Jesus

Great Quotes From Ages Past #10

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In Christ, as a great storehouse, lie all the riches of spiritual wisdom, the massive ingots of solid gold which when coined into creeds and doctrines are the wealth of the Church.  All which we can know concerning God and man, concerning sin and righteousness and duty, concerning another life, is in Him Who is the home and deep mine where truth is stored… The central fact of the universe and the perfect encyclopedia of all moral and spiritual truth is in Christ, the Incarnate Word, the Lamb slain, the ascended King.

 

Alexander MacLaren

 

Free Resource – Is Jesus Enough? for Kindle

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Today through Sunday we are offering our book Is Jesus Enough? free for the Kindle or Kindle for PC.

http://www.amazon.com/Is-Jesus-Enough-ebook/dp/B004GNFHVY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1349475169&sr=8-2&keywords=is+jesus+enough

This book has sold thousands worldwide and is available in print both in English and Chinese. For this special weekend, we are offering the English Kindle version free.

If you do not have the free Kindle for PC app, please go here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

Hymn Devotions Day 15 – A Mighty Fortress Is Our God

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DAY 15  – A MIGHTY FORTRESS

               This song has brought comfort to me many times. Whenever I go through trials, whenever I have been faced with persecution because of my faith in Christ, I lean on God to be both my unassailable place of refuge and my defender. Whenever, like the apostle Paul, I am so hard pressed that I despair even of life, my hope rests in the never failing strength and mercy of my God.

It is so easy to look at the evil in the world and despair. Often, it seems as if goodness is failing and the darkness is winning. It is then that God’s Word provides the ultimate comfort by revealing the final result – God wins. Good triumphs. Evil is banished. Our ancient enemy is forever defeated by the might of our Savior and God.

As a mere human, I am no match for the Prince of Darkness. As a son of the Living God, a prince of the Kingdom of Light, co-heir with Jesus Christ and temple of the Holy Spirit, I have nothing to fear. My life is hidden in Christ and all I have to do is call on His name. He is my refuge and my strength, an ever present help in times of danger.

 

            Lord, help me to remember that You are my place of safety, my refuge, my fortress. Help me not to become overwhelmed at the amount of evil in the world but to overcome it by shining Your light. Let me rest in the assurance that You will return, set up Your kingdom, and banish sin and evil forever. Lord, let me also run to You and You alone for safety.

A MIGHTY FORTRESS IS OUR GOD – Martin Luther

A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing

Our helper He amid the flood, of mortal ills prevailing

For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe

His craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate

On earth is not His equal

 

Did we in our own strength abide, our striving would be losing

Were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing

Doth ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He

Lord Sabaoth His name, from age to age the same

And He must win the battle

 

And though this world with devil’s filled, should threaten to undo us

We will not fear for God hath willed, His truth to triumph through us

The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him

His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure

One little word shall fell him

 

That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them abideth

The Spirit and the gifts are ours, through Him who with us sideth

Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also

The body they may kill, God’s truth abideth still

His kingdom is forever

Hymn Devotions Day 11 – Come Thou Fount

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DAY 11 – COME THOU FOUNT

Prone to wander – yes, that is me. Prone to leave the God I love. Why? That is the question, isn’t it. Why do we leave the place where we are safest? Why do we leave the One who has given us everything we need to live a godly life?

O, the depths the human soul has sunk to! Even when brought into a transforming relationship with the God of the Universe we still seek to go our own way. Yes, I will raise my Ebenezer, knowing full well it is only by His help, His grace and power that I have come as far as I have. Only by His help, grace and power will I arrive at the destination He has planned for me. I need to pray for Him to daily bind me to Him. Not to keep me from experiencing a wonderful life, but to keep me from danger and harm. To keep me close to Him, the Savior of Life and every good blessing.

If I cannot keep myself close to Him, and I have proven over and over that I cannot, I can ask Him to keep close to me.

Bend my heart to Thee Lord, I pray. Fetter my wandering feet so they do not leave Your path. You have said you will never leave me nor forsake me and I appreciate that very much. Forgive my sins, I pray, and draw me close to your side.

