Tag: christian

Devotional

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But this is that which giveth life unto the affections of believers; they know that in the enjoyment of God in Christ their eternal blessedness doth consist. How this is their happiness and glory, how it will give them an everlasting, overflowing satisfaction and rest, they understand in the first-fruits of it which they here receive. And this is the ultimate object of their affections in this world, and they go forth unto all other spiritual things in order hereunto. The more, therefore, their affections are fixed on them, the more they are kept up unto that due exercise, the nearer approaches they make unto this blessed state.

When their minds are possessed with this persuasion, when it is confirmed in them by daily experience of that sweetness, rest, and satisfaction, which they find in cleaving unto God with fervent love and delight, in vain shall any other objects rise up in competition to draw them off unto themselves. The more we love God, the more like we are unto him, and the more near the enjoyment of him.

-John Owen, Works, Vol. VII, page 482

The Temporal in Light of the Eternal

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Wherefore, in all these things, be persuaded sometimes to have an eye to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. Behold how he is set before us in the gospel, poor, despised, reproached, persecuted, nailed to the cross, and all by this world. Whatever be your designs and aims, let his cross continually interpose between your affections and this world. If you are believers, your hopes are within a few days to be with him forevermore.

Unto him you must give an account of yourselves, and what you have done in this world. Will it be acceptable with him to declare what you have saved of this world, what you have gained, what you have preserved and embraced yourselves in, and what you have left behind you? Was this any part of his employment and business in this world? Hath he left us an example for any such course? Wherefore, no man can set his affections on things here below who hath any regard unto the pattern of Christ, or is in any measure influenced with the power and efficacy of his cross. “My love is crucified,” said a holy martyr of old: he whom his soul loved was so, and in him his love unto all things here below.

Do you, therefore, find your affections ready to be engaged unto, or too much entangled with, the things of this world? Are your desires of increasing them, your hopes of keeping them, your fears of losing them, your love unto them and delight in them, operative in your minds, possessing your thoughts and influencing your conversations?

-turn aside a little, and by faith contemplate the life and death of the Son of God; a blessed glass will it be, where you may see what contemptible things they are which you perplex yourselves about. Oh, that any of us should love or esteem the things of this world, the power, riches, goods, or reputation of it, who have had a spiritual view of them in the cross of Christ!


-John Owen, Vol 7, page 399

Hope

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Where Christ evidenceth his presence with us, he gives us an infallible hope of glory; he gives us an assured pledge of it, and worketh our souls into an expectation of it. Hope in general is but an uncertain expectation of a future good which we desire; but as it is a gospel grace, all uncertainty is removed from it, which would hinder us of the advantage intended in it. It is an earnest expectation, proceeding from faith, trust, and confidence, accompanied with longing desires of enjoyment.
-John Owen, Vol. 7, page 321

Grace

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Hello friends! A few quick words this Thursday morning before I dash off to the land of work. It’s not quite 6am though, so I do have a few minutes and I’m grateful for the time to sit and read and meditate as I sip on my coffee here.

What have I been thinking about? The mind whirls with all that modern life seemingly demands. The earth groans and weeps, the daily news is full of horror and it seems as if civilization itself is on the brink. What are we to do? Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. Let us satisfy ourselves with whatever we can find about us. Not much hope in the morrow, so let’s enjoy today. Either we drown ourselves in the sorrows and anxieties of this present life or we drown ourselves with the distractions that take us far from it. Either option works, depending on your predilection and temperament. Yet are those really the only two options? Not if we consider our underlying assumptions and correct the framework from which we see life itself. If this world is all there is and there is no life beyond the veil and no Creator to consider, perhaps it matters not what we do now. Make a choice and stick to it. Do your thing. Eat, love, laugh. You only live once. You know the drill. Yet.

