Focus John 3:16

(Photo by Olga Novikova)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

"A more wonderful verse in the Bible cannot be found." ~ J.C. Ryle

And last evening's sermon was focused squarely on this wonderful verse, which indeed I would agree, Mr. Ryle, there is none more so. The young man who often comes to share the Word with us, came again to minister and as he never fails to give us solid food for the soul, this sermon was no exception. He had four points, and we were fed:

1. The Fountain of Love is God
Here he talked about the love of God in all of its beauty and wonder. 

2. The Flow of His Love Directed Toward the World
 Here he talked about what is meant by “the world”  and after much discussion he settled on the fact that God’s love in this instance is directed towards all nations, not just the Jews. Both Jews and Gentiles are included.

3. The Fact of God’s Love
He gave His Son, the One with whom He had the most special and unique relationship. He gave Him to die. He gave Him to die for sinners. He gave Him who also was divine like Himself to die a cruel death on the cross for the sins of others.

4. The Fruit of His Love
Whoever will, whoever believes in His Son and what He accomplished there on the cross won’t have to perish. They can have eternal life. They can be saved from the wrath to come.

This is the essence of the gospel. It’s difficult for a child of God like me not to be refreshed and encouraged hearing the precious gospel laid out before me once again. And indeed I was refreshed and encouraged. Ready to press on in the faith. Only seeing Jesus before me does that.

If you’ve happened to stop by this blog and read this post I hope it makes you think. You may have seen references to John 3:16 before. Are you included in the “whosoever?” If not, or if you’re not sure, I implore you to find a Bible and read this verse and pray for God to reveal Himself to you and to save you. Read the entire third chapter of the Book of John. Indeed it would be even better if you read the whole Book of John and then go on from there, praying for God’s help all the while. And may He use this to give you the salvation that’s been talked about here.

The Highest Authority

 (Art by Juliette Aristides)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1 [NKJV]

Just wanted to share a couple of thoughts from our pastor's sermon this morning on the subject of government. The sermon was a needed one at the time we're in right now with the current election coming up in nine days. It wasn't a political message, because at our church the pastors do try to stay away from any involvement in politics, refraining from telling us who or what we should vote for on any given level. But they do rightfully try to impress the Word of God on our hearts, so that when we do whatever we do, including exercising this important privilege as citizens, that will be foremost in our minds.

I've been thinking a lot about this election so it was good to be reminded of some things. I've been listening to the "much talking" coming from both sides, everybody accusing everybody else of being liars, among a host of other things. Actually, it's getting exhausting to tell the truth. So the reminders from today's sermon were so welcome. I won't outline the entire sermon, which I appreciated so much as it was so sober, sensible, and practical. But I don't want to ever forget what was he said about the highest authority that exists:

Every human government has its credentials. It has a name, an ideology, a capital, a cabinet, a sphere of rule, intelligence, and the rest. But the highest authority has a Name, which is "the Most High God;" an Age, which is Eternal; a Capital, which is Heaven; Ministers, who are the Angels; a Realm, which is the Universe; Intelligence, which is Omniscient; Experience, which is Infinite; a Record, which is Impeccable; Character, which is Unimpeachable; and a Purpose, which is Benevolent. ~ Pastor J.R.

Now that's quite enough to help me to press on and not be afraid, no matter who wins on November 6th.

Softly and Tenderly

Pray for Persecuted Christians

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. 2 Corinthians 4: 8-10

Well Diggers and Rope Holders

That was the title of our sermon this evening. It was an exhortation to us regarding missions. The people in the ministry, pastors and missionaries, are the well diggers. We can pray for more of them, but in the meantime we can certainly serve them and the Lord as rope holders. This is the quote by William Carey that inspired the sermon:

After hearing an account of the spiritual needs of India, the secretary of the meeting remarked: "There is a gold mine in India, but it seems almost as deep as the center of the earth. Who will venture to explore it?" "I will venture to go down," said Carey, "but remember that you must hold the ropes."

And there are many ways we can participate in rope holding. Pray the Lord to show us each how we can do this.

Count the Cost

So the title of this post is the subject of this morning's sermon. Indeed, we must count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. There are many Scriptures which teach us that we must confess Him, follow Him, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and definitely not be ashamed to own Him. The following words from a hymn come to mind:

Jesus, and shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of thee?

Ashamed of thee whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days!

Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend On whom my hopes of heav'n depend!

No; when I blush, be this my shame, That I no more revere His Name.

