Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.”

John 17:24

O death! why dost thou touch the tree beneath whose spreading branches weariness hath rest? Why dost thou snatch away the excellent of the earth, in whom is all our delight? If thou must use thine axe, use it upon the trees which yield no fruit; thou mightest be thanked then. But why wilt thou fell the goodly cedars of Lebanon? O stay thine axe, and spare the righteous. But no, it must not be; death smites the goodliest of our friends; the most generous, the most prayerful, the most holy, the most devoted must die.

And why? It is through Jesus’ prevailing prayer — “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” It is that which bears them on eagle's wings to heaven. Every time a believer mounts from this earth to paradise, it is an answer to Christ's prayer. A good old divine remarks, “Many times Jesus and his people pull against one another in prayer. You bend your knee in prayer and say ‘Father, I will that thy saints be with me where I am’; Christ says, ‘Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me whereI am.’”

Thus the disciple is at cross-purposes with his Lord. The soul cannot be in both places: the beloved one cannot be with Christ and with you too. Now, which pleader shall win the day? If you had your choice; if the King should step from his throne, and say, “Here are two supplicants praying in opposition to one another, which shall be answered?” Oh! I am sure, though it were agony, you would start from your feet, and say, “Jesus, not my will, but thine be done.” You would give up your prayer for your loved one's life, if you could realize the thoughts that Christ is praying in the opposite direction — “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.” Lord, thou shalt have them. By faith we let them go.

 

[beensetfree]

The Lord's Prayer


"Our Father who art in heaven."

"Yes?"

"Don't interrupt me. I'm praying."

"But you called me."

"Called you? I didn't call you. I'm praying. Our Father who art in heaven."

"There you did it again."

"Did What?"

"Called me. You said, Our Father who art in heaven. Here I am. What's on you mind?"

"But I didn't mean anything by it. I was, you know, just saying my
prayers for the day. I always say the Lord's Prayer. It makes me feel
good kind of like getting a duty done."

"All right. Go on."

"Hallowed be thy name....."

"Hold it. What do you mean by that?"

"By what?"

"By "hallowed be thy name"?"

"It means, it means, good grief, I don't know what it means. How
should I know? It's just a part of the prayer. By the way, what does it mean?"

"It means honored, holy, wonderful."

"Hey, that makes sense. I never thought about what "hallowed" meant
before..Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Sure, why not?"

"What are you doing about it?

"Doing? Nothing, I guess. I just think it would be kind of neat if you
got control of everything down here like you have up there."

"Have I got control of you?"

"Well, I go to church. "

"That isn't what I asked you. What about your bad temper?
You've really got a problem there, you know. And then there's the way you
spend your money, all on yourself. And what about the kind of books you read?"

"Stop picking on me! I'm just as good as some of the rest of those
people at the church."

"Excuse me. I thought you were praying for my will to be done.
If that is to happen, it will have to start with the ones who are praying
For it. Like you, for example."

"Oh, all right. I guess I do have some hang-ups. Now that you mention
it, I could probably name some others."

"So could I."

"I haven't thought about it very much until now, but I really would
like to cut out some of those things. I would like to, you know, be really free."

"Good. Now we're getting somewhere. We'll work together, you and I. Some victories can truly be won. I'm proud of you."

"Look, Lord, I need to finish up here. This is taking a lot longer than
it usually does... Give us this day, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us."

"What about Ann? "

"See? I knew it! I knew you would bring her up! Why Lord, she's told lies about me, spread stories about my family. She never paid back the debt she owes me. I've sworn to get even with her!"

"But your prayer? What about your prayer?"

"I didn't mean it."

"Well, at least you're honest. But it's not much fun carrying
that load of bitterness around inside, is it?"

"No. But I'll feel better as soon as I get even. Boy, have I got some
plans for that neighbor. She'll wish she had never moved into this neighborhood.."

"You won't feel any better. You'll feel worse. Revenge isn't sweet. Think of how unhappy you already are. But I can change all that."

"You can? How?"

"Forgive Ann. Then I'll forgive you. Then the hate and sin will be Ann's problem and not yours. You will have settled your heart."

"Oh, you're right. You always are. And more than I want to revenge Ann, I want to be right with you (pause), (sigh). All right. All right. I Forgive her. Help her to find the right road in life, Lord. She's bound to be awfully miserable now that I think about it. Anybody who goes around doing the things she does to others has to be out of it. Someway, somehow, show her the right way."

