Thoughts on Shattered Dreams

Christ is building His kingdom with earth's broken things. Men want only the strong, the successful, the victorious, the unbroken, in building their kingdoms; but God is the God of the unsuccessful, of those who have failed. Heaven is filling with earth's broken lives, and there is no bruised reed that Christ cannot take and restore to glorious blessedness and beauty. He can take the life crushed by pain or sorrow and make it into a harp whose music shall be all praise. He can lift earth's saddest failure up to heaven's glory.

J.R. Miller

This thought encouraged me so much the other day. I've seen the Lord do this incredible thing in so many lives. He raises up the shattered lives of His people and recreates them into something so beautiful. It's what He loves doing. He gets so much glory from it. 

We need to pray that God would break us because only then can He make something in us that will bring Him amazing praise. Right now I see Him doing that in my life. He's broken my hopes for the future, the goals that I believed would be the most glorifying to Him, and instead He's doing things in my life that are so much different than I ever dreamed He would do. And in these things, He is going to get more glory than I ever thought possible... if I will simply trust what He's doing in my life and walk in perfect unity with Him. I want so much to see His plans become true in my life. It is the only thing worth living for. Regardless of my feelings, I can't wait to see what's around the next corner. With my wonderful Lord leading, I have this perfect certainty that it's going to be beautiful.

With the amazing God that we have, shattered dreams are not a bad thing but sometimes the best thing that could ever happen to us. It's when our feeble, even sometimes foolish, plans are destroyed that God leads us into so much better ways than what we could ever have chosen. He is worthy of our trust!

In the photos: 1) Rain-drenched tundra grasses and flowers. It was the most incredible thing I had ever seen. The picture simply doesn't do God's handiwork justice! 2) Glowing and shimmering in the late sunlight, rustling grass in which I heard Him pass... He speaks to me everywhere.

What Do You Want from God?

After his father David died, Solomon became the king of Israel. He was probably around twenty years old. On a day after Solomon had offered a thousand burnt offerings to the LORD, God appeared to Solomon that night and said to him, "Ask what I shall give thee."

Solomon was in his early twenties. What kinds of things are on the minds of most people that age? Well, I myself am twenty so I think I have a pretty good idea. Many young people my age are concerned with very trivial things. They believe their status depends on having the best and being the best -- the most stylish clothes, the greatest car, the best "friends," having the best ability in brawn, beauty, even brains, and enjoying as much of the other overrated pleasures this world has to offer as they can. Those things are not wrong, but they must be kept in their place and we must not become consumed with them. We need to focus more upon the underrated treasures of life: our family, our relationship with the Lord, our church, the Bible, and the simple blessings God gives us each day. Those are the things that really matter. We need to realize how rich we really are, live Godly lives, and be content.

Other young people my age are thinking about the decisions they are required to make during this period of their lives. What is foremost in my own mind is being in God's will each and every day. I am constantly thinking about the changes that are approaching in my life and I am concerned that I make only the one right choice in each situation.

What was on Solomon's mind during this intense period of his life? He was only twenty years old and the king of an entire country. He had everything. He had access to all of those overrated pleasures life has to offer to every young person. And God was offering him more! Whatever his heart desired, he had only to ask God and he would get it. Nothing would be withheld from him. What would you ask for if you were in his place? Think about it. What matters most to you? What would your immediate request be?

10 Ways to Read the Bible

Thoughtfully

Don't read absent-mindedly but read with purpose, intention and thoughtful consideration.

Repeatedly

Read a particular verse or passage several times over to gain a better understanding of it. If following a yearly plan, begin in Genesis 1 again on January 1!

Patiently

Be faithful in Bible study when it is not especially interesting or when you do not understand.

Selectively

Select portions of Scripture to read during a time of distress for comfort, for counsel on life-decisions, etc.

Prayerfully

Always seek guidance and enlightenment from the Holy Spirit before you open God's Word. Have a spirit of communion with God as you read His Word to you.

Imaginatively

Use imagination when reading of Daniel in the den of lions, of Sarah when she overheard that she would bear a child in her old age, and other instances. Place yourself in their situation. Understand their fear, surprise, faith, etc.

Meditatively

Contemplate. Revolve a Biblical truth around your the mind. "Chew" on a portion of Scripture for a long period of time until you get all the "juice" out of it.

Purposefully

Make careful intention to study the Bible, have direction in thought, and make application of God's Word to your life.

Acquisitively

Search out and study and retain what you learn. Make it a personal possession, a real fact in your life.

Telescopically

Read small portions of the Bible in light of the whole. Don't lose context of one verse but apply it to an entire passage of Scripture. Don't break down the Bible into fragments of what you will and will not accept, but view the Bible as the whole Word of God.

