Our Head of Gold

Hey everyone.   It's been awhile since I posted, eh?  Nick was tricky enough to get me to change the song, knowing that I would be unable to resist posting.

Today, I'll just share a bit from my Morning and Evening this morning.  It compared Nebuchadnezzar's head of gold in his dream to our Head of gold--Christ.  While Nebuchadnezzar's statue had other, weaker and less desirable parts, such as the feet of iron mixed with clay compared to the head of gold, Christ's body has been glorified to match the glorious Head.

And after this, Spurgeon said to pause to think--just try to contemplate the amazing glorification we as Christians have and are being sanctified toward.  How overwhelming and awesome is our Head of gold!

God bless you all!

Luke

Grace will Lead Me Home

I'd like to share some thoughts from and about Morning and Evening (Charles Spurgeon) for September 22 Morning.  It struck me the other day, so I wanted to share it with you now.

"When my heart is faint...lead me to the Rock that is higher than I."

- Psalm 61:2

The central focus of Spurgeon here was on Christ "leading" us to Himself, the "harbor of weather-beaten sails."  He comments that "the helm does not answer to our puny hand; [God] alone can steer us over the bar between the sunken rocks and safe into the fair haven."

That made me think about something that comes up a lot in my godly conversations--the fact that man, on his own, cannot choose or come to God.  Along with what Kole was just talking about in the last post!  Man is incapable--he has a "puny hand."  Man needs God to lead him heavenward.

This is true in the sense that man needs God to call him to Himself initially (salvation), but it is also true for people who have already been saved.  Christians still need God to lead them toward heaven--without Him, our "puny hand" would allow the sea of the world to pull us into the rocks and drown us in its depths.

Just a few profound thoughts from Spurgeon.  I recommend his writing, especially the twice-a-day devotional Morning and Evening.  It is thought-provoking and is well worth the read for the Spiritual benefits it provides by pointing to God and His word.

On the non-spiritual side of things, I'm having computer problems that will end today by me sending my computer to HP.  This is nice because my computer problems will go away.  This is bad because I will be without a computer for two weeks.

What is a guy like me to do?  I do school on the computer, I entertain myself on the computer, I make money with the computer (making websites and Flash applications/games), I make music on the computer, I even exercise on the computer (I run Dance Dance Revolution through the computer).  Pray for me.  This is God's way of saying "stop relying on the computer, you geek."

I might have small windows of time at least every other day to check my email and reply to comments, but nothing beyond that.

Well, that's all I've got.  Comment!

Luke

Masculine Women - Feminine Men

One thing that I hate in our culture today is how women are acting more like men, and men are acting more like women! God made two different genders, for two different reasons! Men have a different role then women, and women are supposed to help them do that! I think that our society today is getting a little confused!


Here's an old song from the 1920s:

Masculine women, Feminine men
Which is the rooster, which is the hen?
Girls were girls and boys were boys when I was a tot,
Now we don't know who is who, or even what's what!
Knickers and trousers, baggy and wide,
Nobody knows who's walking inside,
Those masculine women and feminine men

And just think how much worse it has gotten since then!

-By the way that we act and dress, that we show who we are and what God has made us.
And if God has made us for one purpose, who are we to say different?!

~So my encouragement to you men is to, "Be a man."
~And to the ladies, "Be a woman."
Simple.

Anything to add?

Kade

Rightly do they Love You

This morning's devotional from Morning and Evening (by Charles Spurgeon) was on Song of Solomon 1:4, which says, "Rightly do they love you."

In the devotional, Spurgeon speaks of the Christian's love for God, and quotes Samuel Rutherford: "Oh, for as much love as would go round about the earth, and over heaven..."  Spurgeon goes on to say that "our longest reach is only a span of love, and our affection is like a drop in a bucket compared with what He deserves."

As I thought about this, I came to realize the coldness of my love for Christ. Since God deserves so much more love than I can give--infinitely more--how can I withhold from Him all the love that I am able to give?  The Savior of my soul deserves such great love--love that I can never give--but that must not hinder me from giving Him all my love, small though it may be.

Further on in the devotional, Spurgeon says that the Lord judges "our love by our intentions."  In the eyes of God, it doesn't matter that our love is small--what matters is the intentions of our heart.  This brought to my mind the widow from Luke 21.  She only had "two small copper coins" to offer God--that was "all that she had to live on"--but she offered them, irregardless of the meager amount.  Though the amount was small in monetary value, the intention of her heart was worth far more in the eyes of God; in God's eyes, she had offered a great offering that was pleasing to Him.  Christ commended her, saying, "Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them." 

