Counting The Cost

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

The power to be content

Yesterday morning on his radio program, The Journey, Tom Dooley was wrapping up a series on walking with God. I was especially interested in yesterday's program because he talked so much about contentment in the Christian life. This made me think of one of my favorite "Say What?!" verses in the Bible: "For I have learned to be content in whatever state I find myself: I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:11-13.

Paul was sitting in prison when he wrote those words, and he probably still had the scars on his body from the many beatings he got at the hands of those who hated the Lord Jesus and His people. Yet, he was content! And here I am, with all the many blessings God has given me (including saving me from my sins and making me His child) - and I struggle many days with contentment. Say what?!

The reason I valued Tom's teaching so much yesterday was that he related contentment to the facts of God's character and goodness - not "feelings." It made me realize how much a slave I've become to those nasty, tricksy things called "feelings." When I am feeling good and not committing any outrageously evident sins, then I "feel" that my relationship with God is going all right. Then, usually the very next day, I wake up in a deep blue funk and sin all over the place. Suddenly, I don't "feel" that I've done enough to make God love me.

All of this roller coaster Christianity is completely opposite from what the Bible teaches. Once I've accepted the Lord Jesus' offer of salvation, my salvation is a FACT. Once I've asked Him for forgiveness for the sins I commit every day, His forgiveness is a FACT. If I can just learn to start trusting the FACTS of God, instead of my rotten, stinking, lying feelings, then I know I will be much more content in my walk with God. So thanks, Tom Dooley, for that reminder. And thank You, Lord Jesus, because with You in our lives a prison cell seems just like a palace.

-Joy

posted by: Jrobbins at 15:03 | link | comments |
faith and feelings

Superheroes rule!

I love superheroes. Anyone who knows me well knows I spend waaaay too much time and money to read about or watch Batman, Superman, or the X-Men (at least until that last movie. Blech.) In fact, Batman was my second biggest crush when I was little - second only to Luke Skywalker. So, needless to say, I was very excited when I clicked over to PluggedInOnline.com and saw their latest feature article, "A Super Look at Superheroes." This great article runs the gamut of gallant heroes from Batman to Iron Man and discusses the qualities that make them so unforgettable. I won't ruin the article for you, I promise, so click on over and check it out.

-Joy

posted by: Jrobbins at 00:20 | link | comments |

The saving gospel

"Are you ashamed of the simple message of the gospel? I hope you're not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, because God's righteousness is revealed in it.

You see, we have our own sense of righteousness and our own sense of what is right and wrong. But God's righteousness is a lot different than ours. It is only at the cross that the righteous requirements of the law and of God are satisfied. It is impossible to fulfill them apart from the cross."

-Pastor Greg Laurie

posted by: Jrobbins at 00:53 | link | comments |
quotes i love

Finding God at San Quentin

Yesterday evening, I was stuck in the worst rush hour traffic. So why was I grinning and cheering the whole way home? Because I was listening to a radio program that featured a man who had been imprisoned in San Quentin prison. Or as he called it, "San Quentin Bible School." This man was no ordinary white-collar prisoner, either. He was a member of the Manson family (yes, that one) who was imprisoned for trying to break Charles Manson out of prison.

When he went into the prison, he was a hardcore con who had no use for God or Christians. But he kept running across inmates who would show him things God was teaching them through the Bible. And as if that wasn't enough, God performed a miracle in his own life, right there in prison, as proof that He exists and loves us no matter much we've messed up. I won't tell you any more about this amazing testimony because I want you to hear it for yourself. I've added the link below this post that will take you right to the program. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

-Joy

Turning My Life Around

Testimony by Dennis Rice

posted by: Jrobbins at 14:17 | link | comments |
awesome god

We can have all the assurance we need

From my friends over at the (fabulous)

Of First Importance blog:

"I suppose many do not understand themselves, when they say they want assurance; for what better assurance would you have than the word of God? If you have his word, and take his word, you need no better assurance.

And though the assurance of sense be the sweetest, yet the assurance of faith is the surest assurance; for what you get in hand from God you may soon lose the benefit and comfort of it; but what you have upon bond in the promise, is still secure.”

- Ralph Erskine

posted by: Jrobbins at 01:21 | link | comments |
quotes i love

I'm baaaaaack!

Hey guys! It's good to be back online. My first week at my new job was fantastic. The company is very good to its employees - who in turn are nice to a fault. God has really provided a blessing for me there. I had some ups and downs while I was without a job, that's for sure. My faith took a beating, and my view of God was rocked. I had never realized how much I depended on Him to be a giant Genie in the sky whose only job was to dole out good things to me. When things didn't go according to my plan, I had to reevaluate my ideas of God. One of the things that really helped me was reading Carolyn Custis James' book "When Life and Beliefs Collide: Why Knowing God Really Matters." She challenges each and every human being on this planet - boy, girl, single, married, parent, whatever - to seek out and know God. Someone once asked me if I would jump at the chance to sit down in person and spend time with William Shakespeare. Um, duh. Of course I would. So why wouldn't I spend the same amount of time getting to know the God of the whole universe? I need people like this friend and authors like James to challenge me to keep pressing on to know God through His precious Bible. As great as my new job is, I don't want it to overshadow my time with the God who loved me to death.

-Joy

“Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)… As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there,’ and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.’”

-John Stott

posted by: Jrobbins at 23:56 | link | comments |

See you guys next week!

Hey guys! I am enjoying my last day of freedom as an unemployed person and getting ready to rejoin the workforce tomorrow at my brand new job. This job is such a blessing and I'm looking forward to it - but I'm also going to miss all those days of sleeping until eleven and then watching episodes of "Arrested Development" on DVD. Also starting this week is my home church's yearly Vacation Bible School for the kiddos. We have such a great theme this year of "Know the Truth. Speak the Truth. Live the Truth." I can't think of a better thing to teach kids than the Truth of salvation in Jesus! It is going to be a crazy busy week for me, so I'm taking a little break from blogging. I will be back next Monday evening, and until then, I have tons of links to sites like Boundless, TrueU, and Way of the Master Radio over on the left pane. So, enjoy your week, and I'll see you soon!

-Joy

posted by: Jrobbins at 18:12 | link | comments (2) |

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