(repost)

by Ross Gilbert

We live in a broken world. You don’t have to look far to see that things are not what God made them to be in the Garden of Eden. It could be a terminal or debilitating illness, loss of loved ones, difficulties with those around you, inability to find a job, or haunted by your past from the sin and failures of yourself or others towards you, we all face troubles and trials in this world.

And how you deal with those trials depends less on the trial itself and more on how you approach them. Put another way, it is not what you face, but how you face it that matters most. That’s because regardless of the size and difficulty of the trial – Jesus is always bigger. That means that the battle is not won and lost in dealing with the trial itself, but in whether we will turn to and trust Jesus in us to handle the trial. And while that is a simple explanation, the application is anything but.

Depending on the trial, my first reaction is not always turning to Jesus, especially if the trial is somehow related to things in my past that have left a wound on my soul. But it is in these moments where Jesus is doing His greatest miracle of healing – He is sanctifying me.

We often think of sanctification as the process where we sin less and live more upright lives. And while that will happen as a result of Jesus’ work in our soul, that is not His primary goal. It is something much greater. His goal of sanctification is to bring healing to my soul, which has been damaged by this broken world. The damage being the lies and mistrust that our enemy bombards us with. Lies that I believe to be true as a result of the disappointments and hurts that I have and am experiencing. It is from these lies that our enemy provokes us to choosing to live out of the flesh, to try and find comfort and strength somewhere other than God.

So Jesus, after exposing the lies to be just that, lies, He begins to tell us the truth. The truth about Himself, that He is a God that loves us fully, deeply and completely with a love that never changes regardless of my behaviour, either good or bad. It is a love that already knows about every single one of my past and future mistakes, but accepts me and wants me anyways.

He tells me the truth about myself, that while I may not yet live as I want to, I am still His beloved, holy and righteous child. That the old me was crucified with Him and now I am a brand new creation that has been forever united to Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That He is proud of me and nothing can ever change that. Absolutely nothing, not even me.

He tells me the truth that while the circumstances that I face are difficult, challenging and would cause many brave souls to lose hope, He lives in me to face it alongside me. That I do not have to battle with trouble in my own strength, but with the strength of God who has proven to be stronger and greater than giants, lions, entire armies and even death itself.

Armed with the truth, I can begin to make better choices in life, the best and most important of all is to trust the One who loves me. This is the work of sanctification and healing that Jesus is doing inside of me and you right now. And notice that it is His work. (see Philippians 1:6 and 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) My work is to believe Him, to listen to Him, to trust Him. And as He works in me, my trust in Him grows.

In Christ who is our Life,

Ross

original online version: http://www.crosswaystolife.org/Jun_2015_Sanctification_and_Healing.html

By Bob Hostelter

You are a pastor. You preach and teach, care and console. You manage and maneuver, love and lead. You pour yourself out. You “shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you” (1 Peter 5:2, ESV).

You also need a pastor.

Every pastor needs a pastor. Every pastor needs someone who does the things the pastor is doing for others—encourage, equip, coach, console, support, love and lead. Unfortunately, very few pastors have that kind of relationship, which helps to explain why so many burn out or drop out—and why many others say they would leave the ministry if they thought they could.

Few denominations and church staff systems allow or encourage the establishment and maintenance of a pastor-to-a-pastor relationship. Unless you’re in a very rare situation, the chances are good that you will have to take the initiative and do the work of filling that need in your life. But it is a need, make no mistake. It is not an option, if you plan to not just survive but also thrive in ministry.

So what can you do? Where do you go? Here are a few suggestions to help you do what (of course) you encourage your flock to do—have a caring, capable pastor in your life to lead, teach, encourage and equip you:

• Approach someone you already know. Someone who is already in your circle of relationships. It may be a retired pastor or someone in an entirely different field. It shouldn’t be someone in your church but could be someone you’ve crossed paths with. Someone who impressed you, maybe. Or someone who reached out to you. If such a person comes to mind, consider asking him or her to meet regularly with you, perhaps just as a sounding board at first. Let the relationship develop from there.
• Consult a spiritual director. Spiritual direction may be a new concept for you, but it can be a transforming experience to have someone to meet with regularly who will listen—not only to you but also to the Holy Spirit—and offer sensitive wisdom and guidance. My friend Kasey is a fine example of this kind of ministry. Christian spiritual directors in your area can be found through Spiritual Directors International.
• Find a good Christian counselor. Years ago, my church planting coach would ask me and my co-pastor every time we met, “Do you have a shrink yet?” He clearly considered it not only important but also urgent. So I started meeting regularly with a counselor, and boy was I glad I did. A good Christian counselor can often be like a pastor to a pastor; mine was to me. If the first person you consult isn’t quite a “match,” don’t give up. Keep trying. Ask others for recommendations or start here.
• Use available resources. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of an actual, on-site, flesh-and-blood person to pour into you as you are pouring into others. But in rare circumstances, that may not be possible for you. If that is the case, make sure to utilize all available resources, such as:

