Because you are lukewarm

I have felt lukewarm today. We watched a movie today called "Bamboo in Winter" about the persecution of the church in China and how they press on to spread the good news even with the threats of torture and death. My niece who is living with us, asked me what they were being tortured for and was dumbfounded that it was because they believe in Jesus and preach His name. That is all they are doing...and yet their lives hang in the balance every day. I told her, in this country it is so easy to say you are a Christian...so easy to claim the name of Christ, but we don't have to fear it costing our lives. We don't have to worry about being raided when we meet with other believers. It is so easy for us to meet with other Christians that I think in someways we tend to disdain that privilege...That's right I said a privilege to meet with other believers and encourage them in the faith. But I digress... I wonder if faith is REAL if it hasn't really been tested. I mean, I know that the Lord led us through Terry's cancer, and I am thankful for that...but if it was a loaded gun pushed into my face and I had to choose my physical life or admit that I believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Savior of the world and that He died for my sins; I wonder sometimes what I would do. I know what I HOPE I would do, but sometimes I wonder.

In thinking of that this evening, my niece has been watching one of her friend's little girl. This little girl since she found out that her mom was on her way has continually gone to each one of us again and again proclaiming, "Mommy's coming! Mommy's coming!" What I said to Terry is that this two-year-old child has a better idea of evangelism than I do sometimes. We should be like that...we should be going up to everyone we can with our hearts full of excitement proclaiming, "Jesus is coming! He's coming soon! Believe in Jesus and live!" I feel like I have been spending a lot of my time just focused on living my life. In my head I say that my treasure is not here, but really, I wonder. In my head I say all the right things, but do the actions of my life bear out what I say I believe? Does my life bear fruit showing that Christ is EVERYTHING to me, that I believe He is coming soon, and that there are many people in my own life that are still overcome by their sins with no hope of freedom from them? Or am I just hiding my complacency behind perfectly crafted words of zeal?

Do the First Works

Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss
September 16, 2009

Returning to Your First Love
Your First Love Relationship

Think about the time in your life when your love for Christ burned more strongly than ever. Does that describe you today? Find out why it could.

If you love Christ, you will love others. To have true love for others, you must have Christ. So when you fail to love Christ, you will fail to love others. When you fail to love others, you have failed to love Christ.

A door of your heart can be closed off to Christ even if you’re faithful, persevering, orthodox; even if your doctrine and lifestyle is right.

Apart from love for Christ and for others, all we do is in vain.


Even before today's "Revive Our Hearts" excerpt, I must admit, I have been in a strange place for a long time. I have felt that I have been missing something very important. The Scripture the Lord keeps bringing to mind is Revelation 2: 1-7:

"“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”’"

I have been praying and asking the Lord to show me what the first works are, so that I might do them again. I want that love and fire that burned in my heart for Jesus to blaze out of control again. I want to follow Christ, not just His words. I feel that I have become so focused on obeying doctrine, on obeying the word of God, that I stopped focusing on following the God of the word. It has been a scary place to be. Scary because I know that if I am missing it, if I am just giving my son a bunch of rules to follow, but nothing to hold him, no LIFE that makes him want to do what God says, then it is all in vain, and I will watch my son walk away from Christ, having just enough to innoculate him to the truth. I DON'T WANT THAT! So I know it has to start with me. I must be willing to reexamine my heart, what I believe and where I am with Christ. I must be living life abundantly, through faith in Christ, acknowledging that I don't know it all and leaning wholly upon Jesus. I must show him something worth dying for, that he might truly live. That is where I am. It is a hard place to be because I am finding out that I am differing in some views with some that I love dearly, and that is scary. But Christ is my hope...He is my Lord, my Guide, my ever present Help in time of trouble. He alone is the One that can keep my feet from slipping and can lift me up when I fall. Christ is ALL in ALL. HE is the point. I pray that I can quickly come back to the place where I am living that.

Jesus is my anchor...I am held fast

We Have an Anchor

Words by Priscilla J. Owens Music by William J. Kirkpatrick 1882
Hebrews 6:19 "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;"

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Chorus
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

It is safely moored, 'twill the storm withstand,
For 'tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro' strength divine.

Chorus
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav'nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

Chorus
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior's love.

