Rejoice Always

Why is the struggle against sin so hard?

2007-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. 16 If, then, I do what I will not to do, I agree with the law that it is good. 17 But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. 19 For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. 20 Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. 21 I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. 22 For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 7:14-25

This is what I've been studying lately. Sometimes it seems so impossible to fight sin, but we have to look to verse 25...I was reading Boice's commentary and it talks about how our hope for victory must be in Christ not in ourself. Even Peter who had so much determination and will could not fight temptation, apart from Christ. He tried so hard on his own, yet he still denied Christ. We have been saved from sin (sin's penalty) We are being saved from sin (sin's power) and We will be saved from sin (sin's presence) Who will deliver me from this body of death? Jesus Christ our Lord! Doesn't it so make you look foward to that day?

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

2006-09-19T12:29:00.000-07:00

. And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

ummm...

2006-09-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Things are crazy, but God is gracious. This is all I have time to write, but I am still alive just absent from the blogging world at present. And I have to say...Get a hold of John MacAthur's sermon from this morning...yeah...wow. good stuff.

Goodbye Summer

2006-08-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

A big part of my summer--I probably spent a majority of my time with them this summer.

I love them, but don't be decieved by their cute looks...

As often as I thought that summer would never end and seemed forever, it finally is coming to a close and as I look back I can't believe tomorrow is my last day in Washington. It reminds me of James...our lives are just a vapor that appear for a little while and then vanish away. It went by so quickly. Monday was my last day babysitting, I already had my last day at daycare, and tomorrow is my last day at the athletic club. (I hope to never have a job that requires me to get up at 4:30am ever again) Then Thursday morning I'll leave at 4am and make the 18 hour drive. I am so excited to see my friends again (especially Carley and Stephanie!!!) and excited for SLS, WOW week, and the upcoming year!!!

This summer brought many challenges. It was hard, sometimes I thought too hard, but the Lord was faithful and taught me through it. I know the Lord has a purpose in many of the circumstances that occured and every event that happpened during my summer even when it seemed to make no sense and I couldn't understand what He was doing or why. I could write and write about my summer and what I learned, but it would take forever and for those few readers of my blog...well, I'd rather just tell you in person.

May the Lord alone be glorified by my life as summer ends and I start a new season of my life!

I WILL PRAISE HIM, STILL

2006-08-05T17:52:00.000-07:00

When the morning falls on the farthest hill

I will sing His name,

I will praise Him, still.

When dark trials come and my heart is filled

with the weight of doubt,

I will praise Him, still.

For the Lord, our God,

He is strong to save

from the arms of death,

from the deepest grave

and He gave us life in His perfect will,

and by His good grace

I will praise Him, still.

Fernando Oretega

Habakkuk 3:19

2006-08-01T19:40:00.000-07:00

. . . . . .

The Lord God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer's feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

Everything WITHOUT Grumbling

2006-07-28T08:59:00.000-07:00

I just posted yesterday, but I was made aware of something this morning and I thought I would share it... . Well, I have to admit I have had a really hard week. I have been doing a couple opening shifts per week at the Athletic club, meaning I have to be there at 5:15. Well, the person who did the other days quit so that means I am doing every opening shift except for one up until the day before I leave. I have also been babysitting a ton and working at daycare. I have been tired, but chugging a long and doing okay. However, this week it just seemed to hit me. I have been feeling so exhausted and worn out. Tuesday after opening I babysat all day and the girls decided to be extra bad that day-tantrums, screaming, the whole bit. My patience level was pretty low. The rest of the week hasn't been any easier. I haven't been feeling well and been dealing with a lot of things. Well, let's just say I haven't really been rejoicing in all of this. This morning I was sitting and thinking about how I wish I wasn't at work because I am so tired and how I dread the next 2 weeks, wishing I didn't need to save money so I could quit, I should be able to enjoy my last 2 weeks at home, etc. ...Well, time was going by slow--6am and not a whole lot going on so I decided to read a little of War of Words. Guess what I read? "When we complain about problems and pressures in our lives, we are essentially grumbling in the face of God. We are complaining that we have been chosen by His love and grace, and that He is putting us in situations designed to make us His holy people." Hmm...Some may call that a coincidence, but I call that GOD. I had to confess to God that although it has been hard and I am drained, my attitude hasn't been glorifying to Him. My circumstances won't change in the next 2 weeks, but how I deal with them will. I know it will still be a struggle for me to keep being diligent and to do everything without grumbling and complaining (I could use prayers =) ) The book continues: . "These relationships and circumstances, these problems and trials, and these times of grief and suffering come from His hand. They are tokens of God's wonderful grace, given to deliver us from the power of remaining sin! Behind circumstances is a God of love who is relentlessly at work to make us holy...In my anger and frustration, I am not just fighting people and situations, but God. What comes out of your mouth in times of trouble? What does your heart think and your mouth say when your plan is obstructed or simply falls flat? How do you respond when people fail you or don't do their part? What do you say in moments of frustrations and disappointemnt? How do you respond when you face the totally unexpected? How do you act towards those who seem to stand in the way of your schedule and plans? How do you respond when your brightest ideas and best efforts fall apart? How do you react to trials that don't seem to be your fault? Do your words acknowledge the sovereign plan of God over all your circumstances for your sanctification?" . .... Well, my break is over and I have to go work daycare and then go and babysit, BUT Rejoicing always and in everything giving thanks.

War of Words

2006-07-27T19:23:00.000-07:00

"Which of us has not longed to snatch back our words- to somehow erase the tape- so that they would no longer exist in memory? Who among us has not had to go back repeatedly to our children, our spouses, or our friends to ask them forgiveness for the things we said or for the way we said them?"

