Proverbs 28:4 "They that forsake the law praise the wicked: but such as keep the law contend with them."
I read this yesterday and it made me think. How there really is no middle ground in life. You are either doing right or you are doing wrong. If I obey God's law then I have to be contending with the wicked. But if I forsake the law then I am praising the wicked!
It doesn't mean that I go around fighting with the wicked because I keep the law. It is just a natural result of keeping the law. Me doing right is going to cause me to have contention with those that are not doing right.
Also It means that if I am going to follow God and do His will. I am going to have opposition! I will contend with the wicked. I will have trouble.
As I was reading in my Bible today I read Nehemiah 9:17. I love this verse cause it speaks about the greatness of the God I serve.
Nehemiah 9:17, "And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not."
This whole chapter is great. It shows how great and merciful God really is. It goes through all that Israel did against God as a people and how merciful God was with them each time. Then verse 33 says, "Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly:"
Here he goes on to say that even the judgment God brought upon His people was right and just.
This is so true. I know that God really is this merciful. He has been very merciful and gracious and ready to pardon sins with me. Even when God judges me it is always light and only to bring me back to Him.
I truly serve a great and merciful God. Whose judgment is always right. Who is longsuffering.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately. When I first got here to GA I saw some people that I would like to model my life after so I tried to do all that they do and I have not been able to do it all. I get behind and overwhelmed with trying to be like people that I am around.
Now I would like to say that this is in no way anyones fault but my own cause I was never asked or told I have to be like them. I just thought that was what was expected of me so I have tried to do it and I can never seem to be just like them.
The other day though I was thinking about it and I realized I am only 20 years old and the people I want to model my life after are around 50 years old. I can't have my life look like theirs right now. I can't do all that they can do or be who they are just yet. They got to where they are by small steps for over 30 years that I have not even lived yet.
I think that I need to change it from trying to live like them and walk with God like them and serve God like them today. To making it a long term goal and taking small steps just like they did every day and someday I will be serving, walking with, and obeying God more like I ought to be.
I try way to often to take huge steps in my life and most of the time I end up tripping and getting farther behind than I was before. I am going to strive to take small steps everyday for the rest of my life and see how far God will take me.
God doesn't expect me to live like someone who has way more experience and time walking with Him than me. He just expects me to love Him and serve Him where I am now moving forward to the day I can serve and love Him more.
I have often missed seeing that everyone that is anything for God today. Started out something like me. No one starts out fully committed to God or knowing all that they know. Or serving like they do. It has been a series of small steps that have taken them where they are. I must to the same thing if I am ever to be anything or do anything for God.
I know I don't write much on here and then when I do sometimes I write a whole bunch. Anyway boring story.
I was just sitting here reading some blogs and thinking about all that God has done in my life and I just wanted to thank Him publicly. (at least to the few people that read this) :)
I look back over my life and I know that God has been most merciful to me. I have committed sinned against God in the greatest of ways and not lived for Him like I ought. Like Paul I think I could say that I am the chiefest of sinners. I probably have Paul beat by quite a bit.
But God is incredibly awesome. He took all of my sin and died for it and has made me completely righteous in Him. He has forgiven me completely and changed me so much over the past few months.
I am so thankful to God that He has saved me and counted me worthy to serve Him. It is the greatest joy of my life to be able to work at Vision Baptist Church and attend the Training Center.
Sure I get annoyed sometimes and I am sure I don't always have the greatest of attitudes but I would not give any of this up for anything in the world. God has blessed me way above what I deserve. He has brought some of the greatest people in the world into my life. I love God so much. I want my life to honor and glorify Him completely from this day forward.
Anyway there is nothing better in this life than serving the God of heaven that forgives sinners and makes them righteous!!
Ezra 9:13-15 "And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities [deserve], and hast given us [such] deliverance as this; Should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed [us], so that [there should be] no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou [art] righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as [it is] this day: behold, we [are] before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this."
I am so thnkful that I serve a merciful Saviour. Here in this passage I see how great God really is and how longsuffering and merciful He is.
Israel had sinned greatly against God in seeking after other gods to serve. God punished them for their sin by allowing them to be conquered by their enemies. And then when the Israelites turned back to God He restored them to their land.
