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June 27, 2007

Lessons from History

"History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster."

--- General Douglas Macarthur

Posted by at 01:47 PM | Comments (1)

The purpose of life

The purpose of life is not
. . .to be happy

but

. . .to matter
. . .to be productive
. . .to be useful
. . .to have it make a difference
. . . . .that you live at all

-- Leo Rosten

Posted by at 01:16 PM | Comments (2)

June 21, 2007

A cry

Ah, Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power.
Ah, Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your outstretched arm.
Nothing is too difficult for you.

Lord God, God of my fathers, my God, I worship you. You are a wonder, O my God; you surpass my ability to understand. Truly, my Father, such knowledge is too wonderful for me.

O God, my God, through time sons of men have struggled to believe in you. Most have not believed. And those who have believed in you have not truly believed you.

When you tell us you have created us for a purpose, we struggle to believe.
When you tell us you have chosen us from among the masses, we struggle to believe.
When you tell us you have chosen us to represent you, we struggle.
When you tell us your Son gives life in abundance, we see our situations, and we struggle.

Forgive us, O Lord! Heal us, O God! Hear my cry and heal us!

Our Father, we have made an obscenity of our world, the world you pronounced “good.” We have filled it with brutality, with barbarism and with unspeakable cruelties.

We live pointless and empty lives.

Heal us, O God! Hear our cry and heal us!

Lord God, my heart cries out to you.
Lord God, you know my heart, that it is yours.
Lord God, I belong to you, and beside you, there is no other.

I need your touch, O God, I need your touch!
Heal us, O God! Heal me!

You are our Light and our Salvation. In you we place our hope. Without you we are nothing. Without you I am nothing.

Hear my cry, O God, and heal me! Help me to believe you.

Posted by at 09:20 AM | Comments (0)

June 07, 2007

Hallelujah! I'm free!

I started recently to read through the book of Romans. I’ve read it before, probably much more than once. But I have been drawn back for some while now. So I began in chapter 1, and got as far, over several weeks, as the middle of chapter 9. It took me so long primarily because I spent a long time in chapters 6 through 8.

In fact, I stopped in mid-9, and went back to reread 6–8. What a fascinating book! But I was especially interested in Paul’s account of the struggle within himself, as he did things he didn’t want to do and failed to do things he wanted to do. His words are moving, as he tells of this battle within, and we can hear his heart torn.

I am especially touched because I have similar battles within me. I do things I don’t want to do, and I neglect doing things I want to do. Why do I act this way? It’s discouraging and very frustrating. Really hammers my self esteem, too.

I decided a good while ago that if I was going to be follower of Jesus, I was going to be one all the way. A characteristic of my personality is that I don’t have a passive bone in my body. I am either all the way in, or I am not interested at all. And I don’t want to live life calling myself a “Christian” – though I seldom use that term about myself – when I know inside that I am living the life of a hypocrite.

I want to be able to look at my life, and look at what the Bible ways about those who follow Jesus, and thank God for his grace and mercy that lets me live a life that honors him. I don’t want to read my Bible and then look at my life and say, “This just can’t be what God has in mind.” And I especially don’t want to come to the end of my life and find that God is ashamed and embarrassed by the way I have lived.

But there’s good news: I am dead! That’s right! Larry Baden is dead! He died on a cross with Jesus. And so, because of that, I am no longer bound by the law of sin, but am free. Sin has no power over me..

But I still sin. And so did Paul Why? I think there’s a simple answer: I choose to. That’s right, I can’t say, “The devil made me do it.” When I accept this fact and deal with it head-on, I’m making a giant step toward living in freedom.

I sin because I choose to. Sin has no inherent power over me, and nobody can force me to sin. I am a follower of Jesus, and followers of Jesus are dead to sin. And because we are dead to sin, when we recognize that we have a choice in the matter, we are on the way to living in the new nature that God has given us. And that’s really good news!

Someone wrote that when Israel left Egypt, they were no longer slaves. But they were not free people, either. They were simply not slaves. Living as free men and women takes learning and time, and it doesn’t happen automatically.

When I died with Jesus, I ceased to be a slave to sin. Now I am learning what it is to live as a free man, being responsible and making choices that I never could make before. Now I am learning how to live a life that both enjoys and honors God.

And I love it. Hallelujah!

