Comments on: ArrowUp http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/ Don’t look at us, look at Him. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:51:17 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: Shaanthi http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-10 Shaanthi Sat, 17 Jan 2009 20:33:32 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-10 We are slaves to God, bit is the best kind of servitude. Better than being our own masters though it that is very appealing to our flesh. It is a continuous battle to remind ourselves of our new eternal master. @ Ben Yes...funny how God has the amazing power to coordinate with Himself! :) Thanks for the thoughts! S We are slaves to God, bit is the best kind of servitude. Better than being our own masters though it that is very appealing to our flesh. It is a continuous battle to remind ourselves of our new eternal master.

@ Ben
Yes…funny how God has the amazing power to coordinate with Himself! :) Thanks for the thoughts!
S

]]> By: Admin Ben http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-9 Admin Ben Sat, 17 Jan 2009 15:49:48 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-9 I just had another thought. I'm reading Romans 6 right now (like at this very moment), and it says this in Romans 6:15-18: "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." That pretty much speaks for itself. We are now, instead of being slaves to sin, being slaves to righteousness. So in a way, we are slaves to God. I just had another thought. I’m reading Romans 6 right now (like at this very moment), and it says this in Romans 6:15-18:

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey - whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.”

That pretty much speaks for itself. We are now, instead of being slaves to sin, being slaves to righteousness. So in a way, we are slaves to God.

]]> By: Admin Ben http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-8 Admin Ben Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:47:18 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-8 @Shaanthi Yes, BarlowGirl's Never Alone song does go well with this topic. Thanks for bringing it up! Also, I was reading in Romans 5 in my devotions this morning, and I came across a good verse in it. It is Romans 5:6: "You see, at <i>just the right time</i>, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." (NIV - emphasis added) Jesus came at "just the right time" for us - not too early, not too late. Hmm...sounds like it was planned by God! :) @Laurie That's a great verse you gave us - Romans 13:8. We shouldn't have a physical debt, but a debt of love to God. @Shaanthi

Yes, BarlowGirl’s Never Alone song does go well with this topic. Thanks for bringing it up!

Also, I was reading in Romans 5 in my devotions this morning, and I came across a good verse in it. It is Romans 5:6:

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” (NIV - emphasis added)

Jesus came at “just the right time” for us - not too early, not too late. Hmm…sounds like it was planned by God! :)
@Laurie

That’s a great verse you gave us - Romans 13:8. We shouldn’t have a physical debt, but a debt of love to God.

]]> By: ArrowUp http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-7 ArrowUp Fri, 16 Jan 2009 01:25:43 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-7 @Laurie Thank you for adding a little Scripture into the mix! I like your point about the "vicious cycle" of our debt to God, but I'm not sure I understand the Romans 13:8 verse. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." (NIV) Do you have any thoughts that might help me understand that? Thanks. @Laurie

Thank you for adding a little Scripture into the mix! I like your point about the “vicious cycle” of our debt to God, but I’m not sure I understand the Romans 13:8 verse.

“Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.” (NIV)

Do you have any thoughts that might help me understand that? Thanks.

]]> By: Shaanthi http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-6 Shaanthi Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:12:37 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-6 Yes, that does answer my question. It makes the story even better. The loneliness the man felt while in prison is how we feel when we think God has abandoned us. But by God's grace, we keep on believing. The song "Never Alone" by BarlowGirl speaks to that very well Am I making any sense? S Yes, that does answer my question. It makes the story even better.
The loneliness the man felt while in prison is how we feel when we think God has abandoned us. But by God’s grace, we keep on believing.
The song “Never Alone” by BarlowGirl speaks to that very well
Am I making any sense?
S

