Providence Chapel

Some Thoughts On Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:11:00 +0000

I've been thinking again about the importance of reading and writing. There are several reasons I write. One of the most personally compelling is that I read. I mean, my main spiritual sustenance comes by the Holy Spirit from reading. Therefore reading is more important to me than eating. If I went blind, I would pay to have someone read to me. I would try to learn Braille. I would buy "books on tape." I would rather go without food than go without books. Therefore, writing feels very lifegiving to me, since I get so much of my own life from reading.

Combine this with what Paul says in Ephesians 3:3-4, "By revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. And by referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ." The early church was established by apostolic writing as well as apostolic preaching. God chose to send his living Word into the world for 30 years, and his written Word into the world for 2000+ years.

Think of the assumption behind this divine decision. People in each generation would be dependent on those who read. Some people, if not all, would have to learn to read -- and read well, in order to be faithful to God.

So it has been for thousands of years. Generation after generation has read the insights of its writers. This is why fresh statements of old truth are always needed. Without them people will read error. Daniel Webster once said,

"If religious books are not widely circulated among the masses in this country, I do not know what is going to become of us as a nation. If truth be not diffused, error will be; if God and His Word are not known and received, the devil and his works will gain the ascendancy; if the evangelical volume does not reach every hamlet, the pages of a corrupt and licentious literature will."

Millions of people are going to read. If they don't read contemporary Christian books, they are going to read contemporary secular books. They will read. It is amazing to watch people in the airports. At any given moment there must be hundreds of thousands of people reading just in airports. One of the things we Christians need to be committed to, besides reading, is giving away solid books to those who might read them, but would never buy them.

The ripple effect is incalculable. Consider this illustration:

A book by Richard Sibbes, one of the choicest of the Puritan writers, was read by Richard Baxter, who was greatly blessed by it. Baxter then wrote his call to the Unconverted which deeply influenced Philip Doddridge, who in turn wrote The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. This brought the young William Wilberforce, subsequent English statesman and foe of slavery, to serious thoughts of eternity. Wilberforce wrote his Practical Book of Christianity which fired the soul of Leigh Richmond. Richmond, in turn, wrote The Dairyman's Daughter, a book that brought thousands to the Lord, helping Thomas Chalmers the great preacher, among others.

It seems to me that in a literate culture like ours, where most of us know how to read and where books are available, the Biblical mandate is: keep on reading what will open the Holy Scriptures to you more and more. And keep praying for Bible-saturated writers. There are many great old books to read. But each new generation needs its own writers to make the message fresh. Read and pray. And then obey.

- John Piper

If you don't know what to read this year, ask me. -- Mack T.

George Muller's Words, spoken at a New Year's Service, 1859

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:10:00 +0000

We have, through the goodness of the Lord, been permitted to enter upon another year, and the minds of many among us will no doubt be occupied with plans for the future, and the various fears of our work and service for the Lord. If our lives are spared, we shall be engaged in many things--the welfare of our families, the prosperity of our business, and our work and service for Christ, which may be considered the most important matters to be attended to.

But according to my judgement, the most important point to be attended to is this: above all things, see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, and the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last thirty-five years. For the first four years after my conversion, I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience, I especially commend this point to the notice of my younger brothers and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, and having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.

But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? How shall we learn to enjoy God? How shall we obtain such an all-sufficient soul-satisfying portion in Him, as shall enable us to let go the things of this world as vain and worthless in comparison? I answer, This happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.

In the Scriptures, by the power of the Holy Ghost, He makes Himself known unto our souls. . . . Therefore the very earliest portion of the day we can command should be devoted to the meditation on Scriptures. Our souls should feed upon the Word. . . . This intimate experimental acquaintance with Him will make us truly happy. Nothing else will. In God our Father and the blessed Jesus, our souls have a rich, divine, imperishable, eternal treasure. Let us enter into practical possession of these true riches; yea, let the remaining days of our earthily pilgrimage be spent in an ever-increasing, devoted, earnest consecration of our souls to God.

- George Mueller

Living the Christian Life

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 23:41:00 +0000

"Whoever claims to live in Him, must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6

We have only successfully acquired the art of living the Christian life when we have learned to apply the principles of biblical religion, and enjoy its help and comfort in our daily life.

It is easy to have daily devotions, to quote Bible promises, and to talk about the beauty of the Scriptures. But there are many who do these things, yet their religion utterly fails them in the very places and at the very times when it ought to be their strength!

All of us must go out from the sweet services of Sunday into a week of very real, commonplace life. We must mingle with people who are not angels! We must pass through experiences that will naturally worry and vex us. Those around us at times annoy and try us! We will meet many troubles and worries in ordinary week-day life. There are continual irritations and annoyances!

The problem is to live a real Christian life in the face of all these hindrances! How can we get through the tangled briers which grow along our path without having our hands and feet torn by them? How can we live sweetly amid the vexing and irritating things, and the multitude of little worries and frets which infest our way, and which we cannot evade?

It is not enough merely to 'get along any way we can', to drag to the close of each long, wearisome day, and happy when night comes to end the strife. Life should be a joy and not a burden. We should live victoriously, ever master of our experiences, and not tossed by them like a leaf on the dashing waves. Every earnest Christian wants to live a truly beautiful life, whatever the circumstances may be.

