From yesterday's post, let me give you a few more idea's on serving your family by way of devotions.
Now sometimes, I am not able to lead the family in devotions every day. However it is still my responsibility to ensure that this spiritual discipline or practice takes place. Let's face it, things come up that are outside of our control, so there ought to be a way in which our children are learning to have their own times with the Lord and learning.
Here is what we do. I will provide or suggest some things for my children to read & then ask them to write down words they don't understand. Then when I return home, or when mum can sit with them at some stage, we discuss words and understandings of the passage. So for example, Abigail, my oldest girl, loves Psalms 23. The reason she loves it is because she reads it, and re-reads it. Caleb, my oldest, loves to read everything and anything. So he likes challenges. So when he reads Judges or 1 Chronicles, he is invigorated by the account of history and war. He loves trying to pronounce the names & piecing together where they belong in the story of the Bible. Yes, he is 10! I was not that inspired at his age, but we are running with it, while he likes it.
This works well when mum has a Dr.'s appointment or has to go out first thing, and you have a busy schedule, and the demands of the day are not allowing you to all sit together to do devotions. This also works when family members are sick & in bed too.
Here is another scenario. What if you are a dad who has to travel alot and work keeps you from doing daily devotions with your family? *** NOTE*** please know this takes time to develop but it is possible to execute. Or it may be an idea for something you can aim to put into practice. It will do your son or daughter a world of good.
So this is what I have done. I have asked my oldest son Caleb, when I am away for a night or a few days, to lead the family in devotions. I will usually provide him with some suggestions in what he can read with the family. Another thing I have done is given him a simple challenge. Here is one task I have given him. I provided him a memory verse and say that if he can get everyone to memorize it by the time I get home, I will have a reward for everyone.
You may ask, where is his mum? Of course mum is present with an observing and encouraging eye. Mum oversees and encourages her boy to lead well. I must tell you, there is an undescribeable joy when your wife reports that your boy is taking delight in leading the family, and doing it well.
If you have all girls, encourage mum to lead them and model for them what it is to study the Bible, but it still is your responsibility dad, to lead mum in the training of your children in godliness and holiness.
I hope you find these ideas helpful. I am not an expert, but enjoy trying to bring out the best in my family... hoping they will stand before our Savior one day, giving gratitude to the Lord for their Salvation, through Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Dad's Doing Devotions!
Doesn't your back tighten up when someone tells you to do something? I can get that way. But after I settle down, I can handle it better, when someone provides me with some direction on how to do what they are suggesting.
As dad's I think it is often encouraged that we do devotions with our families, or that we should be leading our families in devotions. But sometimes, we don't know what that looks like.
Let me encourage you with what I do. Not that I am an expert, but I find it helpful to hear of how others do it & then I can have a go. So for me, I get a devotional and the bible and find a quiet place for the kids to sit down. We have six! All of us, oldest to youngest, go to the lounge area and sit down. I then start with this devotional story. As I am reading the story I ask lots of questions throughout the story to insure that the kids are listening. I also use lots of pitch tones, and dramatization, for effect. The kids love it. Even the 18 month old. Then we read a passage from the Bible, and conclude in prayer. This sometimes takes ages, because they all want to pray... But we love it and let them!
Here is something some of you won't like, but I will say it anyway. Not just any book is going to do as a devotional. Your local Christian Book Store is out to make money, and they are not doing the hard work for you. As a dad you got to make sure that you are not just teaching your kids to be good kids. That's teaching morality, which is helpful, but not the aim of the game. The aim of the game is to teach your children the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To win their heart. It's not just behavior you want to change. It is the heart you want to change. They need to learn what Jesus commands of us, not how to be nice people.
So you want to keep your ear to the ground for sound biblical resources. Ask your pastor, other godly guys, or a dad who has six kids... LOL - Let me share one with you, that I have found helpful.
Sinclair Ferguson has a great family devotional guide called, "The Big Book of Questions and Answers". He starts from the beginning (Creation), and takes us to the end (The Lord's Return). If you click on the title you can order the book.
