Just sharing.

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“He will give grace and glory.”

Psalm 84:11

Bounteous is Jehovah in his nature; to give is his delight. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He gives grace to his elect because he wills it, to his redeemed because of his covenant, to the called because of his promise, to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably, constantly, readily, sovereignly; doubly enhancing the value of the boon by the manner of its bestowal.

Grace in all its forms he freely renders to his people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace, he generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and he always will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must come but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an unfading promise as this, “The Lord will give grace.”

The little conjunction “and” in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the present with the future: grace and glory always go together. God has married them, and none can divorce them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom he has freely given to live upon his grace; indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full bloom, grace like autumn fruit, mellow and perfected.

How soon we may have glory none can tell! It may be before this month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City; but be the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere long. Glory, the glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father, the Lord will surely give to his chosen. Oh, rare promise of a faithful God!

Two golden links of one celestial chain:
Who owneth grace shall surely glory gain.

 

[beensetfree]

A Flower for Leourn


We were out to change the world. This was our time, our senior year. My best
friend Beth and I had big dreams... big hopes for our last year in high school.
We had prayed and we were ready for the miracle we knew we would see.
With great anticipation we started the year as I remembered my senior quote:
"But God and I have big dreams and with big dreams you can't give up, you
have to keep pressing on."

I would like to say that I was the first to notice her, but in my world of "big
dreams" this one small quiet freshman did not appear on my radar. My
sensitive best friend Beth was the first to notice her.

Kristi did you see the girl standing by us in the lunch line--she looks so
lost, so out of place." We had heard of a family that had just moved to
our town from the country of Cambodia. We knew there was supposed
to be a new girl at our school from that family, but we had yet to meet
her... until now.

Leourn was a small dark haired beauty. She was thrust into a new country
where she struggled with the little English she knew and that made it very
hard for her to get to know people in our small town. She was starting her
freshman year and was trying her best to blend in without attracting any attention.

We watched in the lunch room from our "Senior Table." This table was
reserved for our "senior sport jock friends," and no one else. Leourn would
get her lunch tray with the rest of the students but she always kept her head
down with her eyes focused on the floor.

She would then head to the only
table of girls she recognized... unfortunately it was the table for the most
popular girls in the freshman class. Every single day Leourn would sit at
the very edge of her seat and eat as fast as she could. She kept her eyes
fixed on her food and we never, ever saw her look up. We would watch in
dismay at the interaction of the other girls at her table. They would make
gestures to one another and laugh at Leourn while she ate.

As we paid attention over the next week we never heard anyone so much
as say "Hi" to Leourn.

We watched as Leourn walked, with her head always down, through the
halls of a high school where most didn't even acknowledge her existence.
She was a girl invisible...

Beth and I prayed and talked -- what could we do to help Leourn? With
love and faith we decided to try our hardest to let one lonely girl know that
there were people who knew she existed and more importantly, that there
was a God who knew and loved her.

As the weeks and months passed, Beth and I made an effort to let Leourn
know that we cared. We sat with Leourn at the freshman girls table. The
other freshman girls tried to let us in on the joke that "nobody talks to
Leourn." Their lofty glances and laughs were met with death stares
from two upperclassmen.

We sought out Leourn in the halls and said "Hi" and tried to continue to
engage her in conversation. I would like to say at this point that Leourn
responded to us with smiles and small talk. But Leourn still kept her
head down and responded very little. That was okay with us for we knew
that just spending time with Leourn was what God wanted us to do,
regardless of her response to us.

When February rolled around our school would sell carnation flowers that
we could send to one another for Valentine's Day. I immediately thought
of Leourn and decided I would send her a flower for the holiday. When I
thought about what to write, it occurred to me that keeping it simple would
be the best for someone just learning our language and customs. So I just
simply wrote, "Happy Valentines Day, Leourn-- I want you to know how
much God loves you. Your friend Kristi."

I will never forget that Valentine's Day.

For the first time, Leourn was the one who sought me out. She found me
in the hall with the carnation clutched tightly in her hands. Then she did
something amazing. She looked up.

She actually took her eyes off the floor, looked up at me with beautiful
beaming eyes and in a low choked whisper said two words: "Thank You."

It was a life-changing moment for me.

You see, Beth and I were out to change the world, but instead God was
changing me. I learned that I may never be president, be famous, or have
a million dollars to my name. But I learned that what Christ wanted from
me was for me to love Him with all my heart and all my soul so that I could
spread that love to everyone around me -- one flower at a time.

