Monthly Archives: January 2012

Verses of the day- If you have been raised with Christ

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If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.
Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

(Colossians 3 ESV)

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Ready to Sacrifice

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Recently, as I have been reading through “Tortured for Christ” by Richard Wurmbrand (founder of Voice of the Martyrs), I have become greatly convicted about how I live my life. All around the world, there are people giving their very lives to spread the Gospel, like Jesus commanded, and then here we are.

Because persecution (physical, at least) is “dormant” here in America, we usually give little thought to what is going on in other parts of the world.

2012 VOM Prayer Poster. Photo by Bethany Andrews.

We are content to live our comfortable lives going about our own business – sitting in our warm houses, spending time on our computers, texting friends, maybe even going to church just because it’s routine. But what if suddenly, America turned Communist? What if soldiers suddenly ransacked our houses for Bibles, burned our churches to the ground, and threw us in prison? Would we be ready? Ready to sacrifice anything, even our lives for the sake of the Gospel?

We need to be ready now. We must study the Word. Memorize Scripture. Pray with all our soul and might. Witness. There are people across the world, giving their all for the sake of Christ. How much more, we Americans, who have freedom of speech, actions, and religion, should spread the Word! I’m preaching to myself, someone who has no boldness to go out of my way to give the Gospel to a lost soul. It very well may be that you readers are the same. This is all the more reason to read the Word of God and spend time with the Lord. The more we know Christ, the more we love Him, and will give anything to show others the way to Him, “in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him” (Eph. 3:12). He is our boldness.

“I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of a evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:1-5).

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Quote of the day- Honor True Greatness

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“Honor true greatness. Honor your father and your mother. Make it your godly ambition that between this moment and that moment when you stand before their lifeless form, you will express your love and appreciation for them in countless creative ways…Do your parents already know your deep love and respect? Have they actually heard you express it? If not, ask God to forgive you for your arrogance. Examine your heart and receive His forgiveness and change, by grace, right now. Honor your parents—and feel the pleasure of God”- C.J Mahaney

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”
(Ephesians 6:1-3 ESV)

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Hymn of the day- Gentle Voice

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Gentle Voice by Susan Naus Dengler- to listen to this song go to http://www.leedenglermusic.com/main/

Far above the noise of life,
There’s a voice that is gently calling.
“Leave behind your cares and strife.
Come to me, I will give you rest.
Bring your fear, and bring your pain.
Bring your anger, and bring your worry.”
Do you hear the voice of Jesus
gently calling, “Come unto me.”

Gentle voice, so meek and mild,
Gentle words of understanding.
“You are my beloved child.
Come to me, I will give you rest.
Bring your grief, and bring your cares.
Bring you heartaches, and bring your sorrow.”
Do you hear the voice of Jesus
Gently calling, “Come unto me”?

Gentle voice so full of love,
Gentle words so rich in mercy.
“You are my beloved child.
Come to me. I will give you rest.”

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(Matthew 11:28 ESV)

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From the Lips of ALL People!

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“Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”     Philippians 2:9-11

From the beginning of time, God’s ultimate goal has been His glory.  “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”  (Rom. 14:11)  God is calling and saving people from every nationality, gender, age, social status, tongue, and tax bracket.  One day these multitudes will all praise Him together – forever – gathered in Heaven.

Revelation 5:13 says, “And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!””

Isn’t that incredibly exciting?!?!  Every living creature in all of creation will sing praises to our Creator forever!  One of my newest favorite songs, LORD Most High, clearly and beautifully paints this picture.  Even those too weak to sing now sing with their hearts, and look forward to praising Christ perfectly one day!

From the ends of the earth, from the depths of the sea,

from the heights of the Heavens,

Your name be praised!

From the hearts of the weak, from the shouts of the strong, from the lips of all people,

Your name be praised!

Throughout the endless ages,

You will be crowned with praises, LORD Most High!

Exalted in every nation; Sovereign of all creation,

LORD Most High be magnified!

(LORD Most High, Copyright Heart Publications)

Praise God for His saving grace now; and anticipate praising Him forever!

Let Biblical Love Be the True Mark of Maturity- By: Mafe Quijano

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“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have LOVE, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, BUT DO NOT HAVE LOVE, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; for now I see in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known. But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13
Our Bible is so perfect, and our God is so good in showing us various ways where we could learn from people in the Bible! Let’s consider the Pharisees of Jesus’ time.  They were very zealous for God; they claimed spirituality; and most of them knew their Law VERY well, yet they lacked saving faith. Can we sometimes in our Christian walk be like them? Do we rely on our Bible knowledge as a mark of how mature we are?? The truth is that we only know what we know about the Bible because the Holy Spirit is working in us. 1 Corinthians 13 says that what matters is LOVE – not knowledge or sacrifice.  One of Jesus’ greatest attributes is His love.  Apart from Christ, we cannot love the way the Bible says we should love.  Love for God and others is the proof that you are a follower of Jesus.  And the more you are molded into His image the more you are going to show true love. Love doesn’t “brag”, and love won’t feel “superior” because of Bible knowledge.  

(Progressively)True maturity is not how much Bible you know; rather reading and learning more SHOULD affect the way you love others. Then LOVE shows true maturity.  The Bible defines a  mature Christian as a Christian who walks in the Spirit because he/she abides in Christ and in His word. So I’m not saying “Don’t read” or “Don’t learn;” I’m saying “Application truly matters,” and applying God’s Word shows maturity.

  1. Christians are told to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”)
  2. Love is a fruit of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…”)
  3. What does this love looks like? (See 1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

“No matter how extensive one’s scriptural knowledge, or how amazing one’s memory, it is self-deception if that is all there is. True knowledge is the prelude to action, and it is the obedience to the word that counts in the end”- Peter Davis

 Lord, I’m sorry that I think my Bible knowledge makes me a mature Christian. I know you care about application not just knowledge. Lord, Your love is the greatest, deepest love that has ever existed. Thank you for loving me. Please help me today to not only “love as you love others,” but to be filled with your love. Help me to walk in obedience with such a Joy that true love, in actions, will just flow naturally out of my life for the sake of Your glory. Amen

See related posts- http://livesharp.org/2011/08/24/power-and-wisdom/

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Quote of the day – Don’t be Absorbed

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“The more absorbed you are in entertainment and popular amusements, the more incongruous praying will seem and the more unreal and irrelevant heaven and eternity will seem to you. A sane, wise young man will take note.” -Douglas Bond

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“Only Practice on the Days You Eat” – By: Mitchell Silvius

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Violin teacher Dr. Suzuki once said, “Only practice on the days you eat.” Take that phrase to heart! Read your Bible everyday of your life (“everyday you eat” – and everyday you don’t eat) and think about what the Lord has shown you while you read His Word.
“While much of human endeavor provides only the means to meet a person’s physical needs and desires, laboring in the vineyard of God’s Word yields a divine message that guides the soul safely through this life–leading at last to an eternal home.” -Bryan Smith (The Way of the Word).
Read your Bible everyday, because the Bible is far more important then anything else!
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Verse of the day – Ask of God

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“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” -James 1:5

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