Charles H. Spurgeon - What is Satan's Work?

                     

                       What is God's work?  what is Satan's work?

It is always the Holy Spirit's work to turn our eyes away from self to Jesus.

But Satan's work is just the opposite; he is constantly trying to make us look at ourselves instead of Christ.

He insinuates, "Your sins are too great for pardon; you have no faith; you do not repent enough; you will never be able to continue to the end; you do not have the joy of His children; you have such a wavering hold on Jesus."


All these are thoughts about self, and we will never find comfort or assurance by looking within.

But the Holy Spirit turns our eyes entirely away from self: He tells us that we are nothing, but that Christ is everything.

Remember, therefore, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you--it is Christ. It is not your joy in Christ that saves you--it is Christ; it is not even your faith in Christ, although that is the instrument--it is Christ's blood and merits.

Therefore, do not look so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ; do not look to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; do not look to your faith, but to Jesus the founder and perfecter of your faith.


We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our deeds, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul. If we are to overcome Satan and have peace with God, it must be by "looking to Jesus."

Keep your eye simply on Him; let His death, His sufferings, His merits, His glories, His intercession be fresh upon your mind. When you waken in the morning look to Him; when you lie down at night look to Him.

Do not let your hopes or fears come between you and Jesus; follow hard after Him, and He will never fail you.

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and

righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus'

name.

Does it cost you anything? - Timothy Keller

Think about it. If you love a person whose life is all put together and has no other needs, it costs you nothing. It's delightful.

There are probably four or five people like that where you live. You ought to find them and become their friend.

But if you ever try to love someone who has needs, someone who is in trouble or who is persecuted or emotionally wounded, it's going to cost you. You can't love them without taking a hit yourself. A transfer of some kind is required, so that somehow their troubles, their problems transfer to you.

There are a lot of wounded people out there. They are emotionally sinking, they're hurting, and they desperately need to be loved.

And when they are with you, you want to look at your watch and make a graceful exit, because listening to them with all their problems can be grueling.

It can be exhausting to be a friend to an emotionally damaged person. The only way they're going to start filling up emotionally is if somebody loves them, and the only way to love them is to let yourself be emotionally drained.
Some of your fullness is going to have to go into them, and you have to empty out, to some degree. If you hold on to your emotional comfort and simply avoid these people, they will sink. 

The only way to love them is through substitutionary sacrifice.....

All real, life-changing love is substitutionary sacrifice.....

    From King's Cross, by Timothy Keller, 
                                            Chapter 12, "The Ransom"

Why do I get two?

Here dies another day

During which I have had eyes, ears, hands

And the great world around me;

And with tomorrow begins another,

Why am I allowed two?

(From an evening prayer of G. K. Chesterton)

I keep reading these lines over and over again. Why am I given another day? (I rarely hear people asking this question.)   Why have I been allowed two? What a bounty is three! And four is unbelievable largess!

A week of days in which we can see and feel the heart of our Father. A month of days when we can see His handiwork all around us and revel in His power and goodness.

We are given a whole string of days of grace.

Why should He give us more?

What gives us the right to expect (or demand) more days of His grace?

It is not God who is in our debt. We are in debt to Him - everything comes from Him to us --it is always a gift -- gifts of grace.

But He does give us more...and more...and more...

William Wordsworth wrote: My heart leaps up when I behold a rainbow in the sky...He goes on to say that it was true when he was a child and hopes it will be the same when he is old.

Or let me die....If he can't have that feeling of joy in the simple gifts of God's nature, then he would rather die...

King David wrote: Praise be to the LORD, for He has heard my cry for mercy, The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song (Psalm 28:6-7)

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to Him in song...

Every morning we arise and sing our thanks to God for His "unspeakable gift" - our Lord and Savior-Redeemer -

But there are so many other gifts we receive each day. Small gifts that delight and amaze us. Sights and sounds that make our hearts leap up for joy - Simple gifts  -- random, spontaneous  moments of awe and thanksgiving! (WOW moments!)