]]> By: Laurie http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-5 Laurie Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:04:34 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-5 In response to the discussion thread about gratitude and debt: John Piper has preached along a similar line from II Corinthians 9:8 --"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." Clearly, we all have a debt to God for His grace to us (as reflected in your excellent 1st post.) Any good works we do in response cannot be a means of "paying back" God for His grace since this verse shows that any truly GOOD good work we do is solely BY HIS GRACE. This area is the ONE place we should seek to be deeper and deeper in debt -- well, maybe there's one more: the debt to love one another (Romans 13:8)...These two are the right kinds of debt! Thanks for the encouragement to not hide my light, but to keep it on the stand to shine forth for Christ's glory. In response to the discussion thread about gratitude and debt: John Piper has preached along a similar line from II Corinthians 9:8 –”And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Clearly, we all have a debt to God for His grace to us (as reflected in your excellent 1st post.) Any good works we do in response cannot be a means of “paying back” God for His grace since this verse shows that any truly GOOD good work we do is solely BY HIS GRACE. This area is the ONE place we should seek to be deeper and deeper in debt — well, maybe there’s one more: the debt to love one another (Romans 13:8)…These two are the right kinds of debt!

Thanks for the encouragement to not hide my light, but to keep it on the stand to shine forth for Christ’s glory.

]]> By: ArrowUp http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-4 ArrowUp Sun, 11 Jan 2009 20:49:47 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-4 @Dilip: In response to your question: When God saves us, it is true that there is a debt of gratitude. However, I think it's also safe to say that God provides us with the ability and the desire to fulfill that debt. True, we are not always grateful to the full extent that we should be, but the fact that we are ever grateful shows that God has placed that in our hearts. Out of that gratitude, will flow good works without the overhanging burden that you speak of. Ben, what would you say to this? @Shaanthi: The point of the savior coming at the last moment in the story is to show that the prisoner was at the very end of his rope. He was in the same condition every believer was before Christ redeemed them, stuck in the depths of sin. Does that answer your question? @Dilip:

In response to your question: When God saves us, it is true that there is a debt of gratitude. However, I think it’s also safe to say that God provides us with the ability and the desire to fulfill that debt. True, we are not always grateful to the full extent that we should be, but the fact that we are ever grateful shows that God has placed that in our hearts. Out of that gratitude, will flow good works without the overhanging burden that you speak of. Ben, what would you say to this?

@Shaanthi:

The point of the savior coming at the last moment in the story is to show that the prisoner was at the very end of his rope. He was in the same condition every believer was before Christ redeemed them, stuck in the depths of sin. Does that answer your question?

]]> By: Shaanthi http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-3 Shaanthi Sun, 11 Jan 2009 00:22:54 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-3 Amen! This a great rallying cry and challenge. Do we show ourselves to be obviously Christian? I don't all the time. (Most of the time I don't) One thing I would like to say is that, in the story, the man's savior came at the last moment. Does Christ come at the last moment? I don't know if it's significant, but the question struck me. Thank you for drawing attention to how we CANNOT do anything remotely good by ourselves. It is something many know (including myself at many times)in their head, but in their hearts, their pride rejects it. Great work guys; keep it up :-) Shaanthi Amen! This a great rallying cry and challenge. Do we show ourselves to be obviously Christian? I don’t all the time. (Most of the time I don’t)
One thing I would like to say is that, in the story, the man’s savior came at the last moment. Does Christ come at the last moment? I don’t know if it’s significant, but the question struck me.
Thank you for drawing attention to how we CANNOT do anything remotely good by ourselves. It is something many know (including myself at many times)in their head, but in their hearts, their pride rejects it.
Great work guys; keep it up :-) Shaanthi

]]> By: Dilip http://www.arrowup.org/milk-and-meat/arrowup/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Dilip Sat, 10 Jan 2009 22:19:59 +0000 http://arrowup.wordpress.com/2009/01/10/arrowup/#comment-2 A worthy calling! May you (and we) point cleanly, clearly and sharply. A question: Would it not be that living with such a "debt of gratitude" as you describe in your story could itself be a stifling, imprisoning burden? That is, would one not be caught in a never-ending labor of trying to do good in response to such an impossibly immeasurable gift? A worthy calling! May you (and we) point cleanly, clearly and sharply.

A question: Would it not be that living with such a “debt of gratitude” as you describe in your story could itself be a stifling, imprisoning burden? That is, would one not be caught in a never-ending labor of trying to do good in response to such an impossibly immeasurable gift?

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