New Blog Post: The Word for Today - "Becoming More and More Like Him"

2 Corinthians 3:18 TLB

 

To make us more Christ-like God will use His Word, other people, and difficult circumstances. God’s Word provides the truth we need to know, God’s people provide the support we need to grow, and difficult circumstances provide the environment we need to show Christ-likeness. If you apply God’s Word, connect regularly with other believer’s and learn to trust God in every situation, you will become more like Jesus. Count on it; it will happen! You say:

1. ‘Some days I wonder if I’ll ever get there’ Spiritual maturity is neither automatic nor guaranteed. It’s a gradual, progressive development that will require commitment and discipline. ‘This will continue until we are …. Mature, just as Christ is…’ (Ephesians 4:13 CEV). Even when you falter and fail, God will be faithful to you. He is committed to your spiritual growth as long as you are!

2.    ‘Sometimes I wonder if I’ve chosen the right career.’ All of us have times of doubt and confusion. Don’t worry about it. God’s more concerned about your character than your career, because you’ll take your character into eternity with you. The Bible says: ‘Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out… Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to it’s level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you’ (Romans 12:2 TM). Every day you must make a decision, a counter-cultural decision to focus on becoming like Jesus. As you do, God’s indwelling Spirit will empower you to carry it out.

New Blog Post: "Streams In The Desert" – L. B. Cowan

Reckon, it nothing but joy wherever you find yourself hedged in by the various trials, be assured that the testing of your faith leads to power of endurance.

(James 1:2-3 WEYMOUTH)

God hedges in His own in order to protect them. Yet often they only see the wrong side of the hedge and therefore misunderstand His actions. And so it was with Job when he asked, “Why is life given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?” (Job 3:23). Ah, but Satan knew the value of that hedge! He challenged the LORD saying, “Have you not put a hedge around (Job) and his household and everything he has?” (Job 1:10).

Onto the pages of every trial there are narrow shafts of light that shine. Thorns will not prick you until you lean against them, and not one will touch you without God knowing. The words that hurt you, the letter that caused you pain, the cruelty of your closet friend, your financial need – they are all known to Him. He sympathizes as no one else can and watches to see if through it all, you will dare to trust Him completely.

The hawthorn hedge that keeps us from intruding,

Looks very fierce and bare.

When stripped by winter, every branch protruding

Its thorns that would wound and tear.

But springtime comes; and like the rod that budded,

Each twig breaks out in green;

And cushions soft and tender leaves are studded,

When spines alone were seen.

The sorrows, that to us seem so perplexing,

And mercies kindly sent

To guard our wayward souls from sadder vexing,

And greater ills prevent.

To save us from the pit, no screen of roses

Would serve for our defense.

And hindrance that completely interposes

Stings back like thorny fence.

At first when smarting from the shock, complaining

Of wounds that freely bleed,

God’s hedges of severity us paining,

May seem severe indeed.

But afterwards, God’s blessed springtime cometh,

And bitter murmurs cease;

The sharp severity that pierced us bloometh,

And yields the fruits of peace.

Then let us sing, our guarded way thus wending

Life’s hidden snares among,

Of mercy and of judgment sweetly blending;

Earth’s sad, but lovely song.

New Blog Post: Streams In The Desert – L. B. Cowan

 Isaiah 40:1 Comfort, comfort my people, says Your God.

Store up comfort. This was the prophet Isaiah’s mission. The world is full of hurting and comfortless hearts. But before you will be competent for this lofty ministry, you must be trained. And your training is extremely costly, for to make it complete, you too must endure the same afflictions that are wringing countless hearts of tears and blood. Consequently, your own life becomes the hospital ward where you are taught the divine art of comfort. You will be wounded by the Great Physician; you may learn how to render first aid to the wounded everywhere. Do you wonder why you are having to experience some great sorrow? Over the next ten years you will find many others afflicted in the same way. You will tell them how you suffered and were comforted. As the story unfolds. God will apply the anesthetic He once used on you to them. Then in the eager look followed by the of hope that chases the shadow of despair from the soul, you will know why you were afflicted. And you will bless God for the discipline that filled your life with such a treasure of experience and helpfulness. selected

God comforts us not to make us comfortable but to me us comforters.

John Henry Jowett