I'm currently reading War of Words by Paul David Tripp. It's a great read for any out there looking for a new book to start. Like all aspects of our life, our speech should imitate Christ. Our talk should glorify Him.

James 3:8 says, But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil

and full of deadly poison.

Yet Tripp reminds us, "We can have high standards and set lofty goals, not because of who we are, but because of what He has done." With Christ the impossible becomes possible. The untameable tongue becomes tameable!

This book has made me think a lot about my words. I speak so many words each day. I am sure more than I even realize. Yet how often do I think about what I am saying before I say it? How often are my words ruled by my desires rather than flowing out of the rest I have in Christ's soveriegn rule? How many idol words do I speak each day? "The war of words is, at bottom, a war for sovereignty." Tripp reminds us that every word we speak should acknowledge His control. If they aren't then they are coming out of a heart that desires control so we can get what we want. He also reminds us that we need to remember that God rules over circumstances for our sanctification and over our relationships for our sanctification.

Many on this to come, but ask yourself this...

"Will we speak in a way that images the Lord, the Great Speaker, or the Serpant, the Great Deciever? Who will control ours hearts and our words? "

Who Can Hinder the Lord?

2006-07-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?

Isaiah 14:27

I am very excited to post today! I was studying Isaiah 14:24-27 today and as I read verse 27 I sat and thought about God's sovereignty and how amazing it is. How powerful is our God! How amazing that He is in control! What a mess my life would be with out Him! Verse 27 has excited me so much. In Commentary on Isaiah, by Joseph Alexander he paraphrases it, "There's nothing comes to pass but He has purposed, and everything He has purposed does come to pass." I could talk about it, but I thought I'd just write out some other verses I meditated on.

2 Chronicles 20:6, "O Lord God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand you?"

Job 9:12, "If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, 'What are you doing?'"

Psalm 33:10-11, "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The counsel of the Lord stands forever, The plans of His heart to all generations."

Proverbs 19:21, "There are many plans in a man's heart, Nevertheless the Lord's counsel--that will stand."

Daniel 4:35, "All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand, Or say to Him, "What have you done?"

Doesn't this excite you? Submit to God's will! Trust in His sovereign plan!

May this cause you to praise the amazing God we serve as it has caused me to do so..."I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast in the Lord; The humble shall hear of it and be glad. Oh, magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together." (Psalm 34:1-3)

Don't Excuse Your Sin

2006-07-15T09:17:00.000-07:00

From Christ and Your Problems by Jay E. Adams

........"But if you had to live with a wife like mine..." "Listen, pastor-no one has ever had to face anything comparable to this at work before." "But the other kids' parents don't make rules like mine do." "Well you'd have done it too, if he has said that to you!"

.........These, and a hundred and one similar protests are heard daily by Christian counselors. Boiled down, they all say on thing, "Please excuse me from my resposibility to live like a Christian on the grounds that my problem is unique."

........But is it? Does God ever allow a Christian to face a test that is unique? Even if He does, would that be an adequate excuse?

.........In an unmistakably clear reply, Paul says, "No! You cannot evade your responsibility to think and act like a Christian by pleading that your case is unique." As a matter of fact, he shows that no case is unique. Listen to his words in 1 Corinthians 10:13: "There is no trial that has overtaken you but such as is common to man."

.........To begin with, let's nail down one thing: 1 Corinthians 10:13 allows no exceptions of the sort that many of us are inclined to make for ourselves. Our sin simply cannot be excused...

..........When He took upon Himself the common lot of men, Jesus showed once for all how God expects His children to live and die. So, Christian, throw off excuses, stop shifting blame to others, and instead, by the power of God's Spirit, "walk in a manner worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called."

More thoughts from Isaiah

2006-07-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow; Let Him be your fear, And let Him be your dread.

Isaiah 8:13

I've been continuing my study in Isaiah. I just finished with chapter 10 (at this rate who knows when it will be when I get to chapter 66). I wanted to write a few thoughts on what I've been learning...

I've mentioned this before, but I continue to see pride as a reoccuring theme. Hmm, should we be learning something??? Isaiah 8:6 says, "Inasmuch as these people refused The waters of Shiloah that flow softly, And rejoice in Rezin and in Remaliah's son." The waters symbolized dependence on the Lord and His defense of the city, which the northern 10 tribes refused as well as King Ahaz in the south. Did this self-sufficiency lead to anything good? Nope. Even the Assyrians whom God used as intruments to defeat Judah were judged because of their arrogance. The Lord said, "I will punish the fruit of the arrogant heart of the King of Assyria." (10:12) Can we learn from the Israelites? Yup. We need God, but remember He doesn't need us. Should not a people seek their God? May we humble ourselves, stop being self-sufficient, and depend on God!!!

Secondly, God's wrath. "For all this His anger is not turned away, But His hand is still stretched out." In the first 10 chapters alone, this statement is repeated many times and we see specific instances of God's judgment and wrath. "The land is burned up, And the people shall be as fuel for the fire." Do we take our God seriously and remember that He is a God of wrath and a jealous God? The verse at the top says, "Let Him be your fear." Is God getting the reverance He deserves?

Thirdly, God's holiness. Most of us know the song that has the words, "I see the Lord seated on the throne exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple with glory..." Do we know what we're singing?? I know I haven't thought about it in this way before. When Isaiah was called to be a prophet He had a vision and this is what he says, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." God's holiness reminded Isaiah of his unworthiness and made him very aware of his sin. What is our sin before a most Holy God? Oh and I thought this was amazing...The Seraphim with 6 wings...2 wings covered the faces because they would not gaze directly at God's glory, 2 covered his feet acknowledging their lowliness, and with 2 they flew in serving the One on the throne. And what did they cry to one another? "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory."

