I hope you enjoy this quiz. When you think you know the answer, just click on the word “ANSWER”
1. What must we do in order to have Christ live in us; and the life which we now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God? ANSWER 1
2. What should we present to God as our reasonable service? ANSWER 2
3. What do you need to take up daily in order to go after Christ? ANSWER 3
4. Do not yield your members as instruments of what, but as instruments of what? ANSWER 4
5. If we belong to Christ, what have we done with the flesh? Answer 5
I hope you enjoyed the quiz and I pray that the answers to the quiz are answers to an abundant life which our God desires for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope”
Technorati Tags: bible, quiz, christian, sacrifice, crucifixion, christ, revival
Monday, May 30, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Ultimate Sacrifice
I have found that my life in the military helped prepare me for my life as a Christian. Obedience to orders, respect to leaders, preparation, fellowship and working with others, and self sacrifice.
This is Memorial Day Weekend when we remember those who have died in the service to our country. I praise God for them and for their sacrificing all for us. Their sacrifice has bought us freedom in this country.
I pray that we as Christians will also sacrifice our lives for Christ.
Romans 12: 1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Technorati Tags: Sacrifice, military, Memorial, Christian, Prayer
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Compassion and Prayer
Compassion means to suffer with, to live with those who suffer. When Jesus saw the woman of Nain he realized, This is a widow who has lost her only son, and he was moved by compassion. He felt the pain of that woman in his guts. He felt her pain so deeply in his spirit that out of compassion he called the son to life so he could give that son back to his mother.
Henri J. M. Nouwen
I have a problem. I always thought that I am who I am, and this is just the way I naturally am. I have continually assumed this about myself, but now I doubt its validity. I have a lack of passion. I do not excite easily, and I do not become sorrowful easily either. I am a person whose emotions are generally very even keeled.
That sounds like something which is not a matter of concern and could even be desirous, but now I understand that it is not how I was created. I was created to be a person of passion. When events happen in my life, for good or evil, I take it in stride. I am not saying I am emotionless. I am saying I do not feel the deep passions which others feel. I do not have the compassion for people which I should have. I don’t become sorrowful at the death of someone. I don’t become thrilled when someone is healed. I merely think that God has moved. His will was done. Blessed be the name of the lord. Prayer, without compassion, is weak and powerless.
Compassion, without the power of prayer, reaps sorrow. The Holy Spirit taught me that today in my quiet time. I was dumbstruck. I had never understood until then about compassion and prayer. They are intimately intertwined together. You cannot have one without the other and live an effective Christian life.
To have a deep compassion and no power in prayer, will only send you into the deep pit of depression. You see the needs in the world, but you have no way to meet those needs. You see sickness and pain, but you can only stand by and watch the people die and suffer. God does not want you to have a compassion for people and not be able to do something about it. Jesus had compassion. When the scriptures speak of his compassion, he reached out to help people. He cured the blind. He cast out the demons. He fed the 5000. He raised the dead. All because he had compassion for people and then reached out with the power from God to meet the need.
I am praying to know the compassion of Christ. He will answer my prayer because He wants me to know His heart. He wants me to cry with Him and rejoice with Him. He wants me to know the heart pain He holds for people. I want to know His pain and I hunger for His passion.
When I have the compassion of Christ, my prayers will then have the power of Christ as well. I will not be uttering empty words as I pray, but words of love and compassion. My heart will hunger for healing and not be satisfied with saying “Well, I guess it is just God’s will for you to stay this way.” Prayer without compassion is weak and anemic.
I refuse to stay weak and anemic. I refuse to settle for anything less than the heart of Christ. I will not stand by and let people suffer without me suffering with them. I will know the tears of God. I will know his compassion. Once I know His compassion, I will also know His power to meet those needs. I will pray and the needs of the people will be met by His power. The blind will see. The lame will walk. The dying shall live. People will see and know God
Photo Credit: Sorrow by bluestar_tam
Technorati Tags: Revival,, healing,, compassion,, passion,, evangelism, suffering, prayer, power
Henri J. M. Nouwen
I have a problem. I always thought that I am who I am, and this is just the way I naturally am. I have continually assumed this about myself, but now I doubt its validity. I have a lack of passion. I do not excite easily, and I do not become sorrowful easily either. I am a person whose emotions are generally very even keeled.
