9 Lessons From God Concerning Sickness

1. Sickness is meant to make us think—to remind us that we have a soul as well as a body—an immortal soul—a soul that will live forever in happiness or in misery—and that if this soul is not saved we had better never have been born.

2. Sickness is meant to teach us that there is a world beyond the grave—and that the world we now live in is only a training-place for another dwelling, where there will be no decay, no sorrow, no tears, no misery, and no sin.

3. Sickness is meant to make us look at our past lives honestly, fairly, and conscientiously. Am I ready for my great change if I should not get better? Do I repent truly of my sins? Are my sins forgiven and washed away in Christ’s blood? Am I prepared to meet God?

4. Sickness is meant to make us see the emptiness of the world and its utter inability to satisfy the highest and deepest needs of the soul.

5. Sickness is meant to send us to our Bibles. That blessed Book, in the days of health, is too often left on the shelf, becomes the safest place in which to put a bank-note, and is never opened from January to December. But sickness often brings it down from the shelf and throws new light on its pages.

6. Sickness is meant to make us pray. Too many, I fear, never pray at all, or they only rattle over a few hurried words morning and evening without thinking what they do. But prayer often becomes a reality when the valley of the shadow of death is in sight.

7. Sickness is meant to make us repent and break off our sins. If we will not hear the voice of mercies, God sometimes makes us “hear the rod.”

8. Sickness is meant to draw us to Christ. Naturally we do not see the full value of that blessed Savior. We secretly imagine that our prayers, good deeds, and sacrament-receiving will save our souls. But when flesh begins to fail, the absolute necessity of a Redeemer, a Mediator, and an Advocate with the Father, stands out before men’s eyes like fire, and makes them understand those words, “Simply to Your cross I cling,” as they never did before. Sickness has done this for many—they have found Christ in the sick room.

9. Last, but not least, sickness is meant to make us feeling and sympathizing towards others. By nature we are all far below our blessed Master’s example, who had not only a hand to help all, but a heart to feel for all. None, I suspect, are so unable to sympathize as those who have never had trouble themselves—and none are so able to feel as those who have drunk most deeply the cup of pain and sorrow.

~ J.C. Ryle

Tract: Christ in the Sick Room

Action Steps For Anxiety

A Quote from a Quote from a Quote:
The following is copied from the blog by the pastor of Coral Ridge Church. (Tullian is a grandson of Billy Graham). He is quoting another article. I need this; I hope you don't. ???

Tullian Tchividjian
Pastor and Author


Action Steps For Anxiety

Given the trying times all of us are having to endure in one way or another, I found Susan Fiske's excellent article in the Fall 2009 edition of byFaith (the official magazine of the PCA) entitled Be Anxious for Nothing-Now? especially relevant-and deeply helpful.

In it she writes, "It is in prying open our hands from our abilities, accomplishments, and possessions that we can discover the true promise of God: Himself. [Paul] Tripp says, ‘The hardest thing to hold onto, but the most beautiful when we get it, is that what God promises to us in times of suffering is not first relief of the suffering. His promise is to give us Himself.'"

She then, very helpfully, outlines Paul Tripp's six action steps for anxiety (these are golden):

Remind Yourself That God Is In Control: When you convince yourself that your world is out of control, you are on the verge of paralysis. Watch your self-talk. Are you saying to yourself: "God is in control of this circumstance, He is my Father, and He is ruling this for my benefit"?

Accept Confusion: Believing in God's sovereignty doesn't mean life will make sense. Believing in God's sovereignty is needed because life doesn't make sense. Your rest is not in figuring out your circumstances-your rest is in the God behind the circumstances.

Don't Allow Emotions to Rule: As much as the emotions you experience will be right, good, and appropriate, don't let them set tDon't Allow Emotions To Rulehe agenda. There is a temptation to do that, but allowing yourself to be pulled away by the emotions of the moment could cause you to regret your decisions later.

Distinguish Needs From Wants: Be very careful what you put in your catalog of "need." The minute you tell yourself something is a need, you're saying it is essential for life. Then you are going to determine that you can't live without it. It's easy to attach yourself and your sense of security to the gift rather than to the Giver.

Know Your Job Description: God promises to provide. Your job is to live the way God has called you to live. Instead of giving way to discouragement, look for ways you can contribute to God's people at the moment.

Run To God, Not Away From Him: God's promise to us is not first the relief of the suffering-His promise is to give us Himself. He will never turn a deaf ear to the natural cries of a person of faith when life doesn't make sense. God hears and answers and works and comforts.

