Fear and “Little Faith”

By Kim. M.

True confession: I often find myself afraid. I think of the classic book Hinds Feet on High Places. The main character in the book was named “Much Afraid.” Fear is often my first reaction to a change or new situation. It’s the first emotion I must usually deal with. I hate that! I hate living that way. The unknown - that which I can’t control - often acts as a catalyst for fear to rise up in me.

The Bible tells us many times over not to be anxious or afraid. This morning as I was reading in Matthew 8, I came to the story of the disciples in their boat being tossed by a violent storm. The fearful disciples woke Jesus from sleep (imagine that - able to sleep in a storm!) and cried out to Him for help. I was struck by Jesus’ words to the disciples in a desperate situation. He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?”

I have pondered that statement, turning it over in my mind. Why would Jesus say that? Jesus connected their fear with little faith. In my pondering, I thought I would see if there were any other times in the Bible where Jesus addresses fear and little faith. I discovered four situations. Each time Jesus asks about fear and anxiety and connects it with “little faith.” I am comforted by the fact that He doesn’t say “no faith;” but He does confront their “little faith.” In my search, I discovered all four of these situations have principles that apply in my life today, too.

1. In Matthew 6:25-34 – There is anxiety over of the necessities of life. Will God provide what we need?
2. In Matthew 8:23 - 27 – There is fear over danger: the “storms” of life that are out of my control.
3. In Matthew 14:22-31 – There is fear to follow where Jesus is leading, the temptation to fear when I put my eyes on the surrounding circumstances rather than fixing my gaze on Jesus.
4. Matthew 16:1-12 – There is fear when I don’t understand the greater purpose of His words and His works, when I lose the “big picture” and get bogged down in my own agenda.

In each and every one of these circumstances, those involved were afraid, worried, doubting, or anxious. And in each one of these circumstances, Jesus asks them a similar question, in some form of, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?”

Oh, how often I react in exactly the same way! I worry about all the same things. And when I worry, I am tempted to take my eyes off the Savior and fix my gaze on the circumstances, to play the “what if” game, to get it ALL backwards. The truth is God does not give me grace for “what if,” but He does give me grace for “what is.” When I am afraid, I must talk to myself rather than listen to myself. I must let the truth of Scripture settle my soul and counsel my heart to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Christ says, “Do not be afraid. Do not fear. Do not be anxious.” How do I battle fear when my emotions want to rule over truth? Here’s how I counsel my heart:

• Know. Know God…not just know about Him. A story from a dear friend of ours illustrates this truth. When Dr. Carl Wenger left to serve in the Middle East, his daughter Ann was too young to really remember him. So while he was away, Mrs. Wenger often pointed to the portrait of Dr. Wenger that hung in their home and told little Ann, “That’s your daddy.” Ann was only two years old when her daddy returned home from service, and she was not quite sure about this man in her home. In fact, a man had never spent the night in her home that she could ever remember, so after dinner Ann was quite sure it was time for him to leave. Of course, Dr. Wenger stayed the night at home. In the morning, he and Ann were the first ones up. He sat on one end of the sofa and she sat on the other. Little Ann pointed her tiny finger to the portrait on the wall and said, “That’s my daddy.” Then she looked at Dr. Wenger and looked up at the portrait… then she knew something... she knew someone... and then she said, “That’s you.” She crawled up in her daddy’s lap and in his arms! As Dr. Wenger says, “And we have had a good thing going ever since.” See, all of a sudden she didn’t just “know about” the man in the portrait, she knew him. Do I know God or do I just know about Him? Who is God? What is He like? To know God, I need to spend time with Him to learn about Him: who is says He is, what He does, what He loves. I don’t have to fear when I know God.
• Trust. Trust that God is who He says He is and does what He says He does. Trust is a choice. Psalm 56:3 sums it up well: “When I am afraid, I will trust in You.”
• Remember. Remember His faithfulness to all generations and recount His faithfulness in the past as recorded in Scripture and evidenced in my life.
• Pray. Thank God for the gift of faith and pray that He will grow my “little faith.” In Mark 9:24, a father asked Jesus for healing for his son. Jesus tells the father that all things are possible to him who believes. The father cries out to Jesus, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” I find my heart echoes this same prayer – “Jesus, I do have faith; but help my ‘little faith.’” I pray that He would help my little faith to grow into a faith that is pleasing to Him.

