For several Sundays we were so very blessed by great messages both in Sunday School and worship, which were really centered around not being "self righteous" but always relying solely on the cross of Christ for our actions and motivations. I'd love to tell you everything I learned and was convicted about, but I doubt if anyone would read all of it. Here's the "facebook status" version :)
Am I doing works for my own sake or truly for the glory of Christ?
Test 1 - Fellowship - do I only hang out with/be friendly with/pray for/etc. only those who look, talk, think the same as me? Am I embarrassed or judgmental when others who are different enter the church, my neighborhood, etc.? See Gal. 3:27-29; Matt. 9:9-13
Test 2 - Criticism/Disagreement - How do I react when others disagree with my beliefs, my actions, my "religious activities"? Do I take it personally or just long for them to know the redeeming hope and love of the Savior? do I feel like it's an affront to me or do I simply, lovingly ache for them to know the peace and salvation that Christ alone can give and give to anyone anywhere at any time? Gal. 3:25; Matt. 9:35-38
Test 3 - Test of Omission - Do I feel guilty/less of a Christian if I fail to do a certain task, ritual, etc.? Of course we suffer in our walk and growth if we don't pray or study the Bible, but do we do it to feel better about ourselves rather than do it to learn more of Christ Himself? Gal. 6:14
Oh, the depth of self-righteousness -
but praise GOD!!
HIS love and HIS sacrifice are even deeper!!
How do I know? Just look at the cross.......
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Blessings at church
We are truly blessed every Sunday with the wonderful teaching at our church. My husband said a few months ago that he felt like when we left the church he had just had a huge steak meal where he had been so used to milky baby food for so many years. Now that doesn't mean we've never had good Biblical teaching before, but just not so deep and consistent as now. Nuggets from last week:
Is. 53 passage in Sunday School - 1) Jesus is the propitiation for us, not the expiation - (Rom. 3:25, 1 John 2:2) HE paid the price for our sin in full, we are not/will never be punished for our sin; we are viewed by God as if we wer
e totally sinless, had never and will never sin because when He looks He sees His Son's righteousness in place of our sinful soul. Doesn't this just knock your socks off??! WHY would a Holy, blameless Son of God die in agony for a wicked selfish full-of-sin sinner like me? One who not only sinned grossly before I accepted His salvation but can't even go a day, sometimes not even a minute, without sinning even after I try to comprehend His ultimate mercy and love and sacrifice! Unbelievable, but yet true (Rom 7:14-25).
2) Jesus chose to die. He who created the world as the Father spoke it into being (John 1:3) , knowing the world He created would turn its back on Him, knowing He would be mocked and flogged and spat upon and rejected and tortured and hung on a cross for people who can't even comprehend His love (1 John 4:10) and mercy - He chose the cross anyway. For me...!
3) Yes, we will have troubles in this world (John 16:33). It is a fallen, sinful world full of fallen, sinful sinners. But our troubles are never punishment for our sins. They may be consequences of them, but not punishment from God (Is. 53:5-6). The only way to rid the world of sin would be to wipe it (including all of us) out completely, but God couldn't do that because it would be against His very nature of love and mercy (Ps. 86:15). But He can't allow us as sinners to live with Him either because HE is Justice (Ps. 7:11). So the only choice is to die in our place. The only choice for Him, the only Way for us (John 14:6), to be covered by His righteousness.
4) We cannot sin against another human being. We can hurt them, we can cause them suffering and pain and even death by our choices but the only way to sin against someone in the real sense of sinning is to rebel against their sinless being, and there is only One who is sinless. "Against you and you only have I sinned" the Psalmist so aptly says (Ps. 51). This is eye opening for me. No one on this earth can sin against me because I am not sinless myself. They can hurt me, they can cause me grief or pain or heartache or misery or poverty but they cannot sin against me, and I cannot sin against them. Every sin I commit is against my God an
d my Savior alone, the same one who chose to die for me, who chooses to love me in spite of my wicked soul. Oh, to live every moment aware of the fact that it is all about HIM, all for HIM, all sustained by HIM, all for His glory or for nothing. If I could just remember that how much easier not to sin against Him. Oh, to love Him more, to do as He has said in His Word, to think on HIM, to strive to truly worship Him. That would be a life worth living.
Praise be to God for His servants who have so clearly divided His word of truth.