Posted by at 04:09 PM | Comments (1)


discussion forum study guides ministry news reviews church history new testament theology sermons online quizzes e-texts online internet resources theoweb newsletter quodlibet journal about theoweb foutz.net	« May 2007 \| Main \| August 2007 » June 27, 2007 Lessons from History "History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline. There has been either a spiritual awakening to overcome the moral lapse or a progressive deterioration leading to ultimate national disaster." --- General Douglas Macarthur Posted by at 01:47 PM \| Comments (1) The purpose of life The purpose of life is not . . .to be happy but . . .to matter . . .to be productive . . .to be useful . . .to have it make a difference . . . . .that you live at all -- Leo Rosten Posted by at 01:16 PM \| Comments (2) June 21, 2007 A cry Ah, Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power. Ah, Lord God, you have made the heavens and the earth by your outstretched arm. Nothing is too difficult for you. Lord God, God of my fathers, my God, I worship you. You are a wonder, O my God; you surpass my ability to understand. Truly, my Father, such knowledge is too wonderful for me. O God, my God, through time sons of men have struggled to believe in you. Most have not believed. And those who have believed in you have not truly believed you. When you tell us you have created us for a purpose, we struggle to believe. When you tell us you have chosen us from among the masses, we struggle to believe. When you tell us you have chosen us to represent you, we struggle. When you tell us your Son gives life in abundance, we see our situations, and we struggle. Forgive us, O Lord! Heal us, O God! Hear my cry and heal us! Our Father, we have made an obscenity of our world, the world you pronounced “good.” We have filled it with brutality, with barbarism and with unspeakable cruelties. We live pointless and empty lives. Heal us, O God! Hear our cry and heal us! Lord God, my heart cries out to you. Lord God, you know my heart, that it is yours. Lord God, I belong to you, and beside you, there is no other. I need your touch, O God, I need your touch! Heal us, O God! Heal me! You are our Light and our Salvation. In you we place our hope. Without you we are nothing. Without you I am nothing. Hear my cry, O God, and heal me! Help me to believe you. Posted by at 09:20 AM \| Comments (0) June 07, 2007 Hallelujah! I'm free! I started recently to read through the book of Romans. I’ve read it before, probably much more than once. But I have been drawn back for some while now. So I began in chapter 1, and got as far, over several weeks, as the middle of chapter 9. It took me so long primarily because I spent a long time in chapters 6 through 8. In fact, I stopped in mid-9, and went back to reread 6–8. What a fascinating book! But I was especially interested in Paul’s account of the struggle within himself, as he did things he didn’t want to do and failed to do things he wanted to do. His words are moving, as he tells of this battle within, and we can hear his heart torn. I am especially touched because I have similar battles within me. I do things I don’t want to do, and I neglect doing things I want to do. Why do I act this way? It’s discouraging and very frustrating. Really hammers my self esteem, too. I decided a good while ago that if I was going to be follower of Jesus, I was going to be one all the way. A characteristic of my personality is that I don’t have a passive bone in my body. I am either all the way in, or I am not interested at all. And I don’t want to live life calling myself a “Christian” – though I seldom use that term about myself – when I know inside that I am living the life of a hypocrite. I want to be able to look at my life, and look at what the Bible ways about those who follow Jesus, and thank God for his grace and mercy that lets me live a life that honors him. I don’t want to read my Bible and then look at my life and say, “This just can’t be what God has in mind.” And I especially don’t want to come to the end of my life and find that God is ashamed and embarrassed by the way I have lived. But there’s good news: I am dead! That’s right! Larry Baden is dead! He died on a cross with Jesus. And so, because of that, I am no longer bound by the law of sin, but am free. Sin has no power over me.. But I still sin. And so did Paul Why? I think there’s a simple answer: I choose to. That’s right, I can’t say, “The devil made me do it.” When I accept this fact and deal with it head-on, I’m making a giant step toward living in freedom. I sin because I choose to. Sin has no inherent power over me, and nobody can force me to sin. I am a follower of Jesus, and followers of Jesus are dead to sin. And because we are dead to sin, when we recognize that we have a choice in the matter, we are on the way to living in the new nature that God has given us. And that’s really good news! Someone wrote that when Israel left Egypt, they were no longer slaves. But they were not free people, either. They were simply not slaves. Living as free men and women takes learning and time, and it doesn’t happen automatically. When I died with Jesus, I ceased to be a slave to sin. Now I am learning what it is to live as a free man, being responsible and making choices that I never could make before. Now I am learning how to live a life that both enjoys and honors God. And I love it. Hallelujah! Posted by at 04:09 PM \| Comments (1)
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