Thought for Friday Oct 12, 2012

It’s been a while since I last wrote a post.  I know it’s been awhile because I can’t remember the last one I wrote, so I know it’s been too long.  As for those of you who follow me, I want to say thank you for your patience, and I’m glad that you find something of value when you come here to read whatever it is I’ve published.  I know that there are a number of you who have expressed a desire to see me write more of my own things, and to publish the writings of others less, no matter how great or worthwhile their writings may be or have been in the past.

Those of you who have been with me for a long time know that I’m not that forth coming when it comes to talking or writing about myself.  There are a number of reasons for this, and while they’re all true, I don’t like any of them.  The first is because I don’t like myself very much, and find it very difficult to see much in myself that is very likable or worthwhile.  It’s not easy to write that, but to say anything less would be a lie, and as anyone who knows me knows I’m a terrible liar.  I suppose one has to like something or at least see the advantage in doing something before one can be very good at it, and since I absolutely hate being lied to, and lying in general, it stands to reason I can’t pull it off with any degree of skill.  For me lying is the equivalent to my being almost bald.  You can see it for what it is, so it’s just easier to admit and live with the fact than to try and deny it.

Some people would probably say I suffer from low self-esteem.  That’s what the world calls it, and that’s what I’ve had a number of people tell me is my problem.  To be honest, low self-esteem is a label just like “Hines Ketchup” and “Budweiser” are labels.  It’s descriptive of an attitude and a behavior, a thing, but labels  only describe what can be seen; they’re not really indicative of what’s within.  For that someone has to go further than just looking at the label.  You really want to know what “Hines Ketchup” or “Budweiser” tastes like you have to open them up and taste them to know for sure what they are.

I know what the world calls it when someone has a low opinion of oneself.  I have a hard time with seeing myself that way.  I don’t think I suffer so much from low self-esteem as I suffer from a lack of understanding of what it is to know grace.  For me, the way I feel about myself is a product of knowing who I am better than anyone else, except for God, and I can tell you from having lived with myself and having experienced the consequences of living with the things I’ve done that I have no right to feel good about myself.

In truth, all labels are misleading to a degree, and most of them are distortions, and are overly simplified explanations of things far more complicated than what they appear to be.  People are labeled all the time, if not by others, by themselves, and very, very seldom does justice, honesty, or truth enter very far into any of the labels we use to describe others or ourselves.  None of us have a truly accurate view of ourselves or others, and if there’s one great deception in this world, it’s in the fact that so many of us think that we do…

 

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Your Thoughts Determine Your Destination

This post Your Thoughts Determine Your Destination written by Simplyjuliana is an inspiring and life affirming piece of writing.  What’s more it is true… Change begins with a single step.

From “The Word For You Today” by Bruce Christian

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR VISION

God promised Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Ge 12:3 NKJV).  That’s a big vision!  But God knew Abraham had the faith to embrace it.  If you hate what you have to do in order to pursue your vision, something is wrong.  Examine your motives.  See if there are inconsistencies between who you are and what you are trying to accomplish.  Have you taken ownership of the vision?  Do you have the heart for it?  If pursuing your vision causes you to violate your values, then you need to get another vision.  Maybe the problem is your attitude.  (1)  Are you too idealistic?  You must accept the way your vision is unfolding, and change your expectations concerning how long it’ll take.  Ninety percent of all disappointments stem from unrealistic expectations.  (2)  Have you stopped dreaming daily?  You must let yourself dream a little bit every day, explore possibilities and embrace options.  Be creative.  Continuing to dream actually helps you move forward.  (3)  Do you appreciate each small step of progress?  One way to fill fulfilled is to celebrate each success.  Recognize when you pass milestones.  Thanking God for your progress will encourage you to keep  moving forward.  (4)  Have you made personal growth your goal?  The only way to fulfill a big vision is to grow with it.  The bigger the vision, the bigger you have to be to achieve it.  What is God revealing to you in your current situation?  How can you grow?  The greatest reward of pursuing a vision–is who you become as a result.`

From “The Word For You Today” by Bruce Christian, What Kind of Example are You? (5)

     How true this is.  Read it and see if you don’t agree.

