rewards

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Thursdays With Oswald—The Feast Is Just Beyond The Fight

January 14, 2016 — 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.

The Feast Is Just Beyond The Fight

The feast is just beyond the fight; when you have been through the fight, there is the wondrous joy and triumph of the feast. We learn to thank God for the trial of our faith because it works patience. The thing that is precious in the sight of God is faith that has been tried. Tried faith is spendable; it is so much wealth stored up in heaven, and the more we go through the trial of our faith, the wealthier we become in the heavenly regions. …

We are so impatient—“I thought God’s purpose was to make me full of happiness and joy.” It is, but it is happiness and joy from God’s standpoint, not from ours. God always ignores the present perfection for the ultimate perfection. …

God gives us a new revelation of His kindness in the valley of the shadow.

From The Place Of Help

The Apostle James said essentially the same thing when he wrote—

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith through experience produces endurance leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed in your faith, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4)

If you’re in a fight, stay in the fight. God has a great reward for you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apostle James, God's purpose, kindness, maturity, Oswald Chambers, perfection, Revelation, rewards, spiritual warfare. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

December 21, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“Christ did not risk death. He embraced it. That is precisely why He came: not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). … Christmas is for freedom. Freedom from the fear of death. Jesus took our nature in Bethlehem, to die our death in Jerusalem, that we might be fearless in our city. Yes, fearless. Because if the biggest threat to my joy is gone, then why should I fret over the little ones?” —John Piper

“The danger of all dangers would be to lose trust and confidence in the mercy of God. … To distrust Him would be a far more terrible thing than any physical evil which all the enemies of God put together could inflict on us, for without God’s permission neither the devils nor their human ministers could hinder us in the slightest degree.” —Francis Xavier

“Each instant of present labor is to be graciously repaid with a million ages of glory.” —J.W. Alexander

“If God did so much for us when enemies, what will He do, or rather, what will He not do, for us now that we are friends? … If Christ’s death did so much for us, what will not His life do?” —Horatius Bonar

“Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.” —Goethe

[VIDEO] Tim Dilena shares some practical keys for a consistent prayer life.

“I would exhort those who have entertained an hope of their being true converts, and yet since their supposed conversion have left off the duty of secret prayer, and do ordinarily allow themselves in the omission of it, to throw away their hope. If you have left off calling upon God, it is time for you to leave off hoping and flattering yourselves with an imagination that you are the children of God.” —Jonathan Edwards

“For too many of us, Christian experience is episodic rather than continuous, with a few religious experiences interspersed throughout our lives, which are otherwise lived on our own terms. Such people can see little need or use for prayer.” —Ralph Lehman

Eric Metaxas helps us get ready for Religious Freedom Day on January 16.

[VIDEO] Not just at Christmas when you are receiving gifts, but all year long we should be people of appreciation. Check out John Maxwell’s short video—

Links & Quotes

July 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“When we go through the trial of faith we gain so much wealth in our heavenly banking account, and the more we go through the trial of faith the wealthier we become in the heavenly regions.” —Oswald Chambers

“The promise that frees us from an unforgiving, bitter, vengeful spirit is the promise that God will settle our accounts. He will do it more justly and more thoroughly than we ever could. Therefore we can back off and leave room for God to work.” —John Piper, commenting on Romans 12:19

“‘Revenge is sweet;’ but not to the man who has tasted Christ, for he says, ‘How can I have vengeance upon my fellow, when Christ has put away my sin?’ Now, forgiveness is sweet, and he loathes malice, and turns aside from it as from venom itself.” —Charles Spurgeon

The Isaiah 53:5 Project reblogged one of my all-time favorite blog posts: The Parable Of The Lifeguard. Thanks, James!

Melinda Penner reminds us of the dangers of abusing our freedom. “If there is nothing objective to constrain our freedom, then there’s nothing objective to constrain the government. Our rights become whatever we declare them to be and whatever the government at any time and place declares them to be, changing with the fashions of the day.”

Greg Koukl does a good job explaining how the books of the Bible were compiled in this video.

Humility Misunderstood

July 6, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Humility has gotten a bad reputation. Many people think of a humble person as someone who never speaks up for himself, someone that can be taken advantage of, someone who becomes a doormat for everyone else. But the picture of a humble person in the Bible couldn’t be more different!

We all have to bow to someone or something. A godly humble person has chosen to bow to God and to follow God’s righteous standards.

