October 31, 2008

Philippians 2

12Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Go over your Salvation and ask yourself what it means to you. It should make you fear and tremble at the fact that you should be going to hell. That Christ shouldn't have done it for us. That because we are saved we should drive to help save others.

13For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

If you do not will to do Gods good pleasure, God is not working in you. If you want to play computer games, play football, go hunting, etc. instead of doing Gods will, God is not working in you. If you are allowing God to work in you, you will want to do His Will out of a desire to please Him.

Desirng God,
Jordan

October 30, 2008

"Every time I have looked to myself, I've made a miserable saviour"

October 29, 2008

Killing the root

“We may, indeed, be sure that perfect [fill in any attribute you wish to name – charity, humility, courage, truthfulness, joy, etc.] will never be attained by any merely human efforts. You must ask for God's help. Even when you have done so, it may seem to you for a long time that no help, or less help than you need, is being given. Never mind. After each failure, ask forgiveness, pick yourself up, and try again. Very often what God first helps us towards is not the virtue itself but just this power of always trying again. For however important chastity (or courage, or truthfulness or any other virtue) may be, this process trains us in habits of the soul which are more important still. It cures our illusions about ourselves and teaches us to depend on God. We learn, on the one hand, that we cannot trust ourselves even in our best moments, and, on the other, that we need not despair even in our worst, for our failures are forgiven. The only fatal thing is to sit down content with anything less than perfection.” C.S. Lewis.

I came across this passage by C.S. Lewis the other day while reading his book “Mere Christianity” for the first time. (Why I didn't read it sooner, I have no idea, but I wish I had. It examines some of Christianity's most complex puzzles and explains them very clearly from a Christian perspective.) It is amazing how perfectly some of the passages describe the struggles I have already or am currently going through, and I have no doubt the same would be true for almost everyone who has ever tried to live the Christian life. Time after time he hits the nail on the head and I find myself saying “exactly!” only to realize that he wrote it a long time before I was born. It kinda burst my bubble to realize that all my “original” thoughts weren't original at all – probably not a bad thing for me to realize – but it was also encouraging to realize that the struggles people were going through a hundred years ago are not really any different than the ones we go through today, just in a different context. However, I don't say all this to promote C.S. Lewis or his book but only to point out that “There hath no temptation taken you but as is common to man” and that C.S. Lewis was uncommonly good at putting these temptations and the lessons learned into words.

Anyway, when I saw this passage it reminded me that God is not so worried about the sin as He is about the problem that is causing the sin. God always goes for the root of the problem. Whereas you and I would be happy to merely chop off the visible part of sin just below the surface and be done with it quickly, God chooses the slower method of killing sin from the root up. As Lewis pointed out, this can be extremely discouraging, staring at the slowly wilting weed of sin and wishing and praying fervently that the visible part would just go away, but in the end God is not worried as much about the way sin manifests itself as He is about the weakness that allows it to spring up in the first place. After all, He is not looking for a quick cure for the sin, He is looking for a lasting cure for the sinner. To be sure, God doesn't like the sin any more than we do – in fact He likes it a lot less – but He will allow it as long He knows it is teaching us how to better deal with sin in the future. I know I have found this to be very true in my own life, and while I would not like go back to those times of defeat, time after time and day after day to the same sins, I do not regret going through them only because I see that they have now worked for my good. It was helpful to be reminded that Christianity is not about never falling but about learning how to get back up. Proverbs 24:16 puts this very nicely when it says a man can be just and still fall seven times, provided that he gets back up every time. Getting back up. . . that is the skill God wants us to learn and He will let us fall as many times as necessary until we learn how to do it properly. As a friend of mine pointed out to me recently you don't have to be frustrated with the fact that you can't reach perfection, rejoice in the fact that you don't have to and then get as close to it as you can.

