How Are We to Live? OR Becoming what You Are.
My wife Rosie’s recent hearing loss has impacted us both immensely. It has drawn her closer to the Lord in looking for answers and seeking His strength. In doing so, she has been spending literally hours in the Word and listening to John Macarthur sermons. Her newfound “love” of the scriptures and closer relationship with God has brought to light my need for a new commitment to my walk with Him. We have started listening and studying together several sermon series by Macarthur. The first series we did together was on the believers armor which we listened to on our recent trip to Iowa. The second one which I’d like to share with you here is the first two hours on a study of our Christian walk.
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Where is your hope?
This last Christmas, my wonderful wife gave me the book Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy written by Eric Metaxas which I have been reading since Christmas day and am only half way through it (I’m a slow reader). The book is an open, honest account of a young Lutheran theologian in Hitler’s Germany who stood against Nazi tyranny during the rise of the Third Reich.
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Take Off The Mask and Stand Firm
How is it, we as Christians believe one thing but end up doing the exact opposite? In reading a study on pride by Russell Kelfer he says, “Pride is preoccupation with self. In its most recognizable form, it is called self- exaltation. In its more subtle form it is called self- condemnation. One manifests itself as conceit: the other as insecurity. One calls attention to its goodness, the other to its badness. But both call attention to self. And self, you remember, is dead!” He then goes on to say, ”But self died on Calvary. You’re simply trying to call attention to a corpse, while a brand new vibrant life in you in the person of Jesus Christ waits to be set free to call attention to His life in you, instead. So pride, then, is preoccupation with a part of you that does not actually even exist. No wonder God wants it stopped.”
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ONE YEAR AND SEVEN MONTHS = FORTY YEARS?
It has been one year and seven months since I lost my job and this last episode of the journey in which I failed miserably to obtain a job has brought shame, doubt, pain, disappointment, complaining, and thought’s of why me Lord, why not my dog!
In the middle of working through these latest events in my life and researching materials for this article, I can’t help but relate to the Israelites and their wilderness experience.
Why did God “lead” the Israelites around in circles through the wilderness for forty years, when in fact it’s only an eleven day journey to Canaan?
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Living Faith
What good is it my brothers if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed.” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 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. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and they shudder.
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SOVEREIGN PURPOSE
I came across a new radio station this last month that some of you might enjoy listening to. It’s called Rejoice Radio, out of Florida, rebroadcast at 89.7 on your FM dial with it’s transmitter in Princeton, MN. While out and about a couple of weeks ago, I listened to part of a sermon they were broadcasting on the program “Into His Likeness”. Typically when I think about the word “mentoring” I think of meeting with someone on a regular basis for spiritual teaching or counseling.
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My Only Hope Is In The Lord
It is amazing to me how easy it is to fall back into hopelessness during a trial the Lord is allowing in my life. One week I can be on top of the world and the next day I can be downright depressed. Trials, when compared to each other can look like one would be more severe than the other. However to the person experiencing the lesser trouble in comparison, the suffering can be just as real and severe as the other.
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Pity Party or Victory?
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:35-37 Its amazing to me how, at times, when reading through passages of the Bible some words that should be examined seem to go in one eye and out the other and at other times something jumps right out at you and screams for more examination. Such is so for me with this passage, in particular “we are more than conquerors”. I read this the other day and thought what does it mean to be more than a conqueror? I had no idea, so it was time to do some digging.
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Join In God’s Character
It makes sense that if the Bible is God speaking to us, then “the Holy Spirit comes to us through the Word” as Martin Luther has said. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. II Peter 1:3-4
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WHO AM I ………. REALLY
One morning this past week as I was praying about some struggles I was going through, I thought; “precisely, who am I in Christ, and if that’s who I am, is that how I am living?” I started digging.
In Christ, I am accepted:
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, John 1:12 I am God’s child
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