I Jn 4 Love as Evidence and Demonstration

Help us to love one another as you love us, Lord. We testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. What a demonstration of love! God is love. We cannot love rightly/truly without God at work in us. We do not fear God's judgment because a genuine love confirms, evidences, our salvation. If we love God, we will also love His children. And our love, like His, will demonstrate itself in actions.
I've particularly appreciated Christians who demonstrate love by sharing themselves, letting people know them, by being available, confiding their struggles, not to whine about them but to recognize that they are part of life under the sun and yet they have their purpose, as God is at work in them.

R 2

Romans 12 Faith expresses itself in obedience.
God demands our action as well as our believing and thinking.
We R 2 be different from the world.
We R 2 humbly serve one another in the church, using the gifts God has given us.
We R 2 love sincerely, be zealous for God, joyful, patient, faithful, giving.
We are not to seek revenge.
We R 2 overcome evil with good.

May I Be Marked By Love

The more I learn, the more I realize I do not know. Let me hold fast to you, God. May I be marked by kindness and love, not an argumentative spirit, not an ugly divisiveness. Help me to stand up for truth clearly, to be discerning, to know when and what to make an issue of and help me always to reveal you and not me.

Living with God

I was so convicted by my reading of Psalm 15 today.
Help me, God, to have a righteous walk, speaking the truth from the heart. Help me not to harm others with my words or actions. Help me to keep my promises even when it is difficult and to honor those who fear God, to hold them, not the unrighteous, in high esteem. Help me to be giving. Help me to have integrity. Help me Lord, that I may "dwell in your sanctuary." I belong to You and want to live with You.

Romans 1

The book of Romans is a tough book, so chock full of profound thoughts. Yesterday, while I was studying it, I could hardly get past chapter one. It emphasizes that we stand before God without excuse because He has clearly revealed Himself to us and we've exchanged His glory and greatness, the fullfillment found only in Him, for human loves and lusts. What poor substitutes these are!

My Cross Because of His

There are two traps that Christians fall into. I've fallen into both. One is to view pleasing God as a list of do's and don't's. The other is to believe that once you're a new creature in Christ and old things have passed away, you can just focus on the cross without being concerned about what God's Word says to do.
Christ raises the bar. He targets hatred, not merely murder, and lust, not just the act of adultery. God looks at the heart. Obviously a list of external actions isn't going to satisfy Him. We cannot please Him, cannot be righteous in ourselves.
God provided Christ's righteousness for us. As believers, we are new. We are now capable of doing what God wants through the work of the Spirit in us. But we are still ignorant and we still struggle with a sin nature. We need to know what God wants of us and we need to be rebuked for our sin. Scripture teaches, rebukes, corrects, trains in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16). Christ's work on the cross and God's greatness should motivate us to know what God wants from us and to do it. And God wants both internal and external change in us. Scripture doesn't just say "focus on the cross" but "take up your cross."

Pleading

There's no denying that God asks certain things of us. There's also no denying that we cannot do what He asks, except by His work in us.
God, this is my plea, that Your Spirit would be at work in me that I might glorify You.

