decidere‏

The Latin decidere literally means “to cut off.”

From this word, we get our English word, “decide.”

When you make a decision for one thing, you make a decision against another thing.

This is a basic tenet of the Law of Non-Contradiction a la Ravi Zacharias.

If you decide to follow Jesus, you decide to forsake all others you could follow.

You have options available to you.

To choose one, however, means to forsake the others.

Jesus said it this way:

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

Stop trying to choose Jesus AND ______ (money, women, sex, career, comfort, 6-pack abs, facebook friends, nice purses, fast cars, popularity, pinterest followers, youtube fame, etc…)

Just Jesus.

Decide.

Cut off everything else or be cut off from Him.

worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief‏

Just when you thought you had run out of things to repent of along comes this marrow-splitter:

"Worry about the future is not simply a character tic, it is the sin of unbelief,an indication that our hearts are not resting in the promises of God." - Kevin DeYoung

Unbelief sounds a bit harsh, doesn’t it?

I worry a lot.

Now I’m worried that I worry too much.

Our primary worry about the future is often that things will not go as well for us as we would have them go for ourselves if we were in control of our futures.

Can you begin to see the unbelief and sin in that?

verb tense? verb relax.

John 1:12

 

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God

 

RECEIVE.

BELIEVE.

BECOME.

 

Receive the finished work of Jesus.

Believe on His life, death and resurrection.

Become His child.

the story already has a star, and the star is not you or me‏

"I’m not trying to put you down or imply that you don’t matter. Nor am I am saying that you are absent from the grand Story of God… I’m simply stating the obvious – thatthe story already has a star, and the star is not you or me.” ~Louie Giglio

 

Prior to moving on to the “application” portion of his magnificent theological manifesto that is the book of Romans, Paul concludes it with a doxology of praise and this concise, pregnant clause.

 

Romans 11:36

 

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

 

I count four “Him’s” and ZERO “you’s” and “me’s.”

inspirational quotards‏

 

… unless of course that “no one” is someone actually superior to you.

 

Set gun to “pun.”

Initiate sequence.

 

Is there like a quota cubicle-based businesses have for purchasing cheese-ball artwork like that pictured above?

 

This is usually next to the photo of the sky-divers all holding hands to form concentric circles.

 

Which is usually next to the mythical golf hole poster.

 

Why does that make me feel better about myself?

 

I obviously feel inferior to an eagle.

Look at him all flying all cocky like.

 

I wonder what people who think they are better than others think when they read signs like this.

 

...

 

They probably write blogs making fun of people who use stuff like this to feel better.

measuring cups‏

1 Corinthians 11:28-29

 

²⁸ Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. ²⁹ For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.

Jesus is the Ruler of all.

Jesus is the ruler of all.

Ruler (King):
He is the one and only Sovereign.
He reigns over all.

ruler (measuring rod):
He is the standard of perfection.
He is the holiness by which all will be judged.

When we come to the table of communion we acknowledge two truths about Jesus in receiving the blood-filled cups:

(1) Jesus is Lord

Not just "a" lord, but "the" Lord and our Lord.

(2) Jesus is the standard of perfection

Not just a good example, but the exemplar - the spotless Lamb.

How do you measure up?

Is He your Ruler?
Do you submit to Him?
He is God.
You are not.

Is He is your ruler?
Do you consider yourself on par with His perfection?
He is perfect.
You are not.

In receiving these two truths, we take the cup and drink our salvation in the humility of rendering ourselves nothing but servants saved by grace.

If these two confessions are in your heart and on your lips, drink in deeply the riches of peace and promise.

If these two confessions are foreign to your heart and lips, you drink down your doom.

1 Corinthians 11:26
 

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

 

You proclaim either your judgement in failing to acknowledge Him as Lord and yourself as sinful

 

OR

 

You proclaim your salvation by acknowleding Him as Lord and yourself as sinful.

when God speaks...

Ozzie dropped a bomb this morning when he said,

They said to Moses, ’You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not
God speak with us, lest we die’ `—Exodus 20:19

We don’t consciously and deliberately disobey God— we simply don’t
listen to Him. God has given His commands to us, but we pay no
attention to them— not because of willful disobedience, but because we
do not truly love and respect Him. “If you love Me, keep My
commandments” (John 14:15). Once we realize we have constantly been
showing disrespect to God, we will be filled with shame and
humiliation for ignoring Him.

“You speak with us, . . . but let not God speak with us . . . .” We
show how little love we have for God by preferring to listen to His
servants rather than to Him. We like to listen to personal
testimonies, but we don’t want God Himself to speak to us. Why are we
so terrified for God to speak to us? It is because we know that when
God speaks we must either do what He asks or tell Him we will not
obey. But if it is simply one of God’s servants speaking to us, we
feel obedience is optional, not imperative. We respond by saying,
“Well, that’s only your own idea, even though I don’t deny that what
you said is probably God’s truth.”

Why do we listen to and put up with preaching?

If it is by grace God speaking His Words to us, why do we treat it
like the performance and opinion of the man we call pastor?

If it is not God speaking His Words and only a man speaking his
opinions, why do we come back week after week?  Why should we buy the
pastor’s house for him?

Do not argue with me about why you will not obey God.
Look up at Heaven and take it up with Him directly.

We have less anxiety about casting off men’s words when we suppose
they could be wrong.

We are too cowardly to tell God we don’t like Him and His demand for our lives.
So we pretend the pastor is just a man speaking just his opinion.

If that’s true, then preaching is useless.

Galatians 4:16

Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?