tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26143928765810697432024-03-06T00:00:48.221-08:00FOR THE GIRLSA collection of articles especially for women, based on the inspired Word of God, reflecting one woman's walk of Faith.Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.comBlogger859125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-71887711233317333252017-07-22T16:42:00.000-07:002017-07-22T16:42:31.269-07:00Hidden Beauty<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">"And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us..." (Psalm 90:17)</span></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlkzKeXMnnwlCA9KLwarQ5ulz0F2X1LEoN_vh0NXg7lwW8B3lq7P9kfU8kdqRcVrHdIupuLrftejr7x_o8btSTPIWM_uup8H53qGMpqyZyamBkS9CNpjG3Re3B-uQrjcTmTDT5bF-YjmC/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; color: #a92200; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVlkzKeXMnnwlCA9KLwarQ5ulz0F2X1LEoN_vh0NXg7lwW8B3lq7P9kfU8kdqRcVrHdIupuLrftejr7x_o8btSTPIWM_uup8H53qGMpqyZyamBkS9CNpjG3Re3B-uQrjcTmTDT5bF-YjmC/s1600/images.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">I glanced at the small, lead crystal sculpture only momentarily before turning to look at something else. It was lovely, but it was only one of many beautiful items in the shop. This was several years after my husband and I had moved to Northern California, and were on a one-day outing, browsing in some of the local, old gold mining towns nearby. Much of their business comes from tourism, and although we've been here for many years now, we still enjoy joining their ranks from time to time to soak up some of the rich history preserved here.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">We were in a tiny town (pop: 150) with the ambitious name of Amador City, and had stepped for a moment into a shop selling dried and silk flowers, as well as delicate pieces of decor. And it was here, when I was giving the crystal pieces merely a perfunctory glance, that I was suddenly stopped by the proprietor, who said, brightly, “Oh, wait; you have to see them with the light behind them!” Then she picked up the little figurine I had admired before and sat it down in front of a little night-light that she turned on. With a quick intake of breath, I exclaimed, “Oh, what a difference!” For now the crystal had taken on a myriad of colors that shone with the brilliance of a kaleidoscope. And, like a kaleidoscope, the colors changed as she turned the crystal first one way then another. The colors were there all the time, but it took the addition of the light to bring it out.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">I couldn't help but think that God was reminding me that without Him, the Light of the World, my own life lacks all color and brilliance. My personality may be pleasing, but without the Spirit of God, there is no power to touch lives; I may be witty, but without God, I cannot hope to bring real joy to a drooping head; and when I sing, they may say it is “as a lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice” (Ezek. 33:32), but without the sweet breath of Heaven, it will be just as ineffective as the prophet’s message.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">The popular song says, “You Light Up My Life,” but, as far as I’m concerned, it’s the Lord Jesus Christ who lightens up my life. Without Him, life would a dull, murky gray; but with Him, my life takes on the color and hue of a brilliant sunset. If there is any brightness to my presence, it is only a reflection of Him, and I sing with the songwriter:</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">Oh, to reflect His grace, causing the world to see,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">Love that will glow, till others shall know,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;">Jesus, revealed in me. (Rodney “Gypsy” Smith 1860-1947)</span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-42786320530756842172017-06-25T11:28:00.001-07:002017-06-25T11:28:48.774-07:00Just a Matter of Taste<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;">“But he [Jesus] turned, and
said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou
savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matt.
16:23)</span></em></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This
sixteenth chapter of Matthew is proof positive of human inconsistency, whether
the human is a believer or an unbeliever. In no time, it seems, after Jesus had
commended Simon Peter’s spiritual perception (v. 17), He was forced to turn
around and rebuke him for reasoning like the Devil. But the part of this verse
that I really want to hone in on is Jesus’ use of the word “savourest” in
describing Peter’s perspective.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Whether
spelled “savour,” or “savor,” as we do, the meaning is the same: “a quality in
relation to the sense of taste.” It can also involve the sense of smell, as we
see numerous times in Old Testament passages concerning the nation Israel’s
sacrifices to God, and, in the New Testament, speaking of the one final
Sacrifice, Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:2). In any case, it refers to our senses, as we
know them, and God’s, which we can never know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Jesus’
indictment against His disciple was that when it came to the prospect of a
hell-defying Church (v. 18), and a glorious Kingdom (v. 19), he was ready to
“dig in”; but when it came to the expectation of suffering and death (v. 21),
he suddenly lost his appetite! Admittedly, it was Jesus’ death that Peter found
especially repugnant, but had he walked all these months with the Lord, only to
question His judgment now? Besides the fact that His Death and Resurrection
were the prerequisite to the promised Church and Kingdom, not to the mention
the only means of redemption from sin, there is a principle involved here. And
Jesus spells it out in verse twenty-four: <em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";">“Then
said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”</span></em><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The
surest way to know whether or not we have a taste for the things of God is to
see how we react when God’s will goes against our own, especially when ours
would seem to be more victorious—at least in the short run. How quick are we to
spit out an unsavory situation, and substitute our own more palatable choice?
When our side seems to be losing, our church and pastor pilloried and
persecuted, or our loyalty to Jesus Christ threatens to cost us dearly, do we
not only lack the stomach for it, but even the taste? If so, you and I, like
Peter, do not savor the things of God, but the things of men.</span></div>
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</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We may
appear to be good people. Just lacking in good taste. Sad…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-65761328246330700202017-06-11T14:22:00.000-07:002017-06-11T14:22:49.656-07:00Get It Right<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDVFWm-6l1QkRfu77bj56jUwql9y3gVjIhnoKvGKOKje7LA61LraofuFhfwhYyY40TPgLXlZzy34TofcDB1kAmYo38crer5e4bSP7_ZiPnqm60cAB3-OIVfnZf2yU-SSLy3pZoB1G6Rfu/s1600/bible-reading-guy-7829071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="1457" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDVFWm-6l1QkRfu77bj56jUwql9y3gVjIhnoKvGKOKje7LA61LraofuFhfwhYyY40TPgLXlZzy34TofcDB1kAmYo38crer5e4bSP7_ZiPnqm60cAB3-OIVfnZf2yU-SSLy3pZoB1G6Rfu/s320/bible-reading-guy-7829071.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“For unto us was the gospel
preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not
being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” Hebrews 4:2)</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
Water, as you know, is made up of two parts of hydrogen with one part of oxygen
(H</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 11.0pt;">2</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">O). But the fact remains, neither one by itself will ever quench
your thirst. It takes the right combination of the two to get the desired
result. This is what the writer of Hebrews is saying. As powerful as the Word
of God is (v. 12), and as effective as faith in God may be (11:6), neither one
will get the result you’re looking for – “profit [them]” -- without the other.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
The eternal Word of God is the fountainhead of all truth, and although it is
infinitely inexhaustible, it is still possible to read and study it long and
well enough to acquire a working knowledge of its principles and precepts; but
unless, and until, faith is added into the mix, it will never truly come alive
to us. On the other hand, the strongest faith is no more than blustery
whistling in the dark if it’s not based on sound doctrine (Titus 2:1) and
eternal precepts (Psl. 119:100). Some folks can “quote it (the Bible) by the
mile, but can’t live it by the inch,” as they say; while others have enough
faith to step out on nothing. But that’s the problem: they step out on nothing,
literally!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
As one gospel song says, “You can’t stand on promises if you don’t know what
they are.” But all the Bible knowledge in the world won’t save a soul or get
one prayer answered if it fails to lay hold on the Truth, by faith. The
Christian life is not a method; it’s a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";">mixture</span></em>, as the verse
says, that requires two ingredients: the Word of God and Faith. Leave one
ingredient out, and just like the formula for water, you’ll spend your whole
life thirsty.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To get the right result you have to use the
right formula.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-66724339857389398482017-05-29T21:04:00.000-07:002017-05-29T21:06:18.513-07:00Yes, That One, Too!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and
be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24</span></i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vLETOBJrL6F89fIM5nE0EXIugxwxSsbi4b6uwGVGxrSOJOhsZCKUeTU0LqHc1WOGs_xebF3X-Ej0172gTqjc7EOWOJn6WBvvhPO3wAQj2veNBARCUBInksVhSVQa9KSJI3IVW9Kv7AK-/s1600/Singing-in-Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-vLETOBJrL6F89fIM5nE0EXIugxwxSsbi4b6uwGVGxrSOJOhsZCKUeTU0LqHc1WOGs_xebF3X-Ej0172gTqjc7EOWOJn6WBvvhPO3wAQj2veNBARCUBInksVhSVQa9KSJI3IVW9Kv7AK-/s320/Singing-in-Church.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></i></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
have often pondered and even written an article on this verse. I don’t mind
telling you the article was a blessing to me; and if they’re to be believed, it
was a blessing to other people, as well. But today, it said something to me it
