In the disciple's prayer (Matthew 6:9-15), Jesus instructs them to pray, "thy kingdom come". John MacArthur says in his commentary on Matthew that "our greatest desire should be to see the Lord reigning as King in His kingdom....His program and His plan should be the preoccupation of our lives and of our prayers." He goes on to say that "sinful man could not be a part of a divine reign. That is why we do not advance God's kingdom by trying to improve human society. Many good and worthy causes deserve the support of Christians, but in supporting these causes we neither build the earthly kingdom of Jesus Christ or bring it closer. Even the best of such things are but holding actions that help retard the corruption that will always and inevitably characterize human societies and human kingdoms, until the Lord returns to establish His own perfect kingdom."
In thinking about God's perfect kingdom and our purpose in prayer to call for that kingdom to come, another great writer sheds light that correlates with this kingdom subject. What if you died and became a part of God's perfect kingdom and came back to earth. How would that change your thinking? Dr. Schaeffer writes, in reference to Romans 6:10-11, "by faith we are to live now as though we have already died...live by faith now...as though we had been raised already from death...in our thoughts and lives now we are to live as though we had already died, been to heaven, and come back again as risen."
For my 200th post, I do something I've never done: Part I. I will continue another time to think a bit more of the subject of dying, being raised to heaven and coming back to earth. This is strictly hyperbole but I believe it is very important pondering in order to evaluate our present Christian thought, words and work. We must be wise and efficient for there will be a time, a day when all opportunity will be over.
Friday, July 11, 2014
Friday, June 20, 2014
Run With God
My husband is a runner. He has run consistently for all our 34 years of marriage. His first 10k was when we first started dating. He continued with 10ks, half-marathons, whole marathons, then went on to do many 50ks. He doesn't get to run daily because of work but he tries to run at least 2-3 times a week. Therefore, many would call him a weekend warrior, however, even on weekends, he only does Saturdays. But even though he doesn't get the training time that many serious runners do, he is consistent and he does continue to do advertised runs with consistency. He has the ability to persevere over his discomfort because his desire to finish, competing only with himself, is foremost in his drive.
He is like that in his spiritual life also, although he does "train" daily, but his perseverance is amazing. His dependence on God and God's power in him has brought him to great heights of being patient and waiting on God's timing. God has also blessed him with a determined, patient and loving attitude toward my "glass half-empty" self. Which brings me to the reason of this post.
I always seem to react with "knee jerk" quickness and that has often led me to regret decisions I make. My husband may drag out a reaction and be oh so very slow to me, but at least he does think out his responses. As I prayed one day this week, I said, "God, I feel like I've fallen behind. Is that because I ran ahead of You?" As I prayed this, I thought and asked Him, "Will I ever learn to slow down?" How many times does scripture pound me with, "Be still and know that I am God." NASB says, "Cease striving and know..."
God has blessed me richly with a wonderful man to lead me. I am thankful!! I must learn to calculate with God's guidance my work and my running. I must not run ahead of God, lest I fall behind His perfect plan and path for my life. He has all the time in the world and holy patience with me but do I really want to continue learning the same lesson over and over? I must be about my Father's business and that won't happen unless I'm listening to His guidance for that work. Let us "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
He is like that in his spiritual life also, although he does "train" daily, but his perseverance is amazing. His dependence on God and God's power in him has brought him to great heights of being patient and waiting on God's timing. God has also blessed him with a determined, patient and loving attitude toward my "glass half-empty" self. Which brings me to the reason of this post.
I always seem to react with "knee jerk" quickness and that has often led me to regret decisions I make. My husband may drag out a reaction and be oh so very slow to me, but at least he does think out his responses. As I prayed one day this week, I said, "God, I feel like I've fallen behind. Is that because I ran ahead of You?" As I prayed this, I thought and asked Him, "Will I ever learn to slow down?" How many times does scripture pound me with, "Be still and know that I am God." NASB says, "Cease striving and know..."
God has blessed me richly with a wonderful man to lead me. I am thankful!! I must learn to calculate with God's guidance my work and my running. I must not run ahead of God, lest I fall behind His perfect plan and path for my life. He has all the time in the world and holy patience with me but do I really want to continue learning the same lesson over and over? I must be about my Father's business and that won't happen unless I'm listening to His guidance for that work. Let us "run with perseverance the race marked out for us." Hebrews 12:1
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Prayer Requests
I've blogged lines of prayer from the great prayers of puritans from a book called Valley of Vision. Once again, I would like to share some lines from these great prayers in hopes that it will benefit someone somewhere as to a new pattern of prayer. That's what these great prayers do for me. It amazes me at how far short and how shallow my prayers are in comparison. And yet, even they, were weak, fallen saints like me. It is a good reminder of the work that still needs to be done in us and our great need of the day is to pray like never before.
"Incline my heart to thy ways; mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay; may my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound thy praise; let those around see me living by thy Spirit, trampling the world under foot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clad in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings."