That sounds like something which is not a matter of concern and could even be desirous, but now I understand that it is not how I was created. I was created to be a person of passion. When events happen in my life, for good or evil, I take it in stride. I am not saying I am emotionless. I am saying I do not feel the deep passions which others feel. I do not have the compassion for people which I should have. I don’t become sorrowful at the death of someone. I don’t become thrilled when someone is healed. I merely think that God has moved. His will was done. Blessed be the name of the lord. Prayer, without compassion, is weak and powerless.
Compassion, without the power of prayer, reaps sorrow. The Holy Spirit taught me that today in my quiet time. I was dumbstruck. I had never understood until then about compassion and prayer. They are intimately intertwined together. You cannot have one without the other and live an effective Christian life.
To have a deep compassion and no power in prayer, will only send you into the deep pit of depression. You see the needs in the world, but you have no way to meet those needs. You see sickness and pain, but you can only stand by and watch the people die and suffer. God does not want you to have a compassion for people and not be able to do something about it. Jesus had compassion. When the scriptures speak of his compassion, he reached out to help people. He cured the blind. He cast out the demons. He fed the 5000. He raised the dead. All because he had compassion for people and then reached out with the power from God to meet the need.
I am praying to know the compassion of Christ. He will answer my prayer because He wants me to know His heart. He wants me to cry with Him and rejoice with Him. He wants me to know the heart pain He holds for people. I want to know His pain and I hunger for His passion.
When I have the compassion of Christ, my prayers will then have the power of Christ as well. I will not be uttering empty words as I pray, but words of love and compassion. My heart will hunger for healing and not be satisfied with saying “Well, I guess it is just God’s will for you to stay this way.” Prayer without compassion is weak and anemic.
I refuse to stay weak and anemic. I refuse to settle for anything less than the heart of Christ. I will not stand by and let people suffer without me suffering with them. I will know the tears of God. I will know his compassion. Once I know His compassion, I will also know His power to meet those needs. I will pray and the needs of the people will be met by His power. The blind will see. The lame will walk. The dying shall live. People will see and know God
Photo Credit: Sorrow by bluestar_tam
Technorati Tags: Revival,, healing,, compassion,, passion,, evangelism, suffering, prayer, power
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Is Salvation a One Time Event?
Tell me not of your justification, unless you have also marks of sanctification. Boast not of Christ's work for you, unless you can show us the Spirit's work in you. - J.C. Ryle
Salvation is a one time event, but also is not. When we hear the word salvation we think about the day we accepted Jesus as our savior. For me that day was when I was in Navy boot camp. I can point to a specific time in my life when Jesus became my savior. On that day, I became justified before God. My sins were wiped clean because Jesus took them all upon himself. Romans 5:9
Today, I am working on my salvation. I love my God and I try my best to do His will in my life. I try to accomplish what the scriptures say in order to be more Christ-like. Slowly, God has stripped away sin from my life and is doing a good work within me to bring me closer to the person He desires. Slowly, but surely He is sanctifying me. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Justification is a one time event in your life, when you accept the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Sanctification is the continual work of God within you to bring your life into a more righteous way of living. Both are forms of salvation.
If you have Jesus as your savior, you have been justified, but that does not mean you have been sanctified. If you die to self and make Jesus the true lord of your life, then you are being sanctified. This is when real growth in your spiritual life begins.
There is a third salvation called glorification. This is yet to come for us. When we die or rapture occurs, we will be in the presence of God. We will be given a new body which shall never die. We will receive many heavenly blessings at this time, including a new knowledge of God. You will have a glorified body, soul and mind. Justification gave you eternal life in Heaven but without sanctification you might get to heaven but with nothing to show for your life. Philippians 3: 20,21
We need to give our lives to Jesus, not just for justification but for sanctification. We need to give Him all of ourselves to Him. Do not do it for any rewards but simply out of love. He died for you out of love, now you need to die to self out of love for Him.
Technorati Tags: revival, salvation, justification, sanctification, glorification, church, repentance, e
Salvation is a one time event, but also is not. When we hear the word salvation we think about the day we accepted Jesus as our savior. For me that day was when I was in Navy boot camp. I can point to a specific time in my life when Jesus became my savior. On that day, I became justified before God. My sins were wiped clean because Jesus took them all upon himself. Romans 5:9
Today, I am working on my salvation. I love my God and I try my best to do His will in my life. I try to accomplish what the scriptures say in order to be more Christ-like. Slowly, God has stripped away sin from my life and is doing a good work within me to bring me closer to the person He desires. Slowly, but surely He is sanctifying me. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
Justification is a one time event in your life, when you accept the free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus. Sanctification is the continual work of God within you to bring your life into a more righteous way of living. Both are forms of salvation.