I encourage you to examine the love you give to God.  While it is certainly not as much as He deserves, you must give what you are able to give.  If your intentions are pleasing to God, it will be a great offering in His sight.  Even if you only have "two small copper coins" of love, give even that to God.  You must give God all your love, for He deserves much more than that.

"Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."

- When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Cats and Fireworks

The title of this post refers to two separate stories that have both happened recently.

First, cats.  Last Thursday, one of my favorite cats died.  She was getting old, so it was expected, but it was still hard (for those of you who know her, it was Tea).  Well, over the past few days, my favorite cat, Bistro (a.k.a. "The Beast" or "Beasty") has become sick and is about to die as well.  It was unexpected and was (and is) very hard.  I'm going to miss him.

Second, fireworks.  Yesterday, on the 4th of July, I shot lots of fireworks and watched even more from Jim Rollo and Jase Samuelson.  It was great.  I got giddy and excited--I love fireworks.

Now, how they relate.  When I was laying in bed last night, I thought, "fireworks excite me--how much more should Jesus excite me."  I prayed that God would remove the callus that has built up to prevent excitement about God and Bible Study.  Then I thought again about my cats.  I thought, "my favorite cats dying disappoint me, and it makes me sick and sad--how much more should sinning against my Lord and Savior disappoint and sadden me."

Just another viewpoint on things.

So, when you face trials that cause you grief, remember that you should despair over your sin (but don't stay despairing--ask God for forgiveness and move on).  The despair is a good deterrent to prevent doing the same sin again (although it often doesn't prevent it either).

And when you are excited about something, remember the excitement you should experience when you think about Jesus.  If it is not there, pray that God would remove the callus of your heart and give you genuine excitement for godly things.

Luke

Time is tick'n

If you are a young person, you need to read this post:

I've been reading "Don't waste your Life" by John Piper lately, and the main thing to do to not waste your life, is to "...glorify God in your body..." and enjoy doing it.

Many times as young people we ask, "what do you want to do when you grow up?" Or what are you going to do to glorify God?" But I ask you, what are you doing now to glorify God? We are in our "best years" what are we doing now to glorify God, hmm? Are we being servants? Are we sharing the gospel? I also have to ask, what am I doing to glorify God? So instead of putting it off, "oh, when I have a job I'll glorify God," 'when I am married, I'll glorify God." No! We need to do it now! Do something! Go serve some way! Time is tick'n guys!

All Christ,
~Kade

In the Fullest Measure

1 Peter 1:2, "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with his blood.  May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure."

As I was memorizing, reading, and studying 1 Peter, I noticed the phrase Peter writes at the end of chapter 1 verse 2: "in the fullest measure."

Grace in itself is full.  Grace is love that stoops.  Grace is God's act of love toward sinners that keeps them from His holy wrath and gives them eternal life.

The peace is peace with God.  Apart from this God-given peace, we are all His enemies.  With this peace, we are adopted as sons.

Not only does Peter pray that these people receive grace and peace, but he adds "in the fullest measure."  This reminds me of that song--"dayanu."  You remember, the one at seder?  "Da da yanu, da da yanu, da da yanu, dayanu dayanu dayanu."  You get the point.

It's Hebrew for "it would have been enough."  Put it this way:  it would have been enough if God had made peace with us so that we would no longer be enemies.  Dayanu.  But, in the fullest measure, God has given us peace by adopting us.

It would've been enough if God had given us grace so that we would not experience His eternal wrath.  Dayanu.  But, He has given us grace in the fullest measure--He has given us eternal life with Him in heaven.

Praise God, who gives us grace and peace--in the fullest measure!

Luke

Note: Sorry it took so long to post.  I just kept procrastinating.

God with Us

Deuteronomy 31:6 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Yesterday, at our youth-group we went through 1Samuel 23. It was about David running from Saul. And God always provided a way for David to escape. God was with him.

Today, in my school book Light and the Glory it told the story of how Washington escaped Howe's army of twenty thousand during the night by small boats, when they surely would have been wiped out. God was with them.

God promises to be with those who are his... so even though we may not see Him, feel Him, or hear Him.. He is there. And when we go through trials we might think; where is God? Well for one, God gave us that trial, two, He's in control, three, he might have giving us that trial to make us come running back to Him, four, He promised He will never leave us. And God doesn't lie, bub.

All Christ,
~Kade

Why we Forgive

Why do we forgive people? Why don't we hold a grudge?

