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

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

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.” 

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.

January Quotes

To surrender a precious dream is a fearful thing, but to pursue anything but the full measure of the glory of God’s love is a wasted life.

-Joshua Eddy

Where God tears great gaps we should not try to fill them with human words.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We are secure, not because we hold tightly to Jesus, but because He holds tightly to us.

-R.C. Sproul

Enemy-occupied territory---that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.

-C.S. Lewis

It is not the mouth that is the main thing to be looked at in prayer, but whether the heart is so full of affection and earnestness in prayer with God, that it is impossible to express their sense and desire; for then a man desires indeed, when his desires are so strong, many, and mighty, that all the words, tears, and groans that can come from the heart, cannot utter them.

-John Bunyan

The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. 

-Francis Chan

There is a living God. He has spoken in the Bible. He means what He says and will do all that He has promised.

-Hudson Taylor

Don’t you know that day dawns after night, showers displace drought and spring and summer follow winter? Then have hope! Hope forever, for God will not fail you!

-Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Too often we pay so much attention to what we need to do that we totally neglect the extent to which we are entirely dependent on the Spirit to do what we cannot do. 

-Jerry Bridges

Right now if this preacher died he would go to heaven. Not because I spent years in the jungles and the Andes Mountains of Peru. Not because of piety, devotion or Bible study. Not because of denominational affiliation, baptism, or participation in the Lord’s supper. If I died right now, I would go to heaven because two thousand years ago the Son of God shed His blood for this wretched man. And that is my hope.

-Paul Washer

December Quotes

Christianity preaches the infinite worth of that which is seemingly worthless and the infinite worthlessness of that which is seemingly so valued.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run. 
-St. Augustine

“Is it true, O Christ in heaven, that the highest suffer the most?

That the strongest wander furthest and most hopelessly are lost?

That the mark of rank in nature is capacity for pain?

That the anguish of the singer makes the sweetness of the strain?” 

-John Milton

A holy woman's object in life is a perfect union with the will of God, perfect conformity. And as we are conformed to the image of Christ and conform our wills to God, we will find that our joy is greater and greater. Humility and surrender can be your gateway to joy.

-Elisabeth Elliot

Pray that this year you may be holy, humble, zealous, and patient and have closer communion with Christ. Pray that you may be an example and blessing to others, and that you may live more for the glory of your Master… Let January open with joy in the Lord, and December close with gladness in Jesus.

-Charles H. Spurgeon

I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They report supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies, and they claim to be divine rather than human in origin.

-Dr. Voddie Baucham

Here we have a picture of God’s ideal woman…Faith in God that sees beyond present bitter setbacks. Freedom from the securities and comforts of the world. Courage to venture into the unknown and the strange. Radical commitment in the relationships appointed by God… It is a beautiful thing to watch a woman like this serve Christ with courage.

-John Piper

The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His. 

-Francis Chan

Let us banish every fearful thought, and rejoice with exceeding great joy, in the prospect that this year we shall begin to be "forever with the Lord. 

-C. H. Spurgeon

But friends, as we face a new year, let us take heart! Let us find courage! -not in the strength of our own arms, but in the power of our resurrected Lord who sits in the heavens and does whatsoever He pleases (Ps.115:3)! Let us persevere in hope! -not because we see the light at the end of the tunnel, which we may not--but because our King has guaranteed a harvest in due season if we faint not (Gal.6:9). And when we do feel like fainting, let us remember that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but to those who are weak in Christ--because when we are weak, then are we strong (2 Cor.12:10).
-Neil Craig

A Bigger Picture, Part Seven

There are five steps or phases included in the lectio divina, which in Latin, means “holy reading” or “prayerful reading”.[1] This practice has roots in ancient history and it focuses on feeling and listening to God speaking to us and transforming our lives.[2] When used alongside the inductive approach to biblical interpretation, these steps are meant provide revelation from the Spirit in accordance with God’s written Word. However, it is important to remember that our feelings are not necessarily always in alignment with the Spirit, rather, we must conform our emotions to what the Word of God shows us through the Spirit.[3]

   

The first step, Silencio, refers to the reader setting a quiet time aside to prepare his heart to enter the Lord’s presence.[4] This step should be helpful in any sort of devotional time, because in this fast-paced 21^st century, people often forget how to sit alone in the quiet to study the Word and pray. Reading the Word is hearing God’s voice, and prayer is communication with Him, so it’s vital to set aside regular time to worship the Lord.