had not said before…for good reason, no doubt. The article I wrote was (it
seemed to me) an exhortation from God that this day on which I was about to
embark would be one of rejoicing depending on my <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will, </i>not chance; and I could choose to be glad all day.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(“…<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">we <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>will</u></b> rejoice and be glad in
it.”)<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
of all the days, past and especially present, I needed to realize that this
verse is not only referring to today but also to one in the future. One that
might not bring words like “rejoice” and “glad” to mind readily. But as surely
as the Lord made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">day </i>for me, did He not make the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> last</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">one </i>for me, as well? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We
only have to read Genesis, chapters one and two to know who the great
“Day-Maker” is. He made my first day, and He’ll make my last one. O, and when I
begin to ponder this great truth, words like “rejoice” and “glad” do indeed
come to mind! And I begin to sing that happy little chorus: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "noteworthy light"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is the day, this is the day which
the Lord hath made, which the LORD hath made;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "noteworthy light"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We will rejoice, we will rejoice, and be
glad in it, and be glad in it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "noteworthy light"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is the day which the LORD hath made,
we will rejoice and be glad in it;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "noteworthy light"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This is the day; this is the day which
the LORD hath made.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">choose</i> to<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>sing it today; and, by God’s grace, I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">will </i>sing it on that last day. Yes, that one, too! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-568249578166314792017-05-18T09:26:00.000-07:002017-05-18T09:26:09.379-07:00It's Closer Than You Think<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ9gpCTNDBmeok83TQTqnN2Gr3mYM0kSGHCX4oyx4WVJS1PJmRnb7QkP72ZvwB2DjfcbVa_ZWLVsGEgbPGII1TS-npWqLbuqxpw7Zp1x3RovPEIMx5NNpWfWzKe9WGHPfZe1Zzi9HMcti/s1600/63620568075393271353355421_Bethany-Resolve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisJ9gpCTNDBmeok83TQTqnN2Gr3mYM0kSGHCX4oyx4WVJS1PJmRnb7QkP72ZvwB2DjfcbVa_ZWLVsGEgbPGII1TS-npWqLbuqxpw7Zp1x3RovPEIMx5NNpWfWzKe9WGHPfZe1Zzi9HMcti/s320/63620568075393271353355421_Bethany-Resolve.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";">“But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”
James 1:14</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><span style="font-size: small;"> “Stay
away from the place of temptation.” Certainly a good rule to follow through
life. The only problem is, according to James, the place of temptation is too
close to home to avoid altogether. In fact, he says, we carry it around with us
everywhere we go. Lust is the chief enticer, and we all have our own in-house
brand. James goes on to say later in his book that it leaches out of the very
members of our body (4:1), doing battle with any inclinations for good we may
possess.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><span style="font-size: small;"> Obviously,
lust includes, but does not merely encompass, sexual intemperance. Such verses
as Exodus 15:9, Psalm 78:18, Romans 7:7, and 1 Corinthians 10:6 indicate that
anything outside the boundary of God’s Word, in general, and His will, in
particular, are potential lust items, where you and I are concerned. In fact,
according to Galatians 5:17, as children of God indwelt by the Spirit of God,
we routinely experience a virtual war of lust between the Spirit and the flesh.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><span style="font-size: small;"> Let’s
face it: some temptations can be avoided, but others will find willing
reception within us, in much the same way a radio receiver picks up sound
waves. Therefore, rules, like blinders, are not sufficient. We will need to
regularly change the channel, as it were, inside. We do this, says Paul in 2
Corinthians 10:5, by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“[c]asting down
imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God.”</i> We will always be confronted with evil. It cannot be overlooked;
but it can be overcome (Romans 12:21). Sin is not the result of outward
attraction, but inward appetite.</span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: small; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";"><span style="font-size: small;">Lust is the traitor on the inside, in league
with the Enemy on the outside.</span></span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-90141484341574656962017-05-07T12:39:00.000-07:002017-05-07T12:39:09.741-07:00All the Way Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyBdzaC1TDRozyMFSsl5SV0tvKo-3oNXt3RXBCi6LiEAiTWnmS97SDLooSjMYmdaACSf5deGAnZc6g8DWyLq5aAzh2tJKLrLVsW3YVq8hV5mO0rDoL-m1CA1ZfaPFN_y0HoPhc6F2jWMY/s1600/woman-walking-away-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixyBdzaC1TDRozyMFSsl5SV0tvKo-3oNXt3RXBCi6LiEAiTWnmS97SDLooSjMYmdaACSf5deGAnZc6g8DWyLq5aAzh2tJKLrLVsW3YVq8hV5mO0rDoL-m1CA1ZfaPFN_y0HoPhc6F2jWMY/s320/woman-walking-away-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“But none of these
things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might
finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus…” Acts 20:24</span></i><span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt;"> <i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I often think how sad we shall be at
the end, if we have failed in joy.” I have quoted these words of Amy Carmichael
many times. I’m so glad I learned early in my Christian life how important <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">joy </i>is, and best of all, how accessible
it is. Jesus told His disciples in John fifteen that one of the main reasons He
spent time teaching them was so that His (Jesus’s) joy might <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“remain” </i>in them (v. 11); and manifest
itself continually as their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I’ve made a personal study of joy for
many years now, knowing God meant for me to have it. In fact, it’s been the very
source of my spiritual strength (Neh. 8:10). Paul told the elders of Ephesus at
his leave-taking from them (chap. 20) that now, as he faced what would, in all
probability, be his final glimpse of them on this earth that his great desire
was to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">finish [his] course <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">with joy</b>.” </i>When I re-read this recently,
my prayer to God was, “That’s what I want too, Lord. We’ve walked together in
joy for over sixty years now; I don’t want to “fail in joy” now at the end.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Paul spoke one other time abut finishing his
“course.” This time to his young Timothy (2 Tim. 4:6 & 7). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For I am now ready to be offered, and the
time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">finished my course</b>, I have kept the
faith.” </i>And my reference verse at the top tells us just how to finish our
course with joy: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Don’t hang onto life</i>.
And have you noticed, as I have, the older we get, the less this world seems
worth hanging onto? Good-byes may be hard here; but Hello’s are so sweet there.
And, O, there are far more of the latter than the former! In fact, dear ones, as
we used to sing when I was a young girl, “We’ll never say ‘Good-bye’” in
Heaven; we’ll never say ‘Good-bye.’” For in that land of joy and song, we’ll
never say, ‘Good-bye.’” </span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style"; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">By God’s grace, there’ll be joy all the way
Home…for me and for you!</span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-2109214142922502622017-04-19T19:12:00.000-07:002017-04-19T19:12:18.282-07:00On Being a Smooth Stone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs94nksBUIo9Zebr5BZc2OaeizGRMxE0CDJWOWsxo3E4c6T_vg2oHcxd_icYH2Y3A6zjVbcfRfY3b2vpkVrG8JtxXripU4nFH7Fwq8IxRAS_3ht8kRdKRTZwLy65vv6Dca9NeAzy15IVcm/s1600/illus-33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs94nksBUIo9Zebr5BZc2OaeizGRMxE0CDJWOWsxo3E4c6T_vg2oHcxd_icYH2Y3A6zjVbcfRfY3b2vpkVrG8JtxXripU4nFH7Fwq8IxRAS_3ht8kRdKRTZwLy65vv6Dca9NeAzy15IVcm/s320/illus-33.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">"And he [David] took his
staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put
them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in
his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine." (1 Samuel 17:40)</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Why did
young David choose<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face";">smooth</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>stones for his sling? From minimal
research I found out that smooth stones sail through the air faster and
straighter than rough, jagged ones, which tend to curve unpredictably. How do
rough stones become smooth ones? Geologically speaking, this happens through a
process called "tumbling," which is "usually accomplished by
transportation of the stone by water and contact with other rocks." Of
course, Job knew this, thousands of years earlier (Job 14:19a).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">If I
might, I'd like to take the liberty of drawing an analogy here. If God wanted,
as David did, to defeat His enemy using you and me "as lively stones"
(1 Pet. 2:5), would He want us to be smooth or jagged, do you think? If the
former, then that will require two things: water (Eph. 5:26), and "contact
with other rocks." And not necessarily the gentle tapping kind, either. In
fact, I would imagine the rougher the encounter, the quicker the smoothing
process.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Maybe
you're like me. There are people, even other believers, who just "rub you
the wrong way?" As someone has pointed out, only hard things can wear out
hard things. Maybe we should look at these people in a whole different way.
