Wisdom in the Word for Thinking 'Christian-ly'

Wisdom in the Word for Thinking 'Christian-ly' 2008-11-21T09:49:22Z http://blog.colleenebarnett.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast "...for all things are Your servants." tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-11-18:1e7f9c70-5a42-4cb0-a5ed-099b3d002087 Colleene 2008-11-18T07:40:39Z 2008-11-18T06:44:00Z
"Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They (God's Word and the earth) stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants." (Psalm 119:89-91)

Everything that has ever been created is God's servant! Whether it be human, angellic, demonic, inanimate ... all have been created to serve Him!

We know that it says in Philippians 2:9-11 that "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Absolutely everything and everyone serves God, whether willingly or unwillingly. The devil and unbelievers are unwilling and hateful slaves. Unbelievers serve Satan, though most are unaware of that fact, and Satan is under complete but unwilling subjection to his Master - GOD. The devil serves God and hates every second. He not only hates the service but hates his Master. Unbelievers are really in the same position. They "kick at the goads", so to speak.  They do exactly what God has ordained for them to do from before the foundation of the world. They may think they are in control, but God, whom they hate, is clearly orchestrating all things after the counsel of His will.

In stark contrast to these unwilling slaves, the angels and believers serve God and are deeply desirous to do so, seeking to please God and to honor His holiness with every thought and action. Believers, being redeemed by Christ's sacrifice, are humbled by the forgiveness they receive and serve in that humility with their hearts glad before the God they worship.

I'm praising God right now that He makes me glad to serve Him. I pray that He is glorified in my service and that He continually makes my heart's motivations to be pure before Him. May my service to Him never be feigned or empty.

Praise God that we, as believers, can rejoice in the sovereignty of our God who subjects all things to Himself and calls all things His servants!

"For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36)

]]> Tearing Cloth and Bursting Wineskins ... What Does it Mean? tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-08-07:f2cae7f1-7262-4826-8f2c-5c92dd4186f5 Colleene 2008-08-07T06:39:14Z 2008-08-07T05:55:00Z (36) And He was also telling them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old. (37) And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (38) But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. (39) And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.' "   [Luke 5:36-39]

I've pondered over this passage for years now and prayed that the Lord would show me something to make sense of this.   What in the world does this mean? Before, I always tried to make sense of the entire parable as one piece, but I think there are a few truths tucked in here that can be pulled out individually.  Then, maybe it will make sense as a whole. Let's take it apart one verse at a time.

(36) And He was also telling them a parable: "No one tears a piece of cloth from a new garment and puts it on an old garment; otherwise he will both tear the new, and the piece from the new will not match the old.

Jesus talks about sewing a patch on a piece of cloth. From what I understand of cloth, once washed, it takes a new shape and loses a bit of its original color. Once washed many times, it will eventually stop changing shape and size, but its color will continually fade with age. So, if I were to sew a patch of new cloth on an old garment, the new would shrink and its color would begin to change after just the first washing. Of course, the old garment would be already faded and shrunken from many washings. The result would be a tearing away of the stitching between the patch and the garment. Besides, the colors of the cloths would never likely match because the old garment has a head start on fading. The two are different colors.

Likewise, characteristics of Christ cannot be placed upon an unregenerate man because the Holy Spirit would cause growth and change, tearing away from the old man. A huge rift would be the result. The two cannot be be sewn together. Besides, they don't match. There is no similarity in the appearance of the characteristics of the Spirit-filled man and the unregenerate man. One is light, the other deeply dark. Christlikeness must be placed on a changed, renewed man, who has been given a soft and supple heart, able to grow and change with the movement of the Holy Spirit.

(37) And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled out, and the skins will be ruined. (38) But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins.

Wineskins, when new, are soft and supple leather -- able to accomodate the expanding gases emitted by the fermentation process. Old wineskins, however, are brittle and hardened with time, not able to handle this expansion. They would break if filled with new wine.

Likewise, the old, dry, hard, brittle heart of unregenerate man is not able to handle the Holy Spirit coming in.  The Spirit comes in and cleans house, making radical changes in thought, word, deed, and desire. He would burst the brittle unregenerate heart. The Holy Spirit must move into a heart that he has been renewed, changed, made supple and soft, is ready for growth and change, and is able to accomodate expansion in love, compassion, and desire for the things of God. The "new wine" of the Holy Spirit must be placed into "new wineskins", or a new heart.

(39) And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, 'The old is good enough.

Those accustomed to old wine, who have never tasted the new, are satisfied with what they have. They have no desire for new wine because they don't even realize theirs is old and undesirable. They are drinking what they are accustomed to, all they have, all they know ... the old wine.

Likewise, unregenerate man has never tasted the newness of life in Christ. He knows nothing of it and has no desire to obtain it. He is satisfied with his sinful self and believes it is enough. He has no idea his life and heart are bad or undesirable.

Praise God that He gives us new "patches" or desires, to sew onto new "garments" or our new, regenerated man. He changes us from dark to light so that we match Him through the regeneration and sanctification processes. Praise God that He gives us supple hearts (wineskins), into which to pour Himself (the new wine), so that we do not burst when He begins to change and grow us in the grace and knowledge of Christ! Thank God that He does not leave us in that state of being satisfied with the old wine, for without the Holy Spirit's work, we would surely be drinking it now!

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17)]]> A Divine Appointment to Break Green Beans! tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-08-01:376f6624-4219-4e97-beb5-346f451f8b0b Colleene 2008-08-01T06:19:12Z 2008-08-01T05:58:00Z "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17)

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Colossians 3:23-24)

Yesterday I met with my sisters Donna, Kiana, and Katy to minister to our friends, Julie & John. We've been meeting with them for 2 months now, sharing Christ and teaching them from the Scriptures. It has been a joyous and special time between us and the Lord as He's empowered us to overcome a steep language barrier to proclaim the glories of God to these beloved people.    Normally, we meet at the food court in our local mall for a 2-3 hour study. We've been going through the gospel of Matthew and it has been an amazing trip through the first 6 chapters. God has blessed us with a wonderful Bible that has both our languages side by side. What an amazing gift and tool He has given us.

This meeting was a little different. Our friends had to work, so we went to their workplace, which happens to be a Chinese restaurant. We had a wonderful lunch and sweet time with Julie as she served our table. Her husband made us sushi -- I actually ate raw eel! I may never do that again, but the joy on his face when he made it for me and handed me the plate was beautiful. They love serving us. It's not a job to them. I was touched by their love toward us even as they did their work. Needless to say, as they worked, it was difficult to get much focused time to talk and discuss the Scriptures. We had little snips of time here and there, until the Lord brought the greatest opportunity!

