"Not that I have already attained this - that is, I have not already been perfected - but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 3:12-14
"And, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace who called you to his eternal glory in Christ will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."
1Peter 5:10
"to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ,"
Ephesians 4:12
"Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness, for without it no one will see the Lord."
Hebrews 12:14
"I will grant the one who conquers permission to sit with me on my throne, just as I too conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."
Revelation 3:21
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
A Brotherhood (final)
Hey there readers!
I don't think I have any. But I know God is reading.
I'd like to wrap up this series of posts on Brotherhood. Essentially, I have been greatly humbled by the whole experience. I've intently tried to find ways to offer myself to the Lord, as a living sacrifice. I don't plan to preach the "heart-is-all-we-have-to-give" nonsense anymore.
I was familiar with Mark 12:30, but I had never put it into practice. I think though, and this is mostly what I was indicating at the time, that the Lord is after your heart first. Once He has that, once you have given it to Him; the rest comes. At least it was with that way for me. My mind was broken, my soul was lost, my strength was my own (and in saying that, it was forfeit); until I had given my heart to the Lord. Only then did I give the rest. Honestly, until Josh spoke up, I might not have even been doing that.
Infact, it is foolish to think that I could even offer myself to the extent at which the Lord deserves!
Josh is a dear brother to me. A brother for eternity, in Christ Jesus. We must be iron sharpening iron! I believe at first, this might have been the clashing of steel. As humans, we can not do anything but this; but as children of God, we have the grace and the providence of God in which to accomplish anything through Him who gives us strength.
God Bless those who read this.
Bless the name of the Lord.
I don't think I have any. But I know God is reading.
I'd like to wrap up this series of posts on Brotherhood. Essentially, I have been greatly humbled by the whole experience. I've intently tried to find ways to offer myself to the Lord, as a living sacrifice. I don't plan to preach the "heart-is-all-we-have-to-give" nonsense anymore.
I was familiar with Mark 12:30, but I had never put it into practice. I think though, and this is mostly what I was indicating at the time, that the Lord is after your heart first. Once He has that, once you have given it to Him; the rest comes. At least it was with that way for me. My mind was broken, my soul was lost, my strength was my own (and in saying that, it was forfeit); until I had given my heart to the Lord. Only then did I give the rest. Honestly, until Josh spoke up, I might not have even been doing that.
Infact, it is foolish to think that I could even offer myself to the extent at which the Lord deserves!
Josh is a dear brother to me. A brother for eternity, in Christ Jesus. We must be iron sharpening iron! I believe at first, this might have been the clashing of steel. As humans, we can not do anything but this; but as children of God, we have the grace and the providence of God in which to accomplish anything through Him who gives us strength.
God Bless those who read this.
Bless the name of the Lord.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
A Brotherhood (part2)
Continuing on with "A Brotherhood"
Let's hop right into scripture.
The soul of God:
"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.""
Matthew 26:36-38
The soul of man:
"I am weary of my life; I will complain without restraint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul."
Job 21:25
"And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord,""
Luke 1:46
My thoughts are racing at what Jesus said about His soul. But that's not the lesson here. I suppose what I need to say is: "Josh couldn't have been more correct."
"Praise the LORD, O my soul!" Psalm 103:1
I had a lot planned for this evening. I was actually hoping to wrap this up, but instead; I got wrapped up in Matthew. I will continue with the last part of this post soon.
I want to take some time to end with prayer.
Lord, I thank you for Josh. I thank you for all my brothers in Christ, your Son. God, your Spirit has revealed so much to me through them. I pray, Father, that you will continue to build into us, your children. Scribe your Word on my heart, and I also pray Father, that you would help me sing to you with all my soul. Let me praise you Lord with all my soul! My soul was created by you, so that I could use it to worship you. Father it is yours, have it all, I offer it freely.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
Let's hop right into scripture.
The soul of God:
"Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed. Then he said to them, "My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.""
