Self Worship??? Me????

The nature of sin is not immorality and wrongdoing, but the nature of self-realization which leads us to say, "I am my own god." This nature may exhibit itself in proper morality or in improper immorality, but it always has a common basis— MY claim to MY right to MY self. When our Lord faced either people with all the forces of evil in them, or people who were clean-living, moral, and upright, He paid no attention to the moral degradation of one, nor any attention to the moral attainment of the other. He looked at something we do not see, namely, the nature of man (see John 2:25 ).

Oswald Chambers

I remember reading once that Jesus trusted no man. But He did trust God in man. The same should be for us. I try to think of that every time I hear someone say something like …”He was a good man, but…” or…, “I have a friend that is a really good Christian…”
People tend to say the latter when they are defending someone or telling a story about something bad that happened to somebody they know. Either way you look at it, no man can be trusted or is good in and of himself because of what is in him….SIN. It’s interesting how Chambers puts it, how our Lord never paid any attention to the moral degradation of one or the moral attainment of the other, he simply saw something that most men will never see in their lifetime…. Self Worshipers

Heartbreak

The first thing God does is get us grounded on strong reality and truth. He does this until our cares for ourselves individually have been brought into submission to His way for the purpose of His redemption. Why shouldn't we experience heartbreak? Through those doorways God is opening up ways of fellowship with His Son. Most of us collapse at the first grip of pain. We sit down at the door of God's purpose and enter a slow death through self-pity. And all the so-called Christian sympathy of others helps us to our deathbed. But God will not. He comes with the grip of the pierced hand of His Son, as if to say, "Enter into fellowship with Me; arise and shine." If God can accomplish His purposes in this world through a broken heart, then why not thank Him for breaking yours?

Spiritual prig?

"PRIG"
-snob: a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
-a person who is annoyingly smug in his or her moral behavior, attitudes etc.
Have you ever been a prig, spirtually? I know I have struggled with this before. Here is a couple of things that Oswald Chambers has to say on the matter that the Lord used to show me my own behavior.
The true character of the loveliness that tells for God is always unconscious. Conscious influence is priggish and un-Christian. If I say - I wonder if I am of any use - I instantly lose the bloom of the touch of the Lord. "He that believeth in me, out of him shall flow rivers of living water." If I examine the outflow, I lose the touch of the Lord.
Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a centre for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious, stop being a sanctified prig, and live the life hid with Christ. The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes. The lives that have been of most blessing to you are those who were unconscious of it.
Interesting isn't it? I know that there have been times when I think I'm going to help somebody realize the truth of the matter. Or I think I'm gonna work on "this" person and save them. Sometimes I would open my mouth thinking that what "I" say will make this person realize how wrong they are or what is the "right" direction for them to go on. Man how I missed the point. But Jesus is faithful, and He's been working in me to help me realize that HE is the only one that can do these things.
It makes me think of Matthew 28:19
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations.
When I learned Koine Greek, I studied this verse, and it's interesting because the infasis is actually on the verb "GO", not "make dicsiples". It was explained to me that to understand this verse better, you would read it like this...
In your goings, make disciples...
It's in your everyday goings, wherever that may be, to let Jesus pour through you rivers of living water. I have learned to never try to "make a dicsiple", to let Jesus do that, either through me or not. It's completely up to Him. As I have been living this truth, it has been hard because the enemy throws through me thoughts that make me think that I'm not "doing" my part. Or things simular to that notion. But like I said, Jesus is faithful, and there have been times when somebody has told me that they felt that God used me to show them something, and I had no idea what was going on....
Hmmm, I guess that's all I have to say right now....until net time.

TODAY

"Today"

Lord, I must confide
This world, it maks me tired
Please help me keep my eyes on You today
When everything feels wrong
I step back into the light
Where I belong
And everything's alright
And I sing this song
Jesus, I love You
"Cause everything has changed
Ever since the day
You came into my heart and made me Yours
Everyday I'll say, in every way
I am Yours' today
And when Your love collides
I find that I'm defined
Please help me learn to die in You today
When everything feels wrong
I step back into the light
Where I belong
And everything's alright
And I sing this song
Jesus, I love You

This is probably my favorite Telecast song. I try to listen to it dailyLike it asks(prays), "please help me keep my eyes on you today [Lord]"
I need the Lord to help me daily, or I just get lost in my sin....

till next time

unclean lips

part of a telecast song

trembling_0001.wmv


I am a man of unlean lips....