Well, the main reason for the saved is... "Forgive just as your Father in heaven forgave you." The only way we can really realize God's grace and mercy, is if we realize how much God has forgiven us. And if we really know how much God has forgiven us... why shouldn't we forgive others?

You probably know the parable where the a man had a humongous debt, one that he could never pay... but yet, the king forgave him. However, when the man went away... he choked one of his servants for ten-cents! And that's how we are when we don't forgive others.

So if we really know how much Christ has forgiven us, we can forgive anybody for anything!

All Christ,
~Kade

Prepare for Battle

"Preparation is only possible when it is not currently necessary."

In our battle with sin, preparation is the key.  If we are not prepared to face the enemy, the enemy will overwhelm and destroy us.

I found that the idea of two armies battling is a great example.  You don't begin learning to use a gun when you are out in the midst of the battle.  In the same way, preparation for our battle with sin is necessary before sin has drawn up in battle array against our souls.

So, preparation is necessary, but what exactly is preparation?  In preparation for a real battle, you need to have the weapons, and you need to practice with them.

Having weapons and armor.  The first things you need are weapons and armor.  In Ephesians 6, we find our weapon is the Word of God, and the armor consists of salvation, righteousness, and many other virtues.  So we must first be granted salvation and establish these virtues through the Word of God in our hearts.

Practicing with the weapons and armor.  Now that you have the armor, you must use it.  Before a soldier goes into active service, he learns how to use the weapons and armor he has been given.  Exercise your God-given spiritual gifts at every opportunity.

In the army, discipline is huge.  Soldiers are strictly trained and disciplined to be ready as soon as possible.  Soldiers in an army that is waiting for the inevitable attack of the enemy (and the attack of sin is inevitable) do not sleep or "entangle [themselves] in the affairs of every day life," but they are prepared "for action" and "sober in spirit."  They are on the alert for any hint of the enemy.

So I encourage everyone who professes to be a soldier in the active service of God to do these three things.  Make sure you have the weapons and the armor, make sure you practice with them daily (at every opportunity), and finally, make sure you are disciplined to watch for the enemy.  You should always be prepared to battle for your Lord.

Luke

The Solid Rock

When He shall come with trumpet sound,
O may I then in Him be found

On Sunday, we sung “Solid Rock” at the nursing home. When we sang that line, I sang it out as a prayer to God. It reminded me of a dream I had awhile back—in my dream, I was at church, and suddenly the world collapsed as the rapture took place, and I was taken up to heaven as I wiped my forehead and thought, “whew, now I’m sure I’m saved.”

God has given His children assurance of salvation. We as believers can know that we are saved, as God has sealed us with His Spirit. But that doesn’t mean that we will never doubt, or that we should never examine our hearts to be sure of salvation. After I dreamt that dream I thought, “I should examine myself so that I don’t have to wait until the rapture to find out whether I’m saved.” I’ve examined my life before, but it’s not a one-time event. Christians should constantly be examining their souls.

Anyways, while I was singing this line and remembering this dream, I made the song a prayer to God. First, that I would be examining my life so that I would not fall into sin. I don’t even want to begin backsliding. Second, I prayed that I would never fall into sin to the extent that I lose the assurance of my salvation. Finally, I prayed that whatever circumstance I’m in when Christ returns—I pray that my spiritual state at that time would be godly, not sinful or apostate (fallen away).

On top of that, I decided that I should always be listening for the blowing of the trumpet. I want to be listening for God at all times (if I’m always listening, I will not lose track of my purpose in Christ), both physically and spiritually (the Holy Spirit and the Bible).

So examine your heart, pray that “when He shall come with trumpet sound,” you may “in Him be found,” and finally be listening for God—listen for the trumpet, and listen for the Holy Spirit within you.
Luke

How much do we need God?

I haven’t posted in awhile, but I’ve had something to say—I just keep forgetting or neglecting to share it with you. But I finally thought about it and did something about it, and here it is!

I was thinking the other day about how much we need Christ. I was reading in a book that spoke about how the grace needed to save and sustain a sinner (a sinner who is one of the elect of God) is incredibly great. But not only does God do that for one day for one sinner, but for all eternity, every day, all the time, for all the millions that He chose to save.

And then I realized that I needed so much from God. Not only did I need that abundant, huge amount of grace daily, but I also needed Him to put it on me. When I thought of the grace of God as an incredible rainstorm on a parched desert (with me in it), I realized that even though I was parched and thirsty—I, on my own, would never open my mouth to receive God’s grace. Not only do I need Christ to give grace, but I also need him to open my mouth to receive His gift.

