*~*Prayer Requests for 11/26/09:

[lighthouse]

Atleast, take a peek!

www.HelpAngleTree.org

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"I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear
fruit He prunes so that it will be even more fruitful" (John 15:1-2 -
NIV).

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Bibles for America (BfA) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is
to distribute free copies of the New Testament Recovery Version and
Christian literature throughout the United States. Please visit
www.biblesforamerica.org to order a free Bible or browse our free
Bible-reading resources.

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"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;
of whom I am chief" (1 Timothy 1:15).

John Newton lived to be eighty-two years old and continued to preach
and have an active ministry until beset by fading health in the last
two years of his life. Even then, Newton never ceased to be amazed by
God's grace and told his friends:

My memory is nearly gone;
but I remember two things;
That I am a great sinner, and
that Christ is a great Saviour.

John Newton (1725-1807)
English minister and hymn writer

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Hi friend,

Please keep the following individuals in your prayers:

1) "My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for over 4 years
now. . . Please pray that the Lord will bless us with a baby soon." -
Katie

2) Beth asks for our prayers: "Please pray that I am on Mark's heart
and that he will not let me go. Please pray that his heart will be
convicted to me.";

3) "Hello, Today is my son Michael's 29th birthday. On Monday (Nov.
16th) he will go to court and expects to get 5 years in prison (3
years good time.) He is a Christian, but has already done about 3
years for his previous actions (resulting from meth use). Please pray
with me for God's will in Michael's life, and for strength, peace, and
even joy in the midst of his trials. Also please pray for God's
guidance in using the time served (if he gets sentenced) to good use,
for the glory of God. Thank you so much for praying!" -Michelle;

4) Sonya asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "I am
very depressed and emotionally drained. The past year has been the
hardest time of my life. I lost my husband and best friend because he
didn't trust me any longer due to the things that I have done. I let
him down and he said he could never be sure that I wouldn't hurt him
that way again. I was unfaithful and put my trust into one person more
than I should have. I have put myself into debt by loaning that person
money and I am writing those funds off as a loss because I know I will
not get it back. My husband divorced me- I was layed off from work -
and just recently my father inlaw passed away. At his funeral my ex-
husband's new girl friend was there. - I had so much hope we could
find our way back to each other. My choices and his choices cost us
our marriage. God didn't do this and I know that he didn't we didn't
have faith enough in God to make the right choices and now this is
where we are at. I know that God has provided me with my health,
family and friends. Please pray for me that I find a brighter tomorrow
and to help me continue to keep my faith in God and even though I am
hurting that things would turn around in my so called existence. That
I will find employment, continue to work with my therapist on my
depression, and to let go of my ex husband and find happiness. Thank
you.";

5) "Lord thank for today and for the ability to come to you and ask
that you bless me with meaningful employment. I pray for my wifes
safety as she is out of town on work. I ask theses things in the name
of Jesus. Amen." -Terry;

6) Sandra asks for our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for my
daughter and grandaughter. Pray that my grandaughter's heart be filled
with love and that she remember all the love that has existed between
herself and her mother since she was a baby. Thank you.";

7) "All the power of god into Tom In the form of personal power..." -
James;


8) "Pray for me that by disability benifits will be quickly
restored." -Mr Brown;

9) Tom and Kate asks to be remembered in our prayers. They write:
"All the power of god into Tom/Kate in the form of to get the job I am
praying for I wanna work.";

10) "Bless Sacramento Delta, Bless our president Obama and his
family, Bless those who fight for single payer health care, Kusinich -
from Oregon, Jay R- Bless Rob who is so ill, Bless me and thank you
for the gift yesterday, Bless guide posts. Thank you." -Eleanor;

11) Connie asks for our prayers. She writes, "Please pray for my
husband who has struggled with ssa since he can remember and is living
with another man. Both of them believe in God and He has been working
in their hearts. I need wisdom as my husband and I continue
communicating with each other.";

