today's devotions was as follows:

26th July 2008 RBTS Romans Day 177

Text: Romans 8

“Subjected to futility…” Romans 8:20

THE SEARCH FOR MEANING IN LIFE

When God made man, He made him out of the dust of the ground (Cf. Genesis 2:7). From the time God created man, the search for meaning in life began. The following questions have always been raised by the thinking individual?

1. What does it mean to be a human being?

2. What is the purpose of life?

3. Is there a destiny to be fulfilled?

4. Are there universal principles that govern life and the universe?

PROFOUND TWIN PRINCIPLES OF LIFE

Paul revealed two very profound principles that help us understand life better in the following text.

“For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly,
but because of Him who subjected it in hope.”
Romans 8:20

1. The principle of “subjection to futility”

a) This principle was studied deeply by King Solomon.

b) He was affected deeply as he sought to fathom the principle of being subjected to futility.

c) Solomon’s own words were “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. (Cf. Ecclesiastes 1:2)

d) The sense of futility is heightened by the realization that man will have to die one day.

i) Wealth does not prolong life indefinitely.

ii) Wisdom is unable to give life forever.

iii) Power also does not extend life.

2. The principle of “subjection in hope”

a) Faith in God enables an individual to believe in His promise of eternal life.

b) However this eternal life with all its glory is not fully realized in our lifetime on earth.

c) Hope is all we have.

But a strong faith makes hope come alive!

everyone embarks on their search for the meaning of life at some point or other in their lives. some are content to brush it aside, others seek and seek with all their hearts and find at the end an open door, and His open arms.

with all the books on Christian apolegetics ive been reading recently, it just hits me over and over again that no amount of evidence will ever win someone to the Lord. and as my life unfolds, i am trusting in the perfect plans He has for me, though i cant see beyond to what He sees.

and not only that, He reminds me that im not alone. at our semi-sbone gathering comprising of four people (with seah as the extra from sb2) we started talking about belief and how you know you believe and stuff like that. haha. though we didnt reach a definitive conclusion on that (to which i simply say that when the Holy Spirit enters you, you will just KNOW IT) it really makes me happy when i get to talk to my friends from other churches that share a common love for the Lord.

yesterday when we went to watch ben and jojo at the Christian songwriters music showcase, it warmed my heart to see that in Christ, with Him as the rock solid foundation there really is one Body, one mind, one Spirit.

and i know we worship a God that is the same yesterday, today and forever. (:

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You;
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water.

-Psalm 63:1

you know what impeccable is? impeccable means faultless; flawless. flawness. and God's timing is always impeccable. its always perfect and right now i believe that with my whole heart. He has loved me thissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss much, why do i fret when im asked to sacrifice just a little bit? and if you think about it, sacrifice isnt really sacrifice when the experiences you go through in life draw you closer to Him, or help others draw closer to Him.

i had four hours of sleep last night, but my countenance is as bright as day - cos right now im simply resting on the unchangeability of His grace. grace that flows freely for my every need. grace that protects me from sin. grace, just grace.

i believe the past 20 years of my life was perfectly planned out. why should the next 20, 30, 40 years of my life be any different? You give and take away- my heart will always say, Lord blessed be Your Name. (:

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the LORD and His statutes which I command you today for your good?" -Deuteronomy 10:12-13

i was at island last night and i have never met a bunch of more childish delinquents my entire life. no respect for others, shouting and disturbing the peace at 1030pm at night, THROWING FRENCH FRIES at each other, messing up the entire floor outside serene macs, with no regard for the trouble they've caused for others who will have to clean up their mess when they leave. (the extremely violent individual i was with asked me 'eh did you slap them?' hahahahhaa. if they were my kids, I DEFINITELY WOULD. i am a firm believer in 'spare the rod and spoil the child' ok sorry detracting)

but because this experience left me horrified, i was left thinking about how, in our heart of hearts, we are all like these kids. self-ish, self-centered, self-absorbed, self-everything. we do whatever we want and expect that at the end of life's day, God (the superhuman vacuum cleaner) will clean up the royal mess we've made and everything will be nice and clean and restored to it's original state.

but is that really the way we were meant to live?