How grateful I am for a Savior who is gentle, compassionate, and kind; one who teaches me that my name doesn’t have to be “Little Faith” or “Much Afraid”; one who meets me in my fearful, frail state and provides all I will ever need; a God who is not only present in every storm of life but who is in control of the storm; a God who is trustworthy and I can follow wherever He leads; a God who has a plan for my good and His glory. Who is like our God? Praise be to Him!

Nothin' But a Paintbrush

By Jennifer R.

Have you ever daydreamed about heaven and thought about who you might see there? Some people imagine getting to talk to the Apostle Paul or Noah and hearing about their exciting journeys of faith. Some imagine talking to spiritual heroes of the (more recent) past like John Newton, Charles Spurgeon, or Fanny Crosby and telling them how their lives and ministries impacted their own spiritual walk. Some imagine talking to friends or relatives who died before them and sharing all the ways God used their lives to touch others after they passed away from this life.

But I wonder…

Imagine for a moment that you’re at a movie premiere. You’re watching all the stars come in on the red carpet. Who do you think the paparazzi will be clamoring to get to? The person who played “man on the street #4” or “woman #7”? Not likely. They (and you) will be craning their necks to get a glimpse of the hero of the story… the star. Or maybe they would want to talk to the director or the author of the movie.

As our equipping hour class is reading through the Bible this year, our teacher is constantly reminding us that God is the hero of the story. God is the author, the director, and the hero of our story. So when you get to heaven, who do you think you’re really going to want to see?

Likewise, imagine you’re looking at a masterpiece painting. Would you be thinking, “Wow! I’d love to see the paintbrushes used to make this beauty!” No way! You’d want to meet the painter himself – the one who created the masterpiece.

The best among us are nothing more than bit actors who have to have every line and movement fed to us by the Director. Better yet, we’re like the paintbrush with no control over how we’re used. But in the skillful hands of the Master, we get to be a part of something beautiful and meaningful.

When we get to heaven, no doubt we will see some of our heroes of the faith. I’m pretty sure, though, that we will be more excited to see the real Hero: the God who worked in and through them (and us!) to accomplish His perfect purposes.

What a glorious day that will be!


Re-posted from Reflections by Jennifer.

Trash to Treasure

By Jennifer R.

Do you ever watch those TV shows where they take some ugly, worthless, beaten up item that you or I would probably throw in the trash and transform it into something beautiful and useful?

It struck me today that that's a lot like what God is doing with us. He takes ugly, worthless sinners and transforms them into beautiful trophies of His grace.

And He doesn't stop there! He keeps refining us and beautifying us until ultimately (in heaven), we are completely transformed and perfected. I think we would be unrecognizable, except we are told that we will somehow know each other.

Can you imagine it? I can just see us now, walking around heaven, saying something like, "You made THIS out of THAT old thing? Incredible!" We will be utterly amazed with the Master Craftsman.

One effect of watching TV shows like that is that they cause us to look at "junk" in a whole new way. Our creative juices get flowing and instead of rushing to throw something away, we start looking for ways to "re-purpose" it.

What if we looked at people that way? Instead of mentally writing someone off as hopeless, maybe we should be imagining what a miraculous transformation God could make in their lives. Imagine how useful they could be made under the skillful hand of God.

Would that affect the way we treat them? The way we speak to them? The way we pray for them?

I think it would.

Is there someone in your life you're tempted to give up on? If so, try imagining them as the newest recipient of God's Extreme Makeover: Heart Edition. And then pray that God would make something even more beautiful out of their lives for His glory.

Re-posted from Jennifer's blog, Reflections by Jennifer.

The Blessedness of Consecration

By Jennifer R.

One of my favorite hymns of consecration is "Take My Life and Let It Be" by Frances Ridley Havergal. I have recently begun reading the book Kept For the Master's Use: The Life Fully Devoted to God by Havergal, where she takes each couplet of that great hymn and expands on it.