I am so thankful that I serve a God that even when He may have to punish me a little to turn my heart back to Him, His judgment is light. He doesn't just beat more or punish me for the fun of it. He is longsuffering and very light in His punishment. Then the great fact that God's only purpose in any kind of punishment to His children is that their heart would be drawn to Him. God only punished Israel so that they would see that He is God and they would turn back to Him.
I am so thankful that God is willing to restore us back to Him after we have done wrong. I am also so thankful that God really only punishes me to turn my heart to him when it is distant. God is not in heaven looking down at me just waiting to hit me over the head if I do anything wrong. He wants my heart to follow Him so He will discipline and punish me in ways so that I will stay close to Him.
Then lastly in the last verse Israel had returned back to their sin of idolatry after the restoration God brought. He sees that God has not judged them again and He is not punishing them immediately but He was being patient and longsuffering with them.
I am so thankful that God is longsuffering and knows that I am but a human and imperfect and He is incredibly patient and longsurffering with me. I serve the Great God!
I hope that this makes sense if anyone reads this. I called my blog rambling cause that is all that I do. It may not make sense. If it doesn't I am sorry.
By the way to the one lady that I know reads this; I hope that this is not boring and I like you!
I have been away from this for a while. I could give a million excuses but none of them would mean anything or help at all. Anyway I am going to start writing here again.
As usual when I start back I just want to thank God for a few things He has done in my life recently. I truly do serve the great God of heaven! God has helped me in so many ways here recently. - He has taught me more what it really means to trust Him no matter what. - He has showed me that He really is all that I need - He has allowed me to be a part of Vision Baptist Church and allowed me to serve Him. - He saved me from the sinful man that I was and has made me a saint and son and so much more
God has also given me some of the greatest people in the world to help me. - My Pastor Austin Gardner: God has used him greatly in my life. From all of the messages he has preached to the lessons he gives in class, to the life he lives in front of us. He has helped me to grow in grace and taught me more what it means to be a child of God. - Kathryn: Who is the greatest girl in the world. I am so thankful God has allowed me to get to know her and spend time with her. - Tony Howeth: God has used him greatly in my life. He is going through one of the hardest time in his life and yet he trusts and loves God in spite of it all. He is an awesome example of a man that truly loves God and walks by faith and not by sight.
God has granted me with so many great people and things I could not list them all here. I serve a great God and I love every moment I am allowed to minister to His people, serve in His church, or anything else He allows me to do. He is worthy of everything!
This morning as I was reading the Bible I finally saw some verses through the right pair of glasses as Pastor Gardner would say. I have always thought that I had to do some special things to be righteous enough for Christ to hear my prayers. That He definitely could not delight in my prayers but they must be a burden to Him cause I fail Him. I do not always seek and follow Him like I should.
But this morning I read my Bible in light of who Christ has made me to be by His grace. Not because I am anything but because of How great my Father's love is for me. He has saved me and given me a gift of righteousness that I might stand before His throne with boldness and pray. - Romans 5:17
Anyway here are the two verses that I read this morning that are absolutely awesome.
Proverbs 15:8 "The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord: but the prayer of the upright is his delight."
I have always looked at this verse with the glasses that see all my failures and saw myself as the wicked man that must be an abomination to the Lord. I knew that He could not delight to here my prayer. But I put a different pair of glasses this morning. I know that I have been made upright by the blood of Jesus Christ. So it is not that I am anything of myself. It is just that Christ has made me upright so then my prayers are a delight to my Heavenly Father. I am no longer an abomination to God. He delights in my prayers!
Proverbs 15:29 "The Lord is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous."
The same is true for this verse as is for the other one. I used to see myself every time as the wicked man that God is far from. But that just isn't true. God Hears my prayer cause I am His son and I have been made righteous.
I serve an awesome Savior! Thank you Lord for hearing and delighting in my prayers!
God has been working on this in my life for a real long time now. I have struggled believing who God really is and how great a God he really is. Today Pastor Gardner talked about it the entire class time and then afterward he talked to me and Kyle about it for about 2 hours.
I thank God for using Pastor Gardner to teach me this truth. I know that it is true and he preaches it all the time but I am slow sometimes and things take a while to sink in to my thick skull.
