Jesus: The Believer's Hope, Pt. 3

What is the relationship of the believer’s hope to his faith?

“And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” – Hebrews 7:11-12

Hebrews 6:11-12 shows that the believer has hope enables him to have faith. Faith is placing one’s complete confidence in a object – Jesus Christ our hope. Because of the trustworthiness of this Hope, He is deserving of our absolute confidence in the face of all trials and temptations.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for…” – Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:1 substantiates this by stating that faith is the assurance of what is being hoped for. In Hebrews 11:13, the author tells us that the Old Testament saints died in faith; they had not seen the promises fulfilled, but they had seen them, were persuaded of them, embraced them, and acted on them (hope). Hebrews 11:39 further records that these faithful people had not received the promise, but they still obtained a good report through faith.

Today, the believer’s hope in Jesus Christ his superior Priest enables the believer to exercise faith in Jesus Christ. Our faith is not an idealistic concept separated from facts or experiences. It is confidence in our Priest who has sensibly and rationally acted in a way that demands our absolute confidence.

Jesus: The Believer's Hope, Pt. 2

Hebrews 6:18-20 showed us that our hope in Jesus, our superior Priest. Throughout Hebrews, this Hope relates to believers in three ways.

“Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” – Hebrews 3:5-6

Confidence and boasting in our hope of Jesus Christ provides evidence that we are members of God’s house. In Hebrews 3, Christ is being contrasted with Moses in that Moses was a faithful steward in God’s house, but Christ is the faithful Son over God’s house. Those who are in the house of God have hope in Jesus Christ which proves that they are not like the Israelites who hardened their hearts and tested God.

“We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” – Hebrews 6:19

Jesus Christ is “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.” Why is Jesus Christ our sure anchor? Because He has gone behind the curtain, into the presence of God as our forerunner and made satisfaction to God for our sin. His work before God as Priest is what gives stability and security to our lives now. No matter what trial or temptation or suffering meets us, Christ has offered one sacrifice for our redemption. When we have been forgiven, nothing in this life has power over us to hurt us. Jesus Christ, our superior Priest who sacrificed Himself on our behalf is the sure and steadfast anchor in whom we place our hope.

“For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” – Hebrews 7:19

Jesus Christ is the better hope “through which we draw near to God.” Holiness has always been required to see God (12:14), but perfection could never come through the Mosaic Covenant (7:19). The hope of the believer under the Mosaic Covenant was continually in the promise of a Savior who would make ultimate satisfaction to God for their sins. Verses 19 establishes Jesus Christ as the cause by which we draw near to God. Drawing near to God was possible in the Old Testament only by faith in what the Sacrifice would do, but today, the action of the Sacrifice is in the past. We rejoice in experiencing in reality what Old Testament saints rejoiced to experience by faith. Ephesians 2:18 describes this drawing near as having “access by one Spirit unto the Father.” Under the Mosaic Covenant, the ordinary Jewish person did not have direct access to the presence of God – that was reserved for their human mediator the high priest on the Day of Atonement. The Gentile did not even have the human mediator of the high priest – their mediator (the Jewish nation) failed woefully in pointing the Gentiles to God. But Jesus Christ’s sacrifice opened direct access to God for each one of His people. Today we do not need a human mediator (prophet or priest) to talk to God for us or to communicate God’s will to us. Jesus Christ is our superior Priest by which we are continually “drawing near” to God.

Confession and Worship

"I acknowledge and confess that all things come of thee - life, breath, happiness, advancement, sight, touch, hearing, goodness, truth, beauty - all that makes existence amiable.

In the spiritual world also I am dependent entirely upon Thee.

Give me grace to know more of my need of grace; show me my sinfulness that I may willingly confess it; reveal to me my weakness that I may know my strength in Thee.