Is. 53 passage in Sunday School - 1) Jesus is the propitiation for us, not the expiation - (Rom. 3:25, 1 John 2:2) HE paid the price for our sin in full, we are not/will never be punished for our sin; we are viewed by God as if we wer
e totally sinless, had never and will never sin because when He looks He sees His Son's righteousness in place of our sinful soul. Doesn't this just knock your socks off??! WHY would a Holy, blameless Son of God die in agony for a wicked selfish full-of-sin sinner like me? One who not only sinned grossly before I accepted His salvation but can't even go a day, sometimes not even a minute, without sinning even after I try to comprehend His ultimate mercy and love and sacrifice! Unbelievable, but yet true (Rom 7:14-25).2) Jesus chose to die. He who created the world as the Father spoke it into being (John 1:3) , knowing the world He created would turn its back on Him, knowing He would be mocked and flogged and spat upon and rejected and tortured and hung on a cross for people who can't even comprehend His love (1 John 4:10) and mercy - He chose the cross anyway. For me...!
3) Yes, we will have troubles in this world (John 16:33). It is a fallen, sinful world full of fallen, sinful sinners. But our troubles are never punishment for our sins. They may be consequences of them, but not punishment from God (Is. 53:5-6). The only way to rid the world of sin would be to wipe it (including all of us) out completely, but God couldn't do that because it would be against His very nature of love and mercy (Ps. 86:15). But He can't allow us as sinners to live with Him either because HE is Justice (Ps. 7:11). So the only choice is to die in our place. The only choice for Him, the only Way for us (John 14:6), to be covered by His righteousness.
4) We cannot sin against another human being. We can hurt them, we can cause them suffering and pain and even death by our choices but the only way to sin against someone in the real sense of sinning is to rebel against their sinless being, and there is only One who is sinless. "Against you and you only have I sinned" the Psalmist so aptly says (Ps. 51). This is eye opening for me. No one on this earth can sin against me because I am not sinless myself. They can hurt me, they can cause me grief or pain or heartache or misery or poverty but they cannot sin against me, and I cannot sin against them. Every sin I commit is against my God an
d my Savior alone, the same one who chose to die for me, who chooses to love me in spite of my wicked soul. Oh, to live every moment aware of the fact that it is all about HIM, all for HIM, all sustained by HIM, all for His glory or for nothing. If I could just remember that how much easier not to sin against Him. Oh, to love Him more, to do as He has said in His Word, to think on HIM, to strive to truly worship Him. That would be a life worth living.Praise be to God for His servants who have so clearly divided His word of truth.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Gone Fishing
Luke 5: 4-5a
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; ..."
Today I was reading a devotion on this passage and it struck me that I had been reading the whole passage too quickly. I reread the above portion and it really hit home. How many days as parents, homeschoolers, or just as Christians do we sigh and say we have "toiled all night and caught nothing"? It seems like that's all I do sometimes - think about the lack of a "catch". Focus on the toil instead of the command. Focus on my self instead of my Savior. That's when I am looking at the wrong picture, like staring at a few pieces of a puzzle scattered on the floor. My Savior sees - no, He even painted! - the master picture that shows what the completed puzzle will reveal. And I am sighing and moaning and complaining about having to find two or three pieces to fit together for the Master. I sigh over my toils and lack of "results" when He does not ask me to catch the fish, only to go fishing!
Let me cheerfully do my little part while still on earth. Let me not forget the rest of the verses but say-
... nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
And remember how our LORD is faithful to carry out His Will.
"And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."
May my faith in the Lord give me strength to keep on "fishing" and to keep trusting Him to multiply my feeble efforts, whether I ever see the fish or whether it is for another to haul up the load.
When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; ..."
Today I was reading a devotion on this passage and it struck me that I had been reading the whole passage too quickly. I reread the above portion and it really hit home. How many days as parents, homeschoolers, or just as Christians do we sigh and say we have "toiled all night and caught nothing"? It seems like that's all I do sometimes - think about the lack of a "catch". Focus on the toil instead of the command. Focus on my self instead of my Savior. That's when I am looking at the wrong picture, like staring at a few pieces of a puzzle scattered on the floor. My Savior sees - no, He even painted! - the master picture that shows what the completed puzzle will reveal. And I am sighing and moaning and complaining about having to find two or three pieces to fit together for the Master. I sigh over my toils and lack of "results" when He does not ask me to catch the fish, only to go fishing!
Let me cheerfully do my little part while still on earth. Let me not forget the rest of the verses but say-
... nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
And remember how our LORD is faithful to carry out His Will.
