Drawing Near: piper

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Sunday, April 15, 2018

Quotes for the week of 4/15/18

Words To Live By

Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us, we have to see it as something done by us.
― John R.W. Stott (posted 4/15/18)

What a man is alone and on his knees before God, that he is, and no more.
― Robert Murray M'Cheyne (posted 4/14/18)

The Cross is God exhibiting His nature. It is the gate through which any and every individual can enter into oneness with God. But it is not a gate we pass right through; it is one where we abide in the life that is found there.
― Oswald Chambers (posted 4/13/18)

You can shut Jesus up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.
― C.S. Lewis (posted 4/12/18)

You don't realize God is all you need until God is all you have.
― Tim Keller (Posted 4/11/18)

How unspeakably wonderful to know that all our concerns are held in the hands that bled for us.
― John Newton (posted 4/10/18)

The point of irresistible grace is not that we can’t resist. We can, and we do. The point is that when God chooses, he overcomes our resistance and restores a submissive spirit. He creates. He says, “Let there be light!” He heals. He leads. He restores. He comforts.

― John Piper (posted 4/9/18)

Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas 2015

"Therefore, when the time came for the eternal Son of God to be sent by his Father into the world, the work of the Holy Spirit was a quiet, unobtrusive work in the service of the Father and the Son. Through him the Father caused the Son to be conceived in Mary the virgin. So from the very beginning of Christ’s incarnation the Holy Spirit was quietly doing what needed to be done to put forward Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior of man." (John Piper)

"Infinite, and an infant.
Eternal, and yet born of a woman.
Almighty, and yet hanging on a woman’s breast.
Supporting a universe, and yet needing to be carried in a mother’s arms.
King of angels, and yet the reputed son of Joseph.
Heir of all things, and yet the carpenter’s despised son." (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

"How shall we deal with such a child? Have our hands, soiled with daily toil, become too hard and too proud to fold in prayer at the sight of this child? Has our head become too full of serious thoughts … that we cannot bow our head in humility at the wonder of this child? Can we not forget all our stress and struggles, our sense of importance, and for once worship the child, as did the shepherds and the wise men from the East, bowing before the divine child in the manger like children?" (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

"The enemy is not going to win. Christmas is but the beginning of the story. The baby brought light into the darkness, and He would break the back of the powers through His later death and resurrection. If you’re struggling this Christmas season, don’t forget the rest of the story!" (Thomas Rainer)

Prior posts:

Day 26 | Day 25 | Day 24 | Day 23 | Day 22 | Day 21 | Day 20 | Day 19 | Day 18 | Day 17 | Day 16 | Day 15
Day 14 | Day 13 | Day 12 | Day 11 | Day 10 | Day 9 | Day 8 | Day 7 | Day 6 | Day 5 | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2
Day 1

Monday, December 14, 2015

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

Advent 2015 - Day 11

"Advent is to Christmas what Lent is to Easter. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” Let every heart prepare him room . . . by engaging in sober self-examination and cleaning house" (John Piper)

Prior posts:

Day 10 | Day 9 | Day 8 | Day 7 | Day 6 | Day 5 | Day 4 | Day 3 | Day 2 | Day 1

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Advent 2015 - Day 3

Meditate on the fact that we need a Savior. Christmas is an indictment before it becomes a delight. It will not have its intended effect until we feel desperately the need for a Savior. Use Advent as a time of reflection to help awaken in you a bittersweet sense of your need for the Savior.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Recomended Posts v2

Three Ways Movies Are Searching For The Gospel - G Ortlund - 12/8/2015

O Come Again Emmanuel - Wax - 12/3/2015

Why Celebrate Advent? - Boswell - 11/29/2015

A Prayer For The First Sunday Of Advent - S Smith - 11/29/2015

Prepare Him Room - Bloom - 11/29/2015

Only One Black Friday - Tripp - 11/27/2015

A Prayer For Thanksgiving Day - S Smith - 11/26/2015

Alone With God - Chan - 11/24/2015

A Prayer For Marinating In The "In All Things Goodness Of Jesus - S Smith - 11/21/2015

It Is Finished - Chambers - 11/21/2015

We All Need Help - Piper - 11/19/2015

Four Reasons Why Some Preachers Get Better And Others Dont - York - 11/18/2015

A Prayer Of Lament - S Smith - 11/14/2015

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Sunday, December 15, 2013

Why Jesus Came

(What follows is an excerpt from John Piper's 2013 Advent devotional. It is available for free here)

