...but with the precious blood of Christ

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;* set your hope* fully on the grace to be given you* when Jesus Christ is revealed.* 14 As obedient* children, do not conform* to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.* 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;* 16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."* *
17 Since you call on a Father* who judges each man's work* impartially,* live your lives as strangers* here in reverent fear.* 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed* from the empty way of life* handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood* of Christ, a lamb* without blemish or defect.* 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world,* but was revealed in these last times* for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God,* who raised him from the dead* and glorified him,* and so your faith and hope* are in God.
22 Now that you have purified* yourselves by obeying* the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply,* from the heart.* 23 For you have been born again,* not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,* through the living and enduring word of God.* 24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord stands forever."* * And this is the word that was preached to you.

1 Peter 2



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad mini

Anyway

Anyway
January 20, 2013 By Frank Viola
People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.

Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.

Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.

Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.

Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

Build anyway.

April's Bday Party

People need help but will attack you if you help them.

Help them anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway.
~ Kent Keith, made famous by Mother Teresa*
* Kent Keith originated this poem in 1968, and Mother Teresa placed it on her children’s home in Calcutta in a slightly different version. As a result, many have attributed it to her.




-
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad mini

Book Review: Who is this Man? by Ortburg

 Last month I finished Who Is This Man by John Ortburg on audio. And last week I listened to it again. It must be one of the best books I've ever read on the historical life of Jesus of Nazareth and the world-wide, eternal impact of Jesus the Christ.

Honestly, I tend to not finish the majority of books I start. I loose interest, or I get the main point and skip around for the supporting points and I'm on to another one. (Habits I learned in college, I guess.) I also tend to read several books at once. (A product of my short attention span, I'm sure.) But something in Ortburg's book grabbed hold of me like seeing a beautiful sunset after being blind all my life. I found myself saying out-loud several times, "How 'come I never knew that?!?"

The scope of this book is so broad but still so well organized. There are no gaps. No page fillers. No over-your head theology. No ongoing anecdotes. Just pure, page-turning, life-changing facts about Jesus Christ and the world He changed, the world we live in. By becoming "like one of the children" and coming to "do the Father's will," God changed not only the fallen nature of mankind but every single area of human existence. Medicine. Economics. Charity. Civil-rights. Women's rights. Politics. You name it. It's all vastly different than it would be had God not stepped foot on the Earth He created.

Finally, and most importantly to me, Ortburg leaves you asking yourself, if you've never done so, "What IF this man truly is the Son of God?!" He does this without an alter call in a book method. It's more subtle, and so powerful. It's just hard to deny the touch of the divine, given the scope of impact on the world. And once you take a close look at that touch, you realize it is at its core a touch of love on the human heart. 

Jesus was not just "a man" in "the right place at the right time" in history. There's just no way. Jesus IS in fact the Son of God, born of a virgin, creator of all things. Yet he voluntarily humbled Himself to death. Jesus did in fact come to save us from our sins and give us new LIFE in Him. 

Who is this man? 

HE is the Savior, Redeemer, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, and Lord of Lords. Jesus IS the Christ. 

Check it out. Great, great book.  Your Faith will likely grow. At least mine sure did. 

http://www.amazon.com/Who-This-Man-Unpredictable-Inescapable/dp/0310275946

Love the way this is written in The Message.

4 1-2 Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don’t have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn’t yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.

2-3 You wouldn’t think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you’d be asking for what you have no right to. You’re spoiled children, each wanting your own way.

4-6 You’re cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn’t care? The proverb has it that “he’s a fiercely jealous lover.” And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you’ll find. It’s common knowledge that “God goes against the willful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.”

7-10 So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

11-12 Don’t bad-mouth each other, friends. It’s God’s Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You’re supposed to be honoring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

- Letter from James



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad mini

The will of God is not one single track that you have to stay on.

A few nights ago we had some guests in our house and we began to talk about how to know the perfect will of God. I began to recall the main idea that changed my view of the will of God in Frank Viola's book "Rethinking the will of God" - Found online for free here http://frankviola.org/rethinkingthewill.pdf

Here is how Chapter 1 starts:

"CHAPTER 1
GETTING STUCK ON A TRAIN TRACK
I would like to take dead aim at a doctrine that is very popular among Christians today. It is the doctrine that teaches that God has a wonderful, detailed plan for your life. He has a perfect will for every individual Christian that encompasses every decision they will ever make.

That perfect will is like a train track. If you miss God‘s perfect will, you are going to end up in a really bad place. The way that you discover God‘s will is by reading your Bible, following inward impressions (usually in the form of ―checks‖ or ―stirrings‖), and decoding outward signs.

I challenge this idea on several counts.

The Doctrine is Not Biblical

First of all, you cannot find Biblical support for this doctrine. The idea that God has a unique, detailed, prescribed plan for every individual believer does not exist in Scripture.

The phrase, the will of God, is used in four different senses throughout the Bible. They are as follows (see the Appendix for Scripture references):"
But before chapter 1 Frank tells a story, a true story of a man trying desperately to know God's perfect will.

This truly is a really great short book. All 66 pages are located online here http://frankviola.org/rethinkingthewill.pdf. If you're like me and have heard the very common teaching on knowing the perfect will of God this will rock and change your world.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad mini