As humans, we are physical and moral entities. There is a moral framework by which we live...The beauty of Christianity is that love, the supreme ethic, precedes life...Sometimes pain in it's reality to us is also a reminder to us of what reality is. We are so fearful of pain and at the same time, have eliminated God. Sorrow and pain are part of us. Joy does not mean we have no tears. Joy does not mean we don't have moments of sadness. Joy does not mean we don't have agonies of the soul at times. Joy does mean that God calls me to look at my malady through His eyes, and not look at Him through the eyes of my malady.
-Ravi Zacharias
2/21/11
The Cross
there stands a tree
were a mighty warrior was slain
put down
with a crown of thorns apon his head
the people cried not murder
but tyranny
blood drops
shed like tears
satisfy the thirsty earth
with its sweetness
it washes the people's murderous hearts clean
with its fiery red
it has set them free
a man died
on that tree so beautiful
and yet so cursed
his eyes searched you
for the love he knew was rooted deep within
all the while saying, "Forgive them, Father,
for I love them"
oh that tree
the center beam of that tree
proclaimed his holiness
and the crossbean declared his love
his arms stretched out
beckoning,
waiting
to embrace you.
arms of love
amazing grace
how sweet the sound
of his dying breath
that brought you life
were a mighty warrior was slain
put down
with a crown of thorns apon his head
the people cried not murder
but tyranny
blood drops
shed like tears
satisfy the thirsty earth
with its sweetness
it washes the people's murderous hearts clean
with its fiery red
it has set them free
a man died
on that tree so beautiful
and yet so cursed
his eyes searched you
for the love he knew was rooted deep within
all the while saying, "Forgive them, Father,
for I love them"
oh that tree
the center beam of that tree
proclaimed his holiness
and the crossbean declared his love
his arms stretched out
beckoning,
waiting
to embrace you.
arms of love
amazing grace
how sweet the sound
of his dying breath
that brought you life
Be as little Children
Matthew 18:3 (NKJV)
3and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus explains some of the qualities and examples of children and how we should actually be like them in their actions. One main quality of a child is his or her humbleness. Young children have not yet learned what pride is. Those who wish to live for eternity in the presence of Almighty God must practice this same attitude of humility. As older groups, we tend to go over in our pride and become stubborn at times.
But what did Jesus mean when he said that all who would enter heaven must become as little children? When he said this, he didn't literally mean that we should act immature and childish once we are saved. He really meant that those who are converted should be "Child-like".
A young child trusts with all his heart that his or her parents will be there for him in their time of need. He or she will always believe in their father when they take their first bicycle ride or even when they take their first steps. Like this, we should have total trust in our Father. Whatever He does, its for our own good. He is always there for us and will guide us through, all we need to do is have that trust and believe.
Another point i wanted to bring is that, children can forgive more easily then we can. Have you ever seen a child fighting with another before? What usually happens? Well, after a few minutes, you'll see them playing games together and having a good time. Well like that, we as believers should learn to forgive and forget. Those who desire to live with God for eternity must show a similar attitude of forgiveness. If you are a child of God, you must know how to forgive, like Jesus did. If we want to look more like Him, we must follow his actions as well.
~Justin Thomas
See more references... (Matthew 18:21-22, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15).
3and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus explains some of the qualities and examples of children and how we should actually be like them in their actions. One main quality of a child is his or her humbleness. Young children have not yet learned what pride is. Those who wish to live for eternity in the presence of Almighty God must practice this same attitude of humility. As older groups, we tend to go over in our pride and become stubborn at times.
But what did Jesus mean when he said that all who would enter heaven must become as little children? When he said this, he didn't literally mean that we should act immature and childish once we are saved. He really meant that those who are converted should be "Child-like".
A young child trusts with all his heart that his or her parents will be there for him in their time of need. He or she will always believe in their father when they take their first bicycle ride or even when they take their first steps. Like this, we should have total trust in our Father. Whatever He does, its for our own good. He is always there for us and will guide us through, all we need to do is have that trust and believe.
