Panorama
Panorama
Session four of the study Panorama: a sweeping vista of God’s Word is coming up Thursday, April 1 at 7PM. Join in person in the sanctuary at the West Linn campus or by livestream at the link bit.ly/NewLifeWomenLivestreamApril. It is not too late to join! Materials can be found on the church website.
Isaiah 40
As we memorize Isaiah 40, these excerpts from the commentary Isaiah: God Saves Sinners by Raymond Ortlund are provided for your education and enjoyment. We will be memorizing verses 21-24 in April.
Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness. Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble. (Isaiah 40:21-24 ESV)
Isaiah argues with us because what we know to be true doesn’t always make an impact on us. But it helps when we stop seeing the glory of God through our own eyes and begin to see him through his own eyes. What difference does it make as we look out on the political realities and social constructs of our world today?
God is at work in the world today. It is he who raises up leaders and brings them down again, according to his own purpose and for his own glory. The power brokers who seem so formidable to us, with their monumental egos and pretentious ambitions, are to God like little seedlings—scarcely planted—and God merely blows on them, with zero effort on his part, and to them his mere puff of air is a raging tempest driving them into oblivion. And that makes God himself the only world-figure really to fear, doesn’t it?
Links
Below are links to articles, books, podcasts, and music that might be of interest or help on various topics. Resources are curated but may not always reflect the views of New Life Church. Enjoy!
Let’s Talk: Fear and Anxiety—highly recommended podcast. Another good episode is Why We Pray.
What the Success About Gentle and Lowly Reveals About Our View of God’s Love—@TGC. “If we accept the portrait of Jesus drawn in Gentle and Lowly, it will transform the way we see other people.”
How to Prep a Sermon—@The Payneful Truth, a thorough and helpful outline to follow when studying or preparing to teach God’s Word.
Home—by Kristen @The Palest Ink. Here is a taste of this beautiful piece.
“He also spoke of a time when a mentor urged him to pay attention, to heed those seemingly trivial moments in life that bring tears or a throat lump: whether while watching a movie, or reading a book, or listening to music. Those tender spots just might be the very places that God longs to heal. How often do we rush past these emotions, rather than understanding them to be maps? Maps leading to all sorts of unfinished business. It is good to be still, to be quiet and alone with the Lord. To ponder these things while reminding ourselves that He is God and we are not (Psalm 46:10). An invitation to pay attention to what God is choosing to do in and through us; in our ordinary days that often slip by without our full attention.”
How to Redeem a Wasted Life—@Desiring God. Follow the thief on the cross to the Savior.
Deconversion Is Not as Countercultural as You Think—by Brett McCracken.
Why Do We Add to Our Trouble?—@Tim Challies. “The prize lies not behind and not beside, but only ever ahead.”
Holiness Begins in Intimacy With Jesus—by Scott Hubbard @Desiring God. “The only people who can truly kill their sin are those who are preoccupied with Jesus….When you sit down to read, pray, or hear God’s word, do not settle for anything less than communion with the living Christ.”
Aim All You Have at Heaven: How God Inspires Ambitious Generosity—by Marshall Segal—inspirational, practical, beneficial. “Investing in heaven does not mean forfeiting present happiness. It means relocating and deepening our happiness.” “Ambitious generosity grows in the imaginations and pockets of those awed by the generosity of God.”
New Life Women Sign Up—a place to let the Women’s Ministry team know of any prayer requests you would like us to bring before the Lord for you. You can also request materials or partners for Side by Side Bible Reading.