  

The second step, Lectio, focuses on choosing a Scripture passage and reading it slowly out loud.[5] The reader needs to concentrate on allowing God’s words to say what they say, rather than reading his own words into it. Also the reader needs to apply the words specifically to himself and not to others, as is so easy to do. This aspect would definitely be vital for a Christian, because it is important to make sure that one is right with God before calling others out.

   

Meditatio directs the reader to connect the Scripture with some part of his current life situation. Reading the passage slowly again and allowing the words to sink into his heart and mind, the reader can more closely focus on what principles God is teaching. This step could be concerning, as it may lead some readers to overspiritualize the text, but through careful study, the reader can glean the principles that God has revealed to us.[6]

   

After concentrated study on the passage, the fourth step, Oratio, tells readers to use this time to pray through the passage, asking God to show His truth and point out areas where actions and attitudes need to be aligned to His Word.[7] Praying to God allows the opportunity to speak honestly with the Lord and often times helps to pinpoint areas of struggle.

   

The last step, Comtemplatio, includes the aspect of prayer in surrendering the past, present, and future to God in light of the passage that was read. Through prayer the reader also should ask that the Lord would continue His transforming work in his life, and then thank God for all He has done and continues to do.[8]

In conclusion, these five steps pointed me back to the meaning of my personal devotions—that of time

alone with God through reading and prayer. In choosing the passage from Psalm 62, I was reminded of God’s eternal character. He is our rock and our salvation and our fortress. Our hope rests in Him alone. Our glory comes from Him being our one refuge. It is in the needed silence that we learn to trust in Him. He desires our prayers and He is pleased to answer them in His timing and His way for His glory and our good. Through these verses, God instructs us to entrust our life to Him and to render to Him the cries of our heart, because He will be a refuge for us. He has promised that, and because of that promise we can remain unshaken and steadfast in our hope.

---

[1] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God's Word (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 231. /12.2.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 230./12.2.

[4] Ibid., 231./12.2.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

Sufficient Grace

And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

Sometimes our human nature is more than we can handle. We wrestle with sin again and again, and it becomes discouraging. We’re tempted to give up. The struggle is often consistently intense, and we long for just a moment of relief, but it does not come. Our weakness, our infirmities, our sinfulness is constant. We cry out to God to remove the pain from our hearts and minds, but He says “no”.

It’s not an empty “no”, however. He says “No. BUT I give you My sufficient grace to walk through your life with it. My sufficient grace is that which picks you up when you keep letting Me down. My sufficient grace is that which abounds in forgiveness each time you fall short of My glory. I promise that as long as you’re seeking My face, I will pour out my sufficient grace on you. I will give you an increased hatred for sin, so you will continually pursue after righteousness. You must share in My Son’s sufferings, for He was tempted like as you are, but My sufficient grace will make it possible for you.”

It is in weakness that Christ’s sufficient strength is made known. We cannot know the heights of His strength until we understand the deepness of our weakness. Only then will we glory in our struggles, temptations, trials, pain, and infirmities. We will glory because we know that through our sinful nature, Christ is increasingly magnified. It takes darkness to show forth the brightness of light, and when Jesus is held up to our sinfulness, we see Him in all His glory. His power rests upon us, giving our hearts and minds the strength of His sufficient grace.

No Condemnation

An excerpt from a devotional series I wrote two years ago.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh,

but after the Spirit.

