Peace is Not A Feeling

I’m not saying we don’t feel peace. We often do. However, peace is not limited to how we feel. When making a decision (or delaying making one) people will sometimes say, “I just don’t have a peace about it”. What they usually mean is that they don’t feel peace. While there may be a bit of truth in this the problem is that most people are waiting for a feeling to confirm their decision. But peace and joy are not emotions, rather they are gifts. Really, they are a Person and His name is Jesus. Paul Tripp writes. “Our peace always rests on the presence, power, and character of the Lord”.¹ He is the incarnation of peace, the “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6) Feelings or emotions are things like happiness, anger, anxiety and they are subject to our temperament and circumstances. But peace is not like that. It is not dependant upon our circumstances, rather we can have peace, and even joy in the midst of turmoil.

How do you find peace? Isn’t that what everyone is searching for? It’s pretty easy to give some pat answers…you’ve probably heard them: Just do what you think is right. Just follow your feelings. Just listen to wise counsel. Don’t worry. Just trust God. Just…

Easier said than done right?

Paul writes in Philippians 4, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7) 

If you read it closely, it’s not just “don’t be anxious,” there’s more to it than that. We are active, we are doing something instead of being anxious. Paul says, “let your requests be made known to God”. This is speaking of prayer; this is talking to God and asking for His help. In response to this God promises peace, but I think the point Paul is teaching here is that peace comes as you submit to God. There have been times when I’ve had decisions to make. Hard ones. I longed for peace, but didn’t have any. But a decision has to be made. I looked at Scripture, I sought godly counsel, then I did what I believed was the right thing to do. Once a decision is made, if it’s the right one the peace will come; He’s promised it to us if we are in His will! I can remember one specific time I was convicted after I made a decision that I’d made the wrong choice and I needed to go back and correct things (after which peace did come). Other times once I made the decision, the peace and assurance came.  In both cases though, the peace/conviction came after I had completely made the decision, not before or even during. When I sought to submit to the will of God and began walking in obedience He gave the conviction and assurance I needed. But if you are doubting God’s faithfulness or wisdom and wanting your own way how can you expect to have peace? If you have made up your mind but it’s not what God’s plan is do you think you’ll have peace? Any “peace” you think you feel cannot be His.²

In the following verse in Philippians Paul gives us more help in gaining this peace: “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Phil 4:8) Set your mind on things above and on what pleases Him. Trust Him to work out all the details and He will give His peace, even in the midst of turmoil.

Peace is so much deeper than just a feeling. It’s a knowing, it’s being convinced that God is with you, it’s having faith that no matter what everything is under His control. Paul says, don’t let the emotion of anxiety control you – give it to God. And our faith rests not on some theory, but a Person. Will you feel peace? Possibly, but maybe not – remember peace is not a feeling, it’s a conviction. God promises His peace, but the thing is it’s usually not something we experience right away. I heard David Powlison say once that this composure of peace is learned, and it is learned in relationship. As we grow in our trust and submission to Christ His peace will increase in our lives. Will we feel more peace? I think yes. But don’t focus on the peace, look to the source… look to Christ.  I’m not waiting on peace, I’m waiting on Jesus.

¹ Tripp, Paul David. Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands (Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2002), p. 30

² How do you know if it’s God peace and not a false peace?

