Tools and Idols

All that we own is either a tool to be used or an idol.

Steadfast

To hold fast the word of promise, to maintain a hatred of sin, to go on steadfastly in the path of duty, in defiance both of the frowns and the smiles of the world, when we have but little comfort, is a more certain evidence of grace, than a thousand things which we may do or forbear when our spirits are warm and lively.


John Newton
January 11, 1777
Feelings vs. Spiritual Well-Being

Christ's Absences

When he is with me, all goes on pleasantly: when he withdraws, I find I can do nothing without him, I need not wonder that I find it so; for it must be so of course, if I am what I confess myself to be, a poor, helpless, sinful creature in myself. Nor need I be over-much discouraged, since the Lord has promised to help those who can do nothing without him, not those who can make a tolerable shift to help themselves. Through mercy, he does not so totally withdraw, as to leave me without any power or will to cry for his return. I hope he maintains in me at all times a desire of his presence; yet it becomes me to wait for him with patience, and to live upon his faithfulness, when I can feel nothing but evil in myself.

John Newton

May 4, 1773

Christ's Absences--Spiritual Experiences

Our Utmost

Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His highest--our best for His glory?                                --Oswald Chambers

Consider that my failures to endure; my failures in sin; rob God of glory that is rightfully His.  What I mean by this is that worship of God is less in me and others when I do not give my utmost for Him. He is not less glorious, but less worship and less glory are attributed to Him by the watching world. Can I give less than my best for Him?

Opposition

John Owen Quote:

"'There is no duty we perform for God that sin does
not oppose.  And the more spirituality or holiness
there is in what we do, the greater is its enmity to
it.  Thus, those who seek the most for God experience
the strongest opposition.'"

But If From There You Seek....

God is omnipresent and his word says he will never leave us or forsake us. His promises to us are never in doubt. Yet in the life of a Christian there are periods of exquisite closeness with the Lord and times of dryness where there seems to be a merciless distance. Why is this? Obviously, only God knows his reasons for the ebb and flow of the presence of God in our lives. Certainly, sin drives a wedge between us. But one wonders whether the nature of faith itself requires periods of distance to be tested and approved. To draw near to God we must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Heb 11:6). If he was ever constantly experientially present, faith would be unnecessary. So, there seems to be something to the idea of seeking him. God wants us to seek him. Seeking him is only necessary if there is a perception of distance between us and him. Those who love God seek him because they see his glory and experience his presence and long to have more. But it is easy to drift into the world, our worries and cares, our "false gods." The Lord is gracious and says that if from there we seek him, we will find him if we look with all our heart (Deut 4:29). We are called by God to consistently, continually seek him. So, how practically do we do this? " Both the Old and New Testaments say it (continual seeking of God) is a “setting of the mind and heart” on God" (Piper, see below reference). We are to by an act of the will focus our minds, thoughts and affections of the Almighty (Col 3:1,2; 1 Chron 22:19). Thoughts can arise out of nowhere. Choosing to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5) and purposing to meditate on the Lord and not worthless things takes some work. Mainly mental focus and a willful choice. Piper goes on to say that we must seek God to experience him: "Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled." There are roadblocks everywhere to our seeking and finding God. These obstacles may be "good things" from a worldly perspective.  They can be disguised as even ministry.  We must ruthlessly flee these spiritually dulling obstacles (also Piper's words).  Accepting things that draw us away from God is not acceptable. God promises if we seek him we will find him. He is the reward above all rewards and infinitely valuable, satisfying and joy producing.  Why do I constantly accept less?

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/4163_What_Does_It_Mean_to_Seek_the_Lord/

The Centrality of the Gospel

Excerpts from Tim Keller's The Centrality of the Gospel


The Christian life is a process of renewing every dimension of our life by thinking, hoping, and living out the "line" or ramifications of the gospel. The gospel is to be applied to every area of thinking, feeling, relating, working and behaving.

The main problem in the Christian life is that we have not thought out the deep implications of the gospel, we have not "used" the gospel in all parts of our life.

The key to continual and deeper spiritual renewal and revival is the continual re-discovery of the gospel.

The Glory of God

Thoughts for me to ponder regarding the glory of God from John Piper on The Centrality of the Glory of God here.


--The glory of God is the infinite worth of God made manifest.
--God's glory is the out-streaming of his infinite value.
--God is glorious because he is the perfect unity of his beauty, greatness and all of the totality of his manifold and glorious perfections. 
--The glory of God is the beauty and the greatness that exists without origin, without comparison, without analogy, without being judged or assessed by any external criterion. It is the all-defining absolute original of greatness and beauty. All created greatness and beauty comes from it, and points to it, but does not comprehensively or adequately reproduce it.
--We were made to find our deepest pleasure in admiring what is infinitely admirable, that is, the glory of God.
--Inconsolable human longing is the evidence that we were made for God's glory.
--The glory of God is the goal of all things (1 Cor 10:31, Isa 43:6-7).
--Seeing the glory of God is our ultimate hope (Rom 5:2, Jude 24, Rom 9:23, 1 Thes 2:12,Tit 2:13).
--Jesus is the ultimate revelation of the glory God (Heb 1:3, John 17:24).
--Sharing in the glory of God is our hope (1 Peter 5:1, Rom 8:21, 1 Cor 2:7, 2 Cor 4:17, Rom 8:30).

O How He Loves Us

He is jealous for me.
Loves like a hurricane.
I am a tree.
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and  mercy.

When all of  a sudden I am unaware
Of these afflictions eclipsed by glory.
And I realize just how beautiful you are,
And how great your affection is for me.

O how he loves us so.
O how he loves us.
How he loves us so.

We are his portion,
And he is our prize.
Drawn to redemption by the grace in his eyes.
If his grace is an ocean,
We're all sinking.

Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest.
I don't have the time to maintain these regrets.
When I think about.....the way.....

He loves us...
O how he loves us.
O how he loves......

