Ministry of Comfort
by: J.R. Miller - 1898
"... we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God..."
2 Corinthians 1:8-9
Most of us need the chastening of affliction. Pain is wonderful revealer. It teaches us many things we never could have known, if we had not been called to endure it. It opens windows through which we see, as we never saw before -- the beautiful things of God's love. Many of the finest things in character, are the fruits of pain. Many a Christian enters trial -- cold, worldly, unspiritual--and emerges from the experience a little later, with spirit softened, mellowed, and spiritually enriched.
Sanctified afflictions soften the harshness and sharpness of one's character. They consume the dross of selfishness and worldliness. They humble pride. They temper carnal ambitions. They quell fierce passions. They show to us the evil of our own heart, revealing our weaknesses, faults, and blemishes -- and making us aware of our spiritual danger. They discipline the wayward spirit.
Sorrow draws its sharp ploughshare through the heart, cutting deep and long furrows -- and the heavenly Sower follows with the seeds of godly virtues. Then by and by, fruits of righteousness spring up. Sorrow has a tenderizing influence. It makes us gentle and kindly toward each other.
In no other school, do our hearts learn the lessons of patience, tolerance, and forbearance so quickly as in the school of suffering.
"It was good for me to be afflicted, so that I could learn Thy statutes." Psalm 119:71
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ban Truth - Reap Tyranny
by: Berit Kjos
"It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge." Alabama's former Chief Justice Roy Moore
"Whereas... both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God... I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be...." George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
"If we will not be governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants." William Penn, January 3, 1701
"My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:12-13
Once again history repeats itself. Like ancient Israel, America has gradually been turning its back to God. Nothing will undermine American values, freedom and sovereignty faster than reframing our Constitution by the dimming light of European values and a global socialist ideology. Notice the "new" views of right and wrong. Our world can't tolerate Biblical laws that identify certain behaviors as sin and certain beliefs as incompatible with Christian faith. Offended by the truth, it bans convictions that once gave rise to social order and prosperity.
Do you wonder why US leaders would ban God's universal guidelines for law and order, then choose social philosophies that turn our God-given personal "rights" into the impersonal "rights" of the "greater whole"? Why would they trade our heritage of freedom for oppressive restrictions and unconstitutional limitations on free speech, gun control and...?
In light of history, these paradoxes make sense. As our nation bans truth and forgets God's Word, it weakens both discernment and resistance to the flood of spiritual and social alternatives. Craving thrills more than truth, the majority will barely notice the change.
Do not doubt that this will happen, for if you do, we and our country will be taken over from within with neither whimper nor moan.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.... “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face.... The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.... if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 28:1-14
by: Berit Kjos
"It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God has to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge." Alabama's former Chief Justice Roy Moore
"Whereas... both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God... I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be...." George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation, 1789
"If we will not be governed by God, then we will be ruled by tyrants." William Penn, January 3, 1701
"My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water." Jeremiah 2:12-13
Once again history repeats itself. Like ancient Israel, America has gradually been turning its back to God. Nothing will undermine American values, freedom and sovereignty faster than reframing our Constitution by the dimming light of European values and a global socialist ideology. Notice the "new" views of right and wrong. Our world can't tolerate Biblical laws that identify certain behaviors as sin and certain beliefs as incompatible with Christian faith. Offended by the truth, it bans convictions that once gave rise to social order and prosperity.
Do you wonder why US leaders would ban God's universal guidelines for law and order, then choose social philosophies that turn our God-given personal "rights" into the impersonal "rights" of the "greater whole"? Why would they trade our heritage of freedom for oppressive restrictions and unconstitutional limitations on free speech, gun control and...?
In light of history, these paradoxes make sense. As our nation bans truth and forgets God's Word, it weakens both discernment and resistance to the flood of spiritual and social alternatives. Craving thrills more than truth, the majority will barely notice the change.
Do not doubt that this will happen, for if you do, we and our country will be taken over from within with neither whimper nor moan.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.... “The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face.... The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow. And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail.... if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God." Deuteronomy 28:1-14
Monday, September 7, 2009
A friend writes ~
The World is Filled With Millions of People, Most Of Whom Are Dangerously Wrong About Spiritual Matters.
Man has made tremendous progress in so many fields ... medical and scientific technology is unprecedented, we have put men on the moon, cloned animals and unraveled the mysteries of DNA. We can instantly communicate across the globe.
The influence of computers is universal as is the equating of personal happiness with education, a comfortable income and material possessions. Foreign travel, the arts, high culture and, for some of us, a little church (fire insurance?) doesn't hurt either. We are obsessed with Self, largely living a trivial life with a trivial worldview. Taking the path of least resistance has never been so popular.
