To place ourselves in range of God's choicest gifts, we have to walk with God, work with God, lean on God, cling to God, come to have the sense and feel of God, refer all things to God.
-Cornelius Plantinga, Jr
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
If You Were a Christian
I recently read a very convicting article. I hope that it challenges you, and brings you to your knees, as much as or more than it did for me. It was written by an atheist, and in part he wrote:
If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, then religion would mean to me everything.
I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labor in it's cause alone.
I would take thought for the morrow of eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering.
Earthly consequences would never stay my hand, or seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its griefs, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon eternity alone, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable.
I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be:"WHAT SHALL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?"
William McDonald, True Discipleship (Kansas City, KS: Walterick Publishers, 1975) p, 31
If I firmly believed, as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, then religion would mean to me everything.
I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep sank me into unconsciousness. I should labor in it's cause alone.
I would take thought for the morrow of eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life of suffering.
Earthly consequences would never stay my hand, or seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its griefs, would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon eternity alone, and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable.
I would go forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season, and my text would be:"WHAT SHALL IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAIN THE WHOLE WORLD AND LOSE HIS OWN SOUL?"
William McDonald, True Discipleship (Kansas City, KS: Walterick Publishers, 1975) p, 31
Have You Asked?
A few weeks ago, I listened to a great sermon by Dr. David Gibbs Jr. I thought I would summarize it, since I couldn't find a video or audio of the sermon to share.
Okay, so after Jesus fed the fed the five thousand, He told His disciples to get on a boat and go to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. Matthew 14:23-31 reads, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Now, I don't know if you ever wondered if you could walked on water, or move a mountain, or cast out demons, but I believe my God is the God of the impossible. How? How can we begin to do the impossible?
Pastor David Gibbs Jr. started out his sermon by asking why anyone would want to spend their life only doing great things for God? Sure we can do great things, but anyone can do big things. Our God is the God of the impossible!
But why was it only Peter who got to walk on the water? There could have been 12 disciple walking on the water.
If we want to do the impossible for God we need to ask. We shouldn't just say "Father, let me do impossible things for you." We should be specific. Dr. Gibbs gave one example of a father who ask the Lord to let him provide for his family on only ten percent. The man wanted to give 90% of all his money to God. His wife, after hearing about it, added it up in front of her husband multiple times. And each time they came to the conclusion: this is impossible.
After we ask we need to get our eyes off the conditions. Peter could have said, "Lord, before I walk on water, maybe we should wait for light out. Oh, and you know what, Jesus? I really think you should make the wind and the waves stop first. You have to change a few of these conditions before You bid me to come unto You on the water."
We need to ask, we need to get our eyes off the conditions and we also need to let go of our plan B. When we have a plan B (or sometimes plan B, C, D and E) we are saying "Jesus, I'm asking You for something, but I don't really have faith in You."
The final thing we've got to do is get out of the boat. The man I mentioned earlier, he gave God 90% of his money and the small business he was running from his garage grew so much that he was able to, on the 10% support 300 missionaries, and his family!
(Now I really didn't do that sermon justice, it was a great sermon. If you can ever get a hold of "Have You Asked?" by Dr. David Gibbs Jr. you have got to get it!)
Okay, so after Jesus fed the fed the five thousand, He told His disciples to get on a boat and go to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. Matthew 14:23-31 reads, "And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"
Now, I don't know if you ever wondered if you could walked on water, or move a mountain, or cast out demons, but I believe my God is the God of the impossible. How? How can we begin to do the impossible?
Pastor David Gibbs Jr. started out his sermon by asking why anyone would want to spend their life only doing great things for God? Sure we can do great things, but anyone can do big things. Our God is the God of the impossible!
But why was it only Peter who got to walk on the water? There could have been 12 disciple walking on the water.
If we want to do the impossible for God we need to ask. We shouldn't just say "Father, let me do impossible things for you." We should be specific. Dr. Gibbs gave one example of a father who ask the Lord to let him provide for his family on only ten percent. The man wanted to give 90% of all his money to God. His wife, after hearing about it, added it up in front of her husband multiple times. And each time they came to the conclusion: this is impossible.
After we ask we need to get our eyes off the conditions. Peter could have said, "Lord, before I walk on water, maybe we should wait for light out. Oh, and you know what, Jesus? I really think you should make the wind and the waves stop first. You have to change a few of these conditions before You bid me to come unto You on the water."
We need to ask, we need to get our eyes off the conditions and we also need to let go of our plan B. When we have a plan B (or sometimes plan B, C, D and E) we are saying "Jesus, I'm asking You for something, but I don't really have faith in You."