Matthew 26:36-38
The soul of man:
"I am weary of my life; I will complain without restraint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul."
Job 21:25
"And Mary said, "My soul exalts the Lord,""
Luke 1:46
My thoughts are racing at what Jesus said about His soul. But that's not the lesson here. I suppose what I need to say is: "Josh couldn't have been more correct."
"Praise the LORD, O my soul!" Psalm 103:1
I had a lot planned for this evening. I was actually hoping to wrap this up, but instead; I got wrapped up in Matthew. I will continue with the last part of this post soon.
I want to take some time to end with prayer.
Lord, I thank you for Josh. I thank you for all my brothers in Christ, your Son. God, your Spirit has revealed so much to me through them. I pray, Father, that you will continue to build into us, your children. Scribe your Word on my heart, and I also pray Father, that you would help me sing to you with all my soul. Let me praise you Lord with all my soul! My soul was created by you, so that I could use it to worship you. Father it is yours, have it all, I offer it freely.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
Sunday, December 9, 2007
A Brotherhood (part1)
Until now, (2 posts) I've taken the time to listen to a sermon, or a short speach and write how it has inspired me in this online journal.
I realize that not all posts can be this way, nor was I expecting such.
In my previous post I stated, that the heart is all I can give to my Lord Jesus. Well typically; as a lot of you will find, if you start a journal of you're own, you start to repeat the things you've written about. Such is the case with that line from my last entry.
I was in a small group on Saturday night. I remember the discussion came up about what we can offer to the Lord in thanksgiving. And with as much gentleness and compassion that I could muster, I spoke about how the Lord is only after one thing, which is to say: my heart. I stated how if we only love him with all our heart we would find refuge in Him. My brother Josh, had a different opinion. Josh referenced a scripture
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
Mark 12:30
To which I replied something of the sort: "The Lord provides my strength, He changes my soul from the inside out, and where my heart and mind meet is faith..."
This may sound like a typical discussion, perhaps even a mature discussion among Christians. But I must say, there was a sense of hostility in our voices. I felt like Josh was rebuking me, and Josh felt like I wasn't being clear enough.
Well, let's take a look at a few passages first.
Strength of the Lord:
"The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
Exodus 15:2
"You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you! For God is my refuge, the God who loves me."
Psalm 59:17
Strength of men:
"My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated..."
Psalm 22:14
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
1Colossians 1:25
This is very interesting. My view was that we had no strength, except with what the Lord has provided. Am I wrong?
No. But am I right?
Not completely. Because men do have strength! We are given strength as a gift from God.
Josh had the right view here. God has truly given us strength, He is the source of it! But does that mean we have none! No! Rather it means we have ample strength given by God, it is what we do with that strength that matters. Mark 12:30 is saying, the strength that God provides, is to be used to Love God with.
Well I need to digest this, and pray about this a little more. Part 2 should be posted soon. God Bless.
Let's take some time to pray about this.
Father, your strength is beyond measure! It has no boundaries O' Lord! Father, by grace we ask that you would provide us with some of your strength. That you would empower us Lord to use that strength to love You with every ounce of it. Furthermore, to love others. That in doing so, we may grow closer to Your Son, our Savior, Jesus.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
I realize that not all posts can be this way, nor was I expecting such.
In my previous post I stated, that the heart is all I can give to my Lord Jesus. Well typically; as a lot of you will find, if you start a journal of you're own, you start to repeat the things you've written about. Such is the case with that line from my last entry.
I was in a small group on Saturday night. I remember the discussion came up about what we can offer to the Lord in thanksgiving. And with as much gentleness and compassion that I could muster, I spoke about how the Lord is only after one thing, which is to say: my heart. I stated how if we only love him with all our heart we would find refuge in Him. My brother Josh, had a different opinion. Josh referenced a scripture
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
Mark 12:30
To which I replied something of the sort: "The Lord provides my strength, He changes my soul from the inside out, and where my heart and mind meet is faith..."