Here are the contents of this devotional:
* God is our Creator
* How things went wrong
* God had a plan
* Jesus came to save
* We become like Jesus
* We obey God
* How the Bible helps us
* Learning how to pray
* Belonging to the church
* Jesus will come back
I have done several of these lessons with our children. They love it! You will too. There are great activities Ferguson suggests, which left us all laughing at each other's drawings and hugging each other when we finished. It is so great for the family. They are nice and short too. 10 -15 minutes.
Dad's, please don't let unfamiliar ground be the reason you don't do devotions with your family. Try not to grow weary if it doesn't work out the first couple of times, we had that too. Also don't be afraid to bring discipline and correction during this time. Be consistent and loving. It is meant to be fun & exciting.
Do devotions - your whole family will grow closer to the Savior & in the end - you will then be parenting with an eternal perspective...
As dad's I think it is often encouraged that we do devotions with our families, or that we should be leading our families in devotions. But sometimes, we don't know what that looks like.
Let me encourage you with what I do. Not that I am an expert, but I find it helpful to hear of how others do it & then I can have a go. So for me, I get a devotional and the bible and find a quiet place for the kids to sit down. We have six! All of us, oldest to youngest, go to the lounge area and sit down. I then start with this devotional story. As I am reading the story I ask lots of questions throughout the story to insure that the kids are listening. I also use lots of pitch tones, and dramatization, for effect. The kids love it. Even the 18 month old. Then we read a passage from the Bible, and conclude in prayer. This sometimes takes ages, because they all want to pray... But we love it and let them!
Here is something some of you won't like, but I will say it anyway. Not just any book is going to do as a devotional. Your local Christian Book Store is out to make money, and they are not doing the hard work for you. As a dad you got to make sure that you are not just teaching your kids to be good kids. That's teaching morality, which is helpful, but not the aim of the game. The aim of the game is to teach your children the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To win their heart. It's not just behavior you want to change. It is the heart you want to change. They need to learn what Jesus commands of us, not how to be nice people.
So you want to keep your ear to the ground for sound biblical resources. Ask your pastor, other godly guys, or a dad who has six kids... LOL - Let me share one with you, that I have found helpful.
Sinclair Ferguson has a great family devotional guide called, "The Big Book of Questions and Answers". He starts from the beginning (Creation), and takes us to the end (The Lord's Return). If you click on the title you can order the book.
Here are the contents of this devotional:
* God is our Creator
* How things went wrong
* God had a plan
* Jesus came to save
* We become like Jesus
* We obey God
* How the Bible helps us
* Learning how to pray
* Belonging to the church
* Jesus will come back
I have done several of these lessons with our children. They love it! You will too. There are great activities Ferguson suggests, which left us all laughing at each other's drawings and hugging each other when we finished. It is so great for the family. They are nice and short too. 10 -15 minutes.
Dad's, please don't let unfamiliar ground be the reason you don't do devotions with your family. Try not to grow weary if it doesn't work out the first couple of times, we had that too. Also don't be afraid to bring discipline and correction during this time. Be consistent and loving. It is meant to be fun & exciting.
Do devotions - your whole family will grow closer to the Savior & in the end - you will then be parenting with an eternal perspective...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Meg's Miscellaneous Monday (or Friday!)
I know it's Friday, but I figured I was either late for last Monday, or early for next Monday! I like to think it is the latter!!!
First up is a wonderful post by John Piper at Desiring God entitled "How can eternity influence a mother's daily tasks?". It is a fresh perspective on how our view of parenting should be influenced by the Lord and how He has global purpose, not just a confined view of life within the 4 walls of our home. Here is a quote from his post:
Next is a great post called "Costly Hospitality", written by Nicole over at 168 hours. She writes of the amazing sacrifice that Jonathan and Sarah Edwards made when they agreed to open their home up to a terminally ill man, David Brainerd. After they then went onto lose their own daughter as a result of the tuberculosis, probably contracted from Brainerd, they were still able to thank the Lord for the opportunity to care for their dying friend. What an amazing perspective! I was so utterly convicted by this couples commitment to serve the Lord by such a costly display of hospitality, and then to even praise Him inspite of their own loss.