A little child, when asked 'what it was to be a Christian,' replied, "For me, to be a Christian is to live as Jesus would live--and behave as Jesus would behave--if He were a little girl and lived at our house."

No better definition of the Christian life could be given. Each one of us is to live just as Jesus would--if He were living out our little life in the midst of its actual environment, mingling with the same people with whom we must mingle, and exposed to the very annoyances, trials and provocations to which we are exposed. We want to live a life that will please God, and that bears witness to the genuineness of our faith and godliness.

"Leaving you an example--that you should follow in His steps." 1 Peter 2:21

- J. R. Miller

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah - by William Williams

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Throughout the centuries the Welsh people have been recognized as one of the most enthusiastic groups of singers in the world. From the days of the Druids, Wales has been a land of song. To this day, they still conduct an International Eisteddfodd (singing festival) at Llangollen. This hymn is a product of that fine musical heritage.

During the early part of the eighteenth century, a young Welsh preacher, Howell Harris, was stirring Wales with his evangelistic preaching and congregational singing. In England, the Wesleys and George Whitefield were conducting similar revivals and outdoor campaigns. One of the lives touched by Harris’s preaching was William Williams. Prior to this time, Williams had been preparing for the medical profession, but upon hearing a sermon by Harris, young Williams gave his heart and life to God and decided to enter the ministry. He served two parishes in the Anglican Church for a time, but never felt at ease in the established, ritualistic church. Like Harris, he decided to take all of Wales as his parish and for the next forty-three years traveled nearly 100,000 miles on horseback, preaching and singing the gospel in his native tongue. Though he suffered many hardships, he was affectionately known as the “sweet singer of Wales.” Throughout Wales he was respected as a persuasive preacher, yet it is said that the chief source of his influence was his hymns. He wrote approximately 800 of them, all in Welsh. One hymnologist has said, “What Isaac Watts has been to England, that and more has William Williams been to Wales.” Unfortunately, most of Williams’s hymns are untranslated, and this is the only hymn for which he is widely known today.

“Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah” first appeared in a hymnal published by Williams in Bristol, England, in 1745. It originally consisted of five six-line stanzas and was entitled “Strength to Pass Through the Wilderness.” In 1771 another hymnal was published by Peter Williams (no relation) in which he translated into English stanzas 1, 3, 5. A year later the original author, William Williams, or possibly his son John, made another English version using Peter Williams’s first stanza, then translating stanzas three and four of the original hymn and adding a new fourth verse. Most hymnals today make use of only three of these stanzas.

The imagery of the hymn is drawn wholly from the Bible. The hymn compares the forty-year journey of the Israelites to the promised land with the living of a Christian life as a “pilgrim[age] through this barren land.” Note the symbolic phrases used throughout: “bread of heaven” (manna), “crystal fountain” (I Corinthians 10:3, 4), “fire and cloudy pillar,” “verge of Jordan,” “Canaan’s Side.” The tune for this text was written in 1907 by John Hughes, a noted Welsh composer of a number of Sunday School marches, anthems and hymn tunes. This particular tune was written especially for the annual Baptist Cymnfa Ganu (singing festival) at Capel Rhondda, Pontypridd, Wales, and was printed in leaflets for that occasion. The text with this tune is still one of the most popular and widely used hymns in Wales. It is not at all uncommon even today for a large crowd at some public event such as a rugby match to burst into the spontaneous singing of this hymn. The strong symbolic text with its virile tune has had great universal appeal, evidenced by the fact that the hymn has been translated into over seventy-five different languages.

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow’rful hand.

Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more,
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield;
Be Thou still my strength and shield.

When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Bear me thro’ the swelling current,
Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs and praises, songs and praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.

- Kenneth Osbeck

Bob Jennings sharing briefly on God at work in revival; truly worth watching!

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:53:00 +0000

Bob Jennings sharing briefly on God at work in revival; truly worth watching;

http://bloodtippedears.blogspot.com/2009/03/bob-jennings-stories-of-revival.html

Ten Questions for the New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:52:00 +0000

Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Even those most faithful to God need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going.

The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?

4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?

7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?

8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?

9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

- Don Whitney

These statistics are the book: Slavery, Terrorism, and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat by Peter Hammond.

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 04:51:00 +0000

These statistics are the book: Slavery, Terrorism, and Islam: The Historical Roots and Contemporary Threat by Peter Hammond.

Islam has religious, legal, political, economic, social, and military components. The religious component is a beard for all of the other components.

Islamization begins when there are sufficient Muslims in a country to agitate for their religious privileges.

When politically correct, tolerant, and culturally diverse societies agree to Muslim demands for their religious privileges, some of the other components tend to creep in as well.