This may sound like a typical discussion, perhaps even a mature discussion among Christians. But I must say, there was a sense of hostility in our voices. I felt like Josh was rebuking me, and Josh felt like I wasn't being clear enough.
Well, let's take a look at a few passages first.
Strength of the Lord:
"The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him."
Exodus 15:2
"You are my source of strength! I will sing praises to you! For God is my refuge, the God who loves me."
Psalm 59:17
Strength of men:
"My strength drains away like water; all my bones are dislocated..."
Psalm 22:14
"For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength."
1Colossians 1:25
This is very interesting. My view was that we had no strength, except with what the Lord has provided. Am I wrong?
No. But am I right?
Not completely. Because men do have strength! We are given strength as a gift from God.
Josh had the right view here. God has truly given us strength, He is the source of it! But does that mean we have none! No! Rather it means we have ample strength given by God, it is what we do with that strength that matters. Mark 12:30 is saying, the strength that God provides, is to be used to Love God with.
Well I need to digest this, and pray about this a little more. Part 2 should be posted soon. God Bless.
Let's take some time to pray about this.
Father, your strength is beyond measure! It has no boundaries O' Lord! Father, by grace we ask that you would provide us with some of your strength. That you would empower us Lord to use that strength to love You with every ounce of it. Furthermore, to love others. That in doing so, we may grow closer to Your Son, our Savior, Jesus.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
Saturday, December 8, 2007
He alone!
Idol worship...
This sin, is an attack on the gospel. It sickens me to my core. This sin is confusion, ignorance, and indulgence. It is lethargy; a plague of rot that infects and hemorrhages from the roots of poor practice and perversion.
Is our god our stomachs, do we not have restaurants everywhere? Can we justify the multi-million-dollar stadiums we build to house our favorite sports teams? What about our television? Is it right, that we articulate furniture to surround our god to gaze upon it for hours at a time? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCjHm9kzHBg&feature=related
There is but one God.
He alone is worthy of our worship.
He alone is worthy of all our praise, and time, and love, and glory, and honor, and passion.
Jesus, sweet Lord. You have my heart Lord, it is all that I can give. Please, own it all. Let me praise you with every step.
There are many things in my life, I have put before the Lord. Many many things. I am not excited to admit this. However, I know my God, my Savior, will never leave me nor forsake me! This I am excited to say!
Let us come to Jesus! Let us ask Him for help, to become men who do not take the path of least resistance, but rather take the path of greatest responsibility!
This sin, is an attack on the gospel. It sickens me to my core. This sin is confusion, ignorance, and indulgence. It is lethargy; a plague of rot that infects and hemorrhages from the roots of poor practice and perversion.
Is our god our stomachs, do we not have restaurants everywhere? Can we justify the multi-million-dollar stadiums we build to house our favorite sports teams? What about our television? Is it right, that we articulate furniture to surround our god to gaze upon it for hours at a time? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCjHm9kzHBg&feature=related
There is but one God.
He alone is worthy of our worship.
He alone is worthy of all our praise, and time, and love, and glory, and honor, and passion.
Jesus, sweet Lord. You have my heart Lord, it is all that I can give. Please, own it all. Let me praise you with every step.
There are many things in my life, I have put before the Lord. Many many things. I am not excited to admit this. However, I know my God, my Savior, will never leave me nor forsake me! This I am excited to say!
Let us come to Jesus! Let us ask Him for help, to become men who do not take the path of least resistance, but rather take the path of greatest responsibility!
Thursday, December 6, 2007
How Far the Fall?
I was listening to a radio broadcast on the way home today. It was narrated by a Dr. R.C. Sproles. It had to do with the scene in the manger, and the image of Christ Jesus as a newborn babe. He went on to describe, in detail, the meaning of "Fully God, and fully man."