I can sometimes (ok... often!) grumble at the energy it takes to clean my house in order to make it 'presentable' for visitors, which is really just my pride in not wanting them to think this mother of 6 has a messy home! I can also weigh up whether or not I have the time or energy to even invite someone over for coffee, wondering if selfishly it will inconvenience me or my family in some way. How humbling to read of this couple who did not consider it too great a cost to serve the Lord by opening up their home in such a way! I pray the Lord would change my heart in the way I see hospitality and how I can serve the Lord and others.
Lastly, here is an encouraging reminder to keep praying for your loved ones who are yet to know Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. You can find the whole post titled "This Person Will Never Be Saved" over at The Blazing Centre. It reminded me that nobody is beyond God's reach and that He is powerful enough to save even the most hardened of sinners. He saved me, right? Don't give up praying and remember that the Lord is at work, even through your witness and testimony for His glory.
Have a great weekend and be encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
This week, rather than a theme of 'mentions' to other blog posts, I have a wide variety of topics. My prayer is that they will all challenge and encourage you in your walk with the Lord and how you live that out on a daily basis.
First up is a wonderful post by John Piper at Desiring God entitled "How can eternity influence a mother's daily tasks?". It is a fresh perspective on how our view of parenting should be influenced by the Lord and how He has global purpose, not just a confined view of life within the 4 walls of our home. Here is a quote from his post:"The women who flourish most and who delight most in that calling—and who are best at it—are not women whose lives are circumscribed by their houses. They are women who are aware of the world. They're aware of God's global purpose. They're aware of the ultimate purposes of God in history. They're aware of things in history and in the far off reaches of the world today that God is doing. And those are part of what they want to build into these children. They want to raise global Christians, world Christians."
Next is a great post called "Costly Hospitality", written by Nicole over at 168 hours. She writes of the amazing sacrifice that Jonathan and Sarah Edwards made when they agreed to open their home up to a terminally ill man, David Brainerd. After they then went onto lose their own daughter as a result of the tuberculosis, probably contracted from Brainerd, they were still able to thank the Lord for the opportunity to care for their dying friend. What an amazing perspective! I was so utterly convicted by this couples commitment to serve the Lord by such a costly display of hospitality, and then to even praise Him inspite of their own loss.
I can sometimes (ok... often!) grumble at the energy it takes to clean my house in order to make it 'presentable' for visitors, which is really just my pride in not wanting them to think this mother of 6 has a messy home! I can also weigh up whether or not I have the time or energy to even invite someone over for coffee, wondering if selfishly it will inconvenience me or my family in some way. How humbling to read of this couple who did not consider it too great a cost to serve the Lord by opening up their home in such a way! I pray the Lord would change my heart in the way I see hospitality and how I can serve the Lord and others.
On a completely different note is a brilliant quote from Charles Spurgeon. He is giving advice to young pastors or those entering into church ministry. You can read his brilliant wisdom here at the Desiring God website.
Lastly, here is an encouraging reminder to keep praying for your loved ones who are yet to know Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour. You can find the whole post titled "This Person Will Never Be Saved" over at The Blazing Centre. It reminded me that nobody is beyond God's reach and that He is powerful enough to save even the most hardened of sinners. He saved me, right? Don't give up praying and remember that the Lord is at work, even through your witness and testimony for His glory.Here is just a short quote from the piece: "There is no one beyond the reach of God’s fathomless love. Even the most hardened sinner can be broken by the hammer of God’s mercy. Don’t stop praying for the hardened sinners in your life."
Have a great weekend and be encouraged to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Parenting Tool
Do you wonder how we get kids to come to church?
Spurgeon has a wonderful exhortation for parents and teachers. He suggests you "win them"! How do you win them you ask? Spurgeon suggests you tell them of the wonderful fun that is to be had when learning the Word of God.
Now, that right there may not be the climate of your church environment.
Hence, dad's we need to step up and bring in some fun to our children's learning about the Lord!
Let me ask you, do we need to change anything about the way we share with our children or your friends children?
