Saturday, September 19, 2009
Temptations Rethought
Oswald Chambers was a man of deep thought. He has an amazing way of looking at our daily spiritual walk through another facet of the prism that causes you to ponder its application to your soul. Such is the case as he discusses temptation. "Temptation is a suggested short cut to the realization of the highest at which I aim - not towards what I understand as evil, but towards what I understand as good." Naturally we don't think in those terms as we are struggling with temptation, yet are we not shortchanging ourselves as we are thinking that our way to meet a felt need that we deem as good is itself good and therefore satisfying. In reality we find that we are short changed and we are not satisfied, nor was it good. The felt need still exists and we are again searching for a way to satify that need. Oh that we would let "God lift us to a higher plane where we would face tempations of another order."
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Careful Zeal
King Jehu came in like wildfire. He himself says, "Come with me and see my zeal for the Lord." (2 Kings 10:16) Even the annointing of Jehu as king gives you an idea that things are going to happen. Elisha sends one of the men form his company of prophets with the instructions to "take him (Jehu) in an inner room, pour a flask of oil over his head, say 'This is what the Lord says: I annoint you king over Israel,' and then open the door and run without delay." The Ahab and his son who preceeded Jehu were persistently wicked. From the moment Jehu left the inner room of annointing, he begins his sweep through Israel. He doesn't leave a descendent of Ahab alive. Next, he rounds up and destroys all the ministers of Baal under the pretense of calling an assembly to honor Baal. He is shrewd. Yet, by verse 31 the statement is made, "Jehu was not careful to keep the law of the Lord, the God of Israel with all his heart." He let some of the of the idol worship persist. Oh that in our zeal we don't overlook the careful to keep...with all our heart.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Only God...
"No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him-
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-
that he should live on forever and not see decay...
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself."
the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-
that he should live on forever and not see decay...
But God will redeem my life from the grave;
he will surely take me to himself."
Psalm 49:7-9,15
Such truth to ponder. "Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me...My God my Savior ransomed me." Praise, awe, humbled..."I'm forever grateful to You, who came to seek and save the lost."
Monday, March 9, 2009
ALL of God's Goodness: Who can imagine
Moses said, " Now show me your glory." And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you..." (Ex 33: 18,19)
Wow! What must that have been like? God's glory displayed by all His goodness. We continually see and experience God's goodness, yet I think that we only recognize it in snatches. We attribute this blessings and that provision we receive to God's goodness. We proclaim the delight of experiencing God's creation in a fresh snow or brilliant sunset as His goodness to us. I think that I tend to look at God's goodness as a dividend here and a dividend there, yet he is always good, all the time. It is His character. "You are forgiving and good, O Lord." (Ps 86:5) When I fail to recognize God's goodness at all times, then I am failing to recognize the extent of His glory. For it was the manifestation of all His goodness that was God's means of showing His glory to Moses. Oh, that I might not be short sighted. Oh, that I might recognize all of God's goodness, all of the time, so that I might behold His glory!
Wow! What must that have been like? God's glory displayed by all His goodness. We continually see and experience God's goodness, yet I think that we only recognize it in snatches. We attribute this blessings and that provision we receive to God's goodness. We proclaim the delight of experiencing God's creation in a fresh snow or brilliant sunset as His goodness to us. I think that I tend to look at God's goodness as a dividend here and a dividend there, yet he is always good, all the time. It is His character. "You are forgiving and good, O Lord." (Ps 86:5) When I fail to recognize God's goodness at all times, then I am failing to recognize the extent of His glory. For it was the manifestation of all His goodness that was God's means of showing His glory to Moses. Oh, that I might not be short sighted. Oh, that I might recognize all of God's goodness, all of the time, so that I might behold His glory!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Raised Hands
Three times (Ex. 23, 24 & Deut. 16) God makes this amazing exclamation. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed."
How do I come before my Lord, my God? Too often it is with wanting hands. Yes, those are empty. Oh that I may first come with hands filled with praise, adoration, exclamation, admiration, and proclamation to my God for who He is, what He has done, and what He is to do. Then as He receives my "sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15) I will have hands ready to be filled with His goodness.