Here's how it works:

As long as the Muslim population remains around or under 2% in any given country, they will be for the most part be regarded as a peace-loving minority, and not as a threat to other citizens. This is the case in:

United States -- Muslim 0.6%
Australia -- Muslim 1.5%
Canada -- Muslim 1.9%
China -- Muslim 1.8%
Italy -- Muslim 1.5%
Norway -- Muslim 1.8%

At 2% to 5%, they begin to proselytize from other ethnic minorities and disaffected groups, often with major recruiting from the jails and among street gangs. This is happening in:

Denmark -- Muslim 2%
Germany -- Muslim 3.7%
United Kingdom -- Muslim 2.7%
Spain -- Muslim 4%
Thailand -- Muslim 4.6%

From 5% on, they exercise an inordinate influence in proportion to their percentage of the population. For example, they will push for the introduction of halal (clean by Islamic standards) food, thereby securing food preparation jobs for Muslims. They will increase pressure on supermarket chains to feature halal on their shelves -- along with threats for failure to comply. This is occurring in:

France -- Muslim 8%
Philippines -- 5%
Sweden -- Muslim 5%
Switzerland -- Muslim 4.3%
The Netherlands -- Muslim 5.5%
Trinidad & Tobago -- Muslim 5.8%

At this point, they will work to get the ruling government to allow them to rule themselves (within their ghettos) under Sharia, the Islamic Law. The ultimate goal of Islamists is to establish Sharia law over the entire world.

When Muslims approach 10% of the population, they tend to increase lawlessness as a means of complaint about their conditions. In Paris, we are already seeing car-burnings. Any non-Muslim action offends Islam and results in uprisings and threats, such as in Amsterdam, with opposition to Mohammed cartoons and films about Islam. Such tensions are seen daily, particularly in Muslim sections in:

Guyana -- Muslim 10%
India -- Muslim 13.4%
Israel -- Muslim 16%
Kenya -- Muslim 10%
Russia -- Muslim 15%

After reaching 20%, nations can expect hair-trigger rioting, jihad militia formations, sporadic killings, and the burnings of Christian churches and Jewish synagogues, such as in:

Ethiopia -- Muslim 32.8%

At 40%, nations experience widespread massacres, chronic terror attacks, and ongoing militia warfare, such as in:

Bosnia -- Muslim 40%
Chad -- Muslim 53.1%
Lebanon -- Muslim 59.7%

From 60%, nations experience unfettered persecution of non-believers of all other religions (including non-conforming Muslims), sporadic ethnic cleansing (genocide), use of Sharia Law as a weapon, and Jizya, the tax placed on infidels, such as in:

Albania -- Muslim 70%
Malaysia -- Muslim 60.4%
Qatar -- Muslim 77.5%
Sudan -- Muslim 70%

After 80%, expect daily intimidation and violent jihad, some State-run ethnic cleansing, and even some genocide, as these nations drive out the infidels, and move toward 100% Muslim, such as has been experienced and in some ways is on-going in:

Bangladesh -- Muslim 83%
Egypt -- Muslim 90%
Gaza -- Muslim 98.7%
Indonesia -- Muslim 86.1%
Iran -- Muslim 98%
Iraq -- Muslim 97%
Jordan -- Muslim 92%
Morocco -- Muslim 98.7%
Pakistan -- Muslim 97%
Palestine -- Muslim 99%
Syria -- Muslim 90%
Tajikistan -- Muslim 90%
Turkey -- Muslim 99.8%
United Arab Emirates -- Muslim 96%

100% will usher in the peace of 'Dar-es-Salaam' -- the Islamic House of Peace. Here there's supposed to be peace, because everybody is a Muslim, the Madrasses are the only schools, and the Koran is the only word, such as in:

Afghanistan -- Muslim 100%
Saudi Arabia -- Muslim 100%
Somalia -- Muslim 100%
Yemen -- Muslim 100%

Unfortunately, peace is never achieved, as in these 100% states the most radical Muslims intimidate and spew hatred, and satisfy their blood lust by killing less radical Muslims, for a variety of reasons.

'Before I was nine I had learned the basic canon of Arab life. It was me against my brother; me and my brother against our father; my family against my cousins and the clan; the clan against the tribe; the tribe against the world, and all of us against the infidel. -- Leon Uris, 'The Haj'

It is important to understand that in some countries, with well under 100% Muslim populations, such as France, the minority Muslim populations live in ghettos, within which they are 100% Muslim, and within which they live by Sharia Law. The national police do not even enter these ghettos. There are no national courts, nor schools, nor non-Muslim religious facilities. In such situations, Muslims do not integrate into the community at large. The children attend madrasses. They learn only the Koran. To even associate with an infidel is a crime punishable with death. Therefore, in some areas of certain nations, Muslim Imams and extremists exercise more power than the national average would indicate.

Today's 1.5 billion Muslims make up 22% of the world's population. But their birth rates dwarf the birth rates of Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and all other believers. Muslims will exceed 50% of the world's population by the end of this century.

So, is it not interesting that the following is already true:
Obama appoints two devout Muslims to Homeland Security posts. Doesn't this make you feel safer already?

Obama and Janet Napolitano appoint Arif Alikhan, a devout Muslim, as Assistant Secretary for Policy Development.

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano swore in Kareem Shora, a devout Muslim who was born in Damascus, Syria, as ADC National Executive Director as a member of the Homeland Security Advisory Council (HSAC).

Two Hymns for your New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:53:00 +0000

O, God, Our Help in Ages Past

O, God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come;
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

Under the shadow of Thy throne,
Still may we dwell secure;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defense is sure.

Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame;
From everlasting Thou art God
To endless years the same.

Time, like an ever rolling stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly, forgotten as a dream,
Dies at the opening day.

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come;
Be Thou our guide while life shall last,
And our eternal home.

- Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

When All Thy Mercies, O My God

When all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost,
In wonder, love, and praise.

Unnumbered comforts to my soul,
Thy tender care bestowed;
Before my infant heart conceived,
From whom those comforts flowed.

