As Paul writes to the Philippians, there are four actions he encourages them to make a pattern of their lives: always be thankful, always be bold, always obey, and always rejoice. What does it look like to practice these actions on a continual basis?
Paul gives thanks to God for the Philippians. (1:3-4)
Whenever Paul remembers the Philippians he thanks God for them. Paul had seen God work in the lives of the Philippians in significant ways. Lydia had been saved and opened up her house for the believers to meet there. The Philippian jailer had seen Paul and Silas rejoicing in God even when they had been beaten and were put in jail (see Acts 16). Additionally, the Philippians had been an encouragement to Paul; not the least because they had sent Epaphroditus to update him on how the Philippians were doing. As believers, we should strive to be the type of people that cause other believers to thank God for us. In our own prayers, we should thank God for the fellow believers that encourage us.
Whenever he prays for them he makes his requests with joy.
Paul does not consider it a burden to pray for the Philippians, but he is glad to bring them before God’s throne of grace. Part of his ministry to them is his interceding in prayer for them. While he couldn’t physically be with them and encourage them because of his imprisonment, he could still minister to them through his prayers. What an encouragement it must have been for the Philippians to know that Paul was praying for them! So many times we think that ministry is “doing”. And yes, there is a certain truth that ministry involves actively being involved in the lives of others. However, I think we vastly underestimate how much encouragement and impact we can have by bringing others in our requests before God’s throne of grace. May we be more faithful in our earnest prayers for our loved ones, our friends, and our missionaries.
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Tuesday, August 25, 2020
Always Be Thankful
Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Spine Labels - Set 50
spine labels
noun (plural) - a collection of odds and ends that are as random as reading spine labels in a bookstore
Not Really a Morning Person pin
Sweater Pumpkins
Lavender Syrup
Earl Grey Tea cake baking kit
Spiced Chai Latte whipped body butter
Scarecrow Nordic Gnome
Lavender Fields wax melts
Book Nerd book pouch
Lavender and Rosemary soap
Book planter pot
You have just finished reading Spine Labels - Set 50.
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noun (plural) - a collection of odds and ends that are as random as reading spine labels in a bookstore
Not Really a Morning Person pin
Sweater Pumpkins
Lavender Syrup
Earl Grey Tea cake baking kit
Spiced Chai Latte whipped body butter
Scarecrow Nordic Gnome
Lavender Fields wax melts
Book Nerd book pouch
Lavender and Rosemary soap
Book planter pot
You have just finished reading Spine Labels - Set 50.
Connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest.
Tuesday, August 11, 2020
Sometimes a Light Surprises
Sometimes a light surprises
the Christian while he sings;
it is the Lord, who rises
with healing in his wings:
when comforts are declining,
he grants the soul again
a season of clear shining,
to cheer it after rain.
In holy contemplation
we sweetly then pursue
the theme of God’s salvation,
and find it ever new;
set free from present sorrow,
we cheerfully can say,
"Let the unknown tomorrow
bring with it what it may."
It can bring with it nothing
but he will bear us through;
who gives the lilies clothing
will clothe his people too:
beneath the spreading heavens
no creature but is fed;
and he who feeds the ravens
will give his children bread.
Though vine nor fig tree neither
their wanted fruit should bear,
though all the field should wither,
nor flocks nor herds be there;
yet God the same abideth,
his praise shall tune my voice,
for, while in him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.
- by William Cowper
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the Christian while he sings;
it is the Lord, who rises
with healing in his wings:
when comforts are declining,
he grants the soul again
a season of clear shining,
to cheer it after rain.
In holy contemplation
we sweetly then pursue
the theme of God’s salvation,
and find it ever new;
set free from present sorrow,
we cheerfully can say,
"Let the unknown tomorrow
bring with it what it may."
It can bring with it nothing
but he will bear us through;
who gives the lilies clothing
will clothe his people too:
beneath the spreading heavens
no creature but is fed;
and he who feeds the ravens
will give his children bread.
Though vine nor fig tree neither
their wanted fruit should bear,
though all the field should wither,
nor flocks nor herds be there;
yet God the same abideth,
his praise shall tune my voice,
for, while in him confiding,
I cannot but rejoice.
- by William Cowper
-----
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Tuesday, August 04, 2020
The Weaver
My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.
