Oh, Be Careful...

Proverbs 4

20 My son, pay attention to what I say;
listen closely to my words.

21 Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart;

22 for they are life to those who find them
and health to a man's whole body.

23 Above all else, guard your heart,
for it is the wellspring of life.

24 Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
fix your gaze directly before you.

26 Make level paths for your feet
and take only ways that are firm.

27 Do not swerve to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil.

The heart is much discussed by Puritan writers. The Bible has 743 verses with the word "heart". Jeremiah indicates that it is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, and the very next verse indicates that "I, the Lord, search the heart. I try the reins..."

God knows our hearts. He knows our frames. We're weak and full of sin. That's why we're admonished to guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Everything begins within. It's the inner man that we must be aware of. All sin begins inside...we think about it, then we carry it out.

Mark 7: 20 He (Jesus) went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21 For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

Some sin doesn't even manifest in action, but as Jesus said, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he". If I think about murder, I am a murderer. If I ponder adultery, I am an adulterer. Such is the purity and holiness of God. Such are His exacting standards.

That's why we need a Saviour! Because our hearts are deceitful, and because we sin every day in multiple ways (and many times are unaware of how much we fall short of the glory of God), we need to draw close to God, to guard what we are thinking, and to guard our heart attitudes and motives. We need to be watchful. We need to mortify (put to death) the sin as it rises, in the heart, before it manifests itself in wrong actions, or words.

The Puritans spoke much of "coram deo" - our heart before God.

Remember the passage that says "out of the same mouth comes blessing and evil...brothers, this thing ought not to be so"? We must guard that the words we say and the thoughts we think and the actions we perform are those that are pure, reflecting the image of Christ in our lives.

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.
24 Put away from you a deceitful mouth,
And put perverse lips far from you.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead,
And your eyelids look right before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet,
And let all your ways be established.
27 Do not turn to the right or the left;
Remove your foot from evil.

We must study the Word of God…not just to shun sin, but to learn what we ought to do. Matthew Henry says,


The attentive hearing of the word of God is a good sign of a work of grace begun in the heart and a good means of carrying it on.


A great duty required by the laws of wisdom, and in order to our getting and preserving wisdom: Keep thy heart with all diligence. God, who gave us these souls, gave us a strict charge with them: Man, woman, keep thy heart; take heed to thy spirit.

We must maintain a holy jealousy of ourselves, and
set a strict guard, accordingly, upon all the avenues of the soul;
keep our hearts from doing hurt and getting hurt,
from being defiled by sin and disturbed by trouble;
keep them as our jewel, as our vineyard;
keep a conscience void of offence;
keep out bad thoughts; keep up good thoughts;
keep the affections upon right objects and in due bounds.
Keep them with all keepings (so the word is); there are many ways of keeping things—
by care,
by strength,
by calling in help,
and we must use them all in keeping our hearts;
and all little enough, so deceitful are they, #Jer 17:9.
Or above all keepings;
we must keep our hearts with more care and diligence than we keep any thing else.
We must keep our eyes (#Job 31:1),
keep our tongues (#Ps 34:13),
keep our feet (#Ec 5:1),
but, above all, keep our hearts.

2. A good reason given for this care, because out of it are the issues of life.
Out of a heart well kept will flow living issues, good products,
to the glory of God and the edification of others.
Or, in general, all the actions of the life flow from the heart, and therefore keeping that is making the tree good and healing the springs. Our lives will be regular or irregular, comfortable or uncomfortable, according as our hearts are kept or neglected.

So, ABOVE ALL ELSE, guard your heart.
Examine your thoughts.
Ponder your priorities.
In Whom do you put your trust?
What do you think about throughout the day?
What goals do you have? What are you striving for?

All of this introspection should lead to action. It's no good to be looking at your life under a microscope if it doesn't translate into right actions.

The children's song reminds us:
Be careful, little heart, where you lean.
Be careful, little tongue, what you say.
Be careful, little feet, where you go.
Be careful, little hands, what you do.
Be careful, little eyes, what you see.

For the Father up above is looking down in love,
So be careful...
and GUARD YOUR HEART.

35 Reasons Not to Sin

35 Reasons Not to Sin

by Jim Elliff

1. Because a little sin leads to more sin.
2. Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
3. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
4. Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
5. Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
6. Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
7. Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
8. Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
9. Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
10. Because my sin saddens the godly.
11. Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
12. Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
13. Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
14. Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
15. Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
16. Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
17. Because my sin may influence others to sin.
18. Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
19. Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
20. Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
21. Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
22. Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
23. Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
24. Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
25. Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
26. Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
27. Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
28. Because my sin is adultery with the world.
29. Because, though forgiven, I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
30. Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
31. Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
32. Because to sin is not to love Christ.
33. Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to believe.
34. Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it and His turning of it to good use, never because it is worth anything on it's own.
35. Because I promised God he would be Lord of my life.

Relinquish Your Rights - Reject the Sin - Renew the Mind - Rely on God

Copyright © 1992 Jim Elliff Christian Communicators Worldwide, Inc.Permission granted for not-for-sale reproduction in unedited formincluding author's name, title, complete content, copyright and weblink.Other uses require written permission.

For more articles by our writers, visit www.CCWtoday.org

The Laundry Room Disaster

As many of you know, I was blessed this winter by the son of a friend of mine. Joel worked long and hard to redecorate my laundry room. He fixed drywall holes, put in insulation, mudded, painted, laid a floor... all to my joy! Since then, doing laundry has been a pleasure.

I have rules posted so that the laundry room stays clean. The children know that they are not to throw things willy-nilly into my laundry room. They each have a basket in their rooms, and when the basket is full they are expected to carry it to the laundry room, wash and dry the contents, and put it all away. If they were to follow the rules, I would have a continually clean laundry room.

My laundry room is upstairs; I live downstairs. I only go up there once in a while, but when I do, I expect to see everything as I left it. I need a huge reality check.

I live with a bunch of children who happen to be sinners. They know what is right and good to do, but they forget, or sometimes they can't be bothered, or they are just too busy doing other good and valuable things, like cleaning the yard, studying math or history, or working with their dad.

Because of the above, my laundry room does not stay in the shining, glistening state that I want to see when I make the trek up the stairs. And every time I go up there, and see things out of place, I fume and fuss. It makes me angry. (Imagine the little green alien on Bugs Bunny...)

Today was one of those days. My older children were all off, either working, helping a sick older sister, or having a fun work bee type of day at a friend's house. To my dismay when I entered the laundry room, I found every surface cluttered with laundry - some folded, some not. I found socks on the floor, laundry baskets strewn about, and dirty laundry overflowing the hampers. ARRRGGGHHHH!!