Sometimes we can be so afraid that what we are feeling is just a false peace and not God’s peace. After all, there are people who have gone and done things because they “had peace about it,” but it was sinful or ended badly. Assuming you already seeking to trust in and submit to God here’s some more advice for you: First, pray. This is crucial. It’s amazing how often want God to guide us, but then all we do is offer a quick prayer and move on to something more “practical”. You need the Lord to lead and guide you and sometimes the Lord will not make things clear to you until you have learned to wait on Him. Take time to fast and pray, really seeking Him above your own desires. Second, go to the Word of God and see what it has to say about the matter. It very well may not have anything to say directly to your situation (such as which school you should attend) but there are timeless principles in there than can be helpful. If what you’re doing or want to do is something the Bible says is wrong or it even advises against it, than whatever you’re feeling… it’s not God! The Holy Spirit will NEVER lead you to do something that is contrary to Scripture – it alone is our final authority. Next, got counsel from those older, wiser and more godly that you. These also should be men or woman who know you fairly well. Keep in mind that you need to be open and willing to accept to their counsel when they do give it, regardless of what you want. Finally, do what you are convinced is right based on the Scriptures and counsel you’ve received. Realize that conviction is also more than a feeling; it’s knowing what the right thing to do is regardless of how you feel! If you’re a Christian the Lord will guide you – whether it’s by His Word, counsel or by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. If you are not convinced that the Lord is leading in a particular direction, stop, wait and pray. But in that remember that it’s not about doing what you want, but what the Lord wants you to do.

Reading List! (July 1, 2014)

This will be my shortest reading list so far! I’ve been really busy this month with classes so haven’t done very much outside reading at all – just one book! I’m taking 2 Seminary classes online and they are both pretty intense! Next month I’ll have a lot to share about some of that reading too though!

Finished this month:

The Lamb is All the Glory by Richard Brooks

This is a commentary on the book of Revelation. It was interesting to read! I really admired his Biblical scope and also his frequent challenge to his readers to examine where they are spiritually. When it came to the chapter on Revelation 20 I didn’t think I would agree (he is Amillennial), but it actually made a lot of sense. Hmmm more to think about and study!!!! If you're curious about this subject this book was certainly helpful. 

Currently Reading:

The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. Carson 

Additional books I want to finish this month:

I don’t think I’ll get to anything else this month between school and also being away on vacation a lot… but I guess you’ll find out next month! :-)

A GOD Worth Waiting For

“You may never know that Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.”

– Corrie Ten Boom

There came a point in my life when I ripped up and threw away all the letters and notes I’d written to my future husband.

I also stopped praying for him.

I’m sure you’re wondering why I would do all this!

There have been over the years (and there are still today) many well-meaning people and books that suggested to young people that they pray for and write letters to their future spouse. Sweet yes, and sure, a great idea, but looking back, I realize it wasn’t the best thing for me at times. First of all, I realized that most of those letters were rather immature and sometimes downright silly (and really, as I looked back at most of them I realized I didn’t actually want my future husband reading them!). They were really more an emotional outlet for me than writing a more serious letter to my future husband! In addition, instead of this pointing me to Christ it was fueling my own dreams for a husband and family (good things though they were) and leading ultimately to what the Bible calls idolatry.

Now I am not writing all this to convince anyone to stop praying for or writing to their future spouse. Actually, I think it’s wonderful if you can do that, and at some point I will probably resume that. But the point I’m making is that even good things with the wrong focus can become sinful. So my question for you, like the one God asked me, is simply where is your focus?

I realized, at least at present for me, that writing letters to my future husband took my focus off of where it should have been – squarely on Jesus Christ. While I had intended to keep my focus on God, I found this letter-writing actually distracting me from Him and focusing my emotions on another person. More than that, I realized I had been writing to the wrong person. It was God that wanted my heart and I was giving it to someone else… unknown and imaginary though he was.

There’s more to it, I’ll be honest with you…. praying for or writing to my future husband often hurts too much. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose long desire has been to be married and it hasn’t happened; nor am I the only one who’s had their hopes raised only to have them dashed to a thousand pieces (maybe more than once?). I heard a pastor speak once about how singleness can be a gift of suffering and I know from experience that is all too true. Many times it’s a trial, a thorn in my flesh. I’ve struggled with being angry, at people, circumstances, even at God; and bitterness has tried hard to gain a foothold. But as I look back I can see that God has graciously allowed me to suffer and withheld a good thing from me because this is what I needed to become more like Christ. I need to learn (again and again) to be satisfied in Him alone. Now I want to clarify that I do NOT think that you’ll stay single until you’ve reached some point of “full surrender” (good news, because we’ll never completely get there!); God uses different means for different people. There are some who will get married young, only to discover that is God’s means to teach them dependence and satisfaction on Him; for others it may be physical sufferings, financial hardship or some other disappointment or trial. Trials (in whatever form they take) are intended to lead us to a deeper dependence on Christ, and thus they are still a gift. Elisabeth Elliot wrote,

