The Word of God Does Not Return Void!

 "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose." Isaiah 46:10

The first missionary to Korea, Robert J. Thomas, was ordained on June 4, 1863, at a little church in Hanover, Wales. He and his wife left in July, sent by the London Missionary Society, arriving at Shanghai, China. His wife died soon after arrival. In 1866, having evangelized for a few months in Korea and learning the language, Thomas rode the American ship, General Sherman, along the Taedong River (where the capital of North Korea is today). The Sherman became grounded on a sandbar. The Korean soldiers on shore were suspicious and scared. They boarded the ship waving long, flashing knives. When Thomas saw that he was going to be killed, he held out the Korean Bible to them saying, "Jesus, Jesus." His head was cut off. Twenty-five years after Thomas' death, someone discovered a little guest house in this area with some strange wallpaper. The paper had Korean characters printed on it. The owner of the house explained that he had used the pages of this book to paste on the wall to preserve the writing. Not only the owner, but many of the guests would come in and stay to "read the walls." This was the Bible that Thomas had given to his murderers.   Voice of the Martyrs, August 1997

Please pray!

Please keep me in your prayers as I consider joining a TIMO team that will, Lord willing, be heading to Tanzania in 2012!

Finish the Mission!

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you! Psalm 67:5

Child of God, You Have a Beautiful Portion - a Beautiful Portion FOREVER!

"Our God is a safe portion, a secure portion. He is a portion that no one can rob you of. He is a portion that none can touch or take from you. He is a portion that none can cheat or spoil you of. God is such a portion, that no friend, no foe, and no devil can ever rob a Christian of. O Christians, God is so yours in Christ, and so yours by covenant, and so yours by promise, and so yours by purchase, and so yours by conquest, and so yours by marriage union and communion, and so yours by the earnest of the Spirit, and so yours by the feelings and witnessings of the Spirit, that no power or policy on earth can ever pilfer your portion, or cheat, or rob you of your portion. He is not only our God for the present, O no! He will be our God for ever and ever. If God be once your portion, he will be forever your portion."

Thomas Brooks, cited in Voices From the Past: Puritan Devotional Readings

Christ, Our Eternal Joy and Hope

Right now I'm on Easter Holiday in Kenya, visiting Kibera, the largest slums in Africa ( http://old.aimint.org/can/story/mother_of_hope.html)
My mind is processing all I saw today. But I return with a deeper understanding of HOPE. Christ is our only hope. . . Christ is Kibera's only hope!

Our future with Christ transforms how we view the present. Our joy isn't chained to our relational status, television size, or health because we know that this life is a passing mist that will soon be burned away by the glory of heaven. We can patiently endure heartaches and headaches because we know that glory is coming. Thomas Watson said, "Whatever change or trouble a child of God meets with, it is all the hell he shall have." We may have trouble now, but it is all the trouble we will ever have. We may have sorrow now, but it is all the sorrow we will ever have. We may be under pressure now, but it is all the pressure we will ever have. Eternal life is ours, and the prospect of eternal joy fuels our present joy.

--Stephen Altrogge, from "The Greener Grass Conspiracy"

Come

Come.

I cannot stop thinking about this word.

Come.



It is such a precious and beautiful summon when said by Jesus.

Our Sustenance: "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger. . . "

Our Acceptance, our Surety: "All that the Father gives to me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out."

Our Fountain of Livng Water: "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink."

Our Rest: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Our Merciful, Compassionate Father: "Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."

Our Treasure: "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."

Our Crucified Savior: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."

Jesus came. . . now sinners can come!

"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

Jesus Christ came, and as Spurgeon says: "[God] took the cup of Christ's agony, and he put in there, suffering, misery, and anguish such as only God can imagine or dream of, that was the exact equivalent for all the suffering, all the woe, and all the eternal tortures of every one that shall at last stand in heaven, bought with the blood of Christ. And you say, 'Did Christ drink it all to its dregs?' Did he suffer it all? Yes, my brethren, he took the cup, and 'At one triumphant draught of love, He drank damnation dry.'"

