Sunday morning's service was so neat. Because we're in Acts, we're studying the beginnings of Paul's ministry. It's just extraordinary the journey the Lord took him through to be able to use him so mightily. And yet, how alone he must have felt, especially as a new convert. The apostles were mostly unlearned laymen. They must have been initially both suspicious of this Pharisee who was famed for his hatred of Christ's followers, as well as a bit jealous of and threatened by his scholarship and his success in other regions as a preacher of Christ. And he couldn't go back to his former colleagues and peers -- to them he was the ultimate traitor.
Paul strikes me as someone I could learn a lot from. I've been trying for so long to find some sort of "position" for myself as an unmarried female in God's overall pattern. There are instructions for parents, children, husbands, wives, pastors, deacons, widows... Where are the instructions for me? But it strikes me that Paul wasn't really any of those things either, and yet God used him so completely, and he never seemed to have any trouble knowing his purpose.
But all things have a purpose in the Lord's divine plan. There are lessons about dependence on God for my strength in these difficulties, and I pray the Lord will help me rejoice in the chance to learn more of how to lean on Him. I am so weak, but His strength is made perfect in my weakness. Lord, place a guard on my tongue and blinders on my eyes to anything but fulfilling my responsibilities diligently and faithfully. Please cause me to know when to speak and when to be silent. Let the words I speak be holy and kind. Give me compassion for those whose actions chafe my spirit and provoke me to react badly. Give me grace in exhaustion to have a smile on my face and Your joy in my heart. Make me teachable, pliable in Your loving hands. These events are happening for my ultimate good, even though I don't see it clearly, and NOTHING is beyond Your control.
"Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God."
~ Psalm 43:5
Complete reliance upon God. I can do nothing good in my own strength. Lord, help me, enable me to rely wholly and completely on You. I am so very weak and sinful on my own. Keep my spirit close to Your heart, so that the moment I stray I am aware of it and run back to Your arms. Disobedience waits on every side; keep my focus on Your glory, Your purpose, Your strength, Your love. Oh, especially Your love. No one will ever love me as You do, my Redeemer. Broaden my heart and fill it with love for you. Teach me compassion, and give me Your love for your dear ones, my brothers and sisters in You. Remove my focus on my own hurts and give me Your heart for the pain and needs of others. Make me a faithful, JOYFUL servant where You've placed me!
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise Him,
my Savior and my God."
~ Psalm 43:5
Complete reliance upon God. I can do nothing good in my own strength. Lord, help me, enable me to rely wholly and completely on You. I am so very weak and sinful on my own. Keep my spirit close to Your heart, so that the moment I stray I am aware of it and run back to Your arms. Disobedience waits on every side; keep my focus on Your glory, Your purpose, Your strength, Your love. Oh, especially Your love. No one will ever love me as You do, my Redeemer. Broaden my heart and fill it with love for you. Teach me compassion, and give me Your love for your dear ones, my brothers and sisters in You. Remove my focus on my own hurts and give me Your heart for the pain and needs of others. Make me a faithful, JOYFUL servant where You've placed me!
“Lord, help me to glorify Thee;
I am poor,
Help me to glorify Thee by contentment;
I am sick,
Help me to give Thee honour by patience;
I have talents,
Help me to extol Thee by spending them for Thee;
I have time,
Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee;
I have a heart to feel,
Lord, let that heart feel no love but Thine,
And glow with no flame but affection for Thee;
I have a head to think,
Lord, help me to think of Thee and for Thee;
Thou hast put me in this world for something,
Lord, show me what that is,
And help me to work out my life-purpose:
I cannot do much,
But as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living,
So, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into Thy treasury;
I am all Thine;
Take me, and enable me to glorify Thee now,
In all that I say,
In all that I do,
And with all that I have."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I am poor,
Help me to glorify Thee by contentment;
I am sick,
Help me to give Thee honour by patience;
I have talents,
Help me to extol Thee by spending them for Thee;
I have time,
Lord, help me to redeem it, that I may serve thee;
I have a heart to feel,
Lord, let that heart feel no love but Thine,
And glow with no flame but affection for Thee;
I have a head to think,
Lord, help me to think of Thee and for Thee;
Thou hast put me in this world for something,
Lord, show me what that is,
And help me to work out my life-purpose:
I cannot do much,
But as the widow put in her two mites, which were all her living,
So, Lord, I cast my time and eternity too into Thy treasury;
I am all Thine;
Take me, and enable me to glorify Thee now,
In all that I say,
In all that I do,
And with all that I have."
Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"Martha was cumbered about much serving. - Luke 10:40
Her fault was not that she served. Every Christian must become a servant. 'I serve' should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had 'much serving.' We cannot do too much. Let our head and heart and hands be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master. Martha was happy to have an opportunity to entertain her honorable Guest. Her fault was that she grew 'cumbered with much serving,' so that she forgot Him and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion and so presented one duty darkened by the neglect of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one. We should do much service and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune. ... The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire of it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to grow. The most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. While we do not neglect external things which are good in themselves, we should also enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Savior's feet is not neglected, even though it may be under the deceptive pretext of doing service for Him. The first thing for our soul's health, for His glory, and for our own usefulness is to keep ourselves in constant communion with the Lord Jesus. We must see that the vital spirituality of our faith is maintained above everything else in the world." ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Her fault was not that she served. Every Christian must become a servant. 'I serve' should be the motto of all the princes of the royal family of heaven. Nor was it her fault that she had 'much serving.' We cannot do too much. Let our head and heart and hands be engaged in the Master's service. It was no fault of hers that she was busy preparing a feast for the Master. Martha was happy to have an opportunity to entertain her honorable Guest. Her fault was that she grew 'cumbered with much serving,' so that she forgot Him and only remembered the service. She allowed service to override communion and so presented one duty darkened by the neglect of another. We ought to be Martha and Mary in one. We should do much service and have much communion at the same time. For this we need great grace. It is easier to serve than to commune. ... The more spiritual the exercise, the sooner we tire of it. The choicest fruits are the hardest to grow. The most heavenly graces are the most difficult to cultivate. While we do not neglect external things which are good in themselves, we should also enjoy living, personal fellowship with Jesus. See to it that sitting at the Savior's feet is not neglected, even though it may be under the deceptive pretext of doing service for Him. The first thing for our soul's health, for His glory, and for our own usefulness is to keep ourselves in constant communion with the Lord Jesus. We must see that the vital spirituality of our faith is maintained above everything else in the world." ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
I am in His grip, in His care, in the hollow of His hand, the center of His will -- and therefore all joy is mine. He is my Sustainer, my Counselor, Guide, and Friend. I will trust in His love, His provident hand in my life that intends only to strengthen me to His purpose. I will cling to the assurance that my faithfulness is His will for me and the most important thing in my life.
