A collection of thoughts

Trusting in Your sovereignty

2012-02-16T06:36:00.001-08:00

I am at the crossroads ...

Your faithfulness will be there whatever happens

Till we meet again

2012-02-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

The sending off made me think about a lot of things. Especially when I said my own farewells. I thought about the time I left ten years ago.

It was a time of growing up and as I've told people countless of times, His faithfulness was great indeed - beyond what I had ever imagined.

Its my prayer that you will experience the same - in His own way, in a way that will stick with you my brother.

Take care over there.

One year

2012-01-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

Its been a year. My skies have cleared. I've discovered God's grace like never before.

I've learned a lot from this. I vow never to make the same mistakes again.

Martin Luther Documentary

2012-01-21T07:32:00.001-08:00

Chanced upon this youtube and have compiled them into a playlist for easy viewing. After watching the video, am totally humbled and amazed by Luther's courage. The gospel truths that he was willing to stand up for. Praise God for using such an individual.

The rest of the documentary can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3EA3E9EFC1543AF8

Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

2012-01-11T07:43:00.001-08:00

What a recent bank robbery reminded me

2012-01-07T09:13:00.001-08:00

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Yale Divinity School: Book of Acts

2012-01-05T08:59:00.000-08:00

Yale Divinity School has released 8 videos about the Book of Acts. Have not watched them all but it looks pretty interesting. I have compiled them into a playlist for later viewing:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF140EF44C3ACFD8D

May reading the Bible be one of your New Year's resolutions

2012-01-02T07:36:00.000-08:00

The first rebuttal Christ offered when tempted by the devil:“‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

The Grinch

2011-12-24T07:43:00.001-08:00

It came without ribbons, it came without tags,
It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before
“Maybe Christmas—” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas— perhaps, means a little bit more?”

The Grinch by Dr. Seuss

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Shared by a friend on facebook

Tim Tebow and Christophobia

2011-12-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

I am not American, not an NFL fan and my understanding of the game is basic at best but Tim Tebow has been featuring so prominently in the things I read from the New York Times to The Gospel Coalition that it is hard not to take notice. I guess in some ways this is also a testament to the impact he has made it polarizing American thoughts.

By all accounts, Tebow is a man who would stop at nothing in using his NFL victories to speak about the gospel - and that it is really an admirable trait. But this has also not gone down well with everyone. That sort of response however is not the slightest bit surprising. There is indeed a Christophobic culture emerging in our world today. It is a subset however of the more general atheistic thought that is gaining more and more traction with the emergence of Dawkins and Hitchens.

Countless articles however have been written to point out the irony of the backlash that Tebow is facing. Some worth sharing are below:

Link 1

Link 2

What does the Bible say about all of this?

Such slander and accusations are indeed to be expected (2 Tim 3:1-9). Anyone who claims to follow Christ will indeed take up the cross that comes with doing so. Your intentions will be suspicious, and you will be falsely accused of "spreading agendas" or be part of a larger conspiracy theory and all sorts. Many will tell you to keep your faith private which is in stark contrast to what Christ says about spreading the gospel and making disciples of all nations.

Above all however, the call to love your enemies stands out starkly as ever. Just as Christ prayed for the Lord to have mercy on them (Luke 23:34), so we should not respond fury for fury and slander for slander.

Winepressed

2011-12-16T00:15:00.000-08:00

Reading Oswald Chambers devotion for today reminded me of this phrase.

I've heard the analogy before and how God uses events, trials, circumstances to mould us more and more into his likeness. Much like how the grapes are winepressed, it is sometimes not pretty.

At the end of the day, though as I look back through my life, it is fulfilling and gratifying to know that each trial did indeed help to be more and more like Him.

And that is grace.

Devotion Here

A Wise Desire

2011-11-02T10:05:00.000-07:00

"For by nature we are all inclined to follow the way which leads downwards, we are naturally willing to walk the road which leads to the pit—we do not seek the pit itself, but the road that leads to it—and were it not for sovereign grace, none of us would ever have followed the path to heaven."

- C.H. Spurgeon, A Wise Desire, Delivered on Sabbath Morning, July 8, 1855

A prayer for those who have backslided

2011-10-17T08:39:00.000-07:00

"But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant towards the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again." (Romans 11:17-23)

Dear Heavenly Father,
Have mercy on us all,
Give us not a false sense of righteousness,
Makes us aware that our salvation,
is from You and You alone.

Have mercy on our brothers and sisters,
who have left us,
Teach us Lord, to shower them with love,

Have mercy on them,
Just as you have had mercy on us,
May you continue to send good and faithful servants,
To persevere in prayer for them.

All glory belongs to You and You Alone.
In Christ's Name, we all seek your forgiveness,

Amen.

Ministry

2011-10-17T08:06:00.000-07:00

Ministry is nothing but sinners helping other sinners grow in Christ.

Jesus, Joy of the Highest Heaven (Children's Carol)

2011-10-16T07:39:00.000-07:00

The Getty's have once again released a beautiful piece of music that speaks the truth of the gospel and our true purpose as Christians.

http://soundcloud.com/gettymusic/childrenscarolclip

Keith Getty and Kristyn Getty
Copyright © 2011 Gettymusic; admin by Music Services.