The Blessings of Bible Study

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. 

I Timothy 4:15

Reading and studying the Word of God is essential to the life of a Christian. What food and water are to the body, Bible study and prayer are to the inner man. Job realized his need for the Word of God so completely that he declared, “Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, for I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 32:12)

Although Bible study is so integral to our living as Christians, failure in this area is all too regular for most believers. Fitting Bible study into one’s schedule is considered to be a problem. However, the true problem is viewing it as a problem. Making time for God’s Word is, in fact, the solution to this and every other problem that we face in life.

Whatever is most important to us is what we will give the greatest time and effort to. The matter of Bible study is a matter of priorities. If we are to make it a practice to study the Word of God, we must make our relationship with the Lord more important than anything else in our lives. More important than sleep, more important than an activity, more important than our tight schedules, more important than personal comfort and pleasure. When God’s Word becomes a priority to us, we won't allow anything keep us from devoting to it the time that we should. We will make every effort to study it with faithful diligence.

When we come to the realization of just how precious and essential the Word of God is to our lives, everything will change. We will become passionate about reading it daily, memorizing it deep into our hearts, meditating upon it through our days, and living it as a way of life. Each new truth we learn as we sit under preaching and study for ourselves becomes ours, a personal possession, one we should guard jealously lest Satan snatch it away.

Bible truths are built into our lives as the framework of all that we are. Without these truths, we would collapse. What a hopeless mess our lives would be without the Word of God! We would have nowhere to go to find hope and truth. But we do have the Bible, and we need to read it like our lives depend upon it -- as our lives most certainly do. We need God's Word. It is vital. We cannot do without it! It is everything.

How do we reach the point where we, as Job, sense our spirit’s great need for the Word of God? We must gain a spiritual appetite for the Bible. We have to want the Word of God like we want anything else we crave. Jesus gave a wonderful promise in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” To be hungry and thirsty to know God is to be blessed. That empty, aching void in our spirits is a blessing because it drives us on to seek after God. And He promised that He will never fail to supply what we need. He will fill us if we will only earnestly seek Him.

People have many excuses for their failure to read and study the Bible. A lack of basic knowledge, limited time, and plain ol' laziness are a few things which hinder a Christian’s study of the Bible. Some problems which people face are very real. However, no excuse or problem is so great that the Word of God does not have the solution for it.

Have You Died?

Devotional by Evangelist Tim Green in Baptist Bread

"Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin..." (Rom. 6:11a)

While preaching in Spain in 2010, the good missionary I was with told me of reading George Mueller's secret of success. Mueller was questioned as to why he had such unusual spiritual success. His profound reply was, "There was a day I died." And as he spoke he bent lower and lower until he almost touched the floor, "I died to George Mueller; his opinions, his preferences, his tastes, and will. I died to the world, its approval or censure, died to the approval or blame even of my brethren and friends, and since then I have studied only to show myself approved to God." My father has often said that he got a divorce from public opinion! The truth of the matter is, that ultimately we only must answer to God. The approval of men is based on bias at best and lack of experience at worst. The approval of our heavenly Father is based solely on holiness. Besides, He is the only One that knows the true motives, secret faults, and He distributes talents as He will. God is the One we must deal with, and He is the One who deals with us.

I am sure that if you picked up one of the thousands of self-help books, or secrets to success tomes that litter our libraries these days, you would be hard pressed to find any that espouse Mueller's plan of success. However, in this case I think I'll side with Mueller. See you at the cemetery!

Remember, "...whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:27)

Have You Died?

Written and sung by Abigail Miller

There are so many Christians who name the name of Christ,
Who are washed in Jesus' blood, and are partakers of new life,
But deep inside they struggle with strong, besetting sin,
And they wonder if they'll ever learn the victory to win.

Have you died? Have you signed the warrant for your own execution?
Have you come to the end of self, and all your resolution?
When we finally fail in trying, we will find success in dying,
Have you died that you might live in Christ anew?

Lord Jesus, when You came to earth to give Your life for me,
You faced every strong temptation, but from sin Your life was free.
And if my perfect Savior had to die a cruel death
To obtain my freedom, how can I escape by doing less?

Have you died? Have you signed the warrant for your own execution?
Have you come to the end of self, and all your resolution?
When we finally fail in trying, we will find success in dying,
Have you died that you might live in Christ anew?

The only way to victory is not through strong resolve,
It is not through anything that I can do.
I must learn to see myself upon the cross in Jesus Christ,
And in Him I've resurrected to a pure and holy life.

I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live,
Yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Son of God
Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.

Have you died? Have you signed the warrant for your own execution?
Have you come to the end of self, and all your resolution?
When we finally fail in trying, we will find success in dying,
Have you died that you might live in Christ anew?

