Head-dibs

A boat was wrecked in a storm on Lake Michigan at Evanston. Northwestern students formed themselves into rescue teams. One student, Edward Spencer, saved 17 people from that sinking ship. When he was carried exhausted to his room, he asked, "Did I do my best? Do you think I did my best?" Dr. R.A. Torrey related this incident many years later in a meeting in Los Angeles, California. A man in the audience called out that Edwards Spencer was present, in the room. Dr. Torrey invited Spencer the platform. An old man with white hair slowly climbed the steps as the applause rang out. Dr. Torrey asked him if anything in particular stood out in his memory about that shipwreck. "Only this, sir," he replied, "of the 17 people I saved, not one of them thanked me."

This holiday season, ask the people around you about their lives — it could be your grandmother, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood. By listening to their stories, you will be telling them that they matter and they won’t ever be forgotten. It may be the most meaningful time you spend this year. National Day of Listening .

[by John Gill (1697-1771): Baptist minister, theologian, and biblical scholar. Author of A Body of Divinity, The Cause of God and Truth, and his nine-volume Expositions of the Old and New Testaments. Visit the John Gill Archive .] Thankfulness follows contentment: a discontented man is not thankful for anything, but a contented man is thankful for everything. Thankfulness is a branch of godliness: none but a godly man is truly a thankful man. There are some things not to be named among saints and are not becoming them; but this is, and rather becoming them than many other things (Eph 5:3, 4). An unthankful saint is a very odd sound, if not a contradiction. “Unthankful, unholy,” are characters joined together and agree (2Ti 3:2) and [likewise] “unthankful” and “evil” (Luk 6:36). And particularly none but an holy man can give thanks “at the remembrance of the holiness of God” (Psa 97:12).

[by Thomas Manton (1620-1677): Non-Conformist Puritan preacher and Oxford graduate who preached until forbidden by the Act of Uniformity of 1662. From 1662 to 1670 he preached in his own house, but was arrested and imprisoned for six months. He later became the preacher for London merchants in Pinners’ Hall. James Ussher called him “one of the best preachers in England.”] “ At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments ”—Psalm 119:62. ONE SPECIAL DUTY WHEREIN THE PEOPLE OF GOD SHOULD BE MUCH EXERCISED IS THANKSGIVING. This duty is often pressed upon us: “ Let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually, which is the fruit of our lips ” (Heb 13:15), giving thanks unto His name. There are two words there used, praise and thanksgiving. Generally taken, they are the same; strictly taken, thanksgiving differeth from praise. They agree that we use our voice in thanksgiving, as we do also in praise, for they are both said to be the fruit of...

[by Richard Sibbes (1577-1635): early Puritan preacher, who greatly influenced John Cotton, Thomas Goodwin, Richard Baxter, and others. Author of The Bruised Reed , The Soul’s Conflict, and numerous other works.] “ Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort ”—2 Corinthians 1:3. We see here the heart of the blessed apostle, being warmed with the sense and taste of the sweet mercy of God, stirs up his tongue to bless God; a full heart and a full tongue. We have here the [over-flowing fullness], the abundance of his thankfulness breaking forth in his speech. His heart had first tasted of the sweet mercies and comforts of God before he praiseth God. The first thing that we will observe hence is, that: It is the disposition of God’s children, after they have tasted the sweet mercy and comfort and love of God, to break forth into the praising of God and to thanksgiving. It is as natural for the new creature to do s...

The Chinese character (word) for "righteousness" (yi) is very interesting. The character is formed of two separate characters, on on top of the other. The top character (yang) means "lamb." The bottom character (wo) means "me," "self" or I." When they are put together, the "lamb" is placed directly above "me," the word "righteousness" (yi) is formed. This is no accident. Because of His shed blood on the cross, Jesus satisfied the wrath of God, making payment for sin. When we repent, turn from our sin and put our faith and trust in the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ, He receives me and I become righteous in His sight. Between me, the sinner, and God, the Holy One, there is interposed by faith, the Lamb of God. True righteousness is gained therefore by putting self under the lamb, our Lord Christ Jesus.

