Saturday, January 31, 2009
01-31-09 Quote
The only right a Christian has, is the right to give up his rights. ~ Oswald Chambers
01-31-09 Scripture
He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Eph 4:10-13
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
Eph 4:10-13
01-31-09 Concert
This was sent to me this last night from a little Internet cafe in Hong Kong by Dick and Juliette Bates. They are missionaries to the Philippines and have made the right connections to be able to also go to Hong Kong.
The Concert
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, Don't quit . . keep playing.' Then, leaning over , Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began fillingin a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic,"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music.
However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful..
The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully... you may hear the voice of The Master, whispering in your ear, 'Don't quit . . Keep playing.'
May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping youturn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.
Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the 'called'..
Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire.
May God bless you and be with You Always and remember....Don't quit . . Keep playing..'
The Concert
When the house lights dimmed and the concert was about to begin, the mother returned to her seat and discovered that her child was missing. Suddenly, the curtains parted and spotlights focused on the impressive Steinway on stage. To her horror, the mother saw her little boy sitting at the keyboard, innocently picking out "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
At that moment, the great piano master made his entrance, quickly moved to the piano, and whispered in the boy's ear, Don't quit . . keep playing.' Then, leaning over , Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began fillingin a bass part. Soon his right arm reached around to the other side of the child, and he added a running obbligato. Together, the old master and the young novice transformed what could have been a frightening situation into a wonderfully creative experience. The audience was so mesmerized that they couldn't recall what else the great master played. Only the classic,"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".
Perhaps that's the way it is with God. What we can accomplish on our own is hardly noteworthy. We try our best, but the results aren't always graceful flowing music.
However, with the hand of the Master, our life's work can truly be beautiful..
The next time you set out to accomplish great feats, listen carefully... you may hear the voice of The Master, whispering in your ear, 'Don't quit . . Keep playing.'
May you feel His arms around you and know that His hands are there, helping youturn your feeble attempts into true masterpieces.
Remember, God doesn't seem to call the equipped, rather, He equips the 'called'..
Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than by the things you acquire.
May God bless you and be with You Always and remember....Don't quit . . Keep playing..'
Friday, January 30, 2009
01-30-09 Scripture
"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
-Jesus - JN 15:9
-Jesus - JN 15:9
Thursday, January 29, 2009
01-30-09 Scripture
SANCTIFICATION: a state of consecration to God. To sanctify is to set apart to a holy use--to consecrate a thing to the service of God.
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your SANCTIFICATION, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in SANCTIFICATION and honor. (1Th_4:2-4)
For ye know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your SANCTIFICATION, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in SANCTIFICATION and honor. (1Th_4:2-4)
01-30-09 Sifting
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31,32)
Has there come a time in our walk with God, wanting to know Him more and more, and He is requiring of us to be sifted like wheat? What is this sifting? What does it look like?
I would rather be sifted now, and as Jesus said to Peter, when you are converted…I do not want my sifting to be at the time of tribulation as many will experience.
Sifting is a hard thing to go through. It must be recognized as an “honor” and not a punishment. You will know the time of your sifting. The wind will be different, the clouds will be different, there will be an eerie feeling in the air, and we must see it as an opportunity being performed in our life that is a “Sanctification” process.
Many that go through the sifting process will instantly want to return to the “garden of their souls”, take a quick inventory of the “weeds” left there and how well they have grown. The decision to make at this time is whether or not we are going to pull those weeds up for good, bear the roots to the open air and let them dry up and die, or water those weeds once again so they continue to grow, always available, just in case things go wrong and then that individual will have something to turn to for comfort, a false comfort.
It can be a great discomfort to look at those weeds while things are going well in our lives, at times when it seems that God is pouring out His revelation and blessings. We hear God, we see Gods hand at work, and we set aside and do not even want to look at those weeds that remain inside of us in our garden. But I say that a season of sifting will now require us to look into that garden, see the weeds for what they are, “Sins”, and pull the root systems up. We must look at the Sin, and despise, “Hate”, the sin as much as God does. To truly repent, we must bring ourselves to a place of dying to these massive well nurtured weeds that can take us from the realm of spiritual obedience to torment of soul. “Can we truly Travail in our soul if we are farming the iniquities”?