As you’ve noticed, I’ve tilted the argument one way, prepared to springboard into what I do believe is true. What if there is a beyond? What if there is a quivering reality waiting beyond the fog of this present life? I’m not saying that this present life is any less real or that we should go seclude ourselves in preparation for a life to come. May it never be – this life is real and there are many wonderful things in it, things that are good and proper to enjoy. Yet. If we have a future hope, perhaps consider such? If we are not alone after all, if there is a God who made all things and desires communion with us, should we so quickly and easily turn our backs on that which we do not fully understand?

This God I believe in is one in whom I’ve put my trust and one who I believe is fully and utterly real in a way that we do not and perhaps never can truly understand. Yet I believe this same God came down to this earth as a man and condescended such so that we might know him truly. This man? Jesus Christ. Yes, of course I’ve been leading to this point the entire time. Jesus Christ is my hope and joy, my song and my salvation, the only way to God for He is God and is in Himself the fulfillment of all things. Now creation’s groans turn to song as the stars themselves shout for joy for the One who came to begin the process of renewal and reformation.

I turn to Jesus and fill my mind with thoughts of Him. I dwell on the truths of the historical reality of His coming to this earth and dying that I might live. I think on my sufferings and then I turn my thoughts and think on His. Jesus is beautiful to Me. I consider Jesus and the fact that He in Himself is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of the nature of God and upholds all things by the power of God and even so He has made purification for my sins so that I might be made right for God. I consider Jesus and my heart aches to be near Him. I think on my life now and count it loss and turn and follow Jesus.

I want to be where Jesus is. I serve and follow Jesus and look for the day when I gaze upon His face in glory. Jesus Christ is my hope and joy. What do I have in this life that compares? May all the little joys and pleasures of this world remind me of the joy that one day shall be mine as I sit and feast in the presence of Christ. May all the little pains and sufferings of this life remind me of the love that one day shall be mine as I sit at the feet of Jesus and cling to Him forever.

Of Titles and Trophies Most Desired

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Humility, fortitude, faithfulness – are these yet prized virtues in this modern world? I think of what it is to sacrifice oneself for the good of another. While at times self-sacrifice may be lauded in a movie or on the written page, it is seen as something only necessary at the point of last resort. What does it mean to daily place others before oneself and daily kill the selfish desires that plague one so? This is slow, plodding work. One step after another, through the mud and with great effort and with the realization that quick results are most certainly not forthcoming. Instead it is the building of a foundation for a tower that one may never live to see. My metaphors begin to be mixed, I know. But I am weary. I wish that I could of a sudden see myself transformed into a beacon of blazing light, the journey complete, the road ended, my witness sure and complete. Do I point to someone beyond myself? I hope you see me and know for whom I stand – a disciple of Jesus Christ, a man in the gap, a watcher on the high tower. I fear that at times my jersey is a bit too muddy and that my actions are anything but honorable. Thankfully there are better clothes I have been given, a robe of righteousness not my own. Still yet I do strive for faithfulness. May those precious words someday be said of me, those words that I can at times scarce bear to imagine without tears filling my eyes. “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” For now, I walk forwards, even if at times at a bit of a zig-zag. The path goes ever on and on. I walk to the crest of the rise and see the grey of the sea spread out before my aching eyes. A gull wheels overhead. To either side, I see a multitude. I am not alone. The sky opens and a bright light and a trumpet sounds and I fall to my knees. One day all shall see. One day mine own eyes shall see. Behold the Lord of all the earth. Behold my Jesus.

That Old Story

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Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up in life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

-2 Corinthians 4:16-5:5

Thanksgiving

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the bread broken and the wine poured
up to the table i walk once again
still it feels as the first time
the wonder and the love that somehow
this feast before me is rightfully mine
but why when my feet are dirty and my eyes dry?
the wrong assumption of course
it is not my eyes that looked with love as they spat upon him
it is not my feet that were pierced through with heavy iron
so i do not claim anything of mine own as merit sufficient
if i did that would not be a rightful claim
only pride
instead i clutch a ticket stub that has stamped upon it
paid in full
by that divine one Jesus Christ
with whom one day I shall dine as we break bread
and he looks me in the eye
and we toast each other and each take a sip of wine
someday soon i pray but for now
i cling to his feet and sing once more
the song that is forever mine
he loves me yes i know

Through Peril Shall Ye Find Your Salvation

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Just two more this night!

