Fanatics

Want to guarantee that people will die for your cause? Create a system of works salvation and then give people assurance that they'll bypass a life of slavery to legalism by their death for the cause. The knights of the crusades where told they would skip purgatory if they died in holy war, and the suicide bombers of the jihad are told of rich rewards in the afterlife for their martyrdom.

It works. Heck, if I believed I had anything to do with my salvation and someone convinced me that my death for god would allow me instant access to heaven I'd blow myself up too. The idea of having to work for salvation IS that hopeless.

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:1-4 ESV)

Great things!!

"For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol." (Psalm 86:10-13 ESV)

The Lord is great. He has done great things so we don't have to. I can rest in the work of my God even when life seems hard. The Lord is utterly unique and so unlike anything we know that we can not understand Him fully, but He is so great and able that He has made Himself known to us in a way we can understand. Praise God!! Praise Him while you have breath in you. The time is short and the day is fast approaching when the mercy that is shown to all the tribes and peoples will come to an end and the judgement will be swift. Repent and believe - Jesus Christ came as a ransom for many. Resting in our works will only result in due payment for them - and I can honestly say that my due payment would be horrifying to say the least. He has done great things - He has cast my sin as far as the east is from the west.

"O for a thousand tongues to sing

My great Redeemer’s praise,

The glories of my God and King,

The triumphs of His grace!"

"Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice, for the LORD has done great things! (Joel 2:21 ESV)

Life

Millions of people living, dying, and being forgotten in a matter of decades.

Whats the point?

If the dead are not raised, there is no point.

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV)

I've been listening to a lot of Paul Washer and reading a bunch of Michael Horton, and this is what happens....

I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you, and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:6-9 NAS)

Paul talks about being 'called' in the same sentence as talking about the gospel. They are inseparable. What does called mean to Paul?

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-30 NAS)

Only those that God calls are justified in his eyes. Salvation is a sovereign work of grace alone. The only way anyone makes a true choice to believe and be saved is if God raises them from spiritual death to life. Resting in a decision for Christ is resting in works. A view of salvation that leaves the end result in the hands of people alone is no different than the Pharisee in Luke 18. Maybe the prayer of the modern Pharisee now looks more like this:

"Lord I thank you that I walked the aisle and made my decision for Christ. I thank you that I wrote the date of my decision in my Bible so that I can be assured that I am saved"

That kind of decision based salvation is no better than basing salvation on infant baptism. It's a false gospel. It is NOT the gospel of the Bible. When the tax collector leaves all his works and cries out to God for mercy, he is seeking God in the only way God can be sought - by faith. His faith is a gift from God, not by his own doing. (Eph 2:8) God is the one who saves by his own sovereign will and there is nothing we can do to affect that in any real sense. If you want God, it's because God is working in you. If you see your sin for what it is, and realize that there is nothing in yourself that can save you, it's because God is working in you. If there is any true desire in you to know the only God who is over all creation it's not coming from you but from God alone. None are righteous, none seeks God unless God himself condescends to change the very will of the sinners he wishes to save so that he might manifest his glory in them. If you got to the gates of heaven and God asked you why you think you're saved what would your answer be? "Because I was a pretty good person" will not cut it. "Because I prayed a prayer" will not suffice.

Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (Matthew 7:22-23 KJV)

Many people that cast out demons and do miracles while claiming the name of Jesus Christ will not enter heaven. Only those that God has saved by his own decree and the sacrifice of Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Does God know you? Or do you just think you know God?

Just occured to me...

I love Christ. I really do. But I have a tendency to amass all kinds of hobbies and things that redirect my focus. Temporarily, but still it gets redirected. I like hunting and fishing, and there's nothing wrong with either of those things, but I seem drawn to picking up new hobbies even though some days I'm that guy who's saying "Oh ya I was gonna study my Bible, but I just didn't have time". How many days do I not have time for God but somehow find ways to jam a hunting trip into my busy schedule? Unbelievable, especially since I'm keenly aware that the only way to be truly at peace and satisfied is by looking to Christ.

So many Christians suffer from the same sickness. Love Christ, but fill our spare time with every diversion available because the world says we need to guard our recreation time. Now there's nothing wrong with the occasional hunting trip, but my brain that's so easily distracted could probably use more time with God in His Word than time blasting ducks.

God help us all.

Church.

Got baptized today in the river - totally freezing but definitely one of the top experiences of my life. The whole thing was great, sharing my story with the church, obeying Christ in baptism and then just feeling the love from these people of God, so many of whom I've known for such a short time. What a blessing.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Hebrews 10:23-25

I am encouraged. Christianity without church is a shell if it is Christianity at all. Brethren: we are the family of God, and fellowshipping in it is truly a foretaste of heaven. Everyone else: you have no idea what you're missing out on.

