Paul told us in Ephesians 5:20 that we should "always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." How can we do this? How can one be thankful for possibly losing a job? Having a sick child? Wrecking one's car? Or even being homeless?
Corrie ten Boom was a young Dutch woman during the time of the Nazi Holocaust. She and her family had been hiding Jews in their home when the Nazi's picked up the whole family, throwing them into Ravensbruck, a concentration camp in Germany. Here is what she had to say about being 'thankful in everything'.
"Conditions in our barracks in the concentration camp at Ravensbruck were terrible. When we first arrived, I told Betsie I could not bear the lice that lived in our filthy blankets and mattresses. She replied, "You must thank God for everything, even the lice."
Betsie was right. Because of the bugs which infested our barrack, the women guards and officers kept their distance, and we were able to hold our Bible studies without fear. God has a use for the vermin, after all!
Sometimes what we see as a curse one day becomes a blessing the next day. How much more simple it would be if we would learn to thank God for everything instead of using our own judgment."
Corrie's Prayer: "Lord, I need a miracle by Your Holy Spirit to thank You for my problem of today. Thank You that You are willing to make me willing."
My Prayer: What a blessing Corrie ten Boom became to the world, Lord; and what lessons she has taught us! She learned to know You best in the barracks of a concentration camp. She learned to thank You for her solitary conditions at first, then her lice infested conditions, and even when her dear sister died from starvation and illness, she thanked You. Oh Lord, forgive me for ever complaining. Thank You for each day You give me. I give thanks with a grateful heart. Amen
Monday, March 15, 2010
Monday, March 8, 2010
All Things!
I love reading the little book "31 Days of Praise" by Ruth Myers. If one doesn't know how to praise, this book will open up the path for you. It will help you verbalize your own feelings. Often when I have read it I think "that sounds just like my thoughts". It just causes my heart to be enlarged, as with joy I give God the praise that is His due. So for my blog this week, I am going to give you the Prayer that she prays on Day 24. It shows how our Lord can use "all things" to work out His perfect will. This prayer is a paraphrasing of certain verses from the Word, which I will list at the end. Any Italics you see will be my own adds.
"Thank You, my loving and sovereign God, that my failures and mistakes and sins are part of the "all things" You work together for good...as well as my tensions and stresses, my hostile and anxious feelings, my regrets, my trips into shame and self-blame--and the specific things that trigger them. I praise You that "all things," including these, can contribute to my spiritual growth and my experience of You...When my heart is overwhelmed, I'm more aware of my need to cry to You...to take refuge in You...to rely on You.
I rejoice that these things keep reminding me to depend on You with all my heart...that they prompt me to trust in Your love, Your forgiveness, Your power, Your sufficiency, Your ability to overrule, and Your transforming presence within me. Thank You for the ways that my shortcomings and failures, and illnesses of the flesh bring pressure on me to open myself to You more fully, and the way they let You show me deep and hidden needs: grief's and hurts that I've never poured out before You, that I've never exposed to Your healing touch, and sins that I've never faced and acknowledged, I give them all to you, My Jesus.
How grateful I am for Your constant cleansing as I confess each sin You make me aware of, and then turn back to You as my Lord. I praise You that I'm free from condemnation simply because Christ died for me and rose again...that it doesn't depend on how well I live. (This is a Wow!)
I praise You for how You use my sins and failures to humble me, and for how this opens me to the inflow of Your Grace (unmerited favor)--amazing Grace, that enables me to hold my head high, not in pride but in humble gratitude for Your undeserved, unchanging love and total cleansing!"
Par. 1 Romans 8:28,29; Psalm 61:2
Par. 2 Proverbs 3:5; Psalm 37:5; 2 Cor. 3:18; I John 1:9
Par. 3 I Peter 5:5; Romans 5:5 (LB)
"Thank You, my loving and sovereign God, that my failures and mistakes and sins are part of the "all things" You work together for good...as well as my tensions and stresses, my hostile and anxious feelings, my regrets, my trips into shame and self-blame--and the specific things that trigger them. I praise You that "all things," including these, can contribute to my spiritual growth and my experience of You...When my heart is overwhelmed, I'm more aware of my need to cry to You...to take refuge in You...to rely on You.
