Scripture

Saved From Empty

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

To this world:

I’ve been looking at you all wrong.

You stepped up to me when I was young and flung open your coat so I could see what you carried.

You cooed, “I’ve got it all. Anything you want.”

You seemed nice enough. So I took a hit.

First it was popularity, which has taken approximately my whole life to come down from.

Then you let me sample pride, possessions, power. It was all so strong. It was all so intoxicating. You spun me around until I was too dizzy to look straight and you sent me on my way, “I’m all yours, baby. Live it up.”

I guess it could have worked but in my reeling stupor the Savior of this world grabbed me by the shoulders, He called my name. And I was, with great resolve, wholly His. The aroma of His love exposed the aroma of you, which smells mostly like rot.

He set me straight and showed me how truly upside down you are.

You put the best looking first and the least of these last. You pour accolades on the rich and devastate the poor. You invite the popular first. You hide the unwanted in the shadows.

But can I blame it all on you? You convinced me that it’s my life I need to save – and for a time I agreed.

But His call was so inside out. It was so fantastically right. It went something like this, “Let’s lose your life and go save so many others.”

….We must act.

We must allow Him to use our life for something greater than this world has to offer.

– Brianne McKoy

 

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it.

– Matthew 16:25 (NLT)

 

We know what real love is because Jesus gave up His life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

– 1 John 3:16 (NLT)

 

For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His life as a ransom for many.

– Mark 10:45 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

The Struggle

/ Susie Stewart / 4 Comments

Struggle is an essential part of the spiritual life.  A profession of faith and performance in service just aren’t enough…It is not enough to superficially say we believe in Christ and then go on our merry way.  It is not enough to mechanically function in one or more church jobs.  Spiritual experiences aren’t enough.  Jesus said that even those casting out demons and performing miracles could be self-deceived.  Since not many can lay claim to such feats, His words should make us pause.

Faith itself is not easy.  Those who think it is have never exercised the real thing.  Faith does not mean a carefree absence of doubt, but it means acting on God’s trustworthiness in spite of the doubts we have.  Do we think it was easy for Abraham to go out from Ur not knowing where he was going (Hebrews 11:8) or to offer his son Isaac as God commanded (Genesis 22:1019)?  If faith is easy, then some of Jesus’ sayings concerning His kingdom become quite difficult to understand:  “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

Entering God’s kingdom by violence or force?  C.S. Lewis said he was dragged into the kingdom kicking and screaming.  Many have become Christians only after the intellectual equivalent of storming the Bastille – leveling the fortresses of ideologies and thought that are much harder to pull down than mortar and brick.

In the services at our church, we give evangelistic invitations.  To Christans who have never done it, let me say that coming down an aisle is a traumatic experience.  Big, strong men come shaking and with tears.  Some have told me they felt the whole world was fastened on their coattails like an anchor.  But still they come to exercise faith, to take hold of Christ, to strain against the gravitational pull of their own deadness with a force that scripture calls violence.

Christian growth almost invariably involves struggle.  Paul says in Galatians 5:24, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”  What he means is that, as Christians, we should consider our old lives to be nailed to the cross of Christ, stripping our sin of all power over us as we choose to live by faith in Christ (Romans 6:1-11).

I believe there is an additional reason Paul chose the metaphor of crucifixion to express what our attitude toward the flesh would be.  Crucifixion was a slow, painful death.  It was not the only method of capital punishment in those days.  There were certainly quicker ones.  Quite simply, the flesh dies hard.  Few Christians bypass the feeling of certain conceit or cockiness over a rapid spurt of growth, only to fall in an area of their lives they thought was cleaned up.  Christian growth involves struggle.

All those who set out to seek the kingdom of God must pay the price of a disciplined life.  Discipline is the mark where faith struggles against areas of the flesh that are in disrepair. The writer to the Hebrews said it well:  “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness”  (Hebrews 12:11).

We are continually under construction.  Certain areas of life will provide spiritual workouts as long as we live.  We can mark and engage them and grow.  If we ignore them, our Christian life and pursuit of God’s kingdom will flounder badly.

– David Swartz

 

“Not everyone who calls out to Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.  On judgment day many will say to Me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in Your name and cast out demons in Your name and performed many miracles in Your name.’  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from Me, you who break God’s laws.’”

– Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Voices

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

If you are beginning this day

with the weight of how you’re not enough

with a forboding

with condemnation accusing

 

Know that this is not

the voice of your King

your Savior

your Lord

 

Your life is hidden in Christ

your sins are paid for

your day is new with His possibilities

 

and you are loved unconditionally

 

Know it

believe it

soak it in

 

And when you get to the end of this day

with the weight of how you weren’t enough

with regrets

with condemnation accusing

 

Choose instead

to hear the voice of God

who loves you

and does not condemn you

 

Choose to listen to the life-giving voice

of Truth

from beginning to end

and then start again

 

– Susie Stewart

 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

– Romans 8:1 (NIV)

 

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
His mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is Your faithfulness.

– Lamentations 3:22,23 (ESV)

 

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.  For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.  And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all His glory.

– Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

Life

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

God is not far

from any of us

 

He made us

and in Him

we live and move

and have our being

 

We exist because

of Him

 

He gave us breath

and movement

and life

 

Our being here

is because

of Him

 

Our living

should be

for Him

 

Living out loud

in light of who He is

 

– Susie Stewart

 

“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since He is Lord of heaven and earth, He doesn’t live in man-made temples, and human hands can’t serve His needs—for He has no needs. He Himself gives life and breath to everything, and He satisfies every need. From one man He created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand when they should rise and fall, and He determined their boundaries.

“His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward Him and find Him—though He is not far from any one of us. For in Him we live and move and exist. As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’ And since this is true, we shouldn’t think of God as an idol designed by craftsmen from gold or silver or stone.

“God overlooked people’s ignorance about these things in earlier times, but now He commands everyone everywhere to repent of their sins and turn to Him. For He has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising Him from the dead.”

– Acts 17:24-31 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

Forgive

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

God pardons like a mother, who kisses the offense into everlasting forgiveness.

– Henry Ward Beecher

 

Most laws condemn the soul and pronounce sentence. The result of the law of my God is perfect. It condemns but forgives. It restores – more than abundantly – what it takes away.

– Jim Elliot

 

Forgiveness is the economy of the heart. Forgiveness saves the expense of anger, the cost of hatred, the waste of spirits.

– Hannah More

 

We win by tenderness. We conquer by forgiveness.

– Frederick W. Robinson

 

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you.  But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.

– Matthew 6:14,15 (NLT)

 

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

– 1 John 1:9 (NLT)

 

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OJ & Life

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

A glass of orange juice

knocked over the breakfast table

all over me

 

Sticky liquid splattered

my beginning of the day

outfit

 

Server youth, red-faced  and apologizing

brings another orange juice

 

We take some of  breakfast with us

a great oblong cinnamon toast cracker

ready to eat

 

Falls to the ground

and shatters into pieces all broken

 

We head for a change of clothes

and

a fresh start

 

Wouldn’t you know it

thumb burns

on hot flat iron

 

It was a rough start

to the day

 

And some days are like that

 

And some days

start

with more

than an orange juice in your lap

 

Some days bring a splattering

of hopes and dreams

 

And some days

start

with more

than cinnamon toast all over the floor

 

Some days bring a shattering

of what you thought

your future would be

 

And some days

start

with more

than a burned thumb all painful

 

Some days bring a burn intense

red hot

to your tender heart

 

But whatever the intensity

whatever the circumstance

whatever the heartache

 

God’s grace will carry you

His strength will hold you

His love will envelope you

 

Each day has the potential

for trials

large and small

 

Let His grace be everything

for you

– Susie Stewart

 

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

– 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)

 

Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].

– Hebrews 4:16 (AMP)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Don’t Quit

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

Our society is filled with runaways, dropouts, and quitters. The epidemic of walking away has hit our land with effects as devastating as the bubonic plague, and it has destroyed millions of effective lives and relationships. We are so self-centred that we have ceased to lay down our lives for others. We have seen others faint or walk away and we have followed in their weakness. We have fainted when we could have persevered by exchanging our strength for His! With His strength, not only could we have kept on walking, we could have run!

– Kay Arthur

 

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

– Ephesians 4:13 (ESV)

 

Yet, the strength of those who wait with hope in the Lord will be renewed. They will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and won’t become weary. They will walk and won’t grow tired.

– Isaiah 40:31 (GW)

 

The Eternal One is good, a safe shelter in times of trouble. He cares for those who search for protection in Him.