- by Grant Colfax Tullar
-----
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Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.
Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.
Not ’til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.
The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned
He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.
- by Grant Colfax Tullar
-----
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Tuesday, July 28, 2020
Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness by Wendy Alsup
I recently finished reading Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness by Wendy Alsup.
While I really enjoyed the entire book, these quotes in particular stood out to me.
"We don’t need to try to be the hero in our own story. God is the hero—we need only receive. And often God will use others as his hands and feet to provide exactly what we need. Receive from others, and as you do, you receive from the Lord."
(Kindle edition, location 62)
"In Luke 9 (and in Matthew 10:38-39 and Luke 14: 27), Jesus didn’t instruct his disciples to shake off the weight of their crosses in order to better serve him. Instead, he said to take up the weight and follow him anyway. Jesus invited his disciples to follow him, weights of suffering and all. And the rest of the New Testament presents suffering not as a rare event a few believers will experience but as the Christian norm as we live in faith in a world sorely affected by the fall."
(Kindle edition, location 215)
"Why is it that those who have not suffered intensely do not have enduring encouragement to offer those who have? Because, according to Paul, suffering itself is the conduit to the very ability to comfort."
(Kindle edition, location 455)
"Suffering feels keenly unfair when it seems to leave us paying the consequences of a sin someone else committed."
(Kindle edition, location 704)
"The first chapter of Job begins by pulling back the curtain in the heavens on a discussion occurring between God and Satan. From that discussion I gathered my first weapon against the prosperity gospel that sufferers must put to death. It is a nugget of sustaining truth every believing sufferer needs to know: You did not bring this on yourself."
(Kindle edition, location 1269)
"In grace our Father in heaven eternally preserved the story of Job for all who suffer in Christ today. God truly has not left us as orphans to walk our path of suffering alone. As we sit with Job in his tent of suffering and listen to his lament, we are freed from the dangerously deceptive heresy of the prosperity gospel that has us worshiping the gifts rather than the Giver."
(Kindle edition, location 1395)
"Job was a righteous man, and his suffering wasn’t because of his sin but to show the worthiness of God to Satan and the heavenly realm."
(Kindle edition, location 1398)
"This very perseverance in seasons of silence without seeing God’s solution is the essence of faith."
(Kindle edition, location 1815)
"When we have suffered in one area, I’m convinced we become more attuned to suffering in others."
(Kindle edition, location 2049)
"We should feel its cumulative effect as suffering outside us adds to the pain of the suffering inside us. This is natural. We were not created for divorce court, hospitals, or funeral homes. We should not make peace with them."
(Kindle edition, location 2051)
You have just finished reading Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness by Wendy Alsup.
Connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest.
While I really enjoyed the entire book, these quotes in particular stood out to me.
"We don’t need to try to be the hero in our own story. God is the hero—we need only receive. And often God will use others as his hands and feet to provide exactly what we need. Receive from others, and as you do, you receive from the Lord."
(Kindle edition, location 62)
"In Luke 9 (and in Matthew 10:38-39 and Luke 14: 27), Jesus didn’t instruct his disciples to shake off the weight of their crosses in order to better serve him. Instead, he said to take up the weight and follow him anyway. Jesus invited his disciples to follow him, weights of suffering and all. And the rest of the New Testament presents suffering not as a rare event a few believers will experience but as the Christian norm as we live in faith in a world sorely affected by the fall."
(Kindle edition, location 215)
"Why is it that those who have not suffered intensely do not have enduring encouragement to offer those who have? Because, according to Paul, suffering itself is the conduit to the very ability to comfort."
(Kindle edition, location 455)
"Suffering feels keenly unfair when it seems to leave us paying the consequences of a sin someone else committed."
(Kindle edition, location 704)
"The first chapter of Job begins by pulling back the curtain in the heavens on a discussion occurring between God and Satan. From that discussion I gathered my first weapon against the prosperity gospel that sufferers must put to death. It is a nugget of sustaining truth every believing sufferer needs to know: You did not bring this on yourself."
(Kindle edition, location 1269)
"In grace our Father in heaven eternally preserved the story of Job for all who suffer in Christ today. God truly has not left us as orphans to walk our path of suffering alone. As we sit with Job in his tent of suffering and listen to his lament, we are freed from the dangerously deceptive heresy of the prosperity gospel that has us worshiping the gifts rather than the Giver."
