Short Book Meme

Jen has tagged me for the Short Book Meme. This is pretty cool because I love to read, though I mostly read non fiction these days. I'm sorry it has taken me this long to do it.

Name three characters (from books)
1.) You wish were real so that you could meet them.

My answers:

a.) Elsie Dinsmore - from the Elsie Dinsmore series

b.) Marty Davis - from the Love Comes Softly series

c.) Dink - from the Journey series

d.) Ira Pointer - from the Journey series (shhh I snuck a fourth one in there)

2.) You would like to be.

a.) Melanie - from Gone with the Wind (she was always so sweet, and never thought unkindly about anyone)

b.) Elizabeth Bennett - from Pride and Prejudice (she always had a comeback for everything)

c.) Elsie Dinsmore - (she is another character who thought the best of everyone)

3.) Who scare you.

This one was a tough one for me because other than the above books, I'm more of a non fiction reader these days. I can't remember being afraid of a character in any books I have read. I'm sure there were some I was afraid of when I was growing up, I just can't remember them.

Since I can't come up with any character from books, I will list two from two TV programs I watched when I was younger.

a.) Herman Munster from the Munsters - I think he scared me because he was so big, and he looked scary.

b.) Lurch from The Addams Family - he was always so creepy to me.

Hmm, who to tag? I will tag Linda, Christa, and Connie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!

Fourteen years ago today,
God blessed us with a daughter that day,
With pretty brown hair, and chubby cheeks,
She grew too quickly with the coming weeks.

She learned to walk at ten months old,
and loved it when the days were cold.
And then one day she prayed for snow,
The Lord answered as we well know.

Music is her life these days,
Hawk Nelson is her favorite group.
Someday she wants an electric guitar,
For that, she will have to pray hard, hard, hard.

As a newborn, she and I would get up during the night for her feedings, and we'd listen to Michael Card's, Sleep Sound in Jesus CD. I listened to it so much that I wore it out, and no longer have it. Listening to the clips, even today, still make me cry.

We have been blessed to be Heather's parents these past fourteen years. I don't know where the years have gone. When she was a baby, and as a toddler, people would tell me to enjoy it because she would be grown before I knew it. They were right. Although she isn't grown yet, these fourteen years have seemed only a day since they've gone by so fast.

Happy Birthday our sweet Heather, we love you, and are proud of you.

May the Lord bless your special day, and may it be a happy one.

ANNOUNCING - Pictures included

My husband and I are the proud parents of a bouncing, 70 pound, almost 9 yr. old, Oompa Loompa.

Our little Oompa Loompa can be seen in the play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, details to be posted later.

UPDATE on Recipe Name/Other things

My daughter remembered the name of the crock pot recipe I posted the other day. It's called Cheesy Hash Browns.

I've been telling people recently that we are never busy, and that we are always home. It seems like ever since I said that, we have been on the go. We have been busier these past couple of weeks, than we have been in a long, long time.

Last weekend our youngest daughter auditioned for a role in the play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Today they had what was labeled a Call Back for the Oompa Loompas', and the squirrels', so we had to take her there this afternoon. We'll find out Thursday evening whether she has got a part.

We have a conference starting tomorrow night at church. The conference will be on Revelation chapters two, and three. The conference lasts until Wednesday evening.

Our oldest daughter turns 14 years old on Friday. On Saturday we have a church barbecue that is held every year to collect money for mission trips to India. Next Sunday is the fifth Sunday of the month, so we will be having a meal after church on the church grounds.

So, if my posting is sporadic that will be the reason, and I am hoping you won't forget about me.

Crock Pot Recipe

Rebecca has asked us to post a recipe today, so here is mine. The only problem with it is - I don't have a name for it. It takes 6 hours in the crockpot on low. It's good for Sunday's because we can come home to a nice hot meal.

Ingredients:

Hash Browns - the little square frozen ones - I buy two boxes and have a few left over

Cheddar Cheese Soup - I use about 4 to 5 cans

Smoked Sausage - cut up, and I use about 2 1/2

Using a crock pot, put the Hash Browns in first, then the Smoked Sausage, then a couple of the cans of Cheddar Cheese soup, and just keep layering it. Put the temperature on low, and then stir it about three hours later. Then, let it cook another three hours (6 hours total).

