A Damsel No Longer in Distress

A Day of Rest of Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 21:45:00 +0000

What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Merry CHRISTmas!

Let us all remember why we celebrate this day. Not so that we can ask for things, or even to fulfill the requests of what others have asked for. But instead, let us all ask what Jesus our Savior wants.

Below, is an article John Piper wrote in 2001. Please read and be blessed.

What Does Jesus Want for Christmas?

By John Piper December 11, 2001

What does Jesus want this Christmas? We can see the answer in his prayers. What does he ask God for? His longest prayer is John 17. Here is the climax of his desire:

Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am (v. 24).

Among all the undeserving sinners in the world, there are those whom God has "given to Jesus." These are those whom God has drawn to the Son (John 6:44, 65). These are Christians - people who have "received" Jesus as the crucified and risen Savior and Lord and Treasure of their lives (John 1:12; 10:11, 17-18; 20:28; 6:35; 3:17). Jesus says he wants them to be with him.

Sometimes we hear people say that God created man because he was lonely. So they say, "God created us so that we would be with him." Does Jesus agree with this? Well, he does say that he really wants us to be with him! Yes, but why? Consider the rest of the verse. Why does Jesus want us to be with him?

. . . to see my glory that you [Father] have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

That would be a strange way of expressing his loneliness. "I want them with me so they can see my glory." In fact it doesn't express his loneliness. It expresses his concern for the satisfaction of our longing, not his loneliness. Jesus is not lonely. He and the Father and the Spirit are profoundly satisfied in the fellowship of the Trinity. We, not he, are starving for something. And what Jesus wants for Christmas is for us to experience what we were really made for - seeing and savoring his glory.

Oh, that God would make this sink in to our souls! Jesus made us (John 1:3) to see his glory. Just before he goes to the cross he pleads his deepest desires with the Father: "Father, I desire - I desire! - that they . . . may be with me where I am, to see my glory."

But that is only half of what Jesus wants in these final, climactic verses of his prayer. I just said we were really made for seeing and savoring his glory. Is that what he wants - that we not only see his glory but savor it, relish it, delight in it, treasure it, love it? Consider verse 26, the very last verse:

I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

That is the end of the prayer. What is Jesus' final goal for us? Not that we simply see his glory, but that we love him with the same love that the Father has for him: "that the love with which you [Father] have loved me may be in them." Jesus' longing and goal is that we see his glory and then that we be able to love what we see with the same love that the Father has for the Son. And he doesn't mean that we merely imitate the love of the Father for the Son. He means the Father's very love becomes our love for the Son - that we love the Son with the love of the Father for the Son. This is what the Spirit becomes and bestows in our lives: Love for the Son by the Father through the Spirit.

What Jesus wants most for Christmas is that his elect be gathered in and then get what they want most - to see his glory and then savor it with the very savoring of the Father for the Son.

What I want most for Christmas this year is to join you (and many others) in seeing Christ in all his fullness and that we together be able to love what we see with a love far beyond our own half-hearted human capacities.

This is what Jesus prays for us this Christmas: "Father, show them my glory and give them the very delight in me that you have in me." Oh, may we see Christ with the eyes of God and savor Christ with the heart of God. That is the essence of heaven. That is the gift Christ came to purchase for sinners at the cost of his death in our place.

Love With Abundance, Just Like Jesus

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 26

December 24, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ 1 John 3:11-18

Abundance n. - an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply; overflowing fullness

"I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that He has granted them according to His compassion, according to the abundance of His steadfast love.

For He said, 'Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.' And He became their Savior.

In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of old."

Today is our the last day of our Advent - that is, preparing our hearts, minds and souls for the day we celebrate the first coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tomorrow, many will come to give honor, glory and thanksgiving to our God Most High for His greatest and most generous Gift to all mankind; His one and only begotten Son. And sadly, tomorrow, many will also come to celebrate, having no idea what this glorious and holy day means.

Therefore, let those of us who know Christ and God's abundant love, deeply meditate on the meaning of that awesome love today.

Our Father God's love for us is abundant: extremely plentiful; overflowing fullness, exceeding the bounds of our imaginations and goes beyond what any of us could ever deserve.

He didn't pay for us with the fleeting, rotting, things of this world. No, instead He paid for us with His very life. Our Lord Jesus, left Heaven; willingly bound and limited Himself in human flesh, lived among us, ate with us, cried with us, felt hunger and pains He had never felt in Heaven. Our Lord Jesus chose to to put Himself in our place and sit with us in our troubles. Jesus did not come rescue us only out of our troubles, for even we can do that for others (and only to a certain point). But He chose to sit in our troubles with us and felt our pain and suffering; then went far beyond, and suffered what we could never bear.

Often, we think the best way to intercede for others is to "fix" their problems. We think if we feed the hungry, clothe the poor, send money to dig wells to give drink to the thirsty we are sharing Christ's life and love with them. But are we? I say that we are not - at least not completely and not abundantly; not like Jesus, that is.

If we merely spare them or rescue them out of their earthly, physical troubles, while we sit in the comfort of our own homes; if we merely send money and sit quietly and pray; yet we do not physically go and sit in their troubles with them, sharing the Gospel of God's mercy and grace, fully demonstrated in Christ Jesus alone, then have we loved others as Christ has loved us - with abundance? I say we have not.

Let us do all these good things, but let us not neglect to go to the hungry, go to the poor, go to the thirsty and be the hands of feet of Christ by touching them, like He touched us. When you feed the hungry, give them a hug - a long, tight, Christ-loving hug. Then tell them the Good News of Christ. If you feed them without preaching the Gospel, then you have merely provided them with temporary relief from their physical pains, but have left their souls just as hungry and destitute as it was before. Therefore, you have accomplished nothing.

The homeless and hungry are not surprised anymore if someone feeds them and/or clothes them; no instead, they expect it. But they are surprised when you sit with them, when you hold them and stay by their side while they eat. No one but Jesus would do that. We say, "But they really smell bad." This is true, but you know what? Our sins are more putrid than the stench of a cesspool in the nostrils of our holy God and He touched us, kissed us and held us anyway. How do I know this for sure? Because we can give a homeless person a bath and their foul smell will be washed away with merely some soap and water. As a matter of fact, even if we all bathed in a cesspool, our foul smell can be washed away with soap and water, along with some other things God has created to help us get clean from the filth of this earth and our bodies. But I know for a fact that our sins are worse, more putrid than this because only the blood of Jesus could cleanse us, for Jesus cried out,

"My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as i will, but as You will."

~ Matthew 26:39

And we know for certain that truly, if there was any other way, God the Father would have more than gladly spared His one and only begotten Son, just as Jesus asked. But there was obviously nothing in all of God's creation that was powerful enough, pure enough and holy enough to clean the stench and filth of our sins - only the pure, perfect, holy and powerful blood of Jesus Christ, God incarnate is able to cleanse us from our abominable sins.

We so often think we have to go to some foreign land to be the hands and feet of Jesus. But look all around you. As Jesus said, we will always have the poor and hungry all around us; and we do.

There are plenty around here who are thirsty, and there are plenty here in America who are naked and who are need of the physical touch of Christ Jesus our Lord. And there are plenty of lost souls here in America that desperately need disciples of Christ to feed, give drink and clothe their cold, naked, hungry, thirsty dead souls.

So if you want to pray for someone, go to them and pray for them. Go to the abortion clinics and offer prayer to those who are there. Take Gospel tracts with you that do not water down God's truth, but opens the eyes of their hearts that clearly reveal to them that they are sinners in desperate need of a Savior.

If we're going to do "good", then we must do it like Jesus, for we know, that no one is good, but God. Therefore, if we do "good" deeds, but not in the name of Jesus (meaning in His likeness, with His character), then we are not doing "good", but only something that might seem "nice". For if God alone is good, anything absent of God is absent of good.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."
~ Ephesians 5:1-2

Thought to ponder:

With the love of God and perseverance of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5), may those of us who know Him, go and share the Good News of our Savior in God's abundant love that lives within us, because of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Gracious Lord God in Heaven, thank You for Your abundant love poured out on us in Christ Jesus our Savior! Thank You for despising us not, but loving us still. Teach us Father to love like you; without ceasing and without judgment or personal cares. Teach us Father to give our lives away, just the way Jesus did. As we come closer to celebrating the first coming of Your Son, Father, help us to remember why He came and how He came in humility and abundant love; and send us out with His heart.

