Whatever is Pure E-zine

Dedicated To Inspiring Christians

Whatever is Pure Archives

I Lift My Eyes Christian Books Find gifts, music, bibles, devotionals and top-selling current Christian items at discount prices.

Here I am to Worship: Never Lose the Wonder of Worshipping the Savior By Tim Hughes Tim Hughes shares the mystery and wonder of the praise experience and what we can do, both spiritually and practically, to achieve the devotional environment that is most pleasing to the Lord. He addresses such issues as heart-attitude, maintaining a freshness in your relationship with the Lord, and leading others through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Tim has a heart for young people and a desire to equip, to encourage and to be a resource to them and worshipers of all ages!

Stop Dating the Church! Falling in Love with the Family of God By Joshua Harris Christ gave his life for the church, but many of us find it difficult to serve her for an hour or two a week. In Stop Dating the Church best-selling author Joshua Harris boldly challenges us to stop looking for churches that suit our lifestyle and expecting churches to meet our superficial needs. Instead, we should learn to love the church and serve her sacrificially. Take this opportunity to fully commit yourself to the church in the same in the same way that a bride commits herself to the groom.

Marriage: From Surviving to Thriving By Charles Swindoll Need a little marital advice? Ask Chuck Swindoll---one of today's most trusted pastors, authors, Bible teachers, and happy husband of 50 years! Blending warmth and humor with solid scriptural advice, he offers a clear-eyed look at God's design for marriage and practical tips for building a loving lifetime relationship .

Women of Faith Studies: Entrusting Your Dreams To God, A Study on Hannah By Judith Couchman WHY?The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God's Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer. The central issue of Jesus' death is not the cause, but the meaning: God's meaning. That is what this book is about. John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons. Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes in answer to the most important question that each of us must face: What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

Whatever is Pure - September 2008

"Come for dinner, it'll just be a few of us girls, a time for us to get together and get caught up on each other's news." I gratefully accepted the kind invitation and looked forward to a great time of fellowship with good friends on a warm summer night. As the fare was barbecued chicken and salad, with watermelon for desert, I presumed we'd be dining 'El Fresco' as was our norm, using disposable plates, plastic cups and paper napkins. I brought along a bag of potato chips, a last minute purchase, as I hadn't the opportunity that week to do much shopping.

Walking up the front path, I could hear the soothing tinkle of the garden fountain and paused to gaze upon the artistic flowerbeds and peaceful surroundings. Reluctantly tearing my eyes away from the restful spot, I entered in. After greeting my hostess and those gathered, I headed toward the kitchen to drop off my humble offering for the communal meal. I couldn't hold back a delighted gasp of surprise as I gazed upon the visual feast arranged on the dining room table, the chips forgotten. The best china was laid out, tasteful flower arrangements graced the table, and beautiful goblets awaited our beverages. A little embarrassed, I gave my hostess my contribution and was thanked enthusiastically.

Ushered into the living room, we chatted as our hostess divided her time between the grill and visiting. We nibbled on my chips as an appetizer; my poor little offering was served in a fine serving bowl. When it was time to eat, we all did justice to the meal, enjoying not only the flavour of the food but also the beauty of the surroundings. The feast nourished the spirit as much as it nourished the body. Our hostess had outdone herself! Before our hostess excused herself from the table, I thanked her once again for the wonderful food and the wonderful company. She only smiled and disappeared for a moment, then came back to the table, bearing a gift bag for each of her guests. It was too much! Each gift bag held a personal, encouraging note as well as a handpicked gift, given in unconditional love. I am sure I was not the only woman that was overwhelmed at the table.

How does one say thanks for such a generous outpouring? Words sometimes seem inadequate.

I would have been quite happy with a hot dog and a can of soda, grateful to be in the presence of dear friends. Yet she went far beyond what she needed to do - just because she loved us.

And so it is with God. When God created the world, he really didn't 'need' to go as far as he did. He could have provided all the sustenance we needed in a glass of water, making sure all our nutritional needs were met by downing one colourless, bland and tasteless drink a day. Instead, he created a bounty of colourful food of endless variety in taste and texture. He went as far to place the most nutrition in the most visually appealing foods. Red tomatoes, purple grapes, peppers of every color, emerald green leafy vegetables, bright fruits, the colors of the rainbow. He thought of all our senses, allowing the scent of roasted meat to trigger our hunger and the sensation of hot drink in our hands to bring comfort deep in our hearts on a cold winter's day.

He desired to bring pleasure to his most prized creation, humankind, creating in us the ability to laugh and smile. There isn't a culture on the planet that does not find humour in some aspect of their daily lives. From the Inuit of the far North to the nomads of the Sahara Desert, each culture has a unique appreciation of the beauty that lays before them, made evident in their artwork and crafts. The earth resources are at our disposal to use wisely, in order that we can fashion tools and express the creativity he instilled in each of our hearts. He provided us with resources for clothing and shelter.

