Saturday Strands

Here are some loose strands for our growth:

The Uselessness of Prayer – Trevin Wax (TGC)
Prayer is training us to look up to the God whose first and greatest commandment is to love him with our whole heart, mind, and soul. You cannot measure or quantify that goal. You can only give yourself over to that desire and direction.

The Golden Rule for Hard Conversations – Casey McCall (ROFD)
Now ask yourself, what would you want if you were that person? The Golden Rule helps us wisely discern when the difficult conversation is necessary.

7 Things to Remember When Tempted to Sin – Doug Eaton (FOF)
We all struggle with sin, but we must remember that sin makes us foolish. It is never reasonable, and when we are in the throes of temptation, we often become ignorant. It is as if sin puts blinders on our eyes, causing us to forget what is important to us. These blinders are why, when tempted to sin, it is crucial to pause and reflect on the following seven things.

The Olympic Vision: ‘My Way’ – Murray Campbell
Because of this, perhaps ‘My Way’ was a fitting end to the Paris Olympic Games. The Olympic flame was snuffed out, its dying embers a sign of where ‘Imagine’ becomes reality.

Flashback: Not Offended
Our identity is found in Christ and not in what others think or do. So let’s live as Christians and not be so easily offended.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day worshiping God with your local church!

Passion Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

How To Watch the Olympic Games – David Mathis (via Desiring God)
Why would the Christian Scriptures mention the games? To help us upgrade our two weeks of Olympic watching by opening our eyes to what they have to say about God, the gospel, and the Christian life. 

You might also be interested in this interview video of Olympian Gabby Douglas at Valley Church in Des Moines. (via Chris Brauns)

And then, how do we deal with conflict?  Here is a helpful trilogy of posts:
3 Ways We Must Handle ConflictConflict: When Desires Become Demands,
Conflict: Recognize, Repent, Refocus, Replace – Robert D. Jones (via Crossway)
While my initial desire might be legitimate, it becomes sinful when it grows into a demand. And when it becomes a demand and you don’t meet it—and of course you can never meet every demand of my selfish heart—I then judge you in my heart and condemn you. In the final step, my internal judgment produces some outward expression of punishment toward you. I might yell at you, speak sarcastically about you, gossip about you, or avoid you.

Prayerlessness – Nancy Leigh DeMoss (via Tim Challies)
As God opened my eyes to this matter of prayerlessness, I asked Him to let me see it from His point of view. Here is what I wrote in my journal one day when God first began to deal with my heart.  Convicting stuff!

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day!