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. —Hebrews 2:14–15

Hebrews 2:14–15 is worth more than two minutes in an Advent devotional. These verses connect the beginning and the end of Jesus’s earthly life. They make clear why he came. They would be great to use with an unbelieving friend or family member to take them step by step through your Christian view of Christmas. It might go something like this…

“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood…”

The term “children” is taken from the previous verse and refers to the spiritual offspring of Christ, the Messiah (see Isaiah 8:18; 53:10). These are also the “children of God.” In other words, in sending Christ, God has the salvation of his “children” specially in view. It is true that “God so loved the world, that he sent [Jesus] (John 3:16).” But it is also true that God was especially “gathering the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). God’s design was to offer Christ to the world, and to effect the salvation of his “children” (see 1 Timothy 4:10). You may experience adoption by receiving Christ (John 1:12).

“…he himself likewise partook of the same things [flesh and blood]…”

Christ existed before the incarnation. He was spirit. He was the eternal Word. He was with God and was God (John 1:1; Colossians 2:9). But he took on flesh and blood and clothed his deity with humanity. He became fully man and remained fully God. It is a great mystery in many ways. But it is at the heart of our faith and is what the Bible teaches.

“…that through death…”

The reason Jesus became man was to die. As God, he could not die for sinners. But as man he could. His aim was to die. Therefore he had to be born human. He was born to die. Good Friday is the reason for Christmas. This is what needs to be said today about the meaning of Christmas.

“…he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…”

In dying, Christ de-fanged the devil. How? By covering all our sin. This means that Satan has no legitimate grounds to accuse us before God. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). On what grounds does he justify? Through the blood of Jesus (Romans 5:9).

Satan’s ultimate weapon against us is our own sin. If the death of Jesus takes it away, the chief weapon of the devil is taken out of his hand. He cannot make a case for our death penalty, because the Judge has acquitted us by the death of his Son!

“…and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”

So we are free from the fear of death. God has justified us. Satan cannot overturn that decree. And God means for our ultimate safety to have an immediate effect on our lives. He means for the happy ending to take away the slavery and fear of the now.

If we do not need to fear our last and greatest enemy, death, then we do not need to fear anything. We can be free: free for joy, free for others.

What a great Christmas present from God to us! And from us to the world!

Monday, November 12, 2012

Pummeled by Prayer

Please notice that the title of this post is not "Pummeled in Prayer". That reality is actually part of the pummeling. The sad fact of the matter is that I would much rather read about and contemplate prayer than simply bowing my head and praying. Yet my growing conviction is even now asking "Why are you writing? Why aren't you praying?"

Over the past week or so, I've run across several blog posts, devotionals etc., that have highlighted the significance and the primacy of prayer in the life of a believer. And, while I've included excerpts from a few different sources below, there is really very little that is new, especially if you've tracked with my posts on prayer in the past. However, what is different for me, at least at this point in the game, is the Spirit-wrought conviction that I spend too little time actually praying. For me the concern has shifted from quality to quantity.

Yet, even as I write this and prayerfully consider my next words, a self-debate is raging. The quality of our prayers is important, isn't it? Isn't that why the Bible gives us multiple models, including Jesus himself? Aren't the motives and the directions of our hearts important as we approach the throne of God? I would answer yes to both of these and a dozen other considerations on getting the focus of our prayers right. Yet, if that focus some how debilitates our praying, we've lost the forest for the trees.

Another objection that is raising its head even now, is the fact that Jesus seems to discourage frequent, extended prayer (Mt 6:7). His model prayer is very short and compact. Maybe this is because he was in such deep communion with his father that a long diary of praises and requests was not needed. If Jesus (and us too) prayed regularly and frequently, then he (and we too) wouldn't need a "data dump". We would simply lift each prayer and praise to God as they came along.

It should be noted that of all the bible characters, the one who would appear to need prayer the least, it would have been Jesus. And yet, he is the one we see doing it the most, followed closely by the post resurrection disciples. For me, this highlights some of the most mind bending aspects of prayer. It is both simple and complex. It comprises both a moment and a season. It reflects both child-like faith and deep communion. I displays a complete dependence and a desire to petition the sovereign God of the universe. It is both humiliating and incredibly arrogant.