"There now! Wonderful! How do you feel?"

"Hmmmmmm. Well, not bad. Not bad at all. In fact, I feel pretty great! You know, I don't think I'll have to go to bed uptight tonight for the first time since I can remember. Maybe I won't be so tired from now on because I'm not getting enough rest."

"You're not through with your prayer. Go on."

"Oh, all right. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

"Good! Good! I'll do that. Just don't put yourself in a place where
you can be tempted."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Don't turn on the TV when you know the laundry needs to be done and the house needs to be picked up. Also, about the time you spend coffeeing with your friends, if you can't influence the conversation to positive things, perhaps you should re-think the value of those friendships. Another thing, your neighbors and friends shouldn't be your standard for "keeping up".

And please don't use me for an escape hatch."

"I don't understand the last part."

"Sure you do. You've done it a lot of times. You get caught in a bad situation. You get into trouble and then you come running to me, "Lord, help me out of this mess, and I promise you I'll never do it again. You remember some of those bargains you tried to make with me?"

"Yes and I'm ashamed, Lord. I really am."

"Which bargain are you remembering?"

"Well, there was the night that Bill was gone and the children and I were home alone. The wind was blowing so hard I thought the roof would go any minute and tornado warnings were out. I remember praying, "Oh God, if you spare us, I'll never skip my devotions again."

"I protected you, but you didn't keep your promise, did you?"

"I'm sorry, Lord, I really am. Up until now I thought that if I just prayed the Lord's Prayer every day, then I could do what I liked. I didn't expect anything to happen like it did."

"Go ahead and finish your prayer."

"For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen"

"Do you know what would bring me glory? What would really make me happy?"

"No, but I'd like to know. I want to please you now. I can see what a mess I've made of my life. And I can see how great it would be to really be one of your followers."

"You just answered the question."

"I did?"

"Yes. The thing that would bring me glory is to have people like you truly love me. And I see that happening between us. Now that some of these old sins are exposed and out of the way, well, there is no telling what we can do together."

"Lord, let's see what we can make of me, O.K.?"

"Yes, let's see."

 

[beensetfree]

Standing Unashamed Before HIM
If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:26,27 NIV

__________________

And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.

1 John 2:28,29 KJV

__________________

According to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Philippians 1:20,21 NASB

__________________

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]

“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit.”

Luke 10:21

The Saviour was “a man of sorrows,” but every thoughtful mind has discovered the fact that down deep in his innermost soul he carried an inexhaustible treasury of refined and heavenly joy. Of all the human race, there was never a man who had a deeper, purer, or more abiding peace than our Lord Jesus Christ. “He was anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows.” His vast benevolence must, from the very nature of things, have afforded him the deepest possible delight, for benevolence is joy.

There were a few remarkable seasons when this joy manifested itself. “At that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” Christ had his songs, though it was night with him; though his face was marred, and his countenance had lost the lustre of earthly happiness, yet sometimes it was lit up with a matchless splendour of unparalleled satisfaction, as he thought upon the recompense of the reward, and in the midst of the congregation sang his praise unto God.

In this, the Lord Jesus is a blessed picture of his church on earth. At this hour the church expects to walk in sympathy with her Lord along a thorny road; through much tribulation she is forcing her way to the crown. To bear the cross is her office, and to be scorned and counted an alien by her mother's children is her lot; and yet the church has a deep well of joy, of which none can drink but her own children.

There are stores of wine, and oil, and corn, hidden in the midst of our Jerusalem, upon which the saints of God are evermore sustained and nurtured; and sometimes, as in our Saviour's case, we have our seasons of intense delight, for “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of our God.” Exiles though we be, we rejoice in our King; yea, in him we exceedingly rejoice, while in his name we set up our banners.

 

[beensetfree]

The Frog and the Prince


"Do you have a boyfriend yet Paula?" I roll my eyes and shake my head just thinking of the many times someone has asked me that question. In our culture today, this is a fairly justifiable question to ask an 18-year-old girl. However, this 18-year-old does not have a standard response. I say, "No, I don't need one." Most girls would say this just after a devastating breakup and they say it bitterly because they don't want to discuss it. Neither is true for me. When I say it it's because at this point in my life I truly don't need one.

I don't see the point in having countless boyfriends before finally settling down with "Mr. Right". This system of finding a mate is similar to the concept of going to a pond and kissing frog after frog, hoping that one of them will turn into a prince. I find the concept of dating foolish, and so I am going to practice courtship.

