Looking to Jesus

Thought you all would enjoy reading the blog of a dear sister in Christ who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

Lizzie Metcalf is beautiful, vibrant, chic, and best of all is in love with our Savior, possessing a child-like faith and desiring His pleasure before her own.

I love her blog, because in it she lavishes praise upon our Savior whom she trusts so completely and encourages me to fix my eyes heavenward even as she seeks to do so herself.

I am jealous of the ways she has grown to cherish and know Jesus better throughout this trial. Which has caused me to realize two things:

1) I need to be pursuing and loving and knowing Jesus NOW, by begging Him for His grace and for faithfulness

2) Only when I am preparing in the easy times will I be prepared for the hard times...as many a person has quoted, "We are like sponges, who we really are comes out under pressure."

Oh to be prepared for the storms ahead like my sweet friend, Lizzie! Oh to be a beacon of light to a generation who has lost what hope is, replacing it with empty imitations. People are watching us, and how we respond to each trial the Lord sovereignly places upon our path either magnifies and validates the Gospel, or disgraces and detracts from it!

May we all strive to run hard like Lizzie, leaning on His everlasting arms...our God is so faithful!

Enjoy!

http://chemochronicles.tumblr.com/

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." -Hebrews 12:1-2

Justice & Mercy

Bear with me as I think out loud....it'll be a bit messy....

Justice - getting what is obligated to you; getting what you deserve; getting something by merit. Reward and punishment can both be aspects of justice.

Mercy - not getting the just punishment you deserve for the evil you have done

Grace - getting what you don't deserve and have not justly merited


That's why mercy and grace can never be obliged, deserved or merit. As soon as they are obligated to you, deserving or merited, then you are no longer talking about mercy and grace...you are talking about justice.

Salvation is by the mercy and grace of God. Therefore, it is never right to speak of salvation as something that is merited, obligated or merited. Salvation would no longer be by mercy and grace, but by justice. And only Christ can satisfy the justice of God. Mercy and grace have to be voluntary for them to be such. And since we cannot satisfy the justice of God, either by merit or by punishment, then we must rely on another to satisfy His just demands. This is where Christ shines brightest and His gospel becomes good news. He alone satisfies God's justice in taking my punishment...He got what I deserve. And I get what He deserves...and that is mercy and grace in action.

It's freely given. Not merited. Not earned. Voluntary. And God gives it to whom He wills...whom He chooses. It has to be that way or else we are no longer talking about mercy and grace...but justice.

In light of this, the doctrine of election has to be what it is as taught from a reformed perspective.

Just thinking out loud here. Not trying to write eloquently. Just working some thoughts out from our Bible study tonight.

PAGE CXVI

Page CXVI's 3rd album.
You can listen to it in it's entirety.

Marveling at the Incarnation, Marveling at the Cross

Just came across this wonderful excerpt from Dr. MacArthur's sermon entitled: "The Incarnation of the Triune God," taken from Philippians 2:6-11, and thought I should share it:

"Humility is the theme of Christmas...humility. St. Augustine wrote so beautifully of His humility, so beautifully. 'The word of the Father," he said, "by whom all time was created was made flesh and born in time for us. He without whose divine permission no day completes its course, wished to have one of those days for His human birth. In the bosom of His Father He existed before all the cycles of the ages. Born of an earthly mother, He entered on the course of the years on that very day. The maker of man became man that He ruler of the stars might be nourished at the breast, that He the bread might be hungry, that He the fountain might thirst, that He the light might sleep, that He the way might be wearied in the journey, that He the truth might be accused by false witnesses, that He the judge of the living and the dead might be brought to trial by a mortal judge, that He justice itself might be condemned by the unjust, that He discipline personified might be scourged with a whip, that He the foundation might be suspended on a cross, that He courage incarnate might be weak, and He security itself might be wounded, and He life itself might die.' "
(taken from: http://www.biblebb.com/files/mac/m2003.htm. Copyright by John MacArthur, 1997, Grace to You).

May we all take time this Christmas to marvel at the incarnation of the Son of God and remember and cherish the PURPOSE of it all.

Let us not simply stop at the manger but recall the cross...Once your enemies, now seated at your table, THANK YOU JESUS.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14

The Wedded Poor

Similar to a few other Talians here, I’ve recently married a person who loves the King of kings. My wife and I became “wife and I” in October. Prior to that, we (like others) ran around for weeks getting various errands finished before our wedding day. One errand in particular brought an interesting thought to mind.

First, let’s talk about the season we’re in: Christmas. We’re celebrating the Son of God who came to Earth by way of a virgin birth. He was born a baby and grew up to accomplish the Father’s work, which encompassed and accomplished much in His life, ministry, death, and resurrection.