God's great world around us - and we have eyes and ears and hands (also gifts from Him) to exult in all of  it!

Here are some from today...simple gifts that made my heart leap up...that let me "catch a gleam of glory bright"...
.

1. hummingbirds' wings fanning my cheeks

2. rich plowed land waiting for seed promises

3. winding inviting pathway through the woods to everywhere

4. green ivy holding up crumbling stone walls

5. ribbon snakes performing synchronized swimming duets in our pond

6. dollar menu at McDonalds

What are some of yours? Email them to me, if you want...
....gloart2@yahoo.com

Take my moments and my days.

 Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

A Wall of Shields

Paul talks about the "full armor of God." Not the armor of the legendary Roman military, but God's armor -- armor that allows us to "...when the day of evil comes...be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

(I guess it's better to "stand fast" than to "run fast" sometimes).

Paul gives us the list of protective gear we need: the belt of truth buckled around our waist, the breastplate of righteousness in place, feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

And then he tells us to take up the shield of faith, "with which we can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one....."

And the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.

The belt -- we put that in place and it rides around our body. We don't have to hold  it up. The breastplate and the sandals are the same. They fit onto our bodies, and without any further concern they become part of our armor. 


And the helmet is the same. It is kept in place by our body. We don't put it on various parts of our body to see where it functions best -- it goes on our head and stays there!


But the shield and the sword are different. They have to be taken up and held to be skillfully used.

A soldier in the legendary Roman army was well-equipped. When he went to battle it was intended that he do as much damage to the enemy as possible, and have the most security from harm as possible.

We often picture a soldier in the arena, a gladiator, fighting another warrior, or wild animals. He will skillfully maneuver his shield and stab decisive gabs with his sword.

But this is not how the Roman army generally used their shields.

Most of the time, marching and in battle, they formed a phalanx, like the Greeks and Assyrians did before them, and like the medieval armies did for hundreds of years after them.

A phalanx was a successful military formation in which the infantry lined up, close to each other, actually shoulder to shoulder, with their shields overlapping and their swords almost touching.

This is the way it would look: one soldier would take up his shield with his left arm and hold it so that it would protect his left side and his companion's right side, and would give his short sword flexibility of movement.

The line of soldiers would then be forming a "shield wall," with the brave men on the front line either advancing or standing firm as a unit, with their shields overlapping without any breaks. The army would move as a cohesive unit.

The term "right hand man" probably came from this military practice. Because a soldier's most protection came from the man on his right, whose own shield was covering his right side and protecting his sword arm.

It was hard for the enemy to break through this shield wall, but once it was broken, the battle became man-to-man combat and the bloody fierce fighting could go on for hours and the last men standing would declare themselves winners!

A good example  of the shield wall can  be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry, a woven record of the Battle of Hasting, when the Anglo-Saxons, under Harold, tried to defend England from the invasion of William Duke of Normandy in 1066.

The English had a solid shield wall formed and as they slowly advanced toward the Norman army they felt secure in that they would be able not only resist the enemy but drive them back to sea!

Then the Normans used their alternate strategy, which was to pretend to be retreating. They turned around and broke their formation, and appeared to be scattering in a mad retreat.

Cheering, the English broke their formation, chasing the fleeing men, and trying to cut them down
one at a time.

Then the Normans stopped running, turned quickly and reformed their shield wall, blocking the English, defeating their army and advancing against Harold.

And the rest is history.....And falling for that dastardly French trick ended the rule of Anglo-Saxons and led to the re-creation of England into a European style government and hastening its development into the modern nation we know today!

What makes my mind sparkle is that in the shield wall strategy:

1. each man benefited from his neighbor's shield as well as his own.
2. when the shield wall was broken the battle turned into a single-combat melee in which the side whose wall collapsed had a serious disadvantage.

So I wonder -- When Paul wrote to the Ephesians and compared their attire for battle with evil to the military gear of the Roman solider -- was he also thinking about a shield wall?  Each soldier benefits from his neighbor's shield as well as his own.....And actually the soldier's main defense and offense was the overlapping shields that formed a solid battle line....