thanks be to God the Father for his redemption through His Son Jesus Christ

The Power Of Jesus Christ

In July 1995, my wife, Noel, two of our children, and I huddled on the floor, away from all windows, under the direct path of hurricane Erin in Pensicola, Florida. One magnificent old pine tree sheared off the corner of our bedroom as it fell. During the eye of the storm we walked outside in a perfect calm to see the devastation. Then, about 20 minutes later, we hid again against the backside of the storm as it brought down chimneys and crushed cars under snapped off oak limbs as thick as hundred-year-old trees.
It was a heart-wrenching, worship-filled moment in the face of raw, unstoppable power. The losses were painful, though nothing like the destruction of Hurricane Mitch in Honduras in 1998, which took 10,000 lives—and which in turn was small compared to the cyclone that killed 131,000 in Bangladesh on April 30, 1991, and left nine million homeless. Beneath the wreckage of such wind you have two choices: worship or curse…

Elihu says it clearly in Job: “From its chambers comes the whirlwind…the clouds scatter [God’s] lighning. They turn around and around by His guidance, to accomplish all that He commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction…or for love, He causes it to happen… stop and consider the wondrous works of God” (Job37:9-14).
The composition of all things was not only created by Christ (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2), but is also held in being moment by moment throughout the whole universe by His will. “He… upholds the universe by the word of His power” (Hebrews 1:3). “In Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17). Jesus Christ defines reality in the beginning and gives its form every second.
Fatalities, fevers, fish, food, fig trees. Anywhere you turn, Christ is the absolute master over all material substance.
Now we have a choice. Worship or curse… Will we worship or curse the One who rules the world? Shall sinners dictate who should live and who should die? Or shall we say with Hannah, “The LORD kills and brings to life; He brings down to Sheol [the grave] and raises up” (1 Samuel 2:6)? And shall we, with ashes on our heads, worship with Job, “Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Job 1:21)? Will we learn from James that there is good purpose in it all: “You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11)? Should we not then face the wind and stand on the waves of affliction and sing praise?

Taken from the book "Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ" by John Piper

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.

He got us out of the mess we're in and restored us to where he always wanted us to be. And he did it by means of Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:7, Romans 3:25 The Message


How great is our God?
In the beginning, the Father wanted to create us, so He used His Son to do so. And He also knew what would happen to us; that we would fall, becoming sinners and being seperated from Him. So, He weaved His plan of salvation into creation and also used His Son. Thank you, God, for being faithful and just, kind and loving, and all the other attributes you have; which You reveal to us trough none the less but Your Son, Christ Jesus.
So I ask you again, how great is our God?

All The Words

How do I speak of the indescribable to You

I will try to explain these feelings that are true

So looking to the sky I will sing

and from my heart to You I bring

All of the words in all of my life that could never explain and never describe

All of my love, which is nothing to hide so I lift up my hands and I worship,I worship You

In your presence I forever choose to live

I will praise You for it's all I have to give

So looking to the sky I will sing

and from my heart to You I bring

All of the words in all of my life that could never explain and never describe

All of my love, which is nothing to hide so I lift up my hands and I worship

By Your grace You let me come talk to You

It's not that I'm worthy, I thank you Jesus, for the love that You have shown

The above song is by Kutless. As I drove in my car the other day I was listening to this and it just spoke to me, so I kept playing it over and over again, which is what happens when the Lord puts a song in my heart. I almost can't believe how true it is. Because all the words in all my life could never explain and describe how great our God truly is. What our minds can conceive is next to nothing compared to who and what He really is. There are times however, when He reveals in our hearts the truth about Him. When He allows us to understand Him. These are the times when I stand in awe. . .

Becoming Whole

Let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Galations 6:10 THE MESSAGE


Some people come to church looking for a way to make life better, to feel good about themselves... Other poeple come to church because they want God to save and rule them...

One group of people sees religion as a way to successful happy living; nothing that interferes with the success or interrupts the happiness will be tolerated. The other group sees religion as a way in which hurt, flawed and damaged persons become whole in relation to God; anything will be accepted (mockery, pain, renunciation, self-denial) in order to deepen and extend that reality.

One...is the way of enhacing what I want; the other way is a commitment of myself to become what God wants.

Run with the horses by Eugene Peterson

. . . they found Him in the temple . . . . And He said to them, ’. . . Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?’ —Luke 2:46, 49


The only abiding reality is God Himself, and His order comes to me moment by moment. Am I continually in touch with the reality of God, or do I pray only when things have gone wrong— when there is some disturbance in my life? I must learn to identify myself closely with my Lord in ways of holy fellowship and oneness that some of us have not yet even begun to learn. ". . . I must be about My Father’s business"— and I must learn to live every moment of my life in my Father’s house.
Think about your own circumstances. Are you so closely identified with the Lord’s life that you are simply a child of God, continually talking to Him and realizing that everything comes from His hands?
The life of your Lord is to become your vital, simple life, and the way He worked and lived among people while here on earth must be the way He works and lives in you.

