Bullet of Wisdom: Aging
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them — Ecclesiastes 12:1
We can’t choose to age – God made the choice for us – but we can choose how to respond to the process. Think of it, the Lord put far more expectations into age than He did youth. Robert Browning wrote, “I summon age, to claim youth’s heritage!” The older we get “in Christ” the younger we get “in power.” As Paul said in II Corinthians 4:16, “Our outer man wastes away but the inner man is renewed day by day.” The mature Christian eagerly welcomes growing older for it takes him deeper in Christ and closer to the dawn of his eternal youth. As my dear mentor, J. Sidlow Baxter, said at age 94 … “Except for a few growing physical hindrances old (age) is wonderful … I wouldn’t have missed if for the world!”
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Prayer for the Vice President
I was invited to give the opening prayer for a luncheon in Springdale, Arkansas, July 24, 2006, where the Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, was the guest speaker. Here is the text of the prayer I wrote for the occasion.
Father Creator- I offer this prayer for myself in the name of your Son … and for all my friends here in whatever way they recognize there is a God in Heaven.
First, I ask You to forgive all of us of our sad ignorance about the values, sacrifices, and forces that brought our nation into existence. Let us be honest enough to admit that for too many of us the bump of knowledge on our heads concerning the wondrous founding of our nation is a dent! Help us to be true students of the miracle of the United States of America in the long history of mankind.
Secondly, thank You today for the presence of our Vice President. Enable him in his strategic position to be a leader of highest vision and deepest truth. We ask the same for our President, our national and state leaders, and especially for our military leaders as they serve in harms way. From the highest rank to the lowest may they serve with strength and integrity.
Third, we joyfully thank You for Asa and Susan and their willingness and call to pay the hard price of positive and pure public service. We love them, Father, and ask Your full measure of blessing and promotion on their lives as You will.
Lastly, give this audience today a richer vision for our country. Save all of our truly noble citizens from being captured by the liberal left or captured by the conservative right but rather make them captive to being centered on liberating truth that is both self-evident and derived from our Creator.
Teach our people that we cannot build a free nation if it is an immoral nation. With all our national faults, Father, enable us to take our true message to the Middle East and to the rest of the world.
We say with the Psalmist…”Let us run in the way of Your commandments so that we can enlarge our hearts.”
We ask that our hearts be enlarged as we enjoy this gathering. May we hear well – respond well – do well – and love well – the true American Vision!
AMEN
I was invited to give the opening prayer for a luncheon in Springdale, Arkansas, July 24, 2006, where the Vice President of the United States, Richard B. Cheney, was the guest speaker. Here is the text of the prayer I wrote for the occasion.
Father Creator- I offer this prayer for myself in the name of your Son … and for all my friends here in whatever way they recognize there is a God in Heaven.
First, I ask You to forgive all of us of our sad ignorance about the values, sacrifices, and forces that brought our nation into existence. Let us be honest enough to admit that for too many of us the bump of knowledge on our heads concerning the wondrous founding of our nation is a dent! Help us to be true students of the miracle of the United States of America in the long history of mankind.
Secondly, thank You today for the presence of our Vice President. Enable him in his strategic position to be a leader of highest vision and deepest truth. We ask the same for our President, our national and state leaders, and especially for our military leaders as they serve in harms way. From the highest rank to the lowest may they serve with strength and integrity.
Third, we joyfully thank You for Asa and Susan and their willingness and call to pay the hard price of positive and pure public service. We love them, Father, and ask Your full measure of blessing and promotion on their lives as You will.
Lastly, give this audience today a richer vision for our country. Save all of our truly noble citizens from being captured by the liberal left or captured by the conservative right but rather make them captive to being centered on liberating truth that is both self-evident and derived from our Creator.
Teach our people that we cannot build a free nation if it is an immoral nation. With all our national faults, Father, enable us to take our true message to the Middle East and to the rest of the world.