When we finally fail in trying, we will find success in dying,
Have you died that you might live in Christ anew?

In the photo: Tundra foliage

Lessons for Life

Life-lessons are so important to me. I love to see examples of timeless truths in daily circumstances, in God's works of creation, from the lips of precious ladies, and especially from the pages of the Bible.

I listened to the last paragraph of Beautiful Girlhood being read as I folded laundry last Saturday evening. It was a bittersweet moment. Beautiful Girlhood was one of the most wisdom-rich books I have ever experienced. Yet I felt there was so much more that could be said, such depths of wisdom that I still needed to hear and apply. As Proverbs tells us, "The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters." There is so much sweet, refreshing water in this book, and I feel that my bucket is far too small to bring up all that I want from it. I am more convinced than ever to share the entire volume on my blog, for I see how desperately young ladies today need to hear its timeless message, calling us to be all we can be as Godly ladies by God's grace.

Ladies, do you not see what a noble calling God has given to us? Why is God's standard for marriage and motherhood so despised? How did it happen? I feel like weeping as I see what has our enemy has accomplished in so short a time! One of God's best gifts has been turned into a curse, a burden, a hindrance to fulfillment and happiness, when that priceless gift is the surest source of satisfaction we can ever have. Satan is so good at what he does, and his best tools are those we possess ourselves: selfishness and conceited ideas shaped by society.

We are not going to find God's plan for us in the world.  God's plan is not popular; it is viewed as old-dated and confining to the abilities and rights of women. To hear people talk, God's plan is wrong! But God says, "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isa. 5:20) The truth is, real freedom and fulfillment as a woman can only be found as we follow God's perfect plan for us. It has been hidden beneath the trash-heap of feminist ideas. We must seek God's wisdom out diligently or we will not find it.

Prayer Is Limitless

Because God is infinite, the ways in which He answers prayer have no limit. We weak little humans are bound by set limits of knowledge and ability. There comes a time in every genius's life that he hits a brick wall. The strongest man in the world eventually slams into that same old brick wall, too. =)

However, if we are saved by the blood of the Crucified One, we have access to something and Someone that knows no limits. We can pray! We can ask God to do things that are  absolutely impossible. We can expect miracles -- great and mighty things that only God can do. God has promised that His ear is open to the humble, earnest cry of His people. He promises to answer our prayers, no matter the subject or size of those prayers.

Prayer is not limited by space. God sits upon His throne in Heaven and we dwell in Earth, but nothing can keep God from hearing our prayers. (Example: Jonah prayed from the belly of a whale, God heard him, and He answered!) We can pray for a loved one separated by thousands of miles and even oceans and we are able to directly affect their lives with our prayers. We can respond to the requests others make for their loved ones, and although we have never met those people, our prayers have a part in providing for their needs. Ladies, we can pray in full faith for our future husbands to be faithful to the Lord and to future vows, we can pray that God would defend them against the attacks of Satan, and we can pray that God will meet their many needs as live day by day.

Prayer is not limited by time. Because God dwells in eternity and sees the end from the beginning, and because He is not affected by time, He does not work according to our time-table but according to His all-wise purposes. And He is never late in answering our prayers. Prayer can receive an immediate answer, a delayed answer, or a prolonged answer: God knows which is best. When we are in a dangerous situation or we have pressing needs, we can pray and expect God to follow through. We may have other needs that seem endless; those are the times when we wonder if God is even listening: an unsaved loved one, a desire of the heart, etc. This is when we must pray persistently and not give up (read Luke 18:1-8). Then there is prolonged answers to prayer, such as our prayers for the work of God in lives, work that is truly dependent upon our prayers.

Prayer is not limited in subject matter. God did not give us a set list of prayers He would answer, nor did He specify certain matters that we could not bring to Him. God said, "Call unto me and I will answer thee." Call on Him for what? Praise God, He did not say! He wants us to bring anything and everything. He wants us to "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb. 4:16)

Prayer is not limited in results. The Lord did not put limitations or conditions upon what and how He would answer our requests. He is a loving Heavenly Father and gives us what is best and what we need. (See Matthew 7:7-11 and James 1:17.) If we ask for a certain need, He will supply that certain need. He promised! He claims that when we call, He will do "great and mighty things, which thou knowest not." (Jer. 33:3) And many times, His answers to our feeble prayers are in ways that are "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20) God is not bound by laws of nature and is not in the least confounded by what we consider to be impossibilities. "For with God nothing shall be impossible." (Luke 1:37)

Every prayer God answers is a miracle. God has placed a limitless, boundless, all-things-are-possible tool in our weak human hands. Why don't we use it? Perhaps because we think only certain Christians have access to this kind of prayer? No, even a child can pray and receive great and mighty answers. Why do we fear that He will fail to hear or will refuse to answer? Because we fail Him and sin against Him and we feel unworthy? We are under the blood of our Savior Jesus Christ. We are fully, forever pardoned and made righteous in His sight, and we are always welcome in His throne-room.

