Earning the Gospel

I was listening to a guest speaker recently. He talked about how hard it is for us to accept the free grace of God. We, whether is as people or as Americans, don't want to accept something that is free. We have a desire, or a perceived need to "earn" everything we get.

Why is that? Why can't we accept free grace. Why, on a smaller scale, can't we accept a free gift?

I think that he was right, we need to work for it, to earn what we get. That free grace goes completely against our pride, our view of self worth. Given means that we can't claim credit. Free means we cannot admire our hard work. Unearned means charity and only the lowly get charity.

Well, we can't earn what we need. It is impossible to repay the debt. So...

Your choice.

As for me, I admit that I am a helpless charity case and I need free.

Am I Making Progress in Holiness?

From Jerry Bridges:

As we progress in holiness, we come to hate sin (Psalm 119:104) and to delight in God's law (Romans 7:22). We see the perfection of God's law and the righteousness of all He requires of us. We agree that "His commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3), but are "holy, righteousness, and good" (Romans 7:12). But during all this time we also see our won inner corruption and our frequent falls into sin. We cry out with Paul, "What a wretched man I am" (Romans 7:24), and we want to give up. This we dare not do. If we would succeed in our pursuit of holiness we must persevere in spite of failure
Jerry Bridges, the Pursuit of Holiness (pg 108)

So this begs several questions:
1. Do I hate my sin more than I did?
2. Am I delighting in God's Word more?
3. Am I seeing my own inner corruption more?
4. Is it making me run to the cross and be grateful for my savior more?

I Don't Have Time For Devotions

"I need to get this done", "I need to get to work", "I need to..."

All comments that I have said to myself. All thoughts that I have allowed to roll around in my head. What arrogance! What a statement of self-sufficiency. Do you know what I really need? I need to sit at my Fathers feet. I need to drink of his goodness. I need to feed myself on his word, to meditate on his promises, to remind myself of the primacy of the gospel in my life.

I need help. I need to remember. I need to be a servant. I need to get before I can give. I need to receive orders before I can march.

I have needs, and they can only be met by waiting on God:

For God alone my soul waits in silence,
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress, I will not be greatly shaken.
Psalm 62:1-2

Worry and Humility

do not be anxious about anything, but in all things through prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7

Anxiety is the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. Therefore anxiety and fear are sin, because nothing that does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Worry is pride telling us that we need to abandon God and not trust in him. Worry is pride telling us that something bad is happening or more likely about to happen and that we cannot depend on God to make all things work for good.

"Worry is a sign that in some way we have ceased to trust God and are now trusting in ourselves. Worry is lust for control." (Pastor Rick Gamache, MN)

But what would humility tell us? Humility reminds us that we are not in control but that God is sovereign. It reminds us that,unlike us, He neither sleeps nor slumbers. God is omnicient and we are not. God is omnipotent and we, if we are totally honest, have very little power to effect anything.

There is good news, however. If we stand at the foot of the cross in a posture of humility, this is what we hear; that we are powerless to change more than a few small things surrounding our circumstances, but that God can. And he demonstrated his love for you in this, that while we were yet sinners, He died for us (Romans 5:8), the godly for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).

But if I am not humble (seeing myself in the light of and the need of the gospel), I will not hear that beautiful message.

Meditating on Scripture

Conviction comes from being exposed to and influenced by God's Word. To maximize the impact, we must memorize and meditate on scripture. To memorize scripture, we must have a plan. That plan must include, first, a selection of well chosen verses. Second, a practical system for learning these verses. Third, a systemati means of reviewing these verses to keep them fresh in our minds. And finally, simple rules for continuing scripture memory on your own.
[credits go to Jerry Bridges]

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

1 Corinthians 9:24-26

Humility and the Word

I think that I am a leader. I think that I am a decision-maker, a mover and shaker, a thought leader. My pride tells me that I am influencing others and setting direction, but that is far from the truth.

