//Sin: the Dictator of Our Lives// Hope: Through God//

As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;

there is no one who understands,

no one who seeks God.

All have turned away,

they have together become worthless;

there is no one who does good,

not even one.”

**Romans 3:10-12**




 ~~~**~~~

   Hitler, Stalin, Castro, Chavez, Pol Pot...all men who are viewed as dictators of their countries; men who ruled with iron thumbs, not looking out for the best interest of their fellow country men. Many of these men's time in leadership are marked by the drastic extermination of people groups or innocent civilians. Ruled by greed, wealth, status, and power. Driven by the sin in their lives. 

   Like these morally corrupt rulers,we to would have the same heart and motives if not for Christ. For the unregenerate, God gives common grace. "The Bible consistently teaches what theologians have come to call “common grace,” a non-saving grace that is at work in the broader reaches of human cultural interaction. This gift of God’s grace to humanity in general demonstrates a desire on God’s part to bestow certain blessings on all human beings, believer and non-believer alike." (Tim Keller, What is Common Grace PDF) For those who have been called by name to be His, God shows us our corrupt and selfish hearts, brings us to repentance, covers us with His righteousness and places within us a heart that desires to live a moral life not for morality's sake but in order to Glorify Him, magnify His name, spread His gospel and one day live eternally in Heaven with Him.

"The doctrine of common grace helps us to acknowledge God’s goodness in all of creation and enables us to pursue mission with love in a fallen world." ~ Tim Keller

   Meditating on Romans 3:10-12 today, my life before Christ, I became so very thankful for God choosing to place me in a home that taught me His truths and raised me with a Christian world view. Am I saying that those who aren't raised in a Christian home aren't as privileged? By no means! Both have been equally shown the mercy of God in a fallen world, both have been changed in radical way. No matter whether if God called you out of a life of drugs, abuse, prostitution, gang life,  a non-religious morally good life or the opposite, a conservative, christian home where His gospel was taught and shown through example by your parents...God has called you out of darkness. It was Him who placed you in whatever life situation you grew up in; neither are far from His grasp of control or closer to it based on outward appearance. 

   As Romans 3:10-12 reminds us, no one, not the druggy or the innocent church goer are free from sin. It is the dictator of everyone's life, killing all good that we could produce on our own and hardening us to God's work. Apart from Christ, all are equally doomed to a terrible ending, Hell. My friend, do not take this lightly, Hell is a real place that is for all those who do not claim Christ as their savior and Lord. 

   But God....God shows mercy and forgiveness to the sin in our lives. He alone is able to wipe out the dictator, sin, that had taken residency in our hearts and sets up a new kingdom...one filled with hope, peace, security, and a desire to give Him unashamed glory for what He has done in our life.

  "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,  not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:4-10)

~Grace and Peace~

  

Sovereignty of God {{Exposed}}

Some weeks we see the need for God's sovereignty more than others. We might catch ourselves joyfully living life one day with little thought to God's divine ordination of circumstances while the next day, in the difficult moments, we are constantly reminding ourselves that God has a plan and a purpose for everything; nothing is untouched by the sovereign will of God. We must realize that, in both the good and the bad, God's sovereignty never changes and isn't dependent on whether or not a thought crosses our mind concerning our dependency on Him.

“What defines us as Christians is not most profoundly that we have come to know him but that he took note of us and made us his own.”
― John Piper, Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God 

I am thankful that God saved me. I am thankful that out of the billions of people in the world, He called me His own and sealed me a place with Him forever. I am thankful that every moment of my life has been pre-planned. I am thankful that God is not dependent upon my frail humanity for anything. I am thankful that God is king. I am thankful that He holds the whole world within the palm of His hand. 

"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure or weighed the mountains in a balance and the hills in the scales?"

- Isaiah 40:12

Because God's sovereignty touches every aspect of our lives, this means we are free to live a fear free life."Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6. God's plan for your life can not me thwarted. He will not withhold any perfect thing from you that He has already planned to put in your path, nor will any difficulty you face be unmanageable for His mighty power. ALL things work according to His perfect plan. 

