A Beautiful life!

The other Sunday while sitting in church the song "A Beautiful Life" really stood out to me. The life described in the song wasn't one of "following your dreams", or "a story of extreme success", It was one of almost complete service! The line's "I'll help the sick and poor and weak", and "words of kindness to them speak" were just some of the convicting phrases unfolding this Beautiful Life. It reminds me of the verse that tells of pure religion. "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep one's self unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). Why is that undefiled religion? Why isn't something like faith, prayer, or meditation undefiled religion? "Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (I Corinthians 13:13). That was the last verse of a very good chapter on love? The Apostle Paul described love as the "final bar", the goal for all Christians, even higher than faith! Even the words in red say "By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). Love is what sets us apart from the rest of the world! But our love is not one of just having love, but is carrying it out. The rest of I Corinthians 13 describes love as an action, not only a feeling. Love without action, is dead. So the challange of "A Beautiful Life", and "Pure and Undefiled Religion" really hit home for me. Do I show His love to others? Do I lift my desires above others? Do I pull over the help the stranded motorist? Or reach out to the young person who is struggling with temptation? Or the smaller things closer to home, like family? Am I living "A Beautiful Life"?

True Evangelical Faith Cannot Lie Sleepy

For It Clothes the Naked

It Comforts the Sorrowful

And it Gives to the Hungry Food

And it Shelters the Destitute.

-Menno Simons

Grow!

The theme for my trip to Jamaica was spiritual growth. The theme verse was 2 Peter 3:18, “But GROW in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.” Although I will not be able to touch the amazing bible studies that were given while we were there, I would like to share what God has laid on my heart.
The first thing that I thought about was, “Am I growing in Christ?” If I looked at my life six months ago, would I see a difference today? Am I allowing God to work through me more than I was a year ago? In a very good bible study given by one of the team leaders the point was brought our that you have no choice but to grow, one direction or the other. So if I can’t see those signs areas of spiritual growth, how am I growing?
So what can I do to grow in the Lord instead of falling into the trap of complacency? “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). God sends us trials to strengthen us , as a blessing! But it is all in how we respond to it that makes the difference. A bone under pressure breaks, but a stone under intense pressure becomes a diamond, the strongest substance on earth. Luke 22:31-32 tells us of a time when God allowed Satan to sift Simon as wheat, but Simon’s faith did not fail and he was strengthened. So if we persevere through the refiners fire, just like Shadrach, Meeshach, and Abednego the only thing that will burnt is what binds us. Jesus is like our weight lifting trainer. He knows just what to send us because He has gone through the same training (Hebrews 5:8-9). He keeps adding just the right amount of weight, not so much as to break us, but enough to cause a struggle. A body builder knows that there has to be a struggle to gain muscle. The trainer is not trying to hurt him by adding weight, but trying to help him reach his goals (in our case maturity).
Another extremely important thing in our “work-out” program is our diet. God has laid out a perfect diet for us. Refrain from junk food (starve the flesh) and eat healthy foods (feed the spirit). “Likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin” (Romans 6:11). “They words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart” (Jeremiah 15:16). It is very important to be “dining” in Gods word because trials are the application of our study.
As always comments are welcome, feel free to add anything you like. I would like to hear from you.

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (I Peter 5:10)

Prayer request

I have a good oportunity to practice "praying one for another" (James 5:16) that I talked about last time. I (and a large group of people) are heading to Jamaica on the 11th of June. I would definitly covett your prayers for safety as we travel down there for a work project. You could pray for safety, and that we would be able to get large amount of work done. You could aslo pray that the group (of around 45 people) would be united in His name. And last, but not least, we would have an enjoyable, growing time. I will update you when I get back (on the 20th). Thank you very much! In christ, Ben.

Pray ye one for another!

The other day at a cottage meeting (a time when the church goes to visit people that are shut-ins) the 95 year old lady made the statement that the least she could do for her wayward grandchildren was to pray for them. I had to think, "that is the MOST you can do". To pray for someone is to talk to the absolutely most powerful being there could ever be, how could that possibly be the least you can do?
James 5:16 says that we are to "pray for one another". It also tells us that "fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much"(NKJV). So not only was the writer saying that we should pray for one another, he makes it clear that it is going to make a big difference.
So what are we to pray for in others lives? The apostle Paul gives us some wonderful examples of his prayers. One of these is in Ephesians 1:16-19. He prays for "a spirit of wisdom", "a revelation in knowledge of HIM," that "the eyes of understanding be opened," and that we may know God's power toward us. What a powerful prayer! Another example is found in Ephesians 3:14-19. He asks that God would strengthen us through HIS spirit, that God would dwell with us through faith, know the love of Christ, and be filled with God! These are some examples of some powerful prays! I would challenge you to take some time every day and bless some believer that comes to your mind, I think you will be surprised how much your prayer "avails".

The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion.
He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.
-Samuel Chadwick

Lets leave a legacy!