Sometimes I will cook frozen Broccoli and Three Cheese sauce to go with it. That is easy too. I don't remember who makes it, but it comes in a green bag.

Prayer and The Surpremecy of God

For the past couple of days I've been thinking about prayer. I had alot to unlearn from my past experiences about prayer because I had gotten caught up in the Word of Faith false teachings. In a previous post here, I talked about the false teachings of the name it/claim it, or Word of Faith crowd. One of the things I said was this:

"Aside from the fact that the name it/claim it teaching is false, there are dangers in believing it as well. The danger comes into play when a person believes that God has promised certain things, such as healing, a restored marriage, children who never go astray, financial blessings, and the like. When the healing doesn't come, and a loved one dies, the marriage is still not restored, children rebel, and you are poor, it destroys that person's faith, and they blame themselves for whatever reason. Most of the time they believe they lacked the faith to believe God could do what they think He has promised."

The dangers of this teaching was evident yesterday in a chat room when an atheist asked about this verse:

Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

He said that he had had an aunt who had cancer, and that many Christians had prayed for her, yet she died anyway. One person in the chat room said, regarding this verse, that you have to have faith to believe. I'm not positive, but I think I had heard him say another time that he had been a Christian at one time, and that he was raised in a Christian home. He was very nice in what he said, and had many questions, yet it seemed to me like he was angry at God for not answering the prayers of those who prayed by healing his aunt.

This morning I finally began to understand something regarding this verse, and prayer itself. You would think I'd have known this already, but 13 or so years of believing falsehood doesn't go down without a fight.

I know that we pray because God commands us to, because there are too many verses to post, I won't post them here. I used to think that when we prayed for something, it changed the course of events. Since becoming Calvinistic in my theology, I found out quickly that what I believed was false, but I could never figure out the reason why we prayed, other than God commanded us too. I also could never understand how we were to pray with faith.

While reading A. W. Pink's Attributes of God, Chapter 4, on the Supremecy of God this morning, I began to understand. Here are the paragraphs that helped me understand:

"The absolute and universal supremacy of God is plainly and positively affirmed in many scriptures. "Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory and the majesty: for all in the heaven and all in the earth is Thine; Thine is the Kingdom, O Lord, and Thou art exalted as Head above all. . . .And Thou reignest over all" (1 Chronicles 29:11, 12)—note reignest now, not "will do so in the Millennium." "O Lord God of our fathers, art not Thou, God in heaven? and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none (not even the Devil himself) is able to withstand Thee?" (2 Chronicles 20:6). Before Him presidents and popes, kings and emperors, are less than grasshoppers.

"But He is in one mind, and who can turn Him? and what His soul desireth, even that He doeth" (Job 23:13). Ah, my reader, the God of Scripture is no make-believe monarch, no mere imaginary sovereign, but King of kings, and Lord of lords. "I know that Thou canst do everything, and that no thought of Thine can be hindered" (Job 42:3, margin), or, as another translator, "no purpose of Thine can be frustrated." All that He has designed He does. All that He has decreed, He performs. "But our God is in the heavens: He hath done whatsoever He hath pleased" (Psalm 115.3); and why has He? Because "there is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel against the Lord" (Proverbs 21:30)."

NO purpose of His can be frustrated. What that tells me, along with many verses about His decrees, is that He has decreed all things, and my prayer does not cause God to do something He had not planned to do already. What prayer does is humble us because it shows us how utterly dependent we are upon Him for every single thing. When we don't pray, and I have been guilty of not praying many times, we are telling God that we can handle things on our own. We'll pray if we need His help. What I say with my lack of prayer when I don't pray is that I don't need His help, I don't need Him right then, when the truth is I desperately need Him every moment.

When we pray, we CAN pray with faith, believing that He WILL answer, not that He will answer us in the way WE want Him too. We are to conform our will to His, He doesn't conform His will to ours. He is God, and we are not. When we pray in faith, believing that we will receive an answer, we can trust Him for whatever the outcome is.