"And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking."
May my faith in the Lord give me strength to keep on "fishing" and to keep trusting Him to multiply my feeble efforts, whether I ever see the fish or whether it is for another to haul up the load.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
The Whole Word of God
"The Word of God well understood and religiously obeyed is the shortest route to spiritual perfection. And we must not select a few favorite passages to the exclusion of others. Nothing less than a whole Bible can make a whole Christian."
- A.W. Tozer
My 6yo is learning to read and he is doing it by reading about what was created on each day of creation. It struck me that even a 6yo can understand that the account in Genesis and the interpretation of "millions of years" just can't be reconciled. He said "But it says right here Mom 'the evening and the morning were the first day' so how can it be millions of years if it's just an evening and a morning?" Then later he said, "Don't plants need the sun to grow? Well, if God made the plants before he made the sun they couldn't live long without it and so it couldn't be millions of years between the plants being made and the sun." There are so many Christians trying to "reconcile" (aka compromise) between scientific theory and the Bible that it breaks my heart. Scientific fact never conflicts with the Bible, only man's theories do. And personally, I'll take the Word of the only One who was here at creation for the order in which He created it versus man's theories any day. For years I tried to reconcile the two, thinking it wasn't "intelligent" to accept the literal creation, that man's theories of radioisotope carbon dating and geological timetables were "proof". This led to my discounting the whole Word of God, even the Glory of the Gospel, and it took me years to come back around to recognizing that any "discrepancies" were only when I placed man's knowledge above that of the Living Lord. No, I cannot answer all of the scientific questions you or I may ask. No, I am not a world-class physicist or chemist or theologian. That's the beauty of the Word of God. Simple enough so that all can understand. Like being born in a stable so that no one could ever feel too lowly, or dying the most painful death imaginable so that no sufferer could feel left out. His marvelous, unfathomable message is made simple enough for anyone who seeks truth to understand the message even if our hearts cannot comprehend His love that produced the message. Even a 6yo beginner reader can understand it. Even me.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
- A.W. Tozer
My 6yo is learning to read and he is doing it by reading about what was created on each day of creation. It struck me that even a 6yo can understand that the account in Genesis and the interpretation of "millions of years" just can't be reconciled. He said "But it says right here Mom 'the evening and the morning were the first day' so how can it be millions of years if it's just an evening and a morning?" Then later he said, "Don't plants need the sun to grow? Well, if God made the plants before he made the sun they couldn't live long without it and so it couldn't be millions of years between the plants being made and the sun." There are so many Christians trying to "reconcile" (aka compromise) between scientific theory and the Bible that it breaks my heart. Scientific fact never conflicts with the Bible, only man's theories do. And personally, I'll take the Word of the only One who was here at creation for the order in which He created it versus man's theories any day. For years I tried to reconcile the two, thinking it wasn't "intelligent" to accept the literal creation, that man's theories of radioisotope carbon dating and geological timetables were "proof". This led to my discounting the whole Word of God, even the Glory of the Gospel, and it took me years to come back around to recognizing that any "discrepancies" were only when I placed man's knowledge above that of the Living Lord. No, I cannot answer all of the scientific questions you or I may ask. No, I am not a world-class physicist or chemist or theologian. That's the beauty of the Word of God. Simple enough so that all can understand. Like being born in a stable so that no one could ever feel too lowly, or dying the most painful death imaginable so that no sufferer could feel left out. His marvelous, unfathomable message is made simple enough for anyone who seeks truth to understand the message even if our hearts cannot comprehend His love that produced the message. Even a 6yo beginner reader can understand it. Even me.
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
“ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
Thursday, September 18, 2008
We Resolve -
"Resolve" - 1) to deal with successfully; make clear and understandable, 2) to reach a firm decision about, 3) to declare by formal resolution
Recently I read two good books for parents. Actually, I re-read the first one "Let Us Highly Resolve" by David and Shirley Quine.
I heard them speak at a homeschool conference years ago and read a friend's copy of it but found a cheap used copy a few weeks ago and re-read it - well worth the money and time! The second book is called "Parenting in the Pew" by Robbie Castleman. 
It always amazes me how the Lord leads us along and teaches us things. I need to backtrack a little to tell you what I mean.
