Tag Archives: Christianity

Proof.

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c. 1632

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What shall be said?  The proof of the Lord is within me.  And there are thousands who demand that I provide this proof for them to examine.  I will say this:

I have not received the raising of the dead from the Lord.  I have not touched a man and made his injury healed.  I have not raised an iron axe head from the bottom of a river.  I have not built an altar and watched the fire of God consume the offering and the water.  I have not walked on water.  I have not walked through the sea on dry land.  My clothes have not been turned whiter than any laundry can cause them to be.  I have not been in prison for the name of the Lord.  And what I have not done is far greater a list than what I have accomplished in His name.

Does that mean I do not have His blessing?  Look at the words of this blog and make up your own mind.  I am not a smart man.   But my God is all wisdom.  He has done all the things I have not, in the way of righteousness.  And He is quite able to do far more than I can ever think to ask of Him. 

One thing I have done that gives me pause to gasp.  I have believed on the One and Only Son of God, Jesus!  And this is all I need.  Let them ask for proof from me.  I will render the answer by saying that the Lord is Good, His promises are true, there is no shadow of turning in Him, and that He has prepared the Way for anyone who will risk all to follow Him.  There is your proof.  Give all you have to Jesus, venture to believe with all you are.  Submit to the Lord of Life, and remain under His Lordship.  Then, after 30 years, come back and tell me I have no proof at all.  And if you do not do this, then you have no right to challenge my proof.  The evidence is time, humility, and service to the Lord God.  If you want it, there it is.  Prove me wrong!  The burden of proof rests on the head of the accuser.

By His Grace.

My God! And My Lord!

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hands

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My King cannot be deterred; the end remains before His face. 

I will stand with the strength of my God. 

And I will stand as 10,000 men! 

He is God. 

And by His Grace, I am His. 

 The strength of His Holy hand is not pushed back by the will of man. 

He is. 

He will forever be. 

And all that is His will last forever. 

This is God. 

And, through His promise, I am His. 

Thus I will praise Him forever.

NOW!!!!!!!!!!

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Infant enjoy

There is a great gladness among those who have been blessed to know the Lord.  This gladness does not come from ourselves.  And it can not diminished by anyone who rails against the faith.  This same gladness has allowed many men to face horrible conditions and survive with praise and joy on their lips.  Though the world may take the life from our bodies, they cannot touch this joy!   They were torn apart by lions, but gave praise to God.  They were sawn in two, yet praised He who Lives Forever!  Prison could not stifle their lips!  Death has no hold on those who are His!  Sickness and trouble are not tools of sorrow for those who believe Him.  Poverty and lowly position are not to become your master.  You are a child of the King of Life!  Stand with strength and muster your heart to believe!  You Are His!

The Lord has sworn an oath by Himself, and we know the Lord cannot lie.  He alone will redeem His bride.  And everyone of us, who are called by His name, will receive the joy that is His.  This receiving is not waiting for us when we arrive in heaven.  It is present NOW, if you will but receive it.  This joy is the power to overcome every possible trouble we encounter.  And fear is not from God!  Fear is the expectation of punishment.  And those who believe by the power of Christ are not taught to fear.  Timidness is not from God!  Strength and joy are the gifts He gives.  He calls us to stand like men and women who believe.  And what He demands He also gives the strength to accomplish.   God does not lie!  What He says is true.  And it will be accomplished!

Strengthen yourself.  Believe Him!  Lift up your head and receive His presence.  Why would you grovel like a worm when you know He has promised so very much more?  Bow to your knees, yes.  But do so with a glad heart, willing to listen and believe.  It is not His desire that His people be cast down.  This is to show doubt.  Do not doubt the Lord God Almighty!  He did not send His Son so that we could question His intent.  Believe and be saved!  And as you believe allow the Lord to be true within you. 

SHOUT WITH GREAT GLADNESS AND VIGOR!  YOU BELONG TO THE GOD OF LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By His Grace.

How Can I Come to Know the God You Serve?

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c. 1632

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You are the one who asked, “How can I come to know the God you serve?”  I understand your earnest question and I will provide you an answer.  I don’t know who you are.  I don’t know where you have been or what you have endured, good or bad.  But I tell you a truth, none of those things matter.  Though they make you who you are today, I know that He is able to make you into who you are not today.  Yet, isn’t this why you asked?