"...He who promised is faithful."

God is awesome.

Romans 6

Reading Romans 6 right now...

Now that we are justified, we should no longer let sin reign in our bodies, but should strive to kill it. As Christians, our world view changes, making us concerned with the heavenly things and not with the things that occupied our time before. We are no longer bound to the law, and therefore we are not ‘tied up in legalistic knots’* to try and maintain righteousness. We are free to live under the reign of God and not to be continually enslaved by sin. We should not give sin the opportunity to reign, nor should we give any ground to it because we are children of God and have been justified, and the rule of sin over us has been broken. We do not have to fumble around in the dark, we have Christ, we have peace with God, and we are made capable of killing sin by his work on the cross. We are no longer children of the devil who must play the world’s game and live in the flesh, we are children of God and must act like it, and can act like it. We are to present ourselves as slaves to God. Slaves are not autonomous; slaves do the will of their master. God will discipline us and keep us when we stray, but our responsibility is to seek his will in the word and live as though nothing matters but the glory of God. We are to be obedient from the heart to the teaching of God, which is given to us in His word. Before we are saved we strive and endeavour to satisfy our fleshly desires and to make ourselves happy. Now that we are justified and saved, the correct response is to strive for the things of God, and to present ourselves as ‘slaves to righteousness’. Slaves work for their masters. Work for God, because this results in sanctification. We cannot expect God to make us more holy when we are still presenting ourselves to the laziness and dissipation of the world. God will sanctify us when we follow the commands of scripture, which we are enabled to do by the great work of Christ on the cross. The benefits we received from our sin in the past were not lasting benefits and resulted ultimately in death and punishment. But the benefits we receive now from slaving for righteousness have eternal benefit and result in salvation.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 NASB

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" Matthew 11:28-30 NASB

Let us not forget that although His yoke is most certainly an easy one, it is a yoke nonetheless. We are slaves to Christ - slaves, not associates, not coworkers, not buddies. God is for us, but we should not lose sight of the fact that our proper response to the love and mercy of God is work. We show the world what we truly believe by our lives. To often I myself am lazy and halfhearted in my slavery. What a pitiful and worthless slave I am! May God help me to be a slave who strives for righteousness.

* - From Voddie Baucham's sermon entitled "What is adultery?"

http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=53091755325

All things...

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

I forget this really, really easily. I have a bad week, get sick/tired, or any other supposed calamity befalls me and I'm complaining. The Biblical reality: all things work together for good for God's people. All things including my bad days, my sick days, and even my sinful, wicked, backsliding days (not an excuse for sinning, but a huge comfort nonetheless). God is ultimately sovereign over everything down to the tiniest detail. Germs and bacteria all obey the command of my God. The only reason anything happens is because the he 'upholds the universe by the word of His power' (Heb 1). The trials I experience are nothing compared to those of a host of godly men and women throughout history, and yet I'm so prone to complain and gripe at the slightest provocation. Christ's entire life was an infinitely bigger tribulation than anything I'll experience. I have no grounds for whining. God is good.

Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Called.

"...the Lord enjoins every one of us, in all the actions of life, to have respect to our own calling. He knows the boiling restlessness of the human mind, the fickleness with which it is borne hither and thither, it's eagerness to hold opposites at one time in it's grasp, its ambition. Therefore, lest all things should be thrown into confusion by our folly and rashness, he has assigned distinct duties to each in the different modes of life. And that no one may presume to overstep his proper limits, he has distinguished the different modes of life by the name of callings. Every man's mode of life, therefore, is a kind of station assigned him by the Lord, that he may not be always driven about at random." - John Calvin's Institutes - Book 3 Chapter 10 Section 6

The Lord calls us from a mode of life to that same mode of life in godliness. We have such a tendency to always strive for things that don't matter, to 'make something of ourselves'. Or it's easy for us to sit and stress about what God's plan for our lives is and whether or not we are following it. The Bible's view of this kind of thinking seems to be that we should strive for holiness, love our neighbours, and put to death the deeds of the flesh in the condition or station in which we are called. Live as a Christian where you work now, where you live now, among the people you know now. We don't need to go chasing fame or status so that God may be glorified. God is glorified in us when we seek to honor Him in the every day stuff. It's easy to think of the pastors and missionaries around us as serving God 'better' or doing more for God. The Christian who seeks to honor God in his life now - where he works and lives - honor's God just as much. We are not all called to be a Piper or MacArthur. We are not all called to be a Carey or Müller. We are called out of our sin into a life filled with gratitude to the One who saves us from the judgement and punishment that we so deserve.