WHAT KIND OF EXAMPLE ARE YOU (5)

     In Bible times, Jews looked down on non-jews.  They actually referred to them as “dogs.”  So when Christ’s disciples went into a Samaritan village to find accomodation for the night, they were turned away.  How did the disciples handle this?  With understanding?  Not a chance?  “They said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’  But he turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what …spirit you are of”  (Lk 9:54-55 NKJV).  Check your spirit!  You can be totally unaware of your attitude toward others.  You can even use Scripture to justify yourself.  The disciples thought that because Elijah called down fire on his enemies at Mount Carmel they should be able to zap these poor Samaritians.  Amazing!  Christ had just got through telling them: “Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.  Rejoice in that day and leap for joy!  For indeed your reward is great in heaven” (Lk 6:22-23 NKJV).  Only as you read the Scriptures and pray, can God shine the spotlight on your hidden biases and help you correct them.  Often the look on your face has more impact than the words you speak.  You can be arrogant and think you’re being assertive.  You can be insensitive and think you’re a truth-teller.  You can be purpose-driven and convince people that their only value to you is in what they contribute.  When it comes to your “spirit,” you need a regular checkup.

From the “Writings of A.W. Pink”

     Among the many failings of the christian church today there is none greater than the failure to teach and to proclaim the Sovereignty of God.  It is this failure, above all others, that has given rise to many of the false beliefs people have about God.  God is not the weak, ambivalent, fickle entity that so many people make Him out to be.  It is a failure to teach the Bible – God’s Holy Word – and it’s doctrines with absolute truth, and without compromise and dissimulation that has led people to think that our God is like we are with all our foibles, flaws and inconsistencies.  Nothing, and I mean, nothing is more dishonoring to God than for people to think that He is like them, or that He isn’t fully in control of everything, and I mean everything, that happens in this world and in the lives of people.  Do I know what I’m saying?  Yes, absolutely, and a careful study of the scriptures bears this out.  
     To say there are things in the Bible that are hard to understand is an understatement, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be understood.  Foreordination, Election, and predestination are difficult concepts to understand, but they are not beyond the comprehension of human intellect when guided and taught by the Holy Spirit.  The Bible is it’s own best commentary; yet, many people fail to benefit from it simply because they don’t take the time to study it.  No one single verse or section of scripture can be fully understood without it being studied in the context in which it is written, and in light of what other scriptures reveal in relationship to it.
     The Bible is the Word of God; His revelation of Himself to man so that man can understand himself and his role in relation to his Creator.   There are many men behind the pulpits of todays churches who quite frankly are false teachers, whether by intention, or ignorance, is not for me to judge, but the results are the same.  Whenever and wherever people teach that God is love, and fail to teach that He is holy, just, and hates sin they are NOT teaching the truth as the Bible reveals it.
     A proper attitude toward the sovereignty of God is essential to comprehending and experiencing the promises and blessings of Almighty God. 

What Ought to be Our Attitude Toward the Sovereignty of God?

Arthur W. Pink

It has been well said that “true worship is based upon recognized greatness, and greatness is superlatively seen in Sovereignty, and at no other footstool will men really worship.” In the presence of the Divine King upon His throne even the seraphim ‘veil their faces.’ Divine sovereignty is not the sovereignty of a tyrannical Despot, but the exercised pleasure of One who is infinitely wise and good! Because God is infinitely wise He cannot err, and because He is infinitely righteous He will not do wrong. Here then is the preciousness of this truth. The mere fact itself that God’s will is irresistible and irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills only that which is good. My heart is made to rejoice. Here then is the final answer to the question (concerning our attitude toward God’s sovereignty)—What ought to be our attitude toward the sovereignty of God? The becoming attitude for us to take is that of godly fear, implicit obedience, and unreserved resignation and submission. But not only so: the recognition of the sovereignty of God, and the realization that the Sovereign Himself is my Father, ought to overwhelm the heart and cause me to bow before Him in adoring worship. At all times I must say, “Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in Thy sight.”