Just sharing.

[beensetfree]

“But he answered her not a word.”

Matthew 15:23

Genuine seekers who as yet have not obtained the blessing, may take comfort from the story before us. The Savior did not at once bestow the blessing, even though the woman had great faith in him. He intended to give it, but he waited awhile. “He answered her not a word.” Were not her prayers good? Never better in the world. Was not her case needy? Sorrowfully needy. Did she not feel her need sufficiently? She felt it overwhelmingly. Was she not earnest enough? She was intensely so. Had she no faith? She had such a high degree of it that even Jesus wondered, and said, “O woman, great is thy faith.”

See then, although it is true that faith brings peace, yet it does not always bring it instantaneously. There may be certain reasons calling for the trial of faith, rather than the reward of faith. Genuine faith may be in the soul like a hidden seed, but as yet it may not have budded and blossomed into joy and peace. A painful silence from the Savior is the grievous trial of many a seeking soul, but heavier still is the affliction of a harsh cutting reply such as this, “It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs.”

Many in waiting upon the Lord find immediate delight, but this is not the case with all. Some, like the jailer, are in a moment turned from darkness to light, but others are plants of slower growth. A deeper sense of sin may be given to you instead of a sense of pardon, and in such a case you will have need of patience to bear the heavy blow. Ah! poor heart, though Christ beat and bruise thee, or even slay thee, trust him; though he should give thee an angry word, believe in the love of his heart. Do not, I beseech thee, give up seeking or trusting my Master, because thou hast not yet obtained the conscious joy which thou longest for. Cast thyself on him, and perseveringly depend even where thou canst not rejoicingly hope.

 

[beensetfree]

What Love Is Greater?



You’ve probably read or heard about some of the greatest love stories of all time, but this one tops them all!
God Demands
No one can enter heaven on their own merits. To attempt to do so is contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not saved by works but by a free gift of grace from God (Eph 2:8-9). Works are worthless as far as earning our salvation. They are dirty rags at best (Isaiah 64:6), and trying to keep the Law as an attempt to save oneself is also in vain since “all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them” (Gal 3:10). Our problem is that God demands perfection for all who enter the kingdom. The Apostle John wrote that “nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Rev 21:27). Even more difficult to take is Jesus saying that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 5:20). Sounds humanly impossible, and in fact, it is…so how do we met the requirements of being holy so that we may enter the kingdom?

God Supplies
God demands perfection for those who enter heaven, so how do we become perfect in God’s eyes? We’ve already seen that works can’t help us. Although we do works for Hs glory (Eph 2:10), they are not for our salvation. The Apostle Paul says that you and I “were dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1), so God had to bring us to life, spiritually speaking. Paul writes that “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Eph 2:4-5).

We had about the same chance of resurrecting ourselves to new life in Christ as Lazarus did; none! When we received God’s Spirit, we became “a new creation” in Christ (2 Cor 5:17a). This effectively means, “The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17b). The new creation in Christ is all a work of God, so God supplies what He demands, and we meet those righteous requirements through Christ, because it was for our sake that God “made [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Now, God sees us as having the same righteousness as Jesus Christ, therefore, our righteousness does exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees….meaning, we can enter the kingdom!

Dying for Enemies
I cannot remember reading any accounts of people dying for someone who was their mortal enemies. It has only happened once in history that I know of, and it was through Jesus Christ. Someone can die for another, but that still doesn’t reconcile them to God, but the Apostle Paul tells us exactly when Jesus Christ died for us. Even though it was 2,000 years ago, it was “while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom 5:6).

We’ve already read that “one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die” (Rom 5:7), but the great difference between human love and the love of God is that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). Now who dies for an enemy? Would you? Would I? Probably not, so God’s grace is so amazing because even “while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” (Rom 5:10). God, through Jesus Christ, died for us while we were still living an ungodly, wicked life. That made us natural enemies of God, so I ask: What greater love is there than to die for an ungodly, wicked enemy?

Words of Life
When Jesus’ hard sayings caused many of His disciples to leave (John 6:66), Jesus asked His disciples if they’d also leave, but the Apostle Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). Peter recognized Who Jesus was, telling Him, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16), but to keep Peter humble, and put things into a godly perspective, Jesus reminds him that “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven” (Matt 16:17b). Peter didn’t figure it out; God called Him as He does others (John 6:44). Jesus said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). What Jesus told Martha, He tells all: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this” (John 11:25-26)? Do you?

Conclusion
If Jesus had not specified Lazarus by name, perhaps all that were in their graves would have been raised. That’s because Jesus, as God, has resurrection power; the power of life. He can bring to life whom He pleases, and He has brought us to life…new life in Christ…quickened by the Spirit, saved by the Son, after being called by the Father. All three Persons of the Trinity work in love and complete harmony in our salvation, so as Paul said, “ I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil 1:6). If you’re not sure, contact me, because today is a good day to be “all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall” (2 Pet 1:10b).