I am so thankful that God is pleased with me and loves me for who I am. The fact that God's love and care for me is not dependent upon what I do but upon who He is. God really has been good to me I can't even understand it all it is way to great and magnificent.
God looked at me when I was in the deepest sin and He loved me enough that He sent His own Son to die for me that I might be reconciled to Him. He then came to me and drew me to Him when i was in the pit of my own sin and picked me up and seated me in heaven with Himself. He has made me to be a prince, a saint, a son, a coheir with Jesus Christ and the list could go on.
I am so thankful that God has seen fit to change me and to make me His own. That He loves me and I am His workmanship. That His goodness and grace and forgiveness and salvation and justification and provision and care and everything else is not dependent on how good of a life I live or how much I obey him or how much I do for him. It is based on who He is. The fact that he is God and that He has made me to be His son that I might call Him Dad.
I am thankful that I do not have a God that is just standing there waiting to hit me or punish me. I have a God that is proud of what He has done in my life and what He has made me through Jesus Christ. All His thoughts towards me are peace continually.
God has started a good work in me and I am so thankful that it is God and God alone that will complete the work in me.
I want my life to bring the utmost glory to the Great God of Heaven. He has given everything to me. He has all of me to do with as He will. I know He will only do what is right and good.
The peace of God has been on my mind quite a bit. I know that it is impossible to explain cause it is beyond understanding. But I am so thankful that God has seen fit to dwell with men and to give them His peace even in the midst of a storm.
In my own life for the past week I tried to work Philippians 4:4-8 into my life. It is really hard to live these verses cause they call for me to break old and bad habits and live in a new reality. Trying to do this all last week was difficult cause God allowed some none me pleasing things to happen in my life.
I allowed this to bother me for some time. But on Sunday afternoon I realized that the problem was that I wanted God to take away the problems He has faced me with instead of asking Him to give me the strength and His peace to go through it.
I think it is awesome how that when we do what the Bible says it really works. I got so focused on what was going on in my life and not on God who is a lot bigger than all that is going on in my life. I was focused on God changing the outward man instead of His changing the inward man and who I am on the BE level.
I am so thankful that when I make the choice to do exactly what God says. That He will do what He says he will do. All God wanted from me is to truly cast all my problems (cares) on Him thank Him for what He is doing in my life and for taking care of my problems. Then proceeding to think on the right things and His peace followed.
I serve an awesome God and I am so thankful that He is true to His word and He never fails. I am so thankful that peace and joy does not have to be based on what is going on in my life. That I can place them in my God and have peace and joy no matter what is going on in my life!
As usual I start out with a topic and then drift but anyway here it is.
I have been struggling with this every day this week. I decided in the beginning of this week that I was going to do my best to live Philippians 4:4-8. I guess maybe I chose the wrong week cause it seemed like everything that could go wrong went wrong. (Seemed cause I know that overall it wasn't all that bad of a week.) Every time I did my best to live out those verses and it became harder and harder as the week progressed.
Then yesterday things got a lot more overwhelming. I allowed them to affect me. Then last night as I was spending time with God He caused me to think on some things.
The whole problem this week has been that I have been focused on myself. About what is going on in my life. How things are not going how I want them to. The different issues that I am facing. God wants me to realize my problems but not dwell on them to think about Him and what He is doing in my life. How that He is bigger and far greater than anything He allows to happen in my life.
Then also that life is not about me. It isn't about everything going my way. Or things really working out like I want them to. My life ought to be about others. Especially other believers. I ought to love my fellow believers more than myself and care for their needs and serve them and do all that I can to help them and show that I love them.
God wants for my life to be completely about Him and His glory and me working to see all the people around me succeed and see God use them in the greatest of their capacity. That has been my biggest issue all week and probably for longer than I think. I am way to Micah centered and concerned. I am going to work on putting others first in my life and God above everything and giving Him full reign in my life. I want God to completely rule in my life and get the utmost glory!
May God's people fully surrender their wills to God that He might have His will done on earth as it is in heaven! I want this to be true in my life.
I would just like to write a short blog post right now about how thankful I am that God has placed such good friends in my life.
- Scott Newton who is a great friend and help. He has been there when I have gone through through the hardest times in my life. Faced the hardest trials.
- Kathryn who God has allowed me to get to know a little over the past few months. She is a great girl and and encouragement to me.