©The Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd.

I read this this morning and thought to myself…. WOW. You know the Lord is always right, and when he say’s “we must learn to identify ourselves closely with Him in ways of holy fellowship and oneness”, it just rings so true in my heart.

Lord Jesus, Thank you for your gentle spirit and for teaching and showing me the straight and narrow path. Even though, Lord, you and I both know I don’t stay on the path at all times and keep my eyes on You always, I thank you for being so patient with me. I know that words are small, and can’t even come close to giving you the gratitude and praise you deserve, but none the less, You do receive them and I thank you with all my heart.
In Your Name, Jesus, Amen

Made Whole

“He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son to me.” Galations 1:15-16 RSV



God revealed himself in the person of Jesus to Paul. It was as if God had said, “Listen, Paul, you have it all wrong. You have good ideas, your theology is intelligent enough, your sincerity is above reproach, but you have it all wrong. You think religion is a matter of knowing things and doing things. It is not. It is a matter of letting God do something for you – letting Him love you, letting Him save you, letting Him bless you, letting Him command you. Your part is to look and believe, to pray and obey. For a start I am going to show myself to you in Jesus. In Him you will see that what concerns me is being with you, making you whole.”


Traveling Light by Eugene Peterson

Articulation

Articulate: give voice; put into words or an expression, to make clear.

I’ve never really given much thought to this word. Probably because I don’t do it well.
Last week some time as I was working with Kevin, We were talking about something (probably the Lord) and I was having trouble explaining to him my feelings about the subject. He said “you can’t articulate on that?” I thought, exactly, I can’t. Why, I’m not sure, I just know I have a lot of trouble articulating my thoughts and feelings into words. This is probably why I quote what I read rather than come up with my own words. Sometimes I have trouble with this but the Lord has let me know that this is part of who I am, and He loves me for who I am; not who I try to be. So, with this being said, here’s something I read that articulated some of my past thoughts….


In the Christian way we aquire a heathy value system. We find that persons are more important than property. We learn that forgiveness is preferable to property. We learn that forgiveness is preferable to revenge. We realize that worshiping God is more central than impressing our neighbors.
Without values we live “in vain”. If we lose touch with our values, we are at the mercy of every seduction, every inducement, every claim on our money, our energy, our time. Values infuse life with a steady sense of direction and purpose.

Traveling Light by Eugene Peterson

Now, trying to articulate on this. I would say that the value system we aquire is Jesus Christ. And the more we focus on Him, the more He infuses life in us with a steady sense of direction and purpose….

I love you Jesus

The Living Center

God is the living center of everything we are and everything we do. He is before, behind, over, and beneath everything. If we separate any part of our lives from Him, we are left holding an empty bag. Nothing can stand on its own as a good, apart from God. Anything wrenched from its context in God's creation and God's salvation is without substance. It is either God or nothing. No idea, no feeling, no truth, no pleasure can exist on it's own.

"Five Smooth Stones" by Eugene Peterson

Looking Back...

at this past year has been interesting. Speaking of this Blog alone. I really wasn't sure why I agreed to do this and what I was getting into. I told myself that if I was to write a journal (an online one for that) I wanted to keep it only about God and what He was showing or teaching me. In retrospect, I realize that I was praying this and that The Lord has been answering my prayer. I've noticed that alot of what I wrote wasn't my own words. But none the less, it was what The Lord was showing me.

I have been reading my past blogs and wondering why I "quote" so many people rather than just say what is on my mind. I also read, and realize, that I forget alot of what the Lord has taught me. I think the big picture is that no matter how much I read and learn (or forget) and aquire a knowlege of something, that He is still God... That nothing I say or "quote" can reveal more Truth about Him. Or is it anything that hasn't been thaught of or said before.

I really don't know what it is I'm trying to get across here. I'm just babbling. Hey, maybe that's why I quote so much, because I can't keep my mind and thoughts strait long enough to make any sense.

Till next time...

