“My self perception is as accurate as a carnival mirror. If I am going to see myself clearly, I need to hold the mirror of God’s word in front of me.”- David Trip
Hi everyone! So, I thought I start off today to let you know how I’ve been. I have been growing like crazy, so spiritual these days. I’m getting pretty holy if you know what I mean; reading, praying, studying, and going to church. Oh, and sin…what sin? I’ve been battling more than a solider in the heat of battle and defeating every time! Pretty soon pastors from all over will be getting material from this blog right here…
“This is the one whom I will look; he who is humble and contrite in spirit.” Isaiah 66:2
Okay, really glad you are still reading after that. You may have been thinking, ”Wow, this girl is making me sick! Who does she think she is???” But think about it, how often do we actually elevate ourselves (maybe not to that extent) by thinking that we are content in our sanctification? This is pride my friends! Our worst enemy looking for every way to pull us away from God, some have called it “the root of all sin.”
I just finished reading C.J. Mahaney’s book “Humility: True Greatness” and conviction is what I got out of it, praise God! I could tell you all the great practical things C.J. gives to fight pride, but I highly recommend you pick it up instead.
What’s been stirring in my heart lately is how often God’s people think they are “okay” in where they are at spiritually…I sure was! I’ve only been saved for almost 3 years and I was content with my relationship and knowledge of God and His word, which is sickening. I need to have a passion, zeal, and desire for growth, for His word, for knowing Him. Let’s look at how David describes his longing for God:
Psalm 63:1
“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”
Psalm 43:1-2
“As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?”
Psalm 84:2
“My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”
We should have this desire to see God in Heaven, but for now we need to have the desire to see Him now as well, through loving and exulting Him and growing in our sanctification daily. We can go to God now, how? Prayer and reading His word!
“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall”1 Corinthians 10:12
Let us see ourselves for how we truly are, not exulting our present works as if they are great, but humbling ourselves knowing we can do nothing apart from God. Who ever thinks he is standing firm in the truth will be tested and from this warning he could fall and be humbled by God.
In light of all this being on my mind lately, a song has been on repeat that truly helps me remember this truth and I can speak the lyrics as if they were my own words (and totally inspired this blog), so I wanted to share it with you :)
“What Do I Know of Holy”
Addison Road
I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?
When we begin to look at how big God really is, we will realize that being “holy as I am holy” requires much more training of us and from grace.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
The Greatest Thing
“The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” - Toulouse-Lautrec: The Moulin Rouge
Love.
Ever notice how much we long for love? And yet do we turn to find that love in people…or Christ?
Christ proved His everlasting perfect love for us when He died on the cross, replacing our punishment to gain His glory. How could we doubt that? A while ago I wrote a blog on God’s love for us but what about our love for Christ?
“Love shows the true character of a man, according to the object which he loves more than anything else: for as is the love, so is the man. According to his love, so might you confidently designate the man. If he is a lover of honour, he is an ambitious man; a lover of pleasure, a sensual man; and if he chiefly love the world, he is a covetous man. If a man loves righteousness, he is a religious man; if the things above, a heavenly-minded man; and if he love Christ with a pre-eminent love, he is a sincere man”- Thomas Doolitle
I recently attended as conference called Resolved, where there was amazing fellowship, theologically rich worship and pure doctrinal teaching all about Christ! (Basically that was my ad for it) Before that week I knew what it meant to love Christ and to be loved by Him, but I learned what it means to truly be in love with my Savior, my God.
I’ve been reading Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” daily devotionals and the first day we were there I was reading on how our relationship with Christ is like climbing a mountain, at first your at the bottom, you don’t see much the mountain has to offer but as you climb higher you are revealed much more as to what surrounds you, until you reach the summit where the full glory of what the mountain offers is revealed! Spurgeon definitely has more finesse at explaining this but what a true wonder it is that just as we gain more awe and appreciation for the sight of the Mountain View, we grow in our knowledge of Christ we learn about what “surrounds” us being hidden within Christ. (“Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:2-3)
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” Matthew 7:21-23
During one of the sessions it clicked, many say they love Christ, but am I in love with Christ? We can fall in love with people here in a marriage relationship, but the body of Christ is his chosen bride! We should, no; we must be deeply in love with Him! Giving Him our all and desiring all from Him. How could we not love Him this way!
