Category Archives: Uncategorized

Obedience with Honor.

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Posted on March 4, 2014 

Ephesians 6:1 says for the “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy Father and Mother…”
Do our children have a submissive spirit and good attitude, obeying from the heart, or are they just doing as we say with a resentful, resisting spirit?   If they have the wrong attitude or spirit, they may be obeying but they are not “honoring” in their obedience.  Honor for the parent will give the right attitude and a sweet submissive spirit in their obedience.
Is this the attitude we have in our obedience to the Lord? Do we honor the Lord, giving Him the sweet obedience that He deserves?  Are we honoring Him as we obey and serve?  Maybe our children will learn this best by example?  Are we as wives honoring our husbands?

Posted in Daily Treasures for the Soul and Spirit, Encouragement for the Heart, Wives

How To Help Widows

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Posted on February 9, 2014 by Eliece Rybak

There are so many truly hurting people out there. We desperately need to know how to minister to them. These are hurting, bleeding, wounded sisters in Christ.

My hope is to give some insight in how to minister to widows primarily, but many of these suggestions apply to all different kinds of hurting people.   Some may have a loss of a child, a broken marriage or a loss of a relationship, a loss of a parent.  Some may have lost a job that meant their financial security, their retirement and loss of their home.  Some are grieving the loss of something they never had….. a lady who never had the opportunity to marry and have children, or one who is married that is grieving the children she could never birth.

For some, these losses are so significant that they cannot even think how to go on with life.    I firmly believe that if we cannot show deep compassion to them at this time, we cannot minister to them in their need. There is a broken world out there. The losses that people have are so tremendous….and we need to be there for them.
Here are a few hints of what broken, hurting people need… and maybe what they do not need.

…….Their greatest need is for someone to listen. Sit with them, listen, and scripture says in Romans 12:15….”weep with them that weep”. Christ did this. His dear friend died, and the sisters who were dear friends as well, we heartbroken ( John 11:1-44). Christ felt their pain and sorrow. He wept with them.  He showed the compassion that we need to show for those who grieve, are in deep sorrow, or have a loss in their lives that has caused them to weep.  If we as Christians do not have this compassion, the world surely will not.  This is a wonderful opportunity to allow Christ to minister through us.
Why don’t we weep with them?  I submit to you that we do not have the heart of Christ, if we cannot weep with those who need someone to feel their pain and sorrow.  Many times in the Gospels it says…Jesus had compassion on them.  Isaiah 53 verse 3 says that Christ was “despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, and we hid as it were our faces from Him…”.  This is indicating that we put him out of our mind, as people of that day put lepers out of their presence.  The proud sinful heart of man put Christ out of his presence of mind. We need NOT duplicate that sin if we know Christ and have an opportunity to minister to another hurting person in need.  Many of these are in the body of Christ and “the body” is hurting ( 1 Corin. 12:13,14,18,23-26 ).

…….Time is precious to the hurting.  Sometimes they just need someone to sit with them, and by that show they care and “are there” for them.  Can you spend some time to be with them?  They may feel all alone and the presence of another person may help greatly.

…….Let them talk. They sometimes need someone with whom to talk.  When people are deeply hurting, they do NOT need advise or someone “throwing scripture at them”.  They need a person to sit, listen and maybe weep with them. Deep, deep grief cannot handle “lots of advice” or accusations of what they did wrong or needed to do, or need now to do.  Job had friends like that and God reprimanded them for their actions. They did not help Job when they did that.

…….Pray when you are in the presence of a deeply grieving person.  Ask the Lord to guide you in what to do.  When they are deeply grieving, their need will be different than when they have walked a while in their sorrow and grief.  After the Lord has ministered to them in their soul and spirit, they will be more open and able to think through Biblical council, and even suggestions for help.  Praying with them at this time may be a tremendous help to them.

