Year: 2021 (Page 1 of 2)

In my 45 years of walking with Jesus, two spiritual practices have strengthened and encouraged my soul as much as anything else.
What are those two practices?

• Memorizing God’s Word
• Meditating on God’s Word

Memorizing God’s Word allows you to have it readily accessible 24/7.

Find yourself troubled in the middle of the night? God’s Word is instantly there to comfort your heart and quiet your mind.

Meeting with a friend who needs encouragement? The Spirit brings to mind a passage you memorized that can encourage their soul.

Meditating on God’s Word is what takes the memorized Word and helps apply it to the specific circumstances and situations of your life.

Meditating on God’s Word is one of the keys to a transformed heart and changed life. Simply reading, studying, and listening to God’s Word isn’t enough. Meditation roots it into the very fiber of our being.

I’ve put together 12 brief passages of Scripture that have proven immensely helpful throughout my walk with Christ that you may want to consider committing to memory in 2022 (one passage per month).

If one passage per month is too much, take one every 2-3 months.

Here are the twelve passages:

JANUARY
Romans 8:31-32 ESV

[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

FEBRUARY
Hebrews 12:1-2 ESV

[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

MARCH
Isaiah 41:9-10 ESV

[9] … I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, “You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off”; [10] fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

APRIL
1 Corinthians 9:24-27 ESV

[24] Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. [25] Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. [26] So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. [27] But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

MAY
Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

[28] Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. [30] For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

JUNE
Colossians 3:16-17 ESV

[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

JULY
Matthew 5:43-47 ESV

[43] You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. [46] For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? [47] And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?

AUGUST

Romans 8:38-39 ESV

[38] For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, [39] nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

SEPTEMBER

Galatians 6:7-10 ESV

[7] Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. [8] For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. [9] And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. [10] So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

OCTOBER

Philippians 2:14-15 ESV

[14] Do all things without grumbling or disputing, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world…

NOVEMBER

Colossians 3:12-13 ESV

[12] Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

DECEMBER

Hebrews 4:15-16 ESV

[15] For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. [16] Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

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Here are a few resources to help begin your journey to memorize and meditate on God’s Word:

1) How To Memorize Scripture (free E-Book from Navigators)

2) 4 Steps to Memorizing more Scripture

3) 7 Best Bible Memorization Apps

4) 17 Ways to Meditate on Scripture

5) 22 Benefits of Meditating on Scripture

6) 5 Steps to Meditating on your Bible

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Psalm 119:9-11 ESV

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word. 
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.

“In everything give thanks.” 
(1 Thessalonians 5:18 – NASB)

I grew up Lutheran, and one of the traditions we had as a family was singing the Doxology before every Thanksgiving dinner. It set the tone, and it always reminded me that these “blessings” (visible and invisible) ultimately flow from God… and therefore He is to be praised.

“Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

As we approach Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought I would share a meaningful post on the topic of gratitude by Randy Alcorn (originally posted on his blog), followed with a few of my favorite quotes and verses. Enjoy!

“Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” (Romans 11:35).

The answer is nobody.

Our culture is riddled with a poisonous spirit of entitlement. We always think we deserve more. We’re disappointed with our family, neighbors, church, the waitress, the salesclerk, and the department of motor vehicles. Ultimately, we’re disappointed with God. He hasn’t given us everything we want.

What madness!

If only we could see our situation clearly – even for a moment.

We deserved expulsion;

He gives us a diploma.

We deserved the electric chair.

He gives us a parade. 

Anything less than overwhelming gratitude should be unthinkable.

He owes us nothing. We owe Him everything. When you realize you deserve nothing better than hell, it puts a “bad day” in perspective, doesn’t it? 

Christians in Sudan – who’ve suffered unspeakably for their faith – are deeply grateful for God’s daily blessings.

But us? We whine and pout.

Thankfulness should draw a clear line between us and a Christ-less world. If the same spirit of entitlement and ingratitude that characterizes our culture characterizes us, what do we have to offer?