When worn with sickness oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And, when in sins and sorrows bowed,
Revived my soul with grace.

Thru every period of my life,
Thy goodness I'll pursue;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.

- Joseph Addison (1672-1719)

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO OUR FRIENDS

WITH LOVE IN THE LORD OUR GOD

MACK & LINDA

From the Heart of Leonard Ravenhill

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Some 60 years ago, most all good churches had a street meeting. But now that light of testimony has gone out. Then there used to be a weekly prayer meeting in most churches; that light, too, has gone out. There used to be a Sunday night meeting, but in most churches, that light has gone out. There also used to be a family altar, but in most homes now, that light has gone out as well. And there used to be 10 lights (Commandments) in every schoolroom. Now that light has gone out. But God will arise and yet scatter His enemies.

Prophets, God ordained, must arise,
Prophets are holy men,
Prophets are lonely men,
True prophets are not appeasers, but opposers,
Prophets are definite, defiant, and difficult.

The man who bows the knee to the Father will not bow the knee to compromise.

A man must hear the voice of God before he can be a voice for God.

Man’s only options are the blood of the Lamb or the wrath of the Lamb.

Smart men walked on the moon, daring men walked on the ocean floor, but wise men walk with God.

- Leonard Ravenhill

Divine Providence in the Smallest Things a Basis for Joy and Hope

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 18:50:00 +0000

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered!" - Matthew 10:29-30

C. H. Spurgeon said, "It is most important for us to learn that the smallest trifles are as much arranged by the God of Providence, as the most startling events. He who counts the stars has also numbered the hairs of our heads. Our lives and deaths are predestined, but so, also, are our sitting down and our rising up!"

How right Spurgeon is and how much we must see God's gracious, loving, intimate and sovereign control and involvement in every atom of the universe and every atom of our lives and existence. Notice what Jesus does not say: "The very hairs of your head are all COUNTED." He says they are numbered--numbered just like the stars individually by name; every hair on our head is numbered; for some of us, we have lost some numbers over the years, but the hairs we still have are intimately known and kept by He who calls every star by name.

I am glad today that absolutely nothing--nothing can happen to the Christian without the Father's immediate control and presence. Jesus is arguing from the lesser to the greater. If sparrows are completely under the intimate eye and always in the presence of the living God, then how much more the lives of His beloved children, right down to the smallest issues like the very hairs of our head; and if our hairs, how much more all the greater realities of life--what comes our way, what providences happen to us, our needs being met, whatever sicknesses or trials that come--we have a Keeper whose love and watching eye is ever on us; it is even more than that--we have His presence with and in us, never to be separated or disconnected from His perfect loving care and ruling in all things.

Spurgeon again-- "His divine providence in our lives and death, but also, our sitting down and our rising up."

Divine Providence makes my heart glad and rejoice with confidence and hope, not in myself, but in Him alone.

- Mack Tomlinson

No Other Book like It

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 00:34:00 +0000

The Bible contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its history is true, and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise, believe it to be safe and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you, food to support you and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveller's map, the pilgrim's staff, the pilot's compass, the soldier's sword and the Christian's charter.

Here paradise is restored, heaven opened and the gates of hell disclosed.

Christ is its grand object, our good is its design and the glory of God its end.

It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure.

It is given you in life, will be opened in the judgement, and will be remembered forever.

It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour, and will condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.

— Anonymous

Keeping Perspective when under Trials

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:28:00 +0000

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." 2 Corinthians 4:16

"For our perishable earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die!" 1 Corinthians 15:53

The lesson of the imperishable life has a special application to those who suffer from sickness or from any bodily affliction. It will help us to endure physical sufferings quietly and unmurmuringly, if we will remember that it is only the outward man that can be touched and affected by these experiences, and that the inward man may not only be kept unharmed, but may be growing all the while in beauty and strength, being spiritually renewed through pain and suffering.

A poor shoemaker in his dreary little shop in a great city one day noticed that there was one little place in his dark room from which he could get a view of green fields, blue skies and faraway hills. He wisely set up his bench at that point so that at any moment he could lift his eyes from his dull work and have a glimpse of the great, beautiful world outside.

Just so, from the darkest sick-room and from the midst of the keenest sufferings, there is always a point from which we can see the face of Christ and have a glimpse of the glory of heaven. If only we will find this place and get this vision, it will make it easy to endure even the greatest suffering.

"For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down, when we die and leave these bodies, we will have a home in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God Himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long for the day when we will put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing." 2 Corinthians 5:1-2

Sickness is discouraging and hard to bear. But we should remember that doing of the will of God is always the noblest, holiest thing we can do any hour, however hard it may be for us. If we are called to suffer, let us suffer patiently and sweetly. Under all our sharp trials, let us keep the peace of God in our hearts. The outward man may indeed decay, but the inward man will be renewed day by day.

- J. R. Miller

Learning in Christ's School

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:25:00 +0000

"I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in need."
- Philippians 4:11-12

Contentment comes from learning to do without things which we once supposed to be essential to our comfort.
- J. R. Miller

Life is a 'school'. All its experiences are 'lessons'. We are all in 'Christ's school' and He is always 'educating' us.

Disciples are learners and all true Christians are disciples. We enter the lowest grade when we begin to be Christians. We have everything to learn. Each new experience is a new lesson set for us by the great Teacher.

