The Proverbial Brick Wall

Penned Pebbles stops here… 

… a few inches from actually hitting the wall. This blog has taught me much, but mostly it has taught me that blogging is different for everyone. I’ve read many blogging tips, from finding the perfect niche, template, plan, and focus to blogging regularly and on schedule. I wanted blogging to be a perfect God-centered, Christ-exalting part of my life without taking over my existence completely. But. It. Did.

I’m not saying that the entries here are lacking, and pray that they will continue to bless you and others as you grow in Him. There are many good posts and lessons here that have taught me to trust God more! But there is also much amiss, not in these pages but in between, where life and faith meet. Not using God’s time and resources wisely is not God-honoring or Christ-exalting, no matter how carefully I polish the deep gems of God’s truth.

Of course I was aware of this. The more I blogged about faith, the more apparent it became. So, I thought I’d start two blogs, one for faith and one for work. Silly me! Because of all the talk about focusing on a niche, I thought I had to separate my God-centered thoughts, prayers, devotions, and reflections from the rest of my daily doings. Silly me!

It was after I’ve started my ‘doing’ blog that I’ve realized just how lacking I was. Penned Pebbles seemed so polished, while the goals of This Good Steward grew more and more frustrating. I’ve soon realized that blogging is so much easier than juggling time, people, resources, and projects.

It has become most apparent to me, that in order to get things done, I have to stop blogging or talking or both. This realization has tempted me to just stop blogging altogether. But, like a crack addict, I keep coming back! Well, not back here (except for today) but there.

Writing is my pick-me-up when I’m stuck in life’s quicksand, and it’s my sedative when things get a little too crazy. Oftentimes I can’t wait to plant some revelation in the heart of bloggy land, while real life beckons me to tangibly believe — to step out of the virtual safety net of polished words to prove the things I yap about already.

So friends, faith is doing and believing. Mere blogging and believing just won’t do – not for me. Maybe I’m the oddball here, but since I cannot separate faith from work, or my blogging about faith from my living and moving in faith, I’ve decided to throw the perfect blogging niche and schedule out the proverbial window and blog sporadically as time permits, at one site only, about everything, at the risk of confusing everyone with my inability to compartmentalize.

Of course, you are more than welcome to follow me, but be forewarned; life will read a lot less polished and a lot more lived.

See you there!

Truth be known, I like it here. So, I’ll be back from time to time, not to write, but to look back upon the many words that have taught me, and the many friends who have met me here with much truth and kindness. Thank you!

Prince of Peace

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

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Today I am honored to be a guest blogger at Becky’s Daily On My Way To Heaven, to help celebrate our Advent season with The Excellencies of His Name. Please visit our humble efforts to bring Him glory and to bring you closer to His heart, grace, and love.

Blessings!

His Heart Bursts, For He Hears The Name

“Thy name, O LORD, endureth for ever; and thy memorial, O LORD, throughout all generations.” Psalm 135:13

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There on that deathbed, lies a saint; no gloom is on his brow, no terror on his face; weakly, but placidly, he smiles; he groans, perhaps, but yet he sings. He sighs now and then, but oftener he shouts. Stand by him. My brother, what makes thee look in death’s face with such joy? “Jesus,” he whispers. What makes thee so placid and calm? “The name of Jesus.” See, he forgets everything! Ask him a question; he cannot answer it—he does not understand you. Still he smiles…. Whisper in his ear, “Do you know the name of Jesus?” and his eyes flash glory, and his face beams heaven, and his lips speak sonnets, and his heart bursts with eternity; for he hears the name of Jesus, and that name shall endure for ever. “He who landed one in heaven will land me there. Come on, death. I will mention Christ’s name there. O grave! this shall be my glory, the name of Jesus! Hell-dog! this shall be thy death—for the sting of death is extracted—Christ our Lord.” “His name shall endure for ever.” ~ Charles H. Spurgeon

For this Advent season consider this invitation from my friend Becky, as we study and celebrate the excellencies of His name – to see Him more fully, to know Him better, and to worship and love Him more. Won’t you visit her  beautiful site and celebrate His season with us.

Blessings!