Next, Spurgeon sees that we need to win the children's love.
How do you do that? May I suggest that it's not the strict classroom setting where order and rules reign supreme. Perhaps its what Psalms 34:11 suggests- "Come, my children, listen as I teach you to respect the Lord."
Perhaps it's the humble approach of a father sitting down or kneeling down to a child's level and speaking gently the Words of the Lord.
All to often the fault of many teachers is that they do not get their children near them but endeavor to demand a kind of awful respect for the parent or teachers and their position of authority. Instead , may I suggest we gently tell the children to come. Come and listen.
Spurgeon beautifully and rightly observes, "before you teach a child, you must get the silver key of kindness to unlock their hearts and so secure their attention." How correct this man's understanding of children is. A child and even an adult does not really care how much you know, until he knows how much you care for them.
Dad's, invite your children to, "come".
And then teach them how to respect the Lord!
Go well!
Spurgeon has a wonderful exhortation for parents and teachers. He suggests you "win them"! How do you win them you ask? Spurgeon suggests you tell them of the wonderful fun that is to be had when learning the Word of God.
Now, that right there may not be the climate of your church environment.
Hence, dad's we need to step up and bring in some fun to our children's learning about the Lord!
Let me ask you, do we need to change anything about the way we share with our children or your friends children?
Next, Spurgeon sees that we need to win the children's love.
How do you do that? May I suggest that it's not the strict classroom setting where order and rules reign supreme. Perhaps its what Psalms 34:11 suggests- "Come, my children, listen as I teach you to respect the Lord."
Perhaps it's the humble approach of a father sitting down or kneeling down to a child's level and speaking gently the Words of the Lord.
All to often the fault of many teachers is that they do not get their children near them but endeavor to demand a kind of awful respect for the parent or teachers and their position of authority. Instead , may I suggest we gently tell the children to come. Come and listen.
Spurgeon beautifully and rightly observes, "before you teach a child, you must get the silver key of kindness to unlock their hearts and so secure their attention." How correct this man's understanding of children is. A child and even an adult does not really care how much you know, until he knows how much you care for them.
Dad's, invite your children to, "come".
And then teach them how to respect the Lord!
Go well!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
As Long As You are Glorified
As a dad, I am aware that the music I play around the house is having an influence on my family. What words are your children listening to and then picking up? What words are being sown into your wife & children's heart? Here is a song that has been ringing throughout our house lately... You can hear a sample of it and purchase it here.
As Long as You are Glorified
"Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love you in times of plenty
Then leave you in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt
chorus
Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified
Are you good only when I prosper
And true only when I'm filled
Are You King only when I'm carefree
And God only when I'm well
You are good when I'm poor and needy
You are true when I'm parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You're still God in the darkest night
Bridge
So quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart in You"
Mark Altrogge cpywrite 2008
Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)
As Long as You are Glorified
"Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love you in times of plenty
Then leave you in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt
chorus
Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified
Are you good only when I prosper
And true only when I'm filled
Are You King only when I'm carefree
And God only when I'm well
You are good when I'm poor and needy
You are true when I'm parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You're still God in the darkest night
Bridge
So quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart
Quiet my restless heart in You"
Mark Altrogge cpywrite 2008
Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI)
We do long for Him to be Glorified!
Monday, July 14, 2008
No Monday Mentions This Monday
No Monday Mentions, this Monday, as we are preparing to share the gospel with kids in our community...
Please pray for us as we run ,"Survivor Babylon" at our church, Chatswood Baptist.
We are running the program this Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, from 9:30 - 12:30. The theme is to trust, pray and obey.
What about you? How are you doing trusting God? Obeying God & praying to our Heavenly Father? We hope that kids will learn from the way Daniel and his friends did more then survive in Babylon.
If you are not sure about this story, you can find it in the Bible. It's in the book of Daniel. The first six chapters tell of some of the things that happened to them while they were in Babylon.
Oh May God be glorified in all that we do in this foreign land, called earth.
For HIS Glory, we pray!
