Counting The Cost

Random thoughts on walking with Jesus in this turvy-topsy world

Take the next step

No man is ever more than four steps from God: conviction,

repentance,

consecration,

and faith.

 

-- Roy L. Smith

posted by: Jrobbins at 13:02 | link | comments |

Knowing Him

From “Single-Minded” at http://www.liveasif.org/

 

'Single Minded' from Michelle Brinson
Week of February 11 - 18, 2007

 

Before I knew YOU

 

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 14:12 NIV

Before I knew YOU, I lived my life my way. I did what I wanted, when I wanted. I came and went as I pleased, not having to give thought to others. It was all about me.

Then I met YOU and got to know YOU. YOU changed everything.

 

I thought I had it all... but I was missing something worth more than anything I could ever buy.... it's called hope and it's only something YOU can give.

 

Before I knew YOU, I was confused about spiritual matters, especially the existence of God. I was brought up in a family that believed in God, but we never talked about Him. We didn't go to church. We only prayed on special occasions. I don't really remember learning much about Jesus and definitely nothing about the Holy Spirit. I wanted to know more, but I didn't know where to go. I thought I met you at the first church I visited when I was in high school. But I couldn't figure out how someone like YOU could be in a place where they judged and condemned a man for his past. He had come to change his life and he was turned away. I just didn't understand that.

 

I also read books in my high school English class that talked about being an agnostic, an exetentialist, and even an atheist. I thought about all of those - wondering what did I believe. There were times when I thought about being one of those, but none of that felt right either.

 

I didn't know what to believe and I definitely didn't know you.

 

I went my own way for a while. I thought I knew where I was going. I thought I knew what I wanted and what was best for me. It worked for a while, but not long.

 

I was wrong. I was lost. Completely lost.

 

I had no hope. I didn't know what grace or mercy was. I knew guilt and shame over the mistakes I made.

 

And then one day, in the midst of my darkest day, I cried out to YOU. It wasn't a casual prayer thrown up to YOU and me then going on my merry way. No, this was a prayer from the heart. It was a gut-wrenching prayer.

 

I found myself on my knees, crying, weeping - and I'm almost certain I heard YOUR voice.

 

YOU told me YOU loved me and that nothing I had done or could ever do would change that.

 

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39 NIV

I had never experienced anything like this before. You mean to tell me there is someone out there who loves me no matter what?

 

Who wouldn't want a gift like that?

 

YOU rescued me in the midst of my despair. YOU gave me hope. YOU gave me purpose. YOU gave me peace.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Romans 8:7 NIV

 

I will rejoice and sing YOUR praises all of my days. I want everyone to experience the hope I have found in YOU.

 

If you are lost, empty, feeling alone, in need of love, in need of hope - let me introduce you to Jesus Christ. He has something He'd like to offer you... the gift of hope and eternal life. Just talk to Him. He's near. He just wants to hear from you. Call out to Him and He will come to you and heal your broken places.

 

 

 

Author's Bio:
Michelle Sanders Brinson makes her home in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband Andrey. Michelle is a newlywed who sees her marriage as a ministry and desires for it and herself to be used by God. She and her husband are active members of their church. She is also passionate about spreading the good news locally as well as internationally via mission trips to East Africa and wherever else the Lord leads. Michelle is a talented writer and speaker who prays God will use her in sharing His hope and truths to those who are hurting and in need of love.

 

Copyright:
'Single Minded' Copyright 2007 © Michelle Brinson.

posted by: Jrobbins at 16:58 | link | comments |

That Missionary Spirit

John G. Paton (1824-1907) was a missionary to the New Hebrides "cannibals" of the South Pacific.

 

 

Upon hearing Paton's intention to go, a Mr Dickson exploded, "The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!"

 

 

To this Paton responded, "Mr Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer." (p. 56)

 

 

Click here to read more from Desiring God ministries

posted by: Jrobbins at 13:01 | link | comments |

Final Thoughts on Amazing Grace

From Leadership U:

 

William Wilberforce: Statesman, Politician,

and Humble Servant of Christ

 

 

This month marks the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in England, a remarkable achievement brought about by a Christian statesman and politician, William Wilberforce (1759-1833). On February 23, 1807, the British House of Commons passed the bill abolishing the slave trade by a vote of 283-16, amid cheers and a standing ovation for Wilberforce, who sat in his seat and wept. Nearly every year since 1787 he had sponsored a bill to abolish the slave trade, but he had never had enough votes to see it pass.

 

 

 

What drove Wilberforce in his tireless efforts in the abolition movement? His Christian faith. In 1785, after long resisting the efforts of his friends, he gave his life to Christ. He considered leaving politics and going into the ministry, but John Newton, the pastor and author of the hymn Amazing Grace, convinced him to stay in the House of Commons and glorify God through his political work. Wilberforce dedicated his career and his considerable fortune to Christ. He believed that all men were equal under God, often quoting Acts 17:26, "God hath made of one blood all nations of men." During his 50 years of public service, he followed his convictions, even when politically costly. He died a few days after the slave trade had been abolished throughout the British colonies.

