God's Glory

Romans 11:36

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

"God and His Kingdom are, simply put, about God-the triune God, the Holy One of Israel. What are the Triune God's needs? He has no needs. He is completely fulfilled. The Father loves the Son. The Son is ecstatic about the Father and wants nothing but the Father's will. God's greatest pleasure is himself. How could God be consumed with anything less than his own perfect, holy being? For God to be consumed with anything else woud be idolatrous. It would be exalting the creature above the Creator. God's goal is to exalt himself and his own glory. He intends to magnify his great name."
-Edward Welch

We should not just glorfiy God because of what he has done for us, we should glorify God because of who he is. We should honor God because of his glory, his radiance, his beauty, his splendor, his majesty, and his holiness.

He is the vine

John 15:1-8

1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.

anti-growth.

It's ironic to think that some of the greatest spiritual growth is anti-growth.

"The right manner of growth is to grow less in one's own eyes."

—Thomas Watson

John 3:30

"He must increase, but I must decrease."

advice vs. biblical advice

If you are giving advice or receiving advice... the first and most important question to ask yourself is...

IS IT BASED ON SCRIPTURE?

If it isn't, (and is soley based on opinion, psychology, polls, secular books, or even what is best for you) then it has huge potential to be faulty advice.

Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

John 17:17

"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. "

Psalm 119:105

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

2 Peter 1:3-4

"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. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."

If advice has an absense of scripture - then it has potential to be dangerous.

Colossians 2:8

“See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, but according to Christ.”

Make a Joyful Noise

Psalm 100:1-5

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth!
Serve the LORD with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, he is God!
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.

soldiers of Christ

2 Timothy 2:3-4

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.

Paul is encouraging Timothy and us to cut ourselves off from the world and not let it distract us. Satan is the king of this world, and he will attempt to cause our stumble through worldly temptation. Our lives must be dedicated to the one who “enlisted us”, we must obey, sacrifice, and be devoted to serving Him. Despite the opposition, tribulation, or persecution we might face, we still need to proclaim the gospel and Christ. We must not let the fear of man stop us from the proclamation of the biblical truth, just like Paul did not. Just like the Soldier, we must endure through suffering and keep our eyes on the victory, eternal life with Jesus Christ. We will see that all our serving will be worth it when we endure suffering through sacrificing to honor and glorify the name of Jesus Christ.

Thank you God

Romans 3:22-26

This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Praise God. Thank you for the righteousness that you give me because of my faith in Christ. Thank you for the redemption I have in Christ.

reflexology

Jam 2:26
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

service to the Lord is the reflex of loving the Lord. i don't do things for my husband to gain a love for him. i love him first therefore i do things for him because of the love that is already established.

we need to concentrate on loving God before we serve Him. as soon as we truly love God we will naturally be compelled to serve Him to express our love. if we have no desire to serve the Lord then we need to ask ourselves if we truly love the Lord. if i had no desire to help my husband and show him i loved him through works then i would need to question whether or not i truly loved my husband.

Dead to the law, Alive for Christ

Romans 7:4

Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

When we accept Christ, we die to the Law, that we might serve another, that is Christ. When we accept Christ forgiveness we no longer are held captive by the Law so that we can serve and bring glory to God. We do not live under the Law but for the glorification of our Savior.

The key to the Christian life is not the law, but that we belong to a master, that we belong to a lover, that we belong to the Savior, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We belong to a master whose spirit lives in us, whose cross is behind us, and whose hope and joy is before us.
-John Piper

SATAN and the OLD MAN

I want to start by saying that I totally agree with the statements made by Joey concerning Satan as our enemy in spiritual warfare. I know for a fact that Satan attacks me on a daily basis. However, I believe that there is a distinction to be made between Satan and the sin nature. Although Satan may be a huge force in bringing down believers through temptation, the true act of sin comes from within ourselves, our sin nature.

Romans 6:5-14
5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self(man) was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free(justified) from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

It seems to me that the Old Man plays just as big of a role in sin as does Satan himself. It really comes down to the fact that Satan tempts us and that if we are not spiritually sound and in tune with the Spirit, then we will fall into the temptation.

My point is this. It is just as important for us to focus on our actual sin nature and remember that the actual sins are from our body and not from Satan. We mustn't try and pin all of sin after salvation on Satan, instead, we must remember that we still retain our sinful nature and we must guard against our own wants and desires for sin just as ferociously as we battle against Satan.

Tame your Tongue

James 3:5-12

How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.

Prayer

God, you are amazing, you are so righteous. God you are so mighty. I am so sinful. It is so awesome that you would love me. I pray that I would be glorifying to you in all I do. Please give me understanding from your word. Please God, allow me to be completely satisfied in you and you alone. God, without you I have, and am nothing. Thank you so much for loving me before I loved you. I pray that I would know nothing but Christ and him crucified.

