Abide in the Word

John 15:7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you...

I have been listening to J.Piper on this verse and it is totally convicting and encouraging at the same time.

Convicting; how can we defend ourselves against the devil if we are trying to do his without Scripture? We can't. He is a million times smarter and stronger than we are and the only thing he has no defense against is the Word. We must hide God's Word in our hearts so that we might not sin against God. The Word is our encouragement and also our encouragement to others when they come to us for counsel. We can't give logic as our answer. We must memorize Scripture so when we are in trouble or burdened we can bring it back w/o having to go to the Bible if it is not available.

Encouragement; His Word is true and is always right. There is never a time that His Word is not applicable and relevant. He always keeps His promises. He promises to bless those who fear Him. We cannot say that we fear Him if we don't keep His Word within our hearts.

Let me encourage you to, along with our small group, select a passage of Scripture and memorize it. Have some accountability and then just go and do it. It won't be easy, but it will be worth it. We have selected Romans 8, the entire chapter, and are going to try to memorize it in 2 months. There are numerous excellent passages that are not too long and can be of great encouragement to you along the way if you hide them in your heart.

Independence Day?

In America we are truly blessed by God to have the freedoms we have. We are not necessarily blessed by having so much stuff.

Isn't it just the American way to think that we are independent? Not just that we are independent of England, or that we are independent of needing help from other nations, but most Americans probably think that they are truly independent of everything, including and especially God.

This kind of thinking will come to an end sooner or later. Sooner would be when God takes control of the heart and causes the spiritual blinders to come off. Later will be when He has allowed a life of self serving, hedonism, but then calls the account to be paid.

I can now say that the first option is not only much better from an eternal perspective, but it is much better from an earthly perspective as well. When we understand our true dependence on Christ minute by minute each day, there is so much more joy here on earth than there ia following after earthly dreams. When Christ, and His purpose, is our aim everything else seems so small.

Is making money, having a position, wife kids, stuff your goal in life? There is so much more life in Christ than the pursuit of those things; so much more joy in following and gaining Christ than in filling up barns. Oh that we would delight in our utter dependence on Christ. Oh to seek serving Christ over all other positions. How much better to be a servant to the King of Kings than to be in charge of some little tiny earthly domain! Lord give me the proper perspective and aim that I would delight in all that You are. Let me love my dependence on You.

Magnificent Obsession

In my small group, high school guys, and I believe it is probably true of most people in the Church today, it seems that breaks in routine are not often times of refreshing and spiritual growth. When there is more free time to read and pray it seems we often don't use that time to move our souls toward Christ, but often we waste the time by sleeping in; we stay up late with friends, watch too much TV, too many movies and video games, visit about nothing important and you can fill in your own list.

I want to see myself following Christ more today than yesterday. I want to be more passionate about souls today than last week. I want to love reading my Bible more now than I did last month. It seems that the daylight hours are longer and so I have to find more "things" to do to fill them up.

I hate being distracted with good things. I hate having stuff to do that takes my attention off of Christ. I was thinking this morning that I am in a much better spiritual place when I feel desperate, than when things are going generally good for me. I don't fell like I am discontent with my circumstances except maybe they are too good. I don't want to be like the Israelites who went from "we will only serve God" one minute to "they followed after other gods" the next. They followed closest when they were desperate.

I want to be desperately following Christ even when it is going good. Pride must be what takes this away from me. I must be inwardly thinking that it is all good right now and that, somehow very wrongly, I don't need to bother God right now with what I have going on, because I can handle it from here. Like I give Him control when it is really hard and then I can take over when it gets more normal. That is crazy.

I want to change the way I live. I want to live as if my life depended on God every minute of every day; because it does.

Lord draw me nearer to Yourself. Don't let me love other lesser thing because that kind of love fades so quickly. I am weak and am so prone to wander toward things that need to be done but in doing them let me focus on You. Don't let me find other things to do, except to follow You. Let me minister to those around me and dwell in the shelter of Your wings. Take pride away from me see that I am most useful as Your humble servant. There is none like You and there is nothing that compares to You. You are First and Last and the Best of everything. I can not love unless You cause me to love, so please make me love all that You love and hate what You hate. Be my Magnificent Obsession.

The Tragedy of a Barren Ministry

The intent of this book is to spur on men in ministry, but we, who are saved, are all ministry men.