This is what grabbed me today from Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness : " for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live ." (Romans 8:13) "God's provision for [holiness] consists in delivering us from the reign of sin, uniting us with Christ, and giving us the indwelling Holy Spirit to reveal sin, to create a desire for holiness, and to strengthen us in our pursuit of holiness . . . . He makes provision for our holiness, but He given us the responsibility of using those provisions." "The Christian should never complain of want of ability and power. If we sin, it is because we choose to sin, not because we lack the ability to say no to temptation. It is time for us Christians to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are 'defeated' bu this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be well i...

This is an amazing video. From Pinpoint Evangelism :

What do the following verses teach about our holy standing before God? Romans 5:19 : we are made righteous by the obedience of Christ. Hebrews 10:10 : we are made holy by the offering of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 3:18 : our Lord Jesus Christ died for sins in order to bring us to God. What do the following verses teach about holy living? Ephesians 4:1 , 30 : walk in the manner consistent with our calling, holy; do not grieve the Holy Spirit through inconsistency, which is disobedience. 1 Thessalonians 4:7 : God did not call us to be impure, but holy. Titus 2:11-12 : salvation teaches us to deny ungodliness, worldly lusts and teaches us to live sensibly, righteously and godly. Why is holiness not optional for the Christian? Psalm 66:18 : Holding on to the sin from which He saved us shows how serious we are about our walk in holiness--God will not hear us when we pray! Romans 8:13-14 : Die if you want to live. Be led by the Spirit of God, as a child of God does. 2 Timothy...

More observations as I read my book : One cannot in himself merit salvation through personal holiness. Scripture repeatedly refers to the obedience and righteousness of Christ on our behalf ( Ro 5:19 ; 1 Peter 3:18 ) Two aspects of Christ's work on our behalf: 1. Active obedience--Christ's sinless life on earth, perfect obedience, absolute holiness; 2. Passive obedience--His death on the cross through which He fully paid the penalty for our sins and placated the wrath of God toward us. Conclusion: Our holiness before God depends entirely on the work of Jesus Christ for us, by God's will. Scripture speaks of both a holiness which we have in Christ before God, and a holiness which we are to strive after. The purpose of our salvation is that we be "holy and blameless in His sight" ( Eph 1:4 ). To continue to live in sin as a Christian is to go contrary to God's very own purpose for our salvation. [see "A Strange Kind of Salvation" post, 11/17/08] No one...

Louis XIV died September 1, 1715. This same Louis who called himself "the Great" is also the same monarch who declared, "I am the State!" His court was the most magnificent in Europe (he reigned for 72 years), and his funeral was said to be quite spectacular. During the funeral, as his body lay in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral would remain dimly lighted, and a single special candle was set above the coffin. Thousands waited in hushed silence. Bishop Massilon began to speak: slowly reaching down, he snuffed out the single candle and said, "Only God is Great!" The dying words of "the Great" were, " Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina (O Lord, make haste to help me)."

" . . . just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him in love . . . " (Ephesians 1:4) "What a strange kind of salvation do they desire that care not for holiness . . . . They would be saved by Christ and yet be out of Christ in a fleshly state . . . . They would have their sins forgiven, not that they may walk with God in love, in time to come, but that they may practice their enmity against Him without any fear of punishment." --Walter Marshall (1692), quoted by A.W. Pink, "The Doctrine of Sanctification"

1 Samuel 13:13-14, "Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man afer His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.'" God does not compromise and expects His commandments to be kept. He is light, and in HIm is no darkness at all ( 1 John 1:5 ). Keeping God's commands are closely knit with our love for Him ( John 14:15 ). Saul lost the kingdom because he did not seek after God's heart, which was evident by his failing to obey God's commands. There was no contrition on Saul's part after he lost the kingdom. Picture the child who when he cannot get his own way, storms off and says, "Fine! I didn't want to play anyway." I wonder...