In Jesus name, Amen

spiritural attack.

1 Peter 5:8-9
"Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world."

note the action verbs:
1. be sober-minded = aware
2. watchful = an act of looking

note the type of attack:
verse 8: seeking
verse 9: suffering experienced by Christians

"I was going to point out that if Christians really saw the world for what it is, we would know and feel that we are always in war. Satan is a powerful enemy, deceiver, and murderer, and he tries to highjack every good plan and purpose of your life and use it to destroy. Our own flesh and indwelling sin are like covert, welcoming bases of operation for this evil. The casualties are not only bodies lost for time, but souls lost for eternity.

A wartime mindset and a radical vigilance and a disciplined use of our spiritual armor are essential, if we are not to be lulled into the stupor of a peacetime mentality. And the armor I speak of is not sword, or bullets, or bombs, or tanks, or grenades, but the word of the cross and prayer and love and suffering for the sake of Christ. How much more do we feel this spiritual wartime sense of urgency today!"

-John Piper

I know that some of you guys would disagree with me. I know that some of you might think i give satan too much credit. i still love you guys. it's just that i'd rather be overly-guarded than not guarded enough.

Famous Quotes

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.
- C.S. Lewis

Where has this mindset gone? We must remember that Christianity is not a religion, but a worldview. Within our faith is how we view the world and everything in it.

i pray....

i pray that God will give me the privilege to work for Him and that He will receive glory from the work that He does through me. i pray that His Name will be taken to the ends of the earth. i pray that You God will sustain me from now until the time i am blessed with your presence in heaven. have mercy on my soul Lord as i live my life.

Doers, not just hearers

James 1:19-25

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Enemies

"You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" James 4:4

We need to make the things of the world our enemy. This may prove to be a difficult task.

God promises to help though.

"Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7

Once again
"Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." 1 John 2:15

Again and again and again it's found in scripture. I guess that's as clear as it gets.

Great Commission

Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Christ commanded it, now lets be obedient.

pray boldly.

Hebrews 4:16

"Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Psalm 27:7
"Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me."

"You say, “Well what is the point in talking to God like that? I mean, if you know God is sovereign and you know God is all wise and all powerful and all knowing and has purposed everything from the beginning to the end and all the way through the middle, what in the world is the point of praying?” And the answer is because God has not only ordained the end, He has ordained the means to the end. And I don’t know about you but I’d rather be a part of God’s means than anything else."

-John MacArthur

Workers Approved by God

2 Timothy 2:14-26

Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some. But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: "The Lord knows those who are his," and, "Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity."

Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.

I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth...

So, today, in class, after me and two other guys were done talking about girls we used to like, I witnessed to them.




I do not know how the topic switched from evaluating girls, to telling them what scripture has to say, but the change happened nonetheless. It is really weird how i do not rememeber how it started.

Anyway, I do remember my friends saying that they thought they were good friend after I asked them. I also asked them if they believed that they were going to heaven to which they answered yes. So, I took them through the ten commandments, admitting my guilt of breaking each one as well. After I asked them, knowing what they know knew, did they believe that they would enter heaven. They answered no.

One of the two guys, Angel, was really depressed almost (my other amigo Brian had fallen asleep). So, I told him the way, but not leaving out that if he chose to follow, he would not belong to himself anymore, that he was bought with a price. He understood this, that he would no longer be able to do what he wanted to do. I didn't offer to pray with him, but instead offered him to christian club, and I told him that I would continue to tell him more. He was glad that I hadn't sugarcoated it. He was tripping over the fact that so many people aren't open to accept the truth.

In truth, I've never really gotten that far in witnessing with anybody,

Please pray for Angel, that he desires to learn more and that he repent and follow after Jesus. And, also, please pray that I would have God given wisdom when speaking to my peoples.

Cleanse me

Psalm 51:1-2

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin.

the process of sanctification.

"Sanctification is that inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer, separates him from his natural love of sin and the world, puts a new principle in his heart, and makes him practically godly in life."

-J.C. Ryle

My definition:

Santification = God-controlled change in a Christian's life.

Philippians 2:13
"for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure."

Hebrews 13:20-21
"Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen."

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it."

Trust God

1 Peter 5:6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We must cling to the Almighty God and resist the devil. I think that so often we are consumed by our lives and the problems we face, that we forget that the creator of the universe, the maker of heaven and earth is for us. If God is for us, who can be against us? We must stay focused on God and trust in him.

The eyes of the Lord

Psalm 34:13-18

Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.
Turn away from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
and delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
and saves the crushed in spirit.

Seek Ye First

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you,
Allelu, alleluia.

Man shall not live by bread alone,
But by every word
That proceeds from the mouth of God,
Allelu, alleluia.

