All I Have Is Christ

by Jordan Kauflin

I once was lost in darkest night
Yet thought I knew the way
The sin that promised joy and life
Had led me to the grave

I had no hope that You would own
A rebel to Your will
And if You had not loved me first
I would refuse You still

But as I ran my hell-bound race
Indifferent to the cost
You looked upon my helpless state
And led me to the cross

And I beheld God’s love displayed
You suffered in my place
You bore the wrath reserved for me
Now all I know is grace

Hallelujah! All I have is Christ
Hallelujah! Jesus is my life

Now, Lord, I would be Yours alone
And live so all might see
The strength to follow Your commands
Could never come from me

Oh Father, use my ransomed life
In any way You choose
And let my song forever be
My only boast is You

God Colored Glasses

I wonder what would happen if more Christians started wearing 'glasses' like these?
I was really challenged by this video and I hope that you will be too.

If

If I could fix my thoughts on You all throughout the day,

I would not have to worry for I could always pray.

I would renounce once and for all everything not come from You,

I'd b'lieve and embrace Your promises and seek Your face as I ought to do.

I'd recognize that you were with me, an ever present reality,

and constantly converse with You in freedom and simplicity.

I'd ask You for help in discerning your will, and in things I know You want me to do,

Offering them to You as worship and then thanking You when I am through

I wouldn't have to keep my mind on the small tasks my hands are a part of,

I'd thank You for giving me this work to do so I could give it as an act of love

I would not look ahead to the things I cannot change

but cling to You and wait and trust life's best when you arrange

If little things distract me from our sweet communion,

God You'd remind me of your presence and renew our union

If I could but abandon myself completely to You,

I'll find the path to heaven straight and light that is sure and true

If only I could discipline myself with faithfulness!

afterward would come the Joy of choosing to seek Your face.

Tibits For Thoughts

"The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers,
not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children,
  to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands,
that the word of God may not be blasphemed."
Titus 2:3-5

  
 I don't have a husband to love, but I can save my love for him by guarding my thoughts and only thinking what is:

" ...true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, ... Virtu(ous and),... Praiseworthy.." about any fella I meet. No, I don't have children to love unconditionally, but I can learn how to love by practicing it with * 'unlovable' siblings. Discreet? I can practice that! Chaste? Uh huh! Homemaker? (does scrubbing toilets count?) Even if I don't want to... I can. Good?... Isn't that what the Christian life is about? Serving God as He conforms us to the image of His Son? Obedient? I may not have a husband, but I sure can practice before I meet 'im! 

Another thought:

~Discreet
"curbing ones desires and impulses, self-controlled, moderate."

~Chaste
"exciting reverence, venerable, honorable, sacred, pure from carnality, modest." 
~Good
"useful, salutary, good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable."
God has His own good time for your husband and my husband. How could He bless us with a husband to serve if we are not serving Him ? God says 'when a man finds a wife he finds a good thing.' How can God give a husband one of us, if we are not 'a good thing' ?


One last thought:
Is our focus in the right place? As women, we are created to be a helper for man, and we have an innate need and desire to do just that. The desire is a good thing. It is a gift from God. But when we put as the #1 our desire to be married (and to be loved as the idol of a man's heart? ... and to be served... and thought of first...and... ... ... to be worshiped? (adored?)) we pull our idea of marriage out of our pockets and shove it at God saying, "what you think is best really isn't." (That makes God a liar.) "I know you are holding out on me." (That makes God malicious.) "This is the blessing I want. Give it to me." (That makes puts you in the place of the All Knowing God as god.)
 Do you see how we mock Him?
 Do you see the need for a little more trust and faith?
"James 1:5, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men liberally, and reproaches not; and it shall be given him."

"Romans 12:2, and do not be conformed to this world, ( we must beware of the lust of the flesh girls) but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God."
But!!!
Whaaat is 'transforming' our minds?
simply put, it is putting into our minds God's thoughts, and kicking out our old-sin-nature thoughts.
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7
What we think is the 'real us.' It dictates how we act and what comes out of our mouths. The dirt inside our minds cripples our faith.
So what should we think? 
True Things...