- Pastor Gardner who has allowed God to use him greatly as a preacher. It is awesome how often the messages that he has preached have been just what I needed.
- Kyle who recently became my roommate. He is a great encouragement to me and I am thankful God has allowed us to be friends.
- John Pearson who is a great friends and has helped me many times with different things. How he has given me good godly advice.
- all the other people at Vision Baptist Church who have become like family to me. I am so thankful to God for bringing me here and allowing me to be part of this great church.
Thank you Lord for all that you have given me and for the great people that you have brought into my life.
(Romans 8:18) "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
I am studying this chapter of Romans this week and this verse struck me today. It is very timely in my life. I so much of the time am focused on my suffering or what is going on in my life. The battle between the flesh and the Spirit. Financial difficulties and successes. The just simple struggles and sufferings of this life. I know I am probably not seeing all that is in this verse and all that it is meaning. But I am so thankful that God has prepared glory that is so much better than anything I might face in this life.
My biggest problem is that I focus to much on the present problems and not on the one that can take care of them. I know that I serve the great God of heaven and that he cares for me and calls me son. It is so much easier to say this than to live in its reality.
I am going to strive to look to the author and finisher of my faith and trust him with all that is going on in my life that I might not like. I will live who God has made me in Christ and look to Him to take care of my problems as I did to my dad when I was a child. I will look to God who is my father and cares for me more than my earthly father ever could and trust Him to do what is right and best. What will bring Him the most glory.
May God get the utmost glory from my life. I don't want an easy life but a full life to the glory of God my heavenly Father. I am so thankful I can call Him my dad and rest in His mercy, grace, truth, love, care, and the list could go on for ever.
Thank you God for loving me and taking care of me and guiding every step of my life.
"We may well say, especially to young converts: Read Romans to be grounded in Christian doctrine; read Corinthians to be guided in Christian practice; read Galatians to be guarded against deceptive error."
I have just been thinking about the difference between life on paper and life in reality. It is so easy to make plans on paper and never live them out. So many times I will plan my day and then it will just bomb because something will come up. I will not have figured my time right or anything like that.
But more so I have been thinking about this in the spiritual sense. It is so easy to read in the Bible we are to live by faith but it is a lot more difficult to live. I find myself worrying about things so much and not really having faith and trusting God. It is easy to say I trust God and have faith in Him. But it is a lot different to walk that way all the day long.
Another one is that the Bible says that God will never leave us nor forsake us in Hebrews. But I find that it is a lot more difficult to really believe this in reality and for my walk to show that I believe this. I live so much of my life like God is not there. Like He saved me and He is really distant. I know that God is there and that He will take care of me.
I was just thinking about I need to start living what I say I believe. It is really easy to say that I believe something. It is quite another to live it. I am going to work on living what I believe. It is a lot better to live in reality of what I believe about God an all He has done and is doing for me. I just need to live every moment in this reality. I guess it just comes down to breaking old bad habits of thinking wrong and living thinking on the wrong things. And starting some new habits trusting God and really living like He is with me.
I have been thinking ever since the Question and Answer time last night with Pastor Gardner about all that I think about. It is for me to just let my thoughts and feeling rule me instead of ruling over them. I know that God has given me power over them and I have the ability to control my mind and subject it completely to the Spirit but I do this a lot less than I should.
Last night Pastor was answering a question on how to deal with depression. He took us to Philippians 4:4-8 and went on to explain the verses to us. Basically the process is to rejoice in the Lord, then talk to God about it, then thank God for it, and then finally to think on what is good, true, just, godly, of good report and so forth. I know how little I do this in my own life.
I have decided that I am going to slowly teach myself to rule over what I think about and allow to affect me. Whether it be finances or any other dart Satan might through at me. I am going to raise my shield of faith and live.
I am so thankful that God has given to us the solution to those things that can tear us down. I know that I allow Satan to fool me way to much in what to think about which leads to me not trusting God like I should and just moving forward in my life and closer to God.
I am so thankful that God is working in my life. Even when I may not be able to see it. So many times in my life I worry about the things that I have no control over. It is like I think that if I worry about them enough I can change the outcome of the situation. I am so thankful that God works in my life even if I don't believe Him or trust Him like I should. I am so thankful that His care for me and how He provides for my needs is not so based on how much I do for Him, believe Him, or trust Him but it is based on who He is.