David Crowder Band
How He Loves Us

Edwards On God's Glory

So God glorifies himself towards the creatures also two ways: (1) by appearing to them, being manifested to their understandings; (2) in communicating himself to their hearts, and in their rejoicing and delighting in, and enjoying the manifestations which he makes of himself. They both of them may be called his glory in the more extensive sense of the word, viz. his shining forth, or the going forth of his excellency, beauty and essential glory ad extra. By one way it goes forth towards their understandings; by the other it goes forth towards their wills or hearts. God is glorified not only by his glory's being seen, but by its being rejoiced in, when those that see it delight in it: God is more glorified than if they only see it; his glory is then received by the whole soul, both by the understanding and by the heart. God made the world that he might communicate, and the creature receive, his glory, but that it might [be] received both by the mind and heart. He that testifies his having an idea of God's glory don't glorify God so much as he that testifies also his approbation of it and his delight in it. Both these ways of God's glorifying himself come from the same cause, viz. the overflowing of God's internal glory, or an inclination in God to cause his internal glory to flow out ad extra. What God has in view in neither of them, neither in his manifesting his glory to the understanding nor communication to the heart, is not that he may receive, but that he [may] go forth: the main end of his shining forth is not that he may have his rays reflected back to himself, but that the rays may go forth.

Jonathan Edwards [1722], The "Miscellanies": (Entry Nos. a-z, aa-zz, 1-500) (WJE Online Vol. 13) , Ed. Harry S. Stout [word count] [jec-wjeo13].

What Is The Gospel?

Notes from What Is The Gospel? By Tim Keller

http://sermons.redeemer.com/store/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=18160&ParentCat=6

A Worldview

Gospel means good news. So what is the gospel? The gospel is a worldview. It is a grid through which we view all other things in life. It is not something that we believe once for all time to "get into Christianity" and move on in our lives trying our best to be morally right in our actions. It is not a moralistic worldview; one that believes we gain favor with God by our good actions and lose favor by our failures. This is the worldview of the elder brother in Luke 15 who does "what is right" but looks down on his younger brother who repents and turns from his tremendous sin. This is the worldview of the Pharisees of Jesus time who compared themselves to others with less tarnished lives thinking themselves superior. The gospel has a fullness of meaning which can only be described by breaking it down into it's parts or aspects and understood by combining those aspects into a worldview. Each aspect of the gospel describes part of the truth but gives only a part. Christian churches themselves can fail because they stress one aspect of the gospel without acknowledging the other aspects. There are three main aspects of the gospel.

I. Historical/Doctrinal Aspect

The gospel is news about what Jesus has done not primarily advice on how to live. It is good news, not good advice (primarily). Good news salvation is that we are saved by what Jesus has done. Good advice salvation is that we are saved by following the teaching that is given to you. The truth is that God came down and inserted himself physically into the world in history in order to live a perfect life, die a sacrificial atoning death and rise in victory in the body. We are saved by what he has done, not what we do. It is dependent on the fact that Christ lived, died and rose in history for our sins. It is not primarily advice on how to live, although it does teach us this, but the declaration of what God has done. Why because you are saved by grace.

Nutshell: Jesus lived the life I should have lived and died the death that I should have died (as my substitute), so that God can receive me not for my record and my sake, but for Jesus' record and for Jesus' sake.

II. Identity Aspect

The gospel is a status we receive now not just primarily a reward we will receive later. The gospel establishes our status now as sons and daughters of the Father in heaven. Righteously seen by God because Christ's righteousness is credited to us and our sin is laid on Jesus at the cross and paid for (2 Corinthians 5:21). We are dearly loved by God for the sake of Christ. Our salvation is not dependent on maintaining sinlessness after conversion as if we are being given a second chance, but on God's love for Jesus and us because of what Jesus has done. We therefore are assured of our salvation because we are the children of God now and our persistence as children is not dependent in any way on our actions after we believe. We do right things because we love God not because we need to to maintain our position with God. Why because we are saved by grace?

Nutshell: You are more wicked and flawed than you ever dared believe but you are more loved and accepted than you ever dared hope at the same time. Simultaneously both just and sinful.

III. Kingdom Aspect

The gospel is a complete reversal of values in our daily lives leading to an establishment of the kingdom of God in part here on earth to be perfected in eternity. It is not just a new strength to live the life you had before faith according to the world's system and values. The gospel is received by admitting our spiritual bankruptcy not by what good we bring. It is only when we give up the right to determine our own life that we get the power of God. Jesus, the King of kings, came to earth as a baby in a manger. The gospel is received, achieved and reunites in ways that are in reverse of what you would expect. The first shall be last. Those who serve shall be greatest. God loves to work through the weak, the marginal, and poor.

Nutshell: The way up is down, the way to real power is to give up coercive power and serve others, the way into God is to go to the margins in repentance and faith.

The Core of the Gospel

The thread that runs through the three aspects and ties them together is that we are saved by grace. All three are necessary to understand the gospel and apply it to our lives and the glue is God's grace.

Meditation

What is the reason there is so much preaching and so little practice? For want of meditation.... Constant thoughts are operative, and musing makes the fire burn. Green wood is not kindled by a flash or spark, but by constant blowing.
—Thomas Manton

Proof

“The proof that Christ came into the world should be that His followers are holy! Let their character be blameless and harmless, their conduct so devoted and so full of self-sacrifice that it shall be a constant memorial of that Redeemer whose name they profess.”

Charles Spurgeon

Work

Does God want us to be successful in our occupations? Should business success be one of our goals? What is success and does it look differently to the christian versus the secular person? I submit that Christ calls us to discipleship. This is all consuming. A leader in the church of Jesus Christ is a follower of Him. The cost of discipleship is forsaking all things, hating those around us in comparison to Him and being willing to die for Him (Luke 14:26-33). He is the provider of all that we have here and in eternity. He is the protector of our reputation and the giver of our earthly positions. He sets up kings and tears them down. We are called to work at everything as if working for the Lord and not for men (Col 3:23). That means every activity, every thought, and every moment is to be His...set apart to Him and sacred. We are to do our best ...not to achieve or gain material wealth or prestige but because he calls us to do our best. Success is obedience to God. Obedience to God and discipleship may lead us to a life with riches and tremendous influence and earthly responsibility or it may lead us to the life of a pauper who labors in obscurity. Both are successful based on the scriptures.