Another point i wanted to bring is that, children can forgive more easily then we can. Have you ever seen a child fighting with another before? What usually happens? Well, after a few minutes, you'll see them playing games together and having a good time. Well like that, we as believers should learn to forgive and forget. Those who desire to live with God for eternity must show a similar attitude of forgiveness. If you are a child of God, you must know how to forgive, like Jesus did. If we want to look more like Him, we must follow his actions as well.
~Justin Thomas
See more references... (Matthew 18:21-22, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 6:14-15).
You ARE
You are stronger, You are stronger
Sin is broken, You have saved me,
It is written, Christ is Risen!
Jesus You Are Lord of All!
amen.
Sin is broken, You have saved me,
It is written, Christ is Risen!
Jesus You Are Lord of All!
amen.
2/19/11
WORRRDDD! haha
The WORD of God is so awesome and it has so many characteristics. " In the BEGINNING was the WORD, and the WORD was God, and the WORD was with God." -John 1:1
"The WORD of God is God in His WORD, speaking to us by His Spirit, through whom the message was initially inspired and infused into the souls and minds of His servants"-Essential Christianity
" Sanctify them through thy truth: thy WORD is truth."- John 17:17
Jesus said "...the scripture cannot be broken"- John 10:35. Just like we eat chore (rice) every night and just how Costin eats chicken LOL, the WORD of God is described as food in Psalm 119:103 "How sweet are Your WORDs to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth"
In Revelation 10:9 it says "So I went to the angel, telling him to give me the little book. And he said to me, “Take it and eat it; it will make your stomach bitter, but in your mouth it will be sweet as honey.”The Apostle John are shown in the WORD as" eating" a book... I hope this doesn't mean they ate the book, FOLKS DONT TRY THAT AT HOME! also here as i said before the little book is described as food.
Wow I'm getting hungry talking about all this food :] but JESUS said " But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every WORD that comes from the mouth of God." Bye...Just like Apostle John ate the WORD Im going to eat my ESV Compact Study BIBLEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A Tribute to Ben Thomas " WORRDDDDD!"
- JIVIN!!!
Struggle
It's through our struggles that we realize who we really are.
So struggle, It's a struggle for a reason, it's not something that's meant to overcome or overwhelm you, it's something you're meant to wrestle with, fight with, work through.
So stop feeling overwhelmed, struggle, and count yourself fortunate that you're on the winning side.
- Ben Thomas
2/18/11
Lest I
Will I forget Gethsemane?
Will I forget thine agony?
Will I forget thy love for me?
Lead me to Calvary...
2/17/11
2/16/11
The Worship Leader
I've said it before, I'll say it again,
The worship leader is not the person behind the mic with the guitar or the person who picks out songs for the people to sing, the worship leader is the person who is constantly encouraging others to worship through the abundant pouring of their sincere words, deeds, and lifestyle.
We can all be worship leaders. My prayer is that we all will be worship leaders in due time. The best leaders raise better leaders up after them, I desire to be the best leader I can possibly be, I desire for you guys to lead better than I ever could.
As these weeks progress I'm going to taking the backseat and asking you to lead our times of worship. You can do whatever you like, it doesn't even have to involve music, your job? Lead others to a place where they can encounter the Lord. The best way to do that? By living out that lifestyle of worship yourself. By being in tune with his voice. By making the sacrifice to search him out, with all of your heart and not just some of it.
The rest comes easy.
Be prepared,
and don't be surprised if I ask you to lead in the weeks to come.
- Ben Thomas
The worship leader is not the person behind the mic with the guitar or the person who picks out songs for the people to sing, the worship leader is the person who is constantly encouraging others to worship through the abundant pouring of their sincere words, deeds, and lifestyle.
We can all be worship leaders. My prayer is that we all will be worship leaders in due time. The best leaders raise better leaders up after them, I desire to be the best leader I can possibly be, I desire for you guys to lead better than I ever could.
As these weeks progress I'm going to taking the backseat and asking you to lead our times of worship. You can do whatever you like, it doesn't even have to involve music, your job? Lead others to a place where they can encounter the Lord. The best way to do that? By living out that lifestyle of worship yourself. By being in tune with his voice. By making the sacrifice to search him out, with all of your heart and not just some of it.
