Job 19:25-27
25For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
26And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
27Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
The note in my Ryrie Study Bible said, "This great expression of hope marks the turning point in Job's attitude. He has seen his sufferings in the perspective of certain future vindication of his case. Reins = heart"
Job 21:14-15
14Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
15What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?
Unbelief.
Job 22:15-19
15Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
18Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
Unbelief, again (note the reference to the flood).
Job 28:28
28And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.
Knowledge.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Quiet Time : Friend and Intercessor
Job 16:19-21 (KJV)
19Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
20My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.
21O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
Job 16:19-21 (NIV)
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend.
19Also now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and my record is on high.
20My friends scorn me: but mine eye poureth out tears unto God.
21O that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!
Job 16:19-21 (NIV)
19 Even now my witness is in heaven;
my advocate is on high.
20 My intercessor is my friend
as my eyes pour out tears to God;
21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God
as a man pleads for his friend.
Friday, November 07, 2008
If you are ever afraid...
This is for anyone who is fearing for the future. If you have given your life to Christ, then you have nothing to fear! No financial crisis, war, poverty, illness, rampant immorality, unemployment, fill-in-the-blank with anything you can think of ... nothing.
November 7, Morning
Isaiah 49:16
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.
No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; He cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never faileth; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and distu rbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of His hands. "I have graven thee. "It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when He has graven thee upon His own palms?
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
November 7, Morning
Isaiah 49:16
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.
No doubt a part of the wonder which is concentrated in the word "Behold," is excited by the unbelieving lamentation of the preceding sentence. Zion said, "The Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath forgotten me." How amazed the divine mind seems to be at this wicked unbelief! What can be more astounding than the unfounded doubts and fears of God's favoured people? The Lord's loving word of rebuke should make us blush; He cries, "How can I have forgotten thee, when I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands? How darest thou doubt my constant remembrance, when the memorial is set upon my very flesh?" O unbelief, how strange a marvel thou art! We know not which most to wonder at, the faithfulness of God or the unbelief of His people. He keeps His promise a thousand times, and yet the next trial makes us doubt Him. He never faileth; He is never a dry well; He is never as a setting sun, a passing meteor, or a melting vapour; and yet we are as continually vexed with anxieties, molested with suspicions, and distu rbed with fears, as if our God were the mirage of the desert. "Behold," is a word intended to excite admiration. Here, indeed, we have a theme for marvelling. Heaven and earth may well be astonished that rebels should obtain so great a nearness to the heart of infinite love as to be written upon the palms of His hands. "I have graven thee. "It does not say, "Thy name." The name is there, but that is not all: "I have graven thee." See the fulness of this! I have graven thy person, thine image, thy case, thy circumstances, thy sins, thy temptations, thy weaknesses, thy wants, thy works; I have graven thee, everything about thee, all that concerns thee; I have put thee altogether there. Wilt thou ever say again that thy God hath forsaken thee when He has graven thee upon His own palms?
C.H. Spurgeon, Morning and Evening, Hendrickson Publishers, 1997.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
follow up to 'election'
Okay, so I just posted something that could undoubtably hurt some feelings. Maybe, maybe not. Maybe it's just in my nature to 'not hurt your feelings,' that I feel as though I need to write this follow up this. No, scratch that. That's not why I'm writing this.
I am basically providing links to some very good blogs, sermons, etc that people with much more knowledge than I have written. I guess they gave me the courage to post the previous entry that I wrote and so cowardly saved for later.
But I do want to make this point. If you are a woman who has had an abortion; I do not judge you. My heart aches for the pain that I know you must feel. Although I have never had to even consider having one myself, I know how it feels to carry the heavy burden of guilt. And I also know how it feels for that guilt to be lifted and redeemed. You too can be redeemed. That is my hope and prayer for you.
I want to preface the following links by saying that none of these people endorse a particular candidate. Thanks! ;)
"Don't Waste Your Vote," sermon by Robin Boisvert at Covenant Life. One great thing he said, "patriotism must be moderated by sound theology." If you are a Christian, your vote must be moderated by sound theology.
Carolyn McCulley made a great point in her latest blog post, in that we must not vote for our pocket book (among others). Also, that is where I found the above sermon.
And my favorite find of the month, John Piper's Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting. As a Christian, I must show the world that I am not concerned by what any leader of any country can do to me or cannot do for me. That is not where my ultimate hope lies.
I am basically providing links to some very good blogs, sermons, etc that people with much more knowledge than I have written. I guess they gave me the courage to post the previous entry that I wrote and so cowardly saved for later.