And Lastly, God's forgiveness. From early on we see that God offers forgiveness--to make scarlet sins white as snow. Israel's exile will end with the return of the Messiah. 10:25 says, "For yet a very little while and the indignation will cease, as will My anger in their destruction." Verse 27 talks about the burden that will be taken away. Though God's wrath is great, His forgiveness is also great. Though we may often turn from God, rely on ourselves, and cease to depend on Him, there is forgiveness! Our God is a God of restoration, a God of grace and mercy!!!

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever!

Saturday thought for Sunday morning

2006-07-08T12:22:00.000-07:00

The Listener’s Responsibility in Hearing an Expository Sermon By Lance Quinn

What responsibilities do Christians have to expository preaching?

In an age when shallow preaching is common, both shallow hearing and personal application are also common. Jay Adams has observed, "Too many laymen speak about the preaching event as if it were a one-way street, as if the responsibility for what transpires when the Bible is proclaimed rests solely on the shoulders of the preacher. But that’s not so! Effective communication demands competence from all parties."

Understanding expository preaching would not be complete without a word about the listener’s responsibilities in the expository process. Everything culminates in the hearers. The science and art of producing an expository sermon are empty efforts if no one hears and assimilates the message. Three vital principles will aid the listener who wishes to gain the most from an expository message. They are at the same time his responsibilities as well as his privileges.

ANTICIPATION The listener must be prepared to receive the preacher’s message. Some components of anticipation to enhance the listening experience are basic and obvious, though often overlooked.

Be Personally Ready The basic outlook of the listener must be to identify himself as the target of the message. The whole purpose of sitting in the listener’s seat is exposure to the message for the purpose of personal confrontation, information, conviction, motivation, and transformation. The hearer’s thoughts should not be concerns about how well the preacher is doing, how clever or interesting he is, or how well structured his sermon is. The listener is not there to admire or criticize a piece of oratorical art, but to be spoken to personally by God’s representative. The object of the preaching event is a change in thinking, attitude, and behavior. The hearer must prepare himself with this anticipation.

Be Physically Ready A basic key to good listening is being in good physical condition. This depends on adequate rest, well-balanced meals, and proper exercise. Each of these varies with different individuals, but all are essential to being alert and ready to comprehend what is spoken.People do not listen well when they are tired or hungry. Their minds drift to other things because of improper care of their bodies. On the other hand, being awake and attentive is essential for one to hear God’s message in a refreshing and dynamic way. The way one spends Saturday evening and Sunday morning, for example, will directly affect the expository exchange between expositor and listener.Just before Jesus was betrayed, He asked His disciples to stand watch while He prayed in anticipation of the cross. Apparently they were not physically ready to comply, because Jesus “came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, ‘So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak’” (Matt. 26:40-41). After leaving them to pray two more times, Jesus again “found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy” (Matt. 26:43). He commented, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?” (Matt. 26:45). In a somewhat different situation, a listener does well to be alert and to watch also as he prepares to hear God’s Word.

Be Prayerfully Ready Expository preaching can be defined as a spiritual event through which Almighty God Himself speaks His Word to the hearts of men and women so that they might know and understand His will and obey it. So prayer is an essential element in readying one’s heart to hear what God wants to communicate through His appointed messenger. Two distinct, yet inseparable, objects summarize the format for preparatory prayer: Pray for the preacher as he communicates God’s message, and pray for the ability to comprehend what God communicates, as the psalmist prayed: “Deal bountifully with Thy servant, / That I may live and keep Thy Word. Open my eyes, that I may behold / Wonderful things from Thy law” (Ps. 119:17-18).Scripture implores Christians to pray for their preachers. For Paul, faithful prayer by believers for those who proclaim God’s Word boldly was foundational (cf. Rom. 15:30-32; 1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1; Eph. 6:19; Col. 4:2-4). Spring concurs with this:

If a people are looking for rich sermons from their minister, their prayers must supply him with the needed material; if they seek for faithful sermons, their prayers must urge him, by a full and uncompromising manifestation of the truth, to commend himself to every man’s conscience in the sight of God (see 2 Corinthians 4:2). If God’s people are going to expect powerful and successful sermons, their prayers must make him a blessing to the souls of men!

The Puritan John Angell James declared, Prayer is a means of assisting the minister which is within the reach of all. They who can do nothing more, can pray. The sick, who cannot encourage their minister by their presence in the sanctuary, can bear him upon their hearts in their lonely chamber; the poor who cannot add to his temporal comfort by monetary donations, can supplicate their God “to supply all his needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19): the timid, who cannot approach to offer him the tribute of their gratitude, can pour their praises into the ear of Jehovah, and entreat him still to encourage the soul of His servant: the ignorant, who cannot hope to add one idea to the stock of his knowledge, can place him before the fountain of celestial radiance: even the dying, who can no longer busy themselves as in former times for his interests, can gather up their remaining strength, and employ it in the way of prayer for their pastor.

To receive the message from God’s messenger with greatest benefit, believers must pray for their pastor’s ability to impart it.

ATTENTION Expository preaching is and always has been God’s chief tool for producing growth in grace. Therefore, it deserves the closest attention. Though every Christian should read, study, and meditate on Scripture, God uses Bible exposition for the optimal enhancement of his spiritual growth. It is not overstating the case that preaching should be the chief means of dispensing strengthening grace in a believer’s life. Spiritual advancement, then, will hinge on how determined one is to assemble with other Christians when God’s Word is faithfully proclaimed (cf. Heb. 10:25).

Adams says,Preaching is one of God’s chief means of sowing seed and helping fruit grow: it is a way of watering and fertilizing the crop. But you must break up the hard clods that have formed in your soul over the week, turn under the weeds, and prepare the good soil to receive the good seed.

