Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Monday, December 24, 2007
The Good News
The Gospel is the Good News about the coming of Jesus Christ and the work He accomplished while here in the flesh. The News of the Savior coming can only be seen for just how Good the News is by understanding the Bad News --- the judgment from which He came to save us. It is the Bad News that all men are under a sentence of eternal judgment in Hell that makes the Good News of Jesus Christ receiving our judgment on the cross in order to spare us exceedingly Good News. The Good News of the Savior is for ALL since ALL are in need of a Savior. It was necessary that the Savior who came be nothing less than Christ the Lord since only He had the authority and ability to save us. The coming of the Savior was to accomplish two purposes: First, to save us from sin and judgment for that sin.
Secondly, to bring glory to God for His kindness, patience, goodness, mercy and power demonstrated at the cross. It was the Savior who came to man, and so it is in salvation that God always takes the first step because we could not and would not go to Him on our own. The correct response to the coming of the Savior is to, by faith, bow before Him submitting to Him as being right and true.
And finally, this Gospel is not a maybe, probably, hope-so Gospel. It is a certain Gospel that will not disappoint. The One who was sent from Heaven to save always accomplishes His purposes and so the New Testament says, “These things are written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.”
Secondly, to bring glory to God for His kindness, patience, goodness, mercy and power demonstrated at the cross. It was the Savior who came to man, and so it is in salvation that God always takes the first step because we could not and would not go to Him on our own. The correct response to the coming of the Savior is to, by faith, bow before Him submitting to Him as being right and true.
And finally, this Gospel is not a maybe, probably, hope-so Gospel. It is a certain Gospel that will not disappoint. The One who was sent from Heaven to save always accomplishes His purposes and so the New Testament says, “These things are written to you who believe on the name of the Son of God that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.”
Jimmy Brantley
Monday, December 17, 2007
Swinging-Bridge of Grace
I recently read a quote by Jim Fowler and I thought I would share:
It appears that the majority of Christians, if given a choice of working on a chain-gang or walking across a swinging suspension bridge with no handrails, would opt for the chain-gang labor. It is tiring and monotonously predictable, but you can't fall off. It may kill you, but it's a methodical way to go! The swinging-bridge of grace is scary. It is as unpredictable as God Himself. Security is only found as we "fix our eyes on Jesus" (Heb. 12:2) and are "led of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18), trusting Him to keep us standing by His power (I Pet. 1:5). That requires faith! Many there are who will choose the chain-gang of religion over the swinging-bridge of grace.
How often do we see Christian's try to put God into a neat little box; to try to and construct a God of their own choosing who is tame and predictable...a God who is safe. Their God is one who expects nothing more of us than to slavishly follow a prescribed ritual regardless of the attitude of our heart. But this isn't the God we serve. The God we serve is a consuming fire that leaves nothing that it touches unchanged.
Our God causes the comfortable to be shaken and the shaken to be comforted. He causes the proud to be humbled and the humble to be exalted. He causes the strong to be made weak and the weary to stand tall. He causes the mouths of the bold to be made silent and the mouths of the timid to speak with power. He confounds the wise with the foolish and gives mercy to the sinner and sorrow to the self-righteous. It would seem that our God is a God of opposites, a God of contrasts. On the surface that would appear to be the case, but each of these “contrasts” all have one thing in common…they bring glory to God.
It seems that the fear of falling has kept too many Christian’s working on the chain-gang. There is a certain amount of comfort there. But God isn’t interested in our comfort and He is unimpressed by how well we do the “religion thing.” God wants us fearlessly abandoned to Him. Fearless of what man can do to us! Fearless of what tomorrow will bring! Fearless even unto death! Fearless of stepping out and living in the freedom He has given us! But this will never happen while the fear of falling has us in its grip. It’s a scary thing, this fear of falling. It keeps us off the swinging bridge, it keeps us off the ledge, and it keeps us safe. This isn’t what the “God of Opposites” desires for us, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.
To be continued…
It appears that the majority of Christians, if given a choice of working on a chain-gang or walking across a swinging suspension bridge with no handrails, would opt for the chain-gang labor. It is tiring and monotonously predictable, but you can't fall off. It may kill you, but it's a methodical way to go! The swinging-bridge of grace is scary. It is as unpredictable as God Himself. Security is only found as we "fix our eyes on Jesus" (Heb. 12:2) and are "led of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18), trusting Him to keep us standing by His power (I Pet. 1:5). That requires faith! Many there are who will choose the chain-gang of religion over the swinging-bridge of grace.
How often do we see Christian's try to put God into a neat little box; to try to and construct a God of their own choosing who is tame and predictable...a God who is safe. Their God is one who expects nothing more of us than to slavishly follow a prescribed ritual regardless of the attitude of our heart. But this isn't the God we serve. The God we serve is a consuming fire that leaves nothing that it touches unchanged.
Our God causes the comfortable to be shaken and the shaken to be comforted. He causes the proud to be humbled and the humble to be exalted. He causes the strong to be made weak and the weary to stand tall. He causes the mouths of the bold to be made silent and the mouths of the timid to speak with power. He confounds the wise with the foolish and gives mercy to the sinner and sorrow to the self-righteous. It would seem that our God is a God of opposites, a God of contrasts. On the surface that would appear to be the case, but each of these “contrasts” all have one thing in common…they bring glory to God.
