Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Had Enough?

"Certainly, if there be enough in God to satisfy the spirits of just men made perfect, whose capacities are far greater than ours; and if there be enough in God to satisfy the angels, whose capacities are far above theirs; if there be enough in God to satisfy Jesus Christ, whose capacity is unconceivable and unexpressable; yea, if there be enough in God to satisfy himself, then certainly there must needs be in God enough to satisfy the souls of His people. If all fullness, and all goodness, and infiniteness will satisfy the soul, then God will. There is nothing beyond God imaginable; and therefore the soul that enjoys him, cannot but be satisfied with him. God is a portion beyond all imagination, all expectation, all apprehension, and all comparison; and therefore he that hath him cannot but sit down and say, I have enough."
- Thomas Brooks, The Works of Thomas Brooks, Volume 2

Friday, April 24, 2009

Shane Barnard: Psalm 145

I know I've posted this video before, but I love this song so much I had to post it again:

Sunday, April 19, 2009

What is most worthy of your affections?

If we ought ever to exercise our affections at all, then they ought to be exercised about those objects which are most worthy of them. But is there anything which Christians can find in heaven or earth so worthy to be objects of their admiration and love, their earnest and longing desires, their hope, and their rejoicing, and their fervent zeal, as those things that are held forth to us in the gospel of Jesus Christ? In which not only are things declared most worthy to affect us, but they are exhibited in the most affecting manner. The glory and beauty of the blessed Jehovah, which is most worthy in itself to be the object of our admiration and love, is there exhibited in the most affecting manner that can be conceived of, as it appears shining in all its lustre in the face of an incarnate, infinitely loving, meak, compassionate, dying Redeemer.

All the virtues of the Lamb of God, His humility, patience, meekness, submission, obedience, love and compassion, are exhibited to our view in a manner the most tending to move our affections of any that can be imagined; as they all had their greatest trial, and their highest excercise, and so their brightest manifestation, when He was in the most affecting circumstances; even when He was under His last sufferings, those unutterable and unparalleled sufferings He endured from His tender love and pity to us. There also the hateful nature of our sins is manifested in the most affecting manner possible: as we see the dreadful effects of them in what our Redeemer, who undertook to answer for us, suffered for them. And there we have the most affecting manifestation of God's hatred of sin, and His wrath and justice in punishing it; as we see His justice in the strictness and inflexibleness of it; and His wrath in its terribleness, in so dreadfully punishing our sins, in One who was infinitely dear to Him, and loving to us, and in His glorious dispensations, revealed to us in the gospel, as though every thing were purposely contrived in such a manner as to have the greatest possible tendency to reach our hearts in the most tender part, and move our affections most sensibly and strongly. How great cause have we therefore to be humbled to the dust that we are no more affected!

- Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections (1746)

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Seeing Beyond Circumstances

While in the midst of trials and tribulations one must learn to see beyond the trying circumstances.

This is easy to say when all is going well. This is however essential to grab hold of when you are in the midst of difficult circumstances. When the storms of life assail you and the trials are catching you off guard, it is then when we need lift up our eyes to the God who reigns over and above all circumstances.

Life is full of painful situations but the eyes of faith will see outside the boundaries of these situations to the bigger picture beyond.

Those on the storm-tossed boat with Jesus did not see the bigger picture that God reigns over and above their circumstance because they were too focused on the crashing waves, the wind, and another kind of rain. They were however blessed with the opportunity to see God divinely intervene.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.


What are the eyes of your faith laying hold of? Are you assured of that which you hope for? Are you convicted of that which you cannot see?

Don't Waste Your Life - the music video

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Edwards on Joy Unspeakable

Joy in Christ

Though their outward sufferings were very grievous, yet their inward spiritual joys were greater than their sufferings; and these supported them and enabled them to suffer with cheerfulness...

(Referencing 1 Peter 1:8) The nature of this joy; "unspeakable and full of glory." Unspeakable in the kind of it; very different from worldly joys, and carnal delights; of a vastly more pure, sublime and heavenly nature, being something supernatural and truly divine and so ineffably excellent; the sublimity and exquisite sweetness of which there were no words to set forth. Unspeakable also in degree; it pleasing God to give them this holy joy with a liberal hand, and in large measure, in their state of persecution.

Their joy was full of glory. Although the joy was unspeakable, and no words were sufficient to describe it, yet something might be said of it, and no words more fit to represent its excellency than these, that it was full of glory; or as it is in the original, glorified joy. In rejoicing with this joy, their minds were filled, as it were, with a glorious brightness, and their natures exalted and perfected. It was a most worthy, noble rejoicing, that did not corrupt and debase the mind, as many carnal joys do; but did greatly beautify and dignify it; it was a prelibation of the joy of heaven, that raised their minds to a degree of heavenly blessedness; it filled their minds with the light of God's glory, and made themselves to shine with some communication of that glory.