However our shallow, self-centered lifestyles have only exemplified the barrenness of our souls.
everything was meaningless, A chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
We have spent countless hours looking upwards and been so totally immersed in our squabbling about the names and positions of the stars, that we have failed to see the blazing meteor bearing down on us. We have walked the sandy beach and have been so engrossed in counting the grains that we have not lifted our eyes and seen the enormity of the tidal wave that will soon engulf us.
We Are As Dumb And As Dead And As Damned As We Ever Were... And Almost Out Of Time!!!
The World is Filled With Millions of People, Most Of Whom Are Dangerously Wrong About Spiritual Matters.
Man has made tremendous progress in so many fields ... medical and scientific technology is unprecedented, we have put men on the moon, cloned animals and unraveled the mysteries of DNA. We can instantly communicate across the globe.
The influence of computers is universal as is the equating of personal happiness with education, a comfortable income and material possessions. Foreign travel, the arts, high culture and, for some of us, a little church (fire insurance?) doesn't hurt either. We are obsessed with Self, largely living a trivial life with a trivial worldview. Taking the path of least resistance has never been so popular.
However our shallow, self-centered lifestyles have only exemplified the barrenness of our souls.
everything was meaningless, A chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
We have spent countless hours looking upwards and been so totally immersed in our squabbling about the names and positions of the stars, that we have failed to see the blazing meteor bearing down on us. We have walked the sandy beach and have been so engrossed in counting the grains that we have not lifted our eyes and seen the enormity of the tidal wave that will soon engulf us.
We Are As Dumb And As Dead And As Damned As We Ever Were... And Almost Out Of Time!!!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
My Life as a Prostitute
By: M.E. Townsend
“All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot.” Micah 1:7
Scripture teaches that it is man that looks at the outward appearance, while it is the LORD that looks on the heart. [I Samuel 16:7]
The Words of our LORD, penned by the Prophet Samuel, convict us as we view with disdain and scorn the life of the prostitute.
Our view of prostitution, defined by our perception of prostitution, readily envisions a young woman; bound by deviant behaviour selling sexual favor for money, is abhorrent to most. By definition, a prostitute is "a person, usually a woman, who provides sexual activity in exchange for material security."
We breathe a collective sigh of relief and move on. However, Merriam-Webster defines prostitution as ‘to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes’ - corrupt implies a loss of soundness, purity or integrity, and this one we cannot escape.
Prostitution is also defined as "debasing [to make lower in value or character] oneself for personal gain," and this usage applies to both male and female. Additionally, it is "a misuse of one's gifts, talents, or skills."
Clearly sexual misconduct is sin. Sexual sin is not only a sin against our body, but our spirit, our soul and our God. We all too quickly judge the prostitute and quicker still condemn. Perhaps we are looking too closely at the speck in our brother [or sister’ eye] while ignoring the plank in our own?
Who among us has taken a hard, difficult look at self and caught a glimpse of our own life of disobedience and sin, our own life as a prostitute?
We debase ourselves by indiscriminately choosing self-gratification over quiet time with the LORD. How often have we compromised our principles, if only a little? Do we look the other way in order to avoid speaking truth where truth is needed? Do we snicker at jokes unsuitable for believers? How often have we raced home after Sunday service, if we can find the energy or time to attend, to 'catch the game’? Who among us has not chosen Monday night football over Monday night Bible study? How many read novels instead of New Testaments?
We have schedules to keep and bills to pay. As we hurry through the trials and tribulations of life, we major on the minors, miss the miracles and all too often end up disillusioned in a world with too many questions and very few, if any, answers.
"Only one life, it will soon be passed. Only what's done for Jesus the Christ will last."
We find time for Little League but have little time for the LORD. We race across highways our hectic lives have created, seldom noticing the Creator or His creation. Ignoring His admonition to “be still and know that I AM God” we choose instead to relax in front of the television, go out with friends, or nap, drifting off in blissful apathy as we take pride in our weekly hour with the LORD or promise to do better next Sunday.
Unwittingly perhaps, we have allowed lifestyles and life choices to crowd in, stealing our time, our talents and our energies. We grab for the gold, too late realizing what we thought was gold was only brass. We reach for the good while ignoring the best. We have used what God has given us, not to build His Kingdom, but to build our own.
Our lives move along, hopefully without abundant difficulty, on the path we have set for ourselves - our path of prostitution.
