The Believers New Clothes!

Today in study I looked at Romans and Colossians. The idea of these two passages is profound to those who believe that the Lord is their Shepherd, and that once you have heard His voice, you forever shall know it. Often the problem arises when some would say that you can forget the sound of His voice. Worse yet, He may even forget that you were ever His in the first place. I cannot seem to reconcile this to the Holy Scriptures that contain the glorious gospel of our Lord. That being said, I would encourage you to look at Romans 6:1-23 and Colossians 3:1-11. Note the implicit nature of these two passages. On one hand you have the Apostle Paul speaking to the Roman Church and encouraging them to be obedient to righteousness and disregard the notion of the Lord's grace being a license to sin! He pleads with them to remember that their struggle is certain but the grace of the Lord is powerful enough to overcome and break the chains of the flesh that cause us to struggle. We are then further encouraged in Colossians to put off the old self and put on the new, for if we have died to self and died with Christ we arise with him in newness of life and righteousness. This process of renewal is ongoing and continual, the Lord shall make us to be like Him and we are willfully enslaved to His service in His Courts and with the power of His righteousness!

-Oh Merciful Lord thank you for bearing the wrath due us and giving us the gift of Your righteousness to perfect us until the perfect is final!

November 7th
In His Steps (Charles H. Spurgeon)

GOD makes no difference in His love to His children. A child is a child to Him; He will not make him a hired servant; but he shall feast on upon the fatted calf, and shall have the music and the dancing as much as if he had never gone astray. No chains are worn in the court of King Jesus. Our admission into full priveleges may be gradual, but it is sure. Perhaps our reader is saying, "I wish I could enjoy the promises, and walk at liberty in my Lord's commands." "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." Loose the chains of thy neck, O captive daughter, for Jesus makes thee free.

In His Steps - With Charles Spurgeon

It's been a busy, busy week. Working and going to school full-time on both ends is very trying. Patience can become a very rare commodity in the fast food biz, and sometimes people just flat-out don't like middle level management. It is quite alright though, as I remember this, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do..." (I COR 10:31-33) I serve Christ, and I am to preach Him crucified. Sometimes I'm not the best example of the stereotyped persona those who don't want to know Him place upon believers who profess Christ, and unfortunately those who profess Him and don't know Him further the bad example.....Is that a catch 22? Not sure. Anyway, here's what I wanted to post, so have a good day, and remember to live for Christ in all things.

November 4th
"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light." -1 John 17

AS he is in the light! Can we ever attain to this? Shall we ever be able to walk as clearly in the light as he is whom we call "Our Father," of whom it is written, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all?" Certainly, this is the model which is set before us, for the Saviour himself said, "Be ye perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect;" and although we may feel we can never rival the perfection of God, yet we are to seek after it, and never be satisfied until we attain to it.

-Charles Spurgeon

(Do those who scoff and ridicule our struggle and perseverance to overcome the flesh really notice the battles that have been won or do they just look for fodder to load their cannons and further anesthetize their conscience from accountability to God?)

New Perspective and Hope

The idea that no news is good news is not always entirely accurate. But, that would depend on your perspective of news. This weeks news? There isn't a whole lot, at least by way of which I feel like writing about right now. There is some good news pertaining to a couple we have been ministering to regularly. They have been homeless, scared of separating, and fearing the future of their relationship together and a baby on the way. This individual was one that I had once attended school with (small world?) and we remembered some things from our past. I then gave him my testimony of my experience in the streets and the deliverance given by the Lord Jesus (irony?). He has recently been put into a situation where he has to face his past and deal with his issues in order to clear what keeps him from making progress (suggested in our discussions?) and the mother of his child is now staying somewhere safe and warm that is not in the streets. While these are only temporary means, they are not the ends to the situation. This news brought tears to my eyes as I learned that the only possession our friend wanted to take with him as he left his child's mother was his Bible. This is good news the we can rejoice and pray over! Please lift this up that the Lord has begun a good and perfect work in their lives and is leading them toward repentance and faith in him to save them from their sin.

I would also like to present to you a ministry that presents a new name to an old approach. This ministry has greatly encouraged, helped, and illuminated some things for me this past week and I would exhort you to listen to their recent conference messages from earlier this year. They also maintain a blog called New Attitude that has helpful and edifying posts each week, they also offer links to the abundant free messages, music, and resources available at Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Brethren? Heirs with Christ? Amen!

John 20:17
Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ⁽My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"

Imagine that my lost friend, knowing the Son of the Most High God, the Creator himself in a relationship of not only him as Lord, but as a brother.

Romans 8:16-17
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

And we too as new creations will enjoy the reward of eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Imagine that, being glorified together with all the saints and with Christ himself!

....Trembling yet?