World Leaders Discuss Afghanistan�s Future
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said America was not formulating an "exit strategy" but if the conditions were right NATO could "begin the transition� out of Afghanistan. But Secretary of State for Defense for the United said he believed Britain would remain in Afghanistan for a "very, very long time to come."
Pray for military victory over the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pray for the families of our soldiers who continue to sacrifice for our nation.
Psalm 23 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
"The Lord not only renews my life physically and emotionally, but He also guides me in paths of righteousness." I must commit myself to God's will. No matter what that will might contain. "And I need to walk closely with God so I know Him intimately." Yes! Proverbs 3:5-6 tells me that he will make my paths straight if I trust him implicitly!
It's very important to note the reason for all of this. Why does God do this? The last phrase of the verse: FOR HIS NAME'S SAKE!! Can you wrap your brain around the fact that God does this for HIM?? As Chris Tomlin's song so wonderfully states, "It's not for us, It's all for YOU!" Yes, we benefit from it, and yes he loves us with a love that we cannot even begin to comprehend. But he does this for his own name's sake! In Ezekiel 36, the Lord tells Israel the same thing: Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name...I will vindicate the holiness of my great name... Verses 22 and 23. But then in verse 26, he tells them, "I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh." Even that is done to vindicate the great Name of the Lord.
I believe we do God a great dis-service when we begin to believe that God does all of these wonderful things just for our benefit. We must remember that God holds his name above all things. And if you remember a few entries back (maybe last Sunday?), it is in that Name that we have protection. It is in the Name of God that we trust! And he WILL vindicate his Name!
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity...
"In order to their growth, Christians must leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ. How must they leave them? They must not lose them, they must not despise them, they must not forget them. They must lay them up in their hearts, and lay them as the foundation of all their profession and expectation; but they must not rest and stay in them, they must not be always laying the foundation, they must go on, and build upon it."
This is why I am opposed to churches that always preach only to the lost (why would the "lost" even be in a "church" meeting, considering that the Church is the body of Christ?), or fancy themselves "seeker" churches. No one seeks God. He said that himself. There are no "seekers." And if you "dummy" your so-called worship services down to that level, your true believers will never grow to maturity. They will be resting only on that foundation, always building what has already been built.
If a lost person happens to "accidently" (Hah!) wander into a church meeting, it wasn't because he was "seeking." It was because he was drawn by the Spirit.
I am so grateful that our pastor is working at maturing us. He is not preaching "easy" stuff. In fact, the past few weeks, we have been delving into Matthew 24. That is some touch stuff, people! We are building onto that foundation. The foundation has been laid. Our pastor is growing us to maturity in Christ. Praise God for that.
I also am comforted by the fact that you do all this for your own name's sake. I benefit from it. I am grateful for all the benefits that I gain from being your child. And I am very comfortable with the truth that it is all for you, and all for your Name's sake. I want your Name to be vindicated in the earth. I desire to see this world give your Name the respect and honor that it deserves. But I don't see it very often these days, and that pains my heart. Nevertheless, I know that, one day, you will return in Jesus Christ and make it all right as every living creature bows down and worships Jesus Christ and proclaims him as LORD!
Thank you for our pastor. I still praise you for bringing him into our lives, even with the trouble that we went through at the old church. Perhaps that was only your way of maturing us. We have certainly grown through that experience. And even though we may not be growing rapidly in numbers, I believe that we are growing in spirit and maturing in faith. I pray that this is true.
I pray that you grow your Church at Wings of Freedom into a body of believers that exemplifies the true Church as it is meant to be. Let us not be satisfied with the "status quo." Let us move towards maturity and strong faith. Let us move towards ministry in ways that we never thought possible.
I keep praying for Stephanie. As discouraging as this weekend has been, I will not give up. I pray for her healing, Father. Help us know what steps to take to help her succeed in life.
Grace and peace, friends.