(Kindle edition, location 1395)
"Job was a righteous man, and his suffering wasn’t because of his sin but to show the worthiness of God to Satan and the heavenly realm."
(Kindle edition, location 1398)
"This very perseverance in seasons of silence without seeing God’s solution is the essence of faith."
(Kindle edition, location 1815)
"When we have suffered in one area, I’m convinced we become more attuned to suffering in others."
(Kindle edition, location 2049)
"We should feel its cumulative effect as suffering outside us adds to the pain of the suffering inside us. This is natural. We were not created for divorce court, hospitals, or funeral homes. We should not make peace with them."
(Kindle edition, location 2051)
You have just finished reading Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness by Wendy Alsup.
Connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest.
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley
I recently finished reading Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley.
While I really enjoyed the entire book, these quotes in particular stood out to me.
"The conscience is a gift for your good and joy, and it is something that God—not your mother or father or anyone else—gave you."
(Kindle edition, page 25)
"Conscience is all about right or wrong, black or white. It doesn’t do gray scale very well. It doesn’t nuance."
(Kindle edition, page 25)
"Because conscience wants to make such stark pronouncements, it is of utmost importance that you align your personal conscience standards with what God considers right and wrong, not just with human opinion. Otherwise, your conscience will pronounce guilty verdicts on matters of mere opinion."
(Kindle edition, page 26)
"You cannot, must not, force others to adopt your conscience standards."
(Kindle edition, page 26)
"As we come to understand God’s revealed will more and more, we will have opportunities to add rules to our conscience that God’s Word clearly teaches and weed out rules that God’s Word treats as optional. This will take a lifetime, but we have the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the church of God to help us."
(Kindle edition, page 28)
"Of all the principles related to conscience, two rise to the top: (1) God is the only Lord of conscience, and (2) you should always obey your conscience."
(Kindle edition, page 30)
"Whenever 'obey conscience!' collides with 'obey God!,' 'obey God!' must come out on top—every time."
(Kindle edition, page 31)
"As a general rule, you should assume that your conscience is reliable, even if it isn’t perfect. And since conscience is usually right, the Bible says that we should do what our conscience says until we are convinced from Scripture that it needs adjusting."
(Kindle edition, page 60)
"We must never allow the conscience of others to determine our own conscience. But we must always consider the conscience of others when we determine our own actions."
(Kindle edition, page 111)
You have just finished reading Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley.
Connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest.
While I really enjoyed the entire book, these quotes in particular stood out to me.
"The conscience is a gift for your good and joy, and it is something that God—not your mother or father or anyone else—gave you."
(Kindle edition, page 25)
"Conscience is all about right or wrong, black or white. It doesn’t do gray scale very well. It doesn’t nuance."
(Kindle edition, page 25)
"Because conscience wants to make such stark pronouncements, it is of utmost importance that you align your personal conscience standards with what God considers right and wrong, not just with human opinion. Otherwise, your conscience will pronounce guilty verdicts on matters of mere opinion."
(Kindle edition, page 26)
"You cannot, must not, force others to adopt your conscience standards."
(Kindle edition, page 26)
"As we come to understand God’s revealed will more and more, we will have opportunities to add rules to our conscience that God’s Word clearly teaches and weed out rules that God’s Word treats as optional. This will take a lifetime, but we have the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the church of God to help us."
(Kindle edition, page 28)
"Of all the principles related to conscience, two rise to the top: (1) God is the only Lord of conscience, and (2) you should always obey your conscience."
(Kindle edition, page 30)
"Whenever 'obey conscience!' collides with 'obey God!,' 'obey God!' must come out on top—every time."
(Kindle edition, page 31)
"As a general rule, you should assume that your conscience is reliable, even if it isn’t perfect. And since conscience is usually right, the Bible says that we should do what our conscience says until we are convinced from Scripture that it needs adjusting."
(Kindle edition, page 60)
"We must never allow the conscience of others to determine our own conscience. But we must always consider the conscience of others when we determine our own actions."
(Kindle edition, page 111)
You have just finished reading Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ by Andy Naselli and J. D. Crowley.
Connect with me on Twitter and Pinterest.
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