If I grasp that I deserve hell, I’ll be filled with gratitude not only for God’s huge blessings – including my redemption and home in heaven – but also for His smaller blessings: sun, rain, a beating heart, eyes that see, legs that walk, a mind that thinks. If I don’t have these, I’ll be overwhelmed with the knowledge that I have plenty else I don’t deserve.

And because Christ allowed Himself to be crushed under the weight of my sin, I’ll enjoy forever a clear mind and perfect body.

Lord, help us to be thankful people. Help us to be grateful for ordinary days. And during our bad days, remind us of what you are preparing for us – endless days filled with goodness and abundance, where we will look back with amazed delight at your deliverance and look forward with anticipation of the endless wonders yet to come.

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
(Romans 1:21 ESV)
 
“Ultimately, in his essence, Satan is an ingrate. And he sinks his venom into the heart of Eden. Satan’s sin becomes the first sin of all humanity: the sin of ingratitude… Our fall was, has always been, and always will be, that we aren’t satisfied in God and what He gives.”
(Ann Voskamp)
 
“…having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
(Colossians 2:7 ESV)

Dear Friends,
 
It’s been a while since I’ve posted some “Quotes to Note.” Here are a few that I pray will encourage and challenge you…

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“Even to your old age and grey hairs
I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you;
I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

ISAIAH 46:4 NIV

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“Discipline is choosing between what you want now
and what you want most.”

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“Plan for gradual improvement, not spectacular leaps. A slow and steady stream of water will, in time, erode the hardest rock.”

JOHN CAMPBELL, Ph.D.

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“We are what we repeatedly do.”

ARISTOTLE

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“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.”

ANNIE DILLARD

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“Most people spend their lives indefinitely preparing to live.”

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“The focus of your morning should be preparation.
The focus of your evening should be reflection.”

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“Life is too short, eternity is too long, and the stakes are too high to waste our years on things that ultimately don’t matter.”

JOHN PIPER

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“The essence of sin is man substituting himself for God, while the essence of salvation is God substituting himself for man. Man asserts himself against God and puts himself where only God deserves to be; God sacrifices himself for man and puts himself where only man deserves to be. Man claims prerogatives that belong to God alone; God accepts penalties that belong to man alone.”

JOHN STOTT (FROM THE CROSS OF CHRIST)

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“We are more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe, yet more loved and accepted in Jesus than we ever dared hope.”

TIM KELLER

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“The same Bible that tells us to ‘rejoice always’ has a book called Lamentations. We don’t have to choose one from the other. Good, healthy Christian faith is non-dualistic, able to hold multiple tensions together.”

RICH VILLODAS

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“It is impossible to be increasing in our love for God and simultaneously increasing in our contempt for others. When our speech is saturated with contempt, our hearts are revealed.”

JEN WILKIN

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“What is chaotic to you is
controlled by your Savior.
What is confusing to you is
understood by your Lord.”

PAUL TRIPP

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“Your ability to be non-reactive to highly reactive people is a good measure of your progress as a mature adult and follower of Jesus.”

RICH VILLODAS

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“Christianity is not just intellectually defensible but also intellectually satisfying at the deepest of levels. Yes, we believe God with our hearts. But we can also enjoy him with our minds.”

MICHAEL KRUGER

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“Summing it all up, friends,
I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds
and meditating on things
true,
noble,
reputable,
authentic,
compelling,
gracious –
the best, not the worst;
the beautiful, not the ugly;
things to praise, not things to curse.

Put into practice what you learned, what you heard and saw and realized.
Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”

 PHILIPPIANS 4:8-9 (THE MESSAGE)

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Four Exceptional Biographies

My favorite subject to read is biography and history.
 
Here are four new biographies about four of the most prolific evangelical authors of the past 50 years. All of the books were published this year and I really enjoyed reading about (and learning from) each individual’s life.

If you enjoy biography, I’d encourage you to pick one up.