God is Almighty and He is good! Let's simply trust Him to do all He promised and get busy doing the real work we're responsible for!

In the photo: A tree, hay bales, and irises at Aunt Frances and Uncle Don's farm in Iowa.

Sowing Seeds of Light

I discovered a really amazing verse recently. It's a bit of encouragement right from Heaven. It says, "Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." (Ps. 97:11) "How can light be sown?" I wondered. So I did a little studying up on the verse. Albert Barnes says, "The figure of sowing light is an unusual one, but the meaning is plain. It is, that the righteous will not always be in darkness; that there is in preparation for him a harvest of joy; that it will as certainly be produced as a harvest will from grain that is sown; that though there may be present calamities, there will be ultimate peace and triumph." 

The Lord wants us to know that when we're in the dark, He's sowing light. He's sowing and planting on our behalf. He's steadily working, placing His precious seeds in the soil of our lives, and He's going to nurture  them to full growth. 

The thought of God sowing anything in our lives is an exciting one. But what's even more exciting is this: there are seven specific laws of harvest, and they most certainly apply to God's sowing of light in our lives.

1) We reap only what has been sown. What is not sown cannot be reaped. God wants us to reap light and gladness later, so He's making preparation for that future joy today.

2) We reap the same kind as we sow. He sows light and we will reap light, never darkness.

3) We reap in a different season than we sow. The way I see it, the Lord plants His seeds of light during the darkest seasons of our lives, rather than the springtime of life. When all seems dead and hopeless, He's working ahead to give us beauty for ashes. "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." (Jer. 29:11)

4) We reap more than we sow. If God sows an abundance of seeds, then the harvest we will reap will be grander than we can ever dream! We will reap some of that harvest here on earth, but when we get to Heaven I think we'll be in complete awe of all that God will give to us. "And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." (Luke 8:8)

5) We reap in proportion to what we sow. The Lord doesn't "skimp" on anything He does. Our God is exceedingly gracious. He sows much and we will reap much.

6) We reap only if we faint not. The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not grow weary! (Isa. 40:28) You can count on a full harvest!

7) We can't do anything about last year's harvest, but we can do something about this year's harvest. We may have prevented the Lord from bringing a full harvest of light and gladness into our lives in the past, but if we're faithful and patient as He sows and nurtures His seeds in our lives, we can depend upon Him to give us all we need and more.

Dear reader, make certain your heart is "good ground" for the Lord to plant His seeds of light in. This promise is given to "the righteous" and "the upright in heart." Put yourself in position for God's blessings by living up to His precious Word.

Sometimes the work preparatory to sowing is difficult. It means breaking up hard, fallow ground that is full of stones, roots and weeds, three things that would choke His seeds from springing up into fruitfulness. We need to be patient with the Lord as He breaks up the fallow ground of our hearts.

I don't understand why, but God is so, so gracious. I think the Lord told us "it is more blessed to give than to receive" because He knows. He endured the old rugged cross and the shame of our wicked sins all "for the joy that was set before Him." (Heb. 12:2) He knows that it was truly more blessed to give because of all the joy that He has had in welcoming every lost, weary sinner into Heaven.

God's loving heart is blessed when He blesses us. He so wants to fill us up with good things, but sometimes we simply won't let Him because we see no present advantage, or we don't like the preparatory work He is doing in our lives. Let God do what He wants! It's not important that we understand right now. Only trust that God has very good plans in the works.

Just think, God wants to do all of this for us. He wants to do all this work just so we'll find joy in the life He's given us. If we'll only allow Him to sow His seeds in our lives, one day we will reap a rich, bountiful harvest of light and gladness.

What Is the Fear of the LORD?

The fear of the Lord is having a Biblical understanding of who and what God is. It is the knowledge of His character and His ways. The fear of the Lord is the very beginning of wisdom, and wisdom is seeing life from God's perspective. If we fail to fear God we can never find wisdom. Wisdom is gained only by knowing God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding." (Proverbs 9:10)

When we know God, a desire to obey His Word begins in us. However, we will never understand the expectations and commands God makes until we have a right understanding of God Himself. A fool rejects instruction and counsel because he has no desire to know God. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction." (Prov. 1:7)

A lack of the fear of the Lord is the fruit springing from the root of wrong beliefs about the character of God. For example, God is a loving God. He is merciful and long-suffering. However, God is also a just and righteous God and condemns the guilty. If we do not understand that all of God's attributes are one, we have a wrong view of God. If we see God only as a God of love, our concept of God will tell us that we can do anything we want and get away with it. On the other hand, if we see God only as a God of justice and devoid of mercy, nothing will compel us to draw near to Him. 