As I stated earlier, I wanted to share some of what I've read over the past few days that have conspired to shake me out of my prayer lethargy.

But, alas; how seldom can he do [prayer] as he would! How often does he find this privilege a mere task, which he would be glad of a just excuse to omit! and the chief pleasure he derives from the performance, is to think that his task is finished: he has been drawing near to God with his lips, while his heart was far from him. Surely this is not doing as he would when (to borrow the expression of an old woman here,) he is dragged before God like a slave, and comes away like a thief. - John Newton

Praying in the Holy Ghost is praying in fervency. Cold prayers ask the Lord not to hear them. Those who do not plead with fervency, plead not at all. As well speak of lukewarm fire as of lukewarm prayer-it is essential that it be red hot. It is praying perseveringly. The true suppliant gathers force as he proceeds, and grows more fervent when God delays to answer. The longer the gate is closed, the more vehemently does he use the knocker, and the longer the angel lingers the more resolved is he that he will never let him go without the blessing. Beautiful in God's sight is tearful, agonizing, unconquerable importunity. It means praying humbly, for the Holy Spirit never puffs us up with pride. It is his office to convince of sin, and so to bow us down in contrition and brokenness of spirit. We shall never sing Gloria in excelsis except we pray to God De profundis: out of the depths must we cry, or we shall never behold glory in the highest. It is loving prayer. Prayer should be perfumed with love, saturated with love-love to our fellow saints, and love to Christ. Moreover, it must be a prayer full of faith. A man prevails only as he believes. The Holy Spirit is the author of faith, and strengthens it, so that we pray believing God's promise. O that this blessed combination of excellent graces, priceless and sweet as the spices of the merchant, might be fragrant within us because the Holy Ghost is in our hearts! Most blessed Comforter, exert thy mighty power within us, helping our infirmities in prayer. - CH Spurgeon

But the hard truth is that most Christians don’t pray very much. They pray at meals—unless they’re still stuck in the adolescent stage of calling good habits legalism. They whisper prayers before tough meetings. They say something brief as they crawl into bed. But very few set aside set times to pray alone—and fewer still think it is worth it to meet with others to pray. And we wonder why our faith is weak. And our hope is feeble. And our passion for Christ is small.

Is it true that intentional, regular, disciplined, earnest, Christ-dependent, God-glorifying, joyful prayer is a duty? Is it a discipline? You can call it that. It’s a duty the way it’s the duty of a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater. It’s a duty the way pilots listen to air traffic controllers. It’s a duty the way soldiers in combat clean their rifles and load their guns. It’s a duty the way hungry people eat food. It’s a duty the way thirsty people drink water. It’s a duty the way a deaf man puts in his hearing aid. It’s a duty the way a diabetic takes his insulin. It’s a duty the way Pooh Bear looks for honey. It’s a duty the way pirates look for gold.

I hate the devil, and the way he is killing some of you by persuading you it is legalistic to be as regular in your prayers as you are in your eating and sleeping and Internet use. Do you not see what a sucker he his making out of you? He is laughing up his sleeve at how easy it is to deceive Christians about the importance of prayer. - John Piper

I do not deny that a man may pray without heart and without sincerity. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person praying proves everything about his soul. As in every other part of religion, so also in this: there is plenty of deception and hypocrisy. But this I do say—that not praying is a clear proof that a man is not yet a true Christian. He cannot really feel his sins. He cannot love God. He cannot feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long after holiness. He cannot desire heaven. He has yet to be born again. He has yet to be made a new creature. He may boast confidently of election, grace, faith, hope, and knowledge, and deceive ignorant people. But you may rest assured, it is all vain talk if he does not pray. - JC Ryle

I will stop here, in part, to pray. At this moment, that prayer is that the Spirit may use my words, the words of men much wiser and more prayerful than me and most of all the very words of God to bring us all into a deeper, more prayer dependent communion with Father through the grace and mercy of His Son, our Savior Jesus.

To God Alone be the Glory

Monday, November 5, 2012

Vote 2012

In 2010, I wrote the post below. I stand by those thoughts today even more than I did then. And to them I would add one other.