• A Burning in my Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message by Winn Collier

• Where the Light Fell by Philip Yancey

• Becoming Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn

• R.C. Sproul: A Life by Stephen J. Nichols

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Steve Haas writes at Lausanne.org about the dangers that can come when our words and faith commitments become de-linked from our deeds and actions. One of several historical examples he points to includes Rwanda in the early 1990s, famously portrayed in the moving film Hotel Rwanda.

Scripture tells us that coming to faith in Christ is just the beginning of a lifelong growth process into greater spiritual maturity. Spiritual maturity doesn’t “automatically” happen. The Bible tells us that believers need to be trained, taught, and discipled toward greater maturity in Christ.

Ephesians 4 tells us “…we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head [Christ].” (Ephesians 4:15 ESV)

Colossians 3 says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another…” (Colossians 3:16 NASB)

And James 2 tells us, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26 CSB)

It’s both knowing what Scripture says and then applying what Scripture says to our daily lives that leads to maturity in Christ (Hebrews 5:14). Our faith needs to not just stay in our “head and heart,” but move outward to our “fingers and toes.”

Haas writes:

Over thirty years ago the nation of Rwanda experienced numerous national crusades. Tens of thousands of hands were raised in revivals and evangelistic meetings. It was believed at that time, in somewhat conservative terms, that over 80% of the population of Rwanda had come to faith in Jesus.

However, 27 years ago, and in little over 100 days, over 800,000 people were slaughtered by their own countrymen in a genocidal frenzy of unparalleled proportion:

• How could a nation so rich in converts to the faith not stave off the most brutal mass murder of its citizens in modern history?

• How could ethnicity trump spiritual identity and lead them into repudiating everything that their Christian formation stood for?

• Could it be that they registered their faith with their heads and hearts, but left it unconnected to their fingers and toes?

• Is the sanctification process more than someone making a decision for Christ—is that just the beginning of the process?

Questions like these still demand an accounting in the global body of Christ…

‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10 NIV)

Life in all of its fullness was Jesus’ mission.

At the turn of the twentieth century, a chasm opened between personal faith and the expression of that faith to the world.

The deeds of our belief became de-linked from our words and faith commitments, and the result was an incomplete witness to the world.

We are still dealing with the unintended consequences of that one-sided gospel.

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Click here to read the full article.

Easily one of the best books I have read this past year is Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Suffers by Dane Ortlund. It is filled with one profound truth after another. I’ve read it through twice and keep coming back to it for encouragement and nourishment for my own soul.

Central to Ortlund’s book is Matthew 11:28-30 where Jesus describes himself as “gentle and lowly in heart.” Dane goes through the pages of Scripture and through the writings of some of the best-known Puritans to expound on this great truth.

Here are a few quotes from the beginning of this excellent book:

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“A wife may tell you much about her husband – his height, his eye color, his eating habits, his education, his job, his handiness around the house, his best friend, his hobbies, his Myers-Briggs personality profile, his favorite sports team. But what can she say to communicate his knowing gaze across the table over a dinner at their favorite restaurant?

That look that reflects years of ever-deepening friendship, thousands of conversations and arguments through which they have safely come, a time-ripened settling into the assurance of embrace, come what may? That glance that speaks in a moment his loving protection more clearly than a thousand words? In short, what can she say to communicate to another her husband’s heart for her?

It is one thing to describe what your husband says and does and looks like. It is something else, something deeper and more real, to describe his heart for you.”

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Ortlund goes on throughout the rest of the book to describe from Scripture the heart of Jesus for his followers:

“My dad pointed out to me something that Charles Spurgeon pointed out to him. In the four Gospel accounts given to us in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – eighty-nine chapters of biblical text – there’s only one place where Jesus tells us about his own heart.”

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“But in only one place – perhaps the most wonderful words ever uttered by human lips – do we hear Jesus himself open up to us his very heart:

“Come to me, all who labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

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“Meek. Humble. Gentle. Jesus is not trigger-happy. Not harsh, reactionary, easily exasperated. He is the most understanding person in the universe. The posture most natural to him is not a pointed finger but open arms.”

