Rule of Faith and Practice

Happy is that man who possesses a Bible!  Happy still is he who reads it! 

Happiest of all is he who not only reads it, but obeys it, and makes it the rule of his faith and practice! 

J. C. Ryle

1In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 

2“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

3For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”

4Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 

5Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 

6and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

8Bear fruit in keeping with repentance. 

9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children for Abraham.

10Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

11“I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 

12His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 3:1-12, ESV

Wilbur is our brother in law, the husband of Mark's sister, Tricia.  We are so very thankful for Wilbur's love for the Lord and His word.  This is the passage he read from when he lead our family in a devotion on Christmas Eve before we exchanged and opened gifts.  It's not the 'traditional' Christmas message, but it moved upon my heart to consider the phrase, "Bear fruit in keeping with repentance."  

Jesus came to fulfill His father's will to redeem a people who would repent.  

When I think of Wilbur, I am extremely grateful for his tender heart and desire to lead us and others to examine ourselves, to repent, so we can enjoy a closer walk with the Lord.  

We love you, Wilbur!  Thank you for loving our family enough to encourage and lead us to the Lord by your example, and teaching of God's word!  

His Love is Not Ours to Dictate

[God] owes mercy to none… it is entirely of His grace, not at all through their own effort, that they themselves have found life… Still He hates the sins of His people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains & griefs to wean their hearts from compromises and disobedience. Still He seeks the fellowship of His people, and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself. Still He teaches believers to value His promised gifts by making them wait for those gifts, and compelling them to pray persistently for them, before He bestows them… His aims and principles of action remain consistent; He does not at any time act out of character. Our ways, we know, are pathetically inconsistent— but not God’s.” 

-J.I. Packer

"For God so loved the world,  that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
And this is the judgment:  the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." 
John 3:16-21, ESV

The observance of Valentine's Day has commenced in our household with filling my Waterford candy dish (received as a gift on Christmas morning) with candy hearts.  I was also surprised today with the gift of a dual controlled quilted and heated mattress pad!  In all our years of 28 1/2 years of marriage, we've never had such extravagance!  Not sure what to think, except I'm happy and grateful!!  Ha! 
Hopefully the surprises will continue until the 14th of February!  <smile>  I like them. 

P.S.  I'm pleased Brachs has added some new heart flavors, but honestly, of all the pink flavors they could come up with, why does Pepto-Bismol have to endure??  Blah! 

Happy Valentine's Day!  I'm always thankful to be reminded of the greatest of all sacrificial loves! 

8 Ways to Lose Your Peace

Resent God’s ways.
Worry as much as possible.
Pray only about things you can’t manage by yourself.
Refuse to accept what God gives.
Look for peace elsewhere than in Him.
Try to rule your own life.
Doubt God’s word.
Carry all your cares.

If you’d rather not forfeit your peace, here are eight ways to find it (antidotes to the above eight):

“Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165 KJV). 
“Circumstances are the expression of God’s will,” wrote Bishop Handley Moule.
“Don’t worry about anything whatever” (Philippians 4:6, PHILLIPS).
“In everything make your requests known to God in prayer and petition with thanksgiving. Then the peace of God…will guard your hearts” (Philippians 4:6,7, NEB).
“Take my yoke upon you and learn from me… and you will find rest” (Matthew 11:29, NIV).
“Peace is my parting gift to you, my own peace, such as the world cannot give” (John 14:27, NEB).
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15, NIV).
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13, KJV).
“Cast all your cares on him for you are his charge” (1 Peter 5:7, NEB).
Author: Elisabeth Elliot 

Photo: Aunt Faye's farm in Middleburg, Thanksgiving, 2015.  


 

Living to Die and Dying to Live

Photo credit: Katherine

"There is nothing worth living for unless it is worth dying for." 

Elisabeth Elliot

"Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."

John 12:25, ESV

My Symphony of Contentment and Gratitude

"To live content with small means;

To seek elegance rather than luxury,

and refinement rather than fashion;

To be worthy , not respectable, and wealthy, not rich;

To study hard, think quietly,

Talk gently,

Act frankly;

To listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart;

To bear all cheerfully,

Do all bravely,

Await occasions,

Hurry never.

In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common."

THIS IS TO BE MY SYMPHONY

By William Henry Channing

And he said to them, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."  Luke 12:15, ESV 

This Momentary Marriage

"The greatness and glory of marriage is beyond our ability to think or feel without divine revelation and without the illumining and awakening work of the Holy Spirit.  The world cannot know what marriage is without learning it from God.  The natural man does not have the capacities to see or receive or feel the wonder of what God has designed for marriage to be." (Matthew 19)

May the Lord set us "...free from small, worldly, culturally contaminated, self-centered, Christ-ignoring, God-neglecting, romance-intoxicated, unbiblical views of marriage."

John Piper, This Momentary Marriage

Borrowed Hearts, Broken Promises, and Better Days for His Praise!

Book: Voddie Baucham, What He Must Be if he wants to marry my daughter

There is soo much to think and pray about in this season of our lives...
May God's wise counsel and guidance lead and help us, especially our sons, as they are so much more mindful of their calling in life to...

Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.  Jeremiah 29:6

 
"Hearts weren’t built to be borrowed.  God needs to show some of us the gravity of failed relationships because of what they wrongly suggest about him and his love for the church."

Marshall Segal, It's Not You, It's God: Nine Lessons for Breakups

"...many of us need to be reminded that God’s perfect person for me isn’t all that perfect. Every person who marries is a sinner, so the search for a spouse isn’t a pursuit of perfection, but a mutually flawed pursuit of Jesus. It is a faith-filled attempt to become like him and make him known together. Regardless of the believer you marry, you will likely find out soon that you do not feel as “compatible” as you once did, but hopefully you will marvel more at God’s love for you in Jesus and the amazing privilege it is to live out that love together, especially in light of your differences."

"Marriage is worth having because you get God in your lifelong commitment to one another. Marriage is about knowing God, worshiping God, depending on God, displaying God, being made like God. God made man and woman in his image and joined them together, giving them unique responsibilities to care for one another in their broken, but beautiful union."
Marshall Segal, When the Not-Yet Married Meet: Dating to Display Jesus

May this be so in our marriage, and in the marriages of our children, to His praise and glory alone!   

Take Heed How You Build

"Make Christ and Scripture the only foundation for your souls and faith to build on: as the apostle saith,

1 Cor. iii. 11, 'Other foundations can no man lay than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ.' 

Isa. xxviii. 16, 'Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, a sure foundation,'  

Eph. ii. 10, 'For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.'

Since it is a very dangerous thing, as much as your souls and eternity is worth, for you to build on anything beside Jesus Christ, many will say, Come, build on this authority and that, on this saying and that; but take heed."

Thomas Brooks-Puritan-

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;

Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Photo:  Mark Jr.'s foot imprint in plaster... given to his dad as a memento to take along on a business trip when he was approximately 5 months old. On the backside of the piece of plaster, the following verse was written...

"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."  

Psalm 37:31