I am so thankful that God is extremely patient with me and knows that I will take a long time to grow up and become the man that He has made me to be. I am thankful that God is willing to work in my life to teach me to trust Him, love Him, and serve Him more everyday. I serve a great God and I am looking forward to all the great things that He will do.
God has been working on this in my life for quite a while now. He is still working on this and I find every day how much I fail in this area.
So many times my joy comes from how God has blessed me, how people treat me, how successful my fight against sin has gone, how I am doing financially. Basically anything to do with me. If everything doesn't go my way or how I want it to go I get discouraged. I tend to allow it to take my joy and make me a miserable person to be around.
God has been working in me that my life is not about me. And that true joy doesn't come from circumstance but from walking with God. From who God is and all that He has done for me. That true joy is not based on what is going on around me at the moment, but it should be on the fact that Christ has already won the victory and I am able to be a part of it.
I am so thankful that God is willing and does work on things like this in my life. That he is changing me and helping me to not rely on what is going on around me to find my joy. I am no where near where I should be but I am very thankful that God is slowly growing me in this area of my life.
I would just like to praise God for how good He has and is to me. It is so easy to see how good He is in the major events of my life like saving me. Loving me inspite of my failures and sin.
But in the last two days I saw how He cares about the little things that I worry about. He has taken care of me financially and has given me the work and money that I have needed to pay my bills for the past two years. I am so happy that He is still doing it today and I can trust Him with it all.
This past week He gave me three jobs that pulled me out of the hole and are giving me enough money to live on.
He gave me a pair of shoes yesterday that I really needed. I am so thankful that God takes care of even the littlest parts of my life.
I serve the Great God of Heaven. I look forward to seeing what He will do in and through my life today.
I just got back from a great trip to Italy. I was gone for two weeks. I will probably write some about the trip and how it went here over the next few days. But today I am just so happy to be home. It seems weird to me now to call here home in a way cause all of my family lives in PA. But over the past two years God has made Cumming, GA home for me.
I am so thankful to God that he has allowed me to come here to Vision to train to be a missionary on Pastor Gardner. I feel that this is where I belong right now more than anywhere in the world. I missed the church services every Sunday and Thursday. I love having so many friends around me here that just love God and want to serve him with their lives.
I don't know how to express how it all feels right now. But it is great to be home and around all people and church family that I love.
I thank God for all that he has given me and allowed me to be a part of. I would like to end this post with thanking God for Pastor Gardner and how he has affected me and caused me to want to serve God more. For Kathryn who is the greatest girl I know and who is a great spiritual encouragement For Scott who is one of my greatest and closest friends who has helped me to grow closer to God For God's Word that works in my life and changes me from the inside For Kyle who has been a great encouragement and roomate For Alex who is a good friend For a church that has a heart for God and for missions. For a God who loves me unconditionally and gave His Son to die for me and desires to have a close relationship with a worm like me.
Italy helped me to see better who great of A God I have and how privileged I am to live where I do with all that I have. The great friends, mentors, and spiritual influences in my life.
Where we were there was nothing. All there is in Italy it seems are a bunch of Catholic churches. Everywhere I would turn I would see one. It was like I was back in Morocco except instead of Mosques they were Catholic churches. I want more than ever to train here so that I might bring the gospel to a country like this.
1 Corinthians 1:26-29 "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."
I was reading in 'Explore the book' today and came across this passage of Scripture. I am so thankful that God uses the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised, and the nonentities! I definitely fit into these categories of people. I am so thankful that God wants to use me to bring glory to His name and I don't have to be anything of myself cause it is all of Him.
I am so thankful that God will be working in my life and it is not about me. I don't have to rely on my power, wisdom, money, etc. All God wants for me to do is rely completely on Him knowing that it is all of God, about God, and it is only God that can rely do the work.
I serve a great and awesome God. I am so thankful that despite my mess ups and failures He is willing to use me and work His will through me.
It has been a crazy weekend. Tomorrow morning I leave for Italy. Hopefully I will be able post some blogs while I am there and maybe some pics of what is going on.
I will be in Italy for 2 weeks and I will be able to see the place that I was born and where I spent the first 6 years of my life.