In the first chapter, she changes the word "take" in each couplet and changes it to "keep," making the point that we not only want God to take our lives, but to keep them and use them how He wishes. That is truly the meaning of consecration. She then gives this convicting explanation of what our motivation should be in asking for this:

Consecration is not a religiously selfish thing. If it sinks into that, it ceases to be consecration. We want our lives kept, not that we may feel happy, and be saved the distress consequent on wandering, and get the power with God and man, and all the other privileges linked with it. We shall have all this, because the lower is included in the higher; but our true aim, if the love of Christ constrains us, will be far beyond this.

Not for "me" at all, but "for Jesus"; not for my safety, but for His glory; not for my comfort, but for His joy; not that I may find rest, but that He may see the travail of His soul and be satisfied! Yes, for Him I want to be kept. Kept for His use; Kept to be His witness; kept for His joy! Kept for Him, that in me He may show forth some tiny sparkle of His light and beauty; kept to do His will and His work in His own way; kept (it may be) to suffer for His sake; kept for Him, that He may do just what He wants with me; kept, so that no other lord shall have any more dominion over me, but that Jesus shall have all there is to have - little enough, indeed, but not divided or diminished by any other claim. Is not this, O you who love the Lord - is not this worth living for, worth asking for, worth trusting for? This is consecration, and I cannot begin to tell you the blessedness of it.

Resolve To Be Involved

By Kim. M.

In my morning quiet times, I follow a reading plan and then often journal what I am learning. This morning I was reading in Matthew 9. I have a friend from another town who is going through a particularly hard time. When I read verse 36, I thought of her. I was moved by how Jesus saw the multitude and felt compassion for them - because they were distressed and downcast like a sheep without a shepherd. And so I journaled my thoughts:

Jesus has compassion for the distressed and downcast -He knows they need a Shepherd - He is the Good Shepherd. In John 10:10-18 and Psalm 23 - The good Shepherd protects His sheep; even to the point of laying His life down for them; He is concerned for His sheep; He knows His sheep and they know Him - it's a relationship. He guards, leads, and feeds His flock; He knows their condition; He provides for what they need - they are not in want. He restores their soul; He guides them in what is right; even in the most difficult of times, they don't have to be afraid - because He is with them; He comforts them. There is hope when He is the Shepherd; SURELY, CERTAINLY - goodness and lovingkindness will follow His sheep all the days of their life and after! It is relationship for NOW and FOREVER when He is our Good Shepherd. Thank You, Lord that I have this forever relationship because You laid down your life to pay for my sin that I might have a relationship with You.

Such good words from the Word… and I thought my quiet time lesson was over. Sometimes though, the Lord surprises me with how quickly He gives me just the place and situation to practice what I am learning.

After my journaling, I opened Facebook to send a message to my hurting friend. When I opened the news feed, I noticed a post from Arkansas Tech to their students. The title caught my attention: "Resolve to Get Involved." I didn’t even read the article, because my mind took an immediate detour and connected that thought with living life in the body of Christ. (I bet Arkansas Tech didn't think God would use them in my quiet time this morning!)

What a challenge those words were to me: Resolved to Get Involved. Sometimes I don’t want to be “involved” any more than I already am. I can be tempted to stay immersed in my own world and my own list of "to dos.” I want to justify my actions or lack thereof by how full my plate already is, or how tired I am, or a hundred other reasons that I could rattle off for you. But because I know the Good Shepherd, I can’t keep the good news to myself. I need to “resolve to get involved” with His flock and with those who don’t know Him! I need to engage in service, to reach out to the needy, to listen to the hurting, to encourage the downcast and distressed, to learn from the Word as it is taught, and to be willing to share the good news with a hurting world.

I don’t believe “involved” means “more busy.” It is much more purposeful than that. Sometimes being “involved” may actually mean slowing things down. It may mean doing less so I can listen more. Or it may mean I need to do more, but just in another place or another way. Being involved may require evaluating what I am doing to see if I am “involved” where God wants me. I need to discover where God would have me serve and then resolve to serve there…with a happy heart.

While my family is certainly to be my priority, so is my extended family - the church. I am to share the good news of a Good Shepherd in word and deed in my home, in my church, and with a hurting world. I KNOW this truth. I know you do, too. But I needed a reminder this morning.

So it is back to my journal...I need to add to my entry: May the Good Shepherd lead me; may I be attentive to His voice through His Word, and may I may RESOLVE TO BE INVOLVED.

