Quote of the Day ~ David Platt on Following Jesus

“If our lives do not reflect the fruit of following Jesus, then we are foolish to think that we are actually followers of Jesus in the first place. – David Platt, Follow Me: A Call to Die. A Call to Live.

Thursday Theology ~ Dr. Mike Fabarez on Back to the Basics

Back to the BasicsIn this two-part series, Pastor Mike revisits the basics of the Christian life – personal Bible study and prayer. Whether you are a new follower of Christ or a seasoned Christian, don’t miss this short two-part series as we go back to the basics and make sure we are actively involved in hearing from God and making sure he is hearing from us. ~ Compass Bible Church

Title Passage Date
Making the Most of Daily Bible Study (part 1) Various May 01, 2011
How To Pray and Making Sure We Do (part 2) Colossians 4:2-4 May 08, 2011

Blessing God ~ Fruit

What is God’s fruit and why would it be better than fine gold? I rejoice every day just thinking about what God has in store for me! Gold was the most precious thing back in the days of the writing of the Proverbs. Think about the best thing in this world you could think of. Winning the Mega Lottery? Having a 10 carrot diamond ring? Catching 10 perfect waves in one day? What is your “best thing ever” idea of life? Times that by a million and you will start to get a glimpse of what God has for you.

Berries“Fruit”

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.
– Proverbs 8:19

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish
Joy in the Thorns
Perfection

Quote of the Day ~ C.S. Lewis on God’s glory

“A man can no more diminish God’s glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word ‘darkness’ on the walls of his cell.”
C.S. LewisThe Problem of Pain

Wednesday Worship ~ Already There

“Already There” by Casting Crowns from the album Come To The Well
Listen to it HERE.

From where I’m standing
Lord, it’s so hard for me to see
Where this is going
And where You’re leading me

I wish I knew how
All my fears and all my questions
Are going to play out
In a world I can’t control

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory

‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there
Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

From where You’re standing
Lord, You see a grand design
That You imagined
When You breathed me into life

And all the chaos
Comes together in Your hands
Like a masterpiece
Of Your picture perfect plan

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory

One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
I can’t wait to enjoy the view
And see how all the pieces fit

One day I’ll stand before You
And look back on the life I’ve lived
‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there

When I’m lost in the mystery
To You my future is a memory
‘Cause You’re already there
You’re already there

Standing at the end of my life
Waiting on the other side
And You’re already there
You’re already there

CastingCrowns-ComeToTheWell

Songwriters: Mark Hall, Matthew West, Bernie Herms
Copyright: © 2011 Sony/ATV Tree Publishing (BMI). All rights on behalf of Sony/ATV Tree Publishing administered by Sony/ATV. / My Refuge Music (BMI) (adm. at EMICMGPublishing.com) / External Combustion Music / Songs of Southside Independent Music Publishing, LLC / Songs for Delaney (ASCAP) / Bernie Herms Music (adm. by Maxx Music Publishing)

Blessing God ~ Perfection

We live in a world that expects or rather demands perfection of us. From our boss to our teacher to our parents to our spouses. Some might call it excellence, but when you get right down to it, you personally work towards perfection. Even if it is just the best you can do, it is YOUR perfection. The sad thing is, the harder we try to get something perfect, we all know it is impossible. Sure you might get a perfect score on a test, but to truly make something perfect is impossible. God is the only one that is able to make things perfect. We see it all around us in nature and even see his perfection in how we are made, how we grow, and how we heal.

Perfection through God“Perfection”

The Mighty One, God the LORD,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth.
– Psalm 50:1-2

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish
Joy in the Thorns

Shana tova!!! ~ Happy New Year ~ May you be ascribed in the Book of Life! Enjoy your Rosh haShana!

Shana Tova! Rosh Hashana Apples and HoneyFor on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins. It is a Sabbath of solemn rest to you, and you shall afflict yourselves; it is a statute forever. (Leviticus 16:30-31, ESV)

Take time today to reflect on your year. How did you do? How can you better follow what God commands you to do. How can you serve Him more fully. More of Him and less of you.

Have a truly blessed Yom Teruah / Rosh haShanah!

~ Jen

Quote of the Day ~ C.S. Lewis on Forgiveness

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”
C.S. Lewis

Tuesday Teaching ~ Messianic Prophecy

Messianic Prophecy – Compelling Predictions
http://www.allabouttruth.org/messianic-prophecy.htm

Dead Sea ScrollMessianic Prophecy: What Is It?
Messianic prophecy is the collection of over 100 predictions (a conservative estimate) in the Old Testament about the future Messiah of the Jewish people. These predictions were written by multiple authors, in numerous books, over approximately 1,000 years. Messianic Prophecy is so dramatic today, because with the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the reliability of the Septuagint version of the Old Testament (both of which have been proven to exist prior to the time Jesus walked on the earth) you can be assured that these prophecies were not “conspired” after-the-fact.

