Beware of the Roman within you!

Beware!  of the Roman within you.  Again, I am drawing from the verbal creativity of Dr. Voddie Baucham.  In one of his classic teachings, he states that if we send our children off the Caesar (Public School), we should not be surprised that they come home as Romans.  Now, my usage of this terminology is not directed at home-schooling versus public schooling, but rather, speaking about the topic of the inner man, the flesh.

A lot of recent events have mostly fueled this blog and yet, this is something that has been on my mind a long time.  My goal is to encourage all of us who claim Christ as our Savior to put in check the “roman” inside of us.  To those of you who do not claim Christ as your Lord and Savior, I pray this will encourage to “seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6). 

Why this blog?  Well, as I look around, listen to conversations my brothers and sisters in the Lord have, and examine my own life, I am starkly reminded of how often we truly miss the boat.  You see, all too often, we, who are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a people of God’s own possession, (1 Peter 2:9) we live “just like the Romans”!  We hope in the same things they do, we act just like them, we are passionate on the same things they are.  This is troubling.  Very troubling.  So, here is one of the recent events that have fueled this, how we have mirrored the Romans, and what hope there is for us, or more precisely, how we should act.

This year in the political arena is an election year.  Most importantly, a presidential election.  As it stands, most Christians are opposed to President Obama.  That is ok.  It is ok to have convictions.  It is ok to make a stand (as long as you stand upon the Word of God).  However, what is troubling is to hear how angry, how passionately upset we get when we don’t get our way.  For instance, the recent debate over Obama’s health care scam.  Christians were in uproar when the announcement came that it was ruled constitutional.  Should we be upset, yes.  But should we have the same passion as the Romans, no.   You see, for those apart from Christ, this is “their best life now”.  They do what they do because they know nothing else.  They are of this world.  For them, that was a home run, for us, it was a called strike.  No big deal.  Honestly, no big deal.  How can I say that.  Well, because none of this has taken God by surprise.  In fact, He ordained it.  Furthermore, He ordained that Obama would be president.  He ordained that our economy would tank, He ordained that his health care law would pass.  And none of that should shake us.  Our passion should be in the Lord.  Our anchor is Him, not a moral or even Christian president.  Not a great economy.  Not more money in the bank.  Not more freedom in this land.  We are not citizens here, so our hope does not lie here.  Having a great president, a strong economy, money flowing prosperously, having more freedoms, all of those are vanity.  All that matters is Christ.  So I warn you, beware of the Roman within you.  Put him in check!

So, am I saying that we should do nothing?  No, we should fight, we should stand up for the cause of Christ, and we should hold our authorities accountable while submitting to them.  What I am saying is that we do this with the absolute confidence in Christ alone.  If we trust the Gospel, the whole gospel message, then we trust that Christ is not just reconciling us to Himself, but He is reconciling all things.  So, while I live in a day and age that seeks to silence the message of Christ, that wants to destroy to beautiful picture of marriage, that wants to murder children daily, that seeks to be tolerant (unless you’re a Christian), while all of this is going on in my day, none of that is to sway me, shake me, or move me, because of the overwhelming confidence that Christ is King, He is sovereign and He will make ALL things new.  The Romans cannot do that, they cannot live like that.  We however, must and should.

There are many ways in which this comes out in our lives.  It happens when our focus shifts from the Lord onto the “thing”.  Most of the time, it is around “good” things.  Such as standing up against abortion, standing up against the homosexual movement, or standing up against the liberals.  But we must, we must not lose focus.  We have to remember that sin is running rampant in our day.  This is because of the fall, not the liberals.  We are taught this by the Word.  We also have to remember that no matter what, we are not, cannot and will not be defeated by this.  So, when our towns votes to keep our town dry and the votes come in and they make it wet, we are not defeated.  This is nothing.  Sure, it is aggravating, sure it does not honor the Lord when the town, state or country lives contrary to His design for us to live, but does it mean it’s all over.  Of course not, remember, this is their best life now and there are more of them than there are of us.  So, when these things happen, we continue to preach and teach, perhaps more boldly, with complete confidence that the Lord will do His work.  He will make all things right.  He will hold the Romans accountable, He will seek and save those that are lost.  He will also encourage us (John 16:33), strengthen us and conform us into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29).  Finally, let’s remember this point.  God was very God, on His throne, completely sovereign when Adam sinned.  Although that sin caused chaos into man kind and creation, it did not even cause a ripple in Heaven.  We read that, we believe that and we trust that.  So as we read that He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), may we rejoice that no matter what, the Romans do not get the victory, we do, through Christ! 1 Corinthians 15:55-56

