A.W. Tozer is one of my favorite authors. He packs a powerful punch - and boy does he do so as in this book. So far, the book has been an exhortation on the first few verses of the Gospel of John, but all that is written points me directly to thinking all about Jesus Christ. And that is a good thing. That is a very good thing.
Chapter 4 turns us to John 1:11 which says "He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him." From the last post I put up, I wrote on the eternalness of Jesus. From here, Tozer moves on to speak of how Jesus created this world. And now, He steps into what He has created. Think about that for a moment - Jesus created everything, yet was separated from it. Only a creator could touch what they have made, but to enter into it - that is something only the Creator could enter.
And Tozer has us dwell on the idea of hope that produces. "He came" - wow. Look a little bit longer in that sentence. "He came to His own." That which He made and belonged to Him, He came to and longed to be with. What a beautiful picture of love that paints of Jesus to me!
Now, we know when Jesus came. The Jews were the chosen people at this time. They had the information of a messiah coming. They had the Old Testament Scriptures. And yet, when Jesus came, they did not recognize Him. How sad.
How much are we like the Jews? I'm afraid more than we would like to admit.
I'll save a little bit for you to check this book out and read for your own, but it speaks volumes of how wonderful Jesus is. And as we grow in our Christian faith, people of remembrance are who we are to become. We need to remember Jesus and draw near to Him!
Blessings and love to you all!
Brandon
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
"And He Dwelt Among Us" - chapter 2
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning." - John 1:1-2
Have you ever thought of a time when there wasn't "time?" A.W. Tozer calls us to that point - where there was no existence except the beautiful reality of God.
Take a moment, before Jesus walked this earth, before Jeremiah proclaimed judgment, before Moses was given the commandments, before Abraham was given the promise, before Adam and Eve were in the garden - God was. God has always been.
Tozer points us to this viewpoint, and it takes a lot to think of a time when there wasn't time. It is hard to think of those times alone! But that is where this Scripture leads us.
Tozer writes that as we look at this verse, when it says "the beginning" he refers this to when time started. So, when time started, God already was. And "the Word" - Jesus Christ, as we know - was with God and He was God. He is God!
How powerful to know that in Jesus existed the eternal God, who has no beginning and no end! How powerful it is to think about this and fathom that He is eternal! That means that no one can kill Him and no one can overcome Him because He is beyond the temporary and is not bound to time in any way. That is not true of anyone else in all creation - which is why we are creation - because we are created. Not so with God.
And that is power! That allows me to know that trusting in God Almighty I am protected and encompassed by One who cannot be overcome! When I lay my life down in surrender to Him alone, I am also eternal kept. We who trust in Him are eternally kept! Think about that - YOU ARE ETERNALLY KEPT BY THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS BECAUSE HE IS ETERNAL! And He does not go back on any thing! You are His now for eternity!!! HALLELUJAH!
Are you excited by that news?!? I AM!
Praise belongs to the Holy and Almighty God who has protected us in His everlasting salvation!
"Holy God, You are worthy of all praise! You are eternal, almighty, wonderful, and awesome! How can we ever know the depths of your rich love for us? You draw near to us and teach us your ways and show us that in you lies eternity. This eternity was shown and revealed to us only by your gracious Son Jesus Christ and what He fulfilled for us on the Cross. How wonderful to know that we have a Savior who loves us so powerfully and relentlessly. You are God and You are for me. Thank you God! You never let me go and you love me. Thank you for the rich love you powerfully display all the days of my life. Your grace will be my joy and I long to only reflect you all my life! Glory and praise alone belong to you my Savior! I love you. In your powerful name I offer this praise and prayer. Amen."
Have you ever thought of a time when there wasn't "time?" A.W. Tozer calls us to that point - where there was no existence except the beautiful reality of God.
Take a moment, before Jesus walked this earth, before Jeremiah proclaimed judgment, before Moses was given the commandments, before Abraham was given the promise, before Adam and Eve were in the garden - God was. God has always been.
Tozer points us to this viewpoint, and it takes a lot to think of a time when there wasn't time. It is hard to think of those times alone! But that is where this Scripture leads us.
Tozer writes that as we look at this verse, when it says "the beginning" he refers this to when time started. So, when time started, God already was. And "the Word" - Jesus Christ, as we know - was with God and He was God. He is God!
How powerful to know that in Jesus existed the eternal God, who has no beginning and no end! How powerful it is to think about this and fathom that He is eternal! That means that no one can kill Him and no one can overcome Him because He is beyond the temporary and is not bound to time in any way. That is not true of anyone else in all creation - which is why we are creation - because we are created. Not so with God.
And that is power! That allows me to know that trusting in God Almighty I am protected and encompassed by One who cannot be overcome! When I lay my life down in surrender to Him alone, I am also eternal kept. We who trust in Him are eternally kept! Think about that - YOU ARE ETERNALLY KEPT BY THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS BECAUSE HE IS ETERNAL! And He does not go back on any thing! You are His now for eternity!!! HALLELUJAH!