Julie said, "I have to break beans, then I have one hour break." So, before I even realized what was happening, the Lord moved my mouth to say, "We'll work with you!" Minutes later, all of us went into this big room and sat around a huge table filled with about 5,000 fresh grean beans. There were 4 of Julie's co-workers, only one of which spoke any English, and all of us, gathered around breaking beans together. It was a grand time filled with the beautiful sound of Chinese words that we couldn't even understand, smiles and laughs, hugs, and of course, the sharing of the gospel of Christ. It turned out that Julie had already been talking about Jesus to her friends, so they were somewhat familiar with "Yesu" (Jesus). We were able to leave them all with Gospels of John in their language and leave with our hearts overflowing with so much joy in being able to serve them this way.  I asked them if a customer had ever broken beans with them before.  Ken said, "No. First time. First time." It was a unique but beautiful opportunity. You never know how God will open a door or what the door will look like. Maybe it will look like a huge pile of green beans!

May we always have eyes to see and obedient hearts to jump through the doors running with the love of Christ. I've missed countless doors of opportunity in my walk with Christ. I pray He'd shove me through doors if that's what it takes for my stubborn flesh to do His will.

As our Chinese friends taught us to say. "Sia Sia Yesu" Thank You, Jesus!"]]> Love/Hate...is there any middle ground? tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-07-28:e5f353f7-0c4e-43f7-a36e-5ca9856e3086 Colleene 2008-07-28T10:50:04Z 2008-07-28T09:24:00Z "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)

I was reading through 1 John 4 yesterday and just thinking ... is there any middle ground between love and hate? We know that if someone does not love God, then they are a hater of God -- His enemy. His wrath is upon them. So, what about love in reference to people? If we don't love people, do we hate them? I think so. I don't think there's any fence-riding when it comes to God's commands. If we fail to love someone, or a group of people, then I believe we hate them, and thereby sin gravely against God.

If I love God with all my heart, mind, body, and soul, is it possible for long-standing hatred to live in my heart? Is it possible to "practice enmity"? This question is difficult to chew on but an important one to ponder. There are so many Christ-claimers walking among us who feel bitter, hateful feelings toward a person -- or maybe a number of persons. As Christians, we should be constantly testing ourselves to see if we are of the faith. We should evaluate our walk to ensure it is consistent with what we claim to be and believe.

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kindgom of God." (Galatians 5:19-21)

In the past, when reading this passage in Galatians, I always focused more on the outward sins, especially the immorality. I sort of skipped over the "enmities". What exactly is enmity anyway?

        Enmity - deep-seated hatred, animosity, hostility, antagonism, antipathy, ill will toward someone.
                    (American Heritage Dictionary)

Okay, there it is! Enmity is the polar opposite of love! If we don't love God, we are at enmity with Him. If we don't love a person, we have enmity toward them. Christian, is this okay? Does this bring pleasure and glory to Christ? Does this show others the Spirit of Christ living within us? Of course not!

"Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions." (Proverbs 10:12)

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:43-44)

It is absolutely not okay for me to harbor ill feelings toward someone, which amounts to hating them. It's one thing if I simply feel them, recognize they are sinful, repent, and walk on. While a grave sin against God, this is not "walking in" or "practicing" hatred toward someone.  But, if I walk in the hatred, if I "practice" it, if I continually have hateful thoughts, hateful words, hateful looks and general animosity toward anyone, then the Scriptures say I don't belong to God! Now, that is scary, sister!!! That will make you fall on your face before a Holy God, brother!!!

What if I am thinking to myself, 'They're not saved. God hates the unregenerate, so why can't I?" I need to tell myself, "You're not God, honey! God hates the reprobate because He's holy! He's God! He has the right! He made them! He decided to keep their eyes closed to the truth! He has good purpose for His hatred! You don't! You're not holy! You have no right to hate them because you're just as sinful and wretched as they are! You don't stand above them in any way whatsoever!"

As a Christian, what can I then hate?  Well, here are a few things permitted by Scripture...
        1. Evil "Hate evil, love good, and establish justice at the gate! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts may be gracious to the remnant of Joseph." (Amos 5:15)
        2. False ways   "From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way." (Psalm 119:104)
        3. Anything in life that steals our affections away from Christ, our ultimate and only treasure! "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal." (John 12:25)

So, friend, who do you hate? Better yet, who do you "not love"? Evaluate your heart and search whether you stand in the grave sin of practicing enmity toward someone, which labels you as one whom the Scriptures say won't inherit the kindgom of God! Beg the Lord for forgiveness. Repent before Him. Go to the one you hate and repent before them. It's likely they know you have animosity toward them and are wondering why your hateful attitude and actions don't jive with your claim to love and serve Christ. Be truthful with yourself, because God already knows! Lying to yourself about the hate in your heart makes you guilty of a double sin! "He who conceals hatred has lying lips, and he who spreads slander is a fool." (Proverbs 10:18)   [Just in case anyone was thinking it, this passage doesn't mean hate openly and behave as horribly toward people as you desire to in your heart. If God hasn't granted me the ability to love certain people from my heart, I am still responsible for my behavior toward them, which should be always God-honoring and Christ-exalting. If we don't have love for people, we should show them the love Christ has shown to us...His love.]

"We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." (1 John 4:16)

Christians, may God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, grant us the ability to love all people from the heart, while we have a special brotherly love toward the saints. May He grant us repentance for any hatred we have harbored in our hearts toward anyone. If we stand in the condition of having "practiced" the sin of hatred, may God grant us repentance and faith, saving our wretched souls! May the Lord break down pride, which is the root of our "lack of love" for others-- driven by our sinful minds exalting SELF over another person, which we do for a number of reasons. May God be supremely magnified by our thoughts and actions toward those made in His image, which is all people. May there be unity between our walk and talk. May we Christians live in submission to the Scriptures we claim to treasure so deeply.

"For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another." (Titus 3:3)

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love..." (Galations 5:22)

]]> Pray for China tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-07-16:730ff275-ee5f-44aa-9520-fc9bdfb22d28 Colleene 2008-07-16T21:36:36Z 2008-07-16T21:27:00Z
Also, please pray for my two friends, F.J. and J.Q. God is working in their hearts and giving them a thirst for the Scriptures. There is much challenge in ministering to them as we struggle with the language barrier. But, praise God that He puts the truth into our hearts and enables us to understand the Scriptures. It's not about eloquent delivery or convincing speech. It's about people hearing and reading the Word of God and their hearts being cut deeply by its sharp double edge!

Please pray for all those who will be sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the Olympics next month.