…….People say, “Give it time”  or  “It just takes time”.  It is not really time that ministers; it is Christ and His Word that makes the difference.  It is the strength and comfort that a loving, caring, omnipotent, sovereign God can give over time, that brings the healing.   It is what those who are grieving do in that time that makes the difference between resolving the grief, or going on for a long period of time with unresolved grief.  Christ is the only one that can fill and fulfill the need of the heart.  He is the only one that can meet the need of the heart, because He is the only one that truly knows the deep wound of the heart and soul that this person is experiencing.  Christ’s compassion shown through us at this time is so crucial.  Seek to be the comforter (“parakletos”….consoler-advocate ) that comes alongside them and walks with them.

……..Someone said to a really grieving person,  “You just need to be thankful for what you had….”  This is not really helpful.  That person may truly be thankful for what they had, but that does not make the grief and sorrow any less.  A statement like this to a severely grieving person only succeeds to heap guilt on an already wounded soul.  It is difficult to be able to rejoice when the heart and soul is so heavy with grief and sorrow.  If this person truly knows the Lord, it will come.  The joy of the Lord is there, and it will bubble forth in due time.

……..Some say,  “You should not be sorrowing as those who have no hope”( I Thes. 4:13).  This statement is not helpful either.  The person may have great hope in the resurrection.   (If the truth is known, they may want to be “raptured” out of here immediately, if nothing else than to escape the pain of heart and soul.)   This only succeeds in heaping more guilt on an already grieving person.  Be careful of your words.  If you have not experienced the exact loss that they have, then you cannot possibly know how they feel.

……..Yes, there may come a time when the person grieving needs wise council, but make sure the Lord has given you the right words of council for them when you seek to help them.

……..Who is to say how long it takes to “be able to go on” after a loss.  Remember each person grieves at a different pace.  They usually do not  “just get over it”  like it was a bad cold!  Give them the time they need, pray with them and for them.  Be the friend they need to walk this journey with them as much as you can.  God in His sovereignty is doing a work and has a purpose for all things that He allows.  Pray for the Lord’s healing for them.

Posted in Uncategorized, Widows

Calvary Love:

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Posted on July 19, 2015 by Eliece Rybak

Calvary Love:

What is Calvary all about…..  Jesus showed us Calvary Love:

…Jesus is God

…Gave up heaven

…Voluntarily took on human flesh

…Limited himself in a fleshly body

…Chose to obey his ‘earthly’ parents

…Set his face toward Jerusalem

…Garden of Gethsemane decision

…The cross of Calvary

 Amy Carmichael talks about Calvary love….

What are some characteristics of Calvary love?

  1. Humble (James 4:6,10)
  2. self-less…..self-sacrificial (1 Peter 2:15-25)
  3. not feelings oriented  (Hebr. 10:22-25)
  4. focused on others  (Phil. 2:1-4)
  5. focused on a higher plan  (different plan / a greater plan) (Luke 22:42)
  6. dependent on a higher power  (Hebr. 12:1-2;  Rom. 12:1-2)
  7. willing to be used for a higher purpose  (Acts 20:24)

What did that mean in Amy’s life?      And what does it mean in our lives?

(”Grace in rivers is required for this, day by day…”)

Posted in Daily Treasures for the Soul and Spirit, Encouragement for the Heart, Marriage, Mothers, Widows

Missions

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Posted on October 4, 2020 by Eliece Rybak

Five things a Christian in China has to be ready to do:

  1. Pray no matter the circumstances, in all situations
  2. Speak the Gospel
  3. Suffer for the name of Christ
  4. Die for Christ
  5. Escape (Matt. 10:23 ‘flee unto another’ place)

C.T. Studd said:

“Some want to live within the sound of a church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell.”

C. T Studd  (1860-1931) As a British Protestant Christian missionary to China he was part of the Cambridge Seven, and later was responsible for setting up the Heart of Africa Mission which became the Worldwide Evangelisation Crusade (now WEC International).

Posted in Uncategorized

Faith: Growing Our Faith in the Trials of Life.

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Posted on February 17, 2018 by Eliece Rybak

Faith: Growing Our Faith in the Trials of Life.

