Come closer and listen! I have never kept secret the things I have said, and I was here before time began.
-- God's Claim in Isaiah 48:16 (CEV)
Showing posts with label secret. Show all posts
Showing posts with label secret. Show all posts
Monday, December 5, 2011
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Do You Pray?
Do you pray? Diligence in prayer is the secret of holiness. -- J.C. Ryle
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Friday, August 6, 2010
Do We Ever Pray in Private?
Hypocrites never pray in private. -- Samuel Chadwick
(5) "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. -- Words of Jesus in Matthew 6:5-6 (NKJV)
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
(5) "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (6) But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. -- Words of Jesus in Matthew 6:5-6 (NKJV)
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Saturday, June 19, 2010
To The Ground. In the Gap. Into Thy Closet.
Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel, bent down to the ground and put his face between his knees. -- 1 Kings 18:42 (NIV)
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. --Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. -- Matthew 6:6 (KJV)
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. --Ezekiel 22:30 (NIV)
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. -- Matthew 6:6 (KJV)
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Lord "Had" Left Him
In Psalm 51:11 (TLB), King David included this plea in his passionate prayer of repentance: Don’t toss me aside, banished forever from your presence. Don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.
Precious Holy Spirit, let me never put You off, lest You would put me off. In Jesus' name. Amen.
(16-17) She (Delilah) nagged at him (Samson) every day until he couldn’t stand it any longer and finally told her his secret. "My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for I’ve been a Nazirite to God since before my birth. If my hair were cut, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else." (18) Delilah realized that he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the five Philistine leaders. "Come just this once more," she said, "for this time he has told me everything." So they brought the money with them. (19) She lulled him to sleep with his head in her lap, and they brought in a barber and cut off his hair. Delilah began to hit him, but she could see that his strength was leaving him. (20) Then she screamed, "The Philistines are here to capture you, Samson!" And he woke up and thought, "I will do as before; I’ll just shake myself free." But he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him. -- Judges 16:16-20 (TLB)
At the very end of his life, Samson humbled himself, prayed, sought God, repented and wouldn't you know the Lord returned upon His life with power.
We read the end of the story in Judges 16:28-31 (TLB) -- (28) Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord Jehovah, remember me again—please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes." (29) Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his might. (30) "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed. And the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than those he had killed during his entire lifetime. (31) Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led Israel for twenty years.
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Precious Holy Spirit, let me never put You off, lest You would put me off. In Jesus' name. Amen.
(16-17) She (Delilah) nagged at him (Samson) every day until he couldn’t stand it any longer and finally told her his secret. "My hair has never been cut," he confessed, "for I’ve been a Nazirite to God since before my birth. If my hair were cut, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as anyone else." (18) Delilah realized that he had finally told her the truth, so she sent for the five Philistine leaders. "Come just this once more," she said, "for this time he has told me everything." So they brought the money with them. (19) She lulled him to sleep with his head in her lap, and they brought in a barber and cut off his hair. Delilah began to hit him, but she could see that his strength was leaving him. (20) Then she screamed, "The Philistines are here to capture you, Samson!" And he woke up and thought, "I will do as before; I’ll just shake myself free." But he didn’t realize that the Lord had left him. -- Judges 16:16-20 (TLB)
At the very end of his life, Samson humbled himself, prayed, sought God, repented and wouldn't you know the Lord returned upon His life with power.
We read the end of the story in Judges 16:28-31 (TLB) -- (28) Then Samson prayed to the Lord and said, "O Lord Jehovah, remember me again—please strengthen me one more time, so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of at least one of my eyes." (29) Then Samson pushed against the pillars with all his might. (30) "Let me die with the Philistines," he prayed. And the temple crashed down upon the Philistine leaders and all the people. So those he killed at the moment of his death were more than those he had killed during his entire lifetime. (31) Later, his brothers and other relatives came down to get his body, and they brought him back home and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol, where his father, Manoah, was buried. He had led Israel for twenty years.
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Beautiful Opportunity
Let us not forget the sacred preseason that leads us to the Glorious Main Event of our Lord's Resurrection year-after-year. Yes, as Henri Nouwen said, The Lenten Season offers a beautiful opportunity to discover the mystery of Christ within us.