I rejoice that these things keep reminding me to depend on You with all my heart...that they prompt me to trust in Your love, Your forgiveness, Your power, Your sufficiency, Your ability to overrule, and Your transforming presence within me. Thank You for the ways that my shortcomings and failures, and illnesses of the flesh bring pressure on me to open myself to You more fully, and the way they let You show me deep and hidden needs: grief's and hurts that I've never poured out before You, that I've never exposed to Your healing touch, and sins that I've never faced and acknowledged, I give them all to you, My Jesus.
How grateful I am for Your constant cleansing as I confess each sin You make me aware of, and then turn back to You as my Lord. I praise You that I'm free from condemnation simply because Christ died for me and rose again...that it doesn't depend on how well I live. (This is a Wow!)
I praise You for how You use my sins and failures to humble me, and for how this opens me to the inflow of Your Grace (unmerited favor)--amazing Grace, that enables me to hold my head high, not in pride but in humble gratitude for Your undeserved, unchanging love and total cleansing!"
Par. 1 Romans 8:28,29; Psalm 61:2
Par. 2 Proverbs 3:5; Psalm 37:5; 2 Cor. 3:18; I John 1:9
Par. 3 I Peter 5:5; Romans 5:5 (LB)
Monday, March 1, 2010
Can we Lose our Salvation?
There are some dear christian folk that feel that if we sin, to where we walk away from the Lord, we will lose our Salvation. I have been giving some thought to this, as the reasoning given seems fallible, but I have a hard time accepting it.
First, here are some verses that to me shows this is a permanent event. Salvation is not an on-again, off-again situation.
John 10:28 from the Amplified Version reads "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages (to all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed). And no one is able to snatch (them) out of the Father's hands."
II Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) "Therefore if any person is (engrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old has passed away."
Romans 8:38, 39 (Amplified) "For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death or life; nor angels, nor principalities; nor things impending or threatening or things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all Creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There are more, such as the well know John 3:16, where it tells us that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish by have eternal life." It doesn't say eternal life as long as you stay close to me, or give any other conditions. It is 'if you believe you have eternal life'!
A well known writer of today, Beth Moore, has this to say of when she 'fell away'. "I was a young child when I received Christ, and yet I have sinned and failed miserably in my life...every horrible sin I have ever committed has been with the Holy Spirit intact; I was as saved as could be."
A couple of analogies: one being that a child is born into a family. For some reason when the child grows up he leaves home and decides to have no more to do with his past or upbringing. The child and parents never see each other, seldom even know what the other is doing, yet he is still their child. There is no fellowship, no communication, but still there is the fact he is their child. A Biblical example of this is found in Luke 15 with the parable of "The Prodigal Son".
Another analogy is found in Matthew 18:12 and Luke 15, where the shepherd has 100 sheep. One decides to go its own way, wanders off, is lost; but the shepherd does not say, "that is not my sheep anymore". Instead he goes out and finds His sheep. That is His sheep, and He cares and brings it back.
I do not know if everyone we see who has made a profession and then seemingly forgets about God is in this category. Some people will acquiesce to what they are told, but never really accept Jesus as their master and Lord. Even the demons knew who Jesus was, but they did not have Salvation. We must leave this to our Lord who knows the heart.
As for myself, I was like Beth Moore said she was, and I dragged the Holy Spirit along with me. O how it must have grieved Him! This is part of what broke my heart and brought me back to the Savior. That and the fact that it was Jesus precious hands and feet that were pierced for me. It should have been my hands, it should have been my feet, but He took the fall, and gave His all for me.
Thank You Father, that even when I was away from You, You never left me. You have promised to never leave me, and I am held in the palm of Your hand. Amen
First, here are some verses that to me shows this is a permanent event. Salvation is not an on-again, off-again situation.
John 10:28 from the Amplified Version reads "And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages (to all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed). And no one is able to snatch (them) out of the Father's hands."
II Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) "Therefore if any person is (engrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old has passed away."
Romans 8:38, 39 (Amplified) "For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death or life; nor angels, nor principalities; nor things impending or threatening or things to come, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor anything else in all Creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
There are more, such as the well know John 3:16, where it tells us that "whoever believes in Him shall not perish by have eternal life." It doesn't say eternal life as long as you stay close to me, or give any other conditions. It is 'if you believe you have eternal life'!