Glow-in-the-Dark

By Deborah H.

When we first moved into our house eighteen years ago, we had more than a few surprises. One of the more pleasant ones was the fact that in my youngest son’s room the previous owners had stuck glow-in-the-dark constellations on the ceiling. During the day, they absorbed light so that by night there was a soft glow of stars and moon above. There was something soothing about that faint glow.

Repeatedly, in the Scriptures, God gave us commands regarding light: His light. And I can’t help believing that when others see that light in us, they find it comforting and soothing as well. Like those glow-in-the-dark stickers on the ceiling, the light we give off is but a pale reflection of His wonderful, blinding light, but any reflection at all is a good thing.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light,” 2 Peter 2:9. He chose us, drew us out of the darkness of a sinful world, and brought us into the splendor of His glorious light. That, alone, is reason to offer up praises. But He has done so much more. He has lavished us with the riches of His grace, has provided for our needs, and has equipped us to be the means, feeble though we are in our own strength, to reach others still trapped in the darkness. We do that by reflecting His light, His love, and His holiness.

“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life,” Philippians 2:14-16.

You see, we’re not going to blind anyone with our light, but we are to reflect HIS light and will stand out from the darkness in doing so. He has equipped us to shine like glimmering jewels of the night, bedecking the darkness with our warm, soft glow. In a way, His people accessorize the darkness around them like diamonds accessorize any ensemble. His children make the world around them more beautiful – not because WE are so beautiful but because we are to reflect HIS beauty.

My son, Scott, is responsible for this current meditation. He allowed me (or forced me, rather) to listen to a current gospel rapper do a “song” entitled, Let There Be Light. One of the lyrics that caught my ear and has penetrated my heart was, “Glowing in the dark till the Lord return.” I’d never thought about it before, but we are to glow in the dark. That’s what we do when we reflect our Savior’s light.

Ephesians 5:8-9 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth).” This verse tells us what it looks like to reflect the light of the Lord. To others, it looks like goodness. It looks like righteousness and is rooted in truth.

In my prayers, I often ask the Lord to make us salt and light in the dark world around us. That’s what I think of when I read, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,” Matthew 5:14-16.

This Christmas season, my prayer is that we are not distracted by the lights and busyness and gift-buying that surround this time of year, but that we may be mesmerized by the Light of Christ. In our own imperfect ways, let us worship Him and bathe in the illumination of His Being, soaking up as much of it as we can possibly hold. Then, a little like Moses as he came down from Mt. Sinai, when we turn again to face the world, let them see in us a reflection of the One we love. May His light shine from every pore of our being – at Christmas and beyond.

“Glowing in the dark till the Lord return.” ~ Andy Mineo

The Heart of a Martyr

By Kim W.

Betty Scott was the daughter of a Presbyterian missionary couple in China. As a ten year old girl, she penned this heartfelt poem about her love for Jesus. Years later, Betty and her husband, John Stam, were serving as missionaries in China, attempting to take the gospel to unsaved people there. The Stams, as well as their 3 month old daughter, Helen Priscilla, fell into the hands of cruel Communists soldiers. These soldiers wanted to make an example of John and Betty Stam, and that is exactly what happened. They were beheaded in Miaosheo on December 8, 1934. Little Helen survived and was raised by her granparents and later adopted by an aunt and uncle.

This poem shows young Betty Stam's utter dependence on God, and perhaps it also shows how God was preparing her heart to give her life for the sake of the gospel. But it is not her faith that we are in awe of...it is the object of her faith, Jesus Christ, that allowed her to endure such suffering of the flesh.

Persecution which results in death is the worst thing that can happen to a believer, but it is also the best thing. After this earthly life, we will be surrounded by God's glory and free from all of sin's effects and influences. Praise be to God!

I CANNOT

I cannot live like Jesus,
Example though He be–
For He was strong and selfless,
And I am tied to ME.
I cannot live like Jesus;
My soul is never free;
My will is strong and stubborn;
My love is weak and wee.
BUT I HAVE ASKED MY JESUS
TO LIVE HIS LIFE IN ME.

