Living in God's Grace - Charles Stanley

Psalm 42

 As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and stand before him?  Day and night, I have only tears for food, while my enemies continually taunt me, saying, "Where is this God of yours?"  My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be: I walked among the crowds of worshipers, leading a great procession to the house of God, singing for joy and giving thanks – it was the sound of a great celebration!  Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember your kindness – from Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan, from the land of Mount Mizar.  I hear the tumult of the raging seas as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.  Through each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.  "O God my rock," I cry, "Why have you forsaken me? Why must I wander in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?" Their taunts pierce me like a fatal wound. They scoff, "Where is this God of yours?"  Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again – my Savior and my God!

Charles Stanley writes, 

"When I visited the West Coast, I had the opportunity to do some photography at a spectacular beach. From 75 feet above, I watched huge waves roll in and crash on the rocks below, twisting and breaking, spraying foam into the air.

While observing this magnificent display, I realized that our lives are very much like those rocks when we're living in God's grace. This world can throw some mighty fierce waves our way, but no hardship is greater than God's provision for enduring it: Jesus' Spirit lives within each believer. By cooperating with His Holy Spirit, we can allow Christ's life to be released into our circumstance.

Nothing can move Christians out of the Lord's grace. His power dwells in us, ready and available. When we live in fellowship with our Father and rely upon Him, we can become like rocks, standing firm against the onslaughts of life.

God has granted us everything we need to endure triumphantly, no matter how intense the pain may be. Our peace and joy originate not in the circumstances of life but in our relationship with Christ. That's why we can experience contentment even when a tidal surge slams against us.

What situation is crashing upon you--relational problems, health issues, financial struggles? God wants you to live in His grace, rely on His strength, and place your hope in Him."

Media Calendar & Fellowship

Hello Calvary Media Team!

I've updated the Media Calendar to include March.

Media Calendar 

I also want to make sure we have plenty of fellowship!   Sunday March 8 for lunch is the time we normally get together.  Let's plan on doing Chilli's again since it's easy and has variety. It's on I-35 close to Parmer, here's the map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1GGLS_en-USUS299US303&q=Parmer-Chili's

Toby, please come too, bring the fam...

As always, thank you for your service to our Lord Jesus Christ!

In Christ,
Randall

CalvaryAustinMedia.org 

Bearing One Another's Burdens

Bearing One Another's Burdens 
Galatians 6:1-5

If you are looking for a way to carry out Christ's command to love your neighbor, Paul has a suggestion: bear their burdens. At some point, everyone struggles under the weight of an oppressive situation. Believers have an obligation to get under that load next to their brothers and sisters. 

Jesus sets the pattern for burden bearing. He calls to Himself all who are heavy-laden and gives them rest (Matt. 11:28-29). Since God predestines believers to be conformed to Christ's likeness, we must imitate His care and concern for those who suffer. Acts 4:32 shows that the early church followed His example. To lift the load of poverty, they pooled their resources so that no one was in need. 

Paul's letters make clear his concern for the physical and spiritual welfare of growing churches. He fasted and prayed for them and sent missionaries when he could. He felt it was his responsibility to strengthen them, even though he sustained a personal hardship--his thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7). 

A believer cannot wait until his life is clear of obstacles before reaching out to others, since that day may never come. Even though we have our own needs, we can do all things through Christ's strength--including sharing someone else's adversity (2 Cor. 12:9). 

When you're willing to wade into someone else's troubles to help that person hold up under the weight, two things happen. First, he or she receives desperately needed blessings in the form of aid, support, and love. And second, you fulfill God's command to love a neighbor as yourself. 

The Cross: Symbol of Supreme Love

The Cross: Symbol of Supreme Love
John 10:18

Countless people wear a cross because it symbolizes Christianity. But few fully grasp the depth of love that it represents.

The cross stands for what is arguably history's most painful method of execution. Crucifixion usually began with two soldiers flogging the criminal from the front and back. They used a strap with three leather cords, each containing a piece of embedded bone that tore flesh to ribbons. No wonder Jesus fell and struggled to carry His cross after such treatment.

