C. H. Spurgeon
It is at once the most Christlike and the most happy course for a believer to cease from living to himself.
Coffee Break – 08.13.2018
Your Monday Dose Of Inspiration
On this day in history: In 1889, a patent for a coin-operated telephone was issued to William Gray. In 1934, Al Capp’s comic strip L’il Abner made its debut in newspapers. And in 1942, Walt Disney’s Bambi opened at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY.
Today Is National Filet Mignon Day!
This is a day I can totally get behind!
Buying Your First Home Coffee Roaster – Roasting your own coffee is a great step forward in your coffee journey. I roasted for years using an air popcorn popper, but a couple of years ago, I purchased a Behmor 1600+, and haven’t looked back. It’s an excellent home roasting option.
How To be A Well Dressed Man – There is no reason why you shouldn’t dress well. Or, as Antonio says, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be the best dressed man in the room. And it’s not as hard as you might think.
What’s The Worst Taste In The World? – I think bell peppers top the list, but this article disagrees.
Toxicity Comparison (This Little Will KILL You) – This might be a little morbid, but is also extremely fascinating.
Memorize Scripture: Psalm 119:81-84
Hiding God’s Word In Our Hearts
The eleventh stanza of Psalm 119 is perhaps the most bleak portion of the entire chapter. You can see what I mean in Psalm 119:81-84:
At this point in Psalm 119, we are almost to the halfway point, and it seems as if the psalmist is in his darkest moments. And yet, the end of this dark and hopeless stanza gives us a glimpse of hope yet to come, which we will look at more closely next week.
This passage, in verse 84, is the first verse that does not contain one of the terms used for God’s Word throughout Psalm 119. I think that is significant. Very often, in our darkest moments, we can easily lose sight of what God may be doing, feeling bleak despair and hopelessness. That may be where the psalmist finds himself as well, losing sight of the promises of God due to the dark circumstances facing him at this moment.
These four verses contain a lot of information about those who are persecuting the author, and causing his distress and suffering. These enemies of this man of God seem to be completely occupying his thoughts. I know this is true for me, and I suspect it is for you as well. When things are going wrong, they consume our minds, they are all we can think about, and we worry ourselves to the point of exhaustion in the process.
The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for driving away wolves.
John Calvin
Finding A Quiet Place
Withdrawing To A Quiet Place For Prayer
Do you have a place where you can get away from everything for a few moments to be alone for the purpose of prayer? If not, you need to find a spot.
Several times through the Gospels, we read of Jesus heading out to a solitary spot for the purpose of prayer. This was a very regular occurrence for Jesus, and it should be for us as well.
At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place… – Luke 4:42a
I have found such a spot not too far from my home. It’s far enough that I can’t just go there any time I want, because it’s about an hour away, but it is near Springfield, where I find myself frequently for ministry errands, hospital calls, and personal stuff. So every now and then I stop by and sit for a while.
It provides a great place to pray and reflect on what God is doing in my life, and in the lives of my wife and kids. It provides a nice location to seek his presence in my life, which can be busy and full to the point that I can’t really hear the still, small voice of God. It provides an atmosphere that is calm and peaceful, which can help my stress levels to lower, and my hurried nature to slow down and breath deep of the love of God.
It seems as if this summer has flown by! It was just a few short weeks ago that I headed out to Arizona with my daughter for her internship at American Indian Christian Mission. Her summer has been full and life-changing, and I cannot wait to see how she has grown from it.
Yesterday, my son and I flew to Arizona, and for the next few days, we will be making our way home to Missouri, stopping to see some sights along the way. First of all, we will go see Four Corners, where the states of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet. And from there, we will head to Mesa Verde. After that, who knows? We may drive straight home, or we may find something else to capture our attention along the way.
Because of our travels, my regularly scheduled posts will not appear this week. And with a weekend of vacation later in the month, August will probably be a bit sparse around JeffRandleman.com. Hang with me; things will return to normal shortly, and I hope to share a lot of great stuff with you this fall.
This photo was a sunset I watched behind the gym at AICM while I was there early in the summer. I’m looking forward to seeing some more grand and beautiful scenery on this trip as well.
Why should we proclaim the wisdom of men when we have the privilege of preaching the Word of God?
John MacArthur