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

October Quotes

We do not choose suffering simply because we are told to, but because the One who tells us to describes it as the path to everlasting joy. 

-John Piper

It is not the strength of your faith that saves you, but the strength of Him upon whom you rely! Christ is able to save you if you come to Him—be your faith weak or be it strong. 

-Charles Spurgeon

Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years no, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grace, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer. 

-John Paton

Let us not wait for large opportunities or different kinds of work, but do the things that we find to do day by day. We have no other time in which to live. The past is gone; the future has not arrived. We will never have any time but the present. Then do not wait until your experience has ripened into maturity before you attempt to serve God. Endeavor now to bring forth fruit. Serve God now, but be careful as to the way in which you perform what you find to do--"do it with thy might." Do it promptly. Do not fritter away your life in thinking of what you intend to do tomorrow, as if that could make up for the idleness of today. No man ever served God by doing things tomorrow. If we honor Christ and are blessed, it is by the things that we do today. Whatever you do for Christ throw your whole soul into it. Do not give Christ a little slurred labor, done as a matter of course now and then; but when you do serve Him, do it with heart, and soul, and strength.

-C.H. Spurgeon

None but God can satisfy the longings of the immortal soul; as the heart was made for him, he only can fill it. 

-Richard Chenevix

If God has lost the authority to be sovereign over reality, if He has lost the authority to provide objective law, and if He has lost the authority to reveal absolute truth, then in the eyes of men, He has lost the right to be God.

-Kevin Swanson

There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock it is opened.

-C. S. Lewis

The promises of God and the fulfillment of them are linked together by an indissoluble bond.

-John Calvin

When I get to heaven, I shall see three wonders there. The first wonder will be to see many there whom I did not expect to see; the second wonder will be to miss many people who I did expect to see; and the third and greatest of all will be to find myself there. 

-John Newton

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

When the tears have dried and the heart ache has given way We will find ourselves not far from a God who has held us in our storm, who has knelt in our grief and stayed with us. When all is said and done, we will find ourselves in a better land, holding the hand of a better man. 

-T.B. LaBerge

To every person there comes in their lifetime that special moment when you are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to you and your talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds you unprepared or unqualified for work which could have been your finest hour.

-Winston Churchill

The strength of man is the absoluteness of his God. 

-R. J. Rushdoony

Music... will help dissolve your perplexities and purify your character and sensibilities, and in time of care and sorrow, will keep a fountain of joy alive in you.

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

But God is the God of the waves and the billows, and they are still His when they come over us; and again and again we have proved that the overwhelming thing does not overwhelm. Once more by His interposition deliverance came. We were cast down, but not destroyed.

-Amy Carmichael

Psalm 88

No words today, except those from Scripture. Here's a Psalm to read; it's not one most people post anywhere, but it's Scripture regardless. It'll make you think about life and about God. Blessings to you all!

Psalm 88

O Lord, the God of my salvation,

I have cried out by day and in the night before You.

Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry!

For my soul has had enough troubles,

And my life has drawn near to Sheol.

I am reckoned among those who go down to the pit;

I have become like a man without strength,

Forsaken among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And they are cut off from Your hand.

You have put me in the lowest pit,

In dark places, in the depths.

Your wrath has rested upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah.

You have removed my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an object of loathing to them;

I am shut up and cannot go out.

My eye has wasted away because of affliction;

I have called upon You every day, O Lord;

I have spread out my hands to You.

Will You perform wonders for the dead?

Will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah.

Will Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave,

Your faithfulness in Abaddon?

Will Your wonders be made known in the darkness?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

But I, O Lord, have cried out to You for help,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

O Lord, why do You reject my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

I was afflicted and about to die from my youth on;

I suffer Your terrors; I am overcome.

Your burning anger has passed over me;

Your terrors have destroyed me.

They have surrounded me like water all day long;

They have encompassed me altogether.

You have removed lover and friend far from me;

My acquaintances are in darkness.

Verse Study: Ephesians 2:10 (Part Two)

If you haven't read Part One, click HERE.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for good works

which God prepared beforehand,

that we should walk in them.

Prepared beforehand
-This word comes from the Greek work proetimazo meaning, "predestine, appoint, or ordain".
-This word is only used twice in the New Testament, once here and once in Romans 9:23. Both instances speak of God preparing something for us before our time, before the time of the world, before the time of creation.
-Other versions translated it as "prepared in advance" (NIV), "planned for us long ago" (NLT), "before ordained" (KJV), and "prepared ahead of time" (HCSB).
-It was the good works that were prepared beforehand for us. "Good" has the idea of bearing honest, geniune fruit, and "works" are our actions and deeds. As a believer, our fruitful actions were known and ordained before we existed.