And the verse the atheist quoted:

Matthew 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

WILL be answered, and they will receive whatever they ask IF they are praying for God's will to be done. His will is going to be done in whatever situation we are praying for.

And that my friends, gives me great hope and comfort.

The Foreknowledge of God - Part Two

These past six days have been very busy days. Usually things are pretty slow around here, and we do the same things each day, none of which are time consuming. That is, until this last week.
Our son and daughter in law are expecting a baby in September, and they were here on Thursday night. They came with news of the sex of the baby, videos, and ultrasounds, which were all pretty exciting. We are going to have a granddaughter.

Saturday was hectic, and one of the last things we did was to take our younger daughter to audition for the play, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She's 8 yrs. old, and this is the first time she has ever auditioned for anything like that. She had the lead role in a Christmas play in our old church almost two years ago, and after having others tell us we should check into it, we finally did. We find out Thursday evening if she got a part or not.

Our hectic days prevented me from posting anything, which I missed. It also prevented me from reading any of the blogs I usually read, and I have really missed that. I'm still too tired to concentrate a lot.

Continuing on with A. W. Pink's, The Attributes of God, from Chapter 4 I read this the other day:

"Scripture affirms that God, in His high sovereignty, singled out certain ones to be recipients of His distinguishing favors (Acts 13:48), and therefore He determined to bestow upon them the gift of faith. False theology makes God’s foreknowledge of our believing the cause of His election to salvation; whereas, God’s election is the cause, and our believing in Christ is the effect."

"Now the word "foreknowledge" as it is used in the New Testament is less ambiguous than in its simple form "to know." If every passage in which it occurs is carefully studied, it will be discovered that it is a moot point whether it ever has reference to the mere perception of events which are yet to take place. The fact is that "foreknowledge" is never used in Scripture in connection with events or actions; instead, it always has reference to persons. It is persons God is said to "foreknow," not the actions of those persons. In proof of this we shall now quote each passage where this expression is found."

He goes on to quote these verses:

Acts 2:23 "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men."

Romans 8:29-30 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified."

Romans 11:12 "Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!"

1 Peter 1:2 "according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood:

May grace and peace be multiplied to you."

"God foreknows what will be because He has decreed what shall be."

I fought foreknowledge, and unconditional election for many years. I was one of those who said I could never serve a God like that. But God knocked my theology right down the tubes, and I am so glad that He did. Because it's in times of tragedy, like what happened at Virginia Tech, and times of trials, that it's such a comfort to me.

I think that's about all of my thoughts for now. I'm still trying to recover from the busy week we had.

In Case I Don't respond until Monday

We've got a busy day today, and I might not have a chance to get on the computer, and on Sundays I don't turn it on at all. So, if you leave a comment, I might not be able to respond until Monday. But, please do leave for me any suggestions you might have. I've gotten a few good ones already, for which I am thankful for.

Opinions Needed

Before I go into what I need suggestions for, I have to say this - we found out yesterday the baby our son and daughter in law are expecting is a girl. We are so excited.

Now, on to the dilemma I need suggestions for. Here is a little background - we have a widow next door to us, and next to her is a Mormon couple. We've lived here a little over three years, the others moved in after that. What relevance that has to all of this I don't know, but I thought I would throw that in just in case.

I met the Mormon wife about a year and a half ago when she was sitting outside talking to the widow. As we were talking, before I knew she was a Mormon, she kept talking about the Lord. I've learned since then that not everyone who talks about the Lord, is talking about THE Lord, the one true God. It finally came out that she was a Mormon, and she invited the widow to her church. When the widow said she would visit one day, I had to speak up and say that this lady did not believe as we did, which threw the Mormon for a loop. Because I couldn't remember exactly what Mormons believe, I came home to get an apologetics notebook that I have, and took it back with me. We did talk a little bit more after that, until her husband came home and she left.