It's like walking out to a pond and throwing in one tiny pebble. Though
that pebble is incredibly small compared to the pond, it still creates
ripples that affect the water around it. As I learned my senior year, so
does every word that comes out of our mouths and every action we do
for good -- or for bad. It affects each of the people around us, whether
we realize it or not.

We ended our senior year not really knowing how many people's lives
we touched. However, Beth and I knew that our two lives were changed.
Leourn went on to graduate from our small high school three years after
us and I went back for her graduation. As Leourn walked out of the
gymnasium after the ceremony, I gave her a big hug and told her
congratulations. As she looked up at me the tears streamed down
her face. I asked her if the tears were happy ones or sad ones about her
graduation. She said they were both. I gave her another hug and then
she walked off among the crowd.

As I look back, I hope in my own small way that we helped to make her first
year in a new country easier and that we brought a little light into her world.

As I write this, I am on the other side of the country. Michael and I are in
Alaska to minister to native Eskimo children and teens. I am here to
spread the love of Christ to each one of them. Earlier today, I was walking
hand in hand with a little native girl named Angela who asked me about
God's love for her. I spoke with her about Christ and she gave her life
to Him as she heard His knocking on the door of her heart. As we
walked slowly back to her cabin it was then that it hit me. God had
me come all the way to the utmost corner of Alaska, along the Bering
Sea, to tell this little one next to me about God's love for her. It was
up to me to listen again to God's call in my life. to change the world,
one flower at a time.

 

[beensetfree]

Accepting Criticism
Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still;
teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Proverbs 9:9,10 NIV

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A wise son accepts his father's discipline,
But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

Proverbs 13:1 NASB

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Consider Jesus' example:

"and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously"

1 Peter 2:23 NASB

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And remember...

A soft answer turneth away wrath:
but grievous words stir up anger.

The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright:
but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

Proverbs 15:1,2 KJV

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

''A man greatly beloved.”

Daniel 10:11

Child of God, do you hesitate to appropriate this title? Ah! has your unbelief made you forget that you are greatly beloved too? Must you not have been greatly beloved, to have been bought with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot? When God smote his only begotten Son for you, what was this but being greatly beloved? You lived in sin, and rioted in it, must you not have been greatly beloved for God to have borne so patiently with you? You were called by grace and led to a Savior, and made a child of God and an heir of heaven. All this proves, does it not, a very great and superabounding love?

Since that time, whether your path has been rough with troubles, or smooth with mercies, it has been full of proofs that you are a man greatly beloved. If the Lord has chastened you, yet not in anger; if he has made you poor, yet in grace you have been rich. The more unworthy you feel yourself to be, the more evidence have you that nothing but unspeakable love could have led the Lord Jesus to save such a soul as yours. The more demerit you feel, the clearer is the display of the abounding love of God in having chosen you, and called you, and made you an heir of bliss.

Now, if there be such love between God and us let us live in the influence and sweetness of it, and use the privilege of our position. Do not let us approach our Lord as though we were strangers, or as though he were unwilling to hear us—for we are greatly beloved by our loving Father. “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” Come boldly, O believer, for despite the whisperings of Satan and the doubtings of thine own heart, thou art greatly beloved. Meditate on the exceeding greatness and faithfulness of divine love this evening, and so go to thy bed in peace.

 

[beensetfree]

The Bible: Getting Rich Quick & Stinginess Are a Formula for Poverty

Proverbs 28:22
“A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him. “
The man described in this proverb has two overlapping issues: he is stingy and he hastens after wealth. Although he is racing toward poverty, he is oblivious to it.
Issue One: He is stingy, a word synonymous with selfishness and self-centeredness. We have all done business with this man: even when he gives you service, the odor of artificiality permeates the transaction. He is overly sweet until he doesn’t get his way, at which time he sours into contentiousness. This is a man you will not give repeat business to.
Issue Two: He hastens after wealth. He wants this wealth and wants it now, so he will take shortcuts to get it. In his rush for money, he will not only take advantage of others but will also be prey to “get rich quick” schemes. His haste will be his ruin.




Is Financial Advice Enough?
We Financial advisors and educators in the world of personal finance are quick to give pragmatic solutions, and indeed we should help others with practical ideas. But we should never forget that personal finance is indeed personal; the character of the person will often dictate his behavior. This man, who is so driven to gain wealth that he thinks of nothing else and no one else, needs more than a formula.
Financial advice alone will not be enough.

