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I am a husband and a father and I pray that I will continue to look more like Christ to my wife and children each day. I pray that all that I do will be used to give glory to the Father and Christ through the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Abusing This World

I loved this quote. It goes with what I posted on Monday.

Brethren, if you are ever so taken up with any enjoyment that it takes away your love for prayer or for your Bible, or that it would frighten you to hear the cry: "The Bridegroom cometh:" and you would say: Is He come already? then you are abusing this world. Oh! sit loose to this world's joy: "The time is short." --by Robert Murray M'Cheyne


May we see when this is happening in our lives!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Maybe You Will Lose Control

I read this commentary post from John Piper today titled Beware: The Bible is about to threaten your smartphone focus. It has a banner at the top of the post that says, “Man shall not live by facebook alone.” I am copying the full text here in this post because it is an awesome reminder.
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Beware: The Bible is about to threaten your smartphone focus by John Piper
Are apps a threat to God-focus? Yes. But it works both ways. Fight fire with fire.

If you are reading your Bible on your computer or your smartphone or your iPad, the presence of the email app and the news apps and the Facebook app threaten every moment to drag your attention away from the word of God.

True. Fight that. If your finger offends you, cut it off. Or use any other virtuous violence (Matthew 11:12) that sets you free to rivet your soul on God.

But don’t take mainly a defensive posture. Fight fire with fire.

Why should we think of the Facebook app threatening the Bible app? Why not the Bible app threatening the Facebook app, and the email app, and the RSS feeder, and the news?

Resolve that today you will press the Bible app three times during the day. No five times. Ten times! Maybe you will lose control and become addicted to Bible! Again and again get a two-minute dose of life-giving Food. Man shall not live by Facebook alone.

I’m serious. Never has God’s voice been so easily accessible. The ESV app is free. The Olive Tree Bible Reader app is free. And so are lots of others. Let the Bible threaten your focus. Or better: Let the Bible bring you back to reality over and over during the day. –John Piper commentary posted on www.desiringGod.org
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I don’t have a smartphone, because clearly I am not smart enough for one, nor do I have a facebook account, because clearly I am too hip for facebook. But I do have obsessions that I get my fix from and they are blogs. Now almost all of the blogs that I read regularly are focused on faith and are of great benefit to me in terms of my faith and they help me grow in Christ which I desperately need. However, why go to a person’s commentary on it, when I can go directly to the source. I have a bible as close as I have my computer. Shouldn’t the Word of God trump one person’s opinion of the Word of God?

So here is what I have decided. Before I go and check the blogs I read for updates, I am going to open my Bible and ground myself in God’s word. Will you join me? Before you open facebook or check your twitter updates or read blogs or turn on the television (and the list can go on forever) will you open up the word of God and see what He has to say?

I loved these two lines from Piper:

“Maybe you will lose control and become addicted to Bible!”

“Let the Bible threaten your focus. Or better: Let the Bible bring you back to reality over and over during the day.”


Father, be our strength as we try to control all obsessions outside of our obsession with you. We know that in Christ we have the power to do this and it is in his name and for your glory that we pray this.

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Whisper of God

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold there came a voice to him… --1 Kings 19:11-13

The Whisper of God. How can we hear it as busy as we keep ourselves? We run from one thing to another. All the while wondering why God doesn’t speak. Maybe the problem is that He has been speaking be we just haven’t been able to hear Him. There is too much noise and too many distractions for us to hear what He has been saying. I have been praying for direction from God on a couple of things and I think really what I want is just a loud booming voice from Heaven. And He may choose to use that to give me the answer I seek. But I fear that with my busy life that I have chosen, I have unintentionally been drowning out His whispers. Maybe if I will get rid of all of the distractions in my life and draw close to Him, I will hear His will, soft but clear.

Father, speak to us. Speak your truth and your will into our hearts. Prepare our hearts and minds so that we may receive it and know that it is from you. In Christ’s Name and for your Glory.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Love Usually Involves Touching

“I have sometimes wondered why Jesus so frequently touched the people he healed, many of whom must have been unattractive, obviously diseased, unsanitary, smelly…Jesus’ mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease but rather a ministry to individual people, some of whom happened to have a disease. He wanted those people, one by one, to feel his love and warmth and his full identification with them. Jesus knew he could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching…The further we remove ourselves from personal connections with people in need, the further we stray from the ministry Jesus modeled for us.” Paul Brand in Fearfully & Wonderfully Made


If the Christ who lives in us lived a life that associated and reached out to the sick, poor, and social outcasts; why do Christians often times disassociate ourselves from these people? So often we will be quick to throw some extra cash towards a need, but how often do we throw ourselves toward that need? When will we touch as Christ touched and love as Christ loved?

God change our hearts and open our eyes. We need you to start this work in us. In Christ's Name and for your glory.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

My Satisfaction

When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. –Hosea 13:6


I used this verse in our bible class a few weeks ago. It keeps coming to mind. All that we have comes from God. Even the ability to take our next breath lies in his hand. Should he choose to stop it, we are finished. He has given us life and taken care of us. And the crazy part is that man’s response when we become satisfied is that we become proud and forget where it came from. Even the children of God do this. That is who is being talked about in the Hosea passage.

Is this something that is evident in your life? I know it has been in my life. Don’t be satisfied with the things of this world or the pleasures of this world. Be satisfied with the one who gave them. If we find our satisfaction in God and God alone, we will be able to rejoice in all situations.

This is what Paul was explaining when he said

“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.” --Philippians 4:12


What is the secret that Paul mentions in verse 12? He answers that in Verse 13.

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” --Philippians 4:13

The secret is that we must cling to Christ. Paul is saying he can face any situation because He is finding satisfaction in Christ. If we will do that, God will not be able to say as he did in Hosea, "I took care of their needs but then they forgot me."

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Marriage

Below I have attached a segment from one of John Piper’s sermons which is titled Lionhearted and Lamblike: The Christian Husband as Head. He has some great words for husbands and wives. I have told Sarah Grace that I want us to go back and listen to or watch(which you can do both for free on www.desirggod.org) some of his sermons on marriage. I haven’t picked which sermons we are going to start with, but if anyone is interested, we would love to encourage you to do the same thing and maybe we could have an online discussion either through the blog or e-mail about these sermons. If you want to check out any of John Piper’s sermons you can click here to see a list of subjects and click through to find a topic you are looking for. I am encouraged regularly by his words and would encourage you to check them out also.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Children of God

For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received that Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.--Romans 8:14-17


Isn’t it a beautiful thing that we are called children of God? Adopted by a holy God in spite of how unholy we are. Because of this adoption we are heirs with Christ. We deserve separation and eternal punishment but God has chosen to adopt us. I hope we can cling to this truth today, and everyday.

Our identity is now in Him, because we are His.