The Puritan Jeremiah Burroughs has written, In the hearing of God’s Word we profess our dependence upon God, for the knowing of His mind, and the way toeternal life . . . . Remember that you come to tender up your homage to God, to sit at God’s feet, and there to profess your submission to Him. That is one end of your coming to hear sermons.

God has called, equipped, and gifted godly pastors and teachers to preach His Word faithfully. Because He has done this, we need to fulfill our responsibility in gathering to hear what He says through his servants.

ATTITUDES Confessing all known sin removes hindrances and opens one’s heart to hearing the truth (cf. 1 Peter 2:1-2). Exposure to the inspired “sword” of the Word (cf. Heb. 4:12) allows the Spirit of God to bring conviction of sin and to demand true repentance. Repentance will inevitably bring an increased desire to hear more of God’s truth and will promote more spiritual growth. Growth, then, is contingent on how much a believer allows God to teach him through His herald.

Adams writes, “Like disobedient children, people do not want to listen. Even believers, habituated in ways of disobedience, have great difficulty listening to God. . . . It has been easier for sinners to blame preachers than to admit their own reluctance to listen.”

Moses told the children of Israel in his day about the required readiness: “God says to us today, ‘Take to heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life’” (Deut. 32:46-47). Failure to measureup to this requirement as a hearer leads inevitably to shallow listening.

ACTIONS It is not enough to talk about wanting to hear the preached Word; we must implement these desires regularly. Nothing substitutes for regular attendance in the weekly services of a local church. Though the writer of Hebrews was emphasizing the mutual encouragement of believers among themselves, he also warned them not to forsake their corporate gathering for worship and preaching: “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25).

APPLICATION Many contemporary critics decry expository preaching as lacking relevance and clear personal application. This kind of criticism reflects a misunderstanding of or disbelief in the inherent power of the Word of God. Since the expositor’s first concern is to clarify the meaning of the text, it may be granted that expository preaching is not driven by the same kind of obsession with illustrations and applicational formulas that characterize most topical and textual preaching. The expositor depends on the power of the text itself when rightly explained, and is assured that application of the truth in a personal and individual way is ultimately the responsibility of the listener, in concert with the Holy Spirit, of course.Leith comments, “Calvin sought to make the biblical message clear so that under the power of the Holy Spirit it could make hearers alive to God’s presence.” How much better it is to allow God the Holy Spirit to shape and mold us into Christ’s image, rather than limiting the application of Scripture to human ingenuity! Adams suggests that the listener “constantly seek to discover God’s message in the verse or verses from which it was preached, going so far as to summarize it in one sentence. . . . Unless you can do this, it is doubtful whether you got the message.” If a listener cannot grasp the principles taught by the text of the sermon, he will fail to understand their application to his own life. If he does understand them, he will be unable to escape their specific application made by the Spirit to his own life.

When Jesus declared to His disciples, “He who has ears, let him hear” (cf. also Revelation 2-3), He was setting forth a general principle. Leith has written, “For Calvin as for Luther (‘Lectures on Hebrews’) ‘The ears alone are the organ of the Christian man.’ Hearing the Word of God makes one worthy of the name Christian.” Those who have their ears trained to hear the Word of God must take the responsibility of understanding the truth taught and applying it to their lives.

SUMMARY What is the listener’s responsibility to expository preaching? He must prepare with the right anticipation, give undivided attention, and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, apply what he learns from Scripture to his own life. Only by these means can he maximize the spiritual benefits to himself and others with whom he will share the truth.

Pride vs. Humility (Round 2)

2006-07-05T14:36:00.000-07:00

"In every step of our Christian growth and maturity, and throughout every aspect of our Christian obedience and service, our greatest foe is pride and our greatest ally is humility."

-John Stott

I've continued reading Mahaney's book on humility. Part 3 of the book deals with how to weaken pride and cultivate humility. Here's some thoughts from the book about how to pursue humility

ALWAYS:

1. Reflect on the wonder of the cross. Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote, "There is only one thing I know of that crushes me to the ground and humiliates me to the dust, and that is to look at the Son of God, and especially contemplate the cross...When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, My richest gain I count but loss And pour contempt on all my pride...Nothing else can do it. When I see that I am a sinner...that nothing but the Son of God on the cross can save me, I'm humbled to the dust...Nothing but the cross can give us this spirit of humility."

AS EACH DAY BEGINS:

2. Begin your day by acknowledging your dependence upon God and your need for God. Sin doesn't wake up tired, because it hasn't been sleeping. When you wake up in the morning, sin is right there, fully awake, ready to attack. Dependence upon God is humbling before God.

3. Begin your day expressing gratefulness to God. "Thankfulness is a soil in which pride does not easily grow." -Michael Ramsey

4. Practice the spiritual disciplines--prayer, study of God's Word, worship. This is a declaration and demonstration of our dependence on God and our need for Him.

5. Seize your commute time to memorize and meditate on Scripture. Commute time or mundane time--don't waste time, use it to experience God's transforming grace.

6. Cast your cares upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God casting all you anxieties on Him, for He cares for you.

AS EACH DAY ENDS:

7. At the end of the day, transfer the glory to God. "But let not a single day end without the specific and intentional "transfer" of all glory, for all grace, to God alone!" God alone deserves all glory!!!

8. Before going to sleep, recieve this gift from God and acknowledge His purpose for sleep. We are not self-sufficient. We are not the One who "will neither sleep nor slumber." We are dependent. Sleep reminds us of this and is a gift from God.

More to come...

"True Greatness is attained only by emulating the Savior's example-and made possible only by the Savior's sacrifice."

Thought for the day

2006-07-04T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today we have freedom, but if we one day do not, will we be willing to sacrifice all? .