“Having now spent more than forty-one years single, I have learned that it is indeed a gift. Not one I would choose. Not one many women would choose. But we do not choose gifts, remember? We are given them by a divine Giver who knows the end from the beginning, and wants above all else to give us the gift of Himself. It is in the sphere  of His circumstances – that we receive Him. It is there and nowhere else that He makes Himself known to us.” ¹  

God gives good gifts to His children, but often He will strip us of some good gifts to give us something better. And again, the greatest gift that God could give us is the gift of Himself. He is the greatest treasure, the pearl of great price that we are compelled to sell all we have in order to obtain.

Should I be concerned about what my future spouse thinks about all this? Should I be worried he might be hurt if for awhile I didn’t pray for him or write letters to him? No… because quite honestly, I want to marry a man who is more concerned about my heart being God’s than being his. Instead of focusing primarily on being a good spouse, we should be focusing on growing in our relationship with Christ. A dear friend of mine once wrote, “Dare I say it, I am now so completely captivated by the love of this Heavenly Man, that I want no earthly man until it will only serve to bring my First Love greater glory on this earth!” ²  It is Christ who must have all our heart, our love must be for Him first and foremost. All our desires must be entrusted to Him and we must lay them down continually at His feet. Will it be worth it? Yes, we will have Jesus, and He IS worth it. He is worth every sacrifice, every trial, every tear; and He will bring greater joy, satisfaction and fulfillment than we ever could think possible. May we just keep believing and trusting.

"The enjoyment of [God] is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied. To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here. Fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the sun. These are but streams. But God is the ocean."   - Jonathan Edwards

¹ Let Me Be A Woman p. 34

² Annie Wesche, My Soul’s Husband, Set Apart Girl magazine, Sept/Oct 2011. http://www.setapartgirl.com/magazine/archives

Reading List! (June 1, 2014)

Finished this month:

How I Know… God Answers Prayer by Rosalind Goforth

This was a great little biography of answered prayer by a missionary’s wife to China at the turn of the 20^th century. So inspiring how God saved their lives multiple times, healed people who were sick and supplied “impossible” needs. May we grow in our faith and pray!

“But the wonder is not that God can answer prayer, but that He does….” (p. 114, emphasis hers)

A Treasury of Prayer – the best of E.M. Bounds (edited by Leonard Ravenhill)

If I could use one word to describe this book it would be the word radical. I have been so much more inspired to pray and to persevere in prayer by reading E.M. Bounds… in fact I can’t NOT pray!

 “Prayer is the easiest and the hardest of all things… its results lie outside the range of human possibilities – they are limited only by the omnipotence of God. Few Christians have anything but a vague idea of the power of prayer; fewer still have any experience of that power.” (p. 71)

“Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.” (p. 183)

A Beginner’s Guide to Spiritual Gifts by Sam Storms

This book is not for everyone. If you are open to the fact or already believe that spiritual gifts have not ceased than this is a book you should definitely read. Otherwise, you probably won’t care for it.

As I started 2 online Seminary-level classes this month, I’ve done a lot of reading for them. Here are two that I’ve finished that I think others would also enjoy:

The True Story of the Whole World by Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen

This book is a really neat overview of the whole Bible! If you want to read something that will sum up or give you a good survey of the Bible this would be great! I really loved how the authors show the overarching story of Scripture pointing towards (or back) to Christ as the climax. It’s very easy to read too! There was just their interpretation of 1 verse that I didn’t quite agree with, it was a bit bizarre and surprising (because their theology is all really good), but minor. (If you’re dying to know they mentioned that in Genesis 1:26 God was addressing the “angelic council” which I do not think that is right… I see God addressing the other members of the Trinity). But otherwise, the book is really great!