The story is told of a man who was caught stealing a loaf of bread. When the judge investigated he found that the man had no job, could not get work and since his family was hungry, he felt he needed to steal the loaf of bread. The judge told the man, "I'm sorry, but the law can make no exceptions. You stole, therefore I have to punish you. I have to assess a fine of ten dollars." As he said this, the judge reached into his pocket, pulled out a ten dollar bill and handed it to the man. "I want to pay the fine myself," the judge said. As the man took the money, the judge added, "Now, I also want to remit the fine." This means the judge laid the fine aside. He released the man from the guilt or penalty of the fine, which means the man could keep the money. "Furthermore," the judge said, "I am going to instruct the bailiff to pass around a hat to everyone in this courtroom, and I am fining everybody in this courtroom fifty cents for ...

The tract simply read, "Overwhelmingly The Greatest Life Insurance and Investment Plan Ever Concieved: A Contract Everyone Can Afford with Unlimited Assets, All Benefits (Free Health Care), Great Building Policy Underway." At the end it said, "Just sign here and you've got Jesus!" Another tract said, "Free! Beautiful Homes Given Away in the Perfect City! No Bills! Pure Water! Beautiful Music!" No wonder people are confused.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008 WASHINGTON, D.C. — You better watch out. There is a new combatant in the Christmas wars. Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. In lifting lyrics from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," the Washington-based group is wading into what has become a perennial debate over commercialism, religion in the public square and the meaning of Christmas. Read the entire article on FoxNews .

It all started in 1829. A Philadelphia man by the name of George Wilson committed multiple acts of robbery against the U.S. Mail and jeopardizing the life another person during the act of robbery. Wilson and his accomplice was arrested, brought to trial, found to be guilty and was sentenced to be hanged. Some friends of Wilson's intervened on his behalf, and were finally able to obtain a pardon for him from President Jackson himself. When Wilson was informed of the pardon, he refused to accept it. The Sheriff had a problem. How could he hang a pardoned man? He sent an appeal to President Jackson, who equally perplexed, took the problem to the Supreme Court to decide the case. The Chief Justice gave this ruling : "There is nothing peculiar in a pardon which ought to distinguish it in this respect from other facts; no legal principle known to the court will sustain such a distinction. A pardon is a deed to the validity of which delivery is essential, and delivery is not complete...

1. Stubbornness The fool hates being told what to do: Proverbs 1:22 The fool is complacent: Proverbs 1:31 The fool rejectes wisdom: Proverbs 8:5 2. Arrogance The fool won't listen: Proverbs 12:15 The fool is right in his own eyes: Proverbs 12:15 The fool mocks at the consequences of his sin: Proverbs 14:9 3. Pride The fool talks for the sake of talking: Proverbs 17:7 The fool find sport in wickedness: Proverbs 10:23

Have you ever wondered what makes the difference between a light bulb and a laser? How can a medium power laser burn through steel in a matter of second while the most powerful spotlight can only make it warm? The difference is unity. A laser can be simply described as a medium of excited molecules with mirrors on each end. Some of the excited molecules naturally decay into a less excited state. In the decay process they release a photon, a particle of light. It is here that the most unique process of the laser begins. The photon moves along and "tickles" another molecule, inviting another photon to join him on his journey. Then, these two photons "tickle" two more molecules, and invite two more photons to join the parade. Soon there is a huge army marching in step with each other. It is this unity that gives power to the laser. A light bulb may have just as many photons, but each is going its own independent way, intereffing with the other photons. As a ...

Last night was a different night for us in Five Points. Tim and I went downtown early to see what night life is like earlier in the evening. We usually meet the later crowd. We made our way to Starbucks, where Bill sat playing chess with friend. Bill is the most unique person I've ever met. The last time we talked was nearly a year ago, and not only was it the strangest conversation I've ever had (I could not even BEGIN to reconstruct it much less explain it), but his beard and his baseball hat reminded me quickly who he was. When we walked through the door, he turned to see who was coming through the door and he greeted me as if we met yesterday. After exchanging some small talk, I told him, "Thank you for your kindness in remembering me." "Oh," he said, "It's not so much that I remember you, but it's easy to tell you are a Christian." "How so?" I wondered. "Bulging pockets. You give yourself away, carrying all that ...