There is a responsibility that comes with our rights. Whether those rights are God given or the result of the government system we are under, our rights lead to our responsibilities. So, not only do we have the right to vote on Nov 6, 2012, we have the responsibility to do so.

But rights and responsibilities go beyond voting. They include helping others when they are down and we are doing good. They include sharing our bountiful excess when others have nothing. And, they include defending the helpless and the hopeless, when we have both safety and security.

No one is more at risk than a baby in his or her mother's womb. And no deserves more protection from society and yes, the government. If I can be compelled to recycle to protect a defenseless environment or wear a seat belt to protect my defenseless self, how much more do the weakest and most precious members of humanity deserve our protection?

Please vote and pray for life.

To God Alone be the Glory

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Nov 2, 2010, all Americans 18 years old and older will have the privilege to vote. I typically avoid discussing political issues because I think such discussions can quickly slide from a pure Biblical perspective to a very humanistic one. However, I feel compelled to share the thoughts of two of my heroes in the faith: John Piper and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I will let their words speak for themselves, but my prayer is that for true Christians, we would approach our privilege to vote prayerfully, seriously, humbly and very, very gratefully. SDG

Piper:

No endorsment of a single issue qualifies a person to hold public office. Being pro-life does not make a person a good governor, mayor or president, but there are numerous single issues that disqualify a person from oublic office. For example, any candidate who endorsed bribery as a form of government efficiency would be disqualified, regardless of his party or platform. Or a person who endorsed corperate fraud would be disqualified no matter what else he endorsed. Or a person who said no black person could hold office--on that single issue alone he would be unfit for office. Or a person who said rape is only a misdemeanor--that single issue would end his political career. These examples could go on and on. Everybody knows a single issue that for them would disqualify a candidate for office.

You have to decide what those issues are for you. What do you think disqualifies a person from public office? I believe that the endorsement of the right to kill unborn children disqualifies a person from any position of public office. It's simply the same as saying the endorsement of racism, fraud or bribery would disqualify him--except that killing a child is much worse. -- The Godward Life, vol 1

Bonhoeffer:

"Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed upon this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And this is nothing but murder." -- Ethics pg 206

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Hungry for God?

In hearing this excerpt from a recent sermon by John Piper, God reminded me of a couple things.

1) Come to church (or any time with God) hungry

I don't know what it is. Every time I'm reminded of this reality, it makes sense. Yet in this case, head knowledge rarely produces heart ache. I come to church the way I come to any other event. Glad to see friends. Excited to gather for corporate worship. Ready to hear God's Word preached. But am I really hungry? Am I starving for fellowship? Am I famished for worship? Am I craving God's Word? Where is the expectation that only God can fill? Not just anticipation, because I can conjure up those feelings. No, where is my expectation that God will actually be present in our services (or Bible studies or devotions or prayers)? Where is my ravenous need to be filled with the food that only God can provide?

2) My lack of hunger is not because I am full of God

Here's the thing about being hungry for God. I think we are completely deceived about why it may be missing from our experience. Maybe we've have an occasional encounter with a deep, gnawing hunger for God, but in general, I think its safe to say we all live feeling quite full. Why is that? Have we really experienced so much of God that we have all of Him that we could possibly want or need? Is He a spiritual miser that doles out one bread crumb at a time? If its not these things, then what is it?

Reflect on the conscience-jabbing words of John Piper:

If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great. God did not create you for this. There is an appetite for God. And it can be awakened. . . .

The more deeply you walk with Christ, the hungrier you get for Christ . . . the more homesick you get for heaven . . . the more you want "all the fullness of God" . . . the more you want to be done with sin . . . the more you want the Bridegroom to come again . . . the more you want the Church revived and purified with the beauty of Jesus . . . the more you want a great awakening to God's reality in the cities . . . the more you want to see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ penetrate the darkness of all the unreached peoples of the world . . . the more you want to see false worldviews yield to the force of Truth . . . the more you want to see pain relieved and tears wiped away and death destroyed . . . the more you long for every wrong to be made right and the justice and grace of God to fill the earth like the waters cover the sea. (A Hunger for God, 23)

All of that to say "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied." (Mt 5:6)

To God Alone be the Glory

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

What are we doing? (updated, again)

Update 2: A couple more links at the end. One that is worth your time is 180movie.com. It is a 33 minute YouTube video that is part apologetic and part person on the street interview. As you watch, pretend the questions are being asked of you. Or better yet, imagine you really had to face the issues the video raises. SDG.

