Thursday, June 28, 2007
Reflections From A Conference....
-From Kim
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:44- 48
We drove home from Tennessee for 13 hours Saturday night. We had just attended a 3 ½ day conference for homeschooling families through the Institute in Basic Life Principles. I was driving while Pete and the girls watched a movie in the back seat. I was happy to drive to have so much time to think. I had been in teaching sessions for 30 hours and felt amazed that God has given me so much. He has given me so much precious food to nurture my life with Him and my family life with Him. I am so blessed, so full of Him through preaching from His Word. I am so grateful to have had the encouragement to pursue God and His service together as a family. It seems that the cultural messages of our world are always telling us that togetherness is possessiveness, that independence is better than dependence. I am so grateful that we were able to go on a family retreat in this day when so many churches are sending kids on retreats, men on retreats and women on their own retreats. I am not criticizing these, I have benefited from women’s retreats in the past. Today, I am just plain grateful that we got to go on a family retreat, looking at our sins together and delighting in the Lord together. The theme of the retreat was “The Power of One Accord” and this meant the unity of each family member pursuing God together and serving Him together. I was grateful to sit in the pews with my family, feeling physically close and seeing them each taking notes and responding to the preached Word of God.
There were times when I felt spent, like Thursday night with swollen feet that felt they could not even walk to the hotel room. At that time I thought, “What am I doing” Am I crazy? I can’t take anymore.” Rest followed and brought clarity of mind and the knowledge that this was an unusual time of seeking God that I would draw from for a very long time. It was a wonderful vacation. Now I want to share with my family, give as was given to me, share with my friends and neighbors that know Jesus but need encouragement and share with people that need Christ.
My pastor said a few weeks ago, “WE HAVE TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT CHRIST and HIS WORD.” Yes, I agree. We must be SERIOUS, RADICAL. Jesus and what He has said to us through the Bible must be the most important thing about each day for us. To introduce Him and His Words into the ordinary tasks of everyday life, where He is present but not acknowledged is counter-cultural, unusual and sometimes offensive. Sometimes even in Christian circles. I am asking Him to help me be more serious and acknowledge Him more.
The first session that I participated in introduced the theme of one accord. This was to join together in a passionate pursuit of loving God and seeking His mind. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” Philippians 2: 5-7. How do we love God? By learning His mind or belief system through studying the Bible. We seek to love as He loves. We are to salute all people, salute means “to enfold in the arms of your heart.” Salute one another. Enfold everyone you meet into the arms of your heart.
I needed to hear this. In my pursuit of Godly living, I have criticized others and evaluated them in my mind. I have felt convicted about this many times before and I have some specific instances in which God has disciplined me for this. Because I am learning how tender and merciful and gracious God is, the Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, I have not been at rest with my critical thoughts. I also know that critical thinking of others only springs from insecurity, not from union with Christ. Even if I have not expressed it in words I have given the message through my behavior and avoidance. It has been hardest in protecting my kids, but I have been guilty of protecting myself as well. I have rejected people and I know how terrible rejection feels. The speaker, Mr. Gothard, said that he had also done this and repented of it. He said that he had sent messages to people without words that were rejecting. I so appreciated his saying this because it really moved me and made me look at myself. When people are candid, it gives others courage to be candid. We need to pursue relationship with Christ and union with Him. Godly living is loving as Christ loved. Personal boundaries and standards for living will follow, but Godliness is loving. Lifestyle choices will flow from a union with Christ; when we look at someone else we need to think only of their need for Christ, not their need for standards. The speaker went on to say that people have had hurts, rejections and they are looking for someone to love them, not judge them. Jesus was comfortable with sinners. Enfold people into your heart. Be generous; have something that you can give to someone who needs Christ. People want to get to know someone who enfolds them into their heart. This was the message given to all of us. Thankfully, it is not a dramatically unique message. And we don’t need novel and “fresh” ways of hearing God’s words, just serious and very strong.