CrossTalk: Where Life and Scripture Meet by Michael Emlet

If you want to know how to better bring Scripture to a discipleship/counseling relationship you have this book will be an excellent help! It actually made me cry at least twice – Scripture really has such power to change people!

“All Scripture invites a response to God. In this sense, all Scripture is practical theology – narrative with a punch!” (p. 51)

Currently Reading:

I’m in the middle of The Lamb is All the Glory by Richard Brooks (a commentary on the book of Revelation)

Additional books I want to finish this month:

As I’m working on some other books (not to mention writing papers!) for classes I don’t know if I’ll have much time to finish another book this month, but this is the one that I want to start next:

Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare by Charles H. Spurgeon 

A Tribute to A Life Well-Lived

If I could give you a picture of a godly woman, my grandmother, Dot-Dot as we call her, would top the list.

A few days ago she breathed her last and her body is now empty.

She is not there. 

She was what everyone would call “a good person”, but her righteousness was not her own, she trusted Christ’s righteousness alone to save her from her sins. According to the Lord’s mercy He saved her, not by her good works but by the new birth of the Holy Spirit (cf. Titus 3:5). My Dot Dot didn’t just say she had this faith, she evidenced this faith in how she lived and loved and served the Lord to the end. Thus we can have hope that while her body was left behind, she is now present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:6).

She strove to become more like Christ. She was not a foreign missionary or a great speaker. She did nothing that people would consider really great. But Horatius Bonar once said that holiness is not measured by “one great heroic act or mighty martyrdom… It is of small things that a great life is made up.” 

Dot-Dot was very loving and generous to her grandchildren. She spent time with us, let us granddaughters play with her Madam Alexander doll collection. She and Papa gave us cards and presents for birthday’s and many times paid for music camp and family camp. She was such a great listener and always interested in what was going on in our lives. Even 2 weeks before she died, she asked me to tell her about a trip I had just gone on. When I was away (whether it was just summer camp, or when I was living out of state or oversees) she sent cards and letters sharing things that were going on at home and most of all telling me that she loved and prayed for me. Her deepest desire and prayer was that her family members all come to know and love the Savior too. Speaking of prayer, anyone who knew her well knew that she was a prayer warrior. I remember her telling me a few years ago, that she couldn’t do much of anything, but she could still pray. One precious memory of her and my Papa was often going into their apartment and hearing Dot Dot reading the Bible aloud. She wrote me in a letter once that she was so glad that she and I loved and followed this same Book!

She had a good life with many joys, but yet hardships, loss, and many trials, too many to even try to mention here. But I never heard her complain. She always turned her eyes to the Lord and trusted Him no matter what! She was so very unselfish! One thing she said towards the end was “I’m so much trouble”! She hated to cause anyone inconvenience. But she graciously accepted the help she needed and was always thankful. Even to towards the end when she couldn't say much. She'd weakly ask for "water" and still say "thank you" afterwards!

There are a few "heroic" stories too though. She and my Papa smuggled Bibles into China. And not just a few tucked between things, mind you… a whole suitcase full! She was on the Gideon Auxiliary and was very faithful to give Bibles out to people she met. Every nurse, aid, etc. that ever saw her should have gotten one! She loved the Lord, He had saved her from her sin and she wanted everyone else to be forgiven too! I trust there will be many more in heaven partly because of those Bible's she gave out.

