I Have No Good Apart from You

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the LORD, "You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you."

As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones,
in whom is all my delight.

The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names on my lips.

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

--Psalm 16

"That's a nice testimony you have....Wanna swap?"

Recent events concerning Dr. Ergun Caner, Dean of Liberty Theological Seminary have reminded me of a great joke by Tim Hawkins. It’s at around the 3:10 mark on this video but the rest is just for you to enjoy:



We laugh about this until we see how true it can be. I remember being in Peru and thinking that I shouldn’t have to share my testimony because I was so young when I was saved. In fact, the great majority of the sin in my past is post-conversion, not pre-conversion. But this really is a problem. The value we place on “better” testimonies. Sure we can think, “if God could save him He could save anyone” just as long as we are thinking, “if God could save ME He could save anyone.” Because that’s the truth.

Moreover, we tend to think of the grand testimonies in the Bible thinking that they are the norm, and let’s face it there are some good ones. Paul goes from being a church persecutor to the greatest theologian we’ve seen since the ascension of Christ. The thief on the cross turns to Jesus for mercy in the last hours of his life. The Philippian jailor was about to commit suicide when he found out Paul and Silas hadn’t left so he asks them for the gospel. But we forget just how many testimonies there are that look like ours (assuming you don’t have one of those “spectacular” ones).

Take Lydia for example:

One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:14-15)

Here’s a woman who is hard working, financially stable, and religious. Chances are she isn’t a murderer or drug dealer. She simply pays attention to Paul’s words, gets baptized, and shows hospitality. Big deal right? RIGHT! What she probably didn’t even realize was the fact that the Holy Spirit was leading the evangelists to her (Acts 16:6-10), that her prior status as a “worshiper of God” was not enough to save her, and that the Lord opened her heart to hear the gospel. Now things are starting to sound more like 2 Corinthians 4:3-6.

We are all in the same boat. No matter how your sinful heart manifested itself, you needed Christ. So there is no need to embellish your testimony or covet someone else’s. So to all who have done so, or been tempted to do so (including Dr. Caner) just know that Christ is still as powerful a savior for that sin as he is for any other sin.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Truth Project

At work we are going through Focus on the Family's "Truth Project." This is a series that seeks to give christians a biblical worldview because lets face it not all believers have that. Today we covered Philosophy and Ethics. I absolutely loved it although there were alot of sad realities that were shown in the video. When people take God out of anything you get a shell of what used to be truth that is now a lie. When people take God out of philosophy you get pathetic attempts of people trying to explain big questions like "why are we here" and "what is the meaning of life" and "what is reason". they get answered with all these different "ism's" like idealism, rationalism, naturalism, relativism, mentalism, etc that are all wrong.

When God is taken out of life people end up depressed, lonely and trying to fill voids. They turn to pleasure (hedonism) because "if im not going anywhere when i die i better seize the day"

Ethics and morality get tossed out the window because there is nothing firm to base it off of. People end up going with statistics to determine what is right and wrong. "Statics show that people are more linient towards homosexuality and abortion" therefore it must be ok since 56% (the majority) of the population is ok with these practices.

Please do not let God be taken out of your life and worldview. Crazy, wait sinful and God belittling, things happen when God is taken out of any area of our lives.

Grace and Peace
sarah B.

Made to Worship

Over the last week or so I have heard several references towards the fact that creation is made for a purpose. My favorite was Dauglas Allison who said that if cars had an attitude they would not be happy if they wern’t driven. that conjured up the image of the movie cars. A movie by pixar where the main car lives for going fast.
This weekend I also saw Toy Story 3 which is about toys that desire to be played with. Thats when they are happiest.

It might be cheesy examples but the song made to worship kept playing in my head. We are made by God for God Colossians, 1:16, Everything we do is supposed to be for Him 1 Corinthians 10:31, God wants us too John 4:23.

The Valley of Vision

He is my mediator, brother, interpreter, branch, daysman, Lamb;

Him I glorify, in Him I am set on high.


Crowns to give I have none,

but what thou hat given I return,

content to feel that everything is mine when it is thine,

and the more fully mine when I have yielded it to thee.



Let me live wholly to my Saviour,

free from distractions,

from carking care,

from hindrances to the pursuit of the narrow way.



I am pardoned through the blood of Jesus-

give me a new sense of it,

continue to pardon me by it,

may I come every day to the fountain,

and every day be washed anew,

that I may worship thee always in spirit and truth.

The Message

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

-1 John 1

A Purpose Driven Death

"Once I attended a pastors’ gathering with Richard Wormbrand. He asked questions like, 'Will you choose to suffer?' If suffering were offered to you as a gift, would you accept it?

He told a story about an abbot. A reporter asked him about what he would say if found out at the end of his life that there was no God. He said, 'Holiness, silence, and sacrifice are beautiful in themselves. I still would have used my life well.' Does that sound noble? Right?

Here’s what Paul said: 'If for this life only, we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied.' Why did Paul say that? Because his life was a life of consciously embraced suffering. Read the list in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. Most of us define the benefits of Christianity with how it makes our life better now: 'Your best life now." -John Piper (Sermon- Filling Up What is Lacking in the Afflictions of Christ) Listen Here.

Before the Throne of God Above

Last Sunday we had the opportunity to go to the detention center. I had the privilege of helping lead worship with Jonathan Danforth and Jason Lapp, two guys that I really look up to and admire. There we played "Before the Throne of God Above" and I love this song. So today I'm going to post the lyrics.


Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.


When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me


Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I am,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God