12) "I am really in need of prayer. My girlfriend and I broke up
recently, and it is killing me. I still think she has feelings for me,
but she is so afraid of commitment that I feel she thought it would be
better to break it off now instead of down the road where her feelings
could be stronger. I love her so much and don't want to lose her. I
have prayed for restoration and a renewal of our relationship. I
really do believe it is God's will for us, but I believe there are way
too many negative influences in her life that are keeping her from
giving us another chance. Please Please pray that God would give us
another chance together, and open her heart, mind, and will to give me
a chance with her. Please pray that I act in such a way when I am
around her that she looks at me in a very positive light. Let me not
get angry or jealous so that she gets turned off, but let me remain
calm at all times. Pray that God would send positive people into her
life that will help her find Jesus. Pray that she will accept me for
who I am, and that the Holy Spirit speak to her heart mind and will to
give me another chance. Thank you and God bless you all." -Joe;

13) Marie asks to be remembered in our prayers. She writes, "Please
pray for my daughter, Karen and her husband Keith who are experiencing
many financial problems right now. They have a son who requires many
medical procedures since his birth 11 years ago. Both of them have
full time jobs but cannot meet the demanding needs of the every day
bills especially with all the medical bills they've had which has been
in the million dollars. Their insurance covers most but they must pay
a lot out of pocket. I ask God to help them with their financial
problems before they lose their home which I am so afraid may happen
because the taxes keep going higher which means their mortgage goes up
too as do gas, oil, electric and food for a family of four. They do
not spend money on foolish things. They buy only necessities. Pray for
them to be able to meet their monthly payments and tend to the needs
of their children.";

14) "Yes, Mindy and issues in her life that are to numerous to
relate. May the Lords will be done and financial guidence. Judy in
hospital , H1N1 complications." -Mindy;

15) Jenni asks for our prayers. She writes: "I have had a little
bad luck these days. I left a man who was very abusive. Because of
this action I am left holding all of the responsibilities at home. We
had a house together...my daughter and I still live in the house, but
I am losing it. I have no job, but have been trying for months to find
one. I am a smart capable woman who just cant seem to get a break. If
I lose my home my daughter and I will have nowhere to go. Plus this is
our home and because of the abusive relationship I dont want to move
her and change her life even more. This is our home we have nothing
else.I pray everyday that I find a job or find some help to keep our
lives together. I also struggle everyday trying to deal with my past
relationship and what it has done to me and my daughter. I am tired
very tired of living like this...living day to day with no security. I
know I am stronger than I realize....but I need some extra help right
now. I am falling apart. So please pray for my daughter and myself
that in a miracle...we can keep our lives together. And that the man
in my past will leave us alone.";

16) "I would like to ask you to pray for Victor who was in a car
accident on November 1 and was due to fly back to NY on the 17 of this
November from to and then NY. He was taken to the airport and his
body went into a deep stress that they did not allow him to fly. I
have been calling his cell and got no answer I pray that God will
bring him home safe and bless the doctors that are helping him, my
name is Michelle but I ask you in the name of Jesus to pray for my
husband." -Michelle;

17) "Please pray that God would grant me the judicial appointment for
my community. Please pray that God would grant me the wisdom
knowledge, strength and confidence to be a just and compassionate
judge. To God be all the glory. Please pray in Jesus' name. Thanks." -
Chris;

18) Dorcus asks for our prayers: "IM HAVING TO DEAL WITH ME AND MY
HUSBAND NOT WORKING AND BILLS ARE DUE WERE TRYING TO PAY CAR AND
INSURANCE AND RENT AND LIGHTS PLUS FOOD HHOW CAN WE GET THROUGH
COLLECTORS KEEP CALLING INSURANCE CANCELLING ON CAR ITS CRAZY WE
REALLY NEED SOME OTHER GUIDES TO HELP WE HAVE FIVE KIDS AND WERE
TRYING TO MAINTAIN ALL OF THIS AND STILL SERVE GOD WEVE BEEN HOMELESS
WITH NOTHING SLEEPING IN THE CAR WE JUST PRAY FOR A TURN AROUND PLEASE
IN JESUS NAME.";