Is There Hope For This Man?
Of course. In God’s economy, there is always hope. This proverb is intended as a warning, not an absolute judgment. The man has a character flaw so he needs a character transplant. “How?” you ask. By taking on the character traits of Jesus Christ. Jesus, the polar opposite of this man, will impart his own character traits of selflessness and generosity into him.
And when this happens, he is destined to live a very rich life.

 

[beensetfree]

Are We Making Disciples?
You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

Acts 1:8 NASB

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In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV

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Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19,20 KJV

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So the word of the LORD to them will be, "Order on order, order on order, Line on line, line on line, A little here, a little there," That they may go and stumble backward, be broken, snared and taken captive.

Isaiah 28:13 NASB

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“He himself hath suffered being tempted.”

Hebrews 2:18

It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart — Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour.

There is something sweeter yet — Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in his power his members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake; there is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation. Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones.

There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as he overcame, so surely shall his followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for his people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour's love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for he can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one.

 

[beensetfree]

What Makes You Weep?
A GUY'S REVIEW OF LES MISERABLES:

Went to the movies with my wife. We saw this obscure movie I never had hear of, some French foreign film. They must have been giving away free tickets because the lines were out the door. Anyway, the movie starts and Wolverine is singing his guts out. Then Catwoman starts crying and singing, and it’s all very moving. The only problem was, the girl next to me, who apparently read the book or something, starts singing along. It was very distracting. So Wolverine is on the run from the Gladiator because Catwoman had a baby at Borat's house, but now she wants Wolverine to care for her. Time skip. A bunch of kids get shot, and in the end everyone dies. Four stars. -Sam Richardson​

​

Of course a girl's review of Les Miserables would read very differently. Word on the 'net is that this may be the - and I quote - "weepiest film of all time."

I figured out the reason it’s called "the miserable ones," because I'm pretty sure more people die in this film than in Saving Private Ryan.

"I cried more at this movie than the two family funerals that I’ve attended," writes one reviewer, so if you're heading out to see the latest spin on Hugo's classic novel, you apparently would be wise to stuff your pockets with tissue in anticipation of the teary deluge that awaits us all.

Crying is a weird thing, isn't it I believe tears come from two places - obviously when we are overcome with emotion in response to tragedy and loss, but we also weep when we see and hear the things we love with all our hearts.

And when these two places collide in our hearts, we experience an emotional cascade that few dare to process. We love to stay in control of our hearts and we fear looking foolish if we "let it all out," but that is not the way God designed us.

How do I know? Well...let’s go back in time to another "les miserable" situation to see how Jesus reacted:

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (the Gospel) of the kingdom and curing all kinds of disease and every weakness and sickness.

When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd.

Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest" (Matthew 9:35-38).​

​

If anyone ever had a reason to become cynical and hardhearted, it was Jesus. With the kind of rejection He faced, who could blame Him if He just pulled up stakes and returned to heaven?

But when He looked out at the very people who despised Him, He was "moved with pity and sympathy." The Greek word here is "splakna" -which literally means "to spill your guts."

In other words, when our Savior gazed at the multitudes of "les miserables," what His eyes took in caused an emotional collision of calamity and compassion in His soul. Jesus looked past their attitudes towards Him and saw the reality of their world...

Harassed.

Distressed.

Dejected.

Helpless.​

Feeble sheep wandering in a perilous wilderness of guilt, shame, and hopelessness.

At the same moment, Jesus was also moved with compassion as He saw and heard the people He created and loved with all His heart. When those two forces met head on in the core of His being, He didn't attempt to keep control or hold back.

Can't you just see the tears flowing as He passionately begged and beckoned His disciples to spill their guts and reach out to them with the gospel?

So what makes you weep? Movies? Books? Hugh Jackman singing? Perhaps it is time for us to recognize that everywhere we look there are people who truly are "the miserable ones" because they have never found the love, forgiveness and acceptance that comes from knowing and following Jesus Christ.

​

Your friends are harassed by the guilt of their past.

Your friends are distressed about the uncertainty of their future.

They are oftentimes dejected and helpless because there is a hole in their soul that only a relationship with Jesus Christ can fill.

God is looking to send workers who will spill their guts for THE Cause to bring in a harvest of hurting people -

Are you one of them?

