Bind My Wandering Heart to Thee (from (in)courage)

bind my heart…

 

by Especially Heather

So many times I run from you. So many times I hide from your perfect will in my life.
So many times you bring me back.
Ive been sitting here this morning having my quiet time, drinking my coffee. I love mornings like this, where I can sit and soak up my time with the Lord. Lately I have been questioning a lot about my ability (or inability) to fully trust Him. To have complete relinquishment of myself.
My head gets in the way of my heart.
I want my life to not only serve Him, but I want it to be a fragrant offering to Him. There is so much I can’t do on my own. So much I cant overcome on my own. Yet He still stands there waiting for me to ask Him for his hand. Its so very hard sometimes to honestly believe that someone else knows what is right for me. It is hard for me to just sit and wait for His will, yet when I do, life holds so much more peace and joy.
Worship is my heart.  I want really to worship Him.  I want my life to be a pleasing fragrance. I want my worship to be so enveloped in awe and adoration that those around me gain a true understanding of the personal and emotional relationship they can have with a loving God. I bow my pride before Him and pour my veil of worship out. Even in the midst of my ugliness and my vileness, He still longs for that personal relationship with me.
It is what I was created for.
Pouring out my heart. Why is that so hard? Why is it so hard for me to show Him the areas of my life that he already knows exist? Why do I think that I can hide things from an all compassing, all knowing jealous God?
I confess now my selfishness, my pride, my longing for the things of this world. I humbly lay down my life in front of him- like I have done so many times before. I give him my life.
Actually, I give him back the life he gave me.
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have absolute abandon? Have you ever been in a place in your relationship with Christ where you feel so completely out of control of everything, yet so at peace? I long for that, I long for the relationship with Him that causes me to completely release my grip on my life. I long for the realness of just crawling in His lap and laying my head on His shoulder like a child does.
Complete and utter trust.
Christ is not a lofty God sitting way up there, looking at us way down here. He isn’t waiting for us to sing a hymn and light a candle. He doesn’t care about our rituals, He isn’t impressed with them.
He created us for the relationship. He created us for His joy. He created us to worship Him.
He created us to be REAL.
Sunday mornings are meaningless to Him if they are lathered up in shiny offerings of pride. He wants us to cry with Him. He wants us to share our darkest and most hurtful moments with Him. He wants us to understand that our relationship with him was meant to be intimate, emotional, honest.
He longs for those moments with us.
By: Heather,  Especially Heather  

As I Grieve Over Current Headlines This Reading Helps

February 10 - Distinctiveness of the Beatitudes

by letters@gty.org (Grace to You)

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:3
The series of conditional blessings Jesus promises, beginning with this verse and continuing through verse 12, are known as the Beatitudes. This name refers to a state of happiness or bliss. The blessedness promised in each is a divine characteristic, one that men and women can realize only as they share in God’s nature (cf. 2 Peter 1:4). When believers are truly blessed, they don’t experience merely an external, circumstantial feeling of happiness, but a deep sense of spiritual contentedness and well-being based on the objective spiritual reality that they belong to God.
We must understand that Christ’s beatitudes are distinctive and firm pronouncements, not merely ambiguous probabilities. Our Lord does not say that if we have the qualities the Beatitudes set forth, we are only likely to be happy; nor is this simply His wish for us. Adherence to these attitudes and practices will result in blessedness, just as surely as judgmental woes await those who are the subject of His pronouncements in Matthew 23.
The blessed life is the opposite of the cursed life. Blessedness is possessed by those who truly have the inner characteristics of the Beatitudes. Conversely, cursedness represents those who don’t know the Beatitudes, such as the Jewish religionists of Jesus’ time.
The Beatitudes are also distinctively progressive, each leading to the next in logical succession. Poverty of spirit demonstrates a right attitude about ourselves. That leads to mourning, gentleness, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, showing mercy, purity of heart, and peacemaking. If we have these traits we will rebuke the world so that it persecutes us and allows us to be lights in its midst.
Ask Yourself
We have often stated—rightly so—that God is more interested in making us holy than making us happy. So does it surprise you to see that happiness is a gift Jesus offers to those who take His Word to heart? What’s wrong with a theology that looks suspiciously at happiness?