Honestly, I had been trying to satisfy this in temporary places, my love had been for people or things and Christ was just another thing I said I loved. I wasn’t giving Him my all in all or trusting and abiding fully in Him alone, my heart may be hidden in Him but it was filled with idols. Learning about my High Priest, Savior, God, Redeemer, Creator, Sustainer, Lord (it goes on and on) made me fall in love with Him! He is jealous for this love and rightly deserves it, so I am resolved to give Him my whole life in love. Crushing those idols and running towards the goal of my Savior and First Love; with undying adoration and knowing him here and dwelling with Him there.
Love.
Ever notice how much we long for love? And yet do we turn to find that love in people…or Christ?
Christ proved His everlasting perfect love for us when He died on the cross, replacing our punishment to gain His glory. How could we doubt that? A while ago I wrote a blog on God’s love for us but what about our love for Christ?
“Love shows the true character of a man, according to the object which he loves more than anything else: for as is the love, so is the man. According to his love, so might you confidently designate the man. If he is a lover of honour, he is an ambitious man; a lover of pleasure, a sensual man; and if he chiefly love the world, he is a covetous man. If a man loves righteousness, he is a religious man; if the things above, a heavenly-minded man; and if he love Christ with a pre-eminent love, he is a sincere man”- Thomas Doolitle
I recently attended as conference called Resolved, where there was amazing fellowship, theologically rich worship and pure doctrinal teaching all about Christ! (Basically that was my ad for it) Before that week I knew what it meant to love Christ and to be loved by Him, but I learned what it means to truly be in love with my Savior, my God.
I’ve been reading Charles Spurgeon’s “Morning and Evening” daily devotionals and the first day we were there I was reading on how our relationship with Christ is like climbing a mountain, at first your at the bottom, you don’t see much the mountain has to offer but as you climb higher you are revealed much more as to what surrounds you, until you reach the summit where the full glory of what the mountain offers is revealed! Spurgeon definitely has more finesse at explaining this but what a true wonder it is that just as we gain more awe and appreciation for the sight of the Mountain View, we grow in our knowledge of Christ we learn about what “surrounds” us being hidden within Christ. (“Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Col. 3:2-3)
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” Matthew 7:21-23
During one of the sessions it clicked, many say they love Christ, but am I in love with Christ? We can fall in love with people here in a marriage relationship, but the body of Christ is his chosen bride! We should, no; we must be deeply in love with Him! Giving Him our all and desiring all from Him. How could we not love Him this way!
Honestly, I had been trying to satisfy this in temporary places, my love had been for people or things and Christ was just another thing I said I loved. I wasn’t giving Him my all in all or trusting and abiding fully in Him alone, my heart may be hidden in Him but it was filled with idols. Learning about my High Priest, Savior, God, Redeemer, Creator, Sustainer, Lord (it goes on and on) made me fall in love with Him! He is jealous for this love and rightly deserves it, so I am resolved to give Him my whole life in love. Crushing those idols and running towards the goal of my Savior and First Love; with undying adoration and knowing him here and dwelling with Him there.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Bold as a lion
It's fathers day! God has blessed me so much with not just one dad but two!!! Love you both so much!!!! As a daughter my dad has always wanted to give me the world and provides for my earthly needs when I ask.....he's there for me.
Earlier today I was pondering on our Heavenly Father, and how he has adopted us as sons and daughters by killing His own son! He has loved us far beyond measure and we as children can and should abide in Him for he has given us everything! Today at church we heard a sermon on Romans 8:31-34, Pastor Mike talked about how as christians our hearts should not be fearful, anxious, or worried, all these things are contrary to a heart of a christian because even "when we walk through the valley of death, we can fear no evil." He is for us and no one or thing can take us down, how amazing is that! I loved the example of David and Goliath, David knew his father in heaven was with him and the armies and that was the greatest weapon at all. He approached Goliath with boldness and righteous anger and his faith in God defeated a very fearful opponent!
Today was so convicting, I often struggle with worrying and anxiousness and try to pass it off as "not to big of a sin." But I shouldn't worry, the things I do worry about are usually idols in my heart! When God is on the throne of my heart, He is all I fear, so praise God that through His Spirit living in me I can conquer this sin and be bold and courageous as a lion!