 

[beensetfree]

Walking in the Light So Jesus said to them, "For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. "While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light." John 12:35-6 NASB _________________ If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1 John 1:6-8 NIV _________________ Jesus answered, "Are there not twelve hours in the day? If any one walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if any one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him." John 11:9-10 RSV _________________ "Thy Word is lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path" How is your walk today? Are you depending on The Light of the world to keep you and guide you? Is His Word hidden in your heart that you might not sin against Him? _________________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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 I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the terrible.”

Jeremiah 15:21

Note the glorious personality of the promise. I will, I will. The Lord Jehovah himself interposes to deliver and redeem his people. He pledges himself personally to rescue them. His own arm shall do it, that he may have the glory. Here is not a word said of any effort of our own which may be needed to assist the Lord. Neither our strength nor our weakness is taken into the account, but the lone I, like the sun in the heavens, shines out resplendent in all-sufficience.

Why then do we calculate our forces, and consult with flesh and blood to our grievous wounding? Jehovah has power enough without borrowing from our puny arm. Peace, ye unbelieving thoughts, be still, and know that the Lord reigneth. Nor is there a hint concerning secondary means and causes. The Lord says nothing of friends and helpers: he undertakes the work alone, and feels no need of human arms to aid him. Vain are all our lookings around to companions and relatives; they are broken reeds if we lean upon them—often unwilling when able, and unable when they are willing. Since the promise comes alone from God, it would be well to wait only upon him; and when we do so, our expectation never fails us.

Who are the wicked that we should fear them? The Lord will utterly consume them; they are to be pitied rather than feared. As for terrible ones, they are only terrors to those who have no God to fly to, for when the Lord is on our side, whom shall we fear? If we run into sin to please the wicked, we have cause to be alarmed, but if we hold fast our integrity, the rage of tyrants shall be overruled for our good. When the fish swallowed Jonah, he found him a morsel which he could not digest; and when the world devours the church, it is glad to be rid of it again. In all times of fiery trial, in patience let us possess our souls.

 

[beensetfree]

One sunny summer afternoon a few years ago I was driving with my family on I-35 through Kansas and Oklahoma. The weather was peaceful as we drove through Kansas, and we were making pretty good time on our cross-country drive from Indiana to Texas.

But as we entered Oklahoma, we saw a low lying cloud stretching across the entire horizon. Having grown up in Indiana, we’d never seen such a cloud before. It looked like it was no more than a few hundred feet off the ground. And so, not knowing anything about weather patterns in Oklahoma, we gazed at the cloud through our windshield as we drove right at it.

And then, just after we passed under it, we were hit by a sudden gust of wind. Semi-trucks around us swayed back and forth. It was all I could do to keep the van on the road. Everyone slowed as we were hit with sheets of rain.

We pulled off at the nearest exit and made our way to a hotel lobby to watch the local weather on the TV. There was a string of dangerous storms crossing Oklahoma that day, and they were all making their way for I-35. So for the rest of the day, we would drive a few miles, pull off at an exit, stop at a McDonald’s to check the weather, and wait for the next storm to cross I-35 so we could drive a few more miles.


At one point, I got a little anxious waiting and decided that the next storm had basically crossed I-35. So we started driving into the rain as it got stronger and stronger until we could barely see the road in front of us. When we got passed by a storm tracker vehicle, it confirmed our suspicion that we needed to turn around at the next exit and head back to McDonald’s to wait out the storm.

Finally, after a long day, we crossed into Texas, and immediately the storms subsided and all was as calm as it had been in Kansas 9 hours earlier. Normally it takes 3 hours to drive through Oklahoma on I-35.

We later learned that there had been a number of tornadoes in Oklahoma that day and the next. Apparently that huge low-lying cloud, known as a shelf cloud, was a sign that we were entering dangerous weather.

Oklahomans are used to this kind of weather. And so they would have known how to interpret the shelf cloud and act accordingly. They would have gotten off the highway and sought shelter immediately. But we Hoosiers were oblivious and tried to drive right through it.

In the passage from Luke 12, Jesus is speaking to Galileans. When it comes to weather patterns, Galileans are more like Oklahomans than Hoosiers. Jesus says that they know quite well how to interpret the clouds.

But then he calls them hypocrites for not knowing how to interpret the times.

This seems like a rather harsh judgment on the crowds. Why is it hypocritical to know how to interpret one thing but not another? I’ve learned how to interpret the Bible over the years, but that doesn’t mean I know anything about how to interpret Oklahoma weather patterns. Does that make me a hypocrite?

It seems that I would be a hypocrite only if I was expected to know how to interpret one thing as well as another. If two signs are equally obvious, and I know how to interpret one but not the other, then I might be a hypocrite.

This seems to be the force of Jesus’s charge in verse 56: “Hypocrites!” Jesus says. “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?”