Ashamed of Jesus! yes, I may When I've no guilt to wash away,

No tear to wipe, no good to crave, No fears to quell, no soul to save.

~ Joseph Grigg, 1765

God is God

Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying ' My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed it; I will also do it. ~ Isaiah 46:9-11

Oh how I've loved this passage for a long time, because it explains to us our God. How pleasantly surprised I was to find out it would be the sermon text for yesterday. How wonderful it was to reflect on:

The Person of God. God is God. What else can you say? There is no other God.

It is very necessary and important that we believe the truth that He is holy and high above all else in the universe.

If we are to live our lives as we should, we have to remember the amazing fact that God is sovereign and we are subject to His will.

What is better than that? God is God.

His Beauty Upon Us

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us. . .Psalm 90:17

"Ah! dear Lord, when you give us a sight of our own evil heart, we are overwhelmed with horror, and should soon be driven to despair, if you did not at once turn our eyes to that wondrous hill of Calvary, where One 'altogether lovely' made the great atonement which brought us back to you! That precious blood, which cleanses us from all sin, restores to us the beauty which that sin has forfeited; its royal purple not only covers our disfigurement, but removes it, and bestows upon us the beauty which the Lord looks on with pleasure.

"O my soul, do you not desire above all things that this 'beauty of holiness' may be your glorious dress? Then you must keep very close to the Master, shutting the door of your heart to every evil thing, and opening it wide to the incoming of his Holy Spirit, who, in revealing Christ to you, will make you like him. An old fable tells how a piece of common clay became sweetly scented by close contact with a rose; the fable will be a happy fact in your experience if the Rose of Sharon blooms in your heart, and sheds its fragrance around your life. 'Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty,' yes, may God grant it; but the condition is thus expressed--'Holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord'."

~ Susannah Spurgeon

Sunday Snippet: The Gospel

Passage: Romans 10:1-11

I thought it would be a good close of this Lord's Day to give you the three points of this morning's sermon on the above passage of Scripture. In this passage, the Apostle Paul was referring to his people, the Israelites, but as our pastor said, it would apply to the people of today as well, even people who go to church Sunday after Sunday and who consider themselves religious:

1. Problem of their misguided faith.
They didn't know about God's righteousness, but instead were trying to establish their own. As Pastor R elaborated, we can do many things and still be lost. The truth is that only God is righteous and we are sinners, unable to do any good of our own strength. It's not about ME.

2. Solution to their flawed faith.
Christ is the goal; He gives sense to the law. Christ is the answer to it all; He is the only way to salvation. It's all about Him and His righteousness; He must be our all in all. (See also Colossians 2:1-3)

3. Evidence of true saving faith.
Confession: acknowledge my sin and His Lordship. Repudiate our sin for Jesus.

A simple exposition of the gospel. We have no righteousness of our own, so there is no good we can do to be saved. We must repent and believe in Christ alone. He has suffered for us at the cross of Calvary.

The true gospel is simple, but so beautiful.

Be Ready

Excerpt from today's sermon:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

He's coming again, folks. He said that no one knows the day nor the hour. So be watchful and be ready.

O Sacred Head

The following hymn contains some closing words from our sermon today on the agonizing of our Savior in Gethsemane. He told His Father "Not what I will, but what thou wilt." So, it was the Father's will that the cup of wrath would not be removed. So He bore it:


O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down;
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, thine only crown;
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss till now was thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call thee mine.

What thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners' gain:
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Saviour!
'Tis I deserve thy place;
Look on me with thy favor,
Vouchsafe to me thy grace.

What language shall I borrow
To thank thee, dearest Friend,
For this thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me thine for ever;
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
Outlive my love to thee.

Sunday Snippet - Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble? Psalm 46:1

Familiar words? I'm sure they are! What Christian doesn't know the first verse of this wonderful, wonderful psalm in the Word of God? What child of God has not been inspired, and most of all, comforted by not just this verse, but the whole eleven verses of one of the most beloved portions of our beloved Bible.

This, my dear friends, was our sermon today. It was delivered by a visiting young man who comes to preach periodically and we've seldom been disappointed when he does. This time I was particularly thankful for the ministry of the Word, because I needed it so much. You see, there is nothing that motivates me more in my Christian walk than to hear a message that brings me to God. And that's what happened today. I like it that our brother "took us into the mindset of the psalmist," that is, he brought us to the place that we could have a sense of what was happening in and to Jerusalem at the time the words were written. The horror of that time came alive for me--the brutal Assyrians, the great and vicious Sennacherib knocking at the door, ready to come in and destroy them. And yet, "God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved." Wow. The context is trouble and the question posed to us was "What is it that unsettles you today?"

Whatever is unsettling you, whatever trouble you may be having, this blessed psalm is for you. Read it today and meditate on it. Let these words echo in your heart and mind:

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Psalm 46:10.

Sunday Snippet - The Thought of Jesus

Jesus, the very thought of thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see,
And in thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the mem'ry find,
A sweeter sound than thy blest Name,
O Saviour of mankind.

O Hope of ev'ry contrite heart,
O Joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show:
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but his loved ones know.

Jesus, our only Joy be thou,
As thou our Prize wilt be;
Jesus, be thou our Glory now,
And through eternity.

We took communion at our service tonight, which is always a blessing to the people of God. He knew what He was doing, didn't He, by leaving this ordinance for His church? How quickly we'd get caught up in the things of this world and think too little about all that He's accomplished for us at Calvary. "Do this in remembrance of Me," He said, and so we do, or we would indeed be prone to forget. I'm thankful and privileged each time I can partake with the other saints.

We also sang this hymn during the service. It wasn't one of the ones we would sing in the church I grew up in, but now it has become a favorite of mine. The thought of Jesus--what sweetness that brings to our hearts. Our only Joy, our Prize, our Glory now and through eternity.

Sunday Snippet: Zimbabwe

And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noon day . . . Isaiah 58:10

Have you or your children ever been hungry? I mean really hungry? This child does know what it's like to be hungry--in the true sense of the word. He lives in Zimbabwe, where there is a severe food shortage. We've heard a lot about the political struggles there, but not as much about the severe hunger problems.

This youngster is receiving a life-saving, daily ration of a corn-soybean-blend cereal from World Vision. I would imagine that he's thankful to receive it. Please don't mind my saying this, but I think it would be good for our children in our households to look at pictures like this one from time to time. I wonder would it help to settle some of the issues we have with them over picky habits about what is set before them. Maybe it would be helpful to pray for the starving children of our world at our dinner tables, children who are thankful for a daily ration like the one above and for children who don't even receive that. Maybe it would be helpful to all of us if we changed some of our ways so that we had less to throw out in the garbage, using the money we save to send to organizations like World Vision, who are trying to feed and help hungry people in many places, including Zimbabwe. Believe me, folks, I am preaching to myself as well.

Anyway, I picked Zimbabwe to talk about because it's special to us at our church. We have a special relationship with a church in New York which is supporting ministry work over there. In fact, their pastor and his wife are there now. And not only that, but one of our dear pastors is headed over there tomorrow to help out with that work. Needless to say, even though Pastor A and the others will be trying to do what they can about the physical needs, they will be focusing on another kind of food. The nourishment of God's Word will be their primary emphasis, particularly what it offers the hungry soul: salvation through Christ Jesus, the Bread of Life.

Pray please for the people of Zimbabwe--for their hunger needs, both body and soul. And please pray also for those servants I've just told you about, who are trying to be used of God, as best they can, to help supply provisions for these needs.

Sunday Snippet - Primary II Class

Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people. Proverbs 14:34

I have a new toy and already it's a blessing. Tuesday will be my birthday and my husband has gifted me with a digital camera! Until recently, I've been afraid to get one because I'm not good at taking pictures but this one has been actually pretty easy to use. I just started using it today and have been enjoying it except for the fact that the very first thing I did was to set the language and somehow I managed to set it at German! Then nobody could help me figure out how to get it to English because we couldn't understand the directions on the screen. Finally my daughter Bev came to the rescue and figured it out.

The above is my Sunday school class, which were the first pictures ever taken with my new camera.(Forgive the shadows--we forgot the flash.) That's me on the back right and the lovely young lady on the back left is my substitute Sara. Below is a closer picture of the four children who make up the class this year. Aren't they cute? Kris, the only boy in the bunch holds up pretty well--I don't think he minds his minority position too much. He's a sweetie and I love having him. I love the little girlies, too, of course. Currently, we're in the book of Judges in our survey of the Old Testament and the kids are learning quite a bit. Today Sara took the class and the lesson was about Gideon.

Next to writing for them, teaching children is one of my greatest joys and blessings on this side of heaven. There have been countless precious moments from my Lord over the years with many children whom I grow to love in a special way during the two years or so they spend in this class. The earlier ones are adults now, and it breaks my heart when I hear of those who have gone astray. But it's cause for thanksgiving hearing of the ones who are walking with the Lord. Last year, sadly, one of them passed on to eternity in a car accident at age nineteen. I can only hope he's with the Savior.