.... ............ "The Bohemian reformer John Hus was a man who believed the Scriptures to be the infallible and supreme authority in all matters. He died at the stake for that belief in Constance, Germany, on his forty-second birthday. As he refused a final plea to renounce his faith, Hus's last words were, 'What I taught with my lips, I seal with my blood.'"

Psalm 51

2006-07-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;

According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity

And cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions,

And my sin is ever before me.

Against You, You only, I have sinned

And done what is evil in Your sight,

So that You are justified when You speak

And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,

And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.

Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me to hear joy and gladness,

Let the bones which You have broken rejoice.

Hide Your face from my sins

And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners will be converted to You.

Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;

Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

O Lord, open my lips,

That my mouth may declare Your praise.

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;

You are not pleased with burnt offering.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;

A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.

By Your favor do good to Zion;

Build the walls of Jerusalem.

Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices,

In burnt offering and whole burnt offering;

Then young bulls will be offered on Your altar.

Living up to God's standards...

2006-06-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

"Be holy for I am holy"

1 peter 1:16

Does anyone feel overwhelmed as I do by this command from God? It's such a high calling...Yet I feel like I'm struggling and working through something all the time. Failures are a regular, usual occurence. I'm thankful for the future promise that we will one day be like Christ, but I feel overwhelmed by "walk worthy of your calling" knowing that the standard is set by a most Holy God and knowing that on earth I will always struggle with sin. I feel discouraged and frustrated by my sin.

Any thoughts, encouragements, comments on this??

Let my cry come before You, O Lord;

Give me understanding according to Your word.

Let my supplication come before You;

Deliver me according to Your word.

My lips shall utter praise,

For You teach me Your statues.

My tongue shall speak of Your word,

For all Your commandments are righteousness.

Let Your hand become my help,

For I have chosen Your precepts,

I long for Your salvation, O Lord,

And Your law is my delight.

Let my soul live, and it shall praise You;

And let Your judgments help me.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep;

Seek Your servant,

For I do not forget Your commandments.

Psalm 119:169-176

Israel's Pride

2006-06-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

For the day of the Lord of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, Upon everything lifted up--And it shall be brought low--

Isaiah 2:12

I have been continuing my study through Isaiah. Yesterday, I posted on pride vs. humility from my reading in Mahaney's book. Today, I was in chapter 5 of Isaiah and I noticed some parallels so I couldn't resist posting again today... . Israel is a prideful nation. They worship the work of their own hands and that which their own fingers have made (2:8) Yesterday I qouted that "pride is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him." Isn't this what Israel's problem was? They refused to acknowledge God. Is this not also our problem? How often do we rely on our own strength, wisdom, knowledge? "We don't need God" our wicked hearts may say, but how FOOLISH. In 2:11 it says "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day." Vs. 17 of the same chapter is almost identical. He shall utterly abolish the idols and He alone will be exalted. In chapter 3, the daughters of Zion are haughty (vs. 16) Therefore, the Lord will strike with a scab the crown of the head of the daughers of Zion (vs. 17) Then today in chapter 5..."But they do not regard the work of the Lord, Nor consider the operation of His hands." (vs. 12) And it goes on to say, "People shall be brought down, Each man shall be humbled, And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled" (vs. 15)

Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, And prudent in their own sight!

(vs. 21)

As I wrote yesterday from James, God is opposed to the proud. We see this in Isaiah... "Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people, He has stretched out His hand against them and stricken them" (vs. 25)

I'm seeing some patterns here...Pride is all over the bible. It was Pharoah's problem (Nehemiah). It was Haman's problem (Esther). It was Babylon's problem (Jeremiah). It was Israel's problem (Isaiah). It was Nebuchadnezzar's problem (Daniel). It was Edom's problem (Obadiah). It was the scribes problem (Mark). It was the disciples problem (Mark). It was the Laodecian's problem (Revelations). Chances are...it's our problem too. I think we all as believers need to step back and evaluate our hearts. Are we acknowledging God in everything? Are we dependent on Him? Or Do we think we can make it on our own and worship ourselves? I don't know, but God has shown me through all this lately my prideful heart...

....

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, and to walk HUMBLY with your God?

Micah 6:8

Pride vs. Humility (Round 1)

2006-06-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble - James 4:6

I'm currently reading Humility, True Greatness by C.J. Mahaney...Round 1 goes to Humility

"PRIDE (greatest enemy)is when sinful human beings aspire to the status and position of God and refuse to acknowledge their dependence upon Him."

"HUMILITY(greatest friend) is honestly assessing ourselves in light of God's holiness and our sinfulness."

The world's view of true GREATNESS is skewed, but believers view of greatness has also been skewed. We desire greatness, but what is the biblical view of true greatness? WORLD'S VIEW=Self interest, self-indulgence, self-sufficiency, selfish ambition, self-glorification...See a pattern? (hint...self) GOD'S VIEW: Serving others for the glory of God.

The disciples, those who lived and learned from the greatest example of humility, struggled with pride. Their view of greatness was skewed too. In Mark 9 when they were travelling, the disciples were arguing among themselves. Jesus asked them what they were disupting about, but "they kept silent, for on the road they had disputed among themselves who would be the greatest."(34) James and John thought of themselves as great and wanted Christ to honor them by having them sit at His right and left. But what does Christ say, "If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all" (9:35) So true greatness, is being a servant.

PRIDE has one end: self-glorification. Mahaney says "the motive and ultimate purpose of pride is to rob God of legitimate glory and to puruse self-glorification, contending for supremacy with Him." John Calvin said, "God cannot bear with seeing his glory appropriated by the creature in even the smallest degree, so intolerable to Him is the sacreligious arrogance of those who, by praising themsevles, obscure his glory as far as they can," Jonathan Edwards called pride, "the worst VIPER in the HEART." The Proverbs warn against pride."Pride goes before destruction, and haughty spirit before a fall" (16:18) PRIDE IS IN OUR HEARTS. This sin so often overlooked is a GREAT danger and at the root of many other sins. What are we as believers pursuing? What kind of greatness do we wish to achieve?