His question suggests that they should be able to interpret the present time as easily as they interpret the weather. But they don’t know how.

So what, we might ask, would it mean for them to properly interpret the present time? In the following verses, Jesus suggests that it involves judging for themselves what is right and seeking reconciliation with their adversary rather than leaving conflicts to be resolved in court.

For Jesus, properly interpreting the present time means actively seeking reconciliation with adversaries.

But how is the crowd expected to know this?

What was their cloud in the sky?

I would suggest that their cloud—their sign of the times—is Jesus himself. Jesus kicked off his public ministry in Galilee by reading from the prophet Isaiah:

The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

If the Galileans are wondering how to interpret the present times, Jesus has already told them. The messiah has arrived. It’s the year of the Lord’s favor—the year of Jubilee. This is a year when all debts are canceled, all property is returned to its original owners, and all slaves and prisoners are released. So if there is ever a time to be reconciled with adversaries, now is the time!

If the people keep operating according to business as usual, then they haven’t properly interpreted the present time. Which means they don’t understand the significance of Jesus’s life and ministry.

The question for us is, do we? We claim with our mouths that Jesus is Lord, but do we act consistently with that claim?

Do we understand the significance of claiming Jesus as Lord?

Do we properly interpret the present time that he has inaugurated?

If we do, then, Jesus says, we will seek reconciliation with our adversaries.

Reconciliation is no small matter for Christians.

Paul writes to the church in Colossae that our reconciliation with God through Christ is “the gospel that . . . has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven” (Col. 1:23).

To the church in Ephesus, he writes that God’s very purpose in sending his Son was to “put to death [the] hostility” between peoples by “reconcil[ing] . . . them to God through the cross” (Eph. 2:16).

And to the church in Corinth, Paul makes a remarkable statement about reconciliation:

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:16–21)

Here Paul connects reconciliation with vision. If we are in Christ, we see not through a worldly point of view but through the lens of the new creation. And in this new creation, we are reconciled to God through Christ.

Not only that, but God has “committed to us the message of reconciliation.” He has made us Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation, as though God were making his appeal through us!

In short, if those of us who call ourselves Christians aren’t actively seeking reconciliation with our adversaries, then we truly don’t know how to interpret the present time.

We’re like Oklahomans who don’t know that a shelf cloud means tornados are ahead.

But that means that, despite our claim to be Christians—or little Christs—we don’t understand Jesus or the gospel that he proclaimed and enacted. We aren’t living according to the year of the Lord’s favor, the new creation, but are still living according to the old, worldly point of view.

I suspect that there are some who know they need to seek reconciliation—either on a personal or corporate level—but simply don’t know where to start. So let me conclude with some practical steps.


First, reconciliation involves an objective change in a relationship.

It is more than simply forgiving someone in your heart. Often the church’s message of forgiveness is heard by those who are abused as suggesting that it’s their responsibility to forgive their abuser while continuing in the abusive relationship. This couldn’t be farther from the meaning of reconciliation.

At the root of the Greek word translated as “reconciliation” is the idea of “change.” Reconciliation involves not simply an inward forgiveness but also an outward change in the relationship. It involves both parties recognizing the causes of the enmity between them and then seeking to put to death those causes.

This means, second, that reconciliation requires seeking to discover the truth.

After the fall of Apartheid in 1994, the newly elected government in South Africa established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The purpose of this commission was to give victims of human rights violations under Apartheid the opportunity to give public testimony of the abuses they endured. Then the perpetrators of violence could give public testimony of the abuses they committed and seek amnesty.



While this commission wasn’t perfect, it illustrates the need for reconciliation to be based on truth. Without public testimony of the violence of Apartheid, there would be no possibility for South Africa to move forward as a unified nation.

In the same way, reconciliation in the body of Christ requires acknowledgment of offenses by both the offended and offender. I would suggest that this is one of the reasons the church in America remains largely segregated along racial lines. Many white Christians refuse to acknowledge the past and present offenses of white Christians against their black and brown brothers and sisters in Christ. But without this acknowledgment, true reconciliation cannot take place.

We can’t simply forgive and forget.

We must remember and reconcile.

This suggests, third, that reconciliation requires a community of accountability.

In Matthew 18, Jesus describes the process of reconciliation: First, the person wronged is to go directly to the person who has sinned against them to show them their fault. If they listen, then reconciliation can take place. If not, then one or two others are to be brought along so that they can be witnesses to the dispute. If even that fails to bring reconciliation, then the matter is to be brought before the whole church.


Imagine the kind of church community that is necessary to follow Jesus’s instructions here. Only by God’s grace is such community possible.

Which means that, fourth, reconciliation is a miraculous work of God.

Paul writes that “all this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” While we are entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation, it is ultimately from God, who put “hostility to death” through the cross.

