Tag Archive - Christ

Jesus Calling

June 8, 2011 in Blog, Christianity with 1 Comment

My girlfriend and I recently started working through a devotional called Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence. Before I left for the summer, I wanted to find a devotional book that we could go through together. This was the one I found that wasn’t just a “happy” devotional. It’s totally based on Scripture, and for just being two paragraphs, it’s really great. It’s written as if it were Jesus speaking to you. I just started it last Saturday, and below is the entry from that day. It really meant a lot to me, and I wanted to share it with you.

Welcome challenging times as opportunities to trust Me. You have Me beside you and My Spirit within you, so no set of circumstances is too much for you to handle. When the path before you is dotted with difficulties, beware of measuring your strength against those challenges. That calculation is certain to riddle you with anxiety. Without Me, you wouldn’t make it past the first hurdle!

The way to walk through demanding days is to grip My hand tightly and stay in close communication with Me. Let your thoughts and spoken words be richly flavored with trust and thankfulness. Regardless of the days problems, I can keep you in perfect Peace as you stay close to Me.

Sometimes the greatest truths are the ones that should be the most obvious. We can’t make it through a day on our own. The way to walk is to grip His hand. Be trusting and thankful today. See things change.

Crushed: Part 3, Sin and Death

April 4, 2010 in Blog, Christianity with 0 Comments

“HE IS RISEN!” Can you imagine the confusion the disciples experienced when Mary came running into the room screaming that? Can you imagine the overwhelming joy they experienced when they discovered it was true? It’s overwhelming to even think about. The disciples had lost all hope, but now they were filled with a “living hope!” Christ was risen!

Exciting though His resurrection was, the promise it is to us is even more exciting. Scripture says:

For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

-Romans 5:10 (NIV)

Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God.

-Romans 6:10 (NCV)

Christ has crushed the power of sin and death for us. No more do we have to live under its power. We have victory over it. Hell couldn’t hold Christ in His tomb. Hell can’t hold you in the tomb of your sin either. The same spirit that empowered Christ’s earthly work empowers you to live a resurrected life of victory over Satan. I don’t know about you, but that makes me pretty excited.

Live this week, this month, this year in his freeing power. Let his spirit set you free from the grip of sin. You can live free. All you have to do is ask.

My favorite song on Easter is the song “In Christ Alone.” I want to leave you with the closing lyrics, but I’d also encourage you to go and find the full song. It’s powerful like you can’t imagine.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

-Lyrics of In Christ Alone

O Book Review: Plan A

January 13, 2010 in Blog, Everything with 0 Comments

Overview:
You Are God’s Plan A {and There’s No Plan B} has a simple purpose. It’s designed to be a reminder of God’s “Plan A”- you and me. The author, Dwight Robertson, states that God’s Plan A is for us to be laborers for him- disciples in action. He repeatedly comments that God never called for professional ministers, but instead for laborers to influence the world right where they are. He believes the fate of the world depends on it.

Originality:
Dwight definitely presents some great content in Plan A. He desires to see God’s Kingdom established on earth today, and writes with that passion in mind. Some of the thoughts are thoughts I had heard, read, or thought myself before, but he puts them in a different light and presentation that makes them new and fresh again.

Overall Readablity:
You need not have any concerns here about readability. Plan A is extremely enjoyable and has a low entry point into the way it is written. The author does assume some familiarity with “Christian-ese”, but as this is a book written by a Christian for Christians, that is naturally to be expected. The book uses many stories to communicate its points which works very well, even more so than I’ve seen in many other texts.

Outstanding Quotation:

In reality then, your story is powerful because it’s an expression of his story. People can argue with logic and information … But no one can argue with your story!

- p. 93

Observations:
While it is a short read at around 150 pages, Dwight manages to cram a lot of good content into those few pages. I especially connect with his emphasis on us as laborers of Christ- not to glorify ourselves and make ourselves more famous, but to make God more famous. I loved the book, as evidenced by the amount of underlining I did. (For me, more underlines=better book.)

Own It:
I think so. It’s a good read for you, and it’s great to lend out to others as well. This is one that should find a place on your shelf.

O Book Reviews Rating:
4/5 stars

Full Disclosure:
This book was provided to me (and the entire student body) at no cost by Indiana Wesleyan University and Kingdom Building Ministries.

Note: The version of Plan A I read was a copy self-published by Kingdom Building Ministries in 2006. The book is being re-released in March 2010 by David C. Cook.

Haiti

January 13, 2010 in Blog, Everything with 1 Comment

5- The hour an earthquake struck the nation of Haiti.
6- The number of hospitals in the city of Port-au-Prince prior to the quake. It is unknown how many of these remain operational.
7.0- The magnitude of the catastrophic quake.
200- How many years it has been since a quake of this magnitude has been recorded in Haiti.
30,000 to 500,000- The number feared dead due to this quake, according to Haitian officials.
2,000,000- The number of residents of Port-au-Prince, the capital city and the city most affected by the quake.
3,000,000- The estimated number of Haitians the Red Cross is currently estimating need aid. This number may be higher.

I don’t know about you, but those numbers overwhelm me. I cannot even begin to fathom the destruction of human life and property. This quake has been called by some the worst natural disaster in the Western Hemisphere in over 100 years. The images (warning: very graphic) emerging from the nation are astounding. The nation’s infrastructure was already weak before this catastrophe. Now it’s in a state of chaos. No hospitals, no phones, no electricity, no clean water, no food, no transportation. Their president doesn’t even have a place to sleep tonight.

They need us as Christians to step up and spread the love and compassion of Christ. Right now more than ever we have an unprecedented opportunity to say with our giving, “God loves you.” I have literally spent time weeping today over the loss of life. Thousands of people are dead. People who haven’t lived a life of privilege like we have here in America, but people who have spent their lives in poverty.

Scripture calls us to this work. We cannot ignore it. One of my favorite passages of Scripture reads:

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him…

Isaiah 58:6-7

The following organizations, and many more, are accepting donations for Haiti relief. Please consider taking part in this effort. Literally every penny can change the life of a Haitian without a home.

Care
Compassion
Mercy Ships
Red Cross- Visit redcross.org or text HAITI to 90999 to donate $10
Samaritan’s Purse
UNICEF
World Vision
Yele Haiti- Visit yele.org or text YELE to 501501 to donate $5

The Leftovers

April 8, 2009 in Blog, Everything with 0 Comments

Today, I ran across one verse in three different places.  Typically, that means I’m supposed to be paying attention to something.  There’s something important God is trying to show me.  So here’s what I read:

“Our children will also serve him.  Future generations will hear about the wonders of the Lord.  His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born.  They will hear about everything he has done.” Psalm 22:30-31

In the 4th century AD, a man named Eusebius (wacko Roman names) wrote a book titled The History of the Church.  He wrote every single thing down that happened to the early Roman church.  Persecution, growth, penalties, doctrines.  It was all in there.  To this day, it’s still the most respected source of extra-Biblical early church history.  Eusebius left a manuscript behind for those not yet born.  He told us about everything God did for them.

We’re called to do the same.  We’re called to leave a legacy for those that aren’t even born yet.  Over 1500 years later, we’re still reading Eusebius’ history of the church.  Will people still care about anything I’ve done or affected in 1500 years?  It’s not not necessarily about me- it’s about letting Christ work through me.  I don’t care if people remember me in 1500 years.  I care about if they know Christ more because of the life God empowered me to live.

We all leave something behind.  I want to leave a better world.  A healthier world.  A more responsible world.  A greener world.    A more Christlike world.  What’ll be left over when you leave?