 

[beensetfree]

Get to Work!
God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

Hebrews 6:10-12 NIV

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We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you, because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction.

1 Thessalonians 1:3-5 NIV

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Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise...
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep:
So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth,
and thy want as an armed man.

Proverbs 6:6,9-11 KJV

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

1 John 2:1

“If any man sin, we have an advocate.” Yes, though we sin, we have him still. John does not say, “If any man sin he has forfeited his advocate,” but “we have an advocate,” sinners though we are. All the sin that a believer ever did, or can be allowed to commit, cannot destroy his interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, as his advocate. The name here given to our Lord is suggestive. “Jesus.” Ah! then he is an advocate such as we need, for Jesus is the name of one whose business and delight it is to save. “They shall call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.” His sweetest name implies his success.

Next, it is “Jesus Christ” — Christos, the anointed. This shows his authority to plead. The Christ has a right to plead, for he is the Father's own appointed advocate and elected priest. If he were of our choosing he might fail, but if God hath laid help upon one that is mighty, we may safely lay our trouble where God has laid his help. He is Christ, and therefore authorized; he is Christ, and therefore qualified, for the anointing has fully fitted him for his work. He can plead so as to move the heart of God and prevail. What words of tenderness, what sentences of persuasion will the anointed use when he stands up to plead for me!

One more letter of his name remains, “Jesus Christ the righteous.” This is not only his character but his plea. It is his character, and if the Righteous One be my advocate, then my cause is good, or he would not have espoused it. It is his plea, for he meets the charge of unrighteousness against me by the plea that he is righteous. He declares himself my substitute and puts his obedience to my account. My soul, thou hast a friend well fitted to be thine advocate, he cannot but succeed; leave thyself entirely in his hands.

 

[beensetfree]

What Happens When the Fear of God Is Missing?


The Bible says when the fear of God is missing, sin increases and there is no godly wisdom. Why is this so?

Judgment, Slow but Sure
Wise King Solomon wrote that it is “Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, the heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil” (Eccl 8:11). For lawbreakers, it’s as if there is no immediate judgment coming, so they are not inhibited at all from breaking more of God’s law, but the time will come when we shall all stand before God and give an account for everything we’ve ever done and even every idle or careless word we’ve ever spoken, and that should put a little fear in all of us. For the believer, it’s not a fear of being cast into hell, but hearing a rebuke from the Master on the day of His visitation, so we must never “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom 12:17-18), and “never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Rom 12:19).

God is not a Cosmic Grandfather, saying “boys-will-be-boys thinking,” so His long wait on judging sinners is absolutely not God’s condoning approval or winking at sin. All sin will be judged. Either you yourself will receive the wrath of God by rejecting Jesus Christ, or you can trust in Christ and have God’s wrath placed on Him on your behalf, but surely, “on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt 12:36-37).

No Fear of God
To this and any nation or person who has no fear of God, the Lord God says through Jeremiah, “Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you. Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the Lord your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord God of hosts” (Jer 2:19). Sin increases when there is no fear of God, just as the psalmist says in Psalm 36:1, writing, “Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes,” so it is by the fear of the Lord, that we persuade others, because it is “By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns away from evil” (Prov 16:6).

Abraham understood that when there is no fear of God in the land, sin abounds, which is why “Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife” (Gen 20:11). The Bible is clear that a fear of God suppresses evil, but what is the fear of God? it’s a holy, reverential, deep, and abiding respect and regard for the Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty, Who is altogether holy and in a perpetual state of perfection in every way….just the opposite of who and what we are (Rom 3:10-12, 23), so a fear of God (and yes, fearing the wrath of God) is a healthy, godly means of avoiding sin

Who is Good?
Who among us is good enough to stand in God’s presence without Christ? That number is zero, just as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:10-19: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.”

When the wrath of God is never mentioned, the mercy of God is irrelevant to the people, so God’s wrath makes God’s mercy worth pursuing. A fear of God (and yes, fearing the wrath of God) is a healthy, godly means of avoiding sin. For the lost, it is fear of God’s impending judgment, but for the saved, it is like God taking the believer behind the proverbial spiritual woodshed, because God disciplines every child of His (Prov 3:12; Heb 12:4-12), but it motivated by love, not anger, just as you would not allow your child to play in the street, and if they did, you’d take them out of the street and put them in timeout. It’s not that you’re angry at your child, but you don’t want to see your child get hurt, or worse, killed. Believers are not trying to make fearful converts, but tearful converts.