The business of noble Christian living is learning. We know nothing when we begin. Learning is not confined to what we get from reading books. All of life is a school. 'Christ's books' are ever being put into our hands, and 'lessons' are set for us continually.

Paul tells us of one of the lessons he had learned in the 'school of experience'. "I have learned," he said, "the secret of being content in any and every situation." We are glad to know that Paul had to learn to be contented. We are apt to think that such a man as he was did not have to learn to live as we common people do, that he always knew, for instance, how to be contented. Here, however, we have the confession that he had to learn the lesson just as we do. He did not always know the secret of contentment. He was well on in years when he said this, from which we conclude that it took him a long time to learn the lesson and that it was not easy for him to do it. Christ's school is not easy.

Sorrow is a choice lesson in Christ's school. Sorrow is not an accident breaking into our life, without meaning or purpose. God could prevent the coming of the sorrow if He so desired. He has all power, and nothing can touch the life of any of His children unless He is willing. Since we know that God loves us and yet permits us to suffer, we may be quite sure that there is a blessing, something good, in whatever it is that brings us pain or sorrow.

We shrink from pain. We would run away from afflictions. We would refuse to accept sorrow. But there are things worth suffering for, things dearer than ease and pleasure. We learn lessons in pain which repay a thousand times--the cost of our tears!

The Bible tells us that God preserves the tears of His children, putting them in His tear-bottle. Tears are sacred to God, because of the blessings that come through them to His children. In heaven we will look back on our lives of pain and sorrow on the earth and will find that our best lessons have come through our tears!

All the Christian graces have to be learned in 'Christ's school'. There Paul had learned contentment. He never would have learned it, however, if he had had only pleasure and ease all his life. Contentment comes from learning to do without things, which we once supposed to be essential to our comfort. Paul had learned contentment through finding such fullness of blessing in Christ that he did not need the 'secondary things' any more.

Perhaps we would succeed better in learning this same grace if we had fewer of life's comforts and if sometimes we experience need. The continuity of blessings that flow like a river into our lives gives us no opportunity to learn contentment.

When sufferings come into our life . . .

disagreeable things--instead of pleasant things;
hunger and poverty--instead of plenty;
rough ways--instead of flower-strewn paths;

God is teaching us the lesson of contentment, so that we can say at length, that we have learned the secret of being content!

- J. R. Miller

The Real Christmas Story -- John MacArthur

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:24:00 +0000

The Real Christmas Story -- John MacArthur

http://www.reformedvoices.com/

The Promise of His Guidance

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 20:22:00 +0000

"Show me the way I should walk, for I come to you in prayer." Psalm 143:8

We cannot know the way ourselves. The path across one little day seems very short, but none of us can find it ourselves. Each day is a hidden world to our eyes as we enter it in the morning. We cannot see one step before us as we go forth. An impenetrable veil covers the brightest day, as with night's black robes. It may have joys and prosperities for us or it may bring to us sorrows and adversities. Our path may lead us into a garden or the garden may be a Gethsemane. We have our plans as we go out in the morning, but we are not sure that they will be realized. The day will bring duties, responsibilities, temptations, perils, tangles which our fingers cannot unravel, and obscure paths in which we cannot find the way.

What could be more fitting in the morning than the prayer, "Show me the way I should walk!" God knows all that is in the day for us. His eye sees to its close and He will be our guide.

There is no promise given more repeatedly in the Bible than that of divine guidance. We have it in the shepherd psalm, "He leads me in the paths of righteousness." Paths of righteousness are right paths. All God's paths are clean and holy; they are the ways of His commandments. But there is another sense in which they are right paths. They are the right ways because they are the best ways for us. Often they are not the ways which we would have chosen. They do not seem to be good ways. But nevertheless they are right and lead to blessing and honor. We are always safe, therefore, in praying this prayer on the morning of any day, "Show me the way I should walk!"

- J. R. Miller

A Wife's Encouragement to her Husband

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:56:00 +0000

Men are often told how much their wives need encouragement. And it is so true. Men are often exhorted to give encouragement to their wives. And it is always a need for us to do so.

But it is just as true that women need to encourage their husbands as well. A wife's words are a very powerful means of bringing either discouragement or encouragement to their husband.

Here are the words of one wife to her husband that were brought to my attention. Had to be a real encouragement to him!

"Let me count the ways that I love you in the midst of life!

You are my love

You love the Lord more each day

You are willing to keep trying

You put up with so much from a wife like me

You are forgiving

You desire to seek the Lord first

You love your family

You stay in touch with friends

You study to show yourself approved

You are persevering

You cast all your cares upon the Lord, and why wouldn't you do that?-- He cares for you

You are always willing to pitch in and help at home

You are willing to care for your children and grandchildren

You keep your hair combed

You remember to turn your socks right side out for the wash

You have lovely green eyes

You endure painful situations

You trust in the Lord with all your heart

You keep on trusting Him

You encourage others to know the Lord

You are willing to go to the ends of the earth to obey the Lord

You are wise with your time

and I will continue this list at another time...........................

Have a great night."

I have a feeling her husband was encouraged and more ready than ever to keep doing the things she mentioned.

Wives, encourage your husbands-- it'll do em good and they'll become better husbands and better men.