Earlier today I was pondering on our Heavenly Father, and how he has adopted us as sons and daughters by killing His own son! He has loved us far beyond measure and we as children can and should abide in Him for he has given us everything! Today at church we heard a sermon on Romans 8:31-34, Pastor Mike talked about how as christians our hearts should not be fearful, anxious, or worried, all these things are contrary to a heart of a christian because even "when we walk through the valley of death, we can fear no evil." He is for us and no one or thing can take us down, how amazing is that! I loved the example of David and Goliath, David knew his father in heaven was with him and the armies and that was the greatest weapon at all. He approached Goliath with boldness and righteous anger and his faith in God defeated a very fearful opponent!
Today was so convicting, I often struggle with worrying and anxiousness and try to pass it off as "not to big of a sin." But I shouldn't worry, the things I do worry about are usually idols in my heart! When God is on the throne of my heart, He is all I fear, so praise God that through His Spirit living in me I can conquer this sin and be bold and courageous as a lion!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Friendships Part 2
So, it has been brought to light that my last blog is angering some people. I do not change my thought on the subject but have done an even deeper study on it, hoping to clarify myself and allow God’s word to do it for me. Thank you to those who gave words of encouragement.
I would like to first clarify “friends.” Here are two different friendships and definitions:
1. Close Friends–This to me means people you spend a great deal of time with (outside of a job or other forced time). You spend time by choice. This means you call each other often, email often, spend time together often, go out to eat, see movies, etc. These are people you trust, people you care very deeply about and usually have a lot in common with them. You have a serious and deep relationship with these friends. Close friends, these are the ones we should have the most common with and what better than the strongest common bond of all, Christ.
2. Acquaintance Friends–These are people you merely come across in you daily life. Perhaps it is a co-worker; perhaps it is a friend of a friend, perhaps a neighbor, someone online, etc. These are people who you like or want to stay on great terms with, but don’t really have enough in common with them, or for some other reason, simply never really spend any time with them. You tend to only see them or talk to them on rare or isolated occasions (unless you work together), and that is the extent of your relationship. These are usually shallower in terms of emotions and bonds, but still a loving type of friendships in the spirit. Acquaintance friends, those we know and show a love toward, sharing the gospel of truth with them.
Should we elevate ourselves as higher then them? Absolutely not, that is not what I am saying, I mean look at Psalms 14 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-29! I want us to look more closely and examine our human relationships.
Leading up to my last blog I had a lot of thought, study, and conversations about the Body of Christ; i.e. the church. How there seems to be a wall or division between many members, we do not put as much time into our relationship with those from our home church as they did when Paul spoke in Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Who should we lean on, trust, encourage, be the closest with here on earth concerning earthly relationships?
Hebrews 10:26-28 26 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 22:24-25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
Psalm 119:115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Mark 9:44-46 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell
These, and a number of other passages, with out a doubt show us that those you regularly hang out with will affect you. Some will say, "Well, what about Jesus? He's our example and he spent a lot of time with unsaved people." This is completely true. I do not deny that truth but, lets look at the whole picture, dig a little deeper. Jesus knew the truth what he believed, was unwavering in His belief, and did not just hang around the unsaved for friendship. He continually taught the unsaved, by His example and by His words (i.e. Mark 2:13). And still, Jesus had a close group of friends who were believers (the disciples) whom he spent more time with than anyone else. (Not to mention that He regularly took time out to be alone with God, out most important relationship, see Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12)
Another point I was addressing in my last blog was how these people are influencing us? If you go to where the unsaved go, and do the things the unsaved do, and laugh at the jokes the unsaved say, etc., etc., what witness do you have? And who is influencing who? What "new life in Christ" can you offer when you live in the old? Do we sin when we are around them? Jesus was a friend of sinners because he took the message of the gospels to them -- and lived out that message, being different (separate) from them, even while he was with them (see Matthew 11:19-24) This is where the enemies topic stems from, if you reread the part in the last blog about what Psalm 119 goes on to say about people who set traps for, dig pitfalls…why do we constantly allow ourselves to be influenced by the world, instead of influencing it?
I am all for missions trips, preaching the gospel to those around us and serving everyone in love.
I would like to first clarify “friends.” Here are two different friendships and definitions:
1. Close Friends–This to me means people you spend a great deal of time with (outside of a job or other forced time). You spend time by choice. This means you call each other often, email often, spend time together often, go out to eat, see movies, etc. These are people you trust, people you care very deeply about and usually have a lot in common with them. You have a serious and deep relationship with these friends. Close friends, these are the ones we should have the most common with and what better than the strongest common bond of all, Christ.