May Christ alone be glorified in all we do, say, and think.]]> Paintings in the Sky tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-06-14:ae760e4d-856c-434b-b4ca-413d96c23b2b Colleene 2008-06-14T07:26:03Z 2008-06-14T06:55:00Z "The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard."   (Psalm 19:1-3)

I've always loved this passage. Certainly, God shows His glory each day in His creation. But today, I was pondering on the words "are telling" and "is declaring". That's an active process that goes on minute by minute. Every minute, God displays His glory in a fresh way. God is creative and imaginative. He's constantly making new paintings in the sky, and no two are exactly the same. He's been doing it for thousands of years. Just think, the sky totally changes on a cloudy day every few minutes. The sky looks different in various parts of the world at any given second. In fact, if I call a friend in another county, the sky will look totally different just a few miles away. Amazing! God is painting a multitude of beautiful and original displays in the sky over multitudes of peoples in multitudes of nations, simultaneously, so that they may all have knowledge revealed to them of His God-ness and glory.

"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)

So, just in case you missed God's display of His glory this minute, walk outdoors in 5 minutes from now and see a new display of His mighty, creative, perfect, imaginative power. Also, note that my discussion here is limited to what He displays in the sky. He certainly shows His glory in millions of other ways as well. Ever looked through a microscope at a leaf? a fly eye? a human cell? the list is endless! What an amazing God!

"Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these stars, the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name;  because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, not one of them is missing." (Isaiah 40:26)]]> But, you made me mad! tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-06-04:086fcb1e-919f-4de1-95c0-c0ebe7c42e16 Colleene 2008-06-04T06:28:53Z 2008-06-04T05:51:00Z "Now the Lord was angry with me on your account, and swore that I would not cross the Jordan, and that I would not enter the good land which the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. For I will die in this land, I shall not cross the Jordan, but you shall cross and take possession of this good land." (Deuteronomy 4:21-22)

I was studying through this chapter this morning and stopped on these 2 verses. I read them several times and found myself getting really upset with Moses. He blamed his sin on the people! How could he do that? He's writing Scripture ... how could he just blame his sin on someone else?   Wait a minute! Whoah Colleene, before you get too mad at Moses, remember ...

"For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)

Okay, with that in mind, I just finished with the book of Numbers. So, it was fresh in my mind the real reason Moses was punished by God and was not allowed to enter the promised land. "But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them." (Numbers 20:12) So, I asked God, 'Why did Moses say this in the Scriptures? It seems like a lie? Why's it there?'

Have you ever heard anyone say 'be careful what you pray for'?

God began to show me plenty of instances where I had rationalized my sin because of something done by someone else in my proximity. I'm a reactor, taking in what others do and behaving in ways that reflect my perception of their behavior towards me. (Boy, that's a self-centered sentence! But it's true!) Unfortunately, many times, my reactive behavior is worldly rather than godly. There are times when I immediately know I've sinned and I'm on my face before God seeking forgiveness. Other times, I rationalize my behavior or thoughts based on the wrong assumption that 'I didn't deserve that', or 'he/she made me mad'. How silly! I mean, when you really sit and think about that, isn't it silly?

First of all, I don't deserve anything but eternal damnation and the wrath of God. I'm a sinner, through and through. Wicked to the core without the redemptive work of Christ in my heart. I don't deserve any special treatment from God, or anyone He's created. Secondly, no one can "make" me mad. No one can force me to feel or display any emotion. The emotions I feel and display are an overflow of what lies within my heart. If godliness, love, forgiveness, gentleness, meekness ... the righteousness of Christ lie there, my emotions and reactions will be Christ-like, selfless, and glorifying to God in all circumstances. If sin lies within my heart, however, explosions of anger and wicked hateful thoughts will abide.

When I sin, I would do well to pray as David did, saying, "Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge.  Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:4-5) If soneone does or says something that is an irritation to me, or causes me hurt of some kind, I am responsible before God to honor Him with my behavior. If I react in a self-centered, worldly display of bent emotion, then I sin against Christ who redeemed me and lives within me. Further,if I then rationalize my sin claiming 'but, you made me mad!', then I sin more gravely, as Moses did in Deuteronomy 4, casting blame for my sin upon another.

Oh Lord, create in me a heart that is clean and humbled. May I take full responsibility for my sin and fall on my face before Your holiness, knowing that You have all power to cleanse. Come Holy Spirit and fill me, giving me the ability to remain grounded in Christlikeness at all times, rejecting the tremendous fleshly urge to react to my surroundings in fits of varying worldly emotion. Make my mind to be honest with myself and others, seeing my estate clearly, that I may ever know my deep need for Your grace at every moment.]]> Dead or Alive? tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-06-03:908b55a8-172e-435b-90fe-0046c1d575ce Colleene 2008-06-03T10:32:48Z 2008-06-03T09:41:00Z
I was reading in James this morning and the Lord just sort of stopped me in my tracks and had me meditating on this passage.

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (James 2:26)

James draws comparisons here between body and faith, and spirit and works. I must admit that I was perplexed at this comparison and got pretty excited when God began laying upon my heart some level of understanding on this passage. Let me just share what He laid upon my heart.

The spirit dwells within the body just as works dwell within a life of faith.
The spirit is that unique characteristic which sets humans apart from animals. Humans are made in God's image, having flesh and spirit, unlike animals, which are merely flesh. Comparatively, works (done for God's glory and for the benefit of others) are that characteristic that sets believers apart in the eyes of the world as those aliens who are born of God, spiritually made in Christ's image -- little Christs -- Christians.
The spirit is breathed into the body by God at human conception just as good works are breathed into the life of one given faith by God at the new birth.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

James 2:26 is a glorious verse to help us to analyze our walk with Christ, friends. Are we dead or alive? Do our lives show evidence of a spirit born anew in Christ? Are we about the business of doing good works prepared for us beforehand by God? Are we looking to the world like the workmanship of God created in Christ? Or do we look like the pagans? I don't know about you, but this puts me flat on my face before the holy God of the universe, pleading with Him that He make me obedient.

"Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5)

]]> The Most Amazing Calm tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-05-30:0ebf3c1e-26a8-468d-bae0-ab713af68bf6 Colleene 2008-05-30T18:03:18Z 2008-05-30T06:33:00Z
"Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

A most amazing calm flooded my soul and I began thinking rationally, the fear having completely subsided. I finished my shower (so I wouldn't be slipping all over the place in soap and shampoo), got out and locked the bathroom door (after hearing another loud bang), dressed and loaded my Beretta, prayed and then went through the entire house room by room. Praise the God of heaven and earth that there was no one in my home, that I didn't have to use my gun, and most of all -- that He replaced my fleshly fear with a heavenly trust in His goodness, no matter the outcome. Only God can do that!

I searched the entire house, inside and out, never finding the source of the noise. Maybe it was the Lord testing my faith? Maybe it was the Lord showing me what He could do through the power of His living Word planted deep in my heart. Whatever the case, glory be to the Lord!

I must confess that last night I talked to my husband about the whole thing and I did tell him that I might start taking a shower with a locked door and my loaded AR15. So, maybe my faith still needs a little boost, Lord. Come Lord Jesus and grant me faith that brings the peace that surpasses all understanding. May I not live with a spirit of fear, knowing by whom I've been bought and by whom I'm kept. Thank you for the measure of faith You miraculously granted to me yesterday morning. May my heart and mind be united to trust in You!

