Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Making the Same Commitments.....Again
I've Been Here Before
One of the tools I'm using for my daily devotions is "The Vision of His Glory" by Mrs. Ann Graham Lotz. Our Discipleship Training group is using this book and video series on Sunday evenings. One thing I like about this book is that it causes the reader, if they faithfully perform the study work, to actually STUDY the Word of God, in this case The Book of Revelation. One section of the study calls for the reader to pinpoint what God is saying to them through the Word, then it asks "what are you going to do about it?" Tough question because it demands a response. God's Word always demands a response. I said these very words:
"I, once again, commit to live unto God, rather than myself. I will be faithful in prayer, in the study of God's Word, faithfully in teaching and preaching and faithful in sharing God's love with others."
Have you said those words or something like them before? More than once? Twice? How many times? In the last 28+ years I've said them hundreds, perhaps thosands of times. I wonder if God ever tires of hearing them? I think not, for I know it is God's desire that we be like Him.
Life is a War
Why must we say those same words over and over? Because we fight a battle of flesh and spirit. It's a daily struggle, isn't it? I know it is with me. I know that we have the victory, the ultimate victory. The war has already been won, by Christ on the cross and His glorious resurrection. But there are still battles to be fought every day.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose
I wished that I could say that I win every battle. I KNOW the WAR is won, but in those little every day confrontations with the wiles of our adversary, Satan. I win some, I lose some. When I do win, I know its because I'm "walking in the Spirit" and being very careful how I walk. But when I lose, I know it's because I am living according to the flesh and not being careful how I walk. When I win, I praise God for the victory; when I lose......how I wished I could say I immediately run to God to ask and receive forgiveness. Sometimes that takes a while. But I thank God for this....I do eventually do that and say "those words" over again. And I mean them every time. Thank God that I can say "those words" and become just a little more like Him each time.
Life Back to Normal
Micah went back to school today. Hooray! Not that we didn't want him at home with us, but he needs the education and we need to get back to "normal," whatever that is.
No More Telegrams
I read today in an article in the New York Times that on January 25, the last telegram ever was sent by Western Union itself. The end of an era has come. Funny, I was watching an old western recently, as I often do, and a holdup was being staged. One of the preparations was, yep, you guessed it, to cut the telegraph lines. As the line was being cut, I thought about the fact that at that time in history the only man made objects to litter the landscape were telegraph poles and lines. Now, they are no longer of use. Of course, it wasn't too long after the good ole "cowboy and Indian days," that telegraph went wireless and those poles were no longer needed. Now, those telegrams are no longer needed. We have email and cell phones. Now the land is littered with cell phone towers... nothing has changed. Anyway, kind of sad to think, no one will ever hear those infamous words again....."Western Union," or "TELEGRAM!"
Parting Thought
I read this little line the other day by the late great apologist G.K. Chesterton:
One of the tools I'm using for my daily devotions is "The Vision of His Glory" by Mrs. Ann Graham Lotz. Our Discipleship Training group is using this book and video series on Sunday evenings. One thing I like about this book is that it causes the reader, if they faithfully perform the study work, to actually STUDY the Word of God, in this case The Book of Revelation. One section of the study calls for the reader to pinpoint what God is saying to them through the Word, then it asks "what are you going to do about it?" Tough question because it demands a response. God's Word always demands a response. I said these very words:
"I, once again, commit to live unto God, rather than myself. I will be faithful in prayer, in the study of God's Word, faithfully in teaching and preaching and faithful in sharing God's love with others."
Have you said those words or something like them before? More than once? Twice? How many times? In the last 28+ years I've said them hundreds, perhaps thosands of times. I wonder if God ever tires of hearing them? I think not, for I know it is God's desire that we be like Him.
Life is a War
Why must we say those same words over and over? Because we fight a battle of flesh and spirit. It's a daily struggle, isn't it? I know it is with me. I know that we have the victory, the ultimate victory. The war has already been won, by Christ on the cross and His glorious resurrection. But there are still battles to be fought every day.
Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose
I wished that I could say that I win every battle. I KNOW the WAR is won, but in those little every day confrontations with the wiles of our adversary, Satan. I win some, I lose some. When I do win, I know its because I'm "walking in the Spirit" and being very careful how I walk. But when I lose, I know it's because I am living according to the flesh and not being careful how I walk. When I win, I praise God for the victory; when I lose......how I wished I could say I immediately run to God to ask and receive forgiveness. Sometimes that takes a while. But I thank God for this....I do eventually do that and say "those words" over again. And I mean them every time. Thank God that I can say "those words" and become just a little more like Him each time.
Life Back to Normal
Micah went back to school today. Hooray! Not that we didn't want him at home with us, but he needs the education and we need to get back to "normal," whatever that is.
No More Telegrams
I read today in an article in the New York Times that on January 25, the last telegram ever was sent by Western Union itself. The end of an era has come. Funny, I was watching an old western recently, as I often do, and a holdup was being staged. One of the preparations was, yep, you guessed it, to cut the telegraph lines. As the line was being cut, I thought about the fact that at that time in history the only man made objects to litter the landscape were telegraph poles and lines. Now, they are no longer of use. Of course, it wasn't too long after the good ole "cowboy and Indian days," that telegraph went wireless and those poles were no longer needed. Now, those telegrams are no longer needed. We have email and cell phones. Now the land is littered with cell phone towers... nothing has changed. Anyway, kind of sad to think, no one will ever hear those infamous words again....."Western Union," or "TELEGRAM!"
Parting Thought
I read this little line the other day by the late great apologist G.K. Chesterton:
"There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less."
# posted by Bernard Duchesne, Jr @ 11:09 AM 
