http://prodiligo.tumblr.com/

playing to win

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:13:38 -0500

Hello friends! I have been meaning for some time to finish and post this, but what with the holidays and people visiting I was forced to put it off. Then a hectic but profitable month of work hit me. So now, here I am on January 29, 2011, finally finishing what I started.

I’m sure you (like me) have thought of goals/aspirations/hopes for this new year, of which January has already flown by. May I share with you my prayer for this year, Psalm 86.

Ps 86:1 ¶ (A Prayer of ~~David~~ SAM.) Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy.

2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee.

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily.

4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications.

7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

8 ¶ Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works.

9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.

10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

12 I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and I will glorify thy name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

15 But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth.

16 O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thine handmaid.

17 Shew me a token for good; that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed: because thou, LORD, hast holpen me, and comforted me.

I would like also to briefly outline something that came to my mind a few months ago, and that I would like to develop more in the future. I’d like to call it “Playing to Win.” My thoughts are as follows:

1) In all of our lives, we have competition. It comes in many forms, be it in sports, work, school, etc.

2) Competition is natural, and it expresses the struggles, conflicts, and desires within us of supremacy, personal gain, pride among other things

3) Competition is in not only earthly, it is also spiritual.

a) We compete with ourselves for supremacy over our desires, lusts

b) Jesus (sadly) has competition from Satan’s kingdom for our attention and affections

c) The book of Daniel contains a story of a conflict between God’s angels and Satan’s demons.

4) The errantly held philosophy “everyone wins” doesn’t cut it in the real world; just as in the spiritual realm “living good lives” or “being a good person” doesn’t cut it

5) Be competitive for Christ and His Kingdom.

a) The Bible encourages us to strive for the mastery

b) Hebrews says, “Let us run with patience [endurance, fortitude] the race [a highly competitive event] that is set before us

6) How can we “play to win” for Christ?

a) Glorify God openly and perpetually

b) Exercise faith/be faithful

c) Obey: obedience to God and His Word will places you in His Will and increases your effectiveness for him.

love to all,

Sam

His Robes for Mine (Chris Anderson)

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 19:45:00 -0500

His robes for mine, O wonderful exchange! Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage. Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified. In Christ I live, for in my place He died.

chorus: I cling to Christ and marvel at the cost. Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God. Bought by such love, my life is not my own. My praise, my all, shall be for Christ alone.

His robes for mine, what cause have I for dread? God’s daunting Law Christ suffered in my stead. Faultless I stand, with righteous works not mine, saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.

His robes for mine, God’s justice is appeased. Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased. Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “Tis done!” Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.

His robes for mine, such anguish none can know. Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe. He, as though I, accursed and left alone; I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!

-Hope this will be a blessing to you as it has been for me.

ric.

"God’s gifts to us are our talents, passions, & desires. Our gift to God is the extent to..."

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:06:00 -0500

““God’s gifts to us are our talents, passions, & desires. Our gift to God is the extent to which we use them.””

- <3, Kay.

shotgun

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:05:31 -0500

hello to all! i wanted share with you all a smattering of thoughts about things that God has been showing me lately. i will try to keep them brief (tho be fully warned i may fail at this).

1- God is good! this is incredibly basic, but i know for myself that the basic things are often among the most powerful truths and that i am to quickly negligent in actively remembering and looking for them in my life.

2- psalm 34:1 «A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed.» I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. this is the introductory verse of a psalm of manificent praise to our God. please notice the particular words “all” and “continually” in this verse. both actively denote the act of humbling ourselves and rightly delivering to God the “praise” and “blessing” that He so worshipfully deserves. what a heavy stroke this verse lays on me. today i did not feel 100% well. what did i do? grumble. complain for my sore throat and slight feverishness. as i sat at my desk this thought came to me- “sam- you have no reason to complain. how many people are at this very moment incapacitated by suffering far worse than your menial complaints?” as i consider my selfish and prideful self in light of this verse, i have to confess that i am a constant violator of this- to my shame. it is something that i must beg the Father to help me mortify daily. i’m reminded of a friend of mine who is a great encouragment and rebuke to me. this friend (i’ll call him Jim) had an extremely rare and acute form of muscular arthritis. This arthritis would literally cause every muscle in Jim’s body to be in constant pain. Despite this, Jim’s attitude was always selfless and cheerful. he was always asking, “how are you? can i pray for you for anything?” sometimes when the pain was so great that he could not sleep, Jim would seek the Lord’s face- often on the behalf of his friends and their needs. there were times when i could see the anguish written all across my friend’s face, but not once did i hear a complaint escape his lips. what a rebuke! what a testimony to God’s sustaining grace! you may have noticed the past tense i used when describing Jim’s condidton. that was purposeful because now Jim now is pain free by a miracle that doctors cannot explain, and is still serving His Lord and Sustainer. i hope this story (which is recent and true) will be a prod to claim the victory that is ours in Christ and live a life full of worship and praise for our Lord.