THE SHACK, THE TRINITY, AND THE SHEPHERD

Last summer while on vacation I read 'The Shack'.  My son in law, Mark Carroll, was reading it and it passed it on to me.  I liked it.  I say that knowing that I might be branded as an unlearned idiot.

This self-published book has sold millions and has come under a lot of criticism mainly because of the way it dares to present The Trinity.  (REMEMBER, IT IS FICTION)  God is 'Papa', a black female Aunt Jemima type of character that you quickly fall in love with; for instance, when Papa is in the kitchen preparing batter for a cake, the bowl slips and the Trinity, while laughing, are cleaning the floor. Jesus is a middle eastern carpenter.  The Holy Spirit is oriental.

The other day I read another review of the book by Gordan MacDonald (see link above).  His review expresses my thoughts on the book.  He raises the question about David (or was it the Holy Spirit?) portraying God as s Shepherd.  He wonders what the Theologians of David's day did with that image. I do too.

GOD'S GLUE

I RECIEVED THIS FROM A FRIEND  TODAY. IT IS GOOD. READ IT.

A doctor wrote:

A couple of days ago I was running (I use that term very loosely) on my treadmill, watching a DVD sermon by Louie Giglio...and I was BLOWN AWAY! I want to share what I learned....but I fear not being able to convey it as well as I want. I will share anyway.

 

He (Louie) was talking about how inconceivably BIG our God is...how He spoke the universe into being...how He breathes stars out of His mouth that are huge raging balls of fire...etc. etc. Then He went on to speak of how this star-breathing, universe creating God ALSO knitted our human bodies together with amazing detail and wonder. At this point I am LOVING it (fascinating from a medical standpoint, you know.) .....and I was remembering how I was constantly amazed during medical school as I learned more and more about God's handiwork. I remember so many times thinking....'How can ANYONE deny that a Creator did all of this???'

Louie went on to talk about how we can trust that the God who created all this, also has the power to hold it all together when things seem to be falling apart..how our loving Creator is also our sustainer.

And then I lost my breath.

And it wasn't because I was running my treadmill, either!!!

It was because he started talking about laminin.

I knew about laminin. Here is how Wikipedia describes them:

'Laminins are a family of proteins that are an integral part of the structural scaffolding of basement membranes in almost every animal tissue.' You see....laminins are what hold us together....LITERALLY. They are cell adhesion molecules. They are what holds one cell of our bodies to the next cell.. Without them, we would literally fall apart. And I knew all this already. But what I didn't know is what laminin LOOKED LIKE.

But now I do.

And I have thought about it a thousand times since (already)....

Here is what the structure of laminin looks like...AND THIS IS NOT a 'Christian portrayal' of it....if you look up laminin in any scientific/medical piece of literature, this is what you will see...

 

 

Now tell me that our God is not the coolest!!! Amazing.

The glue that holds us together...ALL of us....is in the shape of the cross. Immediately Colossians 1:15-17 comes to mind.

 

'He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth , visible and invisible, thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things HOLD TOGETHER. '

Colossians 1:15-17.

Call me crazy. I just think that is very, very, very cool.

Thousands of years before the world knew anything about laminin, Paul penned those words. And now we see that from a very LITERAL standpoint, we are held together...one cell to another....by the cross.

You would never in a quadrillion years convince me that is anything other than the mark of a Creator who knew EXACTLY what laminin 'glue' would look like long before Adam even breathed his first breath!!

" Faith is not knowing what the future holds, 
but knowing who holds the future."

 

GOD'S GRACE

Never Beyond the Reach or Need of the Gospel

from Of First Importance by fredeaton

“Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace, nor are your best days ever so good that you are beyond the need of it.”

- Jerry Bridges, Discipline of Grace (Colorado Springs, Co.: NavPress, 1994), 18

MORE WORDS

heterodox

Main Entry:

het·ero·dox  alt=" Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox" title=" Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox" v:shapes="_x0000_i1025">

Pronunciation:

\ˈhe-tə-rə-ˌdäks, ˈhe-trə-\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Late Latin heterodoxus, from Greek heterodoxos, from heter- + doxaopinion — more at doxology

Date:

circa 1650

1 : contrary to or different from an acknowledged standard, a traditional form, or an established religion : unorthodox , unconventional <heterodox ideas>2 : holding unorthodox opinions or doctrines

 

apologetics

 Main Entry:

apol·o·get·ics 

Pronunciation:

\-tiks\

Function:

noun plural but singular or plural in construction

Date:

circa 1733

1 : systematic argumentative discourse in defense (as of a doctrine)2 : a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity

What Are Pluralism, Inclusivism, and Exclusivism?

by Michael J. Vlach, Ph.D.