Courting simply means that you don't get into a serious relationship with the opposite sex until you are certain that this is the person you will marry. This method would be like waiting for the frogs to turn themselves into princes and then kissing the prince. Until then, going out with groups of friends is the best way to find "Mr. or Mrs. Right."

Until I read the book, I Kissed Dating Good-bye by Joshua Harris, I was fairly neutral on this subject because I wasn't interested in having a romantic relationship. Since reading this book, however, I am thoroughly convinced that courtship is the wisest and most godly way to find a husband or wife.

One of the biggest problems with conventional dating is the emotional roller coaster it creates. Well, perhaps a more accurate analogy would be a demolition derby. When you invest so much of your time, money, and energies into someone without a serious commitment to speak of, your heart is bound to get shattered. Many young people today get very intimate in their relationships, but what they fail to realize is that intimacy doesn't mean commitment.

Another fault with dating is that it skips the "neutral" friendship stage of the relationship. By doing this, you not only miss out on a great friendship, but you never really get to know the person for who they are. A dating couple tends to show only the "best" sides of themselves, so you never really get to know someone for who they truly are. In a friendship, you often get to see both the good and the bad of a person and there is nothing to lose if the person turns out to be a jerk.

True love is often a forgotten concept in American teenage culture nowadays. It is commonly understood that love means having a physical relationship with someone or feeling good when you are with that person or just thinking about that person. This "love", 99% of the time is really a selfish love, which isn't love at all. Selfish love is an oxymoron. The entire concept of love is about forgetting yourself and your needs and wants to be concerned about someone else. In a dating relationship, much of the focus is on how much fun you had or how you felt while with that person. This is certainly not love. Love is not about feelings. Love is not about you. Love is sacrificing your own desires so that the other person can have the best.

One thing that I've decided to do in my life is to guard my heart. I have seen too many of my friends open up their heart to a guy only to have their hearts broken. I want a full, unbroken heart to offer to my husband, so I've decided not to even get interested in anyone unless I know he is the one God has chosen for me -- that is if He even wants me to marry.

I was praying one night and God gave me this story as a sort of analogy to what guarding your heart is about:

I'm standing in a room crowded with young men. As I look around, I'm tempted to pick out which one should be my husband. I force my eyes closed and ask God to blindfold me so that I cannot look. I must resist the temptation to peek or else I will see one of the young men and think it's him, my future husband. I must wait for God to lead one over to me and wait for Him (God) to take my blindfold off when it's time. I will see only one man in the room. He will be all I could ever want in a husband and I will be absolutely content. This is how I must guard my heart. I just have to wait patiently for God to bring him to me, so that I don't set my heart on a frog instead of a prince.

God has lead me to the acceptance that I might get married sometime in my life. He has also brought me to the realization that I don't need to do anything right now. I'm not ready to get married by any means, so I just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Eventually God may bring someone into my life for me to marry. Until then, I pray that God will help me to wait so that that I don't kiss any frogs before my prince arrives.

 

[beensetfree]

Seek wisdom from The Lord
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5 NIV

__________________

I will bless the LORD who has counseled me; Indeed, my mind instructs me in the night.

I have set the LORD continually before me; Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:7,8 NASB

__________________

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6

__________________

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]

“The Son of man.”

John 3:13

How constantly our Master used the title, the “Son of man!” If he had chosen, he might always have spoken of himself as the Son of God, the Everlasting Father, the Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Prince of Peace; but behold the lowliness of Jesus! He prefers to call himself the Son of man. Let us learn a lesson of humility from our Saviour; let us never court great titles nor proud degrees. There is here, however, a far sweeter thought.

Jesus loved manhood so much, that he delighted to honour it; and since it is a high honour, and indeed, the greatest dignity of manhood, that Jesus is the Son of man, he is wont to display this name, that he may as it were hang royal stars upon the breast of manhood, and show forth the love of God to Abraham's seed. Son of man — whenever he said that word, he shed a halo round the head of Adam's children.

Yet there is perhaps a more precious thought still. Jesus Christ called himself the Son of man to express his oneness and sympathy with his people. He thus reminds us that he is the one whom we may approach without fear. As a man, we may take to him all our griefs and troubles, for he knows them by experience; in that he himself hath suffered as the “Son of man,” he is able to succour and comfort us. All hail, thou blessed Jesus! inasmuch as thou art evermore using the sweet name which acknowledges that thou art a brother and a near kinsman, it is to us a dear token of thy grace, thy humility, thy love.