"O Master, who didst wash the disciples' feet, be very patient with me, be very condescending to my faults, go on with me till thy great work in me is completed. I desire to conquer self in every respect, to overcome the body with its affections and lusts, to keep under my flesh, to guard my manhood from all grosser sins, to check the refined power of my natural mind, to live entirely to thy glory, to be deaf to unmerited censure and the praise of men. Nothing can hurt my new-born inner man, it cannot be smitten or die; nothing can mar the dominion of thy Spirit within me; it is enough to have thy approbation and that of my conscience. Keep me humble, dependent, supremely joyful, as calm and quiet as a sucking child, yet earnest and active. I wish not so much to do as to be, and I long to be like Jesus."
AMEN!!
"Incline my heart to thy ways; mould me wholly into the image of Jesus, as a potter forms clay; may my lips be a well-tuned harp to sound thy praise; let those around see me living by thy Spirit, trampling the world under foot, unconformed to lying vanities, transformed by a renewed mind, clad in the entire armour of God, shining as a never-dimmed light, showing holiness in all my doings."
"O Master, who didst wash the disciples' feet, be very patient with me, be very condescending to my faults, go on with me till thy great work in me is completed. I desire to conquer self in every respect, to overcome the body with its affections and lusts, to keep under my flesh, to guard my manhood from all grosser sins, to check the refined power of my natural mind, to live entirely to thy glory, to be deaf to unmerited censure and the praise of men. Nothing can hurt my new-born inner man, it cannot be smitten or die; nothing can mar the dominion of thy Spirit within me; it is enough to have thy approbation and that of my conscience. Keep me humble, dependent, supremely joyful, as calm and quiet as a sucking child, yet earnest and active. I wish not so much to do as to be, and I long to be like Jesus."
AMEN!!
Bashed!
Christians, many times, come to the place where the life has been knocked out of them. Every thought, every step, and every word becomes a heavy effort of will. Psalms speak of this over and over, which is why many believers find such comfort from them, during such times. "Your arrows have sunk deep into me, Your hand has pressed down on me, I am bent over and greatly bowed down, I go mourning all day long, there is no soundness in my flesh, I am benumbed and badly crushed, I groan because of the agitation of my heart." That is just from ONE Psalm and really describes well the pain that can come upon a believer at any given time. We may not even understand why...EVER. But even though, we are bashed for whatever reason, we cannot give in to hopelessness. We cannot!!
God, Alone, does what He pleases with us for His purpose and whether we ever know the why, we either believe Him or we don't. There is no middle ground. The Psalmist knew that but that did not keep him from pain. He says, "LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am...my lifetime as nothing in Your sight...every man at his best is a mere breath."
"God gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist." Romans 4:17b Abraham was to be the father of many nations, yet he was as good as dead in an old body with a wife passed the age of childbearing. HOW in the world can he hope to be a father of one, much less of many nations. And yet, Romans reminds us of this Old Testament patriarch who simply believed. And that is where we must come no matter how long it has been or how much we know already. God may need to bring us back to the beginning to remind us of how we got there in the first place.
He is the Author of Life both physical and spiritually. We have NOTHING of which to boast! "Abraham believed GOD, and it was credited to him as righteousness...In hope against hope he believed so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken." (by God) "Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; YET, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform."
"And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You." If you as a believer find yourself bashed, all hope seems gone, you must know that God is still the same God as when you were walking in encouragement. The next Psalm says, "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm." Be of great courage, hope against hope, wait on the LORD. He has not moved. He does not forget His promise to us.
God, Alone, does what He pleases with us for His purpose and whether we ever know the why, we either believe Him or we don't. There is no middle ground. The Psalmist knew that but that did not keep him from pain. He says, "LORD, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; let me know how transient I am...my lifetime as nothing in Your sight...every man at his best is a mere breath."
"God gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist." Romans 4:17b Abraham was to be the father of many nations, yet he was as good as dead in an old body with a wife passed the age of childbearing. HOW in the world can he hope to be a father of one, much less of many nations. And yet, Romans reminds us of this Old Testament patriarch who simply believed. And that is where we must come no matter how long it has been or how much we know already. God may need to bring us back to the beginning to remind us of how we got there in the first place.
He is the Author of Life both physical and spiritually. We have NOTHING of which to boast! "Abraham believed GOD, and it was credited to him as righteousness...In hope against hope he believed so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken." (by God) "Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; YET, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform."
"And now, Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in You." If you as a believer find yourself bashed, all hope seems gone, you must know that God is still the same God as when you were walking in encouragement. The next Psalm says, "I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm." Be of great courage, hope against hope, wait on the LORD. He has not moved. He does not forget His promise to us.