Is Paul reminding us that when we join together and form a solid wall we will have more success in our Christian walk -- especially in our fight against the enemy within and without? That "united we stand and divided we fall"?

Is God reminding us that we need to rely on, support, and stand by each other? That the shields of faith of my sisters and brothers in Christ help me stand fast....and holding up my shield of faith  will help them to stand?

God Pleads Through Us!

 

                                  God Pleads Through Us!

"Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: 'We implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.' For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:20-21)

I love the energy and promised freedom of these verses!

We are no longer enemies of God. He has made the way clear for us to come to Him  --  and now He calls us His friends, even better, His children.

My prayer for us today:

Father, we forget so quickly that we can talk to You at any time, for as long as we want. There is no need for a special appointment or a waiting list for us to sign up on. You are always available and Your door is always  open.   

In fact, You tell us You are eager to listen to us and anticipate with joy when we approach Your throne.

Help us to remember to turn to You today with each question, each challenge, and each difficulty.

How really stupid it is to turn to our own faulty, unproven solutions when You are standing right beside us with Your  ears and hands open and eager to help us.

It is so foolish to ignore Your gifts of grace in our time of need.

Thank You for making us Your ambassadors today. Help us too implore those around us to come to You and be reconciled through the death of Your dear Son, our Savior, and join Your family forever. Amen."

How could anyone resist such an offer?

Grace - For Real? or Just Something We Sing About?

                          Grace - Is it for Real? 

"When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered, I was senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before You. Yet I am always with You. You hold me by my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, and afterward You will take me into glory. Whom have I in heaven but You? And earth has nothing I desire besides You."  (Psalm 73:21-25)

Only by facing the darkness and ugliness within us are we able to receive the glorious grace of our loving Father.

The deeper the darkness, the brighter the stars shine!

And the more I recognize and admit my sin, the more His grace becomes a reality, instead of just an abstract theory, or dream we sing about.

And then it can cleanse me and shape me.

Only when I see the depth of my sin will I be electrified by the wonder of His grace.

And maybe the greatest wonder of all is that He will never let go of me! 

Inspired by Inspiration

God spoke directly to His people and He also caused His Word to be written.

That is the critical importance of the Bible -- it is God's Word written -- written for people of all languages and of all generations to read (and hear).

Since it is God's Word, His Message, to mankind, it is important to know what the Bible says about itself and its origin.

We look to the Bible for teaching on the Sovereignty of God, on salvation, on eternal life, on the divinity of Jesus, and many other foundational doctrines.

But above all, we have to come to grips with what it says about itself.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work we read in 2 Timothy 3:16.

That covers a lot: ALL Scripture...to be used for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction...So His people can live godly lives in this perverse and profane world...and so bring glory to Him.

What does "inspiration of God" mean?

Here the New Testament is speaking about Hebrew Scriptures, what we call the Old Testament.

The English phrase "is inspired by" or "inspiration of God" has come into our traditional versions from an older Latin translation, the Vulgate.

But scholars tell us that the Greek word does not mean "inspired."  It literally means "God-breathed."

And it is translated that way in our NIV (New International Version):

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God maybe thoroughly equipped for every good work.

God-breathed is a much larger concept than inspired.

The Scriptures are the direct result of the breathing out of God.

Another important verse is 2 Peter 1:20-21:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (NIV)

Older translations say, "....men spoke from God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."


According to James Boice in Foundations of the Christian Faith:

    The word translated "moved" is significant. It was
    used by Luke to describe the coming of the Holy
    Spirit at Pentecost as the rush of a mighty wind
    (Acts 2:2)

     Later Luke once again employs the word in the
    dramatic account of the Mediterranean storm that
    ultimately destroyed the ship taking Paul to Rome.

     Luke writes that the ship was carried along by the
    wind:


      'When the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we
      gave way to it and were driven' (Acts 27:15); 'they lowered
      the gear, and so were driven' (verse 17).


