The God Who Serves

By: Morgan Martin        

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

I have been reading through the Gospel of Mark, where Mark tells of miracle after miracle that Jesus is performed - healing the blind, making the lame to walk, causing the mute to speak, and making the dead alive again. I was reminded again how powerful Jesus is! 

Then I read the verse above. It says that the Son of Man didn’t come to be served, but to serve. That blew me away. This King of kings, Lord of lords, Almighty God did not come to earth to be served --- although that is exactly what He deserves --- but came to serve, and give His life so that I might have abundant life through His death. I was reminded of His grace, and how undeserving I am. 

Thank God for Frustrated Plans

By: Dr. Jimmy Young        

Take a look at Psalm 33:10:  

"The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples."

The last half of this verse points out that God “frustrates the plans of the peoples,” going on to explain in the next sentence that “the counsel of the Lord stands forever.”  One can clearly see that our plans often come to naught, while His are unbudgeable.  Verse 10 seems to be aimed at those who oppose Him, but He also frustrates the plans of His friends.  And I, for one, am glad He does.  

Some of you may recall that, in 1991/1992, the fledgling congregation of GEC voted 98% to purchase Woodland Hills Conference Center (a once thriving country club and golf course).  To not bore you with details, our efforts failed and the deal blew up, much to the chagrin of our young, small congregation.  However, 20 years later, we all look back on that as a disastrous decision on our parts, a disaster avoided, because God, in His kindness, “frustrated” our plans.  

It is often His way to refuse to give us what would eventually be bad for us.  But at the time of the refusal, we find ourselves disappointed and bewildered.  Whenever that happens to me, I recall Woodland Hills, and eventually, am able to thank Him for frustrating me, because if He isn’t in it, I don’t want it.

God Gives the Love Itself

By: Kim Killebrew        

When I was a child, one of my teachers read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom to our class.  This book is the detailed story of her experiences during World War II, including time in concentration camps.  It profoundly affected me, as it does so many people.  As I was reading more of Susan Hunt the other day, she pulled a story from that powerful book that is worth repeating. 

“Hundreds of people arrived at the beautiful home in Blomendaal.  Silent or endlessly relating their losses, withdrawn or fiercely aggressive, every one was a damaged human being.  Not all had been in concentration camps; some had spent two, three, even four years hidden in attic rooms and back closets here in Holland... for all these people alike, the key turned out to be the same.  Each had a hurt he had to forgive:  the neighbor who had reported him, the brutal guard, the sadistic soldier.”

Then Corrie tells of her most difficult forgiveness encounter:

“It was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck.  He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time.  And suddenly it was all there - the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s [Corrie’s sister] pain-blanched face.

He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. ‘How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein,’ he said. ‘To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!’
His hand was thrust out to shake mine.  And I, who had preached so often to the people in Blomendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.

Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them.  Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more?  'Lord Jesus,' I prayed, 'forgive me and help me to forgive him.'

I tried to smile; I struggled to raise my hand.  I could not.  I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity.  And so again I breathed a silent prayer.  'Jesus, I cannot forgive him.  Give me Your forgiveness.'

As I took his hand, the most incredible thing happened.  From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current  seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.

And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His.  When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.”

Susan Hunt says, “Probably nothing will stifle spiritual growth and development as much as an unforgiving spirit, and nothing will stimulate growth and development as much as forgiveness.”  While we may never face the dilemma of forgiving a mocking captor, we must ask ourselves this question.  Do I have a spirit of unforgiveness that keeps me stuck spiritually?  May the Lord lead us all into a grateful spirit that forgives as our great God has forgiven us.

(Don’t forget that Susan is coming in 10 days.  It’s a great opportunity to hear her in person and open your heart to the Lord’s leading in your own life.  Don’t miss it!  Register here!) 

Just Two Things

By: Kim Killebrew      

A few weeks ago I got to meet Susan Hunt, the conference speaker for this year. She is a precious woman, warm and lively. It was truly delightful to be with her, as I would honestly liken it to being with Jesus. She encouraged me to read one of her books, and I have been faithfully following through with her homework.

On page 51 of Women’s Ministry in the Local Church, we read, “John Owen, the great Puritan theologian, teacher, and vice chancellor of the University of Oxford, wrote twenty-four volumes of theology in tiny print and elephantine English. After reflecting upon God’s teaching about the church for the whole of his life, he said that all pastoral ministry basically boils down to two things: making those who are not in union with Christ to know that they are not in union with Christ, and making those who are in union with Christ to live as if they are in union with Christ.”

As I read this book and other Susan Hunt books, I am faced with the question, “Do I want other people, particularly women, to glorify God?” It is not enough to want to glorify God in myself, but do I long to see others living in union with Christ? It is this question that changes the way I view every relationship and every circumstance. Do I love Jesus and enjoy him so much that I want others to enjoy him, too?

Susan Hunt is a gift to women. She is accomplished and impressive, but humble and endearing. Please don’t miss the opportunity to hear what she has to say! Make plans to join us for the Women's Conference on March 31st. You won’t regret it!

Titus 3 and the Beauty of Sentence Diagrams

By: Stacey Fiser      


In graduate school, my friends from above the Mason-Dixon line would often laugh that I was “fluent” in four languages: French, German, English, and Southern.  Almost 20 years later, fluent definitely has a definition, and I have English teachers who would line up to testify that any level of proficiency I achieved was not due to a love of the subject.

However, as our house relives various grade levels, I am reminded that one area of English I did like - as strange as it sounds - was diagramming sentences.  I liked, and still like, the analysis and the structure that comes with looking at each little word.  And oh, how that breakdown of sentences can hit me where it counts.

"But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
- Titus 3:4-7 (ESV)

Who “he” is and “his” attributes, works, and plan point out the inability of “us.”

The subject is our God. He saved us. He poured out his Spirit. His attributes of goodness, loving kindness, mercy, and grace reflect his undeniable role as Creator, Savior, King of Kings, Lamb, and Provider. All three persons of the Trinity are revealed in this saving work as well: God the Father (the King, able to designate heirs), God the Son (our Savior), and God the Spirit (the source of regeneration and renewal).

The direct object is us. He saved us—we could not, would not, and did not save ourselves.  The object of the preposition is us.  Not by our actions, accomplishments, or works, but by his mercy and grace.

It's in the adverbs: He doesn’t just provide; he provides richly.  It's in the predicates: He does not just make us inhabitants, but heirs.

How often in the heat of daily battles, as I am focusing on the direct object (ME), do I lose focus of the subject (HE)?  What freedom and security he allows me to derive when the sentence is diagrammed correctly --- with him up front, and me as simply the object of his saving grace.

Who knew some elementary grammar could reveal so much?

Whom Does the Lord Lead?

By: Dr. Jimmy Young        

I am so drawn to Psalm 25.  I think the allure has to do with verses 4 & 5.  David asks for things that I ask for all the time:  make me to know your ways, teach me, lead me.  Oh, how I long for those things!  

Then in verse 9, David tells us who the Lord leads and teaches: the humble.  Verse 12 seems to equate humility with the fear of the Lord, which is another subject I love.  So, to be led, to be taught goes to the humble and those who fear God.  What a powerful truth!

God Meant It For Good

By: Erin Pearce       

As I continue to read through Genesis, I am completely overwhelmed by the story of Joseph. So many things seem to go so wrong for him. His brothers plot to kill him, then decide to sell him as a slave. He was a slave, but was a successful man and Potiphar trusted him. Joseph then is seduced by Potiphar’s wife, but he is a righteous man and would have no part of it, so she accuses him of coming after her. So Joseph is thrown in prison, and well, the story goes on and on. (Gen 37-50)

In the end, God saves many people from a famine through Joseph. He also saves Joseph’s family, and Joseph forgives his brothers. Not only does he forgive them, he tells them that God had a plan all along.

"'Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.' Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them."

I’m overwhelmed because I want to trust God so much more than I do --- to the point of looking at my life and knowing that the Lord has a plan for every step of the way, for me and everyone around me. Sometimes I think we try to skim over the "bad parts" of our stories, but we have to remember that the Lord was in control of those parts as well. The Lord is about redeeming His people. We must hold fast to the truth that one day all things will be made right. But until then, we must keep pressing forward, serving the Lord through every up and down we have. We won’t do it perfectly, and there is much grace for our failures. But I know I want to look more towards the sovereignty of God and know that His finger is upon me every step of the way. Even through the seemingly "bad times.”

The Old Man of the Mountain

By: John Ottley    

I used to speak at a summer camp in New Hampshire.  One of the many highlights of being in New England was getting up into the White Mountains.  We often drove past “The Old Man of the Mountain” on I-93 near Franconia Notch.  “The Old Man of the Mountain” was a 40 foot high and 25 foot wide rock outcrop that looked just like a face.  It didn’t take much imagination.  You could see the Old Man’s prominent forehead, nose and granite chin jutting out.

