Motherhood Is a Calling (And Where Your Children Rank)

 By: Rachel Jankovic

Originally Posted on: Desiring God blog

A few years ago, when I just had four children and when the oldest was still three, I loaded them all up to go on a walk. After the final sippy cup had found a place and we were ready to go, my two-year-old turned to me and said, “Wow! You have your hands full!”

She could have just as well said, “Don’t you know what causes that?” or “Are they all yours?!”
Everywhere you go, people want to talk about your children. Why you shouldn’t have had them, how you could have prevented them, and why they would never do what you have done. They want to make sure you know that you won’t be smiling anymore when they are teenagers. All this at the grocery store, in line, while your children listen.

A Rock-Bottom Job?

 

The truth is that years ago, before this generation of mothers was even born, our society decided where children rank in the list of important things. When abortion was legalized, we wrote it into law.

Children rank way below college. Below world travel for sure. Below the ability to go out at night at your leisure. Below honing your body at the gym. Below any job you may have or hope to get. In fact, children rate below your desire to sit around and pick your toes, if that is what you want to do. Below everything. Children are the last thing you should ever spend your time doing.

If you grew up in this culture, it is very hard to get a biblical perspective on motherhood, to think like a free Christian woman about your life, your children. How much have we listened to partial truths and half lies? Do we believe that we want children because there is some biological urge, or the phantom “baby itch”? Are we really in this because of cute little clothes and photo opportunities? Is motherhood a rock-bottom job for those who can’t do more, or those who are satisfied with drudgery? If so, what were we thinking?

It's Not a Hobby

 

Motherhood is not a hobby, it is a calling. You do not collect children because you find them cuter than stamps. It is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for.

Christian mothers carry their children in hostile territory. When you are in public with them, you are standing with, and defending, the objects of cultural dislike. You are publicly testifying that you value what God values, and that you refuse to value what the world values. You stand with the defenseless and in front of the needy. You represent everything that our culture hates, because you represent laying down your life for another—and laying down your life for another represents the gospel.

Our culture is simply afraid of death. Laying down your own life, in any way, is terrifying. Strangely, it is that fear that drives the abortion industry: fear that your dreams will die, that your future will die, that your freedom will die—and trying to escape that death by running into the arms of death.

Run to the Cross

 

But a Christian should have a different paradigm. We should run to to the cross. To death. So lay down your hopes. Lay down your future. Lay down your petty annoyances. Lay down your desire to be recognized. Lay down your fussiness at your children. Lay down your perfectly clean house. Lay down your grievances about the life you are living. Lay down the imaginary life you could have had by yourself. Let it go.

Death to yourself is not the end of the story. We, of all people, ought to know what follows death. The Christian life is resurrection life, life that cannot be contained by death, the kind of life that is only possible when you have been to the cross and back.

The Bible is clear about the value of children. Jesus loved them, and we are commanded to love them, to bring them up in the nurture of the Lord. We are to imitate God and take pleasure in our children.

The Question Is How

 

The question here is not whether you are representing the gospel, it is how you are representing it. Have you given your life to your children resentfully? Do you tally every thing you do for them like a loan shark tallies debts? Or do you give them life the way God gave it to us—freely?

It isn’t enough to pretend. You might fool a few people. That person in line at the store might believe you when you plaster on a fake smile, but your children won’t. They know exactly where they stand with you. They know the things that you rate above them. They know everything you resent and hold against them. They know that you faked a cheerful answer to that lady, only to whisper threats or bark at them in the car.
Children know the difference between a mother who is saving face to a stranger and a mother who defends their life and their worth with her smile, her love, and her absolute loyalty.

Hands Full of Good Things

 

When my little girl told me, “Your hands are full!” I was so thankful that she already knew what my answer would be. It was the same one that I always gave: “Yes they are—full of good things!”

Live the gospel in the things that no one sees. Sacrifice for your children in places that only they will know about. Put their value ahead of yours. Grow them up in the clean air of gospel living. Your testimony to the gospel in the little details of your life is more valuable to them than you can imagine. If you tell them the gospel, but live to yourself, they will never believe it. Give your life for theirs every day, joyfully. Lay down pettiness. Lay down fussiness. Lay down resentment about the dishes, about the laundry, about how no one knows how hard you work.

Stop clinging to yourself and cling to the cross. There is more joy and more life and more laughter on the other side of death than you can possibly carry alone.

We are all going--and will soon be gone!

(J.C. Ryle, "Eternity!" 1878)

"So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
 For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
     2 Corinthians 4:18

"This world in its present form is passing away." 1 Corinthians 7:31

"What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while--and then vanishes!" James 4:14

We live in a world where all things are temporary and passing away. Surely, a man must be blind, who cannot realize this. Everything around us is decaying, dying, and coming to an end.

We are all going, going, going--whether . . .
  eminent or unimportant,
  gentle or cruel,
  rich or poor,
  old or young.
We are all going--and will soon be gone!

The houses we live in,
the homes we love,
the riches we accumulate,
the professions we follow,
the plans we formulate,
the relations we enter into--
they are only for a short time!

Oh, you who love the world--awake to see things in their true light, before it is too late. The things you live for now, are all temporary and passing away! The pleasures, the amusements, the recreations, the profits, the earthly callings, which now absorb all your heart and drink up your entire mind--will soon be over! They are poor fleeting things, which cannot last.
Oh, do not love them too much;
do not hold on to them too tightly;
do not make them your idols!
You cannot keep them--and you must leave them!

This same thought ought to cheer and comfort every true Christian. Your trials, crosses, and conflicts--are all temporary! Your cross will soon be exchanged for a crown!

"What is unseen is eternal." The world which we are going to, is  . . .
  an endless eternity,
  a sea without a bottom,
  and an ocean without a shore!

"And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18

Winning requires Discipline - Tim Conway

Keep Out That Monster Unbelief!