The soldiers then hammered a long square nail into the hands or wrists; this shape would heighten the already excruciating pain. Another nail was driven through the ankles into the wood. Raising the cross, executioners would then drop it into a hole in the ground, the "thud" further tearing flesh. In order to breathe, the convicted man had to push up on his bloody ankles.

Jesus was God, but He was also fully man. So He experienced the physical agony any human would feel at such brutality. On top of that, He felt emotional and spiritual anguish because the nation rejected Him and His disciples denied Him. Worst of all, when He took our sin upon Himself, the Father turned away (Matt. 27:46; 2 Cor. 5:21). Yet Jesus didn't see Himself as a victim; He willingly offered His blood on our behalf and considered it a joy (Heb. 12:2). No greater love exists.

Take time to consider all that Jesus endured on the cross for your sake. As you begin to grasp the enormity of His sacrifice, thank Him for His boundless love.

***

"Love is the fulfilment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest."
--Augustine of Hippo

"If I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love."
--Amy Carmichael

"But it is doubtless true, and evident from these Scriptures, that the essence of all true religion lies in holy love; and that in this divine affection, and an habitual disposition to it, and that light which is the foundation of it, and those things which are the fruits of it, consists the whole of religion."
--Jonathan Edwards

"A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver."
--Thomas à Kempis

"When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now."
--C. S. Lewis

"Joy is love exalted; peace is love in repose; long-suffering is love enduring; gentleness is love in society; goodness is love in action; faith is love on the battlefield; meekness is love in school; and temperance is love in training."
--D. L. Moody

"Love is the greatest thing that God can give us for Himself is love: and it is the greatest thing we can give to God."
--Jeremy Taylor

Bad News - Google Video Going Away

Bad news gang:

http://googlevideo.blogspot.com/2009/01/turning-down-uploads-at-google-video.html

Unfortunately this leaves a question of what we shall do.  Youtube limits videos to 10 minutes.  We need something where we can do at least 45 minutes to an hour for Allen's messages.

James / Dave, can you research some possible solutions?

Dean, can you let me know if we can upload at the most 200 MB's a week, if this will clog up our storage space on the web eventually? (I know the answer is yes, but need to just ask..and when).

Thanks,

Randall

Fwd: HEA Registration

Hello my friends.  Please see below and know that you can still register for the Marriage Conference.  I'm going!  Hope to see you there!
www.calvarymarriageconference.com

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 2:34 PM
Subject: HEA Registration

Randall,

Just wanted to encourage you to see about rallying some more people to come to the conference from Calvary Austin. It looks like there are only a few dozen coming from the north church.  I know this conference is going to bless the attendees beyond their own comprehension.  The topics are going to include Finances, Protecting Your Marriage from Adultery, Doing Devos.... Together, and Passion in your Marriage. A simple email out to your church or your friends at church letting them know they can still register would be sweet!

I'll be sending out one more to people i know for sure, just thought i'd pass the suggestion along.

Jeremy Valencia
Calvary South Austin
512.576.LIFE
www.calvarysouthaustin.com
www.calvarymarriageconference.com

Media Calendar

Hi all,
Thanks for your continued service to God in the media ministry.  Here's the calendar for February, but please note that the calendar HASN'T MOVED!  It's the same spreadsheet on Google Docs.  So go ahead and Bookmark this site:

http://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?key=pZmhDCNUKSv2aOkCDGBoZBA

You can also always go to CalvaryAustinMedia.org and hit Media Schedule on the right hand menu.  It will pull up this email which provides the above link to Google Docs.

If it isn't obvious, we are very short staffed these days and I would appreciate your support (I myself need to be at every service which I'm sure you can understand is a little cumbersome).

Thanks be to God for the opportunity to serve HIM !

In Christ,
Randall

Mobile Wireless

Hi guys.  In case you haven't noticed, I'm a gadget geek.  We have an interesting problem in the tech world today, AT&T data outage. This can be bad for many, but most of us are tied down to our desks at work.  I found this article interesting for those that have wondered about the services offered in the mobile arena. 

http://gizmodo.com/5111991/austin-3g-test-att-sprint-and-verizon

In other news, I sent out a save the date email for my wedding.  If you didn't get it let me know by sending your home address.  I want you all to be there.

In Christ,

Randall