Every Moment in 2013 God Will Be Doing 10,000 Things in Your Life

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” That was one of our most widely spread tweets in 2012. So we want to say it again for 2013 and make this promise even more solid.

Not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you.

• You may find yourself in prison, and God may be advancing the gospel among the guards, and making the free brothers bold. (Philippians 1:12–14)
• You may find yourself with a painful thorn, and God may be making the power of Christ more beautiful in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:8)
• You may find yourself with a dead brother that Jesus could have healed, and God may be preparing to show his glory. (John 11)
• You may find yourself sold into slavery, accused falsely of sexual abuse, and forgotten in a prison cell, and God may be preparing you to rule a nation. (Genesis 37-50)
• You may wonder why a loved one is left in unbelief so long, and find that God is preparing a picture of his patience and a powerful missionary. (Galatians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:12-16)
• You may live in all purity and humility and truth only to end rejected and killed, and God may be making a parable of his Son and an extension of his merciful sufferings in yours. (Isaiah 53:3; Mark 8:31; Colossians 1:24)
• You may walk through famine, be driven from your homeland, lose husband and sons, and be left desolate with one foreign daughter-in-law, and God may be making you an ancestor of a king. (Ruth 1–4)    Continue at John Piper

An Open Letter to You in 2013: The Same Old Message for a Brand New Year

Mike originally published this post on December 30, 2011.

As we approach the beginning of the New Year, many people are reflecting on the previous year and how they’ve lived their lives, and are making resolutions and determinations to live better in the coming year, whatever that may mean. The process seems to involve a kind of refocusing on things that are important to us so that when we will have come to the end of this next year we will look even more favorably on it than the previous one.

Though I’m a few days early, as we anticipate the coming of 2013 I want to write an open letter of sorts that focuses on the most important realities in the world. And the addressee of my open letter is you. No matter who you are—whether young in the faith, a seasoned saint, or not a believer in Jesus at all; whether we’re good friends, have only spoken a few times, or if I don’t know you from Adam—I can think of nothing more profitable that I’d like to say directly to you. And perhaps the most interesting distinctive about this open letter for 2013 is that it’s nothing new. It’s the same old message for a brand new year, because it’s the only message that is sufficient to transcend all times and cultures. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you’ll read carefully.

God is Holy

The Bible teaches that the entire universe was created by God. And that God who has created everything has spoken to humanity in the Bible. And the Bible tells us that a fundamental characteristic of God is that He is holy. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” That’s a way of saying that He’s entirely pure. God’s character is one of perfect moral uprightness. He is the essence of all that is good—so much so that, as the verse says, He can have absolutely no fellowship with “darkness”—no fellowship with that which is not perfectly holy, righteous, and pure.    Continue at Mike Riccardi

15 Faith-Based Predictions for 2012

To ring in the New Year, CNN's Belief Blog asked experts in religion, faith leaders, and a secular humanist about how the forces of faith and faithlessness will shape the world in 2012.

Here's what they told us:

1. The Republican Party will tap Mitt Romney as its presidential nominee, and America will finally have its "Mormon moment." As evangelicals try to figure out whether they can support a president who practices Mormonism, the rest of us will try to figure out whether Mormonism is a cult, a form of Christianity, or something in between. Meanwhile, visitors to Marriott hotels will finally crack open some of those nightstand copies of The Book of Mormon.
–Stephen Prothero, Boston University religion professor and regular CNN Belief Blog contributor

2. Despite all of the lessons that could have been learned from Y2K and Harold Camping, people will still rally around the idea that apocalyptic events are on the calendar for 2012. Some will turn to the end-date of the 5125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar (closely associated with the Maya civilization) and a handful of folks believe cataclysmic events are awaiting on December 21, 2012. But the dates with will pass with little fanfare — except for those profiting from the sale of gold coins, generators, and dried food that you'd probably rather want to die than eat.
–Margaret Feinberg, author of "Hungry for God"

3. Continuing revolutions across the Arab world will raise alarming questions about the fate of the remaining Christians in the region, and will put the issue of religious persecution squarely on the political agenda. Sizable Christian populations now survive in only two Arab countries, Egypt and Syria, both of which could soon be under Islamist rule. At a minimum, expect to see inter-faith violence on the ground. In a worst case scenario, Arab Christians could face large scale persecution, forcing millions to seek new homes overseas. Watch too for religious persecution to be an emotive issue in the U.S. presidential race.
– Philip Jenkins, Penn State University professor and author of "Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent Verses"

4. The year will see an increase in the number of people "coming out" as nonbelievers. Major events like the Reason Rally in March will be a catalyst for more people to publicly declare their secular worldview. The statements of popular celebrities George Takei and Ricky Gervais as atheists in 2011 are just the tip of the iceberg.
–Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association 

Read the rest HERE

Happy New Year 2012!!!

New Year’s Message from Mr. Spurgeon

BELOVED FRIENDS,

The season invites to renewal of spiritual life. It suggests freshness and awakening. As there was of old a time when kings went forth to battle, so are there periods when to gird up our loins anew is the order of the day. The furnishing of the armor, and the sharpening of the sword, are the duties now incumbent. Let the year of grace, 1870, be to us all a year of greater consecration, and more incessantly indefatigable effort for the great cause and kingdom of the Lord Jesus. To achieve this it will be most helpful to begin the year well, and to do this there must he holy resolve, and a settling of the whole soul to the work.