"So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." (1 Corinthians 7:24 ESV)

Calvin's view of the benefits of having an understanding of this:

"The magistrate will more willingly perform his office, and the father of a family confine himself to his proper sphere. Every one in his particular mode of life will, without repining, suffer its inconveniences, cares, uneasiness, and anxiety, persuaded that God has laid on the burden. This, too, will afford admirable consolation, that in following your proper calling, no work will be so mean and sordid as not to have a splendor and value in the eye of God."

Amen to that.

Runnin'

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win." (1 Corinthians 9:24 NAS)

I love the race analogy. It's something that I pray that I'd focus on more often... The idea of living the Christian life as if it is a big race and you're trying to beat everyone else. Not out of mere competitiveness but out of a wholehearted commitment to striving to enter the kingdom, not under your own power, but by the power of God.

"I can do all things through Him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13 NAS)

I can run.

Hiding...

To all the so-called 'agnostics' out there: Stop hiding. You want to hide behind your assertion that there's something out there that may have created everything around you but he/she/it is to vast or distant to be known. Your life betrays you: you believe that there IS no god in your world. You're honestly going to hang eternity on a declaration that god is unknowable? A declaration that you wholeheartedly subscribe to with little to no research? If you honestly believed that you'd face something or someone after your death I dare think that you would spend at least a few years of the 80 or so you've been granted trying to find out what he/she/it is and what they/it want from you. Give up the charade. You're an athiest but you want to hide by claiming ignorance. You don't believe in god. If you did, you would try and find him. You are without excuse, and when you meet God you will have nothing to fall back on. How do you think that conversation is going to go?? (If there in fact was to be a conversation, which there won't be)

"Well you see God, I just figured you're so darn big that there's no way to understand or find you so I lived as if you didn't exist. But we're cool right?"

You can postulate on your own as to what God's response would be.

And the same goes for the "Christians" out there who live in the same way. I am not blameless in this regard and I'm not sure anyone truly is, but if your life revolves around anything other than Christ and Him crucified you have big problems. Here's another version of the same hypothetical conversation that will never be:

"Lord! I went to church every Sunday (except for sometimes in the summer and when I went snowboarding) and I even read my Bible here and there. Plus I prayed! Well... mostly just when I wanted something but still."

Again - I'll leave you to figure out how that conversation would end - especially since Jesus will turn away some that 'cast out demons', 'prophesied', and 'did mighty works' in His name. (Matt 7:22)

I'm not suggesting that you work for your salvation. I'm not suggesting you have anything to do with it. God is the only one saving you if in fact you are being saved. But I am suggesting that the God of the Bible is a big deal. You cannot with any kind of assurance consider yourself saved unless there is significant things going on in your life that cannot be explained by anything other than having your old, busted, dirty, wicked heart ripped out of your chest and replaced with something new.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." (2Co 5:17 ESV)

Are you a new creation?? Or just the same old creation with a little "christianity" sprinkled on top to give you that feeling of being ok with God just enough to ease your fear? You CAN NOT be a Christian and not have your entire set of affections changed. You cannot serve two masters.

"whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." (Jam 4:4 ESV)

Enemy of God. Sound like somewhere you want to be? I sure don't. And how much friendship with the world are we guilty of? Are we enemies of the Most High?

Time to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. High time.

The days ARE evil.

PS: I should clarify. To the agnostics who are really athiests and the 'true' athiests out there - You believe there is no God but deep down there is a sneaky suspicion that there is. That is why you want to hide behind agnosticism, or live as an 'athiest' but with a certain semblance of moral conviction. You say there is no god and yet you want to hold to a cmoral ode that is not anywhere near as self-seeking as it should be if you truly deeply with every inch of your being bought the lie. God is. It is revealed in creation and it is revealed inside all of you. Once again - you are without excuse.

Jeremiah

"If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot." (Jer 20:9 ESV)

That is my prayer. For me. Lord give me the burning fire in my bones when I do not mention you and proclaim your majesty.

Unbelief

We show the world what we believe by how we live: how we spend our time, how we spend our money.

Jesus said:

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Mat 6:21 ESV)

We reveal the desires of our hearts by our lifestyle. I fear for us. I fear that we are self-decieved into thinking we truly believe the gospel when we spend our lives working to buy stuff. Sometimes it looks more like we believe the worlds philosophy that "the one who dies with the most toys wins".

Father help my unbelief.