"How long will it be ere they believe me?"—Numbers 14:11.

Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonours Christ, that He will withdraw His visible presence if we insult Him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal and perseverance. Among hateful things it is the most to be abhorred. Its injurious nature is so venomous that he that exerciseth it and he upon whom it is exercised are both hurt thereby. In thy case, O believer! it is most wicked, for the mercies of thy Lord in the past, increase thy guilt in doubting Him now. When thou dost distrust the Lord Jesus, He may well cry out, "Behold I am pressed under you, as a cart is pressed that is full of sheaves." This is crowning His head with thorns of the sharpest kind. It is very cruel for a well-beloved wife to mistrust a kind and faithful husband. The sin is needless, foolish, and unwarranted. Jesus has never given the slightest ground for suspicion, and it is hard to be doubted by those to whom our conduct is uniformly affectionate and true. Jesus is the Son of the Highest, and has unbounded wealth; it is shameful to doubt Omnipotence and distrust all-sufficiency. The cattle on a thousand hills will suffice for our most hungry feeding, and the granaries of heaven are not likely to be emptied by our eating. If Christ were only a cistern, we might soon exhaust His fulness, but who can drain a fountain? Myriads of spirits have drawn their supplies from Him, and not one of them has murmured at the scantiness of His resources. Away, then, with this lying traitor unbelief, for his only errand is to cut the bonds of communion and make us mourn an absent Saviour. Bunyan tells us that unbelief has "as many lives as a cat:" if so, let us kill one life now, and continue the work till the whole nine are gone. Down with thee, thou traitor, my heart abhors thee.
~Charles Morning Meditation, August 27th

A New Day~ Song played on Faith Like Potatoes

A Little More of Jesus Today

By Jonathan Parnell 

Imagine your life completely conformed to the image of Christ.

Sanctification has ceased. Glorification has arrived. There's perfect joy in Jesus at every moment. Your entire character — every thought and feeling and word and action — completely saturated with Jesus and the good news of what he has done. Imagine that.

And now remember that it won't happen in this life. It is not a reality we will attain in this world. Yet it is a reality that we should desire and strive toward. In other words, we earnestly aim at a target we will not hit, at least not now, not here. Not yet. That's how John Calvin explains it in Book III of The Institutes.

Watered-Down Standards?

Conceding that Christians won't reach perfect conformity to Jesus's image in this age, Calvin says this doesn't mean we call it quits. Nor do we drop the bar. Explains the Reformer, "For it is not lawful for you to divide things with God in such a manner that you undertake part of those things which are enjoined upon you by his Word but omit part, according to your own judgment" (688).

Christlikeness, after all, is what we are after. More of Jesus's divine life in us is what we pursue. But this kind of conformity isn't graded on a bell curve.

It's not as if we can pick and choose the aspects of holiness we prefer. That's like saying as long as we're patient we don't have to be gentle. Or that we'll take Jesus's peace but leave his kindness. But it's all or nothing. He's one Jesus. The example before us — and the Image into which we are being conformed — is one person. Morally, Jesus is the total package, and our calling is no less.

Keep Running

Now this may feel discouraging. The distance between what we should be and what we are is so great, and our progress, Holy-Spirit helped as it is, is so slow. Calvin acknowledges that we waver. We limp and creep along the ground at a feeble rate.

Yet he adds, with a tender, solid enthusiasm:

Let each one of us, then, proceed according to the measure of his puny capacity and set out upon the journey we have begun. No one shall set out so inauspiciously as not daily to make some headway, though it be slight. Therefore, let us not cease so to act that we may make some unceasing progress in the way of the Lord. And let us not despair at the slightness of our success; for even though attainment may not correspond to desire, when today outstrips yesterday the effort is not lost. Only let us look toward our mark with sincere simplicity and aspire to our goal; not fondly flattering ourselves, nor excusing our own evil deeds, but with continuous effort striving toward this end: that we may surpass ourselves in goodness until we attain to goodness itself. It is this, indeed, which through the whole course of life we seek and follow. But we shall attain it only when we have cast off the weakness of the body, and are received into full fellowship with him. (689)

A Little More Each Day

Christian, you will be like Jesus one day (1 John 3:2). The perishable will be overcome by the imperishable and you will bear his image with untarnished glory (1 Corinthians 15:53). He who began a good work in you will complete it (Philippians 1:6). As sure as God is God, he will finish his work. And until that day comes we don't twiddle our thumbs and opt out of the journey. "Look," Calvin tells us, "toward our mark with sincere simplicity and aspire to our goal."

Every day the Father gives us another opportunity to make a little progress here, to have a little more of Jesus here. It is another day that he has created — and in which he has made us to exist — so that we will know what one more degree of glory is like in this world. He has reconciled us to himself in Christ and "in him has stamped for us the likeness to which we would have us conform" (686). Though he'll consummate this conformity in the future, we live now to this end — a little more Jesus today than yesterday. Then more tomorrow. And then more.

O God, give me a little more of your Son today.

Posted on Desiring God blog

The Secret to Mothering with Patience, LAF blog

Greetings everyone!  Hope that you all have had a blessed Lord's Day!  This evening I was reading a short article on the Ladies Against Feminism blog that was very good.  Speaking on having the right attitude in parenting.  As a big sister, I found it very applicable to myself.  It is my duty and privilege to help point my younger siblings to Christ.  So here is the link to the article.  I hope that you will take a few minutes to read it.

Ladies-Against-Feminism.com/The-Secret-To-Mothering-With-Patience

Day 25 of Praise

Dear Lord, how much I appreciate Your viewpoint regarding human status and abilities, failures and weaknesses.  I’m so glad that You, the high and exalted One, are not impressed with the positions people hold . . . that You are not in the least partial or prejudiced . . . that You show no personal favoritism.  Thank You that You have no regard for any external distinctions: for rich or poor, for famous or unknown, for high rank or low, for handsome or homely, for any race or culture above any other . . . but that You do have regard for all who are humble in heart.  Thank You that You are not looking for ideal people with imposing lists of human qualifications, but that You use people whom the world calls foolish and weak, poor and insignificant.  Thank You that You oppose those who exalt themselves, and that You exalt those who humble themselves, giving them Your grace. 