I am influenced from so many directions. The media influences me. It nudges me what to buy, what TV and movies to watch and often what to think. Society trains me how to act, what fashion to wear and even what sports teams to cheer for. In the Summer I wear orange, in the winter it is purple and in March I am a Terps fan.

God knew this. He made us to be influenced, but he made us to be influenced by His Word. God made us so that we will listen, apply, absorb and change. But when I do that to anything but His Word, I perfer the divine plan. God gave this plan to the Kings of Israel to follow:

And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel (Deut 17:19-20)

He charged Joshua to meditate on His Word (Joshua 1:8) and David tells us the many blessings on attending to God's word (Psalm 1:2-3). There are many references to the benefits to God's Word. But let me cap it with this. The longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119, is a poem to the blessing and benefits of Bible intake.

Pride deceives me into thinking that I am the wind, the current, the tide and the compass. But in fact, humility tells me that I am not much more than a piece of drift wood, a toy sailboat. But if I am that piece of wood, I will choose that living breath that fills my sail.

Pursuit of Holiness

Been spending my time in The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges. Something I read recently angered me:

But if we have been delivered from this realm, why do we still sin? Thought God has delivered us from the reign of sin, our sinful natures still reside within us. Even though sin’s dominion and rule are broken, the remaining sin that dwells in believers exerts a tremendous power, constantly working toward evil

Bridges, Jerry, The Pursuit of Holiness, Pages 57-58

I realized that my flesh was set on destroying me. The father of lies and my sinful nature were teaming up to see the crippling and hopefully the destruction of my relationship with my children, my wife and if possible a crumbling of my relationship with God. And this team did not play by any rules. There are no time outs, no unwritten rules against running up the score. Hitting below the belt, deception and kicking when down are encouraged..

All too often and all to easily I saw myself cooperating with their plan. Pride, selfishness, and idolatry kept putting my mind at ease and discouraging a fight.

I need to resume the fight. As John Piper says, I need to be killing sin or sin will be killing me. I need to “make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires”, [Romans 13:14] but instead do what the first half of that verse says” put on the Lord Jesus Christ”.

Lord, help me renew the battle against sin, my sinful nature and the devil. Help me to see that you are the richest treasure, my great reward. My greatest satisfaction can only be found in you.

Friendshp with God

I was reading Psalm 25 in my devotions this morning and I came across a curious passage. Verse 14 says, "Friendship with God is for those who fear the Lord." How interesting - to link the fear with friendship. That is not a parallel that I would have drawn without help.

But here is what John Piper says:
A profound understanding and fear of God’s wrath is exactly what many need, because without it, the gospel is diluted down to mere human relations and loses its biblical glory... because you have never really tasted what it is like to see an infinitely greater wrath overcome by grace, namely, God’s wrath against you. (This Momentary Marriage)

Simply, as I ponder God's wrath against people in the Bible and I think about God's wrath against His Son - and I think about the wrath that I deserve, I am terrified! But then I flee to the cross and think about how the cup of God's wrath was pured out for me, I am compelled to think about the One who took that wrath for me. Suddenly, that word friendship become wholly inadequate!

Life's Blessings, however small, always appear exceedingly precious when viewed against the backdrop the the wrath I deserve.
- Milton Vincent, A Gospel Primer

God's Goodness 2

Happy Birthday Charles Haddon Spurgeon and Happy Birthday Brian.

Today I major on the goodness of God:

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:1
When I read this, I am immediately reminded that my heart is not pure. I am well aware of the depth of darkness of my own heart, of my sinfulness, selfishness and pride. But the full picture is the one painted by the gospel. It reminded me that God has exchanged my heart of stone for a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 11:19). He has exchanged my sinful life for his perfect one. He has exchanged my mind for the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Therefore, that promise of God's goodness it to me. God is good to me, and hie has been good to me.

He is good to me in the big things and the small.

In the greatest big thing, he sent His Son. If I had not received this free gift of salvation, I would be destined, as treasonous enemy of the cross to eternal punishment. But God, as the greatest expression of his goodness, has given me a pardon. Greater than a pardon, he had the entire punishment paid by his very own son.