If you have Jesus as your savior, you have been justified, but that does not mean you have been sanctified. If you die to self and make Jesus the true lord of your life, then you are being sanctified. This is when real growth in your spiritual life begins.
There is a third salvation called glorification. This is yet to come for us. When we die or rapture occurs, we will be in the presence of God. We will be given a new body which shall never die. We will receive many heavenly blessings at this time, including a new knowledge of God. You will have a glorified body, soul and mind. Justification gave you eternal life in Heaven but without sanctification you might get to heaven but with nothing to show for your life. Philippians 3: 20,21
We need to give our lives to Jesus, not just for justification but for sanctification. We need to give Him all of ourselves to Him. Do not do it for any rewards but simply out of love. He died for you out of love, now you need to die to self out of love for Him.
Technorati Tags: revival, salvation, justification, sanctification, glorification, church, repentance, e
Monday, May 23, 2011
My Three Fathers
I am sure you have heard how our view of God, our heavenly father, comes from how we view our earthly fathers. Many people have a problem with God because of their earthly fathers.
My early memories of my biological father were all of him being angry. I once was given an ear of corn from a neighbor and went home eating it. My father saw me with that corn and rushed out. Grabbing the corn from me, he stuck his face in front of mine and yelled at me. I have no idea what he said, but I remember his anger. He once got mad while we were fishing and threw all of our poles and the dog into the river. I do not have any early memories of him where he is not angry.
The night he left my mother and I, I was in my bed when he bursted through the door. He began to tear everything in my room apart. He threw my record player against the wall breaking it apart. He tore my clothes in two. Once he was done and everything in my room was broken, he left never to return.
Soon after my father left, my mother remarried and my step father adopted me. He was a good man, but I still loved my biological father. My way of thinking was that if I accepted this man as my father then my real father would be lost forever. Over time my attitude towards him wore down my step father, and he became abusive.
He would take wooden boards and make paddles out of them. If I did anything wrong he would use them on me hard enough that he would break them on my backside so that he would have to then use his hand. I believe in spankings but not like this. One time, he tried to break my arm but my mother stepped in and stopped him.
He would tell me how worthless I was. I couldn’t do anything right. He told me I was going to end up in prison someday. I do not remember him ever telling me anything good when I was growing up. He never told me that he loved me.
If I was to look at my earthly fathers as my guide as to what my heavenly is like I would have a very warped view of God. He would be a very angry and vindictive God. He would be destroying all I owned to punish me. I would be battered around by him and told how worthless I was. He would abandon me. I would be alone in the times I really needed him. God would be untrustworthy and hateful. He would be a bearer of sorrow, shame, pain, loneliness, worthlessness, destruction, hate, anger, and much more.
God worked a miracle in my life and showed me that He is not like my earthly fathers. He is faithful and true. He will never leave me or forsake me. God’s love for me is pure and no matter what I do He will not point a finger at me accusingly.
I found out that while my earthy fathers were fallible and sometimes did not act as a father should, my heavenly father never failed and always did what was best for me. He has become the father I had always desired.
I have forgiven my earthly fathers for not meeting the needs I had. I respect them for trying to do their best while still living a life without Christ and his guidance. I am made of flesh just like them, and I make mistakes as well. Thankfully, I don’t have to follow them. I have my Heavenly father to follow instead.
Technorati Tags: Father, God, love, abuse, hatred, Heavenly, anger
My early memories of my biological father were all of him being angry. I once was given an ear of corn from a neighbor and went home eating it. My father saw me with that corn and rushed out. Grabbing the corn from me, he stuck his face in front of mine and yelled at me. I have no idea what he said, but I remember his anger. He once got mad while we were fishing and threw all of our poles and the dog into the river. I do not have any early memories of him where he is not angry.
The night he left my mother and I, I was in my bed when he bursted through the door. He began to tear everything in my room apart. He threw my record player against the wall breaking it apart. He tore my clothes in two. Once he was done and everything in my room was broken, he left never to return.
Soon after my father left, my mother remarried and my step father adopted me. He was a good man, but I still loved my biological father. My way of thinking was that if I accepted this man as my father then my real father would be lost forever. Over time my attitude towards him wore down my step father, and he became abusive.
He would take wooden boards and make paddles out of them. If I did anything wrong he would use them on me hard enough that he would break them on my backside so that he would have to then use his hand. I believe in spankings but not like this. One time, he tried to break my arm but my mother stepped in and stopped him.