May You be well pleased with our offering of abundant love for You, as we love others abundantly in Your Name. Amen

WFW & Advent Devo - Sacrifice the Natural

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:43:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 25

December 23, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Galatians 4:1-31

Today, I'm combining my Word-Filled Wednesdays post with the Advent devotional, as the Key Verse for today's devotional has really impressed upon my heart who we really are - without Christ.

As I read our Scripture Passage today, my heart rejoiced in the fact that I am a child of The Promise. An adopted child, born of God, through faith in Jesus Christ's first coming, His virgin birth, His perfect sinless life, His atonement for my sins, His death, His resurrection and His second coming.

And then my eyes and heart stopped and rested on two verses: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Jesus, the Son of God, left Heaven. In Heaven, Jesus was rightly worshiped and adored, He was unconditionally obeyed and lived in the splendor of His own glory. He left that, to come here and purposely allow Himself to be bound by human flesh. I don't know what Heaven looks like because there is nothing we know of here on earth that's even comparable, but I do know this for certain: When we all get to Heaven, we'll ask, "Jesus, YOU left this for me?" I am humbled and overwhelmed by this truth.

"Abraham had to offer up Ishmael before he offered up Isaac. Some of us are trying to offer up spiritual sacrifices to God before we have sacrificed the natural. The only way in which we can offer a spiritual sacrifice to God is by presenting our bodies a living sacrifice. Sanctification means more than deliverance from sin, it means the deliberate commitment of myself whom God has saved to God, and that I do not care what it costs.

If we do not sacrifice the natural to the spiritual, the natural life will mock at the life of the Son of God in us and produce a continual swither. This is always the result of an undisciplined spiritual nature. We go wrong because we stubbornly refuse to discipline ourselves, physically, morally or mentally. 'I wasn't discipline when I was a child.' You must discipline yourself now. If you do not, you will ruin the whole of your personal life for God.

God is not with our natural life while we pamper it; but when we put it out in the desert and resolutely keep it under, then God will be with it; and He will open up wells and oases, and fulfill all His promises for the natural."

~ Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Have you ever tried to sing a praise song and worship God while you're still in angst about something here: Whether it's something with your spouse, your kids, friends, or just plain 'ol anxieties about how you think things ought to be? I have, and you know what? It doesn't work! When I get this way, our gracious Father is always so kind and gracious to remind me that I must first choose to mortify the desires of my flesh and resolve to know nothing but Christ crucified. It is only then that the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, will also raise me to walk in step with Him (Galatians 5:25).

Thoughts to ponder:
Much like this little boy in today's Scripture-picture, we were once lost orphans, hungry and poor. But in God the Father's infinite love and abounding compassion, He chose to adopt us, to pay for us - with His own Son's blood. In order for this poor, hungry and homeless child to live with his adopted Father, he'll have to leave his worldly possessions and comforts behind. What do you think they would be? His dirty coat? His filthy clothes? Charms or trinkets he's collected to make him feel special? What about you? What natural affinities, natural comforts and natural attachments will you have to leave behind, both tangible and intangible, in order to live as if you are truly an adopted child of the King of kings?

Merciful Father, my glorious Love, You have captured my heart!

Why have you called me Your own? Why did you choose to touch me when I was stained with all my guilt? Why did you choose to wash me with the blood of Your one and only Son? Why Lord? Why such a great sacrifice, for such a lowly and wretched soul?

My eyes have never seen You. Yet my heart knows You. Thank You Father, for working the impossible in my life. Thank You for choosing me, so that I could choose You. May this Christmas be different. May my celebration of Jesus' first coming be founded in why He came. And may I live as if I believe You.

His Glory WILL Be Seen Upon You

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:59:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 23

December 21, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Isaiah 60:1-5

I've mentioned before that I am not the sharpest pencil in the pack, therefore I don't understand many things as other people do. Often it takes me quite some time to really perceive what someone is saying, as the meaning often seems to escape me.

Knowing this, when I was in high school, I used to carry a dictionary in my backpack, to have with me at all times. And back in the days when dinosaurs still roamed the earth (just kidding), pocket-dictionaries were not invented yet; well, not very good ones. So, the dictionary I carried around in my backpack was - you guessed it, the large, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Sure it was heavy, but I didn't mind because I pulled it out often to look up the words that people were using during conversations, as well as reading it during lunch and anytime I had available. I always had it with me when I read the Bible because it seemed that I would often find myself stuck on some of the simplest words, just like I did today. Today, I got stuck on the word, "upon". To be honest, I'm not really sure what that means. And it seemed it would be greatly beneficial to look it up so that I might gain full understanding of what our Father God is trying to teach me today.

upon (preposition) - in an elevated position on¹

According to the definition of the word "upon", today's key passage makes so much more sense to me and I pray that it will bless you as well.

You see, the Prophet Isaiah, by the leading of the Holy Spirit writes that the entire earth is covered with thick darkness. It was that way then, and I know we can all testify that it is also the state of the world even now. The world is filled with wickedness, self-centered, selfish, self-absorbed, treacherous, thieving, lying, God-hating, adulterous people who are under the power and deception of Satan. Yet, the Lord speaks this wonderful truth through Isaiah in the next statement, that while this is the true state of the world, God includes a "but". I love when God does that! Unlike us, when God says, "but" He's not going to make a statement of objection, but instead a statement of hope! Isn't our awesome Father so brilliant?!

I love this second statement, that starts with "but", that goes on to tell us the promise of the hope found only in Christ Jesus our Lord, "but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you."

Did you see that?! The LORD God Himself will be in an elevated position on us (specifically, His children)! He didn't say, He might, He said He will! The magnitude of this truth humbles me as I consider that Jesus made Himself nothing; took a lowly position among us; He put Himself under us in order to lift us up so that He will be exalted; that is, elevated in our lives. And so much so, that it will be evident to all people! Wow!

This promise of the evidence of Christ's resurrected life in all believers is amazing to me! And how does that come about? It is manifested in everything we do; whether we wash dishes, scrub toilet bowls, change diapers, cook meals, feed the homeless, preach the Gospel or clothe the naked. When any of us lives solely to demonstrate our love and gratitude to God, for the Gift of Jesus, then every breath we take, is breathed for His honor and glory.

Thoughts to ponder:

Sometimes we often think that we have to do some "big" thing for God in order to feel that our lives matter. But the truth is, nothing we do is "big" in the sight of the Great I AM. Everything we offer is small in His eyes, but is made into something extravagant when we give our all to Jesus. In Jesus' hands, all things are made new and beautiful! What opinions and thoughts have imprisoned you and kept you from believing this truth? Will you choose to praise the Lord our God in spite of how you feel and defy the chains of your mind today?

Lord God, You noticed me, when no one else did. You loved me and cared for me, when no one thought to share. I stood there, like an outsider. Just a small, frightened, little girl. Dirty, ragged, poor and afraid. I saw many children playing. They were smiling and enjoying one another's company. And they were very involved in what seemed to be a very important and exciting activity. I stood there alone, and thought to myself, "I wish I could be with them! I wish I could join and participate! But I'm too small, dirty, and poor."

Just then, the Man standing there with them motioned to me with His hand and said, "Come! Come join us!" I was humbled and began to cry as I couldn't understand why someone as wonderful as Him, would notice someone as lowly as me. Then You told me Father, that THIS is Your Son, whom You loved and gave up, so I could participate, participate in Your glorious presence and miraculous work of transforming lives.

I wish I had the proper words to express my gratitude and love to You Father, for the Gift of Jesus. But I'm afraid that my words pale in comparison to Your mighty love. So I will trust that You listen to my heart and hear my spirit sing.

You are my Maker. You are My God. You are my Jesus.
I love you.

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A Day of Rest of Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 14:04:00 +0000

Remembering You Before Our God

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 19

December 17, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

What an incredibly uplifting passage! The Apostle Paul opens his first letter to the church in Thessaloniki with a greeting of mutual love, hope, grace and peace found only in God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Then Paul shares how he is so encouraged by the faith of the Thessalonian believers, that he is moved to give thanks to God for their work of faith, labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord, Christ Jesus.