Is there only one religion that leads to God or do several? Or, is the truth somewhere in between? Few issues are as controversial and important as this issue of which religion(s) leads a person to salvation . The purpose of this article is to define three key terms related to this issue—Pluralism, Inclusivism, and Exclusivism.

1.  Pluralism  -- "All major world religions lead to God and salvation."

Various forms of Pluralism exist. For our purposes, though, the Pluralism we are concerned with is “Religious” or “Philosophical” Pluralism. Religious Pluralism is the view that all major religions are equally valid and lead to God and salvation. Thus, no one religion is inherently better or superior to any other major world religion. With Religious Pluralism, all the major religions such as Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam are equal. For pluralists, there may be differences in rituals and beliefs among these groups, but on the most important issues, there is great similarity. Most religions, they claim, stress love for God and love for fellow human beings. They also point out that most religions have a form of the Golden Rule. Religious pluralists also point out that there are pious people in all the major religions. Religious Pluralism became increasingly popular in the the latter half of the twentieth century. The leading proponent of Religious Pluralism in the last few decades has been John Hick.

2.  Inclusivism  -- "One religion is best but salvation is possible in other religions."

"Inclusivism" is the position that one religion is uniquely true but salvation is accessible to those outside of that faith. For example, a Christian inclusivist might say, "I am a Christian and I think Christianity is the most correct religion, but I also think there is saving truth in other religions like Islam and Hinduism. People of other faiths can be saved by Jesus even if they do not explicitly believe in Him." Inclusivists do not go as far as pluralists in that inclusivists do not claim that all religions are equal. They do believe, though, that truth and salvation can be found in other religions. Some Christian inclusivists claim that the salvation of Jesus is unknowingly applied to adherents of other religions who live good, moral lives. Catholic and Inclusvist theologian, Karl Rahner, referred to such people as “anonymous Christians.”

The sixteenth century reformer Ulrich Zwingli held to a form of Inclusivism. In more recent years, Karl Rahner helped popularize this perspective. The Roman Catholic Church and several mainline Protestant denominations have also shifted toward Inclusivism in recent decades. The Roman Catholic “Vatican II Council” of the 1960s explicitly declared that people of other religions could be saved. Evangelical theologian, Clark Pinnock, too, has espoused Inclusivism. Traditionally, religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism have been proponents of Inclusivism as well.

3.  Exclusivism -- "Salvation is found in only one religion."

"Exclusivism" (or “Particularism”) is the view that there is only one way to God and salvation. Thus one religion is uniquely and supremely true and all other religions are false. Christianity is often viewed as an exclusive religion because of Jesus’ statement in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” In addition to Christianity, the religions of Islam and Judaism have traditionally been considered to be exclusive religions. Those who hold to Exclusivism usually affirm that other religions possess elements of truth, but these religions do not teach ‘the truth’ that is able to save its followers. In fact, much of what is taught in other religions is viewed by exclusivists as false. It should be noted that some groups within Judaism and Christianity have drifted away from Exclusivism in recent decades.

MY GREATEST NEED

Our greatest need

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”

- D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation

THEOLOGICAL WORDS

THEOLOGICAL WORDS NOT SO WELL KNOWN

MONERGISM

    [mon-er-jiz-uhm]  Show IPA

–noun Theology.

the doctrine that the Holy Ghost acts independently of the human will in the work of regeneration. Compare synergism (def. 3).

Origin: 
1865–70; mon- + Gk érg(on) work, deed + -ism 

Related forms:

mon⋅er⋅gist, noun

mon⋅er⋅gis⋅tic, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009. 
Cite This Source

PAEDOBAPTISM…..Infant baptism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Infant baptism is the Christian religious practice of baptizing infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greekpais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", orcredobaptism, from the Latin word credo meaning "I believe", which is the religious practice of baptizing only individuals who personally confess faith in Jesus, therefore excluding small children.

 

THE 8TH HABIT....STEPHEN COVEY

From Stephen Covey's book The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness (New York: Free Press, 2004). Its theme is to find your [vocational] voice and to help others find their voice.

