February 20, 2008 by Administrator.

“Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” ~ Matthew 16:23 

A few weeks ago I was amazed as I read the latter part of this verse. In the past, I always focused on the “get behind me, Satan!” Yet all the while I hadn’t studied the following words.   This verse has really made an impression on me. How often do we as Christians set our minds on our own interests and not God’s. I believe as Christians we can try to honor God, but we are also doing it for our own interests. For example, maybe we serve others while inwardly we are starving for praise. Or maybe we witness in hopes that we will have another number to add to our list of converts. Maybe we desire to teach others the Word of God and try to gratify our pride at the same time. Maybe we long to do mission work where God does not want us to go. Though Peter was being the mouthpiece of Satan, he simply desired that Christ would not suffer and die. Satan wished for Jesus to be swayed by His love and attachment for His disciples. Peter’s wishes were against the will of God. That made him a stumbling block.  

As Christians are we trying to live a life consumed with our own interests, but still attempting to please God at the same time? Can we as Christians please God if we act outside His will and interests? Are we striving to live a life of holiness within the confines of our own interests? I am guilty of this. I seek to bring God glory, but I wish to do so my way. Could my endeavors to honor God while keeping my own interests at the forefront of mind be a stumbling block to others?  It is time to yield. It is time to submit. It is time for God’s interest.

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February 6, 2008 by Administrator.

“When I Survey The Wondrous Cross”

Isaac Watts

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all. 

This would have to be my favorite hymn. I wanted to share this with you since it was on my mind a lot today. The verses express deep gratitude, humility, and submission.

Posted in Glory to God | 2 Comments »

January 28, 2008 by Administrator.

I know there have been times in my life when I have not wanted to ask God’s opinion about something. Most of the time I didn’t ask because I knew how He felt, but I didn’t want to change. All the while, I knew what He would say. Foolishly, I thought that if I didn’t think/pray/ask about it, God wouldn’t notice or voice His disapproval. The things we try to guard from God could be our movies, books, music, friends, hobbies, or aspirations. Though many of these things might not fall into a sinful category, they could fall into a category of defiance. If you fear that God will tell you to change, then change needs to happen. It is essential to our growth that we cut off what we know is not honoring to Jesus. Don’t live as though God doesn’t notice your actions. Don’t live as though God doesn’t care about what you do. God wants to be intimately close with us. How can we be close to Christ if we harbor what He disapproves of? If we know He might disapprove, it’s time we swallow our lump of pride and submit to our Lord and Savior. Ask. Submit. Obey. Honor the Lord of hosts.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin. ~ James 4:17 NASB

Posted in Glory to God, Christian Living, Christian Applications | 4 Comments »

January 12, 2008 by Administrator.

This post has been kind of hard for me to type out. I’ve known all week that I wanted to go over the topic of gluttony, but it’s been difficult to flesh out. Perhaps it is because I deal with it first-hand in my life. This past Monday I realized that I was a glutton. Most of the things I shouldn’t do excessively, I do. The things I need to do more of, I don’t. I think my whole life I have ignored the fact that gluttony is a sin. I have over-eaten, I have over-slept, I have spent money frivolously, I have worked greedily to earn more, and I have put aside too much time for me. Not only this, but I cannot recall I time I was sorrowful for being gluttonous. I’ve looked back and said, “Man, I shouldn’t have bought all this junk.” I’ve also said, “I shouldn’t have eaten so much.” But was I ever repentant? I can’t say that I ever was. Our culture believes that we cannot have enough of anything: Our houses aren’t big enough, our closets aren’t full enough, our cars aren’t nice enough, our salaries aren’t high enough, our plates aren’t big enough, and our lives just aren’t good enough. As sinners, we crave more of what feeds our flesh, even to the point of gluttony.

The portrait above of Henry VIII is truly the epitome of gluttony. Observe that his clothes, his jewels, his size, and the room in which he stands are all examples of excess. Do we as Christians read the Word of God excessively or pray without ceasing? Or are we greedily desiring the things that Henry VIII flaunts: riches, power, and materialism all inside a palace.

If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. ~ 1 Timothy 6:8

He who keeps the law is a discerning son, but he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father. ~ Proverbs 28:7

A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished. ~ Proverbs 28:20

“A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,” then your poverty will come as a robber and your want like an armed man. ~ Proverbs 24:33-34

For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. ~ Luke 12:12

Posted in Christian Living, Today's World, Biblical Study | 2 Comments »

January 3, 2008 by Administrator.

“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 NASB

It’s so amazing how the Lord brings certain passages to your attention as if they were brand new! As I read this verse, I said to myself, “Wow. Can I say that? Can I say that I’m content in the Lord’s strength when things are hard and stressful?” When we are weak and times are rough, we seek out the Lord. I have the tendency to be most happy and content when things are well. But when our surroundings are peaceful, we tend to drift. However, my idea of difficulties and Paul’s description of distress and difficulties are much different. How do my hardships compare to being imprisoned, beaten beyond count, lashed, beat with rods, stoned, shipwrecked three times, and being stranded for a day in the sea? Could I be content in the Lord’s grace and sovereignty if I had to endure what Paul experienced? There is so much to be learned from this verse.

Posted in Biblical Thoughts, Christian Living, Biblical Study | 1 Comment »

December 24, 2007 by Administrator.