What was it about these 3 things that caused the Apostle Paul to continually give thanks to God? Let's take a closer look.

work of faith: The way the Apostle Paul worded this is very significant. Notice here that Paul specifically writes, "work of faith", not "work to have faith". As we know it is clear in Scripture that we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, it is a gift of God, NOT by works, so that no man can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). We also know that the word "of" is an adjective that indicates: ownership, belonging, origin, or source of the noun it follows. Therefore, the "work" someone performs does not necessarily prove they have faith, instead a person's faith will be proved by the work that belongs to it. (James 2:18)
labor of love: The same truth that applies to "work of faith" applies here as well. The small two letter word "of" plays a huge role in what this phrase means. Labor of love, means that the labor performed originates, and is owned by love. And what is love? Well, the more accurate question is, Who is love? And we find the answer in 1 John 4:16 - "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." Therefore, according to Scripture, labor performed without God, is performed without love. What we as human beings call "love" is not true love at all. For most of us, love is only a feeling. And as feelings do, they come and they go. If we throw love into the category of feelings, why then are we surprised that it comes and it goes? We shouldn't be. Love is not a feeling, but an active choice. Does love include feelings? Of course it does. God is love and God feels. But love is stronger and greater than our feelings. That's why a labor of love is not capable of being manufactured by any human effort. We may have strong feelings, affections and warmth towards one another, but eventually, our "passion" will fade away and so will our labor that belonged to it. But all things from God are eternal and have everlasting effect.
steadfastness of hope: The Greek word used in this verse for steadfastness is: hupomone which means: constancy; endurance; in the NT the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings; a patient enduring, sustaining, perseverance.¹ Now, let's take a look at what the word "hope" means. Unknowingly, most of us use its connotative definition (implied meaning: that something might happen), rather than its denotative definition (explicit meaning: that something is definitely going to happen). Truth be known, the word "hope" is synonymous with the word "trust". That's why God tells us to put our hope, that is, our trust in Him alone. When we hope in Christ, we're not saying we think He might come through for us; instead we are saying we know for certain He will. Therefore, steadfastness of hope means that hope owns our endurance, our patience, our loyalty even through the toughest trials and sufferings. And who is our Hope? His name is Jesus, and He is the Owner and Master of our hope; that's why it can be steadfast; because He alone does not fail at anything, but is victorious in all things! What an incredible promise!

This is what it all boils down to: it doesn't take a Christian to dig wells and provide clean water, or feed the hungry, visit those in prison, clothe the naked, mentor the under-privileged, or build homes or churches. While all these things are demonstrations of acts of kindness in which God's children should engage in, it doesn't take a Christian to perform these well-meaning deeds; as it has been proven that even unbelievers know how to show this kind of charity toward others.

We know this to be a fact as we look around our world and see multitudes of non-believers doing all these things. And while it doesn't take a Christian to perform these acts of kindness, it does take a Christian to perform works of faith, labors of love with steadfastness of hope. It also takes a Christian to perform such acts of kindness with great patience and endurance in the midst of sufferings, afflictions and any other hardships that may come their way; with humility. Only a Christian can balance the pain and sorrow of suffering, while still finding the joy in all their trials; without complaining (Philippians 2:14-15). Why? Because only Christ Jesus can miraculously balance these two opposites: joy and pain. Not that Christians always work this way. But my point is that we, as Christians are capable of living this way, but unbelievers are not; as this is only a supernatural work of God, in His children. And this is what causes the world to wonder, to wonder "Why?"

Thoughts to ponder:
What works of faith and labors of love can I participate in during this time of Advent? How can I tailor my pre-Christmas activities to include these things and give gifts that have eternal impact? If I profess my steadfast hope is in Christ, how is my profession proven in the way I live?

Glorious, mighty, merciful Father God in Heaven, thank You for Jesus!

It breaks my heart just thinking about those who do not know you and live moment by moment, sometimes in great distress, trials and afflictions, only to leave this earth and enter into eternal torment. This thought compels me to cry out to You for strength and courage to preach Your Good News to anyone You choose to send me to, whether family, friend or stranger.

Jesus, I'm so thankful You came! And I look so forward to Your return. Please help us all remember to cherish this time we have with You! This precious time You've given us to participate in Your Kingdom work; to share in Your sufferings so that we might also share in Your glorious inheritance.

Thank You for choosing us and giving us the choice to choose You! May our lives cause Your name to be praised! I love You Jesus! Amen.

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Will You Sacrifice Your "Isaac"?

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 11

December 10, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Genesis 22:1-18

As we continue to fix our hearts, minds, souls and bodies on the Reason why we celebrate Christmas, I'd like to recap something we touched on yesterday. We talked about how we all need to “go tell it on the mountain” like God told Abraham when he went to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah.

According to the ESV, which is the “word-for-word” translation of the Bible, the first time God uses the word “love” is in our Scripture reading today (specifically, Genesis 22:2). I’ve often wondered if the writer of the song, “Go Tell It On The Mountain”, wrote this because God told it on the mountain first; Mount Moriah:

“And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’ ”

~ Genesis 22:15-18

Do you see the parallels?

God took His Son, His one and only son, whom He loved and waited a long time to send Him to earth, the only heir to the Throne	Abraham took Isaac, his one and only son, whom he loved and waited a long time to have him; Abraham’s only heir
Jesus carried His cross up the mountain	Isaac carried the wood for the burnt offering up the mountain
On the third day Jesus rose to set the captives free from their anguish due to sin	On the third day, Abraham saw where God was ultimately going to set him free from his anguish in sacrificing Isaac
God carried the “tools” by giving the authority for His Son to be sacrificed	Abraham carried the “tools” to sacrifice Isaac
God the Father and the God the Son were together	Abraham and Isaac were together
Jesus is the strength of God’s right arm and He wore a crown of thorns on His head	A ram was caught by its horns (its strength) in a thicket; a thorn bush
God was willing to offer His Son to be sacrificed to save sinners	Abraham was willing to offer his son, but God Himself provided the sacrifice

I’m so thankful that God has revealed His mystery to me; the salvation of sinful souls through faith in Jesus Christ alone. I’m so grateful God chose to share His divine secret of Christ’s Gospel with me. But am I thankful enough, and mindful enough that I am willing to sacrifice my "Isaac", just as willingly and quickly as Abraham did? If I’m honest, I will have to say that this is not always the case with me. Not only that, but I also have more than one “Isaac”. I have many. I have many desires of my own, things I’ve grown to love and become very attached to: family, friends, ministries, hobbies, doctors and even food. You see, I’m a creature of habit and I detest change.

Being this way, has its pros and cons. The pros are that I really love God and depend on Him first and foremost because He is never changing. Therefore I am often faithful in matters as well, because I don’t like to change, I detest not being able to keep my word. I say what I mean and I mean what I say.

The cons are that I get too attached to things here on earth. I have a tendency to not find new doctors for myself if someone moves or something happens. I remember after I gave birth to my youngest son, Kevin, my OB GYN moved to VA. I was so distraught that I cried and didn’t see another OB GYN for the next 6 years. Because I don’t deal with change very well, it’s very easy to throw me for a loop. Change is scary for me. So as you can see, I have many “Isaacs” I need to daily sacrifice; and these are only a few of them.

Thoughts to ponder:

Who or what are my "Isaacs"? Am I ready and willing, like Abraham to sacrifice them to the Lord? Why am I holding on to them so tightly? What is it about God I don't trust, that causes me to seek things of this world to bring me any kind of satisfaction? If God were to test me today, would I pass or fail?

Holy Father God in Heaven, You are our good Teacher. You alone know all things. Father, I know that You would never test me beyond what I can bear. I know that, more than an earthly teacher desires for their students to learn their lessons well, You Father God who are the perfect Teacher desire even more greatly that we find victory in all things through Your Son, Jesus!

Therefore I know that You will only test me on things that I am capable of passing with flying colors. Please help my unbelief! Please help me in the areas of my heart where I am not fully trusting You. Oh, forgive me Father for my selfishness and self-centered way of thinking! Forgive me Father for so often forgetting why Jesus came.

I'm ashamed to admit that I get so carried away with my daily life, that I forget about sharing Your greatest Gift; the Gift of Eternal Life in Your Son with others around me. I have no idea how I get so caught up in the daily routine of things, that I can forget something of this magnitude.

Oh Lord God, thank You for being so patient with me. May I not misunderstand Your patience as Your slowness to act, and misuse Your time of patience with me, as an occasion to continue to sin. Help me to sacrifice my "Isaacs" so that my life might be something beautiful in Your sight.

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The Secret of God

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 10

December 8, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 25:6-15

Who can know the secret of God? Who is worthy or who does God trust with His secret? What kinds of people are chosen as God’s friends?

The word secret is synonymous with the word mystery. A mystery is something that is hidden, something that is not revealed to everyone. Often when someone has a secret, they only tell those whom they trust; their friends. Secrets are only shared with people who have proven their faithfulness and love to the one holding the secret. Some people want to know a secret only for the sake of knowing, or for the sake of feeling important, being entertained, or even to use the secret to mock or torment someone else. Obviously, none of these reasons are good reason to want to know or share a secret.

