How exactly does faith manifest itself in our lives? Does full contentment in our station in life constitute the kind of faith that pleases God? What then is contentment? Is it derived externally from getting one more material thing? Or is it the internal peace we get from knowing that God orders our steps, regardless of what we own... A.W. Tozer says that "things... were made for man's use, but they were always meant to be external to the man and subservient to him. Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and things were allowed to enter... God's gifts now take the place of God." And so discontent reigns because one more material thing can never satisfy. However, when we've learned to put 'things' and God in the proper order in our lives, then contentment reigns... and then we've come a long way in having a kind of faith that pleases God.
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quotes. Show all posts
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, November 30, 2009
What Can We Learn from Corrie?
Corrie ten Boom was a woman of God. The daughter of a watchmaker in Holland, she spent some awful times in the concentration camps during the terrible World War II era. She knew what it was to exercise her faith. She learned things in the fire of trials that many of us struggle our whole lifetime to learn. Here are some quotes from her book, 'The Hiding Place':
Dear Jesus... how foolish of me to have called for human help when You are here.
My job was simply to follow His leading one step at a time, holding every decision up to Him in prayer.
In the Bible I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains, but simply because He has made us.
If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.
Our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope.
In darkness, God's truth shines most clear.
I learned that love is larger than the walls which shut it in.
This was the great ploy of Satan in that kingdom of his: to display such blatant evil that one could almost believe one's own secret sins didn't matter.
There are no "ifs" in God's kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place.
When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
Dear Jesus... how foolish of me to have called for human help when You are here.
My job was simply to follow His leading one step at a time, holding every decision up to Him in prayer.
In the Bible I learn that God values us not for our strength or our brains, but simply because He has made us.
If people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love.
Our Bible was the center of an ever-widening circle of help and hope.
In darkness, God's truth shines most clear.
I learned that love is larger than the walls which shut it in.
This was the great ploy of Satan in that kingdom of his: to display such blatant evil that one could almost believe one's own secret sins didn't matter.
There are no "ifs" in God's kingdom. His timing is perfect. His will is our hiding place.
When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Fervent Prayer
Fervency in prayer - what does that mean? In my Puritan Paperback series, I am still reading 'The Secret Key to Heaven' (subtitled 'The Vital importance of Private Prayer') by Thomas Brooks. In this morning's reading, Brooks effectively used scripture to convict me of my lack of fervency in my conversations with God. While scripture is capable of standing alone, I find it helpful in understanding the Word when a man of God gives commentary on certain passages, bringing out the fuller and more robust meaning that the original writers intended. Ponder the following passages and the accompanying words from Brooks:
James 5:16 - “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” . The ‘working’ prayer; that is, such working prayer as sets the whole man to work, as sets all the faculties of the soul, and all the graces in the soul, to work. The word [fervent] signifies such a working as shows the liveliest activity that can be.
Acts 12:5 - “...but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God”. While Peter was in prison, prayer was being made by the church. The Greek word [for fervent] signifies instant prayer, earnest prayer, stretched out prayer. These gracious souls did in prayer strain and stretch themselves; they prayed with all the strength of their souls, and with all the fervency of their spirits.
Romans 12:11-12 - “Not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer”. The Greek word here for ‘fervent’ signifies seething hot; boiling hot; God loves to see his people zealous and warm in his service. Without fervency of spirit, no service finds acceptance in heaven. In verse 12, the word ‘devoted’ means continuing with all your might. It is a metaphor from hunting dogs, that will never give over the game until they have got it.
Romans 15:30 - “...strive together with me in your prayers to God for me”. Strive mightily, strive as champions strive, even to an agony. It is a military word, and notes such fervent wresting or striving, as is for life and death.
Colossians 4:12 - “...always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers”. Laboring signifies to strive or wrestle, as those do that strive for mastery. As the wrestlers do bend, and writhe, and stretch, and strain every joint of their bodies, that they may be victorious, so Epaphras did bend, and writhe, and stretch, and strain every joint of his soul that he might be victorious with God on the Colossians’ account.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Love's Fire
This may sound odd, but I like reading books by authors that have already died. The main reason for that is that they can't do or say anything now that disappoints me. Sure, there are contemporary writers that are solidly Christian who speak the truth, but once in a while even the best of them says or does something that makes me shake my head. But that's because we're all sinners.
One of my favorite dead authors is William Gurnall. He went to heaven more than 300 years ago. Even so, his words are just as relevant today as they were in his day. In his classic work, 'The Christian in Complete Armour', Gurnall makes this statement on the fire of love:
"Love is the great conqueror of the world. Thus if you are inflamed with love for Christ, you will toss all your worldly attractions to the four winds rather than tarnish His honor. Love is like a fire in that it consumes everything near it. It turns all into fire or ashes. Nothing foreign to the nature of fire can dwell very long with fire's own simple and pure nature. Thus love for Christ will not allow the existence of anything in the heart which is unlike Him."
"Love for Christ will not let you agree with anything which is against Him but, on the contrary, will take His part against every one of His enemies."
As long as dead authors keep making statements like that, I'll keep listening!