How glad I am that You don’t expect perfect performance.  “You are quick to mark every simple effort to please You, and just as quick to overlook imperfections when I meant to do Your will” (Tozer).  You are full of mercy and compassion toward me.  You know the way I’m put together; You know my limitations; You understand that I am dust.  And I praise You that You are greater than any or all of my failures . . . that as my Potter You are able to mold and remold me, as I submit to Your wisdom and skill . . . that as the Mater Artist You are able to take the dark threads of my life – my wounds, my scars, my blotches, the messes I make, and even my sins – and blend them into a beautiful design, to the praise of the glory of Your grace. 

Thank You that I, a common earthenware jug, contain the priceless treasure of Your life and glory, and so my every victory and accomplishment obviously comes from Your all-prevailing power, and not from me.

Day 24 of Praise

Thank You, my loving and sovereign God, that my failures and mistakes are part of the “all things” You work together for good . . . as well as my tensions and stresses, my hostile and anxious feelings, my failures and regrets, my trips into shame and self-blame – and the specific thing that trigger them.  I praise you that “all thing,” including these, can contribute to my spiritual growth and my experience of You . . ..  When my heart is overwhelmed, I’m more aware of my need to cry to You . . . to take refuge in You . . . to rely on You. 

                                                                                        

I rejoice that these things keep reminding me to depend on You with all my heart . . . that they prompt me to trust in Your love, Your forgiveness, Your power, Your sufficiency, Your ability to overrule, and Your transforming presence within me.  Thank You for the ways that my shortcomings and failures bring pressure on me to open myself to You more fully, and the way they let You show me deep and hidden needs: griefs and hurts that I’ve never poured out before You, that I’ve never exposed to Your healing touch, and sins that I’ve never faced and acknowledged.  How grateful I am for Your constant cleansing as I confess each sin You make me aware of, and then turn back to You as my Lord.  I praise You that I’m free from condemnation simply because Christ died for me and rose again . . . that it doesn’t depend on how well I live. 

            I praise You for how You use my sins and failures to humble me, and for how this opens me to the inflow of Your grace - amazing grace, that enables me to hold my head high, not in pride but in humble gratitude for You r undeserved, unchanging love and total cleansing!

Day 23 of Praise

Thank You that You plan to use for good the struggles my loved ones face—including their disappointing choices, their unwise or even harmful ways of thinking and living, and their side-tracks from going Your way (as I see it—and, Lord, I know I could be wrong!).

I praise You in advance for the part these difficult things are going to play in Your good plan for us—in eventual deliverance and growth and fruitfulness. I’m grateful that in all these thins, the battle is not mine but Yours…and that the final chapter has not yet been written.  How good it is that I can call on You to give me wisdom to know what to say or not say, what to do and not do…and that You live in me so that I can love with Your love, even when it’s hard.  Thank You that these trials force me to trust You more!

I worship before You, my King and my God.  I’m grateful that You command victories for Your people…and that “all things are Your servants.”  You’re a God who acts on behalf of the one who puts his hope in You.  Thank You that You are at work to answer my prayers in Your good way and time.

Thank You for past victories You have won in my loved ones’ lives – for progress and growth and answered prayer – and for the victories we will yet see in the future, to the glory of Your Name.  I praise You that as time goes by, in new ways You will show us Your goodness in the land of the living.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

Day 22 of Praise

Thank You for Your ultimate good purposes in allowing the weaknesses or failures of the person for whom I praised You in Day Twenty-One (indifference? Lack of understanding? Harshness? Explosiveness? Undue need to control? Excessive dependence? Excessive independence? Failure to lead, failure to follow, failure to love? Lacks or failures or even grievous sins?).

I especially want to thank You for what You plan to do through the following this that disappoint me, upset me, make me anxious, or break my heart:

Thank you so much that these things do not make up the whole picture – that this loved one is also wonderfully made, and has a bright side as well as a dull side.  And I rejoice that You are loving and powerful, well able to change this person if and when and as You choose.  Thank You that in the meantime You are working to change me through these imperfections that frustrate or grieve me . . . that my reactions to them throw light on ways I need to grow – to trust You more – and to meet my loved one’s needs more fully, as I let the Holy Spirit fill be with Your love and patience and peace. 

I rejoice that You are able to empower me in difficult times and to give me wisdom in my responses.  You are all-sufficient, more than enough to meet even the deepest needs of my heart, whatever today or the future may bring. 

To sum up, let all be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; not returning evil for evil, or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead . . .

1 Peter 3:8-9

Motherhood as a Mission Field

Article posted on kirkcameron.com.  

So encouraging to all mom's and daughter's that are truly seeking to walk

 in the Lord's design and will for women in the calling that we are privileged to be given by Him! 

Hope you enjoy and are blessed and encouraged!  

 

By Rachel Jankovic 

There is a good old saying, perhaps only said by my Grandfather, that distance adds intrigue. It is certainly true — just think back to anything that has ever been distant from you that is now near. Your driver’s license. Marriage. Children. Things that used to seem so fascinating, but as they draw near become less mystical and more, well, real.

This same principle certainly applies to mission fields too. The closer you get to home, the less intriguing the work of sacrifice seems. As someone once said, “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one wants to help Mom with the dishes.” When you are a mother at home with your children, the church is not clamoring for monthly ministry updates. When you talk to other believers, there is not any kind of awe about what you are sacrificing for the gospel. People are not pressing you for needs you might have, how they can pray for you. It does not feel intriguing, or glamorous. Your work is normal, because it is as close to home as you can possibly be. You have actually gone so far as to become home.

