of the cage. 

-Spurgeon

The Christians who did most for the present world were precisely those who thought most of the next.

-C.S. Lewis

Our Lord commands that all His followers be evangelistic fishermen. The command “follow Me” in the Greek literally means “come here.” The original text also has the term “after,” which indicates the place we must come to: “Your place is following after Me!” This is His chosen place and posture for you.

-John MacArthur

If God entirely inspired Scripture, then Scripture is vested with His authority. No other power could either bestow or take away that quality. 

-René Pache

No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good. 

-Josh McDowell

These many years of waiting will only be a sentence in the story. This long day will come to an end, and I believe it will end in glory, when we will shine like suns and stride the green hills with those we love and the One who loves.

-Andrew Peterson

Truth only seems old fashioned nowadays because we've grown so accustomed to deceit and manipulation. But Truth is eternal, so it can never be old or new. It never 'was' or 'will be.' It just 'is.' It always 'is.' Truth never grows old, and if you believe in it and try to live by it, you will always be, in some ways--the only ways that matter--the youngest, freshest, most energetic rebel on the block."

-Matt Walsh

God is completely sovereign. God is infinite in wisdom. God is perfect in love. God in His love always wills what is best for us. In His wisdom He always knows what is best, and in His sovereignty He has the power to bring it about. 

-Jerry Bridges

My job isn’t to curse the darkness; it’s to light a candle. 

-Nancy Leigh Demoss

You don't fight for victory. You fight from it. Start living in that power. 

-Greg Laurie

Happy Reformation Day! 

Remember that you are saved 

by grace alone (sola gratia),

 through faith alone (sola fide), 

in Christ alone (solus Christus), 

according to Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), 

for the glory of God alone (soli Deo Gloria).

September Quotes

God's plan will continue on God's schedule. 

-A. W. Tozer

In your struggle against your sin, the victory will be won or lost in the battlefield of your mind. 

-Mary Kassian

We are not at liberty to take one statement of Holy Scripture out of its context with the whole. When we do we exchange the Word of God for our ignorant babble, we must beware.

-Calvin in "The Betrayal" by Douglas Bond

False religions will always attempt to distort Scripture because they must eliminate God's truth before they can justify their own lies. 

-John MacArthur

Death is but a passage out of a prison and into a palace.

-John Bunyan

The pulpit is mightier than any word, so long as the pulpit is where the Word of God is preached. 

-Al Mohler

Let us today go down to Bethlehem, and in company with wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see Him who was born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in Him, and can sing, "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire.

-Charles Spurgeon

Keep your heart with all diligence and God will look after the universe.

-A. W. Tozer

I have one desire now - to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy into it.

-Ed McCully

It is our fight. It will not end here. With every victory this evil will grow. If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light and let darkness descend. Are we are not part of this world? Tell me, Mellon, when did we let evil become stronger than us? 

-Tauriel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (film)

August Quotes

There can be no participation in Christ’s life without a participation in his death, and we cannot enjoy the benefits of his death unless we are partakers of the power of his life. We must be reconciled to God in order to be holy, and we cannot be reconciled without thereby becoming holy.

-Charles Hodge

No matter how hard Satan tries, he cannot dim the glory of Jesus. People may close their eyes or turn their backs, but neither of those actions reduces Jesus' divine stature. 

-Woodrow Kroll

A Sovereign Protector I have, unseen, yet forever at hand. 

-Augustus M. Toplady

To be a follower of the Crucified means, sooner or later, a personal encounter with the cross. And the cross always entails loss.

-Elisabeth Elliot

“Loving someone requires maintaining a measure of optimism on that person’s behalf. Hope is an attitude that good will eventually come to those who may now be failing. Failure invades every Christian’s life, and it often causes others to give up on the one who fails. Yet, Christians who love continue to hope for the best. This optimism encourages others to keep moving forward. This hope is based not on the Christian, but on Christ. The hope of each Christian is that Christ will preserve him to glory. When a brother falls, it is Christ who picks him up and makes him stand (Rom. 14:4). Christ is the one who promised to finish the work he began".