The final thing we've got to do is get out of the boat. The man I mentioned earlier, he gave God 90% of his money and the small business he was running from his garage grew so much that he was able to, on the 10% support 300 missionaries, and his family!
(Now I really didn't do that sermon justice, it was a great sermon. If you can ever get a hold of "Have You Asked?" by Dr. David Gibbs Jr. you have got to get it!)
Monday, April 25, 2011
He Is Risen! He Is Risen!
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Tell it out with joyful voice
He has burst the three days' prison, let the whole wide earth rejioce
Death is conquered, we are free, Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory.
Come, ye sad and fearful hearted, with glad smile as brightest sun:
Nights long shadows have departed; all His suff'ring now is done,
And the passion that He bore: sin and pain can harm no more.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Risen to a holy state:
We are free from sin's dark prison, He has opened heaven's gate.
Death is conquered, we are free; Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory!
He has burst the three days' prison, let the whole wide earth rejioce
Death is conquered, we are free, Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory.
Come, ye sad and fearful hearted, with glad smile as brightest sun:
Nights long shadows have departed; all His suff'ring now is done,
And the passion that He bore: sin and pain can harm no more.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Risen to a holy state:
We are free from sin's dark prison, He has opened heaven's gate.
Death is conquered, we are free; Christ has won the victory.
He Is Risen! He Is Risen! Christ has won the victory!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Before He Was Crucified
We're about a week away from Resurrection Sunday. Christ knew what would take place; He told His disciples to be ready, "saying, the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day" (Lk. 9:22/Mark 8:31)
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray one more than one occasion. (Matt 6:6,Luke 8:9-14, Matt 6:9-13, etc.)
Jesus took time to pray all throughout His ministry. Right before Jesus did His sermon on the mount in Luke (6:12), it says "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God". He prayed all night long!
I believe a Christian is only as strong as his/her prayer life. Prayer is vital yet we all so often make it secondary. Praying should never just be incidental.
R. F. Horton said, “Therefore, whether the desire for prayer is on you or not, get to your closet at the set time; shut yourself in with God; wait upon Him; seek His face; realize Him; pray.”
Jesus told His disciples "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is." (Mark 13:33)
"Oh brother, pray; in spite of satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper - and sleep too - than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber." ~Andrew A. Bonar
We have been given such a great gift, the power of prayer! When we pray in Christ's name we have done, I believe, the greatest thing we can do. To continue in prayer, to pray without ceasing, is to grow closer to God, it is gaining power to do all things through Christ.
The apostles did great miracles but it started with prayer: Acts 6:4 says, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." One of my favorite quotes on prayer is by Martin Luther. He said, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer."
Two or three hours just for the morning! What a great change we would see if more Christians fought daily on their knees!
“Depend upon it, if you are bent on prayer, the devil will not leave you alone. He will molest you, tantalize you, block you, and will surely find some hindrances, big or little or both. And we sometimes fail because we are ignorant of his devices…I do not think he minds our praying about things if we leave it at that. What he minds, and opposes steadily, is the prayer that prays on until it is prayed through, assured of the answer.” Mary Warburton Booth
"Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him for ten days, that the Spirit’s power might be manifested? We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power." Hudson Taylor
Before Christ was crucified He spent the night in prayer. But what did He pray for? He told Peter that if He had prayed for it, God would have provided Him with more than twelve legions of angels. But he instead prayed, "not as I will, but as You will". Jesus gave the perfect example of prayer when He said, "Your will be done."
So often I have felt that I was praying for God's will, when in actuality, I was praying for what I thought was best.
I found quite a few great quotes here. I hope you go check them out.
"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying." ~Paul E. Billheimer
"What is the conclusion then? I will pray" (1 Corinthians 14:15a)
God Bless,
Jesus taught His disciples how to pray one more than one occasion. (Matt 6:6,Luke 8:9-14, Matt 6:9-13, etc.)
Jesus took time to pray all throughout His ministry. Right before Jesus did His sermon on the mount in Luke (6:12), it says "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God". He prayed all night long!
I believe a Christian is only as strong as his/her prayer life. Prayer is vital yet we all so often make it secondary. Praying should never just be incidental.
R. F. Horton said, “Therefore, whether the desire for prayer is on you or not, get to your closet at the set time; shut yourself in with God; wait upon Him; seek His face; realize Him; pray.”