Are you excited by that news?!? I AM!
Praise belongs to the Holy and Almighty God who has protected us in His everlasting salvation!
"Holy God, You are worthy of all praise! You are eternal, almighty, wonderful, and awesome! How can we ever know the depths of your rich love for us? You draw near to us and teach us your ways and show us that in you lies eternity. This eternity was shown and revealed to us only by your gracious Son Jesus Christ and what He fulfilled for us on the Cross. How wonderful to know that we have a Savior who loves us so powerfully and relentlessly. You are God and You are for me. Thank you God! You never let me go and you love me. Thank you for the rich love you powerfully display all the days of my life. Your grace will be my joy and I long to only reflect you all my life! Glory and praise alone belong to you my Savior! I love you. In your powerful name I offer this praise and prayer. Amen."
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Letters to God
This is going to be one awesome and inspiring movie! Wow!
I finished the book last night, and I must say, the book ends in an unsatisfying way. I wanted the story to be developed more and it wasn't. I wanted more of Tyler's letters, and was left short. I wanted so much more development!!!
Which leads me to believe that the movie will have that! I sincerely hope it does.
There are many tender moments in this book and I could see it displayed on the screen. And so, this is my recommendation: see the movie! You will be impressed, but this book will not add much more to what you will expect to see in the movie.
Moving on, I picked up a new book today and it looks great! It's called "And He Dwelt Among Us" by A.W. Tozer and it should be the perfect book for this time of Easter as it focuses on how Jesus became a man like His brothers and really helps look at Jesus Christ the man. Plus - Tozer rocks! Really - any of His books are excellent reads!
Alright, enough for now! God bless you all!
Brandon
I finished the book last night, and I must say, the book ends in an unsatisfying way. I wanted the story to be developed more and it wasn't. I wanted more of Tyler's letters, and was left short. I wanted so much more development!!!
Which leads me to believe that the movie will have that! I sincerely hope it does.
There are many tender moments in this book and I could see it displayed on the screen. And so, this is my recommendation: see the movie! You will be impressed, but this book will not add much more to what you will expect to see in the movie.
Moving on, I picked up a new book today and it looks great! It's called "And He Dwelt Among Us" by A.W. Tozer and it should be the perfect book for this time of Easter as it focuses on how Jesus became a man like His brothers and really helps look at Jesus Christ the man. Plus - Tozer rocks! Really - any of His books are excellent reads!
Alright, enough for now! God bless you all!
Brandon
Monday, March 15, 2010
Letters to God
I knew it!
This book is breaking my heart.
The story is about a young boy named Tyler who ends up getting a rare form of brain cancer called Medulloblastoma. Throughout the book we learn of Tyler's battle and his heart for God. What a story to read. It breaks my heart.
And yet...there is a joy and hope to this story. It is challenging in how it causes me to think of my reaction in the place of Tyler. Tyler has a love for God that I can't understand. And why? I want to know and I sit and continue to read, wondering why my love for God is not this deep. Certainly it is true of the faith of young children - how wonderful it truly is.
I'm learning about myself in this fiction novel. I'm learning about my trust in God and my faithfulness to Him.
Throughout the book, Tyler writes simple letters to God. I won't give any of it away - but Tyler's prayers are so simple and yet state the true nature of his relationship with Jesus. I am challenged to return to simple prayer and to love God fearlessly.
Now, the book has a few flaws - one, it is predictable and two, there are parts of the development that are inept. There could be so much more depth to the story if these pieces would have been explored!!! But I won't throw it out. However, I do want it to be longer!
Learning about ourselves, taking a look at where we stand with God, and growing that relationship is vital to what is in us. This book is showing me to look at that - and I strongly encourage so many of you to read this one and find out more. It is a very quick read, but I promise, it is satisfying.
God's blessings to you!
Brandon
This book is breaking my heart.
The story is about a young boy named Tyler who ends up getting a rare form of brain cancer called Medulloblastoma. Throughout the book we learn of Tyler's battle and his heart for God. What a story to read. It breaks my heart.
And yet...there is a joy and hope to this story. It is challenging in how it causes me to think of my reaction in the place of Tyler. Tyler has a love for God that I can't understand. And why? I want to know and I sit and continue to read, wondering why my love for God is not this deep. Certainly it is true of the faith of young children - how wonderful it truly is.
I'm learning about myself in this fiction novel. I'm learning about my trust in God and my faithfulness to Him.
Throughout the book, Tyler writes simple letters to God. I won't give any of it away - but Tyler's prayers are so simple and yet state the true nature of his relationship with Jesus. I am challenged to return to simple prayer and to love God fearlessly.
Now, the book has a few flaws - one, it is predictable and two, there are parts of the development that are inept. There could be so much more depth to the story if these pieces would have been explored!!! But I won't throw it out. However, I do want it to be longer!