I’d like to touch on just one accomplishment for the time being: Christ’s calling of His church. One reason Jesus became a man was to begin and establish His church, His future bride. His coming, accomplishing power over sin, and ascending to the Father sealed forever a redemption and reconciliation of sinners to God. These sinners would be His church, His future bride. Christ’s coming was, in part, a beginning of His own wedding preparations.

Revelation 19:7 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready."

My own wedding had a lot of preparations, and the one that struck a note with me in particular was when we went to get our marriage certificate. It was a simple process, but what stood out was the cost: $90. We had no problem paying for the simple piece of paper, but it seemed a notable expense, especially for those with great financial difficulty. Ever wonder what Della and Jim would have done?

It made me think of God’s merciful call to those who thirst... who hunger... who are poor.

Isaiah 55:1 "Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

Christ’s bride is poor. Penniless. And yet He chose us... those who have no money, no standing, no worth... no righteousness. We can’t afford a wedding. We certainly can’t afford Christ as our bridegroom. But that’s ok, but He’s paying. Notice the important key in Isaiah:

“... you who have no money come, buy and eat... without money and without cost.”

How can we, with no money, still buy? How can we make a purchase when we have nothing? Because Christ purchased. He came to Earth, born as a man to redeem men. Living perfectly to fulfill the needed righteous life that we needed to live. He purchased with His blood, that we might be His bride, without any cost to us... without any price further needed. His righteousness is what seals us as His bride.

From our standpoint, broken and poor, we could never hope to afford a marriage, let alone a wedding feast. We simply can’t afford it. Our righteousness is as filthy rags before the most holy God. But joy breaks in on our position, just as our Lord said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

We were poor in spirit, with no merit before God. But He, in His infinite mercy and grace, sent forth His excellent, worthy Son to be born of a woman, that He would redeem sinners whom He chose... and then marry them, clothing them with His righteousness.

We are the wedded poor. Brought in from the streets and filth, cleaned up by His work and love, to be expert worshipers of Him. I hope this Christmas will be filled with worship, seeing the Lamb, our bridegroom, and not just a baby pictured in a manger, as we prepare ourselves for the feast and joys to come!

Our bridegroom is at the door. Where are we?

Empty Words

What am I doing with my life? Who am I really living for? Does my theology in action (my day to day choices/actions) match up with the theology that I say I believe in?

I've been reading through Matthew lately and thinking about "empty words." That just as someday, individuals will declare: 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' And He will answer, 'Depart from me, I never KNEW you,' so too is it EMPTY for us to claim that Christ is our Treasure, when our lives declare otherwise.


A prayer of repentance:

Father, I need your help. I cannot walk faithfully on my own. I ask for your grace and your Spirit's empowerment to live a life that is worthy of and that validates the Gospel. Give me more of you, and less of me, Jesus. Help me to mortify my pride and give me humility- help me to talk less about being faithful, and actually be faithful- by being in your Word, communicating with you through prayer, and keeping my eyes fixed on the prize. Remind me that YOU are the Author and Perfector of my faith, and that I am completely dependent upon you. Lord may you TRULY be All in All to me, and may the way that I live provoke curiosity and opportunities that would be for the glory of your name and the futherance of your kingdom, Amen.

A Call To Gratitude

I’ve been inspired.

Through my good friend Alyssa, I sovereignly “stumbled” upon the blog of a woman name Ann Voskamp, and a new journey upon which I am about to embark.

On her blog, Ann has been listing gifts from God that she sees in her life.
She states:

” I am one waking from slumber … from the stupor of indifference and ignorance. Too often I miss Him, oblivious, blind. I don’t see all the good things that He is giving me, gracing me with, brushing my life with.”

I am one who can completely relate. In a culture where I have so much.. too much, I miss so much. Regretfully my eyes are so clouded by self, that the grace of God goes unnoticed hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second.

And so, this is the start of an effort to refocus my vision and to give thanks for the evidences of grace that are currently being missed.

I encourage you, brothers and sisters, to focus on the gifts of grace that God has given uniquely to you. Let us give the Giver of all good things the gratitude He so deserves.
Psalm 118:28
“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you..”
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***The following is the beginning of my list of One Thousand Gifts***

1) A hotel room to rest in while my husband is at work.

2) The jolting of my laptop brought about by kicks coming from inside my tummy.

3) The new pink journal that awaits the listing of many more gifts.

4) The stirring in my heart from the Spirit to pray for an orphan I know, who is under the effects of national devastation.

5) The heat that is keeping me warm as it rains outside.

6) The calming sound of the rain.

7) An ultrasound picture that shows my little boy, Alistair's, face, and represents the comforting news that he was okay.