Remaining Desperate...

Headed to the Big Apple…

Mike_Simmons — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:58:37 +0000

Sitting here in the airport terminal with my beautiful wife waiting to board a plane to visit our oldest son, Josh, his lovely wife,Meggie, and the child that God is fashioning in her womb. What a gift to be able to spend 4 days with them, fully aware that it is because of His grace and mercy that we can enjoy such fellowship. Thank you Father for this gift.

How do I love her…let me count the ways…

Mike_Simmons — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:42:11 +0000

For those of you that know me well, you are fully aware that other than God’s gift of salvation, my wife, Kay, is God’s greatest gift to me. Let me count the ways:

1. She loves Christ more than me.

2. She loves God’s word.

3. She loves our church and serves with joy.

4. She loves me and not a day goes by that she doesn’t tell me.

5. She encourages me to love her by leading her.

6. Her love for our children is amazing.

7. She LOVES being a grandmother

7. Her cooking is full of love.

8. Her musical ability is God-glorifying.

9. She is an incredible lover.

10. She is my best friend.

11. She laughs at my jokes and nonsense.

12. I love growing old with her.

13. God uses her as a means of sanctification in my life.

14. She loves surprises.

15. She makes me so glad that I am her husband.

Psalm 31:

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.

Oh how I love Kay Simmons…a gift from God…

Always and for everything….

Mike_Simmons — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:10:12 +0000

Every time I spend an extended time with God, alone in a room without noise or interruptions, I leave changed. This morning was no exception. The holy Spirit has been convicting me for a long period time that this was an area of life that I was neglecting and it was taking a toll on my soul. How thankful I am for a God who patiently continues to bring me back and points me in the proper direction. As I spend time with Him I keep index card close to write down any verses and/or impressions that I want to pass along via this blog. Two verses impacted me greatly this morning.
Psalm 37:4….Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Ephesians 5:20…giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…

As I meditated on Psalm 37: 4, it became obvious that as I delight myself in the Lord, he would give me the desires of my heart. Those desires would be all about getting the know Him more…the desire of my heart would be Christ. All other things would pale in comparison to knowing Him.

The Ephesians 5:20 is a staggering command as you thank about thanking God in the name of Jesus Christ for everything…ALL THE TIME. But what a comfort to know that all things come from a gracious and merciful God…ALL THE TIME.

It became very clear to me that a properly applying Psalm 37:4 would enable me to properly apply Ephesians 5:20. May God be glorified as we delight in him, thanking him for all things…ALL THE TIME.

Remaining desperate…

Trying Again…

Mike_Simmons — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:39:12 +0000

Well, it’s time to try and get the blog started again after a year and a half hiatus. I thought I would start it again as a tool to hold myself accountable for my time with God and His word. So, beginning tomorrow and Lord willing, I am going to use it as a means to reflect on what God is teaching and showing me. I have been incredibly encouraged with what my beautiful wife writes on her blog.(check it out!)

Until tomorrow and remaining desperate…

Heart Corruptions…

Mike_Simmons — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:38:57 +0000

Well, my consistency of updating my blog has been non-existent. This has a lot to do with my laziness and investing in other non-productive activities. Putting my thoughts down are helpful for the health of my soul. If you are like me, I must discipline my thought life or I will become a slave to thoughts centered around me and my sinful desires. I am daily a slave to where my thoughts take me; either centered around Christ and others or all about as Brian Regan has coined, “THE ME MONSTER”. This morning my meditation on a Puritan prayer in The Valley of Vision was Heart Corruptions. This prayer describes my daily battle and my daily need to apply the only solution, The Gospel. May we all evaluate if we are a slaves of Christ or slaves of ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of listening to and worshiping my biggest enemy, Mike Simmons. To survive I must apply the truth of Galatians 2: 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Heart Corruptions

O God, may Thy Spirit speak in me that I may speak to thee. I have no merit, let the merit of Jesus stand for me. I am undeserving, but I look to Thy tender mercy. I am full of infirmities, wants, sin; Thou art full of grace.

I confess my sin, my frequent sin, my wilful sin; all my powers of body and soul are defiled: a fountain of pollution is deep within my nature. There are chambers of foul images within my being; I have gone from one odious room to another, walked in a no-man’s-land of dangerous imaginations, pried into the secrets of my fallen nature.

I am utterly ashamed that I am what I am in myself; I have no green shoot in me nor fruit, but thorns and thistles; I am a fading leaf that the wind drives away; I live bare and barren as a winter tree, unprofitable, fit to be hewn down and burnt. Lord, dost Thou have mercy on me?

Thou hast struck a heavy blow at my pride, at the false god of self, and I lie in pieces before Thee. But Thou hast given me another master and lord, Thy Son, Jesus, and now my heart is turned towards holiness, my life speeds as an arrow from a bow towards complete obedience to Thee. Help me in all my doings to put down sin and to humble pride. Save me from the love of the world and the pride of life, from everything that is natural to fallen man, and let Christ’s nature be seen in me day by day. Grant me grace to bear Thy will without repining, and delight to be not only chiselled, squared, or fashioned, but separated from the old rock where I have been embedded so long, and lifted from the quarry to the upper air, where I may be built in Christ for ever.

Remaining desperate…

Kingdom People Giveaway

Mike_Simmons — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:47:00 +0000

Don’t miss the Christmas Giveaway @ Trevin Wax’s blog, Kingdom People. For the next ten days (Dec. 15-25), you have the opportunity to register to win all ten of his favorite books this year. Plus, an ESV Study Bible and a copy of his forthcoming book, Holy Subversion. That’s $240 worth of books!

Superior Satisfaction…

Mike_Simmons — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:16:11 +0000

“The other reason the love of human glory is contradictory to faith is that faith is a drinking of living water for the satisfaction of our souls. And the well of that water is the glory of Christ. And when we are satisfied with him, the enslaving power of the craving for human glory is broken. Broken by the power of a superior satisfaction.”

John Piper, The Love of Human Praise as the Root of Unbelief

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross…

Mike_Simmons — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:59:28 +0000

Love demands my soul…my life…my all…

Atonement

Mike_Simmons — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:12:51 +0000

It has been some time since I brought this video back up to remind myself of my desperate condition and the reality that all of us face. Only the Gospel answers all of this man’s questions and only the Gospel helps us to be honest with what we know about ourselves and hide from others. Only the Gospel explains that there is more mercy in Christ than sin in us. May we humble ourselves before His mighty hand and look to the cross for the only solution for our sinfulness and God’s holiness…the mediator between the two…Christ Jesus our Lord.

Remaining desperate…

Abide In Christ…

Mike_Simmons — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:24:41 +0000

Today in our Wednesday morning men’s group we were discussing walking in the Spirit to mortify the deeds of the flesh. From that discussion, abiding in Christ was mentioned. What it means to abide in Christ has always challenged me. I appreciate John Piper’s take on it and commend it to you. Enjoy the video at the end.

“We can see the picture Jesus has in his mind in verse 5: “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” There’s where I get the power idea. “Apart from me,” Jesus says, “you have no power to do anything.” You cannot love each other as I command you to love, if you do not abide in me as I abide in my Father.

So the newness of Jesus’ commandment is not only that Jesus has become our pattern for love by taking the role of a servant, but also that Jesus has become our power for love by himself abiding in the Father so that as we abide in him we are given the very love of the Father with which to love each other.”

I love the thought that Jesus is not only our pattern for love, but he has become our power for love. Apart from Him we can do…NOTHING!

Remaining desperate…