Ok, here we go, Father. I am joyful in all things, giving praises and thanksgiving for your glory, Father. I must trust in You. What happened?
Touched by Grace Ministry, chose another ‘candidate’ to conduct their golf tourney. I was shocked, quite honestly, but, not anywhere near as frustrated as I thought I would have been. Yes, surprised and disappointed, but, I thought of you and your will and your providence and your ‘all things happen to the good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes.’
Romans 8:28 (New International Version)
More Than Conquerors
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,who have been called according to his purpose.
Once again to look at this verse…. ‘in all things God works for the good of those who love him’. I LOVE Him, so I qualify. God is working for the good of those who love Him. ‘In all things’ God works for MY good. So, in my not getting the Touched by Grace Ministry golf tourney, God is working for my good. And ‘who have been called according to his purpose’. What is His purpose? That we would glorify Him. That we would love Him and our neighbors as ourselves. That we would believe in Jesus Christ and obey His commands. What are His commands?
1 John 3
23b because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. 23And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
Again, and again, and again………… thank you. I love you and trust you and will obey you. Please strengthen my faith in you, enliven our ministry, protect our family, fulfill our financial commitments and secure our future for your purposes, for your glory, for your kingdom. Amen.
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”- Philippians 2:5-8
Romans 7
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
THIS IS WHY WE NEED JESUS CHRIST AS OUR SAVIOR, OUR PROPITIATOR….
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Gospel of the Kingdom, By Os Hillman
Now this is a truth.....
Love you, Bill/Dad
The Gospel of the Kingdom
April 11, 2004 • By Os Hillman
This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. - 1 John 2:5b-6
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus' did, we must ask why?
I have noticed three distinct types of workplace believers throughout my 24 years of walking with Christ. First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a "Bless me, Lord" attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve “the what” versus “the why” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as "Help me, Lord."
In the third stage we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the place of conviction. The number of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They are motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts, "Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him."
Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs? His desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, motivated by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
Love you, Bill/Dad
The Gospel of the Kingdom
April 11, 2004 • By Os Hillman
This is how we know we are in Him: Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did. - 1 John 2:5b-6
When Christ came to earth, He came to bring to mankind the gospel of the Kingdom. Over the centuries, the Church has tended to emphasize only a portion of the gospel. That portion is the gospel of salvation. However, Jesus came that we might have more than just salvation. He came to give us a whole new life that was accompanied by signs, wonders, and His Spirit living in us and revealing Himself to us daily. He came so that we might walk on this earth as He did. If our lives are not reflecting the same things as Jesus' did, we must ask why?
I have noticed three distinct types of workplace believers throughout my 24 years of walking with Christ. First, many of us come to Christ out of a need for salvation. Our hearts have been touched by His call on our lives. We reason and analyze the claims of Christ and make a decision for Him. It is the convenient time to accept Him in our lives. This first stage is often characterized by a "Bless me, Lord" attitude toward God. It is the first stage that primarily brings salvation into our lives. Some never really go past this first stage.
The second stage is the crisis stage. A crisis takes place in our lives, and we are motivated to seek Christ with a whole heart. However, this motivation is not out of pure love for Christ; rather, it is motivated by the desire to get out of the pain of living. The motivation is to solve “the what” versus “the why” in my life at the time. This stage is best characterized as "Help me, Lord."
In the third stage we begin to experience the gospel of the Kingdom. It is the place where Jesus resided in His walk with His heavenly Father. It is the place of conviction. The number of people who live at this level are quite few, but these people are experiencing the reality of a walk with God that is foreign to all others. They are seeing daily occurrences of His involvement in their lives. They are motivated by a deep love for Him. They know Him. These people have an attitude characterized by these thoughts, "Have me, Lord; though He slay me, still will I trust Him."
Where are you today? Have you merely accepted His salvation to simply float along? Or do you seek Him with a whole heart only when a crisis occurs? His desire is for you and me to live a life of conviction, motivated by our love for Him and His love for us. This is where we will experience the gospel of the Kingdom.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Bob McCook's New Perspective Outreach
Perspective
An Occasional Thought or Two from Bob McCook
April 12, 2010
Doing the Word
“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a man who built his house upon the rock.” Matthew 7:24 Amp.
Words are everywhere. We use them, read them, and weary of them. But what if they are God’s Words? Do we become weary of His Words? It seems that we do for so little action emanates from us, His people who hear and read His words. At least, that’s my perspective.