But I do want to make this point. If you are a woman who has had an abortion; I do not judge you. My heart aches for the pain that I know you must feel. Although I have never had to even consider having one myself, I know how it feels to carry the heavy burden of guilt. And I also know how it feels for that guilt to be lifted and redeemed. You too can be redeemed. That is my hope and prayer for you.
I want to preface the following links by saying that none of these people endorse a particular candidate. Thanks! ;)
"Don't Waste Your Vote," sermon by Robin Boisvert at Covenant Life. One great thing he said, "patriotism must be moderated by sound theology." If you are a Christian, your vote must be moderated by sound theology.
Carolyn McCulley made a great point in her latest blog post, in that we must not vote for our pocket book (among others). Also, that is where I found the above sermon.
And my favorite find of the month, John Piper's Let Christians Vote As Though They Were Not Voting. As a Christian, I must show the world that I am not concerned by what any leader of any country can do to me or cannot do for me. That is not where my ultimate hope lies.
thoughts on this crazy election
Wrote this on Sunday, October 19, 2008, but didn't post it until now ... must be my fear of man.
I worry more about the murdering of innocent, unborn children than I do about wolves being shot from helicopters. I don't care who you vote for. I really don't care who wins. I have no doubt whatsoever that my job will be okay; regardless of the next President's party affiliation.
I'm just tired of the hate. I'm tired of hearing 'feminists' write about how Sarah Palin isn't a woman; that she doesn't care about women. So sorry that she cares more about unborn children than your right to kill them. Even more sad that women think that if this right is taken away from them, then it's just a matter of time before they will become second class citizens. 'We will be set back 70 years!' Oh boo hoo.
It's unbelievable to me that losing one's right to end LIFE; even those tiny little cells (conception, people), means the end for women everywhere. I gotta tell you, when I heard that Sarah Palin would probably be the VP pick, I didn't have any particular reaction. The main thing on my mind was paying attention to the news, because my boss is from Alaska, and of course would want to know right away. That is part of my job; paying attention to Alaska.However, when I saw John McCain announce her, and heard her accept, it was a pretty powerful moment for me. Wow, can you imagine, a conservative woman being nominated for Vice President of the United States? Since when is it okay to be pro-life and a woman? I'm serious, I got a little teary-eyed and even had goose bumps.
Fast forward to the hate. Absolute vitriol. It is amazing to me. People absolutely HATE her. She's not the first politician to be pro-life, pro-gun, yada yada yada; HELLO she's a REPUBLICAN! And yet, so much crap has been said about her. She's also not the first governor of a small state to make it on the national political scene. And yes, I did vote for one of those 12 years ago. Oh yeah, and as for her forcing rape victims to pay for their rape kits; do some research. Oh, and I guess it's obvious who I'm not voting for. Sarah Palin has nothing to do with my decision. I really can't vote for someone who is so incredibly liberal. And I'm not trying to tell you who to vote for. As long as you do your research, and vote on the issues that are important to you, than you will get my respect. And I guess it's obvious what issues are important to me. The stance of someone's heart outweighs everything else. It is just amazing to me that someone can value the lives of their own children, yet be so cold-hearted to the reality of abortion.
You won't find me boasting for any candidate; maybe beyond a campaign button or posting an article on facebook. On the flip side, you won't hear me tell you not to vote for 'so and so,' because of 'such and such.' The reason I wrote this is just to vent my frustration over the whole "if you don't agree with me, you must be wrong" assumption that runs rampant in this world. As a Christian woman, the area I feel this most is in the feminist movement. I guess a 'thanks but not thanks' sums up how I feel about feminists who are lauded in our time. Thankfully, there are women such as Carolyn Mahaney, who speaks truth about Biblical Femininity, and Carolyn McCulley, who speaks and writes about 'Radical Womanhood.' Also, men such as John Piper and Wayne Grudem, who wrote Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Femininism. And finally, that there are women like Sarah Palin who aren't afraid to tell how they truly feel about this issue, without fear of losing votes.
I worry more about the murdering of innocent, unborn children than I do about wolves being shot from helicopters. I don't care who you vote for. I really don't care who wins. I have no doubt whatsoever that my job will be okay; regardless of the next President's party affiliation.
I'm just tired of the hate. I'm tired of hearing 'feminists' write about how Sarah Palin isn't a woman; that she doesn't care about women. So sorry that she cares more about unborn children than your right to kill them. Even more sad that women think that if this right is taken away from them, then it's just a matter of time before they will become second class citizens. 'We will be set back 70 years!' Oh boo hoo.