"It may be that you are planted where you get little sunshine, but you are put there by the loving Gardener because only in that situation will you bring forth fruit. Had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, divine love would have put you there. You are placed by God in the most suitable circumstances...Be content with the things that you have, since the Lord has ordered all things for your good. Take up your own daily cross. It is the burden best suited for your shoulder and will prove most effective to make you perfect in every good work to the glory of God." ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
"The Holy Spirit has graciously come to be your Comforter. Do you suppose, O weak and trembling believer, that He will be negligent of His sacred trust? Has He undertaken something that He cannot or will not perform? If it is His work to strengthen and to comfort you, do you suppose He has forgotten His business, or that He will fail to accomplish His loving work? Do not think so little of the tender and blessed Spirit whose name is the Comforter. He delights to give the oil of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Trust in Him, and He will surely comfort you until the house of mourning is closed forever, and the marriage feast begins." ~Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Qualification - This post was actually created July 11, 2005. I have back-dated it so that it occurs first in my journal, as it is my "introduction" of sorts. Many of the following posts are transcriptions from my physical journal taken from a couple years ago, but I want this listed earliest.
"Purpose" is one of my favorite words in the entirety of human speech. I'm sure one of these days I'll get around to explaining why, although after reading my journal, it might become obvious without explanation.
But in this context, I'm referring to the purpose of this journal. One purpose will be for me to record excerpts from my real journal that I might want access to. Over the years, I've recorded a lot of thoughts and musings that I go back to on a regular basis to remind me of lessons I've learned. But also, I've decided to leave this a public journal in hopes that something here might be an encouragement to someone else - in fact, that might become the journal's main purpose. We'll see how things go.
I guess I should introduce myself. "Sakrysta" is an internet handle I've worn for about 8 years now. Originally sci-fi related, it's since come to mean more than that to me. The name is derived from the term "sacristy," which is the room in the church where sacred things are stored. So to me, the name means I want to store up what is sacred in my heart and life. I never cease to be amazed at how God can take parts of our lives and make them completely about bringing glory to Himself - especially those parts we had no intention of letting Him have.
I am:
"Purpose" is one of my favorite words in the entirety of human speech. I'm sure one of these days I'll get around to explaining why, although after reading my journal, it might become obvious without explanation.
But in this context, I'm referring to the purpose of this journal. One purpose will be for me to record excerpts from my real journal that I might want access to. Over the years, I've recorded a lot of thoughts and musings that I go back to on a regular basis to remind me of lessons I've learned. But also, I've decided to leave this a public journal in hopes that something here might be an encouragement to someone else - in fact, that might become the journal's main purpose. We'll see how things go.
I guess I should introduce myself. "Sakrysta" is an internet handle I've worn for about 8 years now. Originally sci-fi related, it's since come to mean more than that to me. The name is derived from the term "sacristy," which is the room in the church where sacred things are stored. So to me, the name means I want to store up what is sacred in my heart and life. I never cease to be amazed at how God can take parts of our lives and make them completely about bringing glory to Himself - especially those parts we had no intention of letting Him have.
I am:
- a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. By this, I mean that I believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal, sinless Son of God, that He came to earth and was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that He died a brutal death on a cross to pay the penalty for my sins and those of the world, that after three days of burial He was raised from the dead by the Father, that after being seen in physical form and communicating with His disciples He ascended to Heaven, and that He currently sits on the right hand of God the Father in Heaven awaiting the Father's word to return to earth for His saints. There's more to it than that, but that's as much as I can comfortably get into one sentence, and it covers the basics.
- an independent Baptist. By this, I mean that I hold to the vast majority of traditional Baptist doctrines, and that I am a member of a Baptist church that is not affiliated with any of the major denominational groups (Southern Baptist, Regular Baptist, etc.).
- a conservative fundamentalist. Boy, will this distinction get you stoned today. ;) By this, I mean that I consider the Bible the final authority and the ultimate source of all truth, and that the truths clearly taught in Scripture are not up for debate with the world.
- anti-KJV-Only. If you've made it this far and are still with me, you probably know what that means, but just in case... By this, I mean that I do NOT believe that the King James Version of the Bible is the only reliable translation available today. I understand why many prefer to use the KJV, and in some circumstances I myself prefer that version. But all the Scripture we have today is the result of translations of copies, and a translation should be judged on its faithfulness to the manuscripts and knowledge we have available to us today. Personally, I use several different versions in my Bible study and must depend on the expertise of others to tell me what the original Hebrew & Greek words mean.
- female. By this, I mean to say that I don't intend to preach here. I believe wholeheartedly that the roles for men and women set forth in the New Testament apply today, and I am grateful beyond words to be more on the "support" end and less on the "responsibility" end.
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