A well known writer of today, Beth Moore, has this to say of when she 'fell away'. "I was a young child when I received Christ, and yet I have sinned and failed miserably in my life...every horrible sin I have ever committed has been with the Holy Spirit intact; I was as saved as could be."
A couple of analogies: one being that a child is born into a family. For some reason when the child grows up he leaves home and decides to have no more to do with his past or upbringing. The child and parents never see each other, seldom even know what the other is doing, yet he is still their child. There is no fellowship, no communication, but still there is the fact he is their child. A Biblical example of this is found in Luke 15 with the parable of "The Prodigal Son".
Another analogy is found in Matthew 18:12 and Luke 15, where the shepherd has 100 sheep. One decides to go its own way, wanders off, is lost; but the shepherd does not say, "that is not my sheep anymore". Instead he goes out and finds His sheep. That is His sheep, and He cares and brings it back.
I do not know if everyone we see who has made a profession and then seemingly forgets about God is in this category. Some people will acquiesce to what they are told, but never really accept Jesus as their master and Lord. Even the demons knew who Jesus was, but they did not have Salvation. We must leave this to our Lord who knows the heart.
As for myself, I was like Beth Moore said she was, and I dragged the Holy Spirit along with me. O how it must have grieved Him! This is part of what broke my heart and brought me back to the Savior. That and the fact that it was Jesus precious hands and feet that were pierced for me. It should have been my hands, it should have been my feet, but He took the fall, and gave His all for me.
Thank You Father, that even when I was away from You, You never left me. You have promised to never leave me, and I am held in the palm of Your hand. Amen
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Mind of Christ
I have often prayed that I would have "The Mind of Christ". This is a deep desire of mine. In II Corinthians 3:18 it states "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory just as from the Lord, the Spirit." I am to be transformed into the same image! And in Philippians 2:5 it says "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus". So it is telling me that I am able to have a 'mind like His' as well.
What is this 'mind of Christ?' How will I know if I have it? To answer these questions I have jotted down some adjectives to show how one will know they have the 'mind of Christ.
First of all, he will become "alive". He will feel alive and be joyful. In John 10:10 Jesus says: "I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." Romans 8:6 states: "But the mind of the (Holy ) Spirit is Life and Peace (both now and forever)."
Another adjective is "peaceful". Using the same verse of Romans 8:6, we underscore the word 'peace'. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will cause 'rest'. In John 14:27 Jesus states He leaves us "His Peace".
Yet another word for the mind of Christ is "Single-minded". Jesus came to earth for the specific reason of doing the Father's will, and to go to the Cross to pay the penalty of sin. In John 17:4 He says in His prayer, "I have glorified You down here on the earth completing the work that You gave Me to do." In Luke 9:51 it shows Jesus had one goal, as it states: "He steadfastly and determinedly set His face to go to Jerusalem."
Jesus was always "lowly". We are told the true spirit of Jesus in Philippians 2:3: "...in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others better than and superior to himself (thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves)."
To have the 'mind of Christ' one must be "pure" as it talks about in Titus 1:15. "To the pure (in heart and conscience) all things are pure..." This should become my natural state, with my mind and imaginations on Him.
One who has the mind of Christ will be 'sensitive and responsive' to the things of God. In Luke 24:45 it says: "Then He (thoroughly) opened up their minds to understand the Scripture." And in Luke 11:1 the disciples desired to know more and asked Jesus to teach them to pray. We should be desirous of having Him continually renewing our minds as we seek to be more like Him.
So, to have the "Mind of Christ" we will be:
1. Alive, joyful
2 Peaceful
3. Single-minded
4. Lowly, humble
5. Pure
6. Responsive to Christ
He was our perfect example for life!
*All Scriptures quoted from Amplified Version of the Holy Bible
What is this 'mind of Christ?' How will I know if I have it? To answer these questions I have jotted down some adjectives to show how one will know they have the 'mind of Christ.
First of all, he will become "alive". He will feel alive and be joyful. In John 10:10 Jesus says: "I came that they might have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)." Romans 8:6 states: "But the mind of the (Holy ) Spirit is Life and Peace (both now and forever)."