Please pray for us as we run ,"Survivor Babylon" at our church, Chatswood Baptist.
We are running the program this Wednesday, Thursday & Friday, from 9:30 - 12:30. The theme is to trust, pray and obey.What about you? How are you doing trusting God? Obeying God & praying to our Heavenly Father? We hope that kids will learn from the way Daniel and his friends did more then survive in Babylon.
If you are not sure about this story, you can find it in the Bible. It's in the book of Daniel. The first six chapters tell of some of the things that happened to them while they were in Babylon.
Oh May God be glorified in all that we do in this foreign land, called earth.
For HIS Glory, we pray!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Power of the Bible to Illuminate Christ
Here is a quote on, The Power of the Bible to Illuminate Christ.
Please read it slowly & may it provoke you to read the WORD!
Please read it slowly & may it provoke you to read the WORD!
"Our Christian conviction is that the Bible has both
authority and relevance - to a degree quite
extraordinary in so ancient a book - and that the
secret of both is in Jesus Christ. Indeed, we should
never think of the Christ and the Bible apart ....
This reciprocal testimony between the Living Word
and the written Word is the clue to our Christian
understanding of the Bible. For his testimony to it
assures us of its authority, and its testimony to him of
its relevance. The authority and
the relevance are his."
John R. Stott
Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church, London
The Authority and Relevance of the Bible in the
Modern World, 1979
Friday, July 11, 2008
My Salvation
If you are visiting this sight regularly, you might be thinking, is this guy serious? Why so much about the Gospel? The reason why is because, this is my hope! This is what saves mankind. This is what causes me to get up in the morning. This is why I am alive. I won't grow tired of hearing and reminding myself, what Jesus has done for me!
Read this: This is by Milton Vincent, it's called: "My Salvation"
"Now when my time came and I placed my faith in Jesus, God instantly granted me a great salvation. He forgave me of all my sins, past, present and future. He gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives me God's power, who pours out God's love within my heart, and who tenderly communicates to my spirit that I am a child of God and an heir of eternal glory in heaven.
In saving me, God freed me from slavery to any and all sins. I no longer have to sin again, for sin's mastery over me has been broken! In saving me, God also justified me, and being justified through Christ, I have a peace with God that will endure forever. In justifying me, God declared me innocent of my sins ans pronounced me righteous with the very righteousness of Jesus. God has also allowed His future and present wrath against me to be completely propitiated by Jesus, who bore it upon Himself while on the cross. Consequently, God now has only love, compassion, and deepest affection for me, and this love is without any admixture of wrath whatsoever. God always looks upon me and treats me with gracious favor, always working all things together for my ultimate and eternal good. God's grace abounds to me even through trials. Because I am a justified one, He subjugates every trail and forces it to do good unto me. When I sin, God's grace abounds to me all the more as He graciously maintains my justified status as described above. When I sin, God feels no wrath in His heart against me. His heart is filled with nothing but love for me, and He longs for me to repent and confess my sins to Him, so that He might show me the gracious and forgiving love that has been in His heart all along.
God does not require my confession before He desires to forgive me. In His heart He already has forgiven me; and when I come to Him to confess my sins to Him, He runs to me (as it were) and is repeatedly embracing and kissing me even before I get the words of my confession out of my mouth! (Read Luke 15:20-24)
God does see my sins, and He is grieved by my sins. His grief comes partly from the fact that in my moments of sin, I am not receiving the fullness of His love for me. He even sends chastisement into my life (Hebrews 12:7-9); but He does so because He is for me, and He loves me; and He disciplines me for my ultimate good. I don't deserve any of this, even on my best day; but this is my salvation, and herein I stand. Thank you Jesus!"
Is this not worth, getting up and enjoying today?
And it is ONLY, because of the cross...
Read this: This is by Milton Vincent, it's called: "My Salvation"
"Now when my time came and I placed my faith in Jesus, God instantly granted me a great salvation. He forgave me of all my sins, past, present and future. He gave me the gift of the Holy Spirit, who gives me God's power, who pours out God's love within my heart, and who tenderly communicates to my spirit that I am a child of God and an heir of eternal glory in heaven.