I can tell you that it didn't make me happy to see that. I had just read a bit of Jim Elliot's journal, and was inspired by his desire to serve the Lord no matter what. The state of my laundry room caused me to grumble: "why do I have to do this work, mutter, mutter; why are my kids so lazy...grumble, grumble; how is my life going to count... groan, groan..." I phoned my daughter and vented, telling her that the state of the laundry room was unacceptable, and that she should pass that message on to her brothers.

Thankfully, the Holy Spirit whispered to me as I shed tears, standing there furiously folding clothes that should have been put away as soon as they were taken from the dryer (one of my rules!). He graciously reminded me that I had two sweet children home with me, watching me, learning from my example. I didn't want to spoil their day. It's not often I am alone with my two youngest.

So, I prayed. I repented. I reminded myself that I, too, break the rules. I am lazy. I don't do everything I ought to do. Yet God graciously forgives me. He overlooks my failings. He sees me as a precious, chosen child of HIS. And if I have been forgiven so much, surely I can forgive others. After all, the ones I was angry with were those I love dearest - my precious family.

This poem says it better than I can:

I like to see a lovely lawn
Bediamoned with dew at dawn,
But mine is often trampled bare,
Because the youngsters gather there.

I like a spotless house and clean
Where many a touch of grace is seen.
But mine is often tossed about
By youngsters racing in and out.

I like a quiet house at night
Where I may sit to read and write.
But my peace flies before the tones
Of three brass throated saxophones.

My books to tumult are resigned,
In vain my furniture is shined,
My lawn is bare, my flowers fall,
Youth rides triumphant over all.

I love the grass, I love the rose,
And every living thing that grows.
I love the books I ponder o’er,
But oh, I love the children more!

And so unto myself I say:
Be mine the house where youngsters play!
Oh, little girl, oh healthy boy,
Be mine the house which you enjoy!

by Edgar A. Guest

“Where no oxen are, the trough is clean. But much increase comes by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4

At the end of the day, I have to say, I love the children more. More than a clean laundry room, more than a washed floor, more than a spotless yard. And I am thankful to say that we'll start the next week with a clean laundry room. The little ones helped me do eight loads of laundry today! They cheered my heart with their willing work and happy smiles. I am truly blessed.

Water! A new Well!

Our farmer neighbour stopped by a week ago to tell us that he is buying the farm that surrounds our property from his dad. This farm used to be part of the property we now own, and when our little piece of land was severed off from the farm, the well ended up on their land. We paid for the use of the water for a few years after we moved in, then disaster struck! One day, when we arrived home from Rick's mom's funeral, we discovered we had no water. The farmer wasn't willing to do anything about it, so we made arrangements to get the water mainline dug up and replaced. That was a very expensive proposition at the time. We've used that water (from the neighbour's well) ever since.

So, Mr. Farmer (alias) dropped by last week to tell us that his lawyer informed him that the supplying of water to a neighbour was a litigation waiting to happen. The lawyer told him to cut us off.

We can't blame our neighbour. Ever since the Walkerton tragedy, where contaminated water caused death and hospitalization to a few people, Ontarians have been very cautious about their water supply. Wells have been decommissioned, and new wells dug. And farmers who supply their neighbours have simply stopped doing so, just in case something would go wrong.

So, we called the well guy, and he arrived today. The kids were fascinated with the huge equipment, and wanted to know how things worked. Did you know that the drilling process begins with water? They also use air under pressure! And here I thought the drill would be made of diamonds. Shows how little I know.

I'm not sure how deep he had to go, but he was out there for hours. Apparently we have good water, and lots of it. It is not yet connected to the house, because, in spite of much digging, the boys haven't found the main pipeline yet. I do hope they'll find it tomorrow. I can't wait to take a shower with a bit more water pressure than the slow trickle I am used to!

Of course, all of this thinking about the necessity of water has brought me to consider Christ, who is the Living Water:

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

Jesus gives of the fountain of the water of life freely! This One Who is the beginning and the end, who is Omnipotent God, died on the cross that I may live.

I love the story of the Samaritan woman who comes to the well during the dusty heat of the day. When Jesus asks her for a drink of water, she is incredulous. How can you, a Jew, speak to me, a Samaritan AND a woman?


John 4:10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Matthew Henry comments,

"Jesus begins with a modest request for a draught of water: Give me to drink. He that for our sakes became poor here becomes a beggar, that those who are in want, and cannot dig, may not be ashamed to beg. Christ asked for it, not only because he needed it, and needed her help to come at it, but because he would draw on further discourse with her, and teach us to be willing to be beholden to the meanest when there is occasion. Christ is still begging in his poor members, and a cup of cold water, like this here, given to them in his name, shall not lose its reward."

Jesus needed the water because He, Who created the entire universe (including every drop of water) and sustained it moment by moment, was willing to subject Himself to dwelling in a body, experiencing fatigue and hunger and thirst. He did that for our sake. He asked the woman for a drink for her sake.

Matthew Henry continues:

He assures her what he would have done for her if she had applied to him:

“He would have given thee (and not have upbraided thee as thou doest me) living water.”

By this living water is meant the Spirit, who is not like the water in the bottom of the well, for some of which he asked, but like living or running water, which was much more valuable. Note:

(a.) The Spirit of grace is as living water; #Joh 7:38. Under this similitude the blessings of the Messiah had been promised in the Old Testament, #Isa 12:3; 35:7; 44:3; 55:1 Zec 14:8. The graces of the Spirit, and his comforts, satisfy the thirsting soul, that knows its own nature and necessity.

(b.) Jesus Christ can and will give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him; for he received that he might give.


Secondly, That the living waters he would give should yield a lasting satisfaction and bliss, #Joh 4:14. Christ’s gifts appear most valuable when they come to be compared with the things of this world; for there will appear no comparison between them. Whoever partakes of the Spirit of grace, and the comforts of the everlasting gospel,

a. He shall never thirst, he shall never want that which will abundantly satisfy his soul’s desires; they are longing, but not languishing. A desiring thirst he has, nothing more than God, still more and more of God; but not a despairing thirst.

b. Therefore he shall never thirst, because this water that Christ gives shall be in him a well of water. He can never be reduced to extremity that has in himself a fountain of supply and satisfaction. (a.) Ever ready, for it shall be in him. The principle of grace planted in him is the spring of his comfort; #Joh 7:38. A good man is satisfied from himself, for Christ dwells in his heart. The anointing abides in him; he needs not sneak to the world for comfort; the work and the witness of the Spirit in the heart furnish him with a firm foundation of hope and an overflowing fountain of joy. (b.) Never failing, for it shall be in him a well of water. He that has at hand only a bucket of water needs not thirst as long as this lasts, but it will soon be exhausted; but believers have in them a well of water, overflowing, ever flowing. The principles and affections which Christ’s holy religion forms in the souls of those that are brought under the power of it are this well of water.