Another adjective is "peaceful". Using the same verse of Romans 8:6, we underscore the word 'peace'. In Matthew 11:28, Jesus tells us to come to Him and He will cause 'rest'. In John 14:27 Jesus states He leaves us "His Peace".
Yet another word for the mind of Christ is "Single-minded". Jesus came to earth for the specific reason of doing the Father's will, and to go to the Cross to pay the penalty of sin. In John 17:4 He says in His prayer, "I have glorified You down here on the earth completing the work that You gave Me to do." In Luke 9:51 it shows Jesus had one goal, as it states: "He steadfastly and determinedly set His face to go to Jerusalem."
Jesus was always "lowly". We are told the true spirit of Jesus in Philippians 2:3: "...in the true spirit of humility (lowliness of mind) let each regard the others better than and superior to himself (thinking more highly of one another than you do of yourselves)."
To have the 'mind of Christ' one must be "pure" as it talks about in Titus 1:15. "To the pure (in heart and conscience) all things are pure..." This should become my natural state, with my mind and imaginations on Him.
One who has the mind of Christ will be 'sensitive and responsive' to the things of God. In Luke 24:45 it says: "Then He (thoroughly) opened up their minds to understand the Scripture." And in Luke 11:1 the disciples desired to know more and asked Jesus to teach them to pray. We should be desirous of having Him continually renewing our minds as we seek to be more like Him.
So, to have the "Mind of Christ" we will be:
1. Alive, joyful
2 Peaceful
3. Single-minded
4. Lowly, humble
5. Pure
6. Responsive to Christ
He was our perfect example for life!
*All Scriptures quoted from Amplified Version of the Holy Bible
Monday, February 15, 2010
AMEN
The word, Amen, itself, expresses affirmation, equivalent to "so be it". It is also used at the end of a prayer, giving affirmation, and you will find it at the end of many Psalms. David often closed his Psalm with "Amen".
In the New Testament, we find in I Corinthians 14:16 that it is evident that the early church was expected to respond with the spoken "Amen". This is a tradition carried even into our modern day churches.
In Revelation the statement is made "these things saith The Amen." This is using the Hebrew word meaning fixed, truth, or unchangeable. In this verse, used with the article "the" it is another descriptive title of our Lord Jesus, the Son of God.
My Prayer:
You, O Lord, are the Great Amen. Revelation 3:14 calls You "the Amen, the faithful and true Witness..." You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. When I say "Amen" I am adding my agreement to what has been said, my way of saying, "may it be so". This is my prayer, may it be done. When David ends the Psalm 72 with a double Amen, he is adding an exclamation! You, the Blessed Lord God, are the "Amen", and to this I add, "Amen, so be it, Your name is glorious forever!"
In the New Testament, we find in I Corinthians 14:16 that it is evident that the early church was expected to respond with the spoken "Amen". This is a tradition carried even into our modern day churches.
In Revelation the statement is made "these things saith The Amen." This is using the Hebrew word meaning fixed, truth, or unchangeable. In this verse, used with the article "the" it is another descriptive title of our Lord Jesus, the Son of God.
My Prayer:
You, O Lord, are the Great Amen. Revelation 3:14 calls You "the Amen, the faithful and true Witness..." You are the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. When I say "Amen" I am adding my agreement to what has been said, my way of saying, "may it be so". This is my prayer, may it be done. When David ends the Psalm 72 with a double Amen, he is adding an exclamation! You, the Blessed Lord God, are the "Amen", and to this I add, "Amen, so be it, Your name is glorious forever!"
Monday, February 8, 2010
YOURS IS THE KINGDOM AND THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER
Words fail me in describing this phrase of praise to our God. What better way to enlarge upon it than to draw from Scripture.
David says his Praise in Psalm 8:9 with "O Lord our Lord, how excellent (Majestic and glorious) is your name in all the earth." In Psalm 148:13 it states:
"...praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His Glory and Majesty are above earth and heaven." In Psalm 93:1&2 we read "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty. Your throne is established of old, You are from everlasting..."