In saving me, God freed me from slavery to any and all sins. I no longer have to sin again, for sin's mastery over me has been broken! In saving me, God also justified me, and being justified through Christ, I have a peace with God that will endure forever. In justifying me, God declared me innocent of my sins ans pronounced me righteous with the very righteousness of Jesus. God has also allowed His future and present wrath against me to be completely propitiated by Jesus, who bore it upon Himself while on the cross. Consequently, God now has only love, compassion, and deepest affection for me, and this love is without any admixture of wrath whatsoever. God always looks upon me and treats me with gracious favor, always working all things together for my ultimate and eternal good. God's grace abounds to me even through trials. Because I am a justified one, He subjugates every trail and forces it to do good unto me. When I sin, God's grace abounds to me all the more as He graciously maintains my justified status as described above. When I sin, God feels no wrath in His heart against me. His heart is filled with nothing but love for me, and He longs for me to repent and confess my sins to Him, so that He might show me the gracious and forgiving love that has been in His heart all along.
God does not require my confession before He desires to forgive me. In His heart He already has forgiven me; and when I come to Him to confess my sins to Him, He runs to me (as it were) and is repeatedly embracing and kissing me even before I get the words of my confession out of my mouth! (Read Luke 15:20-24)
God does see my sins, and He is grieved by my sins. His grief comes partly from the fact that in my moments of sin, I am not receiving the fullness of His love for me. He even sends chastisement into my life (Hebrews 12:7-9); but He does so because He is for me, and He loves me; and He disciplines me for my ultimate good. I don't deserve any of this, even on my best day; but this is my salvation, and herein I stand. Thank you Jesus!"
Is this not worth, getting up and enjoying today?
And it is ONLY, because of the cross...
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
God's Work on My Behalf
A day later then promised, let's reflect on how Milton Vincent understands 'God's work on our behalf'.
"However, what I could not do, God did and in doing it, He did it all, sending His own Son into the world to die on the cross for my sins, thereby showing me unfathomable love. God loved me so much that He was willing to suffer the loss of His Son, and even more amazingly, He was willing to allow His Son to suffer the loss of Him at the cross. Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to lay down His life for me. no one could ever love me more or better than Jesus. On the third day after Jesus' death, God raised Him from the dead, thereby announcing that His death was completely sufficient to atone for every sin that I have or will commit throughout my lifetime. God then exalted Christ to His own right hand, where Christ now reigns from on high, granting salvation and forgiveness to all who call on Him by faith."
This is so well put. Praise God for the understanding and giftedness of this man to put these thoughts on paper.
Brothers Milton is gifted but you should understand, these thoughts are all formed by God's Word. Again, let me provide you with verses that support and endorse all of the conclusions that Mr. Vincent has reached.
Romans 5:6; Romans 8:3; 1Peter 3:18; Romans 5:7&8; John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Mark 15:34; John 15:13; Acts 13:30, 38&39; Ephesians 1:20&21; Acts 5:31.
Reflecting on the work that God has done for me causes me to sigh. I'm free! I'm free in Christ. Not because of myself, but because of what He has done!
What a wonderful Savior!
"However, what I could not do, God did and in doing it, He did it all, sending His own Son into the world to die on the cross for my sins, thereby showing me unfathomable love. God loved me so much that He was willing to suffer the loss of His Son, and even more amazingly, He was willing to allow His Son to suffer the loss of Him at the cross. Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to lay down His life for me. no one could ever love me more or better than Jesus. On the third day after Jesus' death, God raised Him from the dead, thereby announcing that His death was completely sufficient to atone for every sin that I have or will commit throughout my lifetime. God then exalted Christ to His own right hand, where Christ now reigns from on high, granting salvation and forgiveness to all who call on Him by faith."
This is so well put. Praise God for the understanding and giftedness of this man to put these thoughts on paper.
Brothers Milton is gifted but you should understand, these thoughts are all formed by God's Word. Again, let me provide you with verses that support and endorse all of the conclusions that Mr. Vincent has reached.