[a.] It is springing up, ever in motion, which bespeaks the actings of grace strong and vigorous. If good truths stagnate in our souls, like standing water, they do not answer the end of our receiving them. If there be a good treasure in the heart, we must thence bring forth good things.

[b.] It is springing up unto everlasting life; which intimates,

First, The aims of gracious actings. A sanctified soul has its eye upon heaven, means this, designs this, does all for this, will take up with nothing short of this. Spiritual life springs up towards its own perfection in eternal life.

Secondly, The constancy of those actings; it will continue springing up till it come to perfection.

Thirdly, The crown of them, eternal life at last. The living water rises from heaven, and therefore rises towards heaven; #Ec 1:7. And now is not this water better than that of Jacob’s well?

I am thankful today that God has given me an opportunity to reflect on the glory of my Saviour. He is a gracious Saviour, who has given me eternal life; not only that, He has deposited a down payment in me: the Holy Spirit, Who lives within, sanctifying me and giving me joy in the midst of sorrow, and hope in the face of despair. Because of Jesus, I have my eye fixed on heaven. Because of the Holy Spirit, my life has changed, and I continually do those things that my Father has planned for me to do (for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them!). This living water will never end, and one day I will spend eternity with The Water of Life Himself. PTL!

My day

Sometimes it is good to sit down at the end of the day and reflect. What did I accomplish today, with the Lord's help? How did we as a family work out our salvation in fear and trembling? Did we grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ? Was there joy and laughter in the home? Did we nurture one another?

Rick and the big boys were on the truck and pressure-washing the bins today. Linda and the girls headed off to piano lessons, leaving Christopher at home with me and the dogs. (Well, not all of the dogs...Fatty and Abe were let out together at 5:30 this morning, so they were off gallivanting. They came home, late this evening, worn out and filthy, but with happy doggy faces. I imagine the creek and the woods had lots of adventures for them.)

We have no hot water downstairs right now, because one of our pipes sprung a leak. We assume it was during the really cold spell, when the wind was howling and we could see our breath in the bathroom. I left the tap on at a trickle, but neglected to consider that the bath pipes might freeze. After I complained to Rick about a hissing sound for a few weeks, he told me that nothing was wrong, and I was to stop worrying. He sent Daniel into the basement to make sure the sump pump was clear of debris, in anticipation of the spring thaw and flooded basement that we always get. Daniel discovered the leak, and turned my hot water off.

So, doing dishes means running upstairs and coming down with buckets of hot water. The guys pulled the wall apart yesterday, intending to fix the pipe. So, Patrick loaded the dishwasher...we were going to get our hot water back. He should have remembered the old adage, "Never count your chickens before they're hatched." Rick didn't feel well; Daniel couldn't repair the pipe without him...so today I had the pleasant task of not only washing the breakfast dishes, but all of the dishes from the loaded dishwasher as well.

Critter dried; I washed. As we worked, we chatted. Christopher told me about a book he is reading. I asked lots of questions to determine if he is following the plot well. Then, I asked him if he could recite Psalm 23. NO! He couldn't. I think he forgot it, from lack of review. So, we repeated Psalm 23 a few times. I explained the imagery of the Shepherd caring for His sheep and providing for them through the valleys and beside the still waters. I explained the purpose of the rod and the staff, and by the time the dishes were done, Christopher could recite the entire Psalm. We reviewed it when the girls got home, and throughout the day. He learns fast, and I am certain that he will remember most of it tomorrow.

We then went out to the computer and found a medieval castle to construct. Here are the instructions for building a Medieval Castle.

The girls told me all about piano lessons while we put on a load of laundry and folded clothes. We tidied the upstairs (bedrooms, bathroom, hall, laundry room) while Linda made lunch. At lunch time, we read a Bible verse, prayed, and chatted while we ate.

After lunch we continued cleaning. Yesterday's activities had meant lots of mud was tracked into the house, so we scrubbed the kitchen floor, did the dishes, vacuumed the living room and family room, then the children headed outside to clean the yard, taking advantage of the beautiful, sunny day the Lord blessed us with. When they came in, they began work on the castle. I kept working while Linda showed her siblings how to colour the bricks to make them look two-dimensional. The children worked diligently, colouring and cutting and pasting, and got most of it done.

Meanwhile, I worked on finances and did more laundry. I had meat thawing for supper, and asked the girls to peel sweet potatoes. Linda put the chicken on to cook, and baked cookies for dessert. By the time Rick and the boys got home, the table was set and supper was ready. It was so nice to welcome them home to a clean house and the smell of dinner in the air.

What did we accomplish today? With the Lord's help, we deep-cleaned most of the house. We did school-work, reading about castles in the encyclopedia and online, then worked on the castle project. We memorized (or reviewed) one of the most beautiful Psalms in the Bible. We have socks in our drawers and dishcloths in the drawer. We ate nutritious meals and enjoyed each other's company. We learned that tracking mud in over clean floors results in discipline for not being careful. We worked together, laughed together and loved together.

Today was a good day. What makes it especially good is that it is my second daughter's 30th birthday! Happy Birthday, Heather!!

Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for giving us joy in our work, and for giving us sunshine and spring weather after this long winter. Thank You for giving us a sense of accomplishment when we look back at the end of the day. This is one of Your many mercies...You are always good to us.

I pray You will bless Heather richly as she goes through this year. May she grow in grace, and in the knowledge of You as her Lord and Saviour. May she raise her children to know You and love You. Give her wisdom, Lord, and grace to live her life in a way that pleases You.

In Christ, I pray. amen.

Wesley & Whitefield

John Wesley and George Whitefield were friends. They knew each other as young men, and each of them felt the Lord's call on his life to preach.

However, Wesley & Whitefield sharply disagreed on the doctrine of predestination. It is interesting to read the correspondence between the two men, as they each tried to convince the other that his beliefs were wrong.