"Love for Christ will not let you agree with anything which is against Him but, on the contrary, will take His part against every one of His enemies."
As long as dead authors keep making statements like that, I'll keep listening!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The Importance of Private Prayer
Secret prayer. This is a spiritual discipline that I need much work in, and I venture to say that most Christians would say the same. Who of us is ready to claim in pride that we have arrived at a satisfactory level of prayer and communion with God ? When speaking of the faithful servant and praying Christian, Thomas Brooks makes some profound statements regarding this in his book ‘The Secret Key to Heaven, the Vital Importance of Private Prayer’. Listen to these words that fall from the pen of this Puritan writer:
“God may very well expect better and greater things from [gracious servants] than from all other servants in the world. God may very well expect that they should do singular things for his glory, who has done such singular things for their good. Certainly, God expects that gracious servants should be blessing him, when other servants are blaspheming him; that they should be magnifying him when other servants are debasing him; that they should be redeeming precious time when other servants are trifling, fooling, playing or sinning away precious time; that they should be weeping in a corner when other servants are playing sports and making themselves merry among their jovial companions; that they should be mourning in secret when other servants are sinning in secret; and that they should be at their private devotion when other servants are sleeping and snoring.” Can't I just hit the snooze button on the alarm just one more time?
But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you. - Matthew 6:6
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
A very common passage in Proverbs - quoted very often - is Proverbs 3:5-6. Say it with me class: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight". Most Christians know it. Most Christians have it memorized. Most of us can say it without thinking. But maybe that is a problem - saying it without thinking. I was convicted pretty harshly when I read what Charles Bridges had to say about this passage.
Listen to what this great man of God says: "It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the most ordinary matters of the day without [God's] counsel. He loves to be consulted. Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first place - before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency. Before any of these have been consulted, go to God at once. Consider no circumstance to clear to need His direction". Wow. That gives a fresh new meaning to 'in all your ways acknowledge Him'.
Listen to what this great man of God says: "It is nothing less than self-idolatry to conceive that we can carry on even the most ordinary matters of the day without [God's] counsel. He loves to be consulted. Therefore take all thy difficulties to be resolved by Him. Be in the habit of going to Him in the first place - before self-will, self-pleasing, self-wisdom, human friends, convenience, expediency. Before any of these have been consulted, go to God at once. Consider no circumstance to clear to need His direction". Wow. That gives a fresh new meaning to 'in all your ways acknowledge Him'.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Winning the War
William Gurnall suggests numerous ways in guarding against the assaults of the enemy. If your faith is ailing, he says, renew your repentance as if you had never repented. Put forth fresh acts of faith, as if you had never believed, and you will beat Satan at his own game. Gurnall says this is one way we maintain our assurance of salvation. If the devil continues to haunt you with fears of your spiritual condition, then appeal to God and hear the news from heaven, rather than listen to the tales your enemy brings from hell. If you would argue less with Satan and pray more to God about your fears, they would soon be resolved.
Sail away from the enemy and head straight for God's harbor. Make an honorable retreat into those assurances and strengths which Christ provides for his endangered soldiers.
Another way Gurnall states is helpful in the battling the sinking doubts of our faith is to tell a trusted Godly friend of your struggles, because it often brings relief. He says, 'you lose two blessings by keeping the devil's secrets - the counsel of your fellow brethren and their prayers. And what a serious loss it is!"
Fighting the good fight,
Mark
Sail away from the enemy and head straight for God's harbor. Make an honorable retreat into those assurances and strengths which Christ provides for his endangered soldiers.
Another way Gurnall states is helpful in the battling the sinking doubts of our faith is to tell a trusted Godly friend of your struggles, because it often brings relief. He says, 'you lose two blessings by keeping the devil's secrets - the counsel of your fellow brethren and their prayers. And what a serious loss it is!"
Fighting the good fight,
Mark
Saturday, February 21, 2009
The Meaning of Heroism
"Today the word 'hero' has been diminished, confused with 'celebrity'. But in my father's generation the word meant something. Celebrities seek fame. They take no actions to get attention. Most often, the actions they take have no particular moral content. Heroes are heroes because they have risked something to help others. Their action involves courage."- James Bradley, author of 'Flags of our Father" and son of John Bradley, one of the flag raisers on Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima
Saturday, February 7, 2009
The Cry of a Convicted Sinner
Extracted from ‘The Valley of Vision’ – A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
Save me from myself,
from the artifices and deceit of sin,
from the treachery of my perverse nature,
from denying Thy charge against offences,
from a life of continual rebellion against thee,
from wrong principles, views, and ends;
for I know that all my thoughts, affections, desires and pursuits are alienated from thee.
Save me from myself,
from the artifices and deceit of sin,
from the treachery of my perverse nature,
from denying Thy charge against offences,
from a life of continual rebellion against thee,
from wrong principles, views, and ends;
for I know that all my thoughts, affections, desires and pursuits are alienated from thee.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Theological Political Correctness
We live in an age of 'political correctness' - speaking or acting in such a way as to make sure no one people group is offended. Everyone is so sensitive these days! Of course, we Christians do not want to offend a brother or sister, but sometimes we avoid offense at the expense of truth. We need to confront sin and we need to confront bad theology... we need to speak the truth, and we need to speak it in love.