 

COME THOU FOUNT by Robert Robinson

Come, thou fount of every blessing

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace

Streams of mercy, never ceasing

Call for songs of loudest praise

Teach me some melodious sonnet

Sung by flaming tongues above

Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it

Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise mine Ebenezer

Hither by Thy help I’m come

And I hope by Thy good pleasure

Safely to arrive at home

Jesus sought me when a stranger

Wandering from the fold of God

He to rescue me from danger

Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I’m constrained to be

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter

Bind my wandering heart to Thee

Prone to wander, Lord I feel it

Prone to leave the God I love

Here’s my heart Lord, take and seal it

Seal it for Thy courts above

Hymn Devotions Day 10 – I Know That My Redeemer Liveth

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DAY 10 – I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH 

Taken from the words of Job the Wise, the title of this hymn says it all. Because Jesus lives, we have assurance of eternal life. What sets Jesus apart from all other religious teachers is that He rose from the dead, proving Himself to be God.

One day, he is coming back to judge the living and the dead. He will come back to earth to redeem His own and to destroy both our adversary and death itself.

Jesus has promised us that when we die we will go to be with Him in paradise. This gives great assurance and hope to all believers when they stand at death’s doorway. We face the grave with joy, not terror. For us, death has lost its sting and becomes a transition from one home to another. That is why, although we grieve in sorrow for a loved one who has died, we do not mourn as one without hope. We know that we will see our fellow believers again and fellowship with them forever.

Grace and power are definitely in His hand. Power to conquer death. Power to judge all men. Power to traverse the universe. Grace is His to bestow on His children, those who believe in Him for salvation. What a wonderful Savior is Jesus our Lord.

 

Thank you, Lord, for the testimony of Scripture, of the eyewitness accounts of the Resurrected Christ. By this we know and are assured of the conquering of death by Your hand. What a wonderful truth to cling to – You live and are coming back for us. 

 

I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH by Jesse Pounds

 

I know that my Redeemer liveth

And on the earth again shall stand

I know eternal life He giveth

That grace and power are in His hand

 

I know His promise never faileth

The Word He speaks, it cannot die

Though cruel death, my flesh assaileth

Yet I shall see Him by and by

 

I know my mansion, He prepareth

That where He is, there I may be

O wondrous thought, for me He careth

And He at last will come for me

 

REFRAIN:

 

I know, I know, that Jesus liveth

And on the earth, again shall stand

I know, I know, that life He giveth

That grace and power are in His hand

 

Hymn Devotions Day 9 – Jesus Paid It All

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DAY 9 – Jesus paid it all 

Regrettably, I usually hear this hymn only during the response or invitation time at church. The words are so true, so biblical, it should be sung much more often. I especially love the words of verse 5. I want to shout those words as I ascend to heaven, “Jesus died my soul to save.”

Jesus accomplished everything necessary for our salvation. No more sacrifice to pay the penalty for sin is needed. There are no works we can do to pay for our salvation as it is already paid for. Only His power can replace a heart of stone, cold and indifferent to spiritual realities, with a heart open and responsive to the Holy Spirit.

Only Jesus can bring new life to one who is spiritually dead. Only Jesus can bring sight to one who is spiritually blind. Only He can cleanse our sin-stained soul and make it holy and bright.

In Jesus and Jesus alone is salvation found. There is no other name, no other system, no other achievement, no other religious teaching than His atoning death that can bring about salvation. Jesus paid it all. All to Him I owe.

 

Lord, thank you for purchasing my salvation. Thank you for caring enough to redeem my sin-stained and sickened soul. I praise you for cleansing with and making me whole. Thank you for shedding Your holy blood for the remission of my sins.

 

JESUS PAID IT ALL by Elvina Hall

 

I hear the Savior say, “Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.”

For nothing good have I, Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white, In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

And now complete in Him, My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side, I am divinely blest.

Lord, now indeed I find Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots  And melt the heart of stone.

When from my dying bed, My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,” Shall rend the vaulted skies.

And when before the throne, I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down, All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Hymn Devotions Day 8 – Be Thou My Vision

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DAY 8 – BE THOU MY VISION

 

A melodious tune does nothing to soften the impact of the words of this hymn. I cannot honestly say that I don’t heed riches or the praise of man as the hymn writer pens.