Evangelism and Fear
The Apostle Paul understood the fear of the Lord is in our best interests and should motivate the sinner to flee to the cross, because, “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. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others” (2nd Cor 5:11-12). Jude also connects evangelism with the fear of God, telling us to “have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh” (Jude 1”22-23). In these passages, God shows that we are to use the fear of God to rescue the perishing, which is a fear of God’s judgment, but for others, showing others mercy with the fear of God. Paul wrote that it was by “the fear of the Lord [that] we persuade others.” It’s not that we wish unbelievers harm, but we are to tell them that they need the same righteousness that Jesus Christ has to stand before God (2nd Cor 5:21).

Conclusion
With no fear of God there is no godly wisdom, with no godly wisdom, there will be no wise choices, and the wisest choice you or anyone could ever make is to repent and put your trust in Christ. That’s when the wrath of God is lifted off the believer, and the wrath they deserved is placed on Jesus Christ on their (and our) behalf. Matthew Henry wisely wrote, “Where no fear of God is, no good is to be expected,” and that’s just what the Scriptures teach. Jesus leaves you and me with only one of two choices: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). Complaining about the wrath of God is like complaining that the ship is sinking while ignoring the lifeboats. Just be glad there are lifeboats (John 3:16).

 

[beensetfree]

The Lord made us and He will complete that which concerns us...

I will bow down toward your holy temple
and will praise your name
for your love and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me;
your love, O LORD , endures forever -
do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 138 2, 8 NIV

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The LORD was pleased for His righteousness' sake
To make the law great and glorious.

Isaiah 42:21 NASB

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Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!
For my soul trusts in You;

And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge,
Until these calamities have passed by.

I will cry out to God Most High,
To God who performs all things for me.

Psalm 57:1,2 NKJV

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Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

Philippians 1:6 KJV

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Your hands fashioned and made me,
and now you have destroyed me altogether.

Remember that you have made me like clay;
and will you return me to the dust?

Job 10:8,9 ESV

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Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

[beensetfree]

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.”

Mark 16:16

Mr. MacDonald asked the inhabitants of the island of St. Kilda how a man must be saved. An old man replied, “We shall be saved if we repent, and forsake our sins, and turn to God.” “Yes,” said a middle-aged female, “and with a true heart too.” “Aye,” rejoined a third, “and with prayer”; and, added a fourth, “It must be the prayer of the heart.” “And we must be diligent too,” said a fifth, “in keeping the commandments.” Thus, each having contributed his mite, feeling that a very decent creed had been made up, they all looked and listened for the preacher's approbation, but they had aroused his deepest pity.

The carnal mind always maps out for itself a way in which self can work and become great, but the Lord's way is quite the reverse. Believing and being baptized are no matters of merit to be gloried in — they are so simple that boasting is excluded, and free grace bears the palm. It may be that the reader is unsaved — what is the reason? Do you think the way of salvation as laid down in the text to be dubious? How can that be when God has pledged his own word for its certainty? Do you think it too easy? Why, then, do you not attend to it? Its ease leaves those without excuse who neglect it.

To believe is simply to trust, to depend, to rely upon Christ Jesus. To be baptized is to submit to the ordinance which our Lord fulfilled at Jordan, to which the converted ones submitted at Pentecost, to which the jailer yielded obedience the very night of his conversion. The outward sign saves not, but it sets forth to us our death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus, and, like the Lord's Supper, is not to be neglected. Reader, do you believe in Jesus? Then, dear friend, dismiss your fears, you shall be saved. Are you still an unbeliever, then remember there is but one door, and if you will not enter by it you will perish in your sins.

 

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THE MEASURE OF A FRIEND


So far in this book, we've focused our attention on finding good friends.
Remember though, friendships are mutual admiration societies. If we
want to find good friends, we have to be good friends.

The quality of a person's friendship is a reflection of his character. Below
you'll find a list of questions to help you determine your FQ (Friend Quotient).
Give yourself a score between 10 (You da best!) and 0 (You da worst!)
for each statement.

FRIEND QUOTIENT SURVEY

___ 1. I don't deal in gossip. I keep juicy things to myself.

___ 2. I'm a good listener. I maintain eye contact, and I ask follow-up questions.

___ 3. I'm even-tempered. I don't explode or withdraw when I am upset.

___ 4. I'm happy--not threatened--when other people succeed.

___ 5. I feel sad when other people fail.

___ 6. I have the confidence and skills to be really honest about things that bother
me in a relationship. When I'm honest, the problem is usually resolved.

