Thirsty Soul

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Check out 1nemind's channel on Youtube for some great videos on apologetic and biblical topics...here's part one of Prophecies & Parallels of Christ in the Old Testament - but be sure to go to the channel for the other parts and much more!

Christ is worthy.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 23:21:00 +0000

I just read about a 23-year-old Christian, converted from Islam, that was killed earlier this month. He was reported to an Islamic militant group by a boy whom he had witnessed to. The statement of what happened to this brother is graphic:

"In an attempt to extract evidence against him and to gain information about other Somali Christians, the militants knocked out all of Yusuf's front teeth and broke several of his fingers. They then shot him twice in the head and discarded his body on an empty residential street."

The mental scene this provokes is heartbreaking. I mourn that we live in a world so marred by evil and sin that news reports like this are not rare.

And yet.

Part of me rejoices because in his brutal death, this young man, Yusuf, (and many who die like him as martyrs) proclaimed that Jesus is worthy. Worthy enough to live for, and worthy even to die for. This is the power of Christ in a believer.

So tonight I thank God for Yusuf's faithful service. I rejoice because he is rejoicing in the presence of God, and numbered among those of whom the world is not worthy.

Pray with me that people would come to Christ because of Yusuf's testimony - especially for the boy who reported him.

Beautiful Resignation

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:24:00 +0000

These lyrics, found in a little 150-year old hymnal, have been a good challenge and reminder to me of the claim that God rightfully has on our lives:

It is the Lord - enthroned in light,

Whose claims are all divine:

Who has an undisputed right

To govern me and mine.

It is the Lord - should I distrust,

Or contradict His will,

Who cannot do but what is just,

And must be righteous still?

It is the Lord - who gives me all,

My wealth, my friends, mine ease,

And of His bounties may recall

Whatever part He please.

It is the Lord - who can sustain

Beneath the heaviest load,

From whom assistance I obtain

To tread the thorny road.

It is the Lord - my covenant God,

Thrice blessed be His name!
Whose gracious promise, sealed with blood,

Must ever be the same.

Can I, with hopes so firmly built,

Be sullen, or repine?

No, gracious God, take what Thou wilt,

To Thee I all resign.

I desire for the last lines to be my heart-felt prayer - Gracious God, take what Thou wilt, to Thee I all resign - Not demanding anything from my God, but offering Him hands that are held open in worship, ready to relinquish or receive whatever He ordains.

After all - our God is the One who did not spare His own Son, so can't we trust Him to freely give us what is really for our good and His glory?

Sure Guidance

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:48:00 +0000

“If you ask, ‘Why is this or that happening?’ no light may come, for ‘the secret things belong to the Lord our God (Deuteronomy 29:29); but if you ask, ‘How am I to serve and glorify God here and now, where I am?’ there will always be an answer” (The Lord’s Prayer, by J.I Packer, p. 14).

Pastor Envy

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 22:47:00 +0000

I'm so grateful for the wealth of free sermons and conference messages available online these days. On a good week, my MP3 player holds hours of these to be listened to while I'm at work or driving. I've grown familiar with the teaching style and voices of certain pastors - MacArthur, Piper, Mahaney, Harris, to name a few. I am always challenged to understand more about God, to live a more faithful Christian life when I hear these men proclaiming the Word.

That's a good thing. But.

Over the past while, I've recognized a growing discontent when I'm sitting in church Sunday morning, listening to my own pastor. He is faithful to God's Word, he preaches the truth with love and concern. But, I sometimes think - I wish he preached with John Piper's passion. He doesn't go as deep into Scripture as John MacArthur. If only...

I've sensed that my Sunday-morning thoughts and attitudes were not right in some sense, and when I came across a post on Tim Challies blog that confronted this very issue, I was convicted. Challies notes,

Christians today have access (via the Internet, of course) to vast libraries of the best sermons by the best preachers... They are men who are extraordinarily gifted by God and who have been faithful to use their gifts for his glory...