the Christian way is not an easy way. it requires denial of self. it requires putting God first. it requires setting aside the sin that so easily ensnares us. it means your conscience is pricked an insane amount of times a day by the leading of the Spirit, you feel guilty about doing things that 85% of the world would have no issues with. and the five things He demands of me requires me to make Him my all.

but the Christian way is, paradoxically, also the easiest way. letting go and letting Him means the path of your life shies away from unnecessary hiccups, unless they are life lessons that are necessary to mold you and make you stronger in faith. walking with Him means you have extra special protection from the attacks of the evil one and less susceptible to his snares and traps (for a fuller view of this please see the screwtape letters by CS Lewis). taking this narrow path means you catch a glimpse of Heaven before you get to take in its beauty when you step into eternity. it means you have a fully paid for calling card with unlimited credit to the phone of the Most High. it means you have a hand to yank you up when you wallow, a lifeline to pull you out of the miry clay, a surety to set your feet upon a rock and establish your steps (psalm40).

in the past two days i talked through my struggles with two different friends, both gave me the same perspective in different words, the same encouragement in a different way. both reminded me of the depth of His love in a same, but different way. (: and for these gentle reminders of His presence in my life, i am always grateful.

and i assure you, that a lifetime of communion with your Creator is so much better than a lifetime without. taste and see the goodness of the Lord, for when you have truly tasted the sweetness of this walk, no matter how hard you try, you will never want to look back.

"He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." -Micah 6:8

i am finding more and more amazing verses in His Word. and am thankful each time He writes on the tablet of my heart. (:

today i spoke to someone. and i understood why this, why me, why now. these past one and a half months has been a precious time of discovering the Lord's comfort and seeing His hand of grace in my life. times when i felt like i just cldnt get up again i learnt. but today as the words came, i prayed as i spoke and i understood the most important lesson of all- why pain.

why pain? because i remember the lesson so much better. its as simple as that.
and i dont think it's a coincidence that the writer of my favorite blog of all time had the same thoughts with regards to lessons of pain.

"God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." - C.S. Lewis, in The Problem of Pain

i have a story, im not afraid to pass it on. salt of the earth, light of the world, and on our knees always in prayer.

praise to You, for You are.

death of our son 2004 - new life in Christ. thank You Jesus!
special needs child, predicted to die by age 2 - hope, strength, peace. i'll be 3 next year!
sexual abuse by uncle led to eating disorder - God's true love healed me!
3 stillborn babies in heaven - living with joy till reunited again.
attended church 10 years without my husband/ i was not the husband my wife deserved - my prayers were answered/ i am now the spiritual leader of my family
loss of son to suicide - found God's amazing grace

cardboard testimonies

truly, what a great God we serve (:

the feeling i hate the most is when your heart drops to the pit of your stomach. aw man that has got to be the worst feeling in the world. i just had one of those, and the moments after its easy to dwell. cry over spilt milk. so i said a prayer in my head as fast as i could- Lord please help me remember.

and so i close my eyes and remember. psalm 62 has become my meditation, day and night. it has also become my reminder, my obsession (but in a good way. (: )

stage 2: Psalm 62:1-2
Truly my soul silently waits for God;
From Him comes my salvation...
i shall not be greatly moved.

stage 3: Psalm 62:5-6
My soul, wait silently for God alone
for my expectation is from Him...
i shall not be moved.

if this is a progression of the psalmist's faith, why does he make the first line of v5 a reminder to himself 'my soul, silently wait for God' rather than a declaration as in v1 'truly my soul silently waits for God'? he phrased it this way because he needed a reminder. as we all do, that God is sovereign. that God is Almighty. cos we're humans, and humans forget. but yet the psalmist's faith has taken on new meaning in v5, for he no longer just waits for God, He waits for God alone.

now how about that? in my moments of weakness i knock my head, i scream into my pillow and wonder why im being so stupid. and yet He teaches me. with each day, each passing moment, that as i wait, as my understanding of Him deepens, as my love for Him grows, i wait for Him alone. nothing else.