Hope

What is your hope in? What do you hope for? Hope for peace and rest from anxiety? Hope for health for yourself and your family? Hope for money or a promotion or that car you've had your eye on? What dominates your thoughts when it comes to hope? Maybe not just one thing, maybe many. The problem with hoping for all these things, is once you get them, you hope they will stay. You hope you don't get stressed out and anxious, you hope you don't get sick, you hope the stock market doesn't crash, or the recession doesn't cause you to lose your job, and you hope that car doesn't get totalled or keyed or stolen. You are guaranteed to have that hope at some point in some way crushed. Sooner or later you will be stressed, you and your family will get sick, some of them will die as will you, money will always be lost or diminished in one form or another, and that car even if it makes it without major damage will become old and break down and the paint will fade. This world and all that is in it is passing away, as are you. Hope in all of these things is hope in nothing for they will all come to nothing.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

God causes those who "believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (Joh 20:31 ESV) to be born again and guaranteed an inheritance in heaven that will never fade and never perish. The reason it is a living hope is because those who believe are being guarded through faith by God's power. God ensures that we obtain that which we hope in. Thats the kind of hope we need. The hope that is guaranteed by God alone - not by our works or our confession of faith or our 'pretty good life'. The hope that we have, the ONLY hope that we have, is to throw ourselves on the mercy of God and be saved by His power alone, apart from ourselves.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

(Joh 3:16-18 ESV)

"Believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

Christless Christianity?

Using God and His Son as the springboard to a better life is not Christianity. If you call yourself a Christian it is important to evaluate what Jesus is to you. Is he simply a means to avoid judgement? Simply a way to beat your addictions and bad habits? Approximately two years ago I was sitting in the back of a buddy's car after using cocaine and drinking all nite. I was down at the bottom and couldn't see my way out, had been pulling money off my credit cards for months and spending it on drugs and at the bar. I was helpless. I prayed to God to get me out of it all, because I knew I was in trouble. But what did I really want? Did I want God? Did I want fellowship with Jesus? No. I wanted to be off drugs and live a normal lifestyle. I wanted to be free from my bad habits and filthy lifestyle. Praise God that He didn't stop there. God got me off drugs, got me married, gave me babies. And He gave me his Son. His Son to save me from hell, his Son to give me the power to conquer sin, but most importantly - He gave me Himself. I can talk to God, and God is working in me. I fail, God lifts me up. I am weak, He is strong. He changed my motivations, changed my will. I don't know why God decided to do this for me. Why God from His own free will wanted to pull me out of the darkness and into eternal life. But He did. My experience testifies along with the Bible that I was "born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (Joh 1:13 ESV) I didn't even want what God offers us all, but God broke me down, convicted me of my true condition, and gave me life to the uttermost anyway. It's all of God. None of me. And if you are truly a Christian, saved by the blood of Christ, you will not be able to escape that truth. Trust in God, and God alone, because you will fail yourself every time. Repent of your unbelief, repent of your self-reliance. God is the only one who can provide all you need.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me....

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T'was Grace that taught...

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear...

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares...

we have already come.

T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...

and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me...

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be...

as long as life endures.

When we've been here ten thousand years...

bright shining as the sun.

We've no less days to sing God's praise...

then when we've first begun.

Paul Washer...

Say what you want about Paul Washer, sure he has his faults, but who doesn't? This sermon's worth a listen, he preached it at some youth conference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cncEhCvrVgQ&feature=fvsr

Shakes me up in totally good ways every time I listen to it. Worth the hour of your time.

Missing the point...

My life is an excercise in missing the point. Missing the point of life, missing the point of the universe, missing the point of stuff I read. For example -

Matthew 19:16 And behold, a man came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The primary point of this it seems to me now, is NOT that you must sell everything and get rid of all your possessions etc. (Not that I'm trying to discourage that kind of behaviour if correctly motivated.) But that we can't do anything to be saved. The rich guy asks Jesus what good deed he must do to be saved. It's impossible. We can't do it. Camel through the eye of a needle. The disciples get it - “Who then can be saved?” - they see the futility in the whole thing. Unless God does something, we haven't got a shot. No hope. Nothing. I'm sure the rest of you that've read this probably didn't have this problem. I'm an idiot, thanks be to God that he straightens me out.

My favorite chunk of scripture for today:

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Its so obvious...

Reading...

"Christ says, 'Give me ALL. I don't want just this much of your time and this much of your money and this much of your work-so that your natural self can have the rest. I want you. Not your things. I have come not to torture your natural self...I will give you a new self instead. Hand over the whole natural self-ALL the desires, not just the ones you think wicked but the ones you think innocent the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead.'" - - - C.S. Lewis

It's easy. And hard.

Inability.