- Mack Tomlinson

Christian Athletes Refused to Participate in the Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:31:00 +0000

In 2000, Chris Harmse of South Africa was a hammer thrower who held the record on the African continent for that event. A big man in every way, he had qualified for the South African team during a pre-Olympic event in Croatia on July 15 that summer. Then he discovered that the final of the hammer throw would take place the following Sunday. A Christian, he agonized over his decision before deciding that the Lord's Day was more important to him than throwing the hammer for his country. Sam Ramsamy, the president of the South Africa National Olympic Committee, respected his decision.

Harmse was only the second Olympian to ever withdraw from the games for religious reasons. One must go back to 1924 when the Scottish sprinter Eric Liddell dropped out of the 100 meter race in Paris because the final took place on the Sabbath.

Jonathan Edwards, England's world record triple jumper and hope for a gold medal in Sydney, began his athletic career by refusing to take part in Sunday games. The son of a preacher, he was married to a missionary's daughter. But he later changed his mind about this, claiming a revelation had come to him encouraging him to jump on the Lord's Day.

Edwards says, "My relationship with Jesus and with God is fundamental to everything I do. I have made a commitment and dedication in that relationship to serve God in every area of my life including Triple Jump. The most important news, though, is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Many exciting things have happened to me in my life, but the most crucial is that my sins have been forgiven and I know God."

Eric Liddell managed to negotiate an unheard-of switch from the 100 meter race which he had been scheduled to run to the 400 meter, for which he had not trained, later in the week. On July 11, 1924, Liddell won that race and was showered with Olympic glory.

Instead of cashing in, Liddell turned his back on fame and fortune and followed in his parents' footsteps, becoming a missionary in China, where his most powerful contributions to God and to his fellow humans were made.

Cal Thomas points out that in our day of focus groups and leadership weakened by uncertainty of belief, Eric Liddell's example continues to stand out. A fanatic might have demanded that others not run on Sunday either and organized a group to enact legislation to conform society to his point of view. Not Liddell. He just said he wouldn't run. Some newspapers denounced him as a traitor to his country and king. How quickly they changed their tune when he won a gold medal. Had he yielded to temptation and compromised his beliefs, we might never have heard of him again.

The account of the race in the July 12, 1924, Times of London conveys the excitement of that day in Paris:

"Liddell had the outside berth - generally considered the worst place. ... There was a perfect start, and from the first jump-off the pace looked, and was, terrific. Two men of the six fell. ... But that made no difference, for there was never more than one man in the race, and it was the pace he set that fairly ran them off their legs. Sweeping round into the straight Liddell led by four or five yards, and increased his lead by a couple of yards more in the run home. No one ever looked like catching him ... When the time was given out ... and it was realized that, for the third time in two days, the world's 'record' had been lowered, the Stadium went insane ... ."

When Liddell left Edinburgh for China the following year, the number of people wanting to bid him farewell was so large that 1,000 were unable to get in. Twenty years later he was taken prisoner with other missionaries and Westerners and became one of 1,800 crowded into a Japanese camp. His personal space had shrunk to three by six feet. Before his arrest, Liddell managed to get his wife and two children to safety in Canada (Florence Liddell was pregnant at the time with their third daughter, whom Eric would not live to see). He died of a brain tumour on Feb. 21, 1945.

At the end of "Chariots of Fire," producer David Puttnam put on the screen: "Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned."

Press accounts of the 1980 premiere of the film in Edinburgh told of huge crowds. How fitting. The people of Scotland, who had shared their native son with China, were welcoming him back and affirming the note given to Liddell by his masseur before that 1924 race. It referred to the Biblical passage 1 Samuel 2:30: "He who honours Me, I will honour." And so He did. And so He still does years later.

- Geoff Thomas

God-blest Preaching

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:29:00 +0000

When the town-crier comes through the street he opens his mouth and he's a free man. He's free in the sense that he's not biting his nails nervously wondering "Oh, how will this news fall upon the ears of Mrs. So and So in the light of what I happen to know about her through my second cousin and her aunt who lives around the corner. I'm just....oh my....I'm just." No, no!

The town-crier opens his mouth and he heralds the message! Why? Because he's conscious of his identity as a herald appointed by the sovereign to his task. That was the mark of the preaching owned of God at Iconium. These men so spake. That was one of the marks of their preaching when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, they perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men.

In other words, it was not boldness fostered by and buttressed with credentials that would impress the world. Just the opposite was true. It was the very fact that they didn't have the world's credentials and yet dared to hurl the word of God into the consciences of men.

They said, "What in the world makes these men tick? They are unlearned and ignorant men in terms of our standards of what makes a man competent to speak to others. They're fisherman and they're talking to us - the doctors of the law. That ain't kosher! "Don't you know we know philosophy. What do you know about philosophy?"

"Not too much, except God calls it the wisdom of this world which comes to naught."

"Well, don't you know that's insulting to Plato and to Socrates?"

"Sorry fellows."

"The wisdom of this world that comes to naught - what do you know of it?"

"Not much"

"What do you know of the world's opinion of this and that?"

"Not much."

"Well, what in the world do you know?"

"I know my Master's message."

"And when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John perceiving they were unlearned and ignorant men they took note of them that they had been with Jesus."

