Recommended Posts - v3

A Prayer For The First Day Of 2016 - S Smith - 1/1/2016

Yesterday - Chambers - 12/31/2015

Reading The Whole Bible In 2016 - Taylor - 12/29/2015

Be Devoted To Prayer - Piper - 12/27/2015

A Christmas Poem: Come To The Manger - Kruger - 12/23/2015

A Prayer For Marveling At The Tenderness And Humility Of Jesus Incarnation - S Smith - 12/22/2015

We Lepers - An Unusual Christmas Meditation - Wax - 12/22/2015

Striving For A More Intentional Life Of Prayer - Raymond - 12/15/2015

I Am The Elder Brother - Guthrie - 12/11/2015

A Prayer Of Hope For Our Kids And Grand Kids - S Smith - 12/10/2015

A Prayer For Our Worship To Be Filled With The Presence Of God - S Smith - 11/15/2015

Calvin's Advice For Right Prayer - Qaoud - 10/12/2015

New Beginnings

What does one write on New Year's Day that has been written before? The start of a new year offers us so many opportunities. We can start a Bible reading plan. We can start a prayer journal. We can start a daily devotional. We can stop squandering our time. We can stop giving in to the one habit that has consumed us for years. We can stop being so self centered and start being more Christ centered.

And yet, all of this is surface level stuff. What really matters is not how well we know the Bible, but how well we know the God of the Bible. The Bible reading and praying, the replacing of sin with righteousness only truly comes when God invades our hearts and minds. When Jesus is first and foremost in what we think and say and do, that's what we are aiming for.

Will we ever get there? Quite frankly, no. But God's expectation is that we keep striving and pressing toward this goal. It will also be by his grace and the strength that he provides. But it still requires grace driven effort; our effort.

So let today be the day of new beginnings. It really doesn't matter if today is January 1 or July 17. Every day, every hour, every moment is a new chance to make a new beginning with God.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Josiah Effect

Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after him. - 2Ki 23:25

One neat thing about reading through the entire Bible is that you encounter people and situations that you might not encounter on a random chapter here and there.  And, one neat thing about repeating the process in successive years is that by God's grace some of his upside down nature can be seen in places you would least expect it.

Take Josiah for example. Many probably know that he was listed as one of the good kings of Judah. Some may even remember why (for restoring the Passover, refurbishing the temple, expelling and pagan worship, and the reading & following of the Law). But how many of us care to recall that most of Josiah's exemplary service to God occurred after God informed him that Judah had gone too far and that inevitable judgement was coming (even though Josiah was to be spared--by his death).

It struck me this year in reading 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles that Josiah was not daunted by God's upside down economy. He didn't question God's justice at sending judgement on the land. He didn't isolate himself or say "who cares?" in response to God not relenting even after a Josiah-led national renewal. He didn't plead 2 Chr 7:14 (more in context for him than us). He simply kept serving God by reading and obeying the Word of God.

As I look back over the events of 2013, I have to ask: have I responded like Josiah did? Clearly the circumstances and settings are different, but we live in a culture very much like his; one that remembered some of the basic forms of its religious heritage, but forgot the heart of the matter and lost connection to the true source of religion: a pure and absolution devotion to Yahweh.

So, here we are on the verge of 2014. Unless Jesus returns (come Lord Jesus!) 2014 will begin with a culture more removed from God than last year and more confident that what is being done is being done to honor him. And, even though I firmly believe that God can bring any type of revival at any time, I think the lesson from the life of Josiah is that we should fret less over the decay around us (although we shouldn't ignore it and do what we can to oppose it). Instead we should seek to live the gospel in such a way that we are known, really known, as the upside down community of God.

To God Alone Be The Glory

New Year, new focus

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? - Isa 40:21

In the midst of not making any resolutions, I have set a couple of goals for 2013. I want to pray more (a perennial goal). I want to listen more (especially to God). And, I want to write more.

I'm recording these goals here, in a blog post, for a couple of reasons. One reason is for accountability. If something is written down, its easier, at least for me, to remain conscious of it and continue striving toward the goal.

Another reason is that I think the feel of my posts might change. There may not be any more of them. In fact, there may be less. But I sense a need for me to focus my writing in a more specific direction. So, instead of 200 somewhat random thoughts, I may post only 100 entries, but all tied together a similar theme. Of course there will be exceptions, but even these may be a little more focused, and if possible tied to the main theme that is coursing through all of the posts.

I imagine someone reading this may be asking: so, what's the theme? I am actually still praying and reflecting on that question. If you are lead to pray for the Spirit's guidance on my behalf, even if just in this moment, I would greatly appreciate it.

I'm looking forward to 2013. And, if Jesus waits to return and continues to give me sound mind and body, I look forward to continuing to share Spirit lead thoughts with you.

To God Alone be the Glory

New Year, New Life

What is it about the replacing of a calendar that has such a profound effect on so many of us? I am certainly not immune to looking back over the events of the past year, both good and bad, and looking forward to what is to come. I have, however, failed in keeping enough resolutions that I think I am forever cured of that particular New Year's tradition.

But what causes us to use these few, precious days to reflect and project? Perhaps its simply something that's been enculturated into us, something that we do because society does it or we've always done it. Perhaps its a result of unwinding after Christmas or an all too brief pause before the storms of the new year. Or, perhaps its something deeper, something more profound.

Perhaps we've been hard wired to know that even the best of the past year pales before what is yet to come. Perhaps we realize that the ache we feel is not so much grief over our past mistakes and failings but regret that we cannot undo what we've done or unsay what we've said. Perhaps its the dawning reality that while our bodies are finite, our souls are not and we may not really be ready for the next stage of our lives.

Thankfully, into all of this, God speaks. To those who will listen, He continually speaks. Since today is the day, listen to His word:

Rev 22:17 - Let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Mat 11:28 - Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

2Co 5:6-7 - So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.

So, even though today is just another day, may the Spirit allow today to be the first day of your New Life.

To God Alone be the Glory.

Hope for the New Year

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (Jn 15:15-16)

Yesterday I had a conversation with a few friends about the difficulty of moving from the knowing to the doing. The sad truth is I am pretty good at knowing things, especially biblical things, but not so good about executing on those things. And while the point of the conversation was for us to see that there is a difference between knowing and doing and that doing doesn't necessarily following knowing, I left feeling burdened and convicted.

Later, by God's grace, I ran across a quote from John Newton (read it here). Through these words of Newton, God set forth a couple of things that I trust will make a difference as I personally grapple with the knowing vs. doing gap in my own life. The first thing is this. I am not alone. We all are like Newton's example of someone who reads about sailing, but has never been on a ship. This is not a excuse, but it can provide us with humility, honesty and safety as we work together (as the church should) to move from knowing to doing.

The second thing Newton is quick to point out is that left to ourselves, when we see this gap in our own lives we will make "either a tame surrender or a shameful flight.". When I read these words, I could not have agreed more fully. I am ashamed to admit how many times the Holy Spirit's conviction does not prompt me to return to God but instead I cower in fear or I run in a vain attempt to hide from Him (Ps 139:7).

Thankfully, Newton did not leave the remedy to this situation in doubt. While our natural response will always be to crumble or to try to escape, we have someone who is on our side and he is interceding for us. As Newton says it:

But if He [Jesus] is the Captain of our salvation, if his eye is upon us, his arm stretched out around us, and his ear open to our cry, and if He has engaged to teach our hands to war and our fingers to fight, and to cover our heads in the day of battle, then we need not fear, though a host rise up against us; but, lifting up our banner in his name, let us go forth conquering and to conquer; Rom. 16:20.

So, our hope for the New Year is not in our resolutions, as good and sincere as they may be. And our hope is not in our ability to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, as great and beneficial as that would be. No, our hope for 2012, as it is in any year, is found in the One who laid down his life for his friends, the One who ransomed us and cleansed us and adopted us and is now empowering us to serve and glorify Him. Our hope always and forever is in Jesus.

I now send forth this post with a deep sense of its many defects; but with an earnest prayer that it may do some good. (JC Ryle)

To God Alone be the Glory

A New Year - The Same Savior

A lot of blogs (too many?) are using these days to help us set (or reset) some of our priorities going into the new year. While this is not a bad exercise, its probably something we should be doing more than once a year. And, my concern personally is that it is easier to focus on what Bible reading plan or devotional book or prayer time we will have in the new year than it is to focus on the One all of those items point us toward. To that end, I would like to share an excerpt from the Jan 1 entry of My Utmost for His Highest.

"When we think seriously about what it will cost others if we obey the call of Jesus, we tell God He doesn’t know what our obedience will mean. Keep to the point— He does know. Shut out every other thought and keep yourself before God in this one thing only— my utmost for His highest. I am determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and Him alone."

The entire entry can be found here: let-us-keep-to-the-point

On an unrelated note, John Piper has returned from his sabbatical. His first blog can be found here: john-pipers-report-on-his-leave-of-absence Here is one quote I think is worth highlighting: "Eleven days after I return to ministry, I turn 65. One could look at this two ways: 1) it’s the age most people retire, or 2) it’s the age Winston Churchill became Prime Minister and led England and the Western World to victory over Hitler’s aggression. I find Churchill much more inspiring than retirement." Oh to have a heart like that!

To God Alone be the Glory!