God is capable of doing anything.
God is working all things out for my ultimate good.
God's timing is perfect.
God has me here in this season of life for a reason.

 








*To be honest there is no such thing as an 'unlovable sibling.' we just use that as an excuse to let ourselves off the hook.

Becoming a Proverbs 31 Woman

^{As christian girls we spend a lot of time talking about "The Proverbs 31 Woman."}
 

<sup>We 'learn a lot from her' 'want to be like her' 'think she is the epitome of christian womanhood' and much more.
What are we doing about it?


Honestly?
God has called us to do more that just talk.
He has called us to ACTION.


Father,</sup>

^{Make us willing to go and do what we know is right.}

^{Make me willing.}

^"10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." 

I purpose to be devoted to You and Your Word before my own projects, activities, and ideas.

 ^"11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil."

I purpose to ask You what you want me to do in a given situation and not to rely on my own wisdom.

  ^"12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life."

 I purpose to take the time to show Your love to others with my tongue and with my actions even when I don't feel like I have the time.

^"13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands."  
^"14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar." 

 ^"15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens."

 ^"16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard."

 I purpose to be willing to do whatever I see needs doing and to do it with all my might, regardless of looks, inconvenience, and self-denial required . 


  "¹⁷She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms."

I purpose to avoid books, movies, thoughts, activities, possessions, and clothing that distract me from You, and tempt me to think, act, and speak in a way that does not please you.   

 ^"18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night."  

^"19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff."

I purpose to use my talents for Your glory, and not to boost my pride. 

 ^"20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy."

I purpose to talk to others when You prompt me, even if I don't want to, and to look for ways I can meet other's needs.

 ^"21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet."

^"22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. "

I purpose to be available to my mother, to be her helper, and to learn with a servant's attitude, even if I think I know it already.

 ^"23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land."

 I purpose to treat each person around me as if they were you.

 ^"24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant." 

I purpose to look around me for ways to be creative, to think outside the box, and use Your ingenuity instead of giving up, saying it can't be done, or throwing my responsibility on someone else because I don't want to figure it out. 

 ^"25Strength and honor are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come."

I purpose to look at my desires, goals, and role models through Your eyes and weed out those which do not please you.

 "²⁶She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness."

I purpose to spread your joy with my smile and tongue, even if I am  tired and/or want to grump.

" ²⁷She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness."
 I purpose to be diligent do the things that you give me to do, like or dislike, big or small, hard or easy, to Your standard.

^"28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."

 ^"29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all."

 ^"30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised."

I purpose to look forward to Your reward in heaven, to look at life around me from Your eternal perspective, and to choose to focus on those things which are of eternal value. 

" ³¹Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates."

 I purpose to find out what God commands and to do it, taking full responsibility for my diligence in application.

This is something that God has called me to. Will you hold me accountable? 

 

 

A 'snapshot' of Romans

"This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes."

~Martin Luther

This video was made by Mr. Currado, a man I highly respect and look up to. I hope that it encourages you and gives you a perspective of Romans that you have never seen before.

 

Survival of the Fittest

I read this post from Mr. Doug Phillips Blog it touched my heart, I hope it touches yours too.