What is essential is that in this formative period God molds men who understand their identity as the heralds of God so that holy boldness marks their preaching, boldness that will be suffused with tenderness and with gentleness. Many times perhaps with the softest tones of entreaty but never marked by that nervous biting of the nails because "Oh this might offend this one and that truth may offend another", men who speak with all calling forth of the message of their Master, and that's a spiritual quality - not a personality characteristic.

That's why Paul asked Christians to pray that God would give it to him. Isn't that what he said in Ephesians? He said, "Pray for all saints and pray for me." That what may be given to me? What did he pray for? "That boldness may be given unto me. That I may open my mouth and speak boldly as I ought to speak."

When our Lord himself preaches the gospel how does he preach it? He says, "He that believeth not is condemned already." He doesn't put the emphasis on, "Oh well, you don't have the fullness of joy and peace that you could have." Now that is a truth, but I'm saying that's not the predominant emphasis of Scripture. There on the day of Pentecost what does it say when they heard these things? Did they started to jump up with eagerness saying, 'Oh that's wonderful! You've got something better than we've got.' No. It says they were stabbed to the heart and they cried out, "What shall we do?"

What happened to the Philippian jailer? The same thing. He comes in trembling saying, "Sirs. what must I do to be saved?"

You see when the town-crier came, he never came with trivia. And I say to you men, on whom God has laid his hand. May God shut your mouth the day seriousness ceases to be one of the predominant characteristics of your preaching.

Do you believe in heaven with all its glories? And do you believe in hell with all its frightening agonies? Do you believe that weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth are not poetic images? Then in God's name, how can we help but be serious? And that's why I say to every unconverted man or woman boy or girl. God have mercy upon you if you trifle with the gospel. It's life to life and death to death.

- Al Martin

Sovereign Ruler of the Skies

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 06:39:00 +0000

Sovereign ruler of the skies,
Ever gracious, ever wise,
All my times are in thy hand,
All events at Thy command.

His decrees who formed the earth
Fixed my first and second birth;
Parents, native place, and time,
All appointed were by Him.

He that formed me in the womb,
He shall guide me to the tomb;
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by His wise decree.

Times the tempter's power to prove;
Times to taste the Saviour's love;
All must come, and last , and end,
As shall please my heavenly Friend.

Plagues and deaths around me fly;
Till He bids, I cannot die;
Not a single shaft can hit,
Till the God of love sees fit.

- John Ryland (1753-1825)

Like the Dew

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:40:00 +0000

"They will be like dew sent by the Lord." Micah 5:7

The lives of godly people are sometimes compared to the dew. One point of likeness, is the quiet way in which the dew performs its ministry. It falls silently and imperceptibly. It makes no noise. No one hears it dropping. It chooses its time in the night when men are sleeping, when none can see its beautiful work. It covers the leaves with clusters of pearls. It steals into the bosoms of the flowers, and leaves new cupfuls of sweetness there. It pours itself down among the roots of the grasses and tender herbs and plants. It loses itself altogether, and yet it is not lost. For in the morning there is fresh life everywhere, and new beauty. The fields are greener, the gardens are more fragrant, and all nature is clothed in fresh luxuriance!

Is there not in this simile a suggestion as to the way we should seek to do good in this world? Should we not wish to have our influence felt while no one thinks of us, rather than that we should be seen and heard and praised? Should we not be willing to lose ourselves in the service of self-forgetful love, as the dew loses itself in the bosom of the rose--caring only that other lives shall be sweeter, happier, and holier, and not that honor shall come to us? We are too anxious, some of us, that our names shall be written in large letters on the things we do, even on what we do for our Master; and are not willing to sink ourselves out of sight and let Him alone have the praise.

Our Lord's teaching on the subject is very plain. He says: "Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full." That is, they have that which they seek--the applause of men.

"But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." The meaning would seem to be, that we are not to wish people to know of our good deeds, our charities, our self-denials; that we should not seek publicity, when we give money or do good works; indeed, that we are not even to tell ourselves what we have done; that we are not to think about our own good deeds so as to become conscious of them; not to put them down in our diaries and go about complimenting ourselves, throwing bouquets at ourselves, and whispering: "How good I am! What fine things I have done!"

This is an insightful test of our lives. Are we willing to be as the dew--to steal abroad in the darkness, carrying blessings to men's doors, blessings that shall enrich the lives of others and do them good--and then steal away again before those we have helped or blessed awaken, to know what hand it was that brought the gift? Are we willing to work for others . . .

without gratitude,
without recognition,
without human praise,
without requital?

Are we content to have our lives poured out like the dew--to bless the world and make it more fruitful--and yet remain hidden away ourselves? Is it enough for us to see the fruits of our toil and sacrifice in others' spiritual growth, and deeper happiness; yet never hear our names spoken in praise or honor, perhaps even hearing others praised for things we have done?

If you go about doing good in simple ways, in gentle kindnesses, not thinking of reward, not dreaming of praise, not hoping for any return--you are enshrining your name where it will have immortal honor! Our lesson teaches us that this is the way we are to live if we are followers of Christ!

- J. R. Miller

Things Missing in Modern Preaching

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:50:00 +0000

Among things missing in much preaching today, I regret the following:

1. Too often no distinct text is announced at the outset (almost as though a text is a boring way to start a sermon). But nothing was more important. In former times; a preacher often gave out his text twice.