How do I come before my Lord, my God? Too often it is with wanting hands. Yes, those are empty. Oh that I may first come with hands filled with praise, adoration, exclamation, admiration, and proclamation to my God for who He is, what He has done, and what He is to do. Then as He receives my "sacrifice of praise" (Heb. 13:15) I will have hands ready to be filled with His goodness.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
A Friday Night Teen Night talk
On Friday nights, The Coffee Oasis in about two things: a fun safe place and Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. God has given us the privilege of providing that two-fold emphasis for almost 12 years now. Wow! Over that time God has brought hundreds of kids through the doors. Sometimes kids have come back after "outgrowing" the Friday Night Teen Night to thank us for providing a safe place. Some have come back to thank us for telling them about Jesus.
Ten years ago a young man, John, came just about every week. He found Teen Night to be a fun safe place as he was weathering those difficult years of high school. John wasn't a particularly popular kid. He was slight in stature and was finding his niche in the ROTC as Bremerton High School and was most excited about his involvement in the Orienteering Club. We weekly hung out with John: played pool and table games, talked about his life and most importantly we talked about Jesus, lots!
John will never come back to thank us for a fun safe place. Nor will he come to thank us for talking to him about Jesus. John committed suicide a couple of weeks ago.
In the book of Psalms God describes people in two ways: a tree that flourishes by the stream or as chaff that is blown by the wind. What is it that makes the difference in what a person becomes? It is what they do with God and His Word. That same Psalm (1) identifies people with one of two labels: righteous and wicked. Romans 3:23 says that we all start out wicked; "All have sinned..." I was there, many who come through the doors of The Coffee Oasis are still there. Romans 6:23 says there is one penalty for that sin which we all have and that is death. Yet, John 3:16 says that God loved us so much He send His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay that penalty of death. But, we must accept it.
John didn't ever accept that gift of life and without it, the burdens of this earthly life became too much for him. He never found God's hope and forgiveness.
Acts 16:31 simply says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." We do not have to dry up to chaff that is blown about by the wind. Jesus offers life and hope. Believe.
Ten years ago a young man, John, came just about every week. He found Teen Night to be a fun safe place as he was weathering those difficult years of high school. John wasn't a particularly popular kid. He was slight in stature and was finding his niche in the ROTC as Bremerton High School and was most excited about his involvement in the Orienteering Club. We weekly hung out with John: played pool and table games, talked about his life and most importantly we talked about Jesus, lots!
John will never come back to thank us for a fun safe place. Nor will he come to thank us for talking to him about Jesus. John committed suicide a couple of weeks ago.
In the book of Psalms God describes people in two ways: a tree that flourishes by the stream or as chaff that is blown by the wind. What is it that makes the difference in what a person becomes? It is what they do with God and His Word. That same Psalm (1) identifies people with one of two labels: righteous and wicked. Romans 3:23 says that we all start out wicked; "All have sinned..." I was there, many who come through the doors of The Coffee Oasis are still there. Romans 6:23 says there is one penalty for that sin which we all have and that is death. Yet, John 3:16 says that God loved us so much He send His one and only Son, Jesus, to pay that penalty of death. But, we must accept it.
John didn't ever accept that gift of life and without it, the burdens of this earthly life became too much for him. He never found God's hope and forgiveness.
Acts 16:31 simply says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved." We do not have to dry up to chaff that is blown about by the wind. Jesus offers life and hope. Believe.
Monday, January 5, 2009
Not Forgotten
"God remembered Noah and all the wild anaimals and the livestock that were with him in the ark..." (Genesis 8:1)
Sometimes when we are in the middle of what God has called us to do and things are just carrying on and on, we feel like God has sort of forgotten about us. We would like a bit of reassurance that we are where we are supposed to be and doing what God is still wanting us to be doing. I think that is how Noah was probably feeling 150 days into God's flood as he carried on his daily duties aboard the ark. As we know, God hadn't forgotten Noah and all the animals and neither has He forgotten us. Faithfulness is all He asks of us. He will not forget, He will remember. And as He sent the wind over the earth for the waters to recede, He will continue to minister to us through His Holy Spirit as we carry through the task that He has set before us. Praise God.
Sometimes when we are in the middle of what God has called us to do and things are just carrying on and on, we feel like God has sort of forgotten about us. We would like a bit of reassurance that we are where we are supposed to be and doing what God is still wanting us to be doing. I think that is how Noah was probably feeling 150 days into God's flood as he carried on his daily duties aboard the ark. As we know, God hadn't forgotten Noah and all the animals and neither has He forgotten us. Faithfulness is all He asks of us. He will not forget, He will remember. And as He sent the wind over the earth for the waters to recede, He will continue to minister to us through His Holy Spirit as we carry through the task that He has set before us. Praise God.
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