Each time I think that I am making progress in those areas, something happens that makes me realize they have far more of a hold on me than I imagined. For every step forward in these areas, I seem to slip back into bad practices and habits far too often.

I pray that like David, in Psalm 46, that God would grant to me an undivided heart. I understand all too well that while I love God, I also still love the things of this world way too much. I understand what Paul was struggling with when he talked about doing things he knew were wrong and not doing the things he knew was right. Only God can help us become a consistent Christian through the power of His Spirit.

If I could capture the vision of God so clearly that His light would outshine everything else, it would help me to lead a life pleasing to Him. I can capture this vision by spending more and more time in His presence. My prayer is to see Him more clearly each day.

What a joy it would be to have a single-minded devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Lord, please become my vision. Help me to see you clearly in this muddled world. Grant to me an undivided heart so I may serve you with all of it. 

 

Be Thou My Vision by Mary Byrne

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart

Naught be all else to me save that Thou art

Thou my best thought by day or by night

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light

Be Thou my wisdom and Thou my true Word

I ever with Thee and Thou with me Lord

Thou my great Father, I thy true son

Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not nor man’s empty praise

Thou mine inheritance now and always

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart

High King of Heaven, my treasure Thou art

High King of Heaven my victory won

May I reach heaven’s joys, bright heaven’s Sun

Head of my own heart, whatever befall

Still be my vision, O Ruler of all

Is Jesus Enough? Excerpt

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One of the songs we often sing at our church has a line that goes like this:

He gave His life, what more could He give?

 Oh how He loves you, oh how He loves me, oh how He loves you and me!

When we come to Jesus Christ in saving faith, we are acknowledging that He gave His life to pay the penalty for our sin. That act of supreme sacrifice makes Jesus worthy of our love and worship. Even if Jesus never does anything else for us, His procurement of salvation for our souls is more than enough. Any other blessing we receive from Him is simply extra gravy on an already overfilled plate.

When we start to live our lives based on conditional requirements rather than on the finished work of Jesus Christ, we are, in effect, saying that His death was not sufficient for all our needs. We are saying that we need more proof, more tangible benefits before we will give Him the honor He is due. Can you see how arrogant that way of thinking is? Can you see how are attitude has shifted from gratefulness of being a recipient of God’s mercy to one of an expectation of God existing to serve our wants?

We all know of people who started out on fire for the Lord and who dropped out along the way. Many became angry with God for His not answering their prayers a certain way or for not protecting a loved one from harm. If we are honest we must admit that we, too, have become disappointed in God for failing to meet our expectations.

Discouragement sets in when we become disappointed. Disappointment comes from unmet expectations. Our expectations and reality often collide and rarely do we blame ourselves as having expectations that were misguided, ill-founded or unreasonable. We blame either the reality around us or God for not changing the reality to suit our needs.

When pressed by adversity our hearts reveal the truth about us and about our relationship with God. Many believers are in love with the things of the Lord but not the Lord Himself. Despite what our lips may profess, our hearts show the shallowness of our faith. We act more like the crowds who followed Jesus for the miracles of food than the disciples. After all, when one becomes disappointed in God, is it His fault for not catering to our whims and desires or ours for not understanding His ways and trusting in His goodness?

God is good. When we cease to believe that foundational principle we open ourselves up to despair and hopelessness. Even when we do not understand the reasons why things are happening to us, we must cling to that one assurance. Job did. Job was greatly disappointed. Job could not understand why all those calamities had occurred in his life. Job, though, held onto his faith that God was good. Through everything Job never lost his faith in that aspect of God’s character.

One of the ironies of the Christian life is that so many of our prayers center on God healing or delivering us from a life-threatening situation – in effect delaying our arrival at the very place of our reward! How angry people get at God for transporting their loved one to glory instead of leaving them here to endure this sinful, broken earth. It seems that we have lost sight of heaven, that death has somehow regained her sting. Dying has become less than an entrance into eternity and our selfish desires to cling to more time on earth with our loved one trumps our desire to let God determine what is best for them.