-"Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." (Ephesians 1:4)

-God chose us for salvation and for the accompanying good works that would result from our salvation. He saved us not by our good works, but for them. Salvation and good works cannot be separated. 

-We have only to ask God for wisdom in doing and applying these good works. Because they have been prepared beforehand, God promises to offer wisdom to those who ask for it. (James 1:5)

-Our good works are already known. They have been forseen and planned before our salvation, and once saved, we are responsible, though the help of the Spirit, to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, known that ultimately it is God who will complete His good work in us. 

Walk

-This word is found frequently in the NT in 20 of the 27 books, but the most being found in the Gospel of John. 

-This word has the idea of fellowship, or going in a complete circuit. 

-It comes from the Greek word peripateo meaning "to walk around", "to live" (fig.), and "to conduct life".

-Other versions translated it as "for us to do" (NIV), "as our way of life" (BSB), "so we may do them" (NETB), "for us to practice" (WNT).

-The idea here is one of a life beginning and ending (a complete circuit) in good works. We are to live our lives doing these good works, and they should consume and utterly take up our lives. 

-"So as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God." (Colossians 1:10) 

-These good works evidence our salvation and walk with God. They provide proof of the God we serve, and they cause us to live in a manner that merits our standing with God. 

Putting It All Together

God is our Creator. Through his own physical act of constructing us, He caused us to be made; thereby making us belong to Him. He becomes our Master Artist. As believers He continually is creating a new spirit nad good works in and through us. He shaped us ex nihilo, but also renews good works in us ex nihilo before and after salvation. Only God can do this, and because we are created by Him, we are owned by Him personally. Our relationship to God is Creator to creature. We can never repay our debt to Him. He acted to make us act in good works. These good works is what our life should practice. It's our way of life, and it was appointed for us before He made us. Before earth, before birth, before salvation, the good works were prepared in advance by God. Our conduct and life as a Christian begins and ends in a complete circuit: good works. We practice them--it's active labor. To live in this way is to walk worthy of our calling in light of the debt we ow to Him as our Creator. He chose us for salvation and prepared good works beforehand, so that we could live in gratitude for what He has done. We cannot separate good works from salvation. They do not save us, but they evidence the Spirit's work in our life. Our way of life is to evidence us as God's handiwork.

***Due to my previous blogging break, I will be posting the June Quotes on the last day of this month, Thursday. There will be no post the Friday immediately after, but I will resume regular blogging the Friday after, Lord willing. 

January Quotes

We need to stay sound in doctrine, to stay safe in our morals. 

-Unknown

No matter happens, or what someone does to you, God's plan for your life can never be ruined...because God is in control.

-Unknown

When you’re in the furnace, you’re beyond the reach of those who are trying to harm you. You’re tried by fire, but you come out as pure gold.

-Dr. Bob Jones Senior

There is nothing like Christianity to make all men equal, to level such distinctions—but it levels by lifting to a lofty tableland, accessible only to humility. Only he who is humble can rise. 

-George MacDonald

There are some things you can only say to the Lord because he's the only one that can bear that much reality. 

-Jerram Barrs

God created the world out of nothing, and as long as we are nothing, He can make something out of us.

-Martin Luther

We are sinfully lost people and we have a scandalously merciful Savior.

-Unknown

Silence is pure and holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking.

-Nicholas Sparks

Good leaders must first become good servants. 

-Robert Greenleaf

Accountability is more than going to a brother or sister in the Lord and confessing failure. Accountability is going to them in the middle of a battle, before we’ve fallen, and asking for their help. 

-Paul Speed

A true friend unbosoms freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.

-William Penn

As our knowledge of [God] and his infinite, transcendent value increases, we find that our esteem of ourselves as one of his beloved ones will grow as well.

-Johnson

We develop patience as we trust that God denies us what we think is good only because He has something better for us--both now and in the future.

-Joshua Harris

The evidence … the raw-bone, Biblical evidence that there was one time in your life that you repented unto salvation, is that you continue repenting until today, and continue growing in repentance.

-Paul Washer

You do not know what you are going to do; the only thing you know is that God knows what He’s doing.

-Oswald Chambers

The City on the Hill: Does the Light Still Shine?

This article was first written for the ICBF blog in April 2015. I hope the reposting of it here today reminds us of important truths and encourages us to forbear willingly with one another.

