What God Requires, God Provides

Historically, Protestants have believed that the Bible teaches that our salvation depends on what Christ has accomplished for your pardon and our perfection. We accept by faith his substitution for us in two senses: in his final suffering and death, he was condemned and cursed so that we may be pardoned (see Gal. 3:13, Rom 8:3); and in his whole life of righeousness culminating in his death, he learned obedience so that we may be saved (Heb 5:8-9). His death crowns his atoning sufferings that propitiate God's wrath against us (see Rom. 3:24-25; 5:6-9), but it also crowns his life of perfect righteousness - God's righteousness- that is then imputed to us who believe (see 2 Cor. %:21; Rom. 3:21-22; 4:6,11, 5:18-19).

God provided in Christ what God demanded from us in the law.

Current challenges to justification obscure (not to put it too harshly) half of Christ's glory in the work of justification by denying the imputation of doctrine. Recognizing this, Francis Turretin wrote that imputation "tends to the greater glory of Christ and to our richer consolation, which they obscure and lessen not a little who detract from the price of our salvation a part of his most perfect righeousness and obedience and thus rend his seamless tunic." Jonathan Edwards echoes this: "To suppose that all Christ does is only to make atonement for us by suffering, is to make him our Savior but in part. It is to rob him of half his glory as Savior."

- John Piper

Top 10: Things You Should Never Say To A Woman

No.10 - Anything bad about her guy friends

One of the ways a woman marks a guy as “insecure” the fastest is if he starts dissing her guy friends, especially if he hasn’t met them and doesn’t know her very well. Here’s the deal: Even if they are more than friends, you are only making yourself look like you are scared of competition from them, which to a woman screams “insecurity.” Best to just keep your mouth shut when they are mentioned and focus on your game instead.

No.9 - "I'll call you Friday"
Ending a phone conversation with a “next step” is a good technique if you’re trying to sell someone something, but not when you are talking to a woman. First of all, you are killing any spontaneity by being predictable. Second, you are also killing any chances of her calling you, as she has to now wait for your call or risk looking desperate. Not good.

No.8 - Anything that hints at a "future"
Often when guys are hanging out with a woman for the first time and she mentions something she likes or likes to do, a guy will use that as an opportunity to hint at a future date. For example, she might say she loves Thai food, so you say, “Wow, so do I. We should go get Thai food sometime.” Stop, stop, stop, stop! While this sounds good in theory, you must remember that women not only want but need a guy who is somewhat of a “challenge.” If partway through the first date you are talking about hanging out again and again and again, she knows that you are really into her, which means the game is over and she has won. Sure, it’s nice to connect with someone when you first hang out with them, and of course you should want to do some fun activities together, but don’t let her know that she has “won you over” too quickly or you’ll come off just like every other guy she’s gone out with that is ready to “put a ring on it” after date No. 1

No.7 - "How many guys have you slept with?"
First of all, do you really want to know? Second of all, again you are showing insecurity, especially if you ask this in the beginning. Sure, if she asks you first, go ahead. But trust me, you don’t want to be the one to start this conversation. You can only lose.

No.6 - "I left you a message the other day, but didn’t hear back. What happened?"
This might be the most common mistake guys make after not hearing back from a woman, and while it sounds trivial, it is a big one. It took me a long time to figure out what to do when a woman didn’t return one of my messages, but I finally figured out it’s best to just ignore it and proceed as if it never happened. If you mention an un-returned message to a woman you are doing two things: 1. Showing that you care that she didn’t return it. (Hint: If you just met a woman it is too soon to care!); and 2. Giving her a guilt trip, which women see as insecurity.

No.5 - "Do you like me?"
If I had to pick out a single phrase that shuts a woman’s attraction switch off permanently, this is it. Asking a woman a question like this is the opposite of being confident. So don’t ask, just assume she likes you, and go from there. I mean, hey, who wouldn’t?

No.4 - "What do you want to do tonight?"
There is a saying that a woman likes a “man with a plan,” and it is absolutely true. When you call a woman to hang out, make sure you have a game plan. Don’t put the burden on her or she won’t see you as the type of guy who can show her a good time.

No.3 - Anything about your car, job or house that sounds like you are trying to impress her
Do you know what kind of guys brag about their cars, jobs and houses to women? Well, the truth is a lot of different kinds of guys, but women put them all in one category: guys who have nothing else to offer. I’m serious, ask any attractive woman about this and she’ll agree. Sure, you may attract some women, but even those women will be far more impressed by your material possessions if you don't mention them in conversation.

No.2 - "Can I take you out on a date sometime?"
Similar to No. 1, a woman wants to be with a man who is a leader and in control, not someone who asks her permission to hit on her. Don’t ever ask a woman if you can take her out, just ask her out. But do it in a confident way. It can be as simple as saying, “We should hang out. What’s your number?” Or even telling her a specific place you want to take her: “Hey, let’s take a salsa lesson together, it will be fun!’

No.1 - "Can I kiss you?"
Ask any woman and she will tell you; a man should never “ask” for a kiss. Asking for a kiss goes against everything a woman is looking for in a man. You may as well just tell her right there that you are a boy. Her answer might be “yes” if she's being polite, but her attraction meter on the inside will read a firm, “no!”For more great tips on how to meet women, getting phone numbers and email addresses from women easily and how to take things to a "physical" level smoothly, be sure to sign up for my free Dating Secrets Newsletter. It’s jam-packed with dozens and dozens of specific strategies you can start using tonight to get more dates. Click Here For More Info

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/dating/top-10-things-you-should-never-say-to-a-woman.html

A Hero for Today

As I look in the Scriptures, I keep feeling myself drawn to them...the heroes, Peter, Paul, Timothy, Mary, and scores of others with one thing in common. What makes them heroes is not that they were giants of the faith... there's something more. It wasn't that they were perfect or had it all together. What makes them heores is that they were real and their love for God was real. They were real life people, with real life struggles, like you and me... yet they had an extraordinary love for God.

If there is something that our students need, it's real life heroes. They need to see that heroes are real people with real problems, but with an incredible love for God. The pages of the Scriptures are filled with heroes. Heroes who stood for what was right...what was godly. Heroes who had an intenese love for God. Yet, in the midst of the heroes of the New Testament, there stands other heroes, ones that will never be in the pages of the Scriptures, that one of those heroes is you. Your students may never tell you this, but believe me...you're a hero. So to all of you who are real with students, who love them unconditionally, who choose to be transparent with your life, who love God and are willing to share that love relationship with kids...believe that any other "hero" will get the applause of the angels... it will be you, because you are His hero.

- by Jim Burns