Tuesday, April 10, 2012 7:31:57 AM
Narrabri, 365
Very cool and breezy today. I have sore legs from yesterday's exertions so between sore muscles and high winds, the bike did not appeal at all. A leisurely stroll around the lake was the preferred exercise.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 5:46:45 AM
faith, easter
Easter is a celebration of a God who gave it all for His people. God sent His own Son into the world for the purpose of being sacrificed for our redemption.
That thought should cause us to tremble in adoration. As Philippians 2:6-8 says "
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Jesus, the divine Son of God, the only Son, gave Himself up for me. He made himself nothing.
There is only one response to that kind of love. I must give everything back to Him.
The gospel does not leave us the option of mere intellectual belief. The knowledge of this self-giving God should grab my heart and leave me desperate to know Him more and to serve Him with every part of my life.
Similarly we cannot afford to just have faith as an "add-on" part of our lives, squeezed into a busy lifestyle like some kind of benign hobby.
Resurrection comes via the cross. New Life starts with dying to ourselves.
It's time. If you have never given everything over to Jesus, then decide to do it now.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 12:16:15 AM
reflection, psalms, bible
Unity
Harmony
Nice idea
Good theory
I love the Lord
But he is so whacky
And she is so weird
This church is liberal
That church is blind
Lord open my heart
Let me see the image of God
And the life of Christ
In every believer.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 12:15:11 AM
Acts, reflection, bible
Scripture
The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and God's blessing was on them all.
Observation
There is great unity in the early life of the church. The believers act like a family in which nothing is held back.
The apostles preach powerfully of the the resurrection and the needs of all the believers are met by sacrificial giving.
Application
A fully functioning church has both a powerful message of the risen Lord and a community of believers whose lives are so changed that they give everything. The result is that lives are changed spiritually and physically.
This sort of radical lifestyle change is totally foreign to our culture as it challenges our secular and individualistic theories about how to live.
It is impossible to achieve this except by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Prayer
Lord you intend tour church to be more family than institution, more lifestyle than country club. Please show me what it means to live in true community with my brothers and sisters. Amen.
April 2013June 2013
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