The ultimate healing, the ultimate deliverance is from this body of decay and sin and to be with the Lord in heaven. When we take a lesser view on this it diminishes our faith and trust in a God who is good. This lesson was driven home to me in a dramatic way.

The day before my son, then 17 months old, was to have open-heart surgery, my wife and I were passing through the halls of the Ronald McDonald house where we were staying. People in those places get close to each other since all there are in similar situations. One lady we had spoken with quite often was packing her clothes. “I’m going home”, she said in response to our inquiry.  Knowing that her little boy was very ill and could not have possibly been released, we asked her why. “My boy died last night”, she answered. Seeing our hurt, embarrassment and shock plastered on our faces, she took us aside and said, “You’re not ready for your child to die, are you?” We shook our heads no.  “You need to be. Come in here and let me tell you something.” For over an hour she talked with us about how she knew her boy was in heaven, “doing that little shuffle-step dance for Jesus like he did in church on Sundays.” She told us that she was thankful for the years Jesus had loaned her boy to her and that he wasn’t suffering anymore. She thanked Him for His deliverance and healing of her boy. She praised Him for His goodness and mercy. At that Ronald McDonald house I learned that God loves my children even more than I do and that when we pray for complete recovery and healing it may be that God takes our loved ones to heaven to accomplish just that. God is good in all He does because goodness is a central characteristic of Himself.

Our faith grows deeper when we mature enough to understand that our belief at how God can best answer our prayers is different than His knowledge of how best to answer our prayers.

To be honest, even the depth of a faith that acknowledges that God is worthy because He made a way to provide for our salvation is not deep enough. You see, God is worthy because He alone is God. Even if He had not made provision to save mankind, if He had allowed us to enter eternity forever separated from Him because of our sin, He would still be worthy of praise. He did not have to save us. He made us. He made the earth for us to live on. He made colors and sounds and our senses to enjoy them. God made a universe and populated it with myriads of wonderful and incomprehensible things. He is God. He is the Creator and Maker of All Things. He is Good and Holy and this makes Him worthy to be praised.

Now, the fact that He made us with a redeemable soul and sent His Son precisely to redeem that soul is, indeed, good news. The character of who God is, though, is what makes Him worthy of praise and adoration. His holiness is the reason that He is worthy.  A faith that worships God and gives Him praise and adoration based only on what He has done for us, whether it is a family, a job, a car or even salvation is a deficient faith. God is worthy because He is God.

This was a critical point in my walk with Christ. I loved the fact that He had sent people into my life to share the gospel with me. I loved the fact that His Spirit had drawn me to saving faith in His redemptive act.  I loved the family He had given me. I loved being a minister of the gospel and leading others to faith in Jesus. But I had to ask myself if my love for Him was deeper than even that. Did I love Him just because He is?

In his book, The Painful Side of Leadership, Jeff Iorg makes this profound statement:

Most leaders easily forget their primary reason for being placed in their leadership role. The primary reason isn’t for you to do things for God. It’s so God can use your leadership setting as a laboratory for shaping the image of Jesus in you. (Iorg, 2009)

 

Excerpt from Is Jesus Enough? available in print and Kindle editions from Amazon.com and our sister site, http://www.discernmentministries.webs.com

Thoughts on Salvation

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Many times I have people ask me, “When were you saved?”. While they are well meaning, I fear that they do not know exactly what they are asking. You see, I am still being saved. In a very real sense, I was set apart before the foundation of the world in Christ Jesus. God knew whom He would call to be one of His. Yes, on March 26, 1973 I surrendered my life to His control, His Lordship, begging His forgiveness, seeking His mercy, grace and forgiveness. I am still being saved – from this world, our adversary, my own foolish desires and actions. Jesus is alive and active through His Spirit in my even now and He Himself makes intercession for me before the Father continually. I will be saved. He is coming for me (or sending angels to escort me to Him) where I will continue to be saved for all eternity.

When was I saved? A long time ago, today and tomorrow. I know in whom I have believed. And I am persuaded that He is able to keep my soul, which I committed to Him, against the day of judgment. I know He called me and made me His own and that He has the power to keep, sustain and guide me. Jesus isn’t just One who can save, He is the One who does save.