Romans 8:1

Even though the law condemns us as guilty, the flesh serves the law of sin, and Satan attempts to throw our righteousness back in our faces—we have been redeemed from eternal damnation. The law has been fulfilled, and in Christ, we are free from the bondage of that law. Once in Christ we are no longer slaves to the flesh or to the Devil, but children of the Spirit. We are warring against principalities and powers of darkness, but the Spirit of freedom will guides us and teaches us as we abide in Christ. We are sinners, and we live in a sin-cursed world, but we are not of the world, but of Christ. And because our lives are hidden in Christ, there is no condemnation. Our sins have been as far removed as east is from west and buried in the depths of the sea. There is no remembering of them, for your name is in the Lamb’s book of life.

There is no judgment for wrong, for our lives were purchased and our sin was atoned for by the ultimate sacrifice. There are no arguments the devil can use against us. Condemnation is reserved for the unrighteous. The moment the Innocent Substitute died, the temple curtain was torn in two: no

longer was a priest needed to intercede for the people. As His redeemed, we come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy. When the devil haunts you with your past, discourages you with the present, and threatens you with the unknown future, then you will face him and say “My condemnation has been removed. The One who paid the ultimate sacrifice will mete out justice fairly. I have nothing to fear. I am in Christ Jesus!”

Testimony and Encourager

I grew up in a Christian home from the day I was born. We attended various churches for the first several years of my life, and then home-churched for several more. I remember listening to sermons as a family, reading the Bible, and singing together. Around the age of eight, my family started attending Grace Baptist Church. In Sunday school class, we were given the suggestion to read through the Gospels, and being an avid reader, I took on the task. The gospels were not unfamiliar to me, but this time, when I reached the end of John, I remember praying and asking God to save me. I don’t remember many specifics from my childhood, but I do remember understanding that I needed a Savior and that

Christ was the only one who could cleanse from sin.

During the next several years, we had special speakers and evangelists in our church, and most of the time when they asked if people needed to be saved or if they wanted to talk to someone about it, I would raise my hand. I remember sitting with one pastor’s wife in the Sunday school room and praying the “sinner’s prayer” because I wanted to make sure that I was saved. I am unsure as to which prayer was completely genuine, but I know it was around this time that I was aware of my sin and acknowledged Christ as the only remedy for that sin.

My testimony doesn’t have a specific lightbulb moment or a drastic turning point from a past way of life, rather it was a growing knowledge of who God is and what He has done for me. And I am still in that process today. Many people’s salvation stories are a one-time event, but even once the moment of salvation is gone, God is still in the work of saving His people…because we are sinful and always in need of sanctification.

I think most people struggle with assurance of salvation from time to time. Assurance isn’t something you hear preached on too often—perhaps for good reason—but I think most Christians would agree that at some point they question their salvation. Maybe they’re going through a difficult time or maybe they are just working through a spiritually dry season. Either way it can be an incredibly lonely place, and I just wanted to leave you with some encouragement in that area.

Satan likes to use our own doubts, the world’s criticism, and the sin of others around us to cause us to question God’s work in our lives. Often it’s a small seed of doubt, but once it’s planted, it takes root quickly. At full growth, it can lead to despair, depression, and worse--if we allow it a hold on our mind. We question if we’re allowing God to sanctify us. We wonder if that prayer was sincere when we first prayed it. We doubt that we’re bearing fruit.

And it gets hard to fight, because it seems like we’re fighting something all the time. There is little time to rest on the battlefield of life. Soldiers get weary. Some fall. Some die. Some leave. In the constant fight, we forget to protect our own mind and soul from the doubt that creeps in. And we forget that saved sinners have a new name: saints.

Ephesians 2:19

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

Saints are those who are set-apart and holy through faith in Jesus Christ. Though we live in sin and battle it daily, it holds no dominion over us. It does not define us. We don’t live to serve it any longer. The doubts, worries, and questions that plague us, don’t have to take control over our minds.

