The Upward Call of Jesus Christ

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.
Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:7-14

Carissa

Musings on Literature

This semester of college I have enrolled in a English class. We are read short stories and poems every week and then write a essay comparing and contrasting the different ideas presented. For the past two weeks the stories have been awful! Nothing noble, lovely, or of good report. In fact, I read the stories and try to forget them as soon as I can. All of the stories I have read so far are from about the 1880's to 1950's. I have found that one of the worst times in literature. There are the exceptions, but so many stories focus on sin, despair, and death. Not a one in my study these two weeks has had a happy ending. I have been struck again how life in this world without Christ is only sin, despair and death. These authors seemed engrossed in writing about this sad world. A view of human nature, corrupted by society or maybe tradition, is shown...and then, that is it. No hope. No reversing the effects.

After reading these depressing stories I remind myself, this is not the end. I have hope. A wonderful, blessed hope. Christ has brought me out of the slavery of sin and into His glorious light. What a wonderful Saviour! I could be like the people in the stories, but God has blessed me exceedingly.

Who would have thought these thoughts would come to mind in a writing/literature class at a secular college. God is good to remind me in everything around me of His goodness and mercy.

Carissa

Worldliness

This afternoon I started a little book called Worldliness. It is written by several different men and edited by C. J. Mahaney. Already I can tell this will be a good book for me to work through. I'm convicted after the first chapter.

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. ~ 1 John 2:15-17

I was convicted in verse 17: "For all that is in the world-the lust of the flesh (cravings of sinful man, NIV), the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life-is not of the Father..." These are heart issues! It all starts with the heart. I may not be openly "courting" the world, but where is my heart? What about these "little" things in my life that are not really bad, just not as they should be. John Calvin said, "The evil in our desires often lies not in what we want, but in the fact that we want too much." There is much in that thought. How then are we to keep our hearts from worldliness and not let it gain a foothold in our lives? This excited me.

"When someone sets his affections upon the cross and the love of Christ, he crucifies the world as a dead and undesirable thing. The baits of sin lose their attraction and disappear. Fill your affections with the cross of Christ and you will find no room for sin." ~ John Owen

Our focus is to be Christ. We must fight worldliness because it dims our view of Christ. But when we first have Christ as our head and as our life, doesn't everything then fall into place? When we are earnestly seeking His glory and His will to be done we are fighting the heart issues of worldliness. We are dying to self as we strive to keep Christ the center and focus of our lives.

These are my meditations and aims (with God's help) as I begin this book and start the new week.

May you all have a blessed Lord's Day.

posted by Carissa

Lord's Day

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,

Threaten the soul with infinite loss;

Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,

Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide.

What can avail to wash it away?

Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,

Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

You that are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive?

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God’s grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin.

~Julia H. Johnston

posted by Lydia

Remembering

posted by Lydia

Faith

"Faith is the least self-regarding of the virtues. It is by its very nature scarcely conscious of its own existence. Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all.

While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves- blessed riddance. The man who has repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. While he looks at Christ the very things he has so long been trying to do will be getting done within him. It will be God working in him to will and to do.

Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed. Faith is a redirection of our sight, a getting out of the focus of our own vision and getting God into focus.

Sin has twisted our vision inward and made it self-regarding. Unbelief has put self where God should be, and is perilously close to the sin of Lucifer who said, "I will set my throne above the throne of God."

Faith looks out instead of in and the whole life falls into line."

~A.W. Tozer

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~Hebrews 11:1

posted by Lydia

Watkin's Glen

We had a some lunch before our long walk.

The entrance to Watkin's Glen.

The bridge from the picture above.

Lydia ready to cross the bridge

Through the glen.


Isn't God creation incredible?
posted by: Caroline

The "Intolerable Complement"

"God loves me."

Never before had these words sent my mind whirling in such a state of utter confusion.

"God loves me."

It's a concept that many, if not most of us, have grown up with. I can't even remember hearing those words for the first time. The fact has just always been there. Maybe the first time you heard it was in the simple children's song,

"Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

And so it does. The Bible tells us so over and over again. Genesis through Revelation paints a beautiful and puzzling picture of a powerful Creator pouring forth love on His helpless creatures. Not a terribly hard concept to swallow, right? If you were to make something, you would have a sort of love for it too. A painter loves his painting. A sculptor loves his statue. A writer loves his novel.

A Creator God would love his creatures.

But the story doesn't end with the creation. That's merely the beginning. What follows ruins the whole rosy picture. It is what makes a loving God a hard doctrine to accept. It can be summed up in these two life-changing and earth-shattering words: we sinned.

As the Psalter states:

"I have sinned against Thy grace,

And provoked Thee to Thy face.

I am evil, born in sin;

Thou desirest truth within."

And here's where the idea of "love" begins to get sticky. My emotions on this point are hard to express. It's like having a suitor come to you and say that he loves you passionately even though you've repeatedly hurt and disappointed him. It's unaccountable. How can we begin to explain such a phenomenon?

C.S. Lewis described it as "the intolerable compliment". He says,

"We are bidden to 'put on Christ', to become like God. That is, whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want. Once more, we are embarrassed by the intolerable compliment, by too much love, not too little."

Oh, are you grasping the truth of those words? Do you see where my confusion is originating? How could the God of the universe, the God adored in heaven by perfect angels, the God who was and is and is to come.......love me? Love His filthy, sinful creatures with a love so great, it caused Him to work out a perfect plan of redemption, at great cost to Himself, that we might be called children of God? Wow. To borrow again from C.S. Lewis, "...and if we know Him, we shall in fact fall on our faces." Amen to that.

But I believe my confusion is due to my looking in the wrong place for an answer. I'm looking at me. My sin, my selfishness, my filth.

But turning my eyes away from myself, and placing them on my Savior where they belong......ahhhhh. It all begins to fall into place. The redemption story was never meant to be about us. It is not a sign of our worth. It's quite the opposite, actually. It is a sign of our total and utter depravity. If we were worthy, we would have no need of a Savior.

The beauty of our God, the depravity of our hearts, the hope of our salvation....it can all be summed up in these weighty and profound words:

God loves me.

posted by Lydia