-(Pratt, R. L., Jr. (2000). I & II Corinthians (Vol. 7). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

Yet, just as the soil patiently endures the frigid hand of frost and snow and bitter cold, the soul's
winter is only a curving bend to the fair meadows of spring. Only through mourning can one know the exhilaration of joy. Beauty is the by-product of burnt, ash-dust. God looks at a field of stinky, dead earth and says, "This is my garden." I have learned never to begrudge winter, for in her wake lie all the trees of Eden.

-Unknown 

But did the clouds rain free, and the earth open beneath me, I would not stir; for I know who planted me here, and as long as He wills me to stand, neither men or devils can move me hence.
~William Wallace

Mercy is never free. Mercy is very expensive. Mercy requires paying the cost of justice, and that is the cost of our Savior’s life. But that mercy is beautiful to behold for those whom God has given eyes to see it. Mercy changes lives. And the offer of mercy can also harden. 

~Tony Reinke

Hold your ground! Should a Christian flee? Should a Christian be afraid? You are not going anywhere—Hold fast your position! You are not changing the things that God has set. You heed God’s lead, not the Enemy’s! The Enemy will not define the terms of your life. The Enemy will not dictate where you go, what you say, what you don’t say, or what you do, or don’t do. God set you here. Stand firm. Don’t move from this position. Be still and watch what your God will do for those who trust in His Almighty Name! 

~Eric Ludy

What we offer unto God? Stubborn, sinful, rebellious rejection. But unto us? A Child is born. A Son is given.

 ~James MacDonald

July Quotes

When something does not go your way, remember faithful prayer accomplishes far more than your frustrated protests.

-James McDonald

It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call because then you are not bothered by what God requires, common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad, you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis. 

-Oswald Chambers

What comes into our minds when we think about God, is the most important thing about us.

-A.W.Tozer

Christians are like the several flowers in a garden that have each of them the dew of Heaven, which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall at each other's roots, whereby they are jointly nourished, and become nourishers of each other.

-John Bunyan 

The world provides no cheerleaders on the pathway to godliness. 

-Kevin DeYoung

A sound theology must be a theology where grace is central to it. 

-R. C. Sproul

Ministry is simply the footprints we leave behind as we run toward Jesus.

-Unknown

The Bible is not only a book of divine revelation; it is also a book of literary grandeur, sublime influence, human interest, amazing accuracy, perfect unity, and everlasting challenge. 

-J. Edwin Orr

Until we discover God’s purpose, there will always be a hole in our soul. And if we let God’s vision die, part of us will die as well.

-Georgia Shaffer

The truth is that the more intimately you know someone, the more clearly you’ll see their flaws. That’s just the way it is. This is why marriages fail, why children are abandoned, why friendships don’t last. You might think you love someone until you see the way they act when they’re out of money or under pressure or hungry, for goodness’ sake. Love is something different. Love is choosing to serve someone and be with someone in spite of their filthy heart. Love is patient and kind, love is deliberate. Love is hard. Love is pain and sacrifice, it’s seeing the darkness in another person and defying the impulse to jump ship.
-Unknown

June Quotes

Expecting perfection from ourselves or others is not what holiness is about.

-Kevin DeYoung

Where reason can only wade, faith swims.

-Thomas Watson

No creature that deserved redemption would need to be redeemed. 

-C. S. Lewis

If we know but little of the excellences of Jesus, what he has done for us, and what he is doing now, we cannot love him much; but the more we know him, the more we shall love him.

 -Spurgeon

Those who are born again are as secure as God is faithful. 

-John Piper

The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. . . . [These] are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams; but God is the sun. These are but streams; but God is the ocean.

-Jonathan Edwards

As in paradise, God walks in the Holy Scriptures, seeking man. 

-Ambrose

If you are more distressed over the sin of the people near you than you are of the sin that is inside you, you won't cry out for grace.

-Paul Tripp

Oral or written testimony of human observers, no matter how trustworthy they may be, is still subject to human error and not “inerrant” in the same way as Scripture. Christians must always remember that the written Word of God is more certain than personal memories or impressions. The experiences we have must never be viewed as validating God’s Word. Rather, God’s Word validates our experiences.

