Our Words...

"People who are loved the way we are loved should have lives marked by extreme thanksgiving and laughter because of the mercy and generosity of our King. If we've got this kind of joy resident in our hearts, we won't have to resort to the kind of crude joking and filthy talk that marks the hearts of those looking for happiness in a world devoid of grace. Walking in His love is not so much an issue of which words may or may not be spoken, but a realization that His love is so astounding, so overwhelming, that it precludes complaining (the primary use of swear words) and crudities. This kind of speech is fueled by revenge or boastful self-love and a desire to be thought clever, edgy, funny, a man or woman of the world. Paul's imperative is that we avoid this kind of speech because it is "out of place." It's "out of place" because we no longer have to struggle to make a name for ourselves, nor hope that someone will love us, give us what we think we need, or find us clever. We're freed from this pursuit because we've been immeasurably loved by God, and our résumé has already been written; we're more sinful and flawed than than we ever dared believe, but more loved and welcomed than we ever dared hope."

~Elyse Fitzpatrick

Foundation stones of greater happiness...

"When you think He (God) is farthest from you, or has even turned against you, the truth is that as you cling to Him, He is laying foundation stones of greater happiness in your life."

~John Piper

He leadeth me beside still waters...

Friday afternoon, during my receptionist duties at the PRC, I had an opportunity to babysit my friend's sweet, smiley baby while she met with a client. :-) So I wrapped up a few of my projects in the office and slipped my sunglasses on as I took Nora on our little expedition in her stroller.

We walked along a beautiful scenic river-way, discovering so much beauty. The birds were singing, the water rushed by, and the trees shadowed the beautiful plant-lined trial.

Psalm 23 came to mind... and I went over it in my mind...

The Lord is my Shepherd; 
I shall not want. 
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: 
He leadeth me beside the still waters. 
He restoreth my soul: 
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. 
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, 
I will fear no evil: 
for thou art with me;
 Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me. 
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
 Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: 
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.          

The Lord used this time to remind me of His great faithfulness, goodness, and trustworthiness. I can put my life in His hands. He is enough. He knows what's best. Mercy and goodness are following His children every day.

And? He included a happy baby into this wonderful time of praising Him. :-) He always knows what we need and somehow sees fit to give us extra... <3

~Where joy is~

Picture credit goes to my sister, Alyssa. 

"You make known to me the path of life;

    in Your presence there is fullness of joy;

    at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

~Psalms 16:11

I've always loved this verse, but sometimes it's easy to read the Bible without application, isn't it? Well, I was recently encouraged to daily remind myself of this verse and apply it to the moment...

~That in the presence of the Lord we find fullness of joy.

~At His right hand we will find pleasures that last forever and ever.

Such precious and amazing reminders of where to focus our eyes on through the daily hustle of life!

~Our Treasure~

Yes! I love this quote:

"When God's forgiveness and acceptance have freed us from fear and pride and greed, we are filled with a zeal to love others the way we have been loved. We risk our possessions and our lives since we are secure in Christ. When we love others like this, our behavior is contrary to human self-enhancement and self-preservation. Attention is thus drawn to our life-transforming Treasure and Security, namely, God."
~John Piper

A summer update... =)

With a little sweetie at a Run for the PRC!

Hello, friends!

These summer days have been filled with so much learning... so much is going on, and getting my thoughts together for a blog post hasn't been the easiest! (I am doing well though...)

And here's a quote I just ran across. So good.

"In this life, there will be plenty of reasons to worry. But we have more reasons to trust. God has been more than faithful in the past. Because He sent Jesus to rescue us from our sin, we can trust Him with all our worries and fears, today and every tomorrow. When life’s unexpected challenges and overwhelming tasks tempt us to worry, when our to-do list gets long and sleep evades us, let us look to the cross and believe, trusting in what God has already done, and what He said He would do."
~Christina Fox

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And if you would like to contact me, I would love to hear from you anytime and will for sure make a point to write back! My address is: whitefrosting8 (@) gmail (dot) com

Blessings! 

~Jesus Paid It All~

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 power 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.

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

~Inexhaustible grace~

"Grace,... allows me to hear the hardest things about my flaws and patterns of sin because I know, by grace, that there is no flaw I can discover nor any sin I can unearth that can ever decimate my life. I cannot be any more loved and accepted than I am by the Lord who loves me with the full knowledge of what I have done, am doing, and will do; I have unshakable confidence that nothing can reduce His love for me. Therefore, I am free to admit my desperation. In so doing, I can experience real change, which is the very power of the kingdom of heaven in my life.

