Lost Love

I have a problem. I have a hard time loving those who may benefit the most from my love. More importantly, the love that my God has supernaturally instilled in me. Without the love of my Heavenly Father, and the power of the Holy Spirit living within me I know that I would be much worse off. I would be bitter and angry. I am sure that I would (more) in my anger too. I have blogged about this frustration in my life before. I hate so much that I am a sinner. I hate that I am unable to live my life the way that my God wants me to. I hate that I am unable to glorify God in all of my life. I can not wait until He returns. I yearn for a sinless world. A world where I can live my life for my God 100 percent. Where sin will not impede and destroy. I world where Satan and sin do not reign. How awesome will that be!

Please pray for me as I struggle with this. Pray that I will be able to love as Christ loves. Pray that I will not keep track of wrongs. That I will look at the wrong in my own life and compare that to the perfect Jesus who is my Lord. I do want to bring Him glory with my life. Please, let that be my only desire.

Lordship Salvation

I just finished reading MacArthurs "The Gospel According to Jesus" I will say again that this is an incredible book that helped me out with my theology. Read it if you have not already! I want to share with you a quote from Tozer.

"To urge men and women to believe in a divided Christ is bad teaching for no one can receive half of Christ, or a third of Christ, or a quarter of the Person of Christ! We are not saved by believing in an office nor in a work."

His point is that when you genuinely receive Christ as your Savior, you are also accepting the fact that He is also Lord. You can't have one without the other! When you are indeed saved you are saved by the Whole Christ. Not just a part of Him. He is Lord and Savior. He demands obedience. Take up your cross. Die to this world. Live for Christ.

It was Jesus

John chapter 5 talks about Jesus healing an invalid at a pool called Bathesda. The man had been crippled for 38 years. Jesus heals this man instantly. The healing is perfect (as perfect as it could be in this fallen world). The man obeys Christ, gets up, takes his mat and leaves. At this point the man does not know who it was that healed him. A little later in the story he see Jesus again and Jesus warns him to stop sinning or something worse may happen. The man goes to the Jews and tells the that is was Jesus that made him well. I want to share that verse with you. It is verse 15. It is beautiful. "The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well." It was Jesus that made him well. How simple. Has Jesus made you well too? I praise God that He has made me well!

Follow Me

I have been spending some time in The Gospel of John. Have you ever noticed how easily Christ calls his disciples? In most instances he simply says "Follow Me". That short invitation is sometimes followed by a couple of other words like "and I will make you fishers of men", or "and you will see". There is no coercion, no lengthy conversation, just simple obedience! Christ lived his life in such a way that it was attractive to those who would follow Him. He didn't need special music in the background playing "I surrender all", or the convincing words of an evangelist, no stories of near death experiences or old men receiving Christ on their death bed. "Follow Me". So simple, not polluted by man. I believe with all of my heart that when Christ says "Follow Me" and we truly make that decision to follow Him, it is a life changing decision. It is a decision not to make Christ lord of your life, we can't make Christ anything! It is agreeing with Christ that He is Lord of our lives, Lord over everything! Lead me as you see fit. I do absolutely agree with Christ! He is Lord of all. Father, please help me to live my life in such a way that I am proof of that fact.

Isaiah

I was studying John 1:1 this morning and this is were I ended up. It's beautiful. This section of scripture is familiar to most of you, but it is still worth some meditation! I hope that it blesses you.

Isaiah 55:6-13
6 "Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; 7 let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.8For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth,making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,11so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty,but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
12 "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle;and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

A lesson from History

All this talk about easy believeism made me think this morning about "back then". Back in Lathers day. Back in the day when the faithful Luther nailed the 95 thesis to the door at Castle Church in 1517. Now you will have to remember here that I am no historian. I do enjoy church history but at this point I only know (or think I know) bits and pieces. So if this is incorrect let me know! I believe that back in those days folks could "buy" salvation for themselves, their loved ones, even for people already deceased, all they had to do was give money to the Roman Catholic Church. Once salvation was "paid for" not by the blood of Christ but with money you could go on living however you pleased! Does that sound familiar? The only difference is that today it is offered as a free gift! Walk the isle, sign on the line, say the prayer, kneel at the alter. There is no need to change the way you live. Just believe. You can continue as you are, no need to be a holy roller. Scripture says that there will be many on that day who say, "Lord, Lord did we not do all of these things in your name! "Depart from me for I never new you!" Those are words I never want to hear from my God! I want to be sure that He says to me "Well done my good and faithful servant!"

John MacArthur

I have been wading my way through MacArthurs "The Gospel According To Jesus" for quite a while now. It is indeed a book that I would recommend if you have not yet read it! There is a part in this book that talks about the "two gates", the "narrow road", the "wide road" that are spoken of in the Gospels. Jesus says in Matthew 22:14, that "Many are called, but few are chosen." That really caught my attention. With the easy believeism that is taught today it is easy to see the many who are called. It is easy to see those who call themselves "Christians" and then go on to live their lives however they want. All you have to do is say a prayer "accept Christ" and you are saved, go ahead, live however you want. It doesn't matter, you said your prayer. You are heaven bound no matter what you do. The Gospels talk about the narrow road that is hard to find and has few people on it. I believe that the "wide road" is full of folks who have paid their "fire insurance" with a prayer and really believe that they are going to heaven. That is, after all, what they have been taught. If they would only pick up their bibles and read for themselves! Look at the gospel that Jesus proclaimed! They would see that Jesus actually turned people away! He did not tolerate the self righteous! He was very critical of the Pharisees. If you were not willing to give Christ you all He did not want you. He wants complete denial of self! "Take up you cross and follow Me" no matter what is the devotion that Christ requires. I know that I examine my life often. I want you all to know that in my righting I am speaking to myself more then anyone else. I want to make sure that I am living my life the way my Savior and Lord would want me too. There are areas in my life that I am having a hard time giving up. I also know that with the assistance of the Holy Spirit I am able to concur those problem areas! I know that I am washed in the blood of the Lamb. I know that Jesus is Lord of my life and I know that He is working in my life to make me more like Him. I also know that I have a very long way to go!