Jesus told His disciples "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is." (Mark 13:33)
"Oh brother, pray; in spite of satan, pray; spend hours in prayer; rather neglect friends than not pray; rather fast, and lose breakfast, dinner, tea, and supper - and sleep too - than not pray. And we must not talk about prayer, we must pray in right earnest. The Lord is near. He comes softly while the virgins slumber." ~Andrew A. Bonar
We have been given such a great gift, the power of prayer! When we pray in Christ's name we have done, I believe, the greatest thing we can do. To continue in prayer, to pray without ceasing, is to grow closer to God, it is gaining power to do all things through Christ.
The apostles did great miracles but it started with prayer: Acts 6:4 says, "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word." One of my favorite quotes on prayer is by Martin Luther. He said, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer."
Two or three hours just for the morning! What a great change we would see if more Christians fought daily on their knees!
“Depend upon it, if you are bent on prayer, the devil will not leave you alone. He will molest you, tantalize you, block you, and will surely find some hindrances, big or little or both. And we sometimes fail because we are ignorant of his devices…I do not think he minds our praying about things if we leave it at that. What he minds, and opposes steadily, is the prayer that prays on until it is prayed through, assured of the answer.” Mary Warburton Booth
"Since the days of Pentecost, has the whole church ever put aside every other work and waited upon Him for ten days, that the Spirit’s power might be manifested? We give too much attention to method and machinery and resources, and too little to the source of power." Hudson Taylor
Before Christ was crucified He spent the night in prayer. But what did He pray for? He told Peter that if He had prayed for it, God would have provided Him with more than twelve legions of angels. But he instead prayed, "not as I will, but as You will". Jesus gave the perfect example of prayer when He said, "Your will be done."
So often I have felt that I was praying for God's will, when in actuality, I was praying for what I thought was best.
I found quite a few great quotes here. I hope you go check them out.
"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying." ~Paul E. Billheimer
"What is the conclusion then? I will pray" (1 Corinthians 14:15a)
God Bless,
Friday, April 15, 2011
Close To Thee
Thou my everlasting portion,
more than friend or life to me,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Close to thee, close to thee,
close to thee, close to thee,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
nor for fame my prayer shall be;
gladly will I toil and suffer,
only let me walk with thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
bear me o'er life's fitful sea;
then the gate of life eternal
may I enter, Lord, with thee.
more than friend or life to me,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Close to thee, close to thee,
close to thee, close to thee,
all along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
nor for fame my prayer shall be;
gladly will I toil and suffer,
only let me walk with thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
bear me o'er life's fitful sea;
then the gate of life eternal
may I enter, Lord, with thee.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Let Me See As You See, Lord
Teach me to number my days aright. that I may gain a heart of wisdom . . . Satisfy me in the morning with your unfailing love, that I may sing for joy and be glad all my days. – Psalm 90: 12,14
If you would live in victory over the circumstances, great and small, that come to you each day . . . and if you want God's life and power to well up from the depths of your being . . . then you must refuse to be dominated by the seen and the felt.
You say: "I could climb mountains if God asked me to. That would be a joy!
"But here I stand, on this dreary seashore of my life, looking over this dreary backwash bay and a drearier shoreline - and beyond that, inland, no mountains. Nothing invigorating, or inspiring. Nothing hard enough to inspire anyone . . .
"The whole of my life is like that these days - not hard, just dull. I would have chosen challenging over dull. A challenge that would make me want to achieve at any cost. It's this useless feeling that's so devastating."
God says: "Have you looked up?"
"Up? I see nothing but a mass of clouds overhead. That's all."
"And nothing beyond those clouds? Look again. Don't you see the hint of light beyond them? Aren't the clouds themselves a marvel of controlled power - reminders of the pillars of cloud and of fire?"
"I must confess, my spiritual vision has failed, what with waiting so long upon my God."
'So long…?'
You need to grow in patience. For after you have done the will of God, you must learn to wait to receive the full extent of His promise.
It is written: "As for me, when I am poor and feeling heavy, Your help, O God, will lift me up. I wait patiently, trusting that You will lift me up." And it is also written: "I will abide in patience, and will praise you more and more."
So I ask: have you tried to face your life - those dull, dreary days - with the lifting power of praise?
You must look steadfastly through the visible, until the invisible opens up to you.
My father, so often I get weighed down under the demands of my own life. Sometimes I see little purpose in the endless repetition of little duties. Jobs done today, that need doing again tomorrow. What is it, in the daily work you have given me to do, that is of eternal value to you? Lift my sights, Lord. Let me see today, and each duty in this day, as you see it.