And in the day-to-day things...my wife's illness that had us very concerned. And yet we get a diagnosis that almost immediately says - "done", "over", "all better" - move on with your life, just take these pills for the next couple of weeks. There are so many bad things it could be, but they are eliminated. She is recuperating nicely.

Thank you Lord, for the big and the small, the great and the tiny. You Truly are good to me.

God's Goodness 1

I believe in the sovereignty of God. My faith is strong that God is powerful, wise and in control of all situations. Not so much when it comes go God's goodness. I understand the cross, and that he died for me, but I don't have that functional, heart-level understanding of God's goodness specifically and individually to me. Therefore, when bad things happen, I question them and worry about them. I can counsel others that God is good, because I believe that. But it almost as if I am too insignificant the think that mighty God would orchestrate things for my good.

But that simply is not accurate. All the promises in scripture are mine too. The work of the cross was for me too. The gifts, the callings are also and specifically for me.

So I want to grow in this area. And to do that I want to recount God's many blessings to me, that are specifically mine.

Now the gospel is for all, but it is also specifically for me. It is a general blessing, but too great and too powerful to pass up. God said, I will exchange my son to purchase me. Not because of anything I have done, but solely and purely because of God's great love for me.

Do I get that? Do I even have a clue? I need to mediate on that.

Preaching the gospel to myself each day keeps before me the startling advocacy of God for my fullness, and it also serves as a means by which I feast anew on the fullness of provision that God has given to me in Christ. (Milton Vincent)

A teachers proposal

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked, and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich --- a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".

All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade, so no one would fail and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy.

As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings, and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else. All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

Could not be any simpler than that.

Philemon

This morning I read a letter that Paul wrote Philemon. There was an interesting phrase that Paul used:

"...to say nothing of your owing me even your own self.

Paul was appealing to Philemon on one level because Philemon owed his very life to Paul because Philemon got saved through Paul's ministry.

So to apply this, I thought, who do I owe in a spiritual sense? Who can I pass on gratefulness, thanks and honor to, for their investment in my life. Many names scrolled thru my mind. God has been gracious to me.

I need to leave now, there are several phone calls and emails that I need to make.

Happy Easter

I was very moved at our Good Friday Service, I hope that I can do it justice to describe it.

When my boys were young, I used to chase them around the house. Just as I was about to capture them, they would run to their mom and shout, "BASE!!!" We would then debate wheter Mom would qualify as base and if a base was even allowed in the game.

During the time of meditation at the service, all of that came back to me. We sang about the the fact that at one time, we would be face to face with God. I thought about his eyes, the eyes that penetrate and see everything, my sin, my faults, my shortcomings. And I thought..."I need a base."

And then I looked to the cross, that place where God sent his son to deliver me from my sins. I thought, "there is my base". I had an almost irresitable desire to touch the wood, to cling to it. That was my base, my place of safety.

And I was undone.

Easter Wednesday

What are you doing to prepare your heart for Easter Sunday?

There are lots of ways:

(1.) Grab a small passage of Scripture and dive into it:

Luke 23
44 It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45 while the sun's light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last. 47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!” 48 And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts. 49 And all his acquaintances and the women who had followed him from Galilee stood at a distance watching these things.


(2.) Listen to the multitude of cross centered messages out there from:

C. J. Mahaney http://www.sovereigngracestore.com/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=A1240-00-51

Mark Driscoll http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/christ-on-the-cross

Mike Bullmore http://www.crosswayonline.org/sermons?filter_teacher=1&filter_series=0&filter_topic=0&filter_messagetype=0


And so many more: John Piper, Mark Dever, Al Mohler...