Reformation, Women, and a Giveaway

“Reformation influence traveled like a locomotive picking up speed and barreling across continents and generations. To be sure, there was formidable opposition. Many endured great hardship and suffered unspeakable methods of death.  But, as the apostle Paul declared, the word of God was not bound! (1 Timothy 2:9)…. Whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not, we are all beneficiaries of this great movement…” read more from my friend and sister in Christ, Christina, here.

But what about the women?

“Far from being passive spectators, the women of the Reformation were more than observers; they were active participants. Just as the men threw all that they were into Reformation work, so did the women live to see the Reformation triumph. Yet their story, as evidenced by the dearth of information available, remains largely untold.  Simply put, when we neglect the women of the Reformation we fail to render honor to whom honor is due.

In the upcoming days, you will be introduced to several prominent women of the Protestant Reformation by twelve Reformed women passionate about, what Martin Luther called, “the church’s true treasure” – that is, the gospel…” read more here.

Of course this series would not be complete without a book giveaway….

To kick-off this series Christina will be offering one copy of Roland H. Bainton’s, “Women of the Reformation in Germany and Italy”.

And last but not least, one of my favorite quotes:

“So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this: “I admit that I deserve death and hell, what of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction on my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God, and where He is there I shall be also!” — Martin Luther

Happy Reformation Day

Remember: The Peace of God – Part 2

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

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This is an update to yesterday’s post, which you can read here. It includes a link to Pastor Scott Frady’s sermon that I had hoped to post yesterday (I’m a bit impatient).  I know that time is precious and that we never seem to have enough, but I really do believe that this sermon will be worth your while and that it will richly bless you.

Blessings!

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Photo by daBinsi – Flickr

Remember: The Peace of God

Photo by Funchye - Flickr

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

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This day, we remember.

This day, let the peace of God guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

The following has been inspired by the many thoughts that surround the events and memories of 9/11, some edifying quotes I’ve stumbled upon, and our pastor’s message on Philippians 4:4-9.

Ten years later. Are we changed?

Are we characterized by the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, or by worry and fear? The aim of terrorists is to instill fear. The aim of the Gospel is to inspire peace–true and lasting peace.

According to Philippians 4:4-9, peace comes through praise, prayer, purity, and practice.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone.”

In the worst of times we have the best of God to rejoice in!

Then you are a child of God this evening.  God is your Father.  No change of circumstances can ever rob you of that.  Even if by loss, you are brought to poverty and stripped bare, you can still say,’God is my Father.  In my Father’s house are many rooms, therefore I will not be troubled’.  You have another permanent blessing, namely the love of Jesus Christ.  He Who is God and man loves you with all the strength of His affectionate nature:  nothing can effect that. …. Our best portion and richest heritage we cannot lose.  Charles Spurgeon

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

In times of trouble, do we seek God first, and do we seek God more than the answer(s) to our prayers? These are questions my heart has pondered much lately. The answer stays the same. God wants all of us to want Him more than anything else!

Dr. Jack Hayford, experienced pastor and hymn writer has written that if we are in the middle of a bad day, we should aim our questions at God first, not man.  He said this because even though counselors may analyze and friends may empathsize, they still have finite minds.  He finishes by saying that when we really hurt, “we truly cry for God Himself, not answers”.

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

What have we been meditating on? The following quote has greatly encouraged me to switch my thoughts to purer, lovelier, more praiseworthy things. Posting this quote for your edification is so much easier than putting it to practice, but practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you (and me!).

“But I do know that in our times of deepest affliction, none of us find comfort by endlessly focusing on that suffering.  There is an element of mystery in all our suffering and in this life we can’t fully understand it. Yet there is the subtle temptation to relive and review our suffering.  That is an excercise that will never bring rest and release.  What will bring rest and release is spending more time meditating on the Cross and the God of the Cross.”  C.J.Mahaney (from his book The Cross Centered Life)

Perhaps we fear that redirecting our thoughts could cause us to forget or grow callous. I don’t think that’s why we have these verses. Redirecting out thoughts to lovelier and purer things like Christ and the Gospel, actually helps us to remember them better and without fear. (2 Timothy 1:7) Can we look at the reality of our brokenness and see the beauty of Christ and His promise of peace. (John 14:27)

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I was hoping to post today’s sermon but it has not yet been released. I will keep checking my church’s website often in hopes of blessing you with it soon. And you can now find it here!