Messianic Prophecy: Fulfillment by Jesus Christ
Messianic prophecy was fulfilled by the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Although many Jews did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, many did, and they became the Jewish sect later known as the Christians. Christianity, based in dramatic part on the fulfillment of historical prophecy, spread rapidly throughout the Roman Empire of the 1st Century. Examine the prophecies yourself, and calculate the probability of one man fulfilling just a handful of the most specific ones, and you’ll be amazed.

“Jesus said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.’” Luke 24:44 (NIV)

The Old Testament verses are the prophecy; the New Testament verses proclaim the fulfillment. Check them all out for yourself!

  • Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21-23)
  • A descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16)
  • Of the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Luke 3:23, 33; Hebrews 7:14)
  • Of the house of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Matthew 1:1)
  • Born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7)
  • Taken to Egypt (Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:14-15)
  • Herod´s killing of the infants (Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16-18)
  • Anointed by the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17)
  • Heralded by the messenger of the Lord (John the Baptist) (Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:1-3)
  • Would perform miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6; Matthew 9:35)
  • Would preach good news (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:14-21)
  • Would minister in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12-16)
  • Would cleanse the Temple (Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12-13)
  • Would first present Himself as King 173,880 days from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25; Matthew 21:4-11)
  • Would enter Jerusalem as a king on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:4-9)
  • Would be rejected by Jews (Psalm 118:22; 1 Peter 2:7)
  • Die a humiliating death (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53) involving:
    1. rejection (Isaiah 53:3; John 1:10-11; 7:5,48)
    2. betrayal by a friend (Psalm 41:9; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:18)
    3. sold for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:14-15)
    4. silence before His accusers (Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-14)
    5. being mocked (Psalm 22: 7-8; Matthew 27:31)
    6. beaten (Isaiah 52:14; Matthew 27:26)
    7. spit upon (Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 27:30)
    8. piercing His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Matthew 27:31)
    9. being crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38)
    10. praying for His persecutors (Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34)
    11. piercing His side (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34)
    12. given gall and vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21, Matthew 27:34, Luke 23:36)
    13. no broken bones (Psalm 34:20; John 19:32-36)
    14. buried in a rich man’s tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60)
    15. casting lots for His garments (Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24)
  • Would rise from the dead!! (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6; Acts 2:31)
  • Ascend into Heaven (Psalm 68:18; Acts 1:9)
  • Would sit down at the right hand of God (Psalm 110:1; Hebrews 1:3)

Messianic Prophecy – What Are The Odds of Fulfillment Without God?
Messianic Prophecy is so powerful because of the statistical odds that one man would fulfill every single one of them. If we just analyze seven of the more specific prophecies in the Old Testament, that were later fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ, we are stunned by the statistical impossibility of such an historical reality. As an illustration, we have inserted some conservative “odds” alongside seven established prophecies. Please feel free to propose your own prophecies and your own odds – the dramatic point will still be made!
Messianic Prophecy


Messianic Prophecy – The Challenge

Messianic prophecy is phenomenal evidence that sets the Bible apart from the other “holy books.” We strongly encourage you to read the Old Testament prophecies and the New Testament fulfillments on the previous page. Better yet, get a Jewish Tanakh (the Hebrew scripture read in the Jewish synagogues) and read the Messianic prophecies from there. It is dramatic, eye-opening and potentially life-changing!

Copyright © AllAboutTruth.org, All Rights Reserved.

Blessing God ~ Joy in the Thorns

God has been putting me through a series of trials and tests. At one point I begged Him to give me respite. I thought, “I can’t do this anymore!” Then he blessed me. He blessed me in a way I would never have guessed. He changed my desire. Instead of changing my circumstances, the thing I kept praying for, he blessed me in the best way possible by redirecting my focus. Can you look at something you are going through right now that you are sad about, hurt by, or just don’t understand and look at it from a different perspective? Will what you are going through matter a year from now? Maybe. Will it matter 10 years from now? It might. Will it matter 100 years from now? Well, that is up to you and your Maker. If it is of this world, then it definitely will not matter 100 years from now. If it is regarding your spiritual life, you better bet it will matter 100 years from now. Change your perspective and rejoice in your trouble.
Joy in the Thorns“Joy in the Thorns”

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
– James 1:2-4

Photography by Jen O’Sullivan

Blessing God Series
Rain from the Lord
Grass in the Field
Parable of the Pearl
Rocks Cry Out
Flourish