[From 'I Come Quietly To Meet You', Ch. 9. Amy Carmichael/David Hazard]
If you would live in victory over the circumstances, great and small, that come to you each day . . . and if you want God's life and power to well up from the depths of your being . . . then you must refuse to be dominated by the seen and the felt.
You say: "I could climb mountains if God asked me to. That would be a joy!
"But here I stand, on this dreary seashore of my life, looking over this dreary backwash bay and a drearier shoreline - and beyond that, inland, no mountains. Nothing invigorating, or inspiring. Nothing hard enough to inspire anyone . . .
"The whole of my life is like that these days - not hard, just dull. I would have chosen challenging over dull. A challenge that would make me want to achieve at any cost. It's this useless feeling that's so devastating."
God says: "Have you looked up?"
"Up? I see nothing but a mass of clouds overhead. That's all."
"And nothing beyond those clouds? Look again. Don't you see the hint of light beyond them? Aren't the clouds themselves a marvel of controlled power - reminders of the pillars of cloud and of fire?"
"I must confess, my spiritual vision has failed, what with waiting so long upon my God."
'So long…?'
You need to grow in patience. For after you have done the will of God, you must learn to wait to receive the full extent of His promise.
It is written: "As for me, when I am poor and feeling heavy, Your help, O God, will lift me up. I wait patiently, trusting that You will lift me up." And it is also written: "I will abide in patience, and will praise you more and more."
So I ask: have you tried to face your life - those dull, dreary days - with the lifting power of praise?
You must look steadfastly through the visible, until the invisible opens up to you.
My father, so often I get weighed down under the demands of my own life. Sometimes I see little purpose in the endless repetition of little duties. Jobs done today, that need doing again tomorrow. What is it, in the daily work you have given me to do, that is of eternal value to you? Lift my sights, Lord. Let me see today, and each duty in this day, as you see it.
[From 'I Come Quietly To Meet You', Ch. 9. Amy Carmichael/David Hazard]
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
No Longer I But Christ
What if all of the good things you do and the good things you take in -whether by reading, talking with friends, watching a film, etc.- What if your idea of a "good Christian girl" isn't all that God has in store for you. He is calling for more than all that.
"Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God." 1 Thessalonians 4:1
In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
It is giving up our all, it is taking up our cross and following Him!
"We've conveniently reduce salvation to a moment in time when we raise our hand, walk down the front or get baptized or have put our name upon a church role. And we call that salvation. Nothing, of course, is farther from the truth!" ~Ian Thomas
Jesus said "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39)
"Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now." ~Ian Thomas
I look to 1 Corinthains and find the perfect reminder, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (6:19-20)
"We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more... to please God."
May we not stop at "good enough", but may we continue to "abound more and more".
Jesus calls us! By Thy mercies, Saviour, may we hear Your call,
give our hearts to Thine obedience, serve and love Thee best of all.
"Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God." 1 Thessalonians 4:1
In Luke 14:33 Jesus said, "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple."
Being a Christian isn't just a free pass into heaven.
It is giving up our all, it is taking up our cross and following Him!"We've conveniently reduce salvation to a moment in time when we raise our hand, walk down the front or get baptized or have put our name upon a church role. And we call that salvation. Nothing, of course, is farther from the truth!" ~Ian Thomas
Jesus said "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." (Matthew 10:37-39)
"Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now." ~Ian Thomas
I look to 1 Corinthains and find the perfect reminder, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (6:19-20)
"We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more... to please God."
May we not stop at "good enough", but may we continue to "abound more and more".
Jesus calls us! By Thy mercies, Saviour, may we hear Your call,
give our hearts to Thine obedience, serve and love Thee best of all.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Blinded By Blessings
Today is National Barefoot Day. It is supposed to encourage people to think about so many others around the world who don't have any shoes.
I couldn't find out how many pairs of shoes an average american has, but since we're all female I thought it would be fine to have their statistics: the average american woman owns 16-21!
But I don't really think people need shoes. I'm sure you'll agree that they only have one true need: Jesus.
In America we have one ordained minister for every 200 people.
Throughout the entire nation of Afghanistan, 17 million people, there is not one church. Turkey, with some 44 million people, has maybe less than 200 Christians in the entire country. India has a population of one billion people and about 500 million people, that's half the population, are waiting to hear the Good News for the first time.
"You are bombarded with information! You get enough spiritual information in one week that all of China and India people don't get in five years!" -K.P. Yohannan.
