The Lord's Doing!

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Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, And does not respect the proud nor such as turn aside to lies. Many O Lord are Your wonderful works which You have done; And Your thoughts towards us cannot be recounted to You in order; If I would declare and speak of them. They are more than can be numbered. PSALM 40: 4 - 5

DAILY THOUGHTS...

"For I know the thoughts I think towards you says the Lord; thoughts of peace and not of evil to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

NOW MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS....

To who would you commit your cause? Job said: " To God who only does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number... Hear it & know for yourself!" God says: "I know the thoughts that I (GOD) think towards you - they are higher than whatever you can think for, about or to do for yourself! Can you let them (His thoughts) materialize for you? They are Thoughts... of peace and not of evil,... to give you a hope and a future... to bring you to the expected end! "Your peace, your hope, your future...... are not yours, you don't have it either!

God does and He only, gives it! He also has your end, your destination! God is not in any end that is not peace(full)... Because God is a God of Peace; His Spirit is the Spirit of Peace; His word is Peace and Jesus is the Prince of Peace! Otherwise, His thoughts & works would not be of peace. God's word to us is that it is not the beginning... i.e. how you begin or began with God, that matters but the end... i.e. how you end in it or ended it. Every end is a work of materialization of thoughts. What has been the end of your affairs? What and whose worked ends are evident around you... God's or yours or those of another man? But we know that every end of God is and will always be good... Every end with Him is not war but peace putting pieces together into one piece called ' the Lord's doing'... It is Blessed, Wonderful, Mighty and Marvelous in our eyes; and will endure(last & remain) forever, not for a moment! In peace there are no pieces... That's why God's works can be counted until they become unaccountable in order! Who can number the stars in the sky... the sands on the shore... the hairs on the head? No one... For 'Marvellous things' can't be numbered! What is that thing; that work?

Just Let God work His thoughts into a marvelous thing for you! He does work things out if you make Him your trust in truth; having no respect for the proud. The proud defy God to gain 'victory' by works for themselves unto themselves which do not endure. There is no 'wonder', 'beauty', or anything to 'marvel' in works you have done (worked out) by your strength! So the scripture says - " Mark the end of a man perfect with God (in ALL his ways),... it is peace! God never takes peacemakers away from peace but He takes peace away from the wicked; this is His wonderful doing to His sons, the peacemakers!

PERSONAL CONFESSION: Lord, in your peace I shall find peace for Great Peace have they who love your law. By Your doing, Lord put every pieces in my life together into 'doings' of your peace;and I will reign with the Prince of Peace!

FURTHER READING: Job 5:8-9; Genesis1:31; Isaiah.55:11

BLESS God with Psalm 72:18 - The mountains will bring peace to you and yours by righteousness & break your oppressor in pieces!

Self-Examination Urged by McKinley's Am I Really a Christian?

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If you don't want to be a Christian this book is not for you. Put it down. If you believe you are a Christian and are satisfied with your grasp of the doctrine of salvation, the role of faith in salvation, personal assurance of salvation and the manner in which your life lines up with your belief system, this book has nothing to offer you. Walk away. There is danger, however, in thinking you are past the point of need for self-examination or for peer-accountability regarding the direction of your life. Since your eternal destination hangs in the balance, the subject matter should be worth your consideration. With these statements Mike McKinley, the pastor of a Baptist congregation, pinpoints the intended audience of Am I Really A Christian: The Most Important Question You're Not Asking (Crossway, 2011).

Christian jargon can bring more confusion than clarity. McKinley's perspective of born again is one of regeneration. The regenerating love and mercy of God is the cause of salvation while the fruit of the believer's life is the result or effect of salvation. Being a Christian goes beyond respect for Jesus to belief and faith in him.

Am I Really A Christian? is scripture rich. McKinley relies heavily on passages of scripture and points readers to them by providing direct quotations within the text. Like John Piper's Think: The Life of the Mind and the Love of God (Crossway, 2010), McKinley compels readers to look past feelings and common Christian expressions to contemplate questions like the following: What do I believe? Do I agree? Does scripture bear out his arguments? How should I respond in light of these truths?