It's unbelievable to me that losing one's right to end LIFE; even those tiny little cells (conception, people), means the end for women everywhere. I gotta tell you, when I heard that Sarah Palin would probably be the VP pick, I didn't have any particular reaction. The main thing on my mind was paying attention to the news, because my boss is from Alaska, and of course would want to know right away. That is part of my job; paying attention to Alaska.However, when I saw John McCain announce her, and heard her accept, it was a pretty powerful moment for me. Wow, can you imagine, a conservative woman being nominated for Vice President of the United States? Since when is it okay to be pro-life and a woman? I'm serious, I got a little teary-eyed and even had goose bumps.
Fast forward to the hate. Absolute vitriol. It is amazing to me. People absolutely HATE her. She's not the first politician to be pro-life, pro-gun, yada yada yada; HELLO she's a REPUBLICAN! And yet, so much crap has been said about her. She's also not the first governor of a small state to make it on the national political scene. And yes, I did vote for one of those 12 years ago. Oh yeah, and as for her forcing rape victims to pay for their rape kits; do some research. Oh, and I guess it's obvious who I'm not voting for. Sarah Palin has nothing to do with my decision. I really can't vote for someone who is so incredibly liberal. And I'm not trying to tell you who to vote for. As long as you do your research, and vote on the issues that are important to you, than you will get my respect. And I guess it's obvious what issues are important to me. The stance of someone's heart outweighs everything else. It is just amazing to me that someone can value the lives of their own children, yet be so cold-hearted to the reality of abortion.
You won't find me boasting for any candidate; maybe beyond a campaign button or posting an article on facebook. On the flip side, you won't hear me tell you not to vote for 'so and so,' because of 'such and such.' The reason I wrote this is just to vent my frustration over the whole "if you don't agree with me, you must be wrong" assumption that runs rampant in this world. As a Christian woman, the area I feel this most is in the feminist movement. I guess a 'thanks but not thanks' sums up how I feel about feminists who are lauded in our time. Thankfully, there are women such as Carolyn Mahaney, who speaks truth about Biblical Femininity, and Carolyn McCulley, who speaks and writes about 'Radical Womanhood.' Also, men such as John Piper and Wayne Grudem, who wrote Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Femininism. And finally, that there are women like Sarah Palin who aren't afraid to tell how they truly feel about this issue, without fear of losing votes.
Quiet Time : For Such A Time As This?
Sorry to all 3 of my readers for not posting anything lately. My migraines are back with a vengeance; and while I haven't totally neglected my time with the Word, it has taken a hit again. Still, no excuse, and I'm trying to get back on track. However, I did finish Esther awhile back, and I'm now on Job. I will quickly post some verses from Esther below. Such a great story, really, GO READ IT!
Esther 4:13-14
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverence arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
This was after Mordecai found out that Haman had the king sign off on the decree for the destruction of the Jews. Through a series of corrospondence, Mordecai asked Esther to intercede. Now, even as queen, she could not enter the king's court without his permission, to do so meant certain death, unless he held out his golden sceptre (and really, who knew if he would do that! It really depended on his mood, I guess. And remember, this is a man who had his first queen banished because she wouldn't let him show her off!). The above verses are Mordecai's reply to Esther's fear. I love how he says "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Mordecai felt as though this could be God's calling for her. Have you ever thought about what God's calling could be for you?
Okay, now I am so tempted to post more, but really, you should go read it. It is truly an amazing story. Esther hesitates to tell the king, which opens up even more possibilities (God sovereignty), then that pesky law where no decree's can be overturned. Just goes to show what trusting in God can do.
Esther 4:13-14
13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.
14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverence arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
This was after Mordecai found out that Haman had the king sign off on the decree for the destruction of the Jews. Through a series of corrospondence, Mordecai asked Esther to intercede. Now, even as queen, she could not enter the king's court without his permission, to do so meant certain death, unless he held out his golden sceptre (and really, who knew if he would do that! It really depended on his mood, I guess. And remember, this is a man who had his first queen banished because she wouldn't let him show her off!). The above verses are Mordecai's reply to Esther's fear. I love how he says "who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" Mordecai felt as though this could be God's calling for her. Have you ever thought about what God's calling could be for you?
Okay, now I am so tempted to post more, but really, you should go read it. It is truly an amazing story. Esther hesitates to tell the king, which opens up even more possibilities (God sovereignty), then that pesky law where no decree's can be overturned. Just goes to show what trusting in God can do.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
