#Better Than Miracles

[madewithonerib]

9.] Sermon Summary: Better Than Miracles | Timothy J. Keller

We're not here to get GOD's attention by impressing HIM with our good works, as no one has love in their heart of hearts—because the moment we put works as a means to receiving grace, our fragile ego will be damaged in the process of receiving criticism, or for a lack of recognition from others, or worse our pride swells and becomes our false identity/yardstick for how much of GOD's approval we sense in our lives from our giftedness & accomplishments.

But in GOD's eyes, we are going thru the same ritual of pagan worship, where people earn approval, not humbly ask GOD for outpouring of HIS love into our empty wicked/selfish hearts.

The more we see how much JESUS suffered & loved us, as it was the love of the FATHER WHO drove HIM down to save us, & it was HIS FATHER's love HE lost on the cross. As we are made in HIS image— we too only find meaning in loving relationships, not hope or peace, or power.

Though all these things are good, it was only love that compelled GOD to come save us, and not HIS power/peace.

Giftedness can be given/used by anyone, as every good & perfect gift comes from the FATHER of light

But only Christlike Character and godliness is what touches/changes the world, is what can only come from the outworking of the HOLY SPIRIT when our hearts are yielded to GOD, in acceptance of JESUS’ sacrifice/forgiveness/atonement to reconcile us with GOD.

Better Than Miracles P1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 | Timothy J. Keller [1 Corinthians 13:1-3]

[warlordfelwinter]

man thinking about how hopeless rocky must have been getting. alone at tau ceti. trying and failing over and over to figure something out about astrophage. for forty-six years. and then out of nowhere, another ship. another person. with the same problem.

[thistransient]

陽明山國家公園 // Yangmingshan National Park

[youngerfrankenstein]

Soundwave superior.

This is why you don’t mess with someone’s cat.

[goodtoembrace]

I'm mostly talking about Armand and Lestat recently because I'm catching up on the books and TVC Louis so far has been lacking. But don't get me wrong, I LOVE show Louis. It's even harder to fall for book Louis because Jacob set the bat way too damn fucking high. He is 80%, if not the *whole* reason why Louis is so compelling to me.

[r0semultiverse]

I can guarantee that at least one person wrote in Jay and Dope on their ballot this election.

[k00kiecrumbler]

I did a redraw from my dgm au :]

alternatives in the cut [ with filler / blood ]

[dreamdancerdotfile]

As promised, more ghost trick

And soldier I guess

[pillowzilla]

pov you peril the warp for the 5th time

[madewithonerib]

8.] Giftedness Not Yardstick of Christianity

Secondly, I have to tell you some other people —there's some of you now & here's the irony:

     There's some of you who are not very gifted      and you know it, you are not very articulate      —nobody's asking you to be a leader & you      know that you get cast down & you say

     “oh you know I'll never be able to lead a      Bible study or I'll never be able to do this

     I'll never you know be elected to this or      that—I'm not very gifted in some strange      but very important way

…………………………………………………………………      you are falling prey to the very same mistake      that Paul talks about here. If you use gifts as      the yardstick of Christianity. …………………………………………………………………

Here's what I want to say to you:

Do you not realize that gifts are always limited?

Okay some of you have speaking gifts, but you're only going to be so good a speaker—some of you have leadership, you're going to be so much of a leader.

You might be a great leader in Redeemer, you're probably not going to be John wesley, and you're probably not going to change the world with a new denomination!

You get why?!

8.1] Look on the Bright Side

     Because some people are gifted more than      other people—gifts have a limit, but do you      know? Listen the grace in your heart has      unlimited potential!!!

Anybody in this room could not be a good speaker, or a good leader, or whatever—but anybody who's a Christian in this room could be the most godly saint of the century.

   •  You could be the most loving person    •  You could be the most humble person    •  You could be the most gracious person

You could become a person — that everybody around you—all the people who work with you are astonished at your courage/sweetness/wisdom/love!!!

Anybody in this room & don't you realize that's what changes the world?! Yes miracles is a test that GOD was present. [32:56] https://youtu.be/3DRE5kgbYjU?t=1977

—but JESUS says in John 17, “If you love one another, then the world will know..”

8.2] What is going to change the world?

     If you cultivate in your heart      the love of JESUS CHRIST

So that you become famous whether people believe what you believe or not:

   •  famous at work    •  famous in your family    •  famous in your neighborhood    •  famous in your apartment building

………………………………………………………………… For being the most loving, compassionate, humble, & gracious person anybody knows. Anyone who's a Christian here could go through the roof on that! …………………………………………………………………

There's no limit!

You can get all the way to JESUS

Don't you realize you could be actually an ungifted speaker—but if you are godly and holy you'll always be interesting.

