Monthly Archives: March 2012

Verses of the day – Take Up Your Cross

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    And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
(Luke 9:23-26 ESV)

Hymn of the Day- I’ve wondered far away from God (Coming Home)

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  1. I’ve wandered far away from God,
    Now I’m coming home;
    The paths of sin too long I’ve trod,
    Lord, I’m coming home.

    • Coming home, coming home,
      Nevermore to roam;
      Open wide Thine arms of love;
      Lord, I’m coming home.
  2. I’ve wasted many precious years,
    Now I’m coming home;
    I now repent with bitter tears,
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  3. I’m tired of sin and straying, Lord,
    Now I’m coming home;
    I’ll trust Thy love, believe Thy word;
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  4. My soul is sick, my heart is sore,
    Now I’m coming home;
    My strength renew, my hope restore:
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  5. My only hope, my only plea,
    Now I’m coming home;
    That Jesus died, and died for me;
    Lord, I’m coming home.
  6. I need His cleansing blood, I know
  7.   Now I’m coming home;
  8. O wash me whiter than the snow;
    Lord, I’m coming home.

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/1052#ixzz1qHHT3TrS

All things About Life and All things About Godliness

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“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours,  by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” -2 Peter 1:1-3

Everything, huh? Pertaining to life. That means that God cares about any little or big  thing I do everyday? Definitely!  And according to 2 Peter 1 through His divine power, and His Word,( the Bible), He has given us everything pertaining to how to live life and how to live it well. This means that He has given us the ability and the sources we need to actually keep His commandments and live in a way that is pleasing to Him.        (What a verse for those of us who think we cant overcome sin! It says we have all we need in Christ to live for Him!  ) So He cares about EVERYTHING (ALL THINGS!) ABOUT OUR LIFE and HE HAS GIVEN US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO USE EVERY ASPECT OF OUR LIVES TO HIS GLORY. (That is, to live Godly lives) He cares because He knows people are watching, and though it may seem hard to understand, our actions affect others.

Most of us know 1 Corinthians 10:31, Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

So you say, sure  I want to do this thing, I want to do all things for the Glory of God. But how do I do that? What does that mean??

Well what’s God’s glory? God’s glory is the sum of His attributes. Of  His greatness like He is all powerful and all knowing!..etc (things that we cant imitate) and of  His goodness like He is compassionate, merciful, loving..etc (things that we are commanded to imitate). Jesus shows God’s glory because He is the exact representation of God’s nature.(Hebrews 1:3..And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His ['God's] glory and the exact representation of His [God's] nature…) God’s glory is His praise and His beauty. It is “the sake of His name” or “His fame” per say. To do things unto His glory means to do things that will point others to Him. Things that will give Him a good image because we claim His name. Things that will exult His name not our name.To do things that reflect His character. To do things that are pleasing to Him.

Doing things to God’s glory is not a mental game. My pastor likes to explain doing things unto  God’s glory  like this,

     Imagine you are eating a salad. Every bite you eat you are not to think..”Ok bite one, to the Glory of God!”..”Bite two..this is for God too..”.”Bite three..unto God’s glory”..But rather you should think of the bigger picture. Why are you eating the salad (and not a hamburger) right now? Because God says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20  ” Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?  For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body”. So that means you are eating the salad  because you want to please God and take care of His temple, your body. So you eat salad and exercise. Because you know it pleases Him. Because you are obeying Him. So His word is the ground were you base all your decisions from.

    All to the glory of God. Do I get to pick  what aspects of my life are surrendered to Christ’s Lordship ? No, He is Lord. God owns you. I don’t get to be “selective” in my obedience. I am a slave to righteousness now.  That means, God cares about what I watch, what I listen to, what I think about, what I eat, whatever I do, whether I take a shower in the morning or at night, or what time do I wake up or ANYTHING in my life? Yes. And all choices should be pleasing to Him, keep a good testimony of Him and point others to Him. He is a Good Master and willing to mold us patiently! We just need to submit to Him!

How can I learn what God wants me to do?  2 Peter 1 verse 3 says “seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”  So i have all i need to obey Him, trough His power, not my own. So i can learn about His character and do things that would glorify Him by knowing Him better [through the true knowledge of Him]!! and the only way I can do that is through reading His Word! Wow! i need to believe this and act upon this!!! I understand we all still struggle with things, the important thing though, is to pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see how He wants us to live and being willing to obey and to read His Word. The more you spend time with someone, the more you know who they are,  and what they like/dislike. We need our time with God. That He would have mercy on us so that we would be willing to be changed by His Sharp Word!

“To the question Does God care about everything I do? The answer is YES! He is personal, you are His child and He is aware of everything you do even little things. A good father will care about every little detail of his child, because he cares about his child.” -Pastor Timothy Potter, Grace Church of Mentor.