Psalm 62:8
Trust in Him at all times you people
pour out your heart before Him
God is a refuge for us

dictionary.com defines trust as:
1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2. confident expectation of something; hope.

the psalmist exhorts me to trust in Him at ALL TIMES. it doesnt mean i will always feel like it. but my trust in Him is not dependent on how i feel, it is dependent on who i place my trust in. i am confident of this hope i have in Christ, and i lean on something that is steady and unchanging.

ive had my fair share of trusting in things, in people who have failed me. so what do i do? i refuse to cry over spilt milk. get up, dust yourself off, and you stand wiser and stronger as you learn to give your hand to the only One that can lead you through this life.

Psalm 62:11
God has spoken once;
Twice i have heard this
that power belongs to God.

and now to the most intriguing verse of psalm 62. what does it mean? aha! this is where Pastor Mitch's God-given wisdom steps in (haha actually everything else i wrote was mostly taught by him. hee).

you know that feeling when you feel so strongly that God is trying to tell you something? whether it's a particular life direction to take or a particular lesson He wishes to teach you. ive had a few of these wonderful moments in my life, and when they occur, though God has spoken only once, it seems like He has spoken two times, three times, four times, an infinity. because what He said is already written on the tablet of your heart.

and that is the impact that stems from God speaking to your heart. its incredible and uplifting. i remember most vividly being convicted during the yag retreat in may. i went for the retreat with a troubled heart and mind, with many things i was unable to let go of, questions with no answers. and yet as i listened to Pastor speak, i heard this one verse that blew me away-

2 Corinthians 3:3
clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

that was just it. i was struggling in my heart and mind over so many issues that stood before me. issues i already knew the answer to, but didnt want to admit to myself for fear of the consequences. i was thankful that i could still distinguish the leading of the Spirit, that He still took the time to write on the tablet of my heart. and now that lesson is etched in my memory, and seared onto my heart, just like He had spoken these words so many times to me.

and im thankful. thankful that He takes the time to lead me when im lost. thankful that He takes the time to stay by my side when ive reached my wits end and know not what to do. its wonderful to have Him speak so personally to your heart, it reaches to the depths of your soul, you should try it someday (: but when He does, be ready to shoulder the burden, be ready to face the music. cos my problems sure as hell didnt disappear after this experience. in fact, they increased about 3-fold. haha.

i like the chorus of this song very much-

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel

take it from my hands. sometimes we want to stay in control of our life, our plans, we want to have it our way. sometimes you just gotta make a bolder prayer- "take it from my hands". and you'll be amazed to see how wonderfully He can answer. (:

it sounds like a whole lot of sacrifice, but believe me when i say it gets better. its tried and tested. i let go, and i let God be God. and not just God, but God of my life. and its a whole lot better.

stage 1 - Psalm 61:2 "From the end of the earth i will cry to You. when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than i."

stage 2- Psalm 62:2 "He only is my rock and my salvation. He is my defense; i shall not be greatly moved."

stage 3- Psalm 62:5-6 "My soul, wait silently for God alone; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; i shall not be moved."

best blog in the world

"But what if He hadn't answered me the way I wanted? God does not answer every prayer specifically as requested like some sort of Divine short order cook. I must be careful to not equate His goodness with how large my bank account of blessings is (or isn't). He is who He is. He does what He does and He is the same God in times of plenty and in times of want.

I am in the middle of reading Job in my quiet times. It is a poignant reminder of God's ability to give lavish gifts and allow times of pain and agony in our lives. Do we understand His methods or His purposes? Not always.

All I know is that the fire He has brought me through so far has been for His glory and my refinement...and tonight that is enough for me."

and tonight, though it doesnt always feel like it, that is enough for me.

when my head is filled with thoughts of You, i cannot but come face to face with my unworthiness, as i stand in awe of everything that You are.

You are holy, You are faithful. You are Savior, You are friend. You are all i'll ever need- Lord, You are. You are every question's answer, You are every reason why. You are moving, You are still.. Lord, You are.