Here are his 'four assumptions to help live a holistic and balanced life' (p.58):

1. For the body - assume you've had a heart attack; now live accordingly.

2. For the mind - assume the half-life of your profession is two years; now prepare accordingly.

3. For the heart - assume everything you say about another, they can overhear; now speak accordingly.

4. For the spirit - assume you have a one-on-one visit with your Creator every quarter; now live accordingly.    (How about everyday?...mine)

(copied  from: http://jmm.aaa.net.au/new.htm)

CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES

For fifteen years my wife and owned a Christian Bookstore, The Master's Shoppe in Bessemer, AL.  It was one of the richest experiencs of our lives.  What a ministry opportunity.

Sad to say, the following was proven  true:

Victor V Bryditzki "The $elling Of Je$u$: The Confessions of a Christian Bookstore Owner"(Chick Publications:1985)

At $1 (AU) this book was way overpriced but I decided to buy it for the following quote ...........

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who Comes In And What Do They Buy? Surveys indicate that less than 10% of active church members ever enter a Christian bookstore. ... Actual sales figures show the following scale of popularity among the items offered in the store. Topping the list are cards and small gifts, mostly cheap jewelry. Next comes what is called "Jesus junk" items like trinkets, bumper stickers, decals, and toys and plastic prizes for sunday School. Next comes the latest craze book on "666", giving the month and day of Jesus' return, or the latest out-of-body testimonials, and a number of end-time (mis)interpretations. Next to these are records and cassettes, skimmed milk devotionals, and low-fat study guides. At the end come Bibles, reference books, Church History and other serious works. When I opened the store, I actually thought the sequence wouold be the other way around! Of the 10% of church members who go to Bible bookstores, only 1% (of the 10%) ever purchase serious books. That means 99% (of the 10%) are staisfied with trinkets or shallow or erroneous writings. I am also told that of the Christian reading public, 85% are women. That boggles my mind and confuses my arithmetic. (I have nothing against women; I just wish that men would read too.) p.73

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Replace "records and cassttes" with "cds and dvds" and nothing seems to have changed since 1985!

FEELINGS

FEELINGS

 

The words if a song by that title say…..

 

“Feelings, nothing more than feelings
Trying to forget my feelings…….

Teardrops rolling down on my face
Trying to forget my feelings …..”

 

Feelings are real. Feelings are good, unless they control us.

As a Believer, the words written by Martin Luther have been a great source of comfort and strength for me:

   

"Feelings come and feelings go, 
And feelings are deceiving; 
My warrant is the Word of God-- 
Naught else is worth believing. 

Though all my heart should feel condemned 
For want of some sweet token, 
There is One greater than my heart 
Whose Word cannot be broken. 

I'll trust in God's unchanging Word 
Till soul and body sever, 
For, though all things shall pass away, 
HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!" 
— Martin Luther

 I have been depressed.  Who hasn’t?  I realize that the depression I have experienced in the past is nothing compared to what you may be going through.  It’s sort of like ‘Puppy Love’; it’s real to the puppy.  The question is:  what do we do about it?   Ignore it and maybe it will go away?  Talk about?  That seems to help some.  Medicate it?  That too will help temporarily until the cure becomes worse than the problem.

 As a Child of the King, the only answer, I believe, is to put it in the proper perspective. God loves me! That is a fact.  There is nothing I can ever do to make Him love me any more and there is nothing I can do that will make Him love me any less.  HE LOVES ME!  Period.  I know that because of the promises of His Word.

 I must keep the order straight:

         FACT......FAITH......FEELINGS

 Do Not Depend on Feelings 

The promise of God's Word, the Bible -- not our feelings -- is our authority. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. If I understand the Fact of God's Word, have Faith in it, Feelings will follow.

Do any of the following words describe your feelings?

 

Dignity/ Respect/Self-Worth Ashamed Beaten down Cut down Criticized Dehumanized Disrespected Embarrassed Humiliated Inferior Insulted Invalidated Labeled Lectured to Mocked Offended Put down Resentful Ridiculed Stereotyped Teased Underestimated

Freedom/Control Bossed around Controlled Imprisoned Inhibited Forced Manipulated Obligated Over-controlled Over-ruled Powerless Pressured Restricted Suffocated Trapped

Love/Connection/ Importance Abandoned Alone Brushed off Confused Disapproved of Discouraged Ignored Insignificant Invisible Left out Lonely Misunderstood Neglected Rejected Uncared about Unheard Unknown Unimportant Uninformed Unloved Unsupported Unwanted

Justice Accused Cheated Falsely accused Guilt-tripped Interrogated Judged Lied about Lied to Misled Punished Robbed

Safety Abused Afraid Attacked Defensive Frightened Insecure Intimidated Over-protected Scared Terrified Threatened Under-protected Unsafe Violated

Trust Cynical Guarded Skeptical Suspicious Untrusted Untrusting

 Read Martin Luther’s words again! 