Did you hear of the city on the hill?
Said one old man to the other
It once shined bright and it would be shining still
But they all started turning on each other
You see, the poets thought the dancers were shallow
And the soldiers thought the poets were weak
And the elders saw the young ones as foolish
And the rich man never heard the poor man speak

And one by one, they ran away
With their made-up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade in the city on the hill
The city on the hill


Each one thought that they knew better
But they were different by design
Instead of standing strong together
They let their differences divide

And one by one, they ran away
With their made-up minds to leave it all behind
And the light began to fade in the city on the hill
The city on the hill
(“The City on the Hill” by Casting Crowns)

I heard these lyrics awhile back, and I was struck by the message they portrayed. This song addresses the subject that divides friends, families, and churches at a terrifying rate. You see, we forget that God created different individuals with different personalities and gave them different gifts and impressed on them different personal convictions. And in our pride, we sometimes see our way as the only right way, not realizing that the very gifts God gave us were exactly as different as necessary to make the body of Christ complete. We can easily point out a person’s weaknesses once we’ve known them long enough, and when we’ve known them even longer, their weaknesses seem to overpower their strengths.

I’m going to take an educated guess and suppose that these song lyrics were based off of Matthew 5:14-16 because it’s almost a direct implication to Christ’s words in this passage. And if that’s not where the lyrics come from, the passage still fits.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. (ESV)

This is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He calls His followers the light of the world. And the city on a hill cannot hide its light. It stands at a higher elevation and shines to those down below. One doesn’t light a lamp and hide it. A light is no use when covered and hidden away, but instead it is placed on a stand, higher up to spread its rays around to those who need it.

This city on a hill in Matthew was referring to the disciples first, and then, through the disciples, churches, families, and individuals carry on the light of the Gospel to those who live in darkness. One way believers accomplish that today is by using their gifts and by living in unity with fellow believers.

The lyrics of “City On the Hill” begin with one man sharing with another the story of a city: a city full of light and goodness. But it was quickly destroyed when the citizens turned on one another. Despising each person’s differences, the once peaceful people caused the city to crumble inward. Their united front was broken, and, in division, they tore into each other, shattering the harmony. They saw, not each other’s strengths, but the weaknesses that mirrored some of their own ways of life.

Not knowing that unity created strength, the people ran from the brokenness, from their differences, thus quenching the light which had for so long shone on the hill. They would not be dissuaded. Fear had bound its chains tightly, and pride had kept them there. So they ran down the hill, instead of facing the pain and humility that healing could bring. And because they were set on a hill, the change was noticed by many. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

Each thought they knew better than the other. The poets thought the dancers were shallow./The soldiers thought the poets were weak./The elders saw the young ones as foolish./And the rich man never heard the poor man speak. They let their differences divide them, oblivious to the knowledge that they were different by Divine design.

The body of believers today is that city set on a hill. We have the true light, and when we hold a united front, the glory of God shines out to those around. We aren’t perfect, but the pure light of Christ shines through the weakness of our flesh and portrays a redeemed brokenness, rather than an unresolved brokenness that divides relationships.

We’re called to be one body by the grace and strength of God. We cannot do without one another. If we run away in pride or fear, the light will diminish. Therefore, we are called to stand by faith and live in unity with other members of Christ’s body. But we’re all created differently, and while walking in the liberty of grace, we’re called to live in unity to display the Lordship of Christ—for He is our Head.

Perhaps one of the best descriptions of spiritual gifts comes from Romans 12. Paul lists seven gifts, warning the church not to let pride take control, but to use discernment in exercising their strengths. Jesus’ followers are nothing in and of themselves, and the knowledge of this keeps pride and fear at bay, knowing that only our Head enables us to live out our strengths for His glory. We are to be as one body, functioning together as one whole unit. Each individual carries different strengths, specifically assigned to him by the grace of God, but we all have the same function as the body of Christ: reflecting our Head in all we say and do.

Listed here are the spiritual gifts given to believers in this age. (I currently believe that some spiritual gifts given to believers at the time of the apostles have ceased. Therefore, I’m listing them as they would apply to us today.) I believe there are a few more throughout Scripture, but I’m detailing some of the main ones.

The preacher gifting is one that often desires to see a person make things right with God. Their passion is to see people’s lives align rightly with Scripture, and if that means confronting sin, then they aren’t afraid to do so. They want to see people released from sin’s chains. They might not be preachers in the sense of leading a congregation, but they love to declare the truth of God’s Word, and their joy comes from seeing people walking in that truth.

The servant is one who loves to meet the practical needs of those around them. Their strength lies in doing good for other people and being concerned with a person’s well-being. The servant would give what they don’t have if it would only fill a gap in someone else’s life. They enable others to use their strength more fully, by taking on practical tasks. They like to use their time, resources, and money to fulfill needs, and they receive joy knowing that God worked through them to help another person.