You are the Lord on high. You are the way, the truth, the life. You are the Word made flesh. You are the bright Morning Star… You are

You are Glory, Hallelujah. You are hope of peace on earth. You are Alpha and Omega… You are. You are comfort You are refuge. You are love personified. You are kindness and compassion… You are

You are my God and my King
You are the words that I sing
You are the reason I make this offering

You are. saturday left me a little tired cos of my lack of sleep the days before. but when we sang this during youth choir on saturday, i said a quiet prayer of thanks cos i know i still cry when i remember the depths of His love. it scares me to think that the day might come when i am 'unable' to respond to a reminder of the most perfect, pure, holy, unblemished love given to one so undeserving.

today my head is filled with thoughts, thoughts, and more thoughts.
some good thoughts, some not so good.
and i know it is only You. only You that helps me fight through these miniature disasters. only You that can plan my life out so perfectly, nothing is a mistake.

today i walked into a jewelry store (which shall not be named) to look at the ring my parents want to get me for my 21st. so i stared at the ring for a long time and asked the lady whether i could do an engraving on it (i want to remember this time in my life). so she asked me what i wanted to engrave- i told her "romans8:28" since i was thinking somewhere along those lines. and before i knew it, i had spent 45mins talking to her about God, faith, unbelief, life and ministry. you know what its like to talk to a complete stranger about the same love and passion you have for the Lord? its amazing.

and in the days that i forget to trust, i remember these 3 things:

1. Psalm 62:5 "My soul, wait silently for God alone,
For my expectation is from Him."
2. Psalm 62:8 "Trust in Him at all times, you people;
Pour out your heart before Him;
God is a refuge for us."
3. Psalm 62:11 "God has spoken once,
Twice I have heard this:
That power belongs to God."

everyone should ponder over the meaning of verse11. cos for the life of me i could not figure out what it meant for the longest, longest, longest time. BUT pastor mitch gave me the answer yesterday! haha. stay tuned for the next post, where (hopefully) i remember to answer my own question. haha. think about it! it means alot.

when my heart and mind and soul is filled with His Word, its always amazing. you know why the Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, MIND and soul? our love for Him is based on reason, reason that increases for me everyday. (:

"The Lord your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes.

and in the wilderness where you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.

yet, for all that, you did not believe the Lord your God."

-Deuteronomy 1:30-32

my biggest fear is to see all He's done, and not believe.

for the longest time, i have struggled with understanding the concept of predestination.

Calvinism - emphasizes that humans are incapable of adding anything to obtain salvation and that God alone is the initiator at every stage of salvation, including the formation of faith and every decision to follow Christ.

Arminianism says - God chooses us because He knows we will choose Him.

over dinner and starbucks (ahhhhhh i got to drink my favorite iced caramel macchiato yummmmm) we discussed this. over the years of being a Christian this concept of predestination has come up time and again, and i have never fully understood it. even now, i dont. i have no problems whichever of the doctrines prove to be true at the end of life's day- cos the fact remains that Jesus Christ is my Savior and nothing will ever change that. He has saved me and no one can ever snatch me from the palm of His hand. but much of my distress over these issues stem from my feelings of helplessness when i try to help others see His love and issues such as these that humans can never comprehend, stand in the way.

and so we discussed and discussed and discussed and i refused to go home. haha. then we opened our Bibles (yes, in the middle of starbucks. only Bethany people do mad things like that haha) and read from the book of Romans- that shut me up for a long time.

God chose Jacob and not Esau, for it is written "the older shall serve the younger", even before the twins were born. why?

Romans 8 says

14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? Certainly not!

15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”[f]

16 So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[g]

18 Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who has resisted His will?”

20 But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, “Why have you made me like this?”

21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, from the same lump to make one vessel for honor and another for dishonor?

LET GOD BE GOD. God doesnt need us to defend Him, He's perfectly capable of defending Himself. if you can submit to human authority, listen to your parents, why not to the Almighty Sovereign God?

ok thats not the end, moving on to Romans 10.

6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[c] (that is, to bring Christ down from above)

7 or, “‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”[d] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”[e](that is, the word of faith which we preach):

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

But its not all God's election, there's the element of faith as well, which is essential - Romans 9:31-32 Not all of Israel attained righteousness because they did not seek it by faith.