"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains; from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)]]> Did she ever sleep? tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-05-29:80e89475-5b42-4743-8380-d7a5b5b425a1 Colleene 2008-05-29T07:19:01Z 2008-05-29T06:02:00Z Proverbs 31:10-31 ... We're all familiar with this passage admonishing us as women to be busy about service to our Lord and family. I've been guilty of reading this passage and of thinking all her activities happened in one day. I've sort of looked at this passage as an account of "one day in the life of a godly wife", and thought I fall so short because I don't make my own clothes out of the finest materials, buy and sell land, physically feed the poor, and function joyfully in sleeplessness ... all on a daily basis. I think to read this passage this way would be likened to pulling one detail out of one of Jesus' parables and building a doctrine upon it. Parables are intended to teach an overall lesson, not to be plucked apart and have whole doctrines based on single points. This story of the "excellent wife" is intended the same way, I believe. There are many nuggets for us here, but one overall teaching. We'll hit the nuggets first, and then the beautiful overall encourgement for us as wives and as Christians.  By God's grace, and for His glory alone, may we be excellent!

"An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life."  (31:10-12)

This introduction is very important and shows the main thrust of what King Lemuel is teaching here. He's not teaching about one day's work, but a life of service. After v. 12, he proceeds to give a list of examples of the various ways this woman proves her excellency in joyful service to her Lord, husband, children, servant girls, and the poor. The list is by no means exhaustive, nor is it prescriptive for us. It is descriptive, giving a few details about her heart for servitude.

"She looks for wool and flax and works with her hands in delight." (31:13)

We make the mistake of focusing too much on the things she did and miss her attitude. Here, Lemuel puts in a jewel for us, ladies. Work with delight! Do you scrub your toilet with delight? Do you wash and fold the laundry for the 5,466,798,901st time with delight in your soul? Do you wash those mud prints off the tile floor with joy in your mind? Do you prepare food for your family day after day with pleasure?

"She is like merchant ships; she brings her food from afar. She rises also while it is still night and gives food to her household and portions to her maidens."  (31:14-15)

Okay, so my grocery store is not exactly considered to be "from afar". The point is that she makes sure her family has food. She goes to whatever lengths necessary, all things considered, to put food in the mouths of her family and all those under her care. She gets up before daybreak -- that's not really that early, ladies. The sun comes up here around 6:30 a.m. (Of course, that changes in different parts of the year with Daylight Savings and all). Now, don't go setting your clock for 6:29 and think you're okay. The point is, get up early enough to be able to have things in order to feed your family in the morning. That will depend upon your family, when everyone has to be ready for the day's work. For my family, it's 5:00 a.m. For yours, it may be different.

"She considers a field and buys it; from her earnings she plants a vineyard. She girds herself with strength and makes her arms strong." (31:16-17)

I must confess, I'm not a Real Estate agent nor a body builder. I don't have enough money at my disposal to buy an acre of land, much less a field. (Just for curiosity's sake, I checked the price for a field on a road between home and church last night. It was $700,000 for 50 acres! This lady won't be buying that field!) And, I don't lift weights enough to have any noticeable biceps. So, what's the teaching here for me? I believe it is to have in mind ways you can benefit your family financially and to work diligently. It may be helping out with a family business, cutting coupons, planting a garden, mending clothes to get a few extra miles out of those play pants, sacrificing expensive toys for yourself, planning trips so that you may reduce mileage and save gas money, and the list could go on. Strength comes from a working life, as opposed to softness that results from a life of leisure. There's definitely a broad teaching here that we are to work hard and not to be caught up in worldly, leisurely laying around on the couch watching TV and eating the proverbial "Bon-Bon's".

"She senses that her gain is good; her lamp does not go out at night." (31:18)

Does this lady ever go to bed? We already read earlier that she gets up before daybreak to feed her family. I believe this teaches that she is not anxious for physical rest because her heart finds so much joy in service. She's busy past dark. Darkness comes at different times of the evening, depending upon the time of year and your location. So, again, don't get too hung up on an exact time. This is a matter of avoiding slothfulness, not a prescription for sleep deprivation.

"She stretches out her hands to the distaff, and her hands grasp the spindle. She extends her hands to the poor, and she stretches out her hands to the needy." (31:19-21)

Here, we can learn to be just as mindful of stretching our hands to the poor as we are of stretching our hands to our work. Both are a part of our nature in Christ.  We give ourselves to our work and to the needy -- pouring ourselves out for the benefit of others. Isn't this the Christian life?

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household. For all her household are clothed with scarlet. She makes coverings for herself; her clothing is fine linen and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sits among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies belts to the tradesmen. Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she smiles at the future." (31:21-25)

Do we have to wear the finest clothes made of the finest materials in order to be godly? Certainly not! (James 2:1-5) The broad teaching here is that we take the measures necessary to care for our family, clothing them. We clothe them and ourselves as God provides. But, most importantly, we, by God's grace and the work of the Spirit, are clothed in godly character, strength and dignity, smiling at the future because we trust a sovereign and good God to provide for our every need.

"She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue." (31:26)

We are to think before we speak, making sure the words we say are edifying to others and glorifying to God. (Ephesians 4:29, Colossians 4:5-6, Proverbs 16:24) We are also to study hard so that we may teach well. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

"She looks well to the ways of her household, and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and bless her; her husband also, and he praises her saying, 'Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.' Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." (31:27-30)

Here's the overall message, ladies ... Take care of what God has given you. Work hard with joy in Christ. Pour out yourself to the service of others to the glory of God, who has called you to do so. As women, the most important ministry we've been given is our families. We are our husbands' helpers and our children's caretakers and teachers. Remember though, this call to work hard with joy in Christ is not just the call to wives, but the call to all Christians. We all fall desperately short, so may we pray for strength from the Lord! May we be granted energetic hearts for service and abundant joy in Christ that overflows and extends to all those in our care.

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." (Colossians 3:23-24)

"Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17)

]]> As a Result of What? tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-05-27:cb0ef487-f180-4a85-89c0-14ba15c0e0dd Colleene 2008-05-30T17:56:37Z 2008-05-27T08:07:00Z "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore." (John 6:66)

I've studied this passage so many times before and heard so many people say various reasons why they think the disciples withdrew from Christ. Most of what I hear is that they left because they had such a hard time with His teachings in John 6:26-58, about eating His flesh and living forever. In fact, this is the core stance of many who believe that the bread and wine, partaken of at communion, become the actual body and blood of Jesus, to be literally and physically consumed. I would purport that this interpretation makes the grave mistake of skipping 7 very important verses of Scripture. To say that the disciples withdrew from Jesus because they couldn't accept the notion of physically eating His flesh would be to completely neglect and ignore John 6:59-65, and a another key truth, which I will outline in the rest of this blog.