Listen to these words from Bishop J.C. Ryle on 'sin'. It is amazing that he wrote these more than 100 years ago. If I didn't know that, I would have thought he wrote them yesterday. How timely they are:
A scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the extravagantly broad and liberal theology which is so much in vogue at the present time. The tendency of modern thought is to reject dogmas, creeds, and every kind of bounds in religion. It is thought grand and wise to condemn no opinion whatsoever, and to pronounce all earnest and clever teachers to be trustworthy, however heterogeneous and mutually destructive their opinions may be. Everything…is true, and nothing is false! Everybody is right, and nobody is wrong! Everybody is likely to be saved, and nobody is to be lost! The atonement and substitution of Christ, the personality of the devil, the miraculous element in the Scripture, the reality and eternity of future punishment, all these mighty foundation-stones are coolly tossed overboard, like lumber, in order to lighten the ship of Christianity, and enable it to keep pace with modern science. Stand up for these great verities, and you are called narrow, illiberal, old-fashioned, and a theological fossil! I know nothing so likely to counteract this modern plague as constant clear statements about the nature, reality, vileness, power and guilt of sin.
Listen to these words from Bishop J.C. Ryle on 'sin'. It is amazing that he wrote these more than 100 years ago. If I didn't know that, I would have thought he wrote them yesterday. How timely they are:
A scriptural view of sin is one of the best antidotes to the extravagantly broad and liberal theology which is so much in vogue at the present time. The tendency of modern thought is to reject dogmas, creeds, and every kind of bounds in religion. It is thought grand and wise to condemn no opinion whatsoever, and to pronounce all earnest and clever teachers to be trustworthy, however heterogeneous and mutually destructive their opinions may be. Everything…is true, and nothing is false! Everybody is right, and nobody is wrong! Everybody is likely to be saved, and nobody is to be lost! The atonement and substitution of Christ, the personality of the devil, the miraculous element in the Scripture, the reality and eternity of future punishment, all these mighty foundation-stones are coolly tossed overboard, like lumber, in order to lighten the ship of Christianity, and enable it to keep pace with modern science. Stand up for these great verities, and you are called narrow, illiberal, old-fashioned, and a theological fossil! I know nothing so likely to counteract this modern plague as constant clear statements about the nature, reality, vileness, power and guilt of sin.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Some Advice from Bishop J.C. Ryle
Listen to me and I will give you a few short hints [on reading the Bible]:
1). Begin reading your Bible this very day. The way to do a thing is to do it, and the way to read the Bible is to actually read it. It is not meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it. You must positively read.
2). Read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it. A Bible that is not understood is a Bible that does no good. Work hard, and do not give up the work in a hurry.
3). Read the Bible with deep reverence. So to your soul, whenever you open your Bible, "O my soul, thou art going to read a message from God."
4). Read the Bible with earnest prayer for the teaching and help of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the Spirit to guide you into all truth. You should beg the Lord Jesus Christ to "open your understanding".
5). Read the Bible with a child-like faith and humility. Resolve to receive heartily every statement of truth, whether you like it or not.
6). Read the Bible with a spirit of obedience and self-application. Sit down to the study of it with a daily determination that you will live by its rules, rest on its statements, and act on its commands. The Bible is read best, which is practiced most.
7). Read the Bible daily. Yesterday’s bread will not feed the labourer today, and today’s bread will not feed the labourer tomorrow. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give the Bible the best and not the worst part of your time.
8). Read all the Bible and read it in an orderly way.
9). Read the Bible fairly and honestly. The right way of interpreting Scripture is to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system.
10). Read the Bible with Christ continually in view. The grand primary view of all Scripture is to testify of Jesus.
1). Begin reading your Bible this very day. The way to do a thing is to do it, and the way to read the Bible is to actually read it. It is not meaning, or wishing, or resolving, or intending, or thinking about it. You must positively read.
2). Read the Bible with an earnest desire to understand it. A Bible that is not understood is a Bible that does no good. Work hard, and do not give up the work in a hurry.
3). Read the Bible with deep reverence. So to your soul, whenever you open your Bible, "O my soul, thou art going to read a message from God."
4). Read the Bible with earnest prayer for the teaching and help of the Holy Spirit. Pray for the Spirit to guide you into all truth. You should beg the Lord Jesus Christ to "open your understanding".
5). Read the Bible with a child-like faith and humility. Resolve to receive heartily every statement of truth, whether you like it or not.
6). Read the Bible with a spirit of obedience and self-application. Sit down to the study of it with a daily determination that you will live by its rules, rest on its statements, and act on its commands. The Bible is read best, which is practiced most.
7). Read the Bible daily. Yesterday’s bread will not feed the labourer today, and today’s bread will not feed the labourer tomorrow. Do not scramble over and hurry your reading. Give the Bible the best and not the worst part of your time.
8). Read all the Bible and read it in an orderly way.