I pray this will be of encouragement to all of us.  In this day, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, even feel defeated.  That make it easy for the Roman within us to come out.  However, may we speak as boldly as the Apostle Paul spoke:

I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.  Galatians 2:20 ESV

The Mighty Ability of God

This is a response from a sermon I heard recently from Voddie Baucham.  In that sermon, titled “Christ is Worthy”, Dr. Baucham makes mention to these three verses, pointing out that in each of them, what is highlighted, is the “ability” of God.

The three verses, or should I say doxologies, are Romans 16: 25-27, Ephesians 3:20-21, and Jude 24-25.

 I want to look at these verses to briefly glimpse into “the mighty ability of God”!

 First, let us look at Romans 16.

Obviously, as we look at the book of Romans, much has already been penned by the Apostle in this epistle. He has covered major theological themes such as justification, election and sanctification.  Yet, at the very end of his letter, he writes:
Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith, -----to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.  ESV

Wow!  I love how doxologies begin, don’t you.  Now to Him……. We have to get it right at the beginning.  There is an epidemic in our churches today where praise begins with man and not God.   Thus our doctrine is out of wack which leads to poor living.  So, the Apostle brings us back, after teaching us great theological truths, and puts it in a nutshell.  We are to praise Him!  Why, well as this verse points out, because it is He who is ABLE (the only one) to strengthen us to bring about the obedience of faith.  What an amazing, loving, compassionate God!  He will (without a doubt) bring about the necessary growth in us.  He has saved us, redeemed us, purchased us by His blood, He has adopted us, called us His own, given us the rights to the throne and now as we read, He will sanctify us.  He will use whatever means to bring about the obedience of the faith!  Now to Him………… be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ!  Amen!

I am going to try and keep this as short as possible, I promise.  The next Scripture I want to look at is Ephesians 3:

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all we that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen  ESV

This one resonates with me.  I am so weak, so shallow, so feeble.  I often limit God in my thinking.  You can pick any circumstance and often, my thoughts and views of God are limited.  It is painful to think about and humiliating, especially as He shows His might in the midst of my weaknesses.  I have many examples of this in my life, but I will share one. 

Last year, I was laid off from my employer of 4 ½ years.  It was expected and yet as the time came, it was difficult to deal with.  God was gracious to us to have me set aside money in preparation, but we weren’t expecting to be expecting at the time of my lay-off.  So, there I was, laid off, no job prospects and my wife pregnant with blessing number 6.  So, I did what any red blooded, born again, self reliant man would do.  I stressed!  Not so much on the outside, but I watched the money a little too closely, kept filling out applications, but it got to the point that it didn’t look good.  No job openings.  I was getting scared and I remember praying “just for a job”.  Well, for my family, not any job would do.  For me to work 1 job to provide for my family, it would have to pay very well.  I immediately threw that out the window.  Nevertheless, when my savings was all but gone, God graciously reminded me that He is in control and He is ABLE to do far more that I could EVER think of, He gave me a job, in the same field, doing the same type of work, making MORE money.   AMAZING!  Yes, to Him, the One who can do far more abundantly than we could ask or think, to Him be the praise and the glory forever and ever Amen!

 Next, I want to look at Jude 24-25.  This is perhaps my favorite doxology. 