I will also ask you to consider vs 8- O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. i know all of us have ‘tasted’ of the matchless goodness of our Father. i praise God for His constant care of me, and for his tangible reminders that He loves me and that His grace is sufficient (2 cor 12:9) for my every need. I strongly encourage you to read the entire psalm- it is such an encouragement!

3- we, as children of God are (or should be) actively pursuing God’s will for our lives. this being the case, i would like to present for your consideration two sermons by John MacArthur on the topic of seeking and discerning His will. i found them encouraging and enlightening as well as liberating. below is the link to the series, which is entitled “if God’s will is so important, why can’t i find it?”

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermon+Series/8_If-Gods-Will-is-So-Important-Why-Cant-I-Find-it

i would also encourage you to browse gty.org for more than just those two sermons. any message or broadcast can be downloaded for free.

4- check out the song “hero” by the group ‘abandon’. a link is below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyv1jUDLY3s

5- i recently had a profound change of perspective. i had previously viewed my career as a means to an end- a way to make money to support myself, my one-day family, ministries, etc. however, God showed me that rather than being a means to an end, my career is a ministry opportunity! my job has people of many races and religions working together. by gong to work, i enter over 10 different countries without leaving the US. with this change in perspective freshin my mind, i asked the Lord for an opportunity to share my faith with my coworkers. i didn’t know when or how God would answer this request, but that very day and opportunity arose in which i was able to, as God’s tool, share the blessed news of Christ. i exhort you to ask God for opportunities, and then pray, believing (mark 11:24) that he will honor that request.

may God be glorified!

Dei Gratia (by the grace of God),

Sam

Implications of our identity

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 23:57:21 -0500

kapatids,

Do I feel liberated, or do I feel restrained? I was forced to face this question earlier this week as an unsaved friend and I were sharing an evening of coffee and interesting conversation. She loves to read and write, so we get along swimmingly as you can imagine. As we were discussing what Oliver Twist is all about, the culture, the economy, the comparison for today-I couldn’t help myself. Often I’m in a great deal of unrest when I’m conversing with a person who is, as Jonathan Edwards famously stated, hanging over the pit of Hell by a thread. Though I can hide my discomfort quite well, I think she noticed that I was mentally predisposed at early points in our conversation. What she didn’t know was that I was waiting for the correct moment to weave the gospel into the discussion where it would not be utterly abstract to do so. I’ll spare you the details of how it came about, but when I was able to mention the person of Christ with whom I associate, you could see the immediate tension it created in her. “I’ve been wanting to ask you a question J” she started, “How can you be so happy with God hovering over you’re every move like you were incarcerated at Ohrdruf!? [Forced labor camp in Nazi Germany]”? Don’t you realize that you are being restrained by something that you can’t even be sure of? What happens if you die and you were wrong?” Fair questions. And questions that we must be prepared for. How would you answer such important questions?

Now the topic of this post is not Apologetics, loosely stated, its more about what our faith implies to us. However, we should be, as 1 pet 3:15 states, always ready to give a defense of what we believe. We know that the Christian life is more fulfilling than anything else out there, but how do we vocalize that? Her root question was indeed a question of motive. The answers I gave her were insufficient as far as she was concerned, but it helped me realize that if she is going to come to Christ it will be a work of the Holy Spirit. But answering questions like that has internal application! I walked away with a greater appreciation for the gospel. And that is what I want to resound here.

In summary, I explained that she is missing the point. God is not to be compared to a German brute, but the liberator from such a fate. His presence is a comfort psalm 46:1. We are liberated from ourselves and the material Romans 8:21, and get to experience the fullness of Joy and new life romans 6:4-6. I am assured by 1 John 3:19 and if I’m wrong, then I may echo Paul in 1 Cor 15:19. Nevertheless, I cling to the Blessed Hope Titus 2:13. Now allow me explore the implications of this very faith that we overlook too often.