-John D. Morris

The great basis of Christian assurance is not how much our hearts are set on God, but how unshakably his heart is set on us.

-Tim Keller

Two Messages, Two Men, and One Savior

I read through Acts earlier this month, and as I was reading I noted some similarities in Peter's sermon and Stephen's defense (before he was killed). However, after a bit more study, I realized that, while they indeed had several similarities, they had more differences--not in theological content, but in the setting, content, and response of the message.

Setting
Acts 2 is known for the incredible experience of the Holy Spirit. The disciples are gathered in Jerusalem after the resurrection of Christ, and as the Lord promised, He sends the Comforter to remain with them always. Peter gives this sermon by the power of the Spirit with the other eleven disciples around him along with "devout men from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5, ESV). In response to the overflowing living Spirit in him, Peter stands and proclaims

Stephen's defense in Acts 7 falls under much difference circumstances. These are literally Stephen's last words, as he will be stoned after this message. He stands amond the people, elders, scribes, his false accusers, and the Jewish council. This message is his defense against those who claimed that he spoke against the holy place and the Jewish law. Those who behold Stephen's face marvel that it appears like an angel's.

Content
In response to the overflowing living Spirit in him, Peter boldly stands and proclaims the words of Joel, calling the Jews back to their heritage, and ancient promises given to them by the God of Israel. Basing his message on the fact that "everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved", Peter gives a short summary of Jesus' life, beginning with David's testimony. He points out that his hearers are the ones who crucified the Messiah, but though they rejected the One that David proclaimed would rise from the dead, there was hope for them in that Savior still.

Stephen's defense is much longer than Peter's sermon, but he gives a similar message. He begins at the very beginning when God first called Abraham to seek out a land that would be his descendants inheritance. Moving along into the patriarchal history, Stephen recalls the story of Joseph and his brothers and the Egyptian famine. Then comes Moses, the child found beautiful in God's sight, who was to be called of I AM to lead the Israelites to the land promised to Abraham's descendants. Stephen recounts how Moses was directed to create a tent in the wilderness in which to worship God. Then David took up the call and desire to fund the building project for a temple. Though he did not see the project begin or end, he paved the way for his Solomon who was designated to build the temple during a time of peace. Stephen, like Peter also quotes one of the Old Testament prophets, however, he quotes Isaiah, not Joel. Concluding with the quote from Isaiah stating that "heaven is [God's] throng, and the earth is [His] footstool", Stephen places a strong rebuke on the Jewish leaders for their continued rejection of Christ. As their forefathers did, these Jews were stiff-necked, uncircumcised, murderers, and betrayers. They slew the One who gave them their law.

Response
Perhaps the biggest contrast between Stephen and Peter's messages is the response. While they have many differences, both quote prophets, both recount the Jewish history, both describe the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, both offer salvation, and both are spoken to large groups of people through the power of the Spirit.

Peter's message, though shorter than Stephen's, falls on ready ears, and about three thousand believers were added to the church. There was fellowshipping and praying and communion among these people and they gave to the needy and praised the Lord inthe temple together every day. The Lord added to their numbers and they continued to grow.

Stephen's message produced a response of rage in resistant hearts and actions. He was cast out of the city and stoned. Yet in the midst of the physical and spiritual pain, there was glory. Stephen was given a vision of Christ seated at the right hand of God, and though he died for this bold message and rebuke, his words were not in vain. Two chapters later, the man who permitted and condoned Stephen's death would also see the glory of God and become one of the leading writers and spiritual figures in our New Testament--the apostle Paul.

Two men with two messages, yet each pointed to the same Savior.

May Quotes

In prayer, it is better to have a heart without words - than words without a heart.

-John Bunyan

What wings are to a bird, what fruit is to the tree, what the rose is to the thorn, that is praise to a child of God.

-Spurgeon

In true Christianity, there are no short-term commitments and no escape clauses. 