Mike

October 28, 2008

Sing to God

Ephesians
19Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

20Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Never forget to sing and praise God for his plan to get us to heaven, let us constantly be thinking of the pain it took for salvation, lets not forget the fatherly love he shows us every day. Lets sing praises not necessarily out loud, but in our hearts.

Praising Jesus
Jordan

October 25, 2008

Some people say, "God will never ask me to do something I can't do." I have come to the place in my life that, if the assignment I sense God is giving me is something I know I can handle, I know it probably isn't from God. The assignments God gives in the Bible are always God sized. They are always beyond what people can do, because He wants to demonstrate His nature, His strength, His provision, and His kindness to His people and a watching world. That is the only way the world will come to know Him. (-Henry Blackaby)

October 24, 2008

The Fathers Hold

Some years ago, on a hot summer day in south Florida, a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went. He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His father, working in the yard, saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, he ran toward the water, yelling to his son as loudly as he could. Hearing his voice, the little boy be came alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his father. It was too late. Just as he reached his father, the alligator reached him. From the dock, the father grabbed his little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the father, but the father was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard his screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator. Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the alligator. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his father's fingernails dug into his flesh in his effort to hang on to the son he loved. The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But you have to look at my arms. I have great scars on them, too. I have them because my dad wouldn't let go!" You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful, sinful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you. The Scripture teaches that God loves you. You are a child of God. He wants to protect you and provide for you in every way. But sometimes we foolishly wade into dangerous situations, not knowing what lies ahead. The swimming hole of life is filled with peril and we forget that the enemy is waiting to attack. That's when the tug-of-war begins and if you have the scars of His love on your arms, be very, very grateful. He did not and will not ever let you go.

October 22, 2008

I have a great need for Christ; I have a great Christ for my need. – Spurgeon

Foolish Reasoning

I Cor. 2:1-5. “And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Greg pointed these verses out to me the other day and recently I've gained a new appreciation for them. I was chewing his ear off about some of the “discussions” I've recently gotten myself into at school and he patiently listened to me spout and then wisely (I know it's hard to imagine but he was far ahead of me on this one) reined me back in and brought it back to the Bible, showing me these verses that he has been reading that perfectly describe what I was trying to tell him. (I think that's why God gave siblings. . . to multiply the chances that we'll come read something in devotions that apply to one of us!). Verse five particularly sums it up well: “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” The more arguments and theories I hear about God/philosophy/ethics, the more thankful I am that our faith rests in the power of God, not the wisdom of man, for if it rested on the wisdom of man, than man in his “wisdom” can shake it. But, if it rests in the power of God, than no one except God Himself can shake it. I don't believe God wants us to be stupid, obviously we need to have reasons for what we believe, but after experiencing the power of a relationship with God, these reasons are no longer the basis of our faith, thank God, but rather a supplement to it.
I've often wondered why Jesus commended a simple child-like faith to his followers. Wouldn't an adult and rational faith would be much stronger? I don't think so. Think about what happens if a stranger walks up to a very little boy and tells him that his mother doesn't love him and is really an awful person who is going to do something terrible to him. I've never tried it, but I'm willing to guess that the little boy will almost immediately run crying to the arms of his mother to tell her about the lies some mean man was telling him. He doesn't try to figure out why the man might be right, the little boy only knows without a doubt that he is dead wrong. Now, think about what happens when Satan whispers in our ear that God doesn't really love us and gives us several “reasons” why. Of course we immediately use our wonderful “reasoning” powers to try to explain to him how we do know God loves us and he just listens and smiles because he knows that somewhere in the back of our minds he has planted a doubt, and that as long as we base our faith on our reason he can forever give us new reasons to doubt. It was this appeal to reason that also caused Eve to fall. He promised her knowledge, that she would be like God, knowing good from evil, and it is this same tactic he uses against Christians who pretend to understand everything about God. That is why Paul was very careful to make sure that he reminded the Corinthians that what they believed was true not because because it is logically correct but because they have experienced the power of God through His Spirit. This of course is foolishness to the world because they haven't experienced the power of God, but for Christians it is the stake that holds us firm when someone starts asking questions that have no human answers. Personally after discussing God in purely philosophical terms for long enough it is easy for me to start to think of God in terms of a cold and totally logical force that I really don't and can't know. I came up against this yesterday after a rather lengthy and confusing discussion and it was a great help for me to remember that God did not leave us stranded with some abstract concepts about but sent His Son to bridge the gap between God and man. (John 3:38 “I speak that which I have seen with my Father. . .”). Everything that I know about Jesus and his human attributes (which I can understand better) are an accurate picture of His Father, and that's all I need to know. It was helpful to be reminded -- even if it was from my little brother :)-- that everything I know about God I know because I KNOW Him, not because of what my reason tells me ABOUT Him. Apologetics are fine for defining what you believe, but they are no substitute for a simple child-like faith of a personal relationship. Don't expect the world to understand, they won't, but don't let that cause you to question your faith. Remember, “The foolishness of God is wiser than man; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” I Cor. 1:25.