Being debarred from serving the Lord by my own public ministry, it has been laid upon my heart to endeavor to stir up my brother ministers to use increased diligence while they are permitted the great pleasure and privilege of preaching the word. It is a hard trial to be laid aside, and harder still if the heart he pierced with regrets for opportunities unimproved when health was in possession. That you may never know such poignant sorrows is my earnest wish, and to help in that end I ask leave to address a few words to you. I pray that every syllable I write may be approved of God, and may be by the Holy Ghost rendered serviceable to you.

It has struck me painfully, that for some little time a somewhat listless spirit has fallen upon many of the churches, and perhaps upon the ministers. A short time ago we heard more of special services, revival meetings, and aggressive efforts upon the world than we do at present; perhaps these may still be in full and vigorous operation among your people, but in many places it is not so; the pace of holy work has slackened, and the church is falling back into that dreary routine which is easily reached and is so hard to escape. Nothing is more dreadful than stagnation, even heresy is not more deadly in its consequences. Sleep at the hour of battle would prove as disastrous to an army as the most deadly artillery. The spiritual morphia with which some churches appear to be drugged and drenched is for all practical purposes as injurious as the poison of infidelity. A church whose religion is mechanical and whose zeal is non-existent may soon become a nuisance but is never a blessing.  Continue Reading >>>

M’Cheyne Daily Bread Instruction

Emmanuel: a New Year’s Devotional

Why New Year’s Resolutions Don't Work

 

 

An Open Letter to You in 2012: The Same Old Message for a Brand New Year

As we approach the beginning of the New Year, many people are reflecting on the previous year and how they’ve lived their lives, and are making resolutions and determinations to live better in the coming year, whatever that may mean. The process seems to involve a kind of refocusing on things that are important to us so that when we will have come to the end of this next year we will look even more favorably on it than the previous one.

Though I’m a few days early, as we anticipate the coming of 2012 I want to write an open letter of sorts that focuses on the most important realities in the world. And the addressee of my open letter is you. No matter who you are—whether young in the faith, a seasoned saint, or not a believer in Jesus at all; whether we’re good friends, have only spoken a few times, or if I don’t know you from Adam—I can think of nothing more profitable that I’d like to say directly to you. And perhaps the most interesting distinctive about this open letter for 2012 is that it’s nothing new. It’s the same old message for a brand new year, because it’s the only message that is sufficient to transcend all times and cultures. It is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I hope you’ll read carefully.

God is Holy

The Bible teaches that the entire universe was created by God. And that God who has created everything has spoken to humanity in the Bible. And the Bible tells us that a fundamental characteristic of God is that He is holy. 1 John 1:5 says, “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.” That’s a way of saying that He’s entirely pure. God’s character is one of perfect moral uprightness. He is the essence of all that is good—so much so that, as the verse says, He can have absolutely no fellowship with “darkness”—no fellowship with that which is not perfectly holy, righteous, and pure.  Keep Reading >>>

Goodbye 2010! But Here's a Look Back

It is that time of the year when people compile top ten lists reflecting upon the events of the past year.  Here are a few I thought you might find interesting.
 
1).  We begin with a list of significant church/theology events for the past year.  Top 10 Church/Theology Stories

2).  Here's a "list of lists" devoted to the best Christian books released (or read by the list producer) last year.  These lists sure don't match mine.  A List of Christian Book Lists

3).  This one is sad--a list of the top ten crimes of 2010.  Not only is our society filed with personal tragedy, keeping up with it is a cottage industry.  This is the stuff that keeps Geraldo and Nancy Grace on the air.  Is it just me, or does anyone else think Nancy Grace is the most obnoxious person on TV?   Top Ten Crime Stories

4).  Here's the annual list of those celebrities who died this past year.  I'll miss a couple of them.  I won't miss those on this list of whom I've never heard.  Celebs Who Died

5).  Here's a fascinating list of those things Americans hold sacred:  Ten Things We Believe

6).  One of my personal favorites--a list of the top political gaffes of 2010.  Top Ten Political Gaffes

7).  Here's a list of the top sports stories of 2010.  Did Tiger, Farve and LeBron make it?  Not a great year for sports, although my Lakers did beat the Celtics:  Top Ten Sports Stories 

8).  The Pope's trip to London topped the Vatican's top ten for 2010: Top Ten Pope Stories

9).  Finally, here's a top ten list of the most important products from Apple.  I bought an iPhone.  Don't know how I lived without it.  Top Ten Apple Stories

HT: Riddleblog

Growing in Humility and Grace in 2011

How do we identify if we are humble people? What are some characteristics of humility that can serve to aid us in our growth and seeking after Christ?
 
A humble person never forgets God’s saving grace.

A humble person is focused on Christ alone for his righteous standing before God.

A humble person never thinks any good work for Christ is too menial, and beneath them.
 
A humble heart is eager to serve in light of God’s grace. A humble heart will submit to every truth of God that is made known to it. Three things incline a humble heart to God’s service: 
1) Divine love to them in Jesus; 
2) Divine presence with them; and 
3) Divine Glory as their chief end.

A humble soul is always dependent upon Jesus and His grace.

A humble heart is heavenly-minded.

Would you characterize yourself as a humble person by God's grace? Seek Christ.

We have been taught a few of the attributes of a truly humble person, soul, and heart.

How does a humble person grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus?


Meditate upon God’s goodness and grace to you in Jesus.
 
Meditate upon the cross and the exaltation of Jesus.

Meditate on your own sinful heart and propensity to evil.
 
Don’t think too highly of your works for God.

Acknowledge your indebtedness to God in prosperity and adversity.

We are always recipients of God’s grace and gifts.
 
Let both your head and your heart love God.
 
Be a conqueror of pride and other sins in Jesus alone. Read the whole article HERE

We Will not Open the Gates of the Year to the Dolorous Notes of the Sackbut