We need to pray that God will give us the Grace to love everyone we meet. It is only Christ’s righteousness draped on me that will let this mind be in me. I am so excited about this! I cannot do this by myself! I cannot even just do it with God’s help. Only Him in Me can love people. My mistakes do not condemn me; I have a lot I would like to forget. I have a picture of myself taken with a large group of people and I have a terrible scowl on my face in the picture. It was very unpleasant for me to look at, this reminder of a part of myself that can be critical and not loving of others. I was so ashamed when I saw this picture in other people’s homes. I felt guilty.
But, now I see that picture in a different way. That woman, me, was eternally saved that day, but she needed union with Christ. She needed to realize that she was so unworthy and unable to be unconditionally loving, to enfold people in the arms of her heart. What a wonderful, wonderful thing to know that I indeed NEED Jesus Christ so much! I might just take that picture out and hang it on the refrigerator. There is no condemnation for those who love Jesus, just more and more Grace and Love. In the past few years I have been understanding my depravity more. I don’t make excuses for it and I desire to seek holiness through Christ. But my depravity, my sin makes me so dependent on Christ, so needy of Him. He has taken care of it through His death and He continues to convict me of my sin and He continues to change me. Is this what Horatio Spofford meant when he wrote these words?
“My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought –
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul
It is well………..It is well with my soul,
It is well…………It is well with my soul”
I certainly don’t mean to glory in my sin; we are so vulnerable to extremes in our humanness. But to see my sin as bad and the point of my need to be forgiven and changed and to see this as the most important thing in my life.
Of course, how we love others in this Godly way is to pray to Him, meditate on the Scriptures daily and dedicate ourselves to God and His purposes.
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans the same. And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? Do not even the publicans so? Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:44- 48
We drove home from Tennessee for 13 hours Saturday night. We had just attended a 3 ½ day conference for homeschooling families through the Institute in Basic Life Principles. I was driving while Pete and the girls watched a movie in the back seat. I was happy to drive to have so much time to think. I had been in teaching sessions for 30 hours and felt amazed that God has given me so much. He has given me so much precious food to nurture my life with Him and my family life with Him. I am so blessed, so full of Him through preaching from His Word. I am so grateful to have had the encouragement to pursue God and His service together as a family. It seems that the cultural messages of our world are always telling us that togetherness is possessiveness, that independence is better than dependence. I am so grateful that we were able to go on a family retreat in this day when so many churches are sending kids on retreats, men on retreats and women on their own retreats. I am not criticizing these, I have benefited from women’s retreats in the past. Today, I am just plain grateful that we got to go on a family retreat, looking at our sins together and delighting in the Lord together. The theme of the retreat was “The Power of One Accord” and this meant the unity of each family member pursuing God together and serving Him together. I was grateful to sit in the pews with my family, feeling physically close and seeing them each taking notes and responding to the preached Word of God.
There were times when I felt spent, like Thursday night with swollen feet that felt they could not even walk to the hotel room. At that time I thought, “What am I doing” Am I crazy? I can’t take anymore.” Rest followed and brought clarity of mind and the knowledge that this was an unusual time of seeking God that I would draw from for a very long time. It was a wonderful vacation. Now I want to share with my family, give as was given to me, share with my friends and neighbors that know Jesus but need encouragement and share with people that need Christ.
My pastor said a few weeks ago, “WE HAVE TO BE SERIOUS ABOUT CHRIST and HIS WORD.” Yes, I agree. We must be SERIOUS, RADICAL. Jesus and what He has said to us through the Bible must be the most important thing about each day for us. To introduce Him and His Words into the ordinary tasks of everyday life, where He is present but not acknowledged is counter-cultural, unusual and sometimes offensive. Sometimes even in Christian circles. I am asking Him to help me be more serious and acknowledge Him more.
The first session that I participated in introduced the theme of one accord. This was to join together in a passionate pursuit of loving God and seeking His mind. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:” Philippians 2: 5-7. How do we love God? By learning His mind or belief system through studying the Bible. We seek to love as He loves. We are to salute all people, salute means “to enfold in the arms of your heart.” Salute one another. Enfold everyone you meet into the arms of your heart.