Those who are gifted in teaching desire to explain God’s truths. They go down deep, pulling up the treasures from God’s Word. They study and find the little details and explain things to people. The teacher pours his time into studying just to see the light in people’s eyes when they suddenly understand a truth. They have the heavy responsibility of declaring truth and making Christ known to themselves and others. They passionately pursue studying Scripture, and their joy comes from presenting knowledge in and understandable way to those around them.

The exhorter is an encourager. They give hope to the discouraged, and strength to the wavering. They love to tell people that God is greater than any difficulty. Encouragers exude love and compassion, and they take the time to help people see the good in a bad situation. They want a person to pick up their life and press forward in the strength of the Lord. They find joy in lifting spirits and giving people hope.

The gift of giving is one that often manifests itself in financial means. These kinds of people love to invest their money in the work of God. They can never give too much, and they desire people to find material needs fulfilled by their giving. The giver will give you the shirt off his back just to relieve a physical need because they love sharing what God has blessed them with. They find joy knowing that God uses their abilities to diminish someone’s empty resources.

The ruler is an organizer. They run around with the to-do lists. They put chaos into order and take charge in emergencies. They administrate and oversee things so the to-do lists end up with a nice row of checkmarks. The ruler’s strength lies in directing people to schedule and organize things, so everything is done on time and in the right way. The rulers have their sights set to the goal, and they take joy in seeing God’s work completed in a precise and accurate manner.

The mercy-givers empathize with others. They are emotionally empathetic with people. They cry with those who are crying, and they genuinely rejoice with those who are rejoicing. They can feel the internal emotions of a person even if they’ve never been in the situation. They are the ones who are often willing to walk with a person through the healing process. Mercy-givers take joy in bearing others’ burdens.

These are all huge strengths, and everyone has some of them as their main strengths. They are good things, God-given things. Each carries the weight of a specific mission with it. Each one includes a passion that weighs on a person’s heart until they fulfill it. Each one is different. And when you put them all together in a group, the body of Christ is supposed to work as a physical body would—in harmony with one another, and all with the goal of bring benefit and glory to the Head.

The problem comes when people turn inward and start attacking their own members. The mercy-giver says the preacher has no compassion. The ruler says the giver has no organization or restraint. The exhorter says the teacher wears people out with details. And the preacher wonders how crying with someone could ever possibly teach them truth. The person who serves tells the giver that handing out money doesn’t fix the unmet practical needs. The teacher complains that the encourager has no sense of reality. The giver is confused as to how preaching at someone shows love to them. And when a person’s gifting helps an individual, the other members are jealous that their gift wasn’t needed. They started turning on each other. Each one thought that they knew better/But they were different by design/Instead of standing strong together/They let their differences divide.
The body of Christ requires every gift and every individual in the church of Christ to work together with its strengths and weaknesses. They need each other, for without the balance, each gift would swing to an unbiblical extreme. The preacher needs the balance of the mercy-giver. The strength of serving must be balanced with the responsibility of the ruler. The teacher needs the encourager. The Exhorter needs the reality of the preacher and teacher. The giver needs to balance out with serving. The ruler needs the compassion of the mercy-giver. And the strength of mercy needs to balance with the truth of the preacher. The weakness of one is the strength for the other. To run and hide from the weaknesses is to put out the light of city on the hill. To run is to live in pride instead of accepting that others might have something you lack. To run is to ignore the gifts the Sovereign God gave and reject the command to shine the light.

We can’t do without each other. If we could, that would mean we were fully capable of meeting all needs with our gift alone. And that’s impossible. There are all different characters, personalities, struggles, and strengths; it’s the body of believers who need to demonstrate unity through diversity. Strengths were given to benefit believers and glorify Christ. Weaknesses were given to curb pride and show us the sufficiency of Christ.

The world is searching still. It is rooted deep in people to know they need others, and even unbelievers want companionship. Let’s show the brotherhood of Christ to the unbelievers by standing strong instead of running, showing the diversity of unity when we meet the weakness of another with our strength, and accepting the strength of another when we cannot do it all. Tearing into one another, despising the gifts of one another, and fearing the unknown isn’t compatible with a God who created differences. Differences were never meant to divide, but to bring broken people together. We’re all broken in some way, and sometimes it’s the gift of another that provides the strength we need.

The body is to resemble the Head. It’s to be small likeness of the future Kingdom which will live in complete harmony under the King of Kings. But the light of brotherly unity is fading quickly all over the world. Doctrinal issues, personal convictions, deep struggles, and differing interests divide people sooner than they build them up. Is our city going to shine? Have we made up our minds to stay? Or are people going to see a darkening city with the citizens running in fear and pride? Are we going to face the unknown and work through it or disappear into the darkness? Does the light still shine in the city on the hill? The city is our God-given home, and if that light goes out, there may not be another to light it immediately. The light from one city creates the strength for the next city to keep on shining. One person’s strength gives strength to another. It’s up to all the believers across the world to carry the light. United we stand and divided we fall.

