Jan 2, 2011
In the Web department, I have been going through a study on 2 Corinthians that Bro KP did in the UK a few years ago so that I can edit them. I’m learning a lot while listening, and it’s rather interesting what they have to say. One of the topics was about money and financial investment in Heaven. And I had the thought:
Storing up our treasures in Heaven. I used to think of actual treasures… like gold, mansions and things that pirates would steal, but I think about it, the most rewarding treasure that I could receive when I get to Heaven is seeing all the lost souls that were impacted by my life in service to God. Worshiping God with them for eternity. That’s the kind of treasure I would like.
Anyway… just food for thought. 🙂
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Dec 30, 2010
The Cry Of The Blood
Amy Carmichael
The tom-toms thumped straight on all night, and the darkness shuddered round me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, as it seemed, this:
That I stood on a grassy patch, and at my feet a ravine broke straight down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only cloud shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.
Then I saw forms of people moving toward the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very edge. She lifted her foot for the next step… Then, to my horror, I saw that she was blind. Before I could say anything she was over, and the children with her. Their cries pierced the air as they fell into the inky blackness of the ravine!
Then I saw more streams of people flowing from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all walked straight toward the edge. There were shrieks as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and a tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.
Then I wondered, with a wonder that was sheer agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I couldn’t even yell; though I strained and tried, only a whisper would come out.
Then I saw that along the edge there were sentries set at intervals.
But the intervals were too large; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the ravine yawned like the mouth of hell.
Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned towards the ravine. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it was a rather crude noise. And if one of their group started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. “Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven’t finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish,” they said, “to leave us to finish the work alone.”There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries for miles and miles along the edge.
Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called, and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for awhile; but no one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls. Once a child grabbed at a tuft of grass that grew at the very edge of the ravine; it clung convulsively, and it called – but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass. And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which her friends reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; “The gap would be well taken care of!”, they said. And then they sang a hymn.
Then through the hymn came another sound like the pain of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew that it was “The Cry of the Blood”.
Then a voice thundered. It was the voice of the Lord, and He said, “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.”
The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yells of the devil-dancers and weird, wild shrieks of the devil-possessed just outside the gate.
What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it? God forgive us!
God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!
1 John 3:17 Paraphrased by Amy Carmichael
“But whoso hath the gospel of Jesus Christ, and seeth the heathen lost and dying in their sin, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”
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Dec 26, 2010
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Christmas season has always been an interesting time of year for me. One of the two most special times of year for many. An interesting time to watch people as they go Christmas shopping. The warm feeling you get as you gather together with family. And the celebrating of Christ’s birth and all that He has done for us. Sometimes Christmas is the only time people will step foot in a church besides Easter.
I don’t think I’ve ever understood why people would make a point to go to church on Christmas, but then every other Sunday of the year, they just keep going on with their lives. Almost like God is a toy that should only be taken out of the box on very special occasions. For me, God is the like the velveteen rabbit. He is my very favorite, and I want to never part with Him. Although unlike the velveteen rabbit, because of what Jesus did on the cross, I never do have to part with Him!
Not only has He radically transformed my life, but He has forgiven me, He gave me a manual for life so that I never have to question what to do, He promises never to leave nor forsake me, He gave me a life that will last for all eternity, He has healed me, and much more.
But then there is the vast amount of people that don’t even know what Christmas is. They don’t know about this Jesus that put on human flesh to be born of a virgin almost 2000 years ago. They don’t know of the hope that He provides so that they never have to worry about anything ever again. For some, they will never know. Why? Because no one has ever told them.
We are in a battle, brothers and sisters. Now is not the time to be caught up in the materialism that is our culture. We need to stand in the gap for the many thousands who have never heard of Jesus’ name; who don’t know what Christmas is and the reason behind why we celebrate it. What better time of year do we have the opportunity to give someone the hope of Jesus for Christmas?