-John Blanchard

In order to receive grace, you must accept Jesus. Not the idea of Jesus, but the actual Jesus; the One who calls you to leave everything behind. The One who says that you must carry your cross, the One who spoke truth in the face of deceit. The Christ who clung unto a world that had let go long ago, Jesus who calls us beloved. If grace is an ocean, you must jump in! 

-T.B. LaBerge

A great white throne: Great, because of the causes that will be decided there ... white, because of its immaculate purity ... a throne, because a King will sit there. 

-F. B. Meyer

Take up the Bible, ask the Holy Spirit for help, lay the promises up in your heart, and fight the good fight — to live by faith in future grace. 

-John Piper

Circumstances don't create character; they reveal character. 

-David Jeremiah

Only men who ken their weakness, find their strength in Christ alone. 

-John Knox

God's plans reach from an eternity past to an eternity to come. Let Him take His own time.

-William S. Plumer

The burden God places on each of us is to become who we are meant to be. We are most fully ourselves when Christ most fully lives in us and through us. The mother shines brightest with her child in her arms, the father when he forgives his wandering son, and the artist when he or she is drawing attention to grace, by showing the pinprick of light overcoming the darkness in the painting, or the story, or the song. The world knows darkness. Christ came into the world to show us light. I have seen it, have been blinded by it, invaded by it. I will tell its story.

-Andrew Peterson

Ezekiel: You Shall Know....

...that I am the LORD when...

"the slain shall fall in your midst" (Ez.6:7)

"some among the nations...escape the sword, and when you are scattered through the countries" (Ez.6:8)

"all the evil abominations of the house of Israel...shall fall by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence" (Ez.6:11

"my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. I will punish you according to your ways, while your abominations are in your midst" (Ez.7:9)

"the inhabited cities shall be laid waste, and the land shall become a desolation" (Ez.12:20)

"my hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel" (Ez.13:9)

"I break down the wall that you have smeared with whitewash, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be laid bar. When it falls, you shall perish in the midst of it" (Ez.13:14)

"I...deliver my people out of your [false prophets] hand" (Ez.13:23)

"I...establish my covenant with you...that you may remember and be confounded, and never open your mouth again because of your shame, when I atone for you for all that you have done" (Ez.16:63)

"I bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish" (Ez.17:24)

"I...purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel" (Ez.20:38)

"I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers" (Ez.20:42)

"I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel" (Ez.20:44)

"your [Ezekiel's] mouth will be opened to the fugitive and you shall speak and be longer mute. So you will be a sign to them" (Ez.24:27)

"I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them...they shall dwell securely in it, and they shall build houses and plant vineyards...when I execute judgments upon all their neighbors who have treated them with contempt" (Ez.28:25-26)

"I break the bars of their yoke, and deliver them from the hand of those who enslaved them" (Ez.34:27)

"like the flock for sacrifices, like the flock at Jerusalem during her appointed feasts, so shall the waste cities be fillee with flocks of people" (Ez.36:38)

"I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land." (Ez.37:14)

"the name of the city from that time on shall be 'The LORD Is There'." (Ez.48:35)

I am the LORD. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the LORD GOD.

Ezekiel 24:14

I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.

Ezekiel 34:16

April Quotes

In the stillness of things, when one looks at the stars shining bright in the dark sky, God speaks to us in that silence.

 -Unknown

God has given us the DNA of righteousness. We are saints. Nothing we do will make us more righteous than we already are. Nothing we do will alter this reality. God knows our DNA. He knows that we are "Christ in me."

-John S. Lynch

The saving work of Christ includes deliverance from the death penalty for sin in one’s past life, the power of sin in his present life, and the very presence of sin in the future life.

-Henry Morris

God does not comfort us by showing us the future, but by showing us Himself. 

-Tim Challies

Sometimes when we least expect it, a small cross proves a lovely crown, a seemingly unimportant event becomes a lifelong experience, or a stranger becomes a friend. 

-Louisa May Alcott

“God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). This doesn’t mean we should give only when we’re feeling cheerful. The cheerfulness often comes during and after the act of obedience, not before it. So don’t wait until you feel like giving—it could be a long wait! Just give and watch the joy follow.