The Mormon couple pretty much keep to themselves, and so I never see her. This morning I was talking to the widow, and she told me this couple have a baby now. I'm not sure when she had the baby, but it's been several weeks I believe. I had suspected that they might have had a baby because of certain things I had noticed. The widow told me this lady has come to her house a few times, and one of those times she had asked for eggs. The widow is a diabetic, and doesn't feel well much of the time. The widow was wondering if perhaps this couple didn't have enough food, nor the money to buy it. She thinks this lady might be lonely because of things she has said. She wanted to come inside the widow's house, but she wasn't feeling well, so she didn't invite her in.

I home school, and so I am home all day. Ladies, or gentlemen if any read my blog, if this was someone in your neighborhood, what would you do?

I believe this is an answer to prayer, and now that He has placed a lost, needy person in my neighborhood, I'm at a loss as to how to go about this. I'm also not so sure that I am equipped for ministering to a Mormon. Another concern that I have is that if I befriend her, and witness to her, that she might come over on a daily basis.

So guys, I would welcome any suggestions you have for me.

The Foreknowledge of God - Part One

By now, if you've been reading my posts for awhile, you already know I'm discussing A. W. Pink's book, The Attributes of God. You can read it free online here, which I highly recommend that you do. The below is from Chapter 3, which you can read here.


"There is only one safeguard against error, and that is to be established in the faith; and for that, there has to be prayerful and diligent study, and a receiving with meekness the engrafted Word of God. Only then are we fortified against the attacks of those who assail us."

How true that is. Without diligent, and prayerful study, we can be led into all kinds of doctrinal errors. Which led me to think more on what I posted about two days ago, and the Word of Faith type of false teaching.

Aside from the fact that the name it/claim it teaching is false, there are dangers in believing it as well. The danger comes into play when a person believes that God has promised certain things, such as healing, a restored marriage, children who never go astray, financial blessings, and the like. When the healing doesn't come, and a loved one dies, the marriage is still not restored, children rebel, and you are poor, it destroys that person's faith, and they blame themselves for whatever reason. Most of the time they believe they lacked the faith to believe God could do what they think He has promised. They don't understand that it's through trials that our faith grows the most. God has not promised that everything will be wonderful in our lives, or that we will never be sick, or anything like that. He does tell us in Psalm 46 that He is a very present help in times of trouble.

Psalm 46

Psalm 46:1 To the choirmaster. Of the Sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A Song. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

Psalm 46:3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah.

Psalm 46:4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.

Psalm 46:5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns.

Psalm 46:6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.

Psalm 46:7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.

Psalm 46:8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has brought desolations on the earth.

Psalm 46:9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!"

Psalm 46:11 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.

Another thing He tells us is that ALL things work together for our good. There is a purpose in our trials, though we may not know what that purpose is, it's enough to know that He knows, and that He can be trusted.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

I just noticed that Lydia, at The Purple Cellar has a good devotional today about triumphing in trials. If you haven't read it yet, I encourage you to read it, it's very good.

Another blog I just came across tonight is Steve Camp's. If you are feeling discouraged, go read his blog. Both his music and his posts will encourage you, and lift your spirits.

The Knowledge of God - Part Three

The other day, I posted here that God sees all we do, and that He knows every thought we have, and what a sobering thought it is.

As A. W. Pink says below, and here, it's a comforting thought as well.

"But to the believer, the fact of God’s omniscience is a truth fraught with much comfort. In times of perplexity he says with Job, "But He knoweth the way that I take." (23:10). It may be profoundly mysterious to me, quite incomprehensible to my friends, but "He knoweth!" In times of weariness and weakness believers assure themselves "He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust" (Psalm 103:14). In times of doubt and suspicion they appeal to this very attribute saying, "Search me, 0 God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23,24). In time of sad failure, when our actions have belied our hearts, when our deeds have repudiated our devotion, and the searching question comes to us, "Lovest thou Me?;" we say, as Peter did, "Lord, Thou knowest all things; Thou knowest that I love Thee" (John 21:17)."

As I look back to where I am today, I cannot help but see God's hand in my life, especially in the last twelve years. Almost twelve years ago, I received some news that devastated me. News that is still hurtful to me at times. I thought I was equipped to handle it, but at the time we were in an Assemblies of God church, and I was watching TBN, and learning how to pray deliverance prayers, and all kinds of false things. I'm embarrassed writing that down, knowing that people are going to read it. But, I was not equipped at all, I was serving a god of my own making. I was serving a god who could heal my hurts, answer my prayers the way I wanted Him to, and then when He didn't, well then I wasn't praying enough, I didn't have enough faith, or some other lie.