The Converted Ones

An Essential Mark of a Sound Conversion
by Joseph Alleine

We turn from our own RIGHTEOUSNESS. Before conversion, man seeks to cover himself with his own fig-leaves, and to make himself acceptable with God, by his own duties. He is apt to trust in himself, and set up his own righteousness, and to reckon his pennies for gold, and not to submit to the righteousness of God. But conversion changes his mind; now he counts his own righteousness as filthy rags. He casts it off, as a man would the verminous tatters of a nasty beggar. Now he is brought to poverty of spirit, complains of and condemns himself; and all his inventory is, 'I am poor, and miserable, and wretched, and blind, and naked!' [Rev 3:17]. He sees a world of iniquity in his holy things, and calls his once-idolized righteousness but filth and loss; and would not for a thousand worlds be found in it!
Now he begins to set a high price upon Christ's righteousness. He sees the need of Christ in every duty, to justify his person and sanctify his performances; he cannot live without Him; he cannot pray without Him. Christ must go with him, or else he cannot come into the presence of God; he leans upon Christ, and so bows himself in the house of his God. He sets himself down for a lost undone man without Him; his life is hid in Christ, as the root of a tree spreads in the earth for stability and nourishment. Before, the gospel of Christ was a stale and tasteless thing; but now—how sweet is Christ! Augustine could not relish his once-admired Cicero, because he could not find in his writings the name of Christ. How emphatically he cries, 'O most sweet, most loving, most kind, most dear, most precious, most desired, most lovely, most fair!' all in a breath, when he speaks of and to Christ. In a word, the voice of the convert is, with the martyr, 'None but Christ!'

Excerpt from Alarm to the Unconverted by Joseph Alleine, 1671

From Monergism site post here: http://www.monergism.com/alleineconversion.html

The Ethiopian Eunuch

Last night I was reading in Acts about the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40) and was overwhelmed with a recognition of the love of God for those who want to know him. The eunuch was the treasurer of the queen of Ethiopa, and he had gone up to Jerusalem to worship God. On the road back home, the Spirit directed Phillip to go first on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza and then up to the chariot where the eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah. Phillip climbed into the chariot and explained the gospel to the seeking Ethiopian who then requested to be baptized. Notice the eunuch left his home to worship. He was willing to sacrifice his time and comfort to meet the living God. Notice the eunuch studied the scriptures seeking to know the Almighty. It was not a token acknowledgment of the existence of God but a planned, dedicated seeking of Him. Most meaningful to me, notice God's great love for this man who sought him. God caused the needed events occur for the seeking man to be reconciled to Him by faith. He proactively sought and secured the Ethiopian's salvation. O how he loves us!

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and all your soul. (Deut 4:29).

Mighty Warrior?

Gideon was the first of Israel's judges. He was the least of his family from the weakest clan of the line of Manasseh, the son of Joash the Azeirite. The Midianites had been opressing the Israelites to the point where Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press to get food in hiding from his enemies. Just then the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, "the Lord is with you, mighty warrior." Gideon questions the Angel about the Lord's presence in light of Israel's oppression, and the LORD says, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” And then, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Judges 6:1-14

Observations:
1) God sees not only who Gideon is but who he will be. He does not address him as an oppressed young man in a weak clan and family but as a mighty warrior. In the same way, he sees us as we will be, as we are meant to be. He sees us as his adopted sons and daughters, righteous before him in Christ.
2) God uses the weak to do great things. Gideon's position before his time of leadership makes his success all the more glorifying to God. Therefore, our weakness and failures are never reasons to believe God will not do great things through us. On the contrary, our weakness increases the potential for God to use us...for where we are weak, he is strong (2 Cor 12:9).
3) God is the power and cause behind Gideon's (and Israels') success against the Midianites. We should always look to the Almighty God as the source of all things whether material, positional, or spiritual. He deserves all the glory.
4) The Angel of the Lord appears in bodily form and is called the LORD suggesting this is a preincarnate appearance of Jesus.
5) God saves the Israelites when they cry out to him in their oppression after sinning against him for a period of time. God says if we seek him from a place of sin, we will find him if we search for him (Deut 4:29). Although he is sovereign over all and can do whatever he wills, he allows man to seek whom and what he wishes.

Is God calling you to something great?

Redeeming The Time

Place a high value upon your time, be more careful of not losing it than you would of losing your money. Do not let worthless recreations, television, idle talk, unprofitable company, or sleep rob you of your precious time.

Be more careful to escape that person, action or course of life that would rob you of your time than you would be to escape thieves and robbers.

Make sure that you are not merely never idle, but rather that you are using your time in the most profitable way that you can and do not prefer a less profitable way before one of greater profit.

From How to Spend the Day With God

adapted and updated from Richard Baxter (1615-1691) by Mathew Vogan

link http://www.puritansermons.com/baxter/baxter5.htm

Practicing The Presence Of God

Reading Practicing The Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. It is a good reminder of what my life should be like. The book speaks of a 15th century christian who lives in a monastery as a cook. It is the true story of a man who gave every moment to Christ. Some "take aways" for me have been:

1. Communion with God for the believer can be experienced on a moment by moment basis by focusing one's mind and heart (Col 3:1,2) on Him constantly (with the help of the Holy Spirit). This is in a sense an ongoing conversation with our everpresent Lord.
2. Immediate obedience and repentence is stressed in this book. Failures are confessed, repented of and then forgotten.
3. Even mundane activities can be done for God's glory if done with this intent. (In Brother Lawerence's situation it was kitchen work).
4. Joy is not based on circumstances but on the "possession" of God in our lives. The more he is present, the more we will be joyful.
5. Communion with God does not happen passively. Of course, God can do anything, but generally our effort is required in seeking Him.

Take home message to myself:
-Seek to spend each moment in communion and dialogue with God.
-Do all for the love of God.
-Do not dwell on failure. I am forgiven.
-Prayer should be constant.

The Pretender

I have struggled a lot the last two weeks for many reasons. I awoke yesterday and got ready to pray. As I was brushing my teeth, out of the blue, the lyrics at the end of a song from my adolescent years broke into my mind. They have sat there for the last 48 hours....O that they would not be true of me....nor of you.