Revelation 4:11 talks about the members in heaven, falling prostrate and crying "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and dominion, for You created all things..." And in Revelation 5:12 we see John the Revelator hearing ten thousand times ten thousand angels saying "Deserving is the Lamb, who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty and blessing!"
And then from I Chronicles 29:11 from where these words are taken: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominions, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all."
My Prayer:
O My Lord, You are Majesty! Even Job could only stand in awe when he realized Your Power. You, who made the oceans also made the dew drop. In John 18 You tell Pilate Your Kingdom is not of this world, and in Psalm 93, Your throne is established of old. Your Glory is from everlasting to everlasting. Yet, You tell me Your kingdom is within me (Luke 17:20), and the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is within me! Romans 8 gives the promise that I will share in Your Glory. So Lord, Your kingdom, and power and glory which is forever, is also mine forever! The Lord reigns! Hallelujah! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen
David says his Praise in Psalm 8:9 with "O Lord our Lord, how excellent (Majestic and glorious) is your name in all the earth." In Psalm 148:13 it states:
"...praise and exalt the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted and supreme! His Glory and Majesty are above earth and heaven." In Psalm 93:1&2 we read "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty. Your throne is established of old, You are from everlasting..."
Revelation 4:11 talks about the members in heaven, falling prostrate and crying "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and dominion, for You created all things..." And in Revelation 5:12 we see John the Revelator hearing ten thousand times ten thousand angels saying "Deserving is the Lamb, who was sacrificed, to receive all the power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and majesty and blessing!"
And then from I Chronicles 29:11 from where these words are taken: "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominions, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all."
My Prayer:
O My Lord, You are Majesty! Even Job could only stand in awe when he realized Your Power. You, who made the oceans also made the dew drop. In John 18 You tell Pilate Your Kingdom is not of this world, and in Psalm 93, Your throne is established of old. Your Glory is from everlasting to everlasting. Yet, You tell me Your kingdom is within me (Luke 17:20), and the power of the Spirit that raised Jesus from the grave is within me! Romans 8 gives the promise that I will share in Your Glory. So Lord, Your kingdom, and power and glory which is forever, is also mine forever! The Lord reigns! Hallelujah! Blessed be the name of the Lord! Amen
Monday, February 1, 2010
DO NOT LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE
In the Amplified Version for Matthew 6:13, it states: "And lead (bring) us not into temptation..." The Message translation reads: "...keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil." God has already provided us with an aid to help us keep from temptation; He has given us the Holy Spirit.
Charles Spurgeon likens this to 'an anchor'. This anchor will help hold us fast when we are heading for the rocks or drifting with every wind of life that comes along. Our own sinful natures are against us when trials come our way; and when the evil one begins throwing his darts of temptations, and trials of the world attack, we must be sure our anchor is deep.
At times our old sinful nature may want to pull us back to where we started. Life may seem too hard and we feel it will be easier to drift backward than to keep fighting forward. When we have our anchor deep we will remain peaceful and at rest and not drift when storms come and temptations assail us.
If we are drifting on our own, the evil one will also try to pull us back, so we must call to the Lord to save us from drifting, save us from the evil one.
From the words of Priscilla Owens:
Charles Spurgeon likens this to 'an anchor'. This anchor will help hold us fast when we are heading for the rocks or drifting with every wind of life that comes along. Our own sinful natures are against us when trials come our way; and when the evil one begins throwing his darts of temptations, and trials of the world attack, we must be sure our anchor is deep.
At times our old sinful nature may want to pull us back to where we started. Life may seem too hard and we feel it will be easier to drift backward than to keep fighting forward. When we have our anchor deep we will remain peaceful and at rest and not drift when storms come and temptations assail us.
If we are drifting on our own, the evil one will also try to pull us back, so we must call to the Lord to save us from drifting, save us from the evil one.
From the words of Priscilla Owens:
"We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love."
My Prayer:
The answer, Lord, is in James 1:13,14 where it says: "each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed." I don't believe we can even say 'the devil made me do it.' It happens when we turn our gaze from You. As Peter began to sink when he looked around, so we will slip into temptation when we dally with the world and fail to drop our anchor deep. Deliver me from self and Satan, Lord! Keep me focused on You! "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you O Lord, my Redeemer!" Keep my feet on the Rock! Just give me Jesus! Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)