In Spirit of the Disciplines," Dallas Willard asks, "Why is it that we look upon our salvation as a moment that began our religious life instead of the daily life we receive from God?" pg. 29
Christ learned obedience and we must too. This implies it won't just happen, we have to be attentive and make choices to obey.
...we can become like Christ by doing one thing--by following Him in the overall style of life He chose for Himself. pg. IX
The secret of the easy yoke, then, is to learn from Christ how to live our total lives, how to invest all our time and our energies of mind and body as he did. pg. 9
...spiritual growth and vitality stem from what we actually do with our lives, from the habits we form, and from the character that results. pg. 21
So what am I doing to learn to live daily as He did?
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
On Killing Sin
To effectively protect our inner sanctuary, we must not wait until sin has already begun to take over, but instead, learn to immediately and aggressively respond to every hint of temptation with what I like to call the “sudden death” technique.
Sudden Death
The only effective way to deal with temptation toward sin is to immediately and completely kill it, giving it absolutely no opportunity to take hold of our mind or heart in the first place.
…temptation quickly suffocates and dies the moment we refuse to give it life within us.
Sin must be cut off at the source. There always comes that crucial moment of decision—and that’s when we must choose whether to allow temptation to live or die. Pg. 134-5
Sudden Death
The only effective way to deal with temptation toward sin is to immediately and completely kill it, giving it absolutely no opportunity to take hold of our mind or heart in the first place.
…temptation quickly suffocates and dies the moment we refuse to give it life within us.
Sin must be cut off at the source. There always comes that crucial moment of decision—and that’s when we must choose whether to allow temptation to live or die. Pg. 134-5
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Feminine Mystique
I've read several things lately that give definitions of the feminine mystique from a Christian perspective, but this one is the best. It comes from the book Authentic Beauty by Leslie Ludy.
Feminine Mystique—the steady, unyielding strength and confidence that flows from knowing our Prince intimately and protecting our relationship with Him at all costs. Pg. 161
Some of her insights are:
We must learn to walk through our days with Him, not merely trying to represent Him. Pg. 206
To understand our Prince in His fullness, we must learn to meditate on His Word and make His Truth an inseparable part of who we are as we study it, carefully examine it on multiple levels, mull it over in our minds and hearts, diligently pray about it, and practically apply it to our lives. Pg. 214
Primary focus of life can be determined by the thoughts we have each night as we drift off to sleep. Pg. 203
Feminine Mystique—the steady, unyielding strength and confidence that flows from knowing our Prince intimately and protecting our relationship with Him at all costs. Pg. 161
Some of her insights are:
We must learn to walk through our days with Him, not merely trying to represent Him. Pg. 206
To understand our Prince in His fullness, we must learn to meditate on His Word and make His Truth an inseparable part of who we are as we study it, carefully examine it on multiple levels, mull it over in our minds and hearts, diligently pray about it, and practically apply it to our lives. Pg. 214
Primary focus of life can be determined by the thoughts we have each night as we drift off to sleep. Pg. 203
Sunday, June 14, 2009
God is in control:)
I found a wonderful book a few weeks ago called Whisper of His Grace by David L. McKenna, (you can get it on Amazon used books for .08 plus postage).
Not everyone loves Job as I do, but any that have struggled with questions and pain usually find their way to this book and find truth, encouragement, and comfort in our amazing God.
On page 36 of McKenna's book he says:
"Evil may appear to be having its day, but God sets the time and draws the boundaries."
"Whether in riches or poverty, sickness of health, calm of stress, comfort or persecution, it is absolutely essential to remember that we live under the protection of God and are never abandoned by the presence of God."
Not everyone loves Job as I do, but any that have struggled with questions and pain usually find their way to this book and find truth, encouragement, and comfort in our amazing God.
On page 36 of McKenna's book he says:
"Evil may appear to be having its day, but God sets the time and draws the boundaries."
"Whether in riches or poverty, sickness of health, calm of stress, comfort or persecution, it is absolutely essential to remember that we live under the protection of God and are never abandoned by the presence of God."
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