Mike

October 20, 2008

Somebody just became a Teenager!

Mark Dierking, we hope you have a wonderful 13th birthday! We'll be praying for you throughout the coming years as you face the exciting teenage years! Always remember that God wants to be first in every single area of your life. Happy Birthday!

October 17, 2008

Lessons, Thoughts and a Verse...

The beginning of this week was was really rough for me. Satan knew which buttons to push and he was getting the victory in far too many areas. What was most frustrating about it was that I'd go to have my devotions and would immediately ask God's forgiveness, then I'd study His Word, and finally go into my ending prayer time...and I'd find myself asking forgiveness for the same exact things I just asked His forgiveness for at the beginning! It was like I didn't believe God was really forgiving me and I was overwhelmed by my guilt. I cried rather pitifully for satan to stop his attacks on me and was trying to gain the victory over him, but he wasn't listening. But then...Why should he? I hold no authority over him! But...I know Someone who does! When I finally realized I couldn't defeat the enemy on my own, got on my knees and really sought God's help, the victory was immediately won!

"When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, I look above and see HIM there, who made an end of all my sin!"

Becca and I talked last night for a VERY long time and it was so good to bemoan our stupidity, get our focus back where it needs to be, share verses, and talk about God's goodness. One thing that we sort of were marevelling at though was how God covers every area of our life. He is our Sheperd, our King, our Saviour, our Friend, our Bridegroom, our Father, etc. Each of these names hold a different kind of love for their particular subject of attention and God has every single one them covered! What a great God we serve!

Don't give up!

Chrystal D.
Prov. 25:4

October 16, 2008

October 15, 2008

When Thy Soldiers Take Their Swords

When Thy soldiers take their swords,
When they speak the solemn words,
When they kneel before Thee here,
Feeling Thee, their Father, near;
These Thy children, Lord, defend;
To their help Thy Spirit send.

When the world’s sharp strife is nigh,
When they hear the battle cry,
When they rush into the fight,
Knowing not temptation’s might;
These Thy children, Lord, defend;
To their zeal Thy wisdom lend.

When their hearts are lifted high
With success or victory,
When they feel the conqueror’s pride;
Lest they grow self satisfied,
These Thy children, Lord, defend;
Teach their souls to Thee to bend.

When the vows that they have made,
When the prayers that they have prayed,
Shall be fading from their hearts;
When their first warm faith departs;
These Thy children, Lord, defend;
Keep them faithful to the end.

Through life’s conflicts guard us all,
Or if wounded some should fall
Ere the victory be won,
For the sake of Christ, Thy Son,
These Thy children, Lord, defend;
And in death Thy comfort bend.
"If you give satan a foothold, he will turn it into his stronghold"

October 14, 2008

Romans 11:33-36

"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen."