He would tell me how worthless I was. I couldn’t do anything right. He told me I was going to end up in prison someday. I do not remember him ever telling me anything good when I was growing up. He never told me that he loved me.
If I was to look at my earthly fathers as my guide as to what my heavenly is like I would have a very warped view of God. He would be a very angry and vindictive God. He would be destroying all I owned to punish me. I would be battered around by him and told how worthless I was. He would abandon me. I would be alone in the times I really needed him. God would be untrustworthy and hateful. He would be a bearer of sorrow, shame, pain, loneliness, worthlessness, destruction, hate, anger, and much more.
God worked a miracle in my life and showed me that He is not like my earthly fathers. He is faithful and true. He will never leave me or forsake me. God’s love for me is pure and no matter what I do He will not point a finger at me accusingly.
I found out that while my earthy fathers were fallible and sometimes did not act as a father should, my heavenly father never failed and always did what was best for me. He has become the father I had always desired.
I have forgiven my earthly fathers for not meeting the needs I had. I respect them for trying to do their best while still living a life without Christ and his guidance. I am made of flesh just like them, and I make mistakes as well. Thankfully, I don’t have to follow them. I have my Heavenly father to follow instead.
Technorati Tags: Father, God, love, abuse, hatred, Heavenly, anger
Sunday, May 15, 2011
God is Addicted!
I know it sounds ridiculous, but it is true. God is addicted. He cannot help it. The one who is all powerful has an addiction which has not been able to break. In fact, He has not even tried to break His addiction. Think of how hard it is for someone in the world to break from a drug addiction. God’s addiction is so powerful that compare to it, a heroin addiction looks as weak as an addiction to Chocolate.
God looks at you and cannot help Himself. He loves you, desires for you. He enjoys gazing at you so much that He even has the hairs on your head counted. He wants you to know Him as well as He already knows you. He is absolutely addicted with love for you. He cannot stop thinking about you, and how He can express His love for you. He has so many blessings He is ready to shower on you that Bill Gates would be jealous. The Holy Spirit is ready to pour out gifts to you in a never ending stream.
So why aren’t you receiving them? Jesus is your bridegroom whose wedding gifts to you await, but you have not truly committed yourself to Him yet. You are looking in the mirror and can’t take your eyes off yourself. He wants you to look upon Him. His eyes never leave you. His heart beats forth your name. Jesus wants you to love Him as much as He loves you. He wants the joy of showering you with His love. He only waits for you to commit your whole self to loving Him.
Song of Solomon 8:6 “Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame.”
Photo Credit: Dinner by Loveyousave
Technorati Tags: Revival, love, addiction, commitment, church,
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Do You Want Credit For Your Earthly Deeds?
"Saint Augustine said that it’s only by the grace of God that we ever do anything even approximating a good work, and none of our works are good enough to demand that God reward them. The fact that God has decided to grant rewards on the basis of obedience or disobedience is what Augustine called God’s crowning his own works within us. If a person has been faithful in many things through many years, then he will be acknowledged by His Master, who will say to him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant. The one who squeaks in at the last minute has precious little good works for which he can expect reward." - R. C. Sproul
Have you ever thought about what life time rewards you will receive in Heaven? Rewards you have earned for your good or evil works while you have lived?
If you have never accepted Christ as savior, then you have the privilege of paying the debt which your sins have earned. Each time you have done something wrong it has been noted by God. He is all knowing and He doesn’t need to peek at every detail about your life. He doesn’t enjoy keeping track of your short comings, but He still knows about them. At the time of your death all those sins will need to be paid for. The bill comes due and the cost for each black mark against your life is eternal death. Just one of those sins would send you into eternal damnation.
However, lets back up a moment. What about those good deeds you did? Don’t they also count? The price of sin is not payment by good works. They don’t count for you during Judgment. Any credit and benefits for your good works are found right here in this world. In your life people will thank you and show appreciation for what good things you have done. That is the reward you receive for your good life. People will remember you for being a man or woman who was kind, generous and good. You can accept the credit for your good works and enjoy them here in this world. For a short time in history a few people might reward your memory, but in the end it will all be for nothing. Matthew 6:20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
If you are a Christian, who knows Jesus as Lord and Savior, your sins have also been noted by God. However, you have the privilege of standing before God with the debt of your sins paid for by Jesus. He takes the credit for all the sin you have ever committed. Death is still the price for all your sin, but instead of you paying the price, Jesus did it for you on the cross.
