Jun 23
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denisehorn added a text contribution we isolate to insulateWatch out, brothers, so that there won’t be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God. But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today , so that none of you is hardened by sin’s deception. Most people don't wake up one morning and think,"What to do today? Hmmm...I think I'll backslide." It always starts with a faithless state. That point of thinking that the situation is so bad that God couldn't possibly be present. Thats&… Read more » -
denisehorn added a text contribution pop quizA few things pop out at me whenever I read this... 1. "If you hear" - It's my responsibility to listen. 2. "Do not harden your hearts" - It is my responsibility to make sure my heart stays pure and doesn't get grody from offense, from hearing what I don't want to, from sin, etc. 3. "...on the day of testing in the desert..." - I WILL be tested. Just part of the dealio. When obedience is required, testing will follow. Why? To make sure it becomes a hea… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution shut yo mouthThe very source of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings. Wow. Perfection gained by going through suffering. Why do so many Christians believe that because we follow God we should be relegated to a community that doesn't have to go through anything? Why do we think that because we call ourselves Christians that we are exempt from suffering but should only be recipients of blessing. If we truly follow Christ, then won't we follow Him though suffering? I want to embrace the t… Read more »
Jun 2
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denisehorn added a text contribution just one of the gangQuite possibly one of the most comforting passages in the bible- Jesus experienced what it was like to be one of us. He became one of us- He was tested, tried, tempted, He suffered, etc. And in doing so made it possible for Him to not only forgive us but relate to us. How merciful and loving is our God? We sing this song at our church- "He became sin Who knew no sin, that we might become His righteousness..." It's completely overwhelming to think about. Jesus stepped down, out of… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution driving schoolDrifting usually takes place when we're not paying attention... I've gotta stay focused. Have you ever been driving down the interstate- usually on a long roadtrip- and after having been truckin' along for a while, sleepiness sets in. Or boredom. Or something catches your eye off in the distance. Or you just get lost in thought, your brain is somewhere else. What happens? You drift. It usually takes running over those bumpy things on the shoulder of the road to get your attention… Read more »
May 13
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denisehorn added a text contribution don't be a girly man"It is necessary to pass through troubles on our way to the kingdom of God." I love that. I mean, I hate it but I love it. It's far more pleasant and fun to believe that as followers of Jesus, we should be shielded from any kind of tribulation. We often think that we shouldn't have to go through the hard stuff. We should just be allowed to breeze through life with Jesus on board Woo hoo. But it's silly. Bring the rule and reign of God to earth means we will encounter opp… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution Let the "fun" beginMan, it seems every crowd has the nay-sayers, those that are just set on perverting the truth and leading others astray. I think about how in the body of Christ, this happens all the time. There are always those that seem to stir up dissension in the body, causing folks to discredit authority, distrust leadership, harbor offense toward other believers, or believe something ridiculous. It's just poison. And how quickly it spreads. One person thinks the pastor is doing a crappy job in this ar… Read more »
May 8
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denisehorn added a text contribution this ain't no disco, it ain't no country club eitherOh the religious. Been around since the beginning. Back then, they were in the form of Pharisees or even devout Jews that couldn't grasp the concept of grace. Nowadays, it's no different- still in the form of the pious, those that take pride in their works and rule following. But it's also in new ways that many don't even recognize as being religious. I mean, how could such freedoms we've all found be considered religious? But they can. So many folks get so attached to t… Read more »
May 6
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denisehorn added a text contribution too badI had never thought of this before- not until my friend Ron pointed out here on youversion back when reading the story of Stephen being stoned. The believers were scattered. Probably folks that once enjoyed great, uplifting fellowship together were pretty much torn apart. That can be seen as a bad thing- how often do we look at the stuff that happens to us as bad. We forget that God can have a purpose even when we do not understand and when things don't go as planned. This horrible thing is… Read more »
May 3
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denisehorn added a text contribution stay in your own laneIt's so easy t o look at what someone else is doing and compare. But we must stay the course God has asked of us. We may be asked to do things that others are not. We may go in a place others are not asked to go. Since when do we check around with everyone else and compare notes? I heard it said once that we need to stay in our own lane. If I am constantly concerned with what another car is doing on the road, staring them down in my rearview mirror, looking back to see what their doing, sl… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution navel gazingI'm pretty amazed that while Jesus was hanging there not only in excruciating pain, but bearing the weight of the sin of the world (yeah, I can't even wrap my brain around what that must have been like...that is too intense for words) but while all this was happening around Him- pain, impending death, abandonment, the darkness of our sin, rejection, mockery, torture...He still wanted to make sure His mom was going to be taken care of. Totally selfless. How easy is it for me to lose mys… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution if it's good enough for Jesus..." I have glorified You on the earth by completing the work You gave Me to do." THIS is what it is to glorify God on the earth- COMPLETE the work He's given us to do. Man, this is my prayer- Lord, I want to complete the work You've given me to do. I don't want my time on this earth to be about what I want, my will, my ease and comfort. I want to truly make disciples and do all You've asked of me. Love this verse. Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution That wasn't me!Thank you Lord for seeing us beyond our stupidity! It's a good thing God sees who we WILL be, who we COULD be, who we CAN be instead of the rebellious suckers we were before He called us out. I love hearing testimonies form folks who when describing their lives before Jesus sound like they are talking about a completely different person. They are! It's just amazing to see what God can do with someone- anyone- who chooses to follow Christ. The very things that disqualify us, that count… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution go join that chariotI love this story! A divine appointment- Philip is instructed to go sit with a man reading a scripture he doesn't completely understand. Philip illuminates him, shares the message of Christ and then proceeds to baptize this man in some water they see as they are passing by. For one thing, I wonder how many times God has set up divine appointments like this for us but we're too fearful to take advantage. Second, I wonder if we back away from these situations because we fear we won'… Read more »