October 10, 2008

Praying.... and the necessity of it -PART 2

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore, I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:23-24)

This is my part two of Praying and the Necessity of it. This works through chapter 3 ( there are twelve in the book, so you will probably see more parts before its all said and done ;)
The book was saying that many men and woman of this day and age obtain their “good report” because of their money giving, or their “great” talents, but there are so few who obtain a “good report” because of their great faith in God or because of the wonderful things that are happening because of their great praying. Today, more than ever, we need men of great faith and people who are great in prayer. Faith and Prayer are the two main virtues that make men great in the eyes of God, and are also the two things that create real spiritual success in the life and work of the Church. It is our responsibility to see that we maintain a faith of such quality and texture, so it counts before God! (Which is more important, being great in the worlds view or God’s?)

It would do us good, if we stopped, and looked at our own lives and ask ourselves the question: “Have I faith in God? Have I real faith,—faith which keeps me in perfect peace, about the things of earth and the things of heaven?” This is the most important question a man can ask and expect to be answered. And there is another question, “Do I really pray to God so that He hears me and answers my prayers? And do I truly pray unto God so that I get direct from God the things I ask of Him?”
Do we believe, without a doubt that when we pray, not that we will receive the things we ask on a future day, but that we receive them, then and there? We need to pray, “Lord, increase our faith,” until doubt be gone, and simple trust claims the promised blessings, as its very own.
But that kind of faith is only reached after many failures, after much praying, after many waitings, and after many trials of faith. Our faith must increase until we realize and receive all the fullness there is in that Name which guarantees to do so much.

Before prayer ever starts toward God; before its requests are made known—faith must have gone on ahead; must have believed in the existence of God; must have given its assent to the gracious truth that “God is a rewarder of those that diligently seek His face.” This is the primary step in praying. In this regard, while faith does not bring the blessing, yet it puts prayer in a position to ask for it, and leads to another step toward realization, by aiding the petitioner to believe that God is able and willing to bless.

Faith is not an aimless act of the soul, but a looking to God and a resting upon His promises. Just as love and hope have always an objective so, also, has faith. Faith is not believing just anything; it is believing God, resting in Him, trusting His Word.

I gathered a couple quotes about prayer that I thought fit. Take some time to really think about what they are saying!
"You may as soon find a living man that does not breath, as a living Christian that does not pray." Matthew Henry

He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day. John Bunyan

"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying. Paul E. Billheimer


Think about that last one carefully. You just read a post on prayer, and now it’s time to really pray! Give Satan something to pout about!

Striving for excellence,
Rachel D

October 9, 2008

Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

Hi everyone,
I know it is unusual for me to actually be posting something, but I am not allowed to visit any blogs while on campus. Thankfully I have Chrystal, who has agreed to be my secretary and through e-mail I am sending her what I want posted. I am going to keep this short, because I have a test to review for, but I have wanted to share this with you guys for a while now. In OT Messages my teacher was explaining our relationship with God, and he explained it in a way I had never heard before. I know we have all heard that we are like worms to God, but think of it this way. You are taking a walk and you find a worm, you decide to take this worm home with you and make it your pet. You give this worm a name and you feed it. (Dirt!) You love it even though it ignores you and doesn't really do anything for you. In fact this worm is useless, but you love it anyways. One day you are coming home and see your worm trying to cross the street, even though you told him not to. You love your worm so much you dive in front of the car that is about ready to crush it and you are killed. You just died for a helpless little worm that did absolutely nothing for you. Us loving that worm is just like God loving us. That was so convicting in my life, because I had heard people compare us to worms before, but that illustration just opened my eyes to who I really am to God. I am so prideful and arrogant, because even now I think, "I am not totally like that worm, I am different in some way." Yet, we are all like that worm to God, and yet He loves us still. I am amazed at the faithfulness of God. That illustration also makes me want to do everything for the Lord only. He gave His precious life for me, a rotten wretched sinner, a worm! What a wonderful God we serve! I hope I made sense, it is one thing to hear an illustration, but it is another to try to relate it back to someone. I
miss you guys and am praying for you!