Scripture teaches that once saved, always saved—otherwise known as the doctrine of eternal security. Once saved, there is nothing you, Satan, or the world can do to destroy your salvation. Salvation rests on God, and because He is unchanging and all-powerful, He cannot refuse those who have come to Him. We could not keep our salvation if we tried, but Christ’s work and God’s covenant cannot be reversed, and He holds us eternally regardless of our doubts.

So in the weariness of life, remember that the battle you fight is not for your salvation—that’s already been secured. Amid the doubts and questions, remember that the war for holiness was conquered at the cross—the outcome of your salvation is secure. The God-Man who saved you, is still saving and sanctifying you—He will complete His good work.

Sometimes we dwell so much on the sin and weakness in us that we forget we are saints. We’re not just saints when we reach heaven, we’re saints now. We’re created in the image of God, and His deity dwells in us. He has triumphed over our past, present, and future sin, and it holds dominion over us no more. Salvation is God’s work. Let us walk as saints because the victory is already certain. The battle is conquered. The war for salvation’s security was won at the foot of the cross. Instead, when you question your faith, give thanks for His faithfulness. He will hold you fast.

Philippians 3:9, 12

And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness form God that depends on faith…Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.

I leave you with the words of the second verse of “Before The Throne of God Above”, a hymn written by Charitie Lees Bancroft, the daughter of an Irish minister.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see Him there
Who made an end to all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

God of Comfort

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 

If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 

Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

2 Corinthians 4:7-10

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 

We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 

persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 

always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies.

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 

for we walk by faith, not

by sight. 

Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 

So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.

August Quotes

Those who desire to give up freedom in order to gain security will not have, nor do they deserve, either one.

-Benjamin Franklin 

Arrogance doesn’t come from having convictions; it comes from having the wrong convictions about how to treat people who don’t share them with you. Humility doesn’t come from not having convictions; it comes from having the right convictions about the importance of gentleness and respect.

-Unknown

There must be those among whom we can sit down and weep and still be counted as warriors.

-A. Rich

We live in a culture that exalts human autonomy above God's sovereignty and sets the individual’s freedom of expression above God's law.

-Paul Washer

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

-Winston Churchill

Ministry is… 

Giving when you feel like keeping; 

Praying for others when you need to be prayed for; 

Feeding other souls when your own soul is hungry; 

Living truth before people even when you can’t see results; 

Hurting with other people even when your own hurt can’t be spoken; 

Keeping your word even when it’s not convenient; Being faithful when your flesh wants to run away.

-Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth

Trust is earned, respect is given, loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.

-Unknown

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.

-Elizabeth Stone

Rest in this—it is His business to lead, command, impel, send, call or whatever you want to call it. It is your business to obey, follow, move, respond, or what have you.

-Jim Elliot

It is sweet to know that our tears are understood, even when words fail. Let us learn to think of tears as liquid prayers, and of weeping as a constant dropping of importunate intercession which will surely wear its way right into the very heart of God's mercy, despite the stony difficulties which obstruct the way. My God, I will "weep" when I cannot plead, for You hear the voice of my weeping! 

-Charles Spurgeon

In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy. God himself shines as the brightness at the end of our tunnel of pain. 

-John Piper

Loving one’s enemies leads disciples to the way of the cross and into communion with the crucified one. 

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We should learn to look at the blemishes and faults of others--only through the eyes of love, with sympathy, patience, and compassion. We do not know the secret history of the lives of others around us. We do not know what piercing sorrows have produced the scars we see in people's lives. We do not know the pains and trials which make life hard, to many with whom we are tempted to be impatient. If we knew all the secret burdens and the heart-wounds which many keep hidden beneath their smiling faces--we would be patient and gentle with all people.

 -J. R. Miller

Faith is neither a trust nor a belief in the unknown, but the firm knowledge that God is God, that He is true to His word, and, that what He has promised He will bring to pass.

R.J. Rushdoony

I have learned that breezes are always the precursors to wind. And winds usually push in storms. And we all know Who can calm storms. 