May 2
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denisehorn added a text contribution standing ovationIt's obvious that Stephen walked in humility. He truly believed in this gospel he preached. He had sold out to the cause. The first martyr...and he receives a standing ovation from his Lord. Intense. But what stands out to me at this moment as I read this is how he truly was a disciple of Jesus- he lived (and died!) as Jesus did. He preached the word, he wasn't ashamed, he didn't hold back...but most importantly, with his last breath, he did what Jesus Himself did. He forgave. Und… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'These guys were awesome- warned to stop preaching but they never stopped. They were even beaten over it and they rejoiced! They rejoiced! What?!?! They counted it as an honor. Man, we need this tenacity- to not take no for an answer but to recognize that when we are rejected for the Message, it is an absolute honor because we are relating to Jesus. Like Phil. 3:10 says, "That I may know Him, the power of His resurrection , the fellowship of His sufferings being conformed to His death...&quo… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution drop deadWhoa. Pretty intense. And here I thought God only got angry and "smote" people in the Old Testament. Didn't the whole Jesus coming to earth thing chill Him out a bit? Whew. Ananias and Saphira were basically owned by their wealth. It was an area of their life that they were unwilling to turn over to God's rule. I think most Christians these days are like this- and hey, I don't point the finger, I have knowingly held back before when God has asked for all of me. Truth is,… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution the evidence of speaking in... boldness!The result of being filled with the Holy Spirit was... (drumroll please)...BOLDNESS!!! The purpose of being filled with the Holy Spirit isn't just to have a nifty prayer language, it's not so you can be more spiritual than other folks...when someone is truly filled the "evidence" is not speaking in tongues (where did we get that phraseology? I've said it myself in times past!) The evidence is actually boldness! And hey, if we speak in tongues, too then groovy. But the pr… Read more »
May 1
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denisehorn added a text contribution I hate the quiet gameThey were unable to shut up about Jesus...most Christians in America today are unable to speak up about Jesus! These guys had the threat of imprisonment, abuse and even death. Whereas we run the threat of... um... uh... welll... um... my friends won't like me anymore? We are clueless when it comes to persecution. I remember feeling like such a wuss when I was on a mission trip in Turkey several years back. I met these two gals who had left the muslim faith to be followers of Jesus. If their… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution oooh...spacyThey devoted themselves. They gave themselves completely! They gobbled up teaching, dove into fellowship, didn't hold back when breaking bread, and gave themselves continually to prayer. There was no half-hearted attempt, it became a lifestyle to do these four things. In fact, the rest of their lives began to revolve around these acts, And I love that it was all four things- they didn't leave prayer to the intercessors, teaching to the intellectual, fellowship to the outgoing and the b… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution Vegas, baby, VegasDoes this make anyone else laugh? I mean, they basically rolled the dice to determine the next disciple. No putting a fleece out, taking a few days to fast, waiting for a prophetic word. This seems like a major life decision- would I leave it up to a dice? Sure, God knew who it would be and maybe He rigged it. But what if both options were perfectly acceptable? I'm sure Joseph was a pretty cool guy. I had a conversation just this afternoon with a dear friend that sort of reminds me of this… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution I call shotgun!"Continually united in prayer." Wow. It seems like prayer so often takes a backseat in our relationships. Even the closest of relationships find praying with one another to be uncomfortable. How wierd. This should be the thing that continually unites us. But we're satisfied in our friendships to fall back on carnality and 'bond' over just about everything else. But what could truly unite us, create lasting bonds (eternal), make us one, bring life to our relationships, de… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution What a beautiful brideThis is really interesting to me... "May they all be one...so the world may believe..." Wow, the world will believe in Jesus- that He truly is the Son of God and Savior of the world when we are in unity. That's heavy. Proof tot he world that Jesus is who He says He is relies on our behavior- our obedience. If we could be in unity, it would basically point the way to salvation. No wonder the enemy takes such delight in the factions and dissension and offenses amongst believers. Not… Read more »
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denisehorn added a text contribution an altered life not just an altar prayerWe were chosen by Him and appointed to bear fruit. It's not just the job of the evangelists, the outgoing, the people in ministry, the precious folks on mission fields... we were ALL appointed by God to bear fruit. And not just fruit- lasting fruit. We were all chosen to make disciples- to make genuine followers of Jesus Christ, not just converts to count towards our revival service totals. We must lead people in what it means to follow Jesus- allow them to count the cost and make life alte… Read more »
Apr 30
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denisehorn added a text contribution just like his mommaI am expected to bear fruit- it's part of who I am. I think we sort of see bearing fruit as an option- like only the really crazy evangelistic sorts are really expected to bear fruit. But we all are. We should be making disciples. People should follow us as we follow Christ. This is comforting though as well- I can't make it happen on my own (whew). Fruit is only produced if I am properly connected to the giver of life. I love how this version says, "Remain in Me." I have to… Read more »