Think about it: we get thousands if not millions of christian books, we can find tapes, CDs, videos, DVDs, we can go to conferences, listen to guest speakers, and read Bible commentaries. Most other people in the world get nothing like that!
There are thousands of churches all over mainland China. A church there would be lucky if they have two bibles to share with the entire congregation. The average American household contains four Bibles! In China if they get a bible they tear the pages and give a little to each family and when they are finished with what they have they swap pages. In the entire nation, 1.3 billion people, there is not one Christian book store.
Look in just the town/city you live in; how many Christian book stores do you have? How blessed we are! Let us not take it for granted. Nearly 3 billion people alive today have never heard the name Jesus!
We say "Jesus, I love You." But we do not think about themillions billions of people who will die never knowing God. Hell is real and hell is eternal -forever -it will not end!
Are we living our lives following the great commission or the great omission?
We have been blessed beyond what words can describe. We have been saved from our bondage of sin, though we have done nothing to deserve it!
"As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." (Ps. 106:15-16) You and I are not going to be here forever! Life is but a vapor. We need to give every action, every fiber of our being, in total surrender to Jesus Christ!
"The Cross means self-denial; giving up our own wishes and dreams for the sake of the cross, for the sake of Calvary." K. P. Yohannan
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
I couldn't find out how many pairs of shoes an average american has, but since we're all female I thought it would be fine to have their statistics: the average american woman owns 16-21!
But I don't really think people need shoes. I'm sure you'll agree that they only have one true need: Jesus.
In America we have one ordained minister for every 200 people.
Throughout the entire nation of Afghanistan, 17 million people, there is not one church. Turkey, with some 44 million people, has maybe less than 200 Christians in the entire country. India has a population of one billion people and about 500 million people, that's half the population, are waiting to hear the Good News for the first time.
"You are bombarded with information! You get enough spiritual information in one week that all of China and India people don't get in five years!" -K.P. Yohannan.
Think about it: we get thousands if not millions of christian books, we can find tapes, CDs, videos, DVDs, we can go to conferences, listen to guest speakers, and read Bible commentaries. Most other people in the world get nothing like that!
There are thousands of churches all over mainland China. A church there would be lucky if they have two bibles to share with the entire congregation. The average American household contains four Bibles! In China if they get a bible they tear the pages and give a little to each family and when they are finished with what they have they swap pages. In the entire nation, 1.3 billion people, there is not one Christian book store.
Look in just the town/city you live in; how many Christian book stores do you have? How blessed we are! Let us not take it for granted. Nearly 3 billion people alive today have never heard the name Jesus!
We say "Jesus, I love You." But we do not think about the
Are we living our lives following the great commission or the great omission?
We have been blessed beyond what words can describe. We have been saved from our bondage of sin, though we have done nothing to deserve it!
"As for man, his days are like grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes. For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more." (Ps. 106:15-16) You and I are not going to be here forever! Life is but a vapor. We need to give every action, every fiber of our being, in total surrender to Jesus Christ!
"The Cross means self-denial; giving up our own wishes and dreams for the sake of the cross, for the sake of Calvary." K. P. Yohannan
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s." (1 Cor. 6:19-20)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Give Away
Favorite season, and why? Summer -I guess because I like the heat.
How would you describe your personal style? Heterogeneous. (lol)
What's one weird thing you can do? (The stranger the better!) My ankles crack whenever I walk... I can do a backbend.
Rain or shine? Shine.
Confession time... what's a flaw of yours? A flaw, I have so many... My unconstrained emotions, lack of self-control, pride, wasting time, being self-centered, not being a cheerful worker. (I better stop now...)
Favorite music? I love hymns. (It's nice to listen to them in different languages too.)
Have you ever made a decision you instantly regretted? What was it? Are you kidding me! That is like 'What's a flaw of yours?'
Who do you admire/look up to? My grandmother.
You've just won an unlimited lifetime supply of... what? Nothing, I already won a life time supply of time with Christ.
If you were an animal, what would you be? A moody, hard to train horse.
If you knew you were going to die in a year, what would you do with your time? Ha. I would do the exact same thing I am doing. What I might want to do and what I would do are two different things.
You're now a gazillionaire... where do you go to spend your money? HIS little feet / Gospel for Asia
Classical music: love it or hate it? Love.
Phobias? Persistent, abnormal, and irrational fears- haven't got any (I think).
Hop on a plane and go live somewhere for a year... where is it, and why? If I felt God telling me to go, then South America I suppose.
Are you an extrovert or an introvert? Extrovert.
Would you/do you perform on stage? I would and have.
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