Word for Today, Fri, 02 Sep 2005: Sacrifice, Belief, and Acts of Devotion

#1 · September 2, 2005, 3:31 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on September 2, 2005, 3:31 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Fri, 02 Sep 2005: Sacrifice, Belief, and Acts of Devotion
Dear friends,

I have some more good news from the personal front. I finished
my two contract jobs, which were four and six days in length,
resulting in ten consecutive days that I worked. I could have
worked two more days, but I needed the time off for rest, family
time, and also to follow up on job leads... and ... go for an
interview!

The better news is that I had the interview today. The interview
went well. The last thing the manager told me as he led me to the
door was that I should feel good about the interview, and they
expect to be in touch with me next week. That wasn't quite an
on the spot job offer, but it was close. Please continue to pray
for my family and me. Getting this particular job would be a huge
blessing and a direct answer to specific prayers.

During my two weeks of contract work, my brother brought me to work
one day, my sister in law picked me up once, one friend lent me a
car to use for two days and another friend let me use his car for
nearly a week! Is it possible to have better friends than that?

Dear friends, during the course of our struggles, people have prayed
for us, but many people have done much more than that. When you
have occasion to help a friend or neighbor in need, please do so.
You never know when you might be the one needing the help, but
even that ought not be our motivation. We ought to remember with
gratitude how the Lord Jesus Christ gave His very life as a ransom
to pay the price for our sin. What is that price? It is death.
That is why Jesus Christ died on the Cross, to pay for sins He
never committed. He paid for us.

I have always been one to give to others, whether it be just some
kind words of encouragement or if it was to do something for
someone or give something to someone. Little did I realize that
one day I would be a recipient of such kindness. It has been
very humbling to receive from others, but it has been so gratifying,
and I have never been so thankful in my entire life for the goodness
of the Lord and the goodness of friends!

The latest good thing to happen is that thanks again to the kindness
and generosity of friends, my car, which has been sitting idle since
March, is now working again. This means that both my wife and I can
work, even if the timing of our jobs crosses paths. We had been
driving one another to and from work, borrowing transportation, or
walking.

Now the holiday is upon us, and we have much for which we can give
thanks.

Remember to thank God, not only for the things that He has
provided for you, but also for the privilege of knowing the
author of humor, God Himself.

One of my favorite devotional writers, the late Oswald Chambers,
writes another in a series of messages. It has to do with a
relevant topic, sacrifice. In the context of his message,
sacrifice refers to the sacrifice made by Christ. Over and over
again, Oswald Chambers goes far past the basics and right to the
core of the matter, and that's why I like his teaching so much.
You see, we ought to be moving toward the point where we desire
to be more Christ-like.

My question for you to consider over the weekend is this: are you
becoming more Christ-like? Another question is this: Do you know
how to be Christ-like? What attributes of Christ are you
familiar with?

All of these questions ought to help you realize that it is vitally
important to read the Bible every day. Both the Old and New
Testaments of the Bible give us information about the character
and nature of God. Jesus Christ is in very nature God (Philippians 2:6).

If you have not read the short book of Philippians during the past
month and you can not quote Philippians 2:6, I encourage you to read
the book of Philippians this weekend, preferably the entire letter
from the apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, but at the very least,
the second chapter. The first eleven verses of chapter two give some
very strong explanations of what the nature and character of God is
all about.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

___________________________

-//-----------------------------------------------------------------
/ MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- www.heartlight.org/
--/------------------------------------------------------------------

September 2, 2005

THE SACRAMENT OF SACRIFICE

He that believeth in Me... out of him shall flow...

John 7:38
www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+7:38&sr=1

Jesus did not say - "he that believeth in Me shall realize the
blessing of the fulness of God," but - "he that believeth in Me out
of him shall escape everything he receives." Our Lord's teaching is
always anti -self-realization. His purpose is not the development of
a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the
characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe
in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that
counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but
that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot
measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us,
and we cannot measure that at all.

When Mary of Bethany broke the box of precious ointment and poured it
on Jesus' head, it was an act for which no one else saw any occasion;
the disciples said it was a waste. But Jesus commended Mary for her
extravagant act of devotion, and said that wherever His gospel was
preached "this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a
memorial of her." Our Lord is carried beyond Himself with joy when He
sees any of us doing what Mary did, not being set on this or that
economy, but being abandoned to Him. God spilt the life of His Son
that the world might be saved; are we prepared to spill out our lives
for Him?

"He that believeth in Me out of him shall flow rivers of living
water" - hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. It is
time now to break the life, to cease craving for satisfaction, and to
spill the thing out. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers //
=============================================================== /===
www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost /

This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.