-Randy Alcorn

[T]he ultimate question for a responsible man to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation shall continue to live.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

-C.S. Lewis

Bible commentator R. C. H. Lenski once noted that people with eager but uncertain vows of allegiance to Christianity are like those who view “the soldiers on parade, the fine uniforms, and the glittering arms and [are] eager to join, forgetting the exhausting marches, the bloody battles, the graves, perhaps unmarked.” 

-John MacArthur

Expecting perfection from ourselves or others is not what holiness is about.

-Kevin DeYoung

Hope for the Gentile

Isaiah 56:1-8, ESV

Thus says the LORD:

“Keep justice, and do righteousness, for soon my salvation will come, and my righteousness be revealed. 

Blessed is the man who does this, and the son of man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath, not profaning it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil.”

Let not the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, 

“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”; 

and let not the eunuch say,

“Behold, I am a dry tree.” 

For thus says the LORD:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose the things that please me and hold fast my covenant, I will give in my house and within my walls a monument and a name better than sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant—these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer;

their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

The Lord GOD, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, 

“I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.” 

March Quotes

A real Christian is an odd number, anyway. He feels supreme love for the One whom he has never seen; talks with familiarly every day to

Someone he cannot see; expects to go to heaven on the virtue of Another; empties himself in order to be full; admits he is wrong so he

can be declared right; goes down in order to get up; is strongest when he is weakest; richest when he is poorest and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so he can live; forsakes in order to have; gives away so he can keep; sees the invisible; hears the inaudible' and knows that which passeth understanding.

- A.W. Tozer

Fairy tales are more than true — not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us dragons can be beaten. 

-G.K. Chesterton

The moment that we take a significant step of obedience, we will be tested.

-Unknown

If we have learned to be silent before the Word, we shall also learn to manage our silence and our speech during the day."

-Bonhoeffer

When Jesus Christ is magnified, Believers are unified.

-Chad Johnson

There is sweet joy in feeling that God knows all and, notwithstanding, loves us still.

-J. Hudson Taylor

Peace is not a gift that passes from Christ the giver to us the receivers. His peace is ours because he is ours, and the peace he is experiencing we are experiencing. Our experience of peace is his peace in us because he is in us. Similarly his strength. Paul says, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Ephesians 6:10). Being “in the Lord” is the same as the branch being in the vine. The strength of the Lord is not merely a gift from him to us. When we are strong against the devil and sin, our strength is his strength. He is being strong in us. We are being strong "in the strength of his might."

-John Piper

Walking by faith will cause all of us to recognize that as children of God we are just pilgrims and strangers down here on this earth.

-J. Vernon McGee

If we followed you for a thousand years, we would need your grace just as much the next day, the next moment, as we did the first day we believed.

-prayer by Paul Tripp

It is easier to serve God without a vision, easier to work for God without a call because then you are not bothered by what God requires, common sense is your guide, veneered over with Christian sentiment. You will be more prosperous and successful, more leisure hearted, if you never realize the call of God. But if once you receive a commission from Jesus Christ, the memory of what God wants will always come like a goad, you will no longer be able to work for Him on the common-sense basis.

-Oswald Chambers

God of War

 This week I began reading through Psalms again. The number of verses speaking of war caught my attention. While war is never something to desire, there are times when justice must be carried out, and in the Old Testament times the Lord did call His people to battle. To fight for their land, their homes, and their faith. And it was He who gave them the power, strength, and victory when the occasion arose.

He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze...For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed. (Psalm 18:34, 39-40, ESV)

The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation--the God who gave me vengeance and subdued peoples under me, who delivered me from my enemies... (Psalm 18:46-48a)

Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle! (Psalm 24:8)

Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me! Take hold of shield and bucker and rise for my help! Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers! Say to my soul, "I am your salvation!" (Psalm 35:1-3)

...for not by their own sword did they win the land, nor did their own arm save them, but your right hand and your arm, and the light of your face, for you delighted in them....Through you we push down our foes; through your name we tread down those who rise up against us. For not in my bow do I trust, nor can my sword save me. But you have saved us from our foes and have put to shame those who hate us. (Psalm 44:3-7)

There is no delight in war, but there is great joy in knowing that God gives victory. Wars and battles today are but a shadow of the spiritual battles that take place daily in the hearts and minds of believers. And when justice is pursued and meted out among the nations, we see a glimpse of the righteousness that will reign when King Jesus returns.