She used to call me her “dimple darling” when I was young. In the last few years whenever I would come in to see her she would say “Hi sweetie!” - I will miss that. About a week before she died she opened her eyes and said this for the last time. It was so hard the last few months, especially the last week and a half… knowing she was dying and sitting by her bedside wondering if each breath would be her last. Her words during that time centered around how much she just wanted to go be with Jesus and a few days before she died she managed to say “Come… let... us... adore Him”. I obliged her by singing the chorus. She often groaned saying "Jesus!", and I saw in her a literal picture of the Spirit groaning for the coming of the Lord.  She has lived with us in an attached apartment for almost my entire life and home will never be the same without her living there, and that’s part of the sadness that death brings. But I have SO much joy in knowing that she is now truly free and with the Savior she loves. No more groaning Dot Dot... you're finally home!

I thank the Lord for the gift of my grandmother, for His work of grace in her heart and life and the legacy I have as a result. I am so very thankful for the example of prayer and faithfulness. While I will miss her much and cry a lot in the days to come, she will continue to inspire me for the rest of my life as I seek to follow the same Lord and Savior she loves so dearly.  

Much love dear Grannie Dot,

                               - Your 'sweet dimple darling'

 

(photo from Christmas 2011)

Fellowship Conference Review (I'll Be Honest church network conference)

So I recently took a trip to Texas. I went to San Antonio first to visit friends and then drove with them to The Fellowship Conference held in Denton Texas, April 17-20th. The whole trip was so great, refreshing, encouraging, convicting…. I thought I would share about what it was like and give a summary of the messages. It was put on by a group/network of churches the Pastor's of which include those speaking below. You can find more information through this website: http://illbehonest.com

There were about 900 people there. It was challenging at first as I didn’t know hardly anyone, but I was staying in a cabin with several other girls and it was a blessing to get to know them. I also connected with a lady that I had known several years ago that was there which was really sweet. We had meetings in the morning and evening and the afternoons were just for fellowship. Also in the morning after breakfast we had a prayer time where we gathered, someone shared some thoughts/Scripture for a couple minutes then we prayed for about 30+ minutes. The songs and hymns we sang at the meetings were different, many I had never heard before but the lyrics were rich! It was a very sweet time.

Thursday night meeting: Mack Tomlinson (from Denton, Texas) preached on what the role of the Holy Spirit was in the life of Christ. As Christ was fully dependant on the Spirit in all He said and did, so should we. We need the Spirit’s help and we need to be seeking Him.

Listen here: http://illbehonest.com/the-spirit-in-the-life-of-the-man-jesus-mack-tomlinson

Friday morning prayer was led by Mack and he talked briefly about Phil 4:4-7. The Lord is near, so don’t worry, pray! And pray with thanksgiving.

Friday morning meeting: Kevin Williams (from England) preached on Genesis 4:1-7a – Cain and Abel’s sacrifices. One was accepted, the other was not. Why? Because one had faith in a blood sacrifice and the other was merely performing an outward sign of religion. It is only through Christ that we are accepted.

Listen here:

http://illbehonest.com/why-cain-was-rejected-and-abel-accepted-kevin-williams

In the afternoon I went and listed to Mack go through all the books that were on the book table and talk about what they were about. Then went and played Ultimate Frisbee with some other young adults.

Friday evening we first had a missionary who serves in the Middle East share. He talked about how persecution and suffering are interwoven in the Christian faith and it is the means by which God grows us. He challenged us to remember our days are a gift and to use them wisely.  Afterwards, Ryan Fullerton (Louisville, Kentucky) preached from Galatians 3:1-6. This was probably my favorite message. In this passage Paul was rebuking the Galatians for trying to live the Christian life apart from the power of the Spirit. We receive the Spirit when we are saved, and we need Him more and more as we grow in Christ. And we receive more of the Spirit by looking to Christ. It’s full dependence upon Him that we need!

(Towards the beginning of the message all the lights in the room went out [just sunlight from the windows]… he didn’t miss a beat!)