“Oh see how Jesus trusts himself
Unto our childish love,
As though by his free ways with us
Our earnestness to prove!
His sacred name a common word
On earth he loves to hear;
There is no majesty in him
Which love may not come near.”

 

[beensetfree]

A quick scan of the Bibles at your local bookstore reveals a publication that seems oddly out of place. What's a teen girls' magazine doing in the Bible section? Thoughtful person that you are, you remove the item from the rack, planning to return it to the periodical display where it belongs. Its heft, though, makes you realize that this is no magazine.

With headlines on the cover such as "Are You Dating a Godly Guy? and other Quizzes" and "Beauty Secrets You've Never Heard Before!" the Revolve New Testament, from Thomas Nelson Bibles, was designed to appeal to teenage girls-and your initial impression offers proof the publisher has achieved that goal.

Compiled by a team of female writers in their early 20s, Revolve's sidebars to the New Century Version text go straight to the heart of the issues facing teen girls today-boys and dating, body image, and family.

"We went into public schools, Christian schools, shopping malls. We set up a website (www.Transitbooks.com), with an online bulletin board, talked to girls one on one, and did focus groups," says Revolve's managing editor Kate Etue. "Once we had the manuscript together, we took it back to the girls and asked what in it was reaching them where they were and what was not. We tested the cover design. And we got some very good feedback through that entire process."

Apparently, the feedback was good: Released last year, the book has sold a half-million copies so far. "We spent two to three years brainstorming, researching-and reading lots of Seventeen magazines," Etue says, adding that the team's goal all along was to make sure the content provided practical advice in a spiritual context. In October, Nelson released a follow-up edition, Revolve: Psalms & Proverbs.

Clearly, despite its fashion-magazine design, the book deals with serious issues. "One thing I see over and over is questions from girls raised in the church who have a problem and say, 'I can't tell my parents-they would kill me,'" Etue says. "Parents need to reinforce their love to their kids even if they don't think they need to. Don't assume everything is okay; girls are carrying heavy burdens, but they have a fear of not being perfect in their parents' eyes." Many girls, she explains, end up turning to their friends to help them figure out a solution to their problems.

"It's important to let them cry on your shoulder," Etue adds. "And they need to know that you don't always have an answer. They need to see you relying on God for the answers to the problems in their lives."

 

[beensetfree]

Good Success!
By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honour, and life.

Proverbs 22:4 KJV

__________________

He, your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher. Your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left... Then He will give you rain for the seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be rich and plenteous; on that day your livestock will graze in a roomy pasture.

Isaiah 30:20-21,23 NASB

__________________

Surely then you will find delight in the Almighty and will lift up your face to God. You will pray to him, and he will hear you, and you will fulfill your vows. What you decide on will be done, and light will shine on your ways.

Job 22:26-28 NIV

__________________

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]

“When he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Mark 8:38

If we have been partakers with Jesus in his shame, we shall be sharers with him in the lustre which shall surround him when he appears again in glory. Art thou, beloved one, with Christ Jesus? Does a vital union knit thee to him? Then thou art to-day with him in his shame; thou hast taken up his cross, and gone with him without the camp bearing his reproach; thou shalt doubtless be with him when the cross is exchanged for the crown.

But judge thyself this evening; for if thou art not with him in the regeneration, neither shalt thou be with him when he shall come in his glory. If thou start back from the black side of communion, thou shalt not understand its bright, its happy period, when the King shall come, and all his holy angels with him. What! are angels with him? And yet he took not up angels — he took up the seed of Abraham. Are the holy angels with him? Come, my soul, if thou art indeed his own beloved, thou canst not be far from him. If his friends and his neighbours are called together to see his glory, what thinkest thou if thou art married to him? Shalt thou be distant?

Though it be a day of judgment, yet thou canst not be far from that heart which, having admitted angels into intimacy, has admitted thee into union. Has he not said to thee, O my soul, “I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness?” Have not his own lips said it, “I am married unto thee, and my delight is in thee?” If the angels, who are but friends and neighbours, shall be with him, it is abundantly certain that his own beloved Hephzibah, in whom is all his delight, shall be near to him, and sit at his right hand. Here is a morning star of hope for thee, of such exceeding brilliance, that it may well light up the darkest and most desolate experience.

