Remembering

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.  I will be glad and exult in you, I will sing praise to your name, O Most High Psalms 9:1-2

David tells us to recount all of God's wonderful deeds.  The whole bible is adamant that we recall all of the marvelous things God has done.  Why is it so hard then?  I've had bad things happen to me before, I can recall almost everything about those situations.  I sometimes replay them in my head.  I guess it's some kind of self torture that I revel in.  Tommy Nelson says something I love, "Don't let what you don't understand about your past, keep you from enjoying your future."  I might have butchered that, but it's close.  Think of three things that God has done for you in the past.  Three wonderful deeds.  See if it puts you in the mood for praising.  Funny thing, even those horrible things I replay in my mind, if I fast forward them a little I see how God worked it out for Good.  Isn't He amazing.

How to have a personal revival

In A.W. Tozer's book The Size of the Soul he gives ten suggestions that will result in a radically improved Christian life. 

1.  Get thoroughly dissatisfied with yourself.  Complacency is the deadly enemy of spiritual progress.
2.  Set your face like a flint toward a sweeping transformation of your life.  Timid experimenter are tagged for failure before they start.
3.  Put yourself in the way of blessing(obedience)
4.  Do a thorough job of repenting.  Do not hurry to get it over with.
5.  Make restitution whenever possible.
6.  Bring your life in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount and other New Testament scriptures.
7.  Be serious minded.
8.  Deliberately narrow your interests.
9.  Begin to witness.
10.  Have faith in God

These are all good suggestions.  I want you to remember that it begins and ends with Jesus.  When I get to heaven, the only thing I'll have to boast in is what Jesus did.  It's not about your performance.  The book Bookends of the Christian Life suggests  when you only look at your life one of two things happen.  1.  You think you are doing a good job, you become self righteous.  2.  You think you're doing a crappy job and can't get over it.  You are riddled with guilt.  I want you to throw your whole heart into being holy, but I also want you to constantly fix your eyes on Jesus.  Don't boast in your good performance or your bad one, remember His.

It's good to be a part of a family

At one time I was separated from God.  I was outside the family without any hope.  God in His infinite mercy brought me to His family by the grace of His son Jesus Christ.  Eph 2: 12-13  So when a family takes in an orphan, they're making the gospel visible.  They're giving somebody a family, a second chance.  God is glorified in this. 

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this; to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  James 1:29

The church has a job to do and I think is getting better at it.  We are to adorn the gospel with good works.  This isn't a guilt trip for you guys to do foster care.  It isn't everybody's calling, but I do ask you to pray for those kids in care.  I do ask you to look at your life and ponder how you're fleshing out the gospel.  People need to hear it, but they need to see it as well.  A lot of us are good at talking about the gospel or talking about the bible.  Do you remember what John 13:35 says?  By this they'll know that you're my disciples, if you blog.  No! If you talk about your church or quote bible verses.  No, they'll know by you're love for one another.

Check out this site.  I get a lot of my ideas from these guys.  In fact I stole the first part of this posting from a guy name Dan and article called Adoption is Gospel Re-enactment. 

Daddy’s Rules for Dating His Daughters

Parents of girls need to check this out.

Daddy’s Rules for Dating His Daughters

Extra: 4 yr old marries child that he bore himself

I was just searching through our denominational magazine looking for something edgy to write about.  Some doctrinal thing that I could straighten out.  Some poorly written letter to the editor that I could tear to shreds.  Some current situation that I could shed some biblical light on.  Then I went to my 3 sons room to clean up pee off the floor.  My son who turned 4 yesterday told me that when he had a baby from his tummy he was going to marry it.  Seems like I may have bigger fish to fry. 

As Christians we like to set up straw men to shoot down.  We pick pet sins and assault them ruthlessly.  Drinking, gambling, and abortion are common topics in pulpits across America.  Some pastors speak so passionately against abortion, as they should.  Since it's a sin they don't do, they really can let people have it.  Do you ever wonder what it would be like if a woman who had an abortion was in the room?  It's one thing to point out sin, it's another to attempt to shame people to death.  Especially, when the same well meaning pastor doesn't tell them what amazing grace and forgiveness there is in Jesus. 

My church like most Southern Baptist churches has a covenant we kind of follow.  We love that it says things about certain sins.  The thing is it also tells us that we're supposed to have devotions with our family.  Somehow, people don't worry about that.  I want to be a man that's the same in and out of church.  I want to be a man that teaches my son that men don't have babies and it's wrong to marry your child. 

