Once upon a time, God launched a new ministry. Or so points out John Knight in yesterday's post from John Piper's Desiring God Blog.
In this touching and inspiring post, John Knight mentions the acident that left Joni Eareckson Tada in a wheelchair, and launched an international ministry. I won't provide you a spoiler, just 4 words he uses to tell us about "God’s sovereignty over disability," and I will leave you to go ahead and click the link and read this, and more of Desiring God...after you finish with me of course :) Don't leave yet.
Not only do I love to read John Piper's blogs, but I enjoy reading about Joni's ministry. Joni reminds me of another wonderful lady, a holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom. I have several of Corrie's books and am amazed at the life in this woman.I highly recommend anything with her name on it. A good book to start with is The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.
Not only do I love to read John Piper's blogs, but I enjoy reading about Joni's ministry. Joni reminds me of another wonderful lady, a holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom. I have several of Corrie's books and am amazed at the life in this woman.I highly recommend anything with her name on it. A good book to start with is The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.
Say That Again!
"When I was on my feet, big boisterous pleasures provided only fleeting satisfaction. In a wheelchair, satisfaction settles in as I sit under an oak tree on a windy day and delight in the rustle of the leaves or sit by a fire and enjoy the soothing strains of a symphony. These smaller, less noisy pleasures are rich because, unlike the fun on my feet, these things yield patience, endurance, and a spirit of gratitude, all of which fits me further for eternity. It is this yieldedness that gains you the most here on earth." -Joni Eareckson Tada
"If a bird is flying for pleasure, it flies with the wind, but if it meets danger it turns and faces the wind, in order that it may fly higher." -Corrie Ten Boom
"Consider Jesus. Know Jesus. Learn what kind of Person it is you say you trust and love and worship. Soak in the shadow of Jesus. Saturate your soul with the ways of Jesus. Watch Him. Listen to Him. Stand in awe of Him. Let Him overwhelm you with the way He is." -John Piper
"When I was on my feet, big boisterous pleasures provided only fleeting satisfaction. In a wheelchair, satisfaction settles in as I sit under an oak tree on a windy day and delight in the rustle of the leaves or sit by a fire and enjoy the soothing strains of a symphony. These smaller, less noisy pleasures are rich because, unlike the fun on my feet, these things yield patience, endurance, and a spirit of gratitude, all of which fits me further for eternity. It is this yieldedness that gains you the most here on earth." -Joni Eareckson Tada
"If a bird is flying for pleasure, it flies with the wind, but if it meets danger it turns and faces the wind, in order that it may fly higher." -Corrie Ten Boom
"Consider Jesus. Know Jesus. Learn what kind of Person it is you say you trust and love and worship. Soak in the shadow of Jesus. Saturate your soul with the ways of Jesus. Watch Him. Listen to Him. Stand in awe of Him. Let Him overwhelm you with the way He is." -John Piper
Job was a man with friends. He had many, as is usually the case with people with money. Job was wealthy and landed, and had 10 children and numerous relatives. But, when he was down on his luck and lost everything in a bad turn of "stocks," his three remaining friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, set down silently and watched him suffer. Apparently more people were watching as well, because one other young man was named, Elihu.
When these men finally decided to speak, they began to take turns roasting him. In order, each of the three told Job that the game was up, that everybody felt like Job had sinned, and that he should just confess his sins and God would forgive him. I like Zophar the most of the three, because he was last to speak, and first to stop accusing Job. He only gave two speeches while the other two gave three each. It is in Job 11:7-10 that Zophar gives his best words. He explains that God is more than we can grasp. But, reading before and after this little excerpt, you see that he is angry at Job, and wants God to show him a thing or too. He even uses obvious profanity in Job 11:12, calling him the son of a donkey for maintaining his wisdom. The problem is, despite the fact that he says here that we can't "study God," he continues to lecture on, presuming to know the mind of God. Eliphaz was focused on his experiences. I like to think of him as the Pentecostal of the group. Bildad "the Baptist" was concerned with tradition. But, Zophar was the "Spiritualist" of the group. He was like an Independent or Free Will "nondenominational" christian today, and he was sure he knew what God was thinking.
There sat poor Job in the ash heap, putting up with as much "companionship" as he could take. Look at the passage again... Job 11:7-10 Can you by searching find out God? can you find out the limits of the Almighty? It is as high as heaven; what can you do? deeper than Sheol; what can you know? The measure of it is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cuts off, and shuts up, or gathers together, then who can hinder him? He knew the right words. He knew that God was too high& deep, too long & broad to be measured, and that there was no stopping God from what He set His mind to do. What did Zophar miss out on? A lot...grace, Calvary, the Omniscience of God, God's eternal love... he was blind to God's heart.
Hold onto God in your trials. He did not just create you and leave you to work it out on your own. God is the Creator and Sustainer of Life. He has a plan for your life, and He is working your life out just according to His plan. Nothing that happens to you shocks Him. Don't take my word for it... listen to Job, Joni, John Piper, John Knight & Corrie Ten Boom.
When these men finally decided to speak, they began to take turns roasting him. In order, each of the three told Job that the game was up, that everybody felt like Job had sinned, and that he should just confess his sins and God would forgive him. I like Zophar the most of the three, because he was last to speak, and first to stop accusing Job. He only gave two speeches while the other two gave three each. It is in Job 11:7-10 that Zophar gives his best words. He explains that God is more than we can grasp. But, reading before and after this little excerpt, you see that he is angry at Job, and wants God to show him a thing or too. He even uses obvious profanity in Job 11:12, calling him the son of a donkey for maintaining his wisdom. The problem is, despite the fact that he says here that we can't "study God," he continues to lecture on, presuming to know the mind of God. Eliphaz was focused on his experiences. I like to think of him as the Pentecostal of the group. Bildad "the Baptist" was concerned with tradition. But, Zophar was the "Spiritualist" of the group. He was like an Independent or Free Will "nondenominational" christian today, and he was sure he knew what God was thinking.
There sat poor Job in the ash heap, putting up with as much "companionship" as he could take. Look at the passage again... Job 11:7-10 Can you by searching find out God? can you find out the limits of the Almighty? It is as high as heaven; what can you do? deeper than Sheol; what can you know? The measure of it is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. If he cuts off, and shuts up, or gathers together, then who can hinder him? He knew the right words. He knew that God was too high& deep, too long & broad to be measured, and that there was no stopping God from what He set His mind to do. What did Zophar miss out on? A lot...grace, Calvary, the Omniscience of God, God's eternal love... he was blind to God's heart.
Hold onto God in your trials. He did not just create you and leave you to work it out on your own. God is the Creator and Sustainer of Life. He has a plan for your life, and He is working your life out just according to His plan. Nothing that happens to you shocks Him. Don't take my word for it... listen to Job, Joni, John Piper, John Knight & Corrie Ten Boom.