The fact is, God has put us in churches with less-than-perfect and often less-than-brilliant pastors. The fact that there are extraordinary preachers tells us that there must be vast numbers of perfectly ordinary pastors. This means that most of us have been blessed by God with a very ordinary kind of pastor...

These men, these ordinary pastors, are the ones to whom we owe our loyalty. They are the ones to whom Paul refers when he tells the church at Thessalonica “to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work.” These are the men God has given to serve you and to labor as pastors before you. It is through these men that God means to specially bless you in that unique body called the local church...

(Read Challies entire post here)

Like Challies, I agree that having access to great teaching online is a good thing. I'll continue to download and listen and benefit from the ministry of "extraordinary pastors". But at the same time, I want to be especially grateful for the unique pastor that God has placed in the church I attend.

That time again

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 14:27:00 +0000

The weather here in Ontario is already growing cooler, and I am excited for my favorite season!

Last year I decided to try and do a personal retreat each fall, and it's hard to believe it's that time already! (You can check out my posts on that retreat here, here, and here. )

Just in time for my upcoming birthday this year, I found a great resource online that I encourage you to check out as well:

Ten Questions to Ask At the Start of a New Year or On Your Birthday

But of course, it would benefit you for any time of personal evaluation. :) I'm planning to journal my way through some of the questions (there are ten main questions but thirty in total) - here are a few samples:

- What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

- What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

- What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?

Good stuff huh? Why don't you print the questions out and join me in striving to grow (by grace!) for the glory of God this year?

Some pictures for you!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:37:00 +0000

This past week, with my sister, I drove to the beautiful Province of Prince Edward Island. Walking along the Atlantic, I often wondered if I had slipped into a corner of heaven. :)

Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven. (Lam 3:41)

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! (Rev 4:8)

Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great!

You are clothed with splendor and majesty, coverying yourself with light

as with a garment, stretching out the heavents like a tent. (Ps 104:1,2)

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (Ps 18:1-2)

This is our God

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:57:00 +0000

What refreshing reminders of the Lord's character and provision I found this morning in Psalm 145! Just a few things to meditate on as I move into my day...

He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, great in loving kindness, good to all! (Ps 145:8,9)

He sustains all who fall, raises the humble, provides what we need when we need it, opens His hands to satisfy our desire. (Ps 145:14-16)

He is righteous and kind in everything He does, near to all who call upon Him in truth, keeping those who love Him. (Psalm 145:17-20)

Don't we serve a beautiful God?!

I trust these hands...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:35:00 +0000

Yesterday's Grace Gem corresponded well with my last post. I need this kind of truth engraved on my heart like markings in wet cement - so it is there even when changing emotions may tell me otherwise!

"He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" Romans 8:32

If God has given His Son to die for us, let us beware of doubting His kindness and love in any painful providence of our daily life. Let us never allow ourselves to think hard thoughts of God. Let us never suppose that He can give us anything that is not really for our good.

Let us see in every sorrow and trouble of our earthly pilgrimage—the hand of Him who gave Christ to die for our sins. That hand can never smite us except in love! He who gave His Son to die for our sins—will never withhold anything from us that is really for our good. Let us lean back on this thought and be content. Let us say to ourselves in the darkest hour of trial, "This also is ordered by Him who gave Christ to die for my sins. It cannot be wrong! It is done in love! It must be well!"

- J.C Ryle

Does my attitude reflect this?

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:11:00 +0000

Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; Yes, our God is compassionate... Return to your rest, O my soul, For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you...

What shall I render to the Lord For all His benefits toward me? To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving...(Psalm 116:7,12,17)

What a gentle rebuke these words are...do I not often, in my attitudes and thoughts, doubt the Lord's graciousness, His compassion, his full provision of what I need, and then some? I know that He has given me much more than I deserve. He has dealt bountifully with me.

Salvation, the light of His presence. Knowing daily His sustaining grace. Music. Morning sunlight. Hazelnut coffee and Bible time. Family that loves me. A car to drive to work in. A healthy body. Baby smiles from my nieces...big and little things, always changing...

He deserves our praises, our thanksgiving, our joyful surrender (even when we don't feel like it) of everything we have, and hope for, and desire...so worthy of these, and much more...

