The HEART of the Matter

If anyone had reason to boast in his religiosity and/or credentials before God, it would have been Paul. Yet he states:

"But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." ~Philippians 3:7-9

Joni Eareckson Tada, said in her email devotional for today, taken from her book, Pearls of Great Price:

"This week read the book of Philippians with an eye on Paul's example.... Let's not take pleasure in our regular church attendance, or pride in how many committees we serve on. Let's take pleasure in pleasing Christ and Christ alone.... Lord God, thank you for the example of godly men like the apostle Paul. Help me to learn from his life and make the cross my focus, evangelism my motive, and the glory of Christ my goal." (emphasis mine)

Now obviously, it's not that one can't enjoy regularly attending church...but rather, the problematic issues are any feelings of superiority and/or self-pride arising from the acts. When we become prideful in our participation in any activities, we are worshiping self, rather than the Creator. And certainly, none of those activities can replace the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross for our sins. Only through His atonement is the price paid for our access to the throne of our Heavenly Father.

It isn't merely a matter of semantics, but a very serious matter of self-righteousness, versus Christ's righteousness. It is a matter that goes straight to one's heart for Christ Jesus, versus twisting the gospel so that one's heart is worshipping self.

Christ-glorification versus self-glorification.

Paul is exhorting us to count it ALL rubbish, excepting boasting in Him!

He alone is worthy of the boasting...and He alone is worthy of the glory!

"Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed." ~Rev. 15:4

May we always: "...grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." ~2 Peter 3:18

What Does it Profit a Man?

God can sometimes have such a sense of humor, when He wants to confirm something He's speaking to our hearts. This morning, I was laying in bed, thinking on the verse:

"For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"~Matthew 16:26,

and asking the Lord if He would open my eyes more & more to what is eternal...if He would help me see what all He would have me see...all the things that are truly lasting and truly important. That I might be a Christian more and more with His arms. I must have been laying there about 30 or more minutes, talking to the Lord, asking for wisdom and guidance on this.

Well, I always leave the radio quietly playing all night on Christian radio, and when I get out of bed, I then turn it up, as I'm making the bed. As I turned it up, this song instantly starts playing...the first song I hear this morning! I'm sure this is probably surprising to some, but I have never heard this song before...probably because if you knew me, you'd know I'm not much into any type of rap at all :) ...even if it is Christian. :) But when I heard this song, it spoke right to my heart...I knew it was NOT a coincidence (no such thing!) that it came on the radio. I also figured this had to be a Toby Mac song, because I knew he did Christian rap, (our youngest daughter had liked his music in her teen years), and I thought it sounded like him.

So, after my morning coffee, I went to Godtube, to search what I thought might be his song, and sure enough, it was. God HAS to have a sense of humor, in wanting to confirm what had been on my heart this morning, as I lay there spending time with Him,...because I am NOT, NOT, NOT the teensiest little bit a rap person at all! To give you an idea, I had been a music major, playing the flute in a philharmonic orchestra when I was a young adult. lol Completely the opposite spectrum from rap...but I LOVED this song right away. It speaks about what's important...truly living for, and serving Jesus Christ. Living out His worldview. And it speaks about how serious it is to not realize what's truly important. I hope it speaks to you, as well:

Lose My Soul, by Toby Mac

C.S. Lewis documentary

"The only thing Christianity can not be...is moderately important." ~C.S. Lewis

A wonderfully extensive, multi-part documentary on C.S. Lewis' life and works, which we bought at Discovery House, a part of RBC Ministries. We watched it this weekend and it was *excellent*...very thorough! Is definitely something we can watch over & over, and still get something more out of it each time. One of the things that struck us the most, as we watched this, was his tremendous humbleness!