Although we left that church, we then started going to a non denominational church. The theology was a bit better, but I was still not equipped to handle a certain thing. I also still had a wrong view of God. After five years there, the Lord orchestrated things in that church to the point where I could no longer stay. It wasn't until I left there that I realized I was dying spiritually inside.

It's been two years since I left there permanently, and almost two years since I've been going to the Reformed Baptist church I go to now. I had become a Calvinist right before I left the other church. As I began to be fed with good, sound, solid doctrine, I came to know the one true God, and not the God of my own making. The comfort and peace that it has brought me is indescribable. I still struggle at times with why the Lord has orchestrated things in my life the way He has. The difference now is that I know whatever I go through is for my good, and His glory, and that He has a purpose for it. Nothing happens outside of His decree, and the comfort that brings me, even in the midst of tears, is precious to me.

Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

Ephesians 1:11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

Ephesians 1:12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

Up From the Grave He Arose

Even though my daughters and I went shopping for new dresses,and shoes today, the celebration of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is not about new clothes, new shoes, Easter bunnies, and candy. It's about the good news of Jesus Christ coming to earth to save sinners from the wrath of God.

1Corinthians 15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,

1Corinthians 15:2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.

1Corinthians 15:3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

1Corinthians 15:4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

1Corinthians 15:5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

1Corinthians 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

1Corinthians 15:7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

1Corinthians 15:8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

1Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

1Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

1Corinthians 15:11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

As we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, let me end with this hymn:

Up From the Grave He Arose

Low in the grave he lay—
Jesus, my Saviour,
Waiting the coming day—
Jesus, my Lord.

Up from the grave he arose
With a mighty triumph o'er his foes.
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
And he lives for ever with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch his bed—
Jesus, my Saviour;
Vainly they seal the dead—
Jesus, my Lord.

Death cannot keep his prey—
Jesus, my Saviour;
He tore the bars away—

Jesus, my Lord.

May you and your family have a blessed Resurrection day.

Thinking Blogger Award

What a surprise it was to find that Jen, at JoyfulthruChrist, and Connie, at Practicing Theology, both tagged me for the Thinking Blogger Award. It was a nice surprise at that, and an encouragement to me. Thanks guys, you both made my day!

Many of the ladies who make me think have been tagged already, including the two who tagged me. But, I will take a stab at it, and though I know the Purple Cellar has been tagged already, I couldn't leave them out:

The Purple Cellar - Lydia and Jennifer's posts are both challenging, and convicting. My favorite post was on Hearts of Discretion, regarding modesty and other women's husbands.

Girl Talk - Carolyn Mahaney, and her daughters not only make me think, but they make me laugh too. You ought to check out their Friday Funnies. Friday Funnies is appropriately named because they always make me laugh.

Blakey Blog - Christa writes book reviews sometimes, and she is currently reviewing The Excellent Wife, by Martha Peace. She doesn't sugar coat anything, and tells it like it is in her review of this book. Though all of her posts are always good, her last one on quiet times is a must read.

Deo Volente - I couldn't leave Lisa out either. Lisa's writings have always challenged me to be accurate in what I say, and in what I write. She encourages me to glorify God in all that I do in living my life out before others.

Homeliving Helper - They challenge me to think about my role as a wife and mother, and to teach me how to improve in my homemaking skills.

Camponthis - Steve Camp's posts are thought provoking, and he challenges me to live out what I believe.

Paul Tripp Ministries - He's very transparent in what he writes, and he helps me think of ways I can apply the Scriptures to my daily life.

Pyromaniacs - While I like most of their posts, I've enjoyed the cessationist/continuist discussion the most. Because we were in an Assemblies of God church for over ten years, and out now for over seven years, those posts helped solidify my cessationist position.

Thanks again Jen, and Connie.

Connie, I finally added the link to your blog........I've been meaning to do that for awhile now, but kept forgetting how I got to it in the first place. I could never remember whose blog it was I got there by.