Learning about ourselves, taking a look at where we stand with God, and growing that relationship is vital to what is in us. This book is showing me to look at that - and I strongly encourage so many of you to read this one and find out more. It is a very quick read, but I promise, it is satisfying.
God's blessings to you!
Brandon
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Letters to God - a new read
I recently picked up a new book because the title very much interested me. It was a novel titled "Letters to God." Now, I'm not a huge fan of reading fiction, but this one greatly interested me.
The story, so far, is about a family that is struggling to make it through in their faith after the father is killed in drunken driving accident. It is sad, but there is great triumph that occurs. I'm excited to see where the story is headed.
This book is also to become a major motion picture, which has me excited as well! It has begun as a wonderful read so far, and I will let you know soon. I feel like this book is going to break my heart though...
Until later, God's blessings to you all!
Brandon
The Truth of the Cross - chapters 7 -10
Hello all!
What a powerful, wonderful little book this was! I finished it yesterday and I was greatly affected by it. I learned a lot from Dr. R.C. Sproul about my need for a Savior and the cross.
The last few chapters looked on a few different roles that Jesus played - the suffering servant being one of them. I also enjoyed learning about Dr. Sproul's thoughts on "limited atonement."
These are powerful things to be talking about and learning. I do believe in limited atonement and the way Dr. Sproul presented it was very good and refreshing. Basically, Jesus saves believers, not everyone in this world. If you are a believer, you believe Jesus has saved you. That is the gist of limited atonement.
This is brief, I realize, but I want to tease you to learn a few things about how wonderful an act Jesus did to save us. His redemption lasts and it gives us firm believe that we are saved and can pursue after God with reckless abandon. I pray that you would think about picking up this book and seeing for yourself. It is a wonderful read!
God bless!
Brandon
What a powerful, wonderful little book this was! I finished it yesterday and I was greatly affected by it. I learned a lot from Dr. R.C. Sproul about my need for a Savior and the cross.
The last few chapters looked on a few different roles that Jesus played - the suffering servant being one of them. I also enjoyed learning about Dr. Sproul's thoughts on "limited atonement."
These are powerful things to be talking about and learning. I do believe in limited atonement and the way Dr. Sproul presented it was very good and refreshing. Basically, Jesus saves believers, not everyone in this world. If you are a believer, you believe Jesus has saved you. That is the gist of limited atonement.
This is brief, I realize, but I want to tease you to learn a few things about how wonderful an act Jesus did to save us. His redemption lasts and it gives us firm believe that we are saved and can pursue after God with reckless abandon. I pray that you would think about picking up this book and seeing for yourself. It is a wonderful read!
God bless!
Brandon
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Truth of the Cross - update, chapters 3 - 6
Hello everyone,
Wow! That is all I have to say.
Dr. Sproul is challenging me in how I look at the Cross and how much I need a Savior. Just looking at why Jesus was needed to be made like His brothers BLOWS ME AWAY. Wow!
I'm just going to mainly share from chapter 6 today because it made me look at the Cross in such a new way. In this chapter, Dr. Sproul looks at why Jesus needed to become a human, and why He needed to live a whole life instead of just going to the Cross immediately. It rocks me to the core to think of what His life obedience means for me.
Jesus not only paid the penalty for my sins - which I could never do - He also showed me to live. Dr. Sproul looks at our need to be righteous before God and not just justified. When Christ took my place He did justify me, but He also transferred His righteousness to me. Let that thought sink into your mind. It will swallow you.
This has been the best book I have ever read on the Cross and our need for salvation and rescuing (not to say that I have read many...I haven't!). This book will help you see the Savior in such a wonderful light and it will help your walk!
I cannot wait to see what else Dr. Sproul has to show me about Christ and I am excited to continue to be taught and shown.
God's blessings to you all!
Brandon
Wow! That is all I have to say.
Dr. Sproul is challenging me in how I look at the Cross and how much I need a Savior. Just looking at why Jesus was needed to be made like His brothers BLOWS ME AWAY. Wow!
I'm just going to mainly share from chapter 6 today because it made me look at the Cross in such a new way. In this chapter, Dr. Sproul looks at why Jesus needed to become a human, and why He needed to live a whole life instead of just going to the Cross immediately. It rocks me to the core to think of what His life obedience means for me.
Jesus not only paid the penalty for my sins - which I could never do - He also showed me to live. Dr. Sproul looks at our need to be righteous before God and not just justified. When Christ took my place He did justify me, but He also transferred His righteousness to me. Let that thought sink into your mind. It will swallow you.
This has been the best book I have ever read on the Cross and our need for salvation and rescuing (not to say that I have read many...I haven't!). This book will help you see the Savior in such a wonderful light and it will help your walk!
I cannot wait to see what else Dr. Sproul has to show me about Christ and I am excited to continue to be taught and shown.
God's blessings to you all!
Brandon
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