 

[beensetfree]

Who Is My Neighbor According To Jesus?


The Bible commands us to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves, so who exactly is our neighbor?
Loving God
We don’t have to do an intensive search to find out what’s most important to God, and what the greatest commandment ever given by God was, because it’s given by God, and specifically, Jesus Christ, as He says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:37-40). Why does Jesus say that loving God and loving neighbor are the greatest?

Clearly, that means they are the most important commandments. One example is we know that God’s will for us is to not sin, but we can sin by despising our neighbor and having regard for their person, but Solomon wrote, “Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner, but blessed is he who is generous to the poor” (Prov 14:21), so part of loving God is loving our neighbor, but also obeying God, since “whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him” (1 John 2:5), but if that love for God and love for neighbor is not there, then we can’t really know for sure if we’re in Him or not, can we?

Loving Neighbors
The Apostle John wrote more about love than all of the other apostles combined. He even refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 21:20), and he knew enough about the love of God to say, “If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:20-21). This isn’t just New Testament teaching, but as Jesus said, it was the underlying teaching of “the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 22:40). Moses recorded the command, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD” (Lev 19:18). Not taking revenge is part of loving God and loving neighbor.

We don’t give our neighbor what we think they deserve (vengeance), we give them what they need (love). Again, we go back to obedience; to be loving God naturally includes loving our neighbor. We might not love what they do, but we love them, so Jesus included this as the second part of the greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31). Jesus often refers back to the Law and the Prophets when teaching that we must love our neighbor as we do ourselves. He said “whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).Here is why the Apostle Paul stresses that we should “please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me” (Rom 15:2-3). God did not give us what we deserved…He gave us what we needed.


Living it Out
Its one thing to know that we’re to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves, but it’s another thing to do it! It’s not possible without Jesus Christ (John 15:5), but with Him, all things are possible (Phil 4:13). Jesus reminds us all, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). That’s an incredibly difficult standard, but only in God’s strength can we possibly do it. What does loving our neighbor look like in real life? We should “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Romans 13:8-10), so once again, it goes back to the Law and the Prophets.

James wrote “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well” (James 2:8). If you are child of the King, you are to observe the royal law, or the Law from the King of kings and Lord of lords, since “the whole law is fulfilled in one word: You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Gal 5:14). Love others by taking tangible actions as you do for yourself, and most of us take pretty good care of ourselves, don’t we?

Loving your neighbor might even include not “bringing your neighbor into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame? Argue your case with your neighbor himself, and do not reveal another’s secret, lest he who hears you bring shame upon you, and your ill repute have no end” (Prov 25:8-10). Think about the new commandment given by Christ, just before His death and the Ascension: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34).

Conclusion
Who is our neighbor? Who do you see? Whoever you meet or see today is your neighbor, and the Bible doesn’t specify that only Christians are our neighbors. Our neighbor is anyone that we can help. We have three things to offer…our time, talent, and treasure, so “if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him” (1 John 3:17)? That’s an excellent question, isn’t it? Perhaps a neighbor, whoever that might be, would reach out for help today. What would be your and my response?

“Well, I will pray for you,“ but if “one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that” (James 2:16)? That’s another fine question. The best thing we can do for our neighbor is to love them, and the love of God should compel us to share Christ with them. We need to let them know that God demands perfect righteousness to enter the kingdom, but God provides what He demands through Jesus Christ. Who else is sinless, perfect, and completely holy? There is no reconciliation between us and God without Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). Telling your neighbor that is the most loving thing you could ever do.

 

[beensetfree]

For Him!
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

1 Peter 4:13,14 NIV

__________________

How great is Your goodness, Which You have stored up for those who fear You, Which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, Before the sons of men! You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the conspiracies of man; You keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Psalm 31:19,20 NASB

__________________

Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in thee: yea, in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things for me.

He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah... God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Psalm 57:1-4 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.

 

[beensetfree]

“And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's table.”

Matthew 15:27

This woman gained comfort in her misery by thinking great thoughts of Christ . The Master had talked about the children's bread: “Now,” argued she, “since thou art the Master of the table of grace, I know that thou art a generous housekeeper, and there is sure to be abundance of bread on thy table; there will be such an abundance for the children that there will be crumbs to throw on the floor for the dogs, and the children will fare none the worse because the dogs are fed.”