    Luke was saying that the ship was at the mercy of
    the storm. It did not cease to be a ship, but lost
    its control over its course and destination.

         -- James Montgomery Boice


And so Peter is teaching us that the writers of the Bible were borne along in their writing to produce the words God intended to be recorded.

[Another image might be of a leaf being carried along with the current in a flowing stream.]

They wrote as people, differing in personalities and style and culture, but as people moved by the Holy Spirit.


The books of the New Testament had not been collected into a final, authoritative volume during the lifetime of its writers.

Nevertheless, an several occasions the New Testament writers do speak of their writings as the words of God.

In some cases, when a New Testament book was written late enough to know of other New Testament writings, the later book speaks of the earlier ones in the same terms that Christians and Jews used to refer to the Old Testament.

What Did Jonah Know?

What Did Jonah Know?

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered You, O LORD, and my prayer rose to You, in Your holy temple.

Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.

But I, with a voice of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you.

What I have vowed I will make good.

Salvation comes from the LORD.  Jonah 2:7-9

                  "With a voice of thanksgiving..."

What did Jonah have to be thankful about?

Here he was in the belly of a great fish, in the midst of a great ocean, facing certain death.

Jonah was not thankful because God had delivered him from his dire circumstances, because God had not yet delivered him.

He didn't even know that God was going to deliver him.

What Jonah was thankful for was that God had turned him from rebellion and had caused him to return to Himself  - to call on His Name once again.

He was thankful for salvation and for the abiding presence of God.

Jonah had recognized his sin, had repented, and turned back to God.


He 'did not forfeit the grace that could be his'....

In the first part of his prayer he had said, "In my distress I called to the LORD, and He answered me. From the depths of the grave I called for help, and You listened to my cry"  (Jonah 2:2).

Jonah had re-discovered grace in the midst of his terrifying circumstances.

"I have been banished from Your sight; yet I will look again toward Your holy temple," he says (verse 4).

It is at this point that great miracles are performed.

Not just when something catastrophic happens and history is altered and redirected. Not just when bodies are brought back to life or when plagues are averted.

The greatest miracles occur when a person comes to the knowledge, and acknowledges, his sin and confesses it to God, and when, God, in response, restores that person to His Creator-creature, covenant relationship.

"Salvation comes from the LORD," Jonah confidently cried, knowing that no matter what the outcome he would see the salvation of the Lord.

The story of Jonah is well-known. It is the story of a man who was sent on a special mission by His God and King, and he disobeyed, received punishment and re-direction, and then became obedient.

Read his entire (short) prayer from the belly of the fish in the Old Testament, the book of Jonah, chapter 2.

It's also my prayer, and perhaps yours, too.

Don't 'forfeit the grace that could be yours'.....





Get out your pruning shears (and give them to somebody else!)

Get out your pruning shears.....
                             and give them to somebody else!


I came across another choice item from the Chumash (the old Jewish commentary on the Torah - it is full of fascinating treasures) -- when the Jews were pruning their trees it was a practice to not prune their own trees, but to prune a neighbor's, and that neighbor would then prune someone else's trees. So all over the ancient land, you could see pruners out working in their neighbor's orchards, not in their own.

Why? Because good pruning requires deep cuts, radical removal of deadwood and diseased branches.

The owner is reluctant to make the drastic cuts needed for the health of his own trees. He wants to keep all he can. A good pruner wants to get rid of all he needs to. A good pruner is looking toward the future, not trying to preserve the present.

I know when I prune my roses, I snip a little here and there. But when I ask the gardener to do it, he attacks the bushes, topping them, and removing much more than I ever would. In fact, I am often angry that he removed so much of the bush! But then a few weeks later I have a vibrant, healthy row of roses, getting ready to bloom in pristine beauty. My feeble attempts would not have resulted in such a happy restoration of edenic loveliness.

This is a reminder to me, that when God is pruning me, shaping me, removing dead wood and disease from my character, He can do it a lot better than I can myself. And maybe my friends can do a better job, too, at pruning me than I can.  It's a certainty I am not good at pruning myself!