It's not that the debate wasn't heated. Here is an excerpt from a letter George Whitefield wrote to John on the issue of predestination:

Honoured Sir, how could it enter into your heart to choose a text to disprove the doctrine of election out of Romans 8, where this doctrine is so plainly asserted? Once I spoke with a Quaker upon this subject, and he had no other way of evading the force of the Apostle's assertion than by saying, "I believe Paul was in the wrong." And another friend lately, who was once highly prejudiced against election, ingenuously confessed that he used to think St. Paul himself was mistaken, or that he was not truly translated. Indeed, honoured Sir, it is plain beyond all contradiction that St. Paul, through the whole of Romans 8, is speaking of the privileges of those only who are really in Christ. And let any unprejudiced person read what goes before and what follows your text, and he must confess the word "all" only signifies those that are in Christ. And the latter part of the text plainly proves, what, I find, dear Mr. Wesley will, by no means, grant. I mean the final perseverance of the children of God: "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, [i.e., all Saints] how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom. 8:32). [He shall give us] grace, in particular, to enable us to persevere, and every thing else necessary to carry us home to our Father's heavenly kingdom. Had any one a mind to prove the doctrine of election, as well as of final perseverance, he could hardly wish for a text more fit for his purpose than that which you have chosen to disprove it! One who did not know you would suspect that you were aware of this, for after the first paragraph, I scarce know whether you have mentioned [the text] so much as once through your whole sermon. But your discourse, in my opinion, is as little to the purpose as your text, and instead of warping, does but more and more confirm me in the belief of the doctrine of God's eternal election. I shall not mention how illogically you have proceeded. Had you written clearly, you should first, honoured Sir, have proved your proposition: "God's grace is free to all." And then by way of inference [you might have] exclaimed against what you call the horrible decree. But you knew that people (because Arminianism, of late, has so much abounded among us) were generally prejudiced against the doctrine of reprobation, and therefore thought if you kept up their dislike of that, you could overthrow the doctrine of election entirely.

The last paragraph is a plea for Mr. Wesley to study the Scriptures. It is passionate, but kind - caring as well as conciliatory. Mr. Whitefield does not back down one iota on his message, yet he does it in a gentle manner:

Dear, dear Sir, O be not offended! For Christ's sake be not rash! Give yourself to reading. Study the covenant of grace. Down with your carnal reasoning. Be a little child; and then, instead of pawning your salvation, as you have done in a late hymn book, if the doctrine of universal redemption be not true; instead of talking of sinless perfection, as you have done in the preface to that hymn book, and making man's salvation to depend on his own free will, as you have in this sermon; you will compose a hymn in praise of sovereign distinguishing love. You will caution believers against striving to work a perfection out of their own hearts, and print another sermon the reverse of this, and entitle it "Free Grace Indeed." Free, not because free to all; but free, because God may withhold or give it to whom and when he pleases. Till you do this, I must doubt whether or not you know yourself. In the meanwhile, I cannot but blame you for censuring the clergy of our church for not keeping to their articles, when you yourself by your principles, positively deny the 9th, 10th and 17th. Dear Sir, these things ought not so to be. God knows my heart, as I told you before, so I declare again, nothing but a single regard to the honour of Christ has forced this letter from me. I love and honour you for his sake; and when I come to judgment, will thank you before men and angels, for what you have, under God, done for my soul. There, I am persuaded, I shall see dear Mr. Wesley convinced of election and everlasting love. And it often fills me with pleasure to think how I shall behold you casting your crown down at the feet of the Lamb, and as it were filled with a holy blushing for opposing the divine sovereignty in the manner you have done. But I hope the Lord will show you this before you go hence. O how do I long for that day! If the Lord should be pleased to make use of this letter for that purpose, it would abundantly rejoice the heart of, dear and honoured Sir, Yours affectionate, though unworthy brother and servant in Christ, 10 GEORGE WHITEFIELD.

I have been surfing the web for the past few days, trying to make sense of a sharp disagreement of this modern day. The Bible states that there is nothing new under the sun, and that is apparent when you read Christian History. From Bible times to the present, men and women who love God disagree with other men and women who love God. This ought not to be so, but it is evidence that we live in a fallen world.

What grieves me is the rancour that I have witnessed. Even though some have suggested that if the two opposing parties sat down together they might even discover that they have much in common, and that they in fact, could like each other, they seem unwilling to do so. Fingers are flying as emails are composed in order to expose error or reveal lies.

I am not against exposing error or revealing lies, but what I am saying is this: Where is the peaceful confrontation made respectfully that I see in the letter above? Have we in this modern age simply become crass?

Although George Whitefield disagreed with John Wesley on some theological matters, he was careful not to create problems in public that could be used to hinder the preaching of the gospel. What mattered was the cause of Christ. George Whitefield continued to be gentle and gracious, even when Wesley did things to hinder him. George always considered John to be his friend.

When someone asked Whitefield if he thought he would see Wesley in heaven, Whitefield replied, “I fear not, for he will be so near the eternal throne and we at such a distance, we shall hardly get sight of him.”

I pray that those who have differences will tremble at the thought of grieving the Holy Spirit by attacking a brother or sister in Christ. I pray that disagreements will be tempered by a gracious and peaceful attitude which comes from knowing that God, who knows the truth, will make all things right on that day of judgment Whitefield refers to in the letter, above.

Trials are not strange.

1 Peter 4: 12 ¶ Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; 13 but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. 16 Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. 17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" 19 Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

Fiery trials are to be expected. The thing about a fiery trial is that it hurts. It is hot; very uncomfortable. It burns away and eats up anything in its path. But for the Christian, it is not strange. It is to be expected. If my Lord suffered through many a trial, who do I think I am? The servant is not better than the Master!

What are you going through? Do you consider your fiery trial 'strange'? Have you learned to accept trials from the Hand of your Gracious Father, who does all things well?

If someone is going to reproach you, make sure it is for the name of Christ. Do not be weary in well-doing, and do not be surprised at the antagonism that you will feel from others. It is to be expected. Just make sure that you are being reproached for the right reasons.

Matthew Henry's commentary on this passage is too good to ignore. I am including it in its entirety, but any bold emphasis is mine. (My comments are italicized, in brackets.)

The frequent repetition of counsel and comfort to Christians, considered as sufferers, in every chapter of this epistle, shows that the greatest danger these new converts were in arose from the persecutions to which their embracing Christianity exposed them. The good behaviour of Christians under sufferings is the most difficult part of their duty, but yet necessary both for the honour of Christ and their own comfort; and therefore the apostle, having extorted them in the former part of this chapter to the great duty of mortification, comes here to direct them in the necessary duty of patience under sufferings. An unmortified spirit is very unfit to bear trials.

Observe,

I. The apostle’s kind manner of address to these poor despised Christians: they were his beloved, #1Pe 4:9.

II. His advice to them, relating to their sufferings, which is,

1. That they should not think them strange, nor be surprised at them, as if some unexpected event befell them; for,

(1.) Though they be sharp and fiery, yet they are designed only to try, not to ruin them, to try their sincerity, strength, patience, and trust in God. On the contrary, they ought rather to rejoice under their sufferings, because theirs may properly be called Christ’s sufferings. They are of the same kind, and for the same cause, that Christ suffered; they make us conformable to him; he suffers in them, and feels in our infirmities; and, if we be partakers of his sufferings, we shall also be made partakers of his glory, and shall meet him with exceeding joy at his great appearing to judge his enemies, and crown his faithful servants, #2Th 1:7, &c.
(We will rejoice in proportion to how much we suffer for the cause of Christ!)

