Thoughts from John Owen's Communion with a Triune God:
Communion defined:
-God's communication of himself unto us,
-with our return unto him of that which he requires and accepts,
-flowing from that union which in Jesus Christ we have with him.
Two things are required of believers to commune completely with the Almighty. Communion consists of giving and receiving. First, we as believers must receive the Father's love. We receive it by believing his love for us is real, unchanging, eternal and significant. That he delights in us and that his love for us is not dependent on our living a sinless life. His love for us is dependent on who God is in his very nature. It is not dependent on who I am. (If his love was dependent on me and my actions, I could earn God's love and his glory would be diminished). To believe God's love is dependent on our actions is to diminish God's magnificent mercy and grace and is a manifestation of unbelief. We must receive God's love for us if we are to commune with him.
More to follow.
Link.
Link.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Rekindling The Spirit
Thoughts from my brother Todd Mace:
If you are a Christian and going through rough times of mourning right now, what I have to say regarding stalled enthusiasm is not intended for your benefit. What I want to say to you is that the Christian body of believers cares for you, loves you, and is praying for you. Those of us that are not in mourning will continue marching into the world, waving the Christian flag of God and waiting for your return. Trust in God in the dark until the light returns.
For all those Christians that are not in mourning and your enthusiasm for being a Christian is stalled, perhaps you need to mix up your spiritual routine and experience God in a different way than normal.
First of all, you must read the word of God every day. You need to stay in the word to stay near to God.
Secondly, maintain 100% of your free thinking focused on spiritual things. To rekindle the flame for God you cannot afford 1% of your free thinking to be wasted. What we think about when we are free to think is what we are, or will soon become. Once the flame is blazing again, you will be better suited to balance your free thinking. More than likely, how you got here in the first place is that your balance of thoughts between the spiritual matters and the world is not where it should be. Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Here are a few suggestions to follow for a month that will help fill your mind with spiritual thoughts. Part of the problem may be you have developed a few bad habits. It requires a minimum of 30 days of consistent altered behavior to change a habit.
When you listen to music, listen to only Christian music, and listen to it every chance you get. Music touches your heart and spirit. There is a whole new genre of Christian music out there today. Go online - check it out.
When you read other things than the Word, choose solid Christian authors. It is good to mix up your reading of the word with books by solid Christian authors such as; AW Tozer, CS Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Andrew Murray, Thomas Merton, writings from the Puritans, or Hymns from John Wesley. Just remember this; all the answers are in the word, not in books written by men. The good books written by men point you in the direction of the word. A good rule of thumb for time you have to read might be 70% in the word and 30% other books.
Shut down the influence of the world on your free thoughts for a month. Do not spend any of your free time reading the newspaper, watching TV, reading world, business or entertainment magazines. No need to worry; you will not miss the end of the world if it should come during this time of abstention from these items.
Go be inspired by the awesomeness of God and spend some time alone observing the wonders of his creation. His creation is everywhere, pick some place close your home and marvel at God’s creation for a while.
Experience a glimmer of the willpower required by Christ to endure the physical and mental suffering on the cross, knowing he had the power to stop it at any time. Give up an addictive substance or an addictive behavior, fast, or improve the temple of the spirit -your physical body. It is one thing to endure pain when you cannot control it. Your spirit will strengthen when you drive yourself through pain that you are experiencing for a purpose, all the time knowing you can stop the pain anytime at your own will.
Experience the love of God; share the word with other solid Christians. There is nothing more beautiful than a person filled with the Spirit.
Experience the humility of Christ, serve someone and give God all the Glory
If you can commit to doing these things every day for a month, you perspective on life will change and the flame in your heart for God will surely grow.
Satan will not bother a man who has quit fighting. But the cost of quitting will be one of peaceful stagnation.
AW Tozer
If you are a Christian and going through rough times of mourning right now, what I have to say regarding stalled enthusiasm is not intended for your benefit. What I want to say to you is that the Christian body of believers cares for you, loves you, and is praying for you. Those of us that are not in mourning will continue marching into the world, waving the Christian flag of God and waiting for your return. Trust in God in the dark until the light returns.