-D. Harrison

David's Prayer and God's Promises for Us

1 Samuel 7:18-29*

Significance and Future

18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?19 And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! 

David recognizes his "smallness" before an awesome God and praises the Lord because of the future He promised to him. We, also, are promised that we are precious in God's sight, and that as children of God, no matter what our circumstances may be or where they may lead us, we are never, ever alone.

Faithfulness and Omniscience

20 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 21 Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. 

David trusts that God will complete His promises and that he really needs to say nothing because God knows everything, including his heart and thoughts and words. Today, we have promises from Scripture that we must claim in order to strengthen our faith. We must recognize God's greatness if we are to understand that He is everywhere all the time, completely powerful, and nothing can be hidden from Him. 

Greatness and Redemption

22 Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for themgreat and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? 24 And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. 

David glories in God's goodness in redeeming a wayward people for His own glory. God made His name great by setting apart Israel from the land of pagan peoples. Just as the Israelites of old, we are commanded to worship the one true God and give glory only to Him. While we may not worship wood and stone, we still sin when we place people or things on the throne of our heart and give glory to them. There is no God like our God, and our obedience and praise to Him exalts His glory. 

Glory and Honor

25 And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 

David request that God would confirm His promise, not just to reassure David, but to bring more glory to God and that people would praise Him for it. We must also pray in this manner--that God's promises would be fulfilled, not just so we can be comforted and secure, but so that others would see God's glory and be drawn to Him in salvation. 

Courage and Truth

27 For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28 And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 

David found courage to pray from God's promises. He's comforted and reassured that God will do what He says He will do and that it will come to pass. We also must take courage from God's promises and pray through that courage. Many times our situations discourage us from praying or reading the Word, but it is in those moments that we need courage most. And courage comes from knowing God's Word and holding it before the throne of grace, to find mercy, and courage, in times of need. 

Blessing and Eternality

29 Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.

David asks for a blessing and praises God that the blessing will be forever. God had promised that a temple would be built for Him, but that later on a Suffering Savior would come who would reign on David's throne forever. Today believers still pray for God's blessing on our lives, homes, and people we love, but I think we forget that we are blessed now and forever--it's not something we must ask for because He forgot to give it. It's already there, and we must remember that it remains forever in Christ. We are blessed in all the heavenly places in Christ because He chose us and made us perfect in Him. That's more than even the angels can say.

*Verses quoted from the English Standard Version.

June Quotes

You feel now that you have no reason to hope. But the night is darkest before sunrise. Christians believe that the dawn will come. Faith can be put in two words: “though” and “yet”. In the Book of Job we read, “Though the Lord slay me, yet I will trust Him.” Many times these words come together in the Bible. They tell us to have faith in the darkest moments.

-Richard Wurmbrand

Have you ever heard the wonderful silence just before the dawn? Or the quiet and calm just as a storm ends? Or perhaps you know the silence when you haven't the answer to a question you've been asked, or the hush of a country road at night, or the expectant pause of a room full of people when someone is just about to speak, or, most beautiful of all, the moment after the door closes and you're alone in the whole house? Each one is different, you know, and all very beautiful if you listen carefully.

-Norton Juster

Discernment is not simply a matter of telling the difference between what is right and wrong; rather it is the difference between right and almost right. 

-Charles Spurgeon

You ever heard that saying 'He's so heavenly minded, he's no earthly good'? Well, most people are so earthly minded, they're no heavenly good.

-Paul Washer

Oh restless heart, that beat against your prison bars of circumstances, yearning for a wider sphere of usefulness, leave God to order all your days. Patience and trust, in the dullness of the routine of life, will be the best preparation for a courageous bearing of the tug and strain of the larger opportunity which God may some time send you.

-Oswald Chambers

What is sin? 

It is the glory of God not honored. 

The holiness of God not reverenced. 

The greatness of God not admired. 

The power of God not praised. 

The truth of God not sought. 