Another Take on Modesty

I've heard some messages and diatribes on modesty but never one I really felt quite dealt truly with the Scripture on this issue.
I've heard the "l's"--"long, loose, lots." I've heard things like hide your beauty; protect the men. But I don't believe Scripture teaches that immodesty is beautiful. Modesty is beautiful, and women aren't tawdry objects that must be reined in from inciting men's lust against their will.
In contrast, from the beginning, the biblical emphasis is on the beauty of a marriage relationship in which a woman is the man's helper. Sin corrupts this emphasis when man and woman become focused on serving themselves rather than serving God and each other. Godly women should be focused on devoloping inward character, rather than cultivating outward beauty. A godly woman is marked by strength, dignity, purity, kindness, by worship of God (2 Tim. 2:9-11, Titus 2:3-5). But this focus doesn't mean godly women are not beautiful. Christians are to think about which is noble, right, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy, and those thought patterns spill over into actions(Phil. 4:8). Proverbs compares a beautiful woman without discretion to a pig with a gold ring in its snout, not a lovely picture. Real beauty radiates from within. Godly women are lovely, desireable, praised by their husbands (Song of Sol., Prov. 31). They are women you can count on, look up to. Their discretion is a part of their very real beauty.
My desire for my daughters is that they be women who are lovely, from the inside out. Modest, ladylike dress reflects a ladylike spirit; furthermore it is beautiful, more so than dress (and behavior) that is immodest. Even many nonChristians have figured this concept out. One of my first jobs was in a women's clothing store, with a largely professional clientele. I found it very interesting that the skimpy dresses and swim suits would stay on the racks far longer than the more modest ones. In fact we usually had to clearance them out at very low prices to get rid of them. The women complained that these immodest clothes weren't flattering. They looked cheap, tawdry, tasteless. They projected the wrong outward impression, advertising for something these women didn't believe they were or wanted to be. These nonChristian women wanted to be beautiful and appropriate, and they found it best accomplished through more modest dress rather than revealing runway fashion. I believe in this principle, that modesty is more beautiful than immodesty, whether or not nonChristians agree with it, and they certainly won't always; but all truth is God's, and as we're all made in God's image and live in God's world, sometimes nonChristians hit upon truth as well.

I have sons as well as daughters, and I do not at all like or feel to be scriptural the idea of representing men as salivating animals, dominated by insatiable lust that women must help them control. Men and women both are created in the image of God. Christian men, just like women,are responsible for their thoughts and actions. They too are told to think pure and lovely thoughts (Phil. 4:8). Furthermore, their actions will reflect the focus of their thoughts. If they're looking to be sexually aroused, they won't have to look far (someone will always be dressing inappropriately, and if they sin whenever they see what's inappropriate, they're in trouble), and sometimes they will see seduction everywhere, even in very modest dress. Men must answer to God for their thoughts and actions no matter what women do. Men can walk away, look away. The book of Proverbs discusses the need for men to respond this way to women who try to seduce them. Again, a great many nonChristians would agree, possibly more than conservative Christians. Men are charged with inapprpriate conduct toward women based on what they do, not what the girl wore, and this is right. Yet, women should, of course, recognize that their outward does reflect their inward and if they want people to focus on who they are, know them and appreciate them as individuals with a soul as well as a body, they shouldn't dress, think, or act like primarily a body.
Christian men can and should by God's strength and power at work within them protect themselves from lust. And Christian men can and should value true beauty, validate that which is truly beautiful--an inward beauty that outflows in outer beauty. This beauty revels in the marriage commitment and the passion involved in it but sees the difference between "intimacy" (which by its very term is "intimate") and that which is beautiful and appropriate, "tasteful" for outside closed doors. Eph. 5:25-26 emphasizes that a man's love for his wife is a purifying love. She is altogether lovely to him, not some tawdry object men must be protected from, that must be put under veils, but a woman of strength and dignity and true inner beauty, that's expressed in tasteful, appropriate, real outer beauty as well.
Clothing reveals the inner person, which is our true focus, the beauty of what is inside a godly woman, and which will come out in what she says and does and how she dresses.

The Right Walk is the Christ Walk

I,II,III John
Walk in Light and Love.

Jude
The challenge is to show mercy to those struggling with sin but to not be tempted by that sin. Philosophical sin of merely accepting everyone has its appeal but it is not scriptural. We're to love the sinner but hate the sin, do nothing to belittle it. Active sins of sensuality and greed also have their appeal. Our natural desire truly is to live unto ourselves; do what gratifies us. Only Christ is able to keep us from falling.

I and II Peter

Godly women radiate inner beauty that comes not from having fancy clothes or jewelry but a heart that belongs to God and is being refined by Him.
We're to be strong in trial and not led astray by wrong ideas.
"But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

James and the tongue

Struggles are a joy, a blessing from God, as they help us to persevere to maturity. We must rein in our tongues. Pray when you're in trouble. Sing when you're happy.

Hebrews: Christ's Work

Christ is the perfect sacrifice. He's the perfect high priest, the sinless mediator between God and man. He's the fulfillment of the faith of Old Testament saints. He enables Christians to love and serve one another, praising Him. He's always with us.