It seems that the fear of falling has kept too many Christian’s working on the chain-gang. There is a certain amount of comfort there. But God isn’t interested in our comfort and He is unimpressed by how well we do the “religion thing.” God wants us fearlessly abandoned to Him. Fearless of what man can do to us! Fearless of what tomorrow will bring! Fearless even unto death! Fearless of stepping out and living in the freedom He has given us! But this will never happen while the fear of falling has us in its grip. It’s a scary thing, this fear of falling. It keeps us off the swinging bridge, it keeps us off the ledge, and it keeps us safe. This isn’t what the “God of Opposites” desires for us, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and discipline.
To be continued…
Friday, December 14, 2007
Stink, Stank, Stunk
Another one of my favorites, but for a different reason. This is for all the "Grinches" out there.
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Am I Carnally Minded?
In a recent post by Joel he wrote about his favorite entry in Oswald Chambers' daily devotional, "My Utmost For His Highest." My Utmost is my favorite devotional, but it hasn't always been that way. Not long after I became a Christian, I began to read it daily and I must admit that I understood very little of what I read. As time went on, I grew in knowledge and grace and I began to understand it more and more. I am not sure that I have a favorite entry, but the following has to be near the top of the list. I have blogged about some of this entry before, but I thought I would share it again. It is from March 23.
If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn’t ask you to make it right; He only asks you to accept the light of truth, and then He will make it right. A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God. But a child of the darkness will say, "Oh, I can explain that." When the light shines and the Spirit brings conviction of sin, be a child of the light. Confess your wrongdoing, and God will deal with it. If, however, you try to vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.
What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone you will know it-it is the most real thing you can imagine. And God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, "If this had happened before, I would have had the spirit of resentment!" And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
Amen!
If the Spirit of God detects anything in you that is wrong, He doesn’t ask you to make it right; He only asks you to accept the light of truth, and then He will make it right. A child of the light will confess sin instantly and stand completely open before God. But a child of the darkness will say, "Oh, I can explain that." When the light shines and the Spirit brings conviction of sin, be a child of the light. Confess your wrongdoing, and God will deal with it. If, however, you try to vindicate yourself, you prove yourself to be a child of the darkness.
What is the proof that carnality has gone? Never deceive yourself; when carnality is gone you will know it-it is the most real thing you can imagine. And God will see to it that you have a number of opportunities to prove to yourself the miracle of His grace. The proof is in a very practical test. You will find yourself saying, "If this had happened before, I would have had the spirit of resentment!" And you will never cease to be the most amazed person on earth at what God has done for you on the inside.
Amen!
Saturday, December 01, 2007
What's the Hurry?
Joel's post and Matthews's post reminded me of something I read in Hannah Whitall Smith's book, "The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life."
The lump of clay, from the moment it comes under the transforming hand of the potter, is, during each day and each hour of the process, just what the potter wants it to be at that hour or on that day, and therefore pleases him. But it is very far from being matured into the vessel he intends in the future to make it.
The little babe may be all that a babe could be, or ought to be, and may therefore perfectly please its mother, and yet it is very far from being what that mother would wish it to be when the years of maturity shall come.
The apple in June is a perfect apple for June. It is the best apple that June can produce. But it is very different from the apple in October, which is a perfected apple.
God's works are perfect in every stage of their growth. Man's works are never perfect until they are in every respect complete.
All that we claim then in this life of sanctification is, that by a step of faith we put ourselves into the hands of the Lord, for Him to work in us all the good pleasure of His will; and that by a continuous exercise of faith we keep ourselves there. This is our part in the matter. And when we do it, and while we do it, we are, in the Scripture sense, truly pleasing to God, although it may require years of training and discipline to mature us into a vessel that shall be in all respects to His honor, and fitted to every good work.
Indeed, God's works are perfect in every stage of their growth. Why is it so hard to rest there? Why do we get so impatient with where we are in our spiritual growth? Is it pride? Are we trying to live up to the expectations of others or up to what we **think** God expects of us? Yet how many parents can you think of who are actually in a hurry for their children to be grown?
The lump of clay, from the moment it comes under the transforming hand of the potter, is, during each day and each hour of the process, just what the potter wants it to be at that hour or on that day, and therefore pleases him. But it is very far from being matured into the vessel he intends in the future to make it.
The little babe may be all that a babe could be, or ought to be, and may therefore perfectly please its mother, and yet it is very far from being what that mother would wish it to be when the years of maturity shall come.
The apple in June is a perfect apple for June. It is the best apple that June can produce. But it is very different from the apple in October, which is a perfected apple.
God's works are perfect in every stage of their growth. Man's works are never perfect until they are in every respect complete.
All that we claim then in this life of sanctification is, that by a step of faith we put ourselves into the hands of the Lord, for Him to work in us all the good pleasure of His will; and that by a continuous exercise of faith we keep ourselves there. This is our part in the matter. And when we do it, and while we do it, we are, in the Scripture sense, truly pleasing to God, although it may require years of training and discipline to mature us into a vessel that shall be in all respects to His honor, and fitted to every good work.
Indeed, God's works are perfect in every stage of their growth. Why is it so hard to rest there? Why do we get so impatient with where we are in our spiritual growth? Is it pride? Are we trying to live up to the expectations of others or up to what we **think** God expects of us? Yet how many parents can you think of who are actually in a hurry for their children to be grown?
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