My dad before he passed, shared this word of wisdom. “It’s not wise
to go before an angry God” There was great substantiated truth in
the words. It is just as true today as when he told me a few years,
ago. God woke me up this morning with the thought that He was angry
because peoples’ actions were threatening to invalidate His promises.
He was angry and was putting things in order.
Jonathan Edwards was one of the principals in a religious movement
known as the “Great Awakening,” Edwards typified the “Hell, Fire, and
Brimstone” preacher. His classic sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God,” reportedly had such a strong effect on his congregation
that some of its members ran screaming from the church in terror.
His sermon in part went like this…
As he that walks slippery places is every moment liable to fall, he
cannot foresee one moment whether he shall stand or fall the next; and
when he does fall, he falls at once without warning: Which is also
expressed in Psalm 73:18-19 “Surely thou didst set them in slippery
places: thou castedst them down into destruction: How are they brought
into desolation as in a moment!” The bow of God’s wrath is bent, and
the arrow made ready on the string, and justice bends the arrow at
your heart, and strains the bow, and it is nothing but the mere
pleasure of God, and that of an angry God, without any promise or
obligation at all, that keeps the arrow one moment from being made
drunk with your blood. .
Thus all you that have never passed under a great change of heart, by
the mighty power of the Spirit of God upon your soul; all you that
were never born again, and made new creatures, and raised from being
dead in sin, to a state of new, and before altogether unexpereienced
light and life, are in the hands of an angry God….
And now you have an extraordinary opportunity, a day wherein Christ
has thrown the door of mercy wide oepn, and stands calling, and crying
with a loud voice to poor sinners; a day wherein many are flocking to
him, and pressing into the kingdom of God. Many are daily coming from
the east, west, north, and south; many that were very lately in the
same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state,
with their hearts fillled wiht love to him who has loved them, and
washed them from their sins in his own blood, and rejoicing in the
hope of the glory of God.
Then God’s Word says this…
“But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and
wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over
truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes
and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has
created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such
can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine
being. So nobody has a good excuse.
What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they
didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized
themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither
sense nor direction left in their lives.
They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life.
They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands
for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand.” Paul from His
Word
Category Archives: Misc
What do i and 156 others have in common?
I follow you on Twitter. I want to tell you something. You are not just a TWIT. To me you are an evolving relationship. Forget what you just thought about your and my relationship. I'm not gay and I am happily married for 37 years, but this is a "COME ON". Surf over to http://37stories.wordpress.com. I saw God. Really! At least 37 times. Drop me a comment and tell me about the last time you saw God. Or have you?
archie
PS Don't forget to check out my bus/blog adventure across America. 8 days to go and counting. http://isrv.org/
its a grind with eric. Social networking
its great meeting new friends. Grace point church rocks or whatever
is cool to say about gpc. Is it bad in good way or do i get down w
gpc. I dont know…
working on a new concept in social networking
The concept of life streams has yet to be defined. Www.37one.com is in the mix.
Greg Coplen’s Story
Guest post by Greg Coplen (originally on Greg’s facebook). He issues a challenge:
I think that Jeff Harris did a series entitled something like “What’s your story” recently so I may be stealing the title from him.
People are inspired and moved by life-change. Seeing someone else rise from the ashes makes us want to do the same.
I’ve heard that any good testimony has three parts: What life was like, What happened, What life is like now. Many of you know my story, but I’m going to give another brief run-down for reasons that will become clear later.
What life was like:
My life was in shambles. It had started out well enough. I started in full-time ministry back when I was 24 years old as a Music Director at a local church. Through the years though my alcoholism, which I had been fighting since my late teens, began to overtake anything and everything that I deemed important until it finally overtook me. By the time I reached 30 years old I was jobless, homeless (in a physical and spiritual sense) and in horrible physical condition. I didn’t really eat or take care of myself other than just enough to get by for the day. Alcohol had become my meal of choice. I was no longer welcome in my family’s life. Everything in my life that I truly loved had been taken away.
What happened:
Aug. 8th 2005: I was driven to University Hospital in San Antonio, TX and spent a few days there detoxing from alcohol. I was then driven to a treatment center in Fredericksburg, TX where I began a recovery program. I had no hope that it would work because nothing ever had before. But, what I did have was the knowledge that I could not go back to the way life was because I knew that I would kill myself.
So, I asked God to walk with me one step, one minute, one hour, one day at a time. I asked Him to take away the desire to drink. I asked Him to give me my family back and I asked that I would allow Him to guide each of my steps.
In short I began a process of exchanging my own life for a life that I hoped would not only exemplify Christ in me, but would truly be Christ in me. For some it happens overnight, for others it is a process. But, what I know is that God heard my prayers and saw my desire to be the person He had called me to be.