Seeing our challenges through the eyes of the Lord….I Thes. 3:13 “to the end He may establish our hearts unblamable in Holiness before Him….(4:7) God hath…called us…unto Holiness.”

A.W Tozer said…”Whom God will use greatly, He will also hurt deeply.”

  • Keep eyes on Jesus; Set your affections on Him.   (11 Cor. 4:16-18; Col. 3:1-4
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  •  Fill our mind and heart with the word of God.   (Phil. 4:8-9; II Cor. 7:1)
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  • Talk to God; Pray the word of God back to Him.   (Phil. 4:6-7; I Cor. 2:1-5; Col. 3:15-17)
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  • Remember His Promises.   (Rom. 8:28 & 29; II Tim. 3:14-17)
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  • Know He loves you; Cares for His own. (Ps. 91:1,2,4,11,12; I Peter 5:7)
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  • He never leaves us or forsakes us.   (Hebr. 13:5,8)
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  • Keep Praising Him.   (Hebr. 13:15; Ps. 22:3; Ephes. 5:19-20)
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  • Keep choosing joy. (Hebrews 12:1,2, Psalm 16:8,9; John 15:1-11)
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  • Find something to smile about every day.   (I Peter 4:12-14; Prov. 15:13)
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  • Keep giving to others during the trial.   (II Cor. 9:7-8; Phil. 2:1-4; Romans 12:9-21)
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  • Surround yourself with mature Believers that you can trust. (Psalm 1:1-6; II Cor. 1:4-5; I Cor. 2:1-5)
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  • All things are from the hand of God for our Good. (Rom. 8:28-29; Hebr. 12:6,11-15)
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  • Remember…we are only passing through.   (II Cor.5:7-10,20; Phil. 3:20; Job 23:10)
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  • Always HOPE (joyful, confident anticipation) in Christ, for this life and the life to come. (I Cor. 15:19)
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Meet with God each morning so that:

….rather than viewing God through our challenges, we see our challenges through the eyes of the Lord, whom we have met with, and He is the one that has already prepared us to meet this challenge.

The Holy Spirit comforts and strengthens. John 17

Then… the Holy Spirit challenges and stretches. Phil. 2:13-16

What is the abundant Life?   (It has nothing to do with earthly possessions.)

The abundant life (John 10:10) is a spiritual life of contentment (“in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Phil. 4:11); Phil. 3:9 says “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering (I Peter 4:13), being made conformable to His death.” (Rom. 8:17; II Cor. 4:10-11

Abundant Life is a full life of understanding what life is all about through the eyes of Christ, and by thinking Christ’s thoughts after Him. Assurance of salvation and assurance in God does not give us a license to sin, but gives us the liberty to please Him….fall in love with Jesus.

Posted in Heart to heart for Widows, Suffering / Grief, Widows, Wives

Suffering and Grief

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Posted on May 5, 2020 by Eliece Rybak

Elisabeth Elliot said… Jan 8th 1956:
“When I sat by my short wave radio and learned that my husband was missing,
the Lord brought to mind what the prophet Isaiah (43:2) said …
‘when thou passest through the waters I will be with thee’ “.

“Suffering is the irreplaceable medium
through which I learned the indispensable truth that
He is LORD.”

She was soon to learn that her husband Jim Elliot was one of 5 men who were speared to death trying to give the Gospel to a tribe of Indians in Ecuador.

Posted in Statements from Men and Women of Renown, Suffering / Grief, Uncategorized

The Word Of God

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Posted on March 21, 2014 by Eliece Rybak

Many years ago, a man named Robert Chapman gave Christians a
powerful reminder of our privilege and responsibility as stewards of  God’s Word.

He wrote, speaking of the Word of God:

“This book contains… the mind of God,

the state of man,

the way of salvation,

the doom of sinners,

and the happiness of believers.

Its doctrines are holy,

its precepts binding,

its histories are true,

and its decisions are immutable.

Read it to be wise,

believe it to be safe,

and practice it to be holy.

It contains light to direct you,

food to support you,

and comfort to cheer you.

It is the traveler’s map,

the pilgrim’s staff,

the pilot’s compass,

and the soldier’s sword.