She thought him one who kept so good a table that all that she needed would only be a crumb in comparison; yet remember, what she wanted was to have the devil cast out of her daughter. It was a very great thing to her, but she had such a high esteem of Christ, that she said, “It is nothing to him, it is but a crumb for Christ to give.”

This is the royal road to comfort. Great thoughts of your sin alone will drive you to despair; but great thoughts of Christ will pilot you into the haven of peace. “My sins are many, but oh! it is nothing to Jesus to take them all away. The weight of my guilt presses me down as a giant's foot would crush a worm, but it is no more than a grain of dust to him, because he has already borne its curse in his own body on the tree. It will be but a small thing for him to give me full remission, although it will be an infinite blessing for me to receive it.” The woman opens her soul's mouth very wide, expecting great things of Jesus, and he fills it with his love.

Dear reader, do the same. She confessed what Christ laid at her door, but she laid fast hold upon him, and drew arguments even out of his hard words; she believed great things of him, and she thus overcame him. She won the victory by believing in Him . Her case is an instance of prevailing faith; and if we would conquer like her, we must imitate her tactics.

 

[beensetfree]

What Does It Mean Jesus Will Come As A Thief In The Night?


Jesus said that His appearance would be like that of a thief in the night, so what does this mean?
Noah’s Day
Jesus referred to Noah’s day when He was speaking about what it would be like just before His second coming, but why? Jesus explains, “For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt 24:37), and in the day of Jesus’ appearance, it will be just “as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark” (Matt 24:38). No one was expecting a flood when none had ever occurred before, so the people continued to ignore Noah’s warning about the coming flood of God’s judgment on an evil world, so what was the problem? The Bible is clear, saying “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5), and similar to today, “the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (Gen 6:11-12). I believe part of the reason God sent His judgment was because the people were beyond hope of repenting. They had heard Noah’s message of grace for decades, some say over a hundred years, but they kept doing business as usual, “eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,” which means it was all about pleasing the flesh. Eat, drink, marry, get a new spouse, and marry again, so all they spent their time on was imagining new ways to sin. All their thoughts were consumed about self-gratification, so that brought about all types of corruption and violence to the earth. Is it any different today?

Jesus’ Prophecy
There was no shortage of tyrannical powers in Jesus’ day. During the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the iron fist of Rome ruled the world, at least in the Mediterranean and Middle-East areas. When Jesus was speaking of the end times, when there would be wars and rumors of wars, there were already wars going on, although not to the extent that there would be in the days preceding Jesus’ return, but also, “many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold”(Matt 24:10-12). I believe we can now say the love of many has grown cold. Jesus warned time and again that He will come when no one is expecting Him, and so someday (soon?) there “will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt 24:30-31), but why do those on the earth mourn when they see Jesus? The Apostle John writes something very similar in the Book of Revelation where he says that Jesus will be“coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Rev 1:7). So why is there wailing and mourning when Jesus returns? Because they have rejected their only hope of being saved by rejecting Jesus Christ as the Savior (Acts 4:12). They cannot stand on their own merits any more than I can.

Like Lightning
One thing Jesus said when referring to His second coming was that “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it”(Luke 17:22). I believe those days are here, at least in the sense that I desire to see the Son of Man, or Jesus Christ, come, but I might not see before I die, so the older I get, the more I desire to see Him. Some believe that the temple in Israel must be rebuilt and the sacrifices must begin again before Jesus returns, however Jesus said His return will be “as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day” (Luke 17:24). Jesus is not waiting for things to happen. He will come at the appointed time, so “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matt 24:36). All we know for sure is we “must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt 24:44).
As the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

Last Days
The Apostle Paul, writing as if the church at Thessalonica already knew, said “For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thess 5:2). It doesn’t matter if people say, “There is peace and security,” [because] sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thess 5:3). He was telling them these things because they knew better than “for that day to surprise you like a thief” (1 Thess 5:4), and yet it will many, no doubt, otherwise we wouldn’t hear these warnings from Jesus, Paul, and Peter.

We shouldn’t be surprised “that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires” (2 Pet 3:3). That prophecy is being fulfilled this very day by many who read and reject this! The Apostle Peter says we must “understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good” (2 Tim 3:1-3). Have you seen the latest movies or the most recent video games? Enough said.