In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies, the peoples fall under you. 

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprighteness.

Psalm 45:4-6

Three Visions of Heaven

This past week, I read through the story of Micaiah the prophet. He's not a well-known prophet, but his story is an interesting and courageous one. Micaiah prophecies during the reign of king Ahab--one of the most wicked kings of his time. This whole story is found in 2 Chronicles 18, and I won't detail it all, but his words in a few verses reminded me of two other instances in Scripture.

Standing before king Jehoshaphat and king Ahab, Micaiah states that he can only speak the words God gives him. Like Elijah, Micaiah's words will stand against those of the 400 false prophets. He's asked if these two kings will be able to conquer Ramoth Gilead back from the Arameans, and unlike the 400 false prophets, he says that Ahab would be killed and the people scattered. Ahab is obviously not pleased with this report. Micaiah then again brings to the kings' attention that it is the word of the Lord that he has spoken:

And Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left. (2 Chronicles 18:18, ESV)

Standing before those who would soon persecute him for his message, Micaiah boldly proclaims the Lord's message to Ahab, and refuses to cave in to the pressure of delivering a message that was pleasing to the king, like the other 400 prophets had done.

Another prophet records something similar to Micaiah's vision. Isaiah, the prophet, lived during the
time of king Uzziah. Uzziah began as a godly king, but soon grew strong in power and wealth leading to his downfall and the curse of leprosy. Isaiah was called to preach and teach a wayward people during this time, and many times faced persecution as he spoke the words of God. However, the Lord gave him a glimpse of His glory which is recorded in Isaiah 6:

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" (Isaiah 6:1-3, ESV)

This is perhaps the most descriptive of the three, but like Micaiah's vision, Isaiah sees the angels surrounding the throne of God while the Lord is seated as the rightful reigning King.

The third Bible account describing a vision like these two takes place in the New Testament. A prophet in his own time and place, Stephen is well-known as the first martyr of the Christian church. Acts 6-8 recounts his sermon and story. While standing before the high priest, elders, and other Jews, Stephen boldly preaches against their wickedness, convicting their hearts while recounting the history of the Israelites. His audience, however, is not receptive, and stones him to death. Some of his last words include the vision into heaven:

But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (Acts 7:55-56, ESV)

As I read Micaiah's vision and his words, I couldn't help but compare the similarities of it to Isaiah's and Stephen's visions. These three men all stood before kings and declared the Word of God to rebellious and hard-hearted people. They were persecuted, forsaken of men, and faced internal and external pressures to conform to the lifestyles around them. Yet they stood firm and did not back down. All three record visions of God/Jesus seated on His throne. Isaiah and Stephen specifically mention His vast glory, and Micaiah and Isaiah describe the angels that surround the throne. Isaiah's and Micaiah's are the ultimate glory of God, but Stephen's is the fulfilled glory in Christ as the risen, reigning King. While we don't know exactly what happened to Isaiah and Micaiah in the end, it is very likely that they died at the hands of their own people. Stephen did.

And so it seems, that to provide encouragement and strength during their difficult life times, God opened heaven to them and showed them His glory and His realm--reminding them that they would reign there with Him soon.

Two Miracles in 2 Kings

This week reading through 2 Kings, I noticed two accounts which had miracles similiar to other more well-known stories in Scripture. Did you know the Jordan river was parted and walked across on dry ground? And twenty barley loaves plus fresh ears of grain managed to feed a hundred men?

