Planned Neglect

I want to share with you an excerpt from a book I am currently reading entitled,  Found: God's Will, by John MacArthur.  It is very good, and I would definitely recommend you reading it!

Planned Neglect: 

"The more you study the Word of God, the more it saturates your mind and life.  Someone is reported to have asked a concert violinist in New York's Carnegie Hall how she became so skilled.  She said that it was by "planned neglect".  She planned to neglect everything that was not related to her goal.  Some less important things in your life could stand some planned neglect so that you might give yourself to studying the Word of God.  Do you know what would happen? The more you would study the Word of God, the more your mind would be saturated with it.  It would be no problem then for you to think of Christ.  You won't be able to stop thinking of Him.   To be Spirit filled is to live a Christ-conscious life, and there is no shortcut to that.  You can't go and get yourself super-dedicated to live a Christ-conscious life.  The only way you can be saturated with the thoughts of Christ is to saturate yourself with the Book that is all about Him.  And this is God's will, that you not only be saved but that you also be Spirit-filled." 

Like that accomplished violinist, could you, as a follower of Christ, also practice in a "planned neglect" way? 

 

True Beauty

Will you accept the challenge...to give up your life for Him, whom you call Lord and Savior, to be completely set apart for Him, and to surrender your life to Him?! 

Me, Myself, and I

I want to share with you another quote by one of my favorite authors, Leslie Ludy, that really touches on something I have been thinking about a lot lately.  Please read:

"In American Christianity, which is somewhat sad to say, the focus 

is so much on ME, ME, ME!  What do I need, what do I want, what are my desires,

what are my dreams, and what am I feeling, yet we do not fully understand that 

the true gospel is a poured out life, a sacrificial life.  I am a living sacrifice 

unto the Lord for Him to come and work through me and 

use me to change this world around me.  Yes, our heart is valuable to Christ, He 

loves us, His children, and He wants to heal and transform us, but that is only the beginning.

After that, it's a life of sacrifice for our life is not our own. We have 

been bought with a price." 

~Leslie Ludy 

The life of a true follower of Jesus Christ is not one focused on self.  It is one centered around Christ.  Are we daily seeking to lift up our lives to His care and to take up our cross daily and follow after Him? Or would we rather follow what we want to do and live a life that does not portray our King to the max?  Yes, He gives us desires and hopes which He most certainly can use for our good and His glory, but do we constantly seek Him in everything and desire to follow after Him...even if it means giving up what we want if that may be the case?!  

I have had to ask myself this question many times.  It is not one that is easy to answer.  It goes against everything that society says and even what modern day Christianity teaches. Yet, it is what is true. Go read your Bible and see for yourself!

Are you willing to take up your cross daily and follow after Christ?  Really think about that.

Think About It...

I love this quote: 

"By realizing the reality of the Holy Spirit within us, we are never bothered again by the fact that we do not understand ourselves, or that other people do not understand us.  The only One who truly understands [me] is the One who made [me] and who redeems [me]...It is a tremendous freedom to get rid of every kind of self-consideration and learn to care about only one thing -- the relationship between our Heavenly Father and ourselves." 

~ by Oswald Chambers  (paraphrase)

I was also reading a verse today in Psalms that really made me think.  "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalm 118:6) 

How often we put our trust, hope, confidence, and value in our family and friends.  We look to people to determine our worth and value instead of focusing on the Truth that Christ is the ONLY One we should place on that pedestal of worship.  

We desire to be understood and valued like we think we should.  Well, I can tell you that people will not give you that which we truly desire and seek.  Only Christ can truly give us that which we long for in this life.

Who are you worshiping...man or Christ?

Running In a Race

I run for exercise, and I have trained for events and understand that diligence, training, and commitment is important to improve and to be successful in the sport of running (as also in any sport). It is interesting to also view the Christian life in this sort of perspective as well.   The apostle Paul writes, as recorded in the book of Philippians chapter 3 verse 12-15, "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on that, I may lay hold of that which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

This is like a runner.  The Christian has not reached the goal of Christ likeness, but like a runner in a race, the believer must continue to pursue it.  It SHOULD BE the goal of EVERY true follower of Christ.

