It has been over three months since I have written in my blog. I have always struggled with journaling and it looks like that struggle has carried over to my blogging. Not that blogging is a moral issue but it is always good to persevere in things that you start.
This reminds me of a very precious spiritual truth, one that I have written on before. This truth is that God always accomplishes what He sets out to do. Not only does He not change His mind (Num. 23:19), but if God speaks or plans it, it is finished (Job 42:2; Is 55:11). In fact, in God's mind, our glorification as believers is as done as our predestination and justification (Rom. 8: 29-30). This truth is so comforting, knowing that if I wake up tomorrow I will be a Christian because God is the Author of my faith (Heb. 12:2) and He is committed to His work in me (1 Thess 5:23-24). He has decided it, He will surely do it! Yes!! God is not like me!!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
You Must Be Born Again
A cool thing happened to me the other night; I was reminded once again of how dependent I am upon the Spirit to know and understand God. Again, this happened while I was delivering Chinese food. I had a break and was reading John 3 where Jesus tells Nicodemus, "unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God". Jesus reiterates this a couple of verses later saying, "You must be born again". Then Jesus goes on to speak of the Spirit's sovereignty in regeneration. As I was reading this, the song from the Valley of Vision CD was playing, "Who Made Me to Know You". What a cool moment it was for me, as I am reading those amazing words that I must be born again, this song is proclaiming, "Who made me to know you but you... Thank you, Father, for the Spirit's work in me, for opening my eyes to the Christ of Calvary"... What a good place we are in, fellow believers, for the Spirit has chosen to act upon us, regenerate us, and cause us to see Christ! Without the Spirit's enlightenment, all of this would be folly to us (1 Cor. 2:14).
Friday, March 7, 2008
A Mere Breath
Bentley, the son of my friends Danny and Nikki, was able to come home Wednesday from the hospital, the place where he spent the first month of his life. Bentley had some tears in his lungs which caused him to not be able to breathe on his own. We are so thankful that God healed him and sustained his little body through so much trauma.
As I was reading in the Psalms a couple of weeks ago, I came across this verse in chapter 39 verse 5... "Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!" This got me to thinking about how fragile life is, how we are truly just one breathe away from being ushered into eternity. Do I live life in light of this reality? Do I feel my complete dependence upon God for even my next breath? Do I evangelise with the mindset that all unbelievers are one breath away from eternal torment in hell? Am I living with a thankfulness and humility that I cannot keep myself alive, much less do a spiritual work in my heart that saves and sustains me? (which God has so graciously done!) All to often I do not. We are just as dependent on God for our next breath as Bentley was, and is! May we, along with Moses (who saw a lot of death in the wilderness as CJ Mahaney points out) pray, "teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Ps 90:12). We are, after all, "a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:14).
As I was reading in the Psalms a couple of weeks ago, I came across this verse in chapter 39 verse 5... "Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath!" This got me to thinking about how fragile life is, how we are truly just one breathe away from being ushered into eternity. Do I live life in light of this reality? Do I feel my complete dependence upon God for even my next breath? Do I evangelise with the mindset that all unbelievers are one breath away from eternal torment in hell? Am I living with a thankfulness and humility that I cannot keep myself alive, much less do a spiritual work in my heart that saves and sustains me? (which God has so graciously done!) All to often I do not. We are just as dependent on God for our next breath as Bentley was, and is! May we, along with Moses (who saw a lot of death in the wilderness as CJ Mahaney points out) pray, "teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (Ps 90:12). We are, after all, "a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes" (James 4:14).
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Taste It Again For The First Time
Remember that old Kellogg's Cornflakes commercial, "Taste it again for the first time." I think this is a good illustration of what God is calling us to concerning His gospel, savoring it again like it was the first time. Often as humans we grow bored with what we do every day, but the miracle of it all is just this, that as we continually come back and reflect on Christ's work on the cross on our behalf and live in the good of all that His sacrifice and resurrection provide, this work, and our Savior and God, become all the more sweet. We never grow tired of it as the Spirit teaches us again and again of the depths of Calvary. I am reminded of a few Scriptures in the Psalms...
16:11-You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.
34:8-Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
36:7-8-How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
The miracle that we can know God through Christ is quite sweet! May we spend hours relishing Christ!
16:11-You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forever.
34:8-Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
36:7-8-How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
The miracle that we can know God through Christ is quite sweet! May we spend hours relishing Christ!
