The greatest temptation out of hell is to live without trials. A pool of standing water will turn stagnant. Faith grows more with a sharp winter storm in its face. Grace withers without adversity. You can't sneak quietly into heaven with a cross. Crosses form us into his image. They cut away the pieces of our corruption. Lord cut, carve, wound; Lord do anything to perfect your image in us and make us fit for glory. We need winnowing before we can enter the kingdom of God. O what I owe to the file, hammer, and furnace! Why should I be surprised at the plough that makes such deep furrows in my soul? Whatever direction the wind blows, it will blow us to the Lord. His hand will direct us safely to the heavenly shore to find the eternal weight of glory. As we look back to our pains and sufferings, we shall see that suffering is worthy to be compared to our first night's welcome home in heaven. If we could smell of heaven and our country above, our crosses would not bite us.
-- Samuel Rutherford
Friday, September 17, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
All We Will Get Is Mercy
Let us make crystal clear at the beginning of each new day, all we will get from God as believers in Jesus is mercy. Whatever pleasures or pains may come our way in the day, they will all be mercy. This is why Christ came into the world--"in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy" (Rom 15:9). We were born again "according to his great mercy" (1 Pet 1:3); we pray daily "that we may receive mercy" (Heb 4:16); and we are now "waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life" (Jude 21). If any Christian proves trustworthy, it is "by the Lord's mercy [he] is trustworthy" (1 Cor 7:25). In the end, when all is said and done, we will confess, "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has mercy (Rom 9:16).
So as we face each day, let us humble ourselves and take the position of the blind man: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38). Or the position of the leper: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:13). And let us take heart that we will never obey God enough to put Him in debt to us. He will never owe us. "Who has given to [God] the he might be repaid?" (Rom 11:35). And let us take heart that the smallest seed of true faith in Christ taps all the divine power of mercy--as the slightest touch of an electrical plug to the socket gets all the electricity.
Therefore, the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mere mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of tree-moving power. And flawless obedience leaves us utterly dependent on mercy. God may withhold some blessings of mercy for our good, if we stray from the path of growing faith. But even this withholding is another form of mercy.
The point is: Whatever the timing of form of God's mercy, we never rise above of the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on the undeserved. God never owes us anything in ourselves. The smallest faith and the fullest obedience receive one thing: almighty mercy.
-- John Piper
So as we face each day, let us humble ourselves and take the position of the blind man: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:38). Or the position of the leper: "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:13). And let us take heart that we will never obey God enough to put Him in debt to us. He will never owe us. "Who has given to [God] the he might be repaid?" (Rom 11:35). And let us take heart that the smallest seed of true faith in Christ taps all the divine power of mercy--as the slightest touch of an electrical plug to the socket gets all the electricity.
Therefore, the fullest obedience and the smallest faith obtain the same thing from God: mercy. A mere mustard seed of faith taps into the mercy of tree-moving power. And flawless obedience leaves us utterly dependent on mercy. God may withhold some blessings of mercy for our good, if we stray from the path of growing faith. But even this withholding is another form of mercy.
The point is: Whatever the timing of form of God's mercy, we never rise above of the status of beneficiaries of mercy. We are always utterly dependent on the undeserved. God never owes us anything in ourselves. The smallest faith and the fullest obedience receive one thing: almighty mercy.
-- John Piper
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What if...
If it were possible for you to look into the holy of holies, to mount up to heaven to see the royal palace of our great King, and if you could know the satisfying joy, ravishing delight, the inconceivable pleasure which the spirits of just men made perfect have, and if you could see Him as He is, there visible in the glorified Redeemer, and really know Him as you are known, then reader, what would you think of this God for your portion?
What a poor view you would now have of the beggarly portion that you now admire! What dung, what dog's meat would the world be to you in comparison with God! You would leave the swine of earthly comforts, and the foolish children of disobedience who are paddling in the gutter of sensual waters, that you might have your portion among God's children and your heritage among his chosen ones. All your love would be too little, and labor would be too great for such an inestimable portion.
Lord, let me partake of your special mercy. Though others feed on husks, give me this bread of life. May you be the portion of my cup. Whatsoever you deny me, or however you deal with me, give me yourself, and it shall be enough. You are the true paradise of all pleasure, a living fountain of haziness, and the original and exact pattern of all perfections.
-- George Swinnock
What a poor view you would now have of the beggarly portion that you now admire! What dung, what dog's meat would the world be to you in comparison with God! You would leave the swine of earthly comforts, and the foolish children of disobedience who are paddling in the gutter of sensual waters, that you might have your portion among God's children and your heritage among his chosen ones. All your love would be too little, and labor would be too great for such an inestimable portion.
Lord, let me partake of your special mercy. Though others feed on husks, give me this bread of life. May you be the portion of my cup. Whatsoever you deny me, or however you deal with me, give me yourself, and it shall be enough. You are the true paradise of all pleasure, a living fountain of haziness, and the original and exact pattern of all perfections.