"Are you there...?
Say a prayer for the pretender
Who started out so young and strong
Only to surrender...."

Jackson Browne

Heirs

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.
Romans 8:16-17

Can you believe this? It seems inconceivable that the above verses are true! But, they are God's word, and it is impossible for him to lie. Rub your eyes and gaze at these words. Drink in their meaning. Meditate on what kind of glorious creator, full of love would give this to us?!

Observations:
1) Believers are adopted sons/daughters of God. We are in his family, and he looks upon us with love and wants good for us. When we fail, he doesn't crush us. He teaches us and disciplines us in love. When we are obedient he rejoices in us and with us. We rejoice in him and thereby bring him glory.
2) Believers are heirs of God. God cannot die, but we will receive Him. He shall be ours. We shall see him, enjoy him, commune with him and eternally learn and be amazed by him.
3) Believers are co-heirs with Christ. We shall receive what he receives. We will reign with him (2 Tim 2:12). We shall be honored and glorified (2 Cor 4:17, 2 Cor 3:18, Rom 8:21, Rom 8:30). (I feel uneasy typing this but it is the word of God).
4) This inheritance is fulfilled in the future (1 Pe 1:4, 2 Cor 4:17, Rom 8:21).
5) Life now includes patient endurance and suffering (Rom 8:18, Jn 16:33). This suffering comes from three places:
1. Persecution for being a christian (2 Tim 3:12)
2. Suffering in mortifying the sin within us by the power of the Spirit (Romans 8:13, Heb 12:7)
3. Suffering in relation to creations subjection to "death" because of Adams sin (Romans 8:18-23)

My Holiness

There is enough sin in the holiest act I have ever undertaken to damn me to hell for all eternity.

Naked and Unashamed

And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:25

And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account......
Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:13,16

In the garden of Eden, before the fall of man, Adam and Eve were sinless and communed with God without shame despite their nakedness. They were unaware of their nakedness in that they did not see it as anything unusual. They had a closeness with God and confidence before God that could only be present in an innocent state. But with the fall of man things changed. Adam hid from God realizing his sin and experiencing shame for the first time. Shame can be defined as: having a painful feeling and emotional distress (sometimes to the point of despair), for having done something wrong, with an associative meaning of having the disapproval of those around them. 1 Since Adam, we all experience shame before God which comes from the realization of our sin and of God's holiness. God sees all, no matter how hard we try to hide (Heb 4:13). Yet there is good news! Through faith in Christ, we become righteous before God (2 Corinthians 5:21). My sin exchanged for his righteousness. So for the believer, we now can approach Almighty God with confidence (the KJV says "boldness") to receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. Our relationship with God is reconciled (Romans 5:1), and we can be naked and unashamed before God as Adam and Eve were originally in the garden. Praise be to the Ancient of Days for providing us with the means for peace with Himself and peace within ourselves. Amen

1. Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (electronic ed.) (DBLH 1017). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

The Weight of Glory (C.S. Lewis)

Quotes and notes from C. S. Lewis's Weight of Glory

Now, if we are made for
heaven, the desire for our proper place will
be already in us, but not yet attached to
the true object, and will even appear as the
rival of that object.

Lewis notes a longing inside for something that we initially cannot place. This is present in all and drives a thirst for better things. Often misplaced before we know Jesus to earthly materials or endeavors...the feeling or idea that there is something better to be for us. When misplaced the soul despairs at the realization of the failure of the rival object to perform that which was expected. Always restless to find the true source of our inner longing -Jesus Christ.

If a transtemporal, transfinite good is our
real destiny, then any other good on which
our desire fixes must be in some degree
fallacious, must bear at best only a
symbolical relation to what will truly
satisfy.

Only God is good. Creation and the Spirit's work in christians demonstrate this in part. Desire for other is less. Yet we know not how much less as now we see him through a glass dimly.

If our religion is
something objective, then we must never
avert our eyes from those elements in it
which seem puzzling or repellent; for it
will be precisely the puzzling or the
repellent which conceals what we do not
yet know and need to know.

Joshua 1:8

In the end that Face which is the delight or
the terror of the universe must be turned
upon each of us either with one expression
or with the other, either conferring glory
inexpressible or inflicting shame that can
never be cured or disguised.

To please God...to be a real ingredient in the
divine happiness...to be loved by God, not
merely pitied, but delighted in as an artist
delights in his work or a father in a son—it
seems impossible, a weight or burden of
glory which our thoughts can hardly
sustain. But so it is.

For glory meant good
report with God, acceptance by God,
response, acknowledgment, and welcome
into the heart of things.

We can be left
utterly and absolutely outside—repelled,
exiled, estranged, finally and unspeakably
ignored. On the other hand, we can be
called in, welcomed, received,
acknowledged.

To be known by God affectionately and included in his family is the ultimate glory of the believer. To delight God?! It sounds incomprehensible. On the other hand, the idea of watching as the family of God gathers in worship and fellowship from the outside is unbearable to me. O to be a good and faithful servant to Him.

There are no ordinary people. You have
never talked to a mere mortal. Nations,
cultures, arts, civilization—these are
mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of
a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke
with, work with, marry, snub, and
exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting
splendours.

Quotes from The Weight of Glory by C. S. Lewis

The Word of God

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8

The word of God at the time of Joshua's life consisted of the first five books of the Bible. In Joshua chapter one, God sends Joshua off as the leader of the Israelites after Moses's death. God himself tells Joshua to speak the word, meditate on the word constantly and to be obedient to the word. Marinate in the word of God. How does this apply to us at this time? The only difference is that we have a larger book to consider. To be obedient to this verse requires a knowledge of all that is contained in the sixty-six books of the Bible. Therefore, it stands to reason that we should be reading the book in it's totality over and over. So, we must first read the word of God. But, the Lord calls us to more. To keep the word from departing from our mouths, we must incorporate it into our conversations and into that which we teach others. We must memorize the word to be able to speak it without reading it. God also calls us to think about his word constantly. We must apply his word to our every day lives and consider deeply the meaning of that which God has spoken. Finally, God calls us to obedience to his word. Read, speak, think, obey. This is God's call to the disciple of Christ. Is less acceptable in light of all Chris did for us?