One name for God is Jehovah Tsidkenu which means God is Righteous (see Psalm 119:137). The Hebrew word tsadhe is a part of God’s Righteous title, and it’s how we are called to live. Tsadhe means the humble, faithful servant.

In the section of Psalm 119 called tsadhe, the psalmist points out:

Your laws are right … they are fully trustworthy (vv. 137, 138).
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and Your servant loves them (v. 140).
Your commands are my delight (v. 143).
The way You tell me to live is always right (v. 144).

Jesus lists a whole series of rewards for those who are humbly, faithfully dependent on God for help in Matthew 5:3-12. But I especially love how tsadhe looks when we zoom in on it—the Hebrew scribes wrote it with the faithful, humble, kneeling servant depicted with a crown! Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven (Matthew 5:12).

Far from being pushed down, the humble person is the one God delights to exalt! God set the standard for righteousness, and then Jesus became our righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6; 1 Corinthians 1:30), so that we could receive the rewards of humble obedience to the Heavenly Father.

What a way to live!

If you have missed any of the messages in our P119 series, you can access them all by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, BibleGateway, humility, Jesus Christ, Psalm 119, rewards, righteousness, servant. 1 Comment »

Poetry Saturday—The Privileges Of The Living

June 27, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Awake, my zeal, awake, my love,

To serve my Savior here below,

In works which perfect saints above

And holy angels cannot do.

Awake my charity, to feed

The hungry soul, and clothe the poor:

In heaven are found no sons of need,

There all these duties are no more.

Subdue thy passions, O my soul!

Maintain the fight, thy work pursue,

Daily thy rising sins control,

And be thy victories ever new.

The land of triumph lies on high,

There are no foes t’ encounter there:

Lord, I would conquer till I die,

And finish all the glorious war.

Let every flying hour confess

I gave Thy gospel fresh renown;

And when my life and labor cease,

May I possess the promis’d crown. —Isaac Watts

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: angels, Christian, Heaven, Isaac Watts, poem, poetry, rewards, saints, Savior, self-control, spiritual warfare. Leave a Comment »

May 14, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

Jesus says there are only two types of rewards we can receive: from God, or from men.

Men reward because of appearance. That is, the more visible or pious or charitable our acts, the more rewards men give (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). However, these outward-only acts get “no reward from your Father in Heaven” (6:1).

God rewards what’s done for His eyes only, and for His glory only. He rewards abundantly, even when no one else seems to notice (6:4, 6, 18).

So Jesus advises us to not seek the rewards or treasures of men, because they are fickle and liable to loss. God’s rewards, however, are eternally secure and of infinite value (6:19-21). When my focus is on loving God and serving others, rewards in Heaven are the result (6:25-34).

I cannot live for the applause of men and the applause of God (6:24). So I choose only the applause from nail-scarred Hands!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: applause, Bible study, God's glory, Heaven, Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, rewards, Sermon on the Mount, Sola Deo gloria. 1 Comment »

Links & Quotes

May 13, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

“What takes away the compulsion of revenge is our deep confidence that this world is not our home, and that God is our utterly sure and all-satisfying reward.” —John Piper

“Though it is clear as noonday in Scripture and in experience that stability is not to be found beneath the moon, yet men are for ever building upon earth’s quicksand as if it were substantial rock, and heaping up its dust, as though it would not all be blown away.” —Charles Spurgeon

[PHOTOS] 50 photos of Moms loving their kids in very trying times.

This post from a Live Dead team member—The Risk Of Security—reminds me to (1) pray for our front-line missionaries, and (2) pray that God will move on people’s hearts to raise up more missionaries!

How to poison your marriage in 3 easy steps: blame, compare, withdraw. Married couple should definitely read this post.

I love the leadership insights from Tim Elmore. He’s got a thoughtful post today on 2 temptations leaders face in turbulent times.

[VIDEO] Frank Turek and Boby Conway discuss the question: Can Science Disprove God?

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: atheism, Bobby Conway, Charles Spurgeon, communication, Creation, Dr. Tim Elmore, evangelism, forgiveness, Frank Turek, Heaven, John Piper, leadership, Live Action, Live Dead, marriage, missionary, Mom, mother, One Minute Apologist, photography, prayer, quotes, relationships, revenge, rewards, safety, science, theism, video. Leave a Comment »

An End To Tears

April 27, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

I was asked the age-old question: Why is there suffering and pain? This is usually accompanied by the other often-pondered question: Why do bad things happen to good people?