And the world is searching still
But it was the rhythm of the dancers
That gave the poets life
It was the spirit of the poets
That gave the soldiers strength to fight
It was the fire of the young ones
It was the wisdom of the old
It was the story of the poor man
That needed to be told
­(“The City on the Hill” by Casting Crowns)

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

(Psalm 133:1)

We are to grow up in every way

Into him who is the head, into Christ,

from whom the whole body, joined and held together

by every join with which it is equipped,

when each part is working properly,

makes the body grow so that it 

builds itself up in love.

(Ephesians 4:15-16)

Arise, shine, for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, 

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will be seen upon you.

And nations shall come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising.

(Isaiah 60:1-3)

May Quotes

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

-Unknown

No God, no peace. Know God, know peace.

-Unknown

As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people: and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you. 

-C.S. Lewis

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. 

-Augustine of Hippo

Pangs go with birth, and anguish precedes success. 

-C.H. Spurgeon

The explanation of this is simple: truth is uniform and harmonious, whereas error is multiform and incongruous; but for the truth to control us effectually faith must be in constant exercise—when faith ceases to act we at once become erratic and undependable and, as men speak, we are soon a ‘bundle of contradictions.’ Consistency of character and conduct is dependent upon a steady walking with God.

-A.W. Pink

If they can see you love them, you can say anything to them. 

-Richard Baxter

In all things seek to know God’s will and when known obey at any cost. 

-Jonathan Goforth

The vigor of our spiritual life will be in exact proportion to the place held by the Bible in our life and thoughts. 

-George Mueller

We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope. 

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Let us press on, in patient self-denial. Accept the hardship, shrink not from the loss; our portion lies beyond the hour of trial; our crown beyond the cross.

-Unknown

There is no such thing as luck, chance, fate, or fortune in a world ruled by God. 

-John Weaver

**I will be on vacation next week, so there may or may not be a new post on Friday. ;) Enjoy your week! God bless. 

Bearing the Burdens of Others

This week I read the latter half of 2 Chronicles up to the end of Job. I'm actually using two different Bible reading plans right now, but the second one doesn't really count--I'm reading through all the notes in my study Bible using a 6-month reading plan. But this week both of my reading plans had something in common.

Galatians 6:2 says, "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." We all carry our own burdens, either of difficult situations, trials and temptations, or just even the own sin in our hearts. Burdens are something we carry with us all the time, every day. They give us ample opportunities for learning endurance, patience, and forbearance. But in this verse in Galatians, it doesn't just say to carry our own burdens, but also those of fellow believers. Sometimes this means carrying the weight of another's sin and its consequences.

Hezekiah
This man began his reign over Judah after the nation had been corrupted by the ungodly leaders before him. The Bible tells us, however, that "he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done". The sin of the nation wasn't directly Hezekiah's fault, yet he took on the responsibility of it and commanded the people to reform their land. He reminded them that the wrath of the Lord was on them (and him) because of their wicked forefathers. "Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us" (2 Chronicles 29:10). He was willing to take on the consequences of the people's sin and begin the process of repentance with them. He commanded the priests to sacrifice, and he led the Israelites in consecrated worship to the Lord. He gathered Judah and those who would come from Israel to once again celebrate the Passover, and Hezekiah prayed for them all. "And the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people" (2 Chronicles 30:20)

Josiah
He was the third king after Hezekiah, and because the people had turned away from the Lord again, Josiah had a similar task to Hezekiah. After Hilkiah find the Book of the Law of the Lord in the temple, Josiah has it read to him. And then he realizes even more the great sin of the people in forsaking God. God reveals to Josiah through a prophetess that great destruction will come because of the people's disobedience, and only because of Josiah's humility before the Lord would he be spared the sight of this destruction of the land. Josiah takes on the results of sin and brings the people to repentance by reading the Book of the Law to them. "And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book" (2 Chronicles 34:31). Josiah saw relative peace while he reigned, and he died before Jerusalem was captured, burned, and her people exiled.