Joseph and Chrissy Rivera were devastated last month when they were told that their three-year-old little girl Amelia was ineligible to receive a kidney transplant.
Kidney transplants are rare, especially in children, but that was not why this little girl was being denied help. Amelia was being denied a transplant because she suffers from Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that has left her with mental disabilities. Her doctors said her quality of life was not adequate to justify a kidney transplant. A hospital social worker explained that the little girl was better off anyway because she would not be able to take care of herself in the future when her parents passed away.
Amelia’s story has prompted a public outcry as more than 37,000 people have signed an online petition to urge the hospital involved to reconsider. In the face of massive public pressure, the Philadelphia hospital has now relented and is allowing the family to go through a review process, although they have yet to confirm whether Amelia will be approved for a transplant.
This story is far from unique, as an ever-increasing number of medical practitioners use a “quality of life” calculus in determining how they will and will not treat their patients. If the patient’s “quality of life” is deemed sufficiently low, they will be given more limited treatment options or, in some cases, deprived of care altogether. Given the financial cost and burden to the system, the argument goes, theirs is in not a life worth saving.
This is no small matter, as it represents the triumph of Darwinian ethics over Biblical ethics of life. According to Darwinism, man is not made in the image of God and neither is life sacred. Instead, evolution views man as one among many anomalies in the evolutionary process — a selfish animal who only thinks himself superior to others in the animal kingdom.
What is the result of this denial of God’s Word? Darwin stated it succinctly: “The survival of the fittest”; the weak and infirm should be left to die.
The doctors’ response to Amelia is textbook Darwinism. Instead of recognizing her as a little girl made in the image of God and using their skills and knowledge to improve her health, the doctors involved have deemed her not fit to survive due to her mental disabilities.
The ethical implications of Darwinism are serious, and we as Christians must be prepared to address them with clarity and conviction, as Vision Forum does in our Bioethics of Life DVD Collection.Where the curtain falls on these issues — as the case of little Amelia shows — means life or death for the weak.

Will You Speak Up?

"They came first for the Communists..
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Unionists...
but I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Unionist.
Then they came for the Catholic...
but I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me...
and by that time...
there was no-one left to speak up for me."

Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939

This quote, from a book I randomly picked up, stuck out to me so much that I had to read it through several times. The first thing that popped into my head was- what in the world is that supposed to mean?  

It fascinated me.  The second thought was- where is the rest of it? 

Without context it is hard to know what Rev. Martin Niemoller meant. To me though, the implications of last line are still powerful- "Then they came for me... and by that time...  there was no-one left to speak up for me." 

I can't count how many times I have thought things like- 

So and so is finally getting what they deserve.  
Why should I help so and so if they never help me?

I'm so glad Mommy is making so and so do their chores for once.  

Or, That's not my job so I don't need to take care of it. 
Similar to the quote above, the root of thoughts like these is selfishness. It is insane to think that your friends will forgive, and help you, when you hold grudges and refuse to help them. If you don't stand up for others, when you need someone, no one will be around.
(Proverbs 18:24) Instead of selfishly thinking of only ourselves, let's speak up for those around us today, and put others before ourselves! (Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12)

Oh, to Long!

You have seen a dog after a long run; how he stands with opened mouth panting for life and breath. Oh, that we had desires after God and divine things strong enough to make us thus open our mouth and pant! We may never have seen a stag in extremis, but I dare say David had. He had seen it in the fierce hunt, when it longed to have its smoking sides in the water brooks and to drink long draughts, and he said, “As the hart panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” 

Nothing puts such energy into prayer as intense anguish of desire. Desire comes out of a sense of want; and in proportion as the necessity is overwhelming, the fervency of the desire will be vehement. My brethren, we have not, because, although we ask, we use a kind of asking which is as though we asked not.

An old Puritan says, “He that prays to God without fervor asks to be denied.” There is a way of asking for a thing in which the person to whom the request is made finds it very easy to decline the request, but persons in dire necessity understand how to put the case, so that only a very hard-hearted person could say “no.” They know how to place their petition in such a way that the request wins, not merely because of the rightness of the petition, but also because of the very style in which it is put. We must learn how to pray with strong crying and tears, for there are mercies which cannot be gained by any other mode of supplicating. 
From a sermon by Charles H. Spurgeon entitled "Opening The Mouth."

Watch this Video

(If you can't see the video click HERE)

This man is being used by God to do amazing things, to find out more visit Gospel for Asia. 

I am giving away a copy of his book that describes his ministry and what God is doing HERE!