What marks kingdom people as genuine Christians is that they keep coming back to this one thing - the inexhaustible grace of God, knowing that it is all we have and all we need."
~Elyse Fitzpatrick

The Lord is good...

"Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;

Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!"

Psalm 34:8

~New mercies for each day~

I have been learning lately the value of focusing on one day at a time... focusing on God's great love for me... and focusing on His sovereignty.

There is something within each of us, that wants to control our lives, isn't there? But it is a fruitless pursuit. It is a road filled with worry and anxiety. No matter how hard we try we are incredibly insufficient to plan our life out.

And to add a little note: I'm not necessarily saying we shouldn't plan or have dreams and goals, but that we should focus on today and eternity mostly and hold those dreams/plans for the future lightly. As Corrie Ten Boom aptly puts it: "Hold everything in your hands lightly, otherwise it hurts when God pries your fingers open."

So here comes faith. God IS indeed in control. And that is good news... yet, I find there's a daily surrender I have to do to refocus my mind on His majesty and my dependence. Placing hopes and dreams on the Lover of my soul, who has planned life out.

So I'm learning to refocus on the truth. Trust in Him. Because fretting "only causes harm"... (Psalm 37:8b).

And what does the Bible tell us to do instead?
Let's look here:
"Trust in the Lord, and do good;
dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in Him, and He will act.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,
and your justice as the noonday.

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him..."
~Psalm 37:3-7

There's so much direction packed into those verses, isn't there?

His mercies are new for each day. They're happening right now. They're not for tomorrow yet...

Our loving Father holds our lives in His hand. Nothing can stop His sovereign plans!

Take heart with me, and let's delight in our God and His mercies for today! =) =)

~Jesus Christ is so much better~

"Jesus Christ is so much better than getting what you think you want right now... every situation that comes into our lives is meant to make us more like Christ and to bring Him glory."

~Elyse Fitzpatrick

Jesus has overcome...

I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” 

~John 16:33

Ah, friends!! I hope you are all doing well...
These have been busy days... and somewhat challenging days for me.

God is showing me the value of moment by moment dependence on Him. Refining me. Causing me to press into Jesus, the sovereign One. What a trustworthy Savior He is! He loves His children more than we can fathom!

When the way seems unclear and anxieties want to thrive, I'm learning that moment by moment, when I turn my eyes on the Lord, peace comes.  Anchoring myself in God's goodness!

He is faithful.

He is all powerful.

He has everything in His hand.

We are not alone...

So I turn and listen to Him...

And His words bring comfort.

“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”

~Psalm 46:10

He created *all* things. Every human heart. Everything. It's by His will that they exist and were created. Nothing escapes His notice. 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.”

~Revelation 4:11

He is so worthy of our praise! He is working all things for our good and making us more like His Son.

We're more than conquerors through Him! So let's be still and know that in every moment God is working all things His glory!!

When life seems overwhelming may we run to Jesus who has overcome the world!

A quote for the day...

"...God is gracious and sovereign even when He is silent." ~John Piper

Words of life...

This morning as I read in the Bible I came across these verses in Philippians 4:

"...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
 verses 6-7

These verses never fail to point me in the right direction! What an amazing promise of peace we have when we earnestly pray and give thanks to the Lord. Giving Him our burdens.