Ask, and it shall be given unto you.
Seek, and ye shall find.
Knock, and the door shall be opened unto you.
Allelu, alleluia.

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you,
Allelu, alleluia.

zeal.

J.C. Ryle preached this message about having the same zeal that God has.

This is a quote about that zeal:

"It will make him willing to cut off his right hand, or pluck out his right eye, or make any sacrifice, if only he can attain a closer communion with Jesus. Isn't this just what you see in the Apostle Paul? He says, "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.-I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead. I press on toward the goal" (1 Corinthians 9:27, Philippians 3:13-14).

difficult prayers build character, like finishing your veggies

Dear Lord,

Thank you for my boss. Even though he is one of the most powerful and consistent sources of stress, embarrassment, confusion, and frustration in my life, I am so glad that you have put him in it.

On a day-to-day basis, my boss is condescending, demeaning, hostile, and argumentative. He is a very skilled engineer, but seems to enjoy making everyone else feel incompetent and useless by comparison. He is dismissive of others' ideas, concerns, and proposals, and he is impatient with anyone who questions his own, even gently. Working for him can be a harrowing experience, and it is likely that when I finally move on to a new job, it will be mainly as an effort to escape him.

But, Lord, I thank you for him. Thank you for my boss, and please bless him.

I know that he played a major role in hiring me in the first place, which motivated me to move back to LA in 2005. Returning to Los Angeles wasn't my favorite idea at the time, but, since then, it has become clear to me that you brought me back here for a purpose, Lord, and my boss was one of the people you used to make it happen. Without him, I would not have my job, I would not be in LA, and thus I would not have returned to Venice Church. Without my boss's help, unwitting though it might have been, I wouldn't have discovered this purpose or this direction, which I pray are your purpose and your direction.

My job is a blessing, Lord, and so my boss is a blessing, and I thank you. My job allows me to pay my bills, and gives me the hope of being a financially responsible citizen, son, brother, friend, and church member. When I was hospitalized and near death in the summer of 2006, the medical insurance provided by my company spared my family from an overwhelming burden of health care expenses. When I needed to take a medical leave of absence from work, my company was supportive, and my coworkers actually seemed to care that I take the time to heal. My job has been such a blessing, Lord. And without my boss and his work, my own work would not be possible. So, again, thank you for my boss, Lord. Thank you for using him in my life, and please bless him.

And please, Father, help me resist the temptation to hate. Please help me to love my boss, to appreciate him and to care for him. I know that he is under an extreme amount of pressure, and that he works unbelievably hard. Please help me remember that, if I were under similar strain, I might act like a jerk sometimes too. Actually, even under much less strain, I already do act like a jerk a lot of the time! I pray that you will give me the patience and the understanding to see and understand the many, complex forces that push and pull on my boss, and I pray that you will give him the strength and perseverance to survive the wrenching effects of these forces. Please help me be able to share his burden, to be able to ease the pressures put on him, to be a blessing to him in some way.

And finally, Father, please draw my boss closer to you. Please touch his heart and his life, and if he doesn't already understand his desperate need for a savior, please help him to see it. I pray that your love and grace will saturate every part of his life.

I pray this in the name of our savior Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit,

Amen

We fall down... Chris Tomlin

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus

The greatness of mercy and love
At the feet of Jesus

And we cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
And we cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
And we cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy"
Is the Lamb

The humbleness of this song is amazing. The image of falling down at the feet of Jesus and laying our crowns at the feet of Jesus is one that should break our hearts. To be able to act out humility and cast the crowns that we don't deserve at the feet of the one who is all deserving is what we should live for, to give everything back to Jesus.

The way this song ends is awesome as well, it ends by praising God, and crying out "Holy, Holy, Holy" to the pure lamb of God, Jesus Christ. How amazing will it be when the day comes that we will have the opportunity to cast our crowns, fall at the feet of Jesus, and praise the Lamb for eternity!

persecution? rejoice!

Luke 6:22-23

"Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets."

it's inevitable that we will be persecuted... when we are obedient.

How blessed

1 Corinthians 1:20-25

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

How blessed we are that God has given us the ability to understand his gospel. How blessed we are to understand Christ crucified. How can we go on living sinful lives when we are blessed to understand God's truth. How blessed are we that we have an almighty God. A God so powerful that his foolishness is wiser than all men and his weakness is stronger than all men.

We all grew up singing it.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so.
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! This I know,
As He loved so long ago,
Taking children on His knee,
Saying, “Let them come to Me.”

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me still today,
Walking with me on my way,
Wanting as a friend to give
Light and love to all who live.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He who died
Heaven’s gate to open wide;
He will wash away my sin,
Let His little child come in.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! He will stay
Close beside me all the way;
Thou hast bled and died for me,
I will henceforth live for Thee.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

Jesus loves me! Loves me still,
Though I’m very weak and ill,
That I might from sin be free
Bled and died upon the tree.