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Amen.  ESV

There are several reasons why I love this doxology.  First, because of what it follows.  You see, Jude is warning about the rise and prevalence of false prophets.  They are plaguing the church, they are misleading the weak, and if it were possible, they would deceive the elect.  Because of the rise of these false prophets, Jude exhorts us to persevere.  To read the letter, it may be hard to get emotionally connected.  Place all of this in our context, our day and age.  There are “many” false prophets who are plaguing the church.  They are distorting the truth and the crowds are lining up, packing out the pews.  It is very discouraging to see faithful men of God preach and struggle with the attendance of their flock and yet these wolves have them beating down the doors.  We must persevere.  We must continue to fight the good fight!  And just as they day is long, we are weary and burdened, this doxology from Jude is like water to a man who has been striving in the desert. 

Second, look at the wording, it say that He is ABLE to “keep” us from stumbling.  The word for keep paints this picture of a surety.  Christ stands as a surety, He lets nothing in without His permission and He lets nothing out without His permission.  That my friend is some really great news.  Because there are days when I “feel” like giving up, there are days the flesh is soo weak that I could just jump ship, and guess what, HE KEEPS ME!  Yes, He keeps me.  Don’t you want to doxologize right now?!  Next, we read that He presents us blameless.  How did He do that?  Was it not by His vicarious death on the cross.   The Great Exchange.  All of my sin for all of His righteousness.  He bore what I couldn’t.  He lived the life that I never could, He paid the price.  I have a new garment.  I am now clothed in Christ.  I am presented blameless before the Father.  Look at what else it says, it says that He did so with great joy.  Wow!  It was the joy that was set before Him to go and ransom all of the elect.  Hallelujah!!!! 

There is so much in these verses, I could never unpack them all.  I pray that as you have read this, you are reminded of the Mighty Ability of God. 

….. Now to Him…who is able…. be glory forever and ever!  Amen!

Revelation 5:1-14

The Gospel: Who's it for?

So, I have been pondering something.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is it for?  Or better yet, who is it NOT for?  A wierd question a guess, but over the years, a few things have bothered me in relation to how we (Christians) view the Gospel.  It appears that we put the power of the Gospel in a box and think that it is only intended for a certain audience.  Maybe I am over exaggerating, maybe I am reading too much into these things, or maybe you have experienced what I have experienced.  I will list a few examples (in no particular order) and give a brief response.

Politics:
It appears that in our day that God must be a Republican.  It's crazy I know, but to hear many Christians speak, you would think that republican = saved and democrat = lost.  It has really elevated over the years that conversations within the church are so passionate about politics, especially over right wing vs. left wing, conservative vs. liberal, and republican vs. democrat, that one would think that being a republican is something scriptural and a democrat something anti scriptural.  Now obviously following the principals of Scripture would lead you to make the best decision possible, but my point is the gospel is not only for republicans and it excludes democrats.  I am sure there are democrats and republicans alike who are believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Perhaps the most daunting statement Christ Himself gave concerning politics is in Matthew 22:21:
 Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

It was just as shocking to them as it is to us.  We want Jesus to be a certain "party", namely the one we hold to.  We will speak with such boldness that our way is God's way.  It is sad to see the passion most Christians give towards politics and yet have little to no passion concerning the things of God.

Race:
This could be a touchy subject.  The reality is that our churches are still too segregated today.  I am sure that some of it is out of our hands (the community we live in).  Nevertheless, there still seems to be an issue in our churches that the gospel is only for a certain "race" of people.  Many American Christians simply have a problem with the infiltration of other people groups.  We speak boldly about our jobs being lost to these people groups and how they have negatively impacted our economy and yet we never dream of or desire to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them.  Simply put, we don't believe it is for them.  Many of us only have this view of American Christianity and the harsh truth is that it is a shallow view.  Whether it is Hispanics or Chinese or Muslim or caucasion or African American, no matter the "people group" the call of the Gospel goes out.  It must go out!! 
Revelation 5:9 says :

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation,

So whatever our issues with other people groups, it would be a good idea to seek the Lord to rid them in our lives because the eternal reality is we will be joined with myriads of others who make up every people group in the world in worshipping the Lord ETERNALLY!