Learn,

[1.] True Christians love and own the children of God in their lowest and most distressing circumstances. The apostle owns these poor afflicted Christians, and calls them his beloved. True Christians never look more amiable one to another than in their adversities. (We must weep with those who weep, and understand that their sufferings were designed by God; how can we help?)

[2.] There is no reason for Christians to think strange, or to wonder, at the unkindness and persecutions of the world, because they are forewarned of them. Christ himself endured them; and forsaking all, denying ourselves, are the terms upon which Christ accepts of us to be his disciples. (We ought not to be surprised when we suffer!)

[3.] Christians ought not only to be patient, but to rejoice, in their sharpest sorest sufferings for Christ, because they are tokens of divine favour; they promote the gospel and prepare for glory. Those who rejoice in their sufferings for Christ shall eternally triumph and rejoice with him in glory. (When you consider the great missionaries and saints who have gone before us, consider how they suffered. The Lord chastens those He loves.)

(2.) From the fiery trial the apostle descends to a lower degree of persecution—that of the tongue by slander and reproach, #1Pe 4:14. He supposes that this sort of suffering would fall to their lot: they would be reviled, evil-spoken of, and slandered for the name or sake of Christ. In such case he asserts, Happy are you, the reason of which is,

"Because you have the spirit of God with you, to
fortify and comfort you; and the Spirit of God is
also the Spirit of glory, that will carry you through
all, bring you off gloriously, and prepare and seal
you up for eternal glory. This glorious Spirit resteth
upon you, resides with you, dwells in you, supports
you, and is pleased with you; and is not this an
unspeakable privilege? By your patience and fortitude
in suffering, by your dependence upon the promises of
God, and adhering to the word which the Holy Spirit
hath revealed, he is on your part glorified; but by the
contempt and reproaches cast upon you the Spirit
itself is evil-spoken of and blasphemed."

Learn,

[1.] The best men and the best things usually meet with reproaches in the world. Jesus Christ and his followers, the Spirit of God and the gospel, are all evil-spoken of.

[2.] The happiness of good people not only consists with, but even flows from their afflictions: Happy are you.

[3.] That man who hath the Spirit of God resting upon him cannot be miserable, let his afflictions be ever so great: Happy are you; for the Spirit of God rests upon you.

[4.] The blasphemies and reproaches which evil men cast upon good people are taken by the Spirit of God as cast upon himself: On their part he is evil-spoken of.

[5.] When good people are vilified for the name of Christ his Holy Spirit is glorified in them. (Better to be a vessel in which the Holy Spirit is glorified, than to avoid suffering.)

2. That they should take care they did not suffer justly, as evil- doers, #1Pe 4:15. One would think such a caution as this needless to such an excellent set of Christians as these were. But their enemies charged them with these and other foul crimes: therefore the apostle, when he was settling the rules of the Christian religion, thought these cautions necessary, forbidding every one of them to hurt the life or the estate and property of any one, or to do any sort of evil, or, without call and necessity, to play the bishop in another man’s charge, or busy himself in other men’s matters. To this caution he adds a direction, that if any man suffer for the cause of Christianity, and with a patient Christian spirit, he ought not to account it a shame, but an honour to him; and ought to glorify God who hath thus dignified him, #1Pe 4:16.

Learn,

(1.) The best of men need to be warned against the worst of sins.

(2.) There is very little comfort in sufferings when we bring them upon ourselves by our own sin and folly. It is not the suffering, but the cause, that makes the martyr.

(3.) We have reason to thank God for the honour if he calls us out to suffer for his truth and gospel, for our adherence to any of the doctrines or duties of Christianity.

3. That their trials were now at hand, and they should stand prepared accordingly, #1Pe 4:17,18.

(1.) He tells them that the time had come when judgment must begin at the house of God. The usual method of Providence has been this: When God brings great calamities and sore judgments upon whole nations, he generally begins with his own people, #Isa 10:12; Jer 25:29; Eze 9:6.

"Such a time of universal calamity is now at hand, which
was foretold by our Saviour, #Mt 24:9,10. This
renders all the foregoing exhortations to patience
necessary for you. And you have two considerations to
support you."

[1.] "That these judgments will but begin with you that are
God’s house and family, and will soon be over: your
trials and corrections will not last long."

[2.] "Your troubles will be but light and short, in comparison
of what shall befall the wicked world, your own
countrymen the Jews, and the infidels and idolatrous
people among whom you live: What shall the end be of
those who obey not the gospel of God?"

Learn,

First, The best of God’s servants, his own household, have so much amiss in them as renders it fit and necessary that God should sometimes correct and punish them with his judgments: Judgment begins at the house of God.

Secondly, Those who are the family of God have their worst things in this life. Their worst condition is tolerable, and will soon be over.

Thirdly, Such persons or societies of men as disobey the gospel of God are not of his church and household, though possibly they may make the loudest pretensions. The apostle distinguishes the disobedient from the house of God.

Fourthly, The sufferings of good people in this life are demonstrations of the unspeakable torments that are coming upon the disobedient and unbelieving: What shall the end be of those that obey not the gospel? Who can express or say how dreadful their end will be?

(2.) He intimates the irremediable doom of the wicked: If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear, #1Pe 4:18. This whole verse is taken from #Pr 11:31, Behold the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth; how much more the wicked and the sinner? This the Septuagint translates exactly as the apostle here quotes it.

Hence we may learn,

[1.] The grievous sufferings of good people in this world are sad presages of much heavier judgments coming upon impenitent sinners. But, if we take the salvation here in the highest sense, then we may learn,

[2.] It is as much as the best can do to secure the salvation of their souls; there are so many sufferings, temptations, and difficulties to be overcome, so many sins to be mortified, the gate is so strait and the way so narrow, that it is as much as the righteous can do to be saved. Let the absolute necessity of salvation balance the difficulty of it. Consider, Your difficulties are greatest at first; God offers his grace and help; the contest will not last long; be but faithful to the death, and God will give you the crown of life, #Re 2:10.

(There is no time to be looking at the speck in my brother's eye. I have enough to deal with because of the log in my own eye!)

[3.] The ungodly and the sinner are unquestionably in a state of damnation. Where shall they appear? How will they stand before their Judge? Where can they show their heads? If the righteous scarcely be saved, the wicked must certainly perish.

4. That when called to suffer, according to the will of God, they should look chiefly to the safety of their souls, which are put into hazard by affliction, and cannot be kept secure otherwise than by committing them to God, who will undertake the charge, if we commit them to him in well-doing; for he is their Creator, and has out of mere grace made many kind promises to them of eternal salvation, in which he will show himself faithful and true, #1Pe 4:19.

Learn,

(1.) All the sufferings that befall good people come upon them according to the will of God.

