“The Christian Life is a continual struggle against the old self. Not just a struggle in the sense of a BATTLE, but a real putting in the tomb… All authentic Christian lives… know these long ‘tunnels’ where one does not see anything anymore, where one understands nothing, or one is disgusted. Jesus makes us descend with him in the tomb, in the weakness, in the darkness, in everything that seems dead in our heart, but always to rectify us, to purify us, to liberate.” ~Thomas Philipe, Reflection on the last station of the cross

Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
~ Paul, The Least of The Apostles, in Philippians 3

Oh beloved, it is true.

Though, we have not yet even begun – beyond a smattering – to believe it.

Somewhere though, it begins. It scratches at the edge of our consciousness. Oh, we have heard it since our earliest years in Sunday School, but the battering rams of our “religious” upbringing, push our sense of Who He really Is, so far away.

And, those of us who have grown up in the West, and especially in America, have been fed copious doses of the idea that god is somewhere “up there,” and that he is none-too-pleased with us in our disobedience. We take our pictures of the evil earthly fathers we have had (and the ones we have been) and we try to wedge the Eternal One into this very small, and very inaccurate mold.

Really, our pride is astounding. We make the very G_d of the universe so small.

We make Him distant, though He is omnipresent.
We downgrade His power, though He is omnipotent.
We cast Him as fickle, though He is omniscient.
We refuse to see Him as He is – Though He Himself defines Himself as Steadfast, Eternal, and Unchanging Love.

Can we see it?

Paul did. Something had to die within him though, before he could truly grasp it. And even Paul, an Hebrew scholar of great renown (who would have seen the mega theme of G_d’s steadfast Love in the Old Testament), had to go through nearly two decades of having himself reprogrammed by the Holy Spirit to begin to see it.

Jesus Loved Paul… And as Paul came to know Him, nothing else, absolutely nothing else, mattered.

Now beloved, don’t downgrade the word. Love is not a little thing. Love is the profound concern for the wellbeing of another, without regard as to whether we love the Lover back. Love never changes, and Love changes us if we let it. Love makes us whole and real and true and free. Love is what we have all been wanting, though we sometimes did not know the word. Love makes us powerful, and gives us the desire to give the very same Love away to others…

Said simply: G_d’s Love changes everything.

So yes, this is a life and death struggle. And, we will not succeed in the struggle unless we actually die. We must die to our false belief that G_d has anything other than purposing our very best within His Infinite Heart. We must die to the idea that we could ever perform our way into being good enough to deserve this avalanche of goodness moving towards us.

But something happens when do… Just when we begin to accept it. Just when we begin to think we understand it. The Love we think we can handle blows us away. We climb what we think is the mountain peak of His Love towards us, and just as we get to the top, we realize that it was nothing than a foothill at the base of a mountain range that extends to infinite heights – with range upon range, and peak upon peak bursting upwards into heavens higher than we ever used to be able to even comprehend.

So, are you struggling to sense the Love that He has for you? Perhaps that is the problem. You are still thinking He is far away, and that you are trying to attain something. Stop. Die to that way of thinking, even now – right now.

Tonight is your night beloved. Time to start at the beginning: “Jesus Loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.”

Written by Makala Doulos: Makala Doulos is a child of G_d, a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and a teacher to his students. But mostly, he is a prisoner set free by Jesus. Love has invaded his life, crushed it, and made it new. Now, G_d’s Love is what constrains him to live in full surrender to the freedom The Father and Son and Holy Spirit have bought for us all. Grace and Peace to you all.

The Daily Bible Reading: Psalm 102-104| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “The secret to loving, he says, is living loved.” ~ Max Lucado

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

“The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.”  ~ Lombardi

How often do we consider giving up? When do the odds against us seem overwhelming? When does it seem that nobody cares? Is the answer to these questions ‘almost every day?’ It can seem that way when our view of life is only what we perceive.

But what if we could see through God’s eyes? Even better… what if we could just trust that He has everything under control and is at work pushing aside what corrupts, allowing ‘good’ to shine through?

I have been intrigued by the parable of the persistent widow in Luke 18. Her tenacity captivates me, realizing that it is what she knows that drives her and not the character of the ‘unjust judge’. Often in class there are those students who want to arbitrarily state there is no right or wrong. They get very frustrated when I ask them “how do they know that?”, or “by what standard do they make that judgment?” They don’t realize that their frustration with the possibility of a different answer, making their statement false, is evidence enough that they are wrong. We make thousands of judgments a day, most concerning the right way and the wrong way to do something. In doing so, we are living out the idea of Justice… or ‘that which brings order’. For instance, driving down the left side of the road would be poor judgment, bringing about chaos. But when we operate within the limitations of what is ‘just’ or ‘right’, we can be confident in our judgments and our expectations of what is ‘good.’ The widow in the parable knew that she was on the side of Justice, and it was this confidence that enabled her to come time after time, wearing down the judge, not with her nagging, but with the ‘truth.’

You too can be this confident in your prayer and belief in God. God is Good, and you can be assured of this ‘goodness’ if you would just read and apply His Word. We falter and fail, becoming frustrated because we take our eyes off Jesus and His Word, and look down at our mere existence. Look up and find hope!

The widow knew that God is Good and therefore would bring about justice for her, regardless if it was in this life or in His very presence before His throne. I pray you know Him this way too… causing your confidence in Him to soar on the wings of eagles.

Choose wisely…

“Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth. He never grows weak or weary. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:28-31)

Praying 4 U

Written by David Brown: David Brown is a husband, father, and grandfather with a Masters of Religious Studies and a Professor of Philosophy and Comparative Religions. Dave is a member of Pemberton’s First Baptist Church.