20. The Gospel According to Jesus by John MacArthur. Well been a while since I read this one! I have a long relationship with this book, having first read it I believe in either late high school or early college. Probably early college. And God mightily used it to work in my life and convict me of sin and show me what it meant to follow Jesus. So for that reason alone, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this book, ever so grateful how God used it to draw me closer to him. I read it now and it hits a little different, surely. I am in a much different place and recognize it a bit more for the polemical work it is. It is a bit of an intra-camp discussion with MacArthur gently (and sometimes not so gently!) chiding the so called “free grace” movement and the attacks on what became known as “lordship salvation” with these attacks at time accusing MacArthur and his adherents of preaching another gospel, a gospel of works. MacArthur is very much pointed in this book, addressing one theologian in particular in his attacks on lordship salvation. We are a bit removed from this controversy now and even reading this book reminded me of how Christian history (and even evangelicalism) has very much moved on. Not to say that this book isn’t still needed though! Just be aware that this is a book written in a very particular period of American evangelicalism (even more specifically – American evangelical dispensationalism) and addresses a visible church that faced different issues and sins that it faces now.

Looking past all that, I still think this is a useful read for two reasons. Firstly, as a polemical work, it does demonstrate how it is useful and even necessary at times to confront others in the faith who may be leading others astray away from the true gospel. MacArthur is clear at the end that he is not fond of controversy and there are many more minor issues that he will not engage in debates because of the fact that they are issues far afield from the gospel of Jesus Christ. But MacArthur does feel that this “lordship salvation” issue directly bears on what it means to be a Christian and feels called to confront those who are giving ones false assurance of salvation. Secondly, this book is helpful to me even now as I consider my Christian faith and meditate on what the gospel is. What does it mean that Christ came to earth and called men to follow Him? What does it mean that Christ lived and died and rose again and that a message of death and rebirth has been proclaimed to all who would hear? What does it mean that even now Jesus knocks at the door and calls us to come to him that we may have rest for our souls? And what does the gospel lived out look like? What does it mean for one to be “saved”? Can we be saved to eternal life and our lives then proceed in this world as if nothing has really changed? This book was at times challenging but at times comforting as I considered Jesus. At the end of the day, I am counted as a child of God for nothing that I have done. I confess Christ and my life is reborn in dazzlingly glorious colour and nothing will ever be the same. I am saved to life eternal because of the righteousness of Christ. And in that joy and as I abide in Christ, I cannot help but walk this pilgrim way delighting in the law of God and seeking to be holy before my God. Oh the riches of God’s grace! All glory be to Christ.

21. The Man on the Middle Cross by Alistair Begg. A wonderful little gospel tract. This booklet seems to be doing the rounds this Easter season, with at least two churches that I know of using it in the lead-up to Resurrection Sunday. I grabbed one a few weeks back from the table at the back of church and just this morning read it through. It is short and a quick read and to one who has been a Christian for a while, there is nothing new. Still yet. It is wonderfully encouraging to consider the gospel anew and to read these three stories that Begg retells. He does a beautiful job of re-telling the stories of the Samaritan woman, the forgiven paralytic, and the thief on the cross. This is certainly a book aimed at one that does not know Christ, but one that is possibly (hopefully?) seeking to understand who this Jesus is. I wonder how a non-Christian would find this. I can certainly state that it encouraged me to read it this day. The last story brought tears to my eyes, as I considered the thief at the gates of heaven and pleading naught but the words of Jesus. What a joy it would be to hear those words from Jesus, that promise that I might be WITH HIM in paradise that day. Oh my heart melted considering such. I cannot wait for the day when I too walk through heaven’s gates. I don’t care for any golden streets or harps or such. I simply want to be with my Lord.