Instead of seeing them as irritating nuisances sent by Satan to sabotage our
Christian life, maybe we should consider them as possible refining tools God is
using to make us more proficient instruments of battle in the good fight of
faith, helping us to fly farther, faster, and more accurately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrTGZ5FF7u5EuMs6APZzyQPiqEijKlBSINzmrcl5Mnzix6IY-dhFX5wQcmxiOu1Whh4TsRCZPLYUyNXD1QlAOCh-wJ3gZNuNQE8KGjdLWByXfLH_zwIZJNBo9ZMWVSFy8JAt-a_OCPhDB/s1600/David-stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrTGZ5FF7u5EuMs6APZzyQPiqEijKlBSINzmrcl5Mnzix6IY-dhFX5wQcmxiOu1Whh4TsRCZPLYUyNXD1QlAOCh-wJ3gZNuNQE8KGjdLWByXfLH_zwIZJNBo9ZMWVSFy8JAt-a_OCPhDB/s320/David-stones.jpg" width="292" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">To
quote John the Baptist’s first sermon, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…the
rough ways shall be made smooth” (Luke 3:4); </i>and my prayer is that the Lord
will make my own rough edges smooth. It may be painful, but by His grace, I
want to be a "smooth stone" in the hand of God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-68668562840874595152017-04-12T14:36:00.000-07:002017-04-12T14:36:00.494-07:00Words of Comfort<div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; orphans: 2; text-align: start; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in; text-align: left;">
<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)</span></em><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";"></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 19.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">I don’t think I have ever heard this verse commented on unless some eschatological topic was being considered. This is understandable, I suppose, since the return of Jesus Christ to this earth is taught here; though not with all the detail that is sometimes ascribed to it, I may add. Actually, the question that prompted these words by Paul was whether or not we will ever see our departed loved ones again (v.13). And his answer was, “Yes, indeed.” Whatever may go on between now and then, of this we can be sure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">What words in this passage (vv.13-18) bring you the most comfort? I can tell you the ones I want you to whisper in my ear when sickness, tragedy, heartache, or separation swirls around my head. They are these:<span class="m_-1106533935964421339gmail-apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><em>“…and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”</em></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">Don’t show me charts and timetables when my heart is breaking. Remind me that the only appointment I’m sure of keeping is my rendezvous with Him. Impress me, if you will, with your predictions and your exegesis of obscure texts; but when I’m facing death, simply read to me the familiar Twenty-Third Psalm, and let David assure me again that one day, he and I shall <i>“dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”</i></span></div>
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<em><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">“So shall we ever be with the Lord”</span></em><span class="m_-1106533935964421339gmail-apple-converted-space"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">For my money, there are no more comforting words than these. For as the songwriter has said,</span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face";">“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.”</span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-36256240402747320312017-04-03T11:33:00.000-07:002017-04-03T11:33:19.667-07:00How Then Shall We Go? Finding the Path Ahead<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohXjhQRe3CRNtuJLalqpUt3KB4svyeqDeopu_AD-jwICohoah91dyHRwoqis4XqzWV8q9P7t22ngFOpkRLDth6cCSmZUUf_gBCABpmD3dQfrX2Lw0zCLUE7ghyw4aNq4w3ZhAUiiGAMG6/s1600/Forest_Sunlight_%25286781013929%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhohXjhQRe3CRNtuJLalqpUt3KB4svyeqDeopu_AD-jwICohoah91dyHRwoqis4XqzWV8q9P7t22ngFOpkRLDth6cCSmZUUf_gBCABpmD3dQfrX2Lw0zCLUE7ghyw4aNq4w3ZhAUiiGAMG6/s320/Forest_Sunlight_%25286781013929%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect, will of God” Romans 12:2<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It
is possible to determine God’s good, perfect and acceptable will. It involves
the mind and is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">learned</i>, not hit
upon. Paul calls it having <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the mind of Christ”
(1 Cor. 2:16), </i>which is why he told the Corinthian believers that he never
stopped praying that they’d be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“filled
with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Col.
1:9). </i>How do we find the way to go? Listen to the answer from God: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the
way which thou shalt go…” (Psl. 32:8a). </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
not only do I have the authority of the Scriptures to prove this; I know it by
experience. Any direction from God that has come to me in what seemed at the
time to be “in a flash,” I realized later was the result of (in my case) sixty-five
years of instruction by the Spirit of God through Word of God. For the most
part, I have, as Henry Jowett said, to keep my soul “porous toward the Divine,
” so that now I am more able to immediately eliminate what God has explicitly
forbidden and allow the Holy Spirit to bring back to my mind those things He
has taught me about the character of God, the teachings of Jesus Christ, and
the instruction by the human authors of the Word of God under the direct inspiration
of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
wise men found the way to go, the path ahead to the newborn King, by travelling
at night. Otherwise they would not have been able to see the star that stood
over where He lay. This may be true for us, as well. I have learned through
this journey that it’s much easier to see the lights of home in the dark. It
shines brighter than ever. In the meantime, by God’s grace, I intend to marinate
in the presence of God through His Word and prevailing prayer. And keep looking
up.</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">It’s always darkest before the dawn.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-4498642336087413452017-03-26T13:39:00.000-07:002017-03-26T13:39:31.058-07:00Dead End<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKK7a6OX9jbvXbI4R9pHKXMMF0GJyPyiwq3PSMbnYhOXfsG_LngqqdWybN8FktdRV0j3iMj4MXpkGkE84P0vWiKSrcpPFfIW3bEpFQ7QPdmOvGKbD_FmpvOT0BeH8FxGdzJNZwesPXXfm/s1600/eve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKK7a6OX9jbvXbI4R9pHKXMMF0GJyPyiwq3PSMbnYhOXfsG_LngqqdWybN8FktdRV0j3iMj4MXpkGkE84P0vWiKSrcpPFfIW3bEpFQ7QPdmOvGKbD_FmpvOT0BeH8FxGdzJNZwesPXXfm/s320/eve.jpg" width="268" /></a></div>
<i style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth
sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” (Jam. 1:15)</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Every sin in our lives sets us up for the death of
something; it’s a spiritual law.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Not too long
after we had joined our church, the pastor drove home this truism to us one
morning in a penetrating sermon. I jotted it down and put it away. Besides the
death of the body, the end of sin’s road is eternal death in hell; and without
Supernatural intervention, nothing will keep us from reaching our destination.
It is a law as sure (and even more so) than any law of nature. There is nothing
positive about sin. It is its own extreme. Because it is not only an offense to
our own bodies, but an affront to God Almighty as well, sin—even the so-called
“good ones”—become “exceeding sinful,” according to Romans 7:13.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">But sin deals a mortal blow to other things, as well.