Katie Hefflefinger

October 8, 2008

GOD allows U-TURN

hey guys its me Jake! Well this week has been extremely unextraordinary! Work, Home Sleep and then do it over again. I was thinking about this week when i realized that i hadn't been thinking about God this week as much as i know i should have and i tried to find out why that was. When i read my bible i was struck by the way israel was so easily turned away from God in the times of unextraordinary days. Its easy to see him and focus on him when you are in extreme times...bad or good. In the bad times we look to him to save us. In the good times we go through a time of....almost like a thankful period of a time where we dive into His word in a false way of trying to earn what He provided for us. But in the times such as this week i found my self living my life blind, only trying to make it into the next day. Not looking to God for anything. And here i found the culprit PRIDE! I had myself convinced that i could handle the little day to day stuff and go back to God when I got stumped. Its amazing to me the things God uses to get our attention, injury, storms, friends, family, and the list goes on. I wasn't even going to get on here but thru looking at the lesson from wednesday I now know that the root of this weeks side trip away from God is pride. So with some help from God and you guys I will seek to resist this temptation. And just to think without the push of one undisclosed person all this would have remained bottled up inside. Well it is now 11:39 PM and i have to go to work at 6:30 AM. but I was told by "coach" that i needed to post now so there it is! A quick spellcheck and off too bed and a new day to look to Him for strength and wisdom. Well that all i got for now. Be sure to let me know if i was totally off the mark or anything i will do my best to not try to put myself above reproach.

<>< your nerdy brother JAM V aka Jacob

p.s. : arent you glad God allows U-turns

October 7, 2008

Prone to Wander

I finished up my study in Hosea and since I already showed you some of what God taught me, I figured I might as well finish! ;)

One of the main things that I really noticed throughout the reading of Hosea was his complete trust and obedience to God. He was led through trial after trial. Q. What was the purpose? A. God was using Hosea's life to be an example to the children of Israel. Hosea's entire life was played out for that very reason! Hosea spent his life trying to get the people of Israel to turn back to God before it was too late. He married a woman, knowing full well that she would leave him. (John and I were discussing this and we had to agree that that would be a VERY hard thing to be willing to follow the Lord on!) Even the naming of his children was for a purpose. He had to name them Jezreel, which means "God Sows", Lo-ruhamah, which means "No Mercy" and Lo-Ammi, which means "Not my People". Reading Hosea made me ask "What is God allowing ME to go through, with a specific reason in His mind, in order to use me in the lives of others? And...am I trusting and obeying Him in the way that I should?"

As I continued studying the story of Hosea and read of how Gomer left Hosea over and over, I became rather disgusted with her. Didn't she realize how much Hosea loved her? Didn't she realize how much she was hurting her family and children? How could she be so selfish? Those were my thoughts...until I rather ashamedly came to the conclusion that I am a lot like Gomer. Only I do it to Someone even more important! Hosea 2:6b-8 "She said, 'I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, mine oil and my drink. And she shall follow after her lovers, but she shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: then shall she say, I will go and return to my first husband; for then was it better with me than now. For she did not know that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver and gold" I don't know about you, but wow! This perfectly describes how I can be at times! Like Gomer, I can follow after other things, thinking that I'm sick of "sacrificing" so much or that I'm sick of battling my sin and it will be much better for me to simply follow my own desires for a while. But when I leave my Saviours side it is then that I truly realize how much I need Him! For it is then that I realize...He alone satisfies! And everything I need...He has already supplied! Gomer thought she would be happier following after her other loves. Vrs 13 "She went after her lovers, and forgat me, saith the LORD." However the Lord knew she wasn't content and I love His response to her straying "Vrs 14- Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her." God is continually seeking to bring us back to Himself. Sometimes He has to take us through hard times to get us to come to our senses and for Gomer...that day would eventually come. The Lord promised Hosea that on that day He would "give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt." When restoration is finally made, Gomer would have the same kind of joy that she had had the day of her salvation! Ok...now that we have that verse figured out, here comes one of my absolutely favorite verses from this book. Vrs 16 "And it shall be at that day, saith the LORD, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali." I looked up those words Ishi and Baali in my handy commentary book and what I read was incredibly neat! Ishi means "Husband" and Baali means "Master". Now go read that verse again and substitute those words in their proper place. Isn't that neat? When we finally get things right with God we begin to see Him for Who He really is! Instead of thinking of God as a strict Master who constantly holds a list of rules over our head, we see Someone who longs to have a deep and personal relationship with us! God verifies His love for us in Vrs 19-20 "And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the LORD!" What incredibly reassuring verses!