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.” ~ Psalm 103 NASB 

A few nights ago I read Psalm 103, but really stopped to ponder the first verse. I think often times we overlook verses like these because they are so familiar. Maybe it’s because we have sung them so many times or recited them. Truly, what does it mean to bless the Lord with all your soul? How can we do this? How can we bless the most holy name of our Lord with our very being?  

No doubt the “bless” in this verse is referring to praising or honoring the name of the Lord. How can we bring Him honor with our soul? Perhaps it is the surrendering of our will to the Lord. Maybe our heart’s desire should be to bring Him all the honor and glory leaving none for ourselves. In what ways can we bring His holy name the most glory?

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December 6, 2007 by Administrator.

Thanks be to God, today is the one year anniversary for The Isle of Hope! Before The Isle of Hope was up and running, I had a blog that was centered around politics. Yet, I felt like the Lord wanted me to plunge into a new site that was about the spiritual walk of Christians. So that is what I did last December 6^th. Now I am bringing to the forefront the very first post that was put on the The Isle of Hope:

“There are many times in your life when all you see is the bad that is happening. Yet, all the time we don’t see what is going on behind the stage curtain of the world’s tempestuous waves. The Lord works primarily out of our simple eyesight doing great and mighty things. The world is not home. I long to be anywhere the Lord resides. Sometimes all I see is sin, wickedness, and total evil. I see the government abusing the rights of Christians; I see the schools shut down any discussion of God; I see the lost fake Christianity as if they knew what it meant; I see the believers conform; I see the fundamentals of the Bible tossed aside; I see my own faith daily challenged. But in all these things, I find my comfort in the Lord. I turn to my strong tower. I flee to the only isle of hope in my despair: the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift. ~ 2 Corinthians 9:15

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November 29, 2007 by Administrator.

He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

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November 13, 2007 by Administrator.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 4:17 NASB 

God really laid this verse on my heart this morning. Sometimes “the right thing to do” is to just repent. Whenever I find myself wallowing in my flesh, I continue to do so until the booming voice of God calls out the error of my ways. Then I thought, “When I know that I’m wrong, why do I keep trying to gratify my flesh? Don’t wait for God to have to chase me down and chasten me. JUST STOP! Stop now! Repent here and now.” When I know gossiping is wrong, repent now. When I know pride is wrong, confess now. When I see selfishness consuming me, cry out now. Don’t wait and wallow, stop now. On several occasions in the past I have been driving and when I pull up to a stop sign, I focus on the word “stop”. Crazy as it may seem, but I feel God’s finger pointing at the various sins in my life. And I think, “What have I been doing? I need to stop trying to live for myself when all the while I know that You are the only thing worth living for.” Don’t wait for the next stop sign… stop now.

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November 3, 2007 by Administrator.

A week ago I was very distressed. I tossed and turned in my hotel bed, but my mind continued to be troubled. I recited Scripture and prayed, but there was no peace. Quietly as I could, I leaned over and opened the night-stand cabinet next to me. I stuck my hand into the dark hole. I felt around and then my hand landed on a hardback Bible placed in there by the Gideons. I smiled in the darkness and said, “Thank you God for the Gideons.” I slipped away silently and opened His Word. The pages landed in the book of Psalms. I continued to read until my very breath was taken away by what I read. Psalm 143:8 left me speechless:

Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee.

It was refreshing to think upon the Lord’s lovingkindness rather than my concerns. It was wonderful be reminded that my life and my soul were in His hands. I needed His direction and I needed His mercy. After a peaceful night of rest, I reflected upon the graciousness and sovereignty of our God. He directed someone (perhaps years ago) to place that Bible in that very cabinet. He guided my hand in a time of worry to find that Bible. He guided those pages to open to the very chapters He wanted me to read. How marvelous is our God! His Spirit spoke powerfully to me through one verse. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever.

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October 25, 2007 by Administrator.

As Christians we should strive to live godly lives. Nearly all Christians would readily declare their willingness to die for Christ. I find this hard to believe since so many Christians struggle with living one day that honors the Lord. My focus turned to that yesterday: “How can I live just one day, TODAY, in a way that honors the Lord?” I tried to narrow my thoughts to the current moment rather than generalities such as “life”. Our lives as a whole should honor Christ, but are we honoring Him right here and now? If we cannot devote this day to Him, how are we going to give Jesus our lives unto death? Critique your lifestyle right now. Live the Christian life day by day. Take it slow and “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” ~ Philippians 2:12

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October 18, 2007 by Administrator.

Is self-esteem Scriptural? I have been rolling this question around in my head for the past few weeks. There is a difference in pride and self-esteem, but where is the line? I believe the media would explain these two terms in this manner:

Self-esteem is to be happy with who you are and be self-confident. We are to love ourselves and meet our intra-personal needs. Giving “time out” for yourself, centering your life, and having independence are steps towards self-esteem. However, being prideful is to be arrogant, narcissistic, egotistical, and vain.

Self-esteem seems to be a watered down version of pride. Should not Christians place their confidence in Christ? Should not our independence be lost in our slavery to Jesus? Should we be dependent on ourselves or live a life by faith? I’m not suggesting that we hate ourselves, but rather die daily. I welcome your thoughts on this topic. Is self-esteem Scriptural? If yes, where is the line between it and pride?

…and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance ~ 1 Peter 1:13b-14

Posted in Biblical Thoughts, Today's World | 3 Comments »