I thank thee for any sign of penitence; give me more of it; my sins are black and deep, and rise from a stony, proud, self-righteous heart; help me to confess them with mourning , regret, self-loathing, with no pretence to merit or excuse;

I need healing, Good Physician, here is scope for Thee, come and manifest Thy power; I need faith; Thou who hast given it me, maintain, strength, increase it, centre it upon the Saviour's work, upon the majesty of the Father, upon the operations of the Spirit; work it in me now that I may never doubt Thee as the truthful, mighty, faithful God.

Then I can bring my heart to Thee full of love, gratitude, hope, joy.

May I lay at Thy feet these fruits grown in Thy garden, love Thee with a passion that can never cool, believe in Thee with a confidence that never staggers, hope in Thee with an expectation that can never be dim, delight in Thee with a rejoicing that cannot be stifled, glorify Thee with the highest of my powers, burning, blazing, glowing, radiating, as from Thy own glory."

- Valley of Vision

Jesus: The Believer's Hope, Pt. 1

This semester at Bible college, one of my favorite classes was Epistle to the Hebrews. This little series of blog posts is aimed at sharing with you some of the blessings that Hebrews has been to me. My prayer is that it may be as great an encouragement to you as it was to me.

The question we shall explore today is this: What is the believer’s hope according to the book of Hebrews?

So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. – Hebrews 6:18-20

In the context of this passage, there are two hopes being fulfilled, the first illustrative of the second. In verses 13-16, Abraham was promised a son through whom he would be blessed. In confirmation of this promise, God swore an oath by Himself. Similarly, in verse 17, when God showed the unchanging nature of his purposes to the heirs of promise, He confirmed that revelation with an oath also. However, this oath was not that Abraham would have a son, but that Jesus Christ would eternally be the Melchizedekian priest (7:21). The subject of this second oath is the hope of the heirs of promise: Jesus Christ, the superior Melchizedekian Priest. Edward Mote, the author of the hymn "The Solid Rock" summarized the believer's hope in Christ with these words:

"My hope is built on nothing less/Than Jesus' blood and righteousness./I dare not trust the sweetest frame,/but wholly trust in Jesus' Name."

Over this Christmas break, may Jesus continually be my hope. May His central position not be replaced by family, friends, or studies. May I never imagine that anything other than the Person of Jesus can make me happy. May the hope that keeps me keeping on be the sight of Jesus, my superior Priest.

God Moves in a Mysterious Way

I found the words to "God Moves in Mysterious Ways" in the hymn book last Sunday and wanted to share them. The hymn was written by William Cowper, a contemporary of John Newton, and is believed to be his last hymn. The exact details behind its writing are a bit sketchy, but it is said that Cowper penned it after attempting to commit suicide by drowning himself in the Thames. According to the legend, Cowper hired a cabbie to take him to the river and the cabbie got lost, either accidentally or on purpose. When the cabbie dropped Cowper off, it was back in front of his own door.* Even though Cowper faced dark depression during his life and strongly doubted his own salvation, these words reveal his deep trust in God's sovereign providence.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

- William Cowper

If you would like to hear these words put to music, hope on over to YouTube, or your favorite hymnal. The words fit with several different tunes, but two of the best are the tunes to the hymns "O God Our Help in Ages Past," and "In Christ There is No East or West."

*cyberhymnal.org

Messiah

This weekend I had the privilege of singing Handel's Messiah again. Growing up, Messiah was often played in our house, but it has been a special joy to sing it several times during the last years. The message of God's glory revealed through Jesus Christ overflows my heart with awe over His splendor. Listen to its message:

"And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. But who may abide the day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appeareth? For He is a like a refiner's fire. And He shall purify the sons of Levi that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel: God with us. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. And they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: behold thy King cometh unto thee; He is the righteous Savior, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen. Come unto Him all ye that labor and are heavy laden and He will give you rest. Take His yoke upon you and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Hallelujah. [! ed.] Behold, I tell you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing. Blessing and honor and glory and power be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever. Amen."