Ezra
After King Cyrus allowed the deported Jews to return to Jerusalem, many exiles returned to their homeland. Under Ezra's leadership the people fast and pray, and begin the reconstruction of their land. Ezra soon finds out that the Jews have once again intermarried with the pagan nations around them, breaking the commands of God and bringing judgment if they did not repent. Ezra identifies himself with the sin of the people and is struck with grief at their sin. He prays to the Lord admitting the guilt of the people and recognizing that they deserved judgment. "O Lord, the God of Israel, you are just, for we are left a remnant that has escaped, as it is today. Behold, we are before you in our guilt, for none can stand before you because of this" (Ezra 9:15). Ezra prays and makes confession, interceding for the people and taking on the weight of their sin, and the people responded in humility, separating themselves from the pagan foreigners.

Job
Perhaps this scene from Job is one we don't remember often. After all of Job's "friends" have given their "advice", the Lord answers Job and silences Job's questions, showing His infinite power even in the midst of suffering. He calls Job to trust Him even when he doesn't know the reason for his trials. And in his humility he acknowledges the greatness, majesty, and sovereignty of God in his life. God then turns his anger on Job's friends for their misrepresentation of Job's character and God's character. And though Job has suffered much mentally from these three men, he obeys the Lord and prays for them, interceding for them on behalf of their sin. "...and the Lord accepted Job's prayer" (Job 42:9).

Jeremiah
Knowing as the "weeping prophet", this man was sent to proclaim God's judgment on Judah. And though the nations sin was not his, he lives his life in humility and identifies himself with the sinners. In Jeremiah 10:24, he asks the Lord to bring correction and justice on himself and on the people for their sin. He places himself as one of the Israelites and takes on their sin, pleading with the Lord for mercy.

Moses
Though not in my week's reading, this man serves as another example of bearing the burden of another's sin. After Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the 10 Commandments, he was greeted with the noise of the people worshipping and dancing around the golden calf that had apparently just appeared out of the fire (as Aaron intelligently reported). Moses metes out judgment on the people when he commands the Levites to destroy those who had turned from the Lord, and the next day day Moses says to the people "You have sinned a great sin, And now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin" (Exodus 32:31). Realizing the folly of the Israelites and the greatness of their sin he pleads for forgiveness from God for this rebellious group. "But now, if you will forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written" (Exodus 32:33). Moses' desire for the people's forgiveness is so great that he places the sin on himself, and says that if God could not spare them in His justice, he will be willing to end up in the darkness of eternity if only the Israelites would be spared!


These men willingly took on the sins of others in order to bring mercy on others, but yet see justice done to sin. But they were not faultless men themselves, and though many times they did bear the burden of sin that was not theirs, they only represented a Greater Intercessor who was to come. In order to perfectly fulfill justice for sin and give grace to the wrongdoer, a perfect atonement was needed, and that was only found in the sinless priesthood Christ. Only the One who came willingly in the faultless image of God could bear the sins of the world and, at the same time, bring judgment and grace.

Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

(Isaiah 53:11-12)

Sometimes we, too, are called to wrestle with the sins of others and to bear its consequences, not because we're perfect, but because the body of Christ works to bear the burdens of others. We're to help the weak, encourage our fellow soldiers, and admonish the sinning. "We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak" (Romans 15:1), and this should be done with the knowledge that others are bearing our own weaknesses, as well. "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:16, KJV). 

His Holiness!

Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name. 
~Psalm 97:12


I was reminded of the holiness of God after reading this verse. I have heard it said that God's holiness is His most important attribute, because this is what sets Him apart from other gods. The KJV says it this way: "give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness". This is the attribute that the angels speak of around the throne of God. "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come". (Revelation 4:8). 1 Peter calls us to be holy as the Lord Himself is holy. Holiness means consecration to the service of God. That means that all our thoughts, our actions, and our being is set-apart for the work of God. We are His ambassadors here, and our life must demonstrate that we were called out of the world's darkness and into His light.

God's holiness is not only something we're to emulate, but His holiness also shows us what we are not. God's purity stands in stark contrast to the lives of mankind, and the more we know of God's holiness, the more we will see the sin in ourselves and others. The holiness of God in the Old Testament caused men to fall on their faces in worship to Him. Moses and Joshua were told to remove their shoes as they were standing in the presence of a holy God. Isaiah recognized his sinfulness as he saw the Lord on His throne. God's presence filled the Temple with His holiness and those who entered without permission into the Holy of Holies would die.

God's holiness is something we're to give thanks for. Without the holiness of God no one can see the Lord, and to be judged for all eternity would mean certain death for us. But it was the holiness of God and His Son that enabled Him to die in our place. Because of His perfection, He could stand before God--a God before whom no man could stand--and call us holy, righteous, and pure, because of our faith in Christ. Because of His holiness a Perfect Sacrifice was offered once and for all, providing the means to cleanse our sin forever. Because of Jesus' holiness, we live under grace, and are freed from the bondage of sin. And because of His holiness we continue to be sanctified and conformed to the likeness of Christ. We have good reason to be thankful.