Deuteronomy 6: 7 tells us that we're supposed to teach our children the statutes of God when we sit in our house, when we walk by the way, when we lie down, and when we wake up.  In other words parents are constantly teaching their children God's word in the everyday context of life.  In vs 20. it says that your son will ask you someday what is all of this stuff about?  You then get a chance to tell them how God is our deliverer and has our good in mind.  Loving and leading your family is far more important than finding something interesting to write about. 

Instead of picking on other people's sins how about you pick on your own for a while.

Faith No Matter What

I'm enjoying writing  this blog immensely.  As I've studied different blogs recently I've come to a few conclusions.  One, I'm definitely interested in sustainability.  I want to be here for the long haul, so you'll get some days with just quotes and I"ll take some weekends off. Two, I think Christians should engage the culture, but I'm not terribly interested in being hip and trendy.  Wherever you are at in your walk with Jesus, my aim is to encourage you. 

Take a look in your bibles at Hebrews 11.  The great hall of faith.  Beginning in vs 32, the author talks about great heroes gone by.  Those that went out on top.  They conquered kingdoms, enforced Justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, and put foreign armies to flight.  This is the kind of faith that we all envy.  Faith that makes us winners.  Then all of a sudden the author changes gears.  Others possessed great faith that didn't work out so well.  Some were tortured, mocked, flogged, stoned, sawn in two and killed with swords.  Your faith isn't about circumstances, your faith is about God.  Who knows what the temporal results will be.  The eternal results will be residing with your Christ forever.  We don't get to pick the path our life takes, but we don't have to go at it alone. 

Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.  God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer's; he makes me tread on high places.  Habakkuk 3: 17-19

Stupid Apologies

I just read an article on how in 2009 Southern Baptists apologized to black people about their stance on slavery.  Episcopalians got into the act as well and apologized for slavery.  I'm a proud Southern Baptist,(see how I capitalize it, that proves I'm proud), but I think this is stupid.  While we're at it, as Christians we might apologize for other things that we've did wrong.  For instance, how about the crusaded or even worse the monster that is Christian television.  Horrible!  C.S.Lewis wrote an article for The Guardian called "Dangers of National Repentance"  The gist is it's dangerous to apologize for something we hate in someone else.  We become proud of our confession, receiving the therapeutic pleasure from that, but don't have to repent of anything.  Proverbs tells us that sin is meant to be confessed and forsaken.  The freedom center website says there are between 12 and 27 million people still in some form of slavery today.  How about we try to fix that.  Instead of confessing past wrongs let's hate sin and fight for righteousness now.  I want to tell you that it is biblical to confess our nation's sins.  That's good, but let's make sure we do something about it as well.

www.freedomcenter.org/slavery-today

Professor Pain

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.  C.S. Lewis The Problem of Pain

God's surest way of getting our attention is to hurt us or allow us to be hurt.  Our heartache when handled well teaches us so much about God and our savior Jesus Christ.  Joseph spent a good deal of his time in a pit, in slavery, and in prison, but even he told his brothers that they meant it for bad, but God meant it for good.    God hurt Paul so he wouldn't get prideful.  Scripture tells us Jesus learned obedience through suffering.  Pain is no respecter of persons.  I think it's one of God's greatest means to molding us.  God is interested in far more than your personal happiness.  He wants to make you like Jesus.  Pain will do that for you if received well.  If you're grieving or in pain, don't waste it.  When we don't trust God, when we run away from God in pain, we're wasting His purposes in pain.  Don't waste your grief.  Seek God with all your heart.  I'm not asking you to get God, we're in a lot of trouble if we're able to understand God.  I'm asking you to trust Him anyways.  Constantly, the bible teaches us to glory in our tribulations.  That isn't because we're supposed to like pain, it's because pain will produce character in our lives. 

If you're not in pain, does this mean you should anxiously await your next bout with pain?  I think that's crazy.  It'll come.  Just make sure that right now you're trusting, loving, and worshipping God.  Understand that with Him as your strength His grace will be sufficient for thee.  In the meantime, be thankful.  Love God and love others.

Musings of a Hypocrite

In the book of Acts there is the story of Ananias and Saphira.  They sold some land, kept some of the money and gave the rest to the Lord.  When asked they said they gave it all to the Lord.  God killed them both for lying to the Holy Spirit.  What was their sin?  It wasn't keeping some of the money, they were entitled to do that.  It was lying to the Holy Spirit.  Why lie?  They wanted to appear holier than they actually were.  I do that all the time.  It's not so much of a real desire to be holy, as much as a desire for others to think I'm holy.  There's a story in the 1 Samuel 15  in which Saul only does part of what God commanded him to.  The Lord rejected Saul that day.  Saul said he was sorry and Samuel told him that that wasn't enough.  In vs 30 Saul said, I have sinned yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel.  I had the privilege of attending Sandy Wilson's church Sunday and he said this isn't an example of repentance, it's an example of image maintenance.  Saul cared about how he looked more than who he was or who he sinned against.  How often am I more concerned about reputation than I am real character?  I love to look good, but don't like to be good very often.  I repent like a hypocrite when I'm more sorry that I got caught.  I obey like a hypocrite when I don't obey from the heart, but rather for show.  It's time to fear God more than we fear people.  It's time to be different and not just appear different.