(3.) Slow down, get quiet, and be grateful

Although it may not always be obvious to us there seems to be one distinct moment when God begins a new story in each of our lives. He writes words on our hearts that long to be spoken and strained to be lived out. Then with His own great hand He begins to write the script. Experience by experience through seemingly ordinary days, He supernaturally orders our lives. Only when we look back and reflect on what appeared to have been ordinary events of life does it become clear what a miracle the Lord has performed.

Jan Beazly~The Strength of Mercy

I want to live like that everyday. It is living by faith that God will not waste even the shortest momement or the smallest service. Life without God is ordinary. Life with God can't be.

Isaiah 6

I read that well know passage in Isaiah 6:

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”(vs 4,5)

And I wonder why I do not tremble. Why, when I think of the holy God, do I not shudder?It can only be my cold heart. It is so cold, that when faced with the holiness and justified wrath of God - I neither tremble or repent.

Lord, help me to grasp the truth in your word. Help me understand your holiness and my fallenness. And finally, let me run to the cross for protection.

In but not of...

Feeling very much a part of earth right now, and I hear the clock ticking...

I have a lot of work to do, but I hear the clock ticking. It is coming from the family room where my son is watching tv, or in the kitchen where he is eating or it is coming from his room where he is listening to music. Every day between now and Thursday, it will get louder and louder..

I hear the clock ticking as Martha prepares to go to serve her mom who is headed for surgery. I will miss her greatly, and I am concerned about how her mom will do thru during and after the procedure.

I had dinner with my parents. My mom has had a difficult time. Their apartment sounded line the clock-works at the top of Big Ben. During our 30-minute visit, she dozed off three times. No strength, no stamina.

Tick, tick, tick...

But isn't God so kind as to give me so much to love?

The incarnation is not just an event; it also established an agenda, a set of plans to accomplish a goal. God's agenda is for the church to be an incarnational community or earth, so that our very presence would reveal his grace and truth-laden glory.
-- Paul David Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer's Hands

What is my agenda? Do I have my own agenda, or am I folding my heart and soul into the agenda that God has for his church. Am I holding myself out or am I throwing by lot in with God?

And if I am not, why? Do I have a better idea? Is my own agenda more important? What am I protecting?

I don't know what I'm doing

Two weeks ago, I replaced a receptacle in the bathroom. No big deal. I have replaced receptacles and switches before. But this one was a little different. It had a built in breaker and was hooked up to the other bathroom plug. Quickly I popped the old plate off, pulled out the old plug and began installing the new plug. What I didn't do was study the old wiring system, or...God forbid, read the directions.

Well, two weekends and at least 50 attempts later, I got it working...or so I thought. Excitedly after showing my wife that it was finally working, I went on my merry way. Last night she said gently and meekly, "honey, thank you so much for fixing the plug, but I wanted you to know that the plug in our bathroom still doesn't work.

I will leave a space for your guess as to what went thru my mind, "_______". I was not, "Praise God, another opportunity to save and spend more time on something that I thought was finished."

I have found in my life that when I don't know what I am doing, the best thing to do is to ask for help. I have also found that, for numerous reasons, I seldom do.

Also, I honestly believe that when I try to go it alone, God opposes me. He makes things fall apart, harder and he pulls the rug out from under me. To me mean? Not at all. To be loving and to protect me from...me!

From the very start, God said that it is not good that we are alone (Gen 2:18)
He said that Moses could not handle his responsibilities alone (Exodus 18:18)
Moses came to this realization himself (Numbers 11:14)
When did David get into trouble, when he was alone on that roof top (2 Samuel 11:1)
We all fall, but the one who is alone is in greatest trouble (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

You get the point. There is only one "alone" that is good:

Deuteronomy 6:4 "The Lord is our God, the Lord alone".

Lack of Leadership

Judges 18 and judges 19 both start with the same phrase, "In those days, when there was no king in Israel..." After that, the passage goes on to talk about some grievous sin that is committed by multiple people.

There is a simple message here. God wants us to have leadership. Now the Lord did not give Israel a leader because he want them each to follow him. As a matter of fact, when god finally appointed Saul as king over Israel, it was because the people called for it, not because God called for it. But he also did not install a leader because he wanted to teach us something.