The Daily Bible Reading: 1 Chronicles 20-24| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Our peace and confidence are to be found not in our empirical holiness, not in our progress toward perfection, but in the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ that covers our sinfulness and alone makes us acceptable before a holy God.” – Assorted Authors

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their prayers; But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 1 Peter 3:12

“But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ.” – Acts 9:22

I adopted a saying that helps me when I’m confused about a certain situation: “Help me understand.” I picked it up from a good friend of mine and often use it when I’m in a conversation and confusion has set in. This term helps the person I’m talking to realize I have no idea what they’re talking about. There are times when I have confusion and need to be better oriented about a subject before I can understand.

If you have ever tried to talk to someone about Jesus, you probably have found yourself trying to explain to someone who is very confused. For an unbeliever, it as if you’re talking a different language. In the book of Acts, we see God initiating a relationship with a number of people and He had established a group of followers that had moved from confusion to being convinced. The church in Acts is a fine oiled machine that has been empowered by the Spirit of God to either convince or confuse.

In chapter 9, we open with the conversion of Saul. He very quickly is convinced that the road he was traveling was the wrong path. He is confronted with Jesus on the road to Damascus and quickly after a short conversation Jesus “helps him understand.”

After that, Ananias is moved from confusion to being convinced that he was to go into Saul and lay hands on him. There is a common response by both Saul and Ananias in this account, Paul says in verse 6, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Ananias’ response is similar in verse 10 when called by God, And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”

There is a sharp contrast to those who remain confused and those who have moved from confusion to being convinced. I find in my life when I am confused, I have two choices: trust God and move to being convinced, or remain in a state of confusion and allow myself to be tossed like a wave.

In verse 22, we see Saul dealing with the Jews who remain in confusion and the outcome in verse 23 was to kill Saul.

I believe when I am in a state of confusion I can come to the Word of God and even though I may not fully understand, I can be convinced of His faithfulness and trust Him. This account in chapter 9 separates those who believe from those who doubt. Doubters remain in confusion while believers move to being convinced.

We see that when the churches were convinced in verse 31, “Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied”.

Where are you today? Are you convinced or still have doubts? Let the Word of God “Help you understand” and move to being convinced. Amen!

Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri, he is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and a full time staff member. He is also available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can contact him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org.

The Daily Bible Reading: Proverbs 19| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Daily Quote: “Jesus was God spelling himself out in language humanity could understand.” – S.D. Gordon

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16-7

Trust you are ready for a brand new week. Here is the third installment in Donna Jones powerful article. I trust this is helpful:

5. Everything is a battle.

At its core, all conflict is a power struggle. Every parent will have conflict with his or her child. Power struggles are to be expected. However, if your child makes everything a battle, your child has an attitude issue you must address.

Sometimes well-meaning parents accidentally reinforce a child’s bad attitude. In my book, Taming Your Family Zoo, I discuss nine common ways good parents accidentally contribute to bad attitudes. Here are a few of the most common: Arguing with their child (thus avoiding the real issue), giving in to their child (kids quickly learn just how much it takes to wear us down), ignoring their child (negative behavior can be a cry for positive attention), or failing to make expectations clear and realistic.

Instead, be concise and concrete in your instructions. Establish clear boundaries with clear consequences. Be quick to reinforce positive behavior and prompt in dealing with negative behavior. Does all this take effort? You bet. But consistency trumps complacency every time. The sooner you become consistent, the sooner you’ll see a change in behavior, and just as important—a change in attitude.

6. Your child has an “I don’t care” attitude toward life.

This one is a biggie. Mainly because an “I don’t care” attitude means your child has likely experienced some hardship, heartache, or upheaval that’s robbed him of hope. If you’re the parent of a child or teen with an “I don’t care” attitude, you must get to the root. Is it possible your child has had too much criticism and too little encouragement? Could it be your child has had too much failure and not enough success? Or is another culprit the cause? A demotivated friend group, perhaps?

Kids with an “I don’t care” attitude often flounder and suffer from low self-esteem, which is why it’s vital to help your child see the possibilities beyond himself. Is there a new hobby he could explore? A new sport to try? A musical instrument he’d love to play?

A kid with an “I don’t care” attitude won’t likely be self-motivated. He’ll probably need your parental kick-start to get him going. That’s okay. We all need a push in the right direction every now and then.

7. Your child blames others.

“But it isn’t my fault!” What parent hasn’t heard these words? True, sometimes it isn’t. But if your child never takes responsibility for his actions, he has an attitude issue. What can you do to help your child turn this type of bad attitude around? First, make sure you aren’t inadvertently reinforcing it.

While at the gym recently, I overheard two teachers discussing a student with attitude issues. “I’ve tried to talk to the parents about their son, but they just won’t listen. They think the problem is his teachers, coaches and peers—anyone but him. I kind of feel sorry for the kid. If his attitude keeps up, he won’t stand a chance in life.” Though none of us want to believe our child would say or do something wrong, the fact is, they do. Remember: Attitude improvements can’t happen without attitude ownership.

I am glad you are joining me on this parenting/grand-parenting journey.

Rejoice! Pray! Give thanks!

Bill Welte D.D.
President/CEO of America’s Keswick

Written by Dr. Bill Welte, President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his child sweetheart for 40+ years, and has three married kids, one that is engaged, and 11 amazing grand kids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

The Daily Bible Reading: Numbers 9-12| You can download our 2017 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This: Every day you need it. You and I simply can’t live without it. What is it? The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. – Dr. Paul David Tripp

This Week’s Verse to Memorize:

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James 5:16-7