Thank you, Jesus, for coming!

Since you came, I can come to you.

Since you came, let your blood, O Lamb, plead for me!

Since you came, hear me, dear Father - for Jesus' sake - when I come to you!

Since you came, I can hope! Come, Lord Jesus!

"The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price."
Revelation 22:17

“‘Come unto me,’ he says, ‘and I will give you.’ You say, ‘Lord, I cannot give you anything.’ He does not want anything. Come to Jesus, and he says, ‘I will give you.’ Not what you give to God, but what he gives to you, will be your salvation. ‘I will give you‘ — that is the gospel in four words. Will you come and have it? It lies open before you.” -Spurgeon

He is so precious, so priceless. Come to Jesus. Cherish him, adore him, treasure him, esteem him, prize him, pour your heart before him, and hope in him this day and forevermore. By your mercy, dear Jesus, bid us to come.

Take My Life; Self-Examination and Surrender to Christ

Some really helpful, thought provoking questions that Nancy Leigh DeMoss poses in her book "Surrender." May they drive us to the Cross!

MY LIFE

Take my life, and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to Thee.

• Have I ever consciously acknowledged Christ's ownership of my life?

• Have I made a volitional, unconditional, lifetime surrender of my life to Christ?

• Am I seeking to live out that surrender on a daily basis?

• Are there any "compartments" of my life over which I am reserving the right to exercise control?

MY TIME

Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in ceaseless praise.

• Do I live with conscious realization that all my time belongs to God, or have I merely reserved a portion of my time for the "spiritual" category of my life?

• Am I living each day in the light of eternity?

• Am I purposeful and intentional in my use of time, seeking to invest the moments of my days in ways that will bring glory to God?

• Do I seek His direction as to how I should use my "free time"?

• Am I squandering time with meaningless, ueseless conversation or entertainment?

• Do I set apart time each day for worship, prayer, and personal devotion?

• Do I readily respond to opportunities to serve others, even if it requires sacrificing "my" time?

• Do I become resentful or impatient when others interrupt my schedule or when I am faced with unplanned demands on my time?

• Do I view my job as an opportunity to serve Christ and bring glory to God?

• Have I considered any possible vocational change the Lord may want me to make to devote more time to the advancement of His kingdom?

MY BODY

Take my hands, and let them move
at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be
swift and beautiful for Thee.

• Am I yielding the members (parts) of my body to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13)?

• Do I use the members of my body to express the kindness and love of Christ to others (e.g., using my hands for serving, for gentle touch)?

• Are any of the members of my body--eyes, ears, hands, feet, mouth, etc.--being used to sin against God (e.g., stealing, lying, listening to or repeating gossip, inflicting physical harm on mate or children, listening to profanity, viewing pornography, sexual sin)?

• Do I treat my body as if it is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)?

• Am I abusing my body in any way (e.g., with food, alcohol, illegal or prescription drugs)?

• Am I willing to be physically spent in serving God and others?

• Have I relinquished the right to have a healthy body? Would I accept and embrace physical illness if that would bring glory to God?

• Am I submissive to God in relation to what (and how much) I eat and drink, and how much and when I sleep?

• Am I morally pure--what I see, what I think, what I do, where I go, what I listen to, what I say?

MY TONGUE

Take my lips, and let them be
filled with messages from Thee.

• Do the words that come out of my mouth reveal that my lips and tongue are fully surrendered to God?

• Do I habitually verbalize the goodness and greatness of God?

• Do I regularly ask the Lord to guard my tongue?

• Before I speak, do I ask the Lord what He wants me to say?

• Am I filling my mind and heart with the Word of God, so that what comes out of my mouth will be "messages from Him"?

• Do I speak words that are critical, unkind, untrue, self-centered, rude, profane, or unnecessary?

• Do I look for and take advantage of opportunities to give a verbal witness for Christ?

• Do I intentionally use my tongue to edify and encourage others in their walk with God?

MY POSSESSIONS

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.