This is good news for all those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

 

[beensetfree]

God Our Father - Faithful, Merciful and True For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath. Deuteronomy 4:31 NIV _________________ God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Numbers 23:19 KJV _________________ It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. 2 Timothy 2:11-13 NASB _________________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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 Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.”

John 14:26

This age is peculiarly the dispensation of the Holy Spirit, in which Jesus cheers us, not by his personal presence, as he shall do by-and-by, but by the indwelling and constant abiding of the Holy Ghost, who is evermore the Comforter of the church. It is his office to console the hearts of God's people. He convinces of sin; he illuminates and instructs; but still the main part of his work lies in making glad the hearts of the renewed, in confirming the weak, and lifting up all those that be bowed down.

He does this by revealing Jesus to them. The Holy Spirit consoles, but Christ is the consolation. If we may use the figure, the Holy Spirit is the Physician, but Jesus is the medicine. He heals the wound, but it is by applying the holy ointment of Christ's name and grace. He takes not of his own things, but of the things of Christ. So if we give to the Holy Spirit the Greek name of Paraclete, as we sometimes do, then our heart confers on our blessed Lord Jesus the title of Paraclesis. If the one be the Comforter, the other is the Comfort.

Now, with such rich provision for his need, why should the Christian be sad and desponding? The Holy Spirit has graciously engaged to be thy Comforter: dost thou imagine, O thou weak and trembling believer, that he will be negligent of his sacred trust? Canst thou suppose that he has undertaken what he cannot or will not perform? If it be his especial work to strengthen thee, and to comfort thee, dost thou suppose he has forgotten his business, or that he will fail in the loving office which he sustains towards thee? Nay, think not so hardly of the tender and blessed Spirit whose name is “the Comforter.” He delights to give the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Trust thou in him, and he will surely comfort thee till the house of mourning is closed for ever, and the marriage feast has begun.

 

[beensetfree]

Jesus’ Last Words: “Feed” and “Give”




At the very outset of the New Testament, Jesus’ public teaching begins in earnest with the Sermon on the Mount, the lovely “Blessed are the poor in spirit…” (Matthew 5:3). But some twenty chapters later, after countless parables and maxims, healings and disputes, Jesus gathers his disciples for one more session, one last lesson before he turns toward the cross.

The moment demands a closing summary, an iconic “what’s-it-all-about” distillation of his teaching, a final argument to the jury – and Jesus does not disappoint. Matthew 25:31-46 is today one of the most well-known of all his teachings, routinely cited by politicians and popes, philanthropists and community organizers, Christians and non-Christians alike. If Jesus begins his public teaching ministry with the “poor in spirit,” he concludes it with the materially impoverished, “the least of these” – and the necessarily tangible, incarnate reality of love.

What he doesn’t say is telling. He doesn’t conclude his years of teaching by saying, “When the last judgment comes, the distinguishing mark between the sheep and the goats will be that the sheep have all the right theological opinions,” or that “the sheep attend church twice a week.” Instead, he says they do six specific things.
First, they feed the hungry. Second, they give drink to the thirsty. Third and fourth, they welcome strangers and clothe the naked. And finally, fifth and sixth, they care for the sick and visit those in prison. At the end of the day (indeed, at “the End of Days”!), that’s what it looks like to be sheep, to be people who follow the Good Shepherd.

What Theology and Prayer and Church Are For
Not that theology and prayer and church are unimportant – on the contrary, as the previous chapters in Matthew make clear, Jesus approves of all such things. But what theology and prayer and church are for, he insists, their proper purpose and goal, is to help us become sheep: feeding, giving, welcoming, clothing, caring, and visiting.
That’s the indispensable idea with which Jesus leaves his disciples as he turns toward the cross. According to Matthew, those are the resonant “last words” Jesus wants ringing in our ears as we turn toward living out our own lives of faith as best we can.

God saves us by heavenly grace, yes – and thereby enlists us into the divine mission of tangible, gritty, down-to-earth love. Playing our part in that mission is what vital, genuine faith is all about. As Jesus puts it at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, the key isn’t just to hear his words, but also to “act on them” (Matthew 7:24).
What action can we take today? As it happens, with respect to the two moves at the top of Jesus’ list – feeding the hungry and giving drink to the thirsty – we’re living through one of the most astounding transformations in human history. Since 1990, the global number of people annually dying from hunger has been cut in half, and experts agree it is now conceivably in reach to end world hunger by 2030.

Global Nutrition Challenge
But in the last few years, this astonishing progress has begun to falter; the annual numbers of those dying from hunger have begun to increase again. And so the opportunity before us is twofold: to reverse this short term backsliding, and to continue the long term eradication of global hunger, a goal reachable within a generation. But none of this will happen without United States leadership – and that’s where things get even more tangible, gritty, and down-to-earth.

