Counting The Cost

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

Thoughts for those blue days

“Faith lives in a broken heart.  "He cried out with tears, Lord, I believe."  True faith is always in a heart bruised for sin. Saving faith always grows in a heart humbled for sin, in a weeping eye and a tearful conscience.”

--Thomas Watson

 

“As gold is purified in the furnace, so the faithful heart is purified by sorrow.”

-- Guarini

 

“Any simpleton can follow the narrow path in the light: faith’s rare wisdom enables us to march on in the dark with infallible accuracy, since she places her hand in that of her Great Guide. Between this and Heaven there may be rougher weather yet, but it is all provided for by our Covenant Head. In nothing let us be turned aside from the path which the divine call has urged us to pursue.”

--Charles Spurgeon

posted by: Jrobbins at 15:13 | link | comments |
quotes i love, faith and feelings

Yay, money! Um, for charity, I mean.

Leave it to Pastor John Piper to find a way to make the economic stimulus refund into a challenge to Christians! The Desiring God blog has a fantastic post about the ways in which Christians can use money to show the world how great a Treasure the Lord Jesus is. You can check it out below, as well as another post on how to bless missionaries around the world – for a little extra inspiration.

-Joy

 

 

 

Economic Stimulus Payment & Christ: post by John Piper

 

13 Ways to Bless Missionaries Without Paying Postage: post by Tia

posted by: Jrobbins at 00:05 | link | comments |
god and money

Remembering the martyrs

It's been a while since I mentioned the Voice of the Martyrs on my blog and shame on me. It's so easy for me to get wrapped up in my own little world, and one of the things I appreciate most about VOM is their ability to keep the persecuted Christians around the world on my mind and in my prayers. Their passion for helping those who suffer for staying faithful to the Lord Jesus is truly admirable. This week, they have a post called "I Choose God - Go Ahead and Shoot" on their Persecution Blog. This testimony is very powerful and a good reminder of what our brothers and sisters are facing in some parts of the world. So, check it out this weekend and please spare some prayer for the martyrs.

-Joy

posted by: Jrobbins at 15:07 | link | comments |
vom

We can live in victory

“Triumphant living is one of the characteristics that God wants to develop in us by the work of His grace. Even when we are in difficult situations, the Lord wants us to learn to walk in the victory that is available to us in Christ.

 

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ." Paul gave thanks to the Lord for a truth that was greater than the obviously difficult situation that he had just experienced. Whenever we allow the Lord to be the one leading our lives, He "always leads us in triumph in Christ." Paul was rejoicing in the fact that he was yielded to Christ as His Lord, his leader. Thus, he knew that the Lord was leading Him in triumph, because when Jesus is counted upon to lead us, He "always leads" us triumphantly.

 

Christ leads us in triumph; we do not win it for ourselves. This triumph is a spiritual victory that belongs to us by being in Christ. "Thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ." Jesus won the victory at His death, burial, and resurrection. Now, He wants us to look to Him to lead us in that victory day by day.”

 

 

-Pastor Bob Hoekstra

Living in Christ Ministry

posted by: Jrobbins at 13:54 | link | comments |
abiding in jesus christ

Making decisions my way - or God's way?

Have you ever read something that was so true to your situation that you felt as if you were reading your own words somehow? That is exactly what I felt when I read Ricky Alcantar’s article God is Not a Magic 8-Ball on Boundless.org. When it comes to making decisions, I am infamous for wimping out and just going with the flow. When I became a Christian a few years ago, I guess I carried that personality trait along with me. Instead of seeking God because He loves me and saves me, I tend to look to Him to just make the tough choices for me – much like Ricky’s magic 8-ball. This article challenged me to question my motives for pursuing God’s purpose for my life. Am I doing it for my own selfish reasons – or for Him and His glory? God confronted me with my own backwards thinking through Ricky’s story, and I encourage anyone struggling with any kind of decision to click over and read the whole article.

-Joy

 

 

 

 

Excerpted from Boundless.org:

 

 

God is Not a Magic 8-Ball

by Ricky Alcantar

 

“I tend to be a horribly indecisive person. And I started young. I remember as a kid holding my Toys R Us gift certificate while in the huge toy store, paralyzed because I was unable to choose between the Star Wars and Transformers aisles.

So you can just imagine what happened when I had to make a major life decision a few months ago.

 

 

The decision sounded so simple, but it wasn't: I could stay in my own hometown after college or to move away in order to take a job. If I stayed I'd be helping my church (which I love) and I'd be with my family. If I moved I'd be helping a Christian ministry I love and I'd be with some great friends. It wasn't just a decision about a job, it was a decision about calling and relationships and gifting. And it was heart-wrenching.

 

 

So, being obsessed with list-making, I made columns of pros and cons that went on for pages. I wrote down priorities I wanted to keep in mind like "involvement in a good local church" and "friends who will hold me accountable." Pretty soon I had pages on pages of notes and my head was spinning. I was in agony. I started practicing near divination—flipping randomly through my Bible looking for verses that would give me a magical answer. I kept hoping that same word or phrase would float to the top of my consciousness and then that would be it.... I would just know.

During that time one day stands out in my mind. The turning point. I should've been studying for a test but instead I just left my campus and started driving. I felt like giving up and I was desperate for God to speak to me. I found a little secluded park, got out, and decided to pray. If God didn't speak to me I wasn't sure what I was going to do….”

 

 

 

 

Click HERE to finish this great article!

posted by: Jrobbins at 15:33 | link | comments |
faith and feelings

Seek refuge in the Lord

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies. The cords of death entangled me; the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me. The cords of the grave coiled around me; the snares of death confronted me. In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

 

Psalm 18: 1-6

 

 

 

 

It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple in the portico of Solomon. The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, "How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly." Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one."

John 10: 23-30

posted by: Jrobbins at 14:29 | link | comments |
awesome god

No matter what - remember the Gospel

Whew! Sorry to be so scarce with the posts this week, guys, but I’m still pounding the pavement looking for a job. God has been so good to me during this job hunt and has reminded me of the Ultimate Good He did – by sending His beloved Son to the cross to give us a way to spend the rest of our lives with Him. Thinking about these quotes I’ve pasted below helped calm my nerves this week and remind me that no matter how stressful this life can be, the Lord Jesus Himself is keeping our lives in His hands. What could be better?

-Joy

 

 

“If God were not willing to forgive sin, heaven would be empty.”

-- German proverb

 

 

“For Christ is the God over all, who has arranged to wash away sin from mankind, rendering the old man new.”

-- Hippolytus

 

 

“It is always the case that when the Christian looks back, he is looking at the forgiveness of sins.”

-- Karl Barth

 

 

“We are certain there is forgiveness, because there is a gospel, and the very essence of the gospel lies in the proclamation of the pardon of sin.”

-- Charles H. Spurgeon

 

 

“God has cast our confessed sins into the depths of the sea, and He's even put a "No Fishing" sign over the spot.”

-- Dwight L. Moody

posted by: Jrobbins at 17:28 | link | comments |
quotes i love, faith and feelings

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