I found this quote in the book Marriable* (p. 133)--
"The successful and marriable person understands that a relationship is more about giving the other person what they want than getting what we need- that is the true essence of unconditional love."
"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him..."- Psalm 103:17
Often today we live with the selfish philosophy of getting what we need first before providing for others. but what if Jesus would have lived with our concept of love? Do you think He would have done what he did for us? So, how are we to live? Like Him or like the world we are engrossed in? You decide.
*DiMarco, Hayley, and Michael DiMarco. Marriable: Taking the Desperate out of Dating. Grand Rapids, MI: Revell, 2005. Print.
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Story...
We all have a story... here is this guy's story of Grace:
Well, I got a call from the pastor yesterday and I was at the office. He told me to come to a rundown hotel in a bad part of town... scary enough right? so I grabbed a bible and went. I go there and I knocked on room 113 like he said too. This guy comes to the door. He smells of liquor and has an infection on his arm. he is covered in tattos and his lymph nodes are all swollen. I look on the floor and there is a magazine from a pistol with bullets in it. I see the pastor sitting there and he motions for me and I come over by the guy and pastor. pastor asked the man to tell me what he just did... he accepted Christ!!! The guy’s story is crazy!!! The guy is at the end of his rope. He lost his family, his job, he is nothing but a drunk and has only a tiny suitcase of things to live out of in this roach infested hotel. The pastor said that he had to talk him out of killing himself before he could get him to even think about salvation...
The whole experience really confirmed a lot for me last night. I had recently taught a lesson on being strong in Christ to the teens. The experience made it real to me once again and I could see the change in the man’s life. At church that night he was sitting in the front row reading his Bible for 45 minutes before the service started… when only 4 hours before he wanted to kill himself.
There is a song that I love called I know. It fits extremely well with the situation and my learning experience through it:
“Where do I begin with what to say. I’ve played this conservation in my head so many times I’m certainly not claiming to know everything. But what I do will save your life.”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
“No matter what it is you’re going through Even if you think you’re far beyond where hope can see I know there is a hand that’s reaching out for you Because He did the same for me.”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
“It wasn’t that long ago when my own world fell apart, it fell apart. And everything here inside of me said to let go, you must let go. I found myself crying out to the One who knows my heart, He knows your heart. And holding tight to the few things that I know”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
John 1:1-“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Acts 17:28a-“For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”
Well, I got a call from the pastor yesterday and I was at the office. He told me to come to a rundown hotel in a bad part of town... scary enough right? so I grabbed a bible and went. I go there and I knocked on room 113 like he said too. This guy comes to the door. He smells of liquor and has an infection on his arm. he is covered in tattos and his lymph nodes are all swollen. I look on the floor and there is a magazine from a pistol with bullets in it. I see the pastor sitting there and he motions for me and I come over by the guy and pastor. pastor asked the man to tell me what he just did... he accepted Christ!!! The guy’s story is crazy!!! The guy is at the end of his rope. He lost his family, his job, he is nothing but a drunk and has only a tiny suitcase of things to live out of in this roach infested hotel. The pastor said that he had to talk him out of killing himself before he could get him to even think about salvation...
The whole experience really confirmed a lot for me last night. I had recently taught a lesson on being strong in Christ to the teens. The experience made it real to me once again and I could see the change in the man’s life. At church that night he was sitting in the front row reading his Bible for 45 minutes before the service started… when only 4 hours before he wanted to kill himself.
There is a song that I love called I know. It fits extremely well with the situation and my learning experience through it:
“Where do I begin with what to say. I’ve played this conservation in my head so many times I’m certainly not claiming to know everything. But what I do will save your life.”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
“No matter what it is you’re going through Even if you think you’re far beyond where hope can see I know there is a hand that’s reaching out for you Because He did the same for me.”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
“It wasn’t that long ago when my own world fell apart, it fell apart. And everything here inside of me said to let go, you must let go. I found myself crying out to the One who knows my heart, He knows your heart. And holding tight to the few things that I know”
“ I know, I know That God is able. I know, I know That He still reigns. I know, I know That love has found a way.”
John 1:1-“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Acts 17:28a-“For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”
Climb. Live. Conquer.- Where Did That Come From?
There is a saying I came up with on the morning that Daddy Bob died while I was studying my Bible. Mountains were meant to be climbed. Life was meant to be lived. Death was meant to be conquered. All of this was true in the life of Daddy Bob.
