Monday, August 2, 2010
BURNT BISCUITS [copied]
Friday, July 16, 2010
Not How I Expected It To Happen
Thursday, July 15, 2010
But What About Mercy --Part 3
Chastening produces a test of a our faith. Will we begin to view life from God's perspective now that God has our attention? Or will we continue to go our own way? Can we see God in the picture now? And most important, will we submit to God now?
We are exhorted to let the chastisement to have its perfecting work in us so that we may be "perfect and entire, wanting nothing." --James 1"4
Without the consequences the human heart will continue to gamble on the outcome. We do not need to be removed from the unpleasantness of our problems. We need to experience the unpleasantness to help us change.
In Hebrews we are told that it is not a "joyous" experience. Rather it is "grievous" but it will produce the righteous fruit of godliness in the believer who is "exercised thereby." --Hebrews 12:11
To cut short the trial by removing the grievous consequences is to short-circuit the merciful effort of God to deliver us from our self-centered living.
Chastisement and consequences are part of the rebuke, correction and instruction in righteousness that equip us for usefulness in the future.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
But What About Mercy --Part 2
One of the merciful ways God extracts us from the power of sin in our life is to allow us to experience it consequences. Most times we do not recognize God's mercy through His chastening hand. Though it is sometimes painful--God is delivering us from a miserable end of our self-indulgent living. His purpose is to produce fruit of righteousness.
- "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? .....Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." --Hebrews 12:6-7 & 11
[When I have felt God's chastening hand in my life I did not recognize it as His loving, mercy. I praise the Lord for wanting to better me and correct my life for a better path. I pray that my life would begin to show fruits of righteousness. Not self-righteousness our of my own flesh, but godly righteousness of God working through me.]
Monday, July 12, 2010
I ask for your patience
Thursday, July 8, 2010
But What About Mercy?
God's mercy contains two elements:
- An inward concern for the miserable plight of someone.
- An outward action aimed at relieving that desparate condition even at great expense to the one relieving the suffering.
We see this kind of compassion in Christ as He responded to the various plights of people in the Gospels: the leper who needed to be healed; a widow's son who just died; a crowd of hungry people; two blind men who needed their sight restored. Christ's compassion always extended beyond their physical condition however to the greatest misery of all -- a soul bond by sin.
Christ challenged his disciples to reach the lost with the Gospel. We too must be moved with compassion when we wee the dire state of the condemned lost.
--Excerpts from "Changed in His Image" by Jim Berg.
[This is our biblical example of God's mercy toward the suffering needs of others and the lost soul that is condemned to hell already. If he does not trust Christ as his personal Saviour it says in John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." It is so important for us that we do our part in giving out the gospel. We may not always reap a lost soul to Christ. God says we are to plant and water with the seed of His Word. It is God's job to give the increase.
There is more to be considered on the subject of mercy that I will share next time.]
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
THINGS GOD WON'T ASK on that day.
2...God won't ask the square footage of your house, He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet, He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.
4...God won't ask what your highest salary was, He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
5..God won't ask what your job title was, He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
6...God won't ask how many friends you had, He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.
7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived, He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.
8...God won't ask about the color of your skin, He'll ask about the content of your character.
9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation, He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.