For all those Christians that are not in mourning and your enthusiasm for being a Christian is stalled, perhaps you need to mix up your spiritual routine and experience God in a different way than normal.
First of all, you must read the word of God every day. You need to stay in the word to stay near to God.
Secondly, maintain 100% of your free thinking focused on spiritual things. To rekindle the flame for God you cannot afford 1% of your free thinking to be wasted. What we think about when we are free to think is what we are, or will soon become. Once the flame is blazing again, you will be better suited to balance your free thinking. More than likely, how you got here in the first place is that your balance of thoughts between the spiritual matters and the world is not where it should be. Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
Here are a few suggestions to follow for a month that will help fill your mind with spiritual thoughts. Part of the problem may be you have developed a few bad habits. It requires a minimum of 30 days of consistent altered behavior to change a habit.
When you listen to music, listen to only Christian music, and listen to it every chance you get. Music touches your heart and spirit. There is a whole new genre of Christian music out there today. Go online - check it out.
When you read other things than the Word, choose solid Christian authors. It is good to mix up your reading of the word with books by solid Christian authors such as; AW Tozer, CS Lewis, Francis Schaeffer, Andrew Murray, Thomas Merton, writings from the Puritans, or Hymns from John Wesley. Just remember this; all the answers are in the word, not in books written by men. The good books written by men point you in the direction of the word. A good rule of thumb for time you have to read might be 70% in the word and 30% other books.
Shut down the influence of the world on your free thoughts for a month. Do not spend any of your free time reading the newspaper, watching TV, reading world, business or entertainment magazines. No need to worry; you will not miss the end of the world if it should come during this time of abstention from these items.
Go be inspired by the awesomeness of God and spend some time alone observing the wonders of his creation. His creation is everywhere, pick some place close your home and marvel at God’s creation for a while.
Experience a glimmer of the willpower required by Christ to endure the physical and mental suffering on the cross, knowing he had the power to stop it at any time. Give up an addictive substance or an addictive behavior, fast, or improve the temple of the spirit -your physical body. It is one thing to endure pain when you cannot control it. Your spirit will strengthen when you drive yourself through pain that you are experiencing for a purpose, all the time knowing you can stop the pain anytime at your own will.
Experience the love of God; share the word with other solid Christians. There is nothing more beautiful than a person filled with the Spirit.
Experience the humility of Christ, serve someone and give God all the Glory
If you can commit to doing these things every day for a month, you perspective on life will change and the flame in your heart for God will surely grow.
Satan will not bother a man who has quit fighting. But the cost of quitting will be one of peaceful stagnation.
AW Tozer
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Can't Get No Satisfaction.
All that we call human history--money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery--[is] the long terrible story of man trying to find something other than God which will make him happy.
C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Cement.
He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:15-17.
God has created all things, and he has created the laws and rules by which all things hold together. He ordains gravity, the speed by which light can travel and the characteristics of the element carbon. He is the cement that holds creation in place and his word commands the principles of the universe. Science by definition is: The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena (see here). Science is the study and "explanation" of the laws of the universe that have been set in place by God. Science does not exclude faith in God, it discovers and defines his creation. All correct science will eventually reveal the glory of God. Those who believe the Bible to be true have nothing to fear in the science of today. Nothing can be discovered except that which the creator has set in place. Only the fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
God has created all things, and he has created the laws and rules by which all things hold together. He ordains gravity, the speed by which light can travel and the characteristics of the element carbon. He is the cement that holds creation in place and his word commands the principles of the universe. Science by definition is: The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena (see here). Science is the study and "explanation" of the laws of the universe that have been set in place by God. Science does not exclude faith in God, it discovers and defines his creation. All correct science will eventually reveal the glory of God. Those who believe the Bible to be true have nothing to fear in the science of today. Nothing can be discovered except that which the creator has set in place. Only the fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
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