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! 
(2 Corinthians 9:15)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. (Proverbs 9:10)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
(Psalm 103:1)

"You shall have no other gods before Me"

This past week I read through the book of 2 Chronicles. It starts out with Solomon's building of the temple--a Holy Place and the Holy of Holies where the priests and people would worship God and offer the necessary sacrifices for their sin. But after Solomon's death, his kingdom is divided, and then comes the long list of kings and rulers who attempt to control the kingdoms of Judah and Israel.

Many of the kings were wicked in God's sight, and didn't do much, if anything, to bring the nation back to God. Some were righteous, though. But the one thing that particularly stood out to me was the use of the high places of false worship, which were often built by the kings who turned their hearts from the one true God. The wicked kings blatantly built and used these areas of false worship. Yet sometimes when a righteous king reigned, the places were destroyed and the people turned back to God. However, there were a few kings who followed the Lord, but not fully, and many times this was because they did not destroy the places of false worship.

Jotham was one of these. "And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord...except he did not enter the temple of the Lord. But the people still followed corrupt practices." (2 Chronicles 27:2) Manassah was another, for while the people served the God, they used the high places of false worship to sacrifice to the Lord. Both these men allowed the influence of pagan people and nations to corrupt their worship towards God, and because they permitted some sin in their lives, the Israelites did not follow God wholeheartedly. Their intended to follow God (though Manassah didn't until later in his reign), but this sin distracted them and their people from restoring complete fellowship with God.

It's was also interesting to see that after many wicked or weak rulers, there came a godly king who completely destroyed all the false places of sacrifices and worship, called the people to repentance, and celebrated the Passover. After Jotham, Ahaz led the people into further wickedness, building more high places and leading the people in false worship. But after Ahaz, came Hezekiah. Amon reigned after Manassah, and he, too, served false gods, and refused to humble himself before God. But after Amon, came Josiah.

Hezekiah and Josiah were the two kings who sought after God. They weren't perfect, but they turned Judah's heart to repent and seek God. They purged the land of false images and places of worship. They both restored and ordered the holy Temple, and they both celebrated the Passover once again. They refused to allow the pagan influence to corrupt the land, and by doing so they preserved the nation--the line from which Christ would come--for yet a little longer.

Perhaps this can be a lesson to us, too. When we allow sinful influences, thoughts, and action to creep into our lives, it slowly draws us away from God. Sometimes it isn't noticeable at first, but it takes conscious action to destroy the false strongholds of our hearts and to restore our relationship with God. If we're going to allow just that "one little thing" to plant seeds in our mind that turn us from God, then it's going to weaken our appetite for spiritual things. We need to guard the purity of our hearts and minds if we desire to follow after Christ. Single-hearted devotion to Christ and unity with fellow believers requires that we lay aside sin and live in obedience--for that brings blessing.

And the king stood in his place and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statues, with all his heart and all his soul, to perform the words of the covenant that were written in this book.

Then he made all who were present in Jerusalem and in Benjamin join in it. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers.

And Josiah took away all the abominations from all the territory that belonged to the people of Israel and made all who were present in Israel serve the Lord their God. All his days they did not turn away from following the Lord, the God of their fathers.

2 Chronicles 34:31-33

January Quotes

The Will of God never takes you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

~Unknown

Circumstances are the rulers of the weak; they are but the instruments of the wise. 

~Samuel Lover

I will accept this office, but no crown must be put on my head and I must never be called king. 

I cannot wear a crown of gold where Christ wore one of thorns, 

nor will I be called king in the land where once lived the King of Kings. 

~Godfrey of Bouillion

(his response after being chosen king for the Holy Land)

…men cannot be always fighting. A breathing spell today gives tomorrow’s struggle new zest.

~To Have and To Hold (book)

You are as much serving God in looking after your own children, and training them 

up in God’s fear, and minding the house, and making your household a church for 

God, as you would be if you had been called to lead an army to battle for the Lord of 

hosts. 

~C.H. Spurgeon

The One who gave the vision still calls, and what God calls us to do He gives the grace to accomplish. 

~Pendragon (movie)

You cannot love a fellow creature fully until you love God. 

~C.S. Lewis

I have learned to kiss the wave that strikes me against the Rock of Ages.

-Charles Spurgeon

Truth does not fear the closest investigation. It does not shun the light, but courts it. It is the evil one and his emissaries who love darkness and secrecy, and act under the cloak of mysticism.

~A.W. Pink 

Give me the Gospel, and let me be culturally awkward. 