It should fill the memory,

test the heart,

and guide the feet.

Read it slowly, frequently, prayerfully.

It is a mine of wealth,

a paradise of glory,

and a river of pleasure.

It involves the highest responsibility,

rewards the greatest labor,

and condemns all who will trifle with its sacred contents.

Christ is its grand subject,

our good is its design,

and the glory of God is its end.”

Posted in Statements from Men and Women of Renown, Uncategorized

H. A. Ironside said:

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Posted on July 16, 2015 by Eliece Rybak

“Christ is a substitute for everything, but nothing is a substitute for Christ.”

“No one…. who really wants to count for God can afford to play at Christianity.”

“If lips and life do not agree, the testimony will not amount to much.”

“Time is given us to use in view of eternity.”

“No one ever lost out by excessive devotion to Christ.”

“Christianity is Christ!”

Posted in Daily Treasures for the Soul and Spirit, Statements from Men and Women of Renown, Uncategorized

Hell

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Posted on July 16, 2015 by Eliece Rybak

….God has the power to send all to hell;
….Everyone deserves hell;
….God is under no obligation to keep the sinner out of hell.

“Hell is not the choice of God; Hell is the choice of man who rejects God.”

“Religions and/or religious leaders came to make bad men good,

but Jesus Christ came to make dead men …alive.”

Ravi Zacharis

Jim Elliot quote.

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Posted on September 2, 2019 by Eliece Rybak

“Seems impossible that I am so near my senior year at this place, and truthfully, it hasn’t the glow about it that I rather expected. There is no such thing as attainment in this life; as soon as one arrives at a long-coveted position he only jacks up his desire another notch or so and looks for higher achievement – a process which is ultimately suspended by the intervention of death. Life is truly likened to a rising vapor, coiling, evanescent, shifting. May the Lord teach us what it means to live in terms of the end.”

“He makes His ministers a flame of fire. Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be a flame. But flame is transient, often short-lived. Canst thou bear this, my soul – short life? In me there dwells the Spirit of the Great Short-Lived, whose zeal for God’s house consumed Him. ‘Make me Thy Fuel, Flame of God.’”

“God, I pray thee, light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn for Thee. Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine. I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus.”

Reflection:

From an early age, Jim Elliot understood that followers of Christ must view their time on earth with an eternal perspective. Even as a young college student, he realized that life without God was a cycle of meaningless effort – “as soon as one arrives at a long-coveted position he only jacks up his desire another notch or so and looks for higher achievement.” Rather than chase after the world’s fleeting pleasures, Jim Elliot resolved to commit himself to God’s purposes. He followed his convictions into the mission field, and ultimately to his death. In the eyes of the world, Jim Elliot’s life was unremarkable, even tragic – he never achieved any great fame or wealth, he died very young, and he didn’t live to see the fruit of his own missionary work. But from the viewpoint of God’s kingdom, he led a life of extraordinary power and significance. Today, thousands of Christians look to Jim Elliot as a shining example of genuine faith.

Not everyone is called to be a missionary martyr in Ecuador. However, we can all aspire to receive the kind of faith that Jim Elliot had. True faith in Christ is not exclusive to special people at certain times – any person at any age can receive the gift of faith from God. Likewise, a life of faith can take many forms. John 12:26 says: “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.” Serving God means following our faith into the places where he calls us to be, including our classrooms and campuses. When we make our relationship with God the first priority, we can receive direction for our lives no matter where we are. God wants us to experience joyful faith in him that is far greater than our old desires for the temporary things of this world.

Response:

“We may often spend a large amount of time praying for our immediate wants and needs. There’s nothing wrong with this – after all, God wants to bless us in every way. But today, focus on praying for a greater sense of God’s direction in your life, including your studies and professional endeavors. Ask for increased faith in God that will inspire you to follow him in the long term. As Scripture says, our Father will honor those who serve him, in this life and into eternity.”

