And ye my flock are men, and I am your God

Ezekiel 34:11-31

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment....And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it. And I will make with them a covenant of peace...; there shall be showers of blessing...they shall be safe in their land, and shall know that I am the LORD, when I have broken the bands of their yoke, and delivered them out of the hand of those that served themselves of them...Thus shall they know that I the LORD their God am with them, and that they, even the house of Israel, are my people, saith the Lord GOD. And ye my flock, the flock of my pasture, are men, and I am your God, saith the Lord GOD.

A little joy...

I have my very own shower. Getting there has been a back-breaking (literally) project, but I have it now and for that I am profoundly thankful to the Lord.

(The shower head is currently removed.)

Plenty of floor room.

That spot looked like this on Monday:

Dare To Be a Daniel

Standing by a purpose true,
Heeding God’s command,
Honor them, the faithful few!
All hail to Daniel’s band! 

 

Refrain:
Dare to be a Daniel,
Dare to stand alone!
Dare to have a purpose firm!
Dare to make it known.

Many mighty men are lost,
Daring not to stand,
Who for God had been a host
By joining Daniel’s band.

Many giants, great and tall,
Stalking through the land,
Headlong to the earth would fall,
If met by Daniel’s band.

Hold the Gospel banner high!
On to vict’ry grand!
Satan and his hosts defy,
And shout for Daniel’s band.

Will you dare to be a Daniel? God has not called sissies, but soldiers! 2 Timothy 2:3-4, "Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier." 

The time has come to put aside our vain aspirations of what it means to be Christians. God has called us to be holy warriors who sell everything for the kingdom of God. For years, the church has acted as though Christianity was lived by simply going to church, saying a few good sounding words, and putting some money in the offering plate. The time has come for us to take a stand and say "No! No man can be Christ's disciple unless he gives up everything!" Jesus warns that those who are lukewarm, He will spew them out of His mouth. We need no army then of half-harted Christians who are as salt that has lost its savor and are good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot!

The judgment time is falling on America when no more will the easy thing be to say, "I am a Christian." Only those who are radical followers of Jesus Christ will be able to stand. Will you be a radical Christian? Do you have a name for yourself that you are clothed and well to do, and yet are poor, blind, dumb, and naked? Come to Christ and sell all of your possessions for the Kingdom! There is nothing on this earth that is worth more and any pursuit of the things of this world is vanity and will bring grief in the end. However, he who sows to the Spirit shall reap life everlasting. What profit is there then if a man gain the world and lose his soul? I tell you the truth the answer is "None!"

Jesus has laid down the line of what it means to be His disciple. The stakes are high. In that day of judgment, nothing in this world will be worth standing on the wrong side of the line. "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple." Dare, then, to be a Daniel. Sell your life for Jesus Christ for there is no greater Master, no greater joy, no greater life, than Jesus Christ.

They Could Find No Occasion or Fault

Thus was the testimony of Daniel - a man who lived prior to the complete revelation of the glory of God in Christ. Oh, that Christians would, for the glory of Christ, thus strive to live their lives and the gospel of salvation thus be more promoted and advanced through the testimony of the saints!

Daniel 6:3-5

"Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him. Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God."

Are You Clothed With Power? - Paul Washer

Luther on Prayer

"You are to look closely at this command and stress it that you do not consider prayer an optional work and act as if it were not a sin for you not to pray. You should know that praying is earnestly enjoined, with the threat of God's supreme displeasure and punishment if neglected. It is enjoined just as well as the command that you should have no other gods and should not blaspheme and abuse God's name but should confess and preach, laud and praise it...He who does not do this [i.e., pray] should know that he is no Christian and does not belong in the kingdom of God." Ewald M. Plass, ed., What Luther Says: A Practical In-Home Anthology for the Active Christian, 1705.

The last big project - the shower

Lately, I have been trying my hand at putting in a shower - lots of work, in case you were wondering.

First I had to cut out the concrete floor for the new drain line:

Then break up the concrete:

Locate the drain pipe I was needing to connect to:

Cut the drain line for the new drain line junction:

Connect the parts:

Drain pretty much complete:

Then, pour gravel back in:

And concrete it:

Thankfully, the concrete is being covered. I have never poured concrete before, so it doesn't look all that pretty.

In the mean time, I installed the shower internals in the wall (with the help of a plumber friend. I didn't want any leaks):

Soon, this should be a working shower.

In My Flesh Shall I See God

Job 19:25-27
For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another: How my heart yearns within me!

Exodus 24:9-11
Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

Isaiah 6:1-6
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

O Beloved, consider the end of the Christian and the glory that awaits when we shall behold the face of our Lord and Savior and we shall be like Him! He is as the clearness of heaven, full of glory and holiness. In Him is no darkness at all and He shines as the sun above. This end have we as Christians, who will shine as the stars (Dan. 12:3) for all of eternity before the Lamb of God! Let us then have hope and purify ourselves (1 John 3:3), pressing on toward the mark of the high calling of Jesus Christ. Let us lay aside every weight which hinders us, laying aside every sin which easily besets us and run our race with endurance looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.

Count it no small thing, my brethren, when the Scripture says, "I shall see God." Long for it as Job, who said his heart yearned for that day.

Revelations 22:12-13
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Business Cards

My first idea...

Soter's Windshield Repair Is Officially in Business

Today, by the mercy of God (long story), I officially started my first company: Soter's Windshield Repair. Soter is Greek for Savior. I have a business base with weekly servicing already set up and the first day was a smashing success (great profit). I intend to work this business only one day a week, although it pays much better than my other jobs. This week, it will have provided nearly 2/3 of my total income with only about 1/5 the total hours worked going towards it.

Thought for the Day

"Let this duty of submission be first well learned, and then all other duties will be better performed."

William Gouge, Of Domestical Duties

Here is a challenge, explain the meaning of the following sentence:

"Husbands ought not to exact of their wives, whatsoever wives ought to yield unto if it be exacted."

Seeing the Possibilities

The same place today overlayed:

Doesn't even look like the same place.

The Ancient War - Eric Ludy

Infinite Ocean of Grace for Which to be Thankful

"Now, it is from this infinite ocean of grace that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not parish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16. Only an eternal, essential, fathomless, boundless ocean of grace could provide such a Savior, and such a salvation, and such a heaven from its all-sufficiency and freeness for poor, lost sinners! Truly, He is the "God of all grace." He that gave His only Son, beloved and precious, to suffer and die for His people, is surely prepared, from that sea of infinite grace, as freely and as fully, to give us all other things - from a crust of bread to the banquet of heaven; from a cup of cold water to the ocean fullness of joy that is in his presence and to the rivers of pleasures that are at His right hand."

Our God, Octavious Winslow, pg. 89.

I have lights!Just installed them this afternoon...

Happy Thanksgiving!

1 Chronicles 16:8-14

"Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones. He is the LORD our God; his judgments are in all the earth."

Today, I ran the plumbing for the kitchen sink, installed a new drain basket, and connected the water lines so the kitchen sink is finally functional.

I also installed the counter top on this set of cabinets. I cut it out of an island counter top and it actually fit the first time with no adjustments.

And I ran some of the trim. End of work day...