The above quotes were found at Susanstudy’s Blog.

Thank you for your time and visit!

“The God of peace be with you all. Amen.” ~Romans 15:33

Of Faith and Good Works: Part 3

“Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king…” Matthew 21:5

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“Thy king…”

 

Here he distinguishes this king from all other kings. It is thy king, he says, who was promised to you, whose own you are, who alone shall direct you, yet in the spirit and not in the body. It is he for whom you have yearned from the beginning, whom the fathers have desired to see, who will deliver you from all that has hitherto burdened, troubled, and held you captive.

Oh, this is a comforting word to a believing heart, for without Christ, man is subjected to many raging tyrants who are not kings but murderers, at whose hands he suffers great misery and fear… . Where the heart receives the king with a firm faith, it is secure and does not fear sin, death, hell, nor any other evil; for he well knows and in no wise doubts that this king is the Lord of life and death, of sin and grace, of hell and heaven, and that all things are in his hand. For this reason he became our king and came down to us that he might deliver us from these tyrants and rule over us himself alone.

See, such great things are contained in these seemingly unimportant words: “Behold, thy king.” Such boundless gifts are brought by this poor and despised king. All this reason does not understand, nor nature comprehend, but faith alone does. Therefore he is called thy king; thine, who art vexed and harassed by sin, Satan, death and hell, the flesh and the world, so that thou mayest be governed and directed in the grace, in the spirit, in life, in heaven, in God.

With this word, therefore, he demands faith in order that you may be certain that he is such a king to you, has such a kingdom, and has come and is proclaimed for this purpose. If you do not believe this of him, you will never acquire such faith by any work of yours. What you think of him you will have; what you expect of him you will find; and as you believe so shall it be to you. He will still remain what he is, the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether he is believed on or not.

Thy King, and He will still remain what He is and always has been, the King of life, of grace, and of salvation, whether He is believed or not. We do not make Him Lord of our lives. He is! He owns and directs us, which is a great comfort if we believe Him to be the King of our salvation, our lives, our circumstances, our death, and our resurrection to life eternal, through and for and with Him. Not believing Him will not change who He is, will not lessen the truth that He is the King of kings. He still owns and directs us in spite of our unbelief or wrong belief. Oh, how blessed we are when we believe, even when our reason fails to understand, when our nature fails to comprehend what we see. “Behold, thy king.” 

Thank you for reading!

Photo by shellfish, Flickr

Of Faith and Good Works: Part 2

“Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold.” Matt 21:5

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“Behold.”

 

Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith is against reason and nature.

—Martin Luther

While discussing faith and prayer, my friend and I agreed that what we hope for hardly ever turns out the way we expect or reason that it should. We understandably agreed that prayer, in its huge wake of tears and pleas, first purposes to change us—to dis-reason us—to bring us closer and closer to the fact that we can trust God, even with our lives and the lives of those for whom we plead!

“Behold.” With this word he rouses us at once from sleep and unbelief as though be had something great, strange, or remarkable to offer, something we have long wished for and now would receive with joy. Such waking up is necessary for the reason that everything that concerns faith is against reason and nature; for example, how can nature and reason comprehend that such an one should be king of Jerusalem who enters in such poverty and humility as to ride upon a borrowed ass? How does such an advent become a great king?

But faith is of the nature that it does not judge nor reason by what it sees or feels but by what it hears. It depends upon the Word alone and not on vision or sight. For this reason Christ was received as a king only by the followers of the word of the prophet, by the believers in Christ, by those who judged and received his kingdom not by sight but by the spirit-these are the true daughters of Zion. For it is not possible for those not to be offended in Christ who walk by sight and feeling and do not adhere firmly to the Word.

Let us receive first and hold fast this picture in which the nature of faith is placed before us. For as the appearance and object of faith as here presented is contrary to nature and reason, so the same ineffectual and unreasonable appearance is to be found in all articles and instances of faith. It would be no faith if it appeared and acted as faith acts and as the words indicate. It is faith because it does not appear and deport itself as faith and as the words declare.