Well, there are others and I don't want this to drag out, but I am sure we have experienced these in our lives.  Like how we treat homosexuals, murderers, abortionists, drunkards, drug addicts, and the list could go on and on and on.  The reality is that we are to herald the Good News of Jesus to a world who is steeped in sin.  That sin comes in different shades and most of it grosses us out because we have been redeemed from that sin, but let us not ever forget where we were or where we could have been.  May we do that what was simply commanded of us and that is simply to "preach the gospel"!  That is it.  So, who is the Gospel for?  Everyone, and after that, the results are up to the Lord!!!

Ephesians 2:1-10

T4G 2012: Fortaste of Heaven

In our lives as Christians, there can be many things that seperate us. These can come in the form of doctrinal issues, personal convictions, or simply one's own opinion. All too often, our lives are defined by these differences and instead of embracing one another, we become abrassive towards each other.

This past week, I had the wonderful privelege of attending this year's Together for the Gospel conference. A rare treat it was. For three days I was able to stand with, sing with, worship with, laugh with, cry with and grow closer to God with thousands of men and women. The KFC Yum! Center may have been filled with 10,000 men and women who could be defined by there diffrences of denomination or the others that I mentioned above, instead we were fixed upon our Savior and we stood, sang, worshipped, laughed and cried together for the gospel.

During one particular session, I was moved to stop singing and just listen to an arena full of men and women praising God. The beauty of the unity of the voices singing to God Almighty was not only worshipful, but gave me a glimpse of Glory. As I was quiet and listened, I couldn't help but imagine of the hope that lies ahead of me, that day when I will be forever in the presence of Jesus.

It was humbling to reflect the fact that we are called by the gospel, we are entrusted with the gospel, and we are to preach the gospel.

From the very beginning, the first session (C.J. Mahaney) to the last (John Piper), through all the panel discussions and the breakout sessions, for three whole days, I was blessed to envision and was given a foretaste of Heaven.

If you have never been to a Together for the Gospel conference, it is well worth it. You can start planning now. The next conference is in 2014 (April 8-10). If the Lord doesn't come by then, my encouragement would be that you find a way there. Husbands take your wives, take a friend, a child, just make it there. You will not be disappointed, you will be greatly blessed. For more information, or to watch the sermons and panel discussions, go to www.t4g.org.

What about Saturday

As we have been focusing our attention to this weekend, many will hit the stores in search of that “perfect” Easter dress, load up on tons of candy and last but not least, seek out that Easter basket which will hold those cute, precious little eggs that will be hidden for the children to find. This has become the custom of modern America. It is sad that we (as a nation) focus more upon the pagan holiday instead of what it is truly about.

On our calendars, we have Good Friday, Saturday and then Easter Sunday. I, myself, prefer to stay away from the word Easter, instead, I prefer to call the day Resurrection Sunday. As we know, it was Friday that Christ, willingly, joyfully, endured the cross, took the wrath of the Father, and justified us by His blood! Then we skip over to Sunday, and that is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. Again, a glorious truth, our whole faith rests upon the fact that Jesus literally rose from the dead. Though the sting of death He tasted, death had no power over Him, and because He lives, we now live! But what about Saturday? I do not want to take away from either the death or the Resurrection of Christ, but what about Saturday, is there any
truth for us about Saturday, as He was in the tomb? Now, before I proceed, let me say that these are my thoughts and not dogmatic truths of Scripture.

The accounts of Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion and resurrection all include some information on the disciples, that is they all fled and we don’t read of them again until after He rose from the dead. Mark 14:49-50 says this: “Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled. And they all left Him and fled.” (ESV) We know that that night Peter denies Jesus three times. Nothing is mentioned about them on Saturday. I just couldn’t help but think of how wonderful, in a way, Saturday actually was.

Think about it. Here, the disciples walked with Jesus, listened to Him preach and teach, saw the
miracles He performed for 3 ½ years, then in one moment He was gone. He was arrested by the religious rulers, then put to death. The man they had forsaken everything for was dead. Obviously they could not see beyond the cross to Sunday. They heard Jesus speak about resurrection, but had no earthly idea what was going to happen. They were scared, confused, abandoned, and were weaker than ever before. What they didn’t know then, was He was with
them and as close to them as ever before!