I cannot look like Jesus–
More beautiful is He
In soul and eye and stature,
Than sunrise on the sea.
Behold His warm, His tangible,
His dear humanity!
Behold His white perfection
Of purest deity!
YET JESUS CHRIST HAS PROMISED
THAT WE LIKE HIM SHALL BE.

~ Elizabeth Alden Scott Stam, THE FAITH OF BETTY SCOTT STAM IN POEM AND VERSE. Arranged by her parents, Clara and Charles E. Scott. Philadelphia: China Inland Mission, 1938, p. 50.

Dover, Denver (or Truth is NOT Relative)

By Jennifer R.

When I was in the fourth grade, we had to memorize the states and capitals. As my dad was quizzing me over the material, he asked me what state’s capital was Dover.

“Denver,” I confidently stated.

“No, Denver is the capital of Colorado. Dover is the capital of Delaware,” he corrected.

For the next several hours, days, and maybe even weeks, there was a fierce debate that would become part of our family folklore.

Clearly, either my teacher had transcribed the information incorrectly on the blackboard or I had transcribed it incorrectly on my paper. (My guess is that the fault was mine since I don’t remember anyone else making the same mistake.) However, try as he might, my dad could not convince me that I was wrong.

He offered to look up the information in an atlas and show it to me. Nope, I wouldn’t be convinced. (What? Did I think he would modify the atlas just for the purpose of misleading me?) He offered to call the airlines and ask them if he could fly to Dover, Denver to prove my error. Nope. (Because clearly the airlines were in cahoots with this conspiracy to make me fail fourth grade geography?) I can’t explain my irrational dogmatic belief that I was right and everyone else was wrong. And I don’t remember how I was finally convinced that I was wrong, but eventually I did learn that Dover is the capital of DELAWARE, not Denver. (And I’ll never forget it, thank you very much.)

My point in telling this story is that there was an absolute truth: Dover was the capital of Delaware and Denver was the capital of Colorado, no matter what I believed about those cities. In this day of relativism, people are prone to say that truth is relative. They say that something may be true “for you” but not true “for them.” (I wonder what the capital of Delaware is for those people?) However, truth is truth. If something is true, it is not dependent on whether you believe it or not. I could forever believe that Dover was the capital of Denver. It wouldn’t make it true.

The way to find out truth is to check a reliable source. For states and capitals, an atlas would be a good example of a reliable source. For life and godliness, the Bible is our infallible source. If God says it, you can believe it because He cannot lie. The Bible may not hold the answer to your every question (the capital of Kansas, for example), but the answers it does hold are 100% reliable.

Let us all resolve to read and study the Word of God more than ever so we can tap into this “information source” and learn real, absolute TRUTH.

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My Word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
(John 8:31-32, NKJV)

Re-posted from Jennifer's blog, Reflections.

A God Thing

By Deborah H.

In the course of my work as a hospice nurse, I met some great people. A few years ago, I was privileged to meet a lady named Sue and her family. Sue’s father was one of my favorite patients. Sue and her husband asked her parents to move in with them so they could care for her dad as his lung cancer continued to take its toll.

There were difficulties, but Sue remained unflappable -- always patient, calm, thoughtful and kind, content to remain in the background. One day when she walked me to my car, I could see the strain and sorrow in her face. Her dad’s death was looming nearer and there were tensions in some of the relationships in the home. Yet, Sue never complained.

Seeking a way to encourage her, I said, “You’re doing an excellent job, Sue. I’m proud of the way you’re caring for your dad and keeping your cool as things get tougher.” She slowly shook her head. “It’s not me.” With tears misting her clear blue eyes, she told me simply, “It’s a God thing, Deborah.” That simple statement served to encourage me, instead.

It was the first time I’d heard that expression. Since then, it has become one of my favorites. It has a way of encompassing so many ideas and concepts. I find it repeatedly useful in my conversations.

What is a “God thing”? I’ve never heard it defined. But to me, a God thing is any situation or concept which is inexplicable except through the lens of God’s total sovereignty. It could manifest itself as an empowering energy behind extraordinary composure or strength (as in Sue’s case), or in a situation of the indisputable evidence of God’s handiwork. It’s true that everything in our lives is brought about by His sovereignty. In that sense, everything is “a God thing.” But we don’t always see His hand in all things. So when I see Him at work in my life, or the lives of others, I sometimes exclaim, “That’s definitely a God thing.”