A dear friend of my mom, and a Sister in Christ, passed away early this morning after battling cancer for over a year. She was a very joyful lady. There were many times when people (including me) went to visit and encourage her, ended up receiving the greater blessing. Soon after she was diagnosed with cancer she shared with a group of ladies a song she labeled as hers. The chorus of the song went, “I am making plans to see Jesus, because He is making plans to see me”. She was content with passing, in fact she looked forward to it. All through her suffering she expressed peace. Although she wasn’t able to serve others like she was ALWAYS doing before, she said in a prayer just last week, “God, put the pot on, and give me a double portion”. I had to step back and look at the beautiful lady she was in Christ and the great legacy she has left behind. It convicted my heart, to look at the “legacy” I might be leaving behind. So the prayer in my heart is that I would be able to leave behind a Godly legacy for others. That when I am gone others would remember me as a man filled with Christ. Lets leave a legacy! (Comments welcome)

“I want to leave a legacy
How will they remember me?”
-Legacy by Nichole Nordeman

Being in the World, But not of it.

At a bible study the other night I was really challenged by
the subject of “being in the world, but not of it.” What does that
mean? What is the difference? The person leading the study had a
really neat picture of it (as follows). “…broad is the way, that
leadeth to destruction…strait is the gait and narrow is the way, which
leadeth unto life..” (Matthew 7:13-14). You can picture those verses
from the sermon on the mount like this: A broad road with the things
of life on it. Thinks like waking up, sleeping, eating, working,
driving and playing. But on the path there are also many sinful
things. Things like hate, lust, guilt, wrong relationships, lying, and
disobedience etc. Furthermore this path is leading in one direction,
destruction. But in the middle of this path there is a small (very
small) path heading in the opposite direction, Christ-likeness. The
smaller path takes part in the things of life (the first list) but
rejects the sinful things. Instead it partakes in peace, love, freedom
(true freedom), Godly relationships, honesty, obedience, faith, hope,
and joy. The small path is in the middle of the broad path but heading
in the opposite direction.
So how? How do we keep ourselves from being like the world?
It is so easy to be caught in the “down-stream current”. I know, I
know, this is a very common answer but it is SO important that is
can’t be stressed too much; read/meditate on/memorize the Bible. “Thy
word have I hid in my heart that I might now sin against thee” (Psalm
119:11). The Bible will keep you from sin, sin will keep you from the
Bible, remember that. Another way to keep ourselves from the world is
to admit to God that you can’t do it on your own (and cry out for
strength). The surest way to fail is to stand on your own. “Wherefore
let him that thinketh he standeth take head lest he fall” (I
Corinthians 10:12). You’ve probably heard the expression “you are what
you eat”. Well I like to say, “you are what you think”. What you
think, becomes how you act. Do you think on things of the world? The
apostile Paul saw the importance of this when he said “bring into
captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Corinthians
10:5b). And then later he gave a list of things to fill out minds.
“Finally, brethren , whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are
honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be and praise, think on these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Proverbs 4:23-27 gives a good set of directions as well. It starts out
by telling us to “keep our hearts with all diligence, for out of it
are the issues of life”. And it ends by telling us to “Turn not the
right hand nor the left; remove thy foot form evil.” Another verse
that tells us how to remain unspotted from the world is Colossians
3:2. “Set your affection (singular) on things above, not on things on
the earth.” I want to end on one last verse. This I think is key.
Romans 12 :2a: “Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind.”

The Substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

On Saturday, the prayer in my heart was that God would show me what he wanted me to post here. So when I opened up my bible for devotions I read Hebrews chapter 11 (The Faith Chapter). As I meditated on the verses I thought, maybe this is what I am supposed to share.” But I dismissed the thought because I thought it would be to hard to write about faith. Then I prayed again for a message and went about my daily work. That evening I went to a bible study and guess what the topic was? Faith! And the passage was Hebrews 11! So then I thought “ok, maybe I am I supposed to write about faith.” All doubts were removed when I got home and my family was watching the movie “Faith like Potatoes.” God surrounded me with the topic of faith till I eventually got the picture. So I decided I had better see what God wants me to say about faith and not fight it any longer.
So what it faith? Hebrews 11:1 says that, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Noah Webster further defines faith as, “the assent of the mind to the truth of what is declared by another, resting on his authority, without other evidence.” So faith is simply taking what God has said in His word (and through His spirit) and believing it without material proof. As someone once said, “He is as real to me as that car sitting out there.” Hebrews 11 gives us many examples of such faith. Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph are just a few. Faith is important. So important that the author of Hebrews (probably Paul) said that, “without faith, it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh before God must believe that He is…” (11:6). If we can’t believe that God is real, that His word is true, and that He loves us, we can’t please God. Pleasing Him should be our goal in life. With out faith, not only is it impossible to please Him, but we can’t be saved (John 3:16). A life lived fully for God will show evidence by faith (Galatians 5:22). Faith is key, it is necessary for salvation, without it we are lost. If your faith feels weak read Hebrews 11. I guarantee that reading those great stories of faith will encourage you. All of those people faced great trials and tribulations, but “by faith” conquered them. In the sight of impossibility they chose to believe in God’s faithfulness.
I Just felt led to say that. I pray that God will bless some soul with this feeble attempt to define faith. As always comments welcome, and wanted. In Christ, Benjamin