God did not just create us a wonderful place to live and leave us to make of it as we would as he went about new tasks. From the beginning of time, God's desire was to be in relationship with his creation. The bible speaks of his habit of walking with Adam and Eve each night and even after the fall, God's heart never failed; his desire to commune with us never wavered. Throughout the Old Testament, testimony after testimony speaks of God's longing to be in close communion with his children. Those hearts that turned to him, he counted as dear friends, men, and women of his heart. In the form of Jesus, fully human and yet fully God, he walked in the midst of his creation. Every word spoken by Jesus and every act performed was yet another expression of His love for us and his desire to be in fellowship with his creation.

How does one say thanks for such a generous outpouring? How does one thank a being that created us, in order to bring us into fellowship with Him, who created our world in order to bring us pleasure, purpose and fulfillment? How does one thank a being who lowered himself to walk among us, showing us how to live and showing us how to return to full fellowship with him and who died in order to provide us that way to full fellowship?

How does one say thanks for such a generous outpouring? Words sometimes seem inadequate. I would have grateful for a glass of water, a roof over my head and food on my table; Yet He went far beyond what He needed to do - just because He loved us.

©2008 Katherine Walden
Contact for permission to reprint or use in any format.
Receive a free weekly devotional by Katherine .

I Fell In Love with the Author                      

 I wanted to hear what you had to say,
But understanding just was not coming my way.
I wanted to marvel in all you have done,
In the testimony of your only beloved son.
I did believe and Lord I still do,
But Lord shall I tell you the absolute truth?
I found it so dull and so boring and needless to say,
I even used to rush when on my knees I would pray.
But now I would find it so strange,
If somebody said the same to me I would think they were deranged.
So what has happened what has changed?
And why do I not still feel the same?

You see I fell in love with the Author while on my bended knees,
I fell in love with the Author and now my soul is at ease.
I fell in love with the Author and now I cannot pretend,
I look forward to spending as much time as I can with My Father, My Brother, My Friend.
I have fallen in love with the Author its like nothing I’ve ever known,
And now I am in love with the Author my faith and belief has grown.
I am so in love with the Author I feel like I want to cry,
If he cancelled his date with me tonight my spirit will surely die.
This being in love with the Author leaves me open to receive all of his love,
And because I am in love with the Author I want to know all about heaven above.
So now I am in love with the Author I will know all that there is to know,
About this life in which I am living and all that he has bestowed.
I am so in love with the Author that in the morning when I rise,
I can not wait till night time comes again so I can close my eyes,
And feel him once again with me just as I felt him there last night
You see now I am in love with the Author he is so worthy in my sight.
I have fallen in love with the Author he is worthy to be praised.
The author My God, My Father, My Creator,
The author in Jesus name.

© 2008 Rosmary Martin

You must email the author to gain permission to use this article before using or copying it in any media format including email, blog, print or electronic form.

No Longer A Slave

Agonizing, time consuming, life draining, joy stealing. Fear ruled my life as did the rules and rituals that stemmed from it. I lived in a world of lies…that God didn't love me, that nothing I did was good enough, that no matter how much I prayed and hoped I would never be perfect enough to get to heaven, that I had to hide how I felt when I was sad or angry because Christians “are supposed to be happy”, and a series of other rules that “I had to obey”. I prayed forgiveness constantly, unable to focus on anything else, obsessed with the possibility that I had sinned and unable to break free from the vicious cycle of it all.

This was me… I, Alexandra, grew up in a home where I was loved and well provided for, however my father was and is an alcoholic and my mother passed away while I was a sophomore in high school. These circumstances and what I discovered later to be my Obsessive Compulsive Disorder paved the way for a difficult road, but as God walked with me along it and b egan healing me I discovered that though we all have unique stories, the lies that kept me in bondage for so long because of my situations are very common, though for a myriad of different reasons. It is for this reason that I wanted to share the things God taught me in case you might be living with similar lies.

The truth our Lord impressed on me as the most important and fundamental was that He loves me, and you. He loves with a love that is passionate, alive and never ending. He loves you right now where you are, even if you are in the middle of committing a sin! Of course He does not desire that for you (sin), sin takes us away from God, but it does not remove his love from us (Romans 8:35-39, 8:5, Luke 15:11-32). The Lord confirmed for me time and time again that as long as I did not get this I could not grow. Indeed, this is the essence of the gospel! For God so loved the world, that… (John 3:16) If we do not believe God loves us unconditionally we have missed it. We have missed the heart of Christ's sacrifice! Following this truth came two other extremely important ones.

Forgiveness. You are forgiven for every sin past, present and future. The righteousness of Christ is a gift you have received from God as a believer in Jesus, His death and resurrection for you (Romans 3:22, 1 Cor 1:30, Galatians 2:21). Because of the blood of Jesus you are declared “Not Guilty!” before the holy God you serve. Why should we hold onto our own sins, mulling over them time and time again and even punishing ourselves for them when God says He has forgotten them! LOVE keeps not record of wrongs. Acceptance. This was just as difficult to believe as the first two truths. Jesus accepts us as we are (Romans 15:7). He knows we are not perfect. While God does desire our complete wholeness, this is a journey that probably won't be complete until we reach heaven.