It’s a killer of joy, peace, reputation, trust, and hope, to name a few. It can
dissolve a church, a friendship, or a marriage. Sin leeches spiritual strength
like a slow leak in a tire, until life is flat and we find ourselves at a
standstill. Often, it’s like high blood pressure: “the silent killer.” The
overt sins that shock others and us are actually old <i>secret</i> sins, come
to light. We can harbor them only so long in our bosoms until they belch forth
into our active lives. And all of them—the ones we hide and the ones we
flaunt—are dead ends of one kind or another.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">James tells us the sequence of sin begins with inherent
lust, goes through an experience of conception, and ends finally with a death. Of
the three, the point at which intervention can take place is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">conception; </i>and the trap is set during
the period of lust: temptation. I leave you with this final warning…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Toying with temptation will spring the trap.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-46987493910832871662017-03-18T11:36:00.000-07:002017-03-18T11:36:49.357-07:00Strength For the Battle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0esepfP9gpee5HSCTkMxj0REJbOU5qgl06Xml5X_NK7RKTsJwkSMYy4Kd_BJapJzYAC1OBXmr-ox3E2dmkGOn8h8f_ZW0CZZKqTL8cvKyt5VZki5stvAnb_Sk-hI11fse9j8Ky1yUZiA/s1600/aef2e9292b033e47db2440fcfdccb7cf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL0esepfP9gpee5HSCTkMxj0REJbOU5qgl06Xml5X_NK7RKTsJwkSMYy4Kd_BJapJzYAC1OBXmr-ox3E2dmkGOn8h8f_ZW0CZZKqTL8cvKyt5VZki5stvAnb_Sk-hI11fse9j8Ky1yUZiA/s320/aef2e9292b033e47db2440fcfdccb7cf.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“For thou hast girded me with strength unto the
battle…” (Psalm 18:39a)</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">
</span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">In case you hadn’t noticed,
life is a battle. And in our case, as children of God, the opposing forces are
supernatural (Eph. 6:12). They may not look like the creatures in <i>The
Lord of the Rings</i>, but they are every bit as menacing. When you and I
strive to do right, there will always be someone or something, whether seen or
unseen, trying to influence us in the opposite direction. Be it (unreasonable)
reasoning, cajoling, or intimidation—every possible means will be brought to
bear. Some of the battles will be ongoing; others will be decisive. Some will
represent minor skirmishes, while others may escalate into bloody assaults. But
the overall description of our Spiritual lives, whether it is victory or
defeat, will depend upon the success of our battling.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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For this reason, God, in His infinite wisdom and love, has made provision
for perpetual victory. We may not always experience it, but it is always at our
disposal. One need not be strong-willed or even strong-minded, only strong in
faith. You know, like the grain of the little mustard seed (Matt. 17:20). In
fact, according to 2 Corinthians 12:9, the least endowed among us may be the
most qualified to display the personification of strength.<i> “My strength is
made perfect in weakness.” </i>Does this mean those of us designated as
the “weaker vessel” (1Pet. 3:7) have an edge on spiritual strength? Just a
thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As I say, these Spiritual battles are life-long and
hard-fought, and we should not be surprised that the bloodiest battle of all
may be the last one. It was certainly true for our Lord. There comes a time
when even a mighty warrior may hang up his armor in hopes of resting from
battle, content to remember the glory. Has not the armor become rusty with use,
as well as the warrior? No, we need have no fear in either case. Our text tells
us that as long as the battle rages (all the way to the end), there will be
strength, and so we can be assured, the needed armor (Philip. 4:19).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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This eighteenth Psalm makes it abundantly plain that the source of all
this wonderful strength is the Lord God Almighty (vv.1-2, etc.); and we are
exhorted to solicit His aid in every battle we face. All we have to do it tell
Him we will provide the body, if He will provide the armor; we will engage the
enemy, if He will strike the final blow. You and I have the option of going
through this life victorious, from battle to battle, in His strength. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Blessed is the man whose strength is in
thee; in whose heart are the ways of them… They go from strength to strength…”
Psl. 84:5 &7<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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With these “rules of engagement,” we can say with confidence, <i>“[T]he
Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”</i> Ha! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">John Henry Jowett (The Whole Armour of God) says
of Romans 8:37<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…Nay, in all these
things we are more than conquerors…” “To be more than conqueror is to be on the
top of the old serpent, and, as (Robert) Browning says, to stand upon him and
to feel him wriggle beneath your feet.”’<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-49949329096036125592017-03-08T12:58:00.000-08:002017-03-08T12:58:07.097-08:00Heart To Hand Lifeline<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPE4tq9HMZUz1lbWRxuKJl0G5Rk6dH312XWHYgywmVnU-PiI0x8wggJarEL9nE9buqy4pSaXY09g39cbM1xV-6bX6quG-Hxer0QEVXUbFN_1F7hfa6mGshDgbt_QlOUfUYHUS7RyYOTkn5/s1600/127491-004-B5808386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPE4tq9HMZUz1lbWRxuKJl0G5Rk6dH312XWHYgywmVnU-PiI0x8wggJarEL9nE9buqy4pSaXY09g39cbM1xV-6bX6quG-Hxer0QEVXUbFN_1F7hfa6mGshDgbt_QlOUfUYHUS7RyYOTkn5/s320/127491-004-B5808386.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own
selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. – 2 Cor. 8:5<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">There is a term used when a hospital
operating room reaches a point where there are more emergency cases than the
staff is prepared to handle. It’s called CODE BLACK. This Fall I watched a TV
series by that name. This situation only happens two to three times a year in
an ordinary OR, but there is one in Los Angeles, where it occurs regularly 360
nights a year. I found the series both informative as well as entertaining.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">For instance, the last episode dealt
with an infestation of airborne bacteria that killed, horribly, within several
hours. Obviously, the whole facility had to be put under quarantine. Finally,
one person was found who had a natural immunity from which they were able to
make an antidote that could be administered as a blood transfusion. Because
there was no way of preserving it, however, it had to be a one-to -one
procedure until they were able to reproduce the immunity in others. The first
direct transfusion was done between an artery of the donor and a vein of the
recipient. In the episode I saw, the two held hands across two beds as the
transfusion took place. As I watched it, tears began to well up in my eyes, and
I said softly to myself (and God), “That’s what I have experienced over this
past year.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">There were times when I lay powerless
with pain, nausea or fear and would suddenly feel a wave of peace and
contentment flow over my soul and through my body as if someone’s life’s-blood
had begun to slowly move from him or her to me. Not only that, financial aid to
help defray medical expenses that would have otherwise smothered us has come
in. There have been gifts, some handmade. Some that made me cry, as well as one
I just received that made me laugh out loud, literally. And, oh, the words of
comfort, assurances of prayer through the mail, emails, phone texts, posting on
Facebook, etc.! To know that my name is being brought before the throne of
grace at all hours is a veritable lifeline to the grace of God for me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">But, aside from other obvious reasons
why this type of transfusion is only used in unusual circumstances, one other
is that the amount of blood going from the donor to the recipient cannot be
measured, therefore both must be constantly monitored. I know in my own case,
what I have received, and am still receiving, from my brothers and sisters in
the Lord during this time, is immeasurable. What it has, and is, costing them
only God knows, but to me it goes far beyond money, prayers, gifts, cards, and
time. It’s life…just as surely as a blood transfusion means life. You and I are
side by side, and a lifeline has been opened between your heart and hand to my
heart and hand. And only God can say when it’s enough.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">As long as He wills it so, I remain your
recipient and debtor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-60613449868712961192017-02-20T14:20:00.001-08:002017-02-20T14:20:32.705-08:00The Best Advice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFLzf7UDHGW0qBOGVi5f5ppNJrRSMkJQyT-Vmo9UcW7uaqjQox-2RkVnwRivlg0b8Yud7fY9FSAtRkdEyxS7HRi7fu3TEIr6NgsmYOxM_MT8zuzcGUugQ3Eot0LqIGy7wJphX_2DhDWHa/s1600/couple_at_breakfast_ml.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWFLzf7UDHGW0qBOGVi5f5ppNJrRSMkJQyT-Vmo9UcW7uaqjQox-2RkVnwRivlg0b8Yud7fY9FSAtRkdEyxS7HRi7fu3TEIr6NgsmYOxM_MT8zuzcGUugQ3Eot0LqIGy7wJphX_2DhDWHa/s320/couple_at_breakfast_ml.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with
speeches wherewith he can do no good?” - Job 15:3</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Talk, no matter how well intentioned, can reach a
stage of uselessness—as far as we are concerned, that is. But most of us, for