The rest comes easy.
Be prepared,
and don't be surprised if I ask you to lead in the weeks to come.
- Ben Thomas
The Apostolic Fathers
Did you ever wonder what the people were like who received the Gospel from the Apostles? Or do you ever wonder what was it like to live in those days where the Christian community was just taking root and in its infancy stages, a time when their seems to be nothing but suffering, a time of struggle, a time of what seems to be unending persecution? If so, then I encourage you to study the Apostolic Fathers. If your unfamiliar with Church History, the Apostolic Fathers of the Church are those who knew the Apostles but were too young to have encountered the Lord. Because of that fact, to read and learn about their life, insights, and writings on scripture is invaluable because they knew the Apostles. In fact, Irenaius and Polycarp were Personal disciples of the Apostle John!!! Couple of Minutes ago, the mailman came to my door and gave me this book called "The Apostolic Fathers" and I started reading it, and its "sooooo gooood" lol. Soon as I opened the book, the very first thing I read really humbled me, encouraged me, and gave such great joy to hear. Here it is...
"Take the oath and I will let you go," said the proconsul. "Revile Christ."
"I have served Him eighty-six years," replied Polycarp, "and in no way has He dealt unjustly with me; so how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
He spoke this knowing what will be the outcome of this....martyrdom! The only reason Brother Polycarp who was the disciple of John was able even to say this in such a time was because HE KNEW THE LORD! In the same way, Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:12, "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him!!!!!" =O And it gives me great Joy to Know that when I die in Christ, it will be profit because the Word says, " To Live is Christ, and to die is gain!"
And also, when you look at the lives of our brothers and sisters from the early church, they were not seeking God for wealth or material possessions but primarly for God Himself. And that is the greatest treasure in life, TO KNOW GOD! And you must FIRST Know God to Love Him, and the more you KNOW HIM, the more you will Fear and Love Him. And the more you Love God, the more you would Obey him and Keep His Word! Here is a Mighty Promise for those who want to know God! James 4:8-"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded."
And notice in the Old Testament in Daniel 11:32, it doesn't say they that Preach shall be strong or people that write books about God shall be strong but the Scripture says they that know their God Shall be strong and Do Exploits!!!!!!! And Thanks, Glory, Honor, and Praise be to God for His Love that is UNCEASING, For His Mercy that NEVER ENDS and HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!!! =D =D =D
-Tom
"Take the oath and I will let you go," said the proconsul. "Revile Christ."
"I have served Him eighty-six years," replied Polycarp, "and in no way has He dealt unjustly with me; so how can I blaspheme my King who saved me?"
He spoke this knowing what will be the outcome of this....martyrdom! The only reason Brother Polycarp who was the disciple of John was able even to say this in such a time was because HE KNEW THE LORD! In the same way, Apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:12, "That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." Job said, "Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him!!!!!" =O And it gives me great Joy to Know that when I die in Christ, it will be profit because the Word says, " To Live is Christ, and to die is gain!"
And also, when you look at the lives of our brothers and sisters from the early church, they were not seeking God for wealth or material possessions but primarly for God Himself. And that is the greatest treasure in life, TO KNOW GOD! And you must FIRST Know God to Love Him, and the more you KNOW HIM, the more you will Fear and Love Him. And the more you Love God, the more you would Obey him and Keep His Word! Here is a Mighty Promise for those who want to know God! James 4:8-"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse [your] hands, [ye] sinners; and purify [your] hearts, [ye] double minded."
And notice in the Old Testament in Daniel 11:32, it doesn't say they that Preach shall be strong or people that write books about God shall be strong but the Scripture says they that know their God Shall be strong and Do Exploits!!!!!!! And Thanks, Glory, Honor, and Praise be to God for His Love that is UNCEASING, For His Mercy that NEVER ENDS and HIS FAITHFULNESS!!!!! =D =D =D
-Tom
2/15/11
The Best Rest
A couple of days ago I joined a yoga class. The class was specified for relieving stress and giving peace through different exercises and such. Somehow these people found comfort and peace by doing these stretches and I felt absolutely nothing. I started to think about how I get my peace and realized that it only comes through Jesus. My joy, strength and peace is given to me by my Lord and Savior. I didn't need a bunch of exercises to relieve me of my stresses; what I needed was Jesus in my heart. It was a good reminder to me that no matter what, God will always be there to give me rest and that I don't need to do anything but go and talk to him.