We can look at sifting as a beckoning from God, a beckoning for us to return, and be converted. We must make a decision to either pull weeds once and for all, or sign up for our due judgment that will come. He is coming as an all consuming fire, to burn all things that are built with wood, hay and stubble. As we build we must rid our lives of the materials that will be consumed. You are constantly building, one day at a time, but which foundation are you building on and what are you building with? The sifting in our lives allows our vessels to be inspected by a spiritual building inspector, this is God. Listen to his voice when He tells you to rid your life of these items that keep you far from sanctification. Which temple are we? Are we a Holy Temple? Or are we just holy looking people on the outside?
Blessings,
Larry D.
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. (Luke 22:31,32)
Has there come a time in our walk with God, wanting to know Him more and more, and He is requiring of us to be sifted like wheat? What is this sifting? What does it look like?
I would rather be sifted now, and as Jesus said to Peter, when you are converted…I do not want my sifting to be at the time of tribulation as many will experience.
Sifting is a hard thing to go through. It must be recognized as an “honor” and not a punishment. You will know the time of your sifting. The wind will be different, the clouds will be different, there will be an eerie feeling in the air, and we must see it as an opportunity being performed in our life that is a “Sanctification” process.
Many that go through the sifting process will instantly want to return to the “garden of their souls”, take a quick inventory of the “weeds” left there and how well they have grown. The decision to make at this time is whether or not we are going to pull those weeds up for good, bear the roots to the open air and let them dry up and die, or water those weeds once again so they continue to grow, always available, just in case things go wrong and then that individual will have something to turn to for comfort, a false comfort.
It can be a great discomfort to look at those weeds while things are going well in our lives, at times when it seems that God is pouring out His revelation and blessings. We hear God, we see Gods hand at work, and we set aside and do not even want to look at those weeds that remain inside of us in our garden. But I say that a season of sifting will now require us to look into that garden, see the weeds for what they are, “Sins”, and pull the root systems up. We must look at the Sin, and despise, “Hate”, the sin as much as God does. To truly repent, we must bring ourselves to a place of dying to these massive well nurtured weeds that can take us from the realm of spiritual obedience to torment of soul. “Can we truly Travail in our soul if we are farming the iniquities”?
We can look at sifting as a beckoning from God, a beckoning for us to return, and be converted. We must make a decision to either pull weeds once and for all, or sign up for our due judgment that will come. He is coming as an all consuming fire, to burn all things that are built with wood, hay and stubble. As we build we must rid our lives of the materials that will be consumed. You are constantly building, one day at a time, but which foundation are you building on and what are you building with? The sifting in our lives allows our vessels to be inspected by a spiritual building inspector, this is God. Listen to his voice when He tells you to rid your life of these items that keep you far from sanctification. Which temple are we? Are we a Holy Temple? Or are we just holy looking people on the outside?
Blessings,
Larry D.
01-29-09 Scripture
Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.
-Jesus- Mark 13:33
-Jesus- Mark 13:33
01-29-09 Quote
Fall on your knees and grow there. There is no burden of the spirit but is lighter by kneeling under it. Prayer means not always talking to Him, but waiting before Him till the dust settles and the stream runs clear.
~ F. B. Meyer
~ F. B. Meyer
01-29-09 Pray Till We Pray
Dr. Moody Stuart, a great praying man of a past generation, once drew up a set of rules to guide him in his prayers. Among these rules is this one: "Pray till you pray." The difference between praying till you quit and praying till you pray is illustrated by the American evangelist John Wesley Lee. He often likened a season of prayer to a church service, and insisted that many of us close the meeting before the service is over. He confessed that once he arose too soon from a prayer session and started down the street to take care of some pressing business. He had only gone a short distance when an inner voice reproached him. "Son," the voice seemed to say, "did you not pronounce the benediction before the meeting was ended?" He understood, and at once hurried back to the place of prayer where he tarried till the burden lifted and the blessing came down.
