People are so full of themselves, so full of self love, so distracted, that they have no room for a heart for God or a heart for you. The problem isn't always that oh they don't love themselves. They love themselves alright. Too much to detect or hate their own sin or be able to turn their pointing finger in on themselves or humble themselves. It's called pride and rebellion. When you harden your heart you hide and your life becomes full of secrecy and shame. It then takes more sin to wet your appetite and more blaming others instead of getting on your face and humbling yourself. The thing is, when you deceive others you are being deceived and if you live long in that land you self-destruct but you also believe your own lies. So, I say this to say...some of you have had someone's finger pointed at you blaming you for their actions (when you are not responsible for how someone else acts and can't control anyone else) and telling you that if only _____________ (you fill in the blank) YOU would change then they would do XYZ. Take that load of condemnation off of you my friend. If you notice that after years and even decades the only one who has changed is you...well then maybe you aren't the problem. We are all sinful at best but all you can do is humble yourself and seek His face and ask Him to change you and take steps to obey. Deformed desires won't change apart from a renewed mind from the word. We were created to be filled and we can't quit an addiction or habit or sin without having a new heart and new mind that comes through the word of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit. Stand your ground and keep short accounts with sin in your own life. Maybe you need to fess up like I just did before God and clean house spiritually speaking. Whatever you do...don't have ears that are too dull to hear. Turn off the noise. Lean in. When you seek Him you will find Him when you seek Him with all of your heart. Don't waste your life either pining away for the affections of others that are so in love with themselves that they don't have anything to give. Love comes from God and you have to get it from Him to give it. Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts against Him. He can be trusted and if He is for you then who can be against you? It will be intentional and radical to seek Him and go against the world system but His love is better than life and better is one day in His courts then a thousand days elsewhere. The stakes are high, the devil and his cohorts have an agenda for you and your family...but he can't stand against the LORD. He must and will be defeated. The day is drawing near. Don't fold.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
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The Chiseling of Pain
The Master sets before us the goal of our being. He has a beautiful plan for each life. There is something definite for which he has made us, into which he would fashion us, and toward which all his guidance, education, and training will tend. This is not a world of chance— but it is our Father's world. All the experiences of our lives have their part in making us what Christ would have us become, in bringing out the possibilities that he sees in us when we first come to him.
All life is a school. Our school books are not all in English print. Our lessons are set for us in many kinds of type, in different languages. The Bible is our great text book, and we are to use it daily and always. The lessons are not written out plainly for us on its pages. But life is our practice school. There we are to learn patience, joy, contentment, peace, gentleness. All the experiences of the passing days have their lessons in them. Sometimes we are alarmed by the disappointments, the sufferings, the sorrows— which we have to endure. But there really is no reason for alarm or dismay, however full of pain or seeming loss the days may be. God is in his world, and whatever the experiences may be, nothing is going wrong. The disappointments which seem to be working confusion in our hopes and plans— are God's appointments, yielding better things in the end than if our pleasant dreams had been realized. The sufferings and the sorrows of our lives have their part in the working out of the Master's vision for us.
Peter owed a great deal to the hard things in his education. He paid a large price for his lessons— but not too large. It is worth while to endure all the sorrow, loss, and pain, just to learn to sing the one sweet song. No price in tears would have been too great to pay to be the author, for example, of the twenty third psalm, or "Rock of Ages, cleft for me." Think of the things Peter left— but was the price he paid too great? Let no one dread any suffering he may be called to endure, if thereby he becomes able to be a blessing to other lives, or leaves behind anything that will make blessings which shall enrich the earth, fruits which shall feed men's hunger.
The sculptor, hewing at his marble and seeing the chips of stone flying about, said, in explanation, "While the marble wastes— the image grows." The stone unhewn cannot grow into living beauty. The The life which does not suffer, which endures no pain, cannot be fashioned into the likeness of Christ. Simon can become Peter only through chisel work. The marble must waste— that the image may grow. "The highest beauty is beauty of character, and the chiseling of pain completes it."
Miller, J.R. (2012-12-29). The Beauty of Self-Control (Kindle Locations 1008-1027). . Kindle Edition.
The Chiseling of Pain
The Master sets before us the goal of our being. He has a beautiful plan for each life. There is something definite for which he has made us, into which he would fashion us, and toward which all his guidance, education, and training will tend. This is not a world of chance— but it is our Father's world. All the experiences of our lives have their part in making us what Christ would have us become, in bringing out the possibilities that he sees in us when we first come to him.
All life is a school. Our school books are not all in English print. Our lessons are set for us in many kinds of type, in different languages. The Bible is our great text book, and we are to use it daily and always. The lessons are not written out plainly for us on its pages. But life is our practice school. There we are to learn patience, joy, contentment, peace, gentleness. All the experiences of the passing days have their lessons in them. Sometimes we are alarmed by the disappointments, the sufferings, the sorrows— which we have to endure. But there really is no reason for alarm or dismay, however full of pain or seeming loss the days may be. God is in his world, and whatever the experiences may be, nothing is going wrong. The disappointments which seem to be working confusion in our hopes and plans— are God's appointments, yielding better things in the end than if our pleasant dreams had been realized. The sufferings and the sorrows of our lives have their part in the working out of the Master's vision for us.
Peter owed a great deal to the hard things in his education. He paid a large price for his lessons— but not too large. It is worth while to endure all the sorrow, loss, and pain, just to learn to sing the one sweet song. No price in tears would have been too great to pay to be the author, for example, of the twenty third psalm, or "Rock of Ages, cleft for me." Think of the things Peter left— but was the price he paid too great? Let no one dread any suffering he may be called to endure, if thereby he becomes able to be a blessing to other lives, or leaves behind anything that will make blessings which shall enrich the earth, fruits which shall feed men's hunger.
The sculptor, hewing at his marble and seeing the chips of stone flying about, said, in explanation, "While the marble wastes— the image grows." The stone unhewn cannot grow into living beauty. The The life which does not suffer, which endures no pain, cannot be fashioned into the likeness of Christ. Simon can become Peter only through chisel work. The marble must waste— that the image may grow. "The highest beauty is beauty of character, and the chiseling of pain completes it."
Miller, J.R. (2012-12-29). The Beauty of Self-Control (Kindle Locations 1008-1027). . Kindle Edition.
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