He was a wonderful example of: "For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." ~Romans 12:3

The Quotable C.S. Lewis on Faith in Christ Alone

"Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian home is good actions or Faith in Christ...It does seem to me like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most necessary. A serious moral effort is the only thing that will bring you to the point where you throw up the sponge. Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair at that point: and out of the Faith in Him good actions must inevitably come." ~C.S. Lewis, The Quotable Lewis (quoted from Mere Christianity) (Emphasis mine...I love how he states that!)

(The Quotable Lewis. You can get it here.)

"[Salvation] is the change from being confident about our own efforts to the state in which we despair of doing anything for ourselves and leave it to God.

I know the words 'leave it to God' can be misunderstood, but they must stay for the moment. The sense in which a Christian leaves it to God is that he puts all his trust in Christ; trust that Christ will somehow share with him the perfect human obedience which He carried out from His birth to His crucifixion: that Christ will make the man more like Himself and, in a sense, make good his deficiencies. In Christian language, He will share His 'sonship' with us, will make us, like Himself, 'Sons of God.'" ~C.S. Lewis, The Quotable Lewis (quoted from Mere Christianity)(again, emphasis mine...I love how he points out that it is through the Spirit of Christ, so that *Christ* gets the glory, and not man)

"In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." ~James 2:17-19

Below are 2 audios, among many, by John Piper on sanctification:

How the Spirit Does What the Law Could Not, by John Piper, at Desiring God

What the Law Could Not Do, God Did Sending Christ, Part 2, by John Piper, at Desiring God

"Therefore I glory in Christ Jesus in my service to God."~Romans 15:17

Marveling at His Amazing Love

AMAZING LOVE...

"Who can estimate the value of God's gift, when He gave to the world His only begotten Son! It is something unspeakable and incomprehensible. It passes man's understanding. Two things there are which man has no arithmetic to reckon, and no line to measure. One of these things is the extent of that man's loss who loses his own soul. The other is the extent of God's gift when He gave Christ to sinners...sin must indeed be exceeding sinful, when the Father gives His only Son to be the sinner's Friend!" ~J.C. Ryle

(video containing song, Amazing Love sung by Newsboys)

"Even if we do not consciously disregard the Lord, failing to marvel at the Father's grace---because we hear of it every week---is a subtle and powerful form of contempt. Take time to meditate on the greatness of our God and His love for us." (R.C. Sproul, Tabletalk,6/20/2008)

Born of HIS Righteousness

"And I urge you to demand righteousness of yourself, because societal change always begins with one person, one home, one man or woman, one boy or girl, willing to make a difference." ~Dennis & Barbara Rainey, of FamilyLife, from their book, Moments with You.

"For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith." ~Romans 1:17

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The Word Becomes Flesh And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." ~John 1:12-14

Whom Is It That Saves?

"The sufficiency of my merit is to know that my merit is not sufficient." ~Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 AD

"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away." Isaiah 64:6

Is it I that saves myself? Indeed if we could save ourselves, His horrific crucifixion was a waste and completely unnecessary. I can no more save myself than a drowning man in icy waters out in the middle of nowhere can through paddling harder! The more I focus that I'm drowning, and try with every ounce to save myself, the more I'm going to wear myself out, and eventually drown anyway. It is the buoy of Christ whom God graciously sends along to me, whom will hold me up, and save my otherwise sorry (as in wretched!) drowning soul.

There is not a spark of goodness in any of us, and the more we proclaim there is, the more there truly isn't!

"O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" Romans 7:24

"Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!...." ~Romans 7:25

It is HE, not I, that gives me the victory!

We are justified by faith:

“Therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

“To the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." (Romans 4:5)

(click here, or here, to read about justification by faith)

Are you ready?