How often in our lives do we have “Saturdays”? Those days were we cannot see past our circumstance and we are scared, confused, we feel abandoned and we are weaker spiritually than ever before. I believe those days in our lives become the most precious of days. Those are the days we are being refined and we are actually growing stronger by the grace of God. Though the disciples scattered and fled on Saturday, as we do often in our lives, Christ brought His bride back to Himself.

As we reflect upon this weekend, especially of the Resurrection of Christ, may we draw comfort that His Resurrection truly brings life, hope, peace and comfort , even in the midst of seasons of Saturdays!

Soli Deo Gloria

Strapped and Secured

Strapped and secured. Now, those are two words that should be familiar with us, hopefully. As most of us head off to work or to the store or wherever, we should find ourselves strapped and secured by the seat belts. As it is required by law, I pray that is a familiar experience for
us. Though uncomfortable, they are designed for our safety and protection.

Well, I had an unusual experience that relates to much of what I am talking about. Yesterday afternoon I was knocked in the head with a 3 inch, 10 foot long, rigid metal pipe. I do believe
that was the worst pain I have felt in my life. As soon as it hit me, everything went black. I am not sure how long that was, but when I opened my eyes, I was on my back and could not feel my left arm and had little to no feeling on my whole left side. That set me into a panic. Thankfully, my co-worker had witnessed the whole event and was there immediately to stabilize my head and neck. After the initial shock, I began to calm down as my mind was filled with
Scripture:

“I give them eternal life, and know they will never perish, and no one will snatch
them out of my hand.” John 10:28 ESV

I am thankful this passage filled my mind and I found comfort in it. Now, I wasn’t only dwelling on this verse, but the whole chapter as well. It is a comfort to those of us in Christ to be reminded of these great truths. What dwelling on this verse did for me was to calm me quickly. Not just from the shock of the pain that I had experienced, but also to be reminded that none of this was truly an accident.

As I was strapped with a neck brace and head block and secured tightly to the EMT board (not sure of the correct word), I couldn’t help but think of a more fitting Scripture to enter into my mind. Being strapped that way was uncomfortable for me and I must admit I wasn’t too happy about it, because I am Closter phobic and don’t like not being able to move around freely. But thankfully, as was true physically, is true spiritually: Being strapped and secured in Jesus means it is for our good and we aren’t left to our own pleasures.

You see, Scripture teaches us that we ARE strapped and secured IN Christ Jesus. Nothing,
again, absolutely nothing can snatch us from His hand. We are secure IN Christ! That is a great comfort. Not only is it a comfort for the afterlife, but a comfort here, in the temporal. I can live without fear because I am secure IN Christ. I can live without worry, because I am secure IN Christ. I can live with full assurance and complete confidence, because I am secure IN Christ. What a beautiful testimony of the love of our Father, that it pleased Him that Jesus would die in our place, to atone for our sins, so that we can stand justified before Him and live with the assurance that we are His…. ALWAYS!


I pray that you find comfort in knowing that Christ didn’t just die for you, but He has strapped you and secured you by His work on the cross and that from that, nothing can snatch you from His hand!

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved
by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen Him, you love Him. Though you do not now see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 1:3-13

Blessed Suffering

I know, those words don't seem right being paired together. It seems strange to see those two linked together, but if you are in Christ, it is more strange if they are not.

Recently, I have had the joy of seeing a picture of this at our dinner table. As parents to 6 littles, we try our hardest to lead and shape our children in the ways of the Lord. With that, we try hard to feed our children good food, lots of fruits and vegetables. No matter how hard we try, we do fail. However, unfortunately for my son, we have a good diet of squash and zucchini, two vegetables which he does not particularly like. We have recommended that he eat the two together, or with the meat that is provided. No matter what, he has to eat it, because it is for the good of his health and body. As he chews, I promise, it sure does look like expressions of suffering.