This is part of the score to "And the Glory"

Take some time this Christmas to thank God for His glorious gift of salvation, for His easy yoke, and for His rest for your soul. And, while you're at it, set aside some time to listen to Messiah.

Miss Bekah also enjoyed singing

Is Ministry a Job?

This morning in Biblical Worldview class we were discussing a Biblical view of work. The class motivated me to do a bit of study about what Scripture teaches about a person’s view of ministry. Many of us are either in some type of part-time ministry, looking at full-time vocational ministry, or looking forward to ministering as unto the Lord in a “secular” career, so what God says about minsitry is important to us. After all, all of life is really ministry unto the Lord. Ministry may function as a job, but that should never be the mindset of the person in ministry.

Scripture shows both negative and positive example of people’s attitude towards the ministry. The apostle Peter writes about false teaches who “Have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness.” These false teaches fell into Balaam’s sin – using ministry as a way to get money. He sold his prophetic ministry to a heathen king to curse God’s people to get money. Scripture consistently describes false teachers using the ministry to satisfy their greed for money (Jude 11).

The apostle Paul described the mindset of a person in ministry in I Peter 5:1-4; this passage refers specifically to leaders in the church, but the same mindset is to characterize all of God’s servants. “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” God’s servants are to care for His flock willingly and eagerly, not doing it for personal gain, but out of love for God and people. Their job is not a set of tasks lasting from 9-5. It is a mindset of love and service for people flowing from love for God.

John Piper writes in Brothers, We Are Not Professionals, “We are most emphatically not part of a social team sharing goals with other professionals. Our goals are an offense; they are foolishness (I Cor. 1:23). The professionalization of the ministry is a constant threat to the offense of the gospel. It is a threat to the profoundly spiritual nature of our work. I have seen it often: the love of professionalization…kills a man’s belief that he is sent by God to save people from hell and to make them Christ-exalting, spiritual aliens in the world.” (3)

How do I recognize if I’m treating ministry as a job? When the “work” takes priority over the people. When people are an “interruption” to getting the “work” done. (ouch – that one hits close to home) When my motivation in ministry is my own agenda, instead of loving God by loving people. How can I change my attitude towads ministry? By repenting of self-centeredness. By praying that God would give me a love for people. By consciously putting helping people in front of doing jobs.

Our Good Refuge

" I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

My soul makes its boast in the LORD;

let the humble hear and be glad.

Oh, magnify the LORD with me,

and let us exalt His name together!

I sought the LORD, and He answered me

and delivered me from all my fears.

Those who look to Him are radiant,

and their faces shall never be ashamed.

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him

and saved him out of all his troubles.

The angel of the LORD encamps

around those who fear him, and delivers them.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!

Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!

Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints,

for those who fear him have no lack!"

- Psalm 34:1-9

Rich and Generous

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

– Matthew 7:11

My pastor used an illustration two weeks ago that helped me understand how big God is and how much He cares for me. A man once came to Napoleon asking to borrow a large sum of money. After Napoleon lent it to him, a colleague asked Napoleon, “Didn’t that man shame you by asking for so much money?” “No,” replied Napoleon. “It is an honor because it shows he believes I am rich and he believes I am generous.” In Pilgrim’s Progress, the guide, Greatheart, tells one of the travelers that the Lord gives in answer to the prayer of faith that which He would not otherwise bestow. A friend in the dorm recently challenged me to pray for big things from God. After all, didn’t William Carey say that he asked great things from a great God? How our prayers and God’s sovereignty work together is something that only God knows, but He chooses to use our prayers to fulfill His will.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,

and comes down from the Father of lights.” – James 1:17

So, am I praying for things that are too small? Do I desire something big but am too afraid to pray for it because I am afraid that God might not do it? And saddest of all, is my faith in God so weak that His not granting my request would shake my trust in Him? Oh, ye of little faith. My God is not that small. My God is rich and He is generous.

“For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory:

no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. – Psalm 84:11

A Tidbit...