one reason or another, cannot (or will not) acknowledge this. Because of the
real or perceived legitimacy of the argument, and/or because of our own
personal attachment, we talk on.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">This verse in Job points out what should be obvious
to us, were we not so invested in the person to whom we are speaking and the
benevolence of our motives: There is only so much to be said to some people;
and it is possible to move beyond compassionate love and courage of conviction,
to possessiveness and a play for vindication. After awhile, we find ourselves
saying the same things, just louder and more caustically. As women, it is easy
to fall into this trap with husbands and older children. We may question their
judgments or choices, but until they are willing to question themselves, our
constant nagging is nothing more than “unprofitable talk” that does neither
them nor us any good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">As you get older, you realize you must choose your
battles carefully. We only have so much energy and breath to expend, and none
of us want to end up in the ignominious position of someone who is just beating
the air (1 Cor. 9:26). Worthy battles are always worth fighting, even to the
last breath; but sometimes, we need to change the <i>field</i> of battle. There
comes a time when we must put on our armor and face the <i>real</i> enemy in
the <i>real</i> battle, on the plains of prayer (Eph. 6:11-18).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #260000; font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">
The true secret of giving advice is, after you have
honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and
never persist in trying to set people right. ------ Hannah Whitall Smith</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-13819136496958391292017-02-09T04:01:00.000-08:002017-02-09T04:01:08.796-08:00Who Is That Woman In the Mirror?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotnB07ghap-AEk_KkfuzibWYLDWtnXuGdtAw3VWuwrZ58_driCyUzrTZFlQe87kYKR508WZczyJmOSudOpElWClnUsI_GiHfUWIc6z8A61HEgZpAEwAa3lLJ9ZqCnFNcfxPnVDUDuo63R/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjotnB07ghap-AEk_KkfuzibWYLDWtnXuGdtAw3VWuwrZ58_driCyUzrTZFlQe87kYKR508WZczyJmOSudOpElWClnUsI_GiHfUWIc6z8A61HEgZpAEwAa3lLJ9ZqCnFNcfxPnVDUDuo63R/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“Now we see through a glass darkly…” 1
Corinthians 13:12<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Most of you know that this past year a
deadly pancreatic cancer in my body has been slowly entwining itself around
most of the surrounding veins, making its removal all but impossible. You may
also know that this fall, it reached the point where aggressive chemo was
begun, and finally Hospice was called in when the unsuccessful chemo left what
was left of me hanging over the precipice of death. During this time of not
quite, but almost, being able to see across the valley of the shadow of death
into the presence of my Savior, it was as though a hand reached out, pulled me
back, and stood me up on my feet, literally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">I’m not sure if that Hand was divine,
but I do know it was disconcerting. Okay, if the TOD suddenly gets pushed back,
for whatever reason, what’s left? According to Paul, only one: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“For whether we live, we live unto the Lord;
and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we
are the Lord’s.” Rom. 14:8.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
you’re not dead, you’re living; and if you’re living, you’re not dead. The last
four words are what make the difference: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>“We
are the Lord’s</u></i>, so we should do both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“unto the Lord.” </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">So, this is where I am on this day of
our Lord, February 9, 2017. As far as I know, this tumor is still there
clutching those same veins; and I still pass a mirror and momentarily ask
myself, “Who is that somewhat bald, shriveled woman I see? She looks positively
dead.” But she isn’t (at least, not today.) She’s merely <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“seeing through a glass darkly.”</i> But sooner (or later) Bless the
Lord! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…then face to face.” </i>Until I
see Him, I will serve Him, living each day in the light of His Personage…Power.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast
caused me to hope.” Psl. 119:49<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-8838973898444408442016-12-05T11:51:00.001-08:002016-12-05T11:51:38.763-08:00Redeemed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Epx2rbhnPoLLDRNpfhJmCikysjIN_jsp6nNGZN0G_9Cn5Ky3QBiSoweugcQIVceqgyINtg318dKDa0Uo9YH44lvPF8z2uXf6ceLCPtHggResE3mJSZHOJOj3JQO3vg_ueZRmpAbBt7q-/s1600/2d1559fdeb282d388b16a96398107cf5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Epx2rbhnPoLLDRNpfhJmCikysjIN_jsp6nNGZN0G_9Cn5Ky3QBiSoweugcQIVceqgyINtg318dKDa0Uo9YH44lvPF8z2uXf6ceLCPtHggResE3mJSZHOJOj3JQO3vg_ueZRmpAbBt7q-/s320/2d1559fdeb282d388b16a96398107cf5.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath
redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 107:2)</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
The word, redeem, means to buy back or recover something. It assumes three
things: 1) the object to be redeemed is in someone else’s possession; 2) some
type of price or exchange is necessary to accomplish the redemption; and 3) the
object has no means of redeeming itself, else it would not have been in
bondage, in the first place.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> In
this case, you and I were the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">objects</i>
in need of redemption, in bondage to our enemy, Satan, with no redeeming
qualities of our own to call upon. And the price that was paid for the
redemption of our souls and bodies (Eph. 1:7) far exceeded their worth. But
then, love doesn’t look for a bargain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
The great Baptist preacher, A.J. Gordon (1836-1895), once told the story of
meeting a little boy carrying an old birdcage, containing several common field
birds. Curious, Gordon asked the boy what he intended to do with the birds.
“Oh, I guess I’ll just take ‘em home an play with ‘em for awhile,” came the
reply. “Then what?” asked the preacher. “I guess I’ll just feed ‘em to the old
cat we’ve got,” answered the boy. Impulsively, Gordon asked him how much he
would take for the birds and the cage. This surprised the boy. “Mister, you
don’t want these old birds. They can’t hardly sing at all.” But when Gordon
offered him the outrageous sum of two dollars, he quickly took the money,
saying, “It’s a deal, but you’re makin’ a bad bargain!” Gordon said that after
the boy had gone, he opened the cage, letting the frightened, hesitant birds
fly out; then he watched as they soared into the sky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
The next Sunday, the preacher took the cage into the pulpit with him and told
the story of the boy and the birds. He ended by saying, “That little boy said
the birds couldn’t sing very well, but when I opened the cage and released
them, they flew away singing. And it seemed to me the song they were singing
was, <i>‘Redeemed! Redeemed! Redeemed?’”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
Today, I am as free as a bird out a cage, because of the blood-price of my
redemption that was paid by Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. The verse in
Psalms says, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”; <i>and that’s just what I’m
doing!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed, how I love to
proclaim it! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed through His
infinite mercy,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">His child and forever I
am.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;">Redeemed, and so happy
in Jesus,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">No language my rapture
can tell;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I know that the light of
His presence<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">With me doth continually
dwell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I think of my blessed
Redeemer,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I think of Him all the
day long;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">I sing, for I cannot be
silent;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">His love is the theme of
my song.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed, redeemed, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed by the blood of
the Lamb,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Redeemed through His
infinite mercy;<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">His child and forever I
am. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span>- Fanny J. Crosby
1820-1915<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-37692844021557859002016-11-21T10:22:00.002-08:002016-11-21T10:22:40.232-08:00Is, Was, And Is To Come<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jIjOme-QdVFXTd4xvtuVWT7FFqJMbxEk74kHVm4yC-5xjeU-26D2HBcCUq4aIUeh7TxbhYp6cGiQy95pwi0B_L1Rnfozp0Gi8lWr4bs5lxAzAte84Kbu_mtEUAY9ely24BFTvbqUF2g0/s1600/calendar-and-clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5jIjOme-QdVFXTd4xvtuVWT7FFqJMbxEk74kHVm4yC-5xjeU-26D2HBcCUq4aIUeh7TxbhYp6cGiQy95pwi0B_L1Rnfozp0Gi8lWr4bs5lxAzAte84Kbu_mtEUAY9ely24BFTvbqUF2g0/s320/calendar-and-clock.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord, which is and which was, and which is to come.”
(Revelation 1:8)</span></i><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Would it not seem more
sequential to you if it read, “… which was, and which is, and which is to come”?