You have probably heard of the new (man's) law, (not God's), attempting to redefine families, which took effect yesterday in California. It will bring changes to this country...of which Christians, (individually, in churches, and in their businesses), will find themselves persecuted more & more for standing true to their Christian faith & the Bible. Are you yet ready for what is to come? I'd like to share part of a story from VOM (Voice of the Martyrs). It is about Sabina Wurmbrand, (wife of VOM founder), of when she was imprisoned in Romania for her Christian faith, & officers were trying to get her to tell them the names of her fellow Christians:

"He continued, 'Let’s talk practically. Everyone has his price, so why don’t you just name yours? Just tell us what you want. Freedom for you and your husband? A nice home and a church? We would take good care of your family.' Sabina responded with the fiery conviction, 'Thank you, but I have sold myself already.' 'You have?' the interrogator interrupted. 'For how much and to whom?' 'The Son of God was tortured and gave his life for me. Through him I can reach heaven. Can you pay a higher price than that?'"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Are you ready? As the days, months, and years ensue, remember that we have a Mighty God. STAND fast dear friends. Much as Sabina did, we can boldly proclaim, "Thank you, but I have sold myself already!" Then proceed to tell any that will listen, about the most precious gift you already have...a LIVING Savior.

His Word tells us:

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” ~Deuteronomy 31:6

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand." ~Ephesians 6:13

Oh the Riches of His Glory...

24Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

(Matthew 16:24-27)

My Savior's Always There!

"Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O LORD, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old." ~Psalm 25:4-6

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior."~Habakkuk 3:18

Life can oftentimes be so difficult to understand...but this I have known...do know...and will always know:

MY GOD HE WAS, MY GOD HE IS, MY GOD HE'S ALWAYS GONNA BE!

(For in HIM I live and move and have my being.~Acts 17:28)

My tongue...

"My tongue will speak of your righteousness and of your praises all day long." ~Psalm 35:28

"I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure...." ~Psalm 16:8-9

All Things Bright & Beautiful!

"Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,

God made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings.

Yes, all things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,

And all things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

The purple-headed mountain,

The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky.

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,

He made them ev'ry one.

The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,

The flowers by the water,
We gather ev'ry day.

He gave us eyes to see them,

And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who doeth all things well."!

(words: Cecil F. Alexander, Hymns for Little Children, 1848; music: 17th century English melody; arranged by Martin F. Shaw, 1915)

Grace to the Humble...

"Have we ever seen holier men than the martyred John Bradford, or Hooker, or Usher, or Baxter, or Rutherford, or M'Cheyne? Yet no one can read the writings and letters of these men without seeing that they felt themselves "debtors to mercy and grace" every day, and the very last thing they ever laid claim to was perfection!" ~Ryle, J. C.

"But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" (James 4:6)

Spiritual Snack of the Day ~ Pride according to C.S. Lewis, & Cindy

"The essential vice, the utmost evil, is Pride. Unchastity, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere flea-bites in comparison: it was through Pride that the devil became the devil: Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind." ~ (C. S. Lewis)
My favorite doll, Cindy, from childhood: Not much to look at on the outside...certainly not much to be puffed up about within the world of dolls wherein existed in stores such as Barbie and the like, but Cindy had a heart of the stuffing that counts. She embodied in her simple ragdollhood, lessons of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22.) Not a lot of pride had she, but certainly a lot of lessons of virtue in her "you have to look inside because the outside's not much". I loved her dearly. Still do. :)

He does all things well

"Too wise a physician to make any mistakes"

"Yet when He heard that Lazarus was sick, He stayed where He was two more days." John 11:6

(J. C. Ryle, "The Gospel of John", 1873)

"Christ knows best at what time to do anything
for His people. He purposely delayed His journey,
and did not come to Bethany until Lazarus had
been in the grave four days. No doubt He knew
well what was going on. But He never moved
until the time came which He saw was best.

The children of God must constantly school their
minds to learn the great lesson now before us.
Nothing so helps us to bear patiently the trials of
life as an abiding conviction of the perfect wisdom
by which everything around us is managed.

Let us try to believe not only that all that happens
to us is done well, but that it is done . . .
in the best manner,
by the right instrument,
and at the right time.