___ 7. I appreciate it when someone is painfully honest with me. I accept an honest opinion graciously.

___ 8. I take appropriate responsibility for my behavior. I'm neither a blame-thrower nor a blamesponge.

___ 9. One of my strengths is picking the right kinds of friends.

___ 10. I know how to stay away from foolish and wicked people without creating a scene.

What's your total score? The higher the number, the better friend you are. Now
ask your best friends to take the test and rank each statement about you. See
if they agree with you about your friendship skills.

 

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Grace to you and peace
The LORD'S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I have hope in Him."

The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.

It is good that he waits silently
For the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:22-26 NASB

__________________

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:2-6 NKJV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

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''He had married an Ethiopian woman.”

Numbers 12:1

Strange choice of Moses, but how much more strange the choice of him who is a prophet like unto Moses, and greater than he! Our Lord, who is fair as the lily, has entered into marriage union with one who confesses herself to be black, because the sun has looked upon her. It is the wonder of angels that the love of Jesus should be set upon poor, lost, guilty men. Each believer must, when filled with a sense of Jesus’ love, be also overwhelmed with astonishment that such love should be lavished on an object so utterly unworthy of it. Knowing as we do our secret guiltiness, unfaithfulness, and black-heartedness, we are dissolved in grateful admiration of the matchless freeness and sovereignty of grace.

Jesus must have found the cause of his love in his own heart, he could not have found it in us, for it is not there. Even since our conversion we have been black, though grace has made us comely. Holy Rutherford said of himself what we must each subscribe to — “His relation to me is, that I am sick, and he is the Physician of whom I stand in need. Alas! how often I play fast and loose with Christ! He bindeth, I loose; he buildeth, I cast down; I quarrel with Christ, and he agreeth with me twenty times a day!”

Most tender and faithful Husband of our souls, pursue thy gracious work of conforming us to thine image, till thou shalt present even us poor Ethiopians unto thyself, without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing. Moses met with opposition because of his marriage, and both himself and his spouse were the subjects of an evil eye. Can we wonder if this vain world opposes Jesus and his spouse, and especially when great sinners are converted? for this is ever the Pharisee's ground of objection, “This man receiveth sinners.” Still is the old cause of quarrel revived, “Because he had married an Ethiopian woman.”

 

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What Did Jesus Teach About Marriage?


What did Jesus teach about marriage? Here are some Bible verses about marriage to see what Jesus taught about marriage.

A God-Ordained Institution
Genesis 2:24 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
There are many Bible verses about marriage but we are examining only those which Jesus taught about on the subject this subject, so first of all, marriage is a God-ordained, God-created institution that He blessed and saw as good. By God saying that “the two shall become one flesh,” we could see this as intended to be a permanent relationship where the two become one and stay as one and they become as “one flesh,” meaning that they cannot (or at least should not) be separated (Matt 19:5). When Jesus quoted this verse He was establishing the fact that it was God’s intention to have the two be joined together and to stay together for life; the only exceptions would be for ongoing, unrepentant adultery or if one of the spouses would die.

One Man and One Woman
Some people claim that polygamy was taught in the Bible, but this is simply not true. Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 19 that it is God “who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’” (Matt 19:4-5). That is, marriage is to be between one man and one woman, and He was specific that it was created to be between one male and one female alone.

This also debunks the notion that God allows for more than one wife or more than one husband, but just because some of the patriarchs of the Bible had more than one wife, doesn’t give us permission to do the same thing. They did a lot of things that we should not duplicate, like King David’s adultery and subsequent murder of Uriah. Since the Scripture states that the “two shall become one,” and not three or four become one, its intentional that there only be one man and one woman in a marriage. The patriarchs ended up paying huge consequences for their polygamy.

Nowhere in the Bible does it teach that a man can multiply wives or a wife can have more than one husband, and a husband have more than one wife. In fact, God gives a command to not to do this, so even though some of the ancient kings and Patriarchs had multiple spouses, this was not the way that God intended marriage to be and when the men took more than one wife, it always created huge problems for them. God told the kings of Israel, that they should not multiply wives (Deut 17:17), and if God commanded this of the king, everyone understood that to mean, it applied to them too!