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“’Gentle and lowly.’ This, according to his own testimony, is Christ’s very heart. This is who he is. Tender. Open. Welcoming. Accommodating. Understanding. Willing. If we are asked to say only one thing about who Jesus is, we would be honoring Jesus’s own teaching if our answer is, gentle and lowly.

If Jesus hosted his own personal website, the most prominent line of the ‘About Me’ dropdown would read: GENTLE AND LOWLY IN HEART.”

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“The cumulative testimony of the four Gospels is that when Jesus Christ sees the fallenness of the world all about him, his deepest impulse, his most natural instinct, is to move toward that sin and suffering, not away from it.”

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“And what did he [Jesus] do when he saw the unclean? What was his first impulse when he came across prostitutes and lepers? He moved toward them. Pity flooded his heart, the longing of true compassion. He spent time with them. He touched them. We all can testify to the humaneness of touch. A warm hug does something warm words of greeting alone cannot.

But there is something deeper in Christ’s touch of compassion. He was reversing the Jewish system. When Jesus, the Clean One, touched an unclean sinner, Christ did not become unclean. The sinner became clean.”

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“Jesus gives God a face, and that face is steaked with tears.” (Philip Yancey)

“And He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15 NASB)

“And He [Jesus] is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature and upholds all things by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3 NASB)

TO GIVE PERSPECTIVE

“Leadership and pastoral training in America is like opening another restaurant (there are plenty on virtually every corner). In the developing world, leadership and pastoral training is like opening a food pantry in the midst of starving people.”

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TO ENCOURAGE

“All that is gold does not glitter
Not all those who wander are lost
The old that is strong does not wither
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.”

– J.R.R. Tolkien

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TO CHALLENGE

“If you’re willing to say, ‘Lord, here I am, send me,’
God rubs his hands together and says,
‘Now we can get to work.
I will work in you and through you to reach out to the people around you.’
And that’s why God gets all the glory.”

– Josh McDowell

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TO STRENGTHEN YOUR BODY

“If you don’t make time for your wellness,
you will be forced to make time for your illness.”

“Longshoreman philosopher Eric Hoffer wrote, ‘We are warned not to waste time, but we are brought up to waste our lives’… This is evident in the tragedy of many people, who in the first half of their lives, spend their health looking for wealth, and in the last half, spend their wealth looking for health.”

– Ken Boa

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TO STRENGTHEN YOUR SOUL

“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

– D.A. Carson

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TO MEDITATE ON

“…don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.
God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

– Matthew 6:34 (The Message)

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TO LEAD MORE EFFECTIVELY

“…one of the principal reasons for the escalating number of clergy members who are experiencing serious depression is the perceived inability to produce success in their ministry. It is vitally important that we as spiritual leaders recognize that we can do our very best and in fact be doing everything right and still not realize the growth and ministry expansion for which we long. When our emotional and spiritual well-being become inordinately dependent on the growth of our ministry rather than on who we are in Christ, the imbalance can create for us serious emotional problems.”

– Samuel Rima
(from Leading from the Inside Out: The Art of Self-Leadership)

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“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.”

– Psalm 62:5-7 (NIV)

 

GLOBAL PHOTO

“I have calmed and quieted and my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother…”
(Psalm 131:2 CSB)

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Blaise Pascal, the remarkable scientist, theologian and Christian of the seventeenth century, remarked in his Pensees (section 136) that “all the unhappiness of men arises from one single fact, that they cannot stay quietly in their own room.”

“Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life… We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.”

(Henri Nouwen)

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A daily practice to help us move in this direction
involves two rhythms:

Preparation in the morning and reflection in the evening.

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“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he [Jesus] got up, went out, and made his way to a deserted place; and there he was praying.”