Nothing Else I need

©Nothing Else I need - Jeremy Camp

When I think of all I’ve seen nothing
Compares to what you give
And to drink of what you bring you quench
The thirst for me to live
I am satisfied by what tenderness you’ve
Shown to me and I empty all that I am

And you fill my life you’re everything to me
There’s nothing else I need anymore
And I know you are everything to me and
There’s nothing else I need anymore

I have tasted and I know this fire birthed
Inside will only grow and I’ve sought all that
This world tried to offer me and it lead me
To your feet and I empty all that I am

And you fill my life you’re everything to me
There’s nothing else I need anymore
And I know you are everything to me and
There’s nothing else I need anymore

I will lay down all my needs and you will
Come and make them new
To make you my only desire my desire
And you fill my life you’re everything to me

And you fill my life you’re everything to me
There’s nothing else I need anymore
And I know you are everything to me and
There’s nothing else I need anymore
There’s nothing else I need…

When I first really listened to this song it brought tears to my eyes. It felt so true in my heart, but then I thought of all the things that I have wanted, that I thought I've needed; like my cars, my computer, my stereo. You know, all the meterialistic things of this world. And I wondered why I felt I needed them when I truly know that He is all I need.

Lord Jesus, I know, deep in my heart, that you are everything to me, and that there's nothing else I need, anymore. Please help me keep my eyes focused on You Lord, so that I can see this truth at all times. Help me keep the things of this world loosly bound so I don't get attached to them, and drawn away from You. You are my everything. In your precious name I pray, Amen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TRUE FAITH

If you try to hold back the Holy Spirit within you, with the desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences, you will find that He will break the hold and take you again to the historic Christ. Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result. If you do, your experience is anti-Christian, no matter what visions or insights you may have had. Is Jesus Christ Lord of your experiences, or do you place your experiences above Him? Is any experience dearer to you than your Lord? You must allow Him to be Lord over you, and pay no attention to any experience over which He is not Lord. Then there will come a time when God will make you impatient with your own experience, and you can truthfully say, "I do not care what I experience—I am sure of Him!"

Be relentless and hard on yourself if you are in the habit of talking about the experiences you have had. Faith based on experience is not faith; faith based on God’s revealed truth is the only faith there is.

©The Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd.

Yes, more of Chambers writings. I can’t help but use his writings to tell what Jesus has showed me, he has such beautiful words.

I like when he says “Never support an experience which does not have God as its Source and faith in God as its result.” So true, if I could only do that all the time! And I can’t tell you how many times the Spirit has taken me again to the historic Christ, to show me (over and over) who He really is and what He really did for all of us, to get me out of that desire of producing more inner spiritual experiences. Because, truthfully, it’s not really about me, is it.

Test of Faithfulness

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God . . .
Romans 8:28

It is only a faithful person who truly believes that God sovereignly controls his circumstances. We take our circumstances for granted, saying God is in control, but not really believing it. We act as if the things that happen were completely controlled by people. To be faithful in every circumstance means that we have only one loyalty, or object of our faith—the Lord Jesus Christ. God may cause our circumstances to suddenly fall apart, which may bring the realization of our unfaithfulness to Him for not recognizing that He had ordained the situation. We never saw what He was trying to accomplish, and that exact event will never be repeated in our life. This is where the test of our faithfulness comes. If we will just learn to worship God even during the difficult circumstances, He will change them for the better very quickly if He so chooses.

Being faithful to Jesus Christ is the most difficult thing we try to do today. We will be faithful to our work, to serving others, or to anything else; just don’t ask us to be faithful to Jesus Christ. Many Christians become very impatient when we talk about faithfulness to Jesus. Our Lord is dethroned more deliberately by Christian workers than by the world. We treat God as if He were a machine designed only to bless us, and we think of Jesus as just another one of the workers.

The goal of faithfulness is not that we will do work for God, but that He will be free to do His work through us. God calls us to His service and places tremendous responsibilities on us. He expects no complaining on our part and offers no explanation on His part. God wants to use us as He used His own Son.

©The Oswald Chambers Publications Association, Ltd.


This is Chambers devotional for today. So true and so awesome. His writings seem to be the exact things that the Lord puts in my head to think about, which I end up reading at a later time. I can't be anything but amazed at what God teaches me personally, and then gives me the words to explain my thoughts, which also makes me realize that I'm not the only person who thinks about these things (which the enemy throws through me constantly).

I love you, Jesus, so much for continuously humbling me and showing me how to live in humility. For making me realize on a daily basis that You are God, not me.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I thank Him for everything He's done in and with my life. For I know without Him, I would not have life. And being that Jesus is above all, everything is covered under Him; which includes family, friends, and all of my belongings.

I give thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Look What You've Done

I'm sitting here reading Philippians and in such rejoice over Christ Jesus. Even though I can't fully comprehend His peace and love, I can see what He's done for me (and you) to the extent of his will for that matter. I do know that while here (on earth) we will never grasp the full effect of what He did on the cross. I've even read a book that stated the angels don't even completely know what happened on Calvary. It's something far too big for our little minds to conceive.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm going with this, but lately I feel the Lord has been revealing His nature to me more and more. And in the realization of His death, selflessness keeps getting greater. It's funny, but I never thought thinking less of myself would be a good thing. Philippians 2:3 says it best.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself.