I’m sure that not seeing biblical action was no different in Jesus’ day for the very religious Pharisees rambled on with endless words but their lives seemed to give little evidence of God’s meaning and truth. Jesus, in the above verse, gives us the result of the man who did not act on wisdom and built his house on the sand, reflecting an easy way to get the job done but the house was washed away. It was not grounded on the Rock. This is us if we fail to do His word.
Maureen and I once attended a church where a visiting missionary challenged us to get out there into the community and share the Word and meet the needs in the name of Jesus. He said that we knew the Word but needed to act on it, share it with the lost and lonely. He said that we needed to be the ones who spoke on behalf of Jesus and not wait for others.
A couple of years later, this same missionary returned and was amazed that the congregation had not grown. He thought for sure that if all of us were obediently loving the lost and sharing the words of Jesus, we would certainly need to move to larger quarters.
The value in knowing the Word of God is not self-glorification. It is to glorify our Lord.
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me you faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18
What is your perspective? Let me know at bmccook@priorityone.org.
433 W. Market Street, West Chester, PA 19382 484.614.0367
Ministering to men since 1982
Christ did not die simply that you might be saved from a bad conscience, or even to remove the stain of past failure, but to “clear the decks” for His divine activity through you.
The Indwelling Life of Christ, by Major W. Ian Thomas, p. 55
An Occasional Thought or Two from Bob McCook
April 12, 2010
Doing the Word
“So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts upon them [obeying them] will be like a man who built his house upon the rock.” Matthew 7:24 Amp.
Words are everywhere. We use them, read them, and weary of them. But what if they are God’s Words? Do we become weary of His Words? It seems that we do for so little action emanates from us, His people who hear and read His words. At least, that’s my perspective.
I’m sure that not seeing biblical action was no different in Jesus’ day for the very religious Pharisees rambled on with endless words but their lives seemed to give little evidence of God’s meaning and truth. Jesus, in the above verse, gives us the result of the man who did not act on wisdom and built his house on the sand, reflecting an easy way to get the job done but the house was washed away. It was not grounded on the Rock. This is us if we fail to do His word.
Maureen and I once attended a church where a visiting missionary challenged us to get out there into the community and share the Word and meet the needs in the name of Jesus. He said that we knew the Word but needed to act on it, share it with the lost and lonely. He said that we needed to be the ones who spoke on behalf of Jesus and not wait for others.
A couple of years later, this same missionary returned and was amazed that the congregation had not grown. He thought for sure that if all of us were obediently loving the lost and sharing the words of Jesus, we would certainly need to move to larger quarters.
The value in knowing the Word of God is not self-glorification. It is to glorify our Lord.
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me you faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.” James 2:18
What is your perspective? Let me know at bmccook@priorityone.org.
433 W. Market Street, West Chester, PA 19382 484.614.0367
Ministering to men since 1982
Christ did not die simply that you might be saved from a bad conscience, or even to remove the stain of past failure, but to “clear the decks” for His divine activity through you.
The Indwelling Life of Christ, by Major W. Ian Thomas, p. 55
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Easter Devo... sent 4/4/10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10
Wow... have you been paying attention? Have you been focusing on Him? This is the day that the world, that our destiny changed forever!
He is risen...................................
Today marks the beginning of the moment when you and I were given the clear opportunity to rise as well!!!
We are in our earthly bodies, but we are not restricted to those bodies and never will be again
He is risen.................................. and we will rise with him in the last day.
So what do we do now?
Hopefully you're doing it
We are to sojourn until He comes. What? Sojourn? The definition of sojourn is "a temporary stay". We are to act as if this is a temporary place in which we live.
He is risen................................. and He sits at the right hand of the Father from there He rules, now and forever. He is our King. He is our Counselor. He is our redemption. He is all in all.
He is risen........................ He is risen indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace”- Matthew 28
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Be there.....
Love you!
Bill/Dad
Wow... have you been paying attention? Have you been focusing on Him? This is the day that the world, that our destiny changed forever!
He is risen...................................
Today marks the beginning of the moment when you and I were given the clear opportunity to rise as well!!!
We are in our earthly bodies, but we are not restricted to those bodies and never will be again
He is risen.................................. and we will rise with him in the last day.
So what do we do now?
Hopefully you're doing it
We are to sojourn until He comes. What? Sojourn? The definition of sojourn is "a temporary stay". We are to act as if this is a temporary place in which we live.
He is risen................................. and He sits at the right hand of the Father from there He rules, now and forever. He is our King. He is our Counselor. He is our redemption. He is all in all.
He is risen........................ He is risen indeed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace”- Matthew 28
The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Be there.....
Love you!
Bill/Dad
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