Thursdays With Oswald—The Long Trail

January 7, 2016 — Craig T. Owens

Oswald ChambersThis is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

The Long Trail

     When we are busy with our own outlook on life, it seems as if God were indifferent. Our human patience, as well as our impatience, gets to the point of saying—‘Why does not God do things?’ Redemption is complete; we believe that Our Lord has all power in heaven and on earth, then why is it such a long while before things happen? Why is God so long in making actual His answers to our prayers? When in such a state of mind we are capable of becoming bitter against God unless we are led into the inner secret of Our Lord’s own attitude. …

     Each of the temptations presented to Our Lord by satan had this as its center: ‘You will get the Kingship of men and the Saviorhood of the world if you will take a “shortcut”—put man’s needs first, and he will crown You King; do something extraordinarily wonderful, indicative of Your power, and man will crown You King; compromise with evil, and You will get the Kingship of men.’ Jesus could have brought the whole thing about suddenly (cf. John 6:15); but He did not. He withstood satan and took the stupendously long way. … 

     It takes a long time to realize what Jesus is after, and the person you need most patience with is yourself. God takes deliberate time with us, He does not hurry, because we can only appreciate His point of view by a long discipline.

From The Place Of Help

Do you trust that God knows what He’s doing? He has something great in mind for your life, something that will bring Him glory. That is the reason He created you (see Ephesians 2:10).

Hang in there … something good will come of this long trail (see Romans 5:3-5).

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New Year, New Attitude

December 31, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.

If you’re looking to challenge yourself to be a better person in the New Year, you couldn’t go wrong with this list—

  1. Hate what is evil
  2. Cling to what is good
  3. Love others with real compassion
  4. Honor others above yourselves
  5. Work hard
  6. Keep growing spiritually
  7. Find new ways to serve the Lord
  8. Be joyful in hope
  9. Be patient in hard times
  10. Be faithful in prayer
  11. Share with others who are in need
  12. Practice hospitality
  13. Bless those who persecute you
  14. Laugh with your friends when they’re happy
  15. Cry with your friends when they’re sad
  16. Live in harmony with everyone
  17. Make friends with those others call “nobodies”
  18. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not
  19. Don’t respond to insults with insults, but with love
  20. Try to do what is right in the eyes of everyone
  21. Live at peace with everyone
  22. Don’t take revenge, but let God handle it
  23. Don’t let evil get the best of you, but get the best of evil by doing good

(Hat tip to the apostle Paul for this list taken from Romans 12:9-21)

►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? ◀︎◀︎

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8 Ways To Argue Correctly

December 17, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

8 ways to argue correctlyIf you argue your case with a neighbor… (Proverbs 25:9). Notice the first word of this proverb is “IF” which tells me I don’t have to argue. But if I do, then here are eight things to remember.

  1. Don’t betray a confidence (vv. 9, 10)
  2. Practice patience (v. 15a)
  3. Speak gently (v. 15b)
  4. Address foolishness without becoming foolish (26:4, 5)
  5. Stay out of arguments that aren’t my concern—don’t meddle (v. 17)
  6. Don’t gossip (v. 20)
  7. Tell the truth (v. 28a)
  8. Don’t flatter the other person (v. 28b)

Let’s try to keep this in mind IF an argument is unavoidable.

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Links & Quotes

May 27, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

link quote

“Patience is the evidence of an inner strength. Impatient people are weak, and therefore dependent on external supports—like schedules that go just right and circumstances that support their fragile hearts. Their outbursts of oaths and threats and harsh criticisms of the culprits who crossed their plans do not sound weak. But that noise is all a camouflage of weakness. Patience demands tremendous inner strength. For the Christian, this strength comes from God.” —John Piper

“Prayerless people soon become faithless people. The more they forsake the gift of access, refusing to draw on God’s provisions, the more they drift away.” —David Wilkerson

“Christians are not fighting for victory. They are fighting from victory. The outcome has been determined.” —Tony Evans

Whether you are a Detroit Tigers fan or not, this is a very cool story: The Day Willie Horton Saved Al Kaline’s Life.

Researchers are working on some amazing advances to treat infections without using antibiotics.

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Poetry Saturday—Failure Doesn’t Mean

May 16, 2015 — Craig T. Owens
Pray = LiveLord, are You trying to tell me something? For…
Failure does not mean I’m a failure;
     It does mean I have not yet succeeded.
Failure does not mean I have accomplished nothing;
     It does mean I have learned something.
Failure does not mean I have been a fool;
     It does mean I had enough faith to experiment.
Failure does not mean I’ve been disgraced;
     It does mean I dared to try.
Failure does not mean I don’t have it;
     It does mean I have to do something in a different way.
Failure does not mean I am inferior;
     It does mean I am not perfect.
Failure does not mean I’ve wasted my time;
     It does mean I have an excuse to start over.
Failure does not mean I should give up;
     It does mean I must try harder.
Failure does not mean I’ll never make it;
     It does mean I need more patience.
Failure does not mean You have abandoned me;
     It does mean You must have a better idea. Amen. —Anonymous






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E.M. Bounds On Prayer

May 7, 2015 — Craig T. Owens 




E.M. BoundsSome great quotes from E.M. Bounds on prayer…


“Trouble and prayer are closely related to each other. Prayer is of great value to trouble. Trouble often drives men to God in prayer, while prayer is but the voice of men in trouble.” —E.M. Bounds