In ruminating over all of this, I start listening to an album I bought a few weeks ago but haven't listened to it much at all. Well, the third song comes on and my heart is drawn to it with much compassion. It's titled "Look What You've Done".

Look what you've done for me, Your blood has set me free
Jesus, my Lord, Look what you've done for me.
I haven't been the same, Ever since that day I called Your name

Yahweh, Yahweh, Look what You've done for me

What can I do for You, my Lord? I want You to know my heart is Yours

It's not a question of what You can do for me, But what can I do for You, my Lord?

Up to Your cross I crawled, Now I am standing ten feet tall

Jesus my savior, Look what You've done for me,

Free at last I'm free, I owe You my life completely

Yahweh, Yahweh, Look what You've done for me

I think this song says it all. I know in times of distress and/or suffering, we call to God for help. And I think most of us ask for Him to do something for us. But really, what can he do for us that He hasn't already done through His Son. He's already set us free, and SO much more. More than we can even comprehend.

Father, I want to give thanks for what you've done through your Son. I pray that all my prayers are full of selflessness. I pray that if I have any desires, it's the desire to do something for You. As it says in the song, it's not a question of what you can do for me, but what can I do for you. I love you so much. In Jesus' precious name I pray, Amen.

Absolute Dependence

Experiencing the joy of authentic fellowship begins when we realize that all our dependence must be centered on Jesus himself. We don't share fellowship because we need to. We don't do it to get our needs met. True fellowship can only be known where our dependence upon Christ spills out in our love for others. Knowing the joy and freedom of his life, we can't help but share it with others.

Scripture is clear. True life is only found in Jesus. There is life in no other--not even a correct arrangement of Christians in houses or buildings. That's what Paul meant when he called Jesus the Head of the Church, declaring that it was God's purpose for him to "have first place in everything." Our needs are not the focus of body life. His presence living among us is.

We've taught for years the mistaken notion that we need to go to church to fill up on the life of God. Not true! We can only fill up on God's life through a transforming relationship with the Father through his Son. We were never meant to come to fill ourselves with church, but to live full of him and then share his life together with God's people…

Church life grows out of a group of people who are focused on Jesus. Focus on the church, and you will always be disappointed. Focus on Jesus and you will find him building the church all around you.

By Wayne Jacobsen

I like it when he said that all our dependence must be centered on Jesus. If you think about it, all is a powerful word. That means, everything, total, not even one little thing can be left out of the equation. Every single detail of every second of every day of every week of every month of every year, and so on…

I know that no one does this completely. But this is the truth, He is the Truth, and this is the goal we need to live for. If you could throw away all and every goal you have except for this one, you would be amazed at how your life would be changed. But be careful, don’t do this so YOUR life can be changed. Do this because He is the Truth. Because he deserves all glory and honor and praise. Because He is the answer. Because He is the King of Kings. I could go on and on…

These past two weeks, I’ve been in the process of buying a condo. And let me tell you, being the first real estate purchase, it’s been scary at times. Okay, okay, most times. But the Lord has showed me that during those times of fear (or anxiety or stress), I was not dependent on Him. The moment I focus my eyes on Jesus, everything that is not Truth, dissipates. He is such a merciful and gracious God that nothing can come close to His healings and teachings and disciplines. Someone reminded me in the process too, that perfect love casts out all fear.

Law Of The Spirit

Tonight, the Lord showed us some wonderful truth through his word. These are the scriptures.

Romans 7:25-8:6

7:25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.
3 For what the law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace.

It’s so great to see what God is doing with this little church. To see that everyone’s mind is set on the Sprit, there is Life and Peace within this community of saints. Sufferings? Of course, but Life and Peace because of the law of the Spirit.

Over And Over

Over And Over Again

Whatever I hear you say I’ll do
Whatever you want I want it too
Whatever you say, whatever you want, I live for you
Where ever I run I run to you
Where ever you lead I’m going to
Where ever I go, where ever you are, I live for you

And I, give myself away, every single day
Over and over again
You’re the only thing that’s true, I Give myself to you
Over and over again

There are so many ways to say,The one thing I feel today
All I want, is all you want, I live for you

And I, give myself away, every single day
Over and over again
You’re the only thing that’s true, I give myself to you
Over and over again


©Tree63 – The Answer To The Question


Those who know me know I love music. It’s one of the ways I can express myself, not only to others, but to the Lord as well.

