Ephesians 2:8–9 (NIV)
8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
James 2:17–18 (NIV)
17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
Salvation is all of grace, nothing we can do will merit it,But if Jesus is your Lord then you will be obedient. Faith without some signs of obedient is dead.He reigns in Heaven and He also should reign in our hearts. He loves us so much He died for our sake, the least we can do is obey His word. I have not been as faithful as I should be in reading my bible. I am finally doing it daily and I must say it feels so good. I started at John and I am now reading Romans and then I will read the rest of the Epistle's. And I will then go on to what the Lord wants me to read. There are so many good books to read out there but I think we should focus more on the word of God, it has so much to say and as we continue to read it we see new things that we may not have understood and now are inlightened. God is so good as His word is also.
Once we truly grasp the message of the New Testament, it is impossible to read the Old Testament again without seeing Christ on every page, in every story, foreshadowed or anticipated in every event and narrative. The Bible must be read as a whole, beginning with Genesis and ending with Revelation, letting promise and fulfillment guide our expectations for what we will find there. MICHAEL HORTON
Consider some of the serious implications of Jesus' lordship:
1. Lordship implies our entire submission from the outset. It is a strange salvation that knows nothing about daily submission to Christ the Lord.
2. Lordship implies our willing service.
The most outstanding conversion in the history of the church was that of the apostle Paul, recorded in Acts 9. It is interesting to note two questions Paul asked in verses 5 and 6: "Who are you, Lord?" and "What do you want me to do?" These are questions of a willing servant.
3. Lordship implies obedience. Jesus Said in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?"
4. Lordship implies ownership. If Jesus is my Lord, He owns me lock, stock, and barrel.
Ernest C. Reisinger
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness
The Bible is literally "God-breathed", that alone should entice us to read it.It is our instruction book for our life, it is God speaking to His children. Lord please help me continue to absorb your word and may I continually apply it to my life by being obedient to you.
Lord what would you want me to do today?
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Friday, July 17, 2009
PRIDE IS ARTIFICIAL, HUMILITY MAKES US REAL
Pride is one thing we are all struggle with sometime in our walk, sometimes daily. Pride is such a battle at times, you ask yourself "Did you do that good deed for the Lord, or for your own glory?",I know I question myself quite often.
God wants us humble in spirit, He wants us to think of others before ourselves, He wants us on our knees seeking His every purpose. Oh how I fail Him daily, I do not deserve all the Love He bestows upon me, all the forgiveness of my discretion's. Augustine said,"Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them, isn't that the truth? We do good and we take the glory for it. God deserves all the glory, not us, not us earthly creatures, we are but a worm without God, we are but a heap of dust.
When you meet a brother or sister that are full of humility, you surely see a difference in them. It is like they glow,there is a contentment in them,
When we look back on Christ Life it was a life of Humility from the time He was born in a manger till the day He hung on the cross for our desecration's, His whole life was to lead up to dying painfully on the cross for His Sheep, the Elect. This is the greatest example of Humility we will ever know about.There was no glory in what He did, the pain He suffered the last days of His life, it was the greatest example of Love shown, He laid down His life for His own.
Philippians 2:7 "He made himself nothing, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing
Seeing this example doesn't He deserve for us to show humility in our walk? Lord please help those that know you as their Savior to walk in Humility.
Zep 2:3 (NRSV) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord's wrath.
Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus".
Mat 11:29 (NRSV) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Eph 4:1-2 (NRSV) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Col 3:12 (NRSV) As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
1 Pet 3:8 (NRSV) .... all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Mat 18:4 (NRSV) Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
God wants us humble in spirit, He wants us to think of others before ourselves, He wants us on our knees seeking His every purpose. Oh how I fail Him daily, I do not deserve all the Love He bestows upon me, all the forgiveness of my discretion's. Augustine said,"Other sins find their vent in the accomplishment of evil deeds, whereas pride lies in wait for good deeds, to destroy them, isn't that the truth? We do good and we take the glory for it. God deserves all the glory, not us, not us earthly creatures, we are but a worm without God, we are but a heap of dust.
When you meet a brother or sister that are full of humility, you surely see a difference in them. It is like they glow,there is a contentment in them,
When we look back on Christ Life it was a life of Humility from the time He was born in a manger till the day He hung on the cross for our desecration's, His whole life was to lead up to dying painfully on the cross for His Sheep, the Elect. This is the greatest example of Humility we will ever know about.There was no glory in what He did, the pain He suffered the last days of His life, it was the greatest example of Love shown, He laid down His life for His own.