The Lord has remained hidden from man because it is His desire that all who seek Him should approach their search through faith.  We are expected to believe God.  And doubt, though part of our long lists of sins, will never be a welcome visitor in His presence.  Read the Bible.  Pray for the wisdom to understand.  Believe what you read.  And respond with actions you know are necessary. 

This is your answer.  Did you expect more?  Are you looking for something you can do to gain what you do not have?  You will find nothing in you that’s acceptable to the Lord of Hosts.  This ownership belongs to Jesus alone.   And if the Lord, Himself, were to ask you to do something at the top of your ability you would strive to do it.  Why then, shouldn’t you be willing to simply believe Him?  This all He asks, for He will never allow any man to claim that God owes Him anything.  God alone will receive praise forever.  And man will be the one to give that praise. 

You do not answer to me.  I am no one to answer to.  You will answer to Him alone.  And what you do with this answer is between you and the Lord.  He is enough to secure your eternity.   He is willing to walk with you right where you are now.  The question is not, “Is God willing to love me?”  The question is, are you willing to believe what He has already promised.   And if you can’t believe, at least tell Him about it.  Begin somewhere.  Or you go nowhere.

By His Grace.

To Remain or to Depart?

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Georg Gsell. "The Apostle Paul."

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The Apostle Paul said that he was torn between wanting to be with the Lord and recognizing that to be with the people was more important.  And his conclusion was that he would remain with the people for the sake of their benefit in the Lord.  I understand that quandary.  And I see his reasoning in this matter.  To be with the Lord is a sure thing for those who are called by the Lord as His people.  We only have a limited time to infect others with the message of God.

Yet I also see why he desired to be with the Lord.  This place is not our home.  And the desire to go home is intense.  And there is another aspect of this which bears mention.  The Lord said what was true when He said that a prophet is not accepted in his home town.  It is the nature of men to exclude the title of holy from any who’s history is presented to their memory.  That is to say, if a few people know my history, they will never accept the words I now speak on behalf of the Lord of Life.  To them, I am simply a fool who thinks too highly of himself.  And this will be the case as long as I am in this place of testing.

But when I am not here for their fingers to point at, what is left behind has the potential to become something far more than it could have when they knew me.  Now I appear as a fool.  Then I will become part of those who have passed through.  And in the end, what I leave behind becomes greater in their eyes.  What a curious but true phenomenon. 

So I desire to leave this place.  Not because I am sick of the “crap”.  Because I know that these words will gather more power when I am not here for them to accuse.  While I am still here, pride will reign more than service, both within me and within those who read these words.  When I am with Him, there will be no more opportunity for pride, neither in me nor those who read these words.

So I desire to leave this place.  In the Apostle’s condition, his remaining was well founded.  For he had lived a life worthy of living from the beginning.  From my condition, I have not.  So, for the benefit of those who might read these things, I desire to leave this place.

By His Grace.

Dress Yourself, For Your Shame is Exposed.

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Mediaeval (early 14th century) stone carving o...

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In our prayers we learn that certain phrases are good to speak.   And often these phrases become understood as we continue to use them.  Though we don’t understand their significance at first, they come clear to us as we make them part of our pattern of prayer.  I’m not speaking of using words or phrases over and over so that our prayer will be heard.  I’m speaking of such things as this:  “Father, dress me that I may serve You and those who witness my life.  For one can not serve naked.”

I’ve often brought that to the Lord with a limited understanding.  I know that He is dressed in Glory and Righteousness.  And I know that those who had been beheaded for the sake of the Gospel, those in the book of Revelation who reside under the throne of God and wait for a moment of God’s wise choosing, were given white robes to wear and told to wait a little longer.  Even these souls were given appropriate clothes to wear.

Then it struck me.  When Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of Eden, the Lord killed animals and prepared clothing for them to wear.  Thus it has been so from the fall of man.  That our nakedness, that is to say our sin must have a covering.  And wasn’t this also so when those two recognized that they were naked?  Do we now see the necessity of the fig leaves which they used to cover themselves?

It is appropriate, even absolutely necessary, that man must be covered to hide his shame.  And what covering should there be that we should wear as we serve the Living God?  Only the righteousness of Jesus will cover us before the eyes of He to whom we must give account. 

He who desires to serve the Lord without the covering of Jesus will only end up serving himself.  He remains naked and his shame is exposed before the Most High God.  And he should not think that he will receive the blessing of God.  Dress yourself with an understanding of your sinful tendencies.  Even the most battle hardened saint will require the covering of God when he goes to prayer.  How should we who struggle to understand the basics be any different?

By His Grace.