For years my hubby and I had no real goals or "resolutions" written down. Oh, we had talked about and agreed that we wanted "good children", a "nice house", and "good things" like every other family we knew. We were different from most only in the fact that we wanted children fairly soon after we were married and we wanted at least three children, even with both of us working long hours and crazy schedules. But things changed in 1992. Our marriage and family were a shambles even though we had lots of money, a very nice large home, all the latest toys and gadgets, traveled when and where we wanted, etc. Thankfully we had been raised by Christian parents and we knew in our hearts what was missing. Jesus Christ wasn't Lord of our lives. So we both knelt on the cold kitchen floor one late night and poured out our hearts to Christ, giving them over to Him. Within hours we both were hungry for the Word and looking for Bible studies (BSF was such a blessing to us both), within weeks we were making the decision to sell our home, investments and assets so that I could quit work and stay home with the children and shortly thereafter we made the decision to homeschool. Within a few years we turned over the one area of our lives that we had maintained "control of" - the ability to have children. God saw fit to bless us with two more children (and two babies in heaven). Now you think this is a "happily ever after" story but unfortunately this is the story of two real people in real life. Yes, Christ is our joy. Yes, we did make the right decision to turn everything over to Him. But no, we have made many, many more mistakes and are still having to come face-to-face with our shortcomings (and always will). But YES, Christ is always there. HE is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow regardless of us. THANKFULLY!!
Here we are 16 years later still learning some pretty basic lessons. In 1992 we made some "resolutions" about turning things over to Christ. He enabled us to complete those. Now we realize we need more resolutions - not just for ourselves but more importantly for our family as a whole. That may seem ironic to those of you who think that our family is shrinking (children grown or growing up) but if you have older children you know that no matter their age or yours you are still a family and actually it continues to grow as you add daughter- or son-in-laws, grandchildren,etc. Since early this year God has been teaching us that we need to have some written "Resolves".
Months ago a friend sent me an article with the resolutions that Cotton Mather had made as a parent. Go HERE to see the full text - it is tremendous!! I took those and summarized them into 20 points and have kept it posted on my fridge. They are very comprehensive and somewhat daunting in task but each day I try to read ONE point and remember it throughout the day. In addition, I read these to my children occasionally so that they can understand why we do what we do (or attempt to do!). After re-reading "Let us Highly Resolve" my hubby and I are working on rewording and reworking the Mather list with practical ideas to make it come about. For instance, point 3 "Pray daily for each in fervency and agony" is pretty clear but we want to be sure that we not only pray individually but more often together as spouses and as a family. And what, you ask, does "Parenting in the Pew" have to do with this? Well, we have been bothered for some time about how our children "tune out" the worship service although they are beside us they are not "with" us, and this book is a great help in why and how to make the service one in which your children understand that we go to worship God, not just go to church. It ties in directly with several of our resolutions, including "Teach Biblical Principles and Doctrines", "Teach them to pray", "Talk and listen about sermon points", "Teach true meanings of Holidays and traditions", etc. So today we HIGHLY RESOLVE to continue to work and fight and be diligent and work and toil to ensure that our children understand spiritual truths. In fact, it's the only thing worth resolving.
Recently I read two good books for parents. Actually, I re-read the first one "Let Us Highly Resolve" by David and Shirley Quine.
I heard them speak at a homeschool conference years ago and read a friend's copy of it but found a cheap used copy a few weeks ago and re-read it - well worth the money and time! The second book is called "Parenting in the Pew" by Robbie Castleman. 
It always amazes me how the Lord leads us along and teaches us things. I need to backtrack a little to tell you what I mean.For years my hubby and I had no real goals or "resolutions" written down. Oh, we had talked about and agreed that we wanted "good children", a "nice house", and "good things" like every other family we knew. We were different from most only in the fact that we wanted children fairly soon after we were married and we wanted at least three children, even with both of us working long hours and crazy schedules. But things changed in 1992. Our marriage and family were a shambles even though we had lots of money, a very nice large home, all the latest toys and gadgets, traveled when and where we wanted, etc. Thankfully we had been raised by Christian parents and we knew in our hearts what was missing. Jesus Christ wasn't Lord of our lives. So we both knelt on the cold kitchen floor one late night and poured out our hearts to Christ, giving them over to Him. Within hours we both were hungry for the Word and looking for Bible studies (BSF was such a blessing to us both), within weeks we were making the decision to sell our home, investments and assets so that I could quit work and stay home with the children and shortly thereafter we made the decision to homeschool. Within a few years we turned over the one area of our lives that we had maintained "control of" - the ability to have children. God saw fit to bless us with two more children (and two babies in heaven). Now you think this is a "happily ever after" story but unfortunately this is the story of two real people in real life. Yes, Christ is our joy. Yes, we did make the right decision to turn everything over to Him. But no, we have made many, many more mistakes and are still having to come face-to-face with our shortcomings (and always will). But YES, Christ is always there. HE is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow regardless of us. THANKFULLY!!