Don't Waste Your Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJzUnxiKwA&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fdontwasteyourlife%2Ecom%2F&feature=player_embedded

The Prayer of Nehemiah

My son is leading a devotion in his upcoming trip to Ecuador on the prayer of Nehemiah. He asked me to look at his notes for the devotion and they brought up some very good points on prayer. The text is Nehemiah chapter 1.

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah:
In the month of Kislev in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, 2 Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.
3 They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”
4 When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven.
5 Then I said:
“O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you. 7 We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.
8 “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, 9 but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’
10 “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.”
I was cupbearer to the king. Ne 1:1-11

Observations on Nehemiah's prayer:
1) Nehemiah mourns, fasts and prays for several days. His prayer is fervent and persistent (vs.4)
2) Nehemiah worships God (vs. 5) and asks God to hear his prayer.
3) Nehemiah confesses corporate and personal sin (vs. 6,7)
4) Nehemiah "reminds" God of His promise knowing God is faithful to his word (vs. 8,9)
5) Nehemiah states the peoples intention to honor God (vs. 11)
6) Nehemiah recognizes God as the source of his success (vs. 11) and asks God for favor.

Reputation

Jesus says if we wish to be his disciples we must be willing to forsake all (Luke 14:25-33). This most obviously includes material things but more subtly might include our health, our relationships, our position and our reputation. I think of this as meaning forsake all for the kingdom of God and consider it in the sense that an occurance may come into my life where I am called to give things up for the obvious benefit of the kingdom of God. But what if the benefit to the kingdom is not obvious? What if one's reputation is damaged through outside forces beyond one's control? Or what if an honest mistake leads to the damaging of a reputation? Our inner response to a loss such as this demonstrates whether we are willing to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. For God would say that everything good that we have is from him and not of ourselves (James 1:17). Our material things, jobs, money, health and reputations are given and protected by him. Everything we have is his to take away. This needs to be considered in light of other scriptures of course. God says he will work all things for the good of those who love him and are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). He says he loves us and has an inheritance in heaven for us as his adopted children (1 John 3:1; 1 Pe 1:4; Romans 8:15). He says we will have trouble in this world, but that he has overcome the world (John 16:33). The question is when the rubber hits the road and I suffer loss will I in bitterness and anger against God struggle with my faith? Or will I rest in his promises and allow myself to be humbled for his glory, even if I do not understand why circumstances have occurred? Certainly, the former is a manifestation of unbelief...unbelief in God's word and promises or his character or his existence. Paul had learned to be content in all circumstances recognizing these things and giving thanks to God (Phil 4:11). Thanksgiving and gratefulness is the heart of the believer sold out to God. Thanksgiving and gratefulness in spite of earthly circumstances (1 Thes 5:13). For we have the "pearl of greatest price" guaranteed in our future (Matt 13:46). Do I really believe it? Can I say with Job: "Naked I came into the world, and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord?"

Salt

“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear. "
--Lk 14:34-35--

A disciple of Jesus Christ is a student of him, seeking to learn his ways and to become like him. Obviously, the first steps of this process include hearing the gospel, accepting it and trusting in Christ as one's savior. Jesus then says to believers: go and make disciples of all people groups, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Spirit and teaching them to be obedient to His commands (Mt 28:19). A disciple is called to love God more than any person on earth (Lu 14:26), to sacrifice his will to the will of God (Lu 14:27) and to be willing to give up material and non material possessions for God (Lu 14:33). One question that has arisen in my mind is can one be a believer and not be a disciple? I don't know the answer to this, but I suspect that a believer does not have to be a disciple. The churches of our nation seem to be filled with such individuals; those who go to church on Sunday but are indistinguishable from unbelievers otherwise (myself included at times). A disciple becomes like his teacher, and as Jesus drew people to himself, so also the disciple of Christ should by his example draw people to God. The disciple of Jesus is salty to a watching world. He is seasoning, flavor and a preservative. Walt Henrichsen in Disciples Are Made And Not Born makes the point that Jesus is using seasonless salt as a metaphor for the believer that is not a disciple. One who believes in Christ and yet is not a disciple is useless to the master and worthy of being thrown away. Terrifying words. Yet the poor witness of a professing believer that is not a disciple to the world and the glory not given to God because of his example make Jesus' words ring true. The question I personally must ask myself is..... am I a disciple of Jesus Christ, and if so, what am I doing to make disciples for the King of kings?

Scripture Memory

"The practice of scripture memory is more important than a daily quiet time, for as we fill our minds with great passages of the Bible and have them available for our meditation, quiet time takes over the entirety of our lives." --Dallas Willard, The Great Omission.

Scripture memory seems to increase my ability to practice the presence of God. In the circumstances of life, the Word I have committed to memory bubbles up from inside at the calling of the Spirit of God (Jn 14:26) to remind me of who He is and of my position in Christ. God tells us to memorize scripture (Josh 1:8), and knowing scripture is mandatory if we are to be obedient to Gods commands (Jn 14:21). God gives understanding of his Word over time if we look to his Spirit as the teacher of the it's meaning (Jn 14:26, Ps 119:18). I sometimes find quiet times difficult, and to me, it is reassuring to note that working on scripture memory during dry times can be profitable.

The Preeminence of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Colossians 1:15-20


Observations About Jesus From Above Text:

1) He is the image of God. (Hebrews 1:3, 2 Cor 4:4)
2) He is the firstborn of all creation. This refers to position not actual birth or creation (as Jesus was not created). He holds the position of firstborn over all things.
3) He is the creator of all things on earth or in heaven. (John 1:3, Hebrews 1:2)
4) He is eternal. (John 1:1-2, John 8:58)
5) He is the glue that holds all things together. He maintains and sustains the universe. He is the creator of the laws of nature. (Hebrews 1:3)
6) He is the head of the believing church and the first to rise in the body.
7) He is filled with the fullness of God. (Col 2:9, John 1:1, Rom 9:5, Jeremiah 23:5-6)
8) He is the reconciler of all creation to himself. (Rom 5:10-11, 2 Cor 5:18-19)

Summary:
Jesus is the image of God, God, creator, eternal, sustainer, reconciler and the head of the church.

