Stand Fast, Hold Tight, & Do Not Fear Your Persecution

"We have clearly seen where persecution is prominent, the church is stronger; and where we have freedom - in the cities and other places - there are fewer Christians, and they are less fervent."

From "Colombia - Reaching Rebels for Christ" on Pg 4 of The Voice of the Martyrs, April 2006

The sad thing is, this seems to be fairly common. Those of us who are blessed with the freedom to worship, how often and how easily do we grow complacent in our faith while our brethren around the world are being put to death for theirs? How many of us have our Bibles on our shelves rather than in our hands? Millions around the world don't have access to the written Word without fear of persecution. In these places it is cherished. Is it so cherished here?

I fear not in many cases. A poll done recently stated there are more "born again" Christians than ever before in America, and yet we see the country's morals declining as more and more people go out to fulfill the lusts of the flesh in a heightened fever. Meanwhile men and women, like Abdur Rahman, face family rejection, job loss, trials, and possible death for their faith. And yet, in many (if not most) of those cases their faith thrives - even when their lives are in danger because they know they have a chance to glorify God and that a great reward is waiting for them in Heaven.

How I long for the faith of men and women like that. How I long to have faith to be able to be bound and taken before the courts and proudly stand in faithful confidence that Christ has gone before me and I have been given the opportunity to witness (unto death if necessary) for Him.

And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. (Mark 13:13)

Each of us, whether we be in poverty or not; whether we live in France, Illinois, or Colombia - each of us have the opportunity, and indeed the responsibility to feverently seek God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Each of us are given to temptations, Satan will do anything to have us reject Christ or falter in our walk. It is only by God's grace, by a dependence and complete surrender to Christ, that any of us are able to stand and proclaim the Cross in the face of our trials (or even in our day to day mundane lives).

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; (Philippians 1:27-29, emphasis mine)

It Is Beautiful, Go Play.

Yesterday I did some errands early in the morning (around 7) and came home. It was rather cold when I had been out so I had the doors and windows closed because of the kids. Well, I was in for quite the surprise! A friend informed me that it was really very nice out, so we threw shoes on the kids and headed out to the yard for some play time. My word, it was nice. We played for well over an hour before deciding that in celebration of the lovely weather we should get ice cream. Needless to say we went to Coldstone. YUM.

After our ice cream we headed off to the park for more play time, where I discovered my three year old son is quite the ladies man. What a flirt. He kept hugging little girls and talking up a storm with them, but ignored the boys. We came home had dinner, put my daughter to bed and proceeded to go play in the yard some more. I'm glad it is getting nice out, but boy I'm going to be exhausted if we do this every day!

Moral of the story? It is beautiful, go play.

Blogging and Proverbs

Tim, over at Challies DOT com, has an excellent post concerning blogging and what has stood out to him as he studied Proverbs this month. I'd like to share some highlights, though I most definitely suggest you read the entire post:

Know when to walk away.

"If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet (29:9)." There are times when you need to walk away instead of carrying on an argument. Foolish people have no real desire to learn or to be wise. Instead, they only seek opportunities to loudly proclaim the folly. Walk away so you can have peace. It is not worth having to deal with a prescription for high blood pressure based on ongoing arguments with a complete fool.

...

Be humble.

"Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger and not your own lips (27:2)." "One's pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor (29:23)." Let others praise you. If you never receive praise from anyone, especially from those who are wise, it may be a good time to examine your heart and examine if you are walking in the ways of wisdom. Those who are humble and lowly in spirit will receive honor while the arrogant will be brought low. If you are a blogger, this may mean re-examining the list of endorsements and words of praise you've posted on the main page of your site.

...

Don't be a troublemaker.

"Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling (26:27)." Those who exist only to bring trouble to others will pay a price. And unfortunately, on the Internet there are many of these people. Don't be one! Seek to edify others and to bring glory to God, whether you publish a blog of your own or whether you prefer to comment on other peoples' sites.

Examine why you write.

"A continual dripping on a rainy day and a quarrelsome wife are alike (27:14)." The proverb speaks of a quarrelsome wife, but it could as easily apply to anyone. If you are writing merely to be quarrelsome or because you enjoy an argument, perhaps it is best to find something else to do. There is already enough negativity in the world and on the Internet. If you find yourself continually depressed by what you write, it may be best to find a more uplifting hobby. "Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." Just as bad news can push a person down, so joyful words can uplift.