John 14:27-
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
-Hannah
John 14:27-
"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."
-Hannah
He Is
The Lord is my shepherd,
Not was
Not will be
Not could have been
The Lord is my shepherd… I shall not want
L-O-V-E
"What the world needs now is Love sweet love ..it's the only thing that there's just too little of"
-J.D
You know what I've come to realize?? That there are really very few people in this world (even among our friends -believe it or not) who truly love. Ask yourself if you love as you should and you will find yourself falling short.
Why is loving one another such a hard thing?
Because it takes being selfless.
It takes being uncomfortable.
It takes putting the other person above ourselves and wanting their good instead of our own.
It takes time.
It takes effort.
It takes being vulnerable.
It takes pain (guaranteed)
It takes willingness to be hurt and choose not to hurt in return.
It takes sacrifice.
It takes going against the crowd.
It takes standing up for what is right.
It takes loving like Jesus Christ loves us and it is IMPOSSIBLE to love, and I mean, truly love one another without Christ because this love is indeed supernatural.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that loving one another like this just comes naturally. Sure, as you love God it'll start to come more naturally because of God's love and power working in and through you but rememember that it is a CHOICE to love. We choose to love past each other's imperfections because if God has forgiven us who are we to hold it against each other??
God loves us so much and we can be secure knowing His love will always be there. Do our loved ones know that of us?? Or do they need to fear that our love is dependent on their performance or success in life??
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required"
-Luke 12:48
(We have been given much love, we are to give equally as much or more love to others)
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little"
-Luke 7:47
(We know how much has been forgiven of us. Only you know how dark you can be without God. This should make you love another like God has loved you)
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins"
-1 Peter 4:8
(Nothing the other person has ever done or been should repulse us enough that we cannot love them because if God had had the same reaction toward us we would have no salvation, no hope)
LOVE AS YOU HAVE BEEN LOVED. AGAPE LOVE
~John 3:16 & 1 John 3:16~
<3 Lisa
-J.D
You know what I've come to realize?? That there are really very few people in this world (even among our friends -believe it or not) who truly love. Ask yourself if you love as you should and you will find yourself falling short.
Why is loving one another such a hard thing?
Because it takes being selfless.
It takes being uncomfortable.
It takes putting the other person above ourselves and wanting their good instead of our own.
It takes time.
It takes effort.
It takes being vulnerable.
It takes pain (guaranteed)
It takes willingness to be hurt and choose not to hurt in return.
It takes sacrifice.
It takes going against the crowd.
It takes standing up for what is right.
It takes loving like Jesus Christ loves us and it is IMPOSSIBLE to love, and I mean, truly love one another without Christ because this love is indeed supernatural.
Don't fool yourself into thinking that loving one another like this just comes naturally. Sure, as you love God it'll start to come more naturally because of God's love and power working in and through you but rememember that it is a CHOICE to love. We choose to love past each other's imperfections because if God has forgiven us who are we to hold it against each other??
God loves us so much and we can be secure knowing His love will always be there. Do our loved ones know that of us?? Or do they need to fear that our love is dependent on their performance or success in life??
"For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required"
-Luke 12:48
(We have been given much love, we are to give equally as much or more love to others)
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little"
-Luke 7:47
(We know how much has been forgiven of us. Only you know how dark you can be without God. This should make you love another like God has loved you)
"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins"
-1 Peter 4:8
(Nothing the other person has ever done or been should repulse us enough that we cannot love them because if God had had the same reaction toward us we would have no salvation, no hope)
LOVE AS YOU HAVE BEEN LOVED. AGAPE LOVE
~John 3:16 & 1 John 3:16~
<3 Lisa
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