(2.) It is the duty of Christians, in all their distresses, to look more to the keeping of their souls than to the preserving of their bodies. The soul is of greatest value, and yet in most danger. If suffering from without raise uneasiness, vexation, and other sinful and tormenting passions within, the soul is then the greatest sufferer. If the soul be not well kept, persecution will drive people to apostasy, #Ps 125:3.

(3.) The only way to keep the soul well is to commit it to God, in well-doing. Commit your souls to God by solemn dedication, prayer, and patient perseverance in well-doing, #Ro 2:7.

(4.) Good people, when they are in affliction, have great encouragement to commit their souls to God, because he is their Creator, and faithful in all his promises.

All praise must go to my Heavenly Father, who ordained that we should be studying this particular passage during this week of a fiery trial in my own life. I have no reason to think that I won't be persecuted or reviled because of my desire to live a life pleasing to God. Look what they did to Jesus!

I do commit my soul to God, Who is the Creator of all things, and faithful to every promise He has made. As I examine my heart before Him, I pray that He will reveal to me the dross that must be purged during this trial. I pray He will help me to get that log out of my eye, and to gaze only on Him. Then, as He sees I am ready, I pray He will give me the opportunity to work on the specks in the eyes of those around me...but not until He has purged me of my sin first.

Oh, the blissful thought it is, that someday His glory will be revealed! And in that, we will rejoice!

Pilate - a man without guts.

When I was a child, I used to feel sorry for Pilate. I thought, "He really didn't want to crucify Jesus. He was forced to do so by the crowd of people."

Now that I am grown, I see him in a much different light. Pilate was a man who hadn't the guts to stand for what was right. He found no fault in Jesus, but still he had Him whipped. He wanted to let Him go, but when the crowd yelled, "Crucify Him!" and "Release unto us Barabas!" he didn't have the guts to say no. He feared the people. He feared the Romans. He feared his wife's dream. He was a coward, through and through.

I have met men like that in my lifetime. One man refused to stand for what was right when he knew a family was being defamed and denounced unfairly. He feared the repercussions. He refused to take a stand, even though he was torn up about it. He just didn't have the guts.

When I wrote a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, explaining that I believed that corporal punishment, when administered by a loving parent in order to correct a child and train him in "the way he should go", was a legitimate tool, not one person had the guts to write in and stand with me on the issue. They stopped me on the street and quietly commended me, but they would not take a public stand, lest they would offend others. Sounds like Pilate, who was afraid of offending the Jews, and the Romans.

Thankfully, I have met men who are willing to take a stand, to risk their reputation, their job, their position, even their life.

I can name a few. Ezra Levant is one who will not compromise when it comes to speaking (or writing) the truth. He has had his life threatened; he stands to lose financially if the Human Rights Tribunal has its way. But Ezra is a man of principle.

I can write about the anonymous heroes who go into countries to preach and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ, even though there is a good possibility they could end up in jail, or worse.

Here at home we have men like Royal Hamel who is willing to "Light the Darkness", writing letters and holding meetings to tell the truth about what is happening in our society.

I have five sons, and seven daughters. It is my desire to teach them to be men and women of principle, willing to take a stand, no matter what the cost. I cannot see the future, but it would not surprise me if some day, my children or grandchildren will be called upon to renounce their faith in Jesus Christ. I hope and pray that they will be 'strong and courageous', that they will understand that the Lord their God is with them, wherever they go. I pray that they will stand firm in the face of imminent danger, as so many Christians of long ago have done.

I thank God that my husband has guts. He is not afraid to take a stand. He sets a good example for his sons, and his daughters. And for me.

Do Not Fear Anything that is Frightening!

I was going through some old boxes of papers today, and came across a huge file from a legal matter in 1999. At that time, an anonymous crank wrote a letter to CAS, stating, among other things, that

these children are homeschooled, so they have no idea of what real life is all about.

My emotions ran the gamut as I read the file. I was angry with the false accusations, which came when I was in the hospital, awaiting the birth of my 12th child by emergency C-section due to placenta previa. I was proud of my dear husband, who handled court documents, affidavits, appointments with the doctor, and so on, while his wife was in the hospital. He was accused by someone of being lazy, when he spent hours and hours working at his own business to provide for our large family. I was thankful for the many letters of support from those who really knew us - our married daughter, dear friends, two of whom were nurses, a former counsellor of ours, and so on. I was amazed at the Provision of the Lord, Who sent just the right people at just the right time, in order to protect our family.

We won our court case. The judge basically said that we as parents were different from most parents, in that we homeschooled, etc., but that we had the right to be different, and, significantly, we had the right to refuse to allow the CAS to interview our children. The case was dismissed.

When I think back to those trying times, I remember how afraid I was. I feared that the CAS would continue to harass us, and that they would, indeed, interview our children. I feared that the children would be upset by such an interview, because they would feel uncomfortable. Fears abounded... but I remembered: whoso puts his trust in the Lord shall be kept safe.

Rick read to us this passage yesterday:

1 Peter 3:1 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. I pondered this. The passage is about being submissive and respectful to your husband, having a gentle and quiet spirit. Why does it mention not fearing anything that is frightening?

I thought about Sarah. She had a lot to be frightened about. Picture her husband walking in the door, saying, "Honey, we are moving. Get packing!"

"Where are we going to?", she would have responded.

"I am not sure," he would have said.

"Why do we have to move? I like it here! I don't want to go. All of my friends are here!"

"Because God told me to. "

"What?"

I can imagine Sarah being stuck by fear. Yet the Word of God says that she had a hidden adornment of the heart, for she submitted to Abraham, calling him Lord, because she hoped in God.

Sarah knew that the road ahead was a dangerous one. She trusted God to lead her husband. She knew when they went down to Egypt and Abraham asked her to lie (or at least stretch the truth) and say she was his sister, that she could end up with her purity violated. She was stuck in a harem - not exactly a safe place for a beautiful woman. She did not fear, however. She chose to hope in God, and submit to her husband.

What was the result? Abraham loved her. The king saw them sporting, and just knew they were husband and wife. Abraham loved Sarah's gentle and quiet spirit, because she respected her husband, and trusted God to take care of the details.

I think back to 1999, and I see that my husband was definitely the leader and protector of his family during that trial. I was stuck in the hospital. There was little I could do, but pray. My husband fulfilled his God-given role, and took care of all the details.

And God blessed.

I am so thankful for Rick - for his leadership abilities, for his quiet, steady ways, for his sometimes abrupt manner, which does good when you are dealing with bureaucrats! I know that God showed me that my dear husband is very capable, that he is able to see through the garbage to the main points, and that he does not get caught up in emotions when there is a job to do. He's a man! Just what I need.

And I do not fear.

Just a day...