The wisdom of God not esteemed. 

The beauty of God not treasured. 

The goodness of God not savored. 

The faithfulness of God not trusted. 

The commandments of God not obeyed. 

The justice of God not respected. 

The wrath of God not feared. 

The grace of God not cherished. 

The presence of God not prized. 

The person of God not loved. 

That is sin. 

-John Piper

Peace is not absence of conflict; it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. 

-Ronald Reagan

We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend. 

-Robert Louis Stevenson

You don’t need to hoard today what you can expect God to supply in his mercy on the morrow. 

-Dr. Bob Jones Jr.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who have never tasted victory or defeat.

-Teddy Roosevelt

For those of us who are in trouble and are trying to keep our eyes on Christ our refuge, a word of encouragement:

The day is coming when we will be in the presence of the Lord. Fully, finally, forever delivered from all trouble. But until then, we have a God who is our refuge, our strength, and a very present help in trouble, amen.

-Nancy Leigh DeMoss

When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it to other people. God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened. 

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

God, I pray Thee, light these idle sticks of my life that I may burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life but a full one like You, Lord Jesus. 

-Jim Elliot

The same God which had brought us thus far, would not forsake us even now. 

-John Geddie

Legalism says “what a shame”.

Grace says “that could be me”.

Humility says “that IS me”.

-Unknown

Hope in His Love

I noticed an interesting thing, typical of poetry, in Psalm 33 this week. Verse 18 says this, Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love. This psalm is a song of praise displaying God's attributes and telling how nature and humanity bow to His supreme authority. We're to be joyful in His
power and providence over history and and creation. He created the heavens and the earth just by the breath of His mouth. His Word is upright and faithful. The earth is full of His steadfast love. He moves the seasons and oceans and times of man. He abolishes human counsel, but His counsel stands forever. The king and warrior aren't delivered by their army or strength, but rather it's those who fear and hope in His steadfast love that have His watchful eye protecting and providing for them.

The fear of the Lord is our wisdom and understanding, and the hope of eternal life and a Savior who remains with us always is our responsibility if we desire the Lord's deliverance. We must actively known His character in order to fear Him. We must read His word to have hope in His love. Our works demonstrate our salvation (but they don't save us), and God seeks out those who fear and hope in Him. To fear God is, first of all, to have faith in His saving power to deliver from sin. To fear Him as a believer then, is to love Him and obey His commands.

To hope in His love is to know His presence with us in a real and tangible way. It's to know and cling to the promises that His love remains despite our faults. That His forgiveness is certain when we repent. That He takes our weaknesses and makes them our strengths, and that His love is the binding factor between fellow believers.

Verse 22 gives us a slightly different angle on the same thought: Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Though we might hope and fear in God, ultimately, it's His work to place that His overwhelming love in, on, and through us. It's a plea that God would and continue to have His love flow through us as we live. It's God's work in us that produces the hope and fear. It's our responsibility, yes, but it's God's work. That love stems from a hope in God. We hope in a God who is love, and if we are being conformed to His image (as all believers are), then we will become more and more the instruments and ambassadors of that love. May we also pray that His steadfast love would be on us as we continue to hope in Him.

The love of God is greater far

Than tongue or pen can ever tell;

It goes beyond the highest star,

And reaches to the lowest hell;

The guilty pair, bowed down with care,

God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled,

And pardoned from His sin.

When years of time shall pass away

And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,

When men who here refuse to pray,

On rocks and hills and mountains call,

God's love so sure shall still endure,

All measureless and strong;

Redeeming grace to Adam's race--

The saints' and angels' song.

O love of God, how rich and pure!

How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure--

The saints' and angels' song!

"The Love of God"

From my mother's womb

You have chosen me

Love has called my name

I’ve been born again, into Your family

Your blood flows through my veins

You split the sea, so I could walk right through it

All my fears were drowned in perfect love 

You rescued me, so I could stand and sing 

I am a child of God

"No Longer Slaves"