Archive - God RSS Feed

I’m thinking about silence this morning…

April 2, 2012 in Bible, God, Jesus, thoughts with 2 Comments

Here’s why….

“Is not patient silence the best reply to a gainsaying world? Calm endurance answers some questions infinitely more conclusively than the loftiest eloquence. The best apologists for Christianity in the early days were its martyrs. The anvil breaks a host of hammers by quietly bearing their blows.” (Spurgeon – Morning & Evening, April 2, morning)

This morning Spurgeon’s text is Matthew 27:14 – “But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” (NIV)

The book of Isaiah had already foretold this…..“as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7 NIV)

“By His quiet He conclusively proved Himself to be the true Lamb of God. As such we salute Him this morning. Be with us, Jesus, and in the silence of our heart, let us hear the voice of Thy love.”

A few challenges from Galatians…

March 23, 2012 in Bible, church, God, Jesus with 0 Comments

During part of last week and this week I read through Paul’s Letter to the Galatians…..

Some words that have been challenging me….

“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?”

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”

“But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another.”

“If we live by the spirit, let us also keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.”

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.”

“But, far be it for me to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Realtime dependence on God…

March 22, 2012 in Bible, church, God, Jesus with 0 Comments

“How then, with our selfishly ambitious and cruelly destructive hearts, can we bear faithful witness to the gospel today? Is it even possible? Yes, but only if we walk by the Spirit moment by moment: “But I say, walk by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh”
(Galatians 5:16).

That is not mechanical or formulaic. It is costly at a deeply personal level. But there is no other way. It means more than theological alertness. It means realtime dependence on God. It means putting ourselves – not others – under the judgment of his Word. It means being forgiven constantly, making endless mid-course corrections, and following Christ with daily crucifixions of our pride.”

[source]

I’ve just finished reading Paul’s Letter to the Galatians…immensely challenging…

‘Realtime dependence on God’ 

How might that look for you today?

True Religion

March 21, 2012 in Bible, Books, church, God, Jesus with 3 Comments

Lord God Almighty,
I ask not to be enrolled amongst the earthly great and rich,
but to be numbered with the spiritually blessed.
Make it my present, supreme, persevering concern
to obtain those blessings which are
spiritual in their nature,
eternal in their continuance,
satisfying in their possession.

Preserve me from a false estimate of the whole or a part of my character;
May I pay regard to my principles as well as my conduct,
my motives as well as my actions.

Help me never to mistake the excitement of my passions
for the renewing of the Holy Spirit,
never to judge my religion by occasional impressions and impulses, but by my
constant and prevailing disposition.

May my heart be right with thee,
and my life as becometh the gospel.

May I maintain a supreme regard to another and better world,
and feel and confess myself a stranger and a pilgrim here.

Afford me all the direction, defence, support, and consolation
my journey hence requires,
and grant me a mind stayed upon thee.

Give me large abundance of the supply of the Spirit of Jesus,
that I may be prepared for every duty,
love thee in all my mercies,
submit to thee in every trial,
trust thee when walking in darkness,
have peace in thee amidst life’s changes.

Lord, I believe, help thou my unbelief and uncertainties.

[from The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan prayers & devotions]

Sometimes I can be a first-class chicken….

March 20, 2012 in Bible, church, God, Jesus, thoughts with 0 Comments

“Sometimes I can be a first-class chicken in dealing with the real issues. Jesus, speaking to the Jews in John 5:41 in the New Living Translation, says, “Your approval or disapproval means nothing to me.” That is where I want to be, by his grace, getting off the emotional yo-yo of others’ approval or disapproval. As a leader I need to be able to deal with being unpopular, temporarily disliked, or misunderstood. It goes with the territory!”

{source}

Page 5 of 68« First...«34567»...Last »