HOW do we become genuinely humble? We need two accurate views: God's holiness and our sinfulness. Mahaney says, "Without an honest awareness of both of these realities, all self-evaluation will be skewed and we'll fail to either understand or practice true humility." WHO do we look to? CHRIST, the ultimate example...He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a randsom for many. We need to look to the cross. Donald English said, "At the source of all Christian service in the world is the crucified and risen Lord who died to liberate us into such service."

More thoughts to come...

TRUE GREATNESS. ARE YOU PURSUING IT????

Can't wait to go home...

2006-06-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall ALWAYS be with the Lord.

Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

Isaiah 1

2006-06-22T16:01:00.000-07:00

How the faithful city has become a harlot!

Isaiah 1:27a

I started the book of Isaiah today and read through chapter 1. There's quite a bit that I took from the first chapter. Jerusalem, once a faithful people now are disobedient and rebellious. I thought about how this parallels to my own life. How often do I forget the care and nourishment of God, forget His promises, forget His faithfulness and turn to my own sin and fulfill my own desires? The Lord said, "I have nourished and brought up children, (vs. 2) yet "They have forsaken the Lord, They have provoked to anger The Holy One of Israel, They have turned away backward." (vs. 4)

Then later the Lord says, "To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices to Me?" (vs. 10) Bring no more futile sacrifices (vs. 13) God hates hypocritical religion. Empty rituals and sacrifices mean nothing to Him. How often are we as believers hypocritcal? How often do we focus on habitual practices without the right heart, that mean nothing to God?

YET GOD PROVIDES FORGIVENESS.

"Though your sins are like scarlet,

They shall be as white as snow;

Though they are red like crimson,

They shall be as wool.

If you are willing and obedient,

You shall eat the good of the land,

But if you refuse and rebel,

You shall be devoured by the sword."

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

(vs. 18-19)

All we need to do is choose repentance and obedience. The Lord will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

One further thought I got out of Chapter 1 is that God HATES sin and His judgment will burn like fire. Those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed (vs. 28)

May we strive for holiness and not be once faithful, now a "harlot"

Cleanse Me

2006-06-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139:23-24

I was playing the piano today--playing through some songs out of the hymn book. I came across one and as I was playing it I was reflecting on the words. It's not a hymn that is often sung. In fact, I don't remember ever seeing it before. J. Edwin Orr wrote this hymn, inspired after a revival in New Zealand in 1936.

It is a great prayer to the Lord...

Search me, O God, and know my heart today; try me, O Savior, know my thoughts, I pray. See if there be some wicked way in me; cleanse me from ev'ry sin and set me free.

I praise Thee, Lord, for cleansing me from sin; fulfill Thy Word and make me pure within. Fill me with fire where once I burned with shame; grant my desire to magnify Thy name.

Lord, take my life and make it wholly Thine; fill my poor heart with Thy great love divine. Take all my will, my passion, self and pride; I now surrender, Lord--in me abide.

O Holy Ghost, revival comes from Thee; send a revival--start the work in me. Thy word declares Thou wilt supply our need; for blessings now, O Lord, I humbly plead.

Walking in the Spirit

2006-06-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh"

More thoughts on living a Spirit-filled life...

From Galatians 5:16-26

The Holy Spirit is our personal power for living a life pleasing to God. We are commanded to walk in the Spirit. What does that mean? Walk is a continuous action, a habitual lifestyle. Believers are to submit to the Holy Spirit--obeying the commands of Scripture. Verses 17 and 18 say, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. BUT if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law." The Spirit and flesh are contrary to one another. John MacArthur says, "Take your choice; these are mutually exclusive. Either you live by the power of the Holy Spirit which results in righteous behavior and spiritual attitudes or by the law which can only produce unrighteous behaivor and attitudes."

What walking by the Spirit does NOT look like...

(Galatians 5:19-21)

Works of the flesh are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outburts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkeness, revelries, and the like.

"Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of heaven."

What walking by the Spirit DOES look like...

FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT... (descriptions are paraphrased from John MacArthur's commentary)

Love : Greek word is agape, not an emotional or physical affection but a respect, devotion, and affection that leads to self-sacrificial service 1 John 3:16
Joy : A happiness based on unchanging divine promises and spiritual realities. Joy is not a result of favorable circumstances. Believers should have joy no matter what! Philippians 4:4, James 1:2, 1 Peter 1:8
Peace : Innercalm that comes from confidence in one's saving relationship with Christ Philippians 4:6-9
Longsuffering : The willingness to endure painful situations 1 Timothy 1:15-16
Kindness : Tender concern and care for others 2 Timothy 2:24
Goodness :Moral and Spiritual excellence Romans 5:7
Faithfulness :Loyalty and Trustworthiness Lam. 3:22
Gentleness :"meekness", a humble and gentle attitude
Self-Control :restraining one's passions 2 Peter 1:5-6

Then verse 24 says, And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires...

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit"

Loving God...