Sadly, I must admit that I’ve often wanted to know a secret for some of these reasons. I’ve wanted to know a secret because it made me feel like I was “in the loop”, which made me feel special, important ,and put me on a pedestal of sorts. There have been other times when I’ve wanted to know a secret because I was angry or hurt by someone and I wanted to use the secret to get revenge. I wanted my offender to know how it felt to be hurt. You know the old adage, "give them a taste of their own medicine.” The irony of that phrase is medicine is used to heal, not hurt. Isn’t it peculiar that we use this phrase the way we do? I wonder how often we take the things that God meant for good and twist it to use it for evil. If only we would just stop and think about things, for just, well, just a minute; I think we’d all soberly realize how truly wicked are the things we conceive in our hearts and minds.

If we, as fallible, wicked human beings desire for others to honor our secrets; to never use them to hurt us or ever tell anyone else we haven’t already approved, then how much more should God, who is infallible, good, perfect and holy expect us to honor His secret?

But what is the secret of God that we are supposed to honor and cherish?

“but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as He announced to His servants the prophets.”

~ Revelations 10:7

“that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ,”

~ Colossians 2:2

“Now to Him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith – to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

~ Romans 16:25-27

The secret of God, according to His Word, is Jesus Christ our Lord, the only Savior for all mankind. No wonder the heavenly host sang and glorified God when the Lord and Master of our souls was born!

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!' ”

~ Luke 2:13-14

According to these Scripture passages, God only shares His secret, His friendship, His covenant with those in which He is pleased. And who are those He is pleased to share this awesome Gospel of salvation? The answer is found in Psalm 51:16-17.

Therefore if you are one of the chosen of God, whom He has granted the gift of repentance that leads to salvation, and have pleased God by obeying His command and have come to faith in His Son with a broken spirit; a broken and contrite (repentant) heart, then God has credited Christ’s righteousness to you, and you ought to:

“Go tell it on the mountain,

Over the hills and everywhere.

Go tell it on the mountain,

That Jesus Christ is born!”

~ lyrics formally adapted and published by John W. Work, Jr. (1907)

We know that some secrets are better when they’re shared. And the Secret of God, which is salvation in Jesus Christ alone, is most definitely a secret that is better when shared -- with the entire world!

Thoughts to ponder:

Do I daily put on the helmet of salvation and meditate on the magnitude of the high cost of saving my soul? Can God trust me with His Secret, the Gospel message of His Son, Jesus? Will I tell it based on my opinion of who I think God is (soft and fluffy, like Santa Claus), or will I tell it based on God's holy word; because God is love, He must hate evil and punish it? And can God trust me to do all this with His compassion, grace and mercy and not with my judgment about others or fears of personal rejection?

Sovereign, holy and righteous Father God in Heaven, may all glory, praise and honor be given to Your name!

Help us to rid ourselves of ourselves. Help us to love others enough to testify to them and freely share why the Babe was born in Bethlehem. It isn't just a nice, warm and fuzzy story. It's the miraculous story and incomprehensible story of Your ultimate love, fully demonstrated in the birth, life, death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus the Christ.

Oh Father God, forgive us for not being faithful friends of Your secret! Forgive us Lord for our laziness! Me in particular! What a wretched woman I am! Release me Lord God from my fears as well as my lackadaisical attitude regarding the Lost. Impress upon my heart, sear it on my mind Father, the truth of the torment they will suffer for all eternity without Your Son!

Oh that I might be a trustworthy servant Father! I thank You gracious Father God, for making me Your friend, for making peace with me through Your Son. I thank You Lord for trusting me with Your Gospel. When you return Jesus, may You be well pleased to find many who are faithful. Amen.

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The Ways of the LORD

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 9

December 7, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 25:1-5

The Hebrew words for "ways" (derek) and "paths" ('orach), have virtually the same meaning: direction, road, way of living, manner.

In today's reading passage, King David is crying out to God in the midst of his distress. While it is obvious that David is under attack, he makes a strong proclamation of faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And then he humbly, yet boldly makes fervent requests for God to teach him the road, the way, and the manner of the Lord God Almighty. As we know, our Lord Jesus is The Way of God, revealed to us in the birth, death and resurrection of our Savior.

David even goes as far as stating his confidence in God's righteous judgment of those who reject His gift of salvation - whether witnessed here on earth, or ultimately, when Jesus will make a distinction between those who truly knew Him vs. those who only claimed it with their mouths, but their hearts testify against them; as their lives contradict what they professed to believe.

"His (Christ's) winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire."

~ Luke 3:17

Chaff is like our bodies - it is what encases that which is of great substance; our souls. And like chaff, our bodies, our earthly "tents" will one day return to the ground from whence it came. But our souls will live forever - somewhere; either in Heaven with God or in Hell with the demons.

The impetuous professions of false converts, who come to Christ, only in hopes for the betterment of their lives here on earth, are like chaff to God: useless and without substance; therefore, they are easily blown away in every direction, with whatever teaching the winds of the times might carry them.

But for those who have come to Christ, with a grateful, humble and repentant heart, recognizing the magnitude of His holy sacrifice, cry out daily, not just for protection and salvation from trials, but for personal refinement and discipline through knowing God more, in order to love Him better.

"Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day long."~ Psalm 25:5

May we all learn to faithfully "wait" on the Lord; that is, intently watching Christ, fixing our eyes on Him, like a good waiter in a restaurant. A good waiter closely studies the one he/she is waiting on so that they may be ready in an instant to respond to any request being made of them. And when they are called, they rise immediately to serve with great joy and gladness.

Thoughts to ponder:

Am I so close to the Lord that I can hear His every heart beat; His will and direction for my life? Do I daily cry out to God for personal refinement and discipline, or am I afraid of it? Do I see my life and those around me from a worldly/self-centered view, or from God's view?

Lord of hosts, blessed be Your holy name!

Teach me to know You more, so that I can love You better. Remind me that You have ordered all my days even before one began.

What is my life Lord, but a breath? The older I get, the better I realize how quickly time flies. And if I don't count every breath with thanksgiving and praise, I am wasting my life.

Regardless of my circumstances, You Lord are always with me, so what am I afraid of? Teach me to live in such a way, that if I lost everything: my husband, my children, my extended family, friends, house, reputation - everything, that though I would cry out to You in my distress, like David, I would also proclaim Your sovereignty and goodness in my life.

Oh Jesus, precious Redeemer, thank You! Thank You for teaching me Your ways and Your paths by dying for me, so that our Father God might credit Your righteousness to me! May I in turn, die to self, so that Your life will be fully manifested in me! Blessed be Your holy name Jesus! Amen.

Printable Version

A Day of Rest & Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Remember God

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:25:00 +0000

"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to Your name, O Most High;

to declare Your steadfast love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night..."

~ Psalm 92:1

In a time where all our minds are on what we want, what we'd like to ask for, how and with whom we will celebrate Christmas; let us remember God, who gave....

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because He has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment; the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the Light and does not come into the Light, lest His works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes into the Light, so that it may be clearly seen that His works have been carried out in God."

~ John 3:16-21

Too often, John 3:16 is used to tell the world that God loves them so much and can't stand to live in Heaven without them, so He sacrificed Himself to save their souls. This is not true. We must always read Scripture in the context in which God Himself meant for it to be read. Jesus lived in Heaven for a l-o-n-g time without us, and if we judge this with sober minds, we'll remember Jesus doesn't "need" us to be in Heaven with Him because, after all, He IS God and is fully sufficient in Himself. On the other hand, we have a need to be saved, and we can't live without Him. And Heaven (that is, eternal life; a Christian's final Sabbath Rest) is a place God has so graciously bestowed upon all His children as a gift; not because we're "worth" it or deserve it (because truly, which one of us can honestly say that we believe that our lives are worth the suffering and sacrifice of Christ?).

The message of John 3:16 is not the message of the modern day, man-centered Gospel. The message of John 3:16 is the same message God-centered Gospel from the same God of yesterday, today and tomorrow: it's a strong, righteous, good and pure message that should cause anyone to fear God, be utterly grateful for His salvation and humble themselves before such a righteous, good and merciful God. This is why I never share John 3:16 with anyone without verses 17-21. That way, I can be sure that the hearer is benefited by God's truth and provided with much grace in the light of God's truth and extravagant love.