This is a "misunderstanding" of the Holy; this is a lack of the fear of the Lord. A wrong view of the character of God results in a rebellious spirit. It creates in us an unwillingness to obey the Word of God.

Those who do not have the fear of the Lord in their lives are missing so much. They have no true desire to know and serve the God of Heaven. They may strive to know Him, but what they refuse to do is where they must begin. Instead, they are deceived and led astray. Because they fail to fear and obey God, they lack a firm foundation and strong convictions to guard and guide their lives.

The fear of the Lord affects every part of our lives. Without a fear of God, we will be ruined. We cannot endure without fearing God and obeying His Word to us. "And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure." (Isa. 33:6)

The fear of the Lord compels us to depart from sin. Job 28:28 tells us, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding." God calls His children to live holy lives because He is the Holy God. When we understand who and what God is, we will be compelled to live a life that honors Him.

The fear of the Lord produces in us a heart to obey Him. "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever." (Ps. 111:10) Understanding comes to us not before we obey, but after we obey. "The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes." (Ps. 19:8) The commandments of God do nothing for us until we obey them.

Having a right understanding of the Lord and His commands also makes it easier for us to obey the authorities He places in our lives. When we fear the Lord, we come to realize their purpose in our lives and the value of their correction and guidance.

The fear of the Lord teaches us that keeping His commandments is always to our benefit. "And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?" (Deut. 10:12-13) God desires to bless us, and the wonderful thing is that He requires only one thing from us in order for His blessing to be ours: that we fear Him. When we live in the fear of God, we are in the position for Him to make our lives rich with His goodness. The fear of God is progressive, as we see in the verses above: when we fear God, we learn to walk in His ways, then to love Him, to serve Him with all our heart and soul, and finally we understand so fully that obeying God's commandments is for our good.

 

The fear of the Lord constrains us to serve Him. As the Lord reveals His character to us, the more we love Him and rejoice in the wonderful God that He is. As we learn the attributes of His character, we understand that He is for us (Rom. 8:31). The fear of God creates in us a love for God. This love constrains us to serve Him. We are not forced against our will to obey, but His love leads us to obedience as we willingly submit to our gracious Heavenly Father.

The fear of the Lord reveals to us that God desires for us to know Him personally in a real, enduring relationship. It shows us that God wants so much to be Shepherd, Hiding Place and Friend to us, to reveal Himself truly as Emmanuel, God with us. It shows us how much He longs to be near us. It shows us that He delights in us. This is one of my favorite verses that tells me how much God loves us: "The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." (Zeph. 3:17) God's rejoicing over us make Him sing. Oh, is that not wondrous?

The fear of the Lord is a wonderful, amazing thing. Every man, woman and child that learns to fear God finds it the source of the richest blessing. Why? Because the fear of the Lord leads us to the knowledge of the Holy in such fullness that we cannot fathom.

The fear of the Lord will endure forever. (Ps. 19:9) When we stand before God's throne one glorious day, we will know truly what it is to fear the LORD. We will know what it is to fear Him because we will know Him as we have never known Him before, for "we shall see Him as He is." (I John 3:2)

The fear of the Lord is not something to dread, but to embrace.

His Greatness Is Unsearchable

The study of history gives perspective to one's life. It defines the present. To know where we are in time is essential to our present generation. It is humbling because it brings one to the realization that the here and now is so temporary: life does not revolve around me; I'm but one life; I am part of something much bigger than myself. But far more humbling is a good grasp of the concept of our life in terms of space.

Where are we, exactly?

We know our location on this planet called Earth, and we learned in school that our planet is the third of nine planets orbiting a star we call the sun. We also have a vague knowledge that our planetary system is located in the Milky Way galaxy. Those are just common facts.

But, really, where are we? Do we have any comprehension of our location, truly?

Astronomy is one of my favorite aspects of science. Microbiology is another. I find it so fascinating that man's  place in the scheme of creation is between the microscopic and the telescopic. I love to learn new things about outer space. I just love it! I especially love learning about space from a Biblical perspective -- which, in truth, is the only perspective, isn't it? =) I found this astounding video on Youtube yesterday. It answered  many questions but created so many more. =D

Scripture in the video is quoted from mistranslations. Here are the correct verses from the KJV.

"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge." (Ps. 19:1-2)

"Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Heb. 11:3)

"Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." (Col. 1:15-17)

Make My Heart Tender!

May my whole life be one of continued believing in You.

Purify and sanctify my heart.

Make it so tenderly susceptible to Yourself and Your love

that believing in You will become its very breath.