Recalling the Great Harlot's boast in Revelation 18; “I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow." we see one who has chosen to compromise rather than suffer loss of position, power, or prestige. As the LORD of heaven admonishes His people; “come out of her My people lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues”, we see in the Great Harlot one blinded by arrogance and pride, proud of her accomplishments, boasting in all she has done, one deaf to the cries of the LORD; glorifying self, ignoring God.
Once we have knowledge of the Truth of the Word of God, His way and His law, we prostitute ourselves if we allow anything to take the place that only He should occupy. If we do not discipline ourselves to walk in obedience to His Word, if we indulge in self-gratification, ignoring what we know to be true, we deceive ourselves, the truth is far from us and we become like the Great Harlot in the Book of the Revelation.
“For we are God’ fellow workers, you are God’s field, you are God’s building…For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [ already] laid, which is Jesus the Christ.”
I Corinthians 3:9-10
By: M.E. Townsend
“All her carved images shall be beaten to pieces, and all her pay as a harlot shall be burned with the fire; all her idols I will lay desolate, for she gathered it from the pay of a harlot, and they shall return to the pay of a harlot.” Micah 1:7
Scripture teaches that it is man that looks at the outward appearance, while it is the LORD that looks on the heart. [I Samuel 16:7]
The Words of our LORD, penned by the Prophet Samuel, convict us as we view with disdain and scorn the life of the prostitute.
Our view of prostitution, defined by our perception of prostitution, readily envisions a young woman; bound by deviant behaviour selling sexual favor for money, is abhorrent to most. By definition, a prostitute is "a person, usually a woman, who provides sexual activity in exchange for material security."
We breathe a collective sigh of relief and move on. However, Merriam-Webster defines prostitution as ‘to devote to corrupt or unworthy purposes’ - corrupt implies a loss of soundness, purity or integrity, and this one we cannot escape.
Prostitution is also defined as "debasing [to make lower in value or character] oneself for personal gain," and this usage applies to both male and female. Additionally, it is "a misuse of one's gifts, talents, or skills."
Clearly sexual misconduct is sin. Sexual sin is not only a sin against our body, but our spirit, our soul and our God. We all too quickly judge the prostitute and quicker still condemn. Perhaps we are looking too closely at the speck in our brother [or sister’ eye] while ignoring the plank in our own?
Who among us has taken a hard, difficult look at self and caught a glimpse of our own life of disobedience and sin, our own life as a prostitute?
We debase ourselves by indiscriminately choosing self-gratification over quiet time with the LORD. How often have we compromised our principles, if only a little? Do we look the other way in order to avoid speaking truth where truth is needed? Do we snicker at jokes unsuitable for believers? How often have we raced home after Sunday service, if we can find the energy or time to attend, to 'catch the game’? Who among us has not chosen Monday night football over Monday night Bible study? How many read novels instead of New Testaments?
We have schedules to keep and bills to pay. As we hurry through the trials and tribulations of life, we major on the minors, miss the miracles and all too often end up disillusioned in a world with too many questions and very few, if any, answers.
"Only one life, it will soon be passed. Only what's done for Jesus the Christ will last."
We find time for Little League but have little time for the LORD. We race across highways our hectic lives have created, seldom noticing the Creator or His creation. Ignoring His admonition to “be still and know that I AM God” we choose instead to relax in front of the television, go out with friends, or nap, drifting off in blissful apathy as we take pride in our weekly hour with the LORD or promise to do better next Sunday.
Unwittingly perhaps, we have allowed lifestyles and life choices to crowd in, stealing our time, our talents and our energies. We grab for the gold, too late realizing what we thought was gold was only brass. We reach for the good while ignoring the best. We have used what God has given us, not to build His Kingdom, but to build our own.
Our lives move along, hopefully without abundant difficulty, on the path we have set for ourselves - our path of prostitution.
Recalling the Great Harlot's boast in Revelation 18; “I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow." we see one who has chosen to compromise rather than suffer loss of position, power, or prestige. As the LORD of heaven admonishes His people; “come out of her My people lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues”, we see in the Great Harlot one blinded by arrogance and pride, proud of her accomplishments, boasting in all she has done, one deaf to the cries of the LORD; glorifying self, ignoring God.
Once we have knowledge of the Truth of the Word of God, His way and His law, we prostitute ourselves if we allow anything to take the place that only He should occupy. If we do not discipline ourselves to walk in obedience to His Word, if we indulge in self-gratification, ignoring what we know to be true, we deceive ourselves, the truth is far from us and we become like the Great Harlot in the Book of the Revelation.
“For we are God’ fellow workers, you are God’s field, you are God’s building…For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is [ already] laid, which is Jesus the Christ.”
I Corinthians 3:9-10
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