Evidently not…at least, not to God. In fact, you will see the same order in
verse four. You see, with God, everything starts with an “is.” When Moses
recorded, “In the beginning God,” he was not talking about God’s beginning, but
ours. Jehovah God exists in the eternal Present, the perpetual “Now.” It is
such an innate part of Him, that He refers to Himself as the “I AM” (Ex. 3:14).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> God only speaks in terms
of time for our benefit. Our lives are divided into minutes—the sixtieth part
of an hour; but God sees these as moments—what we would think of as a brief
coming together of circumstances that usually provide some kind of opportunity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Reason would tell us,
therefore, that we should reflect this same order (“is, was, is to come”) in
our own lives. Our primary concern should be the “is,” with proper respect for
the “was,” and recognition of the “is to come.” I read once that the past is a
clock that can only tell us what time it was, and the future is a calendar that
only God can fill in with a permanent marker. Ah, but the present, on the other
hand, has the power to refocus the past and re-establish the future, humanly
speaking. It’s the only tool we have; but it’s all we need.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> We may not be the Great
“I Am,” but that doesn’t mean we can’t follow His example, as well as that of
the great Apostle; who did not say, “I am what I was,” or even, “I am what I
will be”; but rather, “I am what I am by the grace of God.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Where, except in the present, can the Eternal be met?” — C.S. Lewis<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-38308924284941304142016-11-05T10:53:00.002-07:002016-11-05T10:53:55.689-07:00Now and Then<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTVSP9G3s8PXOeWknZ5CSLBMjcvPQW8wzU0mXAy2RBzr5TNL1znGKeW18GR5uIvF4F5KR8HjDKWltDSwtBA6uY7ybkwtRUxmJhSn4jwo2z6S5wUgbWxVGbgIHJtN7IRvj7azN3qsFekat/s1600/l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTVSP9G3s8PXOeWknZ5CSLBMjcvPQW8wzU0mXAy2RBzr5TNL1znGKeW18GR5uIvF4F5KR8HjDKWltDSwtBA6uY7ybkwtRUxmJhSn4jwo2z6S5wUgbWxVGbgIHJtN7IRvj7azN3qsFekat/s320/l.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">"For I reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us." Romans 8:18</span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">This verse takes it for granted we will all endure some suffering in
this life, and I don’t think any of us would disagree. There is nothing
meritorious per se about suffering; but according to Philippians 3:10, it does
qualify one for admission into a special club: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the fellowship of his [Jesus Christ’s] sufferings.”</i> Not only that,
Peter tells us it serves to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“stablish,
strengthen, and settle [us] (1Pet. 5:10).</i> That couldn’t be too bad, could
it?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
Still, these and other benefits do not readily come to mind while one is in the
throes of an especially long and/or hard trial. In Paul’s case, his means of
perspective was the little word “reckon.” He uses the same word in chapter six
to give us a handle on achieving victory in our lives by reckoning ourselves to
be dead to sin and alive to God (6:11).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">
One of the meanings for the word “reckon,” as found in the <i>Oxford English
Dictionary, </i>is “to calculate, or keep count of, in relation to some
starting point or base.” In other words, suffering must be judged against, or
in relation to, something else. And Paul lets us know just what that something
else is: <i>“the glory that shall be revealed in us.”</i> I’m not sure all that
this entails, but I do know from the previous verse that it has to do with our
being <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“joint-heirs with Christ,”</i> and
assumes we will share and share-alike with Him. If so, then in this case, the
end truly does justify the means.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> I
share these observations with you not to minimize any suffering you may be
experiencing now, or will experience in the future, but simply to sharpen your
“reckoner.” If anything, we women should understand this concept even better
than men, since the prospect of finally seeing and holding in our hands the
life that grew under our hearts is the overriding thought that gets us through
the pain of childbirth. That’s exactly the principle Paul is trying to teach
us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;"> It’s not about the suffering </span><i style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;">now;</i><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;"> it’s all about the glory </span><i style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt;">then.</i></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-5419394884122138962016-10-30T14:15:00.000-07:002016-10-30T14:15:38.392-07:00The Night-Light<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFvu3HKesKaW-BoC7eWt8ZDdP_y6sio7cwiNBz19ylEWuY-pzl867NvsQnOTNdILzp2LzvcPHw9pxKdXK1dCNC7a2LZO1H_hPr3nwvKg1XwAqTT2hncNQSWGdTkWFI2w2yRFwROvsJBwJ/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinFvu3HKesKaW-BoC7eWt8ZDdP_y6sio7cwiNBz19ylEWuY-pzl867NvsQnOTNdILzp2LzvcPHw9pxKdXK1dCNC7a2LZO1H_hPr3nwvKg1XwAqTT2hncNQSWGdTkWFI2w2yRFwROvsJBwJ/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“…her candle goeth not out by night. –
Prov. 31:18b<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whenever
I have had occasion to teach on the virtuous woman of Proverbs thirty-one,
which, as you might imagine, has been often over my husband’s and my ministry
together of over fifty-five years, I, like most others, have used this portion
of her story to extol her work ethic. She rises early and stays up late ministering
to her family, all the while running her household in a frugal and prosperous
fashion. But I was recently challenged to read this particular portion of verse
eighteen in a different light, no doubt for personal and pertinent reasons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>No
matter how decorative and festive a candle may be, the whole idea is to give
light. Now, however, one of the most sought after by-products is a pleasant
aroma that fills a room and sets a mood. But any old candle that will burn
brightly is all we need when the sun isn’t shining, and all of our artificial
means of light have been extinguished. Jesus said of you and me, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Ye are the light of the world…Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your
Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 5:14 & 16). </i>This should give us an
idea of how important “this little light of mine” is. It’s all about the glory
of God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But remember it says of the
woman in Proverbs thirty-one, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“her candle
goeth not out by night.” </i>Ah, that’s where the rubber meets the road. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
used to be a saying, “The darker the night, the brighter the light.” A candle
that may look faint and small in the light of day can shine with brilliance and
glory in the blackest night. The time when it may be the hardest and the scariest
to shine may be the greatest opportunity we will ever have to virtually
“outshine” ourselves for His glory and honor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And verse fifteen of this chapter tells us the
most important candle is the one that gives light to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“all that are in the house.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In other words, it’s family who are the best judge of the quality of our
candle and its light; and it is they to whom we owe this lasting legacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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proudly own, or the bright lights around your bathroom mirror that help you
look your best. No, it’s the little, insignificant night-light that keeps
others from stumbling in the dark and shows us the way to go. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“Father,
make me a night-light for You!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-4407223561914425842016-10-22T17:56:00.000-07:002016-10-22T18:03:06.224-07:00A Woman's Faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpN_3puUpqWElEFgINBRPCZ36d4h7rDVAEsuXgxS3d-g2AgdBLXi5z7N0SM2zwfqGSL4OEl28vmR7hc-GXq78nwXWeZd6N-ae-poHwljO0cltYMwg_Gvzs4lbVKUbE4tS_mbPYUFXmvYp/s1600/324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpN_3puUpqWElEFgINBRPCZ36d4h7rDVAEsuXgxS3d-g2AgdBLXi5z7N0SM2zwfqGSL4OEl28vmR7hc-GXq78nwXWeZd6N-ae-poHwljO0cltYMwg_Gvzs4lbVKUbE4tS_mbPYUFXmvYp/s320/324.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“For a certain
woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and
fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, and a Syrophenician by nation; and she
besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.”</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Mark 7:25-26 </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I remember being in the company of a
young woman who was asked why she stopped going to a certain church. Her answer
had nothing to do with doctrine, morality, or even administration. No, she
explained, it was just that the pastor said something from the pulpit that offended
her. I thought to myself, “Dear girl, you wouldn’t have followed Jesus Christ
very long.” (Maybe she should have read Psalm 119:165.) Someone who is quick to
take offense is always a poor risk for a friend, and an unlikely prospect for a
disciple. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Blessed is he,”</i> said our
Lord, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“whosoever shall not be offended in
me” (Matt. 11:6).<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The woman in our story probably
wouldn’t have been blamed had she taken offense at what Jesus said to her, but
neither would she have received the petition she asked of Him, either. She came
at a time when the Lord was hoping to have some time alone, or at least just
with the disciples, but verse twenty-four says <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“[H]e could not be hid.”</i> And this Gentile woman, driven by
desperation, found Him. She had left a daughter at home who was uncontrollable
because of an evil spirit that consumed her. When she saw Jesus, she cried, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of
David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matt. 15:22).</i> It’s
obvious she knew exactly who He was: He was the Lord, and He was heir to King
David’s throne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s now that we see the first instance
of what would seem to be rude and heartless behavior by Jesus. Matthew says, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“[H]e answered her not a word” (15:23).</i>
But we will soon find out, He wasn’t trying to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kill</i> her faith; He was trying to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">kindle</i> it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She evidently turned
then to the disciples, imploring them to intercede for her, because they, in
turn, said to Jesus, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Send her away; for
she crieth after us.”</i> Then follows a pathetic dialogue that defies all
rules of common courtesy. When He does speak, his first words to her are, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of
the house of Israel.”</i> To which she cries, piteously, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Lord, help me.”</i> Then, to add insult to injury, it would seem, He
adds, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“It is not meet to take the
children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Of all the mean things Jesus could have
said to her, this surely was the meanest (or so it would appear). “I was sent
to those of the nation of Israel (of which you are <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not</i>), so why should I take spiritual bread that belongs to the
Jews, and give it to Gentile dogs (of which you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are</i>).” I doubt Jesus’ words would fit the criterion of “political
correctness” in today’s world! But in reality, Jesus was not only testing her
faith, He was providing her a rebuttal, if she was wise enough to see it. And,
God be praised, she was. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall
from the masters’ table,” </span></i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">was the quick reply. Instead of leaving in a huff, she
immediately picked up the idea of Jesus’ terminology and reasoned, “You don’t
have to be one of the family to get bread, if you’re willing to take crumbs—and
I am.” Her words were what got her what she wanted. Jesus said so in Mark
7:29), and faith gave her the courage to say them. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">This Syrophenician
was <u>a woman <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">resolved</i></u>. She
refused to let a rebuff and offensive language dishearten her from her holy
purpose. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was <u>a woman of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">reason</i>.</u> She was spiritually minded
and quick-witted enough to challenge the God-Man, who said in the Old Testament,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Come now, let us reason together, saith
the Lord” (Isa. 1:18)</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And,
eventually, she was <u>a woman <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">rewarded</i>.</u>
The Man who had seemingly done so much to discourage her, ended his
conversation with these words of hope and cheer: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt” (Matt.