Now, I shared that to prove a point. You see, whether we admit it or not, even the conservative church is plagued with a world view of the prosperity gospel. You see it everywhere, on t-shirts, framed art work, blared on the christian raido stations, mostly centered around a particular verse: Jeremiah 29:11 which says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope." (ESV) What is left out is this is written to a nation that is suffering in exile. It is sad, we take Scripture, fold it up, twist it around, and justify our selfish pleasures. I admit, I stand guilty. Nevertheless, we are plagued with this idea that suffering is a result of sin, that it means God has abandoned us, that we are not in the center of God's will, when in reality, biblically, it is the polar opposite. For the Christian, you CANNOT divorce blessing and suffering. Let me explain.

If you ask most Christians, do you like to suffer, they would say emphatically: NO! Of course not, who in their right mind would like to suffer, and when we think of suffering, let us look at the verses listed in the last blog from Hebrews 11 and surely we will say no.

Now ask most Christians, would you like to be conformed to Christ? They would say, YES, of course! After all, that is the charge from Scripture.
"And we know that for those that love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He forknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the first born among many brothers." Romans 8:28-29 ESV

So, what about suffering? Well, if we are going to be like Christ, then we will suffer.
Writing from a dungeon, the Apostle Paul says that knowing Christ is the greatest of all treasures and that EVERYTHING else is but dung, in Philippians 3:10, he says this:
"that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death." (ESV)

Peter, writing to exiled Christians, who have fled and even seen their brothers and sisters killed for their faith, he writes this in way of encouragement:
"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you but rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when His glory is revealed." 1 Peter 4:12-13 (ESV)

So, the reality, the correct worldview for the Christian should involve suffering. Not just a suffering that is momentary, but a lifetime of suffering. It is true, the suffering will be in various forms and last certain lengths, but if we are truly in Christ, then suffering marks our path. I shared a few of the many Scriptures that support this. I recommend you take the time to search the Scriptures for yourself. I will say, this is foreign to us, and even scares us, because deep down, we like the idea of the prosperity gospel.

What we miss is that many times, God purposes these sufferings to bless not only us, but those around us. Perhaps, so that we may minister later in the area we are currently suffering. Perhaps that others may come beside us, being moved by the Holy Spirit, to comfort us, to help us, no matter what, He always allows this to bring glory to Himself, for that alone, we should find comfort!

My family and I have been on both sides. Though our "suffering" fails in comparison to what many of our brothers and sisters face daily, nevertheless, we are thankful that we have suffered, needed this encouragement, and we have been called to comfort others in their time of suffering.

Here is the danger, if everything were to be great in our lives, then we would never be molded, shaped, and conformed into the image of Christ. Instead, we would simply puff out our chests and say we are fine. Life is grand and there would be no room for taking up our cross.

Now, there is good news and great hope in the midst of our sufferings. Again, there are many to explain this truth, I will list four (in no particular order).
1) The Lord has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Joshua 1:5
2)He promised to finish the work He began in us. Philippians 1:6
3)He promised that all that passes in our lives is for our good and in the midst of that, nothing can seperate us from His love. Romans 8:28-39
4)He has promised to "keep" us from stumbling and even presents us blameless to the Father. Jude 24-25.

So, if you are reading this, and you are not "in Christ", I beg you to fall at the mercy of Christ. Read the Bible, seek Him while you have breath and beg Him to save you. If you are in Christ, I charge you to not to forget these truths. Find comfort in the midst of your struggle, knowing He is conforming you, drawing you closer to Him, He won't leave you or forsake you, He will lead you through it, He presents you blameless, He keeps you because nothing, absolutely nothing can seperate you from His love! Fall into the ever loving arms of Christ and praise Him!!!

Soli Deo Gloria

Run.... No matter what, run!

It has been an interesting month. I got laid off (again) on February 24th. Although that can be depressing in and of itself, I was blessed to realize that this job was suppose to last 4-5 weeks and instead, the Lord allowed me to work there 14 weeks. He is good, yes, all the time, HE IS GOOD!

Well, facing this layoff, I was thankful that I was able to set back roughly a months worth of income, plus we have our income money, although we would really love to use it to get things fixed around the house. So, the search for new employment begins immediately.