Pastor Mitch calls it the tension between 1. God's election 2. Free choice 3. Jesus' dying on the cross for ALL (not dying on the cross for the elect)

sometimes i wish i could understand everything. but i like what CS Lewis said - 'Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable.' hur. i think this quote is pretty funny. our finite minds could never comprehend an infinite God. i dont know if its enough for you, but its enough for me. (:

"Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

- Proverbs 31:30

i have always, always always always loved this verse. because it encapsulates the essence of what a Christian woman should be- what it means to fear the Lord and have Him in our hearts. the inane things of the world that dont matter much. i received the biggest compliment in the world when i received a card from a friend in sec4 where she wrote and told me that she thought me of when she read this verse. hhaha. i almost fell over when i read that card cos i know myself so well, and i know how infinitely far away from this ideal i am.

sometimes, by His grace, i truly do desire the things of Heaven. i thirst for the truth of His Word. but when my own sinful nature takes over, i weary of eternal things. i want immediate satisfaction. i want my life to go my way. and these are the moments that are the hardest to bear. they are the saddest, most far away from God, most despondent moments in my life- when i try to take over after having tasted of the goodness of the Lord.

i finally finished reading the case for faith today. and these are the final two thoughts that struck me:

1. if you dont want to believe something, YOU WILL EXPLAIN IT AWAY.

Lee strobel writes on p254 of the case for faith-
I told Willard about the time when my newborn daughter was rushed into intensive care because of a mysterious illness that was threatening her life. the doctors werent able to diagnose it. even though i was an atheist, i was so desperate that i actually prayed and implored God -if he existed- to heal her. a short time later, she astounded everyone by suddenly getting completely better. the doctors were left scratching their heads.

"My response", i told Willard, "was to explain it away. I said 'What a coincidence! She must have had some bacteria or virus that spontaneously disappeared.' I wouldnt even consider the possibility that God had acted. Instead, i stayed in my atheism."

2. A note to chuck templeton, who 'lost his faith' when he saw a photo of a woman suffering.

Chuck, I hope you'll take to heart what Proverbs 2:3-5 says: "if you scream for insight and call loudly for understanding, if you pursue it like you would money, and search it out as you would hidden treasure, then the Lord will be awesome to you, and you will come into possession of the knowledge of God."

ive heard too many of my friends create hypotheticals for me. if God appeared in front of me and told me Jesus is the truth, i would believe. if i was rushing to catch a plane and i missed it because of some accident, and the plane crashed shortly after, i would believe. would you really?

God gave us free choice. free choice to choose Him or reject Him. free choice to love Him or hate Him. there is no middle ground. you're either with Him or you scatter abroad.

but if you come to Him with a broken heart and cry out with all the strength of your spirit- i believe He hears you. just as He hears me in the moments of my deepest pain. and He will reach out to you and heal your heart just like He does mine. and in the moments that i forget- Lord i believe, help my unbelief.

Hebrews 3:7-11

7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says:


“ Today, if you will hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,

‘ They shall not enter My rest.’”[a]

What if - Nicole Nordeman

What if you’re right?
And he was just another nice guy
What if you’re right?
What if it’s true?
They say the cross will only make a fool of you
And what if it’s true?

What if he takes his place in history
With all the prophets and the kings
Who taught us love and came in peace
But then the story ends
What then?

But what if you’re wrong?
What if there’s more?
What if there’s hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He’s more than enough?
What if it’s love?

What if you dig, What if you dig
Way down deeper than your simple-minded friends
What if you dig?
What if you find
A thousand more unanswered questions down inside
That’s all you find

What if you pick apart the logic
And begin to poke the holes
What if the crown of thorns is no more
Then folklore that must be told and retold

But what if you’re wrong?
What if there’s more?
What if there’s hope you never dreamed of hoping for?
What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He’s more than enough?
What if it’s love?

You’ve been running as fast as you can
You’ve been looking for a place you can land so long
But what if you’re wrong?