God is patient with you and you ought to be patient with yourself. You will find this translates to your patience with those around you. Now you may have grown up in a home where you were not appreciated for the unique person God made you to be, where you were not loved for who you are, but that is not an accurate perception of how God feels towards you. He accepts you as you are and is even proud of you! Of course we do things God doesn't like, but His acceptance of us is different from his approving of everything we do. These were the stepping stones that brought me to a new beginning with my Savior.

I learned I had been living the Christian life wrong. I followed all the rules… but they took me away from the relationship that Jesus died to buy me. If any of these lies characterize your journey with the God who died to bring you to Himself because He loves you, than it is time to let Him take you back to the beginning and start over. He did not set you free so you could remain in bondage to the enemy's lies. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further please feel free to contact me by email at . I would love to hear your story. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

© 2008 Alexandra

You must email the author to gain permission to use this article before using or copying it in any media format including email, blog, print or electronic form.

I fell today. No, not that kind of a fall. I mean a literal, physical fall as in thwack! Face-first on the asphalt. Torn elbows, skinned hands. Shredded knees. Ouch!

Out for our morning walk, my yellow Lab and I got tangled up. Eve zigged. I zagged. The result: splat! I crawled off the pavement and cried. Even though it wasn't her fault, my good dog was lavish in her canine apology, as dogs often are.

My first instinct in a situation like this is to call my husband. I would've too, except I left my cell phone at home. Blast! Except for Eve, I was suddenly, achingly alone. Bleeding. Embarrassed. A little scared. Can I walk? Will my knees give out? If they do, how will I get home?

Is there anything like a jolt of pain to rouse us into instant alertness? As Eve licked my tears I had the oddest sensation of everything snailing into super slow-motion. The sky became blazingly blue. An overhead barn swallow sang tenor like Pavarotti. Wet grass pierced like an ice pick. The gravelly, uneven pavement bit into both legs. Maybe it was the molasses-like moment that got me thinking.

Can you imagine God with skinned knees? The sovereign of the universe with scraped elbows, bloody hands? I think it was author and Bible teacher Chuck Swindoll who opined, "Aren't you glad He isn't called Man of Knowledge? Man of Intellect? Man of the academic ivory tower?" Sitting there clutching my bloody knees and elbows, I sure was - and am.

Jesus.

"Despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering" (Isaiah 53;3a). He chose to enter humanity, skinned knees and all, to save you and me from an Ancient Fall. He understands scrapes and bruises of every kind. (Hebrews 4:15, 16.)

Eve and I made it back okay. I'll make it Home alright, too. The way has already been paved by the Man of Sorrows. God with skinned knees.

Perhaps Paul Baloche's fine lyrics say it best:
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all

© Kristine Lowder
You must email the author to gain permission to use this article before using or copying it in any media format including email, blog, print or electronic form.

AKELDAMA ~ Field of Blood By Kristine Lowder Step into the pages of this historical novel of Faith. Meet beautiful Yo-hannah, whose tortured past has imprisoned her body and heart. Walk in the stooped steps of Veronica, whose mysterious malady has made her ceremonially unclean. Thirst for living water with a half-breed whose checkered past is about to catch up with her. Thrown together from dead-ends, each woman seeks answers to her own desperation. Will Yo-hannah find the peace she craves? Can an unclean woman receive a touch of mercy? Where can a despised half-breed go to be made whole? And what about old Hadessa, whose enigmatic past is as mysterious as the young man who crosses each woman's path? Each woman's life and future hinges on the Nazarene's answer to one question: Who are you? Kristine has been a regular and welcome contributor to the "Whatever is Pure" Ezine. We at "I Lift My Eyes Ministries" rejoice with her upon the release of her latest work! Please use your back key to return to this site. This book is not yet available at Christianbook. com but it is for sale at Amazon.com More Christian Fiction at Christianbook.com Find books and Audiobooks for all ages and genders.

Trust In Me

In time of tribulation, the Good Lord says " I'm There",
When we have little trials he says "You know I really care,
I'll take care of your problems if you give them all to me,
And you know it costs you nothing 'cause my love comes for free,
So put your hand in my hand and walk lifes path with me,
Your burdens will be lighter, just keep your eyes on me,
I'll wrap you in my cloak of love and keep you there forever,
Because I love you dearly, I will not leave you ever,
I'll stand beside you when you're sick, I'll be there when you're well,
I'll be there each and every day as you will learn to tell,
Your love for me will grow stronger, as we walk life's path together,
You'll soon see things are better when I calm the stormy weather."

© 2008 John Robertson

You must email the author to gain permission to use this article before using or copying it in any media format including email, blog, print or electronic form.

We gladly accept submissions for the Whatever is Pure E-zine.

:: COPYRIGHT © 2008 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I Lift My Eyes Web Ministries :: Privacy Notice ::