"for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13 (NKJV)
I heard a wise man once say, "God, I want to be in Your will and not in Your way." It took ole Dave a while to figure that I don't "do" for God, even though it seems to be that way from our perspective, but it is God who works through us to accomplish His goals. And with that said, He can "get-er-done" with or without Dave. Read my hero Adrian Rodger's comment on this.
"One of the greatest secrets I have ever learned is this: God doesn’t want me to do anything for Him. He wants to do something through me. People say, “Well, I just serve God in my poor, little, old weak way.” I feel like saying, “Well, quit it.” He doesn’t want you to serve Him in your poor, little, old weak way. He wants you out of the way, so He can flow through you! We need to make ourselves available to God and say, “God, I’m tired of being inhibited. I want to be inhabited by You. I want You to live Your life through me.”
-Adrian Rodgers
...and all of God's people said, "Amen"
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bible. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
God's Will For Your Life
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 (NKJV)
If Jesus is Lord of your life, then not only is your entire life ordered, but so is every single step within your life. God has a plan for the plumber as well as the preacher, for the mechanic as well as the missionary. And if God, for instance, calls you to be a mechanic and you become a missionary, you are accepting second best! To find God’s will is the highest achievement in your life. Success is not spelled M-O-N-E-Y. Nor is it spelled F-A-M-E. Success is the continuous realization of the will of God — what God desires — for your life. God does not make clones; He makes children! There is an ultimate purpose for your life as His child — to be like Jesus.
- Adrian Rodgers
If Jesus is Lord of your life, then not only is your entire life ordered, but so is every single step within your life. God has a plan for the plumber as well as the preacher, for the mechanic as well as the missionary. And if God, for instance, calls you to be a mechanic and you become a missionary, you are accepting second best! To find God’s will is the highest achievement in your life. Success is not spelled M-O-N-E-Y. Nor is it spelled F-A-M-E. Success is the continuous realization of the will of God — what God desires — for your life. God does not make clones; He makes children! There is an ultimate purpose for your life as His child — to be like Jesus.
- Adrian Rodgers
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Seeking His face
"if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV)
"We need to move past merely talking about the inerrant Word of God; we need to start living it to a far greater level than ever before. We must seek His face as we submit our hearts and lives to Him."
-Frank Page
SBC President
Full article at: http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=25792
"We need to move past merely talking about the inerrant Word of God; we need to start living it to a far greater level than ever before. We must seek His face as we submit our hearts and lives to Him."
-Frank Page
SBC President
Full article at: http://www.bpnews.net/BPFirstPerson.asp?ID=25792
Thursday, May 10, 2007
For By Grace
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
If you think you’re going to get to heaven by your good works, I guarantee, you will always wonder if you’ve done enough. You will not have a “know-so” salvation. You will have a “hope-so” salvation. Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark, that is, until you understand that it’s all by grace. Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.
-Adrian Rodgers
If you think you’re going to get to heaven by your good works, I guarantee, you will always wonder if you’ve done enough. You will not have a “know-so” salvation. You will have a “hope-so” salvation. Rather than standing up straight in confidence like an exclamation point, you will be bent over and wondering like a question mark, that is, until you understand that it’s all by grace. Suppose everybody who wanted to be saved had to run around the block. Some can’t run. What if you had to read a chapter in the Bible to be saved? Some can’t read. But there is one thing that can make the promise sure, and that is grace.
-Adrian Rodgers
Friday, April 20, 2007
Where's Jesus
My heart is heavy and I grieve with and for the families of the murdered students and teachers at Va. Tech. The killer is probably getting his reward in a devil's hell. I pray for his family as well. I wanted to post some words of my beloved bible teacher, Adrian Rodgers, who shares about the "storms of life."