Give God The Glory

Declare this in the house of Jacob; proclaim it in Judah: 21 “Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see not, who have ears, but hear not. 22 Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it. 23 But this people has a stubborn and rebellious heart; they have turned aside and gone away. 24 They do not say in their hearts, ‘Let us fear the Lord our God, who gives the rain in its season, the autumn rain and the spring rain, and keeps for us the weeks appointed for the harvest.’ 25 Your iniquities have turned these away, and your sins have kept good from you. 26 For wicked men are found among my people; they lurk like fowlers lying in wait. They set a trap; they catch men. 27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich; 28 they have grown fat and sleek. They know no bounds in deeds of evil; they judge not with justice the cause of the fatherless, to make it prosper, and they do not defend the rights of the needy. 29 Shall I not punish them for these things? declares the Lord, and shall I not avenge myself on a nation such as this?” 30 An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: 31 the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes? Jeremiah 5:20-31

Observations from verses:
1. God is Almighty and to be feared, honored, and worshipped.
2. The people have a choice of whether to fear God. They have free will.
3. God gives good things to all. Some turn from away in prosperity b/c of pride.
3. There are wicked men among the people of God.
4. God punishes the unfaithful for their sins.

Forgiveness

We are commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ to forgive those who sin against us (Col 3:13; Mat 6:12, 14-15; Mat 18:35). In addition, Jesus says that we will be forgiven as we forgive (see preceding verses). This is a frightening fact. I have struggled with this because emotions seem to play such an important role in how well we forgive. Emotions are very difficult to control. In a book I am reading,* Ed Wheat gives some helpful thoughts on this issue. He says there are three steps in forgiving someone:

1) First, there must be an act of the will. A person must actively choose to forgive.
2) Second, behavior must conform to God's plan or will for us. We must love our neighbor as ourselves, pray for those who persecute us and keep no record of wrongs. (Eph 4:31-32)
3)Third, God transforms our feelings and thoughts toward forgiveness and love.

So, we have two responsibilities which are dependent on our wills and God transforms the emotions. Notice the offender has no role in our forgiveness of him or her.


*Love Life For Every Married Couple by Ed Wheat and Gloria Okes Perkins, Zondervan, 1980.

Preach The Gospel

The Gospel is really, really good news! This week I interacted with a teenager who is a believer in Jesus but who has struggled with anxieties and feelings of inadequacies that are perceived much more than real. This person has been raised in church and believes that Christ died and rose again for forgiveness of the sins of all who believe. But this person has struggled with sadness and anxiety. This week we were talking about God and these issues arose. I then went through the meat of the Gospel with this person as listed below:

1-When Christ died for believers the full cup of the wrath of God against the sin of all believers was poured out, emptied on him for all sins past, present and future. (Isa 52:13-chapter 53)
2-Christ lived a perfectly obedient sinless life and the righteousness of Christ is credited to the believer so that when God looks at us, he sees a perfectly righteous person. (2 Cor 5:21; Rom 1:17)
3-We are reconciled to God because of the above and are in right relationship. Therefore we can approach him with confidence. (Heb 4:16; Rom 5:1)
4-God is not angry with those who believe and are struggling with sin. He may discipline us in order to sanctify us, but he does not punish us. (This is not to say there are not consequences to sin which come about from the world, our culture etc).
5-God loves us and will never leave or forsake us (Heb 13:5) and promises us good (Rom 8:31,32).

I could see a visible peace develop as this teenager considered the above. This week I have I have been trying to preach the Gospel to myself daily. It is not just for those who do not believe. It truly is good news every day for all! (Rom 1:15)

Secular Humanism

Secular humanism is the world view of much of our society today. This belief system is based on the idea that man is basically good and that with education and advancement of knowledge society can be improved even to an utopian state. This is consistent with a belief that man is evolving to a better condition. Understandably, the secular humanist opposes religion as Christianity and the Bible say that man is basically evil and that rather than improvement over time, the world will become more permeated with sin, wars etc. So, the Bible is rejected as the basic goodness of man in and of himself and the potential for self improvement in the abscence of God's influence are not existent. The crux of the issue is whether man by nature is "good" or potentially "good" or sinful. The conclusion of the secular humanist would be that as we become more knowledgeable and more technologically advanced, society should improve. The Bible suggests differently.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power.

Romans 3:10-12
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands,
no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one."

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things
And beyond cure.
Who can understand it?

Ecclesiastes 7:20
There is not a righteous man on earth
Who does what is right and never sins.

Some of Man's Evil Manifested of Late
1930s- Stalin's Great Purge - political killings of 600,00 to 2 million Russians.
1940s-Holocaust - Genocide of 6 million Jews.
1970s-Pol Pot Leadership in Cambodia - 700,00-1.7 million Cambodian deaths.
1990s-Rwandan Genocide-Execution of 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus by Hutus
1990s-Srebrenica Genocide-Mass murder of 8000 Bosniak men and boys by Army of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina
2000s-Darfur-government backed military and militia contribute to the deaths of 400000 and displacement of millions with rape of girls and women widespread.

How is our moral improvement?

Peace

See in the meantime that your faith brings forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth peace. John Owen

He Is Coming Soon!! Are You Ready??

The Rider on the White Horse

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Re 19:11-16

Creation's Purpose?

“The material universe is but scaffolding for the Church of Christ. It is but the temporary structure upon which the amazing mystery of redeeming love is being carried on to perfection.”

C. H. Spurgeon

Fascinating comment by Spurgeon. Contemplate this fact....that all of creation is put forth by God for the body of Christ. I would add that the creation is also purposed to point to the amazing magnificence of God's glory. It is subject to futility for a time, because of sin, but not forever.