Some may perceive this little phrase as trite or irreverent. That’s not how I mean it. I’m certain that’s not how Sue meant it. Instead, it’s short-hand for saying, “Oh, the depths of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways. . . . For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen,” (Romans 11:33,36).

That doxology speaks to the wonder and marvel God is. It speaks of His wisdom, majesty and power. It acknowledges His sovereignty in all things. It attributes all acts of goodness and loveliness to Him. It gives Him credit for any circumstance He brings into our lives. It praises His holy Name.

There’s nothing irreverent about saying, “It’s a God thing!” And there are plenty of times when, instead of reciting the whole doxology, I can exclaim this tiny phrase to express my awe.

In her quiet, soft-spoken, unassuming way, Sue attributed her extraordinary composure, peace, kindness and compassion to the Father in four simple words -- “It’s a God thing.”

Once we truly comprehend the truth that “all things” belong to the Lord, it seems we can see His hand in every aspect of our lives. It is through Him that any good comes from us [“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:10].

It is through Him that our lives are ordered according to His master plan and design [“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose,” Romans 8:28]. Nothing that happens to us is beyond His sovereign control [“And He is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything, because He Himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. . . . and He determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being,’” Acts 17:25-28].

That may be a mouthful for some—a little too involved for every conversation. But when confronted with God’s empowerment, His intervention, His blessing, the wonder of His created world, even with the trials and sorrows He brings our way, it is sometimes fitting to simply say, in gratitude and amazement, “It‘s a God thing!”

The Three R's: Why Christians Sing

Christians sing together during corporate worship gatherings. Colossians 3:16-17 helps us understand why. Paul tells us that worshiping God together in song is meant to deepen the relationships we enjoy through the gospel. This happens in three ways (or three R’s):

1. Singing helps us remember God’s Word.

Paul says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly…singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” The “word of Christ” mostly likely means the word about Christ, or the gospel. Songs whose lyrics expound on the person, work, and glory of Christ tend to stay with us long after we’ve forgotten the main points of the sermon.

2. Singing helps us respond to God’s grace.

While no one is exactly sure what “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs” refers to, we can at least infer some kind of variety in our singing. No singular musical style captures either the manifold glories of God or the appropriate responses from his people.

We’re also told to sing with “thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Singing is meant to be a whole-hearted activity. Emotionless singing is an oxymoron. God gave us singing to combine objective truth with thankfulness, doctrine with devotion, and intellect with emotion.

3. Singing helps us reflect God’s glory.

Doing “everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,” implies bringing God glory. Worshiping God together in song glorifies God for at least three reasons. First, it expresses the unity Christ died to bring us. Second, because all three persons of the Trinity sing (Zeph. 3:17; Heb. 2:12; Eph. 5:18-19). Finally, it anticipates the song of heaven when we’ll have unlimited time to sing, clearer minds to perceive God’s perfections, and glorified bodies that don’t grow weary.

Worshiping God in song isn’t simply a nice idea or only for musically gifted people. The question is not, “Has God given me a voice?” but “Has God given me a song?”

If you trust in the finished work of Christ, the answer is clear: Yes!

So remember His Word, respond to His grace, and reflect on His glory.

This article is reposted from the DesiringGod blog. You can see the original post here. It was written by Bob Kauflin who is a pastor, songwriter, worship leader, and author of Worship Matters. Bob serves as the Director of Worship Development for Sovereign Grace Ministries and blogs at www.worshipmatters.com. He and his wife, Julie, have 6 children and an ever growing number of grandchildren.

The Call to Follow Jesus

Faith and obedience seem to be synonymous when it comes to the Kingdom of God. If we truly believe, then we do the things which God commands. And when we do what He has commanded, we ought to say, "We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done" Luke 17:10. FAITH OUGHT TO OBEY.

May we not get puffed up by all we do for the kingdom of God. May we not trust in ourselves that we are righteous while viewing others as sinners. Instead, may we give thanks to the ONE who has been merciful to us as sinners.

~Kay Arthur *The Call to Follow Jesus*

Christ Has Loved Us!

Christ has loved us
“There is no other solution to the marvelous mysteries of His Incarnation and Sacrificial Death but this: Christ has loved us.