~Voddie Baucham 

Why should souls who are quickened with Jesus, wear the grave clothes of worldliness and unbelief? Rise, for the Lord is risen.

~Charles Spurgeon

The righteous may fall, yet he will not be ‘utterly cast down.’ The flax may not burn brightly, yet smoke will evidence that it has not quite gone out. Life in the believer may wane to a low ebb, yet sooner or later it will give proof that it is still there.

~A.W. Pink

Be Ready Always

 
“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day
nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.” 
~Matthew 25:13

We hear a lot about the predictions made by man as to when Jesus is really coming back for His followers and the “signs” that point to our being in the end times. How should we respond to these predictions? Should we dress in white and stand on our roof tops waiting for Christ to swing down and pick us up? Should we believe that major, destructive storms mean that His return is nigh? Well, whether we believe in such predictions or not, we should not let these predictions or possible “signs” determine when we will be ready.

“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” ~Luke 12:35-37.

No matter when the end times start, no matter when Jesus will return, no matter what signs are predicted, and no matter how hard secularists bash us in our belief of His return, we need to be the sheep whom our Shepherd will “find watching”. We cannot honestly be leading Christian lives if we only get concerned about how we are living based on the predictions. Our lives should be lived in accordance with God’s Word at all times and in all seasons. Because it’s going to be one scary event to be left behind to face the Anti-christ and think about how we could have made a difference after Christ has already returned for that faithful.

“Then Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?’ And the Lord said, ‘Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” ~Luke 12:41-43

One thing that I would like to add here, is that we should not be worried about the signs of the end times nor the predictions; rather, we should be concerned about how we are making a difference in the lives of those around us. How do they view us as different, in a positive way, from the world? Do even our “acquaintances” see Christ’s love shining through us? We need to understand how important our witness is, because eternity is forever: Heaven or hell. One will be a glorious eternity and the other will be a place of bitterness forever and ever with no end.   

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” ~John 3:17-18

In closing, I would like to share with you a testimony which Sarah Mally gave in her sister, Grace Mally’s book “Will Our Generation Speak”. This book was given to me last year by three of my friends and I have slowly been going through the book as I find the time.

“The Cost”

“I imagined myself as a spectator watching a scene unfold before my eyes. First, I saw a man who was helping others--yet not simply in the way that any man might help someone else. This was much different. It was as if tenderness and kindness were just flowing out of Him. I could tell He was a good man--GOOD in a way that I had never seen before. Every single thing He did was good. His face was so pure. I had never seen honesty like that, never seen love like that. It’s like I finally knew what love was--now that I saw Him. All I wanted to do was to keep watching Him because everything He did was so amazing. Even the simple normal acts of service that He was doing--I was astonished by them...by Him, I mean. The way He spoke...I could just tell He was right, that He spoke the truth, that everything He said was right by definition. And the way He looked at people. I wished He would look at me, but He never did. I was just a spectator. But I knew I would never forget this goodness that I had seen. It was almost as if I was in a daze, not quite able to comprehend it, stunned that this kind of righteousness could even exist. I wanted to just keep watching him. I felt that I would be content if I could simply watch Him for the rest of my life.

But then suddenly the scene changed before my eyes. I didn’t want to believe what I was seeing. People were looking at Him with angry stares. It was more than mere anger; it was rage; He was looking back at them with such..such..I don’t even know the word..it was as if He was on a totally different playing field. There was such tenderness in HIs eyes. A touch of sorrow, an ocean of love. Their rage turned into vehement shouting and accusations, and then I began to watch the most horrible scene of my life. The whips they were holding were cruel and scourging unbearable to watch. But how could this be? He was so good, so pure, so tender. He was the best person I had ever known. This must stop. I tried to yell out for someone to help, for someone to stop this. But I realized, again, I was only a spectator. Lash after lash. Blow after blow. I couldn’t look--especially because it was Him. It was the worst possible injustice I could imagine. This could not be happening. It had to stop.”

She went on to say…

“Stunned and traumatized, I stepped back. I forced myself to breathe. I tried not to comprehend what I had just seen: One so deserving of glory and praise, yet receiving such punishment. I’m not sure how long it was before I realized that I was holding something: I also had a whip in my hand. It was then I understood that my hand also was on the rod that fell on Him. Was I responsible? For this? I realized that I had not been merely a spectator.

At last it was over. It was finished. It--was--finished, for all eternity! It is done! God the Father has seen the anguish of His soul and has been satisfied. Never would I have dreamed that justice would have been this costly. How vast is the extent of my sin--that this was the price. And how immeasurable the extent of His love--that this much He would pay.”

~Sarah Mally (from “Will Our Generation Speak?” by Grace Mally, 2012)

In Christ,

Anna