Joy in Dry Places

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 01:16:00 +0000

From The Daily Spurgeon:

To be satisfied in times of plenty, why, any fool can be that! But to be satisfied in days of drought, this is the Christian’s privilege, for he can say,

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

This is just the mark of difference between the Christian and the worldling. The worldling blesses God while he gives him plenty, but the Christian blesses him when he smites him: he believes him to be too wise to err and too good to be unkind; he trusts him where he cannot trace him, looks up to him in the darkest hour, and believes that all is well. O Christian, if your heart is right, you will understand this spiritual satisfaction, and your soul will be satisfied in times of drought.

And some encouraging words from Radical Womanhood:

Maybe you are in a season of life where you feel passed over or put on a shelf. If you are not giving yourself to false idols or gods, I believe this thought is from the father of lies, your spiritual adversary. It certainly is not from Scripture. David gives us a prescription for doing battle against these lies...bowing down in worship, giving thanks for God's steadfast love and faithfulness, exalting His name and His word, and calling out to God for help. When our focus is on the magnificent character of our God and His steadfast love, we don't have as much time or space to think about ourselves. And it makes it easier to trust Him for the reasons He created us and gave us life in the first place. He alone is steadfast. His love alone endures forever. Therefore, we can trust Him not to forsake the work of His hands.

May I suggest...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 00:12:00 +0000

Indelible Grace. From their site:

Our hope is to help the church recover the tradition of putting old hymns to new music for each generation, and to enrich our worship with a huge view of God and His indelible grace.

I love the rich, Christ-exalting, soul stirring truths in these songs, and the music is great too! You can listen to large clips of the songs on the site - I have my eye on this CD and this one...actually, all of them. :)

Solid Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 21:31:00 +0000

I discovered a new treasure the other day - the words to the hymn, "If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee". It was just what my soul needed to soak in - often the case when I flip through an old hymnbook during my devotional times. The language is archaic, which may or may not be your preference. (I love it!) Read and I hope you'll be encouraged, as I was:

If thou but suffer God to guide thee,

and hope in Him through all thy ways,

He'll give thee strength, what e'er betide thee,

and bear thee through the evil days;

Who trusts in God's unchanging love

builds on the Rock that naught can move.

Only be still, and wait His leisure

in cheerful hope, with heart content

To take what e'er Thy Father's pleasure

and all discerning love hath sent;

Nor doubt our inmost wants are known

to Him who chose us for His own.

Sing, pray, and keep his ways unswerving,

so do thine own part faithfully;

And trust His Word, though undeserving,

thou yet shall find it true for thee;

God never yet forsook at need

the soul that trusted Him indeed.

Pause, and seek this One...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:22:00 +0000

" I know there is One keeping company with me who knows everything about me at this (and every) moment - my thoughts, my motives, my fears, my aspirations, my emotions, my anxieties, my mental and physical condition - and who loves me beyond my comprehension.

I know that the One whose presence surrounds me as the universe surrounds the earth has all power and is bringing all the world to His appointed conclusion. I perceive the presence of the One who has been an earthbound man like me and understands me thoroughly, and before whom I will stand in judgement.

I engage the One who gave His life - from His first breath in Bethlehem to His last heartbeat on Calvary - to atone for my sins and who rose again to bring me to His heavenly home."

- Donald S. Whitney

Serving China's Persecuted Church

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:27:00 +0000

In case you missed the last post, please go HERE to send a Bible to a persecuted believer for free - all you have to do is click the button provided on the page.

Send a free Bible to a persecuted believer!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:02:00 +0000

I discovered a website today where a simple mouse-click will result in a Bible being sent to a persecuted believer longing for a copy of God's Word. Pretty cool huh? From the site:

Right now, 200 million persecuted Christians are living under restriction for their faith in Jesus Christ. Most do not even have their own copy of the Bible, the one weapon they must have in order to be victorious in the spiritual battles they face every day. You can provide the persecuted church with a portion of God's Word at no cost to you.

