Notes on Life - from various sources

On sin:

John Calvin declared that all sin against God is mortal sin in that it deserves death, but no sin is mortal in the sense that it destroys our justification by faith. Protestantism affirms that all sin is serious. Even the smallest sin is an act of rebellion against God. Every sin is an act of cosmic treason, a futile attempt to dethrone God in His sovereign authority

On service:

"In what we want to conquer for God, we often forget to go to God and get refreshed. We underestimate the power of being still in His presence and dining with our Savior."

"It is a matter of serving either the God who makes himself known or serving the gods of our own conceiving."

Jesus, is the companion I so dearly need. "Am I investing time and attention in God's kingdom?  Am I trying to share the good news of God's love with those who need desperately to hear it."

"Only with Christ as our companion, can we throw our nets in new directions, and with deep dedication begin or continue our special calling to fish for people by living lives of compassion and love."

Our hardwork for God must be the result of God's heart work in us - Jarrid Wilson

On the quickening power of the Holy Spirit:

May we be "brought out of our state of spiritual death by the quickening power of the Holy Spirit.  It is God who makes us alive as we become His craftsmanship (Ephesians 2:1-10)."

On our need for prayer and introspection:

We need to ask "God to search our hearts and our motives and reveal anything that would displease Him and discredit fellow Christians. We must never bring a false report against anyone or give a false word from God. We need to be on our knees praying that we do not become just like that old prophet. We must be diligent so that we do not travel down that path."

~ Steven P. Wickstrom, http://www.spwickstrom.com/doubt/ based on 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Kings+13&version=KJV

——

Various devotion sources 

Welcome to Friday! 8.12.16

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.  

~ Prov. 22:4

Welcome to Friday!

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children.  

~ Psalms 103:17 ESV

It seems like this week has gone by pretty quickly.  I hope you felt the same way.  I know that it has been a good week for us, even if tinged with a bit of bitter sweetness. 

This week was a short work week and even at home it all seemed to fly by so fast.  I think it was a fast week because of Thursday.  This Thursday, August 11, 2016 was circled on the calendar for a while.  And it came a lot quicker than I imagined and probably even sooner than I wanted.  Of course, that is probably to be expected when you drop off your oldest and first college student at school; away from home and whatever sense of control you had.

Yesterday was our big day.  We packed the van and headed off to Clemson.  All 8 of the Irmo Rhues plus Deatrice and her boys.  The van was full and so was the trunk of Deatrice's car.  I think having her family and her Aunt was a great blessing for a send off.  Anyway, we made it in good time and with lots of prayers on the way.  We found her dorm and had lots of help unpacking.  We all pitched in in some way, but mainly Trish and Cassarra got the room setup and arranged for a year of success.

After we were done we all headed out for lunch and errands.  Cassarra picked IHOP and we had a good time.   We had some laughs at the table, shared a few sayings from wise parents and grandparents, tried to squeeze in some tips, pointers and advice too.  Leaving campus without Cassarra was part nervous, part fearful, and part proud.   It exciting, a bit sad, and a bit tough. I know she will do great, so that makes it quite a bit easier.

The rest of the girls are well.  It will be interesting to see how they all react today and over the weekend and coming days.  Though the same can be said for me and Trish also.  

Well, I hope that you are doing well.  How are things with you and how did your week go?  Did you have some milestone moments this week?  What were you up to?  I hope that all is well and that you will have an awesome weekend.

It is Friday and all indications are that the weather is good, all indications are that our blessings abound, and the fixed and firm truth of it all is that God is still Sovereign.   As always, love you and 

Welcome to Friday! 

Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them.They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court. - Psalm 127:3-5 

I am thankful for:

TrishDate nightsFamily dinnerSafe travelThe angels of the LordEncouragement PrayerFamily Trish (yes, I know I said it already)Coffee Higher education Sacrifices of our forefathers and parents ScholarshipsOpportunity Laughter Reliable carsGood food @ IHOPtime off Bible reading Wisdom and insightChildren and their energy Sleeping lateMusicThe girlsExtended family and friendsRainAC repaired @ work

--- Cassius Rhue 

 

Our faith is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness

Faith does not fit into an easy formula. Sometimes it leads to victory and triumph. Sometimes it requires a gritty determination to “hang on at any cost."

What our faith rests on is the belief that God is in ultimate control and will indeed keep His promises—whether that happens in this life or the next. —Philip Yancey