What the scriptures present is possible in Christ, but often not redeemed by his people. I return to the question that got us into this discussion-In Christ, do I feel liberated or restrained? If you’re answer is the latter then you are guilty with me and we need to examine our hearts. We have the privilege to serve the one and only God with our already worthless lives. We could have all been created with all the mental functions of a cardboard box, yet we still have such a high opinion of our ‘human rights’. We have the answer to all of life’s problems, but turn to idols to comfort us. We can live detached from the material, but choose to hold on to little things or areas of our lives. And consider this: I am swift to claim, “Lord I’ll die for you!” but I miss its implications. I must be just as ready to say, “Lord, I’ll live for you!!” Wow, what a difference that makes when Jesus comes knocking to collect those areas of our hearts that we have kept on lock down. We hide the headphones under our pillow and wait for double check to be over with “…..whew! he’s gone-I thought I’d have to give them up, I got away with it!” is this how we feel? Do we see God as the oppressor and so hide “headphone” areas of our lives from him bc ‘we know best’? consider what you’re saying to God if this is you’re situation. Are you comforted with the psalmist by God’s presence in every area of your life? Can you echo him, asking God to search his ways? I know I’m not-I have to do some spring cleaning a little early, guys- how about you? And finally, how joyful am I in Him? We look at Job as an ubermench-a superman. We elevate him to a level of piety and holiness that would be sickening to him. He was a man. A sinner like you and I. he was no god, and yet we assume that we cannot experience his level of comfort and satisfaction in Christ. But we can! Isn’t that great news! We can have that very comfort. This is huge for us. Carefully consider How the scriptures can possibly prepare us for the following situation: Mike Stewart was an average man that worked a modest job. He had been a semi-religious man ever since he could remember. He churched once a week and twice during the holidays. He was the father of two little girls 7 and 4 and had been married to Lisa for 10 years. One evening he was in a hurry to get home in time to catch his favorite tv show, and was getting very irritated at the evening traffic. Finally pulling onto his street, he sped towards number 66 at the end of the meandering road. He was brought to a halt by several police cruisers blocking the way around number 45. Mike got out of his car and demanded to know what the holdup was. He got no information from the officers so he lit up a cigarette and leaned against his car, tempted to just walk the rest of the way. But mike’s apathy towards the situation soon dissipated. At that moment, the fire chief pulled up and rolling down his window began to fill the policemen in the details. Mike could barely hear them so he sauntered up as close as he could to the vehicle. “yea, the whole thing went up like a roman candle. Poor lady never had a chance. Couple of kids too had just gotten home from school. All 3 dead” Mike’s casual demeanor was immediately altered-he dropped his cigarette and his heart quickened. As the details of the fire were being filled in, he began to feel dizzy. He didn’t have the nerve to ask, so he waited for the number to be mentioned-“could have been joe’s house, he’s got a couple of kids….or that guy in 61….” Thought Mike. Finally, one of the officers asked what number the house was. The chief reply sent Mike into shock- “number 66”…..what would you do at this point? Mike just realized that his family, material possessions, and happiness all disappeared in one fell swoop.This could happen to any of our families tonight or tomorrow-what would you do? Could you echo Christ and say, “not my will but Thine be done Lord!”? This is what Job had to endure and how did he respond? “Blessed be the name of the Lord!”…..this is where it counts-in the battle. In the midst of adversity. Anyone can read about dealing with trials, But to put that into practice takes the message of fulfillment in Christ to task. Job could have dropped the ball when the rubber met the road, but he had really made Christ his full Joy. Oh that we would be strengthened by the Lord Christ and by the example of the man, Job. God help us to weigh carefully the teachings of scripture. Let us ever remember the Liberty that fulfillment in Christ offers.- ProDiligo, In love.

http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A10...

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:55:57 -0400

http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1040-01-51

i was not able to upload the file into here from my laptop, but this website has a download of it for free. many of you are familiar with sovereign grace ministries already bc of their music. this message is by the senior pastor at the time-CJ mahaney, most notably known for his intro in interviews-“my name is cj and i’m the worst sinner i know” hehe. this series has been instrumental, especially in the formative weeks of searching as it ignited within me an appetite for more sermons like it. i know it will serve you well, i’ll be praying that you willl be free from distractions when you listen to it! keep it For Him. ProDiligo -J

kapatids, i was talking to a friend this week about motivation. it is something that we all must...