The Knowledge of God - Part Two

Here are a couple of more excerpts from A. W. Pink's, The Attributes of God book, Chapter 3:

"Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, Thou understandest my thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue but, lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether" (Ps. 139:2-4). What a wondrous Being is the God of Scripture! Each of His glorious attributes should render Him honorable in our esteem. The apprehension of His omniscience ought to bow us in adoration before Him. Yet how little do we meditate upon this Divine perfection! Is it because the very thought of it fills us with uneasiness?"

How solemn is this fact: nothing can be concealed from God! "For I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them" (Ezek. 11:5). Though He be invisible to us, we are not so to Him. Neither the darkness of night, the closest curtains, nor the deepest dungeon can hide any sinner from the eyes of Omniscience. The trees of the garden were not able to conceal our first parents. No human eye beheld Cain murder his brother, but his Maker witnessed his crime. Sarah might laugh derisively in the seclusion of her tent, yet was it heard by Jehovah. Achan stole a wedge of gold and carefully hid it in the earth, but God brought it to light. David was at much pains to cover up his wickedness, but ere long the all-seeing God sent one of His servants to say to him, "Thou art the man! And to writer and reader is also said, Be sure your sin will find you out" (Num. 32:23)."

What a sobering thought that is - that God knows what we are going to say even before we say it. Not only that, but He is acquainted with all of our ways, and knows all of our thoughts. There is nothing that is hidden from Him. He knows our hearts, and the depth of our sin. If He were to show us all of the sin that dwells in our hearts all at one time, I don't think we'd be able to stand it. It would be too overwhelming.

Last night's reading of Charles Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotional fit perfectly with the last paragraph of what I posted out of Pink's book. This was the Scripture that Spurgeon expounded:

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that i him we might become the righteousness of God.

Because he said it much better than I could, and because it was so good, and I don't want you to miss it, I'm posting what he said, rather than just posting the link alone:

Mourning Christian! why weepest thou? Art thou mourning over thine own corruptions? Look to thy perfect Lord, and remember, thou art complete in him; thou art in God's sight as perfect as if thou hadst never sinned; nay, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness hath put a divine garment upon thee, so that thou hast more than the righteousness of man--thou hast the righteousness of God. O thou who art mourning by reason of inbred sin and depravity, remember, none of thy sins can condemn thee. Thou hast learned to hate sin; but thou hast learned also to know that sin is not thine--it was laid upon Christ's head. Thy standing is not in thyself--it is in Christ; thine acceptance is not in thyself, but in thy Lord; thou art as much accepted of God today, with all thy sinfulness, as thou wilt be when thou standest before his throne, free from all corruption. O, I beseech thee, lay hold on this precious thought, perfection in Christ! For thou art "complete in him." With thy Saviour's garment on, thou art holy as the Holy One. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." Christian, let thy heart rejoice, for thou art "accepted in the beloved" --what hast thou to fear? Let thy face ever wear a smile; live near thy Master; live in the suburbs of the Celestial City; for soon, when thy time has come, thou shalt rise up where thy Jesus sits, and reign at his right hand; and all this because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."

What nearly takes my breath away is the fact that God loves His own with a steadfast, and an everlasting love, and that it isn't based on what we do, but on who He is.

Psa 103:17 But the steadfast love of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children's children,

Isa 54:8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you," says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Jer 31:3 the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

A Name Change

Jen, over at Joy thru Christ, has changed the link to her blog. I thought it was such a great idea so I did it too. Carla, at Reflections of the Times changed the link to her blog too. Hers is much easier to remember now.

When I created this blog, I didn't even know what I was going to call it, and had a very hard time even coming up with a URL. I'm still new to blogging so I don't even know if URL is the right word. Even though I like the name jeweltohim, the Lynn part of it was confusing to those who know me, since my middle name is Lynn, and they know me as Diane. I like the fact that my blog name, and the URL are now the same, which makes it easier to remember.

The new link is now:

www.aimtopleasehim.blogspot.com

Isn't that much easier to remember? The few archives that I have since January will still be at the old link. That's the only thing about changing names that I didn't like.