I understand from the explanation on the site that this is made possible through sponsors, so it won't cose you a penny - just a couple seconds. Please go here to make that click, and spread the word on your blog!!

Notable moment of the day...

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:47:00 +0000

Running inside to a second-hand shop in a thunderstorm and spotting two books on the shelf that I've wanted to read, but didn't want to purchase at full price. (Safely Home and Surprised by Joy) That settled it - an afternoon at home with a hot drink, candles burning, and a stack of good reads nearby was in order!

My mom never sees little things like that as coincidences, but rather, evidences of God's kindness and interest in the smallest parts of our lives. I want to emulate her example in receiving them with attention and greatfulness.

What about you? What are some small ways in which God has shown His kindness to you lately?

The Power to Forgive and Conquer Our Sin

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:24:00 +0000

Every other Friday night I have the privilege of listening to some faithful men preach the gospel on the street using a sketch board, and they are always diligent to present the truth that it is because of our sin that we need saving. Such a simple statement, and yet sometimes missed in modern gospel presentations. The main issue is not that we need love, and fulfillment, and purpose in our lives (we do, but that is not the point of the gospel) - it is that we have offended a loving, holy, pure and just God with our sin, and without forgiveness, will be sent to hell. To approach Him, to fellowship with such a God, we desperately need a righteousness that is not our own. That is why Jesus Christ is good news - He payed the penalty for our sin so that we might be restored to God in faith and repentance. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast." Eph. 2:8,9

Most who read this blog already have an understanding of those truths - but even we who are saved are to meditate on and rejoice in the gospel. :)

For that reason, I've started reading (again) The Gospel According to Jesus. I want to have a firm grasp on the message we are called to share. I found the following quotes from MacArthur to be a refreshing reminder of the simple, yet powerful truth of the gospel:

"Sin is no peripheral issue as far as salvation is concerned; it is the issue...the distinctive element of the Christian message is the power of Jesus Christ to forgive and conquer our sin. Of all the realities of the gospel, none is more wonderful than the news that the enslaving grasp of sin has been broken...

The gospel according to Jesus is first of all a mandate for repentance...From the beginning of Jesus' ministry, the heart of His message was a call to repentance. In fact, when our Lord first began to preach, the opening word of His message was "Repent" (Matt. 4:17). It was also the first word of John the Baptist's message (Matt. 3:2) and the basis of the gospel the apostles preached (Acts 3:19; 20:21; 26:20). No one who neglects to call sinners to repentance is preaching the gospel according to Jesus."

Which verses do you (or would you) most often use in communicating the gospel to unbelievers?

Good news, no matter what.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:32:00 +0000

I was encouraged this morning by Spurgeon's devotional:

"Blessed is the fact that Christians can rejoice even in the deepest distress; although trouble may surround them, they still sing; and, like many birds, they sing best in their cages. The waves may roll over them, but their souls soon rise to the surface and see the light of God's countenance; they have a buoyancy about them which keeps their head always above the water, and helps them to sing amid the tempest, "God is with me still."

God is with me. In the mess and clutter of every-day life, my soul is often slow to acknowledge and embrace the earth-shaking truth of that simple statement. He is with me - comforting me with His presence, counseling me with wisdom, guiding me with unchanging faithfulness, correcting me in perfect love.

We can't always see the why or when or how, but we can say with confidence, My God is with me.

If You can calm the sea
Then You can comfort me
If winds obey Your voice
Why should I fear their noise
And though my eyes can’t see
I know You’re with me

- Peace, by Sovereign Grace music

Wow.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:32:00 +0000

HT: Truth Matters

Well hello there.

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 22:05:00 +0000

This blog has been neglected. Maybe I am the only one who's noticed. :)

BUT, I'm planning on getting back to more frequent writing and posting over the summer, starting soon. I hope. Meanwhile, a couple things you might want to check out:

The Daily Spurgeon widget on my sidebar - just scroll down to read; click it to add to your own blog. I love Spurgeon, so if you do too, enjoy!