You might be an ungifted therapist but if you are a godly and holy person, you will change lives! You might be a lousy delegator & a terrible organizer & you don't have leadership gifts

     but if you are godly & loving, everyone      will follow you — that is what changes      things & for you to say

     “well I don't know what I am, I'm never      going to be like _________“ then you're      doing the very same thing Paul says

You can have all these abilities & be nothing!

Love is the only miracle!

Love is the miracle above all the miracles!

8.3] What is the Gospel?

There's one last group to say something to; there's some of you who are here—who are saying,

“Wait a minute, I'm trying to live a pretty good life —you're telling me what?”

     See there's some of you, who really do      not understand the Gospel at all & what      Paul is saying to you is

     You could give your body to be burned      & you could give all your money away      for the poor—but what you have really       got to do is give your heart to the LORD      in response to the Gospel

What's the Gospel?

Very simple. Why did JESUS CHRIST come to Earth? Because HE loved us, HIS power & HIS holiness isn't what drove HIM down here.

     just as the essence of Christianity is not      power—but love, not gifts but grace! So      the essence of GOD is not HIS power but      HIS love.

HIS power didn't drive HIM down here, it was HIS love & what did HE do? How did HE save us?

On the cross..

You say “HE died, do you mean just HIS physical death?” Well you say HE was punished, but how was HE punished?

Don't you know what happened?!

   •  HE lost the love of HIS FATHER    •  HE was forsaken “MY GOD! MY GOD!       Why hast THOU forsaken ME?!

Anybody in this room, who's ever lost the love of somebody—who has, maybe if your whole life had orbited around somebody, & that person rejected you..now you never get over that.

But the pain in your life compared to what JESUS went through, on the cross — is like a peashooter compared to a nuclear warhead.

………………………………………………………………… For the love of us, JESUS lost that love on the cross — that pain was poured into HIS heart, and HE was devastated on the cross for us. …………………………………………………………………

Now if you look at the love of CHRIST—only HIS love can explain HIM. If you look at the love that sent HIM down here & the love that HE lost because of the love that HE had [for us]

     As you get melted with that, you give your      heart—you don't say okay what do I have to      do to get to Heaven.

You don't say that.

You say: I don't love my LORD, my SAVIOUR. I don't love my GOD with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind; I don't love my neighbor as myself. [36:15] 

I don't have a love, so I'm convicted by that [my lack of love for others]!

………………………………………………………………… I see the love that drove HIM down here & I see the love that HE lost. In other words, love is the essence of the faith! Love is the essence of HIM, & the more you see the love that HE showed, the more you will find that love growing in your life. …………………………………………………………………

Don't be a noisy gong!

All the doing without love is noise to GOD, instead say, “Come THOU fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing THY grace.” [36:40] 

9.] Let's pray

Our FATHER, we ask now that YOU would help us to see as we give YOU ourselves — that it is YOUR love which drove YOUR SON, and now it's YOUR love that should drive us.

Help us to see that.

Bring us to YOUR feet, help us to repent, & do what we need to do — so we can live the lives that YOUR servant Paul is calling us to.

We ask it in JESUS's Name, Amen

—————————————————————————

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Better Than Miracles P1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 | Timothy J. Keller [1 Corinthians 13:1-3]

[justkillingthyme]

A long day, a rough night

[nayru-s-clay-tablet]

Okay, I gotta know. If ToP Link were to find himself in Linked Universe, what nickname would he get? (Or the Dad Squad Minus The Dads?)

And if ToP Ganondorf were to likewise find his way onto the Dad Squad/Strangers Across Time (if you've seen those), exactly how many nanoseconds do you think it would take for characters like Impa to try & kill the guy without an explanation just for his name & face?

Oh that's a good one! The most outstanding thing about his quest was the Ghost Rope honestly, so... "Ghost"? But honestly he'd probably wind up with something really lame and nondescript, like "Ears."

I searched for Strangers Across Time but couldn't find it! If someone knows, please send a link! :)

But in general, it depends on if Gan has any of the triforce of power at that point. If he has some of it, he'd last a while. If not... yeah he's doomed.

[brambletakato]

Yknow what. Rank all the main themes from the Professor Layton series, I'll go first

[anotherpapercut]

I recently created an extremely delicious fry sauce based on one I had at a Dutch restaurant. it sounds weird but it's so fucking good:

mix like 40% mayonnaise (I used vegan mayo) and 60% peanut sauce, then add a little bit of lemon juice, and a good amount of garlic. to make it even better add green onions. normally I'm a dipper when it comes to sauce, but this works better poured on top and mixed around so it soaks in a bit

[madamescarlette]

IT"S EDEN HOURS! HOORAY!!

💃