Indeed, the notion of "eating" Jesus' body was difficult for those sitting under His teaching. The difficulties were with their attempt to make His reference literal, rather than spiritual, and with the fact that they had not been granted from the Father to understand or believe.  Clearly, from the beginning of this particular teaching in John 6:26, Jesus speaks in spiritual terms. The grumbling disciples were looking for physical signs from Jesus and for physical things they could do in order to earn salvation. (John 6:28, 30-31)   They gravely misunderstood the gospel! Their eyes were focused on the world rather than God. They were listening with physical ears rather than ears enlightened by the Spirit.

"Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, 'I am the Bread that came down out of heaven.' (John 6:41)

We know that Jesus certainly didn't come down out of heaven as a literal loaf of bread. He came down as He who would spiritually nurture and "feed" His flock, as their their Bread. Jesus was speaking in spiritual terms. Those who were grumbling were those without ears to hear what He was saying. Jesus referenced that fact when He said, "Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, 'AND THEY SHALL ALL BE TAUGHT OF GOD.' Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me." By this, Jesus explains why they do not understand His teaching. They are not part of the group of "everyone who has heard and learned from the Father". Therefore, they deny His teaching, distort its meaning, and they walk away, completely rejecting the perfect spiritual nourishment Christ alone can provide. They will never believe unless the Father draws them and gives them understanding that Jesus is the only source of nourishment for their souls.

The disciples also continually referred to God's having provided manna for their ancestors to eat in the wilderness, again proving their focus on the earthly. Jesus corrected them in John 6:49-51 when He said, "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is my flesh." Here, Jesus was clearly teaching them to focus on Him with a heavenly-minded view, not with an earthly-minded, worldy view. He drew the contrast between physical eating/physical death and spiritual eating/spiritual life, which, when nourished by Christ is eternal in God's presence. When Jesus said "one may eat of it and not die", he could not have meant they would live eternally in the flesh. We know that this would not be true, for all physically die. Therefore, it is clear that He spoke in spiritual terms here as well.  Christ also taught here that He is the glorious fulfillment of the manna in the desert of Moses' time. God sent the Israelites bread from heaven to sustain their bodies. God sent Christ (Bread) out of heaven to sustain our souls in redemptive grace.

The reaction to this teaching on the Bread of Life was grumbling from the unbelieving disciples, and they said, "This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?" (John 6:60)    The reaction was not departure or withdrawal.

So, what made these same grumbling disciples later withdraw in John 6:66?

It was the doctrine of Limited Atonement, my friend. Immediately after the disciples said Jesus' teaching on the Bread of Life was "difficult", He said, "Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe." (John 6:61-64) "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father." (John 6:65) What do you think these unbelieving disciples thought about this statement? What did they do? "As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore." (John 6:66)

So, why did they leave? Because of what He said to them in the previous verse. Because He told them they did not believe and that they could not ever believe unless it was granted them from the Father. He told them that salvation was not of them, not of the flesh. He took glory away from them and gave it all to His Father! He told them that His teaching was spiritual and the source for eternal life. Because of this, they left.

"Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." (Colossians 3:2)
]]> Perfect Provision. tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-05-23:cd30330a-affa-4c0f-890e-32bc8d7f3829 Colleene 2008-05-30T07:09:26Z 2008-05-23T09:01:00Z "The people spoke against God and Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.'" (Numbers 21:5)

Today, God really spoke to me in this passage about treasuring what He has provided for me. Often I tend to grumble about God's perfect provision, thinking I know something that would be " better" for me -- much like the discontented grumbling of the Israelites. Do you do this? God has a perfect plan for my life, yet I question what He's doing and concieve plans in my mind to change the course He's set. Shall I thwart the hand of the most high God? May it never be! It's unthinkable -- yet my heart desires to do it. Wretched sinner that I am!

God's ultimate and perfect provision for me was the sending of His beloved and only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was obedient to death on the cross in my stead. How many in this world loathe Jesus Christ? How many think of Him as "miserable food"?

"Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." (John 6:32-33)

Christ, as the glorious fulfillment of the manna in the desert, is the true Bread out of heaven! Oh, that I would be completely satisfied in Him and have faith that God's provision is perfect for me! That I would embrace the plan He has for my life, accepting what He gives with thanksgiving and faith, knowing that He is a good and faithful Father who only gives good gifts to His children. I pray this for myself and every reader whom God leads to this blog.

Oh Lord, I believe, help my unbelief! On those days when I feel discontented, refocus my eyes on Christ who is my Bread from heaven! God, when I start thinking my plans for myself are better than those You have for me, fix my eyes on Christ, my Treasure and Satisfaction. May my discontented heart feast on His goodness, His mercy, His loving forgiveness. May my wicked heart be changed by Your Word and cease its striving, knowing that You alone are God! Thank you for the manna You so faithfully and patiently provided for those grumbling Israelites in the desert. Thank you even more for the redemption in Christ You so faithfully and patiently provide for me, Your servant who finds herself a grumbling spiritual Israelite. Lord, may I never forget the Egyptian bondage from which You have rescued me!

]]> Hallelujah! No Burnt Edges! tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-05-08:a9a4f877-107a-43a2-822a-e270c79caf5d Colleene 2008-05-30T07:09:53Z 2008-05-08T07:41:00Z "Now the people became like those who complain of adversity in the hearing of the Lord; and when the Lord heard it, His anger was kindled, and the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp." (Numbers 11:1)

Today I read this verse in my study and God impressed upon me these 5 things:

He's the same yesterday, today, and forever.
His anger burns just as much today against the sin of complaining as it did in this passage of Scripture.
I am guilty of the sin of a complaining spirit and God hears!
If I have a complaining spirit within me, which may be strictly in my heart, or verbally expressed, it proves that I'm not thankful for the good things God provides for me and I am not trusting Him to give me exactly what is best for me.
It is only by the forgiving grace of God through the sacrifice of Christ that the outskirts of my town have not been consumed by the burning anger of God because of my sin!

Thank you Jesus! God, please grant me repentance for the complaining thoughts and words that come forth from my mind and mouth. My thoughts should continually exalt You, and my words should only sing Your praises!

]]> Honoring a Man of God tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-04-29:fb7e11f6-7a15-4535-8491-f51042891434 Colleene 2008-05-30T07:10:17Z 2008-04-29T14:49:00Z

Today, I want to honor a dear brother who has gone on to be with the Lord Jesus. Elder Ward, late pastor of Main Street Baptist Church in Lexington, KY has had a huge impact upon my life for the glory of Christ! This blessed man passed into eternal glory on the evening of April 25, 2008. I thank God for the many years of faithful preaching this man has accomplished by the power of the Lord. He always said he would preach the sovereign grace Gospel of Truth until his dying day. He did just that, praise God! I heard him preach at the Women of Grace Conference in Aurora, OH just days before the Lord took him home and thank my Jesus for the gift of having heard him preach just one more time. He was a jewel in the lives of many of the brethren and has been such an encouragement to us. He was always thankful for each day God gave him to be "in His service one more time"!