Elijah tells his follower, Elisha, that he will be taken to heaven by the Lord today. Elijah took his cloak and struck the water, parting it for him and Elisha, and the two crossed over together. Elisha then requested that a double portion of Elijah's spirit be granted to him. Elijah said that if Elisha saw him taken up into heaven, then Elisha's request would be granted. Elisha watched as chariots and horses of fire and a whirlwind caught up his master to glory. Elisha then took up the cloak of Elijah and returned to the Jordan River striking the water in the same manner and walked across on dry ground. (2 Kings 2:1-14)

The second account takes place two chapters later and demonstrates in a smaller way a miracle Jesus would later perform. Elisha has just finished providing edible stew for the sons of the prophets. Famine had taken over the land, and food was scarce. A man comes and brings Elisha barley bread and fresh ears of grain. Elisha commands his servant to feed the group of men which numbered about a hundred. Still Elisha tells him to set it before them, as the Lord had said they would eat and have some left over. So Elisha's servant obeys. "And they ate and had some left, accourding to the word of the Lord." (2 Kings 4:42-44)

I found it interesting how the first miracle pointed back in history to Moses' parting of the Red Sea, and then the second miracle forshadows the future miracles of Jesus. One man, Elisha, was priviledged to take part in each of these miracles. Likely he did not completely understand the part he would play in reminding us of the past faithfulness of God, while also providing us hope for the future.

February Quotes

If God be glorified, what does it matter where we are? What becomes of us is of small consequence compared with bringing glory to His great name.

-Spurgeon

If you belong to Him, He will shatter you in a million pieces and reconstruct you. He will not share you with the world. He will not allow you to get any fun out of the Vanity Fair.

-Paul Washer

I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God- it changes me. 

-C.S. Lewis

The land of the free begins in the homes of the brave.

-Kirk Cameron

We are indestructable until the Lord calls us home.

-Amanda Daniels

On this day [February 14], in the year AD 298, a Christian pastor was brutally martyred. First, he was beaten with clubs. then stoned, and finally he was beheaded. His crime ...- standing for biblical marriage, that intimacy outside of marriage was sinful, and that marriage was designed by God as between one man and one woman. His name was Valentinus, a man who loved Jesus above all else and who refused to deny the faith. Today, as you enjoy your chocolate and trinkets, remember that the one who is now called St Valentine gave his life in defense of biblical marriage, not rampant promiscuity or perversion. He did not succumb to the politically correct of his day. February 14 is a day that is not rose red, but blood red. 

-James McDonald

Just because you can't, doesn't mean I can't, and just because I can't, doesn't mean you shouldn't.

-Steven Furtick

It is a sign of the times that, in today's public mind, precious little is held sacred except the right to profane living, and nothing is more offensive than moral innocence. 

-Andrew Romanowitz

Your sins aren’t enough to keep your child from God and your strengths aren’t enough to get your child to God.

-Ann Voskamp

If you are more distressed over the sin of the people near you than you are of the sin that is inside you, you won't cry out for grace. 

-Paul David Tripp 

No Other

There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God. 

-1 Samuel 2:2

He is...

Fire and A Hammer.

Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? (Jeremiah 23:29, ESV)

Light and A Lamp.
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. (Psalm 199:105)

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)

A Double-edged Sword.

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

In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. (Revelation 1:16)

A Mirror.

For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:23-25)

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) 

His Faithfulness

Beginning to read through Deuteronomy, I noticed the frequent verses and examples of God's

faithfulness to the Israelites and His covenants with them. His promise was spoken in verses such as this one: 

For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them (Deuteronomy 4:31, ESV).

And Yahweh demonstrated His faithfulness in these ways, places, times, and manners:

The Lord your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes, and in the wilderness, where you have seen ho wthe Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you ame to this place (Deuteronomy 1:30-31, ESV).

For the Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing (Deut.2:7, ESV).

...the Lord your God...went before you in the way to seek you out a place to pitch your tents, in fire by night and in the cloud by day, to show you what way you should go (Deut.1:33, ESV).

For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? (Deut.4:7, ESV).

But the Lord has taken you and brought you out of the iron furnace, out of Egypt, to be a people of his own inheritance, as you are this day (Deut.4:20, ESV).

His faithfulness was proven to His people over and over again. Yet, when they went astray and worshiped false idols, it was because they did not keep His promises in the forefront of their minds. Forgetting God's covenants leads to false worship.

Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live? Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another tation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? To you it was shown, that you might know that the Lord is God; there is no other besides him. (Deut.4:33-35, ESV)