Quote of the Day

"It shall greatly help ye to understand Scripture if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and to whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what extent, with what circumstances, considering what goeth before and what followeith." - Myles Coverdale

God's sovereignty in the life of ZVI

                 

I just recently finished reading ZVI-The Miraculous Story of Triumph Over the Holocaust by Elwood McQuaid. Zvi was born into a Jewish family in Poland. At the age of 10 he was separated from his family and spent the years of World War II alone, constantly fleeing for his life. These accounts are incredible! Do you ever wonder why you are still alive? That it seems like you should not have lives through something? God has a purpose for your life; He is not through with you! This is so evidently displayed in Zvi’s life! In all reality, he should not have lived through the Holocaust…but he did! Through reading this book, you can see why God kept him alive and how God used this Jewish man for Him! Zvi was never reunited with his family, after the war he traveled to Israel, fought in the wars for the Independence of Israel (he should not have survived this either), how he was saved through reading a Bible given to him by a elderly lady, how he was shunned by his Jewish brothers for believing in “That one”, and see the incredible boldness he had for sharing about the Messiah to anyone and everyone! Zvi is still alive in Israel sharing the gospel daily with Jews, Arabs, and Gentiles alike. I highly recommend this book! It is easy, fun, and a blessing to read!

Looking Back

Graduation has come and gone and I am settling back into my old room in Lopez Canyon, slowly unpacking and getting organized. I come to the bottom of a box and found the book filled with notes from the chapel messages, special speakers, my own thoughts and prayer from the past 2 years of CBI. So I looked back through it and found a FEW quotes and thoughts to share with you. :)

I am so blessed to be saved and to have the Word of God so that I can know my Savior better!

• Does grace motivate me? – challenge from Uncle Phil
• “Education is not the answer…the Word of God is” – Mr. Baxter
• “Victory over sin is based on Christ’s merit, not ours.” – Mr. Baxter
• “All of God’s attributes show God’s glory!” – Uncle Phil
• “Know what you mean by what you say.” – Mr. Friesen
• “A teacher must be apt to learn” – Mr. Friesen
• “God’s goodest gift is His Holy Spirit.” – Mr. Baxter
• When men mock Israel they are mocking God.
• “It does not matter who gets the credit if God gets the GLORY.” – Mr. Clement
• “Worship should be happening in whatever we are doing, not just in song.” – Dave Neufeld
• “The only thing that had enough power to hold Christ to the cross was Christ Himself.” – Keith Singer
• “We cannot live the Christian life without the Holy Spirit” – Mr. Baxter
• “Ever believer is equipped by God for the journey that is ahead of them.” – Mr. Baxter
• Walking worthy is not for the goal of my spirituality…but for God’s glory!
• We know God…so don’t live like we do not know Him.
• “Walking worthy is not of us, but of Christ in us.” – Uncle Phil
• “It makes more since to build an ark then to put ourselves under the Law.” – Uncle Phil
• “Its not about what I do, its about what Christ has already done on the cross. - Bob Anderson

Update

Half way done….NO WAY, I can’t be half way done with my time here at Cornerstone Bible Institute, I just started! But it is true….

Christmas break went by very fast. Being home for a short time was a reminder of how much the Lord has blessed me with godly parents and siblings that are the best of friends! The season brought to remembrance what God did in sending His own Son as a baby to Bethlehem, born to die, that God’s righteous requirements would be satisfied, that lost, sinful mankind might have eternal life by grace through faith! Praise God for His unspeakable gift! Arriving back on the CBI campus was a reminder of God’s promise in Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” I praise God for the time He has given me to be at CBI, to be in His Word, and become better equipped for serving Him here and wherever He may lead!

This semester, I have the privilege to be studying Theology (focusing on the Church and the End Times), Study of James and Jude (we get to memorize the book of Jude for this class!!), Customs and Manners of Bible Times (each student gets assigned a topic and writes a 6,000 word paper on it as well as an oral presentation. My topic is “Food of the Bible Times”. Not a good paper to work on while hungry!), Ministries of the Christian Woman (Preparation for Christian serves whether single or married, learning to lead Ladies Bible Studies, etc.), Study of Romans, Inside Missions, Biblical Greek II, and Counseling. I am also excited to be part of the CBI Choir which will be touring the Northern States this spring!

Though we are in the Word of God for many hours a day through classes and homework, the Lord has been teaching me how important it still is to be in the Word for personal, un-school related, devotions. BE IN THE WORD!!