I will be at the airport tomorrow around 6 in the morning and I will fly into Italy around 10am on Wednesday.
Last night a friend of mine asked me a question. "If a fifteen year old boy in Tibet were to die today and never have heard the gospel would he go to hell?" One of her co-workers and her were in an argument whether or not he would go to hell so she asked me.
This question is very important for the Christian to consider. I thought much about it since then. But this is the reason we send missionaries to the world. The reason we pray for the world. Even if someone never hears the gospel he still will go to hell for his sin. The book of Romans teaches this in the first few chapters.
Romans 1:18-21 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Here in this passage I find that all men everywhere are without excuse. All men are worthy and under the wrath of God. That is why missions is so important. It is not that if the world does not know about Jesus they won't go to hell. It stands that the world is against God and has the wrath of God on it and unless they accept the gospel they will spend eternity in hell suffering the wrath of God.
John 3:36 "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." Here we see that it doesn't matter if they ever hear the gospel the wrath of God is on them and it is up to us to take the good news to them that they might hear and believe. Without a witness they will perish.
In the past few weeks I have posted a couple of times about trusting God. I had been struggling to trust God with my finances for I knew that he asked me to make some changes in my life but I was scared that He would not supply all of my needs. This past week I have seen God bring in all the money that I need in His own way.
I never needed to not trust God or be scared that it would not come in for God is faithful and truly will supply my every need. He provided all the money that I need in His own way.
I am so thankful that God does not make my life easy and just a bed of roses cause then I would never depend on Him like I should and draw near to Him. I am so thankful that God allows things to be hard and all just so He can show me how great He is and grow my trust and faith in Him.
"The Epistles stand in relation to the Gospels somwhat as Leviticus to Exodus. In the Gospels we are set free through the blood of the Lamb. In the Epistles we are indwelt by the Spirit of God. In the Gospels, as in Exodus, God speaks to us from without. In the Epistles, as in Leviticus, God speaks to us from within. In the Gospels we have the ground of fellowship with God, i.e. redemption. In the Epistles we have the walk of fellowship with God, i.e. sanctification. As in Leviticus, so in the Epistles there is exhibited to us the many-sidedness of our Lord's atonement as it bears on those who are already redeemed." - J. Sidlow Baxter
I was thinking today as I was reading in the Bible when Jesus washes the disciples feet in John 13. Two things that struck me about Christ's love and willingness to serve.
First it is concerning Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew that Judas would be the one that very night who would betray Him for just a few pieces of silver. But Christ knowing this was going to happen still washed His feet. He did not treat Him in a different way or like He was less. Judas was treated as an equal by Christ and served the same as all of the disciples despite what he was planning on doing.
Second and last it is concerning Simon Peter. I find this to be just a little more shocking. I often have thought in my life that what Jesus does for me is dependent upon what I do for Him. But Christ is so much better and greater than that. Jesus knew when He washed Peter's feet that Peter was going to deny Him. He knew that Peter was going to fail Him and not trust or believe Him. He knew that Peter was going to love himself more than Christ. Christ knew when He washed Peter that within a few hours Peter was going to turn his back and deny that he had ever been with or known Christ.
I am so thankful that as God loved and washed Peter's feet in spite of what he knew Peter was going to do. I am so thankful that God did the same for me. I used to think that God did not love me the same when I sin as when I do right. But God when he saved me knew every mistake that I would ever make, every time that I would choose to please myself, every time I would deny Him control of my thoughts, actions and deeds, every time I would sin against Him and who He has made me to be. In spite of knowing all of this God still chose to save me and love me and wash me, and justify me (declare me righteous), give me a new name and seat me in the heavens with Him.
I am so thankful that God's love for me and His saving of me has nothing to do with what I do. I am so thankful that salvation is fully of God and none of me. Truly I serve a great God who is worthy of praise, honor, glory, power......
2 Samuel 10:12 " Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the LORD do that which seemeth him good."
Here in this passage of Scripture we find Joab and his brother coming against two enemies that outnumber them from two directions. So they split the army between them and then Joab says what is said in this verse. I think some of the most shocking words to me is when Joab says "let us play the men". He knows here that he cannot defeat the enemy on His own. He knows that the job is to great for him and unless God comes in and works he will fail. But he doesn't just stand and wait rather he plays the man. He does what he knows to do and leaves the results to God.