Listen here:

http://illbehonest.com/gospel-faith-leads-to-the-fullness-of-the-spirits-power-ryan-fullerton

Saturday morning prayer was led by a man who’s a missionary to underground churches in China. He shared some various passages on the importance of prayer and I most remember this quote: “The battle for missions is won or lost in rooms like this.” Are we striving in prayer as we are called to in Scripture?

This missionary also preached at the morning meeting - since he’s an underground missionary, his message was not recorded, so I’ll give you a more extensive run-down on what he said.  He spoke on the basic missions principles that we find in Acts: 1. The Context of Missions (it springs from the local church, this is where missionaries should be sent from), 2. The Messengers (the first missionaries, Paul and Barnabas, were men grounded in the truth and mature in the faith – we need to be training men and women for ministry!), 3. The Message (We need a Biblical Gospel! It’s Christ and Him crucified for the forgiveness of sins; and mainly: Repent and believe!), 4. The Ministry of Missions (we bear a cross and follow Him. It’s by much tribulation that we enter the kingdom of God. Missionaries are called to plant churches and train leaders to take over leadership of them), 5. The Power of Missions (it’s all done by the power of the Holy Spirit and through prayer. All the knowledge and teaching in the world is worthless otherwise).

(Note: What this man is doing for Christ is amazing and it springs from his very serious relationship with the Lord. I had a chance to talk to him briefly afterwards…!)

Saturday evening we heard a short update from a missionary in Mexico, then Charles Leiter (Kirksville, Missouri) preached a message from 1 Corinthians 1:17-31 and the “weakness and foolishness of God”. So often God appears to be the weak and foolish one, but really He’s the strong one! He has a purpose and plan and it’s all to gain more glory for Himself and conform us more to the image of Christ. He gets ALL the glory, we are nothing!

(I was overwhelmed by gratitude for the Lord saving me after listening to this message! Praise the Lord for His marvelous grace!!!!)

Listen here:

http://illbehonest.com/the-weakness-and-foolishness-of-god-charles-leiter

Sunday morning prayer was led by Clint Leiter who shared 3 words that we should be continually praying: Revive, Restore, Refresh. We daily need God to give us “life again”, “abundance again” and to help us to “flourish again”.

Sunday morning sermon was by Tim Conway (San Antonio, Texas). When he got up he said he had notes from several sermons and really didn’t know what exactly he was preaching. But this, out of all the sermons was the most convicting! In sum: Jesus taught us to pray “Your kingdom come” – but do we really mean it? Do we really pray and seek for people to be saved? We have a responsibility to be reaching the lost, to be sharing the Gospel. Pray with passion, and let it overflow to your life! (Really convicting!)

Listen here:

http://illbehonest.com/hyper-calvinism-and-missions-tim-conway

I am so grateful for this opportunity to have gone. The messages were all great – I’m sure by listening to them you’ll be encouraged, inspired and convicted too! If you ever have an opportunity to go to this conference in Texas (or to hear any of these men speak) DO IT!  (For a heads-up, there will be a conference in Portland ME August 7-9, 2014 – more information forthcoming! If interested, contact me and I can let you know when I hear more.)

Reading List! (May 1, 2014)

Finished this month:

Spiritual Depression: It’s Causes & Cures by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

This is going on my “x-number of books every Christian must read” list! Personally this was a very encouraging book. Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones does a great job looking at causes (and roots) of “spiritual depression” and oh my word there is SO much amazing truth that I was reminded of! Now I have some rules about my books: 1. Only underline in pencil; and 2. Use a bookmark to save your place - do not ever lay a book down with its binding open and do not dog-ear book pages - only if it’s something really good that I want to be able to find again sometime. This book has 9! I’m pretty sure that’s a record! It’s hard to pick a favorite quote, but this one sums up the book really nicely:

“Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself? Take those thoughts that come to you the moment you wake up in the morning. You have not originated them, but they start talking to you, they bring back the problems of yesterday, etc. Somebody is talking. Who is talking to you? Your self is talking to you… The main art in the matter of spiritual living is to know how to handle yourself, preach to yourself, question yourself. You must say to your soul: ‘Why are thou cast down’ – what business have you to be disquieted? You must turn on yourself… and say to yourself: ‘Hope thou in God’.” (p 20-21)