• “Thriving Pastor,” the ministry to pastors of Focus on the Family. They also provide a Facebook page, Twitter account and pastoral care line (844-4PASTOR).
• Podcasts. I have been fed and encouraged over the years by the podcasts of various pastors—some that provide encouragement specifically to those in ministry, and others, like Erwin McManus or James MacDonald, that podcast sermons or Bible studies. Here is a helpful listing.
• Retreats. I’ve posted previously on this blog about retreat centers and getaways that are offered specifically for pastors (here). While some hosts at such places leave you alone, others make themselves available for those who want to talk. Such encounters may lead to a more enduring relationship, magnifying the benefit of the retreat.

These are just a few ideas. But please believe me when I say you need a pastor. What’s good for the sheep is good for the shepherd. It will strengthen you and your ministry, making you even more of an example to the flock.

More from Bob Hostelter or visit Bob at http://desperatepastor.blogspot.com/

A letter from Pastor Paul Travis:

The LORD is my light and my salvation.
Psalm 27:1

The Gospel means good news: “Christ died for our sins…was buried and rose again the third day .” (I Cor. 15: 3-4). It expresses God’s love, but is wrapped up in His grace. …

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found was blind but now I sec.

‘Twas grace that wrote my name in life’s eternal book.
‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb who all my sorrows took.

Grace was enormously expensive for God. Yet there’s nothing we can offer to pay for it. Any concept of grace that makes us feel more comfortable about sinning is not Biblical grace. God’s grace never encourages us to live in sin; on the contrary, it empowers us to say No to sin and Yes to Truth.

The question is not what arc we to do and not do, but is God pleased and magnified. It is not about us; it is all about Him.
It has been a tremendous privilege to sec what God has done by His grace. We will never fully understand the grace of God. “May the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you” (I Pet. 5:10).

Many have a deep longing for a more intimate and personal relationship to the God of grace. God has always expressed His grace through the ages; but now grace reigns. He is more ready to express His grace than His judgment.

“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (II Cor. 9:8). “To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved (Christ) ” (Eph. 1:6). We need to praise the Lord abundantly for His wonderful grace.

Grace is God’s favor to those that deserve loss, but put their trust in Him. However, where there is pride, there is no room for grace.

Charles Swindoll says: “There is a compelling call to accept the grace that has been freely given, to enthusiastically embrace and carefully protect the freedom it provides, and to experience the joyful and abundant life that God desires for us.”

Martin Lloyd Jones shares: “What I am interested in is not what I was but what I am, and I am what I am by the grace of God.” Christ became poor so that wc might become eternally rich. This is the high cost of grace.

Here are some gems from Charles Stanley: “You can work a lifetime to be good and perfect and not be any better off than when you first started…Jesus sympathizes with us and identifies with our weaknesses, our fears and our anxieties…He never said, be perfect to receive my salvation. Salvation comes to us one way–by the grace of God. While He does discipline us, God never rejects us for performance…Stand strong in His grace. Receive His help. Relax in His acceptance. Bask in His compassion. The God of grace is with us.”

God’s grace is amazing because it is free. He bore the cost of our sins; therefore, it is not cheap grace. God’s grace is amazing because it is limitless. His grace can never be exhausted. Regardless of the vilest or number of our sins, God’s grace is always sufficient.

Grace is not about God lowering His standards; it’s about surrendering to Christ and allowing Him to meet those standards through us.
It is hard for us to realize that all that we are, all that we have and all that we will ever be is because of God’s grace.

God’s standards of holiness are not lowered under grace; they arc raised (Matt. 5:20-22; Gal. 5:4).

Grace does not make believers less holy; it enables them to be more holy.

Grace never causes believers to despise and avoid truth; it causes them to adore and practice truth. Grace does not lower the bar; it enables us to jump over the bar.

You guessed it! Our hearts arc really thrilled because of God’s love for us and His GRACE toward us. …Please continue to pray for this ministry.

Love in Christ,

Paul and Joyce

Paul & Joyce Travis serving withFreedom in Christ Ministries

MINI BIBLE STUDY FOR THE DAY

Jesus is totally sufficient:

• In creation
  

  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. —Colossians 1:16-17

• In salvation
  

  By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.—Hebrews 10:10-12

• In life and Godliness
  

  seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. —2 Peter 1:3-4

• In glorification
  

  and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. —Romans 8:30

• In sanctification
  

  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word. —Ephesians 5:26-27

Most importantly, He is sufficient to be fully trusted.

And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. —Psalm 9:10Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it. —Psalm 37:5

“Good Morning Lord!” comes from Compass International

www.compass.org.