There is not a circumstance of our Lord’s history which is not another form or manifestation of love.

His incarnation is love stooping.
His sympathy is love weeping.
His compassion is love supporting.
His grace is love acting.
His teaching is the voice of love.
His silence is the repose of love.
His patience is the restraint of love.
His obedience is the labor of love.
His suffering is the travail of love.
His cross is the altar of love.
His death is the burnt offering of love.
His resurrection is the triumph of love.
His ascension into heaven is the enthronement of love.
His sitting down at the right hand of God is the intercession of love.

Such is the deep, the vast, the boundless ocean of Christ’s love!”—Octavius Winslow, The Sympathy of Christ

From Of First Importance

The Person of Christ

Jesus is my divine Savior!
His bounty will supply me,
His omnipotence will deliver me,
His omnipresence will protect me,
His omniscience will guard me,
His love will animate me,
His mercy will heal me,
His grace will support me,
His compassion will comfort me,
His pity will relieve me,
His goodness will provide for me,
His tenderness will soothe me,
His kindness will encourage me,
His patience will bear with me,
His justice will avenge me,
His faithfulness will embolden me,
His holiness will beautify me,
His anger will awe me,
His life will quicken me,
His light will illumine me,
His Word will regulate me,
His joy will delight me,
His blessedness will elevate me,
His long-suffering will lead me to repentance,
His immutability will secure the fulfillment of all the promises to me,
His truth will be my shield and buckler,
His sovereignty will raise my admiration,
His condescension will inspire me with gratitude and love,
and His all-sufficiency will satisfy me both in time and eternity!

(James Smith, "The Person and Work of Christ" 1849)

Supermom VS. Abiding Mom

Are you striving to be a supermom or an abiding mom?

Click on to enlarge.

“The Law is for the proud and the Gospel for the brokenhearted."

- Martin Luther, quoted on monergism.com

Fully Paid

John MacArthur at Grace To You:

There was a little girl who secretly and quietly had saved up enough money to buy her father a present for Father's Day. But when she had all her money collected, she was very concerned and so she went to her mother and said, I can't be going down town every month to make payments. Mother, is there a store where they let you pay for the whole thing at once?

That's the kind of question a child would ask. And it is also true that there are religions in the world, in fact all false religions believe that you buy your salvation on some kind of an installment plan. You pay a little bit as you go. Good works offered to God each month, each week, each day, but nothing could be further from the truth. Salvation doesn't come on the installment plan. The price was fully paid at once by Christ and the gift of salvation is given at once by Christ to the penitent and believing sinner.

Christmas Joy!

The true JOY of Christmas is Jesus Christ....let us all worship Him together.

Please go here and click to play. You will see a short movie expressing through beautiful pictures and Scripture that Jesus is our Christmas JOY! Praise Him!

Enemies as Friends?

John MacArthur from Truth For Today:

The Bible commands us not only to resist hating and retaliating against those who might harm us, but it tells us to go BEYOND that and actually BLESS THEM. That's what Jesus instructed to those who heard His sermon on the Mount: "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28. To truly love your enemies, you must treat them as if they were your friends.

"Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse." Romans 12:14

Sadly Deficient

I am still sadly deficient in practice!

Letters of John Newton

Who that had seen me as a slave in Africa, could have expected what has since taken place! How unworthy am I of all that I have received--and most unworthy of the honor of preaching the Gospel, which I too long despised and blasphemed! The language of Psalm 40:5 suits my soul well, "Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done. The things You planned for us no one can recount to You! Were I to speak and tell of them--they would be too many to declare!" There is no end to the inventory of my mercies! May He who has given so much to me, and done so much for me--add the crowning mercy of a thankful heart! Though I can talk of thankfulness, I feel much insensibility and hardness of heart; but, I know that, while sin dwells in me, it will have such effects.

Alas! though I know in theory what a Christian should be--I am still sadly deficient in practice! I am a poor creature, and see much to be ashamed of every day, and in every circumstance. Yet, though sin will distress--it cannot condemn, those who believe in Jesus! "There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!" Romans 8:1

Psalm 103:15-19

As for man, his days are like grass;
he flourishes like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children's children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,
and his kingdom rules over all.