Romans 5:6; Romans 8:3; 1Peter 3:18; Romans 5:7&8; John 3:16; Romans 8:32; Mark 15:34; John 15:13; Acts 13:30, 38&39; Ephesians 1:20&21; Acts 5:31.
Reflecting on the work that God has done for me causes me to sigh. I'm free! I'm free in Christ. Not because of myself, but because of what He has done!
What a wonderful Savior!
Monday, July 7, 2008
Meg's Miscellaneous Monday Mentions
It's Monday night, and therefore a little late, but I think I still scrape in on a technicality, right?
Well, this week, I have 2 fantastic but oh-so-challenging posts to direct you to. First up is a hard hitting, sledge hammer between the eyes, no holds barred post over at Desiring God. It is a ripper of an article written by Ben Reaoch, pastor of Three Rivers Grace Church in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The title of his post is "12 Sins We Blame on Others". Yep, I told you it was going to hit you between the eyes! I was so convicted by this post and so shocked at the truths written in just one short piece of writing.
In short, these 12 sins we blame others for, according to Ben Reaoch are: Anger, impatience, lust, anxiety, spiritual apathy, insubordination, a critical spirit, bitterness, gluttony, gossip, self-pity and selfishness.
I don't know about you, but I can unfortunately confess that I have at one time or other, blamed someone else for almost all of these sins in my own heart. Whether it be blaming my anger on another who has hurt me, or justifying my anxiety because I obviously have a lot of stress going on in my life. Just this week, I have had to apologise to my children several times for my great impatience and frustration that I have displayed to them. Excusing my sin by blaming it on their behaviours and my own exhaustion does not cut it with the Lord, but I hate to admit how often I can be guilty of this. I would strongly encourage you all to read this article and be open to the Lord if He is leading you to repent of blaming others for your own choices to sin.
And secondly, this next post has an equally hard message to swallow, one that I found very challenging and convicting again. Boundless Web zine, a Focus on the Family site, has posted a very challenging message called "Inured", regarding the issue of our choice of movies and TV.
Ahhh, I hear the sighs, the rolling of the eyes and the defences raising... but before you write it off (and me) as a conservative, narrow minded Christian who can't appreciate good art and entertainment, I would encourage you to at least read the article and pray about whether you think this is an area in which you may not be completely honouring the Lord in.
The article predominantly deals with the fact that we, as a society and even within the church, have become so desensitized to what we see and hear in movies and on TV that things are rarely as shocking as they should be to us as Christians.
Within the comments section of the article, someone has written this brilliant quote by John Piper regarding his views on his choices of movies:
He said, "My parents almost never went to movies, and I almost never go to movies. The reason is very simple: there are almost no movies that don't ask me to be entertained by attitudes, motives, and actions which Jesus died to eradicate. My heart will not allow me to be entertained by worldliness."
Extreme? Maybe. Or maybe it's that we have become so numb to the sin in our own hearts that we are no longer shocked when we see others acting out that same sin that Jesus died for on the Cross, on the TV screen. I pray that the Lord would lead you in wisdom and Godliness as you seek to lead your families in making wise choices for your entertainment and recreation.
Well, this week, I have 2 fantastic but oh-so-challenging posts to direct you to. First up is a hard hitting, sledge hammer between the eyes, no holds barred post over at Desiring God. It is a ripper of an article written by Ben Reaoch, pastor of Three Rivers Grace Church in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. The title of his post is "12 Sins We Blame on Others". Yep, I told you it was going to hit you between the eyes! I was so convicted by this post and so shocked at the truths written in just one short piece of writing.
In short, these 12 sins we blame others for, according to Ben Reaoch are: Anger, impatience, lust, anxiety, spiritual apathy, insubordination, a critical spirit, bitterness, gluttony, gossip, self-pity and selfishness.I don't know about you, but I can unfortunately confess that I have at one time or other, blamed someone else for almost all of these sins in my own heart. Whether it be blaming my anger on another who has hurt me, or justifying my anxiety because I obviously have a lot of stress going on in my life. Just this week, I have had to apologise to my children several times for my great impatience and frustration that I have displayed to them. Excusing my sin by blaming it on their behaviours and my own exhaustion does not cut it with the Lord, but I hate to admit how often I can be guilty of this. I would strongly encourage you all to read this article and be open to the Lord if He is leading you to repent of blaming others for your own choices to sin.
