Far from a world of grief and sin.....

"Whom He justified, them He also glorified."—Romans 8:30.

ERE is a precious truth for thee, believer. Thou mayest be poor, or in suffering, or unknown, but for thine encouragement take a review of thy "calling" and the consequences that flow from it, and especially that blessed result here spoken of. As surely as thou art God's child today, so surely shall all thy trials soon be at an end, and thou shalt be rich to all the intents of bliss. Wait awhile, and that weary head shall wear the crown of glory, and that hand of labour shall grasp the palm-branch of victory. Lament not thy troubles, but rather rejoice that ere long thou wilt be where "there shall be neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain." The chariots of fire are at thy door, and a moment will suffice to bear thee to the glorified. The everlasting song is almost on thy lip. The portals of heaven stand open for thee. Think not that thou canst fail of entering into rest. If He hath called thee, nothing can divide thee from His love. Distress cannot sever the bond; the fire of persecution cannot burn the link; the hammer of hell cannot break the chain. Thou art secure; that voice which called thee at first, shall call thee yet again from earth to heaven, from death's dark gloom to immortality's unuttered splendours. Rest assured, the heart of Him who has justified thee beats with infinite love towards thee. Thou shalt soon be with the glorified, where thy portion is; thou art only waiting here to be made meet for the inheritance, and that done, the wings of angels shall waft thee far away, to the mount of peace, and joy, and blessedness, where,

"Far from a world of grief and sin,
With God eternally shut in," -C.H. Spurgeon

"May I take your order?"

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Imagine if you will a human friendship/relationship. One friend calls the other and says, "Hey, on your way home, would you mind picking me up a bag of rice? I'm out and I know you'll pass a grocery on your way home." "Sure. Absolutely!", the friend replies. The next day, our friend calls again, "Hey, thanks for your help yesterday - and - on your way home would you mind picking up some pickles? I'm out." 
"Sure," the friend replies.
"Also, could you drop by the pharmacy and pick up my prescription?"
"Sure," the friend replies.
"Hey, my house really needs painting and my hand hurts too much to do it myself. Could you do it for me or, if you can't then just bring me something to make my hand feel better. That will be okay..Thank you."

This is pretty much the totality of their conversations.

Imagine this going on for years and years. Almost every time they talk, they have similar conversations to the one above. Do you think at some point the friend being asked for favors will decide that the friend asking doesn't have a heartfelt attachment to them, but rather are using them for what they can provide?

Now, we can not apply this scenario to the Christian "as is" because Scripture implores us to keep bringing our burdens and requests to God. We can however, take a lesson away from the story. As for our prayer time, it is paramount we come to God in prayer with our needs. Jesus said, "Keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will find. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7 HCSB

And what about the story of the unjust judge who finally gives the woman justice because of her persistent knocking? This parable was to teach us to be tenacious in prayer. (Matthew 18:1-8)

Yet, as Christians we must ask ourselves if our life and conversations with God look like the friendship described above. Does our prayer life consist mostly of our pick lists? Is our quiet time with God characterized by only listing our needs? Is our relationship with the Lord balanced by praise and worship? Do we also worship God with the way that we live our lives (Rom 12:1-2)?
Do we know Jesus or just know about Him?

If you had a friend like this - would you feel the relationship was one sided? Likewise, God does not only want our pick lists, though we should feel secure in bringing our requests to Him. More then our pick lists, God wants our very heart. 

Lord, make our very lives and our very beings a prayer unto you. Amen.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

We Dare Not Doubt

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I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron. (Isaiah 45:2)

This was for Cyrus; but it is evermore the heritage of all the Lord's own spiritual servants. Only let us go forward by faith, and our way will be cleared for us. Crooks and turns of human craft and satanic subtlety shall be straightened for us; we shall not need to track their devious windings. The gates of brass shall be broken, and the iron bars which fastened them shall be cut asunder. We shall not need the battering ram nor the crowbar: the Lord Himself will do the impossible for us, and the unexpected shall be a fact.

Let us not sit down in coward fear. Let us press onward in the path of duty, for the Lord hath said it: "I will go before thee." Ours not to reason why; ours but to dare and dash forward. It is the Lord's work, and He will enable us to do it: all impediments must yield before Him. Hath He not said, "I will break in pieces the gates of brass"! What can hinder His purpose or balk His decrees? Those who serve God have infinite resources. The way is clear to faith though barred to human strength. When Jehovah says, "I will," as He does twice in this promise, we dare not doubt.

-C.H. Spurgeon

Pastor Dave's new book is published!

Pastor Dave's new book "Transformed by Adoption" is out!

From the back cover: Our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family and our adoption is the foundation for our transformation. Spiritual transformation is a gradual process of change as we learn the ways of our Father. Christians want to live a victorious life immediately. Talk of being radical or revolutionary Christians excites us but these descriptions imply that other Christians are lesser members of the family of God. Many consider the normal Christian life inferior to the higher Christian life. What is a normal Christian life? The Apostle Paul describes a normal Christian life in Romans 6-8. A normal Christian pursues holiness while wrestling with sin throughout life. The habits of sin must be replaced with the habits of holiness by the power of the Spirit. We grow to be like Christ as we walk in step with the Spirit. We are children of God by adoption so we must learn the ways of God by practice. When we fail we run into the arms of our Father and find our security in His love.

http://www.amazon.com/Transformed-Adoption-Spiritual-Normal-Christian/dp/1497507359/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1399986488&sr=8-3&keywords=david+christensen

Prayer that Transforms

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One way to make sure we live out our faith is to keep our relationship with Jesus at the front of our mind. It's not always easy to do is it?

For a simple personal prayer to help try this:

Come up with 1-2 short sentences that would be your answer(s) if Jesus stood in front of you and told you He would grant you your biggest wish concerning your walk with Him.

Your answers might be something like:

Lord Jesus, cause me to walk faithfully.

or 

Lord Jesus, grant me a soft tongue.

or 

Lord Jesus, grant me discernment to do your will.

or 

Lord Jesus, may I seek to please you in all I do.

The reason for keeping your sentences succinct is that you can recall them easily and turn them into prayer even at the busiest moments.

Funny thing about praying to be obedient or for the right heart, the more you pray it, the more it is on your mind and the more you'll catch yourself about to "cut corners" in day to day situations. What a blessing to have these realizations! In that moment, your prayer often comes to mind and you will be able to make a decision that honors Jesus rather than a decision that is easiest or most expedient for us in that moment.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children (Ephesians 5:1 NASB)
Lord Jesus, may we honor you in all we do. Amen