What life is like now:
In short: incredible! I’m on a journey that is so much more than just recovery. I’m on a journey that challenges me to love people I don’t want to love, to walk with those in whose steps I have already taken, and to be open and authentic about who I used to be and who I am now.
There is no place and no time for hiding my past. If my past and my mistakes can be a part of leading someone else to the Cross then what a blessing that is to me.
I’m on a journey to be the husband, the father and the friend that He has called me to be. I’m on a journey to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and to love my neighbor as myself.
Finally, I’m on a journey to let go of all that I hold dear and recognize that it’s all just a gift from God. I’ve been given the responsibility to take care of it while it’s in my possession.
Am I up for the challenge? Today I am!
I’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
So, the question is, what’s your story? I would love to hear it and so would the rest of the world.
I’m going to put this on my profile for the FB world to see.
Are you willing to share your story?
Surf on over to Greg Coplen Facebook and leave your story. Thanks Greg. This is incredibly encouraging! God bless.
The man behind the curtain…
I blog for lots of reasons. For one, I look forward to creating dialog with people I don’t know. Something I’ve discovered is how wrong I can be about people based on first encounters. It is easy to forget, behind every blog is a person with likes, dislikes, is friendly or mean, feels pain, may be healthy and maybe not.
I never really spent much time wondering about the person at the other end of the sterile dialog. It seems judging another from a brief encounter is easy, but may not be very fruitful. It’s only after dialog is created, one begins to appreciate the life being lived “behind the curtain”.
Since my blogging adventure began, I’ve made friends with a believer in Barbados with a ministry of deliverance, a religious thinker with a blog name meaning the spirit is gone, a friend who struggles daily with pain and may have a terminal illness, an atheist who finds me offensive, a school teacher who is encouraged, a counselor who moved to Florida and the list goes on and on….
I’ve become impressed with the responsibility one has to others in this world as information is exchanged. Although it is easier to pick a fight than to be gracious at unkind words, I think the latter is preferred. When hurt is revealed, it is easier to just to say, “sorry” and move on. But with knowledge comes responsibility.
I added a fellow blogger to my prayer list today. The person has suffered for many years. Who could have guessed from the excellent blog written? It is insightful, witty, knowledgable and contains great wisdom. Yet, the person is in great pain. I commited to pray for body, soul and spirit.
My church has launched an awareness prayer program titled 60/60. We have set our watches to beep every 60 minutes for 60 days. When it beeps, we pray. I have added one more person to my list. I trust God for “God Spots” in the way of miracles for my friends. We shall see…
view archie’s lifestream – http://www.37one.com
Is there a difference between a ghost and a Holy ghost?
Why is evil rude?
Recently i commented on a blog by an agnostic or atheist or whatever.
Believe it or not this guy gives the A’s a bad name. IT would seem to
me you can catch more flys with honey than fly paper. SO the next “A”
u run across give him a big ol kiss and watch him spew.
Ruined financiers committing desperate acts
"The black dog of depression gnaws at these men. They see no answers," said Cass. "There is no hope. There is no way out.
In January alone, three cases surfaced. German billionaire investor Adolf Merckle, who lost a fortune in shorted Volkswagen stock, threw himself under a commuter train. Patrick Rocca, an Irish property investor who lost millions when the real estate market bottomed out, waited until his wife took their children to school before he shot himself in the head. Outside Chicago, real estate mogul Steven L. Good was found dead in his Jaguar, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound." msnbc
"There is no hope. There is no way out." Have you been there? Are you there today? This is a lie straight from hell. Don't look so surprised. People hear from hell all the time. In crisis, the voice from hell may be so strong it is the only voice you can hear. The evil one wants to steal life from you. If he doesn't get your life, he at the very least wants to cripple you. I know. I was there.
But get this. You don't have to stay crippled by the "black dog of depression". God is the God of life. He will not leave you. He will not forsake you. He will breath life into you. He will not give you more than you can bear. So, count it all joy. When you meet the "dog", cry out the name of Jesus. Keep crying out Jesus until you know that you know that Jesus is in the pit with you and the Lion on a Snowy Day.
This book was very insightful and encouraging for me at a time when I was challenged by the "black dog of depression". Jesus is the answer. Jesus is the hope. Jesus is the way out.
In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day: How to Survive and Thrive When Opportunity Roars.
Hints for your Valentine
Breakfast in bed. Whoops missed that one. Hold the car door open. Did
that one. Tell her you love her without wanting something. YEP. Tell
how BIG your love is for her. Bigger than the nation debt will do.
Tell her that her eyes sparkle like the diamonds you wish you could
buy. What did you do special for your bride or groom?