We say with the Psalmist…”Let us run in the way of Your commandments so that we can enlarge our hearts.”
We ask that our hearts be enlarged as we enjoy this gathering. May we hear well – respond well – do well – and love well – the true American Vision!
AMEN
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Bullet of Praise: The Bottom Line
“The bottom line” is a bedrock conversation phrase in the financial world but it is just as critical for the “Becoming in Christ Believer”. What is “the bottom line” for your relationship with Christ Jesus? The best way to measure how close you are coming to the Savior is praise!
You know you are sharing Christ’s triumph when you find yourself in high praise regardless of your circumstances! Turning the best and worst events of your life into praise means you’ve won with Him, no matter what you have lost (or gained) on earth! As my dear, departed friend, Mickey Bonner, so beautifully put it … “a man’s maturity in Christ is revealed by his level of praise during his time of hardest testing.”
To see this happening in you life puts the words of the Psalmist in your heart … “May the high praise of God be in my mouth.”(Psalm 149:6) This is the only place in Hebrew Scriptures “high praise” is used. The entire Psalm (only nine verses) is a sweep of creation (1-3), salvation (4-6), celebration (7-9a), and exaltation (9b). This Psalm suggests there are three levels of celebration … joy, praise, and high praise!
Praise is bottom line stuff if one is serious about the Master. In fact, His presence with us is most clearly revealed to others by the magnitude of the praise within us!
“The bottom line” is a bedrock conversation phrase in the financial world but it is just as critical for the “Becoming in Christ Believer”. What is “the bottom line” for your relationship with Christ Jesus? The best way to measure how close you are coming to the Savior is praise!
You know you are sharing Christ’s triumph when you find yourself in high praise regardless of your circumstances! Turning the best and worst events of your life into praise means you’ve won with Him, no matter what you have lost (or gained) on earth! As my dear, departed friend, Mickey Bonner, so beautifully put it … “a man’s maturity in Christ is revealed by his level of praise during his time of hardest testing.”
To see this happening in you life puts the words of the Psalmist in your heart … “May the high praise of God be in my mouth.”(Psalm 149:6) This is the only place in Hebrew Scriptures “high praise” is used. The entire Psalm (only nine verses) is a sweep of creation (1-3), salvation (4-6), celebration (7-9a), and exaltation (9b). This Psalm suggests there are three levels of celebration … joy, praise, and high praise!
Praise is bottom line stuff if one is serious about the Master. In fact, His presence with us is most clearly revealed to others by the magnitude of the praise within us!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Thursday, July 13, 2006
The Bullet of Wisdom: I Corinthians 1:30
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
The Lord lifted me recently with I Corinthians 1:30. It is only in Christ we have the wisdom that 1) conquers our blindness (righteousness), 2) completes our inadequacies (holiness), and 3) covers our failures (redemption). What a praise that He would do that for the likes of us!
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
I Corinthians 1:30
The Lord lifted me recently with I Corinthians 1:30. It is only in Christ we have the wisdom that 1) conquers our blindness (righteousness), 2) completes our inadequacies (holiness), and 3) covers our failures (redemption). What a praise that He would do that for the likes of us!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The Bullet of Understanding
Understand you live in a broken world that constantly pressures you and knocks you down.
Only Answer: Keep getting up … Christ will enable you if you start! (II Corinthians 4:1, 16-18)
Understand that death to the secondary things make you alive to the best things.
Only Answer: Seek the Cross … Christ will enable you if you start! (John 12:23-26)
Understand that failure is inevitable to every person, but that doesn’t mean you are a failure.
Only Answer: Accept your sin and weakness … Forgive yourself! Christ will enable you if you start! ((Hebrews 10:14-14)
Understand the wounds and suffering of life, which cannot be escaped, will either defeat us by deceit or direct us to truth.