What if you jump?
And just close your eyes?
What if the arms that catch you, catch you by surprise?
What if He’s more than enough?
What if it’s love?

so many things have struck me this past week. sam got me nicole nordeman's album and its my current favorite. i really like the song brave. as i searched for the lyrics to this song, i came across the lyrics to the above song, what if.

the events of this week and the cumulation of my thoughts and reflections have really made me wonder why its so difficult to place your trust in something so real, so true, so undeniable. doubts always come (in the form of the the evil one attempting to assail us) but why is it so hard to overcome? im almost done with 'the case for easter' by lee strobel, and on a balance of probabilities, it is incomprehensible to me why anyone would choose any other path.

and as i thought about these things, i was once again reminded that this is not my battle to fight. i was blessed to have someone share His love with me- and that's all i can do. share it, and pray. if someone chooses Him, it is by no merit of mine. if someone chooses to walk away, it is no fault of mine. i was told to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ, and that is exactly what i will do. sometimes its hard when you pray and pray and the 'results' dont seem to be forthcoming. discouragement may set in, and you start to blame yourself and wonder if you didnt do enough.

but this passage brought great joy to my heart as i read this morning

"but the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear.

and the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly Kingdom. to Him be glory forever and ever Amen!"

-2 Timothy 4:17-18

as i found myself struggling through the past few weeks in so much prayer and pleading for myself, i see how He taught me to endure, how He taught me to pray, how He disciplined me and effected changes in my life. my perspective of things, the strength of my faith. i see how He has opened the door for me to areas of ministry i could never have imagined if i hadnt gone through what i went through.

i am absolutely amazed at the strength of paul's faith. the sufferings he went thru, stoning, shipwreck, whipping, being thrown into prison and yet he was never shaken. he was able to hold the members of the church of philippi in his heart as he prayed for them, ministered to them, cared for them. and as i lift up people to him in prayer, i am reminded to stand in the gap, as abraham did.

Genesis 18 - as Abraham interceded for sodom and gomorrah.
my new challenge of this week is to take it upon myself to speak to the Lord v31.
to stand before Him v22
and draw near to Him v23

and in the moments that i cant look past myself and am unable, Lord You make me want to be brave. and i will be, cos You strengthen the hands that hang down, and give life to my soul. each day, everyday.

so long status quo!

p 230 of the case for faith
"Congenital doubters"
they are drawn like magnets to uncertainties and questions. they may be filled with angst or have a melancholy personality. for them, faith doesnt come naturally.

"Some doubters are rebellious"
even though they may not identify themselves that way. they have the attitude 'im not going to let somebody run my life or do my thinking.' this can take the form of arrogant pride.

"People who's doubts stem from their disappointment with God"
God says 'seek and ask'. what if you've sought and asked and He hasnt given? was God serious, was He even there?

"Intellectual doubters"
this was where i was at. i was doing my best to intellectually gird my faith but there were people a lot smarter than me who didnt believe in God. i started to think: is faith only for the brilliant? how can faith be so important to God, and yet you have to have an IQ of 197 to hang onto it?

the ultimate commitment is to God. we have a baskin-robbins culture where the most-dreaded sentence would be to serve a life with no options. and i do think tat contributes to people's fear of committing themselves to Christ.

p 233

One misconception- that faith is the absence of doubt.
THAT IS NOT TRUE.

Anderson: one of my favorite Biblical texts is about the man who came to Jesus with his demon-possessed son, hoping that the boy would be healed. Jesus says all things are possible to those who believe. and the man's response is so powerful. he says, "Lord i believe, but would you help me with my unbelief?"

i really do love this passage as i read, my faith grows. i hold on tight. You hung to make me strong, though my praise was few. it will increase everyday, for You are everything to me. (:

jeremy camp.

take you back

The reason why I stand
The answer lies in you
You hung to make me strong
Though my praise was few
When I fall I bring your name down
But I have found in you
A heart that bleeds forgiveness
replacing all these thoughts of painful memories
But I know that your response will always be

I'll take you back always
Even when your fight is over now
I'll take you back always
Even when the pain is coming through
I'll take you back

You satisfy this cry
Of what I'm looking for
And I'll take all I can
And lay it down before
The throne of endless grace now that radiates what's true
I'm in the only place that
erases all these faults
That have overtaken me
But I know that your response will always be

I'll take you back always
Even when your fight is over now
I'll take you back always
Even when the pain is coming through
I'll take you back

I can only speak with a grateful heart
As I'm pierced by this gift of your love
I will always bring an offering
I can never thank you enough

You take me back always
Even when my fight is over now
You take me back always
Even when my pain is coming through
You take me back