The ancient Jews had a number of fruit trees -- fig, mulberry, olive, apple, walnut, almond, pomegranate, dates...and grape vines. Pruning must have been a major task for the farmers.

About pruning:

1. It is selective. The accomplished pruner looks for diseased or unhealthy branches, non-productive limbs, out-of-control growth. He targets structurally unsound and damaged areas. He would rarely remove a healthy, productive branch, unless perhaps it was overshadowing the interior of the tree, preventing the necessary rays of the sun to reach deep inside to encourage future growth and productivity of the whole plant.

2. Younger is best. Usually the smaller the branch that is cut, the easier it is for the plant to repair the wound, which then limits the potential for  pathogens to enter and cause decay. So ordinarily early pruning is more beneficial than waiting for more mature growth.

3. It stimulates growth. Removing a portion of a growing stem, even if healthy, or cutting back, to buds, or side-growing stems, causes the plant to increase flowers and fruit.

4. It makes the tree or plant more beautiful. Cutting away the dead limbs and stems, allowing the vibrant green to stand out, just makes the tree or plant -- and the entire garden or orchard --  more beautiful. Newly forming buds and leaves remind us of life and God's faithful providence. It brings us pleasure. The sight of dead branches and diseased leaves reminds us that someone needs to take care of his trees!

We all need to be pruned, re-shaped, thinned out so the rays of God's Holy Spirit can penetrate deep inside. We need to be pruned so we can produce more and better fruit. We need to be pruned so we can reflect the beauty of God's grace.

Pruning is hard, precise work. I can't do it myself.

Pruning is sort of like God's discipline.....

My son, do not despise the LORD'S discipline

and do not resent His rebuke

because the LORD disciplines those He loves

as a father the son he delights in.

Proverbs 3:11-12

When we are judged by the LORD, we are being

disciplined, so that we will not be condemned with the world.

1 Corinthians 11:32

Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD,

the man You teach from Your law.

Psalm 94:12

Endure hardship as discipline;
God is treating you as sons.

For what son is not disciplined by his father?
 If you are not

disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline),
 then you are illegitimate children and not true sons....

Our fathers

disciplined us for a little while as they thought best;
 but God

disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness.

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.

Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and

peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:7-11


[Maybe pruning is sort of like accountability?????]

Quoteworthy -- From Prince Caspian - C S Lewis (Narnian Chronicles)

Lucy shuddered and nodded. When they had sat down she said, "Such a horrible idea has come into my head, Su."

"What's that?"

"Wouldn't it be dreadful if some day in our own world, at home, men started going wild inside, like the animals here, and still looked like men, so that you'd never know which was which?"

"We've got enough to bother about here and now in Narnia," said the practical Susan, "without imagining things like that!"

                  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Welcome, child,"  he said.

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."

"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.

"Not because you are?

"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

No RSVPs Required!

Let us then approach the throne of grace, 

so that we may receive mercy 

and find grace 

to help us in

 our hour of need.

   Hebrews 4:16

            

                   I keep re-reading this...so much packed into

this verse....We are invited (not subpoenaed) to approach the throne of God Himself...and He Himself (not a representative) is on the throne.

It's called the Throne of Grace! (not a judgment trial)

Why?  To receive mercy and grace!

When? In our hour of need - just about all the time for me!

What an invitation! No RSVPS required!

Just show up!   NOW!

Broken, weak, hungry....just show up.....

But does he really like me?

I know God loves us all.

               I know He loves me.

In spite of all these years of trusting God for my forgiveness and thanking Him for making me a part of His family, I still sometimes wonder, "But does He really like me?"

I remember my mother saying to me, "Yes, you know I love you...but I just don't like you right now!"

As I recall her words, they were certainly justified!
I was not displaying lovable conduct at the time.

Now I think I have brought that idea into my adult life.