Jesus, joy of the highest heaven,
Born as a little baby
Under a wondrous star.
Like us, crying he takes His first breath
Held by His mother, helpless
Close to her beating heart.
Jesus, laid in a lowly manger,
Facing a world of dangers,
Come to turn me a stranger
Into a child of God.

Jesus, King of the highest heaven
Learning to take His first steps,
That He might bring us life.
Like us, knowing our smiles and sorrows,
He showed the way to follow,
A way that is true and right.
Jesus, take away every darkness,
Steady my simple footsteps
That I might in your goodness
Live as a child of God.

When the Wisdom of the World appears to be greater

2011-10-15T09:44:00.001-07:00

Tonight is one of those nights when the wisdom of this world appears to be greater.

Soul, you need to persevere.

"But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (Luke 12:28-34)

Simul Iustus et Peccator

2011-10-02T08:23:00.000-07:00

This excellently written article by Kelly Kapin is worth keeping and re-reading every once in a while.

Original link found here

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Why do we do the things we do? Scholars struggle to understand human nature and, in particular, what theologians call sin. Where does it come from and why do we do it? In 2002, James Waller produced a careful work of psychology called Becoming Evil: How Ordinary People Commit Genocide and Mass Killing. What is fascinating about Waller’s study is that he challenges the common assumption that “extraordinary evil” must arise only from some abnormality within a people or society. Such a common view of extreme evil is a comfort to those of us who are “normal,” as it reassures us that we would never participate in such horrific events — we are not that bad. Yet what is so unsettling about Waller’s study is that he shows “extraordinary evil” actually arises from “ordinary people” — people like you and me.

The reality of extraordinary and ordinary evil remains a nagging problem, not easily answered and not easily ignored. Famed social psychologist Philip Zimbardo recently wrote The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil (2007), emphasizing that the fundamental problem that leads us into offensive actions is environmental: what corrupts us is the hostile or acidic situations in which we find ourselves. Zimbardo is right to highlight the significance of context in shaping a person, but he is wrong when he reduces our proclivity for evil to influences from external situations.

Something is wrong not simply “out there” but within us. Jeremiah probed the human heart and soberly declared, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jer 17:9). Similarly, the apostle James did not blame God for our temptations or sin but concluded, “Each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). But why do we have desires that can be so hurtful to others and so contrary to God? What is wrong with our hearts?

In the early church’s struggle to understand human nature, no debate became more significant than that between Pelagius and Augustine.

Zealous Pelagius, apparently frustrated by the lackadaisical ethical attitudes he saw around him, stressed the importance of unbending moral behavior. In the process, he argued against the idea of what we call “original sin” — when Adam and Eve sinned, their actions fundamentally affected all who would follow. After this fall, people are born with sinful impulses that turn them away from God. Pelagius disagreed. He believed that we are not born sinful, but we sin when we show inadequate willpower and give in to seductive situations. Like Adam and Eve before they gave into the deceptive sounds of the serpent, each of us begins life with the ability to remain untainted by sin. While there is no original sin, Pelagius did admit that people do sin, and thus Jesus is still needed.

By our baptism into Christ, Pelagius argued, all of our previous sins were forgiven, returning us to a clean slate. Baptized believers are called then to follow Jesus’ perfect moral example. Theoretically, Pelagius’ view meant that it is possible for people to live perfectly, without sin, as long as they always make the right choices. As John Anthony McGuckin, an early church historian, writes, “Pelagius thought that if a disciple persevered in strong discipline and prayer he or she would reach a state of stability where even the desire for sin would fade away, a condition of ascetic passionlessness (apatheia).” A Christian could live perfectly, no longer even tempted by sin. Doesn’t that sound good? Doesn’t that sound promising, maybe even inspiring?

Pelagius’ writings were sent to Bishop Augustine. The bishop found himself reluctantly drawn into a debate he wished to avoid, especially since Pelagius was known as a pious man and Augustine had plenty of other things to worry about. But once Augustine carefully read how Pelagius downplayed the gravity of sin, he immediately anticipated just how problematic and pastorally disastrous these views were. Augustine believed he had no choice but to respond.

Saturated in Scripture, and especially the epistles of Paul, Augustine argued that ignoring the extensiveness and intensiveness of sin creates unexpected problems. He was not worried just about how sin keeps non- Christians under God’s judgment, but he also called for sober assessment of the sin that remains in believers. In other words, one of the biggest problems with Pelagius’ teachings was that he had no satisfying explanation for the real continuing struggle that believers have with sin in their lives. Is it really that you and I are just not trying hard enough? Augustine knew otherwise; he consistently stressed God’s grace, from first to last.

Our problem is not just that we sin every now and then; our problem is that we are soaked in sin, are born into it, and are never completely free from its presence this side of glory. Augustine made this point by stringing together just a sampling of biblical texts: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps. 51:5; see Job 14:4); “Who can say, “I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?” (Prov. 20:9); “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” (Rom. 5:12); “For we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). Augustine even quoted the great biblical scholar Jerome to support his point about original sin: “For no one is without sin, even if his life has but a single day.”

