Blessed Security

I have been reading a devotional written a long time ago by Charles Spurgen. It is called morning and Evening and can be read at
http://www.morningevening.com

http://eword.gospelcom.net/spurgeon/1115am.htm
The Specific one From the morning of the 15th is awesome and it talks about the blessed security we have in Christ.

Here it is reprinted

The Lord's portion is His people." --Deuteronomy 32:9

How are they His? By His own sovereign choice. He chose them, and set His love upon them. This He did altogether apart from any goodness in them at the time, or any goodness which He foresaw in them. He had mercy on whom He would have mercy, and ordained a chosen company unto eternal life; thus, therefore, are they His by His unconstrained election.

They are not only His by choice, but by purchase. He has bought and paid for them to the utmost farthing, hence about His title there can be no dispute. Not with corruptible things, as with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord's portion has been fully redeemed. There is no mortgage on His estate; no suits can be raised by opposing claimants, the price was paid in open court, and the Church is the Lord's freehold for ever. See the blood-mark upon all the chosen, invisible to human eye, but known to Christ, for "the Lord knoweth them that are His"; He forgetteth none of those whom He has redeemed from among men; He counts the sheep for whom He laid down His life, and remembers well the Church for which He gave Himself.

They are also His by conquest. What a battle He had in us before we would be won! How long He laid siege to our hearts! How often He sent us terms of capitulation! but we barred our gates, and fenced our walls against Him. Do we not remember that glorious hour when He carried our hearts by storm? When He placed His cross against the wall, and scaled our ramparts, planting on our strongholds the blood-red flag of His omnipotent mercy? Yes, we are, indeed, the conquered captives of His omnipotent love. Thus chosen, purchased, and subdued, the rights of our divine possessor are inalienable: we rejoice that we never can be our own; and we desire, day by day, to do His will, and to show forth His glory.

A father's Love

It's been a while since I have posted anything on this blog. I was in a different state of mind when I started it. a lot has happened and I have been super busy burning the candle at both ends between work school and driving between the two I am physicaly, emotionaly and spiritualy weary.

I would like to warn anyone that thinks they can be the one man band that thinks they will reform the whole american Church. This was one of the reasons I started this blog, because I had seen God working and experienced him closer than I ever have before in China on a mission trip and returned with a new perspective of what christianity should be like here in america and how far away it is. There are two ways to aproach reformation; on your face before God begging, wailing, and desperate for change with the knowledge that nothing can happen without God's power and blessing or the can-do self exalting righteousness that alienates others and is devoid of God's love and power.

Unfortunatly I chose the latter, and now after months with that attitude God has begun dealing with my heart in a severe way which I am so very thankful for.

But what the real point of this story is about is to honor a Godly great man in my life. it's a bit personal but my relationship with my real father is non-existant. I don't go for a lot of that psycho-bable stuff but it would make sense that if you have a hard time relating to your father you will have difficulty relating to your heavenly father. Many Times I have great difficulty believing that My heavenly father could forgive me when I sin or fail because I really didn't have any experience of forgivness or discipline from my real father. But I have had the blessing of seeing how my youth pastor Loves his Children, how when he he walks in a room you hear two little voices scream Daddy and two rockets shoot from their positions to hug his legs. The way he disciplines, encourages and loves his children has been such an example to me of how much greater to me the Heavenly Father's love is. in this time of great testing and trial and tiredness God has caused me to see my youth pastor as a living example of his love for me.

Thanks Pastor

Love Bryce

America's Ugly exported Gospel

Refering to the video I have posted on the side is part of a speech from John Piper, Piper is adressing one of the biggest problems in modern american evangelicalism, the prosperity gospel.
The prosperity gospel takes liberties with scripture where it assures us of God's provision and goes beyond and above what scripture says assuring health, wealth, and Prosperity. It completly forgets that we are called to -deny ourselves take up our cross and follow him-... Luke 9:23 and rejoice in our sufferings and more than once we are assured not of wealth but shame and persecution for knowing Christ. I do not presume for anyone to take a vow of poverty BUT wealth and prosperity (wich is always given by God) mainly used for our sole enjoyment is not what God intended for it. That is "elevating gifts above the giver". Instead we are to use it for eternal purposes to bless others. ultimatly using our abundance for eternal purposes is a million times more fulfilling in Christ than using it to satisfy our cravings.
My desire for myself and for those that read this is to know God and and his son Christ crucified for us, so well and intimitly that we can repeat that prayer, "God is enough" and with every fiber of my heart mind and soul believe and savor those words.

Favorite Verses

Acts 20:24
"For I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Psalm 40:5
"Many, O LORD my God
are the wonders you have done.
The things you have planned for us
no one can re-count to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare."

Preaching to Myself

as the title implies, thats what I do very often. It helps me to meditate on God's word and helps me to keep my focus on Christ. anything I post please keep in mind that anything I preach, I am saying it to myself as well as anyone else who reads this blog. I don't deserve an ounce of faith that God has supplied nor the grace supplied. No one does. But then it wouldn't be Grace if we did deserve it would it?!? God bless you and Good night.

New Birth

Are you Born-again?

Do you really love God?

Or are you just playing the part cuz that's what is expected of you?

Has the Joy of your salvation faded into a dreary routine of read this book that book?

Do you understand that it's Ok to be Happy in the Lord Jesus?

Do you seek him as he really is, the everlasting satisfaction of your soul?

Are you seeking the pleasures of God for this life only? then you are to be most pittied!

It is not for this life we look for or work for our treasure but in heaven. If you have trusted in the gospel for this life only; for example "Jesus will help you be a better bussinessman, carpenter, doctor, he will make you succesful, he will make my family nicer, he will make me loose weight"

If that is why you trusted Jesus be afraid! Jesus came that we might have life! You were DEAD in your tresspasses... The wages of sin is DEATH!

Jesus did not come to make you a better person he came to WAKE THE DEAD! he came to give eternal life... "and this is eternal life that we might KNOW God". Know him? The great I AM, Creator of the universe, Almighty God? yes! He is JEALOUS for HIS glory in your life! and to quote John Piper, God is most Glorified when we are most satisifed in him!

Pray: God circumscize my heart that I might love you! Cut away every distraction to your Glory in my life. You bought me out of hell with your blood, make me a slave to righteousness forever satisfied in my master Jesus!