Conclusion
For all who have rejected Jesus Christ, that night will come upon them as swift as lightning, and will overtake them in their sins, therefore, I beg you to consider placing your trust in Christ. He can come at any moment, and if you hear He can’t come back yet, tell them, “Jesus said He will come at a time when no one expects Him.” God is God and Jesus will come when God determines He will come, and He is not waiting on a human timetable of events which are all laid out for Him to follow. He is not waiting for this to happen or that…He comes when He comes. The point is, He is coming when no one expects Him, many Christians included, but His coming will also surprise all who have spurned Him, and it is they who shall mourn, so when is He coming? I don’t know, but I do know He is coming. I just don’t know when. You don’t either.

 

[beensetfree]

Trusting in The Rock
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-8 NIV

__________________

For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD gives grace and glory;
No good thing does He withhold
from those who walk uprightly.

O LORD of hosts,
How blessed is the man
who trusts in You!

Psalm 84:11,12 NASB

__________________

Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust,
and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.

Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works
which thou hast done, and thy thoughts
which are to us-ward:
they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee:
if I would declare and speak of them,
they are more than can be numbered.

Psalm 40:4,5 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.

 

[beensetfree]

“I will accept you with your sweet savour.”

Ezekiel 20:41

The merits of our great Redeemer are as sweet savour to the Most High. Whether we speak of the active or passive righteousness of Christ, there is an equal fragrance. There was a sweet savour in his active life by which he honoured the law of God, and made every precept to glitter like a precious jewel in the pure setting of his own person. Such, too, was his passive obedience, when he endured with unmurmuring submission, hunger and thirst, cold and nakedness, and at length sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane, gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked out the hair, and was fastened to the cruel wood, that he might suffer the wrath of God in our behalf.

These two things are sweet before the Most High; and for the sake of his doing and his dying, his substitutionary sufferings and his vicarious obedience, the Lord our God accepts us. What a preciousness must there be in him to overcome our want of preciousness! What a sweet savour to put away our ill savour! What a cleansing power in his blood to take away sin such as ours! and what glory in his righteousness to make such unacceptable creatures to be accepted in the Beloved! Mark, believer, how sure and unchanging must be our acceptance, since it is in him!

Take care that you never doubt your acceptance in Jesus. You cannot be accepted without Christ; but, when you have received his merit, you cannot be unaccepted. Notwithstanding all your doubts, and fears, and sins, Jehovah's gracious eye never looks upon you in anger; though he sees sin in you, in yourself, yet when he looks at you through Christ, he sees no sin. You are always accepted in Christ, are always blessed and dear to the Father's heart. Therefore lift up a song, and as you see the smoking incense of the merit of the Saviour coming up, this evening, before the sapphire throne, let the incense of your praise go up also.

 

[beensetfree]

Why You Need to Hear About the Resurrection from Women


In Matthew 27:10, Jesus talks to some women. It wasn’t unusual for Jesus. His interactions with women are recorded throughout Scripture. In our 21st century, we often overlook these encounters because they don’t seem out of place. But, make no mistake, it was not common for a man to speak to women in that day and age. At least not like Jesus did. The book of John records two of the most well-known examples of his dealings with women. People often confuse them but the Samaritan woman (or the woman at the well) and the woman caught in adultery are not one and the same. Jesus talked to many other women as well – of course, there was his own mother (Mary). There was also Martha and her sister named Mary. And then were at least two more women named Mary.

That’s a lot of women with the same name!
These last two are who we find in Matthew 28:10. We know one is Mary Magdalene and the book of Luke tells us the other is the mother of James. Luke also records that Joanna and some unnamed women were present at this meeting with Jesus. So what was this meeting all about? Well, this group of women made up the first group of people Jesus revealed Himself to after His resurrection. In fact, He told them to go and tell the disciples that He was alive.

Think about that for a minute. Take yourself out of the modern day, “who runs the world – girls”, gender equality mindset, and reflect on the fact that almost 2,000 years ago, the Savior of the World chose to reveal His resurrected self first to women. And not for nothing, but Mary Magdalene was a former demon possessed gal. But when Jesus liberated her – as He has countless others – she became a faithful follower of His. And along with Joanna, Susanna, and others, Mary Magdalene helped support Jesus financially. She loved Jesus. And He loved her.


The disciples first heard about the resurrection from women because the resurrected Christ first appeared to women and told them to spread the word. This is Holy Scripture and this is why you need to hear about the resurrection from women. The same women that Matthew and Luke tell us about. But, there’s one difference between you and the disciples. You see, the disciples didn’t have the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Even though they walked intimately with Jesus and knew He promised them He would return, they still did not believe the women.