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience. Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood.
Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through. Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day. We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
-A.W.Tozer
The habit of breaking off our prayers before we have truly prayed is as common as it is unfortunate. Often the last ten minutes may mean more to us than the first half hour, because we must spend a long time getting into the proper mood to pray effectively. We may need to struggle with our thoughts to draw them in from where they have been scattered through the multitude of distractions that result from the task of living in a disordered world.
Here, as elsewhere in spiritual matters, we must be sure to distinguish the ideal from the real. Ideally we should be living moment-by-moment in a state of such perfect union with God that no special preparation is necessary. But actually there are few who can honestly say that this is their experience. Candor will compel most of us to admit that we often experience a struggle before we can escape from the emotional alienation and sense of unreality that sometimes settle over us as a sort of prevailing mood.
Whatever a dreamy idealism may say, we are forced to deal with things down on the level of practical reality. If when we come to prayer our hearts feel dull and unspiritual, we should not try to argue ourselves out of it. Rather, we should admit it frankly and pray our way through. Some Christians smile at the thought of "praying through," but something of the same idea is found in the writings of practically every great praying saint from Daniel to the present day. We cannot afford to stop praying till we have actually prayed.
-A.W.Tozer
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
01-28-09 The Open Secret
The God we must see is not the utilitarian God who is having such a run of popularity today, whose chief claim to men's attention is His ability to bring them success in their various undertakings and who for that reason, is being cajoled and flattered by everyone who wants a favor. The God we must learn to know is the Majesty in the heavens, God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, the only wise God our Savior. . . . The knowledge of the holy God is a free gift to men who are open to receive it.
First, we must forsake our sin. . . . "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
Second, there must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith. This is what it means to "believe in Christ." It involves a volitional and emotional attachment to Him accompanied by a firm purpose to obey Him in all things. . .
Third, there must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open of the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit. Then we must practice whatever self-discipline is required to walk in the Spirit, and trample under our feet the lust of the flesh.
Fourth, we must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world. . . .
Fifth, we must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God. . . The focal point of man's interest is now himself. Humanism in its various forms has displaced theology as the key to the understanding of life. . . .
God is a Person and can be known in increasing degrees of intimate acquaintance as we prepare our hearts for the wonder. . . .
Sixth, as the knowledge of God becomes more wonderful, greater service to our fellow men will become for us imperative. This blessed knowledge is not given to be enjoyed selfishly. The more perfectly we know God the more we will feel the desire to translate the new-found knowledge into deeds of mercy toward suffering humanity. The God who gave all to us will continue to give all through us to know Him better.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
-A.W. Tozer-
First, we must forsake our sin. . . . "Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God."
Second, there must be an utter committal of the whole life to Christ in faith. This is what it means to "believe in Christ." It involves a volitional and emotional attachment to Him accompanied by a firm purpose to obey Him in all things. . .
Third, there must be a reckoning of ourselves to have died unto sin and to be alive unto God in Christ Jesus, followed by a throwing open of the entire personality to the inflow of the Holy Spirit. Then we must practice whatever self-discipline is required to walk in the Spirit, and trample under our feet the lust of the flesh.
Fourth, we must boldly repudiate the cheap values of the fallen world. . . .
Fifth, we must practice the art of long and loving meditation upon the majesty of God. . . The focal point of man's interest is now himself. Humanism in its various forms has displaced theology as the key to the understanding of life. . . .
God is a Person and can be known in increasing degrees of intimate acquaintance as we prepare our hearts for the wonder. . . .
Sixth, as the knowledge of God becomes more wonderful, greater service to our fellow men will become for us imperative. This blessed knowledge is not given to be enjoyed selfishly. The more perfectly we know God the more we will feel the desire to translate the new-found knowledge into deeds of mercy toward suffering humanity. The God who gave all to us will continue to give all through us to know Him better.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied (Matthew 5:6).
-A.W. Tozer-
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