We Love God!

God: "I looked for someone to take a stand for me, and stand in the gap" (Ezekiel 22:30)

We have the mistaken notion that evangelism is a choreographed set of ideas well laid out, perfectly transitioned and flawlessly presented. Forget it. It’s not this way. Many of us have tried this with frustration. It is much better to think of evangelism the way the Bible does – “sowing the seed” in any way you can. Any of us can do that. Ever seen a weed grow in an otherwise barren parking lot? Somehow the seed got there and flourished. The simple word in the right place, or the tract well-placed might be the means God uses. Well-oiled presentations frustrate because there is no room for serious questions and discussion on the one hand, and it rules out the less verbal among us, on the other. Rejoice over even the smallest of advances! You are sowing the seed.
Jim Elliff

Forgiveness brings great joy, not only to the forgiven, but especially to the forgiver. The Greek term for “forgiveness” (aphiemi) comes from a word that means “to let go.” Forgiveness is a release, a letting go of self-destructive feelings such as anger, bitterness and revenge. Those attitudes poison intimacy with God and harmony with human beings.
Philip Graham Ryken

Page 60

Page 60 Paul’s solution? He said, ,Choose out among you those believers who can decipher inward impressions and interpret outward signs. No! He didn’t say that. He said, ,Is there not a wise man among you who can settle these disputes? And when Paul gives instruction about elders in his letters to Timothy and Titus, he says that the elders are those who ,are sensible and discreet. In other words, they possess wisdom and sound judgment (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8; 2:2). In Acts 15, we have a beautiful record about what the church in Jerusalem did in making a major decision. After a long discussion, the apostles and the church say this: ,It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to do thus and so. ,It seemed good to us. This is wisdom. What is more astounding is that Luke uses these very words in his opening to his Gospel. ,It seemed good to me, having had perfect understanding of all things from the beginning, to write to you. It ,seemed good to Luke to write the Gospel called ,Luke, and the Holy Spirit inspired every word! Wisdom is not your own natural reasoning independent of God. It comes out of dependence on the Lord. What is more, true wisdom not only comes from God. True wisdom is Jesus Christ personified! So any piece of authentic wisdom that you receive comes from your Lord, for He is Wisdom. Note the following exhortations to exercise judgment, which is wisdom’s cousin: