notes from lisa...

I read this profoundly true phrase in a historical novel, by Christian author, Tommy Tenney. It was the story of Hadassah (Hebrew name)--or Queen Esther of Persia, as most of us regard her.When I read the phrase, it struck me. I thought, how true! We want the glory of our destiny, but no part of the process--often treacherous, that will get us there. Faith, however, requires some sacrifice, some trial, some work (James 2:20).I began to think back over my own life and my desire to get the prize, but always trying to avoid the battle wounds--only to find myself back at the starting point again and again. It was only after I made a decisive choice to submit my will to God, in the process of being molded, did I find the peace that I so desperately sought. When I stopped "kicking against the pricks", I found joy, in spite of difficult circumstances.Not only Hadassah recognized that where danger lurks, destiny beckons. The Word of God is full of hosts of characters that learned tha...

In this day, we are pretty consumed with our bodies; we are very health and beauty-concious. We want very much to prolong our lives from the physical perspective and to look our best while we're at it. It isn't a bad thing at all, to have these pursuits, since the Bible declares that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit--and we should give them great care. There must be a prioritizing of things, however; our physical bodies are not first on God's list, but at the top of His list: that our "soul should prosper". The Scripture in Psalm 34, provides the formula for living a long and peaceful life. What must we do? First: KEEP THY TONGUE FROM EVIL ! That is striking! It is striking because, on the surface, it doesn't seem like such a big thing--in terms of prolonging life! Also, because often it seems as if this is the very thing we neglect to give care to, the most! We allow our tongues to say whatever they will without thought, or to lie--with great tho...