These are dangerous days, indeed, and things can happen in the blink of an eye that can overwhelm us, but don't lose heart. Three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible, one time for every day of the year, God has told us not to be afraid. In one way or another, He said "be not afraid," or "fear not." The devil is the sinister minister of fear, but our Lord tells us not to be afraid. Three hundred and sixty-five times He tells us not to be afraid!
We can also take comfort in the fact that we are graced by His prayers. In John 6:16 and 17, we read the account of the storm the disciples found themselves in on the Sea of Galilee. And what does Jesus do ... He leaves them! The verses explain, "And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." They're saying, "Where's Jesus? Where is Jesus? It's dark and He hasn't come. Why hasn't He come?" Well, He's doing something else. What is He doing? He's praying. He's up on a mountaintop, praying (Matthew 14:22-23).
Don't think He has forsaken you just because you cannot see Him. When you're in the storm, He may not be with you in bodily form, but He is very much aware of you. I love that song that reminds us, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."
Did you know that He sees you right now? You may say, "He doesn't know where I am. He doesn't know this difficulty. Why is He so far away? Why am I in the storm and He is on the shore?"
Friend, He is there praying for you. In the case of the disciples' storm, He went apart to a mountain to pray and He was up there on the mountain looking down. He sees right through the dark. You may not be able to see Him, but He sees you. And what's He doing? He's praying. You are on Jesus' prayer list!
Do you have any reason to doubt that He is praying for you in the midst of your storm? How would you feel if you knew, while you are going about your business, Jesus was right beside you on His knees praying for you? What a comfort to know He ever lives to make intercession for you.
-Adrian Rodgers
These are dangerous days, indeed, and things can happen in the blink of an eye that can overwhelm us, but don't lose heart. Three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible, one time for every day of the year, God has told us not to be afraid. In one way or another, He said "be not afraid," or "fear not." The devil is the sinister minister of fear, but our Lord tells us not to be afraid. Three hundred and sixty-five times He tells us not to be afraid!
We can also take comfort in the fact that we are graced by His prayers. In John 6:16 and 17, we read the account of the storm the disciples found themselves in on the Sea of Galilee. And what does Jesus do ... He leaves them! The verses explain, "And when even was now come, His disciples went down unto the sea, And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them." They're saying, "Where's Jesus? Where is Jesus? It's dark and He hasn't come. Why hasn't He come?" Well, He's doing something else. What is He doing? He's praying. He's up on a mountaintop, praying (Matthew 14:22-23).
Don't think He has forsaken you just because you cannot see Him. When you're in the storm, He may not be with you in bodily form, but He is very much aware of you. I love that song that reminds us, "His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me."
Did you know that He sees you right now? You may say, "He doesn't know where I am. He doesn't know this difficulty. Why is He so far away? Why am I in the storm and He is on the shore?"
Friend, He is there praying for you. In the case of the disciples' storm, He went apart to a mountain to pray and He was up there on the mountain looking down. He sees right through the dark. You may not be able to see Him, but He sees you. And what's He doing? He's praying. You are on Jesus' prayer list!
Do you have any reason to doubt that He is praying for you in the midst of your storm? How would you feel if you knew, while you are going about your business, Jesus was right beside you on His knees praying for you? What a comfort to know He ever lives to make intercession for you.
-Adrian Rodgers
Sunday, April 8, 2007
The Cross of Peace
"having made peace through the blood of His cross."
Colossians 1:20b (NKJV)
How can a cross bring peace if Jesus is the One hanging there? At the cross, wickedness was not appeased. Wickedness was confronted. At the cross, sin was not overlooked. At the cross, sin was atoned and paid for. God’s greatest righteousness confronted man’s greatest wickedness, and righteousness won; peace was attained through the blood of the cross. Thank God for the cross! Thank God for Jesus!
Adrian Rogers
Colossians 1:20b (NKJV)
How can a cross bring peace if Jesus is the One hanging there? At the cross, wickedness was not appeased. Wickedness was confronted. At the cross, sin was not overlooked. At the cross, sin was atoned and paid for. God’s greatest righteousness confronted man’s greatest wickedness, and righteousness won; peace was attained through the blood of the cross. Thank God for the cross! Thank God for Jesus!