The Need For Meeting Together

The church is called "the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:27)" in the Bible with Christ being the head. The implication is that we as individuals, united with Christ and controlled and empowered by the "head," have different gifts and functions all connected to each other and ultimately to Jesus. So the finger has a different gifting and function than the eye for example. The best function of the finger is dependent not only on the power given by the "head" but also by the adjacent hand, skin, blood vessels etc. The point I am making is that we, as the body of Christ, need others for fellowship, communion, accountability and encouragement in our lives in order to function as we should in God's eyes. Cut the finger off from the head and it will blacken and harden in death. Remove the skin and nail from the finger and it will remain alive but be less than it was meant to be. Our culture glorifies the independent self reliant man or woman. So, many in the church are going it alone and suffering for it. Christian men and women need other men and women in their lives in order to live the fullest in Jesus Christ. Scriptures that support this are:

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 10:24,25 ESV

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 ESV

If anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.....Bear one another's burdens.... Galatians 6:1 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom...Colossians 3:16 ESVBut exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Heb 3:13 ESV

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ec 4:12 ESV

Applications/Observations:
1) We should be, as Christians, in regular fellowship with other Christians especially in close relationships with those of the same sex.
2) The function of this fellowship is for exhortation, encouragement, admonishment, teaching, restoration, comfort and strength.
3) This fellowship should be sought out by the individual.
4) The ultimate purpose of this fellowship is for God's glory.

Decisions

The fundamental guidance which God gives to shape our lives—the instilling, that is, of the basic convictions, attitudes, ideals and value judgments, in terms of which we are to live—is not a matter of inward promptings apart from the Word but of the pressure on our consciences of the portrayal of God’s character and will in the Word, which the Spirit enlightens us to understand and apply to ourselves. J.I. Packer, Knowing God.

This then makes the reading of the Word necessary for true divine guidance in the usual sense. Reading and studying the Word then is mandatory for the believer in Jesus Christ. To do less, affects are lives by influencing our decisions in a negative way, leading to sin and mistakes that otherwise would be avoided.

Sin

"Sin, is first and foremost, resistance to finding joy in God. " John Piper

....Because we find joy in a big screen t.v. or success in our jobs or exercise or our children or food or our relationships or money or ministry or alcohol or sex or anything else. Our hearts are given over to these things. But we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our might (Deut 6:5). All of our heart. To what have I given my heart? To what have you given your heart?

Perseverence of the Saints

It is impossible for a person who believes to lose their faith. No one can take us out of God's hands (John 10:28,29). He has sealed us with his Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13, 4:30). A guarantee of future inheritance ( Rom 4:16; 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5; Eph 1:14). He has united us with Christ (Rom 6:5; 1Cor 6:17; Phil 2:1). Therefore, we cannot be separated permanently from him by weak faith (2 Tim 2:13, Luke 17:6), a specific sin or the actions of another person be they human or spiritual (Rom 8:35-39). We are adopted sons and daughters (Rom 8:23, Eph 1:5) of God protected by God's love (Rom 1:7; 5:8; Eph 2:4,5, 3:18,19) and power (1 Peter 1:5). A mighty fortress is our God. Who shall condemn the elect (Rom 8:33)? Can a person purposely reject God after he has believed? I believe in theory this is possible (Heb 6:4-6). The only situation that seems bibically rational is for a person to know the truth about God and reject him in purposeful rebellion realizing his end and accepting it in outright enmity with God. Does this happen? I do not know. From God's perspective a person cannot lose his salvation as God sees a person's life in it's totality. Thus he foreknows whether a person will believe and whether a person may choose to become apostate. The justification of a believer thus occurs as God sees the believer's faith and his/her persistence in faith to the end. The main point to remember is that we cannot for any reason outside of our own purposeful choice and determination lose our salvation.

Questions About Christianity

“If the Gospel of God is true, it can stand any quantity of questioning. I am more afraid of the deadness and lethargy of the public mind about religion than any sort of enquiry or controversy about it. As silver tried in the furnace is purified seven times, so is the Word of God—and the
more it is put into the furnace, the more it will be purified—and the more beauteously the pure ore of Revelation will glitter in the sight of the faithful.”— Charles Spurgeon

God's Glory, Man's Glory

And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. 2 Co 3:18 ESV

I have been repeatedly drawn to verses this week speaking of the believer's glory in Christ and in the future. This has been a little uncomfortable in that my life is so flawed that I can hardly imagine being glorious in any way particularly in some relation to God who is unimaginable in his infinite glory. The verses in question are here:

Romans 2:7
We are to seek glory.
Romans 8:18
Glory will be revealed in us in the future.
Romans 8:29-30
Believers are glorified by God.
1 Cor 2:7
God desteind for our glory in through the gospel before time began.
1 Cor 15:40
Created things have variable kinds of glory.
2 Cor 3:18
Beholding the Lord's glory transforms us from one degree of glory to another.
2 Cor 4:17-18
Our suffering achieves for us an eternal glory.
2 Thes 2:14
We are called to share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

In prayer and in driving to work today it occurred to me that the creator receives glory from that which he has created. So, an artist paints a beautiful painting, and those who look upon it honor the artist for his creation. The more beautiful the painting, the more honor and glory given to the artist. In the same way, the Grand Canyon and the stars in the sky glorify God their creator (Ps 19:1, 1 Cor 15:40). So, to one degree or another, God is glorified by all of creation. The more glorious the creation, the more glory to God. Sin, however, detracts from the glory God receives for his creation. It is not that God is less glorious. It is that creation is subject to futility, and we are influenced by our sin nature and thus do not maintain the "beauty" in which we were originally intended. Sin causes the fading of the beauty of God's creation and thus detracts from the creations' effectiveness in glorifying the Almighty. God hates sin because he is Holy, but also because, I believe, it detracts from his justifiable glorification. Therefore, the more Christlike a believer is the more he becomes as God intended him to be. And the more one becomes as God intended him to be, the more God is glorified. We as we become like Christ receive glory because of Him in that our beauty, bestowed by God, is seen. We reflect the glory of God as we display his image in the transformation that he causes (2 Cro 3:18). We receive glory from God in his love for us, in our belonging to him and obeying him and in manifesting his original creative plan. Any glory we receive now or in the future is from God, by God and to God. It is not based on ourselves or what we do but what God does in and for us. God is glorified by us being glorified by God. It is incomprehensible to consider. Lord, what is man that you are mindful of him? Why do you love us so?