We are all naturally impatient in the day of trial.
We are apt to say, like Moses, when beloved ones
are sick, 'Heal her now, Lord, we beseech You.'

We forget that Christ is too wise a physician to
make any mistakes. It is the duty of faith to say,
'My times are in Your hand. Do with me as You will,
how You will, what You will, and when You will. Not
my will, but Yours be done.' The highest degree of
faith is to be able to wait, sit still, and not complain.

Let us turn from the passage with a settled
determination to trust Christ entirely with all
the concerns of this world, both public and private.
Let us believe that He by whom all things were
made at first, is He who is managing all with
perfect wisdom.

The affairs of kingdoms, families, and private
individuals are all alike, overruled by Him.

He chooses all the portions of His people.

When we are sick, it is because He knows it
to be for our good. When He delays coming
to help us, it is for some wise reason.

The hand that was nailed to the cross is too
wise and loving to smite without a 'needs be',
or to keep us waiting for relief without a cause."

Abiding in His joy

"A cheerful look brings joy to the heart...." ~Proverbs 15:30

"Abide in Me: These words are the command of love, which is ever only a promise in a different shape. Think of this until all feeling of burden and fear and despair pass away, and the first thought that comes as you hear of abiding in Jesus be one of bright and joyous hope." ~Andrew Murray

Running the race

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." ~ Hebrews 12:1

So that we might one day say:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." ~2 Tim. 4:7

Pride has no place

"May the Lord bring us in contemplation to Calvary, then our position will no longer be that of the pompous man of pride, but we shall take the humble place of one who loves much because much has been forgiven him. Pride cannot live beneath the cross. Let us sit there and learn our lesson, and then rise and carry it into practice." ~Charles H. Spurgeon

What are you boasting in?

"If any man ascribes anything of salvation, even the very least thing, to the free will of man, he knows nothing of grace, and he has not learned Jesus Christ rightly." ~Martin Luther

"...that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?" ~ 1 Cor. 4:6-7

"...so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." ~ 1 Cor. 29-30

"If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not!" ~ Galatians 2:17

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!"~ Romans 6:15

"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature ; rather, serve one another in love." ~ Galatians 5:13

"...for in Him we live and move and have our being...." ~Acts 17:28

"...love is the fulfillment of the law." ~Romans 13:10

"Let us then ascribe the whole work of grace to the pleasure of God's will. God did not choose us because we were worthy, but by choosing us He makes us worthy." ~Thomas Watson

Christ crucified...

"Learn to know Christ and him crucified. Learn to sing to him, and say, 'Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and given me what is yours. You have become what you were not so that I might become what I was not.' ~Martin Luther

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." ~Galatians 6:14

Good morning Mr. Bluebird!

This little gentleman greeted me this morning, as I sat on the backstep drinking my coffee while taking in the morning. Mr. Eastern Bluebird is not quite as clear as I would've liked, as I quickly snapped the pic, afraid he would fly away and I'd miss him altogether. This is the 2nd one, while sitting in back, that I've seen within the past week...very unusual for here!

Dear bluebird, friend bluebird, what joy flitters in,
With your painted rich God-strokes in hues from the sky~
How I gaze in celebration upon you this morn,
Such goodness God sends, you're a pleasure adorned!

Jesus, name above all names...

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of

every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11)

God's gift of time...

"Thirty-two million seconds in every year, and each second we live is a precious gift from God to use for his purposes. If we waste them, the seconds return to God, but they will not return to us. They are gone forever.... Jesus, even while being crucified, spent his final breaths offering salvation to the robber and speaking words of comfort to his mother. He even ministered to his murderers by offering them forgiveness. Imagine how precious that time was to the thief who joined Jesus in heaven that day. Are you filling your precious moments with purpose? Ask God to show you how to redeem your time, not waste it." (~VOM, Extreme Devotion email, 5/26/08)

"So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom." ~Psalm 90:12