Adrian Rogers
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Why the Cross?
"Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" Luke 9:51
Why did Jesus have to die? Why the cross? Why couldn't God just say, "Look, I know you have sinned against Me. It's okay. Never mind. You are all forgiven." The answer is that it doesn't work with His nature and character. God is just. And the justice of God requires that our sins be paid. He could not accept us into fellowship with himself unless the penalty was paid.You see, the cross demonstrates the justice of God. At the cross of Calvary, the love and the justice of God met. Jesus had to go to the cross because humanity is sinful, and there was no other way to bridge the gap between a just and holy God and sinful humanity. The cross was His goal, and it was His destination from the very beginning. He spoke of it frequently.So don't think the cross was a mistake. Don't think that Jesus didn't know it was coming. Jesus, being God, had complete foreknowledge. He was braced for the cross. He knew the cruel and horrendous pain that awaited Him. In fact, Scripture tells us, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). He would let nothing or no one deter Him from His course. God said, "My righteous requirements must be met. But I love humanity. And there is no way they can do it on their own. So I must assist them. I must help them." So He sent His only begotten Son to bridge the gap. Jesus came to this earth to purchase back what had been forfeited in the Garden of Eden.
Think about that. This was a daily devotion I received a few years back from Gregg Laurie of Harvest Ministries. Sign up for own daily emails from Harvest.
Why did Jesus have to die? Why the cross? Why couldn't God just say, "Look, I know you have sinned against Me. It's okay. Never mind. You are all forgiven." The answer is that it doesn't work with His nature and character. God is just. And the justice of God requires that our sins be paid. He could not accept us into fellowship with himself unless the penalty was paid.You see, the cross demonstrates the justice of God. At the cross of Calvary, the love and the justice of God met. Jesus had to go to the cross because humanity is sinful, and there was no other way to bridge the gap between a just and holy God and sinful humanity. The cross was His goal, and it was His destination from the very beginning. He spoke of it frequently.So don't think the cross was a mistake. Don't think that Jesus didn't know it was coming. Jesus, being God, had complete foreknowledge. He was braced for the cross. He knew the cruel and horrendous pain that awaited Him. In fact, Scripture tells us, "He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem" (Luke 9:51). He would let nothing or no one deter Him from His course. God said, "My righteous requirements must be met. But I love humanity. And there is no way they can do it on their own. So I must assist them. I must help them." So He sent His only begotten Son to bridge the gap. Jesus came to this earth to purchase back what had been forfeited in the Garden of Eden.
Think about that. This was a daily devotion I received a few years back from Gregg Laurie of Harvest Ministries. Sign up for own daily emails from Harvest.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
What's Wrong With Dave?
People probably have been asking that question for years. And still are!:-) Sometimes I ask myself that question too. I mean look at the media hype and non-stop coverage of Anna Nicole Smith, of her life and her death. The media is absolutely gone 'yonkers' over this sad life of a misguided woman. She sold out to the world and the world devoured her. She had a 'rock star' status for what? Let's be honest. She was in a way, a prostitute. Now I can't judge, that's God's job, but I'm not blind either. The 'fruits' of her life point back to a rotten tree. But hey, we all have sinned I know. It's just a shame she never discovered, (best that I could tell), the healing power of our awesome God. As far as being concerned, I'm sorry for her death, her little 5-month old daughter orphaned, but I really don't care to hear all about her pitiful life every time I turn the radio or TV on. Are there no HEROS out there anymore? Are these our 21st century icons? Thanks Bill and Monica. Oh yeah, I wouldn't want to leave out Brittany here! What's wrong with me, is it that I don't want to know all the kinky and sad details of her life like the rest of the world wants to know! Yes, it's a tragedy and we should mourn the loss of another human, but to put her up on a pedestal and 'worship' her is just wrong. And behind it all, is the love of money, not the love of God.
