If God announces the gift of righteousness apart from works, why do you keep mourning over your bad works, your failures? Do you not see that it is because you still have hopes in these works of yours that you are depressed and discouraged by their failure? If you truly saw and believed that God is reckoning righteous the ungodly who believe on Him, you would fairly hate your struggles to be "better"; for you would see that your dreams of good works have not at all commended you to God, and that your bad works do not at all hinder you from believing on Him, - that justifieth the ungodly!
Therefore, on seeing your failures, you should say, I am nothing but a failure; but God is dealing with me on another principle altogether than my works, good or bad - a principle not involving my works, but based only on the work of Christ for me ... God, in justifying me, acted wholly and only on Christ's blood-shedding on my behalf.
--William R. Newell (1868-1956), pastor, assistant superintendent of Moody Bible Institute, and writer of the beloved hymn "At Calvary."
Amen, amen! - Linda
Showing posts with label Who we are. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Who we are. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
RESPONDING TO PRINCIPLES
I may no longer depend on pleasant impulses to bring me before the Lord. I must rather respond to principles I know to be right, whether I feel them to be enjoyable or not.
--Jim Elliot(evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people through efforts known as Operation Auca).
--Jim Elliot(evangelical Christian missionary to Ecuador who, along with four others, was killed while attempting to evangelize the Waodani people through efforts known as Operation Auca).
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Meditations on Good Friday
Yet I must not forget that I too am greedy, that I too seek to control others and manipulate my world for my own benefit and betterment. We hate most in others what we see in ourselves, and our instincts scream to return evil for evil. Yet by so doing, I enslave myself to those who would enslave and destroy me.
The Cross teaches me another way. It teaches me, quite simply, that God is in control of all things, and that His ways are not my ways. It teaches me that the darkest hour comes before dawn, that God can use evil for good, and that only by bending my will and my knee before Him, no matter what the cost, can my own victory and deliverance, and that of others, be purchased.
We are at war. This is a war, not merely of bombs and guns, nor of words and arguments, nor of politics and power. It is an ancient war, from the very beginning of time: a war between the will of man and the will of God.
Meditations on Good Friday
The Cross teaches me another way. It teaches me, quite simply, that God is in control of all things, and that His ways are not my ways. It teaches me that the darkest hour comes before dawn, that God can use evil for good, and that only by bending my will and my knee before Him, no matter what the cost, can my own victory and deliverance, and that of others, be purchased.
We are at war. This is a war, not merely of bombs and guns, nor of words and arguments, nor of politics and power. It is an ancient war, from the very beginning of time: a war between the will of man and the will of God.
Meditations on Good Friday
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The alcoholic ...
All good stories–even true ones–should have a moral, but Darin’s story eludes easy lessons. He was taken by that peculiar insanity which alcoholics possess in abundance, even while sober. When Darin hatched his master plan, he was not drinking, but engaged in one of his countless attempts to clean up. For the alcoholic, the danger lies not in the bottle, but in the brain. The sane among us make mistakes, to be sure: wisdom comes from experience, and experience often comes from lack of wisdom. But facing the inevitable consequences of bad choices, we generally rearrange our lives and priorities to ensure that such a travesty does not happen again. Not so the alcoholic. Obsessively repeating behavior long ago proven destructive, he nevertheless pursues the optimism of denial which says the next time will be different. This baffling disconnect from reality cascades from farce to tragedy, as the alcoholic perceives no problems other than those who are out to get him.
There is much resistance to the idea that alcoholism and addiction are a disease. Much of this comes from conservatives, and those of religious conviction, whose proper emphasis on personal responsibility and moral rectitude sees in the alcoholic only reckless hedonism and wanton irresponsibility. These qualities the addict has in spades, but less obvious is the driving obsessive compulsion, the thought disorder which is their engine. The medical evidence for the disease model of alcoholism and addiction is deep and wide. The liberals have this one right: the alcoholic is a victim of his or her genetics, and the addition of a mind-altering drug–which one is probably moot–starts a swirling whirlpool whose vortex holds only misery, destruction and death. Not many survive its power.
Read full article at:
The Doctor Is In
There is much resistance to the idea that alcoholism and addiction are a disease. Much of this comes from conservatives, and those of religious conviction, whose proper emphasis on personal responsibility and moral rectitude sees in the alcoholic only reckless hedonism and wanton irresponsibility. These qualities the addict has in spades, but less obvious is the driving obsessive compulsion, the thought disorder which is their engine. The medical evidence for the disease model of alcoholism and addiction is deep and wide. The liberals have this one right: the alcoholic is a victim of his or her genetics, and the addition of a mind-altering drug–which one is probably moot–starts a swirling whirlpool whose vortex holds only misery, destruction and death. Not many survive its power.
Read full article at:
The Doctor Is In
Saturday, May 16, 2009
What is man?
"What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet,
to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" -- Hamlet, Wm. Shakespeare
Yes, a quintessence of dust,(but) made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:4,5; Hebrews 2:6-8) and, in Christ, filled with God's glory, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
James Montgomery Boice said in thinking about these verses: If we could see the lowliest believer, as God sees them, we would be tempted to worship them as we beheld their glory.
"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?"
Indeed. Behold what the Lord has done on our behalf.
And so our hearts are one with the Apostle Paul when he says:
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4).
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet,
to me, what is this quintessence of dust?" -- Hamlet, Wm. Shakespeare
Yes, a quintessence of dust,(but) made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:4,5; Hebrews 2:6-8) and, in Christ, filled with God's glory, "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
James Montgomery Boice said in thinking about these verses: If we could see the lowliest believer, as God sees them, we would be tempted to worship them as we beheld their glory.
"What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?"
Indeed. Behold what the Lord has done on our behalf.
And so our hearts are one with the Apostle Paul when he says:
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice" (Philippians 4:4).
Thursday, March 26, 2009
God Is Able
" our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers ...not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. (II Corinthians 3:5,6)
"...God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency is all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21).
"...our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" i.e.those who contradict or dispute (Titus 1.9).
God is able.
God has made us able.
This is encouragement for our every circumstance.
"...God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye always having all sufficiency is all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
"Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 3:20-21).
"...our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3:21).
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers" i.e.those who contradict or dispute (Titus 1.9).
God is able.
God has made us able.
This is encouragement for our every circumstance.
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