(Mark 1:35 CSB)

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• The end isn’t silence and solitude; it’s to come back to God and our true selves.
• It isn’t Sabbath; it’s a restful, grateful life of ease, appreciation, wonder, and worship.
• It isn’t simplicity; it’s freedom and focus on what matters most.
• It isn’t even slowing; it’s to be present, to God, to people, to the moment.

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“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take up my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:28-30 CSB)

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Encouragement to live fully for God’s glory, all the way to the end

“There are no sunset years for the Christian. Until the day you die, you have a race to run and a ministry to finish… So, straighten your back. Open your eyes. Brace your shoulders. And cry out, ‘I will not waste it!’”
(John Piper)

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“David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers.”
(Acts 13:36 ESV)

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“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.”
(Mark Twain)

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“…life is fragile and death is inevitable. We don’t know the number of days we will have, nor can we choose how easy or hard our path. To quote the wisdom of Gandalf:  All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.’”
(Brett McCracken)

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“…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
(Philippians 3:13-14 ESV)

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A few years ago, Senators Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) established unusual benchmarks for deciding whether to run for reelection in 2022, potential six-year terms that would end with Grassley in his mid-90s and Leahy in his late 80s.

“If I can run three miles four times a week, I’ll be running for reelection,” Grassley, now 87, said at the time. His office pointed to an interview with Iowa media in which he explained that he ran 13 straight days during his recent asymptomatic bout of covid-19, although his morning runs are now just 2 miles.

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“We know [the Apostle] John, likely in his 80’s or even older, was still serving his brothers and sisters in the Lord. Again, Bible scholars estimate Anna was anywhere from 84 to 105 years old, and yet; she ‘continued to spend every day praying at the temple (Luke 2:36-37).’”
(Dave Maddox)

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“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.”
(Anonymous)

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“All I want now is to preach the gospel, die and be forgotten.”
(Count Zinzendorf)

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As we reflect on God’s goodness to us through the cross on this Good Friday 2021, here is a collection of Scriptures, quotes and one worship song to encourage and uplift you on this Resurrection weekend.

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“…and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
that we might die to sin and live to righteousness;
for by His wounds you were healed.”

1 Peter 2:24 NASB

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“And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”

Colossians 2:13-14 NASB

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“The best of men are only men at their very best. Patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, church fathers, reformers, puritans – all are sinners who need a Savior.”

J.C. Ryle

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“But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Galatians 6:14 NASB

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“For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”

1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV

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“Every time we look at the cross, Christ seems to say to us, ‘I am here because of you. It is your sin I am bearing, your curse I am suffering, your debt I am paying, your death I am dying.’ Nothing in history or in the universe cuts us down to size like the cross. All of us have inflated views of ourselves, especially in self-righteousness, until we have visited a place called Calvary. It is there, at the foot of the cross, that we shrink to our true size.”

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Galatians

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“I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you. For I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins.”

1 Corinthians 15:1,3 ESV

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“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8 ESV

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Finally, I wanted to share a song that I think can encourage all of us, no matter where we find ourselves on our spiritual journey – “Come As You Are” by Christian recording artist David Crowder (it’s been viewed over 28 million times on YouTube).

Come As You Are
(by David Crowder)

Come out of sadness
From wherever you’ve been
Come broken hearted
Let the rescue begin
Come find your mercy
Oh sinner come kneel

Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal

So lay down your burdens
Lay down your shame
All who are broken
Lift up your face

Oh wanderer come home
You’re not too far
So lay down your hurt
Lay down your heart
Come as you are

There’s hope for the hopeless
And all those who’ve strayed
Come sit at the table
Come taste the grace

There’s rest for the weary
Rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t cure

There’s joy for the morning
Oh sinner be still

Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal
Earth has no sorrow
That heaven can’t heal

Two weeks ago, Global Training Network held its annual All-Staff Leadership Gathering via Zoom. Even with the virtual constraints, our team enjoyed a rich time of encouragement, thoughtful reflection and biblical challenge. I came away refreshed!