-- George Swinnock
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Lord's Day morning
Sunday should be (is!) a day of worship. Yet my mind & heart are mired. Perhaps this reflects on my selfish view of faith and the church. If it is all about me, I end up with idolatry. If it is all about serving others, I end up with religion. However, if it is about God and Christ and the power of the Spirit, then I am free to worship. Right now the Philips, Craig and Dean song is echoing in my head: “And I stand in awe of You.” Father give me, give us, a fuller view of who you are today. Help us to see, not just with our minds, but with the eyes of our hearts, the vastness of Christ’s sacrifice. Allow us to glimpse the multiple ways you Sprit is leading, guiding and protecting us today. And, help us to abandon ourselves today and worship you in all of your greatness, power and love. SDG
Considering Hell
I ran across an article by Tim Keller regarding the importance of grasping the reality of hell. Here are two quotes:
"Unless we come to grips with this terrible doctrine, we will never even begin to understand the depths of what Jesus did for us on the cross. His body was being destroyed in the worst possible way, but that was a flea bite compared to what was happening to his soul. When he cried out that his God had forsaken him, he was experiencing hell itself."
"It is only because of the doctrine of judgment and hell that Jesus' proclamation of grace and love are so brilliant and astounding."
The full article is at the link below. SDG
http://www3.dbu.edu/jeanhumphreys/DeathDying/preachinghell.htm
"Unless we come to grips with this terrible doctrine, we will never even begin to understand the depths of what Jesus did for us on the cross. His body was being destroyed in the worst possible way, but that was a flea bite compared to what was happening to his soul. When he cried out that his God had forsaken him, he was experiencing hell itself."
"It is only because of the doctrine of judgment and hell that Jesus' proclamation of grace and love are so brilliant and astounding."
The full article is at the link below. SDG
http://www3.dbu.edu/jeanhumphreys/DeathDying/preachinghell.htm
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
How easy
How easy is it to lose track of Christ has called us to? I can list just the common distractions in my own life: job family, activities. If those are not enough, I can add the sinful components: pride, envy, selfishness. The result is that following hard after Christ is never going to be easy. Living the Christian life will always be life walking a balance beam, trying avoid crashing into the abyss of sinful license on one side and sinful legalism on the other.
What provoked my writing today is a Spirit-prompted reminder that our church activities are not exempt from this reality. We are still tainted with sin and any enterprise we embark upon will also become tainted, if we lose focus on the One who called us to the task. Yet, it is so much more expedient to focus on the task, rather than on the God who has set us apart and on the Spirit who will empower us. How often to we stop to consider that God, who created everything by speaking it into existence and has sustained from the beginning until now, doesn't need us. Yet, He desires to use us as we work according to His power, plan and purposes.
Father, I confess I have been short-sighted in too many areas of my life. I have jumped to quickly to the solution in my mind rather than probing your Word and seeking the counsel of the Spirit. I humbly, yet boldly, ask that you help me and others who claim the name of Christ to raise our eyes off the footpath of our own journey and focus instead on the highway of the gospel of Jesus. And Lord, help me, help us to see that this is on just a "spiritual add-on", but a necessary component to every aspect of our lives. In Jesus name. Amen
What provoked my writing today is a Spirit-prompted reminder that our church activities are not exempt from this reality. We are still tainted with sin and any enterprise we embark upon will also become tainted, if we lose focus on the One who called us to the task. Yet, it is so much more expedient to focus on the task, rather than on the God who has set us apart and on the Spirit who will empower us. How often to we stop to consider that God, who created everything by speaking it into existence and has sustained from the beginning until now, doesn't need us. Yet, He desires to use us as we work according to His power, plan and purposes.
Father, I confess I have been short-sighted in too many areas of my life. I have jumped to quickly to the solution in my mind rather than probing your Word and seeking the counsel of the Spirit. I humbly, yet boldly, ask that you help me and others who claim the name of Christ to raise our eyes off the footpath of our own journey and focus instead on the highway of the gospel of Jesus. And Lord, help me, help us to see that this is on just a "spiritual add-on", but a necessary component to every aspect of our lives. In Jesus name. Amen
Saturday, September 4, 2010
I am the LORD your God
What a privilege to have God as our God! What a happy condition when nothing can hurt you! If one loses his name, it is written in the book of life. If he loses his liberty, his conscience is free. If he loses his estate, he owns the pearl of great price. If he meets a storm, he has a harbor; God is his God, and heaven is his heaven. If God is our God, our soul is safe. It is hidden in the promises, in the wounds of Christ, and in the decrees of God. If God is our God then all that is in God is ours. How happy is he who not only inherits the gifts of God but God himself! -- Thomas Watson
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