We need leadership. And we need community. Grace Community Church has a great message on this on their website (gracecommunity.org). But we need a leader who will follow Scripture and help us apply the gospel. This leader needs to be surrounded by other godly men to hold him accountable, much as David was surrounded by Nathan and other prophets.

We need "one another..."

Sunday's Prayer

Great God, in public and private, in sanctuary and home,
may my life be steeped in prayer,
filled with the spirit of grace and supplication,
each prayer perfumed with the incense of atoning blood.

Help me, defend me, until from praying ground
I pass to the realm of unceasing praise.

Urged by my need, invited by Thy promises,
called by Thy Spirit, I enter Thy presence,
worshipping Thee with godly fear,
awed by Thy majesty, greatness, glory,
but encouraged by Thy love.

Book Review – A Banquet in the Grave by Edward T. Welch

Dr. Welch is a member of the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA and part of the staff of CCEF. As a result, I expected to get a full helping of heart targeted counsel on addictions and sin. I was not disappointed. This is a must read for those who have addictions, love someone with addictions are is counseling someone with addictions. Beyond that is was helpful to me personally as I thought about the besetting sins with which I struggle.
Each chapter ended with a page on two entitled Practical Theology with questions listed under “As You Face Your Own Addictions” and “As You Help Someone Else”. These questions were exceptionally helpful and forced me to think in a more complete way. As Welch says, “Better yet, accurate theology is a kind of treasure map: it guides us and compels us to relentlessly search scripture for more and more relevant, penetrating, enlightening, life-changing truth.”
Here is my regret about the book. As can be expected, Welch does not hold AA in the highest esteem. I understand and agree. He points out that AA, by avoiding themes like sin and salvation to include a greater audience, it also left out the theology that is foundational to Christ-centered change. My concern is that Welch left out that unknown element that makes one addicted to alcohol, or drawn to child pornography, while another is not. There is a something else there, be it chemical, emotional or psychological that I wrestle with as I minister to and love an addict.
Thanks Mike for the recommendation. Well worth the read.

Getting Self Control

From ADDICTIONS, A Banquet in the Grace
by Ed Welch

The basic idea is that we must cultivate the skill of living a thoughtful, careful life in which we do what is right despite our desires. It is tested when we are alone or we feel unsatisfied. What do we do when no one is looking? What do we do when cravings feel so strong that they hurt? Who or what till rule you then? Your desires or your God? Self-control is the skill of saying “no” to sinful desires, even when it hurts. (p. 215)

Loving Much and Loving Little

My love for Christ has grown cold. My reading of his Word has become a duty and not a delight. so I read Luke 7

Luke 7

41 “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” 43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.

My coldness is the onset of my drifting from my understanding of my own sin. I have forgotten that it is Jesus who took the punishment for my transgression. And I have forgotten that my transgressions are so, so many.

When I meditate on that, my appreciation grows, my gratefulness returns, my humility is renewed and my love for my savior is refreshed.

Martin Luther once said that we all walk around with the Jesus' nails in our pocket. I need to listen more closely for the jingling in my pocket.

President Obama, State of the Union, Health Care, Democrats, Republicans,

Lies, Deception and the Truth

From:
Addictions, A Banquet in the Grace
by Edward T. Welch

The bad new in this is that the light exposes our guilt and shame. The good news is that the fear of the Lord exposes us without leaving us shamed, forever guilty, and powerless to change. Rather it exposes us in order to cover our shame, cleanse the guilty conscience, give grace to change and restore fellowship with God and others. (p. 181-182)
...
Truth is a cornerstone in the kingdom of God. Think for a moment about the alternative. What if God lied at just one point? Even if it were just a small deception, everyone who puts his trust in Christ would be without hope. If he is not absolutely faithful and true, our faith is foolishness. Truth is essential in the way God relates to us. (P. 183)

How much is a billion

I'm not usually one to do this, but this was pretty impressive. I cleaned it up a bit:

This is too true to be funny.

