something to read...

-encouraging post about waiting by megan at night song

-recipe for apple butter in slow cooker (and cute way to decorate jars to give as gifts) by jessica over at lemon tree creations 

-thought provoking post on technology time-wasters by lindsay at passionate homemaking

watch this.

   

This is an AMAZING clip I found of John Piper talking about adoption.

are you walking on a treadmill?

Resting on Self-Righteousness

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.  Romans 3:20

God is not a mean tyrant, but some of us see him in just that way--hard to please, tapping his celestial finger in impatience with our imperfections, and willing to hand out blessings only when we're arrived at certain spiritual heights.  Nowhere in Scripture do we find such ideas about God.  But that is the image we are going to wind up with if we try to win God's approval by what we do and say.  Surely we want God's acceptance, but we just aren't up to obtaining it.  Seeking the blessings of salvation by self-effort will get us no farther than walking on a treadmill.  We will find ourselves living under an ever-thickening cloud of fear, because nothing we do can make us right with God.  Only Christ can do that.

Perhaps you have taken Jesus as your Savior, but you are still lacking assurance that God accepts you.  No matter what you do, you can't grasp the idea of a kind, loving Father who longs to relate.  If so, what have you been doing about that?  Perhaps you have doubled your efforts for God--more serving, better attitudes--in an attempt to secure the divine favor that you seem to be missing.  If this is your default in your dealings with God, chances are good that, instead of the love and joy you long for, God seems more remote than ever.

There is only one way out of the tangle, and that is to stop your efforts.  Stopping feels counterintuitive, but it's actually the only way you find restful assurance that God accepts you.  When you stop trying to get yourself right with God and instead simply rest in Jesus, you'll see that God doesn't go away.  You will be surprised to discover that your efforts to clean up for him were actually contributing to your sense of distance from God.  The only way to get near him, the only way to know him as Father and Friend, is to forsake yourself and rest in Christ.  'Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you,' wrote the apostle James (James 4:8), and the only way to do so is by looking at Christ.

We believe in our hearts and declare with our lips that Jesus is the only way--we believe it, but often we don't live it.  If we profess Christ and sing his praises, yet we aren't enjoying the peace that comes through him, let's see whether there is a performance treadmill under our feet and make a decision to step off.  By uniting us to Christ, God has set us free from bondage, and our liberty is there for the taking.

Trust: A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownback

take a look!

Some good links for you!

 GirlTalk: A cool testimony from a wayward college student.

MODELmumma: My latest favorite fashion blog.

life observed by {kate}: My future sister-in-law's lovely blog!

humbled by grace

"All my changes come from him who never changes.  If I had grown rich, I should have seen his hand in it, and I should have praised him; let me equally see his hand if I am made poor, and let me as heartily praise him.  When we go down in the world, it is of the Lord, and so we may take it patiently: when we rise in the world, it is of the Lord, and we may accept it thankfully.  In any case, the Lord hath done it, and it is well.


It seems that Jehovah's way is to lower those whom he means to raise, and to strip those whom he intends to clothe.  If it is his way, it is the wisest and best way.  If I am now enduring the bringing low I may well rejoice, because I see in it the preface to the lifting up.  The more we are humbled by grace, the more we shall be exalted in glory.  That impoverishment is to be welcomed."

Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith by C.H. Spurgeon

proverbs.

"Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

bind them around your neck;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

in the sight of God and man."

 Proverbs 3:3-4

ideal

The other day I came across a quote from the girltalk blog.  I found it encouraging and thought provoking!  I think I need to read every day. :)

"Here we have a picture of God's ideal woman...Faith in God that sees beyond present bitter setbacks. Freedom from the securities and comforts of the world. Courage to venture into the unknown and the strange. Radical commitment in the relationships appointed by God....This is the woman of Proverbs 31:25 who looks into the future with confidence in God and laughs at the coming troubles: "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." Ruth is one of "the holy women who hoped in God...[and did] not fear anything that is frightening" (1 Peter 3:5-6). It is a beautiful thing to watch a woman like this serve Christ with courage….Whatever else the great women of faith doubted, they never doubted that God governed every part of their lives and that nothing could stay his hand...Nothing--from toothpicks to tyrants--is ultimately self-determining. Everything serves (willingly or not) the "purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will" (Eph. 1:11). God is the all-encompassing, all-pervading, all-governing reality." --John Piper, A Sweet and Bitter Providence, p. 35, 44

comfort...