Only Answer: Endure whatever comes … Don’t quit! Christ will enable you if you start! (Romans 5:1-5)
Understand that all human beings (including you) are flawed and partial people. They will all disappoint you, hurt you, and be inadequate for you. You will do the same to yourself.
Only answer: Fill in their gaps (and yours) with the wisdom and power of God’s forgiveness. Christ will enable you if you start! (Ephesians 4:29-32)
Understand that praise (worship) is your ultimate strength against depression, aimlessness, weariness, and insignificance. His presence will be sovereign over you if you praise Him.
Only Answer: Praise Him continually, especially in the non-praise situations. Christ will enable you if you start! (Psalm 149:6)
Understand that you must practice and become continuously proficient in putting every experience of your life … good or bad, victorious or catastrophic … in Christ. There is no other “balance!”
Only Answer: Discover the hidden promises of God … dig! Christ will enable you if you start! (Colossians 2:1-8)
Understand God’s purpose on this fallen and broken world. Life is hard … very hard. Most try to escape the reality of it, but God must make us face hardness if we are to be trained in Christ’s likeness and become His warriors in spiritual combat!
Only Answer: You must learn to see everything … everything … from God’s point of view. Be eager and ready for problems and learn to process truth quickly! Christ will enable you if you start! (II Corinthians 5:13-21)
Understand that joy … indescribable joy … is possible on earth, but it is a gift of God and not experienced or achieved by anything we do. It is a gift only for those who please God. It is greater than happiness. Life is boring, meaningless, and sad without God’s kind of joy.
Only Answer: Finding God’s joy is the true source of overcoming-strength! Christ will enable you if you start! (John 10:7-10; 15:11; 16:33)
Understand you live in a broken world that constantly pressures you and knocks you down.
Only Answer: Keep getting up … Christ will enable you if you start! (II Corinthians 4:1, 16-18)
Understand that death to the secondary things make you alive to the best things.
Only Answer: Seek the Cross … Christ will enable you if you start! (John 12:23-26)
Understand that failure is inevitable to every person, but that doesn’t mean you are a failure.
Only Answer: Accept your sin and weakness … Forgive yourself! Christ will enable you if you start! ((Hebrews 10:14-14)
Understand the wounds and suffering of life, which cannot be escaped, will either defeat us by deceit or direct us to truth.
Only Answer: Endure whatever comes … Don’t quit! Christ will enable you if you start! (Romans 5:1-5)
Understand that all human beings (including you) are flawed and partial people. They will all disappoint you, hurt you, and be inadequate for you. You will do the same to yourself.
Only answer: Fill in their gaps (and yours) with the wisdom and power of God’s forgiveness. Christ will enable you if you start! (Ephesians 4:29-32)
Understand that praise (worship) is your ultimate strength against depression, aimlessness, weariness, and insignificance. His presence will be sovereign over you if you praise Him.
Only Answer: Praise Him continually, especially in the non-praise situations. Christ will enable you if you start! (Psalm 149:6)
Understand that you must practice and become continuously proficient in putting every experience of your life … good or bad, victorious or catastrophic … in Christ. There is no other “balance!”
Only Answer: Discover the hidden promises of God … dig! Christ will enable you if you start! (Colossians 2:1-8)
Understand God’s purpose on this fallen and broken world. Life is hard … very hard. Most try to escape the reality of it, but God must make us face hardness if we are to be trained in Christ’s likeness and become His warriors in spiritual combat!
Only Answer: You must learn to see everything … everything … from God’s point of view. Be eager and ready for problems and learn to process truth quickly! Christ will enable you if you start! (II Corinthians 5:13-21)
Understand that joy … indescribable joy … is possible on earth, but it is a gift of God and not experienced or achieved by anything we do. It is a gift only for those who please God. It is greater than happiness. Life is boring, meaningless, and sad without God’s kind of joy.
Only Answer: Finding God’s joy is the true source of overcoming-strength! Christ will enable you if you start! (John 10:7-10; 15:11; 16:33)
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)