9). Read the Bible fairly and honestly. The right way of interpreting Scripture is to take it as we find it, without any attempt to force it into any particular system.
10). Read the Bible with Christ continually in view. The grand primary view of all Scripture is to testify of Jesus.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Enjoying God Forever
"Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;
In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."
- Psalm 16:11
Q:What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever – according to The Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism.
John Piper, in his book ‘Desiring God’ states it a little differently by stating, "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever".
Are people, are Christian people glorifying God? Are they enjoying God? Jonathan Rauch in the May 2003 issue of Atlantic Monthly magazine coined the word ‘APATHEISM’. He defined it as ‘a disinclination to care all that much about one’s own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people’s’. He says that apatheists ‘are neither controlled by godly passion nor concerned about the religious beliefs of others’. He goes on to say that ‘even regular church-goers can, and often do, rank high on the apatheism scale’.
What about us? Are we indifferent, middle-of-the-road, fence-straddling apathetic people or passionately awestruck and devoted, zealous lovers of God?
Take a look at the following quotes:
Dr. Sam Storms - "One Thing":
"God created you... for the heart-pounding joy and mind-bending fascination and white-hot happiness that comes from relishing and rejoicing in the beauty of Jesus Christ. To relish and rejoice in the beauty of God alone accounts for why we exist. It’s also the solution to our struggle with sin. Enjoying God is the catalyst for substantive and lasting change. And enjoying God is the soul’s sole satisfaction, with which no rival pleasure can hope to compete."
A.W. Tozer - "The Pursuit of God":
"God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole lives there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than just a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day".
Charles Spurgeon
"Delighting in God exerts a transforming power upon us and lifts us above the wrong desires of our fallen nature".
Because we were created in the image of God and created for His glory we need to respond to his great love by magnifying Him above all things. Psalm 34:3 - O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Sam Storms draws a vivid analogy using microscopes and telescopes. Both microscopes and telescopes are designed to magnify objects. A microscope magnifies by focusing on something quite small causing it to look much larger than it really is - this is magnification by distortion. On the other hand, a telescope magnifies by focusing on something indescribably huge and massive and causing it to appear as it really is. Are we viewing God through a microscope or a telescope?
To see God (and enjoy him) through the telescope requires a few disciplines:
1). A focused heart - Philippians 4:8 - endeavor to increase your spiritual appetite by meditating on spiritual objects. This requires an intensity and exclusivity of your devotion
2). Proper posturing - endeavor to promote your spiritual appetite by laying yourself in the way of allurement – that is, exposing your soul to the things that awaken spiritual desire and deepen holy longings
3). Expressing worship - we should express our longings to God; they will increase by being expressed. Our passions often wither in silence. "...we delight to praise what we enjoy...praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment" - C.S. Lewis
Knowing and enjoying God with you,
Mark
In Thy presence is fullness of joy;
In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."
- Psalm 16:11
Q:What is the chief end of man?
A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever – according to The Westminster Confession of Faith Shorter Catechism.
John Piper, in his book ‘Desiring God’ states it a little differently by stating, "The chief end of man is to glorify God BY enjoying Him forever".
Are people, are Christian people glorifying God? Are they enjoying God? Jonathan Rauch in the May 2003 issue of Atlantic Monthly magazine coined the word ‘APATHEISM’. He defined it as ‘a disinclination to care all that much about one’s own religion, and an even stronger disinclination to care about other people’s’. He says that apatheists ‘are neither controlled by godly passion nor concerned about the religious beliefs of others’. He goes on to say that ‘even regular church-goers can, and often do, rank high on the apatheism scale’.
What about us? Are we indifferent, middle-of-the-road, fence-straddling apathetic people or passionately awestruck and devoted, zealous lovers of God?
Take a look at the following quotes:
Dr. Sam Storms - "One Thing":
"God created you... for the heart-pounding joy and mind-bending fascination and white-hot happiness that comes from relishing and rejoicing in the beauty of Jesus Christ. To relish and rejoice in the beauty of God alone accounts for why we exist. It’s also the solution to our struggle with sin. Enjoying God is the catalyst for substantive and lasting change. And enjoying God is the soul’s sole satisfaction, with which no rival pleasure can hope to compete."
A.W. Tozer - "The Pursuit of God":
"God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole lives there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than just a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day".
Charles Spurgeon
"Delighting in God exerts a transforming power upon us and lifts us above the wrong desires of our fallen nature".
Because we were created in the image of God and created for His glory we need to respond to his great love by magnifying Him above all things. Psalm 34:3 - O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together. Sam Storms draws a vivid analogy using microscopes and telescopes. Both microscopes and telescopes are designed to magnify objects. A microscope magnifies by focusing on something quite small causing it to look much larger than it really is - this is magnification by distortion. On the other hand, a telescope magnifies by focusing on something indescribably huge and massive and causing it to appear as it really is. Are we viewing God through a microscope or a telescope?
To see God (and enjoy him) through the telescope requires a few disciplines:
1). A focused heart - Philippians 4:8 - endeavor to increase your spiritual appetite by meditating on spiritual objects. This requires an intensity and exclusivity of your devotion
2). Proper posturing - endeavor to promote your spiritual appetite by laying yourself in the way of allurement – that is, exposing your soul to the things that awaken spiritual desire and deepen holy longings
3). Expressing worship - we should express our longings to God; they will increase by being expressed. Our passions often wither in silence. "...we delight to praise what we enjoy...praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment" - C.S. Lewis
Knowing and enjoying God with you,
Mark
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Things to Avoid
Things to Avoid
By Martyn Lloyd-Jones - taken from his exposition on Ephesians 6
1). The first thing we have to avoid is dissipation of energy. However much energy we may have, if we misuse it, dissipate it, throw it away, the result will be that we shall have less of it, and will become less effective and efficient. The need is for our activity to be thoughtful, disciplined, governed and directed. Every man has to sit down and plan his life, and decide what he can do and what he cannot do. He must be resolute, and not governed by ‘what people say’.
2). I suggest that we must also avoid spending too much time in what I would call ‘enervating atmospheres’. If you are in a wrong atmosphere, you will not feel very strong. We can spend too much time in the wrong company. If you spend too much of your time in a worldly atmosphere you will find that the edge of your spiritual life will become dulled… you will not be able to pray so well, and you will lose your taste for the scriptures. Lets make sure we are not producing a wrong atmosphere by [foolish talking and jesting]. That type of talk belongs to the world and not to us.
3). Avoid bad reading… general reading, polluting reading. There is much nonsense being talked about these days. The Apostle [Paul] states it thus in Romans 13:14: ‘…make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof’. If you feed the flesh do not be surprised if you fall into its temptations and its lusts; make no provision for it. Let us watch our general reading. Keep a watch on your thoughts and imaginations. Thoughts and imaginations can be evil, and we are to mortify them speedily.
4). We are to avoid people who do not believe in the Bible as the Word of God, for they will do you harm; they will take from your spiritual energy and you will eventually become diseased. I am referring to a certain attitude about the scriptures, to the teaching that man with his reason is able to determine what is right and what is wrong. Have no fellowship with [Christians] who do not believe the Bible to be the Word of God. [They] undermine the very basis and foundation of the faith; have no fellowship with him.
By Martyn Lloyd-Jones - taken from his exposition on Ephesians 6
1). The first thing we have to avoid is dissipation of energy. However much energy we may have, if we misuse it, dissipate it, throw it away, the result will be that we shall have less of it, and will become less effective and efficient. The need is for our activity to be thoughtful, disciplined, governed and directed. Every man has to sit down and plan his life, and decide what he can do and what he cannot do. He must be resolute, and not governed by ‘what people say’.
2). I suggest that we must also avoid spending too much time in what I would call ‘enervating atmospheres’. If you are in a wrong atmosphere, you will not feel very strong. We can spend too much time in the wrong company. If you spend too much of your time in a worldly atmosphere you will find that the edge of your spiritual life will become dulled… you will not be able to pray so well, and you will lose your taste for the scriptures. Lets make sure we are not producing a wrong atmosphere by [foolish talking and jesting]. That type of talk belongs to the world and not to us.
3). Avoid bad reading… general reading, polluting reading. There is much nonsense being talked about these days. The Apostle [Paul] states it thus in Romans 13:14: ‘…make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof’. If you feed the flesh do not be surprised if you fall into its temptations and its lusts; make no provision for it. Let us watch our general reading. Keep a watch on your thoughts and imaginations. Thoughts and imaginations can be evil, and we are to mortify them speedily.
4). We are to avoid people who do not believe in the Bible as the Word of God, for they will do you harm; they will take from your spiritual energy and you will eventually become diseased. I am referring to a certain attitude about the scriptures, to the teaching that man with his reason is able to determine what is right and what is wrong. Have no fellowship with [Christians] who do not believe the Bible to be the Word of God. [They] undermine the very basis and foundation of the faith; have no fellowship with him.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
A Good Conscience
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. - 1 Timothy 1:5
This morning's Sunday School had us discussing 'conscience' - that inner knowledge, that little voice that God gave us all to know right from wrong.
We can sear our conscience and then the lines between right and wrong become very blurry. Or we can cultivate our conscience by staying saturated with the Word and confessing our sins regularly. Thinking on good things helps us in purity of heart and cultivating a good conscience.
Along with a steady diet of Bible study and the habit of confession, reading good Christian books helps us in this endeavor. Consider the following paragraphs that I quote from a book called 'A Sure Guide to Heaven', written by Puritan author Joseph Alleine. Reading things like this help us in our self-examination, making us think through issues like sin, salvation, purity, cleanliness and conscience.
When a man is converted, he is forever at enmity with sin; yes with all sin, but most of all his own sins. Sin is now the object of his indignation. His sin swells his sorrows. It is sin that pierces him and wounds him; he feels it like a thorn in his side, like a prick in his eyes. He groans and struggles under it… he cries out ‘O wretched man!’ He is not impatient of any burden so much as of his sin. If God should give him his choice, he would choose any affliction so he might be rid of sin; he feels it like the cutting gravel in his shoes, pricking and paining him as he goes.
Before conversion he had light thoughts of sin. He cherished it in his bosom. But when God opens his eyes by conversion, he throws it away with abhorrence. When a man is savingly changed, he is deeply convinced not only of the dangers but the defilement of sin; and O, how earnest is he with God to be purified! He loathes himself for his sins. He runs to Christ and casts himself into the fountain set open for him and for uncleanness. If he fall, what a stir is there to get all clean again! He has no rest until he flees to the Word, and washes and rubs and rinses in the infinite fountain.
The sound convert is heartily engaged against sin. He struggles with it, he wars against it; he is too often foiled, but he will never yield the cause, nor lay down his weapons, while he has breath in his body. He will rather throw his gain down the gutter, see his credit fail, or the flower of his pleasure wither in his hand, than he will allow himself in any known way of sin. He will grant no indulgence, he will give no toleration.
Reader, has conscience been at work while you have been looking over these lines? Have you pondered these things in your heart? Have you searched the book within? Make your conscience speak, whether or not it is thus with you.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
George Mueller, Devoted to Prayer - Part 3
So, what can we learn from this man of God, George Mueller?
He was a man who was fully devoted to prayer. After having been sickly as a young man, by 1839, George was physically and mentally healthy than he’d ever been. He attributed this to his habit of rising early to pray (and the eccentric habit of dunking his head in cold water).
George also realized that God's sovereignty was at the very root of his confidence. He said, "God is almighty, the hearts of all men are in his hands."
I will let Mueller speak for himself as I make several observations from his life. Quotes are taken from the biography, Delighed in God, by Roger Steer.
Mueller had proper FOCUS – "My eyes look not at the empty stores and the empty purse, but to the riches of the Lord only".
Mueller had NO WORRIES – "Our need is my comfort"
Mueller had JOY – "Inexpressible was the delight I had in God, who had thus given me the full answer to my thousands of prayers"
Mueller had PATIENCE – "See how precious it is to wait on God! See how those who do not do so our confounded! Is it not manifest that it is most precious, in every way to depend on God?"
Mueller had VISION – "My chief object was the glory of God, by giving a practical demonstration as to what could be accomplished simply through the instrumentality of prayer and faith". (reflecting on the days when he was seeking God for wisdom regarding starting the orphanage)
Mueller had unshakable FAITH– "My hope was in God alone. I knew him, and I knew He would do what was best for me. My heart was satisfied with Him. I delighted myself in Him." (when he thought his first wife was dying from a serious illness. She survived that particular illness.)
Mueller had PERSEVERANCE – "The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying; they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it. He has heard my prayers tens of thousands of times. Once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes – George Mueller never gives up!"
Many people would ask George the secret to his spiritual success, to which he would reply,
"There was a day when I died, utterly died. Died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will – died to the world, its approval or censure – died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends – and since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God".
George Mueller did die... physically. On March 10, 1898 at 6:00am, George peacefully went to his heavenly home... but not without making an eternal impact in this world.
What will you and I accomplish as a result of meeting with God in prayer???
He was a man who was fully devoted to prayer. After having been sickly as a young man, by 1839, George was physically and mentally healthy than he’d ever been. He attributed this to his habit of rising early to pray (and the eccentric habit of dunking his head in cold water).
George also realized that God's sovereignty was at the very root of his confidence. He said, "God is almighty, the hearts of all men are in his hands."
I will let Mueller speak for himself as I make several observations from his life. Quotes are taken from the biography, Delighed in God, by Roger Steer.
Mueller had proper FOCUS – "My eyes look not at the empty stores and the empty purse, but to the riches of the Lord only".
Mueller had NO WORRIES – "Our need is my comfort"
Mueller had JOY – "Inexpressible was the delight I had in God, who had thus given me the full answer to my thousands of prayers"
Mueller had PATIENCE – "See how precious it is to wait on God! See how those who do not do so our confounded! Is it not manifest that it is most precious, in every way to depend on God?"
Mueller had VISION – "My chief object was the glory of God, by giving a practical demonstration as to what could be accomplished simply through the instrumentality of prayer and faith". (reflecting on the days when he was seeking God for wisdom regarding starting the orphanage)
Mueller had unshakable FAITH– "My hope was in God alone. I knew him, and I knew He would do what was best for me. My heart was satisfied with Him. I delighted myself in Him." (when he thought his first wife was dying from a serious illness. She survived that particular illness.)
Mueller had PERSEVERANCE – "The great fault of the children of God is, they do not continue in prayer; they do not go on praying; they do not persevere. If they desire anything for God’s glory, they should pray until they get it. He has heard my prayers tens of thousands of times. Once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes – George Mueller never gives up!"
Many people would ask George the secret to his spiritual success, to which he would reply,
"There was a day when I died, utterly died. Died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will – died to the world, its approval or censure – died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends – and since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God".
George Mueller did die... physically. On March 10, 1898 at 6:00am, George peacefully went to his heavenly home... but not without making an eternal impact in this world.
What will you and I accomplish as a result of meeting with God in prayer???