Titus, Philemon: Teacher, Servant

Oh, Lord, how is it possible that I might teach another when I still have so much to learn? Please grow me. I long to come forth as gold.
Free me, Lord, from the prison of my selfish desires. I wish to serve only you, the true and worthy master who deigns to call me His child.

2 Tim. Song

Help me to be bold and self-controlled,
not ashamed and full of Christ's love,
a good soldier and a faithful worker,
whose treasure lies above.
Help me continue in the Word,
to fight a good fight through,
to gladly serve my Lord,
because of mercies ever new.

Godliness and Contentment: I Tim.

I'm so thankful for your mercy, Lord, that you've saved me. Forgive me my many failings, my selfishness, my desire for attention. Help me enjoy the good gifts you've given. Help me serve your people and reach out to those you put in my path who do not know you. Help me interact with my fellow believers as to family members I love and value. Help me to have godliness and contentment.

Now and then: I and II Thessalonians

Faith, Hope, Love, Joy, Purity, Peace--may we be marked by these.
I'm eager for your return, Lord. Help me persevere until you come.

Heart's Cry: Response to Colossians

Make me fruitful. Give me strength, dear Lord. I'm so thankful for my Reconciler. May I truly proclaim Him and the fullness I have in Him. Let me stand for Him with heart and mind set on Him, my greed, lust, anger, deceit replaced by compassion, kindness, humility, patience. Help me love and forgive. May God's Word dwell in me richly and may He be seen in all I do.

Help Me: Response to Philippians

Help me not to in any way detract from the gospel, Lord. Help me truly consider others better than myself. Help me to continually keep pleasing God as my goal. Help me never stop progressing, never start regressing. Give me a joyful spirit. Help me to be at peace and to spread peace, to fill my mind with God-honoring thoughts, to know His strength and provision.

Marks of True Believers

Believers have a rich inheritance in Christ, as we're chosen and redeemed for His glory. We're saved by grace, rooted and established in love. Paul urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we've received, being patient with others and unified, using our gifts for God. May our speech be wholesome. May we be marked by forgiveness, by purity, by being filled with the Spirit and thanksgiving. Wives are to submit to their husbands and husbands to self-sacrificially love their wives. Children are to obey their parents and servants(or perhaps employees) to submit to their overseers. We're to do our jobs as unto God. We're to be strong in the Lord. We fight Satan and sin, not people. We wear truth, righteousness, salvation, wield faith, and are alert and prayerful. God's grace is with us.

Real Faith and Freedom

The book of Galatians makes it clear that there is absolutely nothing we can do to earn God's favor. Works isn't the true gospel. And likewise the Christian walk isn't about following a list of rules but about being crucified with Christ so that He lives in us. We are one in Christ, all equally belonging to Him. Our freedom is for the purpose of serving one another in love and living by the Spirit.

Comfort and Counsel

In II Corinthians, Paul encourages the Corinthians to know God's strength in weakness as per his example and as they are merely clay jars through which God's glory may be seen. He urges them toward purity, being changed by godly sorrow. They're to be different from the world. They're to be generous. They're to examine themselves and their faith. We can take such comfort in our relationship with God and in teh growth we see in our own life and the lives of our fellow believers.

Some similarities to the Mitford series

Larkspur Cove by Lisa Wingate has an engaging plot and a very authentic regional feel. Both Andrea's and Mart's viewpoints, which the book switches back and forth, between ring true and elicit readers' sympathy as do the other characters in the book, especially the small girl at the center of the story. The various down-to-earth characters and their interaction at the local diner and the church remind me just a bit of the Mitford series, in a good way, though no one has the depth of Father Tim. The quotes beginning each chapter, supposedly taken from the wall of the Waterbird Cafe, add atmosphere and food for thought. I also enjoyed the many original and appropriate metaphors and similes scattered throughout the book.
I found the book well-written, fun to read, and quietly thought-provoking. It encouraged me about the quality of Christian fiction being published currently, as did the other book I recently received from Bethany House to review.