I needed to hear this. In my pursuit of Godly living, I have criticized others and evaluated them in my mind. I have felt convicted about this many times before and I have some specific instances in which God has disciplined me for this. Because I am learning how tender and merciful and gracious God is, the Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit, I have not been at rest with my critical thoughts. I also know that critical thinking of others only springs from insecurity, not from union with Christ. Even if I have not expressed it in words I have given the message through my behavior and avoidance. It has been hardest in protecting my kids, but I have been guilty of protecting myself as well. I have rejected people and I know how terrible rejection feels. The speaker, Mr. Gothard, said that he had also done this and repented of it. He said that he had sent messages to people without words that were rejecting. I so appreciated his saying this because it really moved me and made me look at myself. When people are candid, it gives others courage to be candid. We need to pursue relationship with Christ and union with Him. Godly living is loving as Christ loved. Personal boundaries and standards for living will follow, but Godliness is loving. Lifestyle choices will flow from a union with Christ; when we look at someone else we need to think only of their need for Christ, not their need for standards. The speaker went on to say that people have had hurts, rejections and they are looking for someone to love them, not judge them. Jesus was comfortable with sinners. Enfold people into your heart. Be generous; have something that you can give to someone who needs Christ. People want to get to know someone who enfolds them into their heart. This was the message given to all of us. Thankfully, it is not a dramatically unique message. And we don’t need novel and “fresh” ways of hearing God’s words, just serious and very strong.
We need to pray that God will give us the Grace to love everyone we meet. It is only Christ’s righteousness draped on me that will let this mind be in me. I am so excited about this! I cannot do this by myself! I cannot even just do it with God’s help. Only Him in Me can love people. My mistakes do not condemn me; I have a lot I would like to forget. I have a picture of myself taken with a large group of people and I have a terrible scowl on my face in the picture. It was very unpleasant for me to look at, this reminder of a part of myself that can be critical and not loving of others. I was so ashamed when I saw this picture in other people’s homes. I felt guilty.
But, now I see that picture in a different way. That woman, me, was eternally saved that day, but she needed union with Christ. She needed to realize that she was so unworthy and unable to be unconditionally loving, to enfold people in the arms of her heart. What a wonderful, wonderful thing to know that I indeed NEED Jesus Christ so much! I might just take that picture out and hang it on the refrigerator. There is no condemnation for those who love Jesus, just more and more Grace and Love. In the past few years I have been understanding my depravity more. I don’t make excuses for it and I desire to seek holiness through Christ. But my depravity, my sin makes me so dependent on Christ, so needy of Him. He has taken care of it through His death and He continues to convict me of my sin and He continues to change me. Is this what Horatio Spofford meant when he wrote these words?
“My sin – O the bliss of this glorious thought –
My sin, not in part, but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul
It is well………..It is well with my soul,
It is well…………It is well with my soul”
I certainly don’t mean to glory in my sin; we are so vulnerable to extremes in our humanness. But to see my sin as bad and the point of my need to be forgiven and changed and to see this as the most important thing in my life.
Of course, how we love others in this Godly way is to pray to Him, meditate on the Scriptures daily and dedicate ourselves to God and His purposes.
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Security
Below is a snippet of the Bright Lights lesson I've been writing for this Friday. We've been studying Faith and this week is on Security In The Lord. ~Jenny
Growing up on Long Island, my sisters and I loved the Yankees baseball team. I really didn’t know the first thing about professional baseball (and I still don’t) but Dad liked the Yankees, and so did his dad before him. So we liked the Yankees too.
One day Dad announced that he was going to take us to Yankee Stadium for a baseball game! We were so excited. We drove into the city and entering the huge stadium, proceeded to find our seats. They were really high up. We kept climbing more and more steps! I felt dizzy and was scared to turn around. At last we found the seats listed on our tickets. By now more than one of us was crying (we were much younger then, by the way). We were so high up it felt like we were just going to tumble down, down, down, right into the baseball field!
Then Dad had an idea. He took our extra sweatshirts and tied them around our seats like a seat belt. “There,” he said. “Now you can’t fall down!”
We breathed a sigh of relief and were able to enjoy the rest of the baseball game. We felt secure.