It's so easy to become anxious, isn't it?  But praying shows our dependence on the faithful One ~ Jesus! God's grace is here for each moment...

~~~~

Do you have any Bible verses you would like to share? Life verses or recent portions that you've come across that have blessed you?
Leave them below in the comment section! I would be encouraged to read them! Thank you! :-)

Keep resting in the Sovereign One, friends!

Things to be thankful for...

Recently I read a small book about the sovereignty of God in the sweet and bitter times of life. What a blessing that was to read...

To remember that God is working all things for good. Anxiousness adds nothing to our lives. It only takes away. It drains us. But if God cares for the grass and lilies of the field {and He does}~ what have we to worry about?

Aren't we showing that we don't believe there is a God in those moments? Could worry show a momentary atheism?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. {Matthew 6:31-33}

What if, instead of worry, I were thankful for each moment God gives. Seeing that He is everything we need.  And knowing that He loves His beloved far more than we can imagine. His sovereign hand is ruling everything... and it is all for our good and His glory.

That truth gives hope, yes?

I found this in A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent (yes... I'm enjoying this book so much! :-) )...
This is a wonderful list of things we can be thankful for.

1. My God is immense beyond imagination. He measured the entire universe with merely the span of His hand. {Isaiah 40:12}

2. He is unimaginably awesome in all of His perfections, absolutely righteous, holy, and just in all of His ways. {Deuteronomy 32:3-4}

3. He has also been unbelievably good and merciful to me as the Creator and Sustainer of my life.

4. Every breath, every heartbeat, every function of every organ in my body is a gift from Him.

5. Every legitimate pleasure I experience is a gift from His loving hand to me. {1 timothy 6:17, Acts 14:17}

6. All that I am and all that I have I owe to Him and to His goodness. {James 1:17}

7. My life in every way is, and will continue to be utterly dependent upon Him in whom I love and have my being. {Acts 17:28

8. This wonderful God is the most supremely worthy Object of admiration, honor, and delight in all of the universe; {Psalm 96:3-7, Revelation 4:11, Psalm 16:11, Psalm 37:4}

9. And He has created me with the intention that I might glorify Him by finding my soul's delight in Him and by living in joyful obedience to Him in all of my ways.{Psalm 37:4, Deuteronomy 5:28-29}

We have a great God. We have a sovereign God. And we have much to be thankful for, friends!!

~All Things Crucified~

This morning I sat at the end of my bed before joining my family at the breakfast table. Picking up a new book I recently bought called A Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent. I read. Read until my eyes rested on these words:


"... When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die.

"Not My will, but Yours be done," Christ trustingly prayed on the eve of His crucifixion; and preaching His story to myself each day puts me in a frame of mind to trust God and embrace the cross of my own dying also."

I know that could sound gloomy, but it was exactly what I needed to read. And I have had many opportunities to put this in to practice today. What peace it brings!

Saying yes to all my Father brings me each day... saying no, to the road of ease.


I could write on, but this is something I'm learning and grasping. Instead of writing more I'll leave you with this verse to ponder along with me...

"...He said to all, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." ~Luke 9:23

Caring, loving, and speaking for those who cannot.

It was late 2012. I sat in church listening to a missionary share about her mission work in Brazil.

I was at a point in my life of desperately wanting to get into something mission related. The desire to see shackled souls freed, and spread the joy and peace that the gospel brings and rescue and care for the orphan...

As this missionary talked and answered questions, it lead to the topic of children that go missing in the streets of Brazil. Children who go missing from child sacrifice in black magic. My heart broke and the urge to rescue these precious children bubbled within me...

And then it occurred to me. Right here, right now in my own country and in my own backyard thousands of innocent lives are being slaughtered on the alter of pleasure. How can I turn a blind eye to this? Should I not be faithful to combat the evil that is at hand, right where I am?!

That's when the Lord showed me something that He cared about deeply and something He wanted me to care about as well. He patiently took me through misgivings and fears and in an amazing way lead me straight to volunteering at a pregnancy resource center.

The facts of abortion and the extent of it is staggering and incredibly grieving...

"America, as a nation, is highly committed by law and by practice to a form of mass murder…. This nation, which certainly prides itself on its humanitarianism, is in a murderous cycle of violence that makes the Nazi Holocaust look mild by comparison. Nearly 2,000,000 babies are aborted a year in America. Every third baby conceived now is being murdered. Among teenage women there are 736 abortions for every 1,000 births. Among married women abortions now exceed births! More babies are killed than are born. Some would tell us that there is an abortion about every 15 seconds in America." -John MacArthur

So I share all of this for a few reasons...

To encourage any of you with a heart for reaching out to the hurting, to pray specifically for God to show you ways to help. God will answer your prayers for direction even if you don't think the road He's taking you on is exactly what you had in mind at first!

Remind yourself of the promises of God so that  fear and your feeling of inadequacy won't grip you and hold you back from the joy of serving. Over and over God uses weak people in the Bible. He still does. His grace is sufficient.

Ask God to open your eyes to the cry of the innocent. There are so many ways to reach out. Not only is abortion a huge issue, but modern day slavery is sweeping this world with injustice and cruelty like never before. There are many ways to help right in your near surroundings. May our hearts beat for what our heavenly Father's heart beats for, and may we each in our sphere of influence be the hands and feet of our Savior to spread His immeasurable joy and the good news of the gospel to all!

Open your mouth for the speechless, 
In the cause of all who are appointed to die.
⁹ Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And plead the cause of the poor and needy. 
~Proverbs 31:8-9

After writing this I listened to a talk given by David Mathis on Mission and Disciple Making. I highly recommend it!! Super encouraging and goes along the lines of the "heart" of this post. :) 

Alive!

"But He was pierced for our transgressions;

He was crushed for our iniquities;

upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace,

and with His wounds we are healed."
~Isaiah 53:5

Happy Resurrection Sunday, my friends!! :)

I'm awed at the amazing love we find at the foot of the cross. All of our filthy sin, Jesus took upon Himself and we are washed ~ washed as white as snow.

The cross is empty, the stone is rolled away from the tomb and Jesus is no longer there! No longer dead.

He. is. alive! 

Triumphing gloriously over death and over sin! He is completely victorious ~ Hallelujah!

"Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations..."
Luke 24:46-48

A time of learning and growth...

Well, time has flown and I haven't yet shared about my time at the Counseling training I went to in the Twin Cities two weekends ago!!

It was so, so good!! God worked in amazing ways.

I had the joy of sitting through 10 hours of Biblical teaching. Sometimes it was overwhelming but it was a good kind of overwhelming! ;)

Notes in my notebook!!

Peace and joy have flooded my heart so many times since then, as I reflect on the truth I learned. Truly, the word of God is sufficient for helping our deepest needs. I wish I could share everything I learned from it with you all, but I'll just share a few things that "hit home."

Some highlights:
~ Jesus alone satisfies our deepest desires and needs for love, approval, hope, etc...
~As children who are in Christ we have all the approval we will ever need! And in the end it's the voice of our Savior that matters. Approval from man is "like garbage."
~When we can fix the root problem (the sin issue), and then apply the Word of God to it and repent, good fruit will come.
~The goal God has for us is to become more like His son. It's not that our goals for ourselves are inherently wrong, but they can become a distraction to what His goal is for us (pleasing Him).

I have two more weekends left of training!!

Oh, and I don't normally share personal pictures here but I thought it would be fun to post a few.... :)

With my friend Breezy who went to the same sessions! 

Over the training weekend I stayed with my friend Amy and her parents  What a joy that was! And I had so much fun playing her harp! :-)

With Amy! :-) 

The One who changes not!

"It is well for us that, amidst all the variableness of life, there is One whom change cannot affect; One whose heart can never alter, and on whose brow mutability can make no furrows." 
~Charles Spurgoen

That is calming, isn't it? 

We have a solid foundation, and an ever steady Savior who changes not. Life is filled with changes, filled with decisions to make, and filled with so many things that can take our view off of Jesus. 

But, look! We are in the Creator's hand. And He is making us more like His son. That is His goal. 


"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;"
1 Peter 2:9

Delight yourself in the Lord!

"Delight yourself in the LORD,

and He will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the LORD;

trust in Him, and He will act.

He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday."

~Psalm 37:4-6 

How can we not praise Him?

"When I had been fasting, praying, obeying, I thought I was aiming at the glory of God, but I was doing it all for my own glory - to feel I was worthy. As long as I was doing all this to earn my salvation, I was doing nothing for God, all for me! I realized that all my struggling to become worthy was an exercise in self-worship. I was not worshiping Him, but using Him... Though I often confessed to God that I, of course, deserved nothing, yet still I harbored a secret hope of recommending myself to God by all these duties and all this morality. In other words, I healed myself with my duties."
~David Brainerd

Oh to truly come to grips with the fact that I cannot earn God's favor. Cannot do something that could ever rip me out of His family, as His child.

Though I may hear the accuser's cries against me and feel like giving up, God has canceled the power of sin. So we confess our sins... look to our Savior in awed love... and move on and serve Him!

This culture is so accustomed to paying people back for their kindness. But Christ's death on the cross is one debt we can never ever, even begin to pay back. We can't earn any of God's favor. And you know what? This gives God glory!

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

And I'll end with these words by James Proctor which are especially pertinent:
"Since I first discovered Jesus to be the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth  I have more than once met with a poor sinner seeking peace at the foot of Sinai (the law) instead of Calvary, and I have heard him again and again in bitter disappointment and fear groaning out, "What must I do?" I have said to him," Do, do? What can you do?"

Cast your deadly "doing" down-
Down at Jesus' feet;
Stand in Him, in Him alone,
Gloriously complete.
"It is finished!" yes, indeed,
Finished, ev'ry jot;
Sinner, this is all you need,
Tell me, is it not?"

I hope you all have a joyful week as we remember that we are complete and fully forgiven in Christ who has completely saved His children.  How can we not praise Him and joyfully serve Him?!

"For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God." ~Romans 6:10

Sharing a post...

I had the pleasure of writing a guest post for my friend Makenna. I wanted to share it with you all so you could take the time to go over there and read it and visit her site. :)

Rescued!

"Last Sunday as my family and I drove to church, I opened my Bible to the book of Isaiah. I was so comforted by being reminded of the complete greatness and power of our God.

And then I remembered that sinful though we are, Jesus came down and saved us by His unmerited grace. He has sought us and bought us with His blood....."      (Click here for more..)

Before we pray...

  "Before they call I will answer;

while they are yet speaking I will hear."

~Isaiah 65:24

What a comforting reminder this verse is, that not only while we pray, but before we pray, God is working... 

I thank the Lord for His sovereign hand faithfully guiding life! Life may seem to make no sense, but that is only my finite perception. Our Father works out all of the littlest details - whether they're painful or pleasurable - even when we are wholly unaware of it at the moment. :) 

The power of our Savior's words...

"When you or I open the Bible, we are beholding the very words of God - words that have supernatural power to redeem, renew, refresh, and restore our lives to what He created them to be."

~David Platt

Loved beyond measure.

"Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."
~1 Corinthians 13:4-7~

"...God is love."

1 John 4:8b

I don't normally write posts that go "with" holidays, but a friend suggested that we both write on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 this month and I have just realized what a marvelous idea she came up with! :) So often I've read this passage, and have passed over the true meaning of it. It's so commonly read at weddings, but as I read it again, I'm realizing that we need these verses every single day! :)

We, as Christ's children, are so loved! And I mean, SO loved. Jesus took the wrath for our sins in our place... He loved us when we were unlovely... He sought us and bought us... We are loved beyond measure, my friends! Amazing, isn't it?

Oh, how I want this love to define my life!

I fail so many times... but God's grace is greater than my weakness.

So, on a day when love is "celebrated", may we be freshly reminded to love others like Jesus loved us.

May we fall in love more and more with our Savior who loves us perfectly and who can love others through us when we lay our lives low in the dust of humility where God is magnified most.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." ~Galatians 2:20

A collection of quotes...

This afternoon I was quickly trying to clean up the desktop on my laptop... you see, I love using the "stickynotes"option on my laptop ~ almost too much I think!

So, I decided I would do one whole post with quotes, not all of them mind you, but a few. :)