Grounds for Divorce
Matthew 5:31-32 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”

Jesus was crystal clear in who was permitted to be divorced and who could remarry, and the only exception was that of “sexual immorality.” Jesus’ teaching doesn’t allow for any other exceptions, however if a spouse or the spouse and his or her children are experiencing physical abuse then they not only need to separate themselves from that situation for the sake of their own safety, but they should also report that person to the police, and that person who abuses a spouse or children deserves to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

They must be reported because those who are in such positions of authority yield the sword in God’s sovereignty, and they act with God’s authority (Rom 13:1-5). The only reason that Moses allowed certificates for divorce was because of what Jesus said; “Because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so” (Matt 19:8). This doesn’t mean that it was favorable in Moses’ or God’s eyes. Jesus clearly said that “Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you (Who as God, Jesus has more authority than Moses) that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matt 5:31-32).

Jesus says that Moses allowed for divorce (Matt 19:8), “but I say to you” that whoever “divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery” (Matt 5:31-32). Naturally this applies to the both the man and the woman, so whoever divorces her husband or whoever divorces his wife, except on the grounds of adultery, commits adultery with another person if the remarry

Adultery of the Heart
Matthew 5:27-29 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell.”

Jesus sees lusting after a woman or a man as being the very same thing as adultery itself. He called it adultery of the heart, and although it’s not as bad as the actual physical act (1st Cor 6:12-20), it’s an act that a person would carry out if they were able to do so, with whomever they’re lusting after. That’s where adultery begins…with lusting in the heart. Even more specifically, Jesus said that if they even looked at another “with lustful intent,” or in other words, their intent is to lust or commit adultery in their heart with that person, then that’s seen as adultery.

The Jews considered the heart as being the seat of the intellect, so to them, “in the heart” is the same thing as being “in the mind.” Either way, lusting in the heart or mind for someone who is not your spouse is, according to Jesus, committing adultery. This is why pornography is so destructive to marriages and devalues women and men. The person who looks at pornography is sinning in their heart by lusting after what they see and it is with intentionality that they are doing it. If they actually had the woman or man in the image, and could commit the physical act, they would, so it’s essentially committing an act of adultery in the heart.

Conclusion
When God ordained and created the institution of marriage, it was intended for life. And in the beginning, there was nothing said about divorce and remarriage, because the law hadn’t been given yet, however, among the Patriarchs and the kings of Israel, divorce was not even considered an option. The only reason divorce entered the picture was, as Jesus said, the hardness of their hearts, not because God allowed for it.

You have read Jesus’ teachings about divorce and remarriage. When He spoke of about marriage, He indicated that it was to be forever with the only exception of one spouse committing sexual immorality (Matt 5:31-32). The word “immorality” used in Matthew 5:32 is from the Greek word “porneia” and covers many things like, illicit sexual intercourse, homosexuality, intercourse with animals, with a close relative, and of course, adultery (Lev 18), and includes “sex with a divorced man or woman” (Matt 5:31-32). All of these things involve lusting, and lusting after someone who is not your spouse is the same thing as committing adultery in the mind (or heart).

Of course the actual physical act is far worse, just as murdering someone is far worse than hating someone in your heart. That’s why the Bible warns us about committing adultery or any other kind of sexual immorality. If it’s not repented of, it will bring God’s judgment. Jesus says; “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matt 5:29-30).

If you’re a believer and have since remarried, God is a God of grace, mercy, and forgiveness. God hates divorce, but He certainly does not hate divorced people. You cannot unscramble an egg, so what’s done is done. The children of God can confess their sins, and be cleansed from all unrighteousness (1st John 1:9), and we then can stand before God, but only because it was “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2nd Cor 5:21).

 

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Blessings of obedience
Observe and to do all his commandments

And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God.

Blessed shalt thou be in the city,
and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body,
and the fruit of thy ground,
and the fruit of thy cattle,
the increase of thy kine,
and the flocks of thy sheep.

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.
Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in,
and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways.

The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.

And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.

And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.

Deuteronomy 28:1-11 KJV

__________________

Thanks be unto God for His wonderful gift:
Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God
is the object of our faith; the only faith
that saves is faith in Him.

 

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“Now on whom dost thou trust?”

Isaiah 36:5

Reader, this is an important question. Listen to the Christian's answer, and see if it is yours. “On whom dost thou trust?” “I trust,” says the Christian, “in a triune God. I trust the Father, believing that he has chosen me from before the foundations of the world; I trust him to provide for me in providence, to teach me, to guide me, to correct me if need be, and to bring me home to his own house where the many mansions are.