2. Acquaintance Friends–These are people you merely come across in you daily life. Perhaps it is a co-worker; perhaps it is a friend of a friend, perhaps a neighbor, someone online, etc. These are people who you like or want to stay on great terms with, but don’t really have enough in common with them, or for some other reason, simply never really spend any time with them. You tend to only see them or talk to them on rare or isolated occasions (unless you work together), and that is the extent of your relationship. These are usually shallower in terms of emotions and bonds, but still a loving type of friendships in the spirit. Acquaintance friends, those we know and show a love toward, sharing the gospel of truth with them.
Should we elevate ourselves as higher then them? Absolutely not, that is not what I am saying, I mean look at Psalms 14 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-29! I want us to look more closely and examine our human relationships.
Leading up to my last blog I had a lot of thought, study, and conversations about the Body of Christ; i.e. the church. How there seems to be a wall or division between many members, we do not put as much time into our relationship with those from our home church as they did when Paul spoke in Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Who should we lean on, trust, encourage, be the closest with here on earth concerning earthly relationships?
Hebrews 10:26-28 26 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
2 Corinthians 6:14-15 “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?”
1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character."
Proverbs 13:20 He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.
Proverbs 22:24-25 Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn his ways and get yourself ensnared.
Proverbs 4:14-15 Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.
Psalm 119:115 Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
2 Timothy 2:22 Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
Mark 9:44-46 And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell
These, and a number of other passages, with out a doubt show us that those you regularly hang out with will affect you. Some will say, "Well, what about Jesus? He's our example and he spent a lot of time with unsaved people." This is completely true. I do not deny that truth but, lets look at the whole picture, dig a little deeper. Jesus knew the truth what he believed, was unwavering in His belief, and did not just hang around the unsaved for friendship. He continually taught the unsaved, by His example and by His words (i.e. Mark 2:13). And still, Jesus had a close group of friends who were believers (the disciples) whom he spent more time with than anyone else. (Not to mention that He regularly took time out to be alone with God, out most important relationship, see Mark 6:46, Luke 6:12)
Another point I was addressing in my last blog was how these people are influencing us? If you go to where the unsaved go, and do the things the unsaved do, and laugh at the jokes the unsaved say, etc., etc., what witness do you have? And who is influencing who? What "new life in Christ" can you offer when you live in the old? Do we sin when we are around them? Jesus was a friend of sinners because he took the message of the gospels to them -- and lived out that message, being different (separate) from them, even while he was with them (see Matthew 11:19-24) This is where the enemies topic stems from, if you reread the part in the last blog about what Psalm 119 goes on to say about people who set traps for, dig pitfalls…why do we constantly allow ourselves to be influenced by the world, instead of influencing it?
I am all for missions trips, preaching the gospel to those around us and serving everyone in love.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
God is so good
So, it is time. The first day of summer is days away and like my wardrobe, time for a blog template change, from spring green to summer blue (plus I love the cute little humming bird!).
Anyways, I wanted to take this time to thank those who have been praying with me and following me in this blog and encouraging me with your comments. Delivering praise to God! :]
I've been thinking lately its time to make it less like once a month huge study blog, to day to day thoughts about God and discussions with you all. So, I'll still post my study blogs (because sometimes theres just so much to ponder about!) but God reveals so much to us day by day that I can't ignore it any longer. I just love sharing with you all the awesomeness of our God and pray that this new venture glorifies him all the more!
So, keep an eye out and join in with your comments, opinions and verses about certain topics placed on my heart! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all more and getting excited about the Word!
P.s. Resolved is in like less than a week and I'm like way excited!!!! I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about afterwards :]
Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!"
God is so good! Even when life seems at the pit of darkness, it isn't, because God has granted salvation to his children and we can trust in HIm that as he carries out his will for our lives it is best and through all He conforms us to be more like his Son each day in sanctification! Glory to God in the highest!!! I am so excited to see what God will do this summer and how he will grow me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and I hope you are too!
With Kingdom Eyes!
Ashley <3
Anyways, I wanted to take this time to thank those who have been praying with me and following me in this blog and encouraging me with your comments. Delivering praise to God! :]
I've been thinking lately its time to make it less like once a month huge study blog, to day to day thoughts about God and discussions with you all. So, I'll still post my study blogs (because sometimes theres just so much to ponder about!) but God reveals so much to us day by day that I can't ignore it any longer. I just love sharing with you all the awesomeness of our God and pray that this new venture glorifies him all the more!