How do you expect to do well as an athlete if you don't work at it?! It takes diligence, sacrifice, effort, pain, sweat, and even giving ALL that you have.  This is the exact same in the Christian life.  You cannot just sit by and say to yourself, well I am saved so God is just going to do it all, and I am going to do nothing.  That is not what scripture so emphatically says.  I can give you several passages that emphasize the Truth that the Christian must PRESS on, and fight the good fight.  2 Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 4:20-24, Col. 3, 1 Cor. 9:24-27, all teach and explain that the Christian life is one of diligence and effort.

I am not saying that salvation is by works, of course its NOT.  Scripture numerous times contradicts that common theology.  What I am saying is that we do not work FOR our salvation, we work OUT our salvation.  We keep on continually making the effort to work it out.  There is great personal effort. 

I love how Pastor John MacArthur put it in his sermon entitled, "God at Work in You", teaching on the passage in Phil. 2:12, that the salvation that is in you is to be brought out to its fullness.  We are to mine out of our lives what God has richly deposited there (salvation).   We are to produce such precious nuggets of personal character from what God has so planted in us (our salvation).


This is something I am learning and will continue to learn more and more about for as long as I live!!! 



Are you working OUT your faith in the race set before you!?

He Knows Best

As I was going through some old files on my computer, I came across this quote I had typed and saved a few months ago.  I re-read it, and I was immediately encouraged and challenged yet again.  This quote is from a book I read and would highly recommend for you all to pick up as well!  It is by Nancy Leigh Demoss and the title of the book is called Surrender.  I now want to share with you a short paragraph (the one I just stumbled upon) from that book. 

To be a living sacrifice will involve all of myself.  My will and my emotions, my health and vitality, my thinking and activities all are to be available to God, to be employed as He chooses, to reveal Himself to others.  Should He see that someone would be helped to know Him through my being ill,I accept ill health and weakness.  I have no right to demand what we call good health…All rights are His—to direct my living so that He can most clearly reveal Himself through me.  God has the right, then, to choose my job, and where I work, to choose my companions and my friends….To be a living sacrifice will involve all my love…I relinquish the right to choose whom I will love, and how, giving the Lord the right to choose for me…Whether I have a life partner or not is wholly His to decide, and I accept gladly His best will for my life.  I must bring all the areas of my affections to the Lord for His control, for here, above all else, I need to sacrifice my right to choose for myself…I need to be so utterly God’s that He can use me or hide me, as He chooses, as an arrow in His hand or in His quiver.  I will ask no questions:  I will relinquish all rights to Him who desires my supreme good.  HE KNOWS BEST!!!!!

My Savior truly does know best!  I need to constantly be reminded of this fact.  I pray that you also will be encouraged by this truth, and that you will fully surrender your life to Him!  Is that something you desire?!  

Have a good Tuesday!

The Truest Fulfillment

I want to share with you something I read recently that really struck home for me.  The author of this excerpt, Leslie Ludy, has written many books I have read and have thoroughly enjoyed.  She is a young woman who is not afraid to proclaim the Truth contained in God's Word.  Please, take a moment and read the following:

"Leonard Revenhill once said that modern Christianity has accepted a counterfeit version of joy and peace by looking to Hollywood and professional sports to bring us delight.  We look to movies and television and football games to bring us the pleasure that our King desires to give.  And by leading on worldly entertainment for rest and refreshment, we find only a temporary fix; not lasting happiness or true fulfillment.  This is exactly the bait that many of us have fallen for.  We have accepted a counterfeit version of peace and joy, and it's often hard for us to believe we can find something even better in Christ. 