I am incapable of being the father that I should be. I am incapable of being the husband I should be. I will fail miserably for the rest of my life. But God has begun a work in me, and He will be glorified in my life and in my family. One way or another. I do not have to be stressed about the way I raise my kids, or anxious about how to provide for them because God is ultimately in control, and His will is being done. My future and the future of my offspring is in the hands of the Almighty. Praise God for that.



"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." (Isa 64:6 KJV)


"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain."
(Gal 2:20-21 KJV)

The worst of sinners...

Sometimes I am guilty of heinous unbelief. Sometimes I wonder for a moment if its all a lie, and if it's worth the risk. Should I give up the things that used to make me happy (or a version of happy) in favor of things that would seem boring? Is reading my Bible, going to Church and meeting with unbelievers worth it? And then God steps in and gives me a night like tonite where the fellowship is so sweet, and I get the opportunity to bask in the wonders of Christ and what He has done with other believers. Same thing goes for Sunday mornings - should I sleep in? Would it be more enjoyable to spend my morning on the couch than with God's people? And then I go, because God's word tell's me to go and it is worth it. Every time. If you are a Christian, meet with believers, come together to hear the truth proclaimed, and study the scripture. It's worth it. And if it's not enjoyable for you, if it's not a blessing to your heart, then you have big problems. Ask God to make Him your priority. Ask Him to make his glory your priority and a reality. Only God can do this, you can't, I can't. I can't affect my affections. They are what they are. God changes them, and when they are changed it creates the kind of joy that nothing else in the world can give you. The kind that makes you feel like your heart wants to rip itself from your chest and sing. I don't know how else to describe it.


"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."
(Heb 10:23-25 ESV)

He is faithful. I know this for a fact. It's real guys. It's really, really real.

Happiness

Happiness - Meeting with believers to worship our Almighty Father in song, and to hear the faithful preaching of his Word. And then spend time with fellow believers being uplifted all afternoon. What a wonderful Redeemer we have. I'm ready for Monday!


"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
(Col 3:16-17 ESV)

...

Ok so I like blogs, find them very helpful. But there's just something about curlin up somewhere with a hard cover book...

Unstained??

Do you wake up to Christ? Fall asleep thinking about Christ? Think about Christ through your day?

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. (Jam 1:27 ESV)


That is why I don't have cable. That is why I don't listen to the radio. Not that there's anything inherently sinful with cable or radio. But 98% of the stuff on both is put there by Godhating children of wrath. The devil prowls, and even the seemingly innocuous becomes sinister when seen in this light. They want to drag us down with them, they want us to be like them. They want us to be of the world, not just in it. And we cave to their desire in the name of 'not offending' and being 'loving'. What love is this that sits idly by and even plays along as the world spirals faster and faster to hell? What does it say about us when we're willing to go along with everything that sinful man adores? We need God's power, we need it to fight. We are in a war, and most of us don't even realize it. God help us all.

“Of two evils, choose neither” - Charles H. Spurgeon

God is the Gospel

Something I learned from John Piper's "God is the Gospel" today: When we say that the reason God sent his Son to die is that he loved us so much, we put ourselves at the pinnacle of worship. When we worship God for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ with the idea that He did it because we were 'worth it', we make God's worth less than ours. If Jesus' sole purpose at the cross was to die to save us because we were valuable, then we are more valuable than Jesus. Jesus died for sinners so that God might be glorified in His mercy as well as His justice. Sin deserves to be punished, sin against an infinitely holy God deserves infinite punishment. Jesus took that punishment on the cross, not because we had value (we are in fact worthless - Rom. 3:12) but because of God's view of the ultimate worth of Himself. God made a way for us to behold his glory because He knows it's the only thing that ultimately satisfies and is worthy of everything. God was so satisfied and happy in His own glory that He decided to share it. The gospel is how He did that.

Questions.

Is there true repentance in modern Christianity? Or are we simply spinning our wheels trying to get by under our own power? Are we still worshiping the created rather than the creator? If today we were subjected to harsh persecution would we stand? Or would we crumble under our own doubts, insecurities and unbelief? Have we fooled ourselves into thinking that our theology, churches, and service to those around us makes us light and salt? Are we resting in Christ or resting in us? Is our complacency and contentment coming from a true knowing of God, or his lack of discipline? God disciplines those he loves (Rev 3:19), are we being disciplined? Or have we been given over to our desires, becoming fools while claiming to be wise? I can't help but having the sneaky suspicion that we might be missing something.

New at bloggin.

Ok here goes. This is for my personal rumination/thought and I don't recommend taking anything I say as anything worth really listening to. That would be too much pressure. However, my aim is to be as teachable/correctable as possible so if you have legitimate concerns with anything I post here, fire away.