Andrew Murray

With Christ in the School of Prayer

To ask Jesus to make our hearts tender and wholly susceptible to His love, we must be willing to accept the pain it will bring. A tender heart acutely feels the tiniest pricks of the Holy Spirit. A tender heart requires God's work of purification, a process that is trying to our faith.

But when God works in the heart, making it pure and tender, we gain so much more than we suffer. When our hearts become tender toward conviction, our hearts become tender toward the love of God. We can know what it means to have a heart that is so tender toward His love, that knowing His presence becomes a very real and satisfying thing. The pure in heart are blessed because they see God.

Fresh Touch with God

From Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman

Genesis 41:4, 7 And the ill favored and lean-fleshed kine did eat up the seven well favored and fat kine... and the thin ears swallowed up the seven rank and full ears. 

There is a warning for us in that dream, just as it stands: It is possible for the best years of our life, the best experiences, the best victories won, the best service rendered, to be swallowed up by times of failure, defeat, dishonor, uselessness in the kingdom. Some men's lives of rare promise and rare achievement have ended so. It is awful to think of, but it is true. Yet it is never necessary. 

S. D. Gordon has said that the only assurance of safety against this tragedy is "fresh touch with God," daily, hourly. The blessed, fruitful, victorious experiences of yesterday are not only of no value to me today, but they will actually be eaten up or reversed by today's failures, unless they serve as incentives to still better, richer experiences today.

Amen! How, how true! We so NEED God to anoint us with the "fresh oil" (Ps. 92:10) of the sweet Holy Spirit, day by day and hour by hour. We have never "arrived" -- we need to attain new and greater victories TODAY!

His Tender Power

Dear restless heart, be still; don't fret and worry so;
God has a thousand ways His love and help to show;
Just trust, and trust, and trust, until His will you know.

Dear restless heart, be still, for peace is God's own smile,
His love can every wrong and sorrow reconcile;
Just love, and love, and love, and calmly wait awhile. 

Dear restless heart, be brave; don't moan and sorrow so,
He hath a meaning kind in chilly winds that blow;
Just hope, and hope, and hope, until you braver grow.

Dear restless heart, repose upon His breast this hour,
His grace is strength and life, His love is bloom and flower;
Just rest, and rest, and rest, within His tender power.
 

Dear restless heart, be still! Don't struggle to be free;
God's life is in your life, from Him you may not flee;
Just pray, and pray, and pray, till you have faith to see.

Edith Willis Linn

Getting Ready to Move

From Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman

II Corinthians 5:1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

The owner of the tenement which I have occupied for many years has given notice that he will furnish but little or nothing more for repairs. I am advised to be ready to move.

At first this was not a very welcome notice. The surroundings here are in many respects very pleasant, and were it not for the evidence of decay, I should consider the house good enough. But even a light wind causes it to tremble and totter, and all the braces are not sufficient to make it secure. So I am getting ready to move.

It is strange how quickly one's interest is transferred to the prospective home. I have been consulting maps of the new country and reading descriptions of its inhabitants. One who visited it has returned, and from him I learn that it is beautiful beyond description; language breaks down in attempting to tell of what he heard while there. He says that, in order to make an investment there, he has suffered the loss of all things that he owned here, and even rejoices in what others would call making a sacrifice. Another, whose love to me has been proven by the greatest possible test, is now there. He has sent me several clusters of the most delicious fruits. After tasting them, all food here seems insipid.

Two or three times I have been down by the border of the river that forms the boundary, and have wished myself among the company of those who were singing praises to the King on the other side. Many of my friends have moved there. Before leaving they spoke of my coming later. I have seen the smile upon their faces as they passed out of sight. Often I am asked to make some new investments here, but my answer in every case is, "I am getting ready to move." --Selected

Bless my soul! Doesn't that make you want to go -- right now?! I can't wait to see my Homeland, and I really can't wait to behold my King! The more I read of Heaven, the more I realize that what I call "life" really isn't life at all. Real living doesn't begin till we step inside the gates of pearl. This devotional continues...

The words often on Jesus' lips in His last days express vividly the idea, "going to the Father." We, too, who are Christ's people, have vision of something beyond the difficulties and disappointments of this life. We are journeying towards fulfillment, completion, expansion of life. We, too, are "going to the Father." Much is dim concerning our home-country, but two things are clear. It is home, "the Father's House." It is the nearer presence of the Lord. We are all wayfarers, but the believer knows it and accepts it. He is a traveller, not a settler. --R. C. Gillie 

The little birds trust God, for they go singing
From northern woods where autumn winds have blown,
With joyous faith their trackless pathway winging
To summer-lands of song, afar, unknown.