15:18). <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">It would seem to
me, this woman can teach us all we need to know about faith...and O, how we
need to know about faith! I know I need it more today than I ever have before. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: .5in; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Faith sees the invisible, believes the impossible<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Receives the incredible, no matter what was;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Faith moves the unmovable, proves the un-provable;<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">For anyone willing to trust,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">Believe and you’ll see what faith does.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"> </span><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">Donna
Brooks, Marty Funderburk, Scott Wilemon</span></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-21584539346185619032016-10-16T17:51:00.000-07:002016-10-16T17:51:23.968-07:00Hasty Moves<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4lWFgXbDZrGGUppfq3gfVsg3fkMhUGVvoXNcQyoSgNwBPkbKm5FVbTZrafQLQRSpy_Iaw4g7Yw5C7WTHbWmUGiPWll_qHCHFfvJPvB8s3vXBbofN0p9jT0AjSOUwdw6rY26kZpG1QVxy/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4lWFgXbDZrGGUppfq3gfVsg3fkMhUGVvoXNcQyoSgNwBPkbKm5FVbTZrafQLQRSpy_Iaw4g7Yw5C7WTHbWmUGiPWll_qHCHFfvJPvB8s3vXBbofN0p9jT0AjSOUwdw6rY26kZpG1QVxy/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Beware of a life
of fitful impulse; live and act on sustained principles</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">.</span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">I read these words somewhere, with no recognition
of who said them. I was especially impressed by the contrast between
"fitful impulse" and "sustained principles." It makes a
very stark comparison, doesn't it? Impulse is not all bad, of course. Sometimes it’s called for in order to take advantage of a passing opportunity; and,
indeed, there are times when failing to act with haste can be positively
disastrous. Still, it cannot be denied that haste always carries with it the
dimension of chance. It's certainly possible to make a wrong decision after
much deliberation, but it's more probable without any at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Several Scriptures immediately come to mind. For
instance, Isaiah 28:16b tells us, <i>"[H]e that believeth shall not make
haste.</i>" One of the great earmarks of a strong faith is the ability to
wait. It's tempting to make a move before one is called for, when it seems as
though nothing is happening. We would do well to follow Naomi's advice to Ruth:
<i>"Sit still my daughter, until thou know how the matter will
fall..." (Ruth 3:18).</i> God says in Isaiah 52:22, <i>"For ye shall
not go out with haste...for the LORD will go before you..."</i> You see
the obvious danger here, don't you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">But not only can we move in haste, often we <i>speak</i>
with very little forethought, as well. David admits in Psalm 31:22, <i>"For
I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes..."</i> His first
impulse during a difficult time in his life was to strike out, even against
God. Bitterness is a terrible thing to harbor, but it's even worse to speak
under its influence. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">God says of someone who is hasty in his words, </span><i style="font-family: 'Baskerville Old Face'; font-size: 14pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">“…there is more hope of a fool than of him”
(Prov. 29:20).</i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">In addition, haste often leads to exaggeration. For
example, the Psalmist says in Psalm 116:11, <i>"I said in my haste, All
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-17099117802044359942016-10-09T13:26:00.000-07:002016-10-09T13:26:11.713-07:00Bad-Mouthing God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">“Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God
furnish a table in the wilderness…can he give bread also? can he provide flesh
for his people? Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth: so a fire was
kindled against Jacob, and anger also came up against Israel; because they
believed not God and trusted not in his salvation.” (Psalm 78:19, 21-22)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Want to really make God mad? Just doubt His ability to take care of you.
He will consider it a direct insult to His character. We may put faithlessness
low on the totem pole of sins, but God doesn’t. Romans 14:23 tells us, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”</i> And
the writer of Hebrews describes a heart of unbelief as downright “evil” (3:12).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> You and I may
become greatly exercised over sins of the flesh (as we well should), while at
the same time consider our fretting and fussing as merely shortcomings and
weaknesses. Yet the woman caught in adultery and Zacchaeus, the crooked tax
collector, were both dealt with far more kindly than the people spoken of in
this Psalm. The first two were sinners, yes, who needed to repent; but they did
not question Jesus when He offered them forgiveness. They took Him at His word.
The children of Israel, on the other hand, after having seen God miraculously
provide for them time and time again, still questioned Him. And when they did,
the Psalmist accused them of speaking against God. What could be worse than
that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> Why risk the anger
of God? We should deal with unbelief as we would any other sin and experience
the same peace promised to those who repent of their wickedness. God has promised
to save us (v.22) and take care of us (v.19). And to deny this verbally <i>or</i>
experientially is to speak against Him, bad-mouth Him, if you will. There’s no
getting around it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> <i>When it comes to God and His attributes
and abilities, there is no such thing as “honest doubt.” </i></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-59295902471643732622016-10-02T18:52:00.000-07:002016-10-02T18:52:44.632-07:00Let's Hear It For the Fall-Breakers!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhP4j0_UybUR3ZNvx4MuRmAOToF7tf2zM35eoHggz3Rm0pHeCVY8OT3jjVen7FS2g9nBjaH-WAtNm8aEdb9bxuzonR9imL2ekHJfqsv4saSafbBhs61Y5vQe2hpo5i4CdH7g0xhf1JhnFv/s1600/falling-down-the-stairs-again1.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhP4j0_UybUR3ZNvx4MuRmAOToF7tf2zM35eoHggz3Rm0pHeCVY8OT3jjVen7FS2g9nBjaH-WAtNm8aEdb9bxuzonR9imL2ekHJfqsv4saSafbBhs61Y5vQe2hpo5i4CdH7g0xhf1JhnFv/s320/falling-down-the-stairs-again1.gif" width="218" /></a></div>
Now unto him that is able to keep you
from falling…” – Jude 24</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We’re
never too old to fall. Fortunately, it seems to happen less the older we get
(unless there is infirmity), until after awhile it becomes hard to remember our
last tumble. But, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">un</i>fortunately, the
ones that happen late in life are usually far more consequential and even life
shortening. But one way or the other, we’re all susceptible to falling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
daughter, Leah, shared a recent episode along this line that she experienced.
She was singing with a small choir group on a fairly high stage. They all were
wearing choir robes. Her initial concern, of course, was not tripping over her long
robe as she ascended and descended the stage. But, alas, this was not her
downfall (sorry). As she was going down the precarious stairs, holding for dear
life onto the banister, almost safely at the bottom stair, her voluminous
sleeve got caught on the rounded end of the banister. You guessed it. She was
immediately brought up short like a slingshot and pitched forward in what could
only have ended in a disastrous landing. But as fate (I mean, the Lord) would
have it, at that very moment, a young man was walking by on his way to another
section of the stage, who quickly and unobtrusively reached out, broke her fall
and steadied her. Needless to say, she was grateful. As she laughingly told
him, “I always thought that verse in Jude was talking about the Lord, but in
this case, it was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> who kept me
from falling!” </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery"; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>When
I recounted this story to my husband, he and I both decided that the same thing
is true when it comes our occasional “fall from grace,” big or small. We know
the verse is truly about God because of the rest of it: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“…and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with
exceeding joy.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But sometimes He
uses human means to “break our fall.”<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i>And
you’ll always know this kind of person is sent from the Lord because there will
no interventionist fanfare that calls undue attention to you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i> him or her, but is simply a discreet
word, an unobtrusive reaching out to catch you, steady you, before you do something
that you’ll regret, and that could leave a long-lasting or permanent stain on
an otherwise fine testimony. Then they go their way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If
there is, or has been, people like that in your life, thank God for them every
day. Again, we never get to old to fall. Ask King David. And it’s those late
term plummets that invariably leave the most devastating damage behind. Come to
think of it, why not be one of those unassuming, quick to the rescue,
fall-breakers? I consider that a worthy goal for anyone who wants to bring
glory to God and not himself or herself. Let’s take that challenge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-38445656074522101642016-09-25T10:35:00.000-07:002016-09-25T10:35:55.844-07:00The Wise Woman<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjxYL2p9ytYCmM91W-1E6BQQqCusu1V0VZadf8_G5XdTufoqT13ptfDwHkXMVLDelv1u1QUmcTPqMdxEfJzSD76TfJzkKI43libvYuAJOzlaxMKAYHRtsebFXVUb1GdVb7np1gheTXWiN/s1600/sheba-rebellion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJjxYL2p9ytYCmM91W-1E6BQQqCusu1V0VZadf8_G5XdTufoqT13ptfDwHkXMVLDelv1u1QUmcTPqMdxEfJzSD76TfJzkKI43libvYuAJOzlaxMKAYHRtsebFXVUb1GdVb7np1gheTXWiN/s320/sheba-rebellion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear,
hear; say, I pray you unto Joab, come near hither, that I may speak with thee.”