So, keep an eye out and join in with your comments, opinions and verses about certain topics placed on my heart! I'm looking forward to hearing from you all more and getting excited about the Word!
P.s. Resolved is in like less than a week and I'm like way excited!!!! I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about afterwards :]
Psalm 66:5 "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!"
God is so good! Even when life seems at the pit of darkness, it isn't, because God has granted salvation to his children and we can trust in HIm that as he carries out his will for our lives it is best and through all He conforms us to be more like his Son each day in sanctification! Glory to God in the highest!!! I am so excited to see what God will do this summer and how he will grow me and my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ and I hope you are too!
With Kingdom Eyes!
Ashley <3
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Stubborn Fat
"The insolent smear me with lies,but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law." Psalm 119:69-70
Okay, so the topic is fat. And no I'm not talking about that stuff hanging out in places you really wish it wouldn't and yet at the same time let's see how we relate with that "fat" and then move on to what I really want to talk about. In today's culture there is so much pressure to have the "perfect body", having no fat. (I know your feeling me on this one girls!) We do anything it seems like to get rid of this fat, we work so hard, take supplements, eat right, don't eat at all, spend money on gyms, work out and try to look good before going to the gym we pay for, and we are constantly on that bathroom scale, which we all know is so not accurate. ;] So, we will do just about anything to get rid of this fat right? But what about other "fat" in your life?
"Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals." 1 Corinthians 15:33
So, you may be thinking, "Ashley, what's up with that Psalm and why is it making you freaking out about fat?" Well, it's because we as christians will work very hard to get in shape, but do nothing about the "good friends" in our lives who have hearts of fat!!! That verse is referring to the proud whose hearts are so thick that the Word is unable to penetrate, like the heart of stone. Yet, do we keep non-christians close to us? Think about it this way, if you are trying to lose weight you probably wouldn't hang out with people who do not want to lose weight and eat all the food that is causing the fat right? Then why are we making non-christians our friends when we are striving to delight and obey in the Lord, when they want to mock and denounce Christ?
These people are our mission field, not our best friends. In fact they are our enemies, because they are enemies of God. Psalm 119 goes on to say that these same people "lie in wait to destroy me" (v.95), "put me to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehoods" (v.78) and they have "dug pitfalls for me." (v.85) We are to witness to them and share the gospel with them, nothing more.
When you are around these people are you more tempted to sin....do you sin? I remember when I was first saved I didn't have to many christian friends at my school, so I hung out with people I was friends with before...a lot. This caused me to stumble and stunted my growth so much, but I was afraid of being alone at school. Eventually, I was convicted, God showed me it was more important to delight in his word then to have "friends." So, I ate lunch alone in my car, spent many breaks in my car, and even sat alone in class to be away from sinful conversations. Was it hard? You bet it was! No one likes being alone. But what is more important, God or company? Now, I have such amazing godly friends, who I call my brothers and sisters in Christ, they love me and lift me up, encouraging me to strive after God and admonish me when I sin.
So, I urge you brothers and sisters, to examine your relationships, are you equally yoked? Or are dead oxen keeping you from moving forward and striving after God with all your heart and all your soul?
Okay, so the topic is fat. And no I'm not talking about that stuff hanging out in places you really wish it wouldn't and yet at the same time let's see how we relate with that "fat" and then move on to what I really want to talk about. In today's culture there is so much pressure to have the "perfect body", having no fat. (I know your feeling me on this one girls!) We do anything it seems like to get rid of this fat, we work so hard, take supplements, eat right, don't eat at all, spend money on gyms, work out and try to look good before going to the gym we pay for, and we are constantly on that bathroom scale, which we all know is so not accurate. ;] So, we will do just about anything to get rid of this fat right? But what about other "fat" in your life?
"Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals." 1 Corinthians 15:33
So, you may be thinking, "Ashley, what's up with that Psalm and why is it making you freaking out about fat?" Well, it's because we as christians will work very hard to get in shape, but do nothing about the "good friends" in our lives who have hearts of fat!!! That verse is referring to the proud whose hearts are so thick that the Word is unable to penetrate, like the heart of stone. Yet, do we keep non-christians close to us? Think about it this way, if you are trying to lose weight you probably wouldn't hang out with people who do not want to lose weight and eat all the food that is causing the fat right? Then why are we making non-christians our friends when we are striving to delight and obey in the Lord, when they want to mock and denounce Christ?