For example, Gospel for Asia has a Christmas Catalog, why not buy something from there to bless someone over in Asia with the hope that’s found in Jesus? Let them experience the CHRISTmas for the first time in their lives. How amazing would that be?
Or, taking a step closer to home, why not bless those around us that are less fortunate? I know that there are many homeless people in Philly, why not invite them over for Christmas dinner, or go visit them and share with them the love of Jesus?
Thanks for standing in the gap with me for the lost in Asia! I know that together we are making an eternal difference.
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Dec 25, 2010
The Birth of Jesus
2:1 Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus to register all the empire for taxes. 2:2 This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 2:3 Everyone went to his own town to be registered. 2:4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family line of David. 2:5 He went to be registered with Mary, who was promised in marriage to him, and who was expecting a child. 2:6While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 2:7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
2:8 Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night. 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: 2:11 Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. 2:12 This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.” 2:13 Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
2:14 “Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”
2:15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us.” 2:16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. 2:17 When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child, 2:18 and all who heard it were astonished at what the shepherds said. 2:19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. 2:20 So the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told.
(NET)
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Dec 25, 2010
Over the past few years I have developed a love for the traditional Christmas song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” We sang it at church last Sunday, as it’s very fitting for the first week of advent.
For 400 hundred years prior to Christ’s birth, God had been silent. The nation of Israel was in exile and they were desperately waiting for the prophecies about their Messiah coming to save them to come to fruition.
The words of this well known song portray a very different spirit than we tend to think about during this merry Christmas season:
“O come, O come, Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear.”
To the Israelites, this is what the time leading up to Christ’s birth was about—waiting for the Messiah to ransom them.
How fitting for us today to think about our lives prior to Christ. Without Him, we too are burdened with sin, captive to this world’s pains, and in need of someone to ransom us. Praise the Lord we have Jesus Christ, who came on Christmas Day—the Son of God, God incarnate. He humbled Himself and became one of us lowly human beings, only to die a horrible form of death with all of our sins upon Him and forsaken by the Father. Yet willingly He did it—for us. Praise God! We can sing this song knowing the end! We have been ransomed!
Yet 2 billion people on the other side of this planet are still waiting for Emmanuel to come. In fact they don’t even know there is an Emmanuel. They have no prophecies to give them hope, for they have yet to hear about their Creator and their Savior.
It is for their fate without Christ that I serve with Gospel for Asia. Many need to hear about Emmanuel—”God with us”—who is Jesus Christ! My heart yearns to let them hear the Christmas story. My heart aches for them to finally be ransomed.
Rejoice with me this Christmas that Emmanuel has come, and that we know Him! Please also pray with me for those who have yet to hear.
“Rejoice, rejoice, Emmanuel shall come to you, O, Israel!”
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Dec 23, 2010
A friend once told me “We were created to worship. It just depends on whom or what we will choose to worship?”
This morning I read Psalm 111 and verse 10 really stuck out to me
“Reverence for the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.
The rewards for wisdom come to all who obey him.
Praise His name forever!”
I thought what is the definition of reverence and if I truly revered the Lord?
Reverence: to show devoted deferential honor to . (Syn)Worship, Adore: to honor and admire profoundly and respectfully.
To me that meant to be singly devoted to God, to adore Him above all else, to set a part all my worship and honor for Him .
After even more contemplation 🙂 I realized how much I settle for the plastic gods of this world and for the small dreams of my heart.
When in fact I was made for a higher, more beautiful and precious purpose- To worship God Almighty. The Great I Am.
That my friends is called – INSANITY and if I could be so bold ADULTERY
Who in their right mind would settle for rocks and ruble when there is gold and diamonds to be had.
And don’t you agree that God cannot be likened to gold and diamonds . It is a pathetic example because He is so much more.
So I pray as I continue on in my journey with Jesus that I never let go of His hand. Running after the things of this world, following the selfishness of my heart-instead of the gentle perfection of his unfailing Love and purpose for my life.
P.S. You want to know something astounding-When I do leave him, He is that faithful husband waiting with open arms to take his bride back.
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