~~~~

"I must confess that I never realize Christ's preciousness so much as when I feel myself still to be, apart from Him, an undeserving, hell-deserving sinner." ~Charles Spurgeon

"The first link between my soul and Christ is not my goodness but my badness, not my merit but my misery, not my riches but my need." ~Charles Spurgeon

“There are two days in my calendar: This day and that Day.”
~Martin Luther

"...none makes the worth of Christ shine more brightly than sacrificial love for other people in the name of Jesus." ~John Piper

"The love of Christ triumphs over all misery." John Piper

"As you meditate on the law of the Lord day and night (Psalm 1:2) - as you immerse yourself in God's word - He comes and takes some truth of that word and burns it into your heart until it becomes a holy ambition. If that hasn't happened yet, saturate yourself with the word of God and ask Him for it."
~John Piper

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

"Out of the bow of brokenness God slings the arrow of healing." ~Louie Giglio

"Take the hardest thing in your life—the place of difficulty, outward or inward, and expect God to triumph gloriously in that very spot. Just there He can bring your soul into blossom." ~Lilias Trotter

And the one quote I left on my screen:
"To fear God means that my life is structured by a sense of awe, worship, and obedience that flows out of recognizing Him and His glory. He becomes the single most important reference point for all that I desire, think, do, and say. God is my motive and God is my goal. The fear of God is meant to be the central organizing force in my life." -Paul David Tripp

Strength of character.

This evening my family and I read 1 Peter 5 and I wanted to share a few of the verses and commentary by John MacArthur. I think these words are so challenging and comforting to any child of God!

"Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." -1 Peter 5:6-7

John MacArthur writes:

"Christians are to cast all of their discontent, discouragement, despair and suffering on the Lord, and trust Him for knowing what He's doing with their lives."