DO HARD THINGS

Theodore Roosovelt said, "I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuos life, the life of effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink back from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph."  I found this quote in a book called Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.  It's written to teenagers, telling them to grow up, to rebel against the low expectations that culture has set on them.  Of course, I'm not a teenager, but I wish this book was around when I was.  In fact, it's pretty convicting for me right now.  Rightfully, we brag on God's grace, but we make it seem like His grace is a way of making things easier.  Paul tells us in I Cor 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain,  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.   You see grace isn't a way out of hard work, it's a way to work hard. We don't like words like discipline, effort, toil and labor, but these are words for the Christian.  What hard things are you doing for God right now?  Whether or not we love God is proved by our deeds. 

Father, thank you for that amazing grace.  Help it to flesh itself out in old-fashioned hard work, doing things I don't necessarily want to do, but will glorify you.  Teach me to be disciplined and wholly devoted to you.  Use my life for your purposes.

Walking in Memphis

As I walked down Beale Street last night in Memphis, I got to thinking.  So often Christians are known by what they don't do.  They might not drink, smoke, or swear.  I don't drink or smoke, but let a few words slip every now and then.  However, is that what the bible means by being set apart, saying no to a bunch of things.  Is that all it takes to be a light in the world?  James tells us for the man that knows to do good and doesn't do it, it is sin.  Avoiding evil isn't enough, we must do good.  We must flee unrighteousness and pursue Godliness.  Eph 5:18 tells us Be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the spirit.  There's something to avoid in that verse, but there's also something to do.  Billy Graham argues that not being filled with the spirit is a far greater sin than being drunk.  How come we think that not being drunk is enough?  As Christians, we must at least consider what being filled with the spirit looks like.  Even more than that, we are commanded to be filled with the spirit continually.  I pray that we're not identified by simply avoiding darkness, but by shining as lights in this world.

Happy Anniversary to Me

Tomorrow my beautiful bride and I head to Memphis for an anniversary trip.  We're going to hang with some good friends.  I'm praying that I don't worry about money, that my children don't murder their grandparents, and that I don't do something to screw the trip up.  I'm thankful for my wife of seven years and love her more now than ever.  Read Ephesians 5:22-32 in your bibles.  Some of you think that God's a chauvinist, some of you are remembering horrible marriage sermons that you've heard.  Read it again, but instead of focusing on husbands and wives think about Christ and the church.  He's the savior of the church vs 22, He gave himself up for her vs 25, sanctifies her and cleanses her vs 26, presents her holy(by His blood) vs 27,nourishes and cherishes her vs 29. and made her members of His body vs 20.  When faced with that, it becomes more apparent how undeserving we are of Christ's love and how much He loves us anyway.  When you gaze into the gospel you become a better lover of people.  Especially, in a marriage.  When others don't deserve your love, love them anyways.  When they've hurt you and you don't want to forgive them, forgive them anyways.  Imagine ways you can be a blessing to them.  Oh how He loves you and me.

9/17 To be more like Bill Pullman

What do I have to offer to the blogging world?  Absolutely nothing.  Yet, I try anyways.  I'm prepared to brave the blogosphere like a young Bill Pullman in spaceballs.  To invade cyberspace like an older Bill Pullman in Independence Day.  I've titled my blog Vessel of Mercy based on Romans 9:23 which follows vs 22 that says there is such a thing as a vessel of wrath prepared for destruction.  Why are there vessels prepared for destruction?  Biblically I must be a Calvinist, but emotionally I tend to be an Arminian or perhaps a 12 yr old girl.  There are times I have severe gripes with God over all of this, but in the same chapter he basically tells me to shut up.  I am the potter, you are the clay.  I have to cling to the fact that God gets the glory in saving a vessel of mercy and gets the glory in destroying a vessel of wrath. What's the  response to being a vessel of mercy?  Thankfulness, glorifying God in all that I do, praying for the lost(ch 10 vs 1), and sharing the good news(10:15).  It seems that if you're a vessel of mercy you must be passionate about sharing the glorious gospel that saved you. I'm not good at a whole lot, but this blog will be my attempt to bring glory to God.