Friday, July 18, 2008
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
When I get to heaven, one of the people I want to have conversations with would be Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He went to heaven on March 1, 1981. I was finishing up eleventh grade at that time and had no clue who this man was back then. In the last six or seven years though, I have grown to love this man who has written many books and commentaries that have impacted my life profoundly. He was a master using the right words to convey the message that was intended in the scriptures. In some cases, he'd spend hundreds of pages expositing just one verse, mining deep and pulling out those great spiritual nuggets of gold. I try to read at least two of his commentaries every year - there are many volumes to Romans, eight on Ephesians, two on Philippians, two on the Sermon on the Mount, several on Acts and others. There is no shortage of reading material from this great Bible teacher. Below are some of my favorite quotes out of one of my recent readings from Romans 1.
What a denial of Scripture it is to say it does not matter very much what you believe as long as you call yourself a Christian in general, or to say that you need not hold on to these doctrines as absolutes.
It ought to be impossible for us to use the word ‘gospel’ without bursting forth, as it were, into a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
The Bible is authoritative. It is the only authority. It is our only rule and standard, and we must abide by its teaching in every respect. I must not believe anything unless it is plainly stated in the Scriptures or else can be ultimately deduced from the Scriptures.
[Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ] means a surrender of ourselves, a committal of ourselves, the involvement of our whole personality. No one can be regarded as having believed the gospel who has not repented and turned from a life of sin to a life of obedience to God in Christ Jesus.
Who are the unstable? The unstable are always the unlearned. The spiritual butterflies are the people who do not know doctrine. It is the unlearned who are always unstable, and every single New Testament epistle was written in order to stabilize people, to establish them, to ground them, to root them! And it is by the doctrines, the teaching, and the exposition that it is done. It is not entertainment we need. It is truth. It is knowledge. There are no shortcuts in the spiritual life. You cannot gallop through these epistles. You cannot rush through them a chapter at a time. It is only a deep and thorough knowledge of the Word that will give us true stability.
What a denial of Scripture it is to say it does not matter very much what you believe as long as you call yourself a Christian in general, or to say that you need not hold on to these doctrines as absolutes.
It ought to be impossible for us to use the word ‘gospel’ without bursting forth, as it were, into a hymn of praise and thanksgiving.
The Bible is authoritative. It is the only authority. It is our only rule and standard, and we must abide by its teaching in every respect. I must not believe anything unless it is plainly stated in the Scriptures or else can be ultimately deduced from the Scriptures.
[Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ] means a surrender of ourselves, a committal of ourselves, the involvement of our whole personality. No one can be regarded as having believed the gospel who has not repented and turned from a life of sin to a life of obedience to God in Christ Jesus.
Who are the unstable? The unstable are always the unlearned. The spiritual butterflies are the people who do not know doctrine. It is the unlearned who are always unstable, and every single New Testament epistle was written in order to stabilize people, to establish them, to ground them, to root them! And it is by the doctrines, the teaching, and the exposition that it is done. It is not entertainment we need. It is truth. It is knowledge. There are no shortcuts in the spiritual life. You cannot gallop through these epistles. You cannot rush through them a chapter at a time. It is only a deep and thorough knowledge of the Word that will give us true stability.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Ben Franklin's Virtues and Precepts
My kids recently attended Vacation Bible School at our church, where they learned about money... spending it, giving it and saving it. There were many principles that all of us adults in attendance learned too. One night we went home with a small 3x5 card with Ben Franklin's Virtues and Precepts. Take a look at these:
1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness.
2. SILENCE - Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY - Make no expenses but to do good to others or yourself. Waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; always be employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION - Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILTY - Do not be disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. HUMILTY - Imitate Jesus
Good advice...
1. TEMPERANCE - Eat not to dullness.
2. SILENCE - Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER - Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION - Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY - Make no expenses but to do good to others or yourself. Waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY - Lose no time; always be employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY - Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE - Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION - Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS - Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. TRANQUILTY - Do not be disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. HUMILTY - Imitate Jesus
Good advice...