A Satisying Read

Julie Klassen's The Girl in the Gatehouse is a warm, well-written, satisfying read. To me, the book felt very comfortable and familiar, sweetly reminiscient of Austen but not overly imitative or affected and obviously well-researched. The characters are nicely developed, the plot intriguing and fairly plausible. That the woman who jilted the Captain is fiancee to the man who jilted Mariah, that there are so many writers and that Martin has a close connection with Captain Prince seem too many coincidences perhaps.
Klassen does a fabulous job of naturally working Christian truths into her story in a way that is very impacting without being at all preachy or overly didactic. Overall, I enjoyed this book a great deal and am eager to read Klassen's other works. I received this book from Bethany House in order to review it.

I Corinthians: True Unity in the Church

Unity isn't about overlooking sin or watering down our faith but about acknowledging God's work in others in the church, loving them in a real way, and thereby glorifying God, accomplishing His work.
Paul pleads with the Corinthians to be unified, not aligning themselves with someone against others. He emphasizes their need to be humble and to stand against immorality. They're to serve God within the roles He gives them. In much debated passages on Christian liberty--the freedoms we have in Christ, the emphasis is not on taking advantage of those freedoms to do what we wish but willingly submitting to others, seeking their good and God's glory.
Paul reminds women of the need to be submissive to their husbands and of all Christians to defer to others. Every one, did you catch that?, every one in the church has a task and is needed. We're to exercise godly love toward each other. This love is patient, humble, forgiving, persevering. Maturity involves working together in an organized way, holding fast to faith in Christ because of the cross and hope for the future in heaven with Him. Because of Him our work for Him is worthwhile. The extraordinary inspiring victory we know in Christ defeats even death. Why can't we rally together in love around it?

Encouraged by Love

Love:Written in Stone by Dr. Philip Carlson acknowledges that God's standards are in our best interest. I'm brought to mind of an inspired book of the Bible written by a doctor. Luke's book of the Bible concerns itself with Christ's ministry to people. Christ cares for people. He offers them a better way.
Carlson indicates that God pursues us and we respond to Him in salvation. He transforms us as we continually choose Him and His ways, the love and joy He freely offers. He wants us to forgive, to be grateful, to save sex for marriage, be committed to family, and to take care of ourselves and the world He's given us.
The scientific evidence Carlson offers is interesting but obviously limited in its usefulness. The psychiatric concerns of the physical effects of guilt if they drive people to "forgive themselves" don't really address the problem. Forgiveness is only found in Christ. Similarly, to marry rather than cohabit simply to have better self-image and less depression will disappoint. A marriage without Christ has many limitations. Organic food and care for the planet if used to honor the Creator have their place but certainly a focus on these will take away from more important pursuits. I don't believe Christians will be able to usher in the kingdom though they should live as princes and princesses of this kingdom to come. Carlson does strive to show these scientific evidences of proof of the usefulness of God's law as only being some consideration for Christians rather than fully persuasive.
Overall, I found this book on God's love and boundaries to be encouraging.

Divine Paradoxes

Romans unfolds many great paradoxes about God. God's invisible qualities are clearly seen so that mean are without excuse and those He calls He justifies yet how will they believe unless they've heard and if you confess with your mouth Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart you will be saved. The teaching of election seems hard to jive with the statements against God's showing favoritism yet is very clear. Furthermore, the presentation of the gospel of grace is by faith which comes from hearing the Word of God.
We share in Christ's suffering to share in His glory. All things work together for good to those who love Him who've been called according to His purpose. Believers even in sinning cannot separate themselves from God.
The law reveals our sin and need for grace yet we died to sin to live in it no longer. We're dead to sin but alive in Christ, set free from sin to be slaves to righteousness. We put to death the misdeeds of the body in order to live.
There is no condemnation in Christ but Paul is obligated to the Greeks and urges us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices conforming to the world no longer.
We're to honor others abover ourselves, submit to authorities, and strive to not be a stumbling block.
We're to be unified but keep away from those who cause divisions.
We can get frustrated or accept these paradoxes, these simultaneously true but seemingly contradictory ideas. We can take refuge in the fact that God is trustworthy and bigger than we are, that following Him is joy-producing or we can turn from Him or strive to squash Him into a box. Whatever we do with it, it's still truth.