"Fields plowed and sown, yet yielding no fruit! Machinery constantly in motion, yet all without one particle of produce! Nets cast into the sea, and spread wide, yet no fishes inclosed! All this for years -- for a lifetime! How strange! Yet it is true. There is neither fancy nor exaggeration in the matter. Question some ministers, and what other account can they give? They can tell you of sermons preached, but of sermons blessed they can say nothing. They can speak of discourses that were admired and praised, but of discourses that have been made effectual by the Holy Spirit they can not speak. They can tell you how many have been baptized, how many communicants admitted; but of souls awakened, converted, ripening in grace, they can give no account. They can enumerate the sacraments they have dispensed; but as to whether any of them have been "times of refreshing" or times of awakening, they can not say. They can tell you what and how many cases of discipline have passed through their hands; but whether any of these have issued in godly sorrow for sin, whether the professed penitents who were absolved by them gave evidence of being "washed and sanctified and justified," they can give no information; they never thought of such an issue!

They can tell what is the attendance at Sunday school, and what are the abilities of the teacher; but how many of these precious little ones whom they have vowed to feed are seeking the Lord they know not; or whether their teacher be a man of prayer and piety they can not say. They can tell you the population of their parish, the number of their congregation, or the temporal condition of their flocks; but as to their spiritual state, how many have been awakened from the sleep of death, how many are followers of God as dear children, they can not pretend to say. Perhaps they would deem it rashness and presumption, if not fanaticism, to inquire. And yet they have sworn, before men and angels, to watch for their souls as they that must give account! But oh, of what use are sermons, sacraments, schools, if souls are left to perish; if living religion be lost sight of; if the Holy Spirit be not sought; if men are left to grow up and die unpitied, unprayed for, unwarned" H. Bonar

Often we fall into "doing" ministry rather than being ministers. Lives lived in reflecting God's glory are only overpowered by the very Word of God; we must live as if lives depend on our sanctification, because they do. The closer we are to Christ the more we will correctly reflect all that He is.

I am also reminded, as I read this small book, that we need to be asking the hard questions. When was te last time you asked someone of their spiritual condition, when you had questions, concerning their soul? When did you last ask someone, "Are you sure you are saved" or "How is your soul condition"? They may very well be waiting for someone to ask and that someone might just be you. We must fight against fearing men.

Who wants to be a part of barren ministry? No one! How is your ministry? How are you doing living out the joys of salvation for all the world to see? Is your light shining before men? Have you left your first love? Are you in ministry yet your first love has always been yourself; not God? Many in the church today are doing ministry in the flesh and that is no way to have fruit in your ministry. May we be passionate followers of Christ, asking hard questions and loving the lost. God can give that to us, but we must ask.

Reflecting Christ

"When we can tell our people, "We beheld His glory, and therefore we speak of it; it is not from report we speak, but we have seen the King in His beauty" -- how lofty the position we occupy! Our power in drawing men to Christ springs chiefly from the fulness of our personal joy in Him, and the nearness of our personal communion with Him. The countenance that reflects most of Christ, and shines most with His love and grace, is most fitted to attract the gaze of a careless, giddy world, and win restless souls from the fascinations of creature-love and creature-beauty. A ministry of power must be the fruit of a holy, peaceful, loving intimacy with the Lord." H. Bonar- Words to Winners of Souls. This is a great little book.

Always Ardent

Ps. 40:5 You have multiplied, O LORD my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you!
I will proclaim and tell of them,
yet they are more than can be told.

I have been thinking about the distractions that keep me away from pondering the goodness of God and praising Him continually. Often they are not "bad" things, but they can not be good if they draw my heart away.

God is a jealous God who wants my worship every minute of every day. I am thankful that He knows that I am dust, prone to wander and weak. But, since He is jealous, He wants my continual praise; He deserves it and there is none who can compare with Him.

I desire to be an ardent worshiper of our good God Who has lavished so many good things on me. He loves me and that should be my greatest joy and treasure all the time; not some position or thing.

Kimmy is Engaged

Well, it's been a long time coming and much planning and scheming has taken place, but Kimmy and Ian are now engaged.
I will post some picks and links when we get them.
It happened last night in our driveway, with many people looking on, photographers clicking, goosebumps and whispers, beaming smiles and happy tears.
God has truly knitted these 2 together, since the second grade, and we are excited to see what He has in store for them. The wedding will be sometime next summer as Ian has another year at The Master's College to finish.
Praise God for His blessing to us.