Sixteen

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A few thoughts on my latest read – not too many words, I promise!

9. Believer’s Baptism edited by Schreiner & Wright. My studies on baptism continue. I found this book recommended as one of the best recent resources on believer’s baptism (or what some prefer to call “confessor’s baptism”) and it did indeed fit the bill. A very solid and comprehensive work, even if the format – each chapter by a different author – did make for a bit of a disjointed reading experience at times. And there were a few chapters which I felt didn’t add much, specifically the chapter on the Stone-Campbell restorationist movement at the end. But there were a few chapters in this one which were indeed well worth the price of admission, namely the middle chapters. Wellum writes a fantastic chapter looking at reformed theology and exploring how the logic of the covenant of grace carries over into a theology of baptism. Also was much interested in and benefited by the two historical chapters, one looking at the writings of the early church on baptism, the other being an exploration of baptism following the Reformation, leading up to the Anabaptist movement. I find it very helpful to more fully grasp the arguments around baptism when one more properly understands the historical progression, and these chapters were very helpful in that regard. Being one who is particularly interested in comparing the classic Reformed view of baptism vs the Baptist view, I appreciated that Wellum fully explored the logic and underpinnings of Reformed theology and how that necessarily results in a theology of baptism that is a bit different than what may be seen in early church and modern Baptist practice.

I fully admit my biases in that I’ve long believed in what some would call Baptist theology, baptism being a sign and proclamation of a reality that has already taken place. This places me full on one end of the spectrum, very much gazing off into the distance towards the Catholic/Lutheran/Reformed camps as I sit with my Baptist brethren. I came to this book predisposed to believe what it sought to prove but I did also hope that it would be a work that was intellectually honest and forthright in both the view it put forth and the views it argued against. I did not find anything in this book to budge my view down the spectrum and if anything, I found my support for believer’s baptism strengthened. While I don’t believe baptism is a first-order issue (few in the Christian world would), I do believe it’s an important issue and one that is sadly neglected too often these days. When we consider that one of the primary commands of the Lord given to his disciples was to go forth and make disciples and “baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”, how critical is it that we have a proper understanding of what baptism actually means and entails? I would argue – quite. I also much enjoyed Dever’s chapter at the end laying forth some practical advice and guidance as to how baptism ought be practiced in the modern church, answering some possible questions/dilemmas and being clear as to the function of baptism in our modern day.

I don’t think this book was perfect but I do believe it was a worthwhile read. If anyone would like to discuss this issue with me further, let me know and I’d love to have that chat over a coffee. I have many brothers and sisters who differ with me on this and I love them none the less for that.

Calvary

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In silent mourning and in fearful yearning
I fall to my knees this day and pray to you
For of my sin and in my sorrow I confess
and say plainly of myself I have nothing left
I cannot offer you a gift worth having
I cannot offer you a life worth buying
I cannot live as I should for you my God
for in the shadows of this night I give up
and lay down my burdens at your feet and
look up to the reality of the cross
that you my Lord Jesus hung there for me
and in grim satisfaction declared it done
and now you hang there no longer
for though you died and was buried sure
your divine power proved itself in resurrected life
and now you sit at the right hand of the Father God
eyes flashing forth of fire and promises of love in hand
and someday though your judgement shall be pronounced in earnest
now you cry out come and repent and buy the pearl of great price!
and I want it and I need it and there is nothing else even close
I give up all else and rip my clothes and burn my pride
and tell you that I want nothing more than to be called your own
oh Lord I need you oh Lord I plead you
oh Lord I believe in You and in You alone
I have no other
and now I come to You and in memoriam tremble
and in festive garb I eat this bread and drink this wine
remembering the words you said that fateful night
and say to myself that the life you gave willingly
you gave for such a one as me
in actuality
you gave your life for me