19) "Lord I ask you again for blessings and thank you for blessings.
Let my heart be trouble free and my body healthy. Let my finances be
like the fishes and loaves now for I know by faith God provides. And
Lord please send the right companion to me now; let him be like Jesus
and let me know when and who.In Jesus name amen." -Joan;

20) "Please pray for my grandson. He is sixteen and is very confused
and is looking at gay pornography and books on the occult. I am
trusting that God will deliver him. He is living with his dad who has
never been there for him." -Doris; and lastly ...

21) "Please pray for my son. He knows the Lord & was baptized. He is
living with a man who needs salvation. Ask God to send him Godly
friends and that he will continue to come home and hear the truth in
love. I need Godly wisdom as I talk with him." -Cindy


**God bless you for caring enough to pray!!!**

........................................

A real friend is always and under all circumstances a friend (Proverbs
17:17a).

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*~*Spotlight Site*~*

http://www.IDesirePrayer.com

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Daily Devotional
By Bill Keller
LighthousePrayerLine.org


I have to admit to you, that through all that I have seen and
experienced in my life and during over a decade in ministry, VERY
little shocks me any more. It is not that I am apathetic to what
happens in this world, but I realize that sinful men and women who
rebel against God are capable of doing ANYTHING. But the other
afternoon was one of those rare times that I was both shocked and
deeply saddened.

I was at the salon the other day getting my hair cut. As I was
waiting, I saw the cover of the recent Cosmopolitan magazine and the
BOLD PRINT featuring an article on "50 Sex Tricks ." Now my friend, I
am 51 years old, I have been married over 25 years, and prior to fully
surrendering to Christ 20 years ago lived in rebellion to God for many
years. So I am fully aware of what goes on between men and women not
committed to the Lord. But here was a well established, national
publication, geared primarily to young women in a place ANYONE of ANY
AGE could see, espousing the glory of having sex outside of marriage.
Yes, I was shocked and saddened by the message that Cosmopolitan was
sending out.

When I got home, I told my wife about the Cosmopolitan cover and she
told me
that she was in the supermarket check-out line a few weeks ago and saw
a past issue of Cosmopolitan. She told me that as she looked through
it, she was appalled at the graphic detailed nature of what they were
promoting to young women as perfectly acceptable sexual behavior.
While I couldn't believe what the cover I saw had said, I assumed that
it was just for shock value to get people to buy the magazine.

So my wife and I went out, bought the copy that I had seen, and I can
only tell you that I became even MORE SHOCKED as I read through the
contents of the entire magazine. It was pure pornography. The saddest
thing to me was that this a very prominent national publication that
has been around for years, and is responsible in shaping the views of
the young women who read it. What they were promoting as acceptable
behavior was not only 100% AGAINST God's plan, but does not "empower"
women as they claim, it cheapens them!!!! IT DESTROYS THEM!!!!

I make this an issue today for 2 reasons. First, moms and dads, DO NOT
let your daughters read this garbage. It is as bad as any pornography
that is on the market, and worse since instead of being in a plastic
cover behind the counter, it is on shelves where YOUR daughter can see
it and can purchase it. Second, young women, I often talk about
"garbage in, garbage out." What is on the pages of that magazine is
GARBAGE. Stay away from it!

Just so that I am clear, I am NOT for censorship. I believe in and
support the first amendment of our Constitution. There are MANY out
there who would love to censor what I say each day. The publishers of
Cosmopolitan have EVERY RIGHT to print that garbage, just as Larry
Flynt and Hugh Hefner have every right to print the garbage they do.
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE HAVE TO CONSUME THEIR GARBAGE!!!! Sadly,
what I saw in that issue of Cosmopolitan was just that, pure garbage
since it was 100% in opposition to God's Word.