Let us go singing, then, and not go sighing:
Since we are sure our times are in His hand,
Why should we weep, and fear, and call it dying?
'Tis only flitting to a Summer-land. 

--Selected

An Open Ear, A Believing Heart

Jesus, answering, saith unto them, 

Have faith in God. 

For verily I say unto you,... 

Whosoever shall not doubt in his heart, 

but shall believe that those things 

which he saith shall come to pass; 

he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Mark 11:22-23

Excerpt from Andrew Murray's With Christ in the School of Prayer

Answer to prayer is one of the most wonderful lessons in all Scripture. In many hearts it must raise the question, "How can I ever attain the faith that knows it receives everything it asks for?" It is this question our Lord will answer today.

Before He gave that wonderful promise to His disciples, Christ shows where faith in the answer to prayer originates and finds its strength. Have faith in God. This faith precedes the faith in the promise of an answer to prayer. The power to believe a promise depends entirely on faith in the promiser. Trust in the person engenders trust in what He says. We must live and associate with God in personal, loving communication. God Himself should be everything to us. His Holy Presence is revealed where our whole being is opened and exposed to His mighty influence. There the capacity for believing His promises will be developed.

The connection between faith in God and faith in His promise will become clear to us if we consider what faith really is. It is often compared to the hand or the mouth, by which we take and use what is given to us. But it is important that we understand that faith is also the ear by which we hear what is promised and the eye by which we see what is offered. The power to take depends on this. I must hear the person who gives me the promise because the very tone of his voice gives me courage to believe. I must see him because the light of his face melts all my qualms about my right to take. The value of the promise depends on the promiser. It is on my knowledge of what the promiser is that faith in the promise depends.

The Pearl of Great Price

Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, 

went and sold all that he had, and bought it.

{ Matthew 13:46 }

Christ told a parable of a merchant man who was searching for pearls to buy.  He sought in all the most popular stalls of the marketplace. When he found finally one pearl which was especially rare, the price he was required to pay for it meant little to him.  He was willing to lose all the other things which were valuable to him in order to obtain it.  The purpose of this parable was to express the inequable value of the Gospel, but more specifically the object of it, the Lord Jesus Christ, and our personal relationship to Him.

When salvation is weighed against every other thing which man could value, he finds that everything but Christ is empty and vain.  Possessions, worldly esteem, wisdom, religion--nothing earthly could ever secure the soul’s eternity in Heaven.  Nothing can compare to a personal relationship with Christ through salvation.  When a lost soul completely realizes his need for the Pearl of great price--when he sees that righteous self as well as sinful self is completely worthless, he is willing to part with everything he possesses to receive Him.  He is willing to give everything he holds dear to know Christ, but he at last finds that this Pearl is bought “without money and without price” (Isa. 55:1).  The price that must be paid for this Pearl is no less than trusting in Christ’s finished work, and that alone.

Two Great Sermons

I recently listened to two different sermons which were just what I needed! The Lord has been dealing strongly with me about some things and He used these sermons to more deeply impress them into my heart. I needed them! They both challenged and encouraged me.

The sermons were preached at Bible Baptist Church of Fairbanks, Alaska, a church with a passion for souls and a heart for missionaries. This church has helped my family's ministry in tremendous ways and we are so grateful to God for them! They always go out of their way to make us feel welcomed and loved whenever we attend services there. I felt the Lord leading me to share the links to these sermons. The Lord knows who else needs to hear them. I pray you will take the time to listen to them and get a real blessing for your soul. Each is about 30 minutes long.

Seconds Are Free

Pastor Doug Duffett

This is a sermon that will make your soul sing because God is just so good and gracious to us. That God gives His marvelous salvation to worthless sinners is more than we could ever hope for... yet He gives us so very much more! The riches of His grace are set as a feast before us.

This Is the Best Day of My Life

Bro. Luke Bishop

We would do well to realize every morning, before we begin our day, and remember often throughout it, that "This is the day which the LORD hath made." The LORD has already made each day, preparing it to exactly suit our needs. We can choose to go our own way or we can submit to His will. When we have faith that He knows how our day should go better than we do, "we will rejoice and be glad in it." Knowing that every situation that may come up is foreseen and planned by our loving Lord will give us a quiet, settled peace and a joy that can't be shaken.

Hidden Wonders

A display of His love and marvelous wisdom,

God's beauty is everywhere...

surrounding our lives.

Around us.

As His grace embraces our lives.

Above us.

As high as His great faithfulness.

Especially beneath us.

Oh, the tundra is beautiful. So beautiful. I look out my window and the land looks so barren, drab, lifeless. But when I kneel upon the damp earth, God's beauty opens before my eyes, revealed to me like treasures that are hidden.   And indeed, camera in hand, I feel as though I am on a hunt for the most priceless treasures on earth... those which spring from the tundra. I feel desperate to find the beauty that I know is there. And I am always awed and delighted at the Creator's wisdom in placing such small, lovely flowers in such a harsh habitat.

