February 2012
21 posts
5 tags
Our Lawyer
Among the more familiar phrases heard in our society today is, “I want a lawyer.” It is spoken by those who are confronted with the facts of their wrong doing. It is spoken in the hope that this individual, this lawyer, can protect and save from the demands of the law.
Each of us shall stand before God and be accountable for our life. On that day will there be a lawyer to stand...
4 tags
Shadows
Like the silence of a shadow, there pours forth from us an affect on everyone around. Whether it is intentional or not, we cause people to take a certain direction, rethink a conviction, or follow guidance offered. A day does not pass without touching or influencing some other life. For better or for worse, our shadow falls across the path of unknown numbers of others.
The Christian,...
7 tags
Our Ultimate Goal
“until we attain…the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,” is what the Apostle Paul states as our ultimate goal. We should say to ourselves, “That is what I am to reach for.” ”That is who I want to be.” This is the vision of our future which we should cherish above all others. What an unimaginable joy such a hope brings to us. To know...
6 tags
Powerless
Many persons turn to God because of self-discontent. A realization is come to that God alone holds the life which is sought after and the strength to live that life.
There is at the same time something very humbling in this knowledge, because it involves the wisdom that we do not hold any power over our own life except the right to turn from God and make our self powerless.
6 tags
Pain
Pain and suffering can be very excellent teachers. Many souls which cannot be touched through a human voice will listen to the wordless message brought by pain. So what if it is brought by God? Then the Christian is to take heart and know that God intends no harm, and does not desire to hurt. All God does is designed for good, and a faithful response is one of trust. The will of God is what...
7 tags
Pray Christ's Promises
The Christian must call upon Jesus in every time of trouble — whenever confusion and pain control the body and the soul. Do not hesitate to ask for what is needed to deliver the body or the spirit from it’s struggle.
Yet the Christian must know this: Christ may pretend not to hear. He may scold, even chide on account of our unworthiness, and our own conscience may confirm the...
8 tags
The Heart Of Prayer
The way that prayer works, and the power that it contains, are blessed mysteries to the Christian. We cannot set boundaries on it. We cannot ascribe definitions to it. It is a power which is found and known no where else. So totally unknown to us is the fullness of prayer that we become afraid or skeptical of it.
Yet this same mystery is the basis of our hope; for the promises abound...
6 tags
Pray For Discontent
The Christian life is, by nature, one of quenchless thirst and insatiable appetite. There exists a constant discontent that drives the heart and soul on a never-ending quest. Yet, too many Christians become satisfied with both who they are and what they know.
Though it may sound like a contradiction, pray for discontent. With all the infinite possibilities of spiritual life that lie spread...
8 tags
Prayer V. Desire
Many people believe that prayer is only answered when they receive that which is prayed for. But what if what is being prayed for is not in line with what God wants? Should He give us what we ask for even though it is against His order? If God were to do that then He would be guilty of breaking His own laws.
The purpose of prayer is to bring about our submission to a stronger power —...
6 tags
Principles Endure
The principles of our faith are enduring, and the charge to each generation is to apply those principles, as necessary, for the problems of the day. For one generation to say that they have evolved or grown past that which their fore-bearers believed, is to say that God changes His laws according to our wants. God does not change.
5 tags
Two Views
Is a person punished by sin or for sin? That is one of the tough, old questions of the faith; and how a person answers the question says much about how he or she views God.
Some argue that God creates and maintains a moral universe, and to go against the laws which maintain this universe is to cause a person to be out of step with life and thereby causing pain to come upon him or her self. ...
5 tags
Repentance
The word “repentance” has become void of meaning in today’s world — if for no other reason than how common it is. It is an antique word, an inadequate if not obsolete word. Use of the word has become restricted to being used in connection with sorrow — sorrow for being caught. But regret for doing or saying something without changing the behavior which accompanies...
6 tags
Trust And Move On
Many people deal with feelings outwardly; they share them with others in hopes of finding sympathy or resolution. But this type of sharing is also nothing more than self-involvement. By opening to another, we speak about ourselves and thereby become engrossed on our own situation.
Christian’s are to submit themselves to God’s will without complaint. By doing so, the Christian is...
5 tags
Holiness
The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is God working His saving grace all around us. Through the Holy Spirit, God pushes back the dark, sends light to our eyes, sprinkles our conscience with the Blood of Christ, and brings to our knowledge the goals and purposes, and ends of our life.
Without the Spirit, what good could we do? Without the Spirit, what passion would burn inside of us, and...
4 tags
Respectful Prayers
“Pray at all times,” the Apostle Paul teaches us. Somewhere else he also says, “Pray constantly.” This is correct — we should. But when we do, we should always do it with reverence, respect, and devotion. Our relationship with God is too holy, too filled with mystery to be approached with anything less. That God hears us, that He chooses to have a relationship...
6 tags
Sanctified
The Holy Spirit is God. The Holy Spirit is God working His saving grace in our midst. Through the Holy Spirit, God pushes back dark, sends light to our eyes, sprinkles our conscience with the Blood of Christ, and brings to our knowledge the goal of our journey through life.
Without the Spirit what good could we do? Without the Spirit what passion would burn within us, and what would be seen...
5 tags
Saying What You Think
There is a trend in our world today of saying what is on one’s mind. Acceptability says that frankness in the name of honesty is good. Less violent behavior results when people express their emotions verbally. That which might otherwise be deemed impertinent or cruel is approved of when disguised as honest, helpful criticism which could lead a person to growth.
As true disciples of...
4 tags
Remember God Always
We humans do not hesitate to go to God when we are in trouble, or when we are having a problem. We speak with Him about our pains and wants, our trials and confusions. We lay before Him the state of our soul and the discouragement of our spirit. But do we speak to Him of our day-to-day life? Do we open the door of our self and invite Him to enter into our commonness — the routine and...
5 tags
The Difficult Is Blessing
The Christian life meets many difficult obligations and challenges. Often, what is asked of us will cost much time, energy, and even frustration. Yet The Almighty has His reasons. All of the burdens which we are called to bear in some way declare the strength of God. Every inch of the path we walk, marked by rocks and holes, where muggers and thieves wait hidden along the side, invites us to...
5 tags
The Blessing Of Self
We do not have to perform a good deed for someone else in order for a blessing to fall upon our self. Everything that we do, with the intent of serving God, will always touch the doer. Every act done in the name of Christ, even though it is not seen by another person, is known to the giver. Therefore, a blessing has happened — our own — and could it be that the blessing of our self...
5 tags
Where Christ Is Served
A lot of people believe that, in order to serve Christ, it is necessary to go somewhere or do something which is seen by others. They think that ministering for Christ involves teaching a class, caring for the sick, aiding the downtrodden, or journeying to foreign shores to spread the Gospel. These are all important ministries, they are beautiful in spirit, and Christ does need them done; but...