Funding for global nutrition in the present U.S. federal budget (fiscal year 2019) is $145M. To put that in perspective, just 1% of the entire U.S. budget is devoted to improving global health, and funds for global nutrition in particular make up just 1% of that 1% – an extremely modest amount, given the urgency of the challenge and the opportunity for world-changing progress.
The time is right to increase this investment substantially, with faithful boldness and vision. The 2020 federal budget is now under consideration by Congress. Imagine if Christians from all over the country wrote simple letters to their national representatives and senators, calling for global nutrition funding to be increased to $250 million in fiscal year 2020 – the amount supported by the country’s leading nutrition advocates, including the 2030 Collaborative, among others.

Given the numbers of Christians in Congress and among their constituents, such letters could very well help tip the balance. But no matter the budgetary outcome, such letters will undoubtedly help us live more faithfully and walk more closely with the Shepherd we seek to follow, who cares most for the “least of these,” and whose last words – above all, “feed” and “give” – ring out today more clearly than ever.

 

[beensetfree]

The Lord Is Faithful, Merciful and True Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it. Listen to Me, you stubborn-minded, Who are far from righteousness. I bring near My righteousness, it is not far off; And My salvation will not delay. Isaiah 46:11b-13a NASB _______________ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. 2 Corinthians 1:19-21 NIV _______________ Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O LORD, according to thy lovingkindness. Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever. Psalm 119:159,160 KJV _______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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]

“Love is strong as death.”

Song of Solomon 8:6

Whose love can this be which is as mighty as the conqueror of monarchs, the destroyer of the human race? Would it not sound like satire if it were applied to my poor, weak, and scarcely living love to Jesus my Lord? I do love him, and perhaps by his grace, I could even die for him, but as for my love in itself, it can scarcely endure a scoffing jest, much less a cruel death. Surely it is my Beloved's love which is here spoken of — the love of Jesus, the matchless lover of souls.

His love was indeed stronger than the most terrible death, for it endured the trial of the cross triumphantly. It was a lingering death, but love survived the torment; a shameful death, but love despised the shame; a penal death, but love bore our iniquities; a forsaken, lonely death, from which the eternal Father hid his face, but love endured the curse, and gloried over all. Never such love, never such death. It was a desperate duel, but love bore the palm. What then, my heart? Hast thou no emotions excited within thee at the contemplation of such heavenly affection? Yes, my Lord, I long, I pant to feel thy love flaming like a furnace within me. Come thou thyself and excite the ardor of my spirit.

“For every drop of crimson blood
Thus shed to make me live,
O wherefore, wherefore have not I
A thousand lives to give?”


Why should I despair of loving Jesus with a love as strong as death? He deserves it: I desire it. The martyrs felt such love, and they were but flesh and blood, then why not I? They mourned their weakness, and yet out of weakness were made strong. Grace gave them all their unflinching constancy—there is the same grace for me. Jesus, lover of my soul, shed abroad such love, even thy love in my heart, this evening.

 

[beensetfree]

How to Simplify Your Life



Today’s world is incredibly complicated. So much so that most of us are seeking ways to simplify our lives amid the blizzard of busyness.
The trick to simplifying your life is to look at what you do in a given month. Then analyze what needs to be done from what can be removed or trimmed back.
As an example, here are five ways that I’ve simplified my life in 2015.
Perhaps some of them will inspire you and ignite your own ideas.

After you going through them, feel free to share how you’ve simplified your life in the comments.
1. I am only speaking in 4 events a year. In the past, I used to accept the majority of the speaking invitations that came my way. So I was on the road at least once a month. Sometimes I would travel twice a month.
A few years ago, however, I became very choosy on which invitations I selected. Traveling so much just wasn’t the best use of my time. So I cut back to only 6 speaking events a year. This made my live appearances more special and valuable.
Next year, I will only travel and speak 4 times.
(That said, if you want to invite me to speak at your event, go to my Speaking page for details.)
2. I will begin blogging no more than twice a week. When I became intentional about being a professional blogger, I blogged 5 days a week. Then I dialed it back to 3 days a week. For the past year or so, I’ve posted two days a week here on Patheos.
The reason for this is because I’ll be devoting most of my “work” time and energy on my new Mentoring/Connecting project (which includes all my Master Classes).

3. I am turning my iPhone off more often. Up until last week, my phone would be on until the battery died. But now, I keep it off much of the day. I’m still connected online throughout the day, but I use a desktop or laptop for that. I use my phone mainly for calls.
4. I stopped using texting for conversations. I never liked using my phone for texting. It can be a time vampire and a productivity interrupter. So when I receive a text, I now ask the person to call or email me.
5. I cut down the podcasts I consume to only one. In addition, the courses I take are from the same person. I find so little out there today that’s unique, creative, and inspiring. It’s virtually all same-ole, same-ole. Since time is a limited resource, I only want to use it for the gold. By the way, if you’re looking for a podcast, here’s mine.