"But who are you, a mere man, to talk back to God? Will what is formed say to the one who formed it, "Why did you make me like this?" Romans 9:20

Who are we to decide when and if we God can be in control of our life? Let me guarantee this, even in the moments when you think you have gained the upper hand, God is still God and is greater and mightier than ever. We are but dust, miniscule and powerless in comparison to Him. Find rest in the knowledge that you aren't in control of your life...your main objective should be to live a life that Glorifies the Lord and leave all the rest to Him. 

“If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.”
― R.C. Sproul, Chosen by God

e strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) - See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=5#sthash.sopygeFa.dpuf

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) - See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=2#sthash.1iSugjfP.dpuf

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4) - See more at: http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2008/09/How-to-Face-Fear-10-Bible-Verses-To-Inspire-Courage.aspx?p=2#sthash.1iSugjfP.dpuf

~**Glorying in the Gospel**~

  
The gospel of Jesus Christ is so wonderful and awe inspiring. Sunday's sermon was on the gospel...yesterday I was greatly encouraged by a video I watched on distinguishing law from gospel...and today I meditated on what the gospel is and how it has impacted my life during devotions. May the below prayer encourage you to focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ who is the gospel itself.


Gospel Prayer

     Thank you Lord for coming as a sinless baby, living a life of perfection unmatched and a billion times greater than even the most heroic figure we can think of. Help me to grasp how much pain and hardship you went through as you prepared yourself to humbly be taken and tried in a court of law that condemned You, a perfect sinless man, to the worst death, a death saved for the scum of the earth. God, thank You for separating Yourself from your most beloved so that I could might come to know you. Thank you for raising Your Son from death and fulfilling the prophecies of old that said He would rise three days after death. I am in awe that you sent the Holy Spirit to be Your earthly presence that would convict me of my sins and draw me to You. May I daily be reminded that without You, I am nothing...I would be enslaved to sin. Because of Your great love, I can now call you Abba Father! May Your praise be continually on my lips.

-Amen-

 ~**~

   ~Gospel proclamations proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior

   ~ The Gospel allows us to be free from the weight of having to be perfect. Christ cvers us with His perfection!

   ~ "In the gospel, God comes after us because we need him not because he needs us. Only the gospel can free us to revel in our insignificance." - Tullian Tchividjian

   ~"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh..." - Romans 8:3

{{Learned}} Contentment ~ Leaning on Christ's Finished Work

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   As I sit here, this chilly February day, in my cozy home wrapped in a fuzzy blanket sipping a hot cup of tea and reading the last chapter in the book of Philippians, one would think that contentment would be the last thing on my mind. I live in America, have no immediate needs, a full refrigerator and clean drinking water await me in a clean kitchen, I have several quality friends, and yes, I live under a government that, though I disagree with morally and financially, still allows me religious freedom and the ability to have my own opinion which I can voice and will not be arrested for. Life is good.

   Yet the question than arises, why work on contentment? Aren't you 100% fully satisfied? Unfortunately, no...I'm human, your human...discontentment runs rampant, even in the best of times. In Philippians, Paul is quick to remind us that in whatever situation we find ourselves, contentment must be learned. "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content." ~ Philippians 4:11 Even Paul himself, a man who wrote God's divinely inspired word, had to go through the courses of learning contentment. I have found that no matter what place of life I am in, there is always a piece of my heart that is not leaning on my hope in Christ, but rather, is looking for something else to fulfill me. Whether it be a lack of contentment in my job, salary, health and allergies, my singleness, my body, or my discontentment in the leadership God has placed in my life...contentment is always being {{learned}}. Yes, {{learned}}.

   Look back at Philippians 4:11, it is there that we see the word {{learned}} used in connection with contentment. At one point in time, I wrote down in my bible the following information, most likely given from some chapel speaker at The Master's College: "{{Learned.}} Greek form is mafano, which means continuously {{learned}}. It is not instantaneous. 1 Timothy 6:6 says, 'now there is great gain in godliness with contentment.' We must commit it to our mind. To be content without ______ I must {{learn}} to depend on the Lordship of Jesus Christ." ~ Unknown.

