Who We Are

January 3, 2015

There's a little saying that is on mugs and shirts and printed over pictures. It's a mantra that people love because it encourages them to do what they love. At first I didn't really give it a second thought. It keeps showing up and I need to set the record straight.

Here's the thing...Doing what we love is the thing that got us into trouble.

Living for ourselves is what the Gospel saves us from. Sure, we love a lot of good things. Quite often, the problem isn't in the doing, but in the motivation behind it. When we decide to make our lives about doing what we love, we give little thought to God.

We love this mantra because it puts us at the center. That's the problem.

Jesus Christ came that we might see the glory of God and be changed by it. Becoming a Christian means we are called to begin living in pursuit of knowing it and making it known. John 17 has become one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because it gives my life perspective.

Jesus Christ wasn't here to do what He loved. He was all about what the Father loved. He did what He saw the Father do. 

In John 17: 3-4 Jesus Christ said, "And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do."

He saved us so that we could know God and join Him in doing what God loves. It's who we are.

I turned this into a printable

just for you. Click HERE.
Or HERE for a black version. 

A Motto

April 30, 2014

We have seen that Jesus' purpose and sustenance was doing the Father's will.

From our own lives we know that it takes more than purposing to do something in order to continue doing it. 

Isaiah 50:4-5 tell us what that something more was in Jesus' life...Jesus stayed faithful to His purpose of doing the Father's will and clung to it as to food because morning by morning He was awakened by the Father to be taught by Him. 

John Snyder summed it up quite well with these words, "His food was to do the will of the Father, and He understood that a life of obedience could only be sustained by having an open ear to all that the Father was saying."

The Father's will and the Father's words kept Jesus. 

In Luke 2:49, Jesus says, "...Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?"

In Psalm 40:8 we see His heart, "I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart." 

Again John Snyder writes, "Here the whole service of Jesus is described: I must. I delight."

April 28, 2014

The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer is this: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

As children of God, we too are here to do the Father's will.

Like Jesus, we need to have an open ear to all that the Father is saying.

We too can live by the motto: I must. I delight. 

It is true. We ARE here because we MUST glorify God and we HAVE been made alive to the DELIGHT that is enjoying Him forever.

Christian, delighting in God and doing His will are your calling. The Holy Spirit is with you to help you and to lead you in that Word of truth that will preserve you in this purpose that is yours in Christ.

You have the purpose, you have the treasure, you have the Helper. Open your ears to be taught by God by setting your eyes on His Word.

Frankly Friday

Amy, I can't thank you enough for coming up with this. I am loving this prompt.




I have decided to get frank about 9/11.

I "love" my country, I am glad to live here. I am grateful for the many men and women who have spent their lives helping to make sure that I have a place where I can live with true freedom.

America was founded and (despite the work and opinions of many) still exists so that everyone can live not as they might want, but rather, as they ought.

Yes, I said it.

We're a Christian nation ladies and gents.

Which brings me to the real point of this post. 

I remember September 11, 2001. I know exactly what I was doing. I pretty much know what happened that day, and the day after, and the months that followed.

Every year, I remember.

But, I also get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think of how people respond.

9/11 should have sent us all to our knees. The days that followed should have had us all raising our hands to God with praise and thanksgiving.

It's not about remembering what happened 11 years ago on that day....What's even more amazing is looking at what we have been given. To this day, we are STILL FREE to do as we ought.

We are free in Christ and we are even free in America. Free to become like Him.

We can praise God for the gift of  His Son and His grace.


We can praise God for His DAILY work and provision and protection in our lives.

We can praise God that we have a country like the one we do.

I guess what I'm saying is, please let 9/11 go. Don't let remembering that day distract you from making a big deal out of something even more important.

Yes, lives were lost that day. A country was very much changed.

But, TODAY. We still have TODAY! 

On September 11, 2013 (and everyday until that day), I challenge you to think about the SOULS that are around you. The souls that need love while they are still here.

By God's grace, not everyone on those planes faced wrath.

By God's grace, we all have today and know others who are living it too. We are surrounded by people who may come to know the HOPE that God has given us.

In her post, Becky wrote these words about 9/11:
"This world is fallen, and our only hope is in Him."

So, let's remember THAT.

We humans do some pretty terrible things. Every terrible thing that happens is a reminder of who God is and just exactly what we are. What we are shows us how much we desperately need Him.

His goodness is what makes our wickedness so clear. For, we know we are wicked when we are not as good as He is.

Don't be any kind of terrorist in the lives of people around you. So, maybe you're not driving planes full of people into towers. Maybe you're just inconsiderate and rude. Maybe you are impatient and cutting.

Show the LOVE of Christ. The love that brings joy and peace and life to those around you.

If we learn anything from 9/11, may it be this:

The urgency of life and death
The goodness of God
The wickedness of humans and their need for a Savior
The call to be like Christ and the work of God making it happen

 

This is the "best" picture of the super moon that I got. I'm not impressed, but I know you saw the moon that night. As cliche as it sounds: As the moon shines by reflecting the light of the sun, so we were created to shine by reflecting the light of the Son of God.

*Pictures in this post: Washington DC 2007//Ocean City Boardwalk 2007//Historic Fort in Virginia 2007//Highway somewhere along the way 2007// Super Moon 2012

The Word

-Chapter One-

C.J. Mahaney encourages and instructs Christians to take the Bible as a whole and make it the standard by which they live by. The Bible is the inspired Word of God and is meant to be the instruction manual for God's people. Cutting sections out of the Bible, or pasting new ones in, is absolutely unacceptable and leads only to wasted lives. 

The danger of "editing" the perfect Word of God is decline. God desires for His people to enjoy life, but He does not desire for them to waste their lives. He wants them to follow the words of Jesus in Mark 10:45:

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve..."

God placed man here not so He could serve them, but so that they could serve Him. That service is not only purposeful, it is joyful, fulfilling, and desirable. 

I finished this chapter with three thoughts: 

I need to be careful not to cut and paste to make my own Bible.

 I need to be in the Word daily, that I may know the Truth and discern that which is not true.

I need to live out the concepts the Lord is teaching me.