Oh, that our gracious God would bless us with healthy eyes to see His splendor, the warning signs and scars of sin, and even our wayward ways and shabby things. Sight, yes sight is a wondrous gift, though it can ruin us, if it should become our lead, lord, and anchor.

“It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation. If perfect earthly sight were offered me tomorrow I would not accept it. I might not have sung hymns to the praise of God if I had been distracted by the beautiful and interesting things about me.” –Fanny Crosby (1820 – 1915)

In “Blessed Assurance” Fanny Crosby sings of visions that cannot be found by earthly eyes.

“Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight.”

Faith requires perfect trust, not in what is seen but in what is heard, proclaimed by the prophets in God’s Holy Writ regarding Christ and all that He is (2 Peter 1:19). And thus, true faith submits perfectly, delightfully, and peacefully to the sovereignty and providence of God.

If Christ had entered in splendor like a king of earth, the appearance and the words would have been according to nature and reason and would have seemed to the eye according to the words, but then there would have been no room for faith. He who believes in Christ must find riches in poverty, honor in dishonor, joy in sorrow, life in death, and hold fast to them in that faith which clings to the Word and expects such things.

God blessed us exceedingly in that He gave us much more than earthly vision. He gave us faith.

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O daughter of Jerusalem:
Behold, thy King cometh unto thee:
he is just, and having salvation;
lowly, and riding upon an ass,
and upon a colt the foal of an ass.”
Zachariah 9:9

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Thank you for your visits!

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Of Faith and Good Works: Part 1

“Say to the Daughter of Zion, ‘See, your Savior comes!’” Isaiah 62:11

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While I was web surfing today, the following quote caught my eye:

For if out of your own free will you might avoid sin and do that which pleases God, what need would you have of Christ?

—Martin Luther

And, as is the case with many great quotes, I wound up searching for its origin, its context—the heart in which it lives. Sometimes I find it. Other times I don’t. Today I found more than I bargained for! I found Martin Luther’s Works in English, where in turn I found Martin Luther’s Church Postil, in which I found The Advent Postil – Concerning Faith and Good Works.

It’s like finding a treasure trove and not knowing which piece to pick up first. There is so much here that I wish I had one of these (found here) to steal away to, just to read. But I don’t, and I praise God for daydreams and deep contentment, and for His many mercies and gifts, and for His grace and joy, which make me glad to share excerpts of these treasures with you.

Tell ye the daughter of Zion… Matt 21:5

“Tell ye” the daughter of Zion. This is said to the ministry and a new sermon is given them to preach, namely, nothing but what the words following indicate, a right knowledge of Christ. Whoever preaches anything else is a wolf and deceiver. This is one of the verses in which the Gospel is promised of which Paul writes in Rom. 1, 2; for the Gospel is a sermon from Christ, as he is here placed before us, calling for faith in him.

I have often said that there are two kinds of faith. First, a faith in which you indeed believe that Christ is such a man as he is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that he is such a man for you…

Behold, this faith is nothing, it does not receive Christ nor enjoy him, neither can it feel any love and affection for him or from him. It is a faith about Christ and not in or of Christ, a faith which the devils also have as well as evil men… [To] say that this faith is sufficient to make Christians… virtually [denies] Christian faith… as St. Peter in 2 Pet. 2,1 had foretold: “There shall be false teachers, who shall privily bring in destructive heresies, denying even the Master that bought them.”

This caught my eye in particular because often when I try to explain the heresy that God has rescued me from, I get questions like, “Do they not preach Christ?” Yes, they do. They indeed preach Christ as He is described and proclaimed here and in all the Gospels, but do not believe that He alone is their righteousness by faith alone, because they like to boast of their own good merits as well.

In the second place he particularly mentions, “The daughter of Zion.” In these words he refers to the other, the true faith… He does not say: Tell of the daughter of Zion, as if some one were to believe that she has Christ; but to her you are to say that she is to believe it of herself, and not in any wise doubt that it will be fulfilled as the words declare. That alone can be called Christian faith, which believes without wavering that Christ is the Saviour not only to Peter and to the saints but also to you.  Your salvation does not depend on the fact that you believe Christ to be the Saviour of the godly, but that he is a Saviour to you and has become your own.