Sometimes I wonder, "But God, how can you like me today? I have not behaved in a godly way. I know I disappointed you several times. I keep pestering you with selfish requests.  You must be displeased with me. I keep worrying about things I know you said you would take care of....I am anxious and difficult to reason with...how can you stand it?

This is about sin - not someone else's sin against me and not about my sin against another. It is about my own sin against God, against my Father.

That sin, daily, I am afraid, brings a sense of guilt and deep regret.

I think I know the answer. It's about the gospel -

Too often we are short-sighted when it comes to the good news - we think of it gratefully as bringing us into God's family, as the door that brings the unsaved into His kingdom, but fail to realize the gospel is what we need every day.

We need to preach the gospel - the good news of God's forgiveness - to ourselves - every day!

It's not a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's not for the unbelievers only.

This is what I forget:

     Not only has God forgiven us our sins, He also
     credited us with the perfect righteousness of
     His Son. This is what we call the "Great
     Exchange" - He took away our sins and gave us
     righteousness. This forgiveness includes all sins --
     past, present and future - ALL OF THEM!

PAST - We have been saved (freed) from sin's guilt

PRESENT - We are being saved (freed) from sin's power

FUTURE - We will someday be saved (freed) from sin's very presence.

HAVE BEEN - ARE BEING - WILL BE

Past -  Present - Future

     There is nothing I can do to make Him love me
     less and nothing I can do to make Him love me
     more.


His love is not only eternal, but day to day - He is always waiting for me to return to Him, to run into His arms and seek His love and compassion for our frail, misguided attempts to lead the life He wants for us.

An old popular pioneer hymn, written about the time of the American Revolution, proclaims it:

I will arise and go to Jesus,

He will embrace me in His arms.

In the arms of my dear Savior,

O, there are ten thousand charms.

Why would our loving Savior, who brought us into His family, foreseeing our earthly journey before us, knowing we would constantly fail, not also keep loving us day to day? Yes, loving us, and liking us....day in and day out...always waiting for us to return to His arms.

Every morning when we awake, every evening when we fall asleep, and throughout the day.....let's preach the gospel to ourselves!


Remember 1 John 1:9 was written, not to unbelievers, but to Christians:

           If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
           and will forgive us our sins and purify us from
           all unrighteousness.

That's really good news!

      

Sometimes Miracles Hurt - Eric Metaxas

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.

This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped His feet with her hair.

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one You love is sick."

When He heard this, Jesus said, "His sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son  may be glorified through it."

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days.....

On His arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days....

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"

Jesus called out in a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out!"

The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go."


                                -- John 11



From Eric Metaxas:

For God to be glorified, it sometimes means first allowing something unpleasant to transpire.

Jesus could have saved Lazarus from dying, or could have raised him from the dead immediately, but He did not.

In a sense this miracle shows us that we can trust God, and if we do trust Him, He might take us on the long and difficult road, but it's only to bless us more in the long run.

So we must consider the implications of this.

Can it be that God allows us to go through things specifically so that we have an opportunity to trust Him and then to see Him do something we wouldn't have expected, something beautiful and extraordinary that wouldn't have been possible if we had had our prayers answered when and how we wanted them to be answered?

If this is true wouldn't it follow that any difficulty we encounter is an opportunity to trust God, to see how He might bring something glorious out of our trial?

Wouldn't is also follow that if we did not look for God in our difficulty we would be missing the opportunity to see Him do something more wonderful than merely taking away the difficulty?

Or perhaps it tells us that if we really know who God is, we will want to trust Him, and will allow Him to bring us into difficulties or suffering, knowing that if we let Him, He will use these things to bless us and to do something beautiful that would not have been possible otherwise. 
                
             
                      From Miracles, Chapter 7, by Eric Metaxas  

Remember How We've Been Changed!

 

                                          Remember How We've Been Changed!

From Titus 3:3-8:

"At one time, we, too, were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.

We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 

This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves doing what is good.

These things are excellent and profitable for everyone."