Elder Ward was the founder of the Sovereign Grace Bible Conference (http://sovereigngracebibleconference.org/index.asp) and the Women of Grace Conference, both of which God has enabled me to faithfully attend for the past 2 years. I hope to never miss a single year of either of these conferences as they are both packed full of Biblical wisdom, sweet fellowship, and refreshing encouragement for the thirsty soul. There is not yet a website for the Women's Conference, but I'll update this entry as soon as one has been uploaded.

Please pray for Elder Ward's wife, Brenda and her church family as they rejoice at Elder's glorification but mourn his absence in their lives here on earth.

]]> Jewels from Together for the Gospel 2008 (T4G08) tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-04-25:5410dee2-cc5e-4626-a4c2-ff35c4952ce0 Colleene 2008-05-30T07:01:18Z 2008-04-25T20:18:00Z

Three days full of solid Biblical teaching and encouragement for pastors, church leadership, and their blessed wives who were able to attend. Ligon Duncan, Mark Dever, C. J. Mahaney, and Al Mohler are the four friends. John McArthur, R.C. Sproul, Thabiti Anyabwile, and John Piper were their guests ... what need I say except "Thank you, Lord!" What a rich gift from the Father of Lights! I won't be able to share even a fraction of the depth of wisdom and insight from the men who spoke there, but will try to highlight the morsels God used to feed my thirsty soul.

Ligon Duncan

Jesus admonishes us to teach all the deep doctrines -- everything Jesus has taught us, we are to teach others.
Theology & Doctrine really matter!
Celebrate truth!
Outlive, out-rejoice, and out-die all the critics of solid doctrine and theology.
Doctrine is necessary for joy, assurance, and marriage.

Thabiti Anyabwile

All created humans have unity in Adam's sin.
All redeemed humans have unity in Christ, unity in the church, and unity in our promised eternity with God!
Race is a construct of human imagination. It doesn't even exist!
Ethnicity is the actual term that should be used to describe differences in language, culture, nationality, and even religion. But, these differences have absolutely nothing to do with biology!
Ethnicity is fluid and permeable.
There are 6 problems with racial categorization: (1.) The abuse of people and the Scriptures flows from it. (2.) It is one step closer to racism. (3.) It prevents and hinders meaningful engagement of other persons. (4.) It undermines Biblical authority and denies the sufficiency of the Scriptures that say we are all created in God's image. (5.) It is resistance against the Holy Spirit, who leads us to love our neighbors. (6.) It pulls apart the very fiber of the Gospel and the doctrines of Limited Atonement and Unconditional Election.
You will never notice the godliness of someone's character if you are so bound by your racist viewpoint that you cannot see past his skin color.
When you enter a room, you automatically scan the people in it, evaluating which ones are "like you" and therefore "safe". Simultaneously, you are analyzing that some are not "like you" and thinking to yourself that they are not "safe". This is rooted in racism and can work like a cancer in your soul, robbing you of the joy of loving your brethren of different colors. More than that, it is rooted in the lie that people's differences are biological, when in fact they are not. Our differences have nothing whatsoever to do with biology. Our differences have to do with our cultures, our upbringing, our language, our religion, music preferences, etc.
The only culture we should cling to is one of holiness and the righteousness of Christ!

John McArthur

Soft preaching makes hard people. Hard preaching breaks down hard hearts and makes a soft people.

John Piper

Be radically salty by embracing suffering and persecution with joy!
Be risky for the glory of God!
Make crazy sacrifices for the sake of Christ!
Don't use Jesus as a ticket to get what worldly people work for.
Count God's Word as more important to you than your daily food.
Don't make it a goal to be carried to the clouds on flowery beds of ease!
Be so radically heavenly-minded that you are free from the world.
Go to Christ, outside the camp! Leave the cushy comfort and false security. Embrace whatever comes by keeping your eyes on that city which is to come.
Have a radical flavor to your ministry!
The glory of God's grace reached its apex at the cross of Christ!
Jesus' means-work there on the cross will forever be our song of praise, in this life, and then someday bowed low before His throne!

I must say that one of the talks brought great sadness to my heart. R.C. Sproul, a man I greatly respect and honor as a hero of the faith, said some things that were just not true about our God. It was said that the Father forsook His beloved Son while He was in His darkest hour, hanging upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sin. It was said that He no longer remained holy when He took the sins of mankind upon His body and that He was not in the mood to quote Bible. It was said that the Father looked with disdain upon His Son at this moment and turned His face away from Him. Oh brother, it was quite the opposite! The Father and Son are one! (John 10:30) Jesus, by virtue of His humanity, felt forsaken just as was foretold in Psalm 22. Yet, He knew and had told His apostles that they would desert Him, but His Father would be with Him! "Behold, an hour is coming, and has come, for you to be scattered, each to his own, and to leave Me alone; and I am not alone, because the Father is with Me." (John 16:32)

Jesus' sacrifice was a sweet smelling aroma to the Father.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." (Ephesians 5:1-2)

If Jesus and the Father had separated on the cross, they would have ceased to be Triune. They would have ceased to be the God who never changes, who is the same yesterday, today and forever. If Jesus ever ceased to be holy and perfect, then He would not have been a sufficient sacrifice for our sins and would not have satisfied God's wrath on sin. The sacrifice had to be without blemish, holy, perfect and righteous, pure and pleasing to the Father! Jesus was, my brother. Even with my sin on His body, hanging on the cross, He was perfect, righteous, holy, and comforted by the faithfulness of His and my Father!

]]>

Three days full of solid Biblical teaching and encouragement for pastors, church leadership, and their blessed wives who were able to attend.

I've been there ... so what! tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-04-11:d7392461-5c33-4c92-8600-0030b38474eb Colleene 2008-05-30T07:10:44Z 2008-04-11T06:24:00Z "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves were comforted by God. For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ." (2 Corinthians 1:3-5)

So often, when we know that a brother or sister is going through some type of trial, we search our past experiences to find whether or not we've suffered the same way. Then, we go to them and share our past experience and tell them that we've been there, and that we know what they're going through, and that we'll be praying for them. This morning, God spoke to me through this passage of Scripture in 2 Corinthians, letting me know that if I comfort others in this way, then I do not honor Him in my comforting of them. While it may be fine to share my experiences with my brethren, this is not considered the "comfort" spoken of in the Word. If I tell you that I've been there, so what? How does that bring you any benefit? We are told in v. 4 that we are given comfort by God so that we may share that same comfort with another who is experiencing the same trial. When life is difficult, my God comforts me through His Word and shows me the hope that shines through the darkness and pain. That shining hope is Christ! Jesus tells me that He's been there and that He knows what I'm going through, because He's been tempted in every way. He's also suffered in every way. Now, that is comforting, because I know that Christ persevered through all trials and suffering, yet without sinning! In fact, He suffered with great joy!