A little tidbit from morning devotions and talking with a friend:

Do I enjoy just God's gifts or God Himself?

"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee.

My flesh and my heart faileth:

but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."

- Psalm 73:25-26

Free from Performing

The name of this prayer from Valley of Vision is “Reliance,” but I have re-named it “Freedom,” because when this mind is in me, I am free from the guilt of performing to make God happy with me.

“When Thou art angry towards me for my wrongs I try to pacify Thee by abstaining from future sin; but teach me that I cannot satisfy Thy law,

That this effort is a resting in my righteousness,

That only Christ’s righteousness, read made, already finished, is fit for that purpose;

That Thy chastening me for my sin is not that I should try to reform, but only that I may be more humbled, afflicted, and separated from sin, by being reconciled, and made righteous in Christ by faith;

That a sense of my sufficiency and ability in Him is one means of my being immovable;

That I can never be so by resting on my own faith, but by trusting in Thee as my only support, by faith;

That if I cast away my faith I cast away Thee, for by faith I apprehend thee and as Thou art very precious, so is my faith very precious to me;

That I fall short of the purity Thou requirest, because in thinking I am holy I do not seek holiness, or, believing I am impotent, I do no more.

Humble me for not being as holy as I should be, or as holy as I might be through Christ, for Thou art all, and to possess Thee is to possess all.

But to make the creature something is to make it stand between Thee and me, so that I do not walk humbly and holily.

Lord, forgive me for this.”

God's Words in English

Imagine that God’s Word looked like this:

To over 340 million people, speaking 2,000 languages, God’s Word does look like that.* It is written in a language they cannot understand, and because they cannot understand it, their lives are not changed by its power. This semester of Greek has reminded me how privileged I am to have God’s Word in my own language. Greek is vivid, colorful, and precise, but I didn’t grow up speaking it. I can’t do my devotions in it. Today, because of John Wycliffe’s English translation, I have the privilege of reading this passage in the language I understand naturally:

Thank you, God, for writing Your Words down and allowing people to put them into a language that I can understand. Thank you that Your Word is living and powerful. Thank you for changing my life with it.

*www.wycliffie.org.uk

The Trusted Office

What kinds of work would you describe as important or trustworthy? An FBI agent protecting the president, a food inspector, or a college president? Those are all great guesses, but they’re not what I’m thinking about.

I Chronicles 9 describe the jobs of the Levites who lived in Jerusalem. Some were priests working in God’s house. Others were gatekeepers. Four special Levites kept the treasury. Others were singers. Towards the end of the chapter, we learn about a man who had a “trusted office.” His name was Mattithiah, and he “had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans.” He seems to have a small job that wouldn’t be worth noticing, but God put his unique job in the Bible and called it a “trusted office.”

Sometimes my jobs seem as small and unimportant as Mattithiah’s pots and pans. After all, I’m just a college student. All I do is write papers and serve people food in the cafeteria, right? How can that be a ministry to God? Mattithiah reminds me that “fulfilling the will of God” isn’t about doing some “big” ministry, but it is about being faithful to the “trusted office” God has given. That trusted office can be as small as listening to somebody who needs to talk or smiling at a sad person in the supper line.

God has a trusted office for you, too. What is it?

“Mattithiah…had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans.” – I Chronicles 9:31

Birthday Explorations

Celeste had a birthday, and the peeps surprised her - twice, actually:)

The girls decorated creatively on Friday evening, and we enjoyed cake and played Ninja very energetically in the lounge. On Sunday afternoon, Bekah pulled me out of Greek homework; and she, Alisha, Beth, Valerie, and I spent two hours roaming the plaza. We did NOT buy anything, but we enjoyed feeling sophisticated in skirts and high heels, looking at an art gallery, smelling perfumes, and taking the following pictures. Please enjoy your tour.

This nameless gentlemen looked like he needed a good laugh. He is one of my many cousins.