Update: I have added several more links to the end of this post. Piper said it best. Citing Acts 4, he said "all Christians should stand up and tell it like they see it. Let the chips fall where they will. Don't worry if the public doesn't even agree with your most basic assumptions. Your job is not to win. Your job is not to control this society. Your job is to say what God wants said." SDG

I write this with fear and trepidation. In part, unfortunately, my fear and trepidation rises from what some readers might think of me after reading this post. I could list the potential responses, but that will only fuel a false, man-centered fear. The other part of my fear and trepidation is that I am not saying nor doing enough. I am not praying enough. I am preaching or teaching enough. I am not honoring God and extolling Christ enough to help remove the cultural scourge that has ravaged our nation for 39 years.

For those of you who know me, you know that I am not an extremely political person. I care about elections and I care about how my representatives and governor and president enact public policy. But, if the leader at the moment (whether I voted for them or not) goes against what I think is correct, I don't get too worked up about it. After all, that is the nature of governance in the United States. However, there is a growing exception to this "live and let live" political philosophy of mine. That is in regard to abortion.

There, I've said it. Any nay-sayers can start their naying. But I am becoming more and more convinced that from my side of the room, saying nothing to avoid a rebuke is no longer an option. Besides, if I am resting in Christ's perfect love for me, what are man's angry words anyway? And, if Jesus was annointed by the Spirit "to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” shouldn't I have a similar vision?

All of that is an introduction to say that I have been personally negligent in my responsibility before God to defend the defenseless. I know this is ultimately in God's hands, but He uses us as his instruments in this world. So by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, I want to pray a risky prayer. God use me, whatever it takes, to put a dent or maybe even an end to abortion in this country. And Father, do it not primarily through political means, but through gospel-driven means. May we all stand amazed as you work in our midst to turn the tide some of think can never be changed. Let life (all of life) matter to us as much as it matters to you.

I have one last risky thing to say. I do not think my apathy is unique. I know there are mature, devoted Christians who have had the cause of life on their hearts for years or even decades. But I'm grieved to consider how many of us who name the name of Christ have allowed abortion to flourish unimpeded even in our prayers.

What follows are several links to posts I have read over the weekend. These men can express themselves on this issue better than I can. Please read some (or all) and allow the Spirit to do His work in your heart.

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/five-things-we-can-do-for-the-unborn

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/the-day-john-piper-was-arrested

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/01/19/moving-pro-life-legislation-forward-the-need-for-prudence-and-civility/

http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2012/01/gospel-shaped-pro-life-passion.html

http://www.abort73.com/blog/factories_of_death_lessons_from_auschwitz/

http://www.abort73.com/blog/eulogy_for_the_martyred_children_what_mlk_has_to_teach_us_about_abortion/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/01/18/an-actual-pro-life-conversation

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/racial-slavery-and-abortion-in-america-how-history-repeats-itself

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/01/20/one-month-for-life/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/01/23/roe-v-wade-radical-legally-untenable-and-immoral

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/its-the-christians-duty-to-speak-the-truth

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/eight-ways-to-live-as-pro-life-christians-under-a-pro-choice-president

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203718504577176641699224320.html

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/five-ways-to-fight-abortion-and-serve-the-unborn-and-their-moms

http://180movie.com/

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justintaylor/2012/01/23/healing-after-an-abortion

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/gospeldrivenchurch/2012/01/23/what-does-job-3113-15-tell-us-about-abortion/

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

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Incomparable Sufferings of Christ

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer,
and by night, but I find no rest (Ps 22:1-2)

A few weeks ago, I ran across the following prayer by John Piper in his book Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ. (pg 72) As I re-read it last night, I was struck by two things (at least). One was being in awe of the shear magnitude of Jesus' suffering and dying on my behalf. I don't think any of us really comprehend the depth of our sin what it cost Jesus to pay for that sin. The second was an internal question as to how I can even read God's Word or pray or even write this blog post and not weep with joy over the immensity of the gift and grace and forgiveness I have been given in Christ?

