The Importance of Patience

Here are some quotes that I posted on my blog that I thought were very convicting:

"The presence of impatience reveals the absence of humility, reveals the presence of self-righteousness in our lives. When we are impatient, we have forgotten God's patience with us."

-C.J. Mahaney

"Appreciate the patience of God, think how He has borne with you and still bears with you when so much of your life is unworthy of Him and you have so richly deserved His rejection. Learn to marvel at His patience and seek grace to imitate it in your dealings with others and try not to try His patience anymore."

-J.I. Packer

"always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies." - 2 Cor 4:10

Best Time to Evangelise?

I haven't read many blogs as of late, but I was able to read some today and it has been really refreshing to my soul. I thought Piper brought up a very good point that we should be taking advantage of this time of uncertainty and giving people who don't know HIM something that is certain. Heaven!

Piper relates this to mission- and we are missionaries on this campus.

I believe the Lord brought this word to mind in one of our prayer meetings on Friday:

The worst of all times is the best of all times for missions.

We were praying over Lamentations 3. Those were the worst of times for Israel. But in that moment they were given the best of promises,

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (3:22-23)

Today marks the close of Missions Focus at Bethlehem. So we were praying for missions. That is when this word came: The worst of all times is the best of all times for missions.

Such words do not have intrinsic authority the way Scripture does. They must be tested. Here is the truth I hear in those words.

1. During an economic downturn we are more dependent on God. That is the most fertile soil for creating missionaries.
2. During an economic downturn unreached people around the world do not expect you to come, but to look out for yourself. So they may more likely see your risk as love rather than exploitation.
3. During an economic downturn those who need Christ around the world may be less secure in earthly things and more ready to hear about eternal life.
4. During an economic downturn people at home may be wakened to the brevity of life and the fragility of material things, and so may become more generous not less. And when they give under these circumstances, it will make Christ look all the more like the all-satisfying Treasure that he is.

And so it may well prove to be that the worst of all times is the best of all times for missions.

#2

trusting God

i read Trusting God by Jerry Bridges this past summer and it was extremely encouraging.

the book covers these 3 main points:

1. God is all-wise

2. God is all-loving

3. God is all-sovereign

knowing these three points is so key in trusting God.  since God is all-wise, He knows what is best for us.  since He is all-loving, He will do what's best for us.  since He is all-sovereign, He has the power to carry-out what's best for us.

there may be times of confusion or harships, but God is all-sovereign and everything is under His control.  He will orchestrate events that we may not understand so that ultimately He will get the glory. 

Senior Year

I remember our 2nd year, we started this blog because we wanted to be like those "Seniors" and so we created our own lil' blog roll for us to rant on and encourage one another with. Now we are those Seniors and this blog roll is DEAD, ghostly dead.

Lets revamp this bad boy, not only for the sake of encouraging one another, not only for the sake of encouraging the younger bros (and even sisters), but for the sake of proclaiming the riches of God's glory, grace, mercy, love, patience, wisdom, jealousy, etc. Let's paint the picture of God through our words and post about our own hardships and blessings, about being in times of confusion (I am sure we are going to be talking about that a lot this upcoming year)and in times of clarity, or even about our own relationship with HIM.


May the words of my mouth, the meditations of my heart...and the sentences I write be pleasing to God.





#2

I Will Praise Him Still

"For the Lord our God, He is strong to save
From the arms of death, from the deepest grave.
And He gave us life in His perfect will,
And by His good grace, I will praise Him still."

-Fernando Ortega ( I Will Praise Him,Still)

I just have been thinking about just the lack of faith i have and limiting God's power by not having FULL FAITH, in that he would save people like my Dad (my family) or even a close friend of mine. Or just that lack of faith that when we share the gospel to people, that God might be actually using us to lead a person in accepting Jesus Christ into their lives.

This song was just a good reminder to myself...that OUR LORD OUR GOD is strong to SAVE whomever he wants...crazy to think he would save undeserved people like me and you. Man this song is so short but so full of truth.

May we not de-glorify God by lacking faith in his sovereign plan of rescuing sinners and let us grow and cultivate a heart that GRIEVES after the lost...just like God.

"We may have men clearer in doctrine, but where can we find that life and power, that ardent zeal, that burning eloquence, that devotedness to the work, those astonishing labors, that self-denying life, that singleness of eye to the glory of God, that unwearied perseverance, or that flame of holy love which seemed to consume the very lamp in which it shone with such surpassing brightness? " - J.C. Philpot commenting on George Whitefield's life.