God is able to hold us and keep us from tumbling. Security is knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us. Security means to trust, feel safe, to be without anxiety and free from care. Other words for security are safety, confidence, assurance, and refuge.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Where Is Your Security?
The Only One worthy of our trust is Jesus Christ. He is Eternal. He is the Rock. Only in Christ we will be safe.
Yet many people think that Christ is not enough to keep them safe. They trust in themselves, in other people, or in their possessions to keep them safe and happy. But only God is eternal. Only God is in control. Nothing else will ever satisfy us or give us real security. No one else can promise to never leave or forsake us!
“Whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he” (Proverbs 16:20).
The Danger of Trusting In Ourselves:
The Sunday School Times told, not long ago, about a drunkard, very conscious of his weakness and helplessness, who was urged to “Sign the Pledge and keep it.”
“But,” cried the distressed man, “I do not want something to keep; I need something to keep me!”
Soon after that, thank God, he found the Lord Jesus as his Savior, of whom it is written, “He is able to keep” (II Timothy 1:12).
The Bible tells us over and over of the weakness of man. Only when we realize our utter helplessness will we see God’s amazing power! He is sovereign and holy. We can do nothing good without Him. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; the weakness of God stronger than men…That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (I Corinthians 1:25, 31).
In Exodus 17, Israel was waging war with the wicked nation of Amalek, and Israel was losing. Moses went up onto the mountain to cry out to the Lord. Verse 11 says, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” In the same way, unless our hands are risen in surrender to the Lord, we will never be able to do anything! Only by His grace and strength do we live. We can do nothing on our own.
The Danger of Trusting In Man:
Psalm 25:29 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”
The Pharisees feared man above the Lord. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells about how they tithed, prayed, and fasted all for the glory of themselves, so that others would think well of them! Because this they had no reward from their Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1). We need to be sure that we love the Lord’s reward rather than the reward of men!
The Danger of Trusting In Possessions:
A young man once came to Jesus and asked, “What shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). The young man went away sad, because he was very rich.
Why didn’t the young man want to give all of his possessions away? He thought they made him happy. He thought that they made him safe. He didn’t realize that in holding on to the earthly, temporal things, he was giving up eternal life with God!
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Growing up on Long Island, my sisters and I loved the Yankees baseball team. I really didn’t know the first thing about professional baseball (and I still don’t) but Dad liked the Yankees, and so did his dad before him. So we liked the Yankees too.
One day Dad announced that he was going to take us to Yankee Stadium for a baseball game! We were so excited. We drove into the city and entering the huge stadium, proceeded to find our seats. They were really high up. We kept climbing more and more steps! I felt dizzy and was scared to turn around. At last we found the seats listed on our tickets. By now more than one of us was crying (we were much younger then, by the way). We were so high up it felt like we were just going to tumble down, down, down, right into the baseball field!
Then Dad had an idea. He took our extra sweatshirts and tied them around our seats like a seat belt. “There,” he said. “Now you can’t fall down!”
We breathed a sigh of relief and were able to enjoy the rest of the baseball game. We felt secure.
God is able to hold us and keep us from tumbling. Security is knowing that God will never leave us nor forsake us. Security means to trust, feel safe, to be without anxiety and free from care. Other words for security are safety, confidence, assurance, and refuge.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39).
Where Is Your Security?
The Only One worthy of our trust is Jesus Christ. He is Eternal. He is the Rock. Only in Christ we will be safe.
Yet many people think that Christ is not enough to keep them safe. They trust in themselves, in other people, or in their possessions to keep them safe and happy. But only God is eternal. Only God is in control. Nothing else will ever satisfy us or give us real security. No one else can promise to never leave or forsake us!
“Whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he” (Proverbs 16:20).
The Danger of Trusting In Ourselves:
The Sunday School Times told, not long ago, about a drunkard, very conscious of his weakness and helplessness, who was urged to “Sign the Pledge and keep it.”
“But,” cried the distressed man, “I do not want something to keep; I need something to keep me!”
Soon after that, thank God, he found the Lord Jesus as his Savior, of whom it is written, “He is able to keep” (II Timothy 1:12).
