fat_chocobo

fat_chocobo

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Grace

[Apr. 27th, 2012|08:08 am]

Once again, I'm struck by how much I do not understand God's love. I truly do not understand how He could love me.

“If heaven were by merit, it would never be heaven to me, for if I were in it I should say, ‘I am sure I am here by mistake; I am sure this is not my place; I have no claim to it.’ But if it be of grace and not of works, then we may walk into heaven with boldness.”

-Spurgeon

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(no subject)	[Apr. 10th, 2012\|06:32 am]
The temptation to so many of us when we try to approach God is to think that because God has been dealing with us -- because He has been taking steps to bring us into something more of Himself and has been teaching us deeper lessons of the Cross -- He has thereby set before us new standards, and that only by attaining to these can we have a clear conscience before Him. No! A clear conscience is never based upon our attainment; it can only be based on the work of the Lord Jesus in the shedding of His Blood. I may be mistaken, but I feel very strongly that some of us are thinking in terms such as these: `Today I have been a little more careful; today I have been doing a little better; this morning I have been reading the Word of God in a warmer way, so today I can pray better!' Or again, `Today I have had a little difficulty with the family; I began the day feeling very gloomy and moody; I am not feeling too bright now; it seems that there must be something wrong; therefore I cannot approach God.' What, after all, is your basis of approach to God? Do you come to Him on the uncertain ground of your feeling, the feeling that you may have achieved something for God today? Or is your approach based on something far more secure, namely, the fact that the Blood has been shed, and that God looks on that Blood and is satisfied? Your approach to God is therefore always in boldness; and that boldness is yours through the Blood and never through your personal attainment. Whatever be your measure of attainment today or yesterday or the day before, as soon as you make a conscious move into the Most Holy Place, immediately you have to take your stand upon the safe and only ground of the shed Blood. Whether you have had a good day or a bad day, whether you have consciously sinned or not, your basis of approach is always the same -- the Blood of Christ. - Watchman Nee, The Normal Christian Life
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What Jesus has Done :)	[Apr. 8th, 2012\|09:58 pm]
As soon as everyone had some, John lifted up the bread in his hand and others followed his lead. John thanked God for all his provision, from the food on the table, to forgiveness of sin, to good friends and above all for life in the Son. “His body was broken that your spirits might be alive. Think about that and him as you eat.” And we all did so. Then John held up his cup. “This is the blood of his covenant that cleanses our sin and refreshes our spirit. This is the last meal he ate that night with his followers, and he promised we would do it again in the age that is coming. “To our King, our Redeemer and older brother in Father’s house…” John said lifting his cup and pausing briefly. Others quickly joined the toast expressing their gratefulness to Jesus. Finally, John finished. “Until we see you face to face…,” he said looking upward. Then he turned to acknowledge those near him with a tap of his cup to theirs. And then we drank together and stood in silence awed by his grace and our love for each other. -So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore (Available free at: http://escapetoreality.org/free-stuff/3/)
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Good Friday is good :)	[Apr. 6th, 2012\|08:34 pm]
Happy Good Friday guys. Jesus died for us, so that we can have life and redemption in Him :) And maybe this article is especially apt today, because Jesus died so that we would no longer under condemnation. Today is about love - His love for us. A love so incomprehensible that you probably don't understand it if you think you do. A love so great that now we, too, can love others freely because we have freely received His. Without that act of love, we would still be under condemnation, regardless of our favourite brand of sin (homosexuality, lust, anger, pride, etc). Good Friday is, truly, good, because now we can have abundant life in God :) :D http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html (I know it's a non-christian article, but lets put religious affiliations aside. Jesus died because of love, and that's what this article is fighting for. So hope you'll enjoy it :)
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Borrowed thoughts

[Apr. 5th, 2012|10:37 am]

THE RADICALITY OF THE GOSPEL

What people can accept: good people get good stuff, bad people get bad stuff.

What people can’t accept: bad people get absolutely the best stuff.

But that’s the heart of the gospel.

Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 3:16-17
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son that we might not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son to condemn the world but to save the world through Him.”

This is the gospel: while we were at our worst, Christ gave His best. Today, I need to remind myself that while I was so bad that he had to die, I was also so loved that he was glad to die.

Doesn’t this knowledge set you free!

- Taken from http://thekingdomwithin.tumblr.com/ which is reposted from http://mixstix.tumblr.com/

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(no subject)	[Apr. 4th, 2012\|07:39 pm]
"You think of gatherings as meetings to go to, and trying to craft the perfect format that will guarantee results that no meeting can guarantee. But you don’t see yet that Jesus is always gathering his flock to himself. People from all over the world are finding their hunger for him eclipsing their hunger for anything else and that every substitute they try only adds to their restlessness. As they keep their eye on him, not only do they grow closer to him with each passing day, but they will find themselves alongside others who are headed that way too. Geese fly together like that not because they are obligated to do so, but because it lightens their load and lifts them closer to their goal.” John turned his head skyward again and we joined him, now seeing at least four different flocks all heading south. “And all of those flocks will end up in the same place, together. That’s all Jesus ever wanted—one flock drawn to him alone, and each helping lighten the load of others they find going the same direction as they are. “That’s the gathering. It’s not when you meet, where you or how you meet in meetings, but that you are gathering your heart to him." - So You Don't Want To Go To Church Anymore
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Grace	[Mar. 13th, 2012\|10:06 am]
I'm convinced that people like Spurgeon and C.S. Lewis understood grace. “[To have Faith in Christ] means, of course, trying to do all that He says. There would be no sense in saying you trusted a person if you would not take his advice. Thus if you have really handed yourself over to Him, it must follow that you are trying to obey Him. But trying in a new way, a less worried way. Not doing these things in order to be saved, but because He has begun to save you already. Not hoping to get to Heaven as a reward for your actions, but inevitably wanting to act in a certain way because a first faint gleam of Heaven is already inside you.” ― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
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Church

[Mar. 7th, 2012|08:47 pm]

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The worship team didn't go up during the opening prayer.

"I could sing of your love forever" was sang as a fast song

Prayers were freely offered from the congregation between songs without prompting from the worship leader

Yes, church here is very different. More raw, less defined, and yet somehow more real. More authentic.

Eye opening? Yes.

Posted via LiveJournal app for iPhone.

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