In one of the sessions, I had the privilege of sharing a few thoughts about our values as a ministry. Below is one five-minute segment of my original 35-minute president’s update:

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GTN has several core values, but the one I want to highlight today centers on being a team of people who are “spiritually thriving.”

By that, I mean we live our lives “all in for Jesus… all the way to the end.”

A distinct memory from my early twenties is hearing the late Howard Hendricks speak. He would often say that one of his greatest concerns for Christian leaders was that they were “sliding for home” in their fifties and sixties.

Hendricks said, “Just when these leaders have the most to offer the body of Christ (both locally and globally), they are looking to ‘pack it in.’”

They have “the most to offer” because leaders in these particular decades of life have accumulated an abundance of education (both formal and informal) and practical experience (ministry, family, and life in general).

God’s desire for us is that we leverage for His glory the lessons He has built into our lives over the years.

Here at GTN, we all realize that we have a job to do – a mission to accomplish that is transcendent.

Our mission (to equip and encourage pastors and leaders throughout the Majority World) is not some “social construct” that we have simply made up, but rather it is a divine, God-given, biblical mandate to equip the next generation of pastors and leaders globally.

The Apostle Paul articulated this in 2 Timothy 2:2…

“…and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.”

Central to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) is to “make disciples of all the nations… [by] teaching them…”

If this is our mandate from Scripture, we must begin by properly understanding what “the nations” represents. In his book entitled The Hole in our Gospel, author Richard Stearns painted a helpful picture of our world today:

If the world were a village of 100 people…

60 would be Asian
14 would be African
12 would be European
8 would be Latin American
5 would be American or Canadian
1 would be a Pacific Islander

Add to this image the fact that over 80% of all indigenous pastors and leaders throughout the Majority World have no formal (and very little informal) biblical and theological training.

Now, if you saw 10 people trying to carry a huge, heavy log and wanted to help, and nine were on one end and one on the other, which end would you go to?

Truly, the need is great, and the need is global!

Scripture makes it very clear that
we have been blessed to be a blessing to all nations.
(Genesis 12:1-3; Psalm 67)

Renowned author/theologian John Stott regularly reminded believers of the following truth: “We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

On a more personal note, I am still praying for God to give me the physical and mental health to keep serving Him until I’m 85, which is 25 years away.

25 years is a long time. I would suggest that God can do an incredible amount in 25 years through a person who is wholly yielded to Him – even if those 25 years are in the latter half of a person’s life.

Having said that, I realize that Jesus never promised that serving Him all the way to the end would be easy.

Someone once said, “The life of faith really begins where your comfort zone ends.”

One of my life verses has always been Acts 20:24. In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes the following to the leaders of the church at Ephesus:

“But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24 CSB)

When I was in college, one of the quotes that most inspired me – and that I have repeated to myself almost every week since – is this one from Jonathan Edwards:

“Resolved: To follow God with all my heart.
Resolved also: Whether others do or not, I will.”

What does this mean for us? It’s setting our face like ‘flint’ – as Jesus did toward Jerusalem.

It’s continuing with that kind of resolve until our final breath on earth.

Dave Maddox, a fellow GTN staff member, recently shared the following quote that I found particularly fitting for this season of life:

“… History tells us that [the Apostle] John was actively involved in ministry in Ephesus until the very end of his life. In fact, it is striking that the literary corpus traditionally ascribed to him (the fourth gospel, the apocalypse, and three epistles) are generally dated to his ‘retirement’ years.”
(Nicholas Perrin)

Pretty amazing ministry for an “old, retired person.”

Here is my challenge for all of us:
Let’s continue to trust God to do great things through us
in the years and decades to come, as we give our lives fully
(as living sacrifices – Romans 12:1)
to serving Him until our final breath.

Is there really anything more important, more valuable – and ultimately more fulfilling – than living for the glory of God?

“After this I looked, and behold,
a great multitude that no one could number,
from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice,“Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
And all the angels were standing around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures,
and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,
saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
(Revelation 7:9-12 ESV)

Soli Deo Gloria.