Reading those verses makes me wonder how I could ever want to try and find my joy in life through any other source?! And yet...I still do it! Chapter 4:12 pretty much says it like it is "They have gone a-whoring from under their God!" I know, that's some pretty strong language there, but you know...the more I think about it the more I realize that that is exactly what I do every time I start letting myself tolerate the "little" sins in my life. Israel allowed their little loves to lead them straight away from God. Hosea 13:2a "And now they sin more and more" Have you ever tried to keep the weeds out of a garden at home? We have. At the beginning of the year we were zealous about keeping up with the work and the garden was pretty much free of weeds. The moment a weed tried to push its head above the ground we would whack it down with a hoe, as if to dare it to try and come back. It apparently took us up on the dare and the weeds continually came back...only to be whacked back down again. By the 2nd month of weeding it got rather discouraging. We would be weeding every single week the same exact areas that we had weeded at the beginning of the week! Our efforts became a little less than enthusiastic and lets just say...it showed! The rains multiplied the weeds and little by little they began to take over. We tried rather valiantly, for a while, to keep up with them, but vacation time came and we took a break from the garden for a week. When we came back...it had turned into a jungle. You can't even begin to imagine how many weeds there were in that garden! You could hardly see a single plant and the weeds were waist high! It was incredible! The garden was pretty much a loss. It would take forever to pull all those weeds back out and since they were no longer tender and small problems, they'd all have to be dug out with much work. Ok...so you probably already grasped the point I am trying to make. Our sin is like those weeds. If maintained and taken care of immediately we have a much easier time keeping the sin out and being able to see the plants/fruit in our lives. But the second that we become discouraged with the fight and loosen up on our resolve to keep the sin out, it begins to take root. One sin leads to another and another and another until eventually it has taken over and we don't even know where to try and start the process of digging out the sin in our lives. I don't know about you, but maybe you're like me and had to do a heart check and confess some things to God. I don't want to be like Israel who "According to their pasture, so were they filled; they were filled, and their heart was exalted; therefore have they forgotten me." (Vrs 6) Gods blessings are so often the very thing that draws us away from Him.

"Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me. I did know thee in the wilderness, in the land of great drought." What a great God we serve!

The book of Hosea- What an encouraging, convicting, comforting and challenging book all at the same time! It was so neat to see God's faithfulness and continual outpouring of love for His children, despite how often they left Him for other things. God continued to seek them out and draw them back to Himself as He called them to repentance. I'm so thankful that "Jesus NEVER changes! He's ALWAYS the same!" and that the same God of Hosea, loves me and is continuing His work in me, despite the MANY times that I get in the way!

In Awe of Him,
Chrystal F. Dierking

P.S. Ok...so this has gotten rather lengthy, but I am not going to apologize for it! ;) God has been working and I felt the need to share! I will end this epistle with a song that I came across recently and discovered it went along with what God had already been trying to teach me.

IN THE IMAGE OF GOD

In the image of God, we were made long ago,
with the purpose divine, here His glory to show;
But we failed Him one day, and like sheep went astray,
thinking not of the cost, we His likeness had lost.

But from eternity, God had in mind,
the work of Calvary, the lost to find;
From His heaven so broad, Christ came down, earth to trod,
so that men might live again in the image of God.