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
A Man of God - Aiden Wilson Tozer
A few days ago marked the 45th anniversary of one of the great ones. A.W. Tozer went to be with the Lord on May 12, 1963 - his headstone marked with the engraving 'A. W. Tozer - A Man of God'. Tozer is the author of many books, including the Christian classic, 'The Pursuit of God'. This book has had a profound impact in my life. Aside from the Bible, this is probably my most favorite book on my bookshelf. I've read it numerous times and it still speaks to me. I highly recommend it.Here are a few quotes from it that are worth reading over and over again:
It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the kingdom, to see God’s children starving while actually seated at the Father’s table. Page 8
Sound Biblical exposition is an imperative must in the Church of the Living God! Page 9
How tragic that we in this dark day have had our seeking done for us by our teachers. Page 16
The simplicity which is in Christ is rarely found among us. In its stead are programs, methods, organizations and a world of nervous activities which occupy time and attention but can never satisfy the longing of the heart. Page 17
The man who has God for his treasure has all things in One. Page 19
Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and things were allowed to enter. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution. Page 22
The way to deeper knowledge of God is through the lonely valleys of soul poverty and abnegation of all things. The blessed ones who possess the kingdom are they who have repudiated every external thing and have rooted from their hearts all sense of possessing. These blessed poor are no longer slaves to the tyranny of things. They have broken the yoke of the oppressor; and this they have done not by fighting but by surrendering. Page 23
God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole lives there. This is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day. Page 34
The great of the kingdom have been those who loved God more than others did. Page 38
No one need to be poor, because if he chooses, he can have Jesus for his own property and possession. Page 39
Self is the opaque veil that hides the face of God from us. Page 43
Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life, hoping ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life and then reckon it crucified. Page 44
Why do the very ransomed children of God themselves know so little of that habitual, conscious communion with God which Scripture offers? The answer is because of our chronic unbelief. Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things. Page 49-50
If we cooperate with Him in loving obedience, God will manifest himself to us, and that manifestation will be the difference between a nominal Christian life and a life radiant with the light of His face. Page 60
It will require a determined heart and more than a little courage to wrench ourselves loose from the grip of our times and return to biblical ways. Page 66
Our thought habits are those of the scientist, not those of the worshiper. We are more likely to explain than adore. Page 74
It is important that we get still to wait on God. And it is best that we get alone, preferably with our Bible outspread before us. Page 76
If you would follow on to know the Lord, come at once to the open Bible expecting it to speak to you. Do not come with the notion that it is a thing that you may push around at your convenience. Page 78
Faith is the gaze of the soul upon a saving God. Page 83
The man seeking mercy looks straight at the God of mercy and never takes his eyes away from Him until He grants mercy. (Psalm 123:1-2) Page 83
While we are looking at God we do not see ourselves – blessed riddance. The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One. Page 85
As long as Christ sits on the mediatorial throne, every day is a good day and all days are days of salvation. Page 88
The cause of all our human miseries is a radical moral dislocation, an upset in our relation to God and to each other. Page 93
Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image. Page 95
God being who and what He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full Lordship on His part and complete submission on ours. We owe Him every honor that is in our power to give Him. Our everlasting grief lies in giving Him anything less. Page 96
"Be thou exalted" (Psalm 21:13) is the language of victorious spiritual experience. Let the seeking man reach a place where his life and his lips join to say continually, "Be thou exalted", and a thousand minor problems will be solved at once. His Christian life ceases to be the complicated thing it had been before and becomes the very essence of simplicity. Page 97
Pride, arrogance, resentfulness, evil imaginings, malice, greed are the sources of more human pain than all the diseases that ever afflicted mortal flesh. Page 104
The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world is not worth the effort. Page 106
The rest He offers is the rest of meekness, the blessed relief which comes when we accept ourselves for what we are and cease to pretend. Page 109
Let us practice the fine art of making every work a priestly ministration. Let us believe that God is in all our simple deeds and learn to find Him there. Page 117
It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it. The motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. Page 120-121
If A.W. Tozer could speak to us today, he would tell us that his 'pursuit of God' was well worth the effort.
Mark
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Patriotic Quiz
To whom are the following quotes attributed?1). The propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.
2). Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land, Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: 'In God is our trust.'
3). God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?
4). I am profitably engaged in reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance by faith, and you will live and die a better man.
5). It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor.
6). The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.
7). I don’t think it’s healthy for public figures to wear religion on their sleeve as a means to insulate themselves from criticism.
8). I think there is an enormous danger on the part of public figures to rationalize or justify their actions by claiming God’s mandate.
Answers:
1). George Washington - Father of our Country - First Inaugural address.
2). Francis Scott Key - excerpt from 4th verse of the Star Spangled Banner (National Anthem).
3). Benjamin Franklin - Signer of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
4). Abraham Lincoln - Sixteenth President of the United States
5). George Washington, Thanksgiving Proclamation October 3, 1789
6). John F. Kennedy - Thirty Fifth President of the United States
7). Barack Hussein Obama - Democratic candidate for President of the United States
8). Barack Hussein Obama - Democratic candidate for President of the United States
Friday, April 18, 2008
Christian Influence
In the greatest sermon ever preached, Jesus Christ said 'you are the salt of the earth' (Matthew 5:14). He most assuredly was speaking to the fact of the Christian's influence in the culture.I am not sure who Elihu Burrit is, but he makes the following statement (as quoted in The New Testament Commentary Matthew 1-7, by John F. MacArthur) :
"No human being can come into this world without increasing or diminishing the sum total of human happiness, not only of the present but of every subsequent age of humanity. No one can detach himself from this connection. There is no sequestered spot in the universe, no dark niche along the disc of nonexistence to which he can retreat from his relations with others, where he can withdraw the influence of his existence upon the moral destiny of the world. Everywhere his presence or absence will be felt. Everywhere he will have companions who will be better or worse because of him. It is an old saying, and one of the fearful and fathomless statements of import, that we are forming characters for eternity. Forming characters? Whose? Our own or others? Both. And in that momentous fact lies peril and responsibility of our existence. Who is sufficient for the thought? Thousands of my fellow beings will yearly enter eternity with characters differing from those they would have carried thither had I never lived."
Am I making a difference?
Are you?
Mark
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