Home: The Headwaters of Mission

If you are a Christian woman who loves the Lord, the gospel is important to you. It is easy to become discouraged, thinking that the work you are doing does not matter much. If you were really doing something for Christ you would be out there, somewhere else, doing it. Even if you have a great perspective on your role in the kingdom, it is easy to lose sight of it in the mismatched socks, in the morning sickness, in the dirty dishes. It is easy to confuse intrigue with value, and begin viewing yourself as the least valuable part of the Church.

There are a number of ways in which mothers need to study their own roles, and begin to see them, not as boring and inconsequential, but as home, the headwaters of missions.

At the very heart of the gospel is sacrifice, and there is perhaps no occupation in the world so intrinsically sacrificial as motherhood. Motherhood is a wonderful opportunity to live the gospel. Jim Elliot famously said, “He is no fool who gives up that which he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.” Motherhood provides you with an opportunity to lay down the things that you cannot keep on behalf of the people that you cannot lose. They are eternal souls, they are your children, they are your mission field.

In Giving We Receive

Florence Nightingale

"He that watereth shall be watered also himself."—Proverbs 11:25.

  We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ourselves watered. How? Our efforts to be useful, bring out our powers for usefulness. We have latent talents and dormant faculties, which are brought to light by exercise. Our strength for labour is hidden even from ourselves, until we venture forth to fight the Lord's battles, or to climb the mountains of difficulty. We do not know what tender sympathies we possess until we try to dry the widow's tears, and soothe the orphan's grief. We often find in attempting to teach others, that we gain instruction for ourselves. Oh, what gracious lessons some of us have learned at sick beds! We went to teach the Scriptures, we came away blushing that we knew so little of them. In our converse with poor saints, we are taught the way of God more perfectly for ourselves and get a deeper insight into divine truth. So that watering others makes us humble. We discover how much grace there is where we had not looked for it; and how much the poor saint may outstrip us in knowledge. Our own comfort is also increased by our working for others. We endeavour to cheer them, and the consolation gladdens our own heart. Like the two men in the snow; one chafed the other's limbs to keep him from dying, and in so doing kept his own blood in circulation, and saved his own life. The poor widow of Sarepta gave from her scanty store a supply for the prophet's wants, and from that day she never again knew what want was. Give then, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and running over.
 -Charles Spurgeon's Morning Meditation, August 21st

Day 21 of Praise

Thank You, Lord, for each specific strong point and admirable quality in my life partner*.  Thank You for bringing us together, and for the way Your love sweetens our earthly love!  I bless You, Lord, for the many benefits You have given me through this dear one.

Here are some special reasons I want to thank You for this relationship:

Yet, Lord, I praise You that You far surpass even the best person in my life.  You are distinguished above all, “the most winsome of all beings” (Tozer).  You are my share in life, my reward, my inheritance.

Who can compare with You?  You are my perfect Life Partner, my dearest, most delightful Loved One, my always-present Companion.  You are the strength of my life, and my portion forever.  Only my relationship with You is sure to be lifelong and more, with never a good-bye!

Thank You that “You are so vastly wonderful, so utterly and completely delightful, that You can meet and overflow the deepest demands of my total nature, mysterious and deep as that nature is” (Tozer).

Whom have I in heaven but Thee?  And besides Thee, I desire nothing on earth.  Psalm 73:25

If you are married, make your partner the topic of your praise.  If you are not married, choose another person who is close to you: a family member, a roommate, or friend.  Give thanks for that person’s good qualities—even if right now you find it difficult to focus on those good points.

Afflictions are Appointed!

Refiners Fire

(James Smith, "Comfort for Christians!")

"He will certainly accomplish what He has decreed for me--and He has many more things like these in mind!" Job 23:14

The trials of time were appointed in eternity. He who chose us unto eternal life--also planned the path by which we are to reach it! Nothing ever happens to us by 'chance'.

Our little trials,
our great troubles,
our heavy crosses,
our painful losses--
are all a part of God's plan!

Nor did He plan afflictions for us merely haphazardly--He planned them because He saw that we needed them. He intended to make them rich blessings to us.

Every cross is a mercy,
every loss is a gain,
every trouble is a blessing,
and every trial is a seed of joy!

We shall be better in the future--for what we suffer now. If we sow in tears--we shall reap in joy. A wet spring will introduce a glorious harvest. Many of our present tears will crystallize into pearls--and will be an ornament to us in glory!

And not only so, but the same love which planned our trials--also provides strength to bear them. Our choicest comforts will flow from them. Time reveals what God planned in eternity--and eternity will reveal what God had in view in all the trials of time!

Let us, then, bear our afflictions with patience, and seek grace to honor God in all that we suffer, as well as by all that we do. If we keep our eye fixed on glorifying God--He will order and arrange everything that happens to us, so that it shall work for our good. Nothing shall by any means hurt us. The darkest clouds shall bring showers of blessings; and our sharpest pains shall only introduce us to the sweetest joys!

Gracious Lord, help me not only to submit to Your appointments, but to be pleased with them--so pleased that if the turning of a straw would alter them--I would not turn it! Oh, give me grace--to rejoice in my afflictions!

"So that no one would be unsettled by these trials. You know quite well that we were destined for them!" 1 Thessalonians 3:3

Day 20 of Praise

Father, I thank You for the people in my life who seem to bring more pain than joy, for I believe You have let our paths cross for important reasons.  Thank You for the good things You want to do in my life through the things that bother me (their irritating habits? their moodiness? their unloving ways? their demands? their insensitivity? their unrealistic expectations?).  I’m grateful that You are with me, to meet my needs when others—even those close to me—fail to do so.  I’m so glad that you are also within me, working to make me more like Jesus—more patient, more gentle, more loving—through the very things I dislike.