Today's Reading Spoke Clarity to me

January 29 - Jesus’ Authoritative Preaching

by letters@gty.org (Grace to You)

From that time Jesus began to preach. - Matthew 4:17
Our Lord heralded the gospel message with certainty. His mission was not to dispute or argue with His opponents but to preach the truth of salvation. He did not merely proclaim certainties, but He did so with the utmost authority (cf. Matt. 7:29).
The scribes could not teach with authority because they had mingled so many man-made opinions and interpretations in with biblical truths that any sense of authority for them had long since disappeared. It was thus quite astounding when the people again heard one like Jesus preach with real authority, as the prophets had (cf. Matt. 7:28–29).
Jesus also preached precisely and only what His Father commissioned Him to proclaim, which no doubt gave added weight to His authority. He testified to this fact quite directly, “I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49; cf. 3:34; 8:38).
Based on this divine authority, Christ sends us out into the world as His ambassadors by saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:18b–19a). All believers who are faithful witnesses for the gospel will proclaim God’s certain truth by His authority—and with His power.
Ask Yourself
The authority of Jesus that registered with the people of His day also had something to do with His authenticity. If people don’t show much respect for God and His Word today, how much of it is due to a lack of authenticity in His people? Pray that we would exude His grace-filled reality.

Happy New Year

Religious Regulations. Part 2

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. - John 5:14–16

In response to this miracle, the Jewish authorities castigated the healed man for breaking their trivial rules (v. 10). They were more concerned with legalistic regulations than with the man’s well-being—an attitude for which the Lord sharply rebuked them (Matt. 23:13ff.).

From this point on, the Jews were continually “persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.” So began their open opposition toward Jesus—persecution that would eventually result in His death.

The die was cast. Jesus confronted Jewish legalism by disregarding their Sabbath rules, challenging them with His true identity as the Son of God. The Jews’ opposition to their own Messiah would harden and intensify until they crucified Him (1 Cor. 2:8).
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(questions as posed by John MacArthur)
Ask Yourself

Are there one or two individuals in your usual field of vision who are such sticklers for precision and protocol, they choke the life out of others’ freedom in Christ? How do you deal with this kind of attitude? How might their predilection for order be of value to the Body if exercised properly?

(my added comment) Although we note Jesus' rebuke of the religious ritual/ordinances, Jesus states, "do not sin anymore". Therefore, we are told to keep our lives sinless. We are not to accept His grace with a demeanor of living recklessly. We strive to live blamelessly before our God. The bible defines those parameters. But, caring for others true physical well-being overshadows spiritual disciplines,...it's a matter of the heart. First, love God, then love people.....everything else falls in place when this is perfected. Myself, well, I'm still striving....

Hope you have a blessed day and that my entries just might be an inspiration for somebody.

Charles Stanley's Devotion is Great Today also....

Victory in Spiritual Warfare

EPHESIANS 6:10-13
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against [a]flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.

The Bible teaches that Satan has waged war against God and those who follow Him. This means that all Christians are on a spiritual battlefield.

In any conflict, soldiers should be given the right equipment and training in how to use it. Otherwise, it would be foolish to expect success. In a similar way, we should follow God's directions on how best to utilize the effective spiritual armor He has provided for us.

Let's explore each component. First, the belt of truth indicates that we should operate according to Scripture, which keeps us in the safety of God's will. Second, the breastplate of righteousness protects our heart from wrong emotions. Third, we should have feet that are ready to stand firm against the Devil and bring the good news to others (Isa. 52:7). Fourth, the shield of faith stops the Enemy's flaming missiles. Faith—or trust in Jesus—allows us to fight doubt, fear, and confusion. Fifth, the sword of the Spirit is the actual weapon used to cause damage to our opponent. Specifically, this is the Word of God. Scripture is "sharper than any two-edged sword" (Heb. 4:12), transforming us to be like Jesus, shedding light in a dark world, and enabling the spiritually blind to see. And finally, the helmet of salvation is protection for our thoughts.

Do you truly realize that you have a living Enemy? He continually attempts to draw you away from Jesus. Satan's path seems comfortable and good, but it leads only to destruction. There is no middle ground; either you are battling the Enemy, or he is deceptively pulling you away from the truth.

Truth about Religious Regulations from the bible with comments from John MacArthur

Now it was the Sabbath on that day. So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. - John 5:9–13

John notes that the healing took place on the Sabbath. Indeed, that was the key to this whole incident. It set the stage for the Jewish authorities’ open hostility toward Christ. The fury of their opposition would only escalate throughout the remainder of His earthly ministry, finally culminating in His death.

Jesus’ refusal to observe the legalistic and man-made Sabbath regulations was a major point of contention between Himself and Israel’s religious establishment. In fact, the Lord deliberately chose to heal this man on the Sabbath to confront superficial and bankrupt Jewish legalism. The Lord wanted to show mercy to this man, but also to call the nation to repentance by confronting the self-righteous and unbiblical stipulations that led to their illusion of spiritual life.

My Comments:
The clarity of God's intention of truth and grace is something that I continue to seek. We are called to be holy so that we may be fruitful for Him; yet, it is important to understand why we are being holy. Is it to seek the approval of man or of God? What does the bible claim is necessary for holiness?