Happiness... or Joy ?

"That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." John 15:11


There have been a couple of occasions in the last year or so where people have asked me “Are you happy?” or “How happy are you?” or they have simply stated that “you look so much happier”. The statement given to me if perfectly fine and I usually say something like “Praise the Lord”. But when the question is asked I seem to get stuck for words. I try to tell them that I’m not just happy, that it’s much more than that. The word happy just doesn’t describe it. And I haven’t really been able to describe it.

Well, as I’ve been reading Oswald Chambers works (He seems to be able to describe things with wonderful beauty) the Lord has been using him to help me give words to my thoughts or ponderings.

Chambers once said that it is an insult to use the word happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. "I delight to do Thy will." Jesus prayed that our joy might go on fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His.

Yes… That’s it. I’ve noticed in retrospect that since giving my life to the Lord, there has been an indescribable Joy that comes from the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of myself to Jesus and the Father (which are One).

Chambers went on to say “Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you will flow rivers of living water. Be a center for Jesus Christ to pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious, stop being a sanctified prig, and live the life hid with Christ. The life that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing wherever it goes.”

My prayer, Father, is that I am rightly related to you in everything I do and say at all times. That Your Joy might remain in me, and that it might be full. I pray, Jesus that I am a center for You to pour living water though, so that when someone asks me if I am happy, your joyous love will show them the truth, Your truth that is, not mine. Jesus, I ask this in your precious name. Amen.

Living By Truth

God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love – like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, Who is the souce of everything we do.

(Ephesians 4:15,16 – The Message)


Eugene Peterson said it well in his book “Run With The Horses”. He said “ We must learn to live by the truth, not by our feelings, not by the worlds opinion, not by what the latest statistical survey tells us in the accepted morality, not by what advertisers tell us is the most gratifying lifestyle. We are trained in the biblical faith to take lightly what the experts say, the pollsters say, the politicians say, the pastors say. We are trained to listen to the Word of God, to test everything against what God reveals to us in Christ, to discover all meaning and worth by examining life in relation to God’s will.”


As it says in Ephesians, we are to know the whole truth (the way God tells it) and reveal it to others in his nature… love. But remember, We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. The moment WE step up and try to do it ourselves, we mess it up, just the way a sinner would.

Holiness...

1. Holiness is the habit of being of one mind with God, according as we find his mind described in scripture. It is the habit of agreeing in God’s Judgement, hating what he hates, loving what he loves, and measuring everything in this world by the standard of His Word…
2. A holy man will endeavour to shun every known sin, and to keep every known commandment. He will have a decided bent of mind towards God, a hearty desire to do his will, a greater fear of displeasing him than of displeasing the world, and… will feel what Paul felt when he said, “I delight in the law of God after the inward man” (Rom 7:22)…
3. A Holy man will Strive to be like our Lord Jesus Christ. He will not only live the life of faith in him, and draw from him all his daily peace and strength, but he will also labor to have the mind that was in Him, and to be conformed to his image (Rom 8:29). It will be his aim to bear with and forgive others… to be unselfish… to walk in love… to be lowly-minded and humble… He will lay to heart the saying of John: “He that saith he abideth in [Christ] ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 Jn 2:6).
4. A holy man will follow after meekness, longsuffering, gentleness, patience, kind tempers, government of his tongue. He will bear much, forbear much, overlook much, and be slow to talk of standing on his rights…
5. A holy man will follow after temperance and self-denial. He will labour to mortify the desires of his body, to crucify his flesh with his affections and lusts, to curb his passions, to restrain his carnal inclinations, lest at anytime they break loose…
6. A holy man will follow after charity and brotherly kindness. He will endeavour to observe the golden rule of doing as he would have men do to him, and speaking as he would have men speak to him… He will abhor all lying, slandering, backbiting, cheating, dishonesty, and unfair dealing, even in the least things…
7. A holy man will follow after a spirit of mercy and benevolence towards others… Such was Dorcus: “full of good works and almsdeeds, which she did”- not merely purposed and talked about, but did… (Acts 9:36).
8. A holy man will follow after purity of heart. He will dread all filthiness and all uncleanness of spirit, and seek to avoid all things that might draw him into it. He knows his own heart is tinder, and will diligently keep clear of the sparks of temptation…
9. A holy man will follow after the fear of God. I do not mean the fear of a slave, who only works because he is afraid of punishment and would be idle if he had not dread discovery. I mean rather the fear of a child, who wishes to live and move before his fathers face, because he loves him…
10. A holy man will follow after humility. He will desire in lowliness of mind, to esteem all others better than himself. He will see more evil in his own heart than in any other in the world…
11. A holy man will follow after faithfulness in all the duties and relations in life. He will try, not merly to fill his place as well as others who take no thought for their souls, but even better, because he has higher motives and more help than they… Holy persons should aim at doing everything well, and should be ashamed of allowing themselves to do anything ill if they can help it … They should strive to be good husbands and good wives, good parents and good children, good masters and good servants, good neighbours, good friends, good subjects, good in private and good in public, good in the place of business and good by their firesides. The Lord Jesus puts a searching question to his people, when he says, “what do ye more than others?” (Mat 5:47)
12. Last, but not least, A holy man will follow after spiritual mindedness. He will endeavour to set his affections entirely on things above, and to hold things on earth with a very loose hand… He will aim to live like one whose treasure is in heaven, and to pass through this world like a stranger and pilgrim travelling to his home. To commune with God in prayer, in the bible, and in the assembly of his people- these things will be the holy man’s chief enjoyments. He will value every thing and place and company, just in proportion as it draws him nearer to God.