Here we are 16 years later still learning some pretty basic lessons. In 1992 we made some "resolutions" about turning things over to Christ. He enabled us to complete those. Now we realize we need more resolutions - not just for ourselves but more importantly for our family as a whole. That may seem ironic to those of you who think that our family is shrinking (children grown or growing up) but if you have older children you know that no matter their age or yours you are still a family and actually it continues to grow as you add daughter- or son-in-laws, grandchildren,etc. Since early this year God has been teaching us that we need to have some written "Resolves".
Months ago a friend sent me an article with the resolutions that Cotton Mather had made as a parent. Go HERE to see the full text - it is tremendous!! I took those and summarized them into 20 points and have kept it posted on my fridge. They are very comprehensive and somewhat daunting in task but each day I try to read ONE point and remember it throughout the day. In addition, I read these to my children occasionally so that they can understand why we do what we do (or attempt to do!). After re-reading "Let us Highly Resolve" my hubby and I are working on rewording and reworking the Mather list with practical ideas to make it come about. For instance, point 3 "Pray daily for each in fervency and agony" is pretty clear but we want to be sure that we not only pray individually but more often together as spouses and as a family. And what, you ask, does "Parenting in the Pew" have to do with this? Well, we have been bothered for some time about how our children "tune out" the worship service although they are beside us they are not "with" us, and this book is a great help in why and how to make the service one in which your children understand that we go to worship God, not just go to church. It ties in directly with several of our resolutions, including "Teach Biblical Principles and Doctrines", "Teach them to pray", "Talk and listen about sermon points", "Teach true meanings of Holidays and traditions", etc. So today we HIGHLY RESOLVE to continue to work and fight and be diligent and work and toil to ensure that our children understand spiritual truths. In fact, it's the only thing worth resolving.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Awanas Awards
Last Sunday my children received their
ribbons and awards and applause (and ice cream afterward!) for the many verses they had learned this year. It is much easier for one of my children to memorize than the other and sometimes it seems a little unfair how much harder it comes but I am so thrilled and pleased that they are learning the verses and more importantly, we are trying to get them to apply them to their hearts. We have really enjoyed our participation in this program for the past 2.5 years and I am praying that we can continue to participate (there is discussion about moving it to Sunday afternoons which would make it difficult or impossible for us to continue). Anyway, as my Granny used to say "Don't borrow trouble up ahead, honey" so we will wait and see the outcome of discussions. For now, we will continue to review and even learn a few new things in preparation for next year. My 6 yo knows his New Testament books so we will spend the summer learning the Old Testament and the 23rd Psalm. My 9yo will work on learning two long passages and we will all as a family work on trying to get better at living out the Word! We're not doing the "summer" mid-week program as it is mostly play and with gas prices (we drive about 25 minutes each way) and the rigors of gardening and 
summer schedules, we opted not to do it this summer. Later in June we will participate in VBS but that will be all of the non-Sunday activities until fall.
ribbons and awards and applause (and ice cream afterward!) for the many verses they had learned this year. It is much easier for one of my children to memorize than the other and sometimes it seems a little unfair how much harder it comes but I am so thrilled and pleased that they are learning the verses and more importantly, we are trying to get them to apply them to their hearts. We have really enjoyed our participation in this program for the past 2.5 years and I am praying that we can continue to participate (there is discussion about moving it to Sunday afternoons which would make it difficult or impossible for us to continue). Anyway, as my Granny used to say "Don't borrow trouble up ahead, honey" so we will wait and see the outcome of discussions. For now, we will continue to review and even learn a few new things in preparation for next year. My 6 yo knows his New Testament books so we will spend the summer learning the Old Testament and the 23rd Psalm. My 9yo will work on learning two long passages and we will all as a family work on trying to get better at living out the Word! We're not doing the "summer" mid-week program as it is mostly play and with gas prices (we drive about 25 minutes each way) and the rigors of gardening and 
summer schedules, we opted not to do it this summer. Later in June we will participate in VBS but that will be all of the non-Sunday activities until fall.
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