(The last stanza from the original is commonly omitted in hymnals)

This Kind of Humilty

Philippians 2:1-8

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

memorize.

Psalm 119:11

"I have stored up your word in my heart,that I might not sin against you."

Let's try and finish a couple chapters in our awana books in the next couple of weeks. This friday and sunday, try and have the first chapter completed. I will make the commitment to the rest of you talians to have it done.

Glorious Grace

Ephesians 1:3-10

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

praying God's word.

Regarding Daniel's prayer in Daniel 9:

"He had with him an old manuscript of the prophet Jeremiah. He read
that through. Perceiving such and such things spoken of, he prayed for
them. Perceiving such and such a time given, and knowing that that time
was almost come, he prayed the more earnestly! Oh! that you studied your
Bibles more! Oh! that we all did! How we could plead the promises! How we
could plead the promises! How often we should prevail with God when we
could hold him to his word, and say, "Fulfill this word unto thy servant,
whereon thou hast caused me to hope." Oh! it is grand praying when our
mouth is full of God's word, for there is no word that can prevail with
him like his own."

-Charles Spurgeon

Daniel was dedicated to prayer. We can learn from his passion to pray.
Prayers filled with God's words and promises - That is something that I am looking forward to taking hold of.

Marriage

"Marriage and sexuality is a stuardship. I must give my wife back better than I received her. And I must give the world we shared back to God better than we received it. Marriage is yet another arena in which to live out your vocation to serve Christ. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once spoke to a love-struck couple in a marriage homily: 'In your love you see only the heaven of your own happines, but in marriage you are placed at a post of responsibility towards the world and mankind.' We do nothing in this life unto ourselves alone. Even a happy marriage is not only for the happiness of husbands, wives, and children; it is for God's glory."
-Ben Patterson

True Love

Luke 17:1-4

And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him."

Christ is commanding us to forgive one another. After the grace and forgiveness that God has shown us, we have to forgive each other. We must also help each other when we see sin in each other's lives. This is true love. Love is telling your brother or sister when they are struggling and then forgiving them when they hurt you. Rebuke and forgive, that is true love.

Power

1 Corinthians 1:18

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

...even eat for his glory.

"The bible is crystal-clear: God created us for his glory. Thus says the Lord, "bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory"(Isaiah 43:6-7). Life is wasted when we do not live for the glory of God. And I mean all of life. It is all for his glory. That is why the Bible gets down into the details of eating and drinking. "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). We waste our lives when we do not weave God into our eating and drinking and every other part by enjoying and displaying him."

-John Piper

i can only imagine...MercyMe

I can only imagine what it will be like, when I walk by Your side...
I can only imagine, what my eyes will see, when Your Face is before me!
I can only imagine. I can only imagine.
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine, when that day comes, when I find myself standing in the Son!
I can only imagine, when all I will do, is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine! I can only imagine!

Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?

Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!

I can only imagine! Yeah! I can only imagine!! Only imagine!!!
I can only imagine.

I can only imagine, when all I do is forever, forever worship You!
I can only imagine."

Everything

Mark 12:41-44

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."

We should give like the widow. We should give God all of our lives, not just a portion of the huge pie. We must give him all that we have. When we remember that God chose us before we were born and remember what Christ did for us, how can we not give Christ everything? Lets not give our lives to things that fade away, lets give our lives to the kingdom of God which will last for all of eternity.

Circumcision of the heart

Romans 2:25-29
25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. 26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded [1] as circumcision? 27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code [2] and circumcision but break the law. 28 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

... I pray that my heart be circumcised in the Spirit so that I receive praise from God and not the fleeting praise of man. God has blessed so greatly in salvation and deserves all that we have.

No value

Acts 20:24

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

daniel neiditch.

be in prayer for daniel. he is meeting tomorrow night with someone who he is looking to be involved with for full-time ministry with gangs. pray that God will give daniel:

1. wisdom
2. urgency
3. provision

Colossians 4:3-4

"And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should."

This is it

Matthew 22:34-40

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

* [truth and love in action]

We are a collective from different churches: Grace Community in Los Angeles, Sovereign Grace in San Diego, Orlando, and D.C., Bethlehem Baptist in Minnesota, Free Grace Church in Hesperia, and a few others. We come from different denominational backgrounds, however we have come together for the purpose of pointing each other to the Gospel - the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. All we really do is post blog entries that redirect people back to Jesus Christ and Him crucified.


joey............................. joanna........................ josh.....................




brent.......................... andrew......................... andrea...................




vince......................... david............................ jenny...................



liz.............................. kammie.......................... jeremy...............



alyssa......................... brittany.....................mollie...................