Young women, listen to me. I am saying this because I love you and
care about you so much. Sex is a WONDERFUL thing. God created it so it
HAS to be
wonderful. But God created sex to be enjoyed between a man and a woman
in the bonds of marriage. Period! The Bible talks over and over about
fornication. That is literally, ANY sex outside of the bonds of
marriage. It includes ALL sexual acts, NOT just sexual intercourse!
The line was clearly set by Jesus when He said that if you "lust in
your heart" you have sinned.

God created you in His own image. He loves you. You are special!!! Sex
does
not make you special, you are special because God made you. If you
have made
the choice to accept Jesus Christ into your heart, YOU are a daughter
of the King! Don't ever let Cosmopolitan, or any other magazine, or
any TV program, or other person make you forget that you are special!
You have a ROYAL bloodline if you know Jesus!!!

The sad thing about what Cosmopolitan, TV, the movies, and our culture
do is
glamorize sin. They make sex seem SO WONDERFUL, which it is
IF...IF..IF...it
is the way God designed it to be enjoyed....IN THE CONTEXT OF
MARRIAGE!!!!
NOT OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE!!! Well, I have news for you. I receive
thousands of
emails daily from young women and young men who fell for satan's
(Cosmopolitan's) lie. Their problems range from unwanted pregnancies,
to STD's that they will have always have to deal with, deep emotional
issues, and a full range of other problems.

These are permanent scars that they will carry with them for the REST
OF THEIR LIVES!!! Many have had their world shattered at such a young
age. So many are wonderful, good young people who simply fell for the
lie of the enemy. LISTEN TO ME. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE LIFE TO
LIVE.....DON'T MESS IT UP!!!!

The enemy is here for what? TO KILL, STEAL , AND DESTROY! Jesus
promised
what? LIFE, AND LIFE MORE ABUNDANTLY!!!!

I have broken one of my rules about length today. But I have SO MUCH
passion
about this issue since I see daily thousands who have bought into the
"Cosmopolitan view of life." I will go so far today, without any
hesitation and say that Cosmopolitan is just as much a tool of satan
to destroy the lives of God's precious young women, as Playboy and
Penthouse are in the destruction of men!

I pray this day, that this Devotional gets to the publishers of
Cosmopolitan. I pray for their souls because of the damage that they
are doing to young women all over the world with their magazine. I say
to them that you are simply a tool of satan and you are as guilty as
he is in the lives you are destroying. For those who read my
Devotionals each day, you know that I don't say these things lightly.
But I SEE THE DESTROYED LIVES EVERY DAY. I KNOW WHAT SATAN IS DOING
THROUGH INSTRUMENTS LIKE COSMOPOLITAN IN DESTROYING THE LIVES OF YOUNG
WOMEN!

I do love you and care about you so much. In closing, let me just say
this. God loves you, never forget that! Follow Him daily and your
life will be blessed. He gave us His Word so that we didn't have to
get lost on our journey. He gave us the roadmap. If we follow it, we
will know the joy, the peace, the abundance of this life. If we take a
detour, we are on our own and there is a very real enemy out there
just waiting for us to get off the path to destroy us! To those young
women who are reading this today, forget Cosmopolitan and use that
time reading God's Word. IT IS NO ACCIDENT THAT GOD IS LETTING YOU
READ THIS TODAY! God, NOT Cosmopolitan will make you a REAL WOMAN, ALL
THE WOMAN GOD RAISED YOU UP TO BE!!!

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"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to
give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the
hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...For
Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by
the Spirit..." (1 Peter 3: 15,18)

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Saint Matthew's Churches is ecumenical in our scope and nature. We
reach out with love, compassion, and understanding to people of all
backgrounds regardless of their ethnic group, creed or gender. One of
the ways in which Saint Matthew's Churches reaches out to the
community is to hungry people. St. Matthew's food pantry feeds poor
and underprivileged people every month.

http://www.SaintMatthewChurches.com

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Called to Suffer and Rejoice: That We Might Gain Christ (Part 1of 2)
By John Piper
LighthousePrayerLine.org


Philippians 3:1-14

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things
again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of
the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false
circumcision; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the
Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the
flesh, although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If
anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:
circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of
Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal,
a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the
law, found blameless. But whatever things were gain to me, those
things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that,
I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ,
and may be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived
from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may
know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his
sufferings, being conformed to his death; in order that I may attain
to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained
it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may
lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but
one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to
what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the
upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

The Bible Promises Suffering for God's People

We are focusing in these weeks on the need to prepare for suffering.
The reason for this is not just my sense that the days are evil and
the path of righteousness costly, but the promise of the Bible that
God's people will suffer.

For example, Acts 14:22 says that Paul told all his young churches,
"Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom." And Jesus said,
"If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (John 15:20). And
Peter said, "Do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which
comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were
happening to you" (1 Peter 4:12). In other words it is not strange; it
is to be expected. And Paul said (in 2 Timothy 3:12), "Indeed, all who
desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

So I take it to be a biblical truth that the more earnest we become
about being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and
reaching the unreached peoples of the world, and exposing the works of
darkness, and loosing the bonds of sin and Satan, the more we will
suffer. That's why we should prepare. And that's why I am preaching in
these weeks from texts that will help us prepare.

The messages deal with four purposes that God has in our suffering in
his service. One is the moral or spiritual purpose: in suffering we
come to hope more fully in God and put less confidence in the things
of the world. Second, there is the intimacy purpose: we come to know
Christ better when we share his sufferings. That is our focus today.

The Purpose of Greater Intimacy with Christ

God helps us prepare for suffering by teaching us and showing us that
through suffering we are meant to go deeper in our relationship with
Christ. You get to know him better when you share his pain. The people
who write most deeply and sweetly about the preciousness of Christ are
people who have suffered with him deeply.

Suffering in the Life of Jerry Bridges

For example, Jerry Bridges' book, Trusting God, Even When Life Hurts,
is a deep and helpful book about suffering and going deep with God
through affliction. And so it's not surprising to learn that when he
was 14 years old, he heard his mother call out in the next room,
totally unexpectedly, and arrived to see her take her last breath. He
also has physical conditions that keep him from normal sports. And
just a few years ago his wife died of cancer. Serving God with the
Navigators has not spared him pain. He writes with depth about
suffering because he has gone deep with Christ in suffering.

Suffering in the Life of Horatius Bonar

Over a hundred years ago Horatius Bonar, the Scottish pastor and hymn-
writer, wrote a little book called Night of Weeping, or, "When God's
Children Suffer." In it he said his goal was, "to minister to the
saints . . . to seek to bear their burdens, to bind up their wounds,
and to dry up at least some of their many tears." It is a tender and
deep and wise book. So it's not surprising to hear him say,

It is written by one who is seeking himself to profit by trial, and
trembles lest it should pass by as the wind over the rock, leaving it
as hard as ever; by one who would in every sorrow draw near to God
that he may know Him more, and who is not unwilling to confess that as
yet he knows but little.

Bridges and Bonar show us that suffering is a path deep into the heart
of God. God has special revelations of his glory for his suffering
children.

The Words of Job, Stephen, and Peter

After months of suffering, Job finally says to God, "I had heard of
thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee" (Job 42:5).
Job had been a godly and upright man, pleasing to God, but the
difference between what he knew of God in prosperity and what he knew
of him through adversity was the difference between hearing about and
seeing.

When Stephen was arrested and put on trial for his faith and given a
chance to preach, the upshot was that the religious leaders were
enraged and ground their teeth at him. They were just about to drag
him out of the city and kill him. At just that moment, Luke tells us,
"Stephen was full of the Holy Spirit and gazed into heaven and saw the
glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55).
There is a special revelation, a special intimacy, prepared for those
who suffer with Christ.

Peter put it this way, "If you are reproached for the name of Christ,
you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon
you" (1 Peter 4:14). In other words God reserves a special coming and
resting of his Spirit and his glory on his children who suffer for his
name.

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Arise 2 Write chronicles the journey of 1 human (me) hand in hand with
the 1 and only God.

Everyday unfolds a new step in my journey. Follow along as I stumble,
crawl, and run into the arms of my Heavenly Father.

http://arise2write.blogspot.com/

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Dawdling home from Sunday School

He was just a little boy, on a week's first day.
He was wandering home from Sunday School, and dawdling on the way.
He scuffed his shoes into the grass; he found a caterpillar.
He found a fluffy milkweed pod, and blew out all the "filler".
A bird's nest in a tree overhead, so wisely placed on high,
Was just another wonder that caught his eager eye.
A neighbor watched his zig zag course, and hailed him from the lawn,
Asked him where he'd been that day and what was going on.

"I've been to Bible School," he said and turned a piece of sod.
He picked up a wiggly worm replying, "I've learned a lot of God."
"Hmmm very fine way," the neighbor said, "for a boy to spend his
time."
"If you'll tell me where God is, I'll give you a brand new dime."

Quick as a flash the answer came! Nor were his accents faint.
"I'll give you a dollar, Mister, if you can tell me where God ain't."

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Called to Suffer and Rejoice: That We Might Gain Christ (Part 2of 2)
By John Piper
LighthousePrayerLine.org


Three Observations from the Text

So the focus of today's message is on this intimacy factor in
suffering. One of the purposes of the suffering of the saints is that
their relationship with God might become less formal and less
artificial and less distant, and become more personal and more real
and more intimate and close and deep.

In our text (Philippians 3:5–11) I want us to see at least three
things:

First, Paul's preparation to suffer by reversing his values; Second,
Paul's experience of suffering and loss as the cost of his obedience
to Christ; Third, Paul's aim in all of this, namely, to gain Christ:
to know him and be in him and fellowship with more intimacy and
reality than he knew with his best friends Barnabas and Silas.

1. Paul's Preparation to Suffer

In verses 5 and 6 Paul lists the distinctives he enjoyed before he
became a Christian. He gives his ethnic pedigree as a thoroughbred
child of Abraham, a Hebrew of Hebrews. This brought him great gain, a
great sense of significance and assurance. He was an Israelite. Then
he mentions three things that go right to the heart of Paul's life
before he was a Christian (at the end of verse 5): "as to the law, a
Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the
righteousness which is in the law, found blameless."

Paul's Values Before He Met Christ

This was Paul's life. This was what gave him meaning and significance.
This was his gain, his fortune, his joy. Different strokes for
different folks—and Paul's was that he belonged to the upper-echelon
of law-keepers, the Pharisees, and that among them he was so zealous
that he led the way in persecuting the enemies of God, the church of
Jesus, and that he kept the law meticulously. He got strokes from
belonging, he got strokes from excelling, he got strokes from God—or
so he thought—for his blameless law-keeping.

And then he met Christ, the Son of the living God, on the Damascus
road. Christ told him how much he would have to suffer (Acts 9:16).
And Paul prepared himself.

Paul Counted His Prior Values as Loss

The way he prepared himself is described in verse 7. "But whatever
things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the
sake of Christ." Paul looks at his standing in the upper-echelons of
religious society, the Pharisees; he looks at the glory of being at
the very top of that group with all its strokes and applause; he looks
at the rigor of his law-keeping and the sense of moral pride he
enjoyed; and he prepares to suffer by taking his whole world and
turning it upside down, by reversing his values: "Whatever things were
gain to me [that's verses 5–6], those things I have counted as loss."

