To remember about battling sin... It is not within your own power

Only the motive of grace--trust in the undeserved favor of God--can inspire us to pursue holiness free from fear and shame.
-- Joshua Harris, Sex is Not the Problem (Lust Is)

My book order came in!

I actually have already read both of the books I ordered before. Several times. I figured it was about time I owned them.

Today was payday, so I may order more books.

Not Be Shaken

I have set the Lord always before me, because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Psalm 16:8

This verse has been instrumental in my past couple of weeks. I found it challenging when studying Psalms 16 because the idea that we are not shaken when we center on the Lord is huge.

Then, last weekend when my travel plans changed because of the snowpocalypse, this verse reminded me that I will not be disappointed if my focus is Christ instead of my own desires.

Then at small group Monday night, we read Acts 2, where Peter preaches from this passage. Peter draws the connection between the Holy One who will not see corruption in Psalms 16 and Christ who is greater than David. David focused on God to not be shaken, looking ahead to the promised Messiah to reign on his throne forever.

This morning, another implication of Psalm 16:8 came to light. Nahum is a book of the Bible about how God will punish Nineveh. Nahum 3:12 says, "All your fortresses are like fig trees with first-ripe figs---if shaken they fall into the mouth of the eater." Set the Lord always before you, and you shall not be shaken. If the Lord is not before you, you lose your fruit. You are vunerable to attacks that would not phase you otherwise. You can be shaken.

By focusing on the Lord, I have protection from the outside and from my own disappointment.
How great is our God!

My favorite songs in general and how they affect me today

My favorite hymns:

God Moves in a Mysterious Way--always super amused by the humerous ringtone like song on the last site, but the lyrics are just so rich. This is what I need to remember as the weather changes my plans.

Lessons from the song that I need to remember right now:

• He plants His footsteps on the sea and rides upon the storm
• The clouds will break with blessings on your head
• Though the bud is bitter, the flower is sweet
• God will make His word plain as we search it with faith
• Frowning providence=smiling face

This song I just really like and cannot think about too much.

Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal (third link has lyrics)

• Need to say Hallelujah
• What is coming: Land of perfect rest, mansions of the blessed
• Glory to the great I AM
• Soul fades, our inheritance though Christ does not
• We go there to worship God, not for hedonistic reasons
• This is important now, and worth meditating on, now and forever
• This song always makes me thing of the Grey Havens at the end of Lord of the Rings, which is partly why I like it so much. The image of crossing over the water... love it.
  

The changes in my plans fit into God's plans, and God's way has an incomparable result.

Snow Cream

Snow cream

When it snowed several inches back home in the suburbs of Denver, we would go outside, get a big bowl of snow and make snow cream.

Sometimes, we would just sprinkle jello powder on it, other times we would really make snow cream.

Snow cream:
1 bowl of fresh snow (clean, away from streets and pets)
vanilla
sugar
milk

Mix all ingredients, adding milk until it reaches the consistency of ice cream. Eat.

Today, my Hawaiian roommate and I made snow cream and it brought me back to my childhood. Such a simple taste, but so good.

So my blogging plan...

Obviously did not continue as much as I wanted it to.

My laptop would would no longer start, so I need to use the family computer until I go back to school. For some reason, they want to use the computer as well, so I don't have as much time to be on the computer.

But I will list the other days Chambers's writings were incredibly insightful and encouraging over this past year.

Here they are in no particular order:

September 16
October 1
December 8
December 11
December 31
October 28
December 21
June 14-15
June 24
August 12
October 18

This upcoming year I will read Morning and Evening by C.H. Spurgeon. Yay!

A right view of salvation

Instead of starting with a quote that will not encapsulate the fullness of the devotion for 21 November, I will link to it.

There is just so much truth in this passage.

Does God love His children? Yes. However, our forgiveness did not come about because we are loved. There is nothing great about us that earns merit with God. God is holy and cannot stand sin. Christ had to become our sin for us and die for us to be forgiven because the result of sin is death.

Jesus did not come to die a martyr for a cause or to be a good example or to spread love and then death sort of surprised Him. He came to die. He came to glorify the Father by showing God's mercy.

It is also not mean Old Testament God vs. Christ who came to save us. They were not fighting over how to save the humans. God had this plan from before the beginning and Christ submitted to the Father in perfect love. Our entire purpose is to glorify God.

Basically, I think all Christians should read this day of Chamber's devotional to be reminded of what salvation really is.

peace from obedience

As long as we try to serve two ends, ourselves and God, there is perplexity. The attitude must be one of complete reliance on God...Whenever you obey God, His seal is always that of peace, the witness of an unfathomable peace, which is not natural, but the peace of Jesus. Whenever peace does not come, tarry till it does or findout the reason why it does not.

- 14 December, My Utmost for His Highest


I had trouble picking a quote from this day, because it really progresses through the whole passage.

If you disobey God to serve yourself, this causes you to lose sight of God and His peace that passes all understanding but when we obey God, regardless of what problems face us, we shall not worry.