So, next time you hear of a trial in a sister's (or brother's) life, you may search your mind for examples from what you've suffered ... you may even decide to share them ... but, don't fail to search your heart for the Scripture God used to bring you comfort. Share that! Then, through God's grace you will comfort your sister (or brother), and thereby honor God in so doing.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:1-5)]]> Salt of Promise tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-03-25:112e281f-228a-4f50-85a6-8aea61a08ec6 Colleene 2008-05-30T07:11:09Z 2008-03-25T05:54:00Z "Every grain offering of yours, moreover, you shall season with salt, so that the salt of the covenant of your God shall not be lacking from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt." (Leviticus 2:13)

For the longest time I've been struggling with finding deeper meaning in passages where God talks about salt, such as:

"Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." (Colossians 4:6)

and

"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men." (Matthew 5:13)

Suddenly, during this morning's study through Leviticus 2, God granted me a light bulb moment.

Don't you love those? Studying the preparation of the grain offerings in the Old Testament made the references to salt in the New Testament come to life for me. This connection may already be obvious to some of you. But, for me it all came together this morning, and that gets me excited!

In Colossians 4:6, Paul's reference to seasoning my speech with salt so that I'll know how I should respond to each moment was before only an admonishment to watch my tongue ... to make sure what I said was edifying to the body and glorifying to God. (By the way, I fail miserably at this on a daily basis! Please pray for me!) Today, God has opened my eyes to see that my speech should be flavored with the "salt" of His promises to me as one of His people, and that this is how I'll know how to respond to the need of each moment and person He puts into my path. Of course, I can only have speech flavored with the "salt" of God's covenant promises to His people through Christ if I'm absolutely saturated with His Word! Oh Lord, renew my desire daily to dive into Your Word and to savor each jot and tittle that they may instill saltiness in my heart, which drives my thoughts and then pours forth from my mouth.

In Matthew 5:13, honestly I never really understood why God's people were referred to as salt. I thought, "We season the world as God changes it through our witness," which I think is true. God certainly does use His people throughout the world to change the flavor from worldliness to godliness when they act as mouthpieces for the propagation of the gospel of Christ, which has the power to change hearts. However, the deeper meaning He's showing me today is that God's people are the "salt of the earth" in that they are the means by which He displays His covenant promises to the world. God proves over and over throughout the church, which is scattered about the entire world, that He keeps His promises with His people by giving them faith in Christ and strength to persevere to the end, at times under bitter torture and murderous threat.

The Lord also brought to my mind the story of Lot's wife in Genesis 19. God sent the angels to command Lot and his family to leave Sodom in order that they might be saved from the impending wrath of God that was to come upon this wicked city. Lot and his family were told to escape for their lives and not to look back. (19:17) Of course, we all know that Lot's wife turned to look back and was turned to a pillar of salt. (19:26) Why salt? I've always wondered that. Why not stone, or dust? I've always thought it really odd that she would be turned to salt. I wonder if this wasn't, even then, representing God's covenant to Abraham. With the light of the New Testament, we know that only those with the faith of Abraham are under God's covenant to him. Obviously, Lot's wife did not have that faith, but longed for the environment of debauchery and sin she was leaving behind. God set her up as a pillar to remind all of His wrath upon those who are outside of His covenant. It is amazing to me that this same pillar of salt likely instilled fear in those outside the promise, but was a sign of comfort to those who'd been granted faith leading to obedience to God's commands. Lot's wife, when turned to a pillar of salt, represented the justice of God against the disobedient and the grace and mercy of God toward those to whom He granted faith leading to obedience. So it is today for me. God's sure wrath against the sons of disobedience is comforting to me because it proves He is just. At the same time, His promised vengeance against sin reminds me of His mercy and grace toward me as I was once under His wrath.

Lord, thank You for Your promises and Your faithfulness to keep them! Oh God, make my mind soaked in the salt of promise! May my heart, mind, and tongue be seasoned with the salt of Your covenant with me in Christ that I may glorify You more with my desires, thoughts, and words. ]]> The Only One tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-03-20:6d408845-a2c6-4a82-a846-a194aad28287 Colleene 2008-03-20T06:51:08Z 2008-03-20T06:28:00Z "I will extol You, my God, O King, and I will bless Your name forever and ever." (Psalm 145:1)

Last night, the Pastor taught on prayer and admonished us as a body to spend more time praising our God. God spoke to my heart through that lesson because nearly always, my time with the Lord is spent making requests of Him on behalf of others and myself. We are such a needy and helpless people! This morning, meditating upon the splendor of the Lord, He led me to Psalm 145, all of which is an amazing testament to the praiseworthiness of God. He drew my heart to think of all the attritubes of Himself that are only His and can not truly be possessed by any other. Here are just a few:

Oh God!

    1. Your speech is the only one with authority.
    2. Your love is the only one faithful.
    3. Your ways are the only ones righteous.
    4. Your mind is the only one complete in knowledge.
    5. Your arm is the only one totally powerful.
    6. Your name is the only one praiseworthy.
    7. Your purpose is the only one good.
    8. Your greatness is the only one unsearchable.
    9. Your joy is the only one constant.
   10. Your kingdom is the only one eternal.
   11. Your anger is the only one slow.
   12. Your plan is the only one sure.
   13. Your praises are the only ones songworthy.
   14. Your presence is the only perfect reward.
   15. Your commands are the only ones impossible, that is in my flesh.
   16. Your mercies are the only ones renewed.
   17. Your wrath is the only one truly just.
   18. Your Word is the only one doubly sharp.
   19. Your nature is the only one pure.
   20. Your creation is the only one ... period.
   21. Your ears are the only ones always listening.
   22. Your deity is the only one supreme.
   23. Your judgements are the only ones just.
   24. Your eyes are the only ones tireless.
   25. Your face is the only one blindingly brilliant.
   26. Your sovereignty is the only one comforting.
   27. Your gospel is the only one transforming.
   28. Your holiness is the only one true.
   29. Your grace is the only one sufficient.
   30. You are the only treasure worth digging for!

Oh God, make my heart, mind and soul to ceaselessly dig for You alone because You are the only treasure there is! Open my eyes wider to see Your beauty revealed in the Scriptures. Open my heart wider to embrace Your truths and to reach out lovingly to those in need around me.