When Joab says this he knew that he could die that day. He knew that he could have lost the battle and been defeated by the enemy. He was outnumbered by two enemies. He knew that only God could bring the victory. But in spite of all of this he continues to do what he knows is right. He "plays the man" does what he knows to do knowing that only God can control and win the victory for him.
How much I needed this verse this morning. If I don't know what to do or what the outcome of saying or doing something will be I won't do it. I want God to show me the end before I step out by faith and do what He has for me. Today I have determined that I will "play the man". I will do what I know to do. Do whatever God asks of me even if I have no idea what the end will be and leave the results to Him. I will no longer wait on God to show me the end before I move in the present.
"Oh that I had a thousand lives, and a thousand bodies; all of them should be devoted to no other employment but to preach Christ to these degraded, despised, yet beloved mortals." - Robert Moffat
John 11:38 " Jesus therefor again groaning in himself cometh to the grave. It was a cave, and a stone lay upon it."
Here in John 11 we have the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus knew that Lazarus was going to die and he allowed him to die for the sake of His disciples. When Jesus comes to where Lazarus is he weeps. He loves Lazarus and His family and what was necessary for Him to do hurt His friends for the moment.
I was surprised when I read here this morning. Sometimes I get to thinking that God's will is always pleasant and that I am supposed to always to see that it is good. When Jesus allowed Lazarus to die it was for the best of His children though they could not see it at the time.
In my own life I know that sometimes things don't seem to go my way and I complain and think that God is being unfair with me. I see that if God wanted he could take all my problems away and he could keep the bad things from ever happening.
I am so thankful today that God is bigger than my little thoughts and mind and that he sees the beginning as well as the end of everything. I am happy that God always does what is best even though it might not seem that way in the present.
This is one of the most popular stories in the Bible. I often read this story and when I read it if I am not careful I will just skim over it and not pay much attention cause I already know this story.
This morning as I was reading through this passage with a friend of mine we read over this story and God showed me something that I had never seen before. Jesus addresses Philip here and asks where are we going to get the bread to feed these people with. But what shocked me the most is the next verse says.
John 6:6 "And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do."
When Jesus is talking to Philip here He is not talking to someone new. Philip was there when Jesus did His first miracle when he turned the water into wine. Philip was there when Jesus did many great works.
Here Jesus is testing Philip to see his faith and whether or not he believes that Jesus can do great things with nothing.
In my life I find myself with Philip many times. I know that God faces me with seeming impossible situations like the feeding of this. Situations where I don't have any idea how God is going to work it out or if what I need will come through. Whether it is if God will provide for my need or a problem will be solved in my life
I would think that by this time after God has done so many great things in my life that I would be able to take anything that comes my way and look to God and say if you want you can solve this issue. But I to often find myself worrying over it and not trusting God with it.
God is proving us in many ways to show us how much we need Him, how little we trust Him, and how much we have to learn, etc... How am I responding to what God is doing in my life? Do I trust Him or do I still think that I have to live my life on my own and not rely on Him for everything?
1 Samuel 12:20-22 "And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all you heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hat pleased the Lord to make you his people."
I read this passage of Scripture this morning and God really used it in my heart.
I am so thankful that God's promises and love for us is not dependent on what we do. Here Israel had just asked God to give them a king so that they might be like all other nations. This was a sin against God and it displeased Him greatly. But when Samuel talks to them he doesn't pronounce the judgment of God on them for their mistake instead he calls for them to continue to serve God. Because God did not and bless or love Israel because there was anything special about them. God took care of His people because he chose them and his name was on them.
Many times in my life I get to the point where I know that I have made a lot of foolish decision like Israel did. I think that God will forsake me or leave me because I know that I have messed up. I think that because I have done foolishly that His promises are no longer valid for me.
But here God says something different. God knows that I will mess up and that I will not always make the right decisions and that I will do things in my life that will hurt me. All he wants is for me to have a heart that is completely surrendered to him. He wants me to love and serve him with all that I am. God is not just going to forsake me because I mess up or don't make the right decision His love and care for His people is so much greater than that.
I am so thankful that God chose me and blesses and takes care of me because of who He is. I am happy that God was pleased to choose me. I am so thankful that there is nothing I can do that will cause God to forsake me!
Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
I am so thankful to God that He saved me and made me dead to sin. It is so awesome that I do not have to change who I or become someone. I do what is right and live as Christ because that is who I have been made in Christ Jesus. I am so thankful that God has made me dead to sin but Alive to Christ.
This truth makes choosing righteousness over sin a whole lot easier. If I will but choose to look at myself in the same way as Christ does I will not want to defile my body with all those things that I used to. I will realize that what I yield my members to rather sin or righteousness I become its servant.
Romans 6:16 "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"
I want to live my life as a servant to the Lord Jesus Christ so I will do what is right. I will do what is right because that is who God has made me to be. I do right because I am dead to sin and Alive to Christ.
Albania is slightly smaller than Maryland and has approximately 3.6 million people. It is one of the poorest countries in all of Europe with 12.7% unemployment. 25% of the population is considered below the poverty level.
The government has much political unrest and trouble with the strong crime organizations. Albania is one of the source country for persons and illicit drug trafficking. Women and children from Albania are taken and sold to many countries in western Europe.
70% of the population is Muslim while the remaining 30% are Albanian Orthodox and Roman Catholic. There is very little missionary work going on in Albania. There are close to 7 missionaries working in the country today.
Let's pray today that God would raise up laborers to go to Albania.
Today as I was reading in 1 Samuel 1 I read about Hannah and how she prayed that God would give her a son. When she was done praying Eli the high priest told her that God was going to answer her prayer. Immediately she started to rejoice in the Lord and was no longer sad that she did not have a son. Hannah did not have to see her son in order to believe God and rejoice all she needed was a promise.
After reading this I thought about how often I rejoice in God and am happy just because of His promises. So much in my life my joy is based on what God does for me and not on who God is. The fact that God has promised that He will take care of me, Never leave me, and many more should be enough to cause me joy. But instead I become discouraged and worry when I don't know something or I don't feel God is with me.
Today though I am going to rejoice and praise God just because of who He is. I will trust His promises whether I see them or not
- Though Afghanistan is only slightly smaller than the size of Texas it has a population of nearly 28 million people. - 99% of the these people are Muslims. It is actually against the law and punishable by death for any one to believe anything besides Islam. - This country has been a country of much unrest and war for many years. Right now it has much political unrest and inner conflict between the new government and the Taliban a strong terrorist body.
- Millions of people in this country have never heard a clear presentation of the gospel or even know about the one and true way to go to heaven. Though this country is closed what will I do today to further God's kingdom in this country.
- Will I pray that the Lord of the harvest will send laborers into His harvest? - Will I pray that God would open the door of this country that they may hear of the wonderful things He has done for them? - Would I be willing to go as a missionary to a country like Afghanistan where I could lose my life?
Oh that the name of God would be lifted up in this country that He might receive the reward for His suffering. That His name might be lifted high and glorified by the people of Afghanistan!
"We can lead others only as far along the road as we ourselves have traveled. Merely pointing the way is not enough. If we are not walking, then no one can be following, and we are not leading anyone." - Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders
- Am I moving forward in my Christian life? - Do I have a walk that is worthy of someone following? - If someone were to follow me would they move closer to God or would they become distant from Him?
I want how I live my life to always be an example to others of how they can serve and follow God with all they are and have. I must make the right choices today that I not lead anyone that may be following me from God and that I might be able to lead others to a closer relationship with God.
I would just like to publicly thank God for all the things that he has given to me and done for me. - For the Salvation that he has freely given to me. - For having love that is greater than all my sin. - For bringing me to Vision Baptist Church the greatest church in all the world. - For giving me the opportunity to come to the Training Center and learn from Pastor Gardner and some of the greatest missionaries in the world - For allowing me preach and teach His word - For Pastor Gardner who has been a great help in my life and walk with God. - For Kathryn who is the greatest girl in all the world. - For Kyle Shreve who is a great roommate and spiritual encouragement.
It is the most awesome thing to think on the love of God. The greatest realization that I have come to is the fact that God loves me no matter what I do. His love is not based on what I do but on who He is. - Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us."
For a long time I thought that what I did affected how much God loved me but to realize that He loves me in spite of what I do I causes me to want to serve Him more now than I ever have wanted to in the past.
May God be glorified by my life and the way that I love others as he has loved me.