Thank You too that You love these people, and that Your love is adequate to meet their deep needs and to transform their lives, however willful or unwise they may sometimes be.  Thank You that You care for them deeply, and that each of them has the potential of begin a vast reservoir from which You could receive eternal pleasure.  And so, though I may not feel grateful, I give thanks for them by faith, trusting Your goodness, Your wisdom, Your power, and Your love for them as well as for me.

And I praise You that I need not fret about these people, or be envious, or mull over angry thoughts to prove I’m right.  Thank you that by Your power I can receive them as You receive me: just as I am, warts and wrinkles and hang-ups and all…that I can chose not to judge them, but to forgive them…to cancel any debts I feel they owe me—any apologies, any obligations…that through Your grace, I can chose to wipe clean any slate of grievances I have within me and to view these people with a heart that says, “You no longer owe me a thing.”  Thank You for Your Spirit who empowers me, so that I can do them good, delight in You, and commit my way to You, resting in You as You unfold Your good purposes in these relationships—in Your time.

Ends of the Earth~ South Sudan Missionary Robb Douglas Interview

Robb Douglas, the founder and president of Ends of the Earth ministry, is interviewed by Mark Spence from Living Waters ministries.  Robb shares about how their work was started, how the Lord is growing and blessing the work, and what it is today.  He shares about the key to mission work, breaking through to unreached people groups, and gaining their hearts and hearing.  Also, Robb shares advice for Americans in how we can take part in reaching these people here.  This testimony of God's faithfulness and blessing is so awesome and so worth taking the time to listen too!  We hope that you will watch Part 1 and Part 2 of Ends of the Earth and that you will be GREATLY blessed and challenged! 

Ends of the Earth Part 1

Ends of the Earth Part 2

To Every Tribe Website: www.toeverytribe.com/

Living Waters Website: www.livingwaters.com

Day 19 of Praise

Thank You, Lord, for the people who are a blessing to me…for family and friends and neighbors, for little children, for brothers and sisters in Christ, for colleagues and leaders, for pastors and teachers…and for others: our doctor, the postman, the plumber.  Thank You for the many ways You use these people to meet my needs, brighten my path, and lighten my load…to enrich my knowledge of You, and to counsel or correct or nourish me, building me up in the faith.  How good and how pleasant it is to enjoy rich fellowship with those who love You.  Thank You for bringing people into my life!

I thank You specifically for:

Yet, Lord, I also thank You that even the people I most admire have flaws—that only You are wonderful through and through, with no ugly edges, and that people, even at their best, cannot meet my deepest needs…that at times they misunderstand, they disappoint, they expect too much, or they can’t be available when I need them.  This makes me even more glad to have You as my best Friend, my wonderful Counselor, my ever-present help in trouble, immediately available around the clock, seven days a week.  How wonderful that I belong to You, the pure, unpolluted Source from which all downstream loves flow.  So I delight in people here on earth; but first and last I come to You, the only perfect Person, the only ideal Person, the only One whose love is flawless…the only One who is worthy of my highest praise.  O God, who is like You?  There is none to compare with You! 

I thank You for the friends who’ve failed

To meet my soul’s deep need;

They’ve driven me to the Savior’s feet

Upon His love to feed.

I’m grateful too, through all life’s way

No one could satisfy,

And so I’ve found in You alone

My rich, my full supply!

--Florence White Willett

Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. …if we love one another, God abides in us, and His love is perfected in us.  1 John 4:11-12

We love because He first loved us.  1 John 4:19

Day 18 of Praise

Father, I’m so delighted that You are both loving and sovereign, and that You cause all things to work together for good to those who love You, to those who are called according to Your purpose.  So I thank You for each disturbing or humbling situation in my life, for each breaking or cleansing process You are allowing, for each problem or hindrance, for each thing that triggers in me anxiety or anger or pain.  And I thank You in advance for each disappointment, each demanding duty, each pressure, each interruption that may arise in the coming hours and days.

In spite of what I think or feel when I get my eyes off You, I choose not to resists my trials as intruders, but to welcome them as friends.

Thank You that each difficulty is an opportunity to see You work…that in Your time You will bring me out to a place of abundance.  I rejoice that You plan to enrich and beautify me through each problem, each conflict, each struggle…that through them You expose my weaknesses and needs, my hidden sins, my self-centeredness (and especially my self-reliance and pride).  Thank You that You use trials to humble me and perfect my faith and produce in me the quality of endurance… that they prepare the soil of my heart for the fresh new growth in godliness that You and I both long to see in me…and that my momentary troubles are producing for me an eternal glory that far outweighs them all, as I keep my eyes focused on You.  I’m grateful that You look beyond my superficial desire for a trouble-free life; instead, You fulfil my deep-down desire to glorify You, enjoy Your warm fellowship, and become more life Your Son.

I thank You for the bitter things

They’ve been a friend to grace,

They’ve driven me from the paths of ease

To storm the secret place.

--Florence White Willett

Stop Pretending to be a Christian - Zoe Williams testimony

A powerful testimony!

Day 17 of Praise

Thank You that You have me in the place You want me just now…that even if I got here through wrong choices or indifference or even rebellion, yet You knew my mistakes and sins before I ever existed, and You worked them into Your plan to draw me to Yourself, to mold and bless me, and to bless others through me.  Thank You that, even if I’m here through the ill-will or poor judgment of other people, all is well; for in Your sovereign wisdom You are at work to bring about good results from all those past decisions, those past events beyond my control—good results both for me and for others.  Thank You again that You meant for good the terrible things that happened to Joseph, who as sold into slavery, exiled to a distant country, and later sent to prison on false accusations…and that through all this You had him in the right place at the right time, for highly important reasons.  I’m glad, Lord, that You are the same today—well able to work things out for us, to turn evil into good.  I stand amazed at the complexity and mystery of Your wisdom.  How safe it is for me to trust Your reasons for acting (or not acting) and Your methods of working!

