I found this today and will begin participating…
Be still. Absorb what the Lord is speaking to you. Just soak it all in. Stay in His presence today. Worship Him with every action, every thought and every breath. Relax, rest, be refreshed.
Faith Category
Thursday, February 5th, 2009
Reflection on James 1:25
In my quiet time this morning, I began reading and studying the book of James…one of my favorites. When I read verse 25 of the first chapter, I felt in my spirit that there was something there and I needed to study it further. What a great verse this is!
James 1:25,
But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
Personally, this verse is awesome because it speaks of two topics that have been spoken to us lately….
First, liberty (freedom) and second, being effectual (functional).
If I study at the perfect law, the Law of Christ, the Law which brings FREEDOM, and if I abide by it, I will FUNCTION the way God made me and doing so will bring blessing.
See, the mosaic law was not perfect (Hebrews 7:19) and did not accomplish perfection to those who were under it (Hebrews 10:1). It cannot, as each sacrifice is made, ever perfect those who draw near. It atoned for the sins but did not give liberty or freedom. The Perfect Law referred to in James 1:25, is the Law of Christ and under this law we have freedom! The perfect law frees us from the Mosaic Law and from our sin. (Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”)
Christ came to fulfill the law and perfect it. The Mosaic Law did not offer the abundant grace that we have now.
I like this quote from John Piper,
Moses gave us a law but it could not change our hearts so that we could freely obey….He offers to slay the dragons of our pride, change our hearts, empower us by His Spirit and fullfill His law.
This is kind of a side note but it’s good, I think 
THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED
I like how the NASB uses the word RELEASE, some use liberty, but personally, release is a great way to put it. When you read Luke 4:18, you see that Jesus came to preach the gospel, proclaim that we are free, heal physically & spiritually and then to set us free. When we seek forgiveness from God, through Jesus, we are not just forgiven for the sin, but our SIN is forgiven, which means that He will free us from the sin, the guilt and its power over us! When we forgive others, we forgive the person, but we are not capable of forgiving their SIN as Jesus can. THAT is deliverance! and THAT is amazing!
ANYWAY, back to James…
in order to be effectual, functioning as God desires me to, I need to “look intently at the Perfect Law” and abide in it! So what do I need to do first? Study the Law of Christ, in order that I know what to abide in! That is what I am doing for this season, and probably my whole journey through life!
Monday, January 26th, 2009
Fifteen Pro-Life Truths to Speak – from Desiring God
The following is taken from DesiringGod.org
Fifteen Pro-Life Truths
By John Piper January 24, 2003
“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
- Jesus Christ
1. Existing fetal homicide laws make a man guilty of manslaughter if he kills the baby in a mother’s womb (except in the case of abortion).
2. Fetal surgery is performed on babies in the womb to save them while another child the same age is being legally destroyed.
3. Babies can sometimes survive on their own at 23 or 24 weeks, but abortion is legal beyond this limit.
4. Living on its own is not the criterion of human personhood, as we know from the use of respirators and dialysis.
5. Size is irrelevant to human personhood, as we know from the difference between a one-week-old and a six-year-old.
6. Developed reasoning powers are not the criterion of personhood, as we know from the capacities of three-month-old babies.
7. Infants in the womb are human beings scientifically by virtue of their genetic make up.
8. Ultrasound has given a stunning window on the womb that shows the unborn at eight weeks sucking his thumb, recoiling from pricking, responding to sound. All the organs are present, the brain is functioning, the heart is pumping, the liver is making blood cells, the kidneys are cleaning fluids, and there is a fingerprint. Virtually all abortions happen later than this date.
9. Justice dictates that when two legitimate rights conflict, the limitation of rights that does the least harm is the most just. Bearing a child for adoption does less harm than killing him.
10. Justice dictates that when either of two people must be inconvenienced or hurt to alleviate their united predicament, the one who bore the greater responsibility for the predicament should bear more of the inconvenience or hurt to alleviate it.
11. Justice dictates that a person may not coerce harm on another person by threatening voluntary harm on themselves.
12. The outcast and the disadvantaged and exploited are to be cared for in a special way, especially those with no voice of their own.
13. What is happening in the womb is the unique person-nurturing work of God, who alone has the right to give and take life.
14. There are countless clinics that offer life and hope to both mother and child (and father and parents), with care of every kind lovingly provided by people who will meet every need they can.
15.Jesus Christ can forgive all sins, and will give all who trusts him the help they need to do everything that life requires.
Here are the places where most abortions are done in the Minnesota. Ask God how the gospel of Christ might be most fruitfully shared with those who work here, with a view to saving life now and for eternity. The one nearest the church (Meadowbrook) advertises on their website that they do abortions up to 21.6 weeks.
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, HIGHLAND PARK CLINIC: 1965 Ford Parkway, St. Paul, MN 55116; (651) 698-2406. medicalservices@ppmsd.org; http://www.ppmsd.org/medical/highlandpark.asp
Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, MINNEAPOLIS CLINIC: 1200 Lagoon Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55408, (612) 823-6300; medicalservices@ppmsd.org; http://www.ppmsd.org/medical/minneapolis.asp
Meadowbrook Women’s Clinic, P.A.: 825 South 8th Street, Suite 1018, Minneapolis, MN 55404, (612) 376-7708; info@meadowbrookclinic.com; http://www.meadowbrookclinic.com/about.htm
The Robbinsdale Clinic: 3819 West Broadway, Minneapolis, MN 55422; (763) 533-2534;
http://www.robbinsdaleclinic.com/location_and_directions.htm
Midwest Health Center for Women: 33 South Fifth Street, Fourth Floor, Minneapolis, MN 55402; (612) 332-2311; http://www.gynpages.com/midwest/
© Desiring God
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By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org