Now that I have believed, and the Saviour received,
now that I, from the cry of my guilt am relieved,
I will live for my Lord, NOT for gain or reward,
but for love! Thinking of what His grace has restored!

I'll never comprehend redemption's plan,
how Christ could condescend to die for man;
SUCH a Saviour I'll praise, to the end of my days,
as I upward, onward trod, in the image of God.

Disobedient People

Sometimes I think "I usually don't disobey. When my parents ask me to do something I do it.!" But I'm forgetting all the times that I disobey them by doing things they tell me not to do. WE ARE SUCH DISOBEDIENT PEOPLE. We often don't care what God says. We purposefully do things we know that God hates. We are disrespectful to the parents God gave us. We hurt the ones that take care of us. We are truly selfish!

Disobedience comes from selfishness!
Jordan

YOU ARE MY KING

-The true and incredible testimony of a mother who lost her child shortly after birth-

"The image of Jesus being mocked while he bled and suffered was unbearable today. More so than any other time I have read the story. His words, His shame, His pain. The fact that as I read those words, I am reminded that He knew my baby while He hung. He knew how many breaths she would have, how many tears I would cry for her, how I will run to her in heaven and rejoice that she doesn't need her lungs there anyway because she is perfect. He knew these words before I typed them. His love is deeper than I can fathom. If you want to feel the Holy Spirit fill you, try something one day. Maybe even today if you can make the time. Start by praying for God to reveal Himself in a new way to you, and then read through these words of agony and death, and imagine your face as what He saw. You were worth it. He still believes that. I hope you do too. When God turned away from His Son, and darkness crept across Calvary, He knew your face, your heart, your hurts. They are forever hidden within His wounds."



YOU ARE MY KING-

I'm forgiven, because You were forsaken,
I'm accepted, You were condemned;
I'm alive and well Your Spirit is within me
Because You died and rose again!

Amazing love how can it be,
That You my King would die for me?
Amazing love I know it's true,
And it's my joy to honor you...

In all I do, I honor You.

Amazing love how can it be,
That You my King would die for me?
Amazing love I know it's true,
and it's my joy to honor you...

You are my King, You are my King.
Jesus, You are my King! Jesus, You are my King!

October 2, 2008

Praying... and the necessity of it.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it.” (John 14:12-14)

Lately I have been reading a book called “Necessity of Prayer” it’s been really good so far! Obviously it’s about prayer and the necessity of it ;) but, it has so many provoking thoughts!

To start with I will give one of their illustrations.
“The guests at a certain hotel were being rendered uncomfortable by repeated strumming on a piano, done by a little girl who possessed no knowledge of music. They complained to the proprietor with a view to having the annoyance stopped. ‘I am sorry you are annoyed,’ he said. ‘But the girl is the child of one of my very best guests. I can scarcely ask her not to touch the piano. But her father, who is away for a day or so, will return tomorrow. You can then approach him, and have the matter set right.’ When the father returned, he found his daughter in the reception-room and, as usual, thumping on the piano. He walked up behind the child and, putting his arms over her shoulders, took her hands in his, and produced some most beautiful music. Thus it may be with us, and thus it will be, some coming day. Just now, we can produce little but clamor and disharmony; but, one day, the Lord Jesus will take hold of our hands of faith and prayer, and use them to bring forth the music of the skies.” It’s so neat to think that God takes us under His wings and makes us something that we are not worthy of being because he loves us so much!!!


One of the things the book said that caught my attention was that the faith which creates powerful praying is the faith which centers itself on a powerful Person. That statement is so cool! I want to have a powerful prayer life, but I have to realize that it’s not about how I pray, but about the powerful God I serve!

Also, we know that sometimes God does not answer our prayers right away. And that seems so hard, but that is when faith is called upon. We must wait in patience before God, and be prepared for God’s seeming delays in answering prayer. Faith does not grow disheartened because prayer is not immediately honored; it takes God at His Word, and lets Him take what time He chooses in fulfilling His purposes, and in carrying on His will. There is bound to be delay and long days of waiting for true faith, but faith accepts the conditions—knows there will be delays in answering prayer, and regards such delays as times of testing, in the which, it is privileged to show the stern stuff of which it is made.