Friday, February 15, 2008
Amazement
There are at least two things I am amazed at; my continuing sin, and God's continuing grace. I was reflecting on this tonight, that my affections for Christ are so weak at times. I find myself drifting through the day giving short thoughts to my Saviour but nothing that affects my heart very much. Not only are my sins of commission bad enough, whether it is gossiping, anger, or just judgment in my heart, but to think through how self-centered I am or how unaffected I am at times by the gospel is really amazing. It really is!
If a cop were following me on the road I probably wouldn't even go two mph over the speed limit, much least 10. Yet I actively sin in the face of the One who sees my every move. Also, if a human I knew were to give their life for me, I think I would never lack love for them and the mention of them would truly affect me. Why am I then at times so unaffected by Christ and His work?
My second amazement though overwhelms my first, namely that Christ continues to love and perserve me until the end! While I was still a sinner Christ died for me (Rom 5:8), which is beyond me, but for Christ to continue to pursue me even after I have known Him and His goodness yet reject Him is perhaps more amazing. I'm reminded of what Paul told the Galatians in 4:9, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" Amazing, sounds like me. Yet again, even more amazing..."For I am sure that neither life nor death...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39). God, the One in charge, whom I owe my life to, is the One who continues to pursue me because I am so prone to wonder. I stand on the promise that I was drawn by the Father and that Christ will raise me up in the last day (Jn 6:44). I worship my Creator even now for this objective truth!!
If a cop were following me on the road I probably wouldn't even go two mph over the speed limit, much least 10. Yet I actively sin in the face of the One who sees my every move. Also, if a human I knew were to give their life for me, I think I would never lack love for them and the mention of them would truly affect me. Why am I then at times so unaffected by Christ and His work?
My second amazement though overwhelms my first, namely that Christ continues to love and perserve me until the end! While I was still a sinner Christ died for me (Rom 5:8), which is beyond me, but for Christ to continue to pursue me even after I have known Him and His goodness yet reject Him is perhaps more amazing. I'm reminded of what Paul told the Galatians in 4:9, "But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" Amazing, sounds like me. Yet again, even more amazing..."For I am sure that neither life nor death...nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom 8:38-39). God, the One in charge, whom I owe my life to, is the One who continues to pursue me because I am so prone to wonder. I stand on the promise that I was drawn by the Father and that Christ will raise me up in the last day (Jn 6:44). I worship my Creator even now for this objective truth!!
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Christ's Accomplishments
About 2 months ago I, along with others, was asked if perhaps Gal 2:20 (I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me) should change our traditional way of thinking about Christ's substitutionary death. We would commonly say that "Christ died for us" or "on our behalf" when speaking of His substitution. (note Gal 2:20 says we have died with Christ).
To begin with, I would like to say that I am thankful for questions like this because they cause us to once again reflect on the cross of Christ and the manifold blessings that flow from His work there. Also, it's just good practice to sharpen our thinking about these things so we can better articulate them to others and to ourselves, with the end goal being worship and obedience. Also, I want to say that I definitely don't have all the answers here but maybe some of these thoughts will get us thinking.
Basically, what I would say to this question is that there are numerous blessings, as well as countless aspects of what Christ did on the cross, so I don't think being "crucified with Christ" contradicts our traditional thinking about Christ dying in our place. 2Cor 5:21 speaks of a divine switch, our sin to Christ and His righteousness to us. Rom 8:16-17 and Gal 4:7 speak of our adoption into Christ and our becoming heirs along with him. Col 2 speaks of "the handwriting of requirements against us" being nailed to the cross so that we are now free from the law. Rom 3:21-25 speaks of us being justified (declared righteous), redeemed (bought out of slavery), and God's wrath against us being propitiated (satisfied). These are just a sampling of what was accomplished on Calvary. In my view, the Gal 2 passage could be tied closely with Rom 6:5-6 in which we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection as well as Hebrews 2:10-18, where it says that Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers (what a great verse!!) and it goes on to expound the benefits that come from being this closely connected with Christ. So Christ did take our place, receiving the wrath that we so deserve, yet He also identifies with us and we receive the blessings of salvation, from legal righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) to power to live righteously (1 Cor 15:10).
May thinking through this lead us to be more like our Saviour who humbled Himself and took the form of a servant, willingly dying for our good and for the Father's good pleasure!
To begin with, I would like to say that I am thankful for questions like this because they cause us to once again reflect on the cross of Christ and the manifold blessings that flow from His work there. Also, it's just good practice to sharpen our thinking about these things so we can better articulate them to others and to ourselves, with the end goal being worship and obedience. Also, I want to say that I definitely don't have all the answers here but maybe some of these thoughts will get us thinking.
