Weak

“I now understand more of our calling. The weakest instruments are chosen to do the greatest work so that the glory might go to God.” ~Paul Washer.

Perhaps this quote is commentary on 2 Cor. 12:10. I found this very comforting. By trials, hardships and suffering for Christ’s sake, God makes us to know and feel our weakness even more. This is His loving sanctifying Grace in our lives! In our utter weakness, He then makes us useful vessels of His power and His strength for His glory. And we are content with this, delighting in our trials with joy as we experience Christ’s strength in us.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, I am strong. 2Cor12:10

Risk-Taking Adventure!

Reading God's Word out loud in public in San Francisco amidst listeners and hecklers

(Desiring that )…” your life and ministry would have a radical flavor, a risktaking flavor, a gutsy, countercultural wartime flavor that makes average American people in your church uncomfortable! …A strange mixture of tenderness and toughness that keeps people a little bit off balance… a pervasive summons to something… hazardous, a saltiness, a brightness… like Jesus. Salt and light…a joyful embrace of suffering…”

~John Piper

Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Hebrews 13:12-13.

Audio: How the Supremacy of Christ Creates Radical Christian Sacrifice, from the T4G conference.

Treasuring Christ Above All Things

In this sermon jam video someone is throwing “things of this life” into the trash can. I just wanted to add, “health” to that list! How about “reputation”, and “personal dreams, hopes and aspirations”? How many other things can we also count as loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus our Lord, for whom we have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that we may gain Christ? How do we come to treasure Christ above all things, even life itself? He brings us with Him into the journey of our gradual sanctification. Often He does this through taking things away, or through suffering, or both. Finally, through His working in our life for our good (Rom.8:28), we come to treasure Christ above all, and all other things are as loss to us. What is left is Christ and joy in knowing Him.

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy! Ps.43:4

For Thou dost make him most blessed forever; Thou dost make him joyful with gladness in Thy presence. Ps.21:6

Here is a related sermon/article: Called to suffer and rejoice; that we may gain Christ, by John Piper.

Yes, the Lord will help us endure, but it is not about our loss, our pain, our suffering, it is about HIM! It is about treasuring Jesus Christ above everything!

Worship song: shai linne (with John Piper) MY PORTION listen now and be encouraged in having Him and KNOWING HIM.

Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever! Ps.73:25-26

These Last Days: Faithful to Christ

The antichrist Beast government system is global and the unified religious system is in the works. One will have to worship the Beast and it’s image to participate in the world and live (Rev.13:15). In Daniel 3, God’s people would not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image. They would not worship the State. They would not worship the “gold”or any idol. They would not worship men. They would not participate in false worship. Their refusal to bow and their faithful stand for God enraged the king of Babylon. In Psalm 2, the kings of the earth take their stand against the LORD and against His anointed. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego stayed faithful when the “kings of the earth” stood against them. They used their opportunity before the king to declare their devotion to the one true God. They trusted in the LORD no matter what the king did to them. Christ Himself went with them into the fiery furnace. He is with us, too.

Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their trust in Him, violating the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies so as not to serve or worship any god except their own God.” Dan.3:28.

Listen: The Fourth Man in the Fire

These Last Days: Preach Christ

The One World Religion of global spiritual unity is here. Many leaders in the professing Church have fallen away from Jesus to join this “one spirituality” with all Humanity. Professing Christians who have joined this global movement are very much against confessing the exclusivity of Christ and the preaching of the Gospel. Those who are not joining with global unity are beginning to be marginalized and labeled as “haters”.

How should we respond? Preach the Gospel! Proclaim Jesus Christ with love, humility, gentleness and respect. Burn your light bright in this darkness! The more evil manifests, the more we must proclaim Christ. Proclaim the Truth! There is only one true God! Proclaim the holiness of God, His righteous character, His justice and His Law. Preach the Gospel with boldness! Declare the deity of Christ! Proclaim His coming in the flesh, His death and resurrection! Preach repentance and faith. Tell that He is coming to judge the earth in righteousness! Keep sowing the Word. He will guide you as to when, who and how. He will give you what to say. He will give you power from His Holy Spirit. He will give you courage. He will use you to testify of Him.

“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts20:24.

Christ’s Power is Made Perfect in Weakness

Weakness! Insults, distress, pain, hardships, persecution, difficulties! Sometimes a messenger of Satan, but always allowed by God, weakness keeps us from exalting ourselves. Satan the destroyer would have us either despair at what we can’t do, or be prideful in what we can do. But God is working His plan in us to eliminate pride and produce faith & humility. Christ will be exalted, as we in our weakness, find our strength only in Him. This message so ministered to me. Let it encourage you today.

And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me–to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
2 Cor. 12:7-10.

