Tag Archives: grace

February 18, 2010

Grudging duty? Or longing for luscious fruit…

By annmareewilson

“It’s only a responsive love for Jesus and all he has done for you personally that will cause godly fruit to be born in our life.  To help you understand this point, let me ask you a simple question:  In the New Testament, what were the characteristics of the Pharisees, those who prided themselves on their law keeping?  Were they bearing fruit for God or were they slaves to the law?  What did this duty-driven slavery produce in them?  Simply put: it produced envy, hatred, ambition, and unbelief.

People who are intent on obeying the law as a way to earn favor with God will always end up judging, envying, and hating God and others (Galatians 5.14, 25-26)

It is only responsive love for God in light of what he’s done that will engender joyful obedience.  The only one who ever obeyed the law perfectly did so because he loved to do the things that were pleasing to his Father.  He wasn’t trying to make his Father love him; he knew that his Father already did.  So we too must be assured that he already loves and welcomes us, and the we’ll grow in our obedience.

It is grace, not law, that enables me to put to death my sinful nature.”

Elyse Fitzpatrick

Comfort from the Cross

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January 26, 2010

Do I Find That Other’s Irritate Me?

By annmareewilson

“Do people who break the law (or your own rules and expectations) annoy you?  When you are standing in the ‘ten items or less’ line at the grocery store, are you irritated at that woman in front of you who has thirteen items?  Do you fume at other drivers who don’t signal before changing lanes, or tailgate, or talk on cell phones?  Do you find it easy to look down upon those who are unsaved or other Christians who are not as theologically sound as you are?  If so, you are missing the gospel; you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, but God graciously chose you when there wasn’t one drop of grace in your soul and nothing to recommend you to him.  Are you beginning to see how amazing his grace is?”

Elyse Fitzpatrick

Counsel from the Cross

2 comments   |  tags: , | posted in daily demotions ~ archives

January 21, 2010

It Is His Delight

By annmareewilson

‘Maybe you think it is possible to deplete his love for you.  He replies that the ‘earth is full’ of it (Ps 33.5).  We can know that our sins won’t overwhelm his love because he loves to ‘adorn’ the humble with salvation (Ps 149.4).  When we think our sins are just too great, we need to remember that Jesus’ promise of salvation is only for lost sinners, NOT for the ‘righteous’ (Mark 2.17).

‘The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.’ (Zeph 3.17)

Elyse Fitzpatrick

Counsel From the Cross

2 comments   |  tags: | posted in daily demotions ~ archives

December 7, 2009

The Twelve Questions Left

By annmareewilson

this is exciting!  well, ok, probably just for me…but in honor of the season I am going to institute a, ‘twelve questions left’ (ala ‘twelve days of Christmas’) blog post for my theology exam; I’m ALMOST DONE!!!  So here we go…

on the first day of my last twelve questions my computer coughed up for me….

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the second day of my last twelve questions my computer coughed up for me….

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B I B L I  C A L L Y

on the third day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the fourth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the fifth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the sixth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the seventh day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the eighth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Client termination

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the ninth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Demonic possession

Client termination

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the tenth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

Word? or drug dispensing

Demonic possession

Client termination

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the eleventh day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

12-step organizations

Word? or drug dispensing

Demonic possession

Client termination

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

on the twelfth day of my-last-twelve-questions my computer coughed up for me….

ALL    THE    CONCEPTS   I   AGREE   WITH…

12-step organizations

Word? or drug dispensing

Demonic possession

Client termination

Dehabituation

Position on physicians (no funny stuff)

TOTAL      COUNSELING      PROGRAM

Seriousness of sin

Emotion definition (bowels?!)

Homework for fear and worry

and

The way to counsel anger B-I-B-L-I    C-A-L-L-Y….

I’M DONE!!!!

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , | posted in chirp and mutter

September 7, 2009

The Training School of Grace

By annmareewilson

“Without holiness on earth we shall never be prepared to enjoy heaven.

How shall we ever be at home and happy in heaven if we die unholy? Death works no change.  The grave makes no alteration.  Each will rise again with the same character in which he breathed his last.  Where will our place be if we are strangers to holiness now?

Suppose for a moment that you were allowed to enter heaven without holiness.  What would you do?  What possible enjoyment could you feel there?  To which of all the saints would you join yourself, and by whose side would you sit down?

Perhaps NOW you love the company of the light and the careless, the worldly minded and the covetous, the reveller and the pleasure seeker, the ungodly and the profane. There will be none such in heaven.

Perhaps NOW you think the saints of God too strict and particular and serious.  You rather avoid them.  You have no delight in their society.  There will be no other company in heaven.

Perhaps NOW you think praying and Scripture reading and hymn singing, dull and melancholy and stupid work, a thing to be tolerated now and then, but not enjoyed.  You reckon the sabbath a burden and a weariness; you could not possibly spend more than a small part of it in worshipping God. But remember, heaven is a never-ending sabbath.

Do you actually think that one would delight to meet David and Paul and John after a life spent in doing the very things they spoke against?

Do you actually think that you would rejoice to meet Jesus, the crucified One, face to face, after cleaving to the sins for which He died, after loving his enemies and despising His friends?

I know not what others may think, but to me it does seem clear that heaven would be a miserable place to an unholy man.  People may say, in a vague way, they ‘hope to go to heaven’, but they do not consider what they say.

To reach the holiday of glory, we must pass through the training school of grace.”

Holiness

JC Ryle

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August 23, 2009

Him in You

By annmareewilson

“The anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27

“That does not mean we have no need for pastors or Bible teachers; God has graciously supplied them for the edification of the church.  The apostle John was talking about teachers of human wisdom.  We who have the Holy Spirit living in us have the ability to comprehend eternal truth.  When it comes to spiritual truth, we have no need of human instruction.”  John MacArthur

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