Basically, what I would say to this question is that there are numerous blessings, as well as countless aspects of what Christ did on the cross, so I don't think being "crucified with Christ" contradicts our traditional thinking about Christ dying in our place. 2Cor 5:21 speaks of a divine switch, our sin to Christ and His righteousness to us. Rom 8:16-17 and Gal 4:7 speak of our adoption into Christ and our becoming heirs along with him. Col 2 speaks of "the handwriting of requirements against us" being nailed to the cross so that we are now free from the law. Rom 3:21-25 speaks of us being justified (declared righteous), redeemed (bought out of slavery), and God's wrath against us being propitiated (satisfied). These are just a sampling of what was accomplished on Calvary. In my view, the Gal 2 passage could be tied closely with Rom 6:5-6 in which we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection as well as Hebrews 2:10-18, where it says that Christ is not ashamed to call us brothers (what a great verse!!) and it goes on to expound the benefits that come from being this closely connected with Christ. So Christ did take our place, receiving the wrath that we so deserve, yet He also identifies with us and we receive the blessings of salvation, from legal righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) to power to live righteously (1 Cor 15:10).
May thinking through this lead us to be more like our Saviour who humbled Himself and took the form of a servant, willingly dying for our good and for the Father's good pleasure!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mind in 1 Peter
I was reading through 1 Peter this morning and was struck by how much our mind and our thinking was emphasized. Mind appears in every chapter of 1 Peter...
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are told three times to be "sober-minded", to prepare our minds for action, to be mindful of God when suffering, to have unity of mind, and a humble mind. From 1 Peter it looks like to me that having a "mind" in these ways is to have an eternal perspective. Prepare our minds for action by setting them on Christ's return, think of God when suffering, being humble and being on guard. It is true that our actions are a direct result of where our hearts are, but as believers we have been given the power through Christ's divine power (2 Pet 1:3-4) to control our thoughts and speak truth to our souls and hearts. This does not mean that there is not a battle with our flesh (Rom. 7, Gal. 5), but God's power is greater than our sin. On the other hand, for the unbeliever, he does not have power over his thoughts and heart because he is a slave to sin (Rom. 6). What good news and news I need to hear this morning as I prepare to go to work; Christ's power is greater than my heart and has in fact regenerated my heart, and I can control my thoughts through His power for he has been pleased to supply me with this power! Oh, that I would take advantage of this great gift more and more!
1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 2:19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
1 Peter 3:8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
We are told three times to be "sober-minded", to prepare our minds for action, to be mindful of God when suffering, to have unity of mind, and a humble mind. From 1 Peter it looks like to me that having a "mind" in these ways is to have an eternal perspective. Prepare our minds for action by setting them on Christ's return, think of God when suffering, being humble and being on guard. It is true that our actions are a direct result of where our hearts are, but as believers we have been given the power through Christ's divine power (2 Pet 1:3-4) to control our thoughts and speak truth to our souls and hearts. This does not mean that there is not a battle with our flesh (Rom. 7, Gal. 5), but God's power is greater than our sin. On the other hand, for the unbeliever, he does not have power over his thoughts and heart because he is a slave to sin (Rom. 6). What good news and news I need to hear this morning as I prepare to go to work; Christ's power is greater than my heart and has in fact regenerated my heart, and I can control my thoughts through His power for he has been pleased to supply me with this power! Oh, that I would take advantage of this great gift more and more!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Biblical Theology
One of my favorite theological subjects to study and think through is the unity of the Old and New Testaments. One could call this biblical theology. This entails seeing the unity of the Scriptures, seeing the Bible as a whole, as one, seeing the fulfillment of the Old in the New, as well as other things. The desire to be able to see and teach Christ from the Old Testament was one major reason why I went on to seminary. I was giving a greater foundation and better tools there to think through this subject.
My understanding to interpreting Scripture is that Christ and His gospel is central to all and we must read in light of this. It is so cool to see explicit references to Christ like from 2 Samuel 7 where God tells David, "12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Then there was God's covenant with Abram in Gen. 12 where He says, "2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (see Gal. 3:7-9; Acts 3:25-26) There are so many more references like these that are just a joy to think through in the OT. Some of these include Gen. 9:27 (who does he refer to?); 15:1-5, Is. 53...and so many more. I think the major question is, "How does the NT interpret the OT?" It is a good exercise for us all to look up the original context of the OT Scriptures when they are used in the New. It is quite surprising at times how the NT authors use some of these verses yet it brings much insight into Bible interpretation. We will be learning of God and His ways for eternity!!