The unforunate thing is, here it is, 1 month later, no bites, no leads, and now, no savings, just cutting into the income money. I must admit, I am a little frustrated, yet, I do realize this is the Lord's provision at this time. Yes, I will continue to look for work, and yes, the Lord will provide work for me, it's in His time, it's in His hands, and honestly, that's what's best!

In this season, we have been blessed greatly. We have been blessed with gifts, in ways we could have never imagined, invented or created for ourselves. God'e economy is the best economy, and unfortunately, for some of us, it takes seasons like these to realize it, or at least appreciate it.

Well, another thing hit me during this season, that was the passing of my grandmother, she passed away on March 16th. We held her services on March 19th, and buried her on my birthday, March 20th. It was a blessing. Talking to those who knew her better than I, confirming what I knew of her. She is now more alive, as she is beholding the face of Glory Himself. As the pastor shared during the service, she's not dead, Jesus TOOK HER! Wow, that was perhaps the most powerful sermon I have ever heard.

With all of this going on and the lack of finding employment, I found myself struggling. In these times, I am realizing just how weak and vile I am. Thoughts of doubt, anxiety, fear, and even anger are filling my mind, ready to consume me. I am just so weak. My mind is clouded, I struggle at leading my family because my mind is not clear, it feels as if I could just hide under a rock and everything would be ok, but I know it is not.

You know, it always amazes me at how faitful God is. He loves me. He showed that love by Christ's death on the cross and even more so since the Holy Spirit dwells inside of me. So in these times when I can not utter a prayer to God, the Holy Spirit interecedes for me, expresses what I can not and Christ intercedes by expressing that to the Father. Another way God is so faithful to us is by His Word. In my self pity, I was blessed to read this passage: Hebrews 11:1-12:2.

This is just an incredible passage. You should take time to read. Don't just skip over the list of people, read, reflect, chew on it. It is liberating. At least it was for me. As I read, I did just that: read, reflected, and chewed upon each account, and was simply in awe. Now, my season compares not to those you will read about, nevertheless, I was encouraged. Look at verse 32:

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets- who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women recieved back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated-- of whom the world was not worthy-- wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Hebrews 11:32-38 ESV

Wow. I'm just trying to find a job and having a pity party. Really puts things into perspective, huh? Well, the amazing thing is the account doesn't finish there.

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God has provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 11:39-12:2

Glory, Glory Halleluah!!! That's it, isn't it. We CAN run with endurance the race that is before us, much like the cloud of witnesses did whatever was set before them, simply because what was set before Jesus and what He did. The cross was set before Him. He didn't cry, He didn't worry, there were no doubts, no figuring out a better way, a different plan, no, He counted it as joy, endured the nastiness, the vileness, the wickedness of the cross, despised it's very shame and sat at the right hand of the Father. Yes! Yes! Yes! So, though it is a rough season for my flesh. This season that is set before me, I will run, no matter what, I will run to the author and perfecter of my faith. He is my strong tower, if I run in to Him, I am safe. I pray that I am found at my earthly passing, that I was running to Jesus at a 100mph! How about you?

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I am not a blogger, nor am I into alot of the modern "techy" stuff, however, my attempt is to glorify God through expressing my thoughts in this blog.

I would like to let you peek into our lives as I share what the Lord has done and is doing in our lives. In sharing these praises, prayers, trials and triumphs, my aim is to glorify God, point others to the work He is doing in our lives, so that "every knee my bow and every tongues confess that Christ is Lord". ( Philippians 2:9-11)

Another desire is for the advancement of the Gospel. We live in a wonderful age of many resources. Many in our culture today are "unplugged" from one another and simply "connecting" relationships online, facebook, in chat rooms or blog spots. It is sad yes, but a great opportunity for those of us who are in Christ Jesus to "reach" them. So, this is my simple attempt to do that.

The Apostle Paul says this in Romans 1:16-17:
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith".

So if we are out and a bout in our communities with our family, may we preach the gospel, if we are at work, may we preach the gospel, in our homes, may we preach the gospel, even in a simple little forum as a blog spot, may we preach the gospel!!!

Enjoy and live boldly for Christ alone!