The pictures above and below are taken on the same bridge. It looked out over a river that was still and beautiful (but smelly, I'm sure). I particularly noticed the landscaping on either side of the river: it was well weeded.

After wondering around in heels, we finished up the afternoon with a Skyscraper shake. It looked very large when the waitress brought it out, but the five of us polished it off nicely.

And this is a random shot of Bekah and I last Sunday evening. College does not serve supper on Sunday evening, so we vetoed our traditional peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwitch-on-store-bought-hamburger-buns in favor of a hot dog and a large tea at Sonic. (She had the hot dog, and I the tea, btw.) Thank you Bekah, for coming and doing the whole College thing with me! Thanks everybody for a great birthday!

God's Peace Showed to People

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen.

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." - John 14:27

"Ye are the light of the world." - Matthew 5:14

"And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another,

even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you." - Ephesians 4:32

"There is [he] that scattereth, and yet increaseth." - Proverbs 11:24

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it." - Luke 9:24

O Great God

O Divine Redeemer,

Great was Thy goodness

in undertaking my redemption,

in consenting to be made sin for me,

in conquering all my foes;

Great was thy strength

in enduring the extremities of divine wrath,

in taking away the load of my iniquities;

Great is Thy love

in manifesting Thyself alive,

in showing Thy sacred wounds,

that every fear might vanish,

and every doubt be removed;

Great was Thy mercy

in ascending to heaven

in being crowned and enthroned,

there to intercede for me,

there to succor me in temptation,

there to open the eternal book,

there to receive me finally to Thyself;

Great was Thy wisdom

in devising this means of salvation;

Bathe my soul in rich consolations of thy resurrection life;

Great was thy grace

in commanding me

to come hand in hand with Thee to the Father,

to be knit to Him eternally,

to discover in Him my rest,

to find in Him my peace,

to behold His glory,

to honour Him who is alone worthy;

in giving me the Spirit as teacher, guide, power,

that I may life repenting of sin, conquer Satan find victory in life.

When Thou art absent all sorrows are here,

When Thou art present all blessings are mine.

- "Victory" from Valley of Vision

Jesus' Love and Icy Pops

Someone showed me Jesus' loves the other day. It was very hot outside, and David, Austin, and I were working on a concrete round about, with cars breathing down our necks and the sunshine magnified by the asphalt and concrete. It was near noon.

A woman and her son crossed the round about toward us. "We're just out sharin' the love of Jesus with you guys!" she said with a bright smile, handing each of us each two frozen icy pops and her church card. We thanked her and the icy pops gave us new energy.

How often do we represent Jesus in by doing little, nice things for people? Sharing a gospel presentation is important, but sometimes it's effective to share Jesus' love in little ways - like icy pops!

Heart Weeds

I predicted that my summer job as a landscaper for the City of Hutchinson would provide no blogging material. I stand corrected. Pulling weeds and planting flowers for the city turns out to be the best jobs in a while. It’s a wonderful, brainless job, a great place to recover from three years at college; the whole first morning I thought of nothing all morning. (At one point, I started to think about something and decided it was too much work.)

City flower beds come in two types: Bed Number One, where the ground is tilled, spread with compost, tilled again, planted, watered, mulched four inches thick, watered, etc. and Bed Number Two, where the hard ground is spread with mulch. Tugging at weed in these beds, I remembered how people compare sin to weeds – the smaller you get them the easier it is to pull them out. But this isn’t necessarily so. Nice, big tall weeds with a tap root slide right out of the soil, while little Bermuda grass’ shallow roots intertwined with the soil and stick to the ground. What makes weeding easy or hard was the soil. Bed Number One don’t get very many weeds. When they do come, they are easy to pull out; the soil is loamy and soft. Bed Number Two is too hard to weed and is hoed by hand. The mulch blows off, leaving the ground exposed to the elements that sap the moisture, strip the top soil, and pack it down.