 

[beensetfree]

The LORD is a refuge The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9,10 NIV _______________ Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Psalm 89:33,34 KJV _______________ The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 2 Peter 3:9-12 NASB _______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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 be not conformed to this world.”

Romans 12:2

If a Christian can by possibility be saved while he conforms to this world, at any rate it must be so as by fire. Such a bare salvation is almost as much to be dreaded as desired. Reader, would you wish to leave this world in the darkness of a desponding death bed, and enter heaven as a shipwrecked mariner climbs the rocks of his native country? then be worldly; be mixed up with Mammonites, and refuse to go without the camp bearing Christ's reproach.

But would you have a heaven below as well as a heaven above? Would you comprehend with all saints what are the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge? Would you receive an abundant entrance into the joy of your Lord? Then come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing. Would you attain the full assurance of faith? you cannot gain it while you commune with sinners. Would you flame with vehement love? Your love will be damped by the drenchings of godless society. You cannot become a great Christian — you may be a babe in grace, but you never can be a perfect man in Christ Jesus while you yield yourself to the worldly maxims and modes of business of men of the world.

It is ill for an heir of heaven to be a great friend with the heirs of hell. It has a bad look when a courtier is too intimate with his king's enemies. Even small inconsistencies are dangerous. Little thorns make great blisters, little moths destroy fine garments, and little frivolities and little rogueries will rob religion of a thousand joys. O professor, too little separated from sinners, you know not what you lose by your conformity to the world. It cuts the tendons of your strength, and makes you creep where you ought to run. Then, for your own comfort's sake, and for the sake of your growth in grace, if you be a Christian, be a Christian, and be a marked and distinct one.

 

[beensetfree]

Partners Can Show Each Other Love with “Love Languages”



There are many theories about how we can improve our marriage and ignite passion. One of the most popular was developed by psychologist Gary Chapman, the author of The Five Languages of Love. According to author Gary Chapman, couples will communicate more effectively if they gain insight into their primary way of desiring expressions of love. They can also request that their partner to demonstrate love in this fashion. He explains that deep inside every hurting couple exists an invisible “emotional love tank” which has its gauge on empty.


Chapman explains that the miscommunication, criticism, harsh words, and withdrawal that goes on between couples occurs because of one or both of their empty love tanks. The way to fill up your partner’s tank is to communicate with them through their love language and let them know which of these languages is your preferred means of communication.

In other words, you can keep your “emotional love tank” full, if you identify your primary love language. First, ask yourself: what does my spouse do or fail to do that hurts me most deeply? The opposite of what hurts you most is probably your love language. Then, ask yourself: what have I most often requested from my partner? For example, if you are most likely to request time with him or her, your love language is most likely “Quality Time.”
In a nutshell, your method of expressing love is usually evidence of what will make you feel loved in return. In The Five Languages of Love, Chapman explains that people have a tendency to desire and express love in one of five ways:

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Quality Time
3. Receiving Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch

Chapman suggests that spouses need more sensitivity so they can help to keep their partners “emotional love tank” full. For instance, since my husband Craig’s primary love language is “Physical Touch,” we give each other a hug and a six second kiss a few times a day. This improves our communication and brings him satisfaction. On the other hand, my primary love language is “Acts of Service” and I enjoy cooking meals and running errands for my family. This brings everyone pleasure and they appreciate my love of cooking and serving food for them. It’s the way I show love and it brings us all joy!

Quality time with a partner can become a ritual for couples. Examples are eating meals together or going for a daily walk. All of these things cement positive communication. Comments such as “I appreciate how thoughtful you were when you made me dinner” are ways to express love to partners who desire “Words of affirmation.” Finally, gifts can include small tokens of appreciation such as notes, flowers, and handmade crafts.

For most people, physical touch is a powerful way to promote positive communication and to show your love and affection to your partner. It’s important for couples to connect through touch that is non-sexual on a daily basis. A loving touch is completely different from a sexual touch, and when people confuse the two, it can be detrimental to a marriage. For example, if a couple isn’t getting along and a partner attempts to have sex, it is like saying, “I don’t like you, but I want to have sex with you to satisfy my needs.” Yet, when partners frequently touch each other in non-sexual ways, it conveys tenderness and love.

 

[beensetfree]

What a faithful God has me... I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:3,4 NIV _______________ He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. 1 Corinthians 1:8,9 NIV _______________ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 NIV _______________ In thy steadfast love spare my life, that I may keep the testimonies of thy mouth. For ever, O LORD, thy word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Thy faithfulness endures to all generations; thou hast established the earth, and it stands fast. Psalm 119:88-90 RSV _______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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]

“But the firstling of an ass thou shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou redeem him not, then shalt thou break his neck.”

