Tried With Fire

Not for my righteousness For I have none, But for his mercy's sake, Jesus, God's Son, Suffered on Calvary's tree -  Crucified with thieves was he -  Great was his grace to me, His wayward one. (Emmanuel T. Sibomana) "The two charges leveled against Jesus were blasphemy (that he had made Himself equal with God) and treason (that He had rejected lawfully constituted authority). Why were these two charges so significant? It was because these are the charges each of us faces before the judgment seat of God. In that court, I am guilty of blasphemy, because I have made myself rather than God the center of the universe. I am also guilty of treason, since I have sought to overturn His lawfully and graciously constituted authority over my life. Blasphemy and treason were also the crimes of Adam. These are the age-old crimes of which every one of us - old and young, rich and poor, wise and simple, famous and infamous - stands accused. We are on the same...

I'll be participating in a 6-month writer's cohort this year. Given that the point is to write, I need writing practice. I had set up another blog at Wordpress, so I am going to use that as my scratch sheet to get my thoughts out on a daily basis rather than here. For some reason, it feels different writing at a new site. I'm planning to still write here but we'll see how it goes. You can find me here - Persistent Thoughts .

My God has chosen me,  Though one of nought, To sit beside my King In heaven's court. Hear what my Lord has done O, the love that made him run To meet his erring son! This has God wrought. (Emmanuel T. Sibomana) "Until you have come to the end of the journey home to faith in Jesus Christ, it is likely that all you expect deep down from Christ is punishment. But when the prodigal makes the journey, he discovers a family party. The Gospels contain a number of references to celebrations and parties. This is wonderfully expressive of Jesus' view of what it means to belong to the kingdom of God, to the fellowship of His people, and to the church that He was beginning to build. We are invited to a celebration. Yes, there is another side to the Christian life, and it is expressed here - deep sorrow for sin, repentance, and costly grace. But joy in forgiveness is always there. The Christian life may appear from the outside to be a very sober way. It is, ...

I joined Goodreads  towards the end of last year. I hadn't joined before because I didn't want to get pulled into another social media black hole, but I think this will be different. I am able to track my progress on books I'm currently reading or listening to. (Tracking audio books is a bit of a challenge, though, since you enter a page number. I usually take a guess based on the chapter number.) Rather than feeling pressured to finish, my lack of progress may be an indication that I've lost interest or that this is a book that is just going to take a lot of time. Goodreads also keeps a running list of books I want to read. This keeps me from forgetting the books that have been waiting on the shelves, which are more than I want to count. You can get recommendations based on your reading tastes too. I just added a few titles, some of which are at my public library. Some of the recommendations can be puzzling. I use the phrase "grimly fascinating" for the ...

O how the grace of God Amazes me! It loosed me from my bonds And set me free! What made it happen so? His own will, this much I know, Set me, as now I show, At liberty by Emmanuel T. Sibomana "How, then, does Christ set us free? John had answered that question earlier, in the most famous verse in his Gospel. This God, this Father, so loved the world, this world in its sinfulness and bondage, that He sent His only Son into it. He had only one Son, but He sent Him to die on a cross in order to save everyone who believes in Him (John 3:16). The Son would be "lifted up" - lifted up on a cross exposed in public shame, hanging between heaven and earth, under the judgement of God against our sins - so that those who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 12:32, 3:16). Jesus Christ is able to set us free because He has dealt with the sin that enslaves us. We can never atone for our own sin. We can never break its power. We...

I don't like unexpected change especially when the future outcome is unknown, and I was hit with a possible big change last week. As I wait, fear is trying to rise up even as I struggle to fight back. And it's not just fear of the final result. It's a fear that is directly related to my present actions. It's trying to sow doubts like - Are you praying enough? Are you doing enough? Should you be doing more? Are you doing too much? What if you make a wrong decision? What if the outcome hinges on that decision? Will you miss out on God's will? Can you really trust him to see you through this time? This fear tries to remove God from the picture or at least minimize his active role as much as possible. Its intent is to make me feel alone like a lab rat in a maze. No maps or external help allowed. It's all up to me to navigate my way, which would be terrifying if it was true. But there's an added twist. Depending on which path I take, I could miss the grand p...

From the parable of the prodigal son, Luke 15:11-32: "Count the sons. One left home and returned. A second stayed at home, but remained far away. Where is the third son? The third son is the Son who is telling the story. He is the Son who was at home with His Father but came to the far country. If we miss Him, we miss the meaning of the parable. For the characters in it - however real to life they may be - are imaginary. Jesus, however, is not. He is the One who, through costly grace and great humiliation, provides the way for prodigal sons to be welcomed home. This is what the story is really all about. As He told it, Jesus was talking to both prodigal sons and elder brothers, and inviting them to come to Him, to trust in Him, and to experience the joy of being His... It is natural enough - and right - to ask: Where am I in this story? Do you see yourself? Are you the prodigal or the elder brother? But it is even more important to ask: Do you see Jesus as your Sav...

Do not look back — as Lot's wife did. Do not look within — as too many do. Do not look around — as David did. But "look up!" Look up to God — He is your Father, your Friend, your Savior. He can help you. He will help you. He says, "Look unto Me, and be delivered — for I am God!" Look up for light to guide you — and He will direct your path. Look up for grace to sanctify you — and the grace of Jesus will be found sufficient for you. Look up for strength to enable you to do and suffer God's will — and His strength will be made perfect in your weakness. Look up for comfort to cheer you — and as one whom his mother comforts, so will the Lord comfort you. Look up for courage to embolden you — and the Lord will give courage to the faint; and to those who have no might — He will increase strength. Look up for endurance to keep you — and the God who preserves you will enable you quietly to bear the heaviest burden, and silently to endure the most painful afflictio...