The above was written by Anglican Bishop John Charles Ryle in his book entitled "Holiness".
This is his 12 point profile of a holy man (and woman) put in simple biblical terms.

One thing to remember is that this is not something we, as people, can achieve. I believe this is a description of what a perfectly holy person is like, as our Lord Jesus Christ is. And when we become sactified in Him, His character becomes a part of us and He makes us "Holy one's" or "Saints". But, because of our sin, it is virtually impossible to be exactly like the above. It isn't impossible, however, to have many attributes as a holy person. That all depends on our spiritual maturity.

What I know for sure is that the more we keep our eyes focused on Jesus, the more we act like a holy person.

Where do our feelings come from?

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. Philippians 4:8 (NASB).

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NASB)

Have you ever gone to a scary movie? While you were watching the movie, what was happening to your emotions? Did you become frightened? How come? Were you in any real danger? No? Why didn't your emotions know that? Why did you become fearful even though you knew that there was nothing to be afraid of? I believe it is because you were dwelling on scary thoughts. Using the proverbial horse and cart illustration, our emotions or feelings are like the cart and our mind is like the horse. Like the horse leads the cart around wherever it goes, so also our mind leads our emotions around wherever it goes, and our emotions are about as dumb as a cart, they are simply led by the mind. So whatever our emotions are feeling at any moment, they have been led to the place where they are by the thinking of the mind. Have you felt stressed today? It is because you have been thinking stressful thoughts. Have you felt fearful today? It is because you have been dwelling on fearful thoughts today. Have you been feeling angry today? It is because your emotions have been fed angry thoughts. See how this works?


The above was written by my close friend Glenn. I believe the Lord has given him the gift of wisdom and has showed him what His Word(scripture) really tells us.

I also remember reading in a book written by Eugene Peterson that when it comes to worshipping God, our feelings mean next to nothing. He was talking about the way a lot (maybe even all) of us at one time or another say that we don't want to go to church because we don't feel like worshipping. And because we don't feel like it it won't mean much to God. Which is wrong. God deserves worship ALL the time no matter how we feel. It seems that when we decide when it is a good time to worship, we put ourselves above Him.


The way that I see it is that if we dwell on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, if there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise. The only thing we can look at is Christ Jesus, our savior. And the more we do that, we become discomformed to this world and are transformed by the renewing of our mind. And this is when you know something good is going on because Jesus becomes sanctified in you and all fear, doubt, stress, anxiety and whatever else the enemy throws through us disappears.

WOW God, You are awesome. Sometimes I still can't believe you picked me. I feel the least I can do is worship and praise you every moment of my life. I realize that sin keeps me from doing this, so I continually pray for the metamorphosis to occur.

Pride...

Looking at Luke chapter 9:23 “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me”
 
            The pure truth is so simple and easy to understand; yet as humans and as sinners, our life is the hardest thing to give up. We are so self-preoccupied with worldly things that we build a wall of pride around ourselves; which doesn’t let self-denial in.

            Once we finally figure out that Satan is the one who actually built the wall, we have usually given ourselves to the Lord, but still try to break the wall down by our self. Which is where scripture comes back into the picture. “Deny our self, take up the cross, and follow Me.” Then we get the picture, we can’t do it ourselves, and so we ask and confide in Jesus to break the wall down for us. And in doing so we look to the goodness that will come out of getting rid of pride; which is being able to deny one self. But after all this happens you realize that by asking the Lord to help you (so you can indulge in self-denial) you already denied yourself by realizing you can’t break the wall.