The verse I posted is the class memory verse this week. This is a familiar verse to most of us and is it ever appropriate for the time we're in right now. It's a good one to spur us to pray, wouldn't you agree? Blessings as we begin a new week!

Sunday Snippet - Not Far Enough

Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." Mark 12:34

This morning's sermon was about the scribe who came to Jesus to ask Him which commandment was the greatest. This is the scribe who agreed with Jesus when the Lord replied that we must love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. This same scribe even agreed with the Scriptures that teach that God wants our hearts more than outward sacrifices. Think about how far this man had gone in religion, which we can think of as a good thing, but the sad part is that he had not gone far enough. As Pastor John said, not far from is not good enough. God didn't come back and give us indication that this scribe, who had come so far, had eventually repented and believed the whole gospel of Christ. It's sad to think that someone who had come so near had not entered in. Pastor reminded us that greatly mistaken and slightly mistaken are both tragic.

I hope no one reading this post has stopped short of the kingdom. I hope no one is just almost persuaded, like King Agrippa. If you've not gone far enough, see Jesus whose atoning blood was spilled at Calvary for sinners. Embrace this Jesus, repenting and believing in His glorious gospel, being fully persuaded and you will have entered into the kingdom. Nothing can be better than that.

Sunday Snippet - The Greatest Wonder

I am rejoicing in the mercies of my God today. His kindnesses to this poor weary saint have been manifold. A good study with my Sunday school children this morning, two good sermons today, wonderful hymns at each service,the Lord's Supper, and a precious time of prayer tonight have left me ready to face another week. We heard about the "Seven Wonders of God" tonight as Pastor R. finished off with the greatest wonder of all: That God loves us. For those of us who have come to Him through His Son, we can be assured that He loves us. That indeed is a wonder and wonderful. The final words of the sermon:

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Wishing God's blessings to all my fellow pilgrims throughout this week.

Sunday Snippet - The Christian Family

"God honors not those who cling to their 'rights', but those who choose freely to obey Him."

This bit of truth is a quote out of a book that has been beloved in our house since early in our marriage. We have a different cover than the one shown here, but of all the books I've read on the family, this one by Larry Christenson has impacted me the most. Others of you may have a different favorite, but this one has always been mine. Believe me, it's worth having on your shelf as a reference. I love the five chapters from Part One, "God's Order for the Family" :


CHAPTER ONE: God's Order for Mates
CHAPTER TWO: God's Order for Wives
CHAPTER THREE: God's Order for Children
CHAPTER FOUR: God's Order for Parents
CHAPTER FIVE: God's Order for Husbands

I have received more help from Chapter Four than any other book I've ever read on the subject, except for a short book by J.C. Ryle, which I may talk about another time. The above quote, however, is from Chapter Two. Think about how it might be applied there, ladies.

I had a nice Lord's Day. Hope you did too.

Sunday Snippet - Mary, the Servant

Then Mary said "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word," And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:38

Once again, I have been encouraged in my Christian walk by the simple faith of Mary, who completely surrendered to the will of the Lord. This was our sermon tonight. We looked at her personal situation, her noble heavenly visitor and his message, and her response to that message. It's her response that touched me once again, as it has so many times before. She acknowledged God as the master, and that she was His servant. As Pastor D. said, she made a complete surrender, knowing that she was about to go through something difficult. But as he said, she chose to be esteemed by God, rather than by men. Should we do any less?

This young Jewish girl is an example to us all. We don't worship her, but we certainly should follow in the footsteps of her simple faith.

Sunday Snippet - Morbus Sabbaticus

Morbus Sabbaticus, or Sunday sickness, is a disease peculiar to church members.

• The symptoms vary, but it never interferes with the appetite.


• It never lasts more than twenty-four hours.


• No physician is ever called.


• It always proves fatal in the end--to the soul!


• It is becoming fearfully prevalent, and is destroying thousands every year.

The attack comes on suddenly every Sunday. No symptoms are felt on Saturday night; the patient sleeps well and wakes feeling well and eats a hearty breakfast. But about church time the attack comes on and continues until services are over for the morning. Then the patient feels easy and eats a hearty dinner. In the afternoon he feels much better, and is able to take a walk and read the Sunday papers; and afterwards eats a hearty supper. But about church time he has another attack and stays at home. He wakes up Monday morning refreshed and able to go to work.

~Source Unknown