I trust the Son. Very God of very God is he — the man Christ Jesus. I trust in him to take away all my sins by his own sacrifice, and to adorn me with his perfect righteousness. I trust him to be my Intercessor, to present my prayers and desires before his Father's throne, and I trust him to be my Advocate at the last great day, to plead my cause, and to justify me. I trust him for what he is, for what he has done, and for what he has promised yet to do.

And I trust the Holy Spirit — he has begun to save me from my inbred sins; I trust him to drive them all out; I trust him to curb my temper, to subdue my will, to enlighten my understanding, to check my passions, to comfort my despondency, to help my weakness, to illuminate my darkness; I trust him to dwell in me as my life, to reign in me as my King, to sanctify me wholly, spirit, soul, and body, and then to take me up to dwell with the saints in light for ever.”

Oh, blessed trust! To trust him whose power will never be exhausted, whose love will never wane, whose kindness will never change, whose faithfulness will never fail, whose wisdom will never be nonplussed, and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution! Happy art thou, reader, if this trust is thine! So trusting, thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now, and glory hereafter, and the foundation of thy trust shall never be removed.

 

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When Life Drags You Down
I hate it when life drags me down—don’t you? The day can start off so very swimmingly, and then within minutes…

…a parent yells at you
…a friend texts with bad news
…you feel a cold coming on
…the car breaks down
…the weather stinks
And before you know it, what seemed like a day that would be a walk in the park turns into a sluggish journey through the muck.

Perhaps that’s what the lads from One Direction were thinking about when they wrote the song Drag Me Down. Check out these lyrics:

All my lifeWe-all-long-for-someone-to-pick-us-up
You stood by me
When no one else was ever behind me
All these lights
They can't blind me
With your love, nobody can drag me down
This song was released with zero pre-marketing, and yet it still hit #1 like a bullet. Although much of the song’s success is due to the power of the 1D fandom (as in they would all download a recording of the boys brushing their teeth—right?), there is a common connection that we all have with the need for someone to pick us up when we have been dragged down.

The problem, though, is the fact that everyone on the planet is often in a state of being dragged down themselves, therefore we are depending on the dragged down to drag us up, even though they are in a state of draggedness—what a drag!

So while the song is a very complimentary shout out to whoever is helping Harry, Liam, Louis and Niall out of the grind and strain and drudgery of their circumstances, perhaps there is another source of hope and strength to which we could turn when life drags us down?

My advice would be to ask the person in the Bible who was pretty much dragged as low as any human being could get. His name is David—who you may know as King David. But did you know he was also pauper David, hunted David and heartbroken David? He hung out with disgusting and dirty sheep, and he reigned as the monarch of Israel. He was a skilled warrior, but he knew defeat and despair.

And on top of all his life experiences, he was a songwriter who composed a range of poetic refrains that ranged from an overjoyed heart, to music that reflected a heart that had been dragged down into the pit.

You could say that David's PsalmsBut the common theme to all his songs was his constant and abiding faith in the God who would never leave Him or forsake him.

You could say that David’s psalms were all pointed one direction!

And here is one of the songs he wrote while under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that I turn to when life drags me down:

I look to the mountains;
where will my help come from?
My help will come from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
He will not let you fall;
your protector is always awake.
The protector of Israel
never dozes or sleeps.
The Lord will guard you;
he is by your side to protect you.
The sun will not hurt you during the day,
nor the moon during the night.
The Lord will protect you from all danger;
he will keep you safe.
He will protect you as you come and go
now and forever (Psalm 121:1-8, GNT).
What an amazing reminder of this truth from God’s word! Not even the strength of the mighty mountains compares with the power and might of God in our lives, so why would we trust in any single person when the Creator of the universe stands ready to help us?

I like One Direction’s contention that at the heart of giving them strength is the love of another person. Love is like an all powerful magnet that pulls us out of the yuck and muck of life’s ever changing circumstances, but there is no love on earth that matches the love from the God who made heaven and earth.

So the next time life drags you down, lift your eyes out of your circumstances and remember these encouraging instructions:

Now stay focused on Jesus, who designed and perfected our faith. He endured the cross and ignored the shame of that death because He focused on the joy that was set before Him; and now He is seated beside God on the throne, a place of honor (Hebrews 12:2, The Voice).

With Your love, Jesus, nothing can drag us down!