Mountains were meant to be climbed: From the challenges of childhood, the challenge of marriage, and the challenges of a World War, Daddy Bob faced them all. Hebrews 13:5 Says that God is with us through any circumstance. In the mountains of life we must trust in the one who has created us to be our strength and our strong tower. Daddy Bob always did this in his life. It was shown in his study of scripture, His encouraging words even when he was not in the best condition, and also in the final days that I was able to spend with him. I can not remember a time when Daddy Bob was not encouraging me to lean upon Jesus Christ and his power. In fact, it is because of his encouragement that I was able to make it over some of the Mountains in my life.
Life was meant to be lived: The Book of James in the Bible say that our lives are like a wind or a vapor, only here for a second then gone…Our lives were not meant to be wasted. Daddy Bob never did any of this for sure! Really, he got married at 16… Definitely not wasting time there! Daddy Bob was always working on something. From his time in the Navy to just working on things around his shop, Daddy Bob was always finding something to do. Even when he was sick he would always talk about how he was going to cut the grass, or fix table, or do some random household project. With his children and wife, Daddy Bob wasted not time either. He loved us and was always willing to talk. He was not afraid to talk about deep issues or about hard subjects. He was just there when you needed him. Daddy Bob did not waste his life; instead, he used it to influence many of us in a right direction. I know that for me, I would not be the man I am without his investment into my life. Mom tried to teach me piano, Dad tried to teach me trumpet, but all I wanted to Play was guitar… because I wanted to be like my daddy bob. I always loved the outdoors. But it was because of Daddy Bob that I really began to see how awesome it was to be outside. One day when Daddy Bob and I were fishing, he looked at me and started to talk about how great God is and how good he was to us to create such a beautiful world for us. From that point on I was hooked. I love being outside! Recently I had the opportunity to climb a mountain in Jordan while I was on trip to the middle east. I know that if Daddy Bob would not have ingrained into me the love of the outdoors, I never would have attempted to climb that mountain… now I can say that it was one of the most amazing things I have every done.
But Daddy Bob also influenced me spiritually. Ever since I was a child, Mama Louis and Daddy Bob always encouraged me to be in the Word of God. They were always reading the Bible when I would come to see them. It was an evident factor in their lives. Without the constant encouragement from them, I would not be training for ministry today. I do not know where my life would be today Without this great man. Daddy Bob’s life was not waisted… it was lived and used by God to the fullest extent, at least to me.
Death was meant to be conquered: Daddy Bob was a Christian. He had placed his trust in Jesus Christ’s sacrifice. Because of Daddy Bob’s faith in Jesus, the Bible says in
Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. In John 3:16 we see that God says that he gave his one and only special son to die for the sins of the world… so that we could have eternal life. Because of Daddy Bob’s faith in Christ, HE is with Jesus today. He is not going to be punished for his sins because the Blood of Christ covered it all. You see, Death was meant to be conquered. Christ came, lived a perfect life, then died the most horrible death of any human being ever so that you could be freed from your sin. Daddy Bob has placed his faith in this same Jesus. And because of that, he was saved from the punishment for his sin, hell and separation from God for all eternity. You do not have to face this punishment for the wrongs you have done. If you place your faith in the Jesus Christ, you will be freed from your sins and will one day see The savior in glory, just as Daddy Bob sees him now.
Romans 10:9-10 - That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. In John 3:16 we see that God says that he gave his one and only special son to die for the sins of the world… so that we could have eternal life. Because of Daddy Bob’s faith in Christ, HE is with Jesus today. He is not going to be punished for his sins because the Blood of Christ covered it all. You see, Death was meant to be conquered. Christ came, lived a perfect life, then died the most horrible death of any human being ever so that you could be freed from your sin. Daddy Bob has placed his faith in this same Jesus. And because of that, he was saved from the punishment for his sin, hell and separation from God for all eternity. You do not have to face this punishment for the wrongs you have done. If you place your faith in the Jesus Christ, you will be freed from your sins and will one day see The savior in glory, just as Daddy Bob sees him now.
Daddy Bob Climbed the Mountains. Daddy Bob lived life the way it was meant to be lived. Daddy Bob conquered death, through the power of the cross of Christ. I would want nothing more than to have the same said of me one day.
Daddy Bob’s life has challenged me, encouraged me, and made me the man I am today. I hope that his life will also have the same influence on you today.
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