Exodus 34:20

Every firstborn creature must be the Lord's, but since the ass was unclean, it could not be presented in sacrifice. What then? Should it be allowed to go free from the universal law? By no means. God admits of no exceptions. The ass is his due, but he will not accept it; he will not abate the claim, but yet he cannot be pleased with the victim. No way of escape remained but redemption — the creature must be saved by the substitution of a lamb in its place; or if not redeemed, it must die.

My soul, here is a lesson for thee. That unclean animal is thyself; thou art justly the property of the Lord who made thee and preserves thee, but thou art so sinful that God will not, cannot, accept thee; and it has come to this, the Lamb of God must stand in thy stead, or thou must die eternally. Let all the world know of thy gratitude to that spotless Lamb who has already bled for thee, and so redeemed thee from the fatal curse of the law. Must it not sometimes have been a question with the Israelite which should die, the ass or the lamb? Would not the good man pause to estimate and compare? Assuredly there was no comparison between the value of the soul of man and the life of the Lord Jesus, and yet the Lamb dies, and man the ass is spared.

My soul, admire the boundless love of God to thee and others of the human race. Worms are bought with the blood of the Son of the Highest! Dust and ashes redeemed with a price far above silver and gold! What a doom had been mine had not plenteous redemption been found! The breaking of the neck of the ass was but a momentary penalty, but who shall measure the wrath to come to which no limit can be imagined? Inestimably dear is the glorious Lamb who has redeemed us from such a doom.

 

[beensetfree]

What The Bible Says About Caring For Animals



If you love animals, I hope you’ll read what God thinks about animals and the care they should receive.
Laws for Animal Care
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1), but later, “God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good” (Gen 1:21). Since what God created was declared good, we should treat God’s creation in a good way, including the fact that we should “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds” (Prov 27:23). Scripture says a lot about loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves, but we’re also commanded to show loving care to God’s creatures, and especially those who are under our care. Scripture declares that “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel” (Prov 12:10).

The Old Testament laws provided for humane care for animals. Laws like, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain” (Deut 25:4), and “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray and ignore them. You shall take them back to your brother” (Duet 22:1). God even provided a Sabbath rest for man and animal, as it says in Exodus 23:12, “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.” After being criticized for healing someone on the Sabbath, Jesus referred to the Old Testament laws that showed mercy and compassion toward animals, even on the Sabbath, so why not mankind as well. Jesus “said to them, Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out” (Luke 14:5)? Probably none of them could answer that honestly.

God’s Compassion
God is concerned even with the minutest of creatures in nature. Deuteronomy 22:6-7 says that “If you come across a bird’s nest in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young. You shall let the mother go, but the young you may take for yourself, that it may go well with you, and that you may live long.” The humane care of animals is so important that God commands, “If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying down under its burden, you shall refrain from leaving him with it; you shall rescue it with him” (Ex 23:5). It doesn’t matter if it’s your enemy or not…you cannot treat an animal cruelly, regardless of who owns it. The creatures of the earth are under our stewardship since the Scriptures say that “every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine” (Psalm 50:10-12). The point is when God commands, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain” (Duet 25:4; 1 Tim 5:18), He shows His care and compassion for His creatures and He expects us to show the same kind of care, just as my wife shows stay cats wh0’ve been abandoned.

God Provides
Clearly, God cares for His creatures, both great and small. Jesus said, “Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds” (Luke 12:24). Of course, God values us more since we’re created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), but this doesn’t mean He neglects the tiniest of creatures, like sparrows. The psalmist writes, “He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry” (Psalm 147:9). Not even a tine sparrow “will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matt 10:29b) knowing it.

Jesus may have looked upward at the sky while He said, “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they” (Matt 6:26)? Over and over again, we see God’s concern for His creation. We read that “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:15-16), and when “The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God” (Psalm 104:21), He provides for them, and God causes “the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth” (Psalm 104:14).

Change in Nature

Someday, perhaps soon, the nature of the creation will be changed. Not only will there be no more tears, sorrow, pain, or death (Rev 21:4), but even the nature of animals will be changed. Isaiah 65:25 prophesied that “The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.” In the coming kingdom, “The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:6-9).

Conclusion
God does not miss anything, like “five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God” (Luke 12:6). If God keeps an account of even the sparrows, you know He doesn’t miss how we treat our animals. The way we treat animals reveals a lot about us, and it is undoubtedly true that “Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel” (Prov 12:10).

 

[beensetfree]

Fear the Lord and Live! Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them. Remember the day you stood before the LORD your God at Horeb, when he said to me, "Assemble the people before me to hear my words so that they may learn to revere (fear) me as long as they live in the land and may teach them to their children." Deuteronomy 4:9,10 NIV _______________ Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart. And what cause soever shall come to you of your brethren that dwell in your cities, between blood and blood, between law and commandment, statutes and judgments, ye shall even warn them that they trespass not against the LORD, and so wrath come upon you, and upon your brethren: this do, and ye shall not trespass. 2 Chronicles 19:8,9 KJV _______________ The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever; The ordinances of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Psalm 19:8-10 RSV _______________ Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable 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]

“With thee is the fountain of life.”

