dW 10.19.07

scripture

 

Psalm 112

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands.

His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.

Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice.

Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever.

He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.

He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor.

The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

 

quote

 

It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.
Aristotle Onassis

 

http://the-daily-word.blogspot.com/

dW 10.18.07

scripture

 

Isaiah 38:17

Surely it was for my benefit that I suffered such anguish. In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction; you have put all my sins behind your back.

 

1 John 1:9

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

lyrics

 

artist: Casting Crowns

album: The Altar and the Door

track: 4

song: East To West
 

Here I am, Lord, and I’m drowning in your sea of forgetfulness
The chains of yesterday surround me
I yearn for peace and rest
I don’t want to end up where You found me
And it echoes in my mind, keeps me awake tonight
I know You’ve cast my sin as far as the east is from the west
And I stand before You now as though I’ve never sinned
But today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

Jesus, can You show me just how far the east is from the west
‘Cause I can’t bear to see the man I’ve been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other

I start the day, the war begins, endless reminding of my sin
Time and time again Your truth is drowned out by the storm I’m in
Today I feel like I’m just one mistake away from You leaving me this way

I know You’ve washed me white, turned my darkness into light
I need Your peace to get me through, to get me through this night
I can’t live by what I feel, but by the truth Your word reveals
I‘m not holding on to You, but You’re holding on to me
You’re holding on to me

Jesus, You know just how far the east is from the west
I don’t have to see the man I’ve been come rising up in me again
In the arms of Your mercy I find rest
‘Cause You know just how far the east is from the west
From one scarred hand to the other
One scarred hand to the other
From one scarred hand to the other

dW 10.17.07

scripture

 

1 Corinthians 15:55-58

"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" (Hosea 13:14)

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 

quote

 

Death is not death if it kills no part of us, save that which hindered us from perfect life.
Death is not death if it raises us in a moment from darkness into light, from weakness into strength, from sinfulness into holiness.
Death is not death if it brings us nearer to Christ, who is the fount of life.
Death is not death if it perfects our faith by sight and lets us behold Him in whom we have believed.
Death is not death if it gives us to those whom we have loved and lost, for whom we have lived, for whom we long to live again.
Death is not death if it rids us of doubt and fear, of chance and change, of space and time, and all which space and time bring forth and then destroy.
Death is not death, for Christ has conquered Death for Himself and for those who trust in Him.

-Charles Kingsley

 

http://the-daily-word.blogspot.com/

dW Heaven and Hell

A man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like."

The Lord led the man to two doors.  He opened one of the doors and the man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the man's mouth water.

The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful.

 

But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
 
The man shuddered at the sight of their misery and suffering. 

The Lord said, "You have seen Hell."

They went to the next room and opened the door. It was exactly the same as the first one. There was the large round table with the large pot of stew which made the man's mouth water. The people were equipped with the same long-handled spoons, but here the people were well nourished and plump, laughing and talking. The man said, "I don't understand."

“It is simple," said the Lord. "It requires but one skill. You see they have learned to feed each other, while the greedy think only of themselves."

 

-Bob

dW 10.15.07

scripture

 

Matthew 11:28-30

Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

 

thoughts

 

When I think of a yoke I think of the wood that presses in on an ox’s neck as it pulls the plow through the ground. It is an object that denotes submission to its master with a set of rules for it to follow. In the same way is this yoke which Jesus speaks of.

 

A Jewish teacher is called a rabbi. What a rabbi teaches is considered to be his yoke. If you wanted to be that rabbi’s disciple then you had to take on his yoke. You chose to submit to his teachings and to follow in his steps.

 

The yoke that the people knew was the law. It was a yoke that was so heavy no one could bear it. The more you tried to bear it the more you sank in its unquenchable demands for absolute perfection.

 

The yoke of Christ is one of liberation, not condemnation. The yoke of Christ is one of freedom, not bondage. The yoke of Christ is one that asks you for your obedience and brings you joy through that obedience.

 

quote

 

Worldly people imagine that the saints must find it difficult to live with so many restrictions, but the bondage is with the world, not with the saints.  There is no such thing as freedom in the world, and the higher we go in the social life the more bondage there is.

Oswald Chambers