The NIV says that they thought what the women were saying “seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Of course, we know now that it is not. And the disciples caught on to that pretty soon after discounting the women, as so many before them had done. But women can’t be discounted. Because Jesus Christ didn’t discount women. He doesn’t today either. As Paul says in Galatians 3:26, there is neither “male nor female…for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” The resurrection of Christ Jesus is the most important event in history. And it was for us all.

Take the word of a woman.

 

[beensetfree]

Who can you trust?
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

1 Peter 5:6,7 KJV

__________________

Trust in the LORD and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the LORD;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday.

Psalm 37:3-6 NASB

__________________

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

Luke 12:31,32 NIV

__________________

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]

“I called him, but he gave me no answer.”

Song of Solomon 5:6

Prayer sometimes tarrieth, like a petitioner at the gate, until the King cometh forth to fill her bosom with the blessings which she seeketh. The Lord, when he hath given great faith, has been known to try it by long delayings. He has suffered his servants’ voices to echo in their ears as from a brazen sky. They have knocked at the golden gate, but it has remained immovable, as though it were rusted upon its hinges. Like Jeremiah, they have cried, “Thou hast covered thyself with a cloud, that our prayer should not pass through.”

Thus have true saints continued long in patient waiting without reply, not because their prayers were not vehement, nor because they were unaccepted, but because it so pleased him who is a Sovereign, and who gives according to his own pleasure. If it pleases him to bid our patience exercise itself, shall he not do as he wills with his own! Beggars must not be choosers either as to time, place, or form. But we must be careful not to take delays in prayer for denials: God's long-dated bills will be punctually honoured; we must not suffer Satan to shake our confidence in the God of truth by pointing to our unanswered prayers. Unanswered petitions are not unheard.

God keeps a file for our prayers — they are not blown away by the wind, they are treasured in the King's archives. This is a registry in the court of heaven wherein every prayer is recorded. Tried believer, thy Lord hath a tear-bottle in which the costly drops of sacred grief are put away, and a book in which thy holy groanings are numbered. By-and-by, thy suit shall prevail. Canst thou not be content to wait a little? Will not thy Lord's time be better than thy time? By-and-by he will comfortably appear, to thy soul's joy, and make thee put away the sackcloth and ashes of long waiting, and put on the scarlet and fine linen of full fruition.

 

[beensetfree]

Running from the Truth


"Fumbling his confidence
And wond'ring why the world has passed him by;
Hoping that he's bent for more than arguments."

I have met them, you probably have too. They are people who are running. They are running from the truth about this life. They are running from the truth about why they were created and who they were meant to be. They run, yet all the while they ask questions, constant questions.

Sometimes the questions get so absurd; they want to see signs and physical evidence of the existence of God. They want God to perform a miracle just for them, as if God were some trick pony or birthday party magician.

Jesus faced these same types when he walked on this earth.

"One day the Pharisees and Sadducees came to test Jesus' claims by asking him to show them a miraculous sign from heaven. He replied, ?You know the saying, "Red sky at night means fair weather tomorrow, red sky in the morning means foul weather all day." You are good at reading the weather signs in the sky, but you can't read the obvious signs of the times! Only an evil, faithless generation would ask for a miraculous sign, but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.' Then Jesus left them and went away" (Matthew 16:1-4).

I think it is important to note that these were Pharisees and Sadducees, people who were trained in the Word of God. They should have recognized Jesus from the Scriptures they studied every day. But instead they wanted something beyond the Word of God. They wanted a supernatural sign.

But such signs never satisfy. In another place in the Word, when Jesus was healing people, the Pharisees and Sadducees accused him of doing so by the authority of Satan! Those who refuse the testimony of the Word of God will not accept the testimony of the supernatural.

Yet they know there must be more to life. They search for some meaning. In the song "Meant to Live," Switchfoot sings about these folks. They sing that these people fumble with their confidence. They are never fully certain of who they are and what life is all about. But Jesus clearly tells us what life is all about. It is about a relationship with God through his Son.

What can you do for those people? Live out the life that Christ died to give you. Hold forth the truth that you have embraced. Don't let their questions dissuade you. And pray--pray that their eyes will be opened to the truth, and they will understand the life they were meant to live.