Another viewpoint would be American Idol. What is up with that show? Frankly, the name keeps me away. Doesn't the Second Commandment come to mind here? To be honest, I have never watched a single show, only maybe a clip or two that was on the news about the show. So in that light, maybe I am prejudging a bit...maybe-maybe not. I saw in those film clips, hundreds of people standing in a line somewhere, usually raining, snowing, maybe in the middle of a heat wave, all trying desperately to get on this show and my heart breaks with the thought, "Why don't we seek God that way?" Of course the proverb comes to mind here, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) Now don't misunderstand, I have heard that a lot of good singers have been discovered on this show, but it's just the way it all comes about that bugs me. When I was a kid, they had Ted Mack's Amateur Hour on our 3-channel-only TV. It was, in a way, the same thing, except now it's all about the money and fame, not the God-given talent of the contestants. So what's wrong with Dave, because I don't care if American Idol is on TV tonight? I have had parents upset with us at our Wednesday night Awana (children's Bible club) because we went a little over time with letting their kids out and they were missing American Idol that night!! I'm serious, it was actually spoken by a parent picking up their child one night. So what's wrong with Dave? I have a great desire that all men, women, and children have a everlasting relationship with our Heavenly Father through His only son, Jesus Christ. But I detest the things of the world and with the same breath admit that I can be drawn in to some of them at times. (Thank God for His Holy Spirit who convicts and corrects us!)
So, what's wrong with Dave? You can answer that for yourself, but I can tell you what's 'right' with Dave. My worldview was changed 12 years ago when I met the Lord. And He has been grooming, changing, growing, convicting, comforting, challenging, equipping and preparing me for His service.
The Bible is absolutely clear on which side of the fence a Christian is on.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)
This one thing I know -- that I know that I know that I know that I am His. How about you?
I pray so.
God bless.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:12-13 (NKJV) (emphasis mine)
Another viewpoint would be American Idol. What is up with that show? Frankly, the name keeps me away. Doesn't the Second Commandment come to mind here? To be honest, I have never watched a single show, only maybe a clip or two that was on the news about the show. So in that light, maybe I am prejudging a bit...maybe-maybe not. I saw in those film clips, hundreds of people standing in a line somewhere, usually raining, snowing, maybe in the middle of a heat wave, all trying desperately to get on this show and my heart breaks with the thought, "Why don't we seek God that way?" Of course the proverb comes to mind here, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) Now don't misunderstand, I have heard that a lot of good singers have been discovered on this show, but it's just the way it all comes about that bugs me. When I was a kid, they had Ted Mack's Amateur Hour on our 3-channel-only TV. It was, in a way, the same thing, except now it's all about the money and fame, not the God-given talent of the contestants. So what's wrong with Dave, because I don't care if American Idol is on TV tonight? I have had parents upset with us at our Wednesday night Awana (children's Bible club) because we went a little over time with letting their kids out and they were missing American Idol that night!! I'm serious, it was actually spoken by a parent picking up their child one night. So what's wrong with Dave? I have a great desire that all men, women, and children have a everlasting relationship with our Heavenly Father through His only son, Jesus Christ. But I detest the things of the world and with the same breath admit that I can be drawn in to some of them at times. (Thank God for His Holy Spirit who convicts and corrects us!)
So, what's wrong with Dave? You can answer that for yourself, but I can tell you what's 'right' with Dave. My worldview was changed 12 years ago when I met the Lord. And He has been grooming, changing, growing, convicting, comforting, challenging, equipping and preparing me for His service.
The Bible is absolutely clear on which side of the fence a Christian is on.
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)
This one thing I know -- that I know that I know that I know that I am His. How about you?
I pray so.
God bless.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:12-13 (NKJV) (emphasis mine)
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