I got up early and rushed out the door, heading for a meeting. That would have been fine, except that for some strange reason, I got very little sleep last night. The water softener went through its cycle, making a terrible racket. Rick assured me that this sound was normal, but I couldn't get to sleep. Then, I woke up too early, well before the alarm went off. Instead of a meeting, I ended up working on some computer stuff, helping to get a newsletter finished and sent out. I would have rather have been home.

The one thing that was a treat was working on a fast computer with a high-speed connection. My incredibly slow dial-up is a constant source of irritation to me. It is so frustrating to try to download a file, as I have been trying to do for two days, only to have it get to page seven out of twenty-five, and quit.

So, what did I learn today? (What character traits am I working on?)

I learned that in order to do your best, you have to get a good night's sleep. (Discipline - especially in scheduling.)

I learned that it is annoying to be told things you already know. (Patience)

I learned that in order to do a good job at anything it is essential to have the right tools. (Wisdom.)

I learned that home truly is where my heart is. (Contentment.)

I learned that even though my high-speed is going to be a long time coming, I will enjoy it even more when it finally arrives, having endured this S - L - O - W speed for so long. (Anticipation.)

I learned that I am lacking in discipline, patience, wisdom, contentment, and anticipation. My heart is deceitful above all things, and I want to order my world. When things don't go the way I want them to, I get depressed, angry, frustrated, whiny, and miserable.

Thankfully, I have a wonderfully patient husband and loving children who welcomed me home, listened to me, and took care of me. They brought me my supper and gave me kisses and tea. They even tried to help me download the file I want (to no avail).

It's good to be home.

Song for a Little House by Christopher Morley

I'm glad our house is a little house,
Not too tall nor too wide;
I'm glad the hovering butterflies
Feel free to come inside.

Our little hose is a friendly house,
It is not shy or vain;
It gossips with the talking trees
And makes friends with the rain.

And quick leaves cast a shimmer of green
Against our whited walls,
And in the phlox the courteous bees
Are paying duty calls.

I am glad that I live in this little old house, with my family close by to love me.

For mother-love and father-care,
For brothers strong and sisters fair,
For love at home and work each day,
For guidance lest we go astray,
Father in heaven, we thank thee.


Most of all, I am glad that God in His wisdom and Providence made me a wife and a mother.

Only One Mother by George Cooper

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shores together,
Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the wide world over.

Thank You, Lord.

Laundry, laundry and more laundry...

The thing about having 12 kids is that you very quickly figure out that doing laundry has to be more than a once a week task. Even though 5 of our children are now married, with 9 of us still living at home, there is still a LOT of laundry to do.

I have a system. I have taught everyone, even Christopher, how to do a load of laundry. Sorting is essential: you must separate whites from darks, and very soiled clothes from slightly dirty clothes. Using pre-spot or some other spray for stains is also very important.

I have rules: never put on a load of washing without taking the clothes from the dryer, folding them, and putting them away. That way, clothes are not left in baskets to get wrinkled, and there is no build-up of unfolded clothes in the laundry room. I know how easily that can happen. We have climbed the Mount Everest of laundry many a time. We don't want to do that again.

I have a schedule. The boys do laundry on certain days; the girls do laundry on other days. Nobody is allowed to take laundry into the laundry room unless it is their turn and they are going to wash it, dry it, fold it, and put it all away. They each have hampers in their own rooms, which again eliminates Mount Everest!

And now, TA DA!... I have a nice, new, shiny, clean laundry room. I was thinking today that in all my years of doing laundry, I have never had such a nice room in which to do it.

Darlene's son Joel took it upon himself to surprise me just before Christmas. He had his mother take me out for a nice lunch, and he scurried to my house and completely renovated my horrible laundry room. He washed walls, drywalled, mudded, painted, installed new light fixtures, and put in a new tile floor. It is completely organized now, and when I go in there to do an umpteenth load of laundry, my heart sings! How I have been blessed by this young man, who simply had a desire to bring a little order (and joy!) to my life.

I always have enjoyed seeing the stacks of clean clothes or towels, ready to be put to use by my family. I love to see drawers full to the brim with socks or sweaters, all nice and clean! But now, even the process of achieving those stacks of clean clothes is delightful, thanks to my good friend, Joel.

Joel has learned to bless others by serving them with the talents God has given him. May God richly bless him in all of his endeavours.

Reflections - 2006 - Praise Ye the Lord

At our prayer meeting this evening, Pastor Bob led us in a reading of Psalm 135. We praised God for His attributes, His preservation of His own "peculiar" people. We praised Him as the Creator, the One who does anything He pleases. We contrasted Him with idols, He who can do all things with idols who can do no thing.

Then our Pastor asked us if we had any testimony we wanted to share regarding what the Lord had done for us in 2006. It was a beautiful time of praising a beautiful God. One lady shared how God had taken her from a bitter, angry, uncaring, unfeeling woman to one who daily delights in the Lord and enjoys making dinner for strangers or sharing a loaf of bread with a neighbour in need. Another lady shared how seeing her friend suffer a stroke and become stronger and stronger through the year strengthened her faith in God. Another spoke of God's gracious dealings with her son, through surgery, tests, admission to college, etc. God truly directs our paths.

One of the men, a lay minister, marvelled at how God has provided opportunity after opportunity for him to preach, when his heart's desire is to preach the Word and interact with people. Our pastor's wife shared how she is learning to disregard the little things and focus on the big things: what God is doing in this world, and how He uses the weak things of this world to confound the wise.

What a blessing to hear God's people praise God for blessings AND for trials! They stood together, firm in their faith, knowing that our gracious Father works everything for good, that His timing is always perfect, that He is utterly in control, and that He can be trusted, day by day, with the little things and the big things.

How good it is to share with God's people. Reminds me of a verse in Malachi (3:16) - Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in His presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honoured His name.

17. "They will be mine," says the Lord Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

It is good to be with other Christians. It is good to know that as we share our testimonies and encourage one another, the Lord is listening, and the Lord is hearing. It is good to know that our names are being written down in a scroll of remembrance. It is so good to know that we are His treasured possession.

Halleluiah! Praise the Lord!

Well on my way! (an ordinary day)

I had a great day today! I got up and read the entire paper, waiting for the rest of the family to stir from their beds. We've had a lot of late nights, lately, so early risings aren't happening at the present - except for ME. I am definitely a morning person. Sleeping in just isn't an option. If the sun doesn't peek in, I just know in my bones that it is morning, and if I roll over to try to go back to sleep for a few more minutes, it is just frustrating. Sleep doesn' t come, and I am wasting time.