But when you think about the great spiritual heroes like Elsizabeth Fry, Viba Perpetua, or Gladys Alwyard, it's hard to imagine them spending every night in front of the T.V. and rushing out to see the latest blockbuster on opening night.  They were far too busy living out a real-life drama with the King of the universe; spilling out their lives to bring Him glory, reveling in His abundant mercy and faithfulness; marveling at His unspeakable power, and delighting in the joy of His surrounding presence.


Amy Carmichael once wrote,  'We often ask the question. 'What is the harm of it?'  about reading certain books, following certain pursuits, taking our recreation in certain ways.  What is the harm of the latest novel, even if it happens to be rather unprofitable?  And we (who have not the time to read one out of a thousand of the real books that have been written) spend a precious hour by deliberate choice over something not worthwhile.' 


When we lay everything at the feet of Jesus and find our deepest fulfillment, rest, peace, strength, and joy in His presence alone -- not dulling our spiritual life with worldly counterfeits -- we are ushered into the supernatural, superhuman existence God designed us to live/  That's when the presence of God draws near.  That's when our prayers are heard and answered.  That's when the life we read about in Scripture actually becomes our reality.  So, what are we waiting for?  Let's turn of the clamor of pup-culture and tune in to His Spirit, today" 

It is so true!  We look to other things to give us that temporary feeling of "happiness" and "peace" instead of looking to the One who can give us everlasting JOY and SATISFACTION!!!  It is so easy to get caught up in the pattern of looking to other things to bring us happiness because a lot of us do like to "escape" from the present and "get lost" into something that will take our minds off of what is truly reality.  For the believer, we should not look to other things to help us "escape", but instead we are to focus on the Truth that "in His presence is fullness of joy". (Psalm 16:11).

I challenge you this week to really think about this and to examine your own life.  Are you looking to Christ to give you true fulfillment and joy, or do you continually look to other "things" to give you that temporary "happy" feeling?!


Thanks for reading!

The Biggest Word of All: Eternity

Have you ever really thought about what eternity is?  The dictionary defines this word as, "infinite or unending time; timelessness."  We really do not have any association with this word because it does not apply to us.  Since we live in a world that is subject to "time", we really cannot grasp what this means.  Even when I try to think about it, my head hurts.  We have no concept of what eternity really is. 

When I think of this word, I mainly focus on one thing...my life after death.   As a follower of Christ, I know that my eternity is secure in Him, and that it will be spent with Him in Heaven.   He alone is THE Way, THE Truth, and THE Life (John 14:6).  It is not by what I have done, for I cannot work my way into paradise for I am unholy and unrighteous before a holy God.  It is ALL by His grace and mercy that I am saved, and He has redeemed me from eternal destruction.  I am thankful for this because I can rejoice in the FACT, that I will spend my eternity with Him.  ..."And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3). 

It is also very sad to think about what eternal life would be like without God.  To be in a place where God does not exist, where there is utter destruction, and where there are all kinds of evil.  I cannot even begin to imagine what this place, Hell, is like. 

Of course, the biggest event in the news at present is the death of the terrorist leader,  Osama bin Laden.  Yes, I am relieved, in a sense, that this awful man has been "caught" and can no longer perform his many acts of murder and terror; yet, it is a very somber time.  Just think, this man spent the majority of his life following after a "god" that did not exist.  He sacrificed his life for a faith that would bring about destruction instead of the happiness and luxury promised.  This man was lost, blind, and dead spiritually.  He was a murder of many and for his actions here on earth he will give an account before his Maker and Judge, to the one true God...not Allah.   I am thankful that I serve a just Judge, and He will judge righteously and accordingly.  

However, it is sad to see that bin Laden died without knowing the one true God.  I do not wish upon anyone for them to be separated for all eternity without Christ, for that is such a scary and awful thing to even comprehend.  Dear friends, really take time to think about this.  What is eternity and in what (or whom) are you placing your hope?!

I pray that you are placing your hope in the only One who can save from complete destruction, Jesus Christ!    Eternity is a long time...it is FOREVER!

Thank you for reading!