Do feel like you're currently in a storm?  Sometimes when we're going through trials, we feel as though we are alone.  We don't know when our trials will end.  We feel as though we may never be amidst still waters again.

Jesus' disciples felt that same way one evening.  While crossing the sea with Jesus, they found themselves in a "great windstorm...and the waves were breaking into the boat." (Mark 4:37)  Imagine how it would be on a boat in the middle of the sea during a storm!

Follow along starting in verse 38:

"But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.  And they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace!  Be still!'  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid?  Have you still no faith?'  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?'" (Mark 4: 38-41)

The disciples were probably terrified of what was going to happen to them!  How would you react?  How do you react when you're in a trial?  Are you afraid of the outcome? 

In Christ we can be confident that we will never pass through rough waters alone.  How comforting it is to know that He will always be with us ready to calm the wind and sea! 

finished all

"When Jesus died on the cross he paid the full price for sin.  His work of redeeming us from sin was perfect and final.  Jesus did all, finished all, suffered all. He made full atonement.  Those who trust in Jesus have been purchased back from sin.  They have no outstanding debts.  They do not need to make any further payments for their salvation." 

Philip G. Ryken

It's the sun!

 This day is simply glorious with the sun shining!  It's amazing to think that one's mood may change depending on whether it's downcast or sunny. 

The sun reminds me of our Savior, the Son.  At times we feel as though Jesus isn't nearby when we're in the middle of a storm.  But he faithfully gives us a glimpse of His light and shines down on us! :)  How good our Father is to remind us again and again that He cares for His children.  Even if He shows it by just a few sunbeams! :)

image found here

wait.

"I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!"               Psalm 27:13-14

 Wait for the Lord.  How comforting are those four words!  When we trudge through the valley we can wait for the Lord.  When we anxiously look at the future we can wait for the Lord.  When our lives don't go as planned we can wait for the Lord. 

God led me to this verse a few days ago.  When I think of the future, I struggle with anxiety.  I'm tempted to imagine that God doesn't know what's best for me.  I realized that I have been doubting my Heavenly Father's love and care for me.  But I can "wait for the Lord" and "be strong" and "let my heart take courage"!  No matter what season of life I'm walking out, I know that the "goodness of the Lord" is around me. 

One day when we reach our heavenly home we will "look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living!"

something to read...

I read a fantastic post over at Christa Taylor's blog.  It's quite thought provoking!  The title is "I Haven't Meant You Yet..."  and you can read it here.

...tears shall be wiped away!

"(1) Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. (2) And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (3) And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.  He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (4) He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.'" Revelation 21:1-4

"Yes, we shall come to this if we are believers.  Sorrow shall cease, and tears shall be wiped away.  This is the world of weeping, but it passes away.  There shall be a new heaven, and a new earth, so says the first verse of this chapter; and therefore there will be nothing to weep over concerning the Fall and its consequent miseries.  Read the second verse and note how it speaks of the bride and her marriage.  The Lamb's wedding is a time for boundless pleasure, and tears would be out of place.  The third verse says that God himself will dwell among men; and surely at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore, and tears can no longer flow.

What will our state be when there will be no more sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain?  This will be more glorious than we can as yet imagine.  O eyes that are red with weeping, cease your scalding flow, for in a little while ye shall know no more tears!  None can wipe tears away like the God of love, but he is coming to do it.  'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'  Come, Lord, and tarry not; for now both men and women must weep!"

From the Cheque Book of the Bank of Faith: Daily Readings by C.H. Spurgeon  

Where are your treasures stored?

Image found here

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  Matthew 6:19-21

This verse has been on my mind this past week.  Sinclair Ferguson comments on this passage in his book The Sermon on the Mount:

"By 'treasure,' Jesus means the things we prize most dearly.  There are only two places for our treasure to be -- in heaven or on earth.  Every earth-bound treasure is liable to fail -- through deterioration ('moth and rust destroy') or through unforeseen circumstances ('thieves break in and steal').  Only heaven is immune from the ravages of time and sin.  'Therefore,' says Jesus, 'bank in heaven, not on earth.'  Live for heaven, not for earth!"

 When we fix our gaze on our heavenly home, our earthly "prizes" don't seem as valuable as the treasures we will one day see in heaven!