 

 

 

February 23 also marks the opening of Amazing Grace, the movie about Wilberforce's life and his relationship with John Newton. From director Michael Apted (The World is Not Enough, Coal Miner's Daughter), the film promises to be a great reminder that faith and social action go together, and that equality under the law for all people has Biblical foundations. This LeaderU special focus looks at the life and motivation of Wilberforce, as well as the Civil Rights movement and how it is related to Christian principles.

 

 

 

 

Feature Articles

Amazing Grace Movie Review: A lover and a fighter
Priya Abraham
Amazing Grace shows Wilberforce as devout Christian and shrewd politician

 

 

Humble Courage
Dr. Marvin Olasky
Dr. Olasky examines the character of William Wilberforce and how those qualities drove him to change society for good.

 

William Wilberforce
Kevin Belmonte
In this article, Belmonte, co-author of William Wilberfoce: a Hero for Humanity, examines Wilberforce's life and impact on history.

 

 

Amazing Grace Movie: Lessons for Todays Politicians
Rusty Wright
What lessons can today's politicians learn from the life of William Wilberforce? Rusty Wright offers some important insights into this question.

 

Hearing God's Call
Chuck Colson
Wilberforce heard God's call and responded. Chuck Colson examines Wilberforce's life and its implications regarding the false dichotomy between sacred and secular work.

 

Today's Wilberforces
Dr. Marvin Olasky
Who are the Wilberforces, and what are the slave trades of today? Dr. Olasky examines these questions.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Resources

 

The Color of Christianity: Faith and the Civil Rights Movement
This classic LeaderU Special Focus discusses the role of Christian faith in the civil rights movement. Articles include "The Faith of Rosa Parks," and an address by Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

The Truth about Jesus
Charles Gilmer
Is Christianity really just a "white man's religion"?

 

Peculiar Doctrines, Public Morals, and Political Welfare
John Piper
Pastor John Piper examines William Wilberforce's book "A Practical View of Christianity." (Offsite link)

 

 

 

 

 

copyright © 1995-2007 Leadership U. All rights reserved.

Updated: 20 February 2007

posted by: Jrobbins at 15:54 | link | comments |
amazing grace

Change Your World

From Crosswalk.com:

 

 

Find this article at: http://www.crosswalk.com/news/religiontoday/11530120/

 

 

Film on Anti-Slavery Pioneer Triggers New Campaign

by Payton Hoegh

 

(CNSNews.com) - On the 200th anniversary of the end of the British slave trade, a film company whose latest movie commemorates abolitionist William Wilberforce is supporting a modern-day campaign to raise public awareness of the impact of slavery today.

 

Amazing Grace, a film by the Bristol Bay production company, goes on general release on Wednesday. It examines the life of Wilberforce, a member of Parliament who initiated a petition for the abolition of slavery which led to the passing of Britain's 1807 abolition law.

 

The Amazing Change Campaign has released its own online petition calling for legislation to stop contemporary slavery which is estimated to impact up to 27 million people. As of Feb. 20, there were 48,615 signatures on the petition.

 

(Wilberforce's 19th century petition was signed by 390,000 people; The Amazing Change Campaign hopes to reach the same target.)

 

The petition will eventually be sent to members of Congress and to world leaders to show the public desire for change.

 

"By calling upon these leaders to commit themselves to abolition, we [can] win the battle that began with William Wilberforce and bring an end to slavery," the campaign's website says.

 

Zach Hunter, the 15-year-old student spokesperson for the campaign, told Cybercast News Service he hopes the movement will "be a catalyst for change."

 

Hunter said the widespread support for the campaign is evidence that "the public has had enough of slavery and want[s] it to end."

 

Walden Media, the sister company of Bristol Bay, said the film and the movement have already drawn the attention of lawmakers in the U.S. who are now calling for a commission to investigate modern-day slavery.

 

Republican 2008 presidential nomination hopeful Sen. Sam Brownback (Kansas) on Friday introduced a resolution to honor Wilberforce.

 

"We must continue to follow Wilberforce's example and fight for the dignity and freedom of every person," he said. "It is intolerable that 200 years after Britain banned its slave trade, there are still hundreds of thousands of victims of human trafficking who are used as bonded labors, sex slaves, and in other horrifying capacities."

 

Sudan and Mauritania are among countries where slavery is still being practiced, according to anti-slavery campaign groups.

 

Moreover, the State Department says 600,000-800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year, including up to 17,500 into the United States.

 

Victims are forced into prostitution, sweatshop labor or other forms of servitude and exploitation, it says.

 

"More than 150 years ago, the United States fought a devastating war that culminated in the elimination of slavery in this country," the State Department said in its 2006 Trafficking in Persons report.