Columbia International University and the U.S. Army have entered into a partnership that provides a CIU scholarship to a student enrolled in the Army’s Chaplaincy program. The student receiving the annual $4,500 scholarship must also be enrolled full time in CIU’s Seminary & School of Missions . For more information on the CIU Chaplain Candidate Scholarship visit http://www.ciu.edu/chaplaincy/

Some thoughts concerning Holiness as I read and work through the study guide : Exodus 15:11, "Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?" God has just delivered Israel (from the beginning of the plagues to the destruction of Pharoah's army through the closing of the Red Sea waters) whereby they saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, resulting in their fearing and believing in the Lord (Ex. 14:31). Their jubilant song celebrating God's deliverance contains this declaration concerning the incomparible nature of God: He is not on the same level (to be worshipped as) a mere god of water, frogs, insects, cattle, health, weather, light or darkness, life or death. This God has no comparison. Any other god is an idol, competing against another, lacking in majesty, without awe or praise and working no wonders. The true and living God is separated out, far above and beyond. Lev...

Romans 1:20

I gave a gospel tract to a man coming out of Wal-mart. The tract told him that the public office is a high position, but there is a higher position we must attain. We must: 1) Accept the fact there is none righteous ( Romans 3:10 ); 2) See self as God sees: all have sinned ( Romans 3:23 ); 3) Sin hinders the race ( Romans 5:12 ); 4) The race is more costly than any campaign funds could cover ( Titus 3:5 ; Isaiah 64:6 ); 5) Someone has paid the price and the race is won ( Romans 5:6 ); 6) The debt is paid ( Romans 10:9-11 ); 7) Satan votes against you ( 1 Peter 5:8 ); The office of Christian is not one taken lightly. One must count the cost and either serve the true and living God, starting with repentance; or, one may receive the due penalty for his sin by rejecting what God has done through the cross. The vote is yours. Will you cast you vote away, like this man did?

The Issues: There is a God. He is holy, just, righteous, true, all-powerful, all-knowing, full of love, light, mercy, and compassion ( Psalm 22:3; 116:5; Genesis 17:1; 1 John 1:5; 4:16 ). Everyone must personally deal with Him ( Romans 14:11,12 ). You have a never-dying soul which is going to be either eternally saved in heaven or eternally lost in hell ( Matthew 25:46 ). You are a sinner. " For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God " ( Romans 3:23 ). God, being holy, cannot allow you into heaven until your sins are removed. You cannot work enough, give enough, or be good enough to remove even one sin from yourself ( Ephesians 2:8,9 ). But God, in His great love, has reached out to you--" For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved " ( John 3:16,17 )...

Fueled by unfulfilled promises, unrealized hopes and mounting difficulties, "It's time for a change" is frequently heard from both politicians and the general public. There Have Been Changes in the Past Within the recent past, changes have occurred with surprising suddenness. Governments once thought to be stable have been toppled. Financial institutions have failed. Once-successful businesses have collapsed. More serious than all, the moral fabric of society has been shattered by turning away from God and the principles of His Word, the Bible. The "Do what feels good" philosophy--casting off restraint and the rejection of authority which is really lawlessness, the essence of sin--has broken up families, ruined lives and brought the disillusion, disease, death and destruction we see all around us. There Will Be More Changes When Jesus Christ was asked what the signs of His second coming would be, He replied, " Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars ... an...

I stood near the fountain in Five Points watching the crowd drunkenly sway to the band playing though Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon." Joe and Tim and I were milling around, trying to talk to people who were a little less drunk in order to give them the good news of God's love through the cross. While I had a number of good tracts, Joe had a pocket full of Trick or Treat Million Dollar Bills--I took a few from him and went conversation-hunting. No sooner had I gotten the tracts in my hand, I saw a young lady approach the fountain from one of the side streets, admiring the work of the pumpkin-carvers who left their creations along the fountain wall. I approached, held out the Trick or Treat Million Dollar Bill to her. "Did you get one of these?" I asked as she lit her cigarette. "Oh, cool!" she said, taking it from me. "Happy Halloween!" I wished her, as she admired the bill, folded it and stuck it in her pocket. The bandana around he...

Last Saturday I had the opportunity to host an "evangelism table" at a local festival. Check out the short vid and the photos. I actually was not able to stay for as long as I wanted to, because I had to leave on a family emergency; but, many MANY people got some good tracts and literature in their hands. Pray for the harvest!