(2 Samuel 20:16)</span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;">Second Samuel twenty is a violent chapter, filled with sedition and
murder. Because of Absalom’s rebellion, the men of Israel and Judah were
preparing to war among themselves. But in the midst of all this, we read of a
lone “wise woman” who comes from out of nowhere, seemingly, with words of
wisdom and reason for King David’s commander-in-chief, Joab, who is on the
verge of acting upon an impulsive rage. You can read all the particulars in the
rest of the chapter; but, suffice it to say, just as Abigail kept David from
doing something he would have regretted later, this unnamed woman helped to
bring temperance and reason to the inflamed Joab.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> I wonder, do you
and I bring calm to a highly charged situation, or do we add fuel to the fire?
When questionable decisions are being made in haste, do we jump on the
bandwagon (maybe even pushing it ourselves), or do we quietly suggest that
everyone catch their breaths and take a longer look? Do those around us feel
driven to act quickly, or do they find themselves more inclined to make
deliberate, well thought out moves?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> If, in each of these
examples, we fall into the second category, you and I may one day find
ourselves being referred to as a wise woman also. In the end, I cannot help but
think what we do ourselves is no more important than what those within our
sphere of influence are encouraged to do. After all, we’re only one. Matthew
11:19 tells us that “wisdom is justified of her children.” In other words, wisdom—or
the wise woman—is vindicated by the lives of those who follow after her, those
who act wisely themselves because of her inspiration.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Times;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Oh, Spirit of God, make me like that wise
woman!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-64701644538185432032016-09-17T18:22:00.000-07:002016-09-17T18:22:05.868-07:00One Of A Kind<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";"><o:p> </o:p></span><i><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">“That in the dispensation of the fullness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and
which are on earth; even in him:” – Eph. 1:10</span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNg2OW6JKdrlOk_4xArBXkx8ZVYQ7oq3hfH1Kog9axQRCHljd9Lv4z7N19rVs_5S-iuFOx3eo-b9CitRkJGGETqBOlOkNrD1gGH7N4VAbtevPivx8BdHprJRnb_3xIgiO7KAGnRGhNULZ/s1600/06_come_and_see_his_transfiguration.jpg__700x460_q95.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNg2OW6JKdrlOk_4xArBXkx8ZVYQ7oq3hfH1Kog9axQRCHljd9Lv4z7N19rVs_5S-iuFOx3eo-b9CitRkJGGETqBOlOkNrD1gGH7N4VAbtevPivx8BdHprJRnb_3xIgiO7KAGnRGhNULZ/s320/06_come_and_see_his_transfiguration.jpg__700x460_q95.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Jesus
Christ is one of a kind. He is not a man among men; He is THE Man among men. He
is not first among equals; He has no equals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Yesterday
was the birthday of one of my grandsons, and in my birthday greeting to him, I
pointed out that he has a brand new year in which to glorify God and brag about
Jesus. I thought about this later in the day, and it was as if the Holy Spirit
said to me, “How about you; when was the last time you “bragged” about Him? I
remembered then that I had jotted down a few notes along this line months ago,
but hadn’t done anything else with them. So here’s my attempt to “put my money
where my mouth is,” and heed my own admonition. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Jesus
Christ is the Incarnate God: </span></u><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">He
claimed it of Himself (Jno. 10:30) and was declared to be a blasphemer worthy
of death because of it (Matt. 27:63-66). Others said it of him (Matt.16:16;
Col.2:14-17); Devils knew it (Luke 4:41); and God, the Father, verified it
(Mark 9:1-8). You and I, as believers, are called “sons of God,” but He is the
only One “begotten of the Father” (Jno. 1:14). You and I are begotten into the
Kingdom of God by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ
(1Pet. 1:3); but we were born into this world with earthly fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus Christ had no earthly father. He was
born into this world by His heavenly Father. He’s One of a kind. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Jesus
Christ is the All-Sufficient Savior: </span></u><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">He
came into this world to save us and it (1 Tim. 1:15; 1Jno. 4:14). And if we
ever thought anyone else could take His place, God put that to rest when he
inspired Luke to record Peter’s words in Acts 4:12, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” </i>But not only is He
the Savior of the soul, He is the Savior of the body. Romans 8:11 gives us the
promise that the Spirit of Christ that raised Him from the dead works just as
mightily within our bodies and will one day do the same for us. And in the
meantime, during these days of sickness and pain, my mind has been directed to
the words in Isa. 53:5: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(…with his
stripes we are healed.” </i>And it is to Jesus Christ, God the Son that my
heart cries out to in times of suffering and pain, He who is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“touched with the feelings</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">of our infirmities.” </i>Oh, yes, as an
all-sufficient Savior of both soul and body, He is One of a kind!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">Finally,
<u>Jesus Christ is the Undying Friend: </u>We sometimes say that about others,
but it’s only true of Him. Our friends and loved ones who knew the Lord and are
in Heaven with Him, are alive and well, but they are “dead” to us, in that we
can no longer communicate or fellowship with them. But this is not true of
Jesus. The Son of God, whose servants we are, has deemed to call us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“friends” (John 15:15). </i>He intercedes
with the Father on our behalf (Heb. 7:25; 9:24); He has promised to never leave
or forsake us (Heb. 13:5); and He, the Word of God, has given us His infallible
written Word, as well as His Spirit within us to guide and comfort us. He will
not, He cannot, die. He is our only undying Friend. He is surely One of a kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Apple Chancery";">There.
I’ve bared my soul. I’ve tried to exalt Him as best I can…today. But it’s so
lacking, so small, so inadequate. I won’t stop trying. He’s the Man, Christ
Jesus; He’s One of a kind; and He’s my kind of Man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2614392876581069743.post-44533294190694323162016-09-11T10:24:00.000-07:002016-09-11T10:24:43.655-07:00God Is For Me!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafa1VYoBu3ocmi65hT7675zG9V1bDBhri7Va6rxBrkhhurs-fpMSXeoPFkPjknhIAAldvbbfFIz4Af3mwSuU1rwKqW3hbJl4bAUXUhbiyDCPOZ03knaPDyZ3DZ4y1hF2z-5-yMJfJBroQ/s1600/youngathletestressed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafa1VYoBu3ocmi65hT7675zG9V1bDBhri7Va6rxBrkhhurs-fpMSXeoPFkPjknhIAAldvbbfFIz4Af3mwSuU1rwKqW3hbJl4bAUXUhbiyDCPOZ03knaPDyZ3DZ4y1hF2z-5-yMJfJBroQ/s320/youngathletestressed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-layout-grid-align: none; mso-pagination: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">“When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn
back: this I know: for God is for me.” (Psalm 56:9)</span></i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">The very nature of conflict dictates that there are two opposing sides;
and if the Bible teaches anything, it is that life is a battle, a war of right
against wrong, good versus evil. Some of these battles are thrust upon us, but
a few of them we must initiate ourselves for the sake of conscience. Sometimes
we are engaged in full-scale combat, while at other times, it’s mere skirmishes
that occupy us. They’re both important, and a wise individual knows the
difference between the two.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> David was a man of
war, and whether fighting a lion or a bear or the enemies of Israel, he was
always on the right side. Therefore, he knew God was with him. He says, without
hesitation, <i>“God is for me.”</i> He was for God, and so God was for him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Remember when we were
kids and we played competitive games with two or more teams? There was always
the inevitable (and agonizing) choosing up of sides. If the captains of the
teams took turns choosing players, it was always assumed they would choose the
best players first; which meant, of course, that the poorest players were
chosen last. I know how that feels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> I’m glad God
doesn’t fill His “team” roster that way. Even though He knew I wouldn’t be the
best player in the battle of life, He chose me<i> </i>first. <i>Me!</i> For
some reason known only to Him, He just wanted me on His side (John 15:16). And
I wanted to be on His—the winning side. My part in the great battle may be
small…but I’m on the winning side; I may get wounded…but I’m on the winning
side; I may lose a few campaigns…but I <i>am </i>on the winning side!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;"> Any way you say
them, David’s words are awesome:</span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">GOD </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "baskerville old face"; font-size: 14.0pt;">is for me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is <b><i>FOR </i></b>me!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is for <b><i><u>ME</u></i></b>!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Amen, Amen, Amen!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Raven Presshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14541430920796778171noreply@blogger.com0