(copied/unknown author)

Jim Elliot, Martyred for Jesus Christ in 1956

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Eliece Rybak

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 The following are excerpts from the Journal of Jim Elliot:

 Introduction:

Psalm 42

11 Chron. 15:8…repair the altar of the Lord;   verse 12:  “seek the Lord…with all your heart…”;  verse 15;  “sought Him with their whole desire”, and “He was found by them.  And the Lord gave them rest…”.

Psalm 57:7   “My heart is fixed”;   verse 11: “Be Thou exhaulted…”

Psalm 63   (Verse 7 …“rejoicing in the shadow of His wings.)

Psalm 37

 Jim Elliot:

Committed myself to God….a sacrifice as Isaac…Accept me…

Anything else….if He should consume it…not laying a hand on it to retrieve it for myself.  If Thou should call me to resign what most I prize, it never was mine. I only yield what was Thine.   Thy will be done.         (Joshua 5 & 6)

Devoted things to God as a burnt offering….

Fix my heart wholly Lord to follow Thee….in no detail to touch what is not mine.

The cross is final.

His withholding has served to intensify my desire for Him.  The hungrier one is, the greater the appreciation for food.  He has given me a hunger for Him.  He Only…. promises water to the thirsty….satiation to the “unsatisfied” (not dissatisfied), filling those famished for righteousness.  He has, by concealing Himself, longings that can only be satisfied when Psalm 17:15 is realized.

He holds us from each other, that He might draw us to Himself. Draw me, Lord.

Isa.8:17

11 Chron.20:12b … “Our eyes are upon Thee.”  I will run after Thee.   I seek His will only…alone.

“Lord, saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be a flame for Thee.”

( “Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.” …Amy Carmichael)

The “rest” of faith…is fact, especially the resurrection of Christ.

 If our faith rests on things we hope God is going to do for us temporarily in this world only, that kind of faith is bound to be shaken.

 Even flowers need to be in the dark…apart from light for a time.

Jim’s Covenant  with God:

….glorify Himself to the uttermost in me …or

….slay me

By His grace I shall not have His second best.

He heard me…a life of sacrificial Sonship.

 He cannot fail me.

Trust Him…He will not lead His child into situations he cannot bear…he becomes our “way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

 I must bear “spirit-fruit” where I am.  Do I expect Him to change this…….?  This is my opportunity designed by a sovereign God for me to bear fruit for Him.

 Conclusion:

 What is it in my life   ….for which I cannot trust Him?   ….for which I am not trusting Him?

(Excerpt from the hymn…. “All for Jesus”)

“Oh, what wonder! How amazing!

 Jesus, glorious King of Kings,

 Deigns to call me His beloved,

 Lets me rest beneath His wings.”        (Excerpt from “All for Jesus”)

Posted in Daily Treasures for the Soul and Spirit, Encouragement for the Heart, Statements from Men and Women of Renown, Uncategorized

Posted in Statements from Men and Women of Renown

John Hyde (“Praying Hyde”)

Posted on December 14, 2017 by Eliece Rybak

John Hyde was a missionary to India from 1892 to 1911.

Thousands of souls were won to Christ in that time.

His friends that knew him well

knew that his one great characteristic was holiness.

Prayer was his life work, and he was a great soul winner, but his soul-winning was due to his Christ-like character.  Scripture says, “Without holiness not man shall see the Lord.”  We may scripturally say without holiness no man shall be a great soul winner.  Mr. Hyde himself said in substance, “Self must not only be dead but buried out of sight, for the stench  of the unburied self-life will frighten souls away from Jesus”.  He lived the sanctified life.

His life’s desires were:

  • a closer walk with the Lord through prayer
  • live a life of holiness
  • reach the lost at any cost

Hyde discovered the power of intercessory prayer, and the results were staggering.  He proved that prayer was an evangelical force in India: by faith he claimed one soul a day, then two, then four.  Through his intercessory prayer, God was able to work in remarkable ways in conventions, churches, and personal lives.  It is no surprise that he was often called “The Apostle of Prayer”.

Posted in Daily Treasures for the Soul and Spirit, Statements from Men and Women of Renown