            The sovereignty of God is so awesome and so loving and so respectful that it never condemns. And when you feel that truth, life definitely has meaning and purpose.

Part Three . . . And beyond

Well, this is the third part of my trilogy story. (ha ha) I say three parts because it seems as though my salvation has worked out in three parts(but I'm sure God sees it as one). It's just easier for me to describe what the Lord has done in me as stages. Okay, so I'll start calling them stages for now on.

So, for those of you who know me, you probably remember when I worked in a pharmacy as a licensed technician. I worked in pharmacy for almost 10 years, and the stress just seemed to be piling up on me over the years. I really loved what I was doing and I felt that I was making a difference in this world (little did I know that only God can make a difference, we can only be obedient to his word.) So as the stress kept getting worse,the devil used it in me to give it to others; mainly my co-workers. I felt really bad with myself because I didn't want to treat others that way; it just seemed to happen without me realizing it. And when I did realize it I felt extremely condemned. It finally got to the point where my boss was having a hard time dealing with me, so she asked me to take a vacation and figure out what I was going to do. She said I need to stop all I was doing (my take of it was to stop being evil to people around me) and change the way I was. She also said that if I need to quit and get out of the profession she would understand.

Man I'll tell you, quitting was the last thing I wanted to do, but during my vacation I prayed and prayed for help but it never was real clear to me what to do. So the week flew by and my first day back at work didn't go any better than before. At the end of the day my boss and I sat down and she asked me if I had figured out what I was going to do (which I still hadn't made up my mind). I remember praying to Jesus and something inside of me completely let go. I looked her in the eyes and said "It's time for me to move on." .... What a shock to the both of us, especially me. Afterwards I realized that the feeling I had was me completely letting go of self. At that moment I gave my life completely to Jesus, and he did what was best for me.

Even though I miss the pharmacy a lot, I don't regret quitting one bit. The Lord has taken me on this incredible journey and has showed me and taught me things that just leave me speechless and in awe. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with his joy and agape that I just break down in tears.


Heavenly Father, I am so thankful for you saving me and making me complete in Christ Jesus, your son. I know, because of Him, I am made holy and perfect in your sight. In Jesus precious name, Amen

Part Two

So, the second part of my story happened several months after I started fellowshipping with Matthewshouse. I remember really enjoying Thursday nights (that's when our group meets). Not absolutely sure why; just knowing that I always looked foward to that night. (In retrospect, I know it was the love of God, Agape love that is) So one day while I was at work (in a pharmacy) I was getting real agitated with everything; like I always did. I remember that it was cloudy all week long and this day was the same. Then the phone rang and since nobody answered it I figured I better (but whenever that happened I used to always get angry). I found myself in the front lobby checking on something for the patient and when I hung the phone up I did it with force. Then as I turned and looked out the front windows, the clouds seperated barely, right where the sun was located in the sky. And it seemed the clouds opened up just enough so only the sun could poke through, and even though we had tinted windows, it was so bright it blinded me. I got this feeling in my body that to this day I still can't explain. About ten minutes later I realized that it was God. At that time it was like his love blanketed me and I wanted to go and hug everybody that I was working with.

At that moment I knew that God WAS real and my relationship with Jesus had begun. Now I look back at that day and know that God had been trying to get my attention for many years but he also knew that that was the day that I would change and relize that he does exist. He also knew just exactly how to get my attention.


My dear Lord Jesus, I come to you now to be restored in you--to renew my place in you, my allegiance to you, and to receive from you all the grace and mercy I so desperately need this day. I honor you as my sovereign Lord, and I serrender every aspect of my life totally and completely to you. I give you my body as a living sacrifice; I give you my heart, soul mind and strength; and I give you my spirit as well. Amen
prayer arranged by John Eldredge

From the beginning

Well, my friend Kevin started this blog for me(thanks Kev), and I really like the title...Eric's Life Story. I think I'll keep it; so now I'm gonna have to tell you my life story.


The first 27 years isn't too much to talk about. It's your average sinner sort of material...Thinking that there was no God and if there was, it was me. So I pretty much partied, drank and did some drugs. Like I said, not too much to talk about.

Then one day one of my friends was trying to find something in his life so that he could change. He didn't know what he was looking for but he did know he needed something. I didn't know what he needed either and just thought that anything to HELP him would be great. But as he was telling me this my brother was around at the time (in fact, we were at my brothers house in his garage talking) So my brother invited him to come check out this house church that he attends (which was held at his house at the time). Well, my friend was a little reluctant in doing so so I told him that if he went I would go with him. He said okay and I havn't stopped fellowshiping with Matthews house since.
To be continued........