So let all those, who are called by God, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light be different than the rest of the world, and instead of asking for things or looking forward to receiving or even giving to other people; let us, God's beloved children, let us give to God what is due Him:

praise,

honor,

glory,

and

thanksgiving,

every morning for His steadfast love,

and every night for His faithfulness.

and all God's people say:

AMEN

The King of Glory

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 6

December 4, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 24:7-10

From the time of Adam and Eve's sin, our Father God has been proclaiming the mystery of His gift of salvation, that is found only through faith in His one and only Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (Genesis 3:14-15)

The LORD of hosts, then repeated this mystery of salvation to Abraham, Elijah, Moses, King David, Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, along with many other prophets and faithful servants of the LORD God Most High.

By faith, they all believed God's message of salvation to all people, whether Jew or Gentile. Because they believed God, and put their trust in the One whom they would never see on this side of Heaven, God credited Christ's righteousness to them, so that they too may enter into the fullness of His glorious presence for all eternity in Heaven.

The righteousness of Christ was not credited to them because of mere words, but their lives proved that their trust was in the coming Messiah of God, by the way they lived.

"if someone speaks, let them speak God's words;"

~ 1 Peter 4:11a

(CJB)

"Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth."

~ 1 John 3:18

The prophets of old and the faithful servants of God truly lived as if they trusted every word that proceeded out of the mouth of the LORD. And God knew it. The Lord God sees our hearts and is not fooled or moved by words spoken only from fleeting, emotion-driven moments.

Who is this King of glory?

He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is the Alpha and the Omega; the Prince of Peace; the Lion of the tribe of Judah; the Bright Morning Star; the Good Shepherd; the Bread of Life; the Word of God; the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the High Priest; the Rock of Ages; the Redeemer; the True Vine; the Son of God.

Who is this King of glory?

He is Jesus the Christ - the Revealer of the greatest mystery: the miraculous reconciliation of wicked and evil sinners, to a holy and good God.

"And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made together alive with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him."

~ Colossians 2:13-15

Who is this King of glory?

He is our victorious, reigning King.

Who is this King of glory?

He is Jesus the Christ - mighty God, who became humble babe, born of a virgin, obedient to death, for the salvation of the wicked.

Before any one of us believed, the Holy Spirit of God wooed us to the Father, by preparing our hearts to receive the Gospel of Christ, through the gift of repentance that works salvation. And from the day of our second birth - our birth in Christ; the Holy Spirit continues His work of sanctification so that we might not be ashamed at our Lord's second coming.

Thoughts to ponder:
What family traditions can I establish (or for wives, lovingly suggest to your husbands) to help my kids (or kids-to-be) understand that Christmas is about God's gift of Christ to mankind, not our gifts to one another for our entertainment? Are there any activities I'm doing right now, that might seem "good", but does not build me up in my faith? Do I give gifts so others will think well of me, or because I'm consciously considering the eternal impact of my giving?

Blessed Redeemer, holy Father God, may Your name forever be praised!

Help me to remember how You give gifts, so that I might give them the same way; with agape love. Oh, search my heart Lord and know it. Test my heart and my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me Father and lead me in the Way everlasting. If I say I am Your child, help me to look more and more like You, so that others will see Jesus in me. Don't let me hide this great Treasure in this broken jar of clay. But teach me Father to humbly lift up my broken life, with all its imperfect pieces so that You might make something beautiful of it.

Thank You Jesus for making Yourself nothing, so that I might be what I could've never been on my own; a child of the Most High God. May Your name alone forever be praised! Amen.

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Righteousness Comes From God

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 06:00:00 +0000

ADVENT ~ Day 3
December 2, 2009

Scripture Passage:
READ Psalm 24:1-6

Who is worthy to approach the LORD? He is Sovereign. He is good. By His might, He created the heavens, the earth and all that it is within it. Time cannot encompass Him. There is nothing in all creation that can overpower Him. He is self-sustaining. He is majestic. He is holy. He is glorious. He is perfect. He is righteous. He is just.

God is so awesome, so brilliant, so holy; and the magnitude of His righteousness is so pure and powerful, that the Bible says no man can see God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20)!

In our Scripture reading today, we find King David, perfectly assessing the level of righteousness a person must possess, in order to approach God, and not die.

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.”
~ Psalm 24:4

Well, that leaves me out! And not just me, but everyone I’ve ever known or heard of! There is not one person who has lived, is living and will live, that is qualified to fulfill all of God’s righteous requirements in order to be made acceptable, to approach His holy presence – except for the Person of Jesus Christ.

Jesus alone has:

Clean hands: hands that have never shed innocent blood nor hated anyone in his heart. (Matthew 5:43-48, 1 John 3:15)
A pure heart: a heart that has never conceived to break God’s Law (the Ten Commandments) or devised evil to lead himself or anyone else into sin. (Proverbs 20:9, Hebrew 4:15)
Righteous worship: a soul that refuses to give reverence, honor or praise to false gods; instead, worships the LORD God alone, who is the Maker of every soul. (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Matthew 4:8-10)
Honorable speech: a tongue that faithfully speaks the truth, will not boast, defends the rights of the poor, does not flatter and is full of the wisdom that comes from God. (Psalm 101:7, Isaiah 53:9, 1 Peter 2:22-23)

Our Lord Jesus was born of a virgin, in order to die, so that sinners might be born again, in order to live. He gave us His righteousness, because we had none of our own, for “none is righteous, no, not one.” (Psalm 143:2, Romans 3:10)

Therefore, let us give Christ His due honor and praise as we dedicate our hearts to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. And let us not forget what a precious time of Advent God has granted us by cleansing ourselves from the commercialism of Christmas, and fixing our hearts and minds on the reason why we, as Christians, celebrate.

Thoughts to ponder:
Am I living as if I truly believe that I posses the righteousness of Christ? Do I faithfully demonstrate to God, my love and gratitude for my salvation by setting my personal needs, comforts, ideas or even rights aside, so that others may see Jesus in me? If so, how? If not, what will I do today to remedy this situation?

Gracious LORD God in Heaven, with awesome compassion and abounding grace and mercy, You have cleansed my filthy soul of all unrighteousness with the pure blood of Your Son, Jesus the Christ.

Thank You Father for loving me when I was still Your enemy; hating You, by sinning against You. Thank You Jesus for suffering the wrath of God in my stead and imputing to me, Your righteousness, so that I might be made acceptable in the sight of the Father. Thank You Holy Spirit for faithfully sanctifying me by the washing of water with God’s word.

LORD, I commit to You this day, that Your work of salvation will take precedence in my heart, will be kept at the forefront of my mind, and will be the passion of my soul.

Thank You, heavenly Father, for this time of Advent. Help us to remain in a state of reverence, awe-inspired worship and gratitude as we prepare to remember Your Son’s first coming, as well as looking intently and eagerly with all our hearts, minds and souls daily for His second coming. Jesus, may Your name be praised, forever and ever, Amen.

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Introduction to Advent

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Introduction to Advent

by Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts
Copyright © 2009 by Mark D. Roberts

When is Advent?

Advent is a Christian season that lasts for about four weeks. It begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve, thus there is some variation in its length. (If you're unfamiliar with the idea of Christian seasons, you might find helpful a few pieces I've written: "Overview of the Christian Year,""The Colors of the Christian Year," and "The Christian Year and the Textures of Worship." I should mention that Eastern Orthodox Christians do not recognize Advent per se, but have a longer season that is rather like Advent. Their Nativity Fast begins in the middle of November and is a season for repentance and abstinence.

In our secular American celebration of Christmas, the Christmas season (or Holiday season, ugh) begins in the weeks prior to Christmas Day. Generally, this season starts in early December, though retailers have a bad habit of beginning Christmas in November (or even October). A couple of weeks ago, for example, I shopped in a J.C. Penney department store that was fully decked out for Christmas and was playing Christmas music non-stop while I shopped. Shame on them! In my rule book, you shouldn't listen to Christmas music or turn on Christmas lights until after you've finished the Thanksgiving turkey . . . at the earliest.

What is Advent?

The Christian season of Christmas actually begins on Christmas Eve and lasts for twelve days, ending on January 6. (No, the twelve-day season of Christmas did not start with the song. It was the other way around.) The time before Christmas is Advent, a season of preparation for Christmas. Christians prepare for celebrating the birth of Jesus by remembering the longing of the Jews for a Messiah. In Advent we're reminded of how much we also need a Savior, and we look forward to our Savior's second coming even as we prepare to celebrate his first coming at Christmas. Indeed, the word Advent comes from the Latin word that means "coming" or "visit." In the season with this name, we keep in mind both "advents" of Christ, the first in Bethlehem and the second yet to come.