– Nahum 1:7 (VOICE)

 

Photo by Arik Stewart

 

 

No Other Truth

/ Susie Stewart / 2 Comments

The truth of the Gospel works on so many levels.  Though some will argue that God does not exist and that man is the highest form in the universe, they will still strive for a moral code.  Challenge them to find a better moral code than that which is outlined in the New Testament.  Ask them to compare it to the other systems of morals in the world:  those of atheists, other religions, or political systems.  You will have to know it well to spell it out, but have them compare the law of love to all other philosophical systems and challenge them to show you a better one.  Ask them to come up with a better moral low than the Golden Rule of “Treat others the same way you would want them to treat you.”  Ask them to show you a country where innovative breakthroughs emerge where Christians are not in the majority.  Discuss the list of great scientists and achievers of all time and see how many of them were Christians or Jews or at least believe in God’s existence.  Do the study yourself.  Look at the top ten people of the last millennium and look at their beliefs and accomplishments.  Newton, Gutenberg, Michelangelo, Luther, Washington, Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, and others you will find on any list of important people of the last one thousand years.  They all had tremendous faith in God.  Look at nations that have tried to exist without God:  the Soviet Union, China, Albania, Vietnam – which of these has been as successful as those that built their foundations on the laws of the Bible?

But then you will have to add that even though this is a great philosophy, it cannot work without its power source.  Man has no motive to be “good” without gratitude to a Savior who granted they should not have to suffer of their own sins.  Without the love of God in their hearts to motivate them to put the needs of others before themselves they will ultimately act selfishly despite what philosophies they hold on to.  The views of Marx and Lenin sound like they are a solid formulation for heaven and earth, but their applications have brought more hell than any other.  What brought this about?  When those in power saw that they could do whatever they liked and tried to force others into a mold of service to the state, selfishness took over and whenever convenient they began to reword their philosophies to justify their own selfish desires.  To free ourselves from cultural restraints to rise to a higher and better system seems a great idea, but such cultural revolutions in the Orient have done little but bathe their countries in blood.

– DC Talk & Rick Killian

 

For not only does sound reason direct us to refuse the guidance of those who do or teach anything wrong, but it is by all means vital for the lover of truth, regardless of the threat of death, to choose to do and say what is right even before saving his own life.

– Justin Martyr

 

For by whom has truth ever been discovered without God?  By whom has God ever been found without christ?  by whom has Christ ever been explored without the Holy Spirit?  By whom has the Holy Spirit ever been attained without the mysterious gift of faith?

– Tertullian

 

I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  the only way to the Father is through Me.

– John 14:6 (NCV)

 

He must increase, but I must decrease.

– John 3:30 (ESV)

 

The Lord is compassionate and merciful,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.

– Psalm 103:8 (NLT)

 

Photo by Susie Stewart

 

 

Risenness

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

A hard day, yes.  Rattled and unglued, yes.  Unable to cope, no.

How does the life-giving Spirit of the risen Lord manifest Himself on days like that?   In our willingness to stand fast, our refusal to run away and escape into self-destructive behavior.  Resurrection power enables us to engage in the savage confrontation with untamed emotions, to accept the pain, receive it, take it on board, however acute it may be.  And in the process we discover that we are not alone, that we can stand fast in the awareness of present risenness and so become fuller, deeper, richer disciples.  We know ourselves to be more than we previously imagined.  In the process we not only endure but are forced to expand the boundaries of who we think we really are.

Hope knows that if great trials are avoided great deeds remain undone and the possibility of growth into greatness of soul is aborted.  Pessimism and defeatism are never the fruit of the life-giving Spirit but rather reveal our unawareness of present risenness.

– Brennan Manning

 

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

– Colossians 3:1 (NLT)

 

God wanted His people throughout the world to know the glorious riches of this mystery—which is Christ living in you, giving you the hope of glory.

– Colossians 1:27 (GW)

 

I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope He has given to those He called—His holy people who are His rich and glorious inheritance.

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe Him…

– Ephesians 1:18,19 (NLT)

 

I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.

– Matthew 28:20 (AMP)

 

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Discipline

/ Susie Stewart / Leave a comment

A child disciplined

in love

cries

but knows

that love cares about the child

love cares about the sin

love cares about refining

and loves cares about humbling

so the child

will be lifted up

in honor.

– Susie Stewart

 

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Hebrews 12:11 (NIV)

 

 

For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His child.

– Hebrews 12:6 (NLT)

 

So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and at the right time He will lift you up in honor.

– 1 Peter 5:6 (NLT)

 

For the Lord corrects those He loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom He delights.

– Proverbs 3:12 (NLT)

 

I know, O Lord, that your regulations are fair;
You disciplined me because I needed it.

– Psalm 119:75 (NLT)

 

I correct and discipline everyone I love. Take this seriously, and change the way you think and act.

– Revelation 3:19 (GW)

 

God is interested in developing your character. At times He lets you proceed, but He will never let you go too far without discipline to bring you back. In your relationship with God, He may let you make a wrong decision. Then the Spirit of God causes you to recognize that it is not God’s will. He guides you back to the right path.

– Henry Blackaby

 

Love precedes discipline.

– John Owen

 

Photo by Susie Stewart