Disappointment, Grief, Struggles, & God's Will

I was at GirlTalk (yes, AGAIN!) this morning and Janelle was discussing grief - specifically pertaining to the loss of a relationship, though the quotes she shares from a book she read during a trying time in her life certainly go well beyond the scope of marriage. I'm attaching a quote she posted from Is God Really in Control? (previously entitled Trusting God) by Jerry Bridges.

"God in His infinite wisdom knows exactly what adversity we need to grow more and more into the likeness of His Son. He not only knows what we need but when we need it and how best to bring it to pass in our lives. He is the perfect teacher or coach. His discipline is always exactly suited for our needs. He never over trains us by allowing too much adversity in our lives.” Page 122

I'm sharing this because I found it to be quite encouraging. We each have our struggles, and sometimes it is easy to lose sight of God's Hand in adversity. But it is always there guiding us through, if only we'll grab hold of it. When we come to Him, we find rest. When we accept and submit to His will, even when we don't understand it, we find peace.

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
(Matthew 11:28-30)

Wacky Wednesday: A Blonde Takes a Loan

I love it, here is a joke featured on GirlTalk last Friday. Enjoy!

A blonde walks into a bank in New York City and asks for the loan officer. She says she's going to Europe on business for two weeks and needs to borrow $5,000. The bank officer says the bank will need some kind of security for the loan, so the blonde hands over the keys to a new Rolls Royce. The car is parked on the street in front of the bank, she has the title and everything checks out. The bank agrees to accept the car as collateral for the loan.

The bank's president and its officers all enjoy a good laugh at the blonde for using a $250,000 Rolls as collateral against a $5,000 loan. An employee of the bank then proceeds to drive the Rolls into the bank's underground garage and parks it there. Two weeks later, the blonde returns, repays the $5,000 and the interest, which comes to $15.41. The loan officer says, "Miss, we are very happy to have had your business, and this transaction has worked out very nicely,but we are a little puzzled. While you were away, we checked you out and found that you are a multi-millionaire. What puzzles us is, why would you bother to borrow $5,000?"

The blonde replies....."Where else in New York City can I park my car for two weeks for only $15.41 and expect it to be there when I return?"

Finally, a smart blonde joke.

AND THAT'S WHY SHE'S A MILLIONAIRE.

Does Suffering and Death Equal Separation From Christ?

Just a few more thoughts to follow up my last post.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Romans 8:35-37

And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. (Luke 21:16, emphasis mine)


We shall be betrayed, Christ warned us Himself of this fact. Some of us may suffer unto death. We don't know which of us will be put to death, but the fact remains that if you are truly seeking God you will be a reproach to the world and they will hate you for it. But rejoice! The Lord comes. He is in control, and while we may not know which of us shall have to suffer death for His name we can take comfort in the fact that He does know! In the midst of our trials He is there with us! He shall never leave, nor forsake you...Even in your death.

Suffering For His Name's Sake

I've been discussing Abdur Rahman, the Christian from Afghanistan who has been making international news, on Frenzyboard. The discussion began with people being horrified at the situation, moved on to discussing Christianity and Islam, and then a general rejoicing at the announcement of his release. Then a comment was made about how the mobs will kill him (this is after all a strong possibility) if he doesn't seek asylum in another country.

Don't you guys think he's in God's hands, and that God has not forgotten him, inside our outside the courthouse and inside our outside society?

That is true, but it doesn't mean he won't be killed. If God wants him home, it will play out that way. And if God doesn't allow it, it won't happen. Just because someone meets their death doesn't mean God has taken His hand off the situation. If Christ can be killed for our sins, if countless saints throughout the past 2000 years can be killed for their faith, what makes us think that God isn't with them that suffer today?

What makes us think any of us can escape God's plan for our lives? It reminds me of that kiddie song..."He´s got the whole world in His hands," if that is true, if we really believe that, why do we act as if death is out of His control? If God didn't spare His Son, why should we be spared? We're called to follow Christ, even unto death.

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I wot not.

For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you.

And having this confidence, I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith;

That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.

Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.