"O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise." (Psalm 51:15)]]> On His Heart, In His Hand tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-03-15:c00455d8-1bcd-4fb0-b7b4-3ef8347191fd Colleene 2008-03-17T15:54:39Z 2008-03-15T08:42:00Z "Aaron shall carry the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgment over his heart when he enters the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually." (Exodus 28:29)

Typically, my yearly trips through the book of Exodus are really exciting for the first 20 chapters and then pretty dry for the last 20. Praise God, this year has been different and God has granted a very exciting trip through the details of the vestments for Aaron and the makings of the tabernacle. God opened my mind to see so many beautiful pictures of Christ. The Lord really spoke to me and moved my spirit with the picture in the 29th verse of chapter 28, when Aaron was described as wearing a breastpiece of judgement over his heart when entering the holy place. Wow! Is that not a beautiful picture of Christ, who is at the right hand of the Father in heaven, minute by minute making supplication on behalf of His people?  All who are Christ's are on His heart and He is praying to the Father on their behalf! "Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." (Romans 8:34)

Aaron, in the perpetual priesthood of Levi's tribe (Ex. 40:15), wearing his turban with the inscription "Holy to the Lord" (Ex. 39:30) and a breastpiece over his heart with the names of Israel's sons as he entered the holy of holies, is a glorious representation of Christ, in His eternal priesthood (Heb. 6:20), in His perfect holiness, carrying the names of His elect on His heart then in earthly ministry, arrest, torture, death, and resurrection, and now in supplication & intercession on their behalf at the right hand of God. "Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

As a Christian who struggles daily against the wickedness of my flesh, how could I live without the security and peace that come from knowing that my Jesus is praying for me, lifting me up to the Father? In the knowledge that I am on His heart and that no one can snatch me from His mighty hand, rest and hope are found, and perseverance is possible. Thank God that Jesus has His people on His heart and in His hand!

]]> Beware of the 'Lie-on's' Mouth! tag:blog.colleenebarnett.com,2008-02-24:5ac3d1c7-2af3-49c6-9f90-685d1e4bfcdb Colleene 2008-02-24T23:58:08Z 2008-02-24T22:20:00Z "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!" (Galations 1:8)

Paul says this bold statement to the Galatian churches just verses after having laid out to them the core of the true gospel message, who is the "Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever. Amen." (Galatians 1:3-4)

So what is this "other gospel" all about? How do we discern whether or not we are being taught a false "gospel"? Are we accountable to God for having fallen prey to false teaching and erroneous doctrine?  I believe that once we have been taught and saved by the true gospel of Jesus Christ, we are accountable to discern any false teachings that may pop up. Even if an angel were to preach to us a gospel contrary to that which we have been taught from the Scriptures, we are to deny it and hold fast to Christ alone for our salvation.

Romans 5:8-10 sums up the means of our justification -- and there is no work of our own included in this summation. Only the blood of Jesus saves us from the wrath of God. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." We are justified, or saved, only by His blood! Nothing else! That is the gospel of Christ which has the power to save!

God does not contradict Himself, nor does He deliver different gospels to different people. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) There is one gospel, one Saviour, one Way to heaven, and that is Jesus! He said it Himself better than I ever could in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
You can't get to the Father through baptism, serving the poor, saying prayers, or any other "good work". You can't buy your way into heaven, can't trust in anyone besides Christ, or even muster up your own faith to believe the true gospel. Even the faith to believe is given to you by God. (Acts 13:48)  Salvation is purely a gift of God so that people cannot boast in themselves or receive any glory for what God has done by His grace.  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13) "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." (Romans 11:6)

We know that the Old Testament was written for our instruction, so let us look to it for an example of what happens to someone who has been given a command by God, who receives a false revelation from a prophet who claims to have been instructed by an angel from heaven, and who forsakes God's command in favor of the false way. A man of God was sent to prophesy to Jereboam in 1 Kings 13, to tell him that God would raise up a king named Josiah who would purify Israel by burning pagan priests on the altar. After this man delivered the message God had given him, he began to follow the Lord's command to return home by a different route and refrain from eating or drinking. On the way, he was enticed to dine with a prophet, who told the man that an angel from heaven told him to extend an invitation for dinner at his house. The man of God betrayed the Lord and went to dine with the prophet. As judgement for having forsaken the command given him by the Lord, God sent a lion to slay the man and he was left dead by the side of the road. You would think that God would have slain the lying prophet who claimed to have heard a message from an angel! But, no! God slayed the man who fell for the lie! 1 Kings 13:26 says explicitly that "the Lord has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke to him." You notice that when the man received the invitation from the lying prophet, he didn't evaluate that it was directly in opposition to the command he had received from God. He did not consult the Lord before going aside with the prophet. He did what seemed right in his own eyes, what sounded good to his hungry stomach, and he paid dearly for that rejection of God's command.

So, how do we guard our minds and hearts against false teachings that have infiltrated modern Christendom? Truly, the majority of people who gather on Sundays and call themselves "churches" are in fact preaching false gospels that are completely contrary to the one true gospel presented over and over in Scripture. If these people do not reject false teachings and embrace Christ and His truth, they will pay dearly for that sin! They will suffer much worse fate than being killed by a lion! Christians must be Bereans! "Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11) These Christians weren't taking Paul's word for it but were studying the Scriptures and comparing his words to those of God to make sure they were in alignment. They weren't trusting the opinions of others, tradition, gut feeling, or emotional response for their baseline of truth. They were using the Scriptures as their bedrock, their foundation for absolute truth! This we must do!

Don't trust what anyone tells you! Not your preacher, your teacher, your spouse, me, a commentary, the notes in your study Bible, a famous author, etc. Compare what is preached to the Scriptures and always rely on God's Word as the litmus test that reveals truth. God has the only authority for truth. "The sum of Your Word is truth, and every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting." (Psalm 119:160) If your pastor preaches something contrary to God's Word, trust in God! If your best friend teaches you something contrary to the Bible, trust God!   Even if an angel from heaven comes to you and preaches to you something contrary to the Scriptures, he is to be accursed! Do not listen to him! Study the gospel thoroughly so that errors are obvious! How will you recognize false teaching if you are not familiar with God's truth revealed in His Word? Pray for increased faith to stand fast on the truth, knowing that faith is a gift from above. Don't think you are strong enough to stand on your own, because you are not! Your battle is not with flesh and blood but with the forces of spiritual darkness in the heavenly places! (Ephesians 6:12) Pray for God to guard your mind with the helmet of salvation as you fight spiritual battles with the Sword of the Spirit which is His Word! Know your weapon well! Be familiar with the Sword so that you handle it accurately and skillfully! Would you go into a sword fight never having picked up a sword? Certainly not! "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15)

If you have fallen prey to the false teachings of wolves in sheep's clothing, repent, seek the truth of the Scriptures, trust Christ alone for your salvation, and come out from under the lies and into the glorious Truth. Study the Word and embrace Christ, "who died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3b-4) May the Lord enlighten your mind to understand the Scriptures! (Luke 24:45)

Oh God! Glorify Your great name by revealing pure truth to Your people. Bring Your sheep out from amongst the wolves and protect them from false ways. Sanctify them in Your truth and guard their hearts in Christ Jesus.
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