Before he was a Christian he had a ledger with two columns: one that
said, gains, and another that said, losses. On the gain side was the
human glory of verses 5–6. On the loss side was the terrible prospect
that this Jesus movement might get out of hand and Jesus prove real
and win the day. When he met the living Christ on the Damascus road,
Paul took a big red pencil and wrote "LOSS" in big red letters across
his gains column. And he wrote "GAIN" in big letters over the loss
column that only had one name in it: Christ.

And not only that, the more Paul thought about the relative values of
life in the world and the greatness of Christ, he moved beyond the few
things mentioned in verses 5–6 and put everything but Christ in that
first column: Verse 8: "More than that, I count all things to be loss
in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." He
started by counting his most precious accomplishments as loss, and he
ended by counting everything as loss, except Christ.

Normal Christianity

That's what it meant for Paul to become a Christian. And lest anyone
of us think he was unique or peculiar, notice that in verse 17 he says
with his full apostolic authority, "Brethren, join in following my
example." This is normal Christianity.

What Paul is doing here is showing how the teaching of Jesus is to be
lived out. For example, Jesus said, "The kingdom of heaven is like a
treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and from joy
over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that
field" (Matthew 13:44). Becoming a Christian means discovering that
Christ (the King) is a Treasure Chest of holy joy and writing "LOSS"
over everything else in the world in order to gain him. "He sold all
that he had to buy that field."

Or again in Luke 14:33 Jesus said, "No one of you can be my disciple
who does not take leave of all his own possessions." In other words,
becoming a disciple of Jesus means writing "LOSS" in big red letters
over all your possessions—and everything else this world offers.

What This Means Practically

Now what does that mean practically? I think it means four things:

It means that whenever I am called upon to choose between anything in
this world and Christ, I choose Christ. It means that I will deal with
the things of this world in ways that draw me nearer to Christ so that
I gain more of Christ and enjoy more of him by the way I use the
world. It means that I will always deal with the things of this world
in ways that show that they are not my treasure, but rather show that
Christ is my treasure. It means that if I lose any or all the things
this world can offer, I will not lose my joy or my treasure or my
life, because Christ is all.
Now that was the reckoning that Paul reckoned in his soul (v. 8): "I
count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing
Christ Jesus my Lord." Christ is all and all else is loss.

Why Is This a Way of Preparing to Suffer?

Now let's stand back a minute and get our bearings. I am still dealing
with the first point: namely, that this is Paul's way of preparing to
suffer. Why do I say that? Why is becoming a Christian, and writing
"LOSS" across everything in your life but Christ a way of preparing to
suffer?

The answer is that suffering is nothing more than the taking away of
bad things or good things that the world offers for our enjoyment—
reputation, esteem among peers, job, money, spouse, sexual life,
children, friends, health, strength, sight, hearing, success, etc.
When these things are taken away (by force or by circumstance or by
choice), we suffer. But if we have followed Paul and the teaching of
Jesus and have already counted them as loss for the surpassing value
of gaining Christ, then we are prepared to suffer.

If when you become a Christian you write a big red "LOSS" across all
the things in the world except Christ, then when Christ calls you to
forfeit some of those things, it is not strange or unexpected. The
pain and the sorrow may be great. The tears may be many, as they were
for Jesus in Gethsemane. But we will be prepared. We will know that
the value of Christ surpasses all the things the world can offer and
that in losing them we gain more of Christ.

2. Paul's Experience of Suffering

So in the second half of verse 8 Paul moves from preparing for
suffering to actual suffering. He moves from counting all things as
loss in the first half of verse 8 to actually suffering the loss of
all things in the second half of the verse. " . . . for whom [that is,
Christ] I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as
rubbish in order that I might gain Christ." We are going to see this
next week: Paul had experienced so much actual loss of the normal
benefits and comforts of the world that he could say that he was not
merely counting things loss; he was suffering loss. He had prepared by
turning his values upside down, and now he was being tested. Did he
value Christ above all?

3. Paul's Goal (and God's Purpose) in Suffering

So let me close by riveting our attention on Paul's goal and God's
purpose in this suffering. Why did God ordain and Paul accept the
losses that it meant for him to be a Christian?