Your good deeds have also been noted by God. Every time you have done something for God or for other people, God has taken note. When you get to Heaven you will be greatly rewarded for your righteous deeds. You will be given crowns to wear and Godly recognition and blessings. You will find eternal rewards far beyond your imagination. Revelations 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done."
However, everything you will be given is only possible because of the work of Christ and not because of you. You will receive all these grand accolades and rewards, but find that you are wholly unworthy of them. It was Jesus who gave you any righteousness. Jesus is the one who should be receiving the crowns, rewards and glory, not you.
In Revelation 4: 10 – 11 it says, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’” I believe that if the 24 elders find that their crowns are deserved by Jesus much more then they, so will we.
With an insight born of Godly wisdom you will cast yourself before Jesus and worship Him for His great love and sacrifice for you. You will cast your crowns at His feet. Every reward you have received will be given to Him who truly deserves them. All that you are and have, will be presented to the lover of your soul to use for whatever purpose He desires.
A Christian has nothing good or evil in his life that is his own to keep. We own nothing. It all belongs to our God. There is no need to fear God for any sin you do because Jesus paid the price. There is no reward for you to keep for any good thing you accomplish because Jesus will get the credit. So why should you do anything good?
You were created to be loved by God and to return that love to Him. We do God’s will out of love. He has given us life. His joy is found in blessing you and making your life abundant with joy and fulfillment. There is no way you could ever out love God. We don’t need to fear punishment to keep us from doing evil. We don’t need promises of rewards to do good. We only need to love Him and our lives will be full of good works.
Technorati Tags: Revival, prayer, rewards, crowns, Heaven, works,
Have you ever thought about what life time rewards you will receive in Heaven? Rewards you have earned for your good or evil works while you have lived?
If you have never accepted Christ as savior, then you have the privilege of paying the debt which your sins have earned. Each time you have done something wrong it has been noted by God. He is all knowing and He doesn’t need to peek at every detail about your life. He doesn’t enjoy keeping track of your short comings, but He still knows about them. At the time of your death all those sins will need to be paid for. The bill comes due and the cost for each black mark against your life is eternal death. Just one of those sins would send you into eternal damnation.
However, lets back up a moment. What about those good deeds you did? Don’t they also count? The price of sin is not payment by good works. They don’t count for you during Judgment. Any credit and benefits for your good works are found right here in this world. In your life people will thank you and show appreciation for what good things you have done. That is the reward you receive for your good life. People will remember you for being a man or woman who was kind, generous and good. You can accept the credit for your good works and enjoy them here in this world. For a short time in history a few people might reward your memory, but in the end it will all be for nothing. Matthew 6:20 "But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
If you are a Christian, who knows Jesus as Lord and Savior, your sins have also been noted by God. However, you have the privilege of standing before God with the debt of your sins paid for by Jesus. He takes the credit for all the sin you have ever committed. Death is still the price for all your sin, but instead of you paying the price, Jesus did it for you on the cross.
Your good deeds have also been noted by God. Every time you have done something for God or for other people, God has taken note. When you get to Heaven you will be greatly rewarded for your righteous deeds. You will be given crowns to wear and Godly recognition and blessings. You will find eternal rewards far beyond your imagination. Revelations 22:12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done."
However, everything you will be given is only possible because of the work of Christ and not because of you. You will receive all these grand accolades and rewards, but find that you are wholly unworthy of them. It was Jesus who gave you any righteousness. Jesus is the one who should be receiving the crowns, rewards and glory, not you.
In Revelation 4: 10 – 11 it says, “The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ‘Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.’” I believe that if the 24 elders find that their crowns are deserved by Jesus much more then they, so will we.
With an insight born of Godly wisdom you will cast yourself before Jesus and worship Him for His great love and sacrifice for you. You will cast your crowns at His feet. Every reward you have received will be given to Him who truly deserves them. All that you are and have, will be presented to the lover of your soul to use for whatever purpose He desires.
A Christian has nothing good or evil in his life that is his own to keep. We own nothing. It all belongs to our God. There is no need to fear God for any sin you do because Jesus paid the price. There is no reward for you to keep for any good thing you accomplish because Jesus will get the credit. So why should you do anything good?
You were created to be loved by God and to return that love to Him. We do God’s will out of love. He has given us life. His joy is found in blessing you and making your life abundant with joy and fulfillment. There is no way you could ever out love God. We don’t need to fear punishment to keep us from doing evil. We don’t need promises of rewards to do good. We only need to love Him and our lives will be full of good works.
Technorati Tags: Revival, prayer, rewards, crowns, Heaven, works,
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