For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. (Phillipians 1:20-30, emphasis mine)

Paul says that Christ will be glorified in our lives, and even in our deaths, so long as we be faithful to Him. "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake," I realize suffering isn't the most enjoyable thing that can happen to a person. But as Christ suffered for us, we are to follow Him. Christ Himself said that the world would hate those who follow Him, that His followers would be delivered up to counsels and synagogues by our own families (Matthew 10:21), so is it any wonder these things are true? And does it mean God has abandoned us? Hardly. Even in our suffering, even in our deaths, we are given the opportunity to bring glory and honor to our Father. And we must remember:

For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: (Philippians 1:23, emphasis mine)

To be called home, to die, if one follows Christ, is to be with Christ. Heaven or Earth? The world or Christ? Choices, choices, choices...To be with Christ is far better.

Convert Released

CNN reports that the case against Abdur Rahman has been dropped. Read about it here. Praise God.

Want To Take A Walk With Me?

I decided to spend this lovely day in my favorite park. I loaded up my pocket NT, two cameras, and headed out for a nice morning of hiking. It was wonderful, though it was a little too cool for just a hoodie.













What you can't see for the following photo is that I'm straddling a log about 20 feet up the side of a nice slope. Boy it would have hurt if the tree didn't hold.













A self portrait, aren't I creative?














This photo doesn't do it justice, I cannot tell you how beautiful this park is. Truly, God is a powerful God and an artist.










And that's it folks, I spent two hours in the park and was blown away by God's hand. Amazing, simply amazing.

He Wants Our Hearts

Christ is to be cherished, not just chosen.

- John Piper, When I Don't Desire God, pg 19.

These words leapt off the page at me last night while I was at Barnes and Noble. It is something I've been thinking about a lot the past year or so.

I "chose"/ "accepted" Christ when I was 16 years old. But then eventually the new-ness wore off and real life settled in. I considered myself a Christian, but I had no idea what that really meant. I attended church every Sunday, went to youth group, and even joined the Christian club at my high school.

But does that make one a Christian? I found it easy to call myself one and yet I really didn't love my Savior. It was like, "Jesus, thanks for dying and all. That was really swell of you, and I appreciate it." I look back on that time and see I didn't love Him, not the way I could have been loving Him, and it breaks my heart. After high school things only got worse. That Christian club? Turns out that was the only real contact I had with Christians who were desperately in love with their Savior.

The youth group had been a joke, it was like walking down the hallway of a public high school. Boys and girls "hooking up," making plans for the weekend, swearing up a storm, ect. And it seemed like nobody, including myself, was really seeking God. We'd show up Sunday morning for church, and Tuesday evening for youth group, and that was the walk for many of us. So, the youth group had gotten dropped by time I'd turned 17. It was too much like high school, and I knew that it shouldn't be. But still my heart remained cold to Christ. Sundays were my favorite days because church was on Sundays, but by time Tuesday morning rolled around the longing I'd felt on Sunday was gone.

Then almost five years later, my world got turned upside down. And in that, I found out how awful my heart really was, how closed off I really was, and how Christ longed to release me from my bondage. And He has! Oh, the work He has done. Who would have guessed? Surely, not I! I'm beginning to understand that it isn't enough to "choose" Christ; He bore my sin that day on Calvary. It was I who put Him up there. It was I who should have been up there to receive my payment. Yet, He did it for me. And now? Now my heart breaks thinking about that. And I'm glad.

I have my complacent days; where the agony He bore on the cross escapes me, where I say "Thank You, Jesus, but I just want to do my own thing today," but I know He is calling me to the Father. Even on those days, I know I'm wrong and want to be in love with Him, but my heart has been hardened a bit and there is only One who can chip it away. With time He does, and I'm finding myself being molded more. And that's a beautiful thing.

Have you heard that cheesy phrase, Pastors seem to love using it from the pulpit, "You know how much God loves you? He loves you this much," as they spread out their arms to signify Christ's sacrifice. And it's true. But He loves us so much more than that! He loves us so much that saving us from our sin isn't enough.

He loves us so much He wants us to be as like Him as possible. He wants more than our actions, He wants our hearts! He wants more for me than to not swear, don't get drunk, don't, don't, don't. He wants me to want these things. He wants me, indeed He calls me, to want to be holy as my Father in heaven is holy. He wants me to want change, and He will not force it if my heart isn't in it. He said those who love Him will follow His commandments. He wants us to love Him, to desire Him, to seek Him, to follow Him! God Himself has called us to adore Him. Truly it is an honor, and an amazing duty to do so. And that, beloved, is only part of the call on every one of His follower's lives.