• Do I treat any of my possessions as if they were mine rather than God's?

• Do I give generously sacrificially, and gladly to the Lord's work and to others in need?

• Do I own anything that I would not be willing to part with if God were to take it from me or ask me to give it to another?

• Am I a wise steward of the material resources God has entrusted to me?

• Do I view God as my provider and the source of all my material possessions?

• Am I content with the material resources God has given me? If God should choose not to give me one thing more than what I already have, would I be satisified with His provision?

• Do I give my tithes and offerings to the Lord before I pay my bills or spend my income?

• Do I become angry or upset if others are careless with "my" possessions?

MY MIND

Take my intellect, and use
every power as Thou shalt choose.

• Am I "bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5)?

• Am I disciplining my mind to get to know God and His Word better?

• Am I wasting my mind on worldly knowledge or pursuits that do not have eternal, spiritual value?

• Do I habitually think about things that are just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8), rather than things that are unwholesome, negative, impure, or vain?

• Am I guarding the entrance of my mind from impure influences (e.g., books, magazines, movies, music, conversations)?

• Am I devoting my mental capacity to serving Christ and furthering His kingdom?

MY WILL

Take my will and make it Thine;
it shall be no longer mine.

• Do I consistently seek to know and to do the will of God in the practical, daily matters of life?

• When I read the Word of God (or hear it proclaimed), am I quick to say, "Yes, Lord" and to do what it says?

• Is there anything God has shown me to be His will that I have been neglecting or refusing to obey?

• Is there anything I know God wants me to do that I have not done/am not doing?

• Do I become resentful when things don't go my way? Do I have to have the last word in disagreements?

• Am I stubborn? Demanding? Controlling?

• Am I quick to respond in confession and repentance when the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin?

• Am I submissive to the human authorities God has placed over me (e.g., civil, church, home, work)?

MY AFFECTIONS

Take my heart; it is Thine own;
it shall be Thy royal throne.

• Am I moody? Temperamental? Hard to please?

• Do I love Christ and His kingdom more than this earth and its pleasures? Is there anything or anyone that I am more devoted to than Christ?

• Am I allowing Christ to reign and rule over my affections, my emotions, and my responses?

• Are my desires, appetites, and longings under Christ's control?

• Am I in bondage to any earthly, fleshly, or sinful desires or appetites? Am I indulging or making provision for my fleshly desires (Romans 13:14)?

• Do I trust God's right to rule over the circumstances of my life?

MY RELATIONSHIPS

Take my love; my Lord,
I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.

• Is it my desire and intent to love God with all my heart, above all earthly relationships? Do I enjoy and seek out the friendship of God as much as I do human friendships?

• Do I love God more than I love myself? Do I seek His interests, His reputation, and His pleasure above my own?

• Have I surrendered to God all my desires, rights, and expectations regarding my family?

• Am I willing to let God decide whether I am to be married and to whom?

• Have I surrendered the right to have a loving, godly mate?

• Am I willing to love my mate in a Christlike way, regardless of whether or not that love is reciprocated?

• Have I accepted God's decision to grant or withhold the blessing of children?

• Have I released my children to the Lord? Am I trying to control their lives? Am I willing for Him to call them and use them in His service--anywhere, in any way, regardless of the cost?

• Is there anyone that I "love" in a way that is not pure? Am I holding on to any friendships or relationships that God wants me to relinquish?

• Am I willing to sacrifice friendships, if necessary, in order to obey God and His call in my life?

• Am I willing to speak the truth in love to others about their spiritual condition, even if it means risking the loss of the relationship or my reputation?

MYSELF

Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for Thee.

• Have I surrendered all that I am and all that I have to God?

• Is there any part of myself--my plans, relationships, possessions, emotions, career, future--that I am knowingly holding back from God?

• Have I settled the issue that the ultimate purpose of my life is to please God and bring Him glory?

• Is it the intent of my heart, by His grace, to live the rest of my life wholly for Him and for His pleasure, rather than for myself and my pleasure?