Thank You that I can safely commit my location and situation to You.  I can “be willing for You to shift me anywhere on life’s checkerboard, or bury me anywhere in life’s garden, gladly yielding myself for You to please Yourself with, anywhere and anyway You choose” (source unknown).  Thank You that I can trust You with my future places—ready to go, ready to stay.

So I rest in the fact that You have me in this place for this day, and I praise You that You will faithfully guide me throughout life to just where You want me to be, as I seek to do Your will.

And most important of all is my place in You.  How delighted I am to have You as my dwelling place were I can settle down, feel secure and be content anywhere on earth…You are my blessed home, “where I can enter and be at rest even when all around and above is a sea of trouble” (Andrew Murray).  How my soul delights to hide in the secret of Your presence…to take refuge in the shadow of Your wings, to eat at Your table, to drink my fill of the river of Your delights.  How blessed I am, my King and my God, for You have chosen me, and brought me near, to live in Your presence, to behold Your delightfulness, to seek Your counsel.…And to think that I will dwell in Your house forever!

Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable Him ways!  Romans 11:33

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  Psalm 91:1

Oh, to Know Jesus!~ Free Downloadable Book by John Piper

 This was posted on Desiring God blog.  

To download the book in PDF format for free, CLICK HERE!

I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8).

One thing is for sure: Christianity is not for stoics. The Bible is the most wild, romantic book ever written. The New Testament is no cool, reasoned analysis of Jesus's system of thought. It is a passionate book written by people who were ravished by Jesus, who felt and said ardent things like Philippians 3:8.
You know what the world calls statements like Paul's? Religious extremism. Fanaticism. You "count everything as loss"? Sounds dangerous. Have you thought about seeing a therapist?
But the world is full of such talk when it comes to romantic love. We expect lovers' language to be obsessive and imbalanced. Listen to the way the poet John Keats speaks to his beloved Fanny Brawne:

You have ravish'd me away by a Power I cannot resist: and yet I could resist till I saw you; and even since I have seen you I have endeavoured often "to reason against the reasons of my Love." I can do that no more — the pain would be too great — My Love is selfish — I cannot breathe without you.

Keats's overwhelming passion gave him a profound insight (in the same letter):

I have been astonished that men could die martyrs for their religion — I have shuddered at it — I shudder no more. I could be martyred for my religion.
 Love is my religion and I could die for that. I could die for you.

Paul is no fundamentalist extremist driven by fear or anger to force his creed on others. He's a man in love. Keats idolized Fanny. Paul worshiped his Lord.

Christians are people in love with Jesus. He's not our worldview; he's our Bridegroom. We pour over the Word and pray to commune with our Beloved. Theology is only worth studying to help us know him! Preaching, teaching and evangelism is not our vocation or obligation but a longing that others know him too. "For we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20).

We want you to read Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ because it's a book written to enflame love for the Lover of your soul. It's twelve pictures of your divine Betrothed to help you admire him; twelve reflections on his beauty. And if you want others to grow deeper in love with him, we're making cases of 48 copies available for only $79 ($1.65 ea.) so you can give them out.

Each short chapter ends in a passionate prayer. Here's an excerpt from chapter two:

Eternal Father... we must thank you because you have made us taste and see the glory of Jesus Christ, your Son. Oh, to know him! Father, we long to know him. Banish from our minds low thoughts of Christ. Saturate our souls with the Spirit of Christ and all his greatness. Enlarge our capacities to be satisfied in all that you are for us in him. Where flesh and blood are impotent, reveal to us the Christ, and rivet our attention and our affections on the truth and beauty of your all-glorious Son.

Amen! Oh, to know Jesus so well and love him so much that we count all else as loss in comparison!

Day 16 of Praise

Day 16

Thank You, dear Lord, that I am honored in Your eyes…that even the person who is least in Your Kingdom is greater in your sight than the most prominent and successful person ever born.  How wonderful that You, the high King of heaven, enthroned far above all other powers in heaven and earth, have bestowed on me the royal dignity of being Your child and heir!

I exult in Your marvelous grace—in Your favor and blessings which I do no deserve—for You have raised me up with Christ and seated me with Him in the heavenly realm, far above any conceivable command, authority, power or control. You have given me an exalted status in Your Kingdom—in the one realm where being included and honored has any real significance, any lasting value.

How grateful I am that You have linked me to the greatest possible purposes, the highest of all reasons for living: to know and love You…to show Your love to other people…to glorify You…and to enjoy You now and forever.  What an honor!

Thank You that, in my deepest and truest identity, I am a new person in union with Christ…that I am one of Your spiritual masterpieces, created clean and clear as a flawless jewel…and that You are cutting and polishing me to receive and display more fully the beauty of Your glorious attributes!

The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. …  Romans 8:16

Day 15 of Praise

Day 15

 I’m so grateful, Lord, that the Christian life is not a rigorous self-improvement course or a do-it-yourself kit…that it is not a call to prove myself or improve myself by overcoming my own shortcomings and failures, in my own way, by my own resources.  Thank You that, instead, You are at work in me and in my situation to break old patterns of thought and action, to create within me both the desire and the power to do Your gracious will…and to make me a joy to You in new ways.

I praise You that “Jesus Christ is able to untangle all the snarls in my soul, to banish all my complexes, and to transform even my fixed habit patterns, no matter how deeply they are etched in my subconscious” (Corrie ten Boom).  Thank You for the many ways You use other people to counsel me and help me grow…and yet that Christ Himself is the Answer to my hang-ups, the one Source who can meet my deepest needs.  How I rejoice that He is wonderful in counsel and mighty in power and that He heals from the inside out.

Thank You, too, for the Holy Spirit—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength.  I praise You that He is in me to enlighten me through Your Word, to flush away my anxieties and fears, my resentments and hostilities, my guilt and regrets, as water flushes away dirt and trash…to keep me filled with Himself and to flood my heart with Your love…to produce through me the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control…and to enable me to give thanks for all things as the hours and days and weeks pass.  I rejoice that You are able to do far more than all I ask or think, according to Your power that is at work within me—the same power that raised Jesus from the dead!

