the beauty of the mountains

Two days ago I spent some time hiking around the Absaroka mountains in western Montana. I snow-shoed it with my buddy, Joel. He's a much more avid hiker than I (you'd never guess given my stout appearance...haha) and I'm sure at times he would have loved to hike longer but, thankfully, he slowed and we went at my pace.

I love the mountains. Why? Because there are few places on earth (that I have been)that so encompass the enormity of God than in the mountains. They are huge, they are beautiful, they stir up fear and love, and I long to know them. The same is true of God: he's huge, he's beautiful, he causes fear and love, and I long to know him more.

I wish that each day I could wake and experience the joy of the mountains (not for the joy they cause but for God's.) But I don't want to have to depend on some created thing for a call to worship the greatest thing. Wouldn't it be a great life if each day it was no effort more than to open our eyes and be in love and in awe of our great Savior? O, Lord...let today be the first of those days.

-joe

from owen

hear a snippet of owen:
"Put, then, this to the venture: exercise your thoughts upon this very thing, the eternal, free, and fruitful love of the Father, and see if your hearts be not wrought upon to delight in him"

-joe

the latest from Owen

in chapter three of communion, Owen says that God, the Father's, love towards us is in abundance. Overflowing.
Our love toward him is a matter of four things: taking rest in Him, finding delight in Him, revering Him and being obedient to Him.

how I fail to do these things. I've been pretty good on those first three, but man. That last one is a toughy.

-joe

in the famine

I read over Acts 11 today and the verses 27-30 hit me in the face
"Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul."

am i reading that right? did i miss something huge?
a famine over the "world"...probably meaning a very large portion of the middle east. and what did the disciples determine? to send help to the brothers in Judea. not to everyone. not to random people. to the brothers. other believers are who they came to aid. the famine was everywhere. why just the brothers?

here's my two cents. we often think that we are aiding people by helping them in the physical realm, what is commonly referred to as 'social justice.' often times (though not always) what happens is that we help people and they get back on their feet and they never turn to God in their time of need, but rather depend on man to supply for their needs.
Christians, however, are told to love one another. By our love for each other others will know we love Christ. Care for the brethren. We care for our own because we are the body of Christ, we act as his intercessor to provide all the needs of those who trust in Him.

do i think that every time a disaster happens we should only help those who are Christian? no. but only to a point. if we help those outside the faith, there must be a call to repent and believe. Luke 13 should be taught. the folks who died are no more sinful than we that are alive. therefore, repent.

thoughts back?

-joe