Father, what can we say? We feel utterly unworthy in
the face of Christ’s unspeakable sufferings. We are
sorry. It was our sin that brought this to pass. It was
we who struck him and spit on him and mocked him.
O Father, we are so sorry. We bow ourselves to the dirt
and shut the mouths of our small, dark, petty, sinful
souls. O Father, touch us with fresh faith that we might
believe the incredible. The very pain of Christ that
makes us despair is our salvation. Open our fearful
hearts to receive the Gospel. Waken dead parts of our
hearts that cannot feel what must be felt—that we are
loved with the deepest, strongest, purest love in the
universe. Oh, grant us to have the power to comprehend
with all the saints the height and depth and length
and breadth of the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge,
and may we be filled with all the fullness of God.
Fight for us, O God, that we not drift numb and blind
and foolish into vain and empty excitements. Life is
too short, too precious, too painful to waste on
worldly bubbles that burst. Heaven is too great, hell is
too horrible, eternity is too long that we should putter
around on the porch of eternity. O God, open our eyes
to the vastness of the sufferings of Christ and what they
mean for sin and holiness and hope and heaven. We
fear our bent to trifling. Make us awake to the weight
of glory—the glory of Christ’s incomparable sufferings.
In his great and wonderful name, amen.

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. (Ryle, J. C. (2011-06-16). Old Paths (Kindle Location 116). Heritage Bible Fellowship. Kindle Edition. Note: I have added to my tag-line at the end. I read this at the end of an intro to a book by JC Ryle and felt it captures exactly what I think each time I submit a post.)

To God Alone be the Glory

Friday, August 26, 2011

Prayer is a War-time Walkie Talkie

What follows is an excerpt from a sermon by John Piper (video found here). What makes Piper's comments intriguing and even compelling, is that they fly in the face of many of our (or at least my) conceptions of prayer.Maybe this is the bottom-line: In prayer, as in everything else, it is not about me. Its about God. Its about Jesus. Its about the cross. Its about the gospel. Its about us accomplishing God's mission for us and for the world. And as Piper says (see quote below) if we use prayer for something it wasn't designed for, it malfunctions.

"Prayer is a war-time walkie-talkie, not a domestic intercom for ringing up the butler to change the thermostat. It is a war-time walkie-talkie to call in firepower because the enemy is greater than we are. If you try to turn this into a domestic intercom to bring another pillow, it malfunctions, and you wonder why. Its not made to be an intercom. Its made to be a war-time walkie-talkie" - John Piper

There are a few implications I haven't sorted through yet, but I really appreciate this perspective on prayer, because 1) it coincides closely with actual prayers in the Bible, 2) it removes any sense of selfishness from prayer, 3) it makes sense of passages like Jn 15:7,16 and Jm 4:1-3. Piper's imagery also helps solidify some other things: God's in command and has the over all plan / strategy. We are crucial to carrying out our assigned objective. If we are not carrying out our objective (building a bridge instead of blowing one up) or trying to carryout the objective some other way (taking out the bridge by throwing rocks at it because there are lots of rocks around and we are really good rock throwers) our prayers (more construction materials or more rocks to throw respectively) will not be answered.

I have one final thought that always tags along with prayer. We must know (or at least have a sense) of God's mission (globally, locally and personally) for our prayers to be effective. Is this a tall order? In one sense Yes. But in another sense No, because God's will in laid out in His Word. When we dive in and actually ask and seek and knock with the objective to know Him and what He wants to accomplish, He gladly lays it before us. Confusion is always from another source!

To God Alone be the Glory

Thursday, June 30, 2011

A Call to Prayer (and to Weep!)

“My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law.” (Psalm 119:136)

"This is what I am writing for. Not political action, but love for the name of God and compassion for the city of destruction." - John Piper

It is hard to write or to speak against something. On top of that, there is that old cliche "We should be known for what we are for, not for what we are against." Yet, at what point does one say "Enough"?

John Piper has a thought provoking and, dare I say, spirit provoking blog post today. I would encourage everyone to prayerfully read it here

I feel compelled to highlight this post for a couple of reasons. First and probably foremost, I have a sense that most of the American church is like a frog in a kettle of water. If a frog is dropped into boiling water, it will jump right out. But if it is dropped into cool water and the temperature is slowly raised, the frog will simply swim around until it is dead. Friends, we are in the kettle and we don't even know it!