In summation Jesus' perfect human nature was perfectly connected with His perfect Diety nature. Furthermore, Jesus was not 100% Man, nor 100% God. The manifest of His human nature, supports this (i.e. hunger, weeping). Respectively, the manifest of his Godly nature, supports this (i.e. walking on water, reading peoples minds, predicting the future).
Make no mistake, Dr. Sproles supports the Trinity, and completely believes that Jesus was God in the flesh. What he is saying, however, is that there is a distinction between God and man, in Christ Jesus. They are not seperate-but unified, perfectly.
If I were to look at you and say, "You have a body and a soul." I am making a distinction, and an obvious one. But if I were to then seperate your body and your soul, I would've killed you. So it is with the mystery of the Son of God. Where the Trinity is One Essence, with three persons; Christ is One person with two essences, or characters.
But in now God the Father, gives us His Son, Jesus, the very manifestion of God Himself; in the form of a man. So that in that form, he has both a physical body, and the very Essence of God.
So I say, who can fathom this?
There is one thing, though. That makes Jesus' human nature different from all our human nature. It was not His bones or His heart. It was not His brain nor His lungs. It was His complete lack of sin. He was sinless.
We so often forget just how detrimental sin is to our lives. Yes it is the cause of death, but it is also the cause of regression and failure. It is struggle and toil, it is pain, confusion, and imperfection. Jesus' had no sin. His mind, unlike ours, was not darkened from sin. Likewise, His body was not affected by the weakness that sin brings about.
Let's look at the mind of Albert Einstein. Surely, we all say, "wow what brilliance!" Now imagine what he would've been like had his mind never been darkened with sin. What kind of clearity of thought and discernment might he have had?
How far have we truly fallen!? What has sin really done to us!? How ruined are we by sin!? If sin seperates us from God infinitly so, then how amazing is the grace of God and the glory of His name that His Son Jesus has reconciled us with Himself!? Praise God through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Him be the Glory and Power for ever, and ever.
In summation Jesus' perfect human nature was perfectly connected with His perfect Diety nature. Furthermore, Jesus was not 100% Man, nor 100% God. The manifest of His human nature, supports this (i.e. hunger, weeping). Respectively, the manifest of his Godly nature, supports this (i.e. walking on water, reading peoples minds, predicting the future).
Make no mistake, Dr. Sproles supports the Trinity, and completely believes that Jesus was God in the flesh. What he is saying, however, is that there is a distinction between God and man, in Christ Jesus. They are not seperate-but unified, perfectly.
If I were to look at you and say, "You have a body and a soul." I am making a distinction, and an obvious one. But if I were to then seperate your body and your soul, I would've killed you. So it is with the mystery of the Son of God. Where the Trinity is One Essence, with three persons; Christ is One person with two essences, or characters.
But in now God the Father, gives us His Son, Jesus, the very manifestion of God Himself; in the form of a man. So that in that form, he has both a physical body, and the very Essence of God.
So I say, who can fathom this?
There is one thing, though. That makes Jesus' human nature different from all our human nature. It was not His bones or His heart. It was not His brain nor His lungs. It was His complete lack of sin. He was sinless.
We so often forget just how detrimental sin is to our lives. Yes it is the cause of death, but it is also the cause of regression and failure. It is struggle and toil, it is pain, confusion, and imperfection. Jesus' had no sin. His mind, unlike ours, was not darkened from sin. Likewise, His body was not affected by the weakness that sin brings about.
Let's look at the mind of Albert Einstein. Surely, we all say, "wow what brilliance!" Now imagine what he would've been like had his mind never been darkened with sin. What kind of clearity of thought and discernment might he have had?
How far have we truly fallen!? What has sin really done to us!? How ruined are we by sin!? If sin seperates us from God infinitly so, then how amazing is the grace of God and the glory of His name that His Son Jesus has reconciled us with Himself!? Praise God through Jesus Christ our Lord, to Him be the Glory and Power for ever, and ever.
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