Hence the proposition or doctrine, that I would raise from these words, is this:

True religion, in great part, consists in Holy Affections.

- Jonathan Edwards, The Religious Affections
(First Published in 1746)

Friday, April 10, 2009

Wages & Gifts

In my job I earn an hourly wage. Indeed this is why we work at our jobs (for how many of us would do our jobs for free?). My hourly wage is the reward for my labor. The end of my labor for two weeks is a pay check.

So also sin earns a wage. Although sin is pleasurable for a season in the end it leads to death. The end of a harvest of sin is death and destruction. Our world is saturated with evidence that sin brings destruction.

One such example is found in the story of a man who wanted to do things his way. I first encountered this man during a class at the local County Jail. He shared with me the story of sin bringing destruction in his life. This man lived in a house that cost a quarter of a million dollars, drove a Cadillac, and had everything he wanted - or so he thought. His quest for happiness in the wrong things (sin) resulted in him committing a heinous offense which ended in his being arrested, convicted, sentenced to several months in the County Jail, thereby losing his job, his house, his car, and his reputation.

Surely sin promises pleasure, and even delivers for a season, but the end result is destruction. This is only one story, of one man, in one community, in one country, in this world in which we live. For more evidence of this one only needs to glance at the national news headlines. Suffice it to say that this story of sin and destruction is currently unfolding countless times in our day as it has been throughout history.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man but in the end it leads to death.

Thanks be to God that through Christ there is more in our world than just the wages of sin. Although our sin indeed deserves its wages, Christ suffered once for sins in order to bring us to God (Php. 3:18). All that we can ever earn on earth is death and destruction. But praise be to God that Christ has earned our salvation through His work upon the cross, that divine transaction of the righteous for the unrighteous.

Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This glorious salvation, enjoying the Living God both now and for eternity, is a free gift from God for we who trust in Christ.

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A Novel Concept

I recently met a new friend, who is currently a pastor and has been engaged in ministry for as long as I have been alive - literally. During our recent conversations he relayed his unhappiness with the fact that a powerful and life altering concept is not very well known in the American church. I expressed my agreement with his perspective and we discoursed upon this massive blessing which is unfortunately very much undiscovered in our day.

The novel concept of which my pastor friend was referring is this, that the Living God is more fulfilling, more desirable, more valuable, and more to be sought after than everything else mankind endeavors to find happiness in combined.

It is indeed a troubling thing that this concept is more than notably sparse in American Christianity and the teachings thereof. I have personally found this concept massively foundational and helpful an almost limitless number of ways. The sad thing is that I did not encounter this wonderful epiphany until within the last 4 or 5 years. Oh the heartache that may have been spared as a result of having encountered this earlier. It seems that living without this immeasurable piece of the puzzle for so long has granted me more intensely to savor the benefits of it now.

If I knew then what I know now...

My pursuit of the Lord would have been much different, my marriage would have been much different, my personal relationships with unbelievers and with believers would have been different, my endeavors to share the good news would have been different. Most assuredly my whole life would have been altogether different as I would have been living my life around the central point of the universe: God, and not living it with myself at the center.

Well this "novel concept" is not so novel to me now, rather it is orbit changing, life altering, radically humbling, and God exalting. I've personally witnessed this truth unleash a devastatingly wonderful impact on the lives of several friends of mine.

Although I cannot change yesterday, I can make use of today and tomorrow as I endeavor to bring this life changing truth to bear on as many lives as I can. Truly our God is a Fountain of Living Waters (Jer. 2:13). He has gone through extraordinary means in order that He might offer the greatest gift conceivable to His people, namely Himself.

This is what makes the good news of the gospel so good. The infinite and eternal God became flesh, lived with us, died on our behalf, bearing our deserved sins, and was raised to life again in order to restore us unto right relationship with Him. All of this that we, who were otherwise incapable, might be enabled to know Him and to enjoy Him for eternity.

1Peter 3:18a
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Lip Service

These people honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.

Truly Lord, we love you.
But our time you may not have.

Yes Lord you are our God.
But upon the throne of our lives we will sit, thank you.

Lord you own everything.
But our finances are our own.

Surly Lord you know all things.
But we know how best to live our lives.

He is the God of hearts,
not just mouths.

Psalm 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but you,
and on earth there is nothing that I desire besides you.