Day 14 of Praise

Day 14

Father, I’m so glad that the Holy Spirit is within me, to strengthen me with power in my inner person…to make Christ real within me and flood my heart with His limitless love…to fill me with Your fullness…to enable me to know in personal experience the things You have so freely bestowed on me in Christ—my new identity, my incredible spiritual blessings.

I celebrate the fact that I have been crucified with Christ, and that now I am alive with His life…that through my new birth I died out of my old life, and that You resurrected me to a living relationship with You…and so I am dead to sin and alive to You!  Thank You that these facts are true, whether or not they seem logical, whether or not I feel they’re true…and that as I praise You for them, Your Spirit enables me more and more to live in the light of my new identity in You.  Thank You that He is using Your Word to deliver me from the viewpoints and values of the world, the flesh, and the devil…and He is renewing my mind to see things from Your point of view, so that I can walk in newness of life.  I praise You that Christ is not a weak person outside me, but a tremendous power inside me…that through Him I am competent to cope with life, to do Your will, to love with Your love, to be more than a conqueror.  How I rejoice that I can grow, develop my gifts, enlarge my capacities…that I need not be forever shackled by my past, but that with confidence and joy I can look forward to actually becoming all that You have in mind for me to be.

But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. …  Galatians 6:14

Day 13 of Praise

Day 13

I magnify You with thanksgiving, my Father, for I belong to You forever.  You chose me in Christ before the creation of the world.  You drew me to Yourself.  You accepted me in Your beloved Son, welcoming me into the everlasting love You have for Him…and now as Your child You take me in Your arms and tell me that You love me.

Near, so very near to You

Nearer I could not be,

For in the Person of Your Son

I’m just as near as He!

Dear, so very dear to You,

I could not dearer be:

The love wherewith You loved Your Son,

Such is Your love for me!

(source unknown)

Thank You that I have a place in you and Your Kingdom that is eternal…that nothing can separate me from Your limitless, intensely personal love—the one love that is not the least bit based on how much I deserve it, the one love that can never lessen or fail.  Thank You that You will never be disillusioned with me, for You already know all about me:  past, present and future.

How great is Your love toward me, Father, that I should be called Your child; and such I am.  How amazing that I am precious in Your eyes, and that You love me!

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. …  1 John 3:1

Never Give Up Praying Parents!

I weep as I listened to this precious father share of God's working in his son's life. Having a son that is almost seventeen probably makes me feel the heart of this daddy a little more, not that he is walking in rebellion, but I see the world and its drawing power over our children. Parents watch and be encouraged! We must keep praying fervently over our children! Children, watch and understand the battle that you are in! Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world! If you do not have the power of Christ to keep you from the evil one then cry out until God in His mercy hears your prayers and saves you. You only have one life to live. Don't waste it serving self and the devil!

Light in Darkness

For thou art my lamp, O Lord: and the Lord will lighten my darkness. (2 Samuel 22:29)

Am I in the light? Then Thou, O Lord, art my lamp. Take Thee away and my joy would be gone; but as long as Thou art with me, I can do without the torches of time and the candles of created comfort. What a light the presence of God casts on all things! We heard of a lighthouse which could be seen for twenty miles, but our Jehovah is not only a God at hand, but far off is He seen, even in the enemy's country. O Lord, I am as happy as an angel when Thy love fills my heart. Thou art all my desire.
Am I in the dark? Then thou, O Lord, wilt lighten my darkness. Before long things will change. Affairs may grow more and more dreary and cloud may be piled upon cloud; but if it grow so dark that I cannot see my own hand, still I shall see the hand of the Lord. When I cannot find a light within me, or among my friends, or in the whole world, the Lord, who said, "Let there be light," and there was light, can say the same again. He will speak me into the sunshine yet. I shall not die but live. The day is already breaking. This sweet text shines like a morning star. I shall clap my hands for joy ere many hours are passed.

Photo Credit:
 http://christianbackgrounds.info/gods-word-is-a-lamp-unto-my-feet/

Day 12 of Praise

Day 12

I glory in Your holy name, dear Lord, for in Christ I am righteous with His righteousness.  I am justified—just as if I’d never sinned!  I’m totally right with You!…Thank You that on the cross Jesus bore all the guilt of all my sins, including past and present and future ones.  How grateful I am that, because of what Jesus did, “You crossed out the whole debt against me in Your account books.  You nailed the account book to the cross, and closed the account.”

Now, Father, I bow before You as the Judge to whom I am accountable as the final Authority, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of all the earth…and I thank You, I praise You that You have said—and Your Word cannot be broken—“No condemnation now hangs over the head of those who are in Christ Jesus.  The judge himself has declared us free from sin.”

How I rejoice that through Christ I am all right as a person, now and forever: totally clean, every stain removed…totally forgiven, no matter how great or recent a failure I’ve had to confess, or how often I have failed.

What amazing grace!  What undeserved acceptance and favor!  How wonderful that You ask me to do absolutely nothing to earn Your forgiveness—no striving to measure up, no self-punishment, no prolonged remorse, no self-blame, no deeds of penance…that I don’t have to sink down into regrets, or into shame, or into denial, or into excuses for things I do wrong.  I’m so thankful that You don’t hold a pair of scales and ask me to pile up enough good works to outweigh my sins, my failures, my unworthiness…that it’s all by grace through faith.  What an incentive to live a life that pleases You, that brings You joy and not grief!

I greatly rejoice in You, Lord; my soul exults in You; for You have clothed me with the garments of salvation, You have wrapped me with a robe of righteousness and beauty, as a bridegroom dressed for his wedding, as a bride adorned with her jewels.