I’m not sure that I can answer that one, because I’m not a “good” person. I’m a sinner. I’ve messed up more time than I can count, and it is only by God’s mercy that His righteous judgment hasn’t consumed me.

Here’s what I do know:

God loves me so much that He sent His Son to rescue me—John 3:16-17
I am of immeasurable value to my Heavenly Father—Luke 12:6-7
Suffering on earth is temporal; rewards in Heaven are eternal—Romans 8:18
God develops something in my through suffering that I could learn in no other way—Romans 5:3-4
God can be glorified through my suffering if I will let Him—John 9:1-3; 11:3-6

I also know that Jesus is Perfection. If anyone ever deserved to not have anything bad happen to them, it was Him. And yet He was rejected by His family (Mark 3:21), betrayed by one of His companions (John 13:21), abandoned by all His followers (Mark 14:50), and even felt the sting of God forsaking Him (Mark 15:34).

What makes this even more startling to me is that He knew all of this was coming (Isaiah 53:3; Luke 9:22; Matthew 26:54-56). But He went through all of that pain because His suffering meant He could become the prefect Intercessor and Mediator for our suffering (see Hebrews 5:7-9; 4:14-16).

Jesus us told us, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

And the last book in the Bible promises that eventually God’s children will have every tear wiped away! There will be no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain! (Revelation 21:4)

In the midst of your pain, hold tightly to the One Who loves you so much and is interceding for you!

If you are near Cedar Springs this coming weekend, and you don’t have a home church, I would love for you to join us as we continue to learn about the greatest words ever spoken.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: abandon, betrayal, Bible, Bible study, Calvary Assembly of God, crying, God's love, Heaven, High Priest, intercession, Jesus Christ, pain, rejection, Revelation, rewards, Scripture, sermon, suffering, tribulation. Leave a Comment »

Poetry Saturday―My Great Reward

April 11, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

My goal is God Himself, not joy, nor peace,

Nor even blessing, but Himself, my God;

‘Tis His to lead me there—not mine, but His—

At any cost, dear Lord, by any road.

So faith bounds forward to its goal in God,

And love can trust her Lord to lead her there;

Upheld by Him, my soul is following hard

Till God hath full fulfilled my deepest prayer.

No matter if the way be sometimes dark,

No matter though the cost be ofttimes great,

He knoweth how I best shall reach the mark,

The way that leads to Him must needs be strait.

One thing I know, I cannot say Him nay;

One thing I do, I press towards my Lord;

My God my glory here, from day to day,

And in the glory there my Great Reward. ―Frances Brooke

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: eternity, Frances Brooke, God's presence, poem, poetry, prayer, rewards. Leave a Comment »

Links & Quotes

March 27, 2015 — Craig T. Owens

I really enjoy my work with the En Gedi Youth Center. Our annual auction was a huge success, thanks to the generous people in Cedar Springs, and a local report wrote a story about this successful event.

“Never reduce Christianity to a matter of demands and resolutions and willpower. It is a matter of what we love, what we delight in, what tastes good to us.” —John Piper

“The man who has a hope for the next world goes about his work strong, for the joy of the Lord is our strength. He goes against temptation mighty, for the hope of the next world repels the fiery darts of the adversary. He can labor without present reward, for he looks for a reward in the world to come. He can suffer rebuke, and can afford to die a slandered man, because he knows that God will avenge His own elect who cry day and night unto Him. Through the Spirit of God the hope of another world is the most potent force for the product of virtue; it is a fountain of joy; it is the very channel of usefulness.” —Charles Spurgeon

“Fast growth comes from overwhelming the smallest possible audience with a product or service that so delights that they insist that their friends and colleagues use it. And hypergrowth is a version of the same thing, except those friends and colleagues quickly become even bigger fans, and tell even more people. Often, we get sidetracked when we forget about ‘smallest possible.’ If you make the audience you’re initially serving too big, you will dilute the very thing you set out to make, avoid critical mass, and compromise the magic of what you’re building. You’ll make average stuff for average people instead of something powerful for the few. By ‘smallest possible’ I don’t mean, ‘too small.’ I mean the smallest number that eventually leads to the kernel of conversation that enables you to grow.” —Seth Godin

[VIDEO] An interesting discussion: Can postmodernists live a consistent life?…