Reading the paper all alone with a good cup of tea is not a waste of time, however. I read articles about Saddam Hussein, about Gerald Ford, about the new Archbishop in the Catholic church in Canada. I read lots of articles that I flagged to discuss with the children later. I skipped the sports section with nary a twinge, and enjoyed the puzzles and the comics, and even read "Dear Abby".

After that, I read the Bible. I am working through the Bible Chronologically (see this site: http://bibleplan.org/ ) this year. My 7 year old son, Critter, came in and sat on my lap while we read about the Flood and the animals and Noah and the long lives of the Antediluvian patriarchs. I was interested in the fact that there is a parallel genealogy - the line of Cain contrasted with the line of Seth. Critter and I talked about what we read and about how God has always preserved His people, since the beginning. We talked about God's power over the animals - He sent them to Noah - and over Nature - He opened the floodgates! We talked about the sheer size of the ark, and about God's protection of Noah and his family. Tiana (10) was up by then, and discussed the Sabbath Day with me. She had read about God resting on the Sabbath day, and thought that Sunday was the Sabbath. It's nice to know that she is thinking while she is reading her Bible.

The sun was shining and beckoning to us to come outside, so out we went for a brisk walk to the corner and back. It was a good start to my exercise program. I added weight work on the machine tonight, and I feel like I am on my way to better health and a slimmer me.

Rick and I had banking to do, then I did housework while the children mucked out the stalls and did some yard work and laundry. I then ran errands, made supper (Prime Rib roast, mashed potatotes, mixed vegetables, with a small glass of red wine) and enjoyed Bible time with the family.

All in all, a fine day. I think the fact that the sun was shining has encouraged me to no end. The fact that I set some goals for a more spiritually focussed life, as well as a healthier body, has also encouraged me.

This truly is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Striving to be perfect? Under Bondage? It's All About Grace!

A friend wrote to me today, struggling with some issues at her church. She attends a good church. She does all of the "right things", she tells me, yet writes:

"So, why do I FEEL so bound? Why do I struggle so much to be perfect? I continually try to understand the"law and grace" issues in scripture. Recently, I have felt the burden so much that I was led to read andread and read scripture. I came away saying, we areunder GRACE! We are set free from the LAW! Praise be to God! I FELT so free and happy! I knew what Jesus meant when He said that His yoke is EASY. I didn't want to go out and sin. I wanted to honor the Lord with obedience and to serve Him all my life!"

This was my response to her:

It's all about grace, my friend. Anyone who says anything else is missing the boat, and ought to be pitied or taught. It really is all about grace.

Not only are we saved by grace, but we live by grace every single day. Remember, all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (like menstrual cloths). Let that sink in for a minute. All (*ALL!*) of our *righteousnesses* - the good things we do, even the great things we do - are as filthy rags. There is nothing we can do to impress the Lord of glory. There is nothing we can do to earn more of His favour. He knows our frame. He knows we are weak, that we are sinners.

What hope is there then? Grace! He reached down and plucked us from the miry clay, where we were stuck, unable to move, not even wanting to get out of the mess. We LIKED it in there. Yet God, by His grace, sent His Son, His one and only Son, to die in our place, when we were fully deserving of death and punishment. He rescued us from the pit.

Not only that, but He saved us to accomplish good works. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, that God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 Now think about that. He knows our frame, that we are weak, that we fail continually, that apart from Him we can do nothing, yet He still graciously and kindly gives us things to do for Him.

We won't do them well. If we do them to the best of our ability, and we happen to be the best at that task or talent in the whole world, we still won't do them to His standards...we never can measure up. Even if we begin to be close to what Jesus can do (Ha! - impossible) the problem is that we will fail because we will begin to be proud of our accomplishments. (God hates pride!) We are undone.

THAT'S WHY we have to rely on grace. When we begin to understand the grace of God, we see that every good and perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights, in whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Our Heavenly Father never changes. He loves you, He loves me, He chose us from before the foundation of the world, fully knowing that we would be the worst of sinners, but graciously giving us life and health and tasks to do and people to love.

You need to get and read Jerry Bridges' book, Transforming Grace.

http://www.navpress.com/store/Product.asp?sku=0891096566&&mscsid=8P0DUDLLBV309LHDF5HSH840DLKN5Q03

Here is the blurb from the page above:

GRACE—IT'S NOT JUST FOR BEGINNERS

Funny how the exceeding riches of God's grace seem to run out the moment we're saved. From then on, we tend to base our relationship with Him on our performance rather than on His grace.

Of course, God continues to deal with us on the basis of His grace, whether or not we understand it. It's just that when we don't, we forgo the abundant freedoms that come from not having to measure up.

The product of over 10 years of Bible study, Transforming Grace is a fountainhead of inspiration and renewal that will show you just how inexhaustible and generous God's grace really is—you'll never be able to ask for too much, need too much, hope for too much, or even sin too much. Like a never-ending stream of ocean waves crashing on the shore, His grace "superabounds" toward you without measure.

It's only $10.99 at the following website:

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product/?item_no=96566&p=1010575

Don't let the legalists around you put you into a box. Don't let them dictate to you how you should live. Go to Jesus, read His word, seek His face, and worship Him only. He is the one Who loves you! He is the one who leads you day by day, step by step.

I think you may be misunderstanding your elder when he said:

... when we are saved we are given the ability to keep the law. That we are not UNDER the law in that we are not condemned by it but we are still to study the law and obey it.

At least I hope he wasn't putting you back under the law. Romans makes it clear that we cannot fulfil the law. We are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift.

So, yes, we are to love the law (because God wrote it) and to seek to follow the principles therein, but we are not bound by it, in that we are never condemned by not keeping the law. The law was put there to teach us that we cannot follow it. If we try to keep it, we will find that it is impossible. It is there to show us that we are sinners in need of salvation - and that is EXACTLY what God provided for us.

The Christian life should be a life of praise. We should strive to do right, knowing we will fail, and when we fail, we just run to our Father and confess it, knowing that He already knows and stands ready to forgive. Every single sin we have ever committed or ever will commit was put on (imputed to) Christ, and was paid for on that cross, by that shed blood. What marvelous grace! So, we don't have to fear, we don't have to feel like a failure...we just view ourselves as blessed Children of the Most High God. We praise Him continually -- when we do well, or when we don't. When we do well, we praise Him for His enabling grace, because apart from Him we can do nothing. When we fail, and sin, we praise Him for His grace, because when we confess our sins He is gracious and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9. When we do well, we confess that it is only by His grace, and if we see a bit of pride creeping in, we agree with God that it is wicked because it is not acknowledging the truth that without Him, we can do nothing. That leads us to see afresh the marvellous grace poured out on our lives!

Galatians 5:1 1 ¶ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Don't let anyone, whether at your church or on an email group, take away your freedom in Christ. Don't be tangled up again under that terrible yoke!

In Christ,
Janet