If you're unfamiliar with Advent, I expect it might feel odd to think of the weeks before Christmas as something more than Christmastime. For most of my life, Advent played very little role in my pre-Christmas consciousness. As a child, I did have Advent calendars, sturdy, decorative paper displays with 25 little "windows," one of which I would open each day of December leading up to Christmas. My Advent calendar was a way to whet my appetite for Christmas, not that I needed much help to get ready for my favorite day of the year, mind you. I loved Christmas when I was young, partly because it celebrated the birth of Jesus, but mostly because it was a giant party in which I received lots of presents. In a sense, the Christian observance is a bit like my boyhood Advent calendars, though it has a much more serious purpose. It's meant to get us ready, not for a present-opening party, but for a transformational celebration of the birth of Jesus.

What Colors Are Used in Advent?

There are a few other things about Advent that you might find odd if you're unfamiliar with them. The strangest might be the Advent color scheme. We associate Christmas and the weeks leading up to it with typical Christmas colors: red, green, white, silver, and gold. Advent, on the other hand, features purple (or dark blue) and pink. The purple/blue color signifies seriousness, repentance, and royalty. Pink points to the minor theme of Advent, which is joy. The first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent are "purple/blue" Sundays. Only the third is a "pink" Sunday. The pink, joyful color reminds us that, even as Advent helps us get in touch with our sober yearning for God to come to us, we know that he did in fact come in the person of Jesus. Thus our minor-themed waiting has a grace note of joy mixed in. If you've seen a traditionally-colored Advent wreath will recognize the purple and pink colors of this season (with the central, white, Christ-candle for Christmas Eve/Day). But if you're unfamiliar with Advent and happen to attend a church service in early December in a church that recognizes Advent, you might be startled to see lots of purple, a bit of pink, and no red or green. (Many churches combine the colors of Advent and Christmas, however, so visitors won't be completely perplexed.)

Starting tomorrow, Tuesday, December 2 2009, I will begin posting Advent devotionals until Christmas Eve.

Please join me and invite others, as we daily prepare our hearts, minds, souls and strength in devotion to remember, honor, and worship the First Coming of the King of kings and the Lord of lords, our Master and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
~ Isaiah 58:13-14

Christian Advent holiday web theme set courtesy of Crystal Cloud Graphics.

A Day of Rest & Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Just in case you're wondering....

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:50:00 +0000

...I'm still here

...still worshiping our Savior

...still seeking the Holy Spirit's counsel

...and still exalting the name of the LORD God Almighty for His faithfulness!

I know I haven't updated everyone in a long time, but I really didn't feel that it was right to do so without first answering a very important question from one of my readers. And since I've been so ill, my mind has not been what it once used to be and I have so much "brain-fog" and trouble making sense of most things, I had been unable to respond to her, and was only able to post my response just last week.

So, here's a quick update for those of you who have asked....and just so you know, I truly covet all your prayers, your encouraging comments and emails. You are all such beautiful blessings from God to me.

The latest is that my blood is still having trouble keeping B12 in my system and no one knows why. So I still take shots (my darling husband gives them to me because I had to have them so often). My Gastroenterologist recently referred me to my 4th. Hematologist at UT Southwestern. UT Southwestern is like the Mayo Clinic of Texas and everyone there has been very good to me. I have to be honest, I've really been more impressed and received better care at UT Southwestern, than from the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic.

I get my blood checked again this Wednesday to see if I'm finally holding B12, and if my MMA (methylmalonic acid) and B12 levels are still in the normal range. If they are, then I can wait a whole FOUR weeks before I have to get my blood checked again....AND before I have to get another shot! Isn't God SO good?! I am pretty sure this is the news I will get, so I am pretty excited about my blood test on Wednesday...and this is not something I often say. If all goes well, I'll finally be cleared to have B12 shots only once a month for life. Isn't that such GREAT news?!

Both my Hematologist and Gastroenterlogist said that I needed to have a procedure done that was mentioned when I was hospitalized in June, then again at release and also at the Mayo Clinic. So, it was scheduled for last Tuesday and we should get the results back sometime this week. The procedure is called a Capsule Endoscopy. It's basically a horse pill with a camera in it. I swallow the pill and wear a computer thingy around me all day while the camera works it's way through my digestive tract, taking pictures and loading it onto the computer I'm wearing. So, that was interesting...to say the least.

While all this has been going on, I had to go see my Neurologist again and get another MRI due to constantly progressing, severe back pain, as well as pain going all the way down my left leg to my foot and also down my right leg, just to my knee. I've never really quite gotten much relief since finding out nearly two years ago (March 2008) that I had two slipped discs and one that was herniated. I went to PT (physical therapy) for 6 weeks last year, was put on steroids for the inflammation, but still had severe pain all the time, even though I continued my PT exercises.

I got an MRI just a few weeks ago and found that I now have degenerative disc disease (which really isn't a disease at all, just a condition where several of my discs are dehydrated). We also found out that I now have two herniate discs, instead of one and one of them (the same one they found last year that never healed, but got worse) has a VERY small BENIGN tumor on it. It's smaller than 2 mm. I'm not even sure how they saw that tiny little thing. The GREAT news is that it's not the kind that will ever get cancerous, so there's nothing to worry about except if it gets bigger and gets in the way of something, but if that's as bad as it gets...I think is not really a big deal.

So now I go to PT and Spinal Decompression Therapy Monday through Thursday for a couple of hours. Hopefully, I'll only need to do this for a total of 20 sessions. And who knows, God may choose to heal me sooner!

Through all this, the LORD our God continues to show me how incredibly merciful, kind and abundantly gracious and compassionate He is! He is truly faithful, even when we are faithless; for He can not deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD! And for everything God takes away, He also provides blessings elsewhere, sometimes tangible and sometimes intangible; if we don't see it, it isn't because God hasn't provided, it's because we're missing it by focusing too much on self and too little on His magnificence.

Our Father God has been so gracious to teach me the way of His precepts and counsel me with His testimonies, that this extended time of physical "illness/weakness" has been such a blessed time of spiritual healing/strengthening. God alone can do such GREAT and AWESOME things! Hallelujah to our blessed Savior, Christ Jesus our Lord! May each of God's childrens' lives bring Him the utmost glory, honor and praise! May the name of Jesus be exalted forever and ever! Hallelujah!

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead."

~ Philippians 3:8-11

A Day of Rest & Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Reader's Q & A

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 22:36:00 +0000

About four months ago, a reader emailed me a question. I'm delighted to finally be able to answer this very important question, but also very sad that it has taken me so long to do it. As most of you know, I've been quite ill for some time now and well, my thinking hasn't been clear enough, nor has time been made available to me, in order for me to give proper attention to this reader's question. But I trust our Lord God is sovereign and He has allowed all this time to pass for a reason. With this knowledge, and with the reader's permission to publicly post this answer (while leaving her identity anonymous, as requested), I move forward to one of the things that bring me great joy; exhorting brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ all the more as we see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25).

This answer will be saturated with Scripture, as God clearly states that He alone is qualified to answer on His behalf. So I choose to allow God's word to speak rather than share any opinion which may be solely based on my personal experience or from what others have written or spoken. Therefore, please be sure to be like the Bereans and read every Scripture that is noted and test it with the Word of God for yourself, so that your faith is founded only in the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ, and not that of any man or woman; as we are all but fallible human beings who worship the one and only perfect and awesome Savior, the LORD God Almighty.

"Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. [Acts 17:11]...And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. [1 Corinthians 2:1-5]...but test everything; hold fast to what is good. [1 Thessalonians 5:21]...Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. [1 John 4:1]"

QUESTION:

"My question is about your post concerning the young man who killed some people at a church. You posted his letter, which I read. My question is why, if this person was so desperately seeking God, did He not answer? From his letter, it seems this young man was trying to find God...searching for Him the best that he could. The Bible also says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21). Wasn't that young man drawn to Jesus (John 6:44); he was certainly crying out to Him?

If one is searching for God, not something to fill what only He can fill, but truly seeking God, isn't that being drawn BY Him TO Him?"

ANSWER:

According to Scripture, God always answers...His children; that is, those who are called by Him and granted the gift of repentance that leads to salvation (Romans 2:4, Romans 8:28-30, 2 Corinthians 7:10).

In order to best understand the answer to this reader's question, we must first search God's word to understand His character; His character as He reveals in Scripture, and not by man's attempt to describe God by limited human logic and reasoning. Once we've done that, then we will be able to better discern what exactly happened to this poor soul who took the lives of many others before taking his own, after "attempting" to "find God".