The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of it's releases.

• A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
• A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
• A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
• A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
• A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain,let's take a look at New Orleans .. ...It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu (D) is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARSto rebuild New Orleans . Interesting number.What does it mean?

A. Well ... If you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (every man, woman, and child) you each get $516,528.
B. Or... If you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.
C. Or.... If you are a family of four, your family gets $2,066,012.

Here are some of the taxes we pay:

Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License, Tax, Federal Income Tax, (Fed)Federal Unemployment Tax (FU TA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax, (Truckers) Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax, (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax,

(And to think, we left British Rule to avoid so many taxes)

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago.

And our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt.

We had the largest middle class in the world

...and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

Lost and Found

I once was lost. He found me. And there is someone very special to me who I want him to find. I worry, I cry, I get concerned. Can God get thru? Then I remember:

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence,
2 Peter 1:3

His divine, heavenly, supernatural, majestic power can do it all. His power can move the largest stone, even if it covers a tomb. His power can staunch the greatest flood, or part a sea. His power can soften the hardest heart, just as Paul, or Onesimus...or me.

Here is the question: what is greater, God's power or man's will? I will put my money on God every time.

Sunday Morning

This looks to be a typical Sunday morning. I get up around 5:30a and start my devotional time. Because I don't have the time demands of the workweek, I can spend more time in devotions. I am reading thru the bible and will read 2-4 chapters per day, usually two on week days and four on Saturday and Sunday. Then I will pray thru my prayer calendar - starting with praying for me, then my wife and children. Then I have lists of people who get prayed for during the week. M&E, you are Tuesday, P&L you are Wednesday.

I will then journal or blog some idea, passage or thought that has made an impression on my during my reading or prayer time. That helps me slow my thinking down and meditate better on what the lord is saying. Sunday is different. It should be. I put an emphasis on listening for a word that He may want me to bring to church. I am also thinking about the service. I so look forward to getting to church to see the saints and to worship corporately with them.

Today is special. I get to man the North door. I don't know how to describe this duty to make someone else understand the great joy I get in this little job, but I find it so encouraging to stand at the door and watch the members of our church come thru the parking lot and head for church. I love watching the kids as they actually run to get inside church, to see their energy and anticipation. I am sometimes overwhelmed to see the joy of my brothers and sisters as the have taken time out of their day to come and worship.

How kind of God to give me a front row seat for this exhibition of his grace!

How can I not be moved...

How can I not be deeply affected when I consider the gospel? How can I not be undone when i look at the cross. Let me give one example.

As I re-read the account of the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross, I come across this verse in Luke 23 --

And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!”
Luke 23:35

But in truth, he could save himself. He could have just come down off that cross at any time. He could have called down legions of angels to destroy all how were opposing him that day. He could have called for a plague of worms to consume each person who, the night before, had cried out for Barabbas, and chanted "crucify him". He could have saved himself, but he could not have saved himself and saved us.

So he saved us.

And I ponder that. What, in me, was worth saving. What in me was worth the life of the one the angels cried, "Holy, Holy, Holy". My life, apart from God, is a shambles. Anything that I have done that is of lasting value, was done thru me by the Holy Spirit.

But he loved me anyway.

And again, I am undone.

John Piper, Albert Mohler, Charles Spurgeon

The Church is...

The genuine Christian Church is One.

We are the Bride of Christ, we are his purchased possession, we are one family, one body, born of one Spirit, we are under one covenant.

One man, Achan, took spoil from Jericho. But Scripture characterizes that, "the people of Israel broke faith" [Joshua 7:1}. And later, "Israel has sinned...they have taken some of the devoted things" [Joshua 7:11]

We are God's church. We are one. When one sins, we all suffer. When one falls, we all feel the loss. Let is pull together, encourage one another, pray for one another and bear each other's burdens.

Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed,
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song.

The church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain and cherish
Is with her to the end;
Though there be those that hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.