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:56:11 -0400

kapatids,

i was talking to a friend this week about motivation. it is something that we all must consider because everything, everytime is done with one motive or another. There is no such thing as a ’non-motive’ zone. some motives are intentional and calculated, others slip by unnoticed, but did you know that the Bible speaks out to both of these motives? check 1Cor 10:31. It says “so whether ye eat or drink or whatsoever ye do do all to the glory of God”. This is directed to our motives, and i’m going to park here for a minute. We’re often too quick to quote that verse, but do we stop and consider the implications of what Paul is trying to impress upon Corinth? “Whatsoever” sounds like a pretty expansive term to use eh? well, this is no coincidence, for that is exactly the point of the latin Sola Deo Gloria-“to God alone be the glory!” and this is the christians’ goal. If you don’t like that goal, i suggest you probe around for a religion to cater to your preferences. Hey, the Isrealites did it while waiting for God’s law from the mountain, the pharisees steeped there brand of it in custom and sacrament, and you can do it. However, If God’s glory is truly the end of successful and redeemed christians, it should affect everything.

“ok, J-but how can that help me today? tomorrow?” Let me try to illustrate this in a situation that could happen to anyone of us tomorrow. If a friendly, attractive, well to do person approaches me in humility and asks my guidance on a matter, my natural inclination is to 1. pat myself on the back for being an ‘upstanding guy’ and 2. to simply help him. Now if another person approaches me that looks as if he swiped his wardrobe from a leper, smells as if he has just spent the night in an onion patch, and speaks with all the eloquence of a calculus major amidst a sorority, and yet approaches me in humility asking for my advice on a matter, my natural inclination is to 1.) inquire about his bathing pattern and exhort him to take a bar of soap to task and 2.) move on my way. Both motives are wrong, tho one is clearer than the other on the outside. all of you are shouting out AHA! J, you heartless fiend, how dare you! you have no soul you pirate!! but hang on, don’t we all do that daily?? this is an extreme example of something we subconsciously do on a day-to-day basis. Let’s be honest with ourselves. The point here is that if we are to all love and serve impartially than surely we ought to routinely check our motives. Are you quick to peel as soon as the prayer meeting ends? conversely, are we more hesitant to leave the prayer meeting just as it ends if a cute guy/girl is in ’need of some encouragement’? that is a motivational flaw and is SIN-that is not selfless serving-it isn’t humble orthodoxy and it definately isn’t for God’s glory. if you are going to serve, which most of us are inevitably going to do, do it for God’s glory. period. Now can there be positive adverse effects of this? of course! But that cannot be why we do it.

Let me further illustrate this by calling sex to the witness stand. In today’s society, movies embrace you, sitcoms share a laugh at youre expense, and marketing giants peddle you to sell there products-you are god in this society. every day, millions bow down to you and seek temporary fulfillment in you and your companions. Now why should the single christian want nothing to do with you? That is simple enough to answer-Ephesians 5:3-“not even a hint of sexual immorality should be named among you” we can all quote it well, can’t we? Hey, God commands it. We obey. And we do so Strictly for that purpose. We don’t obstain from sexual immorality bc we fear pregnancy or a transmitted disease, but to glorify God. That is WHY we do it. Now if we obey this commandment, are we going to get people pregnant or acquire a transmitted disease? No! But that is an effect of obeying God’s commandment, not why we do it. God’s ways are good and right for us, and all the pleasures can be found in Him. Amen! call into question what motivates you on a day to day basis until it becomes habit to do so. A word of caution:Don’t feel laden and morose under the weight of motives amiss! But, recognize it as sin. Sin is a fact of life, including the sins of pride and selfishness (the roots of wrong motives). Furthermore, don’t use this knowledge to justify sinning-God Forbid! Use it to compel you to press ever closer to the cross. Hebrews 10:24-25- And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works…..and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.

ProDiligo-IN LOVE,

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 23:03:00 -0400

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”

- Proverbs 27:17

Oh, it is love.

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 22:33:00 -0400

Oh, it is love.