First, let me share that the LORD our God is most certainly not lost; we are. That is why Jesus said He came for the "lost" (Luke 19:10). We, do not "find" God, He finds us in our wretched and depraved state, saves us from our miry pit of destruction, and puts us in a right relationship with Him (Psalm 40:1-4). Think about it. If God were a god that you had to "find", then that would imply that he is fallible and has a very poor sense of direction. And who would want to worship and follow a god who not only has no idea where he is going, but also needs your help in order to have a relationship with you? Doesn't make much sense does it?

Okay, now that we've got that all cleared up, let's consider how we might best gain understanding of God's awesome and holy nature revealed to us in His word. When we read Scripture, first, we must all be in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit, Who alone can discern the thoughts of God our Father, to help us understand what it is we are reading (1 Corinthians 2:10-13), that we might accurately divide the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15). For the LORD clearly states in Jeremiah 9:24, "but let him who boasts boasts in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love [lovingkindness], justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

In reading God's word, we too often (especially us women) read it based on our emotions or personal experience rather than on God and His holy and unchangeable character. As we see in the aforementioned Scripture (Jeremiah 9:24), God desires that we understand and know Him, that He is a God who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. We all seem to like the "lovingkindness, steadfast love" part of the LORD, but seem to negate that He is also a just and righteous God who demands that justice be executed and holiness be perfected in everyone who calls on the name of the Lord. Who can stand before such an awesome God? No one, except the man, Jesus Christ the Lord.

Note: It is impossible for any human being to be perfect or be found righteous before the sight of God. But God, in His great mercy, compassion and grace, has declared righteous, those He has called...."For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." [2 Corinthians 5:21]

The reader states: "From his letter, it seems this young man was trying to find God...searching for Him the best that he could. The Bible also says that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21). Wasn't that young man drawn to Jesus (John 6:44); he was certainly crying out to Him?"

The key word here is "seems". No one can know with absolute certainty, another person's heart; only God knows.

What we can ascertain is God's nature and how He relates to His creation, particularly human beings. And we do this by how the Lord has reveals Himself in Scripture:

"The LORD passed before him [Moses] and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and fourth generation.' "
~ Exodus 34:6-7

The most amazing thing about this passage is the fact that the LORD God Himself is proclaiming His nature; revealing His very character to His children.

In Psalm 103:8-13, King David echoes this truth, in which the LORD God proclaimed of Himself to His servant Moses, "The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will He keep His anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does He remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear Him."

The key phrase in this passage is, "those who fear Him". We'll come back to that in a bit.

One of the most misapplied Scriptures in churches today is that "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." [Acts 2:21] to mean that everyone and anyone who merely states their desire to go to Heaven rather than Hell, will be saved and that God will indeed grant them eternal life. But this great misunderstanding is far from being true.

Don't be convinced by my words. Be convinced by God's words:

"though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad -- in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of Him who calls -- she was told, 'the older will serve the younger.' As it is written, 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'

What shall we say then? Is there injustice in God's part? By no means! For He says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.' So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy."

~ Romans 9:11-16

It is written in Scripture that only those God has called to Himself will have the ability to "cry out to God" out of a true and repentant heart.

"I am the Good Shepherd. I know My own and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for my sheep [Jews]. And I have other sheep [Gentiles] that are not of this fold . I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. So there will be one flock, one Shepherd. [John 10:14-16]...You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you [John 15:16]...My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand [John 10:27-29].

Now, let's return to the phrase "to those who fear Him." God repeats this phrase all throughout Scripture, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Here are just a few:

"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and delivers them. [Psalm 34:7]...The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He makes known to them His covenant. [Psalm 25:14]...Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, on those who hope in His steadfast love, [Psalm 33:18]...Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, that glory may dwell in our land. [Psalm 85:9]...but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His steadfast love.[Psalm 147:11]...Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed His name. [Malachi 3:16]...And His mercy is for those who fear Him from generation to generation. [Luke 1:50]...The nations raged, but Your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, and for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.” [Revelation 11:18]

We know that when God repeats Himself, not only is the point He is repeating vitally important, but we can know with certainty that our merciful, kind and patient God wants us to really "get it".

The reason why it "seemed" like this man was truly "seeking" our God who is not lost, is because he is passionate in his plea. But we must remember, passion does not equal sincerity. If you reread Matthew Murray's letter (addressed to God), in the light of God's word and in the brilliance of God's holy character, you will clearly see that this man was not truly "seeking" God. Instead he was seeking the approval of other people and for someone to come into agreement with his personal theology and way of thinking. In other words, he was seeking false gods. Matthew Murray created idols of the "people of the church" and tried to create them to be the kind of people he thought would accept him, pity him, befriend him and ultimately benefit him somehow.

If you recall, in Matthew Murray's letter, he curses at God, blasphemes His holy name (all, which I blacked out), and drowns his entire letter with tidal waves of arrogance, self-exaltation, and the idea that the world and God owed him something (1 Timothy 6:3-5, 2 Timothy 3:2-5). This is truly not a man who is crying out to God with a broken and repentant heart; because if he were, then his letter would've been filled with adjectives used by "those who fear Him", and not by those who dishonor God, His name and His character.

Matthew Murray was very obviously in love with his sin. And God clearly states that He never listens (not that He doesn't hear, but He doesn't hear and act on) the prayers of such people (Psalm 66:18). Unlike us, God cannot be fooled and He will not be mocked. He is faithful to do all that He has claimed.

Therefore to conclude my answer to this reader's question, I will end with this:

The LORD God is absolute when He states that He only saves those He has called (Matthew 24:31). And He is faithful to save every single one of them (John 18:9). Without God's call of salvation on a soul, no person will ever desire God on his own, no matter how much they say they do (Romans 3:10-12); for we know our hearts are deceitful and wicked above all things and only the Lord our God can truly know it (Jeremiah 17:9-10). God is faithful; His character is not dependent on the act(s) or proclamations of men, "What if some were unfaithful: Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar,' " [Romans 3:3-4b]

I believe this last passage of Scripture I will share, perfectly answers what happened to Matthew Murray; tragically, a false convert, who chose to "believe" in a god of the false, watered-down, man-centered gospel (Galatians 1:6-9), that has no power to save a soul, but merely tickles itching ears (2 Timothy 4:3-4), as the hearer plummets down the slippery slope of destruction (Psalm 73:18-20).

"The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ear toward their cry. The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken. Affliction will slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned."

~ Psalm 34:15-22

A Day of Rest & Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:29:00 +0000

What's In a Word?

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Do words really matter? Does the true meaning of words really matter? Does it matter how we use words, when we say them, and to whom we attribute them?

The Holy Spirit of God inspired King David to write:

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer."

~ Psalm 19:14

Our Savior Jesus Christ, when He was here, said:

"I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

~ Matthew 12:36-37

It is apparent that according to God, words are very important; how we use them, what we mean by them, when we say them and to whom we attribute them. After all, it is also written in Scripture through the Apostle John that:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

Jesus Himself is the Word of God. God chose to reveal Himself to us through His Word; through His spoken and written word. Through God's word (the holy Scriptures), the Holy Spirit leads us into understanding the deep mysteries of God that the world cannot understand or fathom.

"But, as it is written,

'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him' --

these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

~ 1 Corinthians 2:9-14

So why then as Christians are we not more careful about our words? Why are we not more considerate about how we use them, when we say them, what we actually mean by them and to whom we attribute them? I believe it is for various reasons we are all familiar with - yours truly included. Most of which, is that we're just not really paying close attention to our words or the attitude of our hearts when we speak.

We'll only take a look at two (2) most commonly misused words in the English language amongst Christians and unbelievers alike:

AWESOME

Personally, I know I have misused words often because I'm excited, or want to express that excitement to others. For example, prior to about 6 years ago, I used to use the word "AWESOME" all the time. I would use this word to describe my elation or simple enjoyment from something or someone. If I liked a person and really enjoyed my time with them, I would say, "Oh, you're so AWESOME!". If I liked something they did or said, or wanted to share a particular experience I had that I truly enjoyed, I'd say, "Wow, that was AWESOME!".

I stopped using this word, except to attribute it to God, or the things of God, the day a precious sister kindly rebuked me when I told her I thought her teaching was "AWESOME!". She gently said to me, "Sunny, I thank you for your encouragement. But I assure you that neither my teaching nor anything about me is AWESOME." I argued with her and tried to share with her why I was right. She patiently listened, then said, "Sunny, do you really understand what "awesome" means?" I told her, "Not really. I hadn't ever really thought about it." But I took a stab at it anyway and said, "Does it mean exceptional or really wonderful?" She lovingly said, "No. The word awesome means, 'to inspire awe'. So then we have to look at the definition of the word "awe". Awe means, 'an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like'. So, Sunny, let me ask you another question. Do you agree with me that by the true definition of this word, only God and His magnificent works is truly worthy of being called awesome? I mean, is there anything or anyone in this world that you have every truly felt was so grand, so wonderful, so magnificent that you were in awe of them or what they had done? Because if that's the case, then we have another problem to discuss." I had to concede, she was right and I was wrong.

