Stand Still - C.H. Spurgeon

"Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord."

--Exodus 14:13

These words contain God's command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he now to do? The Master's word to him is, "Stand still." It will be well for him if at such times he listens only to his Master's word, for other and evil advisers come with their suggestions. Despair whispers, "Lie down and die; give it all up." But God would have us put on a cheerful courage, and even in our worst times, rejoice in His love and faithfulness.

Cowardice says, "Retreat; go back to the worldling's way of action; you cannot play the Christian's part, it is too difficult. Relinquish your principles." But, however much Satan may urge this course upon you, you cannot follow it if you are a child of God. His divine fiat has bid thee go from strength to strength, and so thou shalt, and neither death nor hell shall turn thee from thy course. What, if for a while thou art called to stand still, yet this is but to renew thy strength for some greater advance in due time.

Precipitancy cries, "do something. Stir yourself; to stand still and wait, is sheer idleness." We must be doing something at once--we must do it so we think--instead of looking to the Lord, who will not only do something but will do everything. Presumption boasts, "If the sea be before you, march into it and expect a miracle." But Faith listens neither to Presumption, nor to Despair, nor to Cowardice, nor to Precipitancy, but it hears God say, "Stand still," and immovable as a rock it stands. "Stand still";--keep the posture of an upright man, ready for action, expecting further orders, cheerfully and patiently awaiting the directing voice; and it will not be long ere God shall say to you, as distinctly as Moses said it to the people of Israel, "Go forward."

Notes From the Tilt-a-Whirl - N.D. Wilson

So here is the book I am reading.
I am finding it to be quite good. If laughing, crying and getting upset while reading a book is good.

View trailer here:


Here is descript from Mr. Wilson's publisher:

A visual, poetic exploration of the narrative nature of the world and the personality of the Poet behind it all.

When Nate Wilson looks at the world around him, he asks "What is this place? Why is this place? Who approved it? Am I supposed to take it seriously?" What could such an outlandish, fantastical world say about its Creator?

In these sparkling chapters, Wilson gives an aesthetic examination of the ways in which humanity has tried to make sense of this overwhelming carnival ride of a world. He takes a whimsical, thought-provoking look at everything from the "magic" of quantum physics, to nature's absurdities, to the problem of evil, evolution and hell. These frequently humorous, and uniquely beautiful portraits express reality unknown to many Christians-the reality of God's story unfolding around and among us. As the author says, "Welcome to His poem. His play. His novel. His comedy. Let the pages flick your thumbs."

Le/Re - The Prefix Says it All

Back when I was in high school, the French car company, Renault, made a very unique car. Actually, I take that back, it wasn't very unique. It was just a car. It looked similar to that of my 1978 Honda Civic. What made this car stand out, I guess, was that it was not just any old car, but the French company added a "Le" to the front of it. They made "Car" into "Le Car."

Perhaps the people who purchased and drove Le Car felt that they were experiencing the fullest extent of French living. In all honesty, I never owned or even drove a Le Car. I thought they looked funny.

What intrigued me most, was the prefix. I assume that Renault felt that it would stand out more with the "Le" in front of the name. The prefix said it all. It wasn't just another car. It was "Le Car."

I am not here to really blog about Le Car, but about prefixes. If you would like to know about Le Car, go here.

So if the prefix "Le" can change the uniqueness of a car, I wonder if there are more significant prefixes...

Wikipedia offers the following as samples:

• unhappy : un is a negative or antonymic prefix.
• prefix, preview : pre is a prefix, with the sense of before
• redo, review : re is a prefix meaning again.

I love the "re" prefix. Not so much the prefix itself, but rather how it radically changes words.

For instance, think of the word "new." At one time we were all new. When we were born, we were new. Now, on the other hand, we are not new. We are all getting older. We are losing our innocence. We are losing our strength. We are not new.

BUT

If you add the "re" in front of the word "new" something dramatic happens. What was once old becomes new again. RENEW.

Revelation 5:21 says, "And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”

The good news is that God is renewing. Right now. He is renewing you. Sometimes you may not feel it, and somedays you may even doubt it. I assure you though, He who began a work in you is faithful to complete it. You are being renewed.

How about generating. For many of us our lives consisted of generating the wrong things. Sin. Rebellion. Angst. Hate.

BUT

When you add the prefix "re" in front of generating, you find a completely different meaning. REGENERATED.

Titus 3:5 says, "He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit."

Think of all the possibilities here:

1. restored/restoring
2. recreated/recreating
3. redeemed/redeeming
4. reconciled/reconciling
5. reformed/reforming
6. resurrection
7. relearning
8. recreating
9. replacing
10. revitalizing
11. reborn

Never forget my friends, what our Savior is doing in us. Psalm 65:5 says, "By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas."

Live in the freedom of the prefix today. It says it all.

Questions to Ask Yourself/Self Evaluation

As we go through life, some of us will do self-evaluation exercises with ease. Others of us would prefer to dig deep. The following is a list of questions that we should periodically be asking ourselves. How about now? Take the time to go through the list, you may hit on something that needs a little spiritual work.

Husbands and Wives:

• Did you love your spouse by putting love for Christ in front of the love for them?
• Did you pray for your spouse?

