Resolved: It's Only Him--Christ Plus Nothing.

Hey, Y'all,

In thinking about the last couple of RSTs (as well as the last few Sabbath School discussions) the same resounding theme keeps coming through (and interestingly it showed up in this thought from PurposeDrivenLife.com a few days ago)...

Paul's message is radically simple:
For the Christian, salvation is through Christ alone.


That means –

· It's not Christ plus your good behavior.
· It's not Christ plus the years you've taught a Bible study.
· It's not Christ plus your tithe (and church budget).
· It's not Christ plus fasting and prayer.
· It's not Christ plus the number of verses you memorize.
· It's not Christ plus well-behaved children.
· It's not Christ plus your newly shined shoes.
· It's not Christ plus the right job.
· It's not Christ plus the perfect spouse.
· It's not Christ plus the latest gadget.
· It's not Christ plus the church you attend.
· It's not Christ plus your position in the church.
· It's not Christ plus wisdom from the latest Christian seminar.

It's simply Him--

Christ plus nothing.

Think about it: is there something you think you need to do or achieve to be fully accepted by God? Are you adding to Scripture, changing it to read, "I resolve to know nothing except Jesus PLUS…?"

You've been prayed for today...

"Pure And Genuine?"

Hey, Y'all,

So in thinking about that last RST I remembered a text we talked about in church a couple of weeks ago--kinda hammered it home--it's James 1:27...

"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."

Hmmm...

Simple...and yet not entirely so. Clear...and yet mighty deep.
So...how does your religion, your philosophy of life, stack up?
"Pure and genuine," or something else?

You've been prayed for today...

Nothing But...

Hey, Y'all,

Ran across this quote from PurposeDrivenLife.com...got me thinking...

"When I came to you … I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:1,2

"The gospel message has gotten a little foggy these days with all the attention being paid to politics, family values, and culture wars, and a lot of folks have lost track of the fact that it's all about Jesus, His life, His example. Ask the man on the street what a Christian is today and you're likely to ask a long time until you hear anything about Jesus or the gospel. Our message, from beginning to end, must be Jesus – who He was, what He said, and what He did."

What do you think?

You've been prayed for today...

Whenever, Wherever, Whatever -- -Decide!

Hey, Y'all,

That last RST reminded me of this short but also potent thought--

"Wherever you are, whatever time it is, you are only a decision away from the presence of your Father."
Max Lucado

Whatever it is, wherever you are, whenever the realization hits you--think of Him, ask for Him--He is always listening for you. You just have to decide to do it and it's done.

You've been prayed for today...

Angels Watching

Hey, Y'all,
Just a quick thought today--quick but solid. It's Ps. 91:11 (in a couple of different versions):

He has given His angels charge of you
to watch over you wherever you go...
For he will command his angels concerning you,
to guard you in all your ways...

Just a thought..."wherever you go" isn't just a geographical place: so, wherever you are--body, soul, mind--God is there.
How cool is that?

You've been prayed for today...

Need Some Quiet? Some Simplicity?

Hey, Y'all,

Today's RST is again from Yancey's book on prayer and it contains several very cool thoughts. Enjoy! (and BTW, you've been prayed for today...)

"Prayer can seem dull or difficult; though if we give ourselves to it, it commonly ends up less dull and less obstructed than it began. What is dull or dark or labored on our side is not so on the side of God, who rejoices in every least motion of our good will towards Him..." Austin Farrer

I am convinced that God finds ways to communicate with those who truly seek Him, especially when we lower the volume of the surrounding static. I remember reading the account of a spiritual seeker who interrupted his busy life to spend a few days in a monastery. "I hope your stay is a blessed one," said the monk who showed the visitor to his cell. "If you need anything, let us know and we'll teach you how to live without it."

We learn to pray by praying...To begin, I need to think more about God than about myself when I am praying...How often do I come to God not with consumer requests but simply with a desire to spend time with God, to discern what God wants from me and not vice versa?...Prayer that focuses on God, meditative prayer, can serve as a kind of self-forgetfulness...After an extended time with God, my urgent requests, which had seemed so significant, take on a new light. Though my needs drive me to prayer, there I come face-to-face with my greatest need: an encounter with God Himself.

"The quieter the mind, the more powerful, the worthier, the deeper, the more telling and more perfect the prayer is." Meister Eckhart

He's Already Here--Respond?

Hey, Y'all,

Hope you had a Happy Independence Day--Happy 231st Birthday, America!--'course as a result today felt a bit like a Monday back at work, but at least it's a "Monday" followed by Friday and Sabbath--thank God! Here's another cool thought of Yancey's on prayer--see if it isn't true of you as well...

Prayer is a subversive act performed in a world that constantly calls my faith into question. I may have a sense of estrangement in the very act of prayer, yet by faith I continue to pray and to look for other signs of God's presence...

I have learned to see prayer not as my way of establishing God's presence, but rather as my way of responding to God's presence that is a fact whether or not I can detect it...My feelings of God's presence--or God's absence--are not the same as His presence or absence.

Whenever I fixate on techniques, or sink into guilt over my inadequate prayers, or turn away in disappointment when a prayer "goes unanswered," I remind myself that prayer means keeping company with a God who is already present...God is present in my life and all around me; prayer offers me the chance to attend and respond to that presence.

You've been prayed for today....