The problem of sin is deep and personal. We each have done things we regret, things we feel bad about. We remember stealing a piece of candy from a store or yelling in anger at our children or someone else. These actions are wrong and lamentable. But what can be even more disturbing is to begin to see the dark hand of sin shot through all of our internal world. In the quiet, in the dark, we begin to wonder about ourselves.

Working with college students, I sometimes watch them see the depth of their own sin for the first time, and in many cases it frightens them. They would all confess they are sinners if asked, but in truth, most of them view themselves as basically good. Then something happens. They begin to learn the complexity of their own hearts: they are surprised by how jealous they can be, how powerful addictions can form, how manipulatively they work situations and use people, and how accusatory their hearts can be, not just about others, but toward themselves. At some point it hits them — there is something terribly wrong, something bent about their hearts. They often become paralyzed as they begin to see that even their purest love grows out of mixed motives and darkened desires. It seems better to ignore this reality, to never fully see it. But is that better?

When our sin is revealed to us, it is painful. We wonder why sin remains such a violent presence in our lives, creating pain and relational destruction. As Anthony Hoekema observed, we face two issues with sin: the guilt it brings and the pollution it creates. While Christians are justified in Christ and soaked in His love and mercy (freed from sin’s guilt), we continue to wrestle with the ongoing realities of sin (its abiding pollution). Once we do see the darkness of our own hearts, the last thing we need, the last thing that seems to be helpful, is to be told, as Pelagius tells us, to try harder. We have tried, but sin remains. For Christians, part of what can be so troubling is that our sinful impulses do not simply disappear once we are saved. We still live in light of the tragedy of original sin, and it affects us not only every day, but every moment.

No wonder we find it humiliating to come to terms with our sin — it makes us confess things about ourselves that none of us really wants to admit. We are not “good people.” Something is wrong, not just in this world, but within us. Sin has affected not just our wills but our minds, our emotions, even our bodies. But paradoxically, only when we see our slavery to sin can we celebrate our liberty in Christ.

In the end, it is only when we humbly, and with unflinching honesty, come to recognize the true nature of sin that we can finally look, in awe and wonder, at the cross. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). Augustine concluded that our view of sin is not just a discussion about human nature, but ultimately it is a discussion about Jesus Christ and His death. The cross was not significant simply in order to get us “saved,” but its reality continues to govern and guide the life of God’s children. This means that not only are we saved by grace, but we remain dependent on grace for our whole lives. On the one hand, yes, there is our sin. But on the other, we behold the great, loving, and allsufficient work of Christ. And that changes everything. We live in the paradox that the Augustinian monk Martin Luther so rightly understood: Christians are simultaneously justified and still sinners (simul iustus et peccator). In this way, while we continue to struggle with sin, we also find hope and comfort as we lift our eyes to the cross and keep walking.

The Protagonist

2011-09-29T06:08:00.000-07:00

From the Westminster Shorter Cathechism:

Q. 1. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man's chief end is to glorify God, [a] and to enjoy him for ever. [b]

[a]. Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11
[b]. Ps. 16:5-11; 144:15; Isa. 12:2; Luke 2:10; Phil. 4:4; Rev. 21:3-4

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Your life is a story.

Who is the protagonist of this story?

Is it you? You come into this world, out of your mother's womb. You work hard in school. You live a morally upright life. Get a good job. Get a good spouse. Have kids. Bring them up the right way. Save for their college. Retire. Pass on.

Or do you let God be the protagonist?

When I die at my funeral, I just want people to know that I came into this world with nothing. I deserved nothing. I took away nothing. Everything was given by Him. The glory of my life belongs to Him and Him alone.

Full Wesminster Shorter Cathechism available here:
http://www.creeds.net/Westminster/shorter_catechism.html

Only One Life

2011-09-29T05:57:00.001-07:00

Two little lines I heard one day, Traveling along life’s busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart, And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Soon will its fleeting hours be done;
Then, in ‘that day’ my Lord to meet, And stand before His Judgment seat;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, the still small voice, Gently pleads for a better choice
Bidding me selfish aims to leave, And to God’s holy will to cleave;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, a few brief years, Each with its burdens, hopes, and fears;
Each with its clays I must fulfill, living for self or in His will;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

When this bright world would tempt me sore, When Satan would a victory score;
When self would seek to have its way, Then help me Lord with joy to say;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Give me Father, a purpose deep, In joy or sorrow Thy word to keep;
Faithful and true what e’er the strife, Pleasing Thee in my daily life;
Only one life, ’twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Oh let my love with fervor burn, And from the world now let me turn;
Living for Thee, and Thee alone, Bringing Thee pleasure on Thy throne;
Only one life, “twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

Only one life, yes only one, Now let me say, “Thy will be done”;
And when at last I’ll hear the call, I know I’ll say ‘twas worth it all”;
Only one life,’ twill soon be past, Only what’s done for Christ will last.

poem written by C.T. Studd – missionary