Philippians 2:7 "He made himself nothing, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." He emptied Himself and made Himself nothing
Seeing this example doesn't He deserve for us to show humility in our walk? Lord please help those that know you as their Savior to walk in Humility.
Zep 2:3 (NRSV) Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, who do his commands; seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you may be hidden on the day of the Lord's wrath.
Philippians 2:5 "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus".
Mat 11:29 (NRSV) Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Eph 4:1-2 (NRSV) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Col 3:12 (NRSV) As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.
1 Pet 3:8 (NRSV) .... all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
Mat 18:4 (NRSV) Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
THE PEARL OYSTER
I wish, brothers and sisters, that we could all imitate "the pearl oyster"—A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot reject the evil, but what does it do but "cover" it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl! Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which otherwise would have harmed us.
—Charles Spurgeon
—Charles Spurgeon
Saturday, July 04, 2009
DRIFTING
I read this today from JONI AND FRIENDS and thought it so worth sharing. It spoke to me because there are times in my walk that I drift and it is not hard to do if you do not focus on Christ and make you every day about Him and not yourself. Please Lord help me keep focused on YOU....
Drifting
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
--Hebrews 2:1
Do you recall, as a child, riding your rubber mat on the gentle waves of the ocean? I remember the warm sun and the rocking motion almost sending me off to sleep. In fact, I once did just that. When a giant swell woke me up, I raised my head and realized with horror how far from shore I had been carried away. A strong current had caught me and carried me down the beach. I don't know how it happened... and so quickly! I didn't realize how far I had drifted away until the moment I saw that great distance between me and my family further up the beach.
Drifting can be dangerous. Always, always there are currents pulling at us. Always we are swimming upstream, against the tide. There is always the temptation to drift, and we never realize how far we are carried away until we see Christ... until we see the others from whom we have parted. It is possible for any of us to drift spiritually or morally. No one is immune. Think of the powerful currents in your life that would carry you along unless you "kept at the oars" to control the direction. There is the current of social opinion or fad. There is a current of personal desire, of doing the things you want to do. Lust is a powerful undertow. Materialism is a relentless tug.
Following God does not come easy. Today, anchor yourself with a recommitment to keep at the oars, to keep rowing against those strong undertows. Let's not be lolled to sleep and carried away.
* * * * *
Someone has said, "Sow a thought, reap an action... sow an action, reap a habit... sow a habit, reap a character." Drifting from God starts in small ways with little thoughts. To keep the current of your thoughts in line, find a King James Bible and look up 2 Corinthians 10:5. Can your thoughts be controlled? Who gives you the power to do so?
Lord, you are a lighthouse for me, a center point, a high tower. I can always tell whether or not I'm drifting by looking to see how close, or how far from you I am. Keep me anchored near you.
Drifting
We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
--Hebrews 2:1
Do you recall, as a child, riding your rubber mat on the gentle waves of the ocean? I remember the warm sun and the rocking motion almost sending me off to sleep. In fact, I once did just that. When a giant swell woke me up, I raised my head and realized with horror how far from shore I had been carried away. A strong current had caught me and carried me down the beach. I don't know how it happened... and so quickly! I didn't realize how far I had drifted away until the moment I saw that great distance between me and my family further up the beach.
Drifting can be dangerous. Always, always there are currents pulling at us. Always we are swimming upstream, against the tide. There is always the temptation to drift, and we never realize how far we are carried away until we see Christ... until we see the others from whom we have parted. It is possible for any of us to drift spiritually or morally. No one is immune. Think of the powerful currents in your life that would carry you along unless you "kept at the oars" to control the direction. There is the current of social opinion or fad. There is a current of personal desire, of doing the things you want to do. Lust is a powerful undertow. Materialism is a relentless tug.
Following God does not come easy. Today, anchor yourself with a recommitment to keep at the oars, to keep rowing against those strong undertows. Let's not be lolled to sleep and carried away.
* * * * *
Someone has said, "Sow a thought, reap an action... sow an action, reap a habit... sow a habit, reap a character." Drifting from God starts in small ways with little thoughts. To keep the current of your thoughts in line, find a King James Bible and look up 2 Corinthians 10:5. Can your thoughts be controlled? Who gives you the power to do so?
Lord, you are a lighthouse for me, a center point, a high tower. I can always tell whether or not I'm drifting by looking to see how close, or how far from you I am. Keep me anchored near you.
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