The Bible tells us over and over of the weakness of man. Only when we realize our utter helplessness will we see God’s amazing power! He is sovereign and holy. We can do nothing good without Him. “Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; the weakness of God stronger than men…That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (I Corinthians 1:25, 31).
In Exodus 17, Israel was waging war with the wicked nation of Amalek, and Israel was losing. Moses went up onto the mountain to cry out to the Lord. Verse 11 says, “And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” In the same way, unless our hands are risen in surrender to the Lord, we will never be able to do anything! Only by His grace and strength do we live. We can do nothing on our own.
The Danger of Trusting In Man:
Psalm 25:29 says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.”
The Pharisees feared man above the Lord. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells about how they tithed, prayed, and fasted all for the glory of themselves, so that others would think well of them! Because this they had no reward from their Father in heaven (Matthew 6:1). We need to be sure that we love the Lord’s reward rather than the reward of men!
The Danger of Trusting In Possessions:
A young man once came to Jesus and asked, “What shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Jesus said to him, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matthew 19:21). The young man went away sad, because he was very rich.
Why didn’t the young man want to give all of his possessions away? He thought they made him happy. He thought that they made him safe. He didn’t realize that in holding on to the earthly, temporal things, he was giving up eternal life with God!
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).
Psalm 20:7 says, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
What I Want to be Remembered For
I was recently challenged to write down what I want to be remembered for after I die. It was a wonderful exercise, causing me to think about what kind of legacy I wanted to leave behind me and encouraging me to strive towards it. Here is what I came up with…
What I Want to be Remembered For
I want to be remembered by my family as one who loved them unconditionally. Someone who served them without being asked and delighted to be with them. I want my family to remember me as quick to listen and slow to speak; having a humble spirit that sought forgiveness immediately and granted it without hesitation.
I want to be remembered by my friends for rejoicing with them when they were happy and mourning with them when they were sad. I want them to remember me for encouraging them to do their best and delighting in their success. I want to be remembered for always being present in a troubling time and pointing to Christ as a Comforting Friend.
I want to be remembered for living life to the fullest and never letting a minute pass by in which I was not busily employed in my Father’s work. I want to be remembered for having hands quick to help and feet ready to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. I want to be remembered for speaking lovingly at all times and never raising my voice; for always wearing a smile and befriending everyone I met. When people remember me, I want them to remember someone who was generous when they were needy, compassionate when they struggled, and forgiving when they asked for pardon.
But really, I do not want to be remembered at all. Instead, when people hear my name, I want them to remember the One who gave His life that I might live, that One whose character I strive to emulate. It would be a great thing indeed if any remembrance of me would bring instant remembrance to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
What I Want to be Remembered For
I want to be remembered by my family as one who loved them unconditionally. Someone who served them without being asked and delighted to be with them. I want my family to remember me as quick to listen and slow to speak; having a humble spirit that sought forgiveness immediately and granted it without hesitation.
I want to be remembered by my friends for rejoicing with them when they were happy and mourning with them when they were sad. I want them to remember me for encouraging them to do their best and delighting in their success. I want to be remembered for always being present in a troubling time and pointing to Christ as a Comforting Friend.
I want to be remembered for living life to the fullest and never letting a minute pass by in which I was not busily employed in my Father’s work. I want to be remembered for having hands quick to help and feet ready to take the gospel to the uttermost parts of the earth. I want to be remembered for speaking lovingly at all times and never raising my voice; for always wearing a smile and befriending everyone I met. When people remember me, I want them to remember someone who was generous when they were needy, compassionate when they struggled, and forgiving when they asked for pardon.
But really, I do not want to be remembered at all. Instead, when people hear my name, I want them to remember the One who gave His life that I might live, that One whose character I strive to emulate. It would be a great thing indeed if any remembrance of me would bring instant remembrance to my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
~Becky~
Monday, June 4, 2007
Welcome!
Welcome to the Florio family blog. We are excited to share with you all that the Lord is teaching us. We hope to post testimonies, articles, favorite quotes and books, etc. We pray that it will be a blessing to you!
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnessess, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
~Hebrews 12:1
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnessess, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
~Hebrews 12:1
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