McKinley's message is to the church. He speaks as a fellow sojourner wanting to guide, encourage and strengthen the faith of believers. He takes care to reassure Christians with sensitive consciences. His pastoral gifting of nurturing and shepherding the faith of others rings true. The author continually brings to the forefront the need for believers to be surrounded by brothers and sisters that can be trusted to come alongside to encourage and guide them as they walk out their faith. As the body of Christ, the goal should be self-evaluation in consultation with trusted mentors in order to seek and find evidence that the cause of our salvation (God's regenerating love and mercy) has taken root and our lives are beginning to reveal the fruit (effect) of that salvation. To aid in this process, McKinley recommends the formation of year-long one-on-one mentoring relationships.

The format for each chapter is text followed by a How to Respond section containing four points: reflect, repent, remember, and report. The book contains three appendices: Notes, containing sources for in-text references divided by chapter; Subject Index and Scripture Index.

Am I Really A Christian? can be useful to individuals apart from a group environment. It's best and most complete use will come in the form of small groups of believers within the body of a local congregation. If you are willing to put quality time into self-evaluation in consultation with trusted friends at your local congregation, Am I Really a Christian? is worth your time and attention.

Kimberly Bower is an ordained minister. Her primary purpose is to glorify God and make Him known to all men. She enjoys sharing great books that entertain, encourage, enlighten, enrich and empower people to fulfill their destinies.

She writes as the West Palm Beach Spirituality Examiner on http://www.examiner.com/ and can be reached there or via Facebook under the screen name gladeslibrarian.

Teen Passion Validated by Hannah Farver's Uncompromising: A Heart Claimed By a Radical Love

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In Uncompromising: A Heart Claimed By a Radical Love, Hannah Farver offers a fresh voice on what it means to be a young woman of modesty, purity, and femininity. Her style is conversational and unassuming. The reader will get no sense of finger-pointing admonishments to live a pure and holy life from a perfect person. Rather, Farver opens herself to her readers with all her faults, fears, concerns, doubts and questions as a fellow traveler on the road to a life well-lived. Her focus is not on `thou shalt nots' but rather on guiding her readers to find the Cause who is able to fulfill their inner desire to be wholly and unconditionally loved.

Farver opens with an acknowledgement that passion is good and hard-wired into our DNA. We are designed to be passionate about a cause. The world dangles all sorts of causes in front of our eyes to lure us away from the one Cause that can deeply satisfy the desires of our hearts. These worldly causes include the desire to be considered beautiful, popular, famous, and loved. The problem, Farver contends, is that all of these causes are fleeting and leave the seeker wholly unsatisfied. Rather, she challenges, we can live for the one Cause that claims our hearts with a radical love and provides a fully satisfying life. This doesn't mean she wants to remain single all of her life but that she is willing to seek a relationship with the one Cause (God) and allow Him to prepare her heart for relationship with the man He has chosen for her.

The book closes with a modesty checklist and an unofficial checklist to help young women determine if they are ready for marriage. The author begs, however, that readers don't take either of these resources as the final word on either topic. A study guide is also included.

I enjoyed this book. It was thought-provoking and encouraged self-reflection. Even as Farver advises young teens to seek out older, more mature 'Titus 2 women' I sensed a subtle shift, seemingly unknown to the author, of her becoming just such a woman for the younger teens in her audience.

I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. A church youth group leader could use this title for either a preteen or teen small group discussion for girls. I give this book five out of five stars.

Kimberly Bower is an ordained minister. Her primary purpose is to glorify God and make Him known to all men. She enjoys sharing great books that entertain, encourage, enlighten, enrich and empower people to fulfill their destinies.

She writes as the West Palm Beach Spirituality Examiner on http://www.examiner.com/ and can be reached there or via Facebook under the screen name gladeslibrarian.