======================================================================

--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com

Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Word for Today, Fri, 02 Sep 2005: Sacrifice, Belief, and Acts of Devotion
Dear friends,

I have some more good news from the personal front. I finished
my two contract jobs, which were four and six days in length,
resulting in ten consecutive days that I worked. I could have
worked two more days, but I needed the time off for rest, family
time, and also to follow up on job leads... and ... go for an
interview!

The better news is that I had the interview today. The interview
went well. The last thing the manager told me as he led me to the
door was that I should feel good about the interview, and they
expect to be in touch with me next week. That wasn't quite an
on the spot job offer, but it was close. Please continue to pray
for my family and me. Getting this particular job would be a huge
blessing and a direct answer to specific prayers.

During my two weeks of contract work, my brother brought me to work
one day, my sister in law picked me up once, one friend lent me a
car to use for two days and another friend let me use his car for
nearly a week! Is it possible to have better friends than that?

Dear friends, during the course of our struggles, people have prayed
for us, but many people have done much more than that. When you
have occasion to help a friend or neighbor in need, please do so.
You never know when you might be the one needing the help, but
even that ought not be our motivation. We ought to remember with
gratitude how the Lord Jesus Christ gave His very life as a ransom
to pay the price for our sin. What is that price? It is death.
That is why Jesus Christ died on the Cross, to pay for sins He
never committed. He paid for us.

I have always been one to give to others, whether it be just some
kind words of encouragement or if it was to do something for
someone or give something to someone. Little did I realize that
one day I would be a recipient of such kindness. It has been
very humbling to receive from others, but it has been so gratifying,
and I have never been so thankful in my entire life for the goodness
of the Lord and the goodness of friends!

The latest good thing to happen is that thanks again to the kindness
and generosity of friends, my car, which has been sitting idle since
March, is now working again. This means that both my wife and I can
work, even if the timing of our jobs crosses paths. We had been
driving one another to and from work, borrowing transportation, or
walking.

Now the holiday is upon us, and we have much for which we can give
thanks.

Remember to thank God, not only for the things that He has
provided for you, but also for the privilege of knowing the
author of humor, God Himself.

One of my favorite devotional writers, the late Oswald Chambers,
writes another in a series of messages. It has to do with a
relevant topic, sacrifice. In the context of his message,
sacrifice refers to the sacrifice made by Christ. Over and over
again, Oswald Chambers goes far past the basics and right to the
core of the matter, and that's why I like his teaching so much.
You see, we ought to be moving toward the point where we desire
to be more Christ-like.

My question for you to consider over the weekend is this: are you
becoming more Christ-like? Another question is this: Do you know
how to be Christ-like? What attributes of Christ are you
familiar with?

All of these questions ought to help you realize that it is vitally
important to read the Bible every day. Both the Old and New
Testaments of the Bible give us information about the character
and nature of God. Jesus Christ is in very nature God (Philippians 2:6).

If you have not read the short book of Philippians during the past
month and you can not quote Philippians 2:6, I encourage you to read
the book of Philippians this weekend, preferably the entire letter
from the apostle Paul to the church at Philippi, but at the very least,
the second chapter. The first eleven verses of chapter two give some
very strong explanations of what the nature and character of God is
all about.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

___________________________

-//-----------------------------------------------------------------
/ MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- http://www.heartlight.org/
--/------------------------------------------------------------------

September 2, 2005

THE SACRAMENT OF SACRIFICE

He that believeth in Me... out of him shall flow...

John 7:38
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+7:38&sr=1

Jesus did not say - "he that believeth in Me shall realize the
blessing of the fulness of God," but - "he that believeth in Me out
of him shall escape everything he receives." Our Lord's teaching is
always anti -self-realization. His purpose is not the development of
a man; His purpose is to make a man exactly like Himself, and the
characteristic of the Son of God is self-expenditure. If we believe
in Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that
counts. It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but
that He squeezes the sweetness out of us. Spiritually, we cannot
measure our life by success, but only by what God pours through us,
and we cannot measure that at all.

When Mary of Bethany broke the box of precious ointment and poured it
on Jesus' head, it was an act for which no one else saw any occasion;
the disciples said it was a waste. But Jesus commended Mary for her
extravagant act of devotion, and said that wherever His gospel was
preached "this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a
memorial of her." Our Lord is carried beyond Himself with joy when He
sees any of us doing what Mary did, not being set on this or that
economy, but being abandoned to Him. God spilt the life of His Son
that the world might be saved; are we prepared to spill out our lives
for Him?

"He that believeth in Me out of him shall flow rivers of living
water" - hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. It is
time now to break the life, to cease craving for satisfaction, and to
spill the thing out. Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?

MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers //
=============================================================== /===
http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost /

This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< http://www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.

======================================================================

--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
mail.yahoo.com