The Lord reminded me that my heart can be like those two beds. If it is tilled by conviction from the Holy Spirit, watered from the Word of God, and mulched by obedience to God’s will, the sprouting weedscan be pulled easily. If my heart is calloused to the Holy Spirit’s reproof, my Bible sits in the drawer, and I live to please myself, it will hurt badly when the Holy Spirit finally pulls out the weeds.

On Being "Filled"

Staffers at Christian Youth in Action open every evaluation with prayer for the student who is presenting. This year, I've found myself praying often that my students would be filled with the Spirit while they teach. I have to admit, when I started doing this, I felt a bit charismatic(!), but it is Biblical to pray that others might be filled with the Spirit.

Scripture makes it clear that being filled with the Spirit is dependent upon personal submission to the Spirit and does not happen automatically for every believer at all times. Jesus says in John 15:5, "Without me, ye can do nothing." Today, the Holy Spirit's indwelling ministry provides the power to live a life of love and obedience to God. Without this Power, I am left only with the power of the flesh about which Paul writes in Romans 8:8: "They that are in the flesh cannot please God." The following is another prayer from The Valley of Vision. It is titled "Fullness in Christ," and explores the connection between our position in Christ and being filled with the Holy Spirit.

O God,

Thou hast taught me that Christ has all the fullness,

and so all plentitude of the Spirit, that all fullness I lack in myself is in Him,

for His people, not for Himself alone,

He having perfect knowledge, grace, righteousness,

to make me see,

to make me righteous,

to give me fullness;

That it is my duty, out of a sense of emptiness,

to go to Christ, posses, enjoy His fullness as mine, as if I had it in myself,

because it is for me in Him;

That when I do this I am full of the Spirit,

as a fish that has got from the shore to the sea and has all fullness of waters to move in,

for when faith fills me, then I am full;

That this is the way to be filled with the Spirit,

like Stephen, first faith, then fullness,

for this way makes me most empty, and so most fit for the Spirit to fill.

Thou hast taught me that the finding of this treasure of all grace in the field of Christ

begets strength, joy, glory, and renders all graces alive.

Help me to delight more in what I receive from Christ,

more in that fullness which is in Him, the fountain of all His glory.

Let me not think to receive the Spirit from Him as a 'thing'

apart from finding, drinking, being filled with Him.

To this end, O God,

do Thou establish me in Christ,

settle me, give me a being there,

assure me with certainty that all this is mine,

for this only will fill my heart with joy and peace.

"Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God." - Ephesians 5:18-21 (NKJV)

Things I Do at CYIA (not necessarily related to CYIA)

Since many people are curious about what happens at CYIA, here is a look into a life at CYIA of KS.

1. We live, sleep, eat, work, and play at Newton Bible Church. I was raised in this church and calculated the other day that I have lived in this building for nearly 4 months, only counting CYIAs.

2. Grading papers takes a great deal of time, but can be quite entertaining. If this were not the public internet, I could tell you some of the hilarious introductions that come across staff desks, but this is public internet. Our students are good, though, and have good attitudes.

3. Sleeping. Only about 6 hours a day are spent in this most delightful of all pursuits. The day begins at 5:40 a.m.and ends about 11:00 p.m. at the earliest, after tucking in all the girls at 10:30. One night as I was headed upstairs at about 11:45 p.m., a very loud noise started going off in the kitchen. Another staffer and I investigated and it was the weather radio warning us of a thunderstorm warning. It kept making very loud, annoying noises, and we didn't know how to turn it off, so we just turned the volume down and went to bed. It rained very hard that night, and thundered and lightening-ed, which makes a lot of noise when you are the second floor of a metal building. I got only about 3 hours of sleep that night.

5. Eating Starbursts.

6. Practicing a mime song for talent night. I had never mimed anything until yesterday when my cousin taught me how.

7. Listening to the CBI Singers. They gave their last concert here Sunday evening. Bethany spent the evening with me in the dorm, and I enjoyed morning devotions with them before the left for the long trip back to Hot Springs. Bethany texted me around 12:30 a.m. that they got home safely.

8. Re-connecting with friends. Vanessa, Emily, Ellie, Luke & Amber, Gabe & Nola and children, Miss Elfrieda, Michaela, Bekah & Rohn, Chelsey, Cathy, and many others.

9. Having devotions with my dorm girls! This is one of my favorite parts of CYIA. Hearing what God is doing in each others' lives and being taught from God's Word is an important foundation for teaching clubs during the second week.

10. Most important, teaching clubs in the community with the CYIA'ers. Please pray for that the children who heard the gospel would respond to Christ's invitation of eternal life. Pray that those who made a profession of faith would grow in their new relationship with God.

In Which We Make French Press Coffee

After supper the other evening, I was feeling in a coffee mood. I decided to use the Ghiradelli Caffe Gourmet Coffee I had rescued from the trash stack when white glove hit the girls’ dorm. But because I’m neither a coffee connoisseur nor the daughter of a coffee connoisseur, making coffee meant dragging the coffee maker up from the basement where it is stored when there is no company around to drink coffee. And I didn’t feel like doing that. So instead, I decided to make coffee in a French press. Now, nobody in my house has a French press, either, but we did have a sauce pan and a coffee filter. So, the following is a recipe for making French press coffee without a French press in 9 easy steps.

Step 1: Put 1 ½ cups of water in the saucepan and turn the burner on hi.

Step2: Text Graham and ask how long to “soak” the coffee grounds in the water.

Step 3: Remove boiling water from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Step 4: Receive a text from Graham saying to be sure and not boil the water.

Step 5: Drop 1 tablespoon of coffee grounds into the hot water and put the lid on the saucepan. Brew 3 minutes.

Step 6: While the coffee is brewing, put 4 tablespoons of real, raw, cow’s milk cream into a mug and heat it in the microwave.

Step 7: Place a coffee filter inside a small strainer and place the strainer on top of the mug. Pour the coffee from the pot, through the strainer, and into the mug.

Step 8: Add a 1 ½ shots of English Toffee syrup.

Step 9: Stir and enjoy!

So, the next time you crave coffee and don’t have a coffee maker, you can make French press on the stove in a saucepan. When you do, please comment on this post and tell me about your experience. Together, we can make this blog a gold mind of stove top French press experiences that will benefit later generations.

The Divine Will

“O Lord,

I hang on thee; I see, believe, live when thy will, not mine, is done;

I can plead nothing in myself in regard of any worthiness and grace, in regard of thy providence and promises, but only thy good pleasure.

If thy mercy make me poor and vile, blessed be thou!

Prayers arising from my need are preparations for future mercies;

Help me honor thee by believing before I feel, for great is the sin if I make feeling a cause of faith.

Show me what sins hide me from thee and eclipse thy love;

Help me to humble myself for past evils, to be resolved to walk with more care,

For if I do not walk holily before thee, how can I be assured of my salvation?

It is the meek and humble who are shown thy covenant, know thy will, are pardoned and healed, who by faith depend and rest upon grace, who are sanctified and quickened, who evidence thy love.

Help me to pray in faith and so find thy will, by leaning hard on thy rich free mercy, by believing that thou wilt give what thou hast promised;

Strengthen me to pray with the conviction that whatever I receive is thy gift, so that I may pray until prayer be granted;

Teach me to believe that all degrees of mercy arise from several degrees of prayer, that when faith is begun it is imperfect and must grow, as chapped ground opens wider and wider until rain comes.

So shall I wait thy will, pray for it to be done, and by thy grace become fully obedient.”

-Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions

Trusting and Waiting

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits,

and in His word I hope;

my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning,

more than watchmen for the morning." - Ps. 130:5-6

"We are too apt to wait for circumstance, people, things' and to meet with disappointment, because they are apart from Himself. But those who wait for the Lord cannot be ashamed. There may be no Theophany; but, as they wait, a new strength and comfort steal into their hearts. Oh to have the eagerness of the watcher for the dawn, as we wait for God! And should not we all cherish this expectancy for the breaking of that eternal morning, when the day shall dawn on which night never falls?" - F. B. Myer on the Psalms

These words encouraged me in my devotions this morning. Then, in chapel this morning, Uncle Phil said, "How much we trust God is linked to our understanding that God is in control." That trust is demonstrated in confidence in God, belief in what He says, and submission to His will.

Is it not a restful thing to trust in God?

Christmas Break Pilgrimage

Spending Christmas Break in Hot Springs definitely had its perks! Lots of hours at work, lots of hours sleeping, and lots of hours on the road visiting my friends Clara and Levi and Aryn. Bekah and I headed out early Wednesday morning and arrived at Clara and Levi's by early afternoon. It was wonderful to see their "nest" and enjoy their hospitality. Clara is a great hostess! Highlights of the visit included taking Bekah's senior pictures (which turned out great!), shopping for the first time in six months, and watching North and South. And, of course, good talks about the Lord and our lives.

Friday morning Bekah and I drove on to Grace University and spent time with Aryn, exploring Grace's campus, hearing about classes, and painting our nails. Roja's provided a delicious, fresh-tasting Mexican for supper. Saturday morning we rambled around the Joscelin Museum of Art feeling cultured! Here is the a picture of the reproduction that I purchased. It is Renoir's "Two Girls at the Piano."

After feeling cultured, we ate dinner at Panara. Take a bit of advice and don't order off the kids menu. It's cheap, but it was a cheese sandwich on enriched, white, store-bought bread; could have manufactured it in an a non-cook's kitchen. Eat real Panara food when you go there.

The trip home was long, but safe. Bethany and I ran into snow about 25 miles from school, and it takes a long time to drive 25 miles at 35 mph, but we did eventually get there. Special thanks to my great traveling companion, Bekah, without whom this pilgrimage would not have been possible.

Experience our trip with us through pictures!

Posing with our map and Google directions -

- Dishing out hard peppermint ice cream at
Clara and Levi's home

Finishing off the
Sparkling Grape Juice -

- Lunch at Penara's

Enjoying a Runza (bierock)at the Hajda's bakery -

Encouraging Our Friends

Before turning in at night, my roommate Christine and I read from Amy Carmichael's devotional Edges of His Ways. (If you are looking for a good devotional, I highly recommend it!) Last night, the reminders were so practical that I wanted to share them with you:

"And Jonathan Saul's son arose, and went to David into the wood,

and strengthened his hand in God."

- I Samuel 23:16

God make us all His Jonathans. There is a greater hunter abroad in the world. Like Saul who sought David every day, he seeks souls every day, never a day's respite, always the hunt is on. Although the words stand for ever, "but God delivered him not into his hand", yet sometimes souls tire of being hunted, and like David they are in a wilderness in a wood. This is Jonathan's chance. But notice what he does, he does not so comfort David that he becomes necessary to him. "He strengthened his hand in God." He leaves his friend strong in God, resting in God, safe in God. He detaches his dear David from himself and he attaches him to his "Very Present Help". Then Jonathan went to his house, and David abode in the wood - with God....

Next time we read of David being in serious trouble he had no Jonathan to strengthen his hands. "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him....But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God." Long afterward when he was delivered from Saul he sang one of his songs, "It is God that girdeth me with strength....Thou hast girded me with strength....The Lord liveth." (His dear Jonathan was dead, but he does not even speak of him, all that matters is, "The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock".)

If he had leaned on Jonathan, if Jonathan had made himself necessary to David, he would not have leaned on his Rock and proved the glorious strength of his Rock; his whole life would have been lived on a lower level, and who can tell how many of his songs would have been left unwritten, with great loss to the glory of God and to the Church of all the ages?

- Amy Carmichael in Edges of His Ways, p. 5-6