For Example: The case of Lazarus was an instance of where there was delay, where the faith of two good women was sorely tried: Lazarus was critically ill, and his sisters sent for Jesus. But, without any known reason, the Lord delayed His going to the relief of His sick friend. The plea was urgent and touching—“Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick,”—but the Master is not moved by it, and the women’s earnest request seemed to fall on deaf ears. What a trial to faith! Also: our Lord’s tardiness appeared to bring about hopeless disaster. While Jesus tarried, Lazarus died.
But the delay of Jesus was exercised in the interests of a greater good. Finally, He makes His way to the home in Bethany! (And you know the rest of the story!)

(This is an excerpt from the book) Fear not, O tempted and tried believer, Jesus will come, if patience be exercised, and faith hold fast. His delay will serve to make His coming the more richly blessed. Pray on. Wait on. Thou canst not fail. If Christ delays, wait for Him. In His own good time, He will come, and will not tarry. Delay is often the test and the strength of faith. How much patience is required when these times of testing come! Yet faith gathers strength by waiting and praying. Patience has its perfect work in the school of delay. In some instances, delay is of the very essence of the prayer. God has to do many things, antecedent to giving the final answer—things which are essential to the lasting good of him who is requesting favor at His hands.

So, now we know why God sometimes delays, but then it goes into why we should pray. (And this part is really good!)
As every day demands its bread, so every day demands its prayer. No amount of praying, done today, will suffice for tomorrow’s praying. On the other hand, no praying for tomorrow is of any great value to us today. To-day’s manna is what we need; tomorrow God will see that our needs are supplied. This is the faith which God seeks to inspire. So leave tomorrow, with its cares, its needs, its troubles, in God’s hands. There is no storing tomorrow’s grace or tomorrow’s praying; neither is there any laying-up of today’s grace, to meet tomorrow’s necessities. We cannot have tomorrow’s grace, we cannot eat tomorrow’s bread, we cannot do tomorrow’s praying. “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof;” and, most assuredly, if we possess faith, sufficient also, will be the good.


“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusted in Thee.” (Isa 26:3)
Faith is not believing just anything; it is believing God, resting in Him, trusting His Word.

Faith gives birth to prayer, and grows stronger, strikes deeper, rises higher, in the struggles and wrestlings of mighty petitioning. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance and realization of the inheritance of the saints. Faith, too, is humble and persevering. It can wait and pray; it can stay on its knees, or lie in the dust. It is the one great condition of prayer; the lack of it lies at the root of all poor praying, feeble praying, little praying, unanswered praying.
Genuine, authentic faith must be definite and free of doubt. Not simply general in character; not a mere belief in the being, goodness, and power of God, but a faith which believes that the things which “he saith, shall come to pass.” As the faith is specific, so the answer likewise will be definite: “He shall have whatsoever he saith.” Faith and prayer select the things, and God commits Himself to do the very things which faith and persevering prayer nominate, and petition Him to accomplish.

So, like I said there is a lot packed into this book because this was only SHORT summery of the first chapter and a 1/2! So, guys…. We really, really, really need to be praying for each other! Prayer is so important and necessary! And we overlook it so many times! Please do not stop praying!
Striving for Excellence!!
Rachel Dierking

October 1, 2008

Bearing Fruit

You should know about the parable about the fruit tree and bearing fruit for Christ. People say live a good life so others can see a difference... but most people wont come up and ask you whats different they probably will think your just a good kid with strict parents unless you tell them your a Christian and tell them what Gods doing in your life and the Peace and Joy you get from serving Jesus

If you just live a good life they see the blossoms, and they know your a good tree. When you share your faith, you bear fruit and they know your a christian.
Jordan