My understanding to interpreting Scripture is that Christ and His gospel is central to all and we must read in light of this. It is so cool to see explicit references to Christ like from 2 Samuel 7 where God tells David, "12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever." Then there was God's covenant with Abram in Gen. 12 where He says, "2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (see Gal. 3:7-9; Acts 3:25-26) There are so many more references like these that are just a joy to think through in the OT. Some of these include Gen. 9:27 (who does he refer to?); 15:1-5, Is. 53...and so many more. I think the major question is, "How does the NT interpret the OT?" It is a good exercise for us all to look up the original context of the OT Scriptures when they are used in the New. It is quite surprising at times how the NT authors use some of these verses yet it brings much insight into Bible interpretation. We will be learning of God and His ways for eternity!!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Jesus the Blue Collar Worker
A couple of weeks ago, Matt, one of my pastors at SGC, made a comment about Jesus just making ends meet for His family until He launch unto His ministry with the twelve. I was thinking about this statement and once again I was struck with Christ's humility. Before age 30, Jesus was a common working man much like myself, except He never sinned. From what I have heard, carpentry at that time and in that region involved a lot of stone work, so maybe we could say he was like a stone or brick mason. (On a side note, it is interesting that I work at a place that sells stone and brick and the like so I deal with people nearly daily that are in this profession.)
Anyway, as I think about man and how he sinned against Christ, my mind most often goes to the cross and the injustice done there. I think this is right that my mind goes here but I started thinking about Jesus in the marketplace and how He was surely sinned against there daily. I imagine that Jesus would have hired himself out as a subcontractor to do a certain building project for a certain amount of money. Maybe he didn't have a general contractor over him like the case is so often in America, but at least he had some sort of boss, a foreman or even the home/business owner. All this to say that Jesus would have been sinned against. Luke 2:52 says that Jesus increased in wisdom, so there would have surely been a time where He would not have known His trade as well. Perhaps a slight mess-up in His performance would have gotten Him yelled at. Maybe Jesus was late from time to time, of course sinlessly, yet perhaps His father made Him late and this caused Him to be sinned against by His superior. Even as we do our job well people are going to be jealous and sin against us, from gossiping behind our backs to cussing us out to our faces. I'm sure all this happened to Jesus. We could then go to His home life and know everyone in His family sinned against Him, from His parents taking their frustrations out on Him to His siblings trying to fight with Him.
I am saying all this to make two points; Jesus never sinned (Heb 4:15), and how should I respond when I am sinned against? Jesus, the Son of God, who was God in the flesh, worked the majority of His earthly life as a blue collar worker and never sinned even in His heart about the true injustice done to Him daily. Jesus, in a very real way, was not stuck on His importance, yet took the form of a servant at the cross (Phil 2:7) and every other day of His life. I, on the other hand, sin in this area. My reaction is all too often, "How can you talk to me like that, do you know who I am?!" Or if I see I have inferior knowledge in a subject to someone else I will often think about something I have more knowledge in and compare myself to them. I have no right at all to ever have any sort of selfish ambition. I have no right at all to lash out, even in my heart, for I am not very important in the grand scheme of things yet Christ, the Lord of the universe, subjected Himself daily to evil on the job site and at the cross, yet did not sin in return. What humility! What an example! What a Saviour!
Anyway, as I think about man and how he sinned against Christ, my mind most often goes to the cross and the injustice done there. I think this is right that my mind goes here but I started thinking about Jesus in the marketplace and how He was surely sinned against there daily. I imagine that Jesus would have hired himself out as a subcontractor to do a certain building project for a certain amount of money. Maybe he didn't have a general contractor over him like the case is so often in America, but at least he had some sort of boss, a foreman or even the home/business owner. All this to say that Jesus would have been sinned against. Luke 2:52 says that Jesus increased in wisdom, so there would have surely been a time where He would not have known His trade as well. Perhaps a slight mess-up in His performance would have gotten Him yelled at. Maybe Jesus was late from time to time, of course sinlessly, yet perhaps His father made Him late and this caused Him to be sinned against by His superior. Even as we do our job well people are going to be jealous and sin against us, from gossiping behind our backs to cussing us out to our faces. I'm sure all this happened to Jesus. We could then go to His home life and know everyone in His family sinned against Him, from His parents taking their frustrations out on Him to His siblings trying to fight with Him.
