"There I sank to my knees. I had reached my destination. I was ready to meet the source of the summons that had disturbed my rest. I was in a posture of prayer, but I had nothing to say.  I knelt there quietly, allowing the sense of the presence of a holy God to fill me. The beat of my heart was telltale, a thump-thump against my chest. An icy chill started at the base of my spine and crept up my neck. Fear swept over me.  I fought the impulse to run from the foreboding presence that gripped me.
The terror passed, but soon it was followed by another wave. This wave was
different. It flooded my soul with unspeakable peace, a peace that brought instant rest and repose to my troubled spirit. At once I was comfortable. I wanted to linger there. To say nothing. To do nothing. Simply to bask in the presence of God.
That moment was life transforming."

From "The Holiness of God" by R.C. Sproul Chapter 1

Hoping to start consistently blogging, we'll see how it goes. Blessings!

You never,never,never,never outgrow the Gospel

Rereading "When sinners say 'I do' by Dave Harvey

I am rereading a book on marriage I think everyone who is married or plans on one day being married should read. Here is a sample paragraph from the end of chapter one:

"Could it be that you and your beloved are actually sinner? Then this book is for you! And can it be that God already knows you are sinners, yet gives you everything you need to build a thriving marriage anyway? God is completely, totally, enthusiasically supportive of your every effort to build a strong, God-glorifying marriage. He wants us to delight in marriage. He wants to make it strong, make it stick, and make it sweet." Dave Harvey -When sinners say "I do".

There is a ton of good,solid biblical advise that points couples to a sweet, intimate God-honoring marriage. I highly recommend it.

1st John 2:3-6

3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. 1st John 2:3-6 ESV


The test of knowing Him

These verses are a test to see if we living out true christian faith. These verses are in agreement with the book of James. Its the difference between professing christians and possessing christians. Don't mistake these verses for legalism, its more of a personal inventory to see if your live reflects what you say you believe. Jesus says in the Gospels that His commands are not burdensome. Obedience flows from a grateful heart, a heart that is Spirit filled.

Do a heart check, walk in the light, read the Word, and praise Him for all He has done. Lets go against the flow and be radical followers of Christ who love God and love others unlike anything this world has ever seen.

1st John 2:1-2

Christ Our Advocate
2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. ESV

John is writing to Christians. He is trying to encourage us in our walk. Sin, I think sometimes we forget what an ugly thing it is. We try to soften it by calling it other things like "I made a mistake, or I blew it, or its just a white lie." Or we try to justify "everybody goes over the speed limit, or 'yeah, right, like the software police are going to break into our house and bust us' or its just some small supplies nobody will miss them."

God hates sin. We should be honest with ourselves about the sin in our own lives ( we do it every day) and hate it as well.

Sin can make us feel helpless or hopeless. "I've done it again, what a hopeless mess I am." But we must remember verse 2. We have an Advocate with the Father (whose wrath we all deserve), Jesus Christ the righteous, and He Himself is our propitiation (means appeasement or satisfaction) for our sins and mankind in general (don't mistake this for universalism, this verse isn't teaching that everybody in the world gets saved). What fantastic good news this is for us. Jesus paid it all He has made things right for us with the Father.

So next time the Devil comes around with his accusing finger wagging in your face remember we have been forgiven. With that being said still keep short accounts with God when you sin, admit it to Him. He already knows about it anyhow. But confess it to Him, apologize and ask for grace and help in your battle with sin. Ask for a daily indwelling (filling) of the Holy Spirit, read your Bible daily, and pray.

Inital thoughts on 1st John 1:8-10

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1stJohn1:8-10

How often it is that we Christians like to act like we don't sin or if we do admit our sin we treat it lightly with cheap grace. These verses from 1st John are so powerful. Verse 8 is all about keeping it real. We need to admit daily we sin, its like Pastor John Piper says "I have to preach the Gospel to myself every day". This verse is speaking in the present tense as is v9, I need to get real with God everyday, I don't want to deceive myself into thinking I'm something I'm not. I need the truth in me. Verse 9 offers so much hope. I know I'm going to screw up and I can't hide so I must be honest. He promises if we confess to him where we screw up He will forgive us. I want that forgiveness, I need that forgiveness. V10 is so powerful as well, If I lie and say I don't sin or haven't sinned I make Him a liar and His word isn't in me. Wow, calling God a liar, that is the last thing I want to do.
There is so much in this little 5 chapter book, its got a lot of theology in it. I'm so thankful I can go to the throne of grace and receive mercy.