These people are our mission field, not our best friends. In fact they are our enemies, because they are enemies of God. Psalm 119 goes on to say that these same people "lie in wait to destroy me" (v.95), "put me to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehoods" (v.78) and they have "dug pitfalls for me." (v.85) We are to witness to them and share the gospel with them, nothing more.
When you are around these people are you more tempted to sin....do you sin? I remember when I was first saved I didn't have to many christian friends at my school, so I hung out with people I was friends with before...a lot. This caused me to stumble and stunted my growth so much, but I was afraid of being alone at school. Eventually, I was convicted, God showed me it was more important to delight in his word then to have "friends." So, I ate lunch alone in my car, spent many breaks in my car, and even sat alone in class to be away from sinful conversations. Was it hard? You bet it was! No one likes being alone. But what is more important, God or company? Now, I have such amazing godly friends, who I call my brothers and sisters in Christ, they love me and lift me up, encouraging me to strive after God and admonish me when I sin.
So, I urge you brothers and sisters, to examine your relationships, are you equally yoked? Or are dead oxen keeping you from moving forward and striving after God with all your heart and all your soul?
Saturday, April 10, 2010
A simple yet profound truth
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
The past 5 days I have been doing what I call "Fifty Days at the Cross." I have been reading one chapter each day from "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die" by John Piper, as well as "Living the Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney. These readings have been such a blessing becoming more knowledgeable of why Christ died on the cross and also what that means for me now. This afternoon the reason was "To show His (Christ) own love for us" and the day before that was "To show the wealth of God's love and grace for sinners." All I could think was "Wow!" How often to I go throughout my day without pondering the love of God, thanking Him, praising Him, but no I question and wonder and doubt."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
We all are familiar with this verse, we can easily quote it and same with the rest of America, but do we really know this verse? Cherishing it's truth and having it make out hearts jump for joy and explain "How great is our God!" I wanted to share with you a passage from C.J. Mahaney that convicted me so heavily I couldn't keep it from all of you.
"Who Killed Jesus?"
God did. God the Father was ultimately responsible for the death of His Son. God is telling us, "I purposefully determined to crush My Son with My Wrath-for your sins, as your substitute."
Why?
"Because I love you"
When you're tempted to doubt God's love for you, stand before the cross and look at the wounded, dying, disfigured Savior, and realize why He is there. I believe His Father would whisper to us, "Isn't that sufficient? I haven't spared My own Son; I deformed and disfigured and crushed Him- for you. What more could I do to persuade you that I love you?"
C.J. Mahaney "Living the Cross Centered Life"
My prayer is that I and you as well will each day live my life as cross centered, in conviction of God's amazing, endless, profound love. That we will not doubt but proclaim to all what He has done for us!
The past 5 days I have been doing what I call "Fifty Days at the Cross." I have been reading one chapter each day from "Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die" by John Piper, as well as "Living the Cross Centered Life" by C.J. Mahaney. These readings have been such a blessing becoming more knowledgeable of why Christ died on the cross and also what that means for me now. This afternoon the reason was "To show His (Christ) own love for us" and the day before that was "To show the wealth of God's love and grace for sinners." All I could think was "Wow!" How often to I go throughout my day without pondering the love of God, thanking Him, praising Him, but no I question and wonder and doubt."
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16
We all are familiar with this verse, we can easily quote it and same with the rest of America, but do we really know this verse? Cherishing it's truth and having it make out hearts jump for joy and explain "How great is our God!" I wanted to share with you a passage from C.J. Mahaney that convicted me so heavily I couldn't keep it from all of you.
"Who Killed Jesus?"
God did. God the Father was ultimately responsible for the death of His Son. God is telling us, "I purposefully determined to crush My Son with My Wrath-for your sins, as your substitute."
Why?
"Because I love you"
When you're tempted to doubt God's love for you, stand before the cross and look at the wounded, dying, disfigured Savior, and realize why He is there. I believe His Father would whisper to us, "Isn't that sufficient? I haven't spared My own Son; I deformed and disfigured and crushed Him- for you. What more could I do to persuade you that I love you?"
C.J. Mahaney "Living the Cross Centered Life"
My prayer is that I and you as well will each day live my life as cross centered, in conviction of God's amazing, endless, profound love. That we will not doubt but proclaim to all what He has done for us!
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