Second, Piper's post raises the questions of response. Not how should Piper respond. Not how should the church respond. Rather the question is: How should I respond? And this is not a one issue, one concern, one downward trend assessment. No, this is a whole life, entire world view consideration.

Read Piper's post. Then look around, and pray, and weep. Then perhaps the Spirit will guide us to the heart of Mt 9:36 "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd ."

To God Alone be the Glory

Sunday, June 19, 2011

God called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

I couldn't state this any better so I won't try. You can read the whole blog at Desiring God.

2. God called us out of darkness into his marvelous light.

This truth comes from the same phrase in verse 9: "Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." We are not by nature smarter or wiser or more courageous than those who remain in darkness. The difference is that God exerted toward us an absolutely undeserved and compelling kindness: he called us. Paul put it like this in1 Corinthians 1:23-24, "We preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." It was the omnipotent call of God that wakened us from the spiritual sleep of death and opened our eyes to the power and wisdom of God in Christ. Let us never forget: Free and powerful grace alone is the decisive reason that we are able to see the darkness of our culture and be free in some measure from it.

To God Alone be the Glory

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Pray without Ceasing

Here is a good, 4 minute reminder from John Piper of Scripture's call for us to pray without ceasing. One statement he makes about half way through is that "there's nothing automatic here". That phrase stung (and is still stinging) me. How easy and simple and efficient it is to be on automatic. In fact, isn't that what has driven the technology boom and isn't that the goal of most of our lives: to automate everything we can. But spiritual growth, communion with God and holy lives lived in a dark and dying world are not and cannot be automated. All of these must be lived in constant, vibrant dependence on God.

I will end simply the way Piper ends: "I wish my life were more like that"

Pray Without Ceasing

To God Alone be the Glory

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Oh, to be truly humble

Thanks to John Piper for his insightful blog entry.

It was helpful to me to see that Jesus' parable in Luke 14:7–11 is really not about the balance of things in this life (although it can and does apply), but ultimately it is about our final vindication before God because of Christ. Reflect on Piper's words:

"So here’s the life-changing truth: It is better to be thought worse than you are now, and have the Lord set things right in the last day, than to be thought better than you are now, only to have Jesus put you in your place in the end.

In other words, don’t care much about whether your family and friends and acquaintances and enemies know what you are really like. Be true, be real, be humble, and let the Lord settle the matter in the end. In that day, the price of taking the lower place will be seen to be very small."

To God Alone be the Glory

Saturday, February 5, 2011

We are debtors

Rom 8: "So then brothers, we are debtors..." Paul is in the middle of presenting his sweeping conclusion to the doctrinal realities he has laid down in the first 7 chapters. There is no condemnation, we have the Spirit, our minds are reset, we have true life. This all before v12. Later comes the fact that we are not slaves but children and heirs, that a day of ultimate renewal is coming, that the Holy Spirit is interceding for us with groans, that God works all things out for our ultimate good, that if God didn't spare His own Son in our justification, why would He then condemn us or withhold from us that which we need? and that there is nothing imaginable that can separate those loved by God from the love of Christ.

So then brothers, we are debtors. In John Piper's book Brothers, We are not Professionals, there is chapter entitled "Beware of the Debtor's Ethic". I respect and agree with his thesis, but I would want to come back to Paul's straightforward observation: So then brothers, we are debtors.

In Spurgeon's morning devotional for Feb 3, this thought is articulated well:

"But then, because we are not debtors to our Lord in that sense, we become ten times more debtors to God than we should have been otherwise. Christian, pause and ponder for a moment. What a debtor thou art to divine sovereignty! How much thou owest to his disinterested love, for he gave his own Son that he might die for thee. Consider how much you owe to his forgiving grace, that after ten thousand affronts he loves you as infinitely as ever. Consider what you owe to his power; how he has raised you from your death in sin; how he has preserved your spiritual life; how he has kept you from falling; and how, though a thousand enemies have beset your path, you have been able to hold on your way. Consider what you owe to his immutability. Though you have changed a thousand times, he has not changed once. Thou art as deep in debt as thou canst be to every attribute of God. To God thou owest thyself, and all thou hast-yield thyself as a living sacrifice, it is but thy reasonable service."

So then brothers, we are debtors...

To God Alone be the Glory

Saturday, January 1, 2011

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!