Why We Believe the Bible (The Inspiration, Inerrancy, and Authority of the Bible) This is a series by John Piper, taught as a seminar for The Bethlehem Institute. You can download all five messages for free online, or watch the videos. The seminar notes are also available for free. Just go HERE for the links. Again, all for free! I'm so grateful to Desiring God for their generosity in offering this crticial series (like most of their content) as a free resource!

That's it for now people. Always remember to stop and look up through the trees when you are lying on a blanket with a good book this summer!

From His Hands

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 00:41:00 +0000

The words came to my mind as I was putting badminton rackets away in the shed behind our house this evening. The smell of hay and old wood and tools, and the wind brushing my face as I turned and stepped outside again, long shadows from the setting sun sweeping over the lawn -

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

It was a like a whisper in my spirit; I had to stop and stand in the damp grass and look up at the sky.

In everything give thanks. In everything give thanks.

Suddenly all the little things from this evening seemed especially from the hands of my caring heavenly Father.

- Barbecued hamburgers and potato salad for supper.

- A June evening beautiful beyond description.

- Working in the yard with my mom and sister; deep purple irises stretching their heads to heaven, dripping with water from my tin watering can.

- Being chased by a little brother and sprayed with water.

- Throwing Frisbees.

- Playing badminton with brothers until my muscles burn - running across a shady lawn and laughing at their stunts.

- Taking a long walk towards the setting sun with my MP3 player and this music...

Ordinary, simple things, but I'm seeing tonight that they are really good gifts, given by the Lord. All undeserved. So often, I take little things for granted. I don't stop and offer thanks for them as I should. Instead, I focus on the things I want changed - problems or pain in my life and in the lives of those I love....but you know what? I saw my Lord's gracious care for me in little things tonight, and I know He is faithful in the big things also. He's the God who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him, and while we wait, we can enjoy His goodness.

Reason to Rejoice!

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:26:00 +0000

“I am His by purchase and I am His by conquest; I am His by donation and I am His by election; I am His by covenant and I am His by marriage; I am wholly His; I am peculiarly His; I am universally His; I am eternally His.

Once I was a slave but now I am a son; once I was dead but now I am alive; once I was darkness but now I am light in the Lord; once I was a child of wrath, an heir of hell, but now I am an heir of heaven; once I was Satan’s bond-servant but now I am God’s freeman; once I was under the spirit of bondage but now I am under the Spirit of adoption that seals up to me the remission of my sins, the justification of my person and the salvation of my soul.” - Thomas Brooks

HT: Of First Importance

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Tue, 26 May 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Please check out this post at Challies and have a good laugh with me. :D

Glorious Thirsting

noreply@blogger.com (Stephanie) — Sun, 24 May 2009 23:48:00 +0000

At the encouragement of a friend, I'm taking a deeper look at the role fasting plays in the life of a Christian. I've been thinking about prayer lately, so I'm especially interested in learning how fasting relates to prayer. A quick search on fasting at Desiring God led me to Piper's book, A Hunger For God. (Did you know all his books can be read for free online?) This is not really a post about fasting, since I'm still learning, but I found this quote from the introduction and couldn't resist copying it to share...

"When you take your stand on the finished work of God in Christ, and begin to drink at the River of Life and eat the Bread of Heaven, and know that you have found the end of all your longings, you only get hungrier for God. The more satisfaction you experience from God, while still in this world, the greater your desire for the next...

The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ . . . the more homesick you get for heaven . . . the more you want "all the fullness of God" . . . the more you want to be done with sin . . . the more you want the Bridegroom to come again . . . the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus . ..the more you want a great awakening to God's reality in the cities . . . the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the
unreached peoples of the world . . . the more you want to see false worldviews yield to the force of Truth . . . the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed . . . the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea.

If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of
the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great..."

Do you have this hunger and desire for the Lord in your life, or have you (perhaps unknowingly) learned to fill yourself with the things of this world, leaving little room for spiritual things?

I have been in both places, and can say (by God's grace) that there is nothing more satisfying than thirsting after God, and finding that the fountain never runs dry, and only grows sweeter with each taste!