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his ways? By taking head thereto according to Thy Words. Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee ” – Psalm 119: 9,11

“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” – Psalm 119:105

“The entrance of Thy Words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” – Psalm 119:130

“Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth.” – John 17:17

Notes

At the beginning of my freshman year at Cornerstone I started writing down notes from sermons, chapel, and missionary sessions. The notebook is now full…it was amazing to look back through it and remember all that the Lord has taught me though the preaching, teaching, and encouragement of godly people over the past year and a half. Here are just a few tidbits from that notebook.

The preaching of the cross shows the love and grace of God, which no other way can show. NEVER STOP PREACHING THE CROSS!

Christ is glorified through sinners being conformed into the image of Him!

To bring glory to God should be our highest motivation!

Make your plans in pencil – God’s ways are not our ways.

Good judgment comes from the Word of God.

Is there anything we do that does not have to include God?

Is God just a fire escape to me or is He the ruler of my life?

We base much of our theology on what we sing and the music we listen to.

The Spirit NEVER leads us to be entertained by evil.

Jesus is the greatest blessing ever given to man!

Two thirds of Moses’ life was spent in preparation. God is constantly preparing us for what He has for us in the future. God’s time is different then my time. God is not concerned with time as we are.

Bringing glory to God does not come through what I do – it is what Christ does in me and through me!

I am identified with Jesus Christ. How does knowing this affect the way I live?

Christ was born to die so that we may have life!

God’s work needs to be done in God’s way.

Knowing God helps us to live right.

Our lives are a manifestation of what we think about God.

The fire purifies the gold. When the goldsmith can see his face reflecting in the gold he knows it is pure. The Lord purifies us so that we are a mirror of Him.

Often we want God’s approval of OUR plans rather than HIS plans

Thankfulness Gage – My thankfulness is a gage of my relationship with Christ.

Do not sacrifice truth for “peace”.

When I pass up an opportunity to share the gospel with someone because I say “Oh, they probably won’t accept it” is me not having faith in God’s power in the gospel of Christ.

“Grow in Grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever. AMEN” – 2 Peter 3:18

Thanks to God

Thanks to God

By August Ludvig Storm

Thanks, O God, for boundless mercy

From Thy gracious throne above;

Thanks for every need provided

From the fullness of Thy love!

Thanks for daily toil and labor

And for rest when shadows fall;

Thanks for love of friend and neighbor

And Thy goodness unto all!

Thanks for thorns as well as roses,

Thanks for weakness and for health;

Thanks for clouds as well as sunshine,

Thanks for poverty and wealth!

Thanks for pain as well as pleasure

All Thou sendest day by day;

And Thy Word, our dearest treasure,

Shedding light upon our way.

Thanks, O God, for home and fireside,

Where we share our daily bread;

Thanks for hours of sweet communion,

When by Thee our souls are fed!

Thanks for grace in time of sorrow

And for joy and peace in Thee;

Thanks for hope today, tomorrow,

And for all eternity!

Cease not to give thanks

It looks like Christmas here….CBI is covered in a white blanket. But it is not Christmas, it’s the season of THANKSGIVING! Oh give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good!! God has blessed me beyond measure! To name just a few, I am thankful for…

- Jesus Christ; my Savior, King, and Friend!

- The Word of God which lives and abides for ever!

- The conforming work of God in my life!

- The wonderful family that God placed me in! Pa and Ma – the ones who love me more than I know, point me to the Lord, pray for me, and are two of my best friends! Isaac – my comrade all growing up, the one I can talk to about anything, challenges me in my walk with the Lord. Luke – my pal, and co-laborer in camp cleaning for many years, bestower of many knives and gun holsters :D Ezekiel and Moriah – the two little munchkins that were born on the other side of the world but God’s plan was for them to be in our family!!

- The Shively family, my family away from home and friends!

- My grandparents – for their godly example, encouragement, and support.

- Cornerstone Bible Institute. A place to be challenged in the Word of God and to prepare me for ministry! The impact this school has had on my life cannot be placed into words

- Friends - for fellowship around Jesus Christ, times of hilarity and contagious laughter, and companion in times of study as well as procrastination.

- The faculty and staff of CBI who love the Lord, serve him moment by moment, give their time to invest in our lives, are always willing to listen, teach us as well as laugh with us, open their homes to us, and love us!

- For Lopez Canyon Bible Camp, the best place in the world to grow up, all that the Lord taught me there about being a servant, and all the practical tasks I learned to do that can be put into use wherever the Lord may lead me.

- For Black Hills Bible Church, the times of gathering around God’s Word, fellowship and fun times, and the opportunity to teach Sunday School!

- For each new day that the Lord brings. The Lord’s mercies are new every morning and each day there is more to be learned about of who He is!

- The trails and challenges of life that God allows and uses to conform us into the image of His Dear Son. That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: - 1 Peter 1:7

Cease not to give thanks!