Psalm 36:9

There are times in our spiritual experience when human counsel or sympathy, or religious ordinances, fail to comfort or help us. Why does our gracious God permit this? Perhaps it is because we have been living too much without him, and he therefore takes away everything upon which we have been in the habit of depending, that he may drive us to himself. It is a blessed thing to live at the fountain head. While our skin- bottles are full, we are content, like Hagar and Ishmael, to go into the wilderness; but when those are dry, nothing will serve us but “Thou God seest me.”

We are like the prodigal, we love the swine-troughs and forget our Father's house. Remember, we can make swine-troughs and husks even out of the forms of religion; they are blessed things, but we may put them in God's place, and then they are of no value. Anything becomes an idol when it keeps us away from God: even the brazen serpent is to be despised as “Nehushtan,” if we worship it instead of God. The prodigal was never safer than when he was driven to his father's bosom, because he could find sustenance nowhere else. Our Lord favors us with a famine in the land that it may make us seek after himself the more. The best position for a Christian is living wholly and directly on God's grace — still abiding where he stood at first — “Having nothing, and yet possessing all things.”

Let us never for a moment think that our standing is in our sanctification, our mortification, our graces, or our feelings, but know that because Christ offered a full atonement, therefore we are saved; for we are complete in him. Having nothing of our own to trust to, but resting upon the merits of Jesus — his passion and holy life furnish us with the only sure ground of confidence. Beloved, when we are brought to a thirsting condition, we are sure to turn to the fountain of life with eagerness.

 

[beensetfree]

3 Reasons Your Wife Plays Games Instead of Telling You What She Wants


Not long ago, someone we know got engaged via a multi-stage, elaborate proposal that had clearly taken an immense amount of thought and effort. A mutual friend, upon hearing the story, told him, “Good job. Only 9,999,999 tests left to go.” The lucky groom, of course, wondered: why do women “test” and “play games” with their men at all? He said, “She wouldn’t just tell me she wanted me to come up with something big like that. She said, ‘Whatever you want’ but I suspected that she didn’t really mean it. I wish she would have just told me. But at least I got it right this time.”

Guys, there are 3 key reasons your wife wants you to figure out what she wants, rather than just telling you. (These aren’t my opinion, but are the results of years of research and nationally representative surveys of women for For Men Only.) I know these may seem absolutely crazy, but once you realize the truth of these factors – and learn to see and respond to them — you’ve truly cracked the code. Those things that probably most confuse you about women won’t confuse you anymore.
So read closely – and if you don’t think these three reasons could possibly be true, ask your wife!

Reason #1: If you make the effort to figure it out, it means she’s worth the effort.
You know how you look confident, but on the inside you privately worry whether you measure up? Well your wife has a different private worry: somewhere deep inside, every day, she wonders whether she is worth loving. Whether she matters. Whether she is lovable.

That question never goes away (just like you probably never get to a point that you feel as confident as you look). So each day, she’s looking for your signals as to the answer to that question. When you say “I love you” it signals that she is lovable. It reassures her that she must be worth loving, when you, this amazing man, make an effort to think through and understand why she might be upset rather than making her simply tell you. For example, it reassures her that she’s special, when you study her enough to know that she is completely frazzled and that it would mean a lot if you offered to take the kids so she can rest – without her having to tell you that.

Reason #2: If you figure it out and do something about it, it shows that you care.
You think it is the action that matters – which is why you wish she would just tell you what action she wants. Do you want me to take the kids to the park so you can rest? Do you want me to take you out to a quiet dinner for your birthday, or have a get-together with friends? While you’re upset with me right now, do you want me to apologize or leave you alone?

In the midst of those conundrums you’re probably thinking, “Just tell me what to do, and I’ll do it!” But always remember that the “doing” isn’t always the most crucial thing. What matters to her is the fact that you made the effort to figure out what matters to her. It shows she is worth that effort (see Reason #1) and – even more important – it shows that you care enough about her to make that effort for her.

Reason #3: If she has to tell you, she’ll never know whether you did it because you wanted to, or simply because she told you to.
Guys, we women don’t realize that you want to do those things that will make us happy. In other words, because of that secret “am I loveable” insecurity, we subconsciously may not believe that you want to “do” things for us because you care about us.
So when we tell you what we want you to do, and you do it, we honestly, truly don’t know whether you are doing it because you really wanted to –or just because you are putting up with us and doing it because we asked you to.

So men, here’s the bottom line: practice studying your wife. Don’t roll your eyes whenever you see what feels like a test. (As you can imagine, that makes her self-doubt worse!) Instead, use it as an opportunity to show her that she is someone who is loveable – and loved. And if you build up that certainty in her, you’ll see those tests a lot less often.