eatbible

Here we go again…

This time, I’ll be giving away one of my favorite books of last year, if not all time – A Praying Life by Paul Miller.  Prayer seems to be something that Christians, on a whole, are always thinking and struggling through. Out of all of the spiritual disciplines that aid me in my communion with God, prayer has always been  the most inconsistent. Probably because I have never really thought accurately about prayer, and this book changed a lot of that.

Some of my favorite quotes…

• “At the center of self-will is me, carving a world in my image. At the center of prayer is God, carving me in his Son’s image.”
• “You don’t need self-discipline to pray continuously; you just need to be poor in spirit.”
• “God wants to do something bigger than simply answer my prayers. The act of praying draws God into my life and begins to change me, the pray-er, in subtle ways.”

Now, 4 Ways to Win!

1. Leave a comment.
2. Subscribe to RSS Feed (let me know you do so either in the comment or by email)
3. Twitter this!– RT @jeffmedders BOOK GIVEAWAY – A Praying Life by Paul Miller – 4 Ways to Win! – http://www.eatbible.org/giveaway-a-praying-life/
4. Facebook this (Let me know you did so in a comment or email) – You could link it in on your wall or post it in your status…up to you!

Maximum entries is 4 and the winner will be drawn at 1:30pm CST, March 12th.  Have fun!

Ephesians 1:5 He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will

Think for just a second, what your life was like before Jesus saved you.  What words would you use to describe it?

Before Jesus, you and I had no hope. We were destined for wrath due to our sins that we have committed against the holy God. In actuality, we were enemies of God (Romans 5:10).  Without Jesus, we do not belong to God, but Satan (1 John 3:9-10). We were all alone.

Loneliness is one of the worst feelings in the world.  Not only is it one of the worst feelings, but it is one of the worst conditions or states to be in. One truly is the loneliest number.  But God didn’t leave us alone. He pursued us and brought us to himself (1 Peter 3:18).  We are not his children by our first birth, but we are born again and are adopted into his glorious love. And all of this happens through the person and work of Jesus. By Jesus, we have been given the right to become children of God (John 1:12).  Our identity is now in God, no longer under Satan’s power but God’s (Acts 26:18). Praise God for our adoption! He did what was best for you and I, when we would have preferred to sit in the dumpster of sin and gorge ourselves on pain and death; He came and took our sin and adopted us into his joy and pleasures forevermore.

Together we were alone but now, through Jesus – we have been adopted into the royal family of the only true God and get to enjoy Him forever.

1 Cor. 15:57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sin is a beast. We all fight with sin. If you have ever tried to beat it on your own, you know you cannot win. You might have success for a little bit, but it’s over quickly. You may win a few battles, but you feel like sin is winning the war.

Fighting inward temptation is serious labor: it’s a war. Fighting outward temptation isn’t a cake walk Satan and his servants are master tempters. Satan and his fools have been doing this since Genesis 3, they know exactly what to do, they’ll even pair up with our flesh to create the proverbial ‘perfect storm’ of temptation. If you try to be a lone ranger against sin, you’ll be a dead ranger. Dreadfully, the punishment we earn from sin is death. When we turn our time cards in at the end of life, we’ve all earned death (Romans 3:23, 6:23). Death wins. Everyone is going to die…except for one factor.

Jesus.

Jesus died in my place, for my sin, and now I do not have to (Galatians 2:20, 3:13, 2 Cor. 5:21, Romans 5:8-11). Not only do I not die, but I have victory over my flesh (inward temptation) and Satan and his servants (outward temptation). Jesus won the victory. Not only did Jesus attain the victory over sin, death and Satan for the fame, glory and honor of the Triune God; but He gives ‘us the victory’ as well (2 Cor. 5:15, 1 John 2:12). We are victors with Him. And now, we don’t have to fight alone. He is with us (Matthew 28:20, Gal. 2:20). He has given us the Spirit to win our battles daily (Romans 8:13, 1 Cor. 10:13). The great news is, catch this and seriously believe it: You don’t have to fight alone. He won for us. His death and conquering resurrection seals our champion’s throne. There is no longer a single doubt about who won.

There is no longer any guilt, anxiety, shame, fear, weakness, condemnation, speculation, or worry in this world.

Our victory over sin, satan and death has come through Jesus.

Yes! Yes! Yes!!!  I couldn’t be more thrilled about this release!

When I first came to know Jesus, the MacArthur Study Bible, was my companion.  The notes were invaluable guides for me, in helping me get a grasp on God’s word. I have been recommending this study Bible for years, and always hoped that it would one day be in the ESV…and behold, this day has arrived.

MacArthur ESV Study Bible Promo from Crossway on Vimeo.

Here is the OFFICIAL SITE

[HT:JT]

I count it such a great honor and joy that I am asked by God to point others to His Son.  Jesus is the point of my life and therefore my ministry, in whatever capacity God leads,  is to point people to Jesus.  Lost people need to see Jesus as their God, Lord & Savior and believers need to continually look to and remember the same things about Jesus.   My life’s ambition and hope is what the Apostle Paul declared in Colossians 1:28-29:

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.  For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

The theme and essence of Paul’s message is: “Him” (Jesus).  He wants to make Jesus known, by warning others of the 2nd coming and the wrath to come and by teaching that they can find salvation in Him and Him alone. He does all this in the hope that people may be presented to Jesus as mature followers of Christ.  He doesn’t take this lightly either.  He ‘toils’ for it.  He labors hard for it!  He even says that he struggles with all the energy that Jesus gives him…which works powerfully.  It’s an enduring work.

As I was sitting in my office today, sipping on my Diet Coke, I was thinking about the amazing things that I receive and get to enjoy through Jesus.  I began to read verse after verse of the amazing things that I am able to claim and enjoy because they have come through Jesus.  I thought it would be fun to share some of these things with some of you.  I really do believe that the more we love Him, the less we will love sin.  The more we taste and see that He is good (Ps. 34:8), the more we will taste and see that sin is poison. The more we come to be in awe of Him, the more we will get bored with the fleeting pleasures of sin.

So for the rest of this week, I will be sharing some verses that speak of the wondrous benefits that we get through our great God and Savior.

The Story of Mychal Lege’s conversion and new life in Christ.

YouTube – Mychal’s Story.

[If on RSS reader, you'll need to click through to see the video]

Here are some great quotes from Ray Ortlund’s blog from a recent conference.  Fellow Preachers, read well…

By the way, if you don’t read Ray Orlund’s blog, your really should.

Game film highlights – Ray Ortlund.

Here is the sermon I preached on John 17:20-26, What Jesus Wants for You..

1. Unity

2. To see His Glory

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO AUDIO. You may also find the Redeemer Bible Church podcast in iTunes.

Marriage is being put off to later and later in life, and is causing some real problems.  Some people are waiting for genuine reasons, but others out of selfishness, fear, laziness and a plethora of other sins. Repent of your sin and…

GET MA RRIED!

The average age for marriage in the USA right now for men is 28 and 26 for women.  This is ludicrous.  I got married when I was 22 and I wouldn’t have waited another second.

Read the article below from Al Mohler and see what he thinks.

Did He Get Married Too Young? – AlbertMohler.com.

Have you ever wondered what Ash Wednesday or Lent is all about? Check out what Pastor Bill Streger, of Kaleo Church in Houston, says…

What Is Ash Wednesday? | BillStreger.com.