Friday, October 12, 2007
dW 10.12.07
scripture
Psalm 97:1-12
The LORD reigns; let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are round about him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth. The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols— worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, O LORD. For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.
quote
God is as sternly and inflexibly just towards sin as if he never forgave iniquity, and yet he forgives sinners through Christ Jesus as freely and fully as if he never punished a transgression.
C. H. Spurgeon
Thursday, October 11, 2007
dW 10.11.07
scripture
Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
Luke 6:45
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
quote
By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever harmed his stomach.
Winston Churchill
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
dW 10.10.07
scripture
Phil. 4:5-7
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
thought
The term “the Lord is near” perhaps refers to a personal relationship with God, rather than the return of the Lord. We all should have such a relationship with our Father. With a close relationship to God there is no reason to be irritable or defensive, which are brought about by anxiety. We need to stop worrying. We need to let the power of God address or concerns. Being anxious focuses us on us, therefore we tend to forget God. Presenting our requests to God recognizes His blessing and controls over us. Granting control to God provides us with something in return: peace. Peace that exceeds our expectations, peace beyond our desires, and peace beyond the plans of men. Peace from God for a troubled individual or a troubled church.
-Pete
Monday, October 8, 2007
RE: dW 10.8.07
insight
If you take a coal out of a fire and set it by itself, it will soon burn up and die. However when left in the fire with the other coals it lasts much longer. Also the heat and light put out by many coals together in one place is much stronger than a bunch of single coals. So it is with our faith. We each must find a body of believers to join with and from whom we can learn and grow and be challenged and from whom we get spiritual nourishment and replenishment during worship time. This is the time we get recharged from being beat up by the world all week long. – Pete
dW 10.08.07
scripture
1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.
thought
Speaking to a friend this weekend I learned that they had not been going to church, and had not done so for a few months. I asked why and this friend responded, “The fire died.” I said that there was this theory that to keep a fire going you must kindle it. After we hung up the phone I thought about what I had said and realized that I was wrong. This idea of continually kindling fire to keep it going is not a theory but it sounds that way because we hardly ever practice it. Kindle: to start, to stir up, to cause to glow. These are action words. To keep the fire burning we must actively kindle our fires. And if it dies we must hurry to get it started again. A life without fire is cold.