I got out my road atlas to find it just now and noted the “point of interest” caption in tiny red letters—“Former Site of Old Man of the Mtn.”   “Former site”?  What?!  Did they move it?!  Actually it collapsed.  Cannon Mountain’s “face” fell off and rumbled down to Profile Lake in the middle of the night in 2003.  Locals were shocked but not surprised when word got out that Cannon Mountain had “lost face.”

Centuries of freezing and thawing had formed tiny cracks in the Old Man's forehead.  The cracks had gradually widened through the years.  In the 1920s they stitched the fissures with heavy chains.  In 1957 the Old Man “had some work done”:  twenty tons of fast-drying cement, a plastic cover, steel rods for extra support and a concrete gutter to keep the rain water off his “face.”  The state kept the patchwork up to date each summer.

But these external, “cosmetic” facials did not fix the problem below the surface.  Little drops of winter water kept seeping deep down into the cracks.  Seeping and freezing.  Freezing and splitting.  The ice split and broke the old rock.  And it gave way.  And it fell with a great crash.

Collapse in the life of a Christ-follower is rarely a big, blaring blowout.  Usually it’s a long, slow, quiet leak.  Take anyone you know with a self-inflicted problem.  Say a couple is divorcing after being married for decades.  Rewind the tape and take a close look at their lives ten, fifteen, twenty years ago.  Where are the “leaks”?  Where are the “cracks”?  What are they ignoring?  What are they lying about or denying?  What are they minimizing, rationalizing or excusing?

Or look at this from another perspective.  What do we need to do today to prevent spiritual “leaks” and “cracks”?   If your love for Christ is leaking… If cracks are widening somewhere in your life… If those around you know you’re about to fall apart… “cosmetic” and superficial treatments aren’t enough.  “If you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.”  Only radical surgery can stop the leaks.  Only God can change a cold heart of cracked granite into a new and living heart.   It may be time for you to stop minimizing, rationalizing, and excusing yourself, and blaming everyone else.   Find someone who will speak the truth to you in love and let them help you.

"For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12


"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8–9

Alien Love

By: Brent Wilkins        

In 1 John 3:1 we read, “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.”

In the Greek, the kind of love described in 1 John 3:1 is potapen. According to John MacArthur, potapen is classic Greek for something foreign, something alien, something that is inexplicable in known terminology. It really says, "Look, there is a love that is utterly unknown to us. It is not at all like human love. It is alien, it is a love that human experience doesn't know. It's a love that's outside of us, above us, beyond us."

It is that alien love that makes us children of God.

The final words of this verse are beautiful too… “and so we are.” Children of God is not merely a name that is bestowed upon us. It is a reality! We ARE children of God. The Father has adopted us as his own and nothing can separate us from that great love.

This great assurance gives us confidence to live as children of God; to be imitators of Christ in the holiness of his life, making him our pattern and example. We can walk through this day excited and encouraged by the fact that we are indeed his children. Children who are loved with the alien love of God.

A Careful Balance

By: Jim Umlauf

One of my favorite hymns was written in 1850 by a woman named Anna Waring. In it, she uses an intriguing and strangely contemporary line. It’s a request of God for “a mind to blend with outward life while keeping at (his) side.” She realizes that we dwell in the world, but are not of it. It’s our home for this earthly life, but we are sojourners, and look forward to our true heavenly home.

Even Jesus, when praying for his current disciples and those who would one day become believers said, "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15).

This is the careful balance in which we must live. The temptation is to cloister one’s self and family from the world around us. Of course, with young children you do try to guard their little hearts and minds. But as we gain insight into the world, the goal isn’t to yank ourselves out of it. That’s not what Jesus did, nor what he commands us to do, and it’s just plain impossible. Neither is it spiritually healthy to become personally coarsened so that the sharp edges of holiness can no longer be felt.

Here’s something I read this morning; it’s full of helpful things to note about ourselves, and to ask of God as we strive to blend with the challenges of outward life, while at the same time, move through it near the Savior:

I am blind, be thou my light,Ignorant, be thou my wisdom,Self-willed, be thou my mind.Open my ear to grasp quickly thy Spirit’s voice,And run after his beckoning hand.Melt my conscience that no hardness remain,Make it alive to evil’s slightest touch.

When you get a quiet moment, pray that. When you get another, pray it again.