 

"Although most nations have eliminated servitude as a state-sanctioned practice, a modern form of human slavery has emerged," it said. "It is a growing global threat to the lives and freedom of millions of men, women, and children."

 

Vice President of Walden Media Chip Flaherty told Cybercast News Service that the film highlights the fact that "one person can change his neighborhood, his country, the world" and shows that movies can move the public to action.

 

"We are very pleased that this film is raising awareness about the issue of slavery that Wilberforce tackled," Flaherty said. "Toward that end, there currently exist groups that are looking at injustices in the world that will be able to use this awareness [in] their good efforts."

posted by: Jrobbins at 13:29 | link | comments |
amazing grace

Beautiful, Amazing Grace

Salvation by Grace Alone

by John Newton

 

 

"Salvation is wholly of grace, not only undeserved but undesired by us until God is pleased to awaken us to a sense of our need of it. And then we find everything prepared that our wants require or our wishes conceive; yea, that He has done exceedingly beyond what we could either ask or think. Salvation is wholly of the Lord and bears those signatures of infinite wisdom, power, and goodness which distinguish all His works from the puny imitations of men. It is every way worthy of Himself, a great, a free, a full, a sure salvation. It is great whether we consider the objects (miserable, hell-deserving sinners), the end (the restoration of such alienated creatures to His image and favor, to immortal life and happiness) or the means (the incarnation, humiliation, sufferings and death of His beloved Son). It is free, without exception of persons or cases, without any conditions or qualifications, but such as He, Himself, performs in them and bestows upon them."

 

 

Go To Index for Many Items by John Newton

 

 

 

 

Amazing Grace

by John Newton

1779

 

 

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found;
Was blind, but now I see.

 

 

’Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed!

 

 

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

 

 

The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my Shield and Portion be,
As long as life endures.

 

 

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

 

 

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, Who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

 

 

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we’d first begun.

posted by: Jrobbins at 13:04 | link | comments |
amazing grace

Invisible No More

Learn more about the Amazing Change Campaign, inspired by the upcoming film about William Wilberforce, Amazing Grace (opening February 23), and sign the petition to help end modern-day slavery.

 

 

 

From Breakpoint.org:

 

 

Make You Look
Wilberforce and Awareness

 

 

February 20, 2007

 

 

Note: This commentary was delivered by Prison Fellowship President Mark Earley.

 

For years on "BreakPoint," we have talked about the plight of the oppressed—from persecuted Christians to the victims of the sexual trafficking. Raising awareness is not easy, because let's face it, most Americans probably cannot even find places like North Korea, Sudan, or Burma on a map—much less tell you about their human rights records.

 

This lack of familiarity with the larger world is not new. William Wilberforce was all-too-aware of the numbing effect of "out of sight, out of mind." He knew that before he could persuade his countrymen about the evils of the slave trade, some education was in order. It is yet another lesson Wilberforce has to teach us.

 

Two hundred years after Wilberforce, most people are still unaware of how brutal the slave trade was: men chained together for up to five months to save space; and diseases such as amoebic dysentery, scurvy, smallpox, and measles spreading in this human Petri dish. Little wonder that of the 13 million Africans who were compelled to make the infamous "middle passage," 3 million died on the way.

 

Then, of course, there was the often-inhumane treatment of those "fortunate" enough to survive the journey.

 

Obviously, those profiting from the slave trade did not tell the British people the truth about slavery. "Out of sight, out of mind" was the order-of-the-day.

 

As Eric Metaxas writes in his book on Wilberforce, it was the slave trade's "invisibility" that made this brutal business-as-usual possible. The average British subject did not have the "slightest hint" of the human cost associated with the sugar and molasses in their homes.

 

That's why an essential part of Wilberforce's campaign against the slave trade was to make the British public aware of the cost. He used everything from pamphlets to poetry to pottery to bring the plight of slaves to the public's attention.

 

As a result, he was able to tell Parliament that "the nature and all the circumstances of this Trade are now laid open to us. We can no longer plead ignorance . . . We may spurn it . . . but we cannot turn aside so as to avoid seeing it."

 

Once the British people stopped looking away, it became easier to do the right thing.

 

In this Information Age, our problem today is not the kind of "invisibility" Wilberforce combated—people who care about human dignity can easily find out what they need to know. The trick is getting them to care in the first place.

 

It's making our voices and concerns heard above what many call the "clutter" of the Information Age. When thousands of things, most of them worthless, compete for people's attention, we need to help people focus on the right things. We need to remind them that there are things more deserving of their attention than who entered rehab and who fathered whose baby.

 

Just as Wilberforce became the conscience of his age, we must become the conscience of the Information Age. It will not make us popular, any more than Wilberforce's persistence endeared him to his peers.

 

But if we do not try to get people to look at the larger world, then today's victims of brutality might as well be invisible.

 

 

                                                                                                     

Get links to further information on today's topic

 

 

Copyright (c) 2007 Prison Fellowship

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amazing grace

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