If God so desired to place His beauties

in places where few would ever discover them

and appreciate them...

then surely He looks upon poor and needy sinners

in compassion without measure.

Who is like unto the LORD our God, 

who dwelleth on high, 

Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, 

and in the earth! 

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust,  

and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill; 

That he may set him with princes,  

even with the princes of his people. 

{ Psalm 113:5-8 }

But God, who is rich in mercy, 

for his great love wherewith he loved us, 

Even when we were dead in sins,

hath quickened us together with Christ, 

(by grace ye are saved;) 

And hath raised us up together, 

and made us sit together in heavenly places 

in Christ Jesus: 

That in the ages to come he might shew 

the exceeding riches of his grace

in his kindness toward us 

through Christ Jesus. 

{ Ephesians 2:5-7 }

God's truth fills my heart.
I can only wonder, "Why?"
as I ponder the awesome position my Savior,
Jesus Christ, has granted to me.

 That God should love a sinner such as I...

There is no answer for my "Why?"
this side of Glory.
So I can only sing,
Such love! Such wondrous love! 
for all my days to my Jesus.

(More photos God's beauteous tundra to be shared soon)

Be Sure of His Promises

From Streams in the Desert by Mrs. Charles Cowman

"Do as thou hast said, that thy name may be magnified forever." (1 Chron. 17:23-24)

This is a most blessed phrase of true prayer. Many a time we ask for things which are not absolutely promised. We are not sure therefore until we have persevered for some time whether our petitions are in the line of God's purpose or no. There are other occasions, and in the life of David this was one, when we are fully persuaded that what we ask is according to God's will. We feel led to take up and plead some promise from the page of Scripture, under the special impression that it contains a message for us. At such times, in confident faith, we say, "Do as Thou hast said." There is hardly any position more utterly beautiful, strong, or safe, than to put the finger upon some promise of the Divine word, and claim it. There need be no anguish, or struggle, or wrestling; we simply present the check and ask for cash, produce the promise, and claim its fulfillment; nor can there be any doubt as to the issue. It would give much interest to prayer, if we were more definite. It is far better to claim a few things specifically than a score vaguely.  --F. B. Meyer

Every promise of Scripture is a writing of God, which may be pleaded before Him with this reasonable request: "Do as Thou hast said." The Creator will not cheat His creature who depends upon His truth; and far more, the Heavenly Father will not break His word to His own child.

Remember the word unto thy servant, on which thou hast caused me to hope," is most prevalent pleading. It is a double argument: it is Thy Word. Wilt Thou not keep it? Why hast thou spoken of it, if Thou wilt not make it good. Thou hast caused me to hope in it, wilt Thou disappoint the hope which Thou has Thyself begotten in me?  --C. H. Spurgeon

"Being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform." (Rom. 4:21)

It is the everlasting faithfulness of God that makes a Bible promise "exceeding great and precious." Human promises are often worthless. Many a broken promise has left a broken heart. But since the world was made, God has never broken a single promise made to one of His trusting children.

Oh, it is sad for a poor Christian to stand at the door of the promise, in the dark night of affliction, afraid to draw the latch, whereas he should then come boldly for shelter as a child into his father's house.  --Gurnal

Every promise is built upon four pillars: God's justice and holiness, which will not suffer Him to deceive; His grace or goodness, which will not suffer Him to forget; His truth, which will not suffer Him to change, which makes Him able to accomplish.  --Selected

A Name I Highly Treasure

And she shall bring forth a son, 

and thou shalt call his name JESUS: 

for he shall save his people from their sins.

{ Matthew 1:21 }

His name is Savior.  In one word, in the purest and sweetest of names, His entire purpose for coming to the earth is made known to the guilty sinner.  Jesus came to die a cruel death so that He could save us from our sins. Christ died for us even “while we were yet sinners” (Rom. 5:8).  He came not to save us in our sins; He does not merely save and leave us to remain under the power of sin. He came to absolutely deliver us from our sins. JESUS came to completely save from all that can destroy the spirit! By atoning Himself for the sins we committed, Jesus destroyed the power of and condemnation for sin. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." (Rom. 8:1-2) Praise God!

The way He made to redeem sinners is complete and permanent; nothing on earth, in hell, or in heaven “shall separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:39)  Since He is the One who purchased our salvation, He alone can do all of the saving.  Sinners could never do anything that could take the place of Jesus’ finished payment.  Salvation is received through the power God gives by simply believing on the name of JESUS, the Savior. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" (John 1:12).