I remember, years ago, a spiritual that went something like:

Things I used to do, I don't do no more,

Things I used to say, I don't say more,

Things I used to want, I don't want no more -

There's been a great change since I've been born again!

Yes, there's been a great change since I've been born again! Doxology!

Beggars Can Be Choosers

During the days of the prophet Elisha....

The city of Samaria was under siege by Ben-Hadad, King of the Arameans. There was a great famine in the city, severe enough for its citizens to resort to cannibalism.

There were four lepers outside the city walls - outcasts because of their disease.


Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate.

They said to each other, "Why stay here until we die?

"If we say, 'We'll go into the city' -- the famine is there and we will die.

"And if we stay here we will die.

"So let's go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we will die."



So they went over to the enemy's camp.



At dusk they got up and went to the camp of the Arameans. When they reached the edge of the camp, not a man was there, for the LORD had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a great army, so that they said to one another, "Look, the King of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptians kings to attack us!"

So they got up and fled in the dusk and abandoned their tents and their donkeys and horses. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives.



The four outcast lepers found the camp empty of all soldiers -- they ate and drank their fill and gathered silver and gold ornaments and clothing.



Then they said to each other, "We are not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves...let's go at once and report this to the royal palace."



So they went to the city gates and proclaimed the good news...and everyone in Samaria was saved!


Someone once said, "Evangelism -- sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ -- is just like one beggar telling another beggar where to find food!"

I was one of those beggars......




[This great story is in the Old Testament, 2 Kings, Chapter 7.  Read it for yourself!]

It's Really All About Winning

VICTORY!

I remember that great old song "When We All Get to Heaven." We often sang it when I was young - -  You should have heard us singing! The church was full and everyone sang loudly and joyfully.

The 4th verse: Onward to the prize before us! Soon His beauty we'll behold; Soon the pearly gates will open; We shall tread the streets of gold.....When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be! When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!

I was also remembering  "He Lives!" Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King! We sang that often, too, when I was growing up. Still a great hymn....

I was thinking about these songs: they are victory songs, anthems of success, words of triumph - they are all about winning!

I leafed through the hymnal -- so many of the songs we cherish proclaim our confidence in our final victory through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Remember "We Gather Together"? I am sorry we only sing it around Thanksgiving. So from the beginning the fight we were winning. Thou, Lord, wast at our side; the glory be thine!

And what about: This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the Ruler yet. This is my Father's world. The battle is not done; Jesus who died shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.

From A Mighty Fortress is Our God: Christ Jesus it is He; Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same, and He must win the battle....And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.

There are so many songs and hymns celebrating our ultimate victory. Here's the last verse of "Once to Every Man and Nation": Though the cause of evil prosper, yet the truth alone is strong. Though her portion be the scaffold and upon the throne be wrong. Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown, standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above His own."

I love that idea - God is still there watching over us....even if He is not in our sight - He is still there!

Victory songs! Moses' song in Deuteronomy 32: There is no God besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand...

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.

And the victory song of Deborah and Barak in Judges 5: When the princes in Israel take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves--praise the Lord!

Hear this, you kings! Listen, you rulers! I will sing to the Lord, I will sing; I will make music to the LORD, the God of Israel. O LORD, when you went out from Seir, when you marched from the land of Edom, the earth shook, the heavens poured, the clouds poured down water, the mountains quaked before the Lord, the One of Sinai, before the LORD, the God of Israel.

...So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.  [Isn't that a truly beautiful expression?]

There will be victory songs in heaven, too:  Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!

To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! (Rev. 5 and 7)

[So we already know some of the words to the victory songs we will be singing in heaven.]

Every new day should be a day to sing "Victory Songs." Because from the beginning the fight we were winning. God is at our side..all glory to Him!

It's great to be on the winning team.


P.S.
I remember in high school we had special cheers to use when we were winning-- boisterous, almost arrogant proclamations. And some more encouraging ones for when we were losing. I can't remember any of the words though.

But the best of all victory songs for these centuries after the Bible: And the rockets' red glare and the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there....and the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.