dW 05.23.08

scripture

 

Psalm 77:1-2 AMP

I will cry to God with my voice, even to God with my voice, and He will give ear and hearken to me. In the day of my trouble I seek (inquire of and desperately require) the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out [in prayer] without slacking up; I refuse to be comforted.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

D. L. Moody used to say, "In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study, God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking."  We certainly ought to spend more time every day listening to what God has to say to us in His Word than we require Him to spend in listening to what we have to say to Him in our prayers.

R. A. Torrey

dW 05.22.08

scripture

 

Proverbs 15:31-33
He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.

He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

 

En Espanol

 

thoughts

 

Shane Claiborne wrote a book titled Irresistible Revolution. In it he wrote that if what he wrote did not upset some people then he’d wonder if he really wrote what God wanted him to. Throughout the book I was challenged and confronted with many questions about my own faith experience and how I was living it out. Once I finished the book I decided to write Shane a letter. In the opening line I said that his book made me upset and that this was an angry letter. I explained that the reason why I was upset was that it opened my eyes to some ways in which my faith was lacking. I was spending almost all my time soaking in instead of getting wrung out. God’s blessings flow over our cup so that we can share it with others. However, my actions reflected that I had this idea that it was all meant for me. He wrote back and said that he loved the letter. He was glad that it upset me. With the letter was a small baggy of sand and a clothing tag on which read, “This sand is from Assisi. Saint Francis heard God say ‘repair my church’. May the repairs continue in us.” May we be humble when our faults are made aware to us and wise to correct them.

RE: dW 05.21.08

Comment:

Don’t leave them hanging with ‘go sleep with someone else’!   LOL

 

Perhaps the wrongness of Sarai and Abram’s choice won’t be clear to everyone. Therefore, please let me explain.

 

Background:

God made a promise to Abram that he would make him the father of many nations. However, since He took longer than they expected their “logic” overcame their faith and they felt they had to assist God in fulfilling His promise. This “assistance” resulted in Sarai feeling bitterness toward Hagar the maidservant who she had instructed her husband to sleep with who had given birth to a son. So much so that Hagar ran away with the child from Sarai’s harshness. This child of Hagar’s was named Ishmael, whom scholars relate to being the origin of the Arab nation. (Gen. 16:9-12) In the next chapter Abram became Abraham, the father of many nations and Sarai became Sarah the mother of nations. She gave birth in her old age to a son they named Isaac, which means laughter. Thus, God is faithful to His promises and needs not our assistance in fulfilling them.

 

I hope that clears up any confusion. J

- Kyle

 

scripture

 

Genesis 16:1-2

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

God always gives his very best to those who leave the choice with him.

James Hudson Taylor

dW 05.21.08

scripture

 

Genesis 16:1-2

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

God always gives his very best to those who leave the choice with him.

James Hudson Taylor

dW 05.20.08

scripture

 

John 17:15-19
Jesus prayed for his disciples, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.”

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

I would rather pray than be the greatest preacher in the world. Preaching, we stand before men on behalf of God. Praying, we stand before God on behalf of men.

Leonard Ravenhill

dW 05.19.08

scripture

 

Matthew 5:1-10

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

If every professing believer in America lived the Sermon on the Mount for 24 hours, we’d turn this country ‘round!

Leonard Ravenhill

dW 05.16.08

scripture

 

James 2:14-17

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

To escape the error of salvation by works we have fallen into the opposite error of salvation without obedience.

A. W. Tozer

 

link

 

Redeeming History

dW 05.15.08

scripture

 

Psalm 34:17-18

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God.

J. I. Packer

dW 05.13.08

scripture

 

Psalm 104:24-26

How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number— living things both large and small.

There the ships go to and fro, and the leviathan, which you formed to frolic there.

 

En Espanol

 

quote

 

I'm glad there's a depth in the Bible I know nothing about, for it shows its divine authorship.  A man once came to me with a very difficult passage and said, "Mr. Moody, how do you explain that?"  I replied, "I don't."  "But how do you interpret it?"  "I don't interpret it."  "Well, how do you understand it?"  "I don't understand it."  "What do you do with it?"  "I don't do anything with it."  "You don't believe it?"  "Yes, I believe it!  I believe many things I don't understand.  Nature itself is filled with wonders we cannot fathom, so how can we expect to know everything spiritual?"

D. L. Moody

dW 05.12.08

scripture

 

Luke 12:15
Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

 

thoughts

from KB, “things suck”

 

THINGS (possessions, stuff) suck your time.

THINGS suck your energy.

THINGS suck your joy.

THINGS suck your attention and devotion away from God.

THINGS suck away glory that should belong to God.

 

Things are not bad; but they have a tyranny over us that we allow.  We lose sight of the eternally valuable, and we sell our birthright for the temporary comfort of a bowl of red lentils, or a new table saw, or a car or...

 

quote

 

We go on multiplying our conveniences only to multiply our cares.

We increase our possessions only to the enlargement of our anxieties.
Anna C. Brackett