So let's sacredly soak in the seven-word, secret message written in Colossians 1:27 -- Christ in you, the hope of glory. And let's get the secret message out during the Lenten Season and every season.
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
So let's sacredly soak in the seven-word, secret message written in Colossians 1:27 -- Christ in you, the hope of glory. And let's get the secret message out during the Lenten Season and every season.
IF MY PEOPLE... WILL? I WILL! God's Promise in 2 Chron. 7:14.
Grateful
Saturday, September 12, 2009
The Passage of Time
James Taylor sings a song titled Secret of Life. One line from the old tune says: The Secret of Life is enjoying The Passage of Time.
Well, I'd agree that's at least one secret of life. But the greater secret, or mystery to me is The Passage of Time itself. It seems just days ago that my son and daughter were little children, Now, all of a sudden, our "little" son is a 22-year-old college graduate and beginning his chosen career in radio broadcasting. Our "little" daughter is 20 and already a university junior as a fashion marketer and living three-and-a-half hours from home. It's unbelievable how fast time has rushed past our family.
This morning as I had my usual quiet time on the front porch, our neighbor was playing with his little four-year-old boy on the sidewalk next door. Listening to his young son's little-boy-laughter penetrated my heart and reminded me of the mystery, yes, the mystery of The Passage of Time.
I am reminded of these words from a poem my wife and I used to incorporate in advertising when we were full-time photographers. It was an effective sales pitch that encouraged or warned parents to have their little children remembered in portraits before it was too late. Listen to these 13 words:
Whatever happened to yesterday?
It picked up our children and stole them away.
Now, rest assured, I have enjoyed The Passage of Time, but I am still confounded by it all. James Taylor's song advice may be very close to some of the the best counsel we can get about the mystery of life's brevity: Enjoy the passage of time. That is, enjoy the passage of time by being present in your present and by being up-to-date in your relationship with God and your relationships with others, especially your own family members.
Another old Gospel song by the Gaithers said it this way:
We have this moment to hold in our hands,
and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
but we have this moment... today.
The time that remains is very short... 1 Corinthians 7:29 (NLT).
ALL JOY!
Grateful
Note: This blog entry specifically spells out in part my life's joy-description, which includes, but is not limited to, these 7 words:
Live to help others minimize future regrets.
Well, I'd agree that's at least one secret of life. But the greater secret, or mystery to me is The Passage of Time itself. It seems just days ago that my son and daughter were little children, Now, all of a sudden, our "little" son is a 22-year-old college graduate and beginning his chosen career in radio broadcasting. Our "little" daughter is 20 and already a university junior as a fashion marketer and living three-and-a-half hours from home. It's unbelievable how fast time has rushed past our family.
This morning as I had my usual quiet time on the front porch, our neighbor was playing with his little four-year-old boy on the sidewalk next door. Listening to his young son's little-boy-laughter penetrated my heart and reminded me of the mystery, yes, the mystery of The Passage of Time.
I am reminded of these words from a poem my wife and I used to incorporate in advertising when we were full-time photographers. It was an effective sales pitch that encouraged or warned parents to have their little children remembered in portraits before it was too late. Listen to these 13 words:
Whatever happened to yesterday?
It picked up our children and stole them away.
Now, rest assured, I have enjoyed The Passage of Time, but I am still confounded by it all. James Taylor's song advice may be very close to some of the the best counsel we can get about the mystery of life's brevity: Enjoy the passage of time. That is, enjoy the passage of time by being present in your present and by being up-to-date in your relationship with God and your relationships with others, especially your own family members.
Another old Gospel song by the Gaithers said it this way:
We have this moment to hold in our hands,
and to touch as it slips through our fingers like sand.
Yesterday's gone and tomorrow may never come,
but we have this moment... today.
The time that remains is very short... 1 Corinthians 7:29 (NLT).
ALL JOY!
Grateful
Note: This blog entry specifically spells out in part my life's joy-description, which includes, but is not limited to, these 7 words:
Live to help others minimize future regrets.
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