DON'T WORRY

OPEN LETTER TO OUR PRESIDENT-ELECT

An Open Letter to President-Elect Barack Obama Dear President-elect Obama, First, congratulations on your successful campaign to become the 44th president of our beloved United States of America. This was a historic election in terms of the massive increase in voter participation as a percentage of the electorate. I hope you know that there are tens of millions of Americans who did not vote for you who are still very, very pleased that an African-American has been elected president of the United States. The fact that this could happen in a country with as tragic a racial past as America's says something noble and fine about the American experiment and the glorious "opportunity democracy" it has spawned. After much struggle, we as a nation have chosen together to live up to the promises of our founding document, the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." For those of us who came of age during the Civil Rights Era and were inspired by Dr. King, it is very gratifying to watch our nation elect a person of color to the highest political office in the land, even someone for whom they may not have voted because of serious policy differences. Mr. President-elect, the Bible exhorts us to pray for kings and all those who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We, therefore, covenant to pray for you, your family, and your administration. We will pray that God will grant you godly wisdom in all your decision-making. We pray with faith and confidence that a king's heart is a water channel in the LORD's hand: He directs it wherever He chooses (Proverbs 21:1). On issues which involve moral and ethical values, we will both pray for you and exhort you to apply biblical principles and values as you make policy decisions which will impact the families of America and the world. We will also pray that God will bless you with safety, health, and all spiritual blessings. On issues where we agree, such as standing against genocide in Darfur and protecting basic human rights around the world, we will support you. On issues where we disagree with the approach your administration takes, we will do our best to persuade you to change your approach. When we are unsuccessful, we will stand by our convictions and will exercise our God-given responsibilities and Constitutionally-protected right to work for alternative solutions which are more in accord with our convictions. Southern Baptists remain unalterably committed to the protection of unborn human life. The vast majority of Southern Baptists believe that a pre-born baby is a distinct human life, according to both science and the Bible (Psalm 51:5; Psalm 139-13-16; Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:41). The euphemism of "choice" or "reproductive freedom" cannot disguise or justify killing a baby. Government has a proper role in protecting lives, including the lives of the unborn. Southern Baptists, by national resolutions, have opposed abortion on demand, and have called for public policies which severely restrict abortion and which promote alternatives such as adoption. Mr. President-elect, you have said you want to unite us as a nation. An excellent place to work for such unity and consensus on the life issue would be for you to put your full and vigorous support behind the Democrats for Life House Caucus initiative known as the Pregnant Women Support Act or the 95-10 Initiative (because its goal is to reduce abortion by 95 percent over a ten-year period). This bill (H.R. 3192 and S. 2407), sponsored in the last Congress by Rep. Lincoln Davis (D-TN) and Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA), would, among other things: • establish a toll-free number to direct women to places that will provide support during and following their pregnancy; • fund collection of accurate data on abortion; • provide child care to low-income and student parents; • provide parenting education in maternity group homes; • make the Adoption Tax Credits permanent; • ensure that pregnant women are not denied health care by insurance companies and that coverage is continued for newborns; • codify the regulation that extends coverage under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to low-income pregnant women and unborn children; • improve services for pregnant women who are victims of domestic violence; • provide services to parents receiving a positive test diagnosis for Down syndrome or other prenatally diagnosed conditions; • increase funding for the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program; • provide grants to institutions of high education to fund pregnant and parenting student services; and • provide new mothers with free home visits by registered nurses. All of these measures would help fulfill the pledge made in the 2008 Democratic Party platform, which "strongly supports a woman's decision to have a child by ensuring access to and availability of programs for pre- and post-natal health care, parenting skills, income support, and caring adoption programs." Mr. President-elect, America needs moral conviction, not moral neutrality. America's children need a model of leadership committed both to excellence and to virtue. May God help you, Mr. President-elect, and make you that leader. And may God bless America! Yours in His service, Richard Land Richard Land is a member of Clearview Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, and president of The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Copyright © 2009 Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee SBC Life is published by the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, Tennessee 37203 Tel. 615.244.2355 Email us: jrevell@sbc.net

ATHEIST DAY

COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY...

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days.

He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized day(s).

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel and declared, 'Case dismissed.'

The lawyer immediately stood and objected to the ruling and said: "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. Yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays"; The judge leaned forward in his chair and said, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant "

The lawyer said, "Your Honour, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists." The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is 'April Fools Day'

Psalm 14:1 states "'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day.

Court is adjourned"