On Pets

L: "I would like to have a butterfly for a pet."

Me: "You can't.  Butterflies can't survive in captivity.  They need to be free.  Most animals need to be free."

E: "There's only a few, like cats and dogs, that you can keep for pets."

P: "I could keep a very tiny elephant for a pet!"

Wednesdays With Words-Faith

 

Last week I mentioned that I have started reading a book called The Importance of Faith in Counseling.  This is a book directed at biblical counselors, but there are still things that are convicting to me as a person, not just as a counselor.  On the first page of the book, Jay Adams said

"Ever since the fall of Adam, man's problem has always been the attempt to please God without faith."

And it is true.  Often I try to do things right without examining my heart for the faith needed to carry these things through.  I try to get away with obedience in place of faith.  In many ways, this book is reminding me of things just learned in Trusting God.  Perhaps the Lord is trying to teach me something!  On page 10, he explains further why it is so important to have faith with obedience.

"So faith is essential to achieving anything that God commands you to do.  Attempts to please God that are made apart from faith become like the works of the scribes and the Pharisees; they are dead 'works' (Hebrews 6:1, 9:14).  They are dead because the scribes and Pharisees lack the faith that gives life to their works."

 And finally on page 12 he brings the faith and obedience together:

"Dependence on God, however, is not some sort of substitute for obedience.  The Bible  does not teach quietism in the Bible.  Rather, faith is the dynamic through which the power of God is tapped by the believer so as to obey.  By faith the believer does what God requires in His strength.  He must obey.  Neither is faith a substitute for obedience.  True faith is intimately connected to obedience."

I am enjoying and continually being challenged in my everyday walk with the Lord through these materials He has brought into my life!

Wednesday With Words-Trusting God

 

I finished Trusting God by Jerry Bridges earlier this week.   I had slowed down on chapters 12 and 13 and so I was going on to read chapter 14 more to finish the book than to actually enjoy it.  I was, therefore, taken by surprise by how much I needed to read chapter 14, Being Thankful Always.  Due to some struggles lately, it was a very timely chapter.  

I thought I would just share some quotes from different chapters in the book that I found to have a great impact on my heart.  

"The fact that God ordained our days for us should also give meaning to every day, not just the special or exciting days of our lives.  Every day is important for us because it is a day ordained by God.  If we are bored with life, there is something wrong with our concept with God and His involvement in our daily lives.  Even the most dull and tedious days of our lives are ordained by God and ought to be used by us to glorify Him."  p.179

 That was very challenging as sometimes the days can all run together and nothing exciting seems to happen.  Although, the older I get (all of 29 right now), the more I appreciate those "boring" days.  Excitement does not necessarily equal a fun time!

This paragraph was so encouraging to me, not as something new but as something comforting.  It is one of those things that I know but need to be reminded of:

 "To derive the fullest comfort and encouragement from Romans 8:28-and thus to give thanks in all circumstances-we must realize that God is at work in a proactive, not reactive, fashion.  That is, God does not just respond to an adversity in our lives to make the best of a bad situation.  He knows before He initiates or permits the anxiety exactly how He will use it for our good." p.207

There were several wonderful Scriptures that I also read during this book, and one that I love is this:

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!"  Isaiah 49:15

A mother has an inborn love of her child, but through selfishness she can turn away from that child.  The Lord never turns away!

I have now started a book called The Importance of Faith in Counseling by Jay E. Adams.   It is a dovetailing nicely with Trusting God, but it is rather specific to biblical counseling so I am not sure yet if I will share quotes from it.  We'll see!