2006-06-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

“O Christian, remember that you must advance or backslide; you must build higher and higher, love must become more and more supreme in your souls, or you will decline…Recollect, too, that we must give the Lord our love, or else that love will go somewhere else. If the Ever-Blessed One does not win our love, the world, the flesh or the devil will gain it. If His love be not very sweet within you, and if it does not cause your heart to love Him intensely, you will fall under the dominion either of some lust or passion or corruption, or else your heart will be cankered and consumed with the rust of care and covetousness and worldliness. Your heart cannot be kept from loving, its only safety lies in keeping it in the love of God!” *Spurgeon on the love of God Volume 22 . . The Lord demands and deserves all of our love, praise, and worship yet how often do we give it to something or someone else? He alone deserves our worship, yet we often share our love. Paul Tripp calls it, "spiritual adultery" . . I pray for myself and others that our love for the Lord would increase and be supreme in our lives! . . . "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be My disciple." Luke 14:26-17 ---Loving God so much everything else seems like hatred in comparison!

Holy Spirit

2006-06-14T12:16:00.000-07:00

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption

-Ephesians 4:30

I've been thinking a lot about this lately and studying it. When we sin and we do not respond to the convicting presence of the Holy Spirit we grieve Him and thus break fellowship with Him. I sin against a holy God everyday, yet how often do I go throughout the entire day without going before His throne and repenting and asking for forgiveness? How often do I grieve the Holy Spirit? Unfortunately, I must truthfully answer a lot.

The Holy Spirit is such a tremendous and unfathomable gift from God, yet I think it's forgotten a lot. We have sonship through the Holy Spirit. He Himself bears witness (Romans 8:12-17) Christ repeatedly promised a helper would come when He left and in Acts 2 the Holy Spirit came to the disciples.

Characteristics of the Holy Spirit

1. He's a person (John 14:17, 16:13)

He dwells in you.

2. He cares for believers (John 14:16, 26, 15:26)

He is our helper and teacher.

3. Intellect (1 Cor 2:11)

He knows the things of God and searches the deep things of God.

4. Feelings (Romans 8:27, 15:30)

He helps us in our weakness

5. His will (1 Cor 12:11)

works things as He wills

6. Speaking (Acts 13:2)

7. Convicting (John 16:8-11)

He will convict the world of sin

8. Interceding (Romans 8:26)

He intercedes on our behalf with groanings which cannot be uttered (now, if that's not amazing...)

9. Guiding (John 16:13)

He will guide you into all truth

10. Glorifying God (John 16:14)

11. Serving God (Acts 16:6-7)

1 Thessalonians 5:19 says, "Do not quench the Holy Spirit" John MacArthur says, "The fire of God's spirit is not to be doused with sin." We are called to be controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) and to walk by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16).

How can you become more controlled by the Holy Spirit? How can you grow more sensitive and aware to the convictions of the Spirit? What should my life look like if I walk by the Spirit?

More thoughts to come on this, but it's been a great study and something I've been thinking through lately...

Modesty Matters

2006-06-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

This is a great post I got from my brothers website http://preacherboy316.blogspot.com

A must read for us girls as sisters in Christ...