Singles:

• Did you support the married families in the church?
• Did you provide positive discipleship to those younger than you?

Married:

• Did you show the singles a positive view of marriage?
• Did you provide positive discipleship to those younger than you?

Husbands:

• Did you display sold Christian leadership in the home?
• If your wife is an unbeliever, did you pray for her salvation?
• If your wife is a believer, did you pray for her to grow in her sanctification?
• Did you show love to your wife?
• Did you meet the emotional and physical needs of your wife, placing her above yourself?

Wives:

• Did you submit to your husbands spiritual leadership?
• If your husband is an unbeliever, did you pray for his salvation?
• If your husband is a believer, did you pray for him to grow in his sanctification?
• Did you show respect to your husband, encouraging him, meeting his emotional and physical needs and placing his needs above yours?

Singles:

• Did you pray about whether you are called to marry?
• Did you pray for your future spouse?
• Did you find full sufficiency in Jesus alone?
• Have you been selfless in your relationships with your closest friends?

Parents:

• Did you demonstrate the love of Christ and His grace to your children?
• Did you spend time this week teaching your children about the greatness of Jesus?
• Was your life a confirmation of the Gospel for your children this week?

Children:

• Were you obedient to your parents this week?
• Did you attempt to live at peace with your siblings?

All:

• Did you spend regular time in prayer this week?
• Did you spend regular time in the Bible this week?
• Did you do your best to make Christ your treasure this week?
• Did you, at any point, allow something besides Christ to be your treasure this week? What was that thing? How will you (or did you) deal with this?
• What ministry are you serving in this week? At church?
• Did you share Christ with anyone this week?
• Who are you actively attempting to share Christ with?
• Who are some friends you are praying that will meet Christ?
• Did you give undue emphasis to money this week (spending recklessly, worrying constantly, being stingy)?
• Were you sexually pure this week? Did you guard your heart, mind and eyes?
• Did you attend church this week?
• Did you seek to connect with others in the body this week?
• Did you support the church with time and/or money this week?
• Did you seek out friendship and fellowship with church members this week?
• Are you letting other members of the body of Christ speak into your life?
• Have you confessed your sin to the Lord?
• Were you dependable?

Graduating Up

So here we are in August, more than half-way through the Summer. When I was a kid, I thought that as soon as the last week of July was come and gone, my mind went to regretting the fact that school was so close.

You may say, that I am kind of jumping the gun here, but perhaps I am not alone.

In our small group, we certainly have a lot of young people and to my knowledge all of these kids have graduated from one grade and are moving up to another.

So, with that in mind, I thought that I would give some thought to both young people that are "graduating up" and their parents.

First, the youngsters...

1. To borrow the John Piper line, "don't waste your" grade. Know that the Lord has called you to this time for a purpose of bringing glory to Him first and foremost. School and all that it comes with (drama, grades, fights, dances, new music, new friends, etc) sometimes feels like it is the most important thing in our lives. But that is not the case. School IS important, but know Christ is even more so.

   1 Peter 2:21--"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps."

2. Don't forget the Word. Be in the Word. Stay in the Word. Know the Word. Pray the Word. Hear God speak to you in His Word. We all can be so busy doing "stuff" that we forget to feed on what can truly sustain us. Stay in the Word.

   Psalm 119:105--"Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."

3. Don't forget the wisdom of your elders. I am not just suggesting myself here. There are a lot of wise men and wise women that are older than you are. Seek them out. Listen to their words. Ask them about their struggles, pain. Seek advise from people who have "been there" before. You may save yourself a lot of pain and heartache.

   Colossians 2:10 & 19, "You have been filled in Him, who is 'the Head of all rule and authority.' Not withholding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God."

4. Don't forget the Church. I know of one of us who will be moving away for college and others of us will be joining the college bound in a year or so. When we move away from home we can easily slip into a routine of not going to church. Not being in fellowship with other believers. I know this to be true - even while I was at Bible college, no less. The saying is true, as a single coal is removed from pile of coals and thus looses it's heat, so the same for an individual when they are not part of church.

   Hebrews 10:24-25, "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

5. Trust the Gospel to be true. Trust in Jesus who has saved you. Whom should you fear, for who can stand against you?

   Romans 1:16a, "For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes."

Parents...

1. Show your kids that you are proud of them. This is not a time to "boast" about your freedom from your kids. The world does that. This is a time for you to encourage them by telling them how proud you are of them.

   Proverbs 23:24, "The father of the righteous will greatly rejoince; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him."

2. Pray for your kids. As our kids head out into the world, there are a lot of ideals, philosophies, and thoughts that are completely counter to who they are as followers of Christ. Go before the throne of Heaven and plead for their protection.

   Matthew 21:22, "And whatever you ask in prayer you will receive, if you have faith."

3. Trust in our Sovereign God to sanctify them. This is His promise for you, for them. Rest in this. Trust God.

   2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this come from the Lord who is the Spirit."

4. Remember that you are your kid's parent for a specific reason. God placed you there. You have a huge responsibility. It's your job to raise your kids for the glory of Christ. Remember you don't do this alone, you do this through the strength of the Spirit of God, who is in you.

   Psalm 127:3, "Behold children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward."

We still have a while before summer is done... So don't panic. Enjoy this time with your kids.