Paul gives the answer again and again in these verses so that we
cannot miss the point. He is not passive in this suffering loss. He is
purposive. And his purpose is to gain Christ.

Verse 7: "I counted them loss for the sake of Christ."
Verse 8a: "I count all things to be loss for the surpassing value of
knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
Verse 8b: "For him I have suffered the loss of all things."
Verse 8c: "And I count them but rubbish in order that I may gain
Christ . . . "
Verse 9: " . . . and that I may be found in him [so as to have God's
righteousness, not my own] . . . "
Verse 10a: (still giving his aim in accepting the loss of all things)
" . . . that I may know him"
Verses 10b–11: (followed by four specifics of what it means to know
Christ)

" . . . [to know] the power of his resurrection"; and
"the fellowship of his sufferings";
"being conformed to his death";
"in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."
In other words, what sustains Paul in suffering the loss of all things
is the confidence that in his losing precious things in the world he
is gaining something more precious—Christ.

And two times that gaining is called a knowing—verse 8a: " . . . in
view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Verse
10: "That I might know him." This is the intimacy factor in suffering.
Do we want to know him? Do we want to be more personal with him and
deep with him and real with him and intimate with him—so much so that
we count everything as loss to gain this greatest of all treasures?

If we do, we will be ready to suffer. If we don't, it will take us by
surprise and we will rebel. May the Lord open our eyes to the
surpassing worth of knowing Christ!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

How do you get into Heaven?
LighthousePrayerLine.org


You can't fool the kids in Sunday school; they are way too smart...
"If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale, and gave all my
money to the church, would I get into heaven?" I asked the children in
my Sunday school class.

"NO!" all the children answered.

"If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept
everything neat and tidy, would I get into heaven?"

Again the answer was, "NO!"

"Well then," I continued, "how can I get to heaven?"

A five-year-old boy shouted, "You gotta be dead!"

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"Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares
about you" (1 Peter 5:7 – NLT).

Be sure to send in your prayer request for the next
mailing.

You are in my thoughts and prayers! May the Lord
continue to bless you with knowledge of Himself.

In Christ's Love,

Mark Seay
Lighthouse Prayer Line
105 Quincy Drive
Greer, SC 29650
LighthousePrayerLine.org

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man
who takes refuge in Him. Fear the Lord, you His saints,
for those who fear Him lack nothing. The lions may grow
weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no
good thing" (Psalm 34:8-10 - NIV).

((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))

He Tasted Death For Me
LighthousePrayerLine.org


"Jesus ... by the grace of God should taste death for every man."
Hebrews 2:9

"Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent
His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." 1 John 4:10

"The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Galatians
2:20

God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

The Son of God a ransom came
Down from His throne on high,
Into this world of sin and shame
For us to bleed and die.

We read the Father sent the Son
To die, on Calv'ry's tree;
"He tasted death for every man",
He tasted death for me.

The wrath that was my portion, Lord,
Was suffered all by Thee,
When tasting death for every man,—
When tasting death for me.

"'Tis finished", all on Calv'ry's cross,
Redemption's work is done;
"No condemnation" evermore,
Through God's beloved Son.

O wondrous love and matchless grace
That sets the sinner free;
"The Son of God who loved me so,—
He gave Himself for me."

May love like this unto Thine own
Our hearts and voices raise,
Unto the Father and the Son
Our everlasting praise.
—Lois Beckwith

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust,
that He might bring us to God." 1 Peter 3:18

"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

For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might
be made the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"For the wages of sin is death; but THE GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))((¯`»¦«´¯))
We hope you have found today's newsletter encouraging to your
walk with Jesus Christ. Please send all prayer requests and
praise reports to us by using the "comments" hyperlink, which
can be found at the end of each blog/article. God is Good!!!

A Candle Loses Nothing by Lighting Another Candle. Please Keep This
Candle Going!

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