God alone is awesome. God alone causes me to stand in awe, breathless, and totally overwhelmed by His grandeur.

I shared this wonderful truth with my family, and since that day, none of us ever apply or attribute the word "AWESOME" to anything or anyone except God and His wondrous works.

All throughout Scripture, the only time God applies the word "awesome", He uses it only as an attribute of Himself or to describe His magnificent works. Therefore, as His children, why should we carelessly use this word to describe anyone or anything else except God?

GOOD

I've often used this word to mean "nice". But the LORD our God has been so gracious to reveal to me that the words "nice" and "GOOD" do not mean the same thing.

nice adj. - pleasing; agreeable; delightful

good adj. - morally excellent or perfect; virtuous; righteous; pious

With understanding the true definitions of the words "good" and "nice" I realized I could no longer use them interchangeably and, I perceived better why my Lord Jesus said,

"Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone."

~ Luke 18:19

It always perplexed me that Jesus said that; being that He IS God, why did He question the man who called Him "good"? I never understood fully, until I accurately understood what "good" meant.

When I finally grasped the true meaning of this overly misused word, I finally understood why Jesus thought it very important to first clarify this man's definition of the word "good" before He continued to speak with him. Jesus wanted to make sure that the man who called Him "good" was attributing this word to Him only because this man recognized Jesus to be God, and not merely a "nice" man or for the sake of flattery.

Anytime God stops the flow of a conversation (or even a listing of genealogy to clarify something, i.e., Genesis 5:22) it is always "good" to pray, ask and listen to the Holy Spirit as He leads you into all truth (John 14:26); so that we might understand and know Him more, in order to love Him better.

From this wonderful teaching of the Holy Spirit, I began to only use the word "good' when speaking of God or the things of God. Therefore, I've taught my sons:

"Anything absent of God, is absent of good; since God alone is good.

Till this day, I still ask my sons, "Did you have a 'good' day or 'nice' day?" And they know exactly what I mean. :-)

Things to consider:

Have you ever used the words "awesome" and "good" inaccurately? If so, will you every do it again?
Are there any other words you've regularly use that you're convicted should only be attributed to God or the things of God? If so, please share.
How has God's Holy Spirit convicted you today from this article and what will you do about it today?

"Thus says the LORD:

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understand and knows me, that I AM the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."

~ Jeremiah 9:23-24

A Day of Rest & Worship

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 21:17:00 +0000

A New Creature

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:04:00 +0000

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:1-5

If the Word of God (Jesus) has not transformed you; be sure, the Word of God (Jesus) does not live within you.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17

Texas Revival Series - Evangelism Conference

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:51:00 +0000

I wanted to invite all of you and your families (including your kids, teens and up) to a fabulous evangelism conference that will be held next Saturday, September 26 from 1:00 - 8:00 p.m., right here in TEXAS!!! Hallelujah!

Please pass this on to others who you know will be encouraged by a conference like this! :-)

This conference sponsored by First Baptist Church of Justin and The Lost Cause Ministries. (TLC) Two faithful brothers and fervent men of God, Jon Speed and Tim Crawford (of TLC) are heading up this conference.

All four of our family members are attending and we're so excited! These are the guys I go to UNT with every Tuesday to evangelize and our whole family has evangelized with these guys numerous times. We love them! They are such great men of faith and God has used them mightily to exhort us and remind us why we are still here.

They have a fabulous line of speakers who will speak for about 55 minutes with a 5 minute break in between each speaker. We will also have a 2-hour break for dinner.

Oh, and here's the BEST part! These guys are not just talkers, or only "hearers" of the Word, but faithful doers. So after the conference they will take a team and hit the streets to evangelize! This last part however, is voluntary, so please come as the Holy Spirit leads you, and not just when you feel comfortable. If it makes you feel better, I'm scared ALL the time to evangelize. Really, I am. But God is always faithful to empower me from on high. And if you are willing, I know He will do the same for you, for our Lord shows no favoritism. :-)

The conference is FREE, but you must register since space is limited. Below are all the details:

CONFERENCE:
Texas Revival Series
DATE:
Saturday, September 26, 2009
TIME:
1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
(w/2-hr dinner break, see schedule below)
LOCATION:
FBC Justin
402 8th Street
Justin, TX 76247

We’re excited about the powerful preaching we’re going to hear, the opportunity to fellowship with like minded believers, and the outreach afterwards in Sundance Square in Fort Worth.

We’re so excited, we want everyone to know about it. We’ve been advertising the event on KDKR 91.3, on Facebook ads, by email, with postcards, and elsewhere on the internet.

We think that you will agree; it’s not often we get this caliber of evangelism training and just good old fashioned preaching in DFW.

Keep in mind that our speakers are known for their passion for the Word of God and evangelism.

SPEAKERS:

Keith Daniel, a committed preacher of the Word from South Africa, has been coming to this country for years and the Lord has greatly used him during those times to bring many to faith in Christ.
Randall Easter, an evangelistic pastor and a friend of Paul Washer’s, is a man of God who serves the Lord with great passion for His Word and His people.
Mack Tomlinson is a busy conference speaker who was discipled by Leonard Ravenhill and on the board of HeartCry Missionary Society.
Mike Gendron is in demand as a speaker on witnessing to Roman Catholics.

We’re blessed to have each of these men speak.

This will also be a time to get informed about evangelism resources. Ministry tables will include: Way of the Master, One Million Tracts, Custom Tract Source, Gospel for Asia, and more.

When it’s all over, those who are interested will take the gospel to the streets of Fort Worth. This is not a conference where people are encouraged only to be a hearer of the Word. Our prayer is that people will become doers of the Word.

Freebies:

Remember, it is FREE to attend this conference. In addition to the conference being free, we’re giving away:

One copy of the evangelistic DVD “Missing Heaven Unaware” to each household that’s registered.
One copy of the book “Evangelism in the New Testament” to each household.

Calling all sisters...

sunnysblog@jimshellfamily.com — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:11:00 +0000

...in the Lord Jesus Christ, who live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area!

Will you fervently cry out to God and ask Him to send you to the University of North Texas (UNT) to preach the Gospel of Christ to those who are depraved and destitute? For we know that all who are without Christ, are depraved and destitute.

Me and a band of faithful brothers meet EVERY Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at UNT. Unfortunately, I am the only sister who is there, and I urge you, there are many more of us needed. The harvest is truly white, but the laborers are too few [Luke 10:2, John 4:34-35].

I've prayed for many, many years, that when I grew up, the Lord would make me a missionary. And for many years I have been dismayed with every missions opportunity that arose, because every time I would ask, the Lord would tell me "No."

I told the Lord, "Father, I will go anywhere! Anywhere! To Africa, to Romania, to Russia, the Czech Republic, anywhere Father, anywhere! Just please send me! For if you do not send me, how can I go?"

For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

How then will they call on Him in Whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
~ Romans 10:13-15a

I pleaded with the Lord for years and years to send me out into the mission field. Then the Lord opened my eyes so that I could see what He sees, and He opened my mind and heart so that I could understand what He understands. And it is this:

All God's children are missionaries, for this world is not our home. While we are still here on earth, while we still have breath, we are commanded to go out into all the earth and preach the Good News of Christ, but first in Jerusalem (our neighborhood), then to Judea (our cities and local towns), then to Samaria (outside of our own city; to neighboring cities within our own state), then finally to the end of the earth (to other states and even other countries).

When we are found faithful in Christ with "little" (sharing the Gospel with our family, neighbors and all those near and around us), God graciously empowers us from on high with strength and faith to do much more [Luke 19:17-19].

After the Lord had kindly granted me the strength and faith to be a missionary by preaching the Gospel of Christ to my family and neighbors; out of His immeasurable mercy and kindness, He granted me the strength and faith to preach the Gospel of Christ in "Judea"; that is, neighboring cities within my state.

So I see now, that the LORD God has faithfully answered my prayers that were prayed according to His good and perfect will. He has made me a missionary...it was when I was four - when He saved my soul from the pit of Hell and transformed me into His holy child, through repentance and faith in the only name under Heaven, given among all people by which we must be saved; the name of His Son, Jesus the Christ [Acts 4:12].

Please come and join me and labor in the field at UNT. If the Lord is sending you, then please email me and I will give you further details.