Conviction of Steel...I love this!

Talking of walking sermons, no one explains it better than Paul. Read this carefully, then tell me you do not agree.

"Every time we think of you, we thank God for you. Day and night you're in our prayers as we call to mind your work of faith, your labor of love, and your patience of hope in following our Master, Jesus Christ, before God our Father. It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn't just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions.

You paid careful attention to the way we lived among you, and determined to live that way yourselves. In imitating us, you imitated the Master. Although great trouble accompanied the Word, you were able to take great joy from the Holy Spirit!—taking the trouble with the joy, the joy with the trouble.

Do you know that all the believers look up to you? The word has gotten around. Your lives are echoing the Master's Word, not only in the provinces but all over the place. The news of your faith in God is out. We don't even have to say anything anymore—you're the message! People come up and tell us how you received us with open arms, how you deserted the dead idols of your old life so you could embrace and serve God, the true God. They marvel at how expectantly you await the arrival of his Son, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescued us from certain doom."--- 1 Thess. 1 (MSG Bible)

Comments

Tenderly he watches over you

An old beautiful song by Beverly Shea, reminds us of God's unwavering care for us. Humanly speaking, the thought of His constant guardianship and upkeep is inconsistent with us the yet-sinners. But He loves us still. I have decided to ignore any seeming discrepancy, but to trust His word. For the scripture assures me, "Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God... casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:6-7 Moreover, he promises to continue His past graces towards His people. "The Lord has been mindful of us." Psalm 115:12 . Our preservation proves this, our mercies, our trials, our guidance and our consolations. Everything, even the minutest blessing, represents a thought in the mind of God respecting us. "How precious are thy thoughts concerning me, O God, how great," ( Psalm 139:17 ), and those thoughts go back to an eternity before we came into being. "The Lord hath been mindful of us"; then should ...

He Washed My Eyes With Tears

Last Sabbath evening I came across a word that at first made me laugh. When I thought about it, it reminded me of the one night I almost shed tears. I'll spare you the details. Lachrymatory- tear bottle. My favourite song this week has been a special one. It was composed by By Ira F. Stamphill, "He Washed My Eyes With Tears." He Washed My Eyes With Tears He washed my eyes with tears That I might see, The broken heart I had Was good for me; He tore it all apart And looked inside, He found it full of fear And foolish pride. He swept away the things That made me blind, And then I saw the clouds Were silver-lined. And now I understand 'Twas best for me, He washed my eyes with tears That I might see. He washed my eyes with tears That I might see The glory of Himself Revealed to me; I did not know that He Had wounded hands, I saw the blood He spilt Upon the sands. I saw the marks of shame, And wept and cried, He was ...

When God's Nostrils Enlarge!

The Greeks believe that when "God's nostrils are enlarged," He is angry. In medicine, we could call this nasal flaring- the abnormal dilation of the nostrils. It usually occurs during respiration but may occasionally occur during respiration or throughout the respiratory cycle. To the trained physician this is a sign of respiratory dysfunction, ranging from mild to potentially life-threatening respiratory distress. I think 'nasal flaring' could be an appropriate metaphor to denote God's anger. To capture the distress, let's call it God's wrath. The Noah-Webster dictionary defines God's wrath as "the just punishment of an offense or crime (Rom. 13:4). God's wrath in Scripture, is His holy and just indignation against sin (Rom. 1:18)." The wrath of God is His hatred for sin, and He hates sin because He loves us (John 3:16). God's love is hatred for unrighteousness because He knows that the moment we reject Him, we have reject...

Jaus' Notebook

Search This Blog