I also applied that to the Armor of God. He’s given me the belt of truth, the sword of the Spirit, the helmet of salvation, and all the other parts of the armor, but I need Him to go beyond giving them to me—I don’t know how to equip them. God alone can equip me with my armor. I am a helpless, unprepared soldier without armor until God both gives me the armor and equips it for me.

So pray that God would open your mouth to receive His blessings, His will, and His calling, and that daily He would equip you with all that you need to serve Him well.

Luke

To live and die

We need to help people see that Christianity is not just a list of do's and don't's, it's a way of showing the glory of God. We need to show them that it is built on the gospel; on the beauty of Christ, risen and reigning.

The question is not "What's wrong with this music or movie or this party or these friends?" The question is "How can I act and speak and feel so that I can help my friends see the worth of Jesus above music and parties and movies and friends?"

-And- "How can I live my life to glorify God in my body?"

-And- "How can I live to show that Jesus didn't come into the world to help us party better, But that He came to help us live and die better?"

John Piper/Kade

Pleasures Forever

I’m going to tell you a story. Some of you know the story, some of you don’t. And while reading, keep in mind that I will have a spiritual application at the end, so bear with me.

This is a story about the Nintendo Wii. As some of you know, I’ve wanted one since they came out nearly two years ago. At first, I was waiting for a price drop. About November, I realized that there would not be one for a long time, so since November I’ve been looking to buy one.

They are sold out everywhere.

I read on the internet, and not a single place carries the Nintendo Wii in stock. Every once in a while, a store might get five or so, but they sell out in no time at all.

So, I’ve been calling stores every day, looking on the internet, and watching, searching, and waiting for the Wii to be available.

Yesterday, I went to Fayetteville. I went to Target, and they didn’t have any. I went to Gamestop, and they didn’t either. We (my grandparents, Loyd and Sue) went to dinner, and then I called Best Buy. They were supposed to get a truckload of electronics in within 15 minutes—maybe they would have the Wii, maybe not.

Well, we drove to Best Buy, and there sat five Wii systems. Everything seemed unreal—I could feel my heartbeat, my face went pale, and my hands started shaking. I grabbed one, and was incredibly happy.

After months of searching, I had found a Nintendo Wii. I was ecstatic (who uses that? I don’t know, it sounds good here).

This morning, when reading Psalm 16 for the church Bible Reading Plan, I came across a verse—the last verse. Psalm 16:11b: “in your presence is fullness of joy; in your right hand there are pleasures forever.”

It hit me—God has not only granted me eternal life, but abundant, joyful eternal life. The feeling I had when I bought the Wii should be how I feel every time I feel God’s Spirit inside me, teaching me and training me. And more than that—I will feel like that (and EVEN MORE) in heaven for eternity—always happy, always excited about God, always eager to learn more about God and see what’s around the next corner.

So, I challenge you with that—be happy (joyful), and know that you’re going to be “ecstatic” for eternity!

Oh, and I’d like to announce that I bought a Nintendo Wii yesterday!

In Christ,

Luke

Idolatry Today?

Hey, this is Luke!

On Sunday, my dad talked about Christians and contentment. He spoke about how pride goes hand-in-hand with covetousness, which is also idolatry. Wednesday, Chris spoke about I Samuel 8, and how the nation of Israel demanded a king. They wanted to be like the other nations. They were wrong not only in the desire to be like the surrounding nations, but they also committed the sin of covetousness and idolatry. They wanted to replace God, their true King, with a man-king.

The main thing that comes to mind when I think of idolatry is “bowing before a statue.” As you already know, idolatry can take many forms—any time you put something before God, replacing God, as He should be first in your life, is also idolatry. Idolatry is nearly the same thing as covetousness, also—desiring something other than God, in an inappropriate way (desiring something more than you desire God).

With this definition, I am sure all of us, especially myself, can be found guilty of the sin of idolatry, just like the nation of Israel. We all can find ourselves desiring something more than we desire God.

But God has given us a very simple solution.

Count your blessings.

When you recognize the gifts God has given you, especially His salvation if you are a believer, you will be completely satisfied in Him. By definition, when you are satisfied, you will desire nothing else—God will be first in your life, and you will cease to covet and cease to commit idolatry. So, that’s my challenge to you this week—count your blessings, and have self-control over your sinful, covetous flesh.

In Christ,

Luke Godfrey