"Modesty Matters" by Dan Phillips

A great post taken from http://teampyro.blogspot.com/ What will change, and what won't. Spring's springing, and summer looms. Mercury rises, fashions change. But one thing that won't change, unless I'm badly and happily mistaken: some good and regular churchgoers will not dress as helpfully as they could.I chose that word with care: "helpfully." I am not talking about sin, shame, indecency, wantonness, or the like. Perhaps I could, with some justification, in some cases. But that's for another time -- and probably another writer. At this point, I just want to talk about being helpful. Sister, if there's one thing you and I can certainly agree on, it's this: I don't know what it's like to be a woman, and you don't know what it's like to be a man. We're both probably wrong where we're sure we're right, try as we might. So let me try to dart a telegram from my camp over to the distaff side."Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man" (Proverbs 27:20). Solomon doesn't use the Hebrew words that would indicate males exclusively, so this and Ecclesiastes 1:8 may apply across the gender-board. Libbie pointed out very ably that we men wrongly assume that we alone battle with temptations entering through the eye-gate.But. But if men aren't alone in the battle, they may have a particular weakness for this aspect of it. Consider passionately-godly King David, whose psalms express aspirations after God beside which our own are pale, bloodless things. One day King David is in the wrong place, at the wrong time; sees a naked woman bathing next door, and boom! -- he's gone (2 Samuel 11). Family, kingdom, God -- all forgotten, consumed in the flash-flame a lust that was only visual in its inception.And what of that Israelite Philistine Samson and his own "eye trouble?" He sees a fetching young pagan, and bellows at his dad, "Get her for me, for she looks good to me" (Judges 14:3 NAS). Where did Samson's passions take him? How did his course end?Unless all the men I've known personally or at a distance are completely unrepresentative, it's a lifelong struggle, a lifelong weakness. As I recall from a Proverbs lecture on mp3, Bruce Waltke says that his dad, at around age 100, told him, "Bruce, I still have the same struggles I did when I was 50." It was sobering for Dr. Waltke to hear; sobering for any man! (In fact, put me down for "disheartening.")Where am I going with this? Oh, don't try to look so innocent. You know exactly where I'm going. So here comes this brother into the assembly of the saints, hoping for a rest from the battles of the week, a moment to regroup, sing, pray, get the Word, fellowship. He looks up to the choir, or to his left or his right -- and in a tick of the clock, he's facing the same struggle he faced every time he turned on his TV, opened a magazine, or went down a city street. He's seeing things that make it far too easy for him not to keep his mind focused where it needs to be focused.And he's not in a nightclub, he's not at a singles' bar, he's not at the beach. He's in church. Now, some very direct disclaimers:• Every man's sin is his own, and every man's struggle is his own (Proverbs 14:10) • No one makes a man think or feel anything (Proverbs 4:23) • It is each individual's responsibility to guard his own heart (Proverbs 4:23) • Beauty is a wonderful gift of God (cf. Exodus 28:2; Song of Solomonn 1:8, 15, etc.)Having said all that: while it may be true that I'm holding the matches, you won't help me if you pile twigs all around my feet and douse them with lighter fluid. To be more specific: if you know I've had trouble with drunkenness, you won't offer me a glass of wine. If you know I battle covetousness, you won't take me window-shopping in high-end stores I've no business frequenting. So I put this question: what are some sisters thinking, in how they dress?As the ladies pick clothes, they'll consider what's pretty, what's flattering, what's attractive. Who could blame them? But, "attractive" to whom? In what way? To what end? With what focus?Consider the questions again. "Is it pretty?" Good question, no evil in it. "Is it comfortable, is it complimentary, is it fun?" No problem. I'd just suggest you add one more question: "Is it helpful, or is it hurtful, to my brothers in Christ? Will this unintentionally contribute to their having a focus that is harmful to their walk?" Now, lookie here:In that day the Lord will take away the finery of the anklets, the headbands, and the crescents; 19 the pendants, the bracelets, and the scarves; 20 the headdresses, the armlets, the sashes, the perfume boxes, and the amulets; 21 the signet rings and nose rings; 22 the festal robes, the mantles, the cloaks, and the handbags; 23 the mirrors, the linen garments, the turbans, and the veils. (Isaiah 3:18-23)...likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, 10 but with what is proper for women who profess godliness--with good works. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)Do not let your adorning be external--the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing-- 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. (1 Peter 3:3-4)Immediately we'll swing in, as we always do, and say, "Now, the writer's not saying that women can't dress nicely, or wear jewelry, or blah blah blah." And we'll all disown our Fundie forebears who focused on nylons and lipstick, and came up with precise hemline measurements. We'll want to make sure that we're not advocating a new line of Burqaware for evangelical women. All that will be true and valid enough.But I'm concerned that, in our anxiety to be sure to prevent the wrong interpretation, we effectively cut off all interpretation. We have swung from making the passages say silly things, to not letting them say anything. These passages have to mean something! They must have some application! What is it?Surely the emphasis of the passages is warning against vanity, externality, sensuality; and on highlighting and promoting focus on a godly character as true beauty. Who you are; not just what you look like. Remember: "As a ring of gold in a swine's snout, So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion" (Proverbs 11:22 NAS).Oh boy, I'm going to make it worse now. Deep breath....What are you clothes saying about you, sister? What are they supposed to say to your brothers? "Hey, look at this?" Well, they actually are trying to look at the Lord; it's not good for them to be looking at that. No, it's not your fault that they have a problem. We established that. And it's really great that God has made you beautiful. I hope your husband (present or future) shows you how grateful he is for that about you.But you can help the brothers who aren't your husband, or you can not-help them. Which are you doing? If you're not married, and a man looks at you, is he thinking, "What a great character"? Or are you giving him reason to think about something else?I know many of the responses. "You don't know what it's like to buy women's clothes, you ignorant man!" Mostly true. My first just-for-fun purchase for my wife was, well, it was appalling. What a good sport my wife was. I took it back to the store immediately, and made a much better subsequent choice. But this: "You can't find anything modest! It's all too revealing! It's impossible to get something that looks nice, yet isn't too tight, or too short, or too-something / not-something-enough!"Sorry, but baloney.I put "modest women's clothing Christian" in Google, and 453,000 pages come up. Yes, some are funny and quaint at best. But are they all Amishwear? "Can't find?"More fundamentally: I do not accept that anyone has to wear clothes that are too tight or too sheer or too short -- unless you are the largest and tallest woman living in the hottest part of the planet. Because I see larger, taller women walking around in hot weather, and they're all wearing clothes, every last one. They got those clothes somewhere, I reason. You could too."But -- but they won't look good on me! The shoulders will be wrong!"I'm not sure that's necessarily true, but let's accept it and pose a counter-question. You tell me. Which is worse: your shoulders hanging a half-inch too low? Or a blouse/shirt that simply (shifting into turbo-delicate) provides need-to-know information to those with a need-to-not-know?I'm sure we all agree that there are clothes that show what others have no helpful business seeing. Here's what to show, in clothes-selection: show a Godward focus, discretion, a godly character; And show mercy. Parting thought. Darlene pointed me to a statement by Arthur Pink, which makes everything I've just said look awfully mild. But there's no denying that he has a point. I'll close with it:Again, if lustful looking be so grievous a sin, then those who dress and expose themselves with desires to be looked at and lusted after-as Jezebel, who painted her face, tired her head, and looked out of the window (2 Kings 9:30)-are not less, but even more guilty. In this matter it is only too often the case that men sin, but women tempt them so to do. How great, then, must be the guilt of the great majority of the modern misses who deliberately seek to arouse the sexual passions of our young men? And how much greater still is the guilt of most of their mothers for allowing them to become lascivious temptresses? Now, note, Pink and I speak to different ends. I speak to those who I assume are inadvertently dressing in an unhelpful manner. Pink speaks to those whose intent is to allure. Between the two of us, I can pray we've provided food for thought, prayer, reconsideration, and needed change. By DAN PHILLIPS

The Broad Road

2006-06-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

The broad road seems so appealing,

Little by little my heart it's stealing,

Enjoying the things of its path,

But remembering I won't get by without His wrath.

You gave it all for me,

You think I would agree,

To stay on the narrow way,

And not stray-

Away from You.

I know in the end I'll be glad I stayed,

But You must feel so betrayed,

Everytime I glance at the other road,

Wishing I could leave this load.

You gave it all for me,

You think I would agree,

To stay on the narrow way,

And not stray-

Away from You.

You know I will fall,

Getting caught in the midst of it all,

But You always forgive,

And give me another chance to live,

Yet over and over again I get caught in sins' domain.

You'd think Id learn,

But I always seem to return,

And somehow through all I do,

You never fail to love me more than I show to You.