Prepare The Way!

The sky was aflame this morning. However, by the time I was dressed and outside the the glorious view had half faded. An opportunity was nearly lost! At the dawning of this new day I was reminded of the invitation of the prophet to get ready to meet my God. He will be present in every circumstance that I face. It is crucial that my heart and mind is clear from all worldly distractions and that I cast my cares upon Him.

A voice cries: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 40:3-5)

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Location:Fourth Chute Rd,North Algona Wilberforce,Canada

The Deeps

Lord Jesus, give me a deeper repentance, a horror of sin, a dread of its approach. Help me chastely to flee it and jealously to resolve that my heart shall be yours alone.

Give me a deeper trust, that I may lose myself to find myself in you, the ground of my rest, the spring of my being. Give me a deeper knowledge of yourself as saviour, master, lord, and king. Give me deeper power in private prayer, more sweetness in your word, more steadfast grip on its truth. Give me deeper holiness in speech, thought, action, and let me not seek moral virtue apart from you. Plough deep in me, great Lord, heavenly husbandman, that my being may be a tilled field, the roots of grace spreading far and wide, until you alone are seen in me, your beauty golden like summer harvest, your fruitfulness as autumn plenty.

I have no master but you, no law but your will, no delight but yourself, no wealth but that you give me, no good but that you bless me, no peace but that you bestow. I am nothing but that you make me, I have nothing but that I receive from you. I can be nothing but that grace adorns me. Quarry me deep, dear Lord, and then fill me to overflowing with living water. Amen

(a Puritan prayer)


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Location:Lougheed hwy, Port Coquitlam, BC

M2MS

When you fall pick something up.

This pithy proverb speaks three lessons. First, a fall is inevitable. It says when you fall; not if you fall. We are born to blunder; that's our inheritance from Adam. Don't despair and give up; get up!

Second, when you find that you have chosen to walk down the wrong path, turn around! When you fall get back up! Although we all blunder, by God's grace, we are destined for for something better. That's our hope: we don't have to stay down and wallow in our failure. God has granted us an incredible gift for escaping the grip of our sins: repentance. This word may sound archaic; conjuring up an image of a grimacing young monk bent over in an act of self-flagellation. No, repentance is a beautiful picture. Like the prodigal son rescued from homelessness to honor; rags to riches; loneliness to lavish love. It's the picture of Ebenezer Scrooge transformed from a grumpy grasping fiend into a giddy giving friend.

Repentance is not something you do to gain God's favor. It is simply the act of changing your mind to return to the place of God's favor. It's a transformation of perspective about what got you down; about the wrong choices that you've made; that there is a better way to live.

Third, learn something from the failures in your life and make the necessary course corrections that will take you to the place of grace. Pick something up! Failure plus failure plus failure plus repentance and God's grace equals success.

M2MS

You should never regret admitting you are wrong (Proverbs 28:13).

M2MS 11/27/09

When you have sinned, don't allow yourself the luxury of self-pity, run to Jesus for forgiveness! (1 John 1:9)

Disordered Loves

In his Confessions, Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) defined sin as disordered loves. He was the first to suggest the concept that we all operate from a deficit orientation. This is the idea that we have a hole in our souls and it can only be filled by God. All sin is an attempt to fill the void by loving good, created things, when it can only be filled by the only ultimate thing: the love of God. This is the essence of idolatry: making good things into ultimate things.

When we do this disordered loves have three negative results in our lives: They starve us; they emotionally enslave us; and they divide us.

Augustine suggested that the solution is found in true beauty. There is nothing more beautiful than Christ. As this truth is grasped in our souls we begin to reorder our love toward Christ. Our disordered desires become transformed by the grace of God so that we focus our devotion on Him alone. This is a lifetime process: a journey characterized by repentance and faith. Augustine said, "Our hearts are restless, Lord, till they rest in thee." May my life continually be reoriented to the one who alone is true beauty and satisfaction.

You might want to check out David K. Naugle's book, Reordered Love, Reordered Lives: Learning the Deep Meaning of Happiness.