I am saying all this to make two points; Jesus never sinned (Heb 4:15), and how should I respond when I am sinned against? Jesus, the Son of God, who was God in the flesh, worked the majority of His earthly life as a blue collar worker and never sinned even in His heart about the true injustice done to Him daily. Jesus, in a very real way, was not stuck on His importance, yet took the form of a servant at the cross (Phil 2:7) and every other day of His life. I, on the other hand, sin in this area. My reaction is all too often, "How can you talk to me like that, do you know who I am?!" Or if I see I have inferior knowledge in a subject to someone else I will often think about something I have more knowledge in and compare myself to them. I have no right at all to ever have any sort of selfish ambition. I have no right at all to lash out, even in my heart, for I am not very important in the grand scheme of things yet Christ, the Lord of the universe, subjected Himself daily to evil on the job site and at the cross, yet did not sin in return. What humility! What an example! What a Saviour!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Chinese Delivery, sports, and God
Tonight, as with most Friday nights during this season of my life, I was out delivering Chinese food for Hunan K. I have to admit I don't always look forward to my second job, but it is much more bearable now that I only work two nights a week. There are some definite pluses to having this job (besides the money) that are enjoyable to me. For one I am able to hear quite a bit of sports radio. Tonight the discussions centered around the Super Bowl, which is coming up in less than two weeks, and to my surprise quite a few people are giving the Giants a chance to win, some even picking them to. I really don't mind who wins but I guess as I watch the game I will find myself wanting the Giants to win.
The biggest plus of this job though is by far the time I am able to spend with God, just enjoying Him and my unmerited position in Christ. Often this time looks like me having "Worship God Live" in the cd player, which right now would be my favorite worship album, and then God drawing my attention to His handiwork in the sky! How God displays His glory in the heavens has been marveled at for centuries; "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim His handiwork. Day to day pour forth speech, night to night displays knowledge" (Ps 19:1-2). God is clearly saying, "Here I am, and I am powerful"! Tonight as I was looking at the sky tract 4 of Worship God Live was playing, "You are the Way". This song just celebrates and worships Christ passionately for being the only way to the Father, and is taken straight from John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." What a precious truth for sure! But then couple that with Christ's handiwork in the sky and this just brings added joy to my heart. Hebrews 1 came to mind tonight, that Christ is upholding all thing by the power of His word! So the Son, who humble Himself so greatly in becoming man, is the only way to the Father, yet He is also the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all things. This is cool! I can say with the psalmist that as for me it is good to be with God. This is where I am changed, not through striving or working, but just getting in the presence of God and staying there! Oh, it is a good place to be! The sons of Korah, whoever they were, once said that one day in God's courts is better than a thousand days anywhere else (Ps 84:10). They knew what they were talking about!
The biggest plus of this job though is by far the time I am able to spend with God, just enjoying Him and my unmerited position in Christ. Often this time looks like me having "Worship God Live" in the cd player, which right now would be my favorite worship album, and then God drawing my attention to His handiwork in the sky! How God displays His glory in the heavens has been marveled at for centuries; "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies proclaim His handiwork. Day to day pour forth speech, night to night displays knowledge" (Ps 19:1-2). God is clearly saying, "Here I am, and I am powerful"! Tonight as I was looking at the sky tract 4 of Worship God Live was playing, "You are the Way". This song just celebrates and worships Christ passionately for being the only way to the Father, and is taken straight from John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." What a precious truth for sure! But then couple that with Christ's handiwork in the sky and this just brings added joy to my heart. Hebrews 1 came to mind tonight, that Christ is upholding all thing by the power of His word! So the Son, who humble Himself so greatly in becoming man, is the only way to the Father, yet He is also the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all things. This is cool! I can say with the psalmist that as for me it is good to be with God. This is where I am changed, not through striving or working, but just getting in the presence of God and staying there! Oh, it is a good place to be! The sons of Korah, whoever they were, once said that one day in God's courts is better than a thousand days anywhere else (Ps 84:10). They knew what they were talking about!
Thursday, January 24, 2008
First Time
I'm going to start trying to blog now resulting from the encourgement to do so from Rick. Rick is one of my pastors at Sovereign Grace Church in Greenville, SC. I'm thankful for him and all my pastors as they have stired me up "to love and good deeds" (Heb. 10:24). Not that a blog really qualifies as either love or a good deed but it is, as he explained, a good way to articulate your thoughts and put them down for your own growth and to let others in to your world. I don't want this blog to turn into a self-centered spewing of my own importance but rather what God is teaching me and the thoughts I have concerning Him and His word. Proverbs 18:2 says, "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,but only in expressing his opinion". I don't want to be a fool in this blog, but rather may I through this blog see Christ for more of who He truly is and help others see Christ in this way. That's my goal, my desire, the glory of Christ and the edification of others.
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