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Ministry Soapbox
I've blogged before about soapboxes. I am on them constantly. Maybe it's a symptom of being short. Who knows? But I have one that is ongoing that I need to air. Being in ministry is really the joy, pain and reasonable service of everyone saved by grace. I love it but it's also a struggle. The biggest part of the struggle is not being understood and being evaluated without evidence. No one really knows the intricate and complex problems that arise out of ministry. And as a believer and one who rallies to the call of giving up our rights in our representing our Lord, sharing them is really counter-productive. But I'm doing it anyway.
The bottom-line in ministry from the strictly fleshly viewpoint is commitment. We must be committed to Jesus in all of this. It's not about what people think, say, or how they respond to me. However, I must be above board. I must be all about how I respond to their rants of unknowing. I cannot scream, "that's not fair" or "how could you say something you know nothing about?". No, I can only, always be committed to Jesus and responding like Him.
A young person recently shared their thoughts about worship. In those thoughts was this one statement that was gloriously simple yet profound: "The way we live our lives is a form of worship." Yes, I know we are representatives of Jesus Christ and our lives are a witness. But this statement takes it to another level of great responsibility and need for accountability.
My soapbox: As a believer in the authoritative Word of God, Jesus Christ as the only way to God and the Holy Spirit as our supernatural power in this life, find a church that stands on the Word and be committed to it in every way God has gifted you to be. You will be misjudged, wronged, talked about and more, and that by believers. But stay committed, love committed, work committed and pray committed and unceasingly. God is the mover of mountains. He will give us the strength as we honor Him in this commitment.
The bottom-line in ministry from the strictly fleshly viewpoint is commitment. We must be committed to Jesus in all of this. It's not about what people think, say, or how they respond to me. However, I must be above board. I must be all about how I respond to their rants of unknowing. I cannot scream, "that's not fair" or "how could you say something you know nothing about?". No, I can only, always be committed to Jesus and responding like Him.
A young person recently shared their thoughts about worship. In those thoughts was this one statement that was gloriously simple yet profound: "The way we live our lives is a form of worship." Yes, I know we are representatives of Jesus Christ and our lives are a witness. But this statement takes it to another level of great responsibility and need for accountability.
My soapbox: As a believer in the authoritative Word of God, Jesus Christ as the only way to God and the Holy Spirit as our supernatural power in this life, find a church that stands on the Word and be committed to it in every way God has gifted you to be. You will be misjudged, wronged, talked about and more, and that by believers. But stay committed, love committed, work committed and pray committed and unceasingly. God is the mover of mountains. He will give us the strength as we honor Him in this commitment.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Greatness
"God, grant me greatness without pride. Grant me greatness without covetousness. Grant me greatness without selfishness. Grant me greatness in obscurity. Grant me greatness without the desire for anything in return. God grant me greatness out of Your greatness and for Your glory alone. Only by Your grace, Your power, Your design and Your strength, I pray. Amen"
"I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." [Jesus speaking to His disciples about John the Baptist in Luke 7:28.]
"I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he." [Jesus speaking to His disciples about John the Baptist in Luke 7:28.]
Monday, May 12, 2014
Doing Battle With Yourself
As I struggled with all the pressures of life that come from every direction, my thoughts jumped in to torment me, too. You know the thoughts of pride, selfishness, covetousness, discontent, inadequacy, and on and on I could go. I became weak and frustrated, wondering why it all comes at once. I began to "take my thoughts captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5). As I did this, another verse popped into my mind: "greater is He Who is in you than he that is in the world." (1 John 4:4, KJV) I've always been encouraged by this verse when battling the enemy of our souls. But this time, as I thought about it, I realized that "he that is in the world" is also me.
I'm still in the world. My flesh is not yet redeemed. My soul is... sure and sound and safe. But we battle the flesh daily, moment by moment. We must remember that we, too, can be our own worst enemy. Well, that's why the other verse says to "take captive every thought". We do battle with ourselves probably way more than we ever battle others. Yes, it's hard, oppressing and gives us headaches. The goal, however, is priceless: to glorify our Father, our Creator, our Savior and our Counselor. We are going to make it! It's not optional. It's wrapped up in supernatural, God-given strength. God is greater than all our lowest weaknesses and struggles. He is greater than all oppression, depression, problems and thoughts. And He has won the battle. You get that? We are fighting a battle that's already been won!
I'm still in the world. My flesh is not yet redeemed. My soul is... sure and sound and safe. But we battle the flesh daily, moment by moment. We must remember that we, too, can be our own worst enemy. Well, that's why the other verse says to "take captive every thought". We do battle with ourselves probably way more than we ever battle others. Yes, it's hard, oppressing and gives us headaches. The goal, however, is priceless: to glorify our Father, our Creator, our Savior and our Counselor. We are going to make it! It's not optional. It's wrapped up in supernatural, God-given strength. God is greater than all our lowest weaknesses and struggles. He is greater than all oppression, depression, problems and thoughts. And He has won the battle. You get that? We are fighting a battle that's already been won!
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