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice,acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” -Romans 12: 1-2

“For the Christian, there is not such a thing as the spiritual and the non-spiritual, but once you become a  Christian, all things are spiritual.” -Unknown Author

Conclusion: God cares about everything in my life and the Bible is sufficient to evaluate EVERY single part of my existence.  There is no part of my life the Bible doesn’t talk about. The Bible is sufficient because it has everything  i need to  do even little things unto His glory and be a “living sacrifice and acceptable to God”. The Bible talks about all things in life and all things about godliness. I need to submit to Christ’s Lordship over my life and the Bible’s authority, that’s the only way i can understand what the will of God is..”that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” This is doing all things unto God’s glory. We will never be perfect, but we can be continually growing by God’s grace.

I should never do what Mafe wants, but i should be willing to do what God wants Mafe to do. I have a hard time understanding and applying this, perhaps you do too, so here is a plan, let’s pray  for each other! I will be praying for you and you pray for me!

Hymn of the day – This is My Word

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“This is My Word” by: Pepper Choplin

As the snow falls from heaven as it comes in swirling showers from the sky.

So is My Word.

As the rains bring the water to the earth that is thirsty and dry.

So is My Word.

And the Word of My mouth, it shall not return empty;

It will bless the earth wherever it is heard.

This is My Word.

As the rains bring renewal and the tender buds begin to come alive,

So is My Word.

Giving seed to the sower, and the bread to the hungry ‘til they thrive,

So is My Word, so is My Word.

And the Word of My mouth, it shall not return empty;

It will bless the earth wherever it is heard.

This is My Word, this is My Word.

O Lord, when I am weary, when I feel the days I’m living are in vain,

My God, help me be faithful to the Word You have given to proclaim.

Proclaim the Word, and you will go out in joy and be led forth in peace,

And the hills will break before you into song.

So be faithful, brave and true, for I will go before you.

And when your earthly journey here is done, I’ll say well done!

“As the rain and the snow 
   come down from heaven, 
and do not return to it 
   without watering the earth 
and making it bud and flourish, 
   so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 
so is My word that goes out from my mouth: 
   It will not return to Me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire 
   and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. 
 You will go out in joy 
   and be led forth in peace; 
the mountains and hills 
   will burst into song before you, 
and all the trees of the field 
   will clap their hands.”-Isaiah 55:10-12

Verse of the day – Without Faith

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    And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 ESV)

Verse of the day – Servant of man or servant of God?

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For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

 (Galatians 1:10 ESV)

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Quote of the Day – Godliness

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“Godliness involves more than morality or zeal. It springs from a union with Christ and a passion to honor Him. A godly person wants to be like his Lord so as to give Him pleasure. He wants to feel what God feels, think His thoughts after Him, and do His will. In short, he wishes to take upon himself the character of God so that God might be glorified. No endeavor is more worthy of our life-long effort: ‘For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’( 1 Ti 4:8)” – Robin Boisvert

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Verses of the day-Until the appearing of Jesus

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But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.

(1 Timothy 6:11-16 ESV)

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Hymn of the day – Have Thine own way, Lord

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Have Thine own way, Lord,
Have Thine own way;
Thou art the Potter,
I am the clay.
Mould me and make me
After Thy will,
While I am waiting,
Yielded and still.Have Thine own way, Lord,
Have Thine own way;
Search me and try me,
Master, today.
Whiter than snow, Lord,
Wash me just now,
As in Thy presence
Humbly I bow.

Have Thine own way, Lord,
Have Thine own way;
Wounded and weary,
Help me, I pray.
Power, all power,
Surely is Thine,
Touch me and heal me,
Savior divine.

Have Thine own way, Lord,
Have Thine own way;
Hold o’er my being
Absolute sway.
Fill with Thy Spirit
Till all shall see
Christ only, always,
Living in me.

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Not Successful, Only Faithful

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Many Christians find reasons not to share the Gospel.  We often make excuses because we’re scared.  I totally understand: giving the Gospel can be a scary thing!  Why might we be afraid to share the Good News?  Perhaps we don’t know how to start or what to say.  Maybe we’re afraid to “mess up” the Scriptures.

In reality, though, usually our excuses are much less noble than ‘concern for God’s Word’.  Usually we refuse to tell others about Christ because we don’t want to look stupid or be rejected.  Simply put, we are more concerned about our reputations than sinners’ souls.

I have used almost all of these excuses at one point or another, but recently the Lord has been changing my mind.  He’s been showing me how important He is and how desperately people need to hear about Him.  This week I’ve been witnessing to a friend of mine, and I have realized for the first time the Benefits of sharing my faith.  As I’ve been searching the Bible to answer my friend’s questions, my faith has been strengthened; I am reminding myself what I believe and why I believe it.  I’ve also been a bit convicted how little of my Bible I know; searching the Scriptures for just the verse I’m looking for reminds me how crucial it is that I know my Bible thoroughly.

I won’t say that my old excuses are non-existent; in fact, they are very near to me.  I am a bit nervous that I will lose my friend; I’m still kind of concerned about my reputation (unfortunately).  However, by sharing God’s truth with an unbeliever, I am being faithful to God’s command.  My pastor once said, “God does not call us to be successful – only to be faithful.”  Even if my friend never talks to me again, she will have heard the of God’s saving grace.

We can only control our actions: will we share the Truth or not?  God controls the outcome.