“Prayer is the language of a man burdened with a sense of need.” —E.M. Bounds


“The prime need of the church is not men of money nor men of brains, but men of prayer.” —E.M. Bounds


“Other duties become pressing and absorbing and crowd out prayer. ‘Choked to death’ would be the corner’s verdict in many cases of dead praying if an inquest could be secured on this dire, spiritual calamity.” —E.M. Bounds


“Faith, and hope, and patience and all the strong, beautiful, vital forces of piety are withered and dead in a prayerless life.” —E.M. Bounds






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Links & Quotes

November 5, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




link quote


“With such prayer it is an absolute certainty that I must succeed with God in prayer. If my prayer were my own prayer, I might not be so sure of it, but if the prayer which I utter be God’s own prayer written on my soul, God is always one with Himself, and what He writes on the heart is only written there because it is written in His purposes.” —Charles Spurgeon, commenting on Jude 20


“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charities expenditure excludes them.” —C.S. Lewis


Dr. James Dobson has 8 reminders for stressed parents.


“We must stand on every promise and pray in faith, effectually, fervently, without doubt, and then wait and rest, trusting the Lord to do what is right, in His time and His way. Few Christians today wait with patience for God to work in His time. The more it is delayed, the angrier some get. Some finally give up, thinking God doesn’t answer.” —David Wilkerson


A university scientist is fired for publishing a peer-reviewed paper in a respected scientific journal that dares (gasp!) to mention that the biblical Flood might account for a specific finding he had made. The scientific community is becoming more and more touchy about anything that disproves their tenuous beliefs in an Earth that is anything less than billions of years old.


Continue to pray for Asia Bibi, who is appealing her death sentence in Pakistan. Her crime? She is a Christian. Also please consider supporting the American Center for Law & Justice who is helping Asia, and many others like her.


[INFOGRAPHIC] Have I mentioned that I am a huge fan of The Overview Bible Project? I love this infographic and insight into the biblical authors.


 






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9 Requisites For Contented Living

July 2, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




Contented Living


“There are nine requisites for contented living:


    

  1. Health enough to make work a pleasure [Ecclesiastes 5:19*];
    2. 

  2. Wealth enough to support your needs [Proverbs 30:8-9];
    3. 

  3. Strength to battle with the difficulties and overcome them [1 Corinthians 15:57];
    4. 

  4. Grace enough to confess your sins and forsake them [James 5:16];
    5. 

  5. Patience enough to toil until some good is accomplished [Romans 5:3-5];
    6. 

  6. Charity enough to see some good in your neighbor [Luke 10:25-37];
    7. 

  7. Love enough to move you to be useful and helpful to others [Ephesians 4:2-3];
    8. 

  8. Faith enough to make real the things of God [Psalm 91];
    9. 

  9. Hope enough to remove all anxious fears concerning the future [Psalm 33:18].” —Goethe
    10. 



* The quote is from Wolfgang Goethe, but I added the Scripture references.






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I Can’t Really Know

April 30, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




I Can't Really KnowSolomon wrote, “A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it” (Proverbs 22:3).


Conventional wisdom teaches me to persevere no matter what—keep going! head down and power through! don’t quit! Yet Solomon’s counsel is unconventional—there is a time to stop and take refuge; there is a time that persevering leads to more pain and no gain.


Prior to Solomon’s writings, the other uses of the Hebrew word he uses for “prudent” (aruwm) are always in the negative sense: the serpent was more crafty (Genesis 3:1), God thwarts the shrewd (Job 5:12), to name just a couple. Solomon uses the same word, but in a positive sense.


It comes down to this: I can’t know whether I’m being shrewd or prudent. I can’t know whether I should stop or press on. Only God knows! 


Only the Alpha and Omega knows my end from my beginning. Only the One Who created me with a purpose knows my purpose and my path. Only my Shepherd can tell me when to go forward into green pastures, and when to take refuge beside quiet waters.


My takeaway: I must constantly be in God’s presence, listening for His Voice. I can’t really know when to stay or when to go, but He does know and He is delighted in telling me.






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Thursdays With Oswald—The Patience Of The Saints

February 27, 2014 — Craig T. Owens 




This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.


Oswald Chambers


The Patience Of The Saints


     The patience of the saints may be illustrated by the figure of a bow and arrow in the hands of God. He sees the target and takes aim, He strains the bow, not to breaking-point, however sever the pain may seem to the saint, but to just that point whence the arrow will fly with surest, swiftest speed to the bull’s-eye. 


     The patience of the saints, like the patience of our Lord, puts the sovereignty of God over all the saint’s career…. 


From Christian Disciplines


This talk of patience is the last thing Oswald Chambers discusses in his rather lengthy book Christian Disciplines. We have to remember that God is working in our lives with the view of eternity in mind. We often want things microwave-fast: “Okay, God, go ahead and do something in my life, but do it quickly!”


God’s timing is perfect. His plan is set, and He knows exactly when, where, and how to launch us. Wait for Him. Wait in expectation. Wait in readiness. Wait in hope that He will accomplish exactly what He wants to accomplish, at exactly the right moment He wants to accomplish it.






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