GOOD NEWS: September 2009

Dear friend, After last night's heavy lesson on philosophy and world view I thought I'd work some thoughts into a new poem; I'm still contemplating the question from "Tour One", a good question: Do I really believe what I believe? and haven't finished that one yet. This truth stuff can be rather heady, but there's no better addiction on earth to be found! Encouraged in Christ (or am I?), Jeff

The Truth Project Tour Two - Session 2

OUTSIDE THE BOX

Here on the inside,
Searching for the truth;
We must sort through lies,
Which bear no lasting fruit.

Here on the inside,
Working with all the answers;
We cannot forget JESUS CHRIST,
Who came to bring what really matters.

Here on the inside,
Learning how to really live;
We must stay in the Only Light,
That leads our souls to holy discipline.

Here on the inside,
Thirsting after hope and love;
We mustn't lay The Lord aside,
Who is grace and truth from Above.

Here on the inside,
Worshiping men and rocks and calling them gods;

We must surrender our hearts and return to what is right,
The One and Only Source of eternal wisdom outside the box.

JEPollock
09282009

WISDOM

"Sin is not an unfortunate slip or a regrettable act;
it is a posture of defiance against a holy God." -- ML

HOLY FOR YOU

Father, Abba Father,
Give me holy strength;
Help me fight harder,
Against sin and hate.

Jesus, Savior Jesus,
Let me know your grace;
Hold me when I try to run,
And make my getaway.

Spirit, Holy Spirit,
Stay me to Your course;
Please hear me when cry for mercy,
But don't forget to consider the source.

Perfect God, Three in One,
Thank You for Your wondrous Love;
Heal my heart and make it new,
Only then will I live wholly for You.

JEFFREYEPOLLOCK

September2009

The Examined Life

We've heard it said, and it proves to be true, the
unexamined life is not worth living. If we flow through
life without evaluating who we are and what we
believe, we have not really lived. Deep down, we all
desire to take a stand and live according to a
consistent set of beliefs. This requires a boldness
to explore beneath the surface of our beliefs, into
our very soul! Without this boldness we may give the
appearance of living, and may even fool ourselves
for a number of years, but there will always be an
emptiness until we look deep within and deal with
what we find.

God knows every detail of our heart; "Everything is
uncoveredand laid bare before the eyes of Him to
whom we must give ac-count" (Hebrews 4:13).
But our Heavenly Father desires for us to know our
own heart as we are being transformed; "Examine
yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test
yourselves" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

As we seek to understand who we are - with all our
hidden motives, pride, and selfishness - we find
we're somewhat difficult to understand. Without the
spiritual help which God freely gives, there will be
parts of our life which remain covered and dark.
There may also be portions of our heart we would
rather not face.

Psalm 139:23-24
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any
offensive way in me, and l ead me in the way
everlasting."

It's foolish to think we can hide anything from God!
It's equally foolish to intentionally close areas of our
heart from examination when we know those areas
are keeping us separated from God. What do we
really believe? And are we living consistent with
that belief?

We have been given God's Word as a guide, "a
lamp to my feet" (Psalm 119:105). And as we dig
deeper into His Word, we find the same lamp which
guides our steps also reveals our heart: "The lamp
of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches
out his inmost being" (Proverbs 20:27). Using God's
Word to truly examine our heart can be painful. It
seems we strip back one layer only to expose
additional layers of sin we didn't even know we had;
but this process must continue without fear!

If we desire to live in His presence and bring Him
glory and honor in all we do, we must determine
today to know ourselves. We must know what we
believe, with all our strengths and weaknesses, and
know our level of resolve to follow where He leads.
Let's open our heart and allow His Spirit to search
and wash us with His Word. Let's follow according
to a consistent belief and commit to living the
examined life.

Have a Christ Centered Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

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Home > Devotionals > My Utmost for His Highest

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Destined To Be Holy

. . . it is written, ’Be holy,
for I am holy’ -1 Peter 1:16

We must continually remind ourselves of the purpose
of life. We are not destined to happiness, nor to health,
but to holiness. Today we have far too many desires
and interests, and our lives are being consumed and
wasted by them. Many of them may be right, noble,
and good, and may later be fulfilled, but in the mean-
time God must cause their importance to us to
decrease. The only thing that truly matters is whether
a person will accept the God who will make him holy.
At all costs, a person must have the right relationship
with God.

Do I believe I need to be holy? Do I believe that God
can come into me and make me holy? If through your
preaching you convince me that I am unholy, I then
resent your preaching. The preaching of the gospel
awakens an intense resentment because it is
designed to reveal my unholiness, but it also awakens
an intense yearning and desire within me. God has
only one intended destiny for mankind— holiness. His
only goal is to produce saints. God is not some
eternal blessing-machine for people to use, and He
did not come to save us out of pity— He came to
save us because He created us to be holy. Atone-
ment through the Cross of Christ means that God
can put me back into perfect oneness with Himself
through the death of Jesus Christ, without a trace of
anything coming between us any longer.

Never tolerate, because of sympathy for yourself or
for others, any practice that is not in keeping with a
holy God. Holiness means absolute purity of your
walk before God, the words coming from your mouth,
and every thought in your mind— placing every detail
of your life under the scrutiny of God Himself.
Holiness is not simply what God gives me, but what
God has given me that is being exhibited in my life.