Gold, Silver, Wood, Hay or Stubble?

"Work should be regarded less with reference to it's immediate results, or as to how it may affect this or that person; the great question is, will it, when sifted in His presence, be acceptable to Him?"

- From The Complete Green Letters by Miles J. Stanford

The Greater Need

"Each of us must be thoroughly cultivated before He (the Lord Jesus) can effectively cultivate others through us. It is not that there will be no service for us until we are spiritually mature, but that most of our service on the way to maturity is for our own development, and not so much that of others. At first the growing believer thinks, and would have others feel, that all his service is effective; but in time he comes to realize that the Lord is not doing so much through him as He is in him. Our Lord always concentrates on the greater need.

- From The Complete Green Letters by Miles J. Stanford

Genealogies? Yes!

Genealogies. You know they are important---especially a certain one that allows you to see the line of Christ and shows you the faithfulness of God through each generation---but if you're anything like me you tend to skim over the long lists of them when it comes to reading them in the Bible.

The problem is, I never realized before how amazing genealogies could be...but now that I know I thought I'd share it with you all, in case you haven't learned it either. I learned this from the book "The Six Days of Genesis" by Paul F. Taylor which I've been reading for one of my classes and the following is what I found to be so extremely fascinating.

"We are probably by now used to the idea that Hebrew names have a meaning. However, the meaning of the names of the ten patriarchs provides a very interesting insight into the prediluvian world.

Adam, means "Man"

Seth means "Appointed"

Enosh means "Mortal"

Kenan means "Sorrow"

Mahalalel means "The God Who is to be Praised"

Jared means "Shall Come Down"

Enoch mean "Teaching"

Methusaleh means "His Death shall Bring"

Lamech means "Despairing"

Noah means "Comfort or Rest"

There is a passage in the Bible that contains all these names, one after the other. It is 1 Chronicles 1:1-3 'Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methusaleh, Lamech, Noah.'

Now that we know the meanings, this passage can be read 'Man is appointed mortal sorrow, but the God who is to be praised shall come down, teaching that His death shall bring the despairing rest.'"

Wow!

It's incredible to see that even in the very names of these men "a dramatic statement of the gospel" was clearly spelled out.

"God gave us hope right from the very beginning."

I don't know about you, but that just gave me a tiny glimpse of the great love and care of my God. It was a reminder that His plans are from before the beginning of time and He may or may not choose to reveal them to us in His grace, but ultimately He WILL bring them to pass.

Lasso Lessons

TO BE...

...OR NOT TO BE.

Refining Fire

"Years ago, when Amy Carmichael was ministering in India as a missionary, she went to a goldsmith to find out how gold was purified so that she could understand how God "tests" or "proves" us. The goldsmith placed in the pot old jewelry, gold bars, and ore, which all seemed to have varying degrees of purity. She watched as the gold was being melted in a pot over an intense fire. As the material in the pot heated, smoke began to rise from the pot. The goldsmith explained that if she would look down into the pot, Amy would notice scum floating on the surface. The scum, he explained, is called "dross" and must be burned off. At one point, Amy asked the goldsmith how he would know that the gold was purified. He answered that the gold would be pure when he could look down into it and see a perfect reflection of his face.

In the same way, God tests or proves His believers so that they may reflect the image of Christ in their lives. Looking beyond the illustration of Amy Carmichael's experience, remember that the goldsmith is not finished with the gold, even when it has been purified. He then molds, forms, pounds and etches the gold to make something useful and beautiful. God does not necessarily remove us from a circumstance, but while we are being purified, He continues His work in our lives to make us useful vessels for His service."

Honor God by trusting Him.