2. Lack of passion and urgency

3. On the the part of the preacher, there is a lack of faith-- not a lack of faith in his message, but of faith in Christ to enable him to speak in His name without dependence on a written manuscript. There is too much paper in pulpits!

4. Lack of memorization of Scripture! We all ought to know much more Scripture by heart than we do, and especially preachers. An occasional turning up of a reference with the congregation is understandable, but to make a practice of it, and to fail to quote Scripture freely, is to diminish what preaching ought to be.

5. Far better to be short than to be dull! A number of eminent preachers could be quoted who did not think 20 minutes is too short or is unacceptable. There ought to be more variation.

- Iain Murray

Sinners Always Avoid the Obvious

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:49:00 +0000

A friend recently mentioned they heard someone ask Martha Stewart the question, "You are so busy and active. What would you do if you got sick?", to which Stewart replied, "Sick? I'm too busy to get sick; I can't get sick; I don't have time to get sick; don't talk about getting sick; I don't want to even think about it."

Such is the world's attitude and approach to reality. Sickness?- "I don't like the subject"; Sin?- "don't talk to me about that religious stuff"; Death?- "O, that's morbid, why don't you talk about something pleasant?"

Often unbelievers, when facing the end of life, they and their families won't even discuss death and the need to be ready and face it; instead, the attitude is, "let's just enjoy and have fun in the remaining time we've got with you- let's be pleasant, laugh, eat, share memories, and be positive; we don't want to be discouraging and negative; let's all smile and be positive." Let's translate that:

Denial- "I don't want to talk about it."

The largest, most applicable realities that affect life the most are those that the world doesn't want to deal with it; Instead, they will only talk food, fun times, cars, movies, jokes, clothes, gossip, the latest Tiger Woods news, college football, movie stars, and fads. It's not that they only want to talk about lesser temporals, those are the only things that are real to unbelievers so its all they can talk about.

If God, Jesus Christ, sin, sickness, death, and eternity are not real to you, then you will have no interest in thinking about or focusing upon the greater issues of life, living, dying, and entering eternity.

So I would ask Ms. Stewart, "Well, Martha, when you come to die, will you be cooking then? What will you do when sickness does come and you are not before the cameras, but instead are on a sick bed-- what will you do then? Then, you will have time to be sick. When death comes to you, then you will face it. You may not want to think about it now, but then you will have no choice."

Sickness and / or death are fast approaching, and you will have a personal encounter with the irresistible force of every greater reality--sickness, death, eternity, and facing God in judgment and the unavoidable appointment of standing before the judge of the universe, Jesus Christ; then, you will not discuss cooking, or aunt Molly, or Facebook or Twittering, or the latest fad; when that day comes, guess what will be real then? Him and eternity and your fixed eternal destiny.

And guess what will not be in the thoughts of unbelievers then? Food, fun times, cars, movies, jokes, clothes, gossip, the latest Tiger Woods news, college football, movie stars, and fads.

"I don't like to think about it?" Every unbeliever, including Martha Stewart, needs to get real, get honest, get a Bible, and get to the Saviour to get ready. Now is the only time to think about it.

- Mack Tomlinson

Sinners Always Avoid the Obvious

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:58:00 +0000

A Channel to Bless the World

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:58:00 +0000

I have thought much this Christmas season about the Lord being born of Mary. He could have come down as Elijah went up, in a chariot of fire. The Jews would have received Him then. But God took Mary--her body, her emotions, her substance and all she had, and through her He gave us His Son. In the same way, He blesses the world, not merely by what we say, but by what we offer. He takes what we have and through it, makes a channel to bless others.

We are to be broken bread and poured out wine, that through us by the indwelling Spirit, others are reached. Channels only, blessed Master.

Leonard Ravenhill, 1965

Our Faithful Keeper

noreply@blogger.com (Providence Denton) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 23:43:00 +0000

Psalm 121

What a great reality that it is God who keeps us or we would not be kept. What a thought and what a fact that it is He alone that keeps us in all our ways. Just think for a moment what God promises us in this regard. In Psalm 121, we are told no less than six times in six verses that God is keeping us.

He who keeps you will not slumber- vs. 3

Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep- vs. 4

The Lord is your keeper- vs. 5

The Lord will keep you from all evil- vs 7

He will keep your life- vs 7

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore- vs. 8

I am so glad, so thankful, and so comforted by the fact that it is Christ who keeps us. I can't even keep my desk straight and clean--how then could I keep my life and soul preserved for the future and for eternity? How could we keep ourselves from the enemy? How could we keep ourselves from being overcome by life? We could not and we cannot keep ourselves. We would not be kept unless One infinitely greater than ourselves was not keeping us every moment.

Kept by the power of God through faith- 1 Peter 1:5

Thou shalt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee- Isaiah 26:3

Unto Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you blameless before His presence with great joy- Jude 24

Kept

I am so glad of this certainty
That my King ever keeps me;
Preserved to the end I shall be
Kept by grace full and free.

Kept by love that never fails
Goodness and mercy my life do trail;
Kept by wisdom never ending
Kept by grace He keeps sending.

Kept by Him through promises unfailing
Kept for Him by power ere flowing;
Kept by Him till this life shall end
Kept for Him till this race I win.

Kept by Him unto eternity
Kept for Him forever I'll be;
Kept by Him till my days are done
Kept for Him till my course is run.

- Mack Tomlinson