Quote of the Week

"Prayer does not equip us for greater works--prayer is the greater work." Oswald Chambers

Truth or Not

I just started a book called "Doctrine, what Christians should believe" by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears. In a chapter called "God speaks" this quote about Thomas Jefferson caught my attention:

"When we say plenary, we mean there are no parts of the Bible we don't believe, don't like, or won't teach or preach or obey. We cannot be like Thomas Jefferson, who brazenly sat down in the White House with a razor in one hand and a Bible in the other and cut out the portions he rejected, asserting his own authority over the authority of the Lord. 

And we cannot be like those who are more subtle than Jefferson and simply ignore parts of the Bible as primitive, dismiss them as outdated, or explain them away with human reasoning. Paul shows us the proper attitude towards scripture: "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

I'm saddened  by how many theologians today are in agreement with Thomas Jefferson. For me I would not bother with the Bible if it didn't tell the whole truth or waste my time on a Bible with possible falsehoods. The Bible is either the Word of God or it is not. Why would a Christian settle for anything less?

This reminded me of a quote by St. Augustine where he said, "If you believe what you like in the gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself."

The Pursuit of God

After reading this book I understand why it's called a classic. It's not because the author A. W. Tozer was the best writer, but because his love and passion for God are absolutely contagious as you read his words. Every sentence in this book is intriguing and insightful. I wanted to know God more after reading it.

I loved chapter 2 titled, "The Blessedness of possessing nothing" I couldn't pick just one quote from this chapter so here is a link to the chapter as a whole:

http://www.theboc.com/freestuff/awtozer/books/the_pursuit_of_god/bless_possess_nothing.html

The verse he gives at the beginning of this chapter is:


 "Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:3 

I've always struggled with trying to understand what Jesus meant by this. I think its one of the most misinterpreted verses, especially by those who preach a social gospel. But the Lord, with this chapter and its example of Abraham, is really helping me grasp a better understanding.

Quote of the Week

"You will never value pardon unless you feel repentance, and you will never taste the deepest draughts of repentance until you know that you are pardoned."                                                        Charles Spurgeon         

Quote of the Week

"You need not be afraid of too much grace. Great grace never makes a man proud. A little grace is very apt to make a man be puffed up." Andrew Bonar

Slightly Bad Girls

I just started reading a book called "Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible," by Liz Curtis Higgs. I love the way she describes these women such as Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel:

"My definition of a Slightly Bad Girl is simply this: a woman unwilling to fully submit to God. We love him, serve him, and worship him, yet we find it difficult to trust him completely, to accept his plan for our lives, to rest in his sovereignty. And so we quietly (or not so quietly) try to take back the reins again and again. Let me handle things, Lord, I know what's best. 

We pray, then move forward without waiting for an answer. We do all the right, Good Girl things and hope no one notices our desperate need to control every aspect of our lives. We read 'She does not trust the Lord, she does not draw near to her God' (Zephaniah 3:2) and shudder at the thought, never seeing ourselves in those words."

This is so me...but I know there is hope. :) God isn't going to leave me like this. He is teaching me and humbling me each day. I'm learning that:

"It is the work that God does through me that counts, not what I do for Him." Oswald Chambers

Quote of the Week

"We are immortal until our work is done." George Whitefield