When God Is Gone

There are times when the palpable presence of God in my life disappears. The void is heavy and the satisfaction of my soul is missing. It may be associated with some persistent sin in my life or related to a period of decreased seeking for him, but sometimes these episodes occur seemingly "out of the blue." There are atleast two good things that come out of these times from my perspective. (I am sure God has more). First, the absence of God contrasts greatly with the presence of him in my life, as a moonless night contrasts with the mid-day sun. I would not fully know the joy and satisfaction of being with him if I could not compare it with times when he is missing. Second, my faith usually arises from these periods strengthened and deepened. I believe God has his sovereign purpose for these times. He is omnipresent in nature and trancends time and space, and yet his person can withdraw and leave us momentarily "forsaken" (Psalm 22:1). John Owen has some insight into periods in life where God seemingly has disappeared.


From "The Glory of Christ: His Office and His Grace." by John Owen

I Sought Him, but I Found Him Not

"Sometimes it may be that he is withdrawn from us, so as that we cannot hear his voice, nor behold his countenance, nor obtain any sense of his love, though we seek him with diligence. In this state, all our thoughts and meditations concerning him will be barren and fruitless, bringing in no spiritual refreshment into our souls.....The Lord Christ is pleased sometimes to withdraw himself from the spiritual experience of believers, as to any refreshing sense of his love, or the fresh communications of consolatory graces."

"Our duty in this case, is to persevere in our inqiries after him, in prayer, meditation, mourning, reading and hearing of the Word, in all ordinances of divine worship, private and public, in diligent obedience, until we find him, or he return to us, as in former days."

Fear God

The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord is avenging and wrathful;
the Lord takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.

The Lord is slow to anger and great in power,
and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.
His way is in whirlwind and storm,
and the clouds are the dust of his feet.

He rebukes the sea and makes it dry;
he dries up all the rivers;
Bashan and Carmel wither;
the bloom of Lebanon withers.

The mountains quake before him;
the hills melt;
the earth heaves before him,
the world and all who dwell in it.

Who can stand before his indignation?
Who can endure the heat of his anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire,
and the rocks are broken into pieces by him.

The Lord is good,
a stronghold in the day of trouble;
he knows those who take refuge in him.

But with an overflowing flood
he will make a complete end of the adversaries,
and will pursue his enemies into darkness.

God's wrath against Nineveh, Nahum 1:2-8.

From Faith for Faith

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Ro 1:16-17

Looking at verse 17 and again gaining insite from John Piper's sermons on Romans, Paul says the righteousness of God is revealed in it (the gospel) from faith (our faith). The righteousness of God is credited to us by God resulting from God's grace to us in our faith in him. Righteousness is established in faith and this empowers our persistence in faith (ie from faith to faith). Paul quoting Habakkuk 2:4 finishes verse 17 with the words, "the righteous shall live by faith." There are two possible interpretations for this ending. Both I believe are true, but the latter makes the most sense in context. The first is that we will live our lives here on earth by faith. So, as Paul says in Galatians..."the life I live in the body, I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal 2:20)" We are sustained and energized for life in faith. The second interpretaion is that the word "live" refers to eternal life in glory. We receive eternal life in heaven by faith. Piper discusses Romans 1:17 as being the verse that transformed Martin Luther as he realized the meaning and significance of Paul's words.

Observations:
1) The gospel reveals the crediting of righteousness to those who believe.
2) Faith is the "vehicle" through which righteousness is applied.
3) God is the power by which we receive righteousness.
4) Eternal life is the result of faith.
5) By inference, works are not necessary for imputed righteousness and eternal life.

The Gospel

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16

Again listening to John Piper's sermons on Romans. God spoke the gospel into place before the beginning of time. His word is efficacious in power to cause that which is spoken. The gospel is the good news for all who believe. It is the plan for salvation for christians but it is, being spoken into being by God, the power by which our salvation takes place. It does not fail. It is the sufficient power to overcome sin, death and damnation. The word salvation here refers to the completion of our deliverance into glory with Almighty God. God will not fail in the power of the gospel in this deliverance. The gospel is also the power by which we initially come to faith, but in this verse Paul speaks of the fulfillment of our salvation. Through faith in God and in his gospel and in our Lord Jesus Christ's death and resurrection in the power of the Spirit, we are saved. This verse sets out the only prerequisite to the application of God's saving power into our lives, namely faith. Everyone who believes will be saved. There is no work to be done. No sin excludes a person from salvation with the exception of unbelief. Praise be to the One who has saved us by his power...a power that cannot and will not fail.

Ashamed

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Romans 1:16 NIV



Just listened to John Piper's preaching on this verse. Piper separates being ashamed and being shamed. He says the christian will be shamed by those who do not believe because of the gospel. Examples of this could range from a rolling of the eyes, or a subtle comment implying you are a fool, all the way to physical humiliation such as Christ suffered. The gospel is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor 1:18). So we should not be surprised at shaming behavior directed toward us by those opposed to the good news. There are two possible options in response to shaming behavior directed toward us. The first is to avoid receiving the shame by watering down the gospel or altering are salty lives. The second is to respond as Jesus did. Christ suffered the ultimate humiliation in being stripped, beaten, mocked, spit upon and crucified. He endured this shaming by despising it (Heb 12:2). He looked to the glory to come and despised the shame. We also should look to the glory to come in response to shaming behavior. We should not hide the gospel --our testimonies and the salt of our lives-- in avoidance. We are to be shamed but not ashamed.

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Sermons/ByDate/1998/1042_Not_Ashamed_of_the_Gospel/

Fire For God.

God, I pray Thee,
Light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn out for Thee.
Consume my life, my God, for it is Thine.
I seek not a long life, but a full one.

Jim Elliot.

Handling Adversity

Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it, and let the event be just as providence orders it. I will as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin.

Jonathon Edwards, Resolution #57
June 9, and July 13 1723.

Lord, search my heart and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Ps 139:23,24
Amen

http://www.reformed.org/documents/Edwards/index.html?mainframe=/documents/Edwards/j_edwards_resolutions.html