Lamentation - yet hope

"I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. He has led me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Surely He has turned His hand against me time and time again throughout the day. He has aged my flesh and my skin, and broken my bones. He has besieged me and surrounded me with bitterness and woe. He has set me in dark places like the dead of long ago. He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. 8 Even when I cry and shout, He shuts out my prayer. He has blocked my ways with hewn stone; He has made my paths crooked. He has been to me a bear lying in wait, like a lion in ambush. He has turned aside my ways and torn me in pieces; He has made me desolate. He has bent His bow and set me up as a target for the arrow. He has caused the arrows of His quiver to pierce my loins. I have become the ridicule of all my people—their taunting song all the day. He has filled me with bitterness, He has made me drink wormwood. He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes. You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity. And I said, “My strength and my hope have perished from the LORD.” Remember my affliction and roaming, the wormwood and the gall. My soul still remembers and sinks within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “ Therefore I hope in Him!” The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone and keep silent, because God has laid it on him; Let him put his mouth in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him, and be full of reproach. For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies. For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. To crush under one’s feet all the prisoners of the earth, to turn aside the justice due a man before the face of the Most High, or subvert a man in his cause—the Lord does not approve. Who is he who speaks and it comes to pass, when the Lord has not commanded it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? Why should a living man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD; Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven. We have transgressed and rebelled; You have not pardoned. You have covered Yourself with anger and pursued us; You have slain and not pitied. You have covered Yourself with a cloud, that prayer should not pass through. You have made us an offscouring and refuse in the midst of the peoples. All our enemies have opened their mouths against us. Fear and a snare have come upon us, desolation and destruction. My eyes overflow with rivers of water for the destruction of the daughter of my people. My eyes flow and do not cease, without interruption, till the LORD from heaven looks down and sees. My eyes bring suffering to my soul because of all the daughters of my city. My enemies without cause hunted me down like a bird. They silenced my life in the pit and threw stones at me. The waters flowed over my head; I said, “I am cut off!” I called on Your name, O LORD, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice: “ Do not hide Your ear from my sighing, from my cry for help.” You drew near on the day I called on You, and said, “Do not fear!” O Lord, You have pleaded the case for my soul; You have redeemed my life." Lamentations 3:1-58


Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly) by Sanctus Real

It’s time for healing, time to move on,
it’s time to fix what’s been broken too long
Time to make right what has been wrong;
it’s time to find my way to where I belong

Chorus:
There’s a wave that’s crashing over me, and all I can do is surrender
Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see, but I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time for a milestone, time to begin again, re-evaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will or just climbing aimlessly over these hills?
So show me what it is You want from me I give everything – I surrender

Chorus:
Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but somehow there’s peace
And it’s hard to surrender to what I can’t see, but I’m giving in to something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out that I’ve wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but I believe …
You’re up to something bigger than me
Larger than life, something heavenly

Whatever You’re doing inside of me
It feels like chaos, but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life
Something heavenly, something heavenly

Time to face up, clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

Something to Think About

"As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my friend.But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around the tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, "How could you be so slow?" "My child," God said, "What could I do, you never did let go?""

My friend, Amy, posted this today...it should make us think. Are we trusting God to take care of EVERYTHING in His way, in His time, or are we telling Him to do it according to our wishes. When we do that, and He doesn't answer, some will start doubting God rather than truly giving their burdens to Him and trusting Him to work all things out for our good and His glory.

Getting out of debt

This is SO where I want to be, but it is so hard to get there.

July 29, 2009

Getting out of Debt

Managing the Money Maze (Jan Thompson)

A few years ago, Jan Thompson warned that Americans were spending too much and getting too far into debt. The problems she anticipated crashed down upon us over the last year. Listen as she provides solid advice on avoiding another crisis.

If God owns it all, then every spending decision is a spiritual decision. It is a heart decision. If I want to honor the Lord, I need to understand not just what’s coming in but how am I spending it?

As long as we continue to finance a lifestyle through debt vehicles, we are going to continue to dishonor the Lord, and we can’t expect Him to do the miraculous.

Making the change has to come from a commitment in your heart that you will not spend anything that God has not given you permission to do and that you will get out of debt just as quickly as possible.

Extending Grace

The Adulterous Woman - Within Reach of Grace

Selections from John 8

"Teacher," they said to Him, "this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery." When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, "The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her." When they heard this, they left one by one. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" "No one, Lord," she answered. "Neither do I condemn you," said Jesus. "Go, and from now on do not sin any more."

You'll notice that this Bible passage is often set off with brackets and footnotes. It apparently doesn't appear in the earliest, most reliable manuscripts. But it's hard to deny the lessons that it teaches. It is so descriptive of Jesus. It is so descriptive of us.

Be careful that your picture of Christ isn't cheapened by ignoring his final charge to the woman caught in adultery. Yes, his mercy is sweet, and it flows like living water into the darkest corners of our hearts cleansing and purifying, healing and restoring. But not so we can excuse our bad habits or watch TV in a better mood. His undeserved grace should motivate us to put everything out on the table, to be watchful for hidden pockets of rebellion as he reveals them to us, and to slam the door on willful sin.

Look At It This Way ...

May the conviction of God come with swift and stern rebuke upon anyone who is remembering the past of others and deliberately choosing to forget their restoration through God's grace. Certain forms of sin shock us far more than they shock God. The sin that shocks God is the thing that is highly esteemed among us self-realization, pride, the right to myself.

We have no right to have the attitude toward any man or woman as if he or she had sunk to a lower level than those of us who have never been tempted on the line they have. We have to remember that in the sight of God there are no social conventions, and that external sins are not a bit worse in his sight than the pride that hates the rule of the Holy Spirit, though the life is morally clean.

May God have mercy on any one of us who forgets this and allows spiritual pride or superiority and a sense of our own unsulliedness to put a barrier between us and those whom God has lifted from depths of sin we cannot understand. - Oswald Chambers

A Final Thought:

Are the people in your life who seem the farthest from God's grace getting any closer by the way you talk about them, act around them, pray for them? Try seeing them as God does.