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  2 Corinthians 5:21

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.  As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.  Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.  Psalm 103:10-13

"Oh that I were as in months past."—Job 29:2.

Numbers of Christians can view the past with pleasure, but regard the present with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days which they have passed in communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever known, but as to the present, it is clad in a sable garb of gloom and dreariness. Once they lived near to Jesus, but now they feel that they have wandered from Him, and they say, "O that I were as in months past!" They complain that they have lost their evidences, or that they have not present peace of mind, or that they have no enjoyment in the means of grace, or that conscience is not so tender, or that they have not so much zeal for God's glory. The causes of this mournful state of things are manifold. It may arise through a comparative neglect of prayer, for a neglected closet is the beginning of all spiritual decline. Or it may be the result of idolatry. The heart has been occupied with something else, more than with God; the affections have been set on the things of earth, instead of the things of heaven. A jealous God will not be content with a divided heart; He must be loved first and best. He will withdraw the sunshine of His presence from a cold, wandering heart. Or the cause may be found in self-confidence and self-righteousness. Pride is busy in the heart, and self is exalted instead of lying low at the foot of the cross. Christian, if you are not now as you "were in months past," do not rest satisfied with wishing for a return of former happiness, but go at once to seek your Master, and tell Him your sad state. Ask His grace and strength to help you to walk more closely with Him; humble yourself before Him, and He will lift you up, and give you yet again to enjoy the light of His countenance. Do not sit down to sigh and lament; while the beloved Physician lives there is hope, nay there is a certainty of recovery for the worst cases.

~Charles Spurgeon's Morning Meditation, August 11th

Waiting, Not Running

Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation. (Psalm 62:1)

Blessed posture! Waiting truly and only upon the Lord. Be this our condition all this day and every day. Waiting His leisure, waiting in His service, waiting in joyful expectation, waiting in prayer, and content. When the very soul thus waits, it is in the best and truest condition of a creature before his Creator, a servant before his Master, a child before his Father. We allow no dictation to God, nor complaining of Him; we will permit no petulance and no distrust. At the same time, we practice no running before the cloud and no seeking to others for aid: neither of these would be waiting upon God. God, and God alone, is the expectation of our hearts.
Blessed assurance! From Him salvation is coming; it is on the road. It will come from Him and from no one else. He shall have all the glory of it, for He alone can and will perform it. And He will perform it most surely in His own time and manner. He will save from doubt, and suffering, and slander, and distress. Though we see no sign of it as yet, we are satisfied to bide the Lord's will, for we have no suspicion of His love and faithfulness. He will make sure work of it before long, and we will praise Him at once for the coming mercy.

Day 11 of Praise

Day 11

Thank You, my gracious and sovereign God, that You have been with me and carried me from the day of my birth until today . . . that You have known my whole life, from beginning to end, since before I was born . . . and that You wrote in Your book all the days that You ordained for me before one of them came to be.

Thank You that in Your gracious plan to bless and use me, You’ve allowed me to go through hard times, through trials that many people go through in this fallen world.  How glad I am that You’re so good at reaching down and making something beautiful out of even the worst situations!  How encourage I am when I think how You did this for Joseph . . . how his brothers hated and abused and betrayed him, and how You worked these things out for blessing, both for Joseph and his family and for countless other people. 

I praise You that the things that happened in my past, both enjoyable and painful, are raw materials for blessings, both in my life and in the lives of others.  So I thank You for the specific family (or lack of family) into which I was born and the opportunities You did or did not provide.  And thank You for the things in my past that appear to be limitations, hindrances, bad breaks . . . the wounds of old hurts, the unmet emotional needs, the mistakes or neglect of other people – even their cruelty to me, their abuse.

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

How comforting to know that in all my distresses You were distressed.  And how I thank You, Lord Jesus, that on the cross You bore my grief’s and carried my sorrows, as well as my sins . . . that I can kneel at the cross and worship You as the One who took on Yourself all my pain and experienced it to the full.  And how comforting to know that in the present, day by day, You feel with me any pain, confusion, inner bondage, or struggles that stem from my past.  Thank You that all these seeming disadvantages are a backdrop for the special, unfolding plan You have in mind for me . . . and that if my past still handicaps me, You are able to lead me to the kind of help I need. 

I’m so grateful that all my past circumstances were permitted by You to make me see my need of You and prepare my heart for Your Word . . . to draw me to Yourself, and to work out Your good purposes for my life.  I rejoice that You are the Blessed Controller of all things – You are now, You will be throughout the future, and You always were.  All my days had Your touch of love and wisdom, whether or not I can yet fully see it.

And Lord, I choose to look beyond my past and present troubles in this life - this temporary life -  and fix my eyes on the unseen things that will last forever.  I praise You for the eternal glory these things are pilings up for me as I choose to trust You.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried. . .  Isaiah 53:4

Day 10 of Praise

Day 10

I choose to thank You for my weaknesses, my infirmities, my inadequacies (physical, mental, emotional, relational) . . . for the ways I fall short of what people view as ideal . . . for my feelings of helplessness and inferiority, and even my pain and distresses.  What a comfort it is to know that You understand the feeling of my weaknesses! . . . and that in Your infinite wisdom You have allowed these in my life so that they may contribute to Your high purposes for me.  I specifically thank You for:

(fill in what you are specifically thankful for)

Thank You that many a time my weaknesses cut through my pride and help me walk humbly with You. . . and then, as You’ve promised, You give me more grace- You help and bless and strengthen me.  Thank You for all the ways I’m inadequate, for they prod me to trust in You and not in myself. . . and I’m grateful that my adequacy comes from You, the all-sufficient God who is enough! 

Thank You that I can trust You to remove or change any of my weaknesses and handicaps and shortcomings that moment they are no longer needed for Your glory, and for my good, and for the good of other people. . . and that in the meantime, Your grace is sufficient for me, for Your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.  2 Corinthians 12:10