Audio: Christ’s Power is Made Perfect in Weakness, by John Piper

Encourage Yourself

No people. Just you and the Lord. Just you and the Word. Praying. Seeking God. Talking to Him. Crying out to Him. Worshiping Him. Thanking Him. Remembering His works in your life. Remembering His Word to you. Singing songs of praise to Him. Reading the Word. Praying the Word. Preaching to yourself the Word.

There is a lot of deep spiritual truth here in this message. Really good stuff; a wonderful blessing. Listen to it now. Be encouraged.

But David strengthened (encouraged) himself in the LORD his God. 1 Sam.30:6.

Audio: Encouraging yourself in your Ziglag.

Got Encouragement?

I guess you can say I learned the hard way not to seek comfort and encouragement from mortal flesh. There are a number of reasons why, that I won’t get into here. Jesus taught me instead, to go straight to Him. Nevertheless, the Bible is clear that we in the body of Christ should comfort and encourage one another, as brothers and sisters in the family of God. This is not easy to do. We should at least try. I’ve personally found that suffering and dealing with discouragement has made it a lot easier for me to want to try to be encouraging to other hurting brethren.

Once, a very wise and loving friend told me, “I do not know how to help you, but I know the One who can.” That was a very encouraging thing to say. And she is right. She did not condemn or rebuke me for my sorrow and grief, and lack of spirituality, but loved me selflessly, pointing me to Jesus, our loving, caring Redeemer and Friend. She lovingly offered encouragement, to the best of her ability.

I don’t offer encouragement here because I have it together, but because I don’t. I desire to pass on to you, things the Lord has given me that have encouraged me immensely. I hope to share this encouragement with you. So here is a message, below, that is most helpful.

This talk was given to college students, but the lesson is for all of us. The speaker uses a hymn I had never heard before as the basis for his point. It must be old, but it is full of encouraging truth. My brother or sister, I hope this helps and blesses you.

Therefore, encourage one another…1Thes.5:11.

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Rom.15:13.

Audio: More than enough hope.

    MY HOPE IS IN THE LORD  by: Norman Clayton

My hope is in the Lord Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.

No merit of my own His anger to suppress,
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.

For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

And now for me He stands Before the Father’s throne,
He shows His wounded hands, and names me as His own.

His grace has planned it all, Tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.

God of All Comfort

Our wonderful God is a God of suffering and comfort. He knows and understands the trials we go through. Jesus Himself experienced these things. He has sympathy. The Holy Spirit brings comfort. Our comfort we receive from Him is not the end of this process. He calls us to love one another. Sometimes this means weeping with those who weep. Sometimes this means comforting one another, because of our love for the brethren. Sometimes this means bearing one another’s burdens, and thus fulfilling the law of Christ.

Often we can have the sympathy to comfort one another, if we have suffered a little ourselves. The more I have suffered, the more He has made it possible for me to sympathize with, and comfort others. One of the many reasons I am glad for the trials I have gone through, is it has made me see my suffering brothers and sisters with new understanding. The comfort God has given me, I now have to give.

God of All Comfort
by Mike Ratliff

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4 ESV)

Suffering is part of life. It is part of the curse that fell upon all creation after Adam’s sin. (Genesis 3) There are some preachers who have taken sections of the Bible out of context to make it say that suffering happens only to those who “have sin in their life.” Well, I suppose part of that is true. We all sin. However, the suffering that comes upon us is not necessarily a punishment from God for some specific sin. Our tests and trials are painful and stressful. They are tests of faith just as much as they are sickness or mental problems. In fact, God uses our suffering for His own purposes in our hearts as well as in the hearts of those whom we minister to.

I have never met a Christian who has survived some big trial in their life who was not also eager and able to help others who are going through trials like that of their own.

Read the rest of this article here.

Related post: Suffering and Sympathy

Lord Have Mercy on Me

Playing Mercy with Jesus
By: Tyler Kenney

When I was a kid I would sometimes play a game called “Mercy.” A friend and I would interlock hands and try to put each other into painful, inescapable positions. When one of us couldn’t handle any more we would cry “Mercy!” and the game would be over.

Stupid game, huh? But reading in Luke 18 recently I noticed a similar theme in Jesus’ parables and practice.

First, he tells the story of a widow who was seeking justice. Even though the judge was unrighteous, he heard the widow’s case because of her persistence. Jesus applies the parable, saying, “And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?”

Next, he talks about the Pharisee and the tax collector who both prayed in the temple. Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector went home justified, because he recognized his unworthiness and cried out, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

The chapter ends with Jesus’ encounter with a blind beggar who would not quit calling out “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” Others were telling him to be quiet, but Jesus stopped and asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?” At the man’s request, Jesus restored his sight.

In each of these instances the Lord answered prayer—prayer of a certain type: a cry for mercy, desperate and persistent. And this is how he still deals with his people.

The Lord is pleased to help us in our distress, but he doesn’t always answer us right away. Sometimes it feels like we’re playing Mercy with him and he’s going to twist us until all that’s left is for us to beg for help.

Read the rest of the article here.