   It is only through Christ that contentment can come. Though it may be a difficult path to travel, "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13. It is a continuous lesson...weather you be  9 or 99, there will always be something that dissatisfies you. So, {{learn}} with me now the ability to be seeking the face of Christ, kneeling before Him daily and thanking Him for the blessings He has already bestowed on you. The more I {{learn}} about contentment, the realization hits that contentment stems out of a heart of gratitude. Work on praying for those difficult relationships in your life, the stressful job, the desire to be married (or single, if your in a rough marriage), or the health issues you may be facing. If you don't already have a heart of thankfulness in some of these areas, the Lord will be faithful to place a gleaming spark of peace in your heart that will work itself out in contentment towards where He sovereignly has you and with whom He has you. In most of his letters, Paul begins with saying he is thankful to God in every prayer of his for the people, or for Christ Jesus who gave Himself for our sins, even to those he was correcting. May we learn from this. A heart that is willing to thank Christ is a heart that will be more content and able to minister to others for the sake of the gospel!

Waiting on God's Timing - A Lesson for Life

   Ever feel like your life is going 70 MPH in a 25 MPH speed zone? In our world, where everything is instant, it's hard to slow down, take a look around, and wait on the Lord's timing. I know that for myself, being a girl that enjoys things to happen quickly, I've definitely had to work on waiting for the Lord's timing and have regretted when I have not done so. Maybe that's why some of my favorite passages of scripture have to deal with trusting in the Lord or waiting patiently on Him!

~**~

   If we look closer at scripture, it's easy to see that waiting on the Lord is a major theme for many people in the Bible. Specifically, I think of David: anointed at a young age by Samuel to one day be king over Israel, his battle with Goliath, his struggle with Saul, his eventual exile both in his own country and in the foreign land of the Philistines, and his a continual respect for the Saul, God's anointed.Over and over we see that David's life was characterized by waiting for God's timing...not his own.

   In 2 Samuel chapter 2, the process of waiting continues, this time we see David waiting for the right time to take the throne over all of Israel, not just over Judah. Instead of forcing the nation to give him immediate control of the nation, David asks the Lord for wisdom and direction and then follows what the Lord directs. We see a humbleness in his willingness and desire to inquire of the Lord. Now, some might think..."well, it couldn't have been very long before David took the throne of Israel after Saul died. There probably wasn't much patience he had to exercise there." This though is not the case, in all reality, it took seven years and six months, on top of the decade or more he had already been waiting. What a great example of patience!

 
   Eventually, in God's perfect timing, the pieces of the puzzle fell together in a perfection that can only be matched by God. Though opposition arose against him in the form of Ish-bosheth, one of Saul's sons, we see that God's hand was still sovereign. "Ish-bosheth's kingship was brought forth out of man's power, not God's. His anointing was an open act of rebellion against Jehovah..." (Joe Bellanti)* and his kingship would eventually crumble. Even through the opposition of one wrongly appointed king, David waited on the Lord. He knew God would fulfill his kingship at the exact moment it needed to happen.

     Personalizing all of this, do you actively seek wisdom from the Lord? Are you in prayer about the decisions in your life - the big and the small? Remember, "God's timing is wrapped in His incomparable wisdom" (Joe Bellanti)*, and we have access to that wisdom as His children! Stop in the mad rush of life, read the word, prayerfully ask for guidance and wisdom, and see where the Lord will take you. David was blessed when he waited on the Lord...and so will you and I be if we are humbly approaching His throne of grace and willingly accept what He has for us.

~**~

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31

 ~**~

We must wait for God long, meekly, in the wind and the rain, in thunder and lightening, in the cold and  the dark. Wait and He will come. (Unknown)

~**~

After being encouraged this morning by my pastor's sermon in this area....the song "Holy Lord" is ever so much sweeter. What an awesome (awe-inspiring) God we serve. If we just wait upon Him, His holiness and glory will shine in and through us as we are faithful to follow His will in our lives. 

Great are You Lord.
Worthy of praise.
Holy and true;
great are You Lord, most holy Lord.

~**~

* If you liked what you read here, let me encourage you to listen to this sermon preached by my pastor. You will be greatly encouraged, I have no doubt! Many of my thoughts came from his message, which I was deeply encouraged by.

Our Plans Are Not Our Own