None of us are alone in our trials and hurt:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world." v. 8-9

And look at this.. it is so beautiful:

"But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you." v. 10

John MacArthur says:
Christians are to live with the understanding that God's purposes realized in the future require some pain in the present  While the believer is being personally attacked by the enemy, he is being personally perfected by the Lord... God is working through the Christians struggles to produce strength of character."

I'm amazed at God's grace and love... and so thankful that He is so patient with His children as He diligently and faithfully conforms us to His son. 

Redemption's Song

"Redemption has given us a song." ~John MacArthur

There have been times in the past week that I have been so discouraged and overwhelmed to the point of tears. Some things just don't seem "right." I become so weary. It always causes me to cry out for help to God. I know He hears... and will answer my prayer with the best answer.

Yet, I have to ask myself when I'm hurting, how deep is my understanding of God's power? His love at this moment? 

And I realize that I am so thirsty for the gospel. There seems to be a famine of the gospel all around.

I need to sing myself the song of the gospel ~ again and again! And oh, it is freeing and comforting! When my heart refuses to sing for joy, it's the gospel news that will wash over my breaking desert-feeling heart, causing it to break forth in joy! 

When we look to Jesus and the cross we know for certain that we are are more loved and cared for then we ever dared hope to believe! 

Our God is a great God, and I think we so often forget how great He really is. His sovereignty and the love and power found in the truth of the gospel, gives me the greatest reason to adore and trust Him and praise Him! We have a song because of our redemption!

Psalm 147:1-11:

Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.

The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
 He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
 Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
 The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.

 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.

He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.

 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
 The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The praise of gratitude for the past is sweet, but that praise is sweeter which adores God for the future in full confidence that it shall be well. Therefore, take down your harps from the willows, O you people, and praise you the name of the Lord, though the fig tree still does not blossom and the cattle still die in the stall and the sheep still perish from the folds—though there should be to you no income to meet your needs and you should be brought almost to necessity’s door—still bless the Lord whose mighty Providence cannot fail and shall not fail as long as there is one of His children to be provided for!
Your song while you are still in distress will be sweet music to the ear of God!   

~Charles Spurgeon 

Crown Him! ~ Majesty

What a beautiful song of praise to our matchless King! :)

When I am weak...

Through an interesting course of events, I've now found myself  training to volunteer at a pregnancy resource center. It has been wonderful. An answer to prayer for me in many ways.

Part of the training included watching a video on how to share the gospel with someone, plus other training on how to communicate with people who are facing hard decisions in life.  

The gospel and the truth of God's word. It is all joyously good news. But sadly, it is daunting to think of sharing it with someone. Oh, why is that?? Can you relate at all?

It's majorly because of my petty fears and feelings of inadequacy in communication (I just won't be able to say the right thing!!) I find this sad and an area God is showing me I need to grow in because, after all, fear is a liar. Yes, I'm a broken vessel. And yes, God is the all powerful One who is with me. So this feeling of fear and inadequacy I constantly need to check, with Scripture - with truth. 

I mentioned this struggle to an older lady and my mom recently, and they both so wisely pointed me to examples in Scripture of others who have felt the same way. Wow. The Scripture is filled with people like me. Struggling people. Fearful people. And an amazingly powerful God who patiently works through them and is incredibly patient with them in the process.

Jeremiah and Moses are examples of two men who were called by God to a specific mission, but they thought they were unable to do it. They were so gripped with their weaknesses that they forgot they had the Creator of the universe with them, ready to deliver them. It almost took my breath away as I remembered Jeremiah 1:4-8

"God called him to be a prophet. 

Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,

and before you were born I consecrated you;

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me,

“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’;

for to all to whom I send you, you shall go,

and whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Do not be afraid of them,

for I am with you to deliver you,

declares the LORD.”

~Jeremiah 1:4-8 

I share this with you, in hopes that it will encourage you in some part of God's calling in your life. As we each come face to face with opportunities to show Christ's love let's remember that, just as with Jeremiah, Moses and Paul, the Lord is with us. Follow hard after the Lord! It really is amazing that God chooses to take weak and broken vessels for His glorious work. 

God is so faithful in our weaknesses and His grace is enough and overflowing for each day! :)


"But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10 

"He who calls you is faithful; He will surely do it." ~1 Thessalonians 5:24