Afghan Officials Meet to Discuss Christian converted Fate

The controversy grows concerning the trial of Abdur Rahman, and still I have a question I just can't seem to shake. He converted 15 years ago (praise God!), so why is he just being arrested and brought to trial? I have a funny feeling someone just decided they were mad at him and this was the easiest/ most extreme way of getting at him. Otherwise, why so long?

Make Your Fridge Glow

This looks like fun! I won't be trying it, but boy it's neat.

Uh Oh!

What happens when you have my mother building, painting, and rearranging furniture while the kids are running around? You get chaos. My son walked in the the kitchen on the way to the bathroom and stopped in awe.

"Uh oh!"

"Yea, William, Grammy is making a mess."

"Grammy mess."

He goes potty and comes back out.

"Uh oh!"

He is amazed at the mess but is enjoying the opportunity to "help" Grammy. He hands her 20 nails when she asks for one. It's very cute, but not productive at all.

My Heart's Cry: Change Me, O God!

I spent the vast majority of my quiet time this morning in Psalm 119, and singing How Great Thou Art (which by the way is probably one of my favorite songs at this point).

I struggle sometimes with seeking, relying upon, and following what God has told me. It seems the flesh is a little more difficult to overcome than I had hoped. But God is gracious, and patient, and is moving in me. I'm sure these struggles are things that many, if not most, Christians struggle with but sometimes I feel as if I'm the only one.

It just kills me when I know I'm off track, I can feel the difference in my spirit and see the difference in my actions and speech. I imagine it is probably apparent to others as well. And that just drives me crazy. But still my pride gets in the way and at times it takes a couple days for me to get to the point where I can't stand the distance between my Father and I, that I'm willing and able to fall upon my face and cry out to Him for His forgiveness. And thankfully He has always been there, waiting for me to stop running.

And so I was thinking about these things this past week or so, and He has been gratiously and tenderly dealing with my heart on somethings. What's the point? What does this all have to do with the Psalms? Well, it seems that is where I'm finding things that greatly express the desires of my heart, so I thought I'd share them with you.

I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word. (Psalm 119:101)

Oh how I long for this to be true! By God's grace one day...

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me. (Psalm 119:133)

Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights.(Psalm 119:143)

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalm 51:10)

UnBelief

GirlTalk shares a short devotional concerning unbelief written by Mark Muller.

Wacky Wednesday: What Do You Get When You Take Teen Cosmo & Paste It In With The Bible?

From the sounds of it, you get this.

Which Jesus

Carla over at Reflections of the Times has an interesting post entitled, Which Jesus? Take a look.

When Good Just Isn't Good Enough

For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. (Psalm 84:11, emphasis mine)

When I came across this verse it struck me as one of those verses that would be easy for people to twist, just as people commonly misinterpret Psalm 37:4 (emphasis mine, well actually I've heard plenty of Christians emphasize it this way, so I guess the emphasis really isn't mine, but you know what I mean), which reads:

Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

But if we look - really look - God doesn't just blindly give out whatever we want. Even if it appears to be "good," because every "good" thing may not be good for us.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. (Genesis 3:6, emphasis mine)

The fruit of the tree looked good, it was food, and it would make one wise. So, why wasn't it good for her? I mean for all intents and purposes this was a good thing, so why did God forbid them from eating of this tree? Because it wasn't good for them, even if it appeared good to them.

Let's look at Ruth, she didn't go back to her father's house after her husband died. Rather she followed Naomi and trusted the Lord to provide. It seemed good to Naomi for Ruth to turn as Oprah had, but it wasn't where the Lord wanted her. It may have been good, but it wasn't best. And so Ruth committed herself to following Naomi and walking His way for her life even when it didn't make sense to anyone else.

And this is why we must commit our "way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5) God's ways may not seem logical to the world - they may not be fun to our flesh - but truly His way is the only way that will bring us to the greatness He desires for us. Despite my flesh, despite my pride, I know His way is the only way to life eternal. And so daily I find it is necessary for me to set my heart and thoughts upon Him, because ultimately I want what is best, not good.

Breast Asymmetry May Increase Cancer Risk in Women

Here is an interesting article concerning breast cancer.

They examined the breast X-rays, or mammograms, of 252 women who developed the disease and 252 who did not. They found that the women who suffered cancer had less-symmetrical breasts than those who were disease-free.

Honda = Awesome

This is by far the coolest ad I have ever seen.