And secondly, this next post has an equally hard message to swallow, one that I found very challenging and convicting again. Boundless Web zine, a Focus on the Family site, has posted a very challenging message called "Inured", regarding the issue of our choice of movies and TV.
Ahhh, I hear the sighs, the rolling of the eyes and the defences raising... but before you write it off (and me) as a conservative, narrow minded Christian who can't appreciate good art and entertainment, I would encourage you to at least read the article and pray about whether you think this is an area in which you may not be completely honouring the Lord in.
The article predominantly deals with the fact that we, as a society and even within the church, have become so desensitized to what we see and hear in movies and on TV that things are rarely as shocking as they should be to us as Christians.
Within the comments section of the article, someone has written this brilliant quote by John Piper regarding his views on his choices of movies:
He said, "My parents almost never went to movies, and I almost never go to movies. The reason is very simple: there are almost no movies that don't ask me to be entertained by attitudes, motives, and actions which Jesus died to eradicate. My heart will not allow me to be entertained by worldliness."
Extreme? Maybe. Or maybe it's that we have become so numb to the sin in our own hearts that we are no longer shocked when we see others acting out that same sin that Jesus died for on the Cross, on the TV screen. I pray that the Lord would lead you in wisdom and Godliness as you seek to lead your families in making wise choices for your entertainment and recreation.
Our Sin Against God
I was at a dinner the other night where a man boldly and proudly stated: "I don't see a need in my life for Jesus, so why should I give Him my life?" Many a man don't understand what their sin is against God. Let me borrow these words from Milton Vincent who explains very well what 'our sin against God' is...
"Yet I could not have failed this great God more miserably than I have. Instead of giving thanks to Him and humbly submitting to His rule over my life, I have rebelled against Him and have actually sought to exalt myself above Him. Going my own way and living according to my own wisdom, I have broken countless times either the letter of the spirit of every one of God's Ten Commandments. Thinking myself to be wise, I have shown myself to be a fool; and because of my arrogance, God has every right to damn me to the everlasting experience of His terrifying wrath in the Lake of Fire. So as for myself, apart from Christ I am bound by the guilt of my sins and also bound by the power of sin, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. Apart from Christ, I am also utterly deserving of and destined for eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire, completely unable to save myself or even to make one iota of a contribution to my own salvation."
Here are some verses that support all that has been said by Milton Vincent.
Romans 1:21-25; Romans 3:23, Exodus 20:3-17; Colossians 3:5; Matthew 5:27-28; 1 John 3:15; Romans 6:23; Romans 21:8; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:19; James 2:10; Titus 3:3; Romans 5:6
Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will tell you of God's work on our behalf...
"Yet I could not have failed this great God more miserably than I have. Instead of giving thanks to Him and humbly submitting to His rule over my life, I have rebelled against Him and have actually sought to exalt myself above Him. Going my own way and living according to my own wisdom, I have broken countless times either the letter of the spirit of every one of God's Ten Commandments. Thinking myself to be wise, I have shown myself to be a fool; and because of my arrogance, God has every right to damn me to the everlasting experience of His terrifying wrath in the Lake of Fire. So as for myself, apart from Christ I am bound by the guilt of my sins and also bound by the power of sin, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures. Apart from Christ, I am also utterly deserving of and destined for eternal punishment in the Lake of Fire, completely unable to save myself or even to make one iota of a contribution to my own salvation."
Here are some verses that support all that has been said by Milton Vincent.
Romans 1:21-25; Romans 3:23, Exodus 20:3-17; Colossians 3:5; Matthew 5:27-28; 1 John 3:15; Romans 6:23; Romans 21:8; Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:19; James 2:10; Titus 3:3; Romans 5:6
Tomorrow, Lord willing, I will tell you of God's work on our behalf...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