The Joy of Fearing God by Jerry Bridges

Jerry Bridges is one of my favorite authors. He’s very simple and clear in how he writes and is a humble and sincere man of God. I heard him speak at a conference last fall. One session was about the transcendence of God and he spoke from Isaiah 40 (see also the chapter “Transcendent Majesty” in this book). I went outside afterwards and cried… just so overwhelmed by the awesomeness of God! So, while this is, in many ways, a very simple book, it’s deep and beautiful. And it was convicting too! How I need to fear the Lord more, and realize that that is the way to joy!

“Properly fearing God is more than just a feeling or attitude – it’s a feeling or attitude that changes our lives.” (p.31)

The Hole in our Holiness by Kevin DeYoung

This book is ALSO going on my “x-number of books every Christian must read” list. Yup, you should read it. Kevin DeYoung takes a tough and controversial subject (the Christian’s relationship to the law and the process of sanctification) and does a great job examining what the Bible says about how we should live. If nothing else, chapter 7 will be more wealth to you than gold (it’s all about our union with Christ – simply glorious!). This book was of naturally quite convicting in a lot of ways… it’s so easy to be apathetic and lazy in our Christian life and not “work out our salvation”. We forget that abiding in Christ also means “keep His commandments” and vice versa. Great reminders and encouragement. I mean, if this doesn’t fire you up, I don’t know what will:

“In effect God says to us, ‘Because you believe in Christ, by the Holy Spirit I have joined you to Christ. When he died, you died. When He rose, you rose. He’s in heaven now, so you’re in heaven. He’s holy, so you’re holy. Your position right now, objectively and factually, is as a holy, beloved child of God, dead to sin, alive to righteousness, and seated in my holy heaven – now live like it!’” 

(p. 105)

The Rose Guide to End-Times Prophesy by Dr. Timothy Paul Jones

Sound interesting? It certainly was!!! I got this last weekend and read through the 300+ pages in less than 2 days (granted I had quite a bit of time one day to just sit and read!), but it was really fascinating! Dr. Jones gives a really balanced and non-biased presentation of the different views Christians hold of the end times. I learned much more about what each one believes and why. If you’re interested in studying this topic, this is a great resource to start with!

Convergence – Spiritual Journeys of a Charismatic Calvinist by Sam Storms

This book was written for both cessationists (those who believe the “miraculous” gifts of the Holy Spirit have ceased) and charismatics/continuationists (those who believe they continue today). I’ve heard some of Sam Storms’ story on a radio program series, but reading about his journey was still surprising in some ways. He brings a lot to the table for discussion that are roots of this controversial issue and has concerns and exhortations on both sides. In my opinion, his Biblical arguments are very good and it’s a beneficial book to read! It will certainly challenge your way of thinking, but I hope you’ll be open to it.  

“Biblical balance is pursuing everything the Bible demands with the degree of emphasis and energy that the Bible commands.” (p. 105)

“Praying and thinking are not two mutually exclusive options. The person who only thinks and does not pray is just as bad and dangerous and unbalanced as the person who only prays and never thinks.” (p. 185)

“The sure and certain way to go down in God’s eyes is to go up in your own.” (p. 200)

CURRENTLY READING:

A Treasury of Prayer – the best of E.M. Bounds edited by Leonard Ravenhill

Additional books I want to finish this month:

Spurgeon on Prayer & Spiritual Warfare (by Charles H. Spurgeon)

The Lamb is All the Glory by Richard Brooks (book on Amillennialism – something I’m interested in learning more about)

How I Know… God Answers Prayer by Rosalind Goforth

(Yeah… I’ll be reading a lot about PRAYER this month, but hopefully DOING a lot of it too!)  :-D