Such a faith will work in you love for Christ and joy in him, and good works will naturally follow. If they do not, faith is surely not present; for where faith is, there the Holy Ghost is and must work love and good works.

This faith is condemned by apostate and rebellious Christians… They call it arrogance to desire to be like the saints. Thereby they fulfill the prophecy of Peter in 2 Pet. 2, 2, where he says of these false teachers: “By reason of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of.” For this reason, when they hear faith praised, they think love and good works are prohibited. In their great blindness they do not know what faith, love and good works are.

If you would be a Christian you must permit these words to be spoken to you and hold fast to them and believe without a doubt that you will experience what they say. You must not consider it arrogance that in this you are like the saints, but rather a necessary humility and despair not of God’s grace but of your own worthiness… That would be arrogance if you desired to be saved by your own merit and works, as the Papists teach. They call that arrogance which is faith, and that faith which is arrogance; poor, miserable, deluded people!

If you believe in Christ and in his advent, it is the highest praise and thanks to God to be holy. If you recognize, love, and magnify his grace and work in you, and cast aside and condemn self and the works of self, then are you a Christian.

It gets better, because it’s not up to us to prove that last paragraph. God willing, I’ll be back with more excerpts next week. Thanks for your time and visits!

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Sorry for the length. I can’t seem to abide by my own blogging rule to keep things short and sweet.

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Thy Righteousness Is In Heaven

“And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
1 Corinthians 1:30

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What if I fail to improve—fail to show the sweet fruit of a blossoming Christian? If I am completely honest, I will have to admit that yes, yes, yes, I fail sometimes. Sometimes I fail miserably! This free grace that was and is supposed to make me better, holier…. Oh, I know, I know, it is not God’s sweet, free grace that I dare blame.

Then what? Why is that mirror still showing the same old sinner, or worse? I’ve tried. I’ve prayed. I’ve studied. I’ve believed. If grace cannot fail me, then what? Did I fail grace, or worse, did I fail to get it?

Perhaps you’ve never felt that dread. Great! But, perhaps you have. Perhaps you feel it now.  Beloved, we are looking at the wrong thing! Look not at your self  but here:

But one day, as I was passing in the field, and that too with some dashes on my conscience, fearing lest yet all was not right, suddenly this sentence fell upon my soul, Thy righteousness is in heaven; and methought withal, I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ at God’s right hand; there, I say, is my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was a-doing, God could not say of me, He wants [lacks] my righteousness, for that was just before Him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ Himself, the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever (Heb. 13.8).

Now did my chains fall off my legs indeed… now went I also home rejoicing, for the grace and love of God. So when I came home, I looked to see if I could find that sentence, Thy righteousness is in heaven; but could not find such a saying, wherefore my heart began to sink again, only that was brought to my remembrance, He ‘of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption’ by this word I saw the other sentence true (1 Cor. 1.30).

For by this scripture, I saw that the man Christ Jesus, as He is distinct from us, as touching His bodily presence, so He is our righteousness and sanctification before God…

Oh, methought, Christ! Christ! there was nothing but Christ that was before my eyes, I was not only for looking upon this and the other benefits of Christ apart, as of His blood, burial, or resurrection, but considered Him as a whole Christ! As He in whom all these, and all other His virtues, relations, offices, and operations met together, and that as He sat on the right hand of God in heaven.

It was glorious to me to see His exaltation, and the worth and prevalency of all His benefits, and that because of this: now I could look from myself to Him, and should reckon that all those graces of God that now were green in me, were yet but like those cracked groats and fourpence-halfpennies that rich men